Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu, has been punching and kicking his way around the Marvel universe since 1973. Despite being a year older than the likes of Wolverine, he’s never really led an ongoing series (with his name on the cover). Well, if you’ve ever wondered what a Shang-Chi ongoing would look like, there’s a pilot of sorts: a propulsive miniseries by Gene Luen Yang (Dragon Hoops, Superman Smashes the Klan), Dike Ruan (Black Cat), and Philip Tan (Batman and Robin, Spawn). Shang-Chi shows us exactly what makes Marvel’s premiere martial arts hero stand out from the pack. [Read more…] about Shang-Chi by Gene Luen Yang & Philip Tan Review!
Reviews
Best New Graphic Novel: Meditations in an Emergency – Review of Complex Noir-Thriller “November” [Parts I-IV]
Image’s “November” by Matt Fraction and Elsa Charretier is a four-part, gritty, crime thriller about three women who become ensnared within a violent plot perpetrated by corrupt police, and go about fighting for their lives amidst a tide of masculine violence. Interweaving multiple perspectives, it’s a story that blends noir crime fiction with hard-boiled mystery, while smoothly including impactful lesbian romances with depth and realism.
“November” was released as four graphic novels, serialized between November 2019 and March 2021 in beautiful 60-page hardcover editions. Each moody volume gives the story a sustained momentum where the reader is able to sit longer with each character and meditate on the colorized clues. Matt Fraction and Elsa Charretier plant such intricate devils in the details, relying on a reader’s keenest faculties of observation, that “November” might not appeal to some casual readers. Nonetheless, lovers of the hard-boiled and the noir will feel this is a masterpiece. [Read more…] about Best New Graphic Novel: Meditations in an Emergency – Review of Complex Noir-Thriller “November” [Parts I-IV]
Marvels Snapshots Graphic Novel in Review!
Curated, edited, and sometimes co-written by comics legend Kurt Busiek, Marvels Snapshots is an engaging set of flashbacks that fill in some gaps in the greater story of the Marvel Universe. Featuring a series of covers by Busiek’s frequent collaborator Alex Ross, these stories feel like a step back into the duo’s early work in Marvels. By taking much the same ground-level view on Marvel continuity but expanding the idea so that new writers and artists can be involved, this is, at its best, an updated look at Marvel’s canon. [Read more…] about Marvels Snapshots Graphic Novel in Review!
Excalibur #19 Review!
In recent issues of Excalibur, it was revealed that Betsy Braddock’s spirit has been “ping-ponging” about the Multiverse since her body and the Starlight Sword were literally shattered in X of Swords. But now her elusive psyche has been caught in a glass lantern by one of Betsy’s alternate Captain Britain selves–to be brought back home to her rightful place and body. But that earthly vessel hatched in Mr. Sinister’s labs is not as empty as King Jamie Braddock was led to believe.
Note: The following contains spoilers for Excalibur #19 by Tini Howard, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega & VC’s Ariana Maher, on sale now
Avengers By Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Vol. 4 Review!
There’s still time.
Things are still falling apart in the Marvel universe, but the Avengers have had a victory, after fighting back the Builders and Thanos in Avengers by Jonathan Hickman Vol. 3. For the Illuminati, it’s a Pyrrhic victory. The death of everything is still coming. And now, the chaos that comes with that begins to seep into everything else. Things are unraveling, and the heroes begin to realize why.
If Infinity was an epic story, touched with character moments, then Avengers Vol. 4 by Jonathan Hickman and a host of artists, is focused on the characters, using the epic moments to bring us closer to them. And the question these characters are forced to ask themselves is – what have they become?
[Read more…] about Avengers By Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Vol. 4 Review!