The Thunderbolts team itself begins as a spoiler. A well-written and genuinely shocking twist is a key part of the team’s earliest appearances. Suffice to say, spoilers are ahead. [Read more…] about The Thunderbolts Reading Order!
Marvel Characters
Thunderstrike Reading Order!
What do you get when you cross the Thor mythos with grunge aesthetics? You get Thunderstrike, a new Thor variant made by the 90s, for the 90s. A beefier hero who traded his classic hammer in for an Asgardian mace. It’s a classic epic of a leather jacket fighting other, larger leather jackets.
First introduced as a side character in the pages of Thor, Eric Masterson quickly became the Thunder God’s new human alter ego (yes, the title was still doing the secret identity thing by the late 80s if you can believe it), before forging himself a new identity as Thunderstrike.
Created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz in 1988, Eric Masterson is a rare example of a Marvel hero who not only has a clear beginning and end to his story, but has also maintained a pretty consistent creative team throughout his comic book history (with DeFalco writing virtually all of his comics, and Frenz drawing most of them). In 2011, more than a decade after Thunderstrike’s death, the duo even came back to continue Eric Masterson’s legacy in the form of his teenage son Kevin, who inherits his father’s mace and becomes the new Thunderstrike (still active today, as of his last cameo apparition in the pages of Annihilation Scourge: Omega). [Read more…] about Thunderstrike Reading Order!
Juggernaut Reading Order!
Cain Marko (Codename: The Juggernaut) has been rampaging through the Marvel Universe since his first appearance in 1965’s X-Men #12. The Juggernaut serves as the avatar for the ancient deity, Cytorrak, which makes him (nearly) unstoppable. At first glance, the Juggernaut is your classic heavy but once you pry off that comically oversized helmet, you discover a man struggling with his tragic upbringing, sense of morality, and place in the world.
Marko’s step-brother just so happens to be Charles “Professor X” Xavier and their unique relationship has made Juggernaut an X-Men mainstay. But it’s his shifting role between hero, villain, ally, and threat that’s made the Juggernaut to break free of the X-books with memorable parts in stories across the Marvel landscape. [Read more…] about Juggernaut Reading Order!
Ironheart (Riri Williams) Reading Order!
Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato in the lead-up to Civil War II, Riri Williams is a 15-year-old child genius from Chicago who builds her own Iron Man-type armor and soon finds herself taking over Tony Stark’s mantle.
In recent stories, particularly Eve Ewing’s solo series, Ironheart has started to step outside of Iron Man’s shadow and into a spotlight all her own, whether as a member of the teen hero group, the Champions, or on her own adventures taking her as far from Chicago as Latveria, and recently, Wakanda. [Read more…] about Ironheart (Riri Williams) Reading Order!
The Maestro (Future Hulk) Reading Order!
A character with a 60-year history set in a multiverse will see countless alternative versions created to support the story creatively and/or commercially. The ability to take an already successful character and make fundamental changes without impacting the original character is a valuable tool. The Hulk is no stranger to this idea and this has allowed the character to be taken to unique places. We have seen a “Nerd Hulk”, a “Punk Hulk”, Worlds where Hulk and Banner have been successfully separated, and whatever the hell Ultimate Hulk
The Maestro stands apart from the other variations and has created his own gamma footprint in the Marvel Universe. The Maestro is the nightmare future scenario where a Post-Apocalyptic Hulk and Banner live as one with Banner’s intelligence and the Hulk’s strength aligned, and a malevolent dictator forged. [Read more…] about The Maestro (Future Hulk) Reading Order!