In this week’s “Previously On,” I list my favorite comics channels on Youtube. [Read more…] about Previously On #99: My Favorite Comic Book Youtube Channels (2022)!
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The 10 Most Disappointing Comics of 2020!
I tend to keep it pretty darn positive here on Comic Book Herald, but let’s face it, not all comics hit the mark. And some are huge letdowns, failing to live up to hopes and expectations and proving just how special a thing it is when a creative team fully clicks on a story.
Keep in mind this is not a “worst of 2020,” as with one notable exception (come on down, Three Joooooookers!), I don’t really hate-read anything (and if I’m not feeling it, there are way too many good comics to explore to waste that kind of time!). Instead, these are the comics that I (and critic Sean Dillon, who graciously joined me!) thought would be good, even contenders for my favorites of the year, and instead fell into the category of comics I like to call “I wonder if the library will take these as donations?” [Read more…] about The 10 Most Disappointing Comics of 2020!
Journey through Literature #37 (Prizefighter)
In this bi-monthly series, critic Sean Dillon interviews various weird and interesting people and talks to them about books, new and old, and how they relate to the people who read them. This month, Sean follows up his interview with director Mike Flanagan talking with the people’s champion, Prizefighter (as seen in Commanders in Crisis)! As per Flanagan’s suggestion, they are reading If The Devil Didn’t Exist… by Steven Moffat.
Wikipedia Book Summary (italics added for clarification): 008 (Rebecca Swanson) has stolen a dossier of ongoing operations. From Operation Moonraker to Project Spectre, these projects have been key to MI6’s global operations for policing the world for decades. With the recent leakage of The Belgium Affair, MI6 has tasked its number one agent, James Bond, to hunt down and eliminate this rogue operative. There’s just one problem: they were once lovers. Many years ago, 007 and 008 were tasked with infiltrating a suspected Spectre cell in America. Their budding romance is on the verge of collapse and Bond doesn’t even realize it. With the world on the brink of devastation, will Bond be able to prevent his lover turned enemy from making things worse? And what secrets does Swanson hold of her own.
I was told that traveling via Atom Rider was a bit like being a washing machine. This is what I was told. The actual experience of traveling this way is perhaps more akin to holding onto a bear for dear life while lightning strikes next to you every five seconds. To say I was frazzled when I found myself in Berlin would be an understatement. Later, when I was asked if I wanted to go home the way I came, I instead asked for plane tickets and spent the night with a friend of mine who lives in the city of stones with her husband.
We meet in a place I am led to believe was once a speakeasy for various queer people to meet and hook up. It’s still a bar and it’s still extremely queer, but it’s a bit more legal now. Prizefighter sits in a booth a few feet away from the stage. No one’s performing right now, and it’s a real shame they aren’t. Prizefighter sits coolly in the booth, arms outstretched and resting on the shoulders of the booth. I sit on the opposite side of the table, placing my phone down, ready to hit record. He pulls out a copy of the book we are about to discuss. The cover is the American version used to promote the movie that was out at the time, so it’s rather bland design wise, with Daniel Craig posing like he’s Sean Connery. My copy, which I also pull out, is the more traditional international version of the cover. The logo was designed by Rian Hughes, and the art is that of a man cut up like in a Saul Bass cover while falling from a great height.
Prizefighter smiles at me the way one always imagined it’d be like to have Santa Claus in your kitchen. There’s a sense of warmth to the smile that contradicts the seemingly superficial nature of a man who needs the people to love him in order to save them. He is genuine even in the moments when he’s being disingenuous. I briefly lose composure thinking about this. When I gain it back, I hit record.
[Read more…] about Journey through Literature #37 (Prizefighter)
Previously On #116: Did Marvel’s Avengers Video Game Drive a Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) Comics Boost?
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?
Hickman’s X-Men Will Conquer The GalaXy
As often as the X-Men historically interact with the vast Marvel cosmic landscape of alien civilizations, most often when we think of mutants, we’re thinking of generally Earth-bound human looking characters. In the Hickman era of X-Men, though, we’re as immersed as we’ve ever been in the philosophy that Krakoa is for “all mutants” – not all EARTH based mutants. How might this impact the world of Marvel’s X-Men comics?
Today I’ll Answer:
+ Are there alien mutants in the Marvel Universe?
+ Does the Krakoan mission extend to these alien mutants, and how does this fit Marvel’s X-Men into the Marvel cosmic landscape? How cosmic is Krakoa’s mission?
+ How does the new Marvel space age set up a confrontation between the X-Men and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?
*Spoilers For Discussed Comics – Including Empyre – May Follow!*