A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans
As happens every so often when the fates align, lord chaos and master order agree on a point of policy, and Doctor Doom and Reed Richards share a beer, my My Marvelous Year co-guest Zack Deane asked a really good question (in the exclusive MMY Slack channel!):
Have you noticed any bump in interest on CBH about Kamala Khan after the release of the Avengers Game?
Following my review of 2020’s X-Factor #1, I saw a fair amount of commentary from listeners and readers wondering why there’s all this focus on character sexuality in the book, specifically with queer X-Men. Hot on the heels of Marauders #12 and Kate Pryde’s same-sex kiss, the question is of course resurfacing, making it a good time to really dig into the relevance and importance of sexuality in the world of Marvel’s X-Men.
Up front, I’ll admit this is a sensitive issue and I don’t pretend to have all the answers. This is my own attempt to wrestle with these recurring questions, and dissect them in the context of X-Men comics. While I think it would be nice, I don’t anticipate this conversation will change hearts and minds regarding perceptions of sexuality and gender in our world, but I do hope it will specifically address how these issues are integrated into Marvel’s X-Men comics, and why, at the end of the day, it makes sense and is a substantial net positive.
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[Read more…] about Krakin’ Krakoa #86: Why Does Sexuality in X-Men Comics Matter?
The word retcon gets thrown around – sometimes wildly, sometimes recklessly – a lot in comic book circles to describe an act of rewriting a character’s history, changing seemingly fundamental details long thought to be that character’s truth. Spelled out, it’s “retro continuity,” or a sort of revisionist history that upends a status quo. For me it effectively boils down to one question: Does this irrevocably change the way we read the character’s previous appearances in comics?
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[Read more…] about Krakin’ Krakoa #73: Did Hickman Actually Retcon Mister Sinister?Even during the promotional build to Jonathan Hickman’s takeover as the “Head of X,” there was theorizing that Charles Xavier – if that even was our once and future Professor X, adorned in his Maker-esque Cerebro helmet at all times – and the X-Men would be taking on a more sinister, antagonistic role in the Marvel Universe.
Through House of X / Powers of X
I see this thinking and question pop up with virtually every new episode of Krakin’ Krakoa and given the persistence – and the degree to which this progression clearly bothers some readers – I think it’s worth laying out the case for why readers would think this, and why I ultimately wholeheartedly disagree with the assertion.
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Spoilers for comics in the Dawn of X may follow!
[Read more…] about Are the X-Men Villains Now? | Krakin’ Krakoa #68
It’s an absolute rarity that a movie based on a book is actually better than the book. Generally speaking, I feel this way about comics and comic book TV, although I’ve realized recently there are a surprising amount of shows that actually surpass or improve on the formula established on page. [Read more…] about Previously On #115: Comic Book TV Shows Better Than The Comics