Category Archives: Marvel
So, uh, We Might Not Have Comics Anymore…
The virus apocalypse has finally struck at the very heart of me: the comics industry might have to shut down. Diamond Distributors, the one company that takes all the comics we love and delivers them to comic book shops, is shutting down due to the virus. They won’t be shipping any comics after this week.
We haven’t heard from Marvel and DC, but places like IDW have announced putting a hold on printing new comics.
I get all of my comics digitally from Comixology, which is apparently going to continue…but again, we don’t know what Marvel and DC are going to do. Are they going to suddenly stop all print publications and go digital-only? How long is that going to last? Print comics are already hanging by a thread. There’s no guarantee that market will come back like normal when this quarantine is over.
Obviously, I have no idea what’s going to happen. I love comics and will try to read whatever comes out. But in very short order, nothing might be coming out…nothing might be coming out ever again!
——————-
My Favorite Comic Book Romance is Still a Thing!
The point is to show that somebody cares. My current favorite romance in all of comics is the little relationship that could that is Spider-Woman and the Porcupine. A couple years ago, comics writer Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum put out a quirky little Spider-Woman comic that I adored with every fiber of my soul. I was rewarded for this love by getting blurbed on one of the tpb covers! That’s one of the highlights of my blogging career. I still need to go meet Hallum at a comic convention to get him to sign it.
Anyway, the heart and soul of that series was the off-kilter companionship between stalwart superhero Spider-Woman and ne’er-do-well supervillain the Porcoupine. It was cute, it was well-crafted and it made the whole series something special!
That’s a crazy baby!
Then, as all good things must come to an end, Spider-Woman was cancelled and the characters were cast off into comic book limbo. Spider-Woman has made random appearances here and there since then, and I have kept my eyes peeled for any signs that she was still together with the Porcupine, real name Roger Gocking. He’s typically seen taking care of Jess’ baby Gerry. It’s cute.
Well I have good news for anyone else out there who is a fan of the Spider-Woman/Porcupine relationship: they’re still together!
Awwwwwww!
Spider-Woman launched a new series this past week, written by Karla Pacheco. And sure enough, both Roger and Gerry show up in the comic, living a pretty happy (if stressful) life with Jess.
So yeah, that’s it. That alone is worthy of a blog post.
This is comics, people. At any moment, some new writer might come along and throw out my favorite character or status quo. I already wrote up a piece about how almost all of my favorite comic book characters have been killed in just the past couple of years. That’s bad luck. I’m a comic fan who likes his obscure favorites and hates to see them used as chopped liver!
So for the time being, I’m going to relish the idea that Jess and Roger are still a cute little couple having adventures, raising a baby and being in love. Allow me that little bit of happiness!
And I’ll keep doing my best to ignore what Pacheco said to Newsarama about the new series…
“yesss…we will see Roger and baby Gerry…though for how long…hmm.”
I am prepared to have my heart broken. These are trying times.
———————
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 3/21/20
This is one of those weeks where I’m reminded of a bunch of really good comics that I let slip by the wayside. Perhaps if I’m forced to self-quarantine I’ll finally catch up on Fantastic Four and Jimmy Olsen. For now, I’m still enjoying the likes of Batman and Runaways!
Comic Book of the Week goes to the first issue of the new Spider-Woman series, and not just because my favorite comic book couple — Spider-Woman and Porcupine — are still together. It’s a fun introduction, though it could have been more.
Spider-Woman vs. helicopter!
Meanwhile, this week saw the release of the giant-sized Robin 80th anniversary spectacular! A bunch of creators wrote up a bunch of awesome Robin stories, and there was no way I was missing out! I read most of it and enjoyed all of it! Go Robin!
Comic Reviews: Batman #91, Runaways #31, Spider-Woman #1 and Strange Academy #1.
Strong Guy Watch: Everybody’s Partying!
When it comes to comic books, one of my favorite things to do is watch for cameos from my favorite obscure characters. It’s one of the ways I built up my fandom in the 90s: searching out back issues where my favorite characters randomly showed up and had a line or two.
This is the entire basis behind my ongoing Strong Guy Watch series. I’m a big fan of the Strong Guy character, and for the past several years, he’s been making random cameos here and there. It’s fun to keep an eye out for the big lug.
Here he is at the recent Crucible
With Dawn of X bringing back every single mutant character who ever lived, the Watch has quadrupled to include every favorite mutant I’ve ever had! Multiple Man, Maggott, Stacy X, Abyss, Blob, Mimic and so many more! None of them are starring characters in any of the Dawn of X comics, so I’ve got to stay eagle-eyed for when any of them might pop up at any time!
This week’s X-Force #9 features the best yet showcase of a bunch of my favorite characters! Everybody’s hanging out at The Green Lagoon!
Click to enlarge
Obviously we’ve got Strong Guy, who seems to be macking with Selene at the top middle of the picture. We’ve also got a couple Multiple Men hanging out on the bottom. He’s still wearing his classic costume, so the ongoing debate of a new Multiple Man costume remains ongoing. Writer Benjamin Percy continues to be the only Dawn of X creator to use Multiple Man, even if it’s only for quick, wordless cameos. Also, of note: this is the first comic book panel in literal years that features Multiple Man, Strong Guy and Wolfsbane…even though none of them are hanging out together.
This image is also the first reveal of what Blob is doing in Dawn of X: bartending!
I’ve been eagerly anticipating the Blob since his star turn in Age of X-Man last year. Bartending is a fairly good use of the character and I hope to see him get some attention soon.
We’ve also got Maggott canoodling with M at the bar, so that’s neat! And the rest of the scene in the actual comic features quick appearances from Avalanche and Toad!
I love panels like this in Dawn of X. This is a smorgasbord of mutant cameos in a way we’ve never seen in comics before! I hope they keep it up every now and then.
Still no sign of Mimic…
————————
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 3/14/20
How’s everybody holding up? Coronavirus has yet to hit my little enclave in Upstate New York, but it’s getting closer by the day. I hope all of you are safe, sound and doing your best to get through this!
Thankfully, I read my comics online these days, so no need to go outside! This was a stellar week, with quality issues of The Green Lantern, X-Men, New Mutants and the Comic Book of the Week: Ant-Man #3! This mini-series is just delightful!
Do none of the Avengers cook at home?
Meanwhile, I did get caught up on the first issue of Strange Adventures, so expect that review this week. And I just binged the third season of the Castlevania and it was phenomenal! So dark, so cool, so charming and so action-packed. This series is not one to miss!
Comic Reviews: Ant-Man #3, The Green Lantern #2, New Mutants #9, Strange Adventures #1, Thor #4 and X-Men #8.
Henchman-4-Hire 