Collecting Hellions #7-12, the second trade volume of this instant cult classic is out now, released August 4. Hellions
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Dracula (Marvel) Reading Order!
In the 1970s, after having spent more than a decade as a juggernaut of superhero comics, Marvel expanded their line in a new direction, going back to their 50s Atlas Comics tradition of horror and supernatural stories. But instead of Kirby-esque creatures from outer space like “Xemnu the Living Hulk” or “Groot from Planet X,” Marvel found its new monsters in literary and cinematographic icons such as Frankenstein’s monster, the Werewolf, and — most notable among them — Dracula.
The Tomb of Dracula became the most successful of Marvel’s 70s horror comics, telling the story of the continued struggle between a group of vampire hunters and the titular villain. Count Dracula is presented as a villainous – although at time sympathetic – figure, sometimes fighting alongside the heroes, but always motivated by his hunger for blood and power.
For most of his initial series, Dracula stayed in his own part of the Marvel universe, very rarely crossing over with other titles, and mostly with similarly horrific or supernatural characters. But this started changing in the 2000s, when the Lord of the Vampires became a villain for the whole Marvel universe, encountering characters like Captain Britain, the X-Men, or even Deadpool. Most recently, since 2019, Dracula has become the leader of his own Vampire Nation, serving as an antagonist for the Avengers as well as Wolverine. [Read more…] about Dracula (Marvel) Reading Order!
To Kill or Not to Kill Baby Thanos in Cosmic Ghost Rider
Sometimes comics are poetic, sometimes they’re an action-filled romp, and yet other times comics can be the reading equivalent of listening to a particularly epic/absurd metal album. Much of the work brought to us by the creative team behind Cosmic Ghost Rider, Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw, fits in the last category, and nowhere is that more true than this omnibus. Even as we see new creators bring new takes on the character, these stories by their very nature are filled to overflow with theatrical fights, absurd comedy, cosmic threats, and, one imagines, lots of guitar solos.
Cosmic Ghost Rider is said to have taken cues from DC’s Lobo: a spacefaring agent of chaos, chomping cigars and traveling through the stars on a space motorcycle. The character likewise bears more than a passing resemblance to Deadpool or Harley Quinn, cracking wise while put into one impossible situation after another. This is all to say that while there might not be a ton of substance, this omnibus is a heck of a lot of fun to read, and the adventures collected here take us all the way through the Marvel Universe and back again.
Collects: Thanos (2016) #13-18, Thanos Annual (2018) #1, Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018) #1-5, Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History (2019) #1-6, Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) #1-6, Avengers (2018) #22-25, Revenge of the Cosmic Ghost Rider (2019) #1-5; material from Thanos Legacy (2018) #1, Wolverine: Black, White & Blood (2020) #3 [Read more…] about To Kill or Not to Kill Baby Thanos in Cosmic Ghost Rider
The Suicide Squad – A Gruesome Ode to the Outcast
Even the lowliest of creatures have purpose in the world.
In a nutshell, that’s the driving idea behind James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad – a return to the deadly adventures of Task Force X and one of the goriest, most subversive, most heartfelt comic book movies ever made. [Read more…] about The Suicide Squad – A Gruesome Ode to the Outcast
(Re)Read Hickman’s X-Men: “I’m on a Boat,” Marauders #1
What is a marauder? One who roams about living off what they’ve plundered from others. Apparently, maraud in French means “rascal” or “rapscallion” which was once pared with “rampallion” (now “ramp”), meaning an “ill-behaved woman”—a notion Captain Kitty Kate Pryde might be coming to appreciate! 😉
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