Category Archives: Marvel
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 3/30/19
And so the slow march towards Avengers: Endgame reaches the home stretch. We’re less than a month away! Within the week, I’ll buy my ticket. And hopefully Shazam! will tide us over until the big show. Can’t wait!
Not much in the world of comics this week, at least not for me. But I got through some solid comics, like Mr. & Mrs. X and Fantastic Four. Comic Book of the Week goes to Action Comics for another corker of an issue. I’m finally really digging Bendis’ Superman.
Lois Lane delivers the Amanda Waller smackdown I’ve waited years to see
Meanwhile, I read the second issue of the X-Tremists, the one Age of X-Man comic I’ve decided to follow. The issue is better than the first one thanks to the character work, but the overall premise of the alternate reality has already worn out its welcome for me. None of it holds together in any sort of meaningful way. At least Leah Williams is delivering some of the best Blob character development he’s ever received. It almost makes up for having all of my other favorite X-characters killed recently.
Comic Reviews: Action Comics #1009, Fantastic Four #8, Heroes in Crisis #7 and Mr. & Mrs. X #9.
I Want More of Age of X-Men Blob
The Blob is one of my favorite X-Men characters. I’ve even cosplayed as the guy! I love the idea that the Blob isn’t some maniacal madman or major, world-threatening super-villain. He’s just another mutant, like the X-Men; he just happens to be a jerk and a bully. And can you blame him? Guy was treated as a freak growing up, and has only ever been treated as a freak as an adult. Largely due to his weight. Makes total sense that the Blob grew up to be a real asshole.
But he’s finally getting his due under the pen of Leah Williams for the X-Tremists in Age of X-Man.
I’m loving it! Someone has finally found a chance to give us a new and different take on the Blob. Here is a Blob who didn’t grow up being insulted and ridiculed for his weight. Here’s a Blob who didn’t have to go work for a carnival due to the mutant power he did not choose and could not control.
Here’s a Blob with soul, who likes to read and clearly enjoys the finer things in life.
I’ve been excited for Williams to explore a fat-positive Blob since she first started talking about her plans for X-Tremists. And while the rest of Age of X-Man is something of a dumpster fire, this little corner is my one bit of joy in all of X-Men comics right now.
I’m really excited to see where all of this is going for Blob. And I hope it earns him some much needed respect as a proper character going forward!
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X-Men Are Getting Yet Another Relaunch, This Time With a Bit More Prestige
Less than a year since the last time the X-Men had a big relaunch, they’re doing it all over again. The X-Men Assembly Line keeps resetting sooner and sooner these days. This time, Marvel is bringing back writer Jonathan Hickman to work his magic.
Things are going to kick off with two alternating mini-series, House of X and Powers of X.
No details on what the new stories are going to entail yet. That picture is a mix of modern character designs and classics, with a couple of semi-new people there at the front, on either side.
I have regretted not reading all of Hickman’s Fantastic Four, though I did read most of his Avengers comics. And his Secret Wars was the last Marvel Big Event comic that I actually enjoyed. So based on the Hickman name alone, I’m excited.
But who knows what’s going to happen! Considering I’ve already given up on the new Uncanny X-Men and Age of X-Man, I look forward to yet another possible chance to enjoy X-Men comics again.
It’s a shame that my two favorite X-characters, Multiple Man and Mimic, are dead…But hey, there’s Toad in that picture! I like Toad! And Blob could still be alive.
We’ll see how this whole thing goes!
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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 3/23/19
Welcome to a comic review article where I basically rant ceaselessly about why I don’t particularly care for all of the comics this week. I didn’t plan it that way. It’s just how everything is panning out. Last week was all about comics I loved and adored, this week is apparently all about comics I have major problems with, like Captain Marvel and Naomi.
In better news, I finally got caught back up to Jason Aaron’s Thor in time for War of the Realms. I’m so glad I did, and I’m hugely disappointed in myself for ever stopping. I missed some great comics! Thor #11 wins Comic Book of the Week!
Mother/Son bonding time
Meanwhile, that Spider-Man: Life Story comic started, but I think I’m going to trade wait for that one. Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley are telling the story of Peter Parker through the decades, as if he aged in real time after debuting in the 1960s. It sounds awesome…but it also sounds like a solid collected edition read.
Comic Reviews: Captain Marvel #3, Guardians of the Galaxy #3, Naomi #3, Thor #11 and West Coast Avengers #9.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 3/16/19
This was a good week. This was a very good week! I had another busy week at work, so I didn’t review everything I probably could have. But then I ended up cutting all of the comics I’m only lukewarm about! So we’ve got a week where I was in love with pretty much everything I read! How fun is that?
We’ve got really fun issues of Go Go Power Rangers, Tony Stark – Iron Man, Runaways and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, some of my current favorite comic books! We’ve got the first issue of the relaunched Magnificent Ms. Marvel, which is really neat! But Comic Book of the Week goes to my new super favorite series, Wonder Twins. It’s better than I could have ever hoped.
Wonder Twinning is hard
Meanwhile, the issues of Age of X-Man keep piling up and I keep ignoring them. Through basic internet osmosis, I’m not hearing anything too exciting or positive. So I really may just stick with X-Tremists. In better X-Men news, Sina Grace got a nice big wrap-up to his Iceman comic and it was really fun! Though I completely oppose the Iceman/Daken ‘ship, almost entirely because Daken is terrible.
Comic Reviews: Go Go Power Rangers #18, Magnificent Ms. Marvel #1, Runaways #19, Tony Stark – Iron Man #9, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #42 and Wonder Twins #2.
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