Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

Featured

Underrated Gems: Zeb Wells’ Fall and Rise of the New Mutants

by Leave a Comment

NOTE: The end of this piece WILL spoil HELLIONS #1, so if that matters to you, please bookmark this and enjoy later!

My selection for largely unheralded (pun intended) comic story of the recent decade is a timely and strategic choice. Back in the early 1980s, when the X-Men were busy fighting the Brood in space and Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel of MCU fame had heavy history with our merry mutants back in the day) was busy becoming Binary, an eventual member of the Starjammers, Professor Charles Xavier thought they were dead. Because of this, he founded a class of…well…New Mutants. This would be long-time writer Chris Claremont’s second ongoing series (Ed. Note: Art by Bob Mcleod!). He handed the keys over to Louise Simonson roughly halfway through the book’s 100-issue run. Near the end, artist Rob Liefeld took over writing the book, introducing characters like Cable, Domino and Deadpool that are X-Men mainstays (and movie stars!) to this day. [Read more…] about Underrated Gems: Zeb Wells’ Fall and Rise of the New Mutants

Krakin’ Krakoa #49: Krakoa’s Complete Marvel Comics History!

by Leave a Comment

While there are many fascinating aspects of the Jonathan Hickman era of Marvel’s X-Men, no one word sums up the shift in status quo quite like the following: Krakoa! One time little more than the mutant monster island that brought the All-New All-Different X-Men together, Krakoa is now the home to all of mutantkind, providing everything from sustenance to shelter to language and beyond.

Today I’ll answer:
+ What’s the history of Krakoa in Marvel Comics, and how many different versions have we seen?
+ Whether or not Krakoa’s origins match up with Apocalypse’s stated origin of Krakoa in Powers of X.
+ What secrets the island may hold, and predictions for what they’ll mean in the Krakoa era of X-Men.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Spotify | RSS

[Read more…] about Krakin’ Krakoa #49: Krakoa’s Complete Marvel Comics History!

Wonder Woman Historia Part Six: The Bronze and The Bold

by 2 Comments

Welcome! Historia is a brand new bi-monthly series that will be examining The Amazing Amazon’s rich history. The feature will span the war-haunted Golden Ages in which she was forged, through the sweeping currents of The Silver Age, the shifts of The Bronze Age, the trials of The Dark Age, all the way to The Renaissance and The Prismatic Age of the modern century.

We’ll be looking at and discussing the various influences and archetypal antecedents that underlie the Wonder Legend, the power of the conceits it upholds, the politics of the whole enterprise, the terrifying nature of myths and narratives, and how the character and property have changed, evolved, or even regressed. What is this curious little experiment that began under a polyamorous polymath psychologist that became an icon of the feminist movement and a vital corporate symbol? Let’s dig in.

[Read more…] about Wonder Woman Historia Part Six: The Bronze and The Bold

Black Widow’s Supporting Cast — Reading Recommendations & Origins!

by Leave a Comment

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone a long way to making a household name out of Black Widow a.k.a. Natasha Romanoff a.k.a Natalia Romanova a.k.a. Nancy Rushman a.k.a. Oktober (okay, maybe not all of these names are household just yet). Unlike associates of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, the characters in Nat’s orbit have yet to transcend in the way that Pepper Potts, Sharon Carter, Lady Sif, and even Happy Hogan have. That may change when Black Widow is finally released in theaters, hopefully sometime later this year. The delay of a major motion picture is hardly the most upsetting aspect of a global pandemic, but the removal of Black Widow from the release schedule at least gives intrepid readers the opportunity to better get to know the Marvel Comics characters that might soon make their big-screen debut. Read on to learn more about the people surrounding Natasha, and for a couple of suggestions for where to start your reading. [Read more…] about Black Widow’s Supporting Cast — Reading Recommendations & Origins!