Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

Marvel

The Marvel Cinematic Universe Enters The Legacy Phase: What Should We Expect?

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The “illusion of change” has been the driving force behind the cyclical drama of superhero comics since the very beginning. Of the big two, Marvel’s relationship with change has been the most fascinating. Priding itself as the “world outside your window” and eschewing the massive continuity reboots that plague their Distinguished Competition, Marvel long set themselves apart from DC by eschewing the concept of sidekicks and by extension, legacy characters until very recently in their long history.

However, despite this aversion to the concept, the juggernaut of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is forced to contend with its source material’s shallow pool of legacy characters as it reaches its greatest threat yet: time.  [Read more…] about The Marvel Cinematic Universe Enters The Legacy Phase: What Should We Expect?

History of the Time Variance Authority & Time Keepers

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Marvel’s Time Variance Authority – now stars of Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s TV series on Disney+ – is a combination of parody, inside editorial jokes, and somehow also tremendous power in the Marvel Comics universe. Operating in “null-time,” The TVA are literal continuity cops, sending their agents to disrupt anyone messing with the timestream, and returning them to the familiar banality of paperwork and office life that is maintaining all of time!

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The Best 5 Modern Blade Comics!

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Blade is one of the most disgustingly slept-on vigilantes in all comics. The dhampiric Marvel character made his debut in the 70s Tomb of Dracula, and has bounced around quite a bit since then. His books don’t fly off the shelves like those of the X-Men, he isn’t everyone’s favorite hero like Spider-Man, and his supernatural tales are often outdone by the likes of Dr. Strange and Ghost Rider. Blade’s books have always been long ignored and soon forgotten as series after series is canceled and, eventually, reborn. Under the hit-or-miss pen of Jason Aaron on Avengers and the Heroes Reborn event, his latest appearance has left much to be desired.

With Mahershala Ali cast as the titular hero in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot/interpretation of everyone’s favorite daywalker, it’s only a matter of time before we get the inevitable new Blade comic series. Jason Aaron and Javier Garron’s recent run on Avengers has been a decent showing of his prowess, and the Heroes Reborn series has been interesting, to say the least. But not enough to sell a new comic readerthat this edgy vampire dude is, in fact, an undeniable bad-ass. [Read more…] about The Best 5 Modern Blade Comics!

What’s Going On with Marvel’s Avengers Continuity?

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A Hypothetical Case Study of How Not to Handle Continuity

Let’s say you’re writing a largely self-contained ongoing comic book title within a much larger shared universe. Let’s call your book… Sergeant USA! During most of your long-running story, Sarge’s lost his superhero identity and his place in the… Revengers. How do you mesh that with the universe’s continuity? Cleverly, at the start of your run you don’t allude to anything else going on in this comic universe, so that you can go on with your long-running story for as long as you like, and when you DO have to link back to the universe’s continuity you get to choose when all of it fits, start to finish. You can have your thirty-part, two-and-a-half years-running self-contained story while justifying Sarge’s absence from the Revengers in-between any two Revengers issues of your choosing, in retrospect. Damn you’re clever!

And then someone else comes along and messes with your simple but genius plan.

*Some spoilers for Sarge… Captain America and Avengers follow*

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10 Great Comics Featuring the Marvel Multiverse!

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Now that the Marvel Multiverse has come to the MCU and we’re getting an Into the Spider-Verse sequel, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, and a What If…? series, it’s safe to say that we’re about to start seeing a lot of Marvel’s zany alternate realities playing out on the big screen. These wild new additions probably won’t make Marvel’s continuity less confusing, but the Multiverse has long been one of Marvel Comics’ greatest features. Imagining what could have become of our favorite characters is a beloved pastime of the Marvel Maniac, and indeed, some of Marvel’s Greatest Hits come straight out of the Multiverse.

Read 7 Best Marvel What If Comics for more multiverse picks! [Read more…] about 10 Great Comics Featuring the Marvel Multiverse!