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There is Only Doom | A Primer on The Greatest Villain of All Time

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Doctor Doom is a wonderfully complex character 

To my mind, he’s the first Marvel supervillain as he set the relatable, tortured archetype that everyone from Magneto to Gorr would follow after. And, rumor has it, he was a big inspiration on Darth Vader (it’s embarrassing to just realize, this year, that Vader’s weird mouth second on his mask looks a fair bit like Jack Kirby’s illustrations of DOOM shouting.) Not to mention Raul Julia’s M. Bison. Two equally great, enduring symbols of villainy.

It’s easy to see why so many have enjoyed Doom for so long. That iconic metal mask of his is utterly grotesque and ostensibly hides a face much worse. But then, the horror of the first only adds to the mystery of the second. Then there’s the whole “hooded cape over armor” look. Who the hell thought that would be evergreen?! Plus he’s got magic, crazy inventions, his own castle, the very best in names… the list goes on. At the top of the list of things we love about Doom has to be his dialogue, which is simply the best in the business.

No one speaks with the ridiculous pomp and camp of Doom. Yet, no one, not even Thanos, has his finality.

But these things are just ornamentation. Nothing more than armor polish and melted loved ones. Let’s see what matters. [Read more…] about There is Only Doom | A Primer on The Greatest Villain of All Time

The Best of the Scarlet Witch!

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Despite making hundreds of appearances in Marvel comics over many decades, Wanda Maximoff is a difficult character to make a best-of list for. Even a serious Wanda fan will find themselves pressed. There are huge swaths of Avengers lore in which she’s either quietly hanging out in the background or the emphasis is on her relationship with The Vision or her complicated dynamic with Magneto and Quicksilver.

In short, most of Wanda’s stories aren’t really her own, including many of the ones that are important to read to understand her evolution. There are many stories like Avengers Disassembled, which changed the course of her life forever, but in which she barely makes an appearance. Here, we’ve left out some of the more infamous Wanda stories to emphasize those that give a better idea of who she is and what makes her tick. [Read more…] about The Best of the Scarlet Witch!

The Great Pretenders: Looking Back at the Scarlet Witch in Uncanny Avengers

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As the Disney+ series WandaVision is released, Comic Book Herald critics will explore Wanda Maximoff’s comic book history, and where the character may be going moving forward, in an ongoing weekly series we’re calling “The Great Pretenders: What To Do With Marvel’s Scarlet Witch?!”

Wanda Maximoff’s fall from grace was more gradual than is generally acknowledged, but for our purposes, it mostly took place through the stories Avengers Disassembled, House of M, and Decimation. After causing countless calamities with her infamous “no more mutants” line, an amnesiac Wanda ended up in Wundagore, then engaged to Doctor Doom in Latveria, before regaining her memories in The Children’s Crusade.                     

As such, though Wanda seemed to be on a path to healing as far back as 2010, it’s been quite an uphill battle. As recently as the Empyre crossover, her mix of good intentions with an apparent inability to take prudent advice once again combined to create catastrophe, which could leave a lot of fans wondering if she learned anything at all in the many years that took place between these arcs. The answer to that, of course, is – kind of. It’s complicated. [Read more…] about The Great Pretenders: Looking Back at the Scarlet Witch in Uncanny Avengers

10 Best Comics To Read With WandaVision!

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Obviously there are pretty darn good reasons for it (*gestures at… everything*), but it’s been an amazingly long time in media years since Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Homecoming ended MCU Phase 3. Here we are a year and a half later, and it’s time to kick off Phase 4 proper with WandaVision on Disney+, the first MCU foray into episodic streaming (shouts to Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, and Marvel Netflix for lingering in “is this MCU?” limbo for years!).

Whether you’re prepping for the show’s launch, binging between episodes, or catching up after the whole season has concluded, it’s a great time to dig into Scarlet Witch and Vision comics throughout Marvel history. Now, based on trailers alone, WandaVision is clearly heavily influenced by Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez-Walta’s Vision, and, if you’re to believe the cottage Easer Egg industry, the reality-warping possibility of the 2005 Marvel event House of M. [Read more…] about 10 Best Comics To Read With WandaVision!

The Best Marvel Comics of 2020!

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Gauging a publisher’s success in 2020 is a fool’s errand, although Marvel Comics has held relatively steady throughout the tumultuous, pandemic impacted year. There are few (if any) new series launches that have taken comics by storm, but last year’s good books have either remained strong or improved.

The line is significantly bolstered by the post House of X / Powers of X X-Men lineup of comics, with a remarkably high batting average across a “Dawn of X” wave that’s grown over 10 series. Likewise, Immortal Hulk continues making its case for Marvel’s best comic, and properties from Guardians of the Galaxy to Deadpool received creative overhauls and shots of adrenaline. [Read more…] about The Best Marvel Comics of 2020!