A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans
Zack & Dave cover your questions as we read through the Marvel Comics of 1989!
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[Read more…] about 1989 Variant Cover A: Byrne vs. Claremont, Marvel’s 90’s Hidden Gems & More!Brilliant with a touch of madness, the High Evolutionary has a unique history even by Marvel standards. The High Evolutionary is obsessed with using genetic manipulation to advance the human race, a fixation that has taken him from early human to a being capable of going toe to toe with Galactus. He stands apart from your typical mad scientist in that his actions, while beyond extreme, are genuinely for the betterment of humanity and supported by sound science. They say to make an omelet, you have to don a metal battle suit, violate some ethical standards, and re-engineer a lot of eggs. [Read more…] about High Evolutionary Reading Order!
I have quite the love affair with the universe’s most complex symbiote. I firmly believe that Venom is an excellent example of the antihero in fiction and the numerous paths that can be taken in order to expand that character type. Formally introduced in Amazing Spider-Man #300, he is a villain, but sometimes he has a moment of reflection that compels him to do something nice for humankind. Under Eddie Brock’s moral compass, Venom becomes his best friend and the antihero needed in order to expose the complexities of the human spirit.
While Venom has the ability to choose hosts (Gwenom, Carnage), the reasons I have picked these particular stories is because I wanted to highlight the relationship between Eddie and Venom. In my own opinion, outside of the mental health allegories, Eddie’s relationship with Venom is one that makes the average reader reconsider the lines of platonic admiration and love. They are sorely dependent on each other in order to navigate this world – and that my friends, is the making of a true friendship of the ages. It’s not all roses, but with each struggle and fight, they soon become accustomed to the fact that they cannot survive without each other. [Read more…] about The Best Venom Comics!
Greenlight Comics is a local comic book store in my home town of Adelaide, Australia, and it holds a very special place in my heart. Not only do I have a great many memories of exciting books and friendly conversations, but it was also the place that let me publish my very first reviews! It’s thanks to them that I’m able to speak to you today, and I’m incredibly grateful for that fact… but today, I want to bring particular attention to their business model.
Unlike many other LCS’s that I know of, Greenlight is particularly special in that it prides itself on how it prioritises independent and creator-owned books over the likes of Marvel and DC. While there is the usual superhero shelf, it’s hardly bigger than the shelves you might see on local creators, biographies, crime and LGBTQ content. In presenting itself like a bookstore, I’m able to find content I never would have read had I visited another store, like Barrier or Animus. Image tends to be what sells the most at their store, from bestsellers like Saga or The Black Monday Murders
So, let’s talk about Junji Ito. [Read more…] about Don’t Turn the Page: The Horrors and Joys of Junji Ito
I was in a theater conservatory program in college. One day I was moving into a dorm in New York City’s East Village. A few days later I trekked across town to my first day of training in a nondescript second floor studio space amongst the warehouses and unmarked nightclubs of Chelsea’s meatpacking district. Our syllabus had the sorts of classes you’d expect from an acting school; Script Analysis, Movement, Voice, Speech, Performance Technique, but there was one class listed that I could not figure out: Repetition. [Read more…] about Critics of Vision: Parenthood, Humanity & The Repetition Game in “Vision”