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Marvel Comics

The A.X.E.: Judgment Day Reread Part 3

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Welcome back to our multipart reread of Marvel’s big 2022 summer event, “A.X.E.: Judgment Day”; first, we looked at the leadup to this apocalyptic ruckus, and then we dove in with the first event issue and tie-ins, with a side piece on Exodus, star of the tie-in Immortal X-Men #5.

Credits:

A.X.E.: Judgment Day #2-3: Kieron Gillen writes; Valerio Schiti draws; Marte Gracia colors; covers by Mark Brooks.

A.X.E.: Judgment Day: Death to the Mutants #1-2: Gillen writes; Guiu Vilanova draws; Dijjo Lima (R.I.P.) colors issue #1, Alex Guimarães on #2; Travis Lanham letters; covers by Esad Ribic.

X-Men #13: Gerry Duggan writes; C.F. Villa draws; Matt Milla colors; Martin Coccolo cover.

Clayton Cowles letters all but Death to the Mutants.

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The Best Marvel Comics of 2021!

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After the pandemic-impacted 2020, Marvel’s 2021 is slowly but surely back on track, with a wide variety of excellent comics. All in all, it’s a good time to be a Marvel fan, and I’m listing out my favorite picks for those looking to dive in.

It’s an interesting year for Marvel, three years after the launch of the “Fresh Start” era, as some of the line’s biggest titles (Black Panther, Immortal Hulk, Venom, & on a technicality, Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men) wind down throughout the year. Even with that turnover, “Fresh Start” is heartily sustained through the Krakoa era of X-Men, an exciting new Marvel Space Age, and a healthy variety of quality throughout the broader universe. Honestly, even some of the big time runs I’m least enthused by (Jason Aaron’s Avengers and Nick Spencer’s Amazing Spider-Man) are remarkably consistent, and offer plenty of intriguing moments. It’s a truly good time to be a fan of Marvel Comics. [Read more…] about The Best Marvel Comics of 2021!

Do Marvel Movies (MCU) Lead To Actual Comic Book Readers?

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I joked recently on Twitter about the absurdity of the worst voices on the fringes of comic book media who have made their grift all about “the death of comics.” The culture war doomsaying is especially laughable when I look at the absolute dominance of comic books in entertainment and pop culture. The shouty “comics are dying, we have to scream at marginalized groups until they are saved” crowd is a murky den of misinformation and misplaced rage, but like most topics these days, it’s also very much a *platformed” source of misinformation. So when comic fans – especially newcomers – are confused about the state of things, well, I can see why that might be!

Now, there are experts in the field much better suited to tell you about the state of comic book sales over the past decade, and moving forward. I highly recommend John Jackson Miller with Comichron, and David Harper’s SKTCHD frequently compiles some of the most insightful digs into the subject. The long and short of analysis from these kinds of experts is that comics as a medium are booming, just not necessarily from the single issue floppy serial comics that have been the mediums pulp-in-trade since the 1930’s.

Nonetheless, questions about comics’ longevity remain, particularly in regards to whether the likes of the MCU actually drives comics readership. To answer this in my way, I turned to the one unique thing I have no one else does: Comic Book Herald’s analytics.

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Trans Representation in Marvel Voices: Pride

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Well, this was certainly a surprise. It’s not often a writer asks for something specific only to be given it shortly thereafter, and I find myself in that very position today. In May, in the lead-up to PRIDE, I co-wrote an article on Trans representation at Marvel comics. We discussed the introduction of Jessie Drake, a character widely regarded as Marvel’s first Trans character. The book (Marvel Comics Presents #150-151) was fairly lopsided, with parts seeming to be sympathetic and kind to her, while others were iffy to say the least. This can partially be expected given the comic was published in the 90s, however this particular character never appeared again following that two-issue arc.

I mused on what a modern story examining her today would look like. Fast forward a month, and Marvel actually did it! Let’s look into this to see what I thought, and, while we’re at it, touch on the other stories featuring Trans characters in the issue. [Read more…] about Trans Representation in Marvel Voices: Pride