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(Re)Read Hickman’s X-Men Era: An X-Force to Be Reckoned With

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A Companion to 2019’s X-Force #1-6!

Benjamin Percy’s X-Force dives right in from the first page, opening the dark vein this violent sub-franchise has tapped into since its 1991 inception—growing darker and bloodier with every iteration. Or seemingly so. Certainly, each volume after the initial and longest-running one has been grim, dark, and brooding—except Ed Brisson’s relatively light 10-issue run* immediately preceding House of X. While we’re looking here at the sixth X-Force series, we shouldn’t forget the grimmest iterations—the two volumes of Uncanny X-Force written by Rick Remender. And there was the underwhelming Cable and X-Force, as well.

Related:

Hickman X-Men Reading Order

Krakin’ Krakoa!

More in this series!

*Brisson’s series is very timey-wimey and focused on teen Cable—following on from 2018’s Extermination, the mini where Brisson introduced him. For the conclusion of teen Cable’s arc, read Duggan’s Cable title, which just wrapped up at issue #12.

But what exactly is X-Force?

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How Spawn Changed Comic Books (Even Though It Sucks)

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In the late 1980s, artist Todd McFarlane exploded onto the comic book scene with his dark, hyper detailed superhero art. Alongside several other up-and-coming young artists, McFarlane represented the new age of comic books, and his art not only helped usher in an era of dark, edgy superhero stories, but also rode the massive financial wave of the speculator boom.

Eventually, McFarlane’s popularity led to him debuting his own new Spider-Man title as writer and artist, with Spider-Man #1 selling a whopping 2.5 million copies in 1990 thanks to a media blitz, variant covers, and collectors HILARIOUSLY thinking that owning a comic that had millions of copies in print would make them a millionaire. It did, however, make McFarlane a millionaire.

And in 1992, McFarlane and 6 other high profile comic book creators founded Image Comics as a place for their creator-owned books without ever giving up their rights and financial stake in the characters they made. The publication launched with several high profile, ultra-90s series – Rob Liefeld’s Youngblood, Eric Larsen’s The Savage Dragon, Jim Lee’s WildC.A.T.s. – but the Image flagship would be Todd McFarlane’s Spawn.

Spawn is the story of Al Simmons, a mercenary who comes back from hell to be reunited with his wife, only to be turned into a superpowered antihero caught in a war between the forces of good and evil. But really, the story of the Hellspawn is the story of Todd McFarlane – a superstar artist and writer who used his popularity and the booming comic book industry to help form a new publication and build a multimedia empire while entire publications floundered and ran out of money.

Spawn may be most well known for its chains, goo, and ’90s extremity, but the impact of the right comic at the right time can’t be understated, even if the years haven’t been kind to McFarlane’s signature creation.

As of this video’s publication, Spawn has published more than 300 issues and become the longest running creator-owned comic book in history. Along the way, it’s produced an animated series, a movie, many video games, and an entire toy company. And from its massive debut through its constant ups and downs both creatively and financially, Spawn has changed the comic book industry, even though it sucks. [Read more…] about How Spawn Changed Comic Books (Even Though It Sucks)

Black Cat Volume 5: “I’ll Take Manhattan” Ties Up Loose Ends In This Very Good Run

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Black Cat Vol 5, the fifth trade paperback of Jed MacKay’s Black Cat run, and the second of the series that began with the relaunched Black Cat #1 in 2021, wraps up the storyline with Black Fox, Felicia’s mentor.

The first issue in the trade, Black Cat #5 begins with Felicia and Black Fox meeting on Coney Island well before Felicia became known as Black Cat. In fact, what we are seeing is the moment when Felicia decides to take on the mantle that was once carried by her father before her. This scene acts as a prelude to what’s to come in terms of the dissolution of Felicia’s relationship with the Black Fox, reminding us of what he means to Felicia before he betrays her in the pursuit of immortality. [Read more…] about Black Cat Volume 5: “I’ll Take Manhattan” Ties Up Loose Ends In This Very Good Run

The Marvel Universe of Al Ewing (Reading Order)!

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In the few years since he’s joined the Marvel universe, Al Ewing has become one of the biggest names in American comic books, especially superhero comics ; not least of all because of his critically acclaimed work on The Immortal Hulk. However, his Marvel Comics history actually started back in 2013, and has since then spanned across many different characters and stories, from Loki to the Inhumans and even several different Avengers teams.

Ewing’s work at Marvel is not only noteworthy for often aiming to shake up the status quo of the Marvel universe as well as taking on cosmic proportions ; but also for his dedication to representation in his stories, especially queer representation in books like Immortal Hulk and Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as having mostly non-white teams in his Mighty Avengers and Ultimates especially.

And although Immortal Hulk is approaching its end, Al Ewing’s time at Marvel seems to only be beginning, as he is currently heading the new era of Marvel’s Galactic stories, across titles like Guardians of the Galaxy, S.W.O.R.D., and Venom; and events like Empyre and The Last Annihilation. [Read more…] about The Marvel Universe of Al Ewing (Reading Order)!