Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

Marvel

The Best Marvel Comics of 2022!

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I put together the initial looks at DC and Marvel’s best comics of 2022 around the same time, and the biggest thing that stood out to me was DC’s fragmented line of imprints and miniseries made it a lot easier to fill out a list of at least 10 recommended reads. Marvel’s on less solid ground this year, although certainly there are still good to great comics in the lineup. Let’s take a look at the best of the best! [Read more…] about The Best Marvel Comics of 2022!

FF by Jonathan Hickman | Grief, Hope, and the Quest for a Better Tomorrow

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Since their arrival in 1961, the Fantastic Four have stood as timeless icons of relatability and imagination, with their dysfunctional-yet-loving dynamic as Marvel Comics’ “first family” taking them across the stars and into the frontiers of the unknown. But when tragedy strikes, and that timeless bond is broken, the surviving members of the family will see their team and their mission evolve into something else entirely. Welcome to tomorrow. Welcome to the Future Foundation.

To many, writer Jonathan Hickman’s tenure on Fantastic Four is one of the title’s most definitive runs, weaving together years of separate stories and firmly re-establishing the team as the beating heart of the Marvel Universe. Hickman would introduce countless iconic stories over his run, but the writer’s greatest mark on the title would come through a 2011 relaunch, with the series re-emerging under the new title “FF.” Following the team as they rebuild in the wake of an immense loss, the story acts as the throughline for Hickman’s vision of the Fantastic Four, digging deep into its characters and resting cosmic, existential adventures atop a more grounded tale of grief and hope. But while the story acts as a re-invention of its characters and themes, it’s also a celebration of Marvel’s First Family, and how even in the face of tragedy, hope and adventure can spring eternal. [Read more…] about FF by Jonathan Hickman | Grief, Hope, and the Quest for a Better Tomorrow

Omnibussin: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Mapping

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Doctor Strange (1974) #4’s iconic cover by Frank Brunner.

Whether you enjoy the Marvel Cinematic Universe or not, in one respect at least it has turned out to be of indisputable benefit to comic readers: if a character’s showing up in a movie, you can bet your bottom dollar Marvel Comics is gonna give them a title even if they haven’t had a regular one since 1983 (as was the case with Shang-Chi). And Marvel’s collections arm is also gonna devote the entire year their movie comes out to cranking out new or reprinted collections of their old material. Now, that’s the kind of comics-to-movies-back-to-comics synergy I can get behind! Thankfully, that was the case with one of my favorite characters in this universe: the top wizard; the chief magicman; the Sorcerer Supreme himself, Doctor Stephen Strange (M.D.). [Read more…] about Omnibussin: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Mapping

Love is the Answer in Reptil

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Reptil #1, Ernanda Souza variant cover

Like so many heroes before him, Humberto is a normal kid. Except…this “normal kid” can turn into a dinosaur. Thus begins the magnificent story of Reptil, a fun and refreshing comic that features a Mexican-American superhero coming to terms with his newfound powers. Humberto’s arrival in the Marvel Universe is a welcome breath of fresh air – there are too few Latinx representations within the comic world. Humberto is a kid that is dealing with the loss of his parents and figuring out how to lead a “normal” life. Does life click into place once you’ve been enrolled at the Fifty State Initiative? Clearly, there are obstacles and revelations to be had.

Humberto graces our presence in Avengers: The Initiative. Born to paleontologist parents, Humberto was given a special fossil that grants him the ability to transform into any type of dinosaur. He inherited the fossil shortly after his parents disappeared, leaving him to live with his grandfather. Tigra is encouraged to recruit Humberto for a special mission to defeat Stegron, who was embarking on a quest to reanimate fossils. All goes awry when it is discovered that Humberto has a hard time controlling his powers. Eventually, a new law – Kamala’s Law –  is proposed to dismiss him from the Academy and to start a new life with his extended family.

Collecting Reptil #1-4 [Read more…] about Love is the Answer in Reptil

The 10 Best Marvel Miniseries of 2021!

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Okay, obviously Marvel is publishing too many minis to keep track of nowadays. But a sizable portion are tied to events big and small, and to what’s happening on Krakoa, so here, we’re instead* going to focus on five self-contained stories that are doing their own thing**, spotlighting lesser-known characters and/or acting as a canvas for creators gone wild, whether that means creating an alternate reality or eschewing verisimilitude altogether in favor of glorious cartoonish mayhem.

(*In the “also worthy” section, listing another five honorable mentions, we will look at one peripheral and perfectly self-contained Krakoan story arc available only in Infinity Comic format on Marvel Unlimited.)

(**I suppose it would be a waste to argue that any story Marvel puts out now is truly self-contained, but these minis are as close as they get these days 😉.) [Read more…] about The 10 Best Marvel Miniseries of 2021!