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Marvel Reviews

Krakin’ Krakoa #53: How Zeb Wells’ New Mutants Leads to 2020 Inferno 2.0

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The Zeb Wells written run on New Mutants (the 2009 to 2011 volume) is definitely an underrated gem of the era, bringing the Xavier School students of the 1980’s Chris Claremont X-Men into the 2010’s as fully formed young adults, graduating to X-Men status.

Through connections to X-Men history and lore, Wells and company weave in developments for Legion, Inferno, and the realm of Limbo, all concepts and characters that have plenty of resonance in the X-Men comics of 2020.

Today I’ll Answer:

  • What makes Wells run on New Mutants special
  • How do the comics tie into the Dawn of X, especially the Wells written Hellions
  • How the conclusion of the run ties into a wild theory I have about the threat of a demonic cosmic Hell facing mutantkind!

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Krakin’ Krakoa #52: Mike Carey’s X-Men Run – The Legacy Behind Dawn of X

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Mike Carey’s time writing the X-Men from 2006 to 2012 is the second longest consecutive run by any creator in Marvel history (trailing Chris Claremont), and despite a goldmine of concepts and character studies, the run is frequently overlooked in broader discussion of the best X-Men comics. Certainly, Carey’s work is referenced nowhere near as often as Grant Morrison’s time on New X-Men, or even the later run by Brian Michael Bendis.

Today I’ll answer:

  • What’s the legacy of Carey’s work on X-Men
  • What concepts and ideas influence Hickman’s X-Men and the Dawn of X
  • Theories and predictions for Hickman’s X-Men

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32nd Birthday Challenge Pt 2 – Avengers #32 (Hickman Era) & Marvel Futures

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Avengers #32 falls smack in the middle of perhaps the densest portion of the Jonathan Hickman written Avengers that ran from 2012 to 2015 before culminating in the best comic book event of all time, 2015’s Secret Wars. It’s a crucial juncture in the intersecting master plan of Hickman’s New Avengers / Avengers dueling stories, and the kickoff to “Time Runs Out,” when the blend between issues of New Avengers and Avengers wholly consumes the distinct differences in each series.

For more on why I’m reviewing my favorite 32nd issues of comic books, check out the intro review of Amazing Spider-Man #32! [Read more…] about 32nd Birthday Challenge Pt 2 – Avengers #32 (Hickman Era) & Marvel Futures

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

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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 #46: Hellions #1 Review – The X-Men’s Sinister Suicide Squad!

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Hellions #1 by Zeb Wells and Stephen Segovia introduces the problem children of mutantkind, all under the steady gentle guidance of Mister Sinister. It’s a Suicide Squad meets Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. What could go wrong?

Today I’ll answer:

+ Who are the Hellions?

+ What is Hellions role in the Dawn of X?

+ How does this oddball collection connect to Mister Sinister, Madylene Pryor, and possibly Inferno 2?!

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