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Children of the Atom by Vita Ayala Vol. 1 | Vita Ayala

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A new group of teens with powers similar to the original X-Men emerges. They are not mutants, but humans wielding alien technology. Can they work as a team against real threats? Can they gain the acceptance of their heroes? A fun addition to the X books, and a new wrinkle in the always simmering conflict between human and mutantkind.

2 likes

Hulk: Planet Hulk | Greg Pak

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Instant classic!
HULK is deemed a danger to Earth by some of its heroes and sent off into space to the remote planet of Sakaar where he is taken as a slave to fight in gladiator battles. He wins his freedom and becomes the leader of the freed slaves, and takes over the planet. One of the best HULK stories I've ever read. A homerun of a narrative, so epic and fun!

2 likes

X-Men: the Trial of Magneto | Leah Williams

so-so

The Scarlet Witch is dead. Murdered. In Krakoa, the mutant homeland.
Her father, Magneto, is the prime suspect. Did he kill his own daughter? Will she stay dead? This is a comic book… so…
This story is akin to a courtroom drama set in the sphere of superhero opinion. As such, there is a lot of recrimination and blame laying. Not much action.

3 likes

Sentry [New Printing 2] | Paul Jenkins

so-so

I really like the idea of resurrecting an old concept for a superhero into the modern canon. Even the premise is good: the man who once was the powerful hero, SENTRY, has only vague recollections of his past life, and all others have also forgotten him. As if he had been erased from memory. Unfortunately, the execution is lacking. The entire story over multiple issues is all build-up to a less-than-satisfying end game.

3 likes

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A fascinating look at the endlessly renewing, creative, flawed entity that is Marvel comics.
Howe does a great job of moving the historical account from its first moments, through the decades, hitting on pivotal people, creations and events, offering a lot of context with details of the comic book industry throughout the years, and the company's restructuring along that path, how Marvel shaped and was shaped, 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? by the market, trends and traditions, the evolving zeitgeist.
I appreciate the honesty inherent in acknowledging the 'he said, she said, they said' when speaking of the early years, filtered through acrimony, law suits, careers that went awry. Also the ongoing attention paid to the tension between artists and writers looking for fulfilling, creative work over which they retained creative control and maybe even ownership, which could be 4w

Robotswithpersonality 3/? leveraged for a fair share of the profits, versus a business working to manage, distribute, merchandise products, content, in order to ensure there were profits, even while dealing with 'artistic temperaments' and blown deadlines.
It's no secret at this point that the artists, for decades, and even to this day, struggle to retain ownership of their work, even creative control, but it turns out the reality is even messier, 4w

Robotswithpersonality 4/? given the Marvel method of early days, given the endless back and forth with editors and executives. The revolving door to DC and independent comics and back again of so many contributors who were exhausted and embittered by corporate responses to the seemingly unsolvable problems of remaining relevant and retail-able to the buying public.
What I 'Marvel' at is honestly how the company stayed in business long enough to become an IP farm for 4w

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? superhero movies.
Howe doesn't hesitate to lay out the dirty laundry in the text and the footnotes, but it doesn't feel salacious, rather that it is trying to honour the fact that amongst groundbreaking imagination and epic highs and lows of productivity, commercial success and critical acclaim, there was a constantly disorganized or constantly reorganized hierarchy trying to stay one step ahead of eternally toxic office politics and owner 4w

Robotswithpersonality 6/? expectations.
Aside from the truly wild moments excerpted from the psychedelic 60s, stoned 70s, and coked out 80s, what truly amused me were the times when Howe went direct to reader with the shade, no disgruntled intermediary required. There are evidently comic book moments known as just plain bad, and he does not hold back. 💅🏼
4w

Robotswithpersonality 7/7 I hope things continue to improve for the art and the people involved.
Now I really, really want to read a history of DC comics. 4w

11 likes1 stack add6 comments

Okay but Vengeance, Incorporated is amazing

9 likes

Isn't it nice that the fans were responding favourably to the chemically enhanced creativity by supplying the artists with more mind-altering substances? 🙃🧪

8 likes