The X-Men were what got me hooked on comics. The very first series I started reading regularly were Uncanny X-Men and (adjectiveless) X-Men. But the next big “franchise” I set out to explore after X-Men was the Avengers. I started reading the main Avengers book during the Bob Harras and Steve Epting run, during which the character of Dane Whitman/Black Knight was a featured player, field leader of the Avengers and one of the drivers of the series’ overarching narrative. He had a leather jacket and cool stubble, and was stuck in two different love triangles at the same time! Meanwhile, I was picking up Avengers back issues at my local comic shops. Most of what I could acquire on my meager allowance was issues from the back half of the mid-’80s Roger Stern/John Buscema/Tom Palmer run, which also featured Black Knight in a prominent role, having been a stalwart member for dozens of issues at that point in time, mildly pining for team leader Wasp and serving as that roster’s “science guy” in the absence of the likes of Hank Pym or Tony Stark. [Read more…] about Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade Review!
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The Moment I Truly Loved Judge Dredd
I’d always liked Judge Dredd.
I remember seeing the 2012 film adaptation, starring Karl Urban and Olivia Thirlby. It was a tremendously entertaining film. I thought it rather a shame that it didn’t do better commercially, thus being viable for more sequels. Alex Garland and Pete Travis’ film was a tightly constructed story, and a good time. I thought ‘neat’.
But I didn’t love Dredd. [Read more…] about The Moment I Truly Loved Judge Dredd
(Re)Read Hickman’s X-Men: The City and the Mask – X-Men #5 & #6
X-Men #5 and 6, published just before Lockdown—and therefore at the tail-end of the Before Times—were the two issues of Hickman’s run that each most clearly prefaced a mystery whose suspense was left to hang for a long time, with the mystery of the mutants in the Vault having been recently and only partially resolved (of course), in X-Men #18-19, and with the mystery of Mystique’s scheme apparently now in payoff mode with the Inferno miniseries. In the Dawn of X, it seemed likely that these and the HOX/POX mysteries—which is obviously where the Destiny plot thread started—would all come crashing down simultaneously when the time came. And they still might, but these days, it seems likelier that these early story seeds will each develop further and resolve at least somewhat on their own and with hopefully more decompression, perhaps aided by a more adroitly staggered publication schedule. Although each of these issues is a teaser and no longer appears to offer any clues to the near future, they still read well and look gorgeous. [Read more…] about (Re)Read Hickman’s X-Men: The City and the Mask – X-Men #5 & #6
Casual Krakoa: Inferno #2, SWORD #9, Wolverine #17, Marauders #25!
On my weekly livestream, Casual Krakoa Live, I review the week’s X-Men comics, and answer big questions about what’s going on with Marvel’s merry mutants! You can listen or watch below:
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This week’s Casual Krakoa will answer:
+ How’s Inferno looking at the halfway point?
+ What do you think Hickman’s writing for Marvel next?
+ How SWORD continues to delight and Marauders continues to maraud!
[Read more…] about Casual Krakoa: Inferno #2, SWORD #9, Wolverine #17, Marauders #25!
I Don’t Like Deathstroke (And I’m Not Supposed To) In the Deathstroke Omnibus
Over many decades, Deathstroke has come to be regarded as less of a villain and more of an antihero, due to his complicated loyalties and occasional tendency to switch sides mid-fight when his limited conscience happens to get the better of him. He remains very much a “love him or hate him” character among DC’s pantheon. To be clear, I fall on the “hate him” side of this. He is the worst!
Yet it’s possible for an unlikeable protagonist to make for a great story when placed in the hands of a capable creative team. Deathstroke has had his moments, from his early days in the Marv Wolfman and George Perez New Teen Titans to his more recent runs. Still, it was not until writer Christopher Priest penned his incredible fifty-plus issue arc with the character as part of DC’s Rebirth relaunch that Slade Wilson’s Shakespeare-meets-Dynasty-meets-The-Professional vibes came to their full fruition in Deathstroke Omnibus.
Collects: Deathstroke: Rebirth #1, Deathstroke #1-50, Deathstroke Annual #1, DC Holiday Special 2017 #1, Titans #11, Teen Titans #8, #28-30, and Titans: The Lazarus Contract Special #1 [Read more…] about I Don’t Like Deathstroke (And I’m Not Supposed To) In the Deathstroke Omnibus