Amazing Spider-Man #14! Spider-Verse: Part Six! Not exactly the final chapter, not exactly part six, especially considering all of the various tie-ins. Here we are at the end, and while none of the loose ends get tied up, the story finally comes to the part that English teachers would call the Climax. In two weeks, be ready for what Marvel calls the Epilogue, but I’ll call the Resolution. [Read more…] about THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #14 Review: “This is (not) the end”
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The 25 Essential Trades to Marvel Comics From 1961 to 2000
For the life of Comic Book Herald, I’ve concentrated most heavily on what I consider the modern Marvel era, 1998 to present day. This is all well and good for catching up with the Marvel comics scene, and there are plenty of great comics from this time period, but obviously it overlooks the fantastically varied and full library of Marvel comics from 1961 (the publication of Fantastic Four #1) to the new millennium. [Read more…] about The 25 Essential Trades to Marvel Comics From 1961 to 2000
History of the Batman, pt. 1: Batman’s Literal Year One
Created in light of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s practically invincible character Superman, editor Vin Sullivan asked Bob Kane to come up with a character that would be as popular as the Man of Steel. Inspired by pulp fiction comics and Leonardo Da Vinci’s flying machine, Kane created the Bat-Man. Once ghostwriter Bill Finger put his influence into this new hero, Bat-Man changed into a dark masked vigilante, donning a grey and black cape and cowl with small swept ears. Different as night and day, the ordinary human with extraordinary mastery of science and martial arts debuted in Detective Comics #27 in May of 1939 (cover date). [Read more…] about History of the Batman, pt. 1: Batman’s Literal Year One
AVENGERS #41 Review: “The Other Shoe”
Continuing the recent trend of stealth-releasing chapters of Jonathan Hickman’s epic, this week’s Avengers has the added distinction of being the most speculated installment yet. Curiously featuring the repurposed cover to 2002’s Ultimates 1, there is actually very little interior content that could otherwise prepare the reader for what’s in store without ruining massive surprises. Narratively, it’s a bit of a sidestep from the usual splintered dysfunction of Earth’s Mightiest, focusing instead on other aspects just as integral to the bigger picture of the upcoming Secret Wars. [Read more…] about AVENGERS #41 Review: “The Other Shoe”
The Most Interesting Comic Book Trade Releases – February 2015
Every month throughout 2015, I’ll be taking a look at the most interesting comic book trade collections released, or available for pre-order. The goal is to give new and long time comic book lovers a good sense of what’s available this month, and what comic book trades you might want to add to your growing collection. Without further ado: [Read more…] about The Most Interesting Comic Book Trade Releases – February 2015