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The Essential Omega Red Reading Order!

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The Russian mutant supervillain Omega Red is a remarkably distilled embodiment of the X-Men’s transition out of the 1980’s and into the 1990’s. Codename Omega Red, real-name Arkady Rossovich is Russia’s equivalent of Wolverine, Weapon X, but from the foundation of a serial killer.

Debuting in X-Men #4, in a story by John Byrne and Jim Lee, Omega Red is the very first supervillain the X-Men face after Chris Claremont’s final written issue in 1991 after an approximate 16 year tenure as lead writer for all things mutant. Red looks like Ivan Drago had a three-way baby with Doctor Octopus and the spirit animal powering all of 90’s Image Comics. He’s also a wonderfully over-the-top vampire super-soldier with the mutant ability to secret death pheromones. [Read more…] about The Essential Omega Red Reading Order!

Hill House (DC) Comics Reading List!

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Hill House debuted in 2019 as a DC Comics pop-up imprint (it technically falls under the broader DC “Black Label” book categorization) with a focus on horror comics curated by writer Joe Hill. The son of Stephen King, Joe Hill is best known in the comics world for his long-running and celebrated series with artist Gabriel Rodriguez, Locke & Key. [Read more…] about Hill House (DC) Comics Reading List!

Krakin’ Krakoa #38: X-Men #7 Review – What Is Hickman’s Crucible? What’s It Mean For Mutants?

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X-Men #7 delivers a major update to the state of mutants on Krakoa and in the Marvel Universe, in easily one of the biggest issues since House of X ended!

Today I’ll answer:

+ What is “Crucible” and what does it mean for the X-Men’s resurrection protocols?

+ How does X-Men #7 tie heavily into House of M and X-Men “Decimation” stories from the mid 2000’s?

+ Why Nightcrawler is the perfect guide to introduce us to the new Crucible practice on Krakoa

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Krakin’ Krakoa #37: Giant-Size Jean Grey / Emma Frost Review!

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Few power players in the world of X-Men are as essential to Krakoa with as much baggage between them as Jean Grey and Emma Frost, two of the world’s most powerful telepaths and members of Krakoa’s quiet council. ​

Today I’ll answer:​

+ What does this Giant-Size special mean for Jean and Emma in the Krakoa era?​

+ What’s the big picture role of the 5 Hickman written Giant-Size specials in Dawn of X?​

+ What do you need to know about the history between Jean and Emma?​

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Taskmaster Reading Order!

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They say “those who can’t do, teach,” but the Taskmaster – a mercenary-trainer-for-hire with “photographic reflexes” also known as Tony Masters – proves the phrase wrong. “Anything the Avengers can do, I can do better!” he boasts on the cover of Avengers #196, his first full appearance. All that skill and the heart of an educator to boot? What a catch!

2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the Taskmaster’s introduction at the end of Avengers #195 (May 1980). His capacity to mimic the athletic abilities of anyone he watches immediately made him a formidable foe for countless heroes, often thwarted only through clever tricks, as opposed to physical prowess. Acting as a foil to every hero he faces, the Taskmaster has made it into hundreds of single issues, dozens of episodes of animated television, and video games including Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4 – all leading up to his live action debut in this spring’s entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Widow. [Read more…] about Taskmaster Reading Order!