Posts Tagged ‘Marvel’

The Comic Stack – Volume 1 Issue 1

Comic Stack 1

Welcome to the very first edition of The Comic Stack. Nanu Nanu is aiming to make comic books accessible to the uninitiated so every week I will be telling you

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what to pick up plus a little bit of history and a look at some of the bigger news of the week.

Back Issue Randomness

In future weeks I will be writing about a random back issue. The aim is to show that comics can be fun even if you know absolutely nothing about the characters or the context of its continuity. So I will be dropping into my local comic shop and picking up a random back issue, basically judging a book by its cover. There are a couple rules, because rules make everything fun, the book has to be a single issue not a collection, also it has to cost less the £3 so no classic Spider-Man for me and most importantly I have to know nothing about the contents of the book beyond perhaps the characters on the front cover. I will then read the book and give a wee review along with some historical context.

Picks of the week

DC – Zero Issues

There hasn’t been a better time to jump into the DC Universe, well since DC relaunched it’s entire line last September at least. This month the publisher is putting out #0 issues of its entire line. These stories are all exploring the origins or early years of characters and so by nature are hopefully accessible to all. This week flagship title Justice League tells the origin of Shazam plus it would be worth a look at Wonder Woman which has been consistently top notch since its relaunch a year ago.

Marvel – Spider-Men #5

Spider-Men #5 is the final chapter in Marvel’s much hyped (this supposedly was never going to happen) cross over between the Marvel Universe and its alternate Ultimate Universe. If you are looking for an introduction to either the Ultimate Universe or Spider-Man comics this series is a pretty great way to go about it. The art work is outstanding and the basic story line allows for the differences between the two universes to be explored by our two Spider-Men. The previous issues are all still available in shops or on the Comixology app.

Indie – Peanuts vol 2 #2

More Peanuts is always a good thing. That is pretty much all I need to say. These new comics are some of the only Peanuts stories to see print since the death of Schulz in 2000. If you like Charlie Brown, Snoopy and co then this is kind of a no brainier.

Coming Up

In the next few editions of The Comic Stack I will be giving you the most basic of introductions to the comic book world with a run down of DC Comics next week, then Marvel and Indie publishers in subsequent weeks. After that I will dive into my random back issues starting with The New Wariors, Marvel Team Up and most excitingly Savage Drangon and Destroyer Duck.

I mean he has a robotic arm! Look at him in all his 90s goodness.

Comics On Screen: Volume 2 – X-Men First Class

X-Men_Legacy_221

Thor marked the beginning of another Super Hero summer at your multiplex; this weekend saw the release of the second big title “X-Men: First Class”. First Class was a far superior film to Thor and I would recommend you go check it out. If you wish to pick up a couple of books to familiarise yourself with the X-universe then this handy little list will point you in the direction of some of the best mutant stories Marvel have published. I have chosen one title for each of the film’s two main characters Professor X and Magneto plus a couple other titles you should be reading for mutant fun, I chose to focus on the modern X-books rather than the classic stories, hope you enjoy.

Xavier

X-Men Legacy spun out of the big X-Men crossover event Messiah Complex. The first story arc of this book ‘Divided He Stands’ focuses on Professor X as he recovers from being shot in the head. Xavier is fully explored in this title, the closest thing we will ever get to a Professor X solo book. Crucially for the X-Men First Class connection we see Xavier’s history throughout the book, though it is significantly different to the movie history. This book was one of the most entertaining X-Men books to come out of the Messiah Complex story line and as a character study of Charles Xavier it is one of the best books that character has ever starred in. Also it stars Gambit and Rogue. Everybody loves Gambit and Rogue.

Magneto

X-Men First Class deals with Magneto’s history as a Holocaust survivor. Magneto’s past was explored in Greg Pak’s ‘X-Men Magneto Testament’ set in Nazi Germany. One of Marvel’s greatest villains is just a boy in this story, a boy living a painful existence in Jewish ghettos and concentration camps. A truly heartbreaking story this book creates a depth of sympathy for a villain rarely attainable in other mediums.

Best of the X

Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men is, in my opinion, the single greatest X-Men book ever written. Joss put together an all-star X-Team with Cyclops, Wolverine, Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde, Colossus and Beast. It’s this team aspect that makes re-reading this series so refreshing, many titles today focus on assorted mutant groups and communities annoyingly disregarding the traditional X-Men format. Similar to Buffy there is also evidence of the Whedonesque staples: characterisation, humour and soap opera. All this and John Cassaday’s artwork make a recipe for the perfect X-Men book, in fact one of the best comic books of the last decade.

The best monthly x-book on the stands right now is Uncanny X-Force. If you read my regular comic book round up I am sure you are more than aware how I feel about this series. Wolverine and a team of other kick ass mutants including fan favourite Deadpool work under the radar as assassins taking care of threats to mutantkind before they become threats. Trust me this book rocks.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also point out the comic book that got me into super hero comic books in the first place Ultimate X-Men. Mark Millar’s first arc on Ultimate X-Men is one of the best Ultimate books around. The continuity free take on our favourite mutants was the perfect jumping on point for new readers, like me, in the early 00s. Ultimate X-Men #3 is what I have to thank for hooking me all those years ago.

Finlay Niven

Comics On Screen: Volume 1 – Thor

thor

This year the cinema, like most other years, is packed with comic adaptations. I plan on giving a rundown of some essential reading for the big releases; Green Lantern, X-Men First Class and Captain America which

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are all released this year. This week Thor is hitting the big screen and I had the pleasure of seeing it on opening night. This does not however make me an expert in Thor; I am actually fairly new to this world of Asgard, not being the biggest Avengers fan in the world. How wrong I was to dismiss the god of thunder; while not perfect the film was enjoyable and out shown other Marvel Studios releases. One thing I did take away from the film was a desire to read more comics so this list comprises of some of the best Thor books, not all of which I have read but which I plan to read. So if you go watch Thor this weekend and want more or are so disappointed you need to forget you ever saw it by reading lots of comics, then this is the list for you. Sometimes a character and a creator seem to go hand in hand, you think of the Uncanny X-Men and instantly Chris Claremont’s name comes up. Well this is true of Thor and Walt Simonson. A run that lasted for almost a decade during the late 70s, early 80s, Simonson is the place to start any Thor education. A handy but very expensive Omnibus collection is available with a large portion of this celebrated run as well as a series of ‘Thor Visionaries’ trades. If the prospect of reading comic books from the 80s scares you rigid with the over abundance of panels and dialogue (I mean they even had thought balloons in some books) then first of all shame on you and secondly J. Michael Straczynski has written the most celebrated Thor comic in recent years. This series lasted 12 issues before renumbering to 600. Straczynski is on his best form here; while he can sometimes be hit or miss (*cough* Superman *cough*) it is this run that cemented him as a superstar creator. This is the series that brought Thor and the rest of the Asgardians back to the heart of the Marvel Universe. Various trades are available for this series; you can indulge in an Omnibus or just pick up the individual hardcovers or trade paper backs. Thor began in the pages of Journey into Mystery #83 in 1962, so if you come out of the film and feel the need to read Thor from the very beginning then that is where to start your long journey. There are again plenty of options to get your hands on the early adventures but the Essential Thor series is the cheapest option. Marvels Essential trade paper backs are a long running series of books that reprint classic comics from the beginning in black and white. Mighty Thor issue #1 handily hits comic shops this month, so if you are looking to jump on to the current Thor story then this is a great opportunity. Journey into Mystery is also back picking up the old numbering system with issue #622. To read Thor in the context of the wider Marvel universe then he is all over the place just now. Fear Itself is the big event story line this summer and the Asgardians are at the heart of the story, issue #1 should still be available in stores and it was a surprisingly good book. Thor is also a major character in the Avengers, he has been for a very long time, the second story arc of the current run just wrapped up with issue #12 and an issue #12.1 is being released that serves as a jumping on point. Hope this quenches your thirst for Thor. Finlay balklänningar Niven