Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

X-Men

Krakin’ Krakoa #28: Excalibur is a Bust – What Went Wrong?

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I had high hopes for Excalibur heading in to Dawn of X, and through two issues was still caught up in the potential of a book exploring magic in the world of mutants. Talented creators Tini Howard and Marcus To have been playing with Apocalypse as a wizard, a previously untapped look into how a mutant this ancient might have explored the supernatural, while simultaneously moving the Captain Britain mythos forward once again towards Betsy Braddock.

Nonetheless, apart from Fallen Angels, Excalibur has been the most disappointing comic in the Dawn of X, and with one full story arc under its belt has only trended down since launch. There will be fans of course, much as there are for Fallen Angels, but for me, reading this series is an increasing exercise in missed opportunities.

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X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga Reading Order!

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The “Dark Phoenix Saga” is among the most pivotal stories in Marvel Comics history, and without question one of the X-Men’s most iconic moments. The resurgence of Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum, John Byrne and collaborators all builds to a five-years-in-the-making trial by fire of both Jean Grey and Marvel’s merry mutants.

As the My Marvelous Year reading club reads through these essentials in Marvel, I’ll be re-exploring some of the fringe comics and stories that expand the traditional read, both to establish a reading order and to determine how much value is added branching outside the core comics issues.

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Krakin’ Krakoa #27: X-Men #4 Is Hickman’s Best In The Run To Date!

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While 2019’s Dawn of X ended on a middling, muddled note, 2020 is off to an improved start, beginning with the energizing X-Men #4 by Jonathan Hickman and Lionel Francis Yu.

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Krakin’ Krakoa #24: X-Force #3 Review – The Lives & Deaths of Professor X

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Through three issues X-Force continues to improve and build on the promise of House of X. It’s one of my favorite Dawn of X titles, and issue three by Benjamin Percy and Joshua Cassarra did not disappoint!

Today on Krakin’ Krakoa #24 I’ll answer:

  • How X-Force is the X-Men Dawn of X title most consistently fulfilling the promise of House of X
  • What we’ve learned about the Death of Professor X
  • The mystery of the 5th assassin!

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The Five Essential X-Men “Generation X” Comic Book Stories!

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Generation X has a special place in the hearts of X-Fans of a certain age. If you were born in the 80s, you probably just missed reading New Mutants as the issues hit shelves (unless you were an especially precocious pre-teen), Shadowcat had already moved to Excalibur by the time you were old enough to read, and Jubilee wasn’t exactly a central character in X-Men plots.

I was twelve when the Phalanx Covenant kicked off what would be the first team of mostly-original mutants in nearly fifteen years, helmed by two Academy headmasters that hadn’t exactly enjoyed the spotlight. I’d been reading X-Men in sporadic chunks for a couple years, but already knew I wanted to see more of Banshee, and that having the White Queen working for Charles Xavier was going to cause issues. [Read more…] about The Five Essential X-Men “Generation X” Comic Book Stories!