Even amid a new renaissance of A+ horror content, some books still manage to stand out as especially good. I Walk With Monsters
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1991 Pt. 3: X-FORCE (w/ guest Jeremy Greer)!
Marvel comics of 1991. New Mutants ends, Deadpool begins, and X-Force by Rob Liefeld & Fabian Nicieza is here!
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Who am I? Magic in Loki: Agent of Asgard
When a story is about magic, it has to make a choice. Is magic answerable to supernatural rules, or scientific ones?
Any story is based around cause and effect. It’s based on choices and consequences. We feel cheated when characters don’t face consequences, when human nature and human lives contradict what our experience of the world is. In dealing with a stories’ magic, the same thing holds true. If the magic rules are scientific, that gives us clear cause and effect. You want to cast this spell? You’ll need this much energy, plus everything that goes in the cauldron. Boom. Everyone knows the rules. The audience never feels cheated.
But, if you’re dealing with magic that holds supernatural rules, it’s far more difficult to keep the audience’s suspension of disbelief. If magic works simply because it’s magic, then why can’t the hero snap their fingers, and solve every problem in one fell swoop? Which brings us to the question, how can we make magic consistent, when it doesn’t have any obvious rules?
Which brings us to Al Ewing and Lee Garbett’s Loki: Agent of Asgard
Doctor Octopus (Otto Octavius) Reading Order!
Spider-Man doesn’t lack iconic villains, from the Green Goblin to Venom and Carnage or even Kraven and Mysterio. But if there’s one representing the wall-crawler’s mirror image, his darker reflection, it’s Otto Octavius. From fighting Spider-Man as the supervillain and mad scientist Doctor Octopus to replacing him as the Superior Spider-Man, Otto might not have ruined Peter’s life quite as much as Norman Osborn has, but he has challenged our hero in a way no one else can, as a constant reminder of the worst-case scenario of who he could become.
In recent years, Otto has turned towards a possible redemption and tried his luck at being a superhero, but he still has a lot to make up for despite his efforts. Currently, it would seem Otto is back to his roots of supervillainy, but who knows what the future may hold for the eight-limbed scientist with the best bowl cut in the Marvel Universe.
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The Best 5 Modern Blade Comics!
Blade is one of the most disgustingly slept-on vigilantes in all comics. The dhampiric Marvel character made his debut in the 70s Tomb of Dracula, and has bounced around quite a bit since then. His books don’t fly off the shelves like those of the X-Men, he isn’t everyone’s favorite hero like Spider-Man, and his supernatural tales are often outdone by the likes of Dr. Strange and Ghost Rider. Blade’s books have always been long ignored and soon forgotten as series after series is canceled and, eventually, reborn. Under the hit-or-miss pen of Jason Aaron on Avengers and the Heroes Reborn event, his latest appearance has left much to be desired.
With Mahershala Ali cast as the titular hero in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot/interpretation of everyone’s favorite daywalker, it’s only a matter of time before we get the inevitable new Blade comic series. Jason Aaron and Javier Garron’s recent run on Avengers has been a decent showing of his prowess, and the Heroes Reborn series has been interesting, to say the least. But not enough to sell a new comic readerthat this edgy vampire dude is, in fact, an undeniable bad-ass. [Read more…] about The Best 5 Modern Blade Comics!