Dave, Zack and Charlotte talk the X-Men’s Age of Apocalypse
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Science Fiction & The X-Men, Part 2: The Golden Age Context for the Original X-Men
I. Children of Tomorrow
Last Look at Slan
Last time we looked briefly at the 1940 serialized novel “Slan” by A.E. van Vogt (later published as a book in 1946), an instant hit at the time, one it’s very hard to imagine either Stan Lee or Jack Kirby not reading, even if only to take the pulse of the moment with their target audiences. More likely, they read it for fun, because it would have been a much easier pleasure during the Golden Age of sf.
At the time, it was the most popular introduction to bookish American youths of the idea of the pariah elite, both benevolent and malevolent—think X-Men versus the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the way each reacts to a world that fears and hates them. In fact, this twofold analogy between Slan and Marvel’s X-Men is the clearest relationship between the two fictions. Beyond that, their similarities start to break down; slans are all telepaths and have superhuman physical traits; obviously, these standard powers are diversified among the mutants of Marvel. For the wider sf community, mutants were a trope for the hyper-intelligent; almost all of these fictional metahumans were superpowered by ultra-brain smarts and psi powers.
Slan became so popular among Golden Age sf readership that it whipped up an obvious catchphrase to describe itself: “Fans are slans.” Feel the incel vibes yet? Hounded and ostracized for their native genius and far-out imaginations, these early fans—at a time when indeed sf was not cool enough for school—were meant to identify with Vogt’s pariah elite, persecuted because of their unappreciated giftedness. So before we even get to the X-Men, we have here the early (Steve Ditko side of) Peter Parker—the most feverish incel of Marvel’s early Silver Age. [Read more…] about Science Fiction & The X-Men, Part 2: The Golden Age Context for the Original X-Men
The Best Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) Comics!
[covers by Sara Pichelli & Justin Ponsor; Mashal Ahmed; and Cliff Chiang]
The world seems to slip by so fast these days—hence, why the past decade feels like two decades! (And yes, that’s the usual cliché inverted, because it’s truer!) Somehow, in 2022, it seems like Kamala Khan has always been with us and yet only a little more than eight years have passed since her January 2014 debut. Now obviously, it’s not like she’s there in the comics before 2014’s historic Marvel Now relaunch (not a reboot), but really, so much has been done to assure Marvel readers, especially those who came of age in the 2010s, that this Ms. Marvel, from a Jersey City Pakistani immigrant family and a diverse high school, is even more than just the Peter Parker of her time. Kamala is unique for a star Big Two superhero because whereas most superheroes are sped through what would realistically be their gradual, formative phase, to get them away from their families and their everyday, relatable lives and settings, to launch them into cosmic battles and world-ending dramas, Marvel has from the beginning to the present moment stewarded this character to guarantee that she is what has been all too rare in superhero comics: an authentic in-universe viewpoint for an entire generation of fans, a position she shares perhaps only with Spider-Man Miles Morales. [Read more…] about The Best Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) Comics!
The Trouble With Wanda Maximoff in The Trial of Magneto
X-Men: The Trial of Magneto was an interesting moment for Krakoa. To begin with, it was published more or less alongside Jonathan Hickman’s departure from the X-Men franchise; however, the events in Inferno primarily occur in the aftermath of Trial. Each story is equally vital in establishing what will come next for several central characters, but tonally they couldn’t be more different. Despite creative crossover and both mini-series being game-changers for how the story of Krakoa will unfold going forward, there is a surprising lack of overlap between them. Indeed, Xavier and Magneto are often at odds here, while in Inferno they appear as a much more united front.
In this way, Trial can seem inconsistent at first glance, but to declare it so would be to neglect decades of continuity. Many characters that appear are under serious stress, and some of their more negative traits from days gone by are on display. In that way, Trial becomes a story that is not inconsistent, but about both growth and how we at times fail to grow, reverting to toxic behaviors that we thought we’d placed far behind us.
Discussing The Trial of Magneto #1-5 [Read more…] about The Trouble With Wanda Maximoff in The Trial of Magneto
Swamp Thing in Gotham & Space: Alan Moore’s Final Odyssey
Through hell, war, and madness, the love between Abigail Arcane and Swamp Thing has only grown deeper. But can it withstand a world that hates them? And even worse, can it stand being separated by light years apart?
After taking over Saga of the Swamp Thing with issue 20 in 1984, Alan Moore and collaborators redefined and expanded the character of Alec Holland in ways that not only permanently changed the meaning of Swamp Thing, but influenced generations of stories at DC Comics. But while his long-running “American Gothic” storyline would reach a massive climax in issue 50, there were still more stories to tell, even as original artistic collaborators Stephen Bisette and John Tottleben would leave the title and be replaced by penciller Rick Veitch and inker Alfredo Alcala. But by 1987, Alan Moore would come to the end of his time in the swamps and soon after leave DC Comics forever. [Read more…] about Swamp Thing in Gotham & Space: Alan Moore’s Final Odyssey