Are finally up! Check out the links at the top of the page in the menu for my Reading List and my Trade List…
Seriously, this feels like the other side of the mountain just getting these two things up on the blog. There’s no turning back now. This just got so real, and so awesome. So awesome, in fact, it calls for a Carlton Dance!
Hello, loves!!
So, part of the reason I was gone for so long before is because my 30th birthday was over Labor Day weekend! We had friends in town visiting, and had a blast showing them the CLE and spending time with them. But, because we had people visiting, we didn’t have my birthday party until this past weekend. And what a party it was! I rang in my third decade with C and our friends ’90’s style. It was glorious!
I tell you all this as a lead in to the actual reason for this post. My dear friend Matt gave me the most amazing birthday present this weekend. A little huge something to help me in my blogging endeavors! He gave me this beauty:
It’s the most gorgeous book I’ve ever seen. “X-Men: The Adamantium Collection” It’s huge!!! Seriously, I took a picture of it next to a Marvel Masterworks TPB so you can see the scale of this thing.
This book collects all of the important moments in X-history, as well as amazing extras like artist sketches of new character designs, introductions and afterwards from writers and artists, variant covers, you name it.
The stories collected are some of my favorite X-Men arcs. Stories I’m dying to get to in the reading project, partly because I want to read them again, but mostly because I can’t wait to share them with you all! The book contains:
X-Men (1963) 1, 57-59, 141; Uncanny X-Men (1981) 142, 500; Marvel Graphic Novel 5: X-Men – God Loves, Man Kills; X-Men (1991) 1-3, 30; New X-Men (2001) 114-116; Astonishing X-Men (2004) 1-6; All -New X-Men 1-5
So my loves, I just wanted to show off my awesome new book, and to let you know another reading post is coming soon! I promise. But, until then, keep searching…
I shouldn’t have left you, left you, without a dope beat to step to, step to
Ok…so now that that’s out of my system! LOL. Let’s talk comics.
Things have been SUPER hectic in my life recently, so my goal of finishing the ‘60′s by Labor Day…well, it was laughable. But, I have read a bit more, so we can talk about the next arc in both X-Men and Avengers, and I’ll get my butt reading again now that things have calmed down a bit. I promise it won’t be so long between posts again, my loves!
Let’s start with Avengers today. Issues 25-27.
So, Issue 25 gives us our first look at one of my favorite Marvel villains. DR. DOOM!!!
This issue is kind of a stand-alone issue. The basic premise is that Dr. Doom kidnaps the Avengers in order to 1) lure the Fantastic Four into a trap and 2) intimidate the FF because, presumably, they’ll be more afraid of him if he’s already beaten the Avengers. So Doom tricks the Avengers into coming to Latveria by pretending that Pietro and Wanda have a long lost relative that lives there and the Avengers go to meet her. Once there, Doom takes them prisoner and puts a giant dome over the entire country so that they can’t escape. The US government won’t let the FF come to the rescue, so it’s up to our crazy foursome to defeat Doom themselves. And of course, they do. This is a fun little story, but not a lot happens. We do see that leading the Avengers is beginning to wear on Cap. He seems to long to end his hero-ing career and become Steve Rogers again, but also seems to understand that there isn’t much of a life for Steve Rogers to live so far removed from his own time. It’s nice to see SOME depth from at least one of these characters. It’s also nice to see a tiny crack in the shining armor of Captain America, something that makes him seem more human. But also, can we talk about the constant fighting between the Avengers? It’s SOOO annoying at this point. They’re constantly at each other’s throats, and I really can’t take it anymore. It’s really just Hawkeye fighting with everyone, but it makes me want to scream. So, on that note, let’s move on to issues 26 & 27. Lol.
This little arc starts with Steve showing the rest of the Avengers how to operate the new message system Tony Stark built for them. And of course, like always, Hawkeye is being a dick, and not listening, and fighting with Cap. This leads to an awesome little fight between Quicksilver and Hawkeye. Guys, for those of you who maybe don’t know a lot about these two characters, know that NORMALLY, Quicksilver would totally wipe the floor with Hawkeye. There’s just no way Hawks could hit Quicksilver with an arrow. But here, Quicksilver is clearly winning, and then slows down to brag, and Hawkeye catches him with an arrow. That’s when Cap finally steps in and ends the fight. It’s not that important to the story arc, but it’s a great few pages of fun, and I enjoyed every minute of reading it. But in the end, Hawkeye leaves to go out on the town, and isn’t happy at all.
We then cut to see Namor racing towards the shore, and past a ship carrying the Wasp and Giant-Man. Janet decides to fly to shore as the Wasp to warn the Avengers that Namor is coming, since it seems he’s looking for a fight. As she’s taking a break from flying, she’s captured by Attuma and we learn that Attmua is planing on conquering the surface world by raising the tides so high the whole earth is flooded. Janet’s able to shrink down, escape her cage, and radio the Avengers to let them know what’s happening. Cap, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver rush to her aid, leaving a message for Hawkeye on Tony Stark’s new machine to meet them since he’s not answering his signal ring. Who wants to bet Hawkeye won’t know how to work the machine because he wasn’t paying attention at the beginning of the issue? Well, you’d be right!
So, the Avengers end up on Attuma’s underwater ship, and are fighting for their lives. One of my favorite parts about this fight is that that Attuma and his men clearly see Wanda as the biggest threat. They knock her out fairly quickly, but it’s really nice to see her power getting some respect for once! Attuma manages to beat all three Avengers, but then pride gets the better of him. See, the Avengers can’t breathe very well in the super moist air Attuma has in his ship, so his followers are saying that he only won the battle because the Avengers were already weakened. Like all super villains, he can’t let this taunt go. So, he has the Avengers revived, gives them helmets that allow them to breathe normal oxygen, and then fights them again. This time the three Avengers work together and seem to be fairing better against Attuma, until Wanda uses her powers to bring down a pillar and it accidentally floods that whole section of the ship.
Back at HQ, Hawkeye finally returns to try and listen to the message. He can’t remember the code Cap told them, so he uses some other machine of Tony’s to get that memory back. While he’s in the machine, we see that someone is there watching him!! And that’s the end of issue 26!
Issue 27 starts with Hawkeye remembering the code and beginning to listen to the message Cap left for him. Suddenly, he’s attacked by the mysterious figure from last issue. He’s in some weird green suit with metal wings and purple suction cups on his fingers. We aren’t told who this guy is, or why he’s attacking, but Hawkeye eventually beats him and leaves him tied up in HQ so he can go help the others fight Attuma.
The fight on the ship continues, and Pietro gets himself shot out a torpedo tube in to the open water. He’s picked up by Hawkeye and the two of them finally find their way back to Attuma’s ship, fighting guard ships and a giant octopus along the way. Meanwhile, Cap and Wanda are beaten and brought before Attuma. Cap calls him a phony, saying he doesn’t have the power to raise the tides, thus tricking Attuma into showing them his tide machine before their execution. Wanda causes a diversion (by pretending to faint. *ewww*) and Cap breaks them free. They meet up with the other two who have arrived on the ship and are fighting for their lives. They beat Attuma and his men, and escape. During the battle, Cap managed to sabotage the tide machine so that it blows up.
But, before they can really celebrate their victory, they arrive back at HQ to find that the mysterious stranger Hawkeye left tied up there has escaped!! Also, there is NO mention of what the hell Namor was doing when Hank and Janet saw him. It’s weird and slightly annoying. Obviously our mysterious prisoner escaped to set up the next arc, but I’d like to know why we saw Namor at all!
But…let’s move on to X-Men. Issues 17 &18.
This arc picks up in the immediate aftermath of the Sentinel’s arc. The army is cleaning up the aftermath of the X-Men’s battle with the sentinels, and Cyke, Bobby, and Beast are taken to the hospital. Iceman is unconscious. There are some funny moments at the hospital where the doctors are trying to remove Cyke’s visor so they can examine his eyes and they won’t listen when he tells them he can’t take the visor off. And also when the doctors are trying to figure out how to treat the frozen Iceman, or examining Beast’s crazy big feet. It’s some lighthearted humor to undercut the emotional reveal that Iceman could be dying and the doctors don’t know how to treat him if he doesn’t thaw out.
While this is going on, Warren checks the school’s messages and learns that his parents are on their way to visit. He tries to stall them by having the Prof tell them they’re on a field trip and that finals are starting, but the Worthington’s are insistent. Professor X sends Angel back to the school to meet them while he and Jean watch over the others as they’re treated. Once Angel arrives at the school, he’s attacked by a mysterious villain who’s face we never see. He’s incapacitated and taken prisoner!!
The Prof realizes he’s lost mental contact with Angel, so he and Cyke head back to the school to check on him. Once there, they too are attacked and captured by our mysterious baddie. Things aren’t looking good for our X-Men!! Jean and Beast quickly notice that Cyke and the Prof are gone, so they also head to the school, after checking on Iceman, who is still in a coma. They are just as quickly captured by our bad guy, but not before Jean sees his face and clearly recognizes him (although we still don’t know who it is!) While back at the hospital, Iceman is getting worse (and his doctor is prescribing new, experimental medications), the remaining X-Men are being put into a giant metal ball attached to a hot air balloon. Our villain sends the balloon off, explaining that once it gets too high, it will pop, and the X-Men will plummet to their deaths trapped in the steel ball. Just as the ball drifts out of sight, Angel’s parents pull up to the school and ring the bell. The door is answered and we finally get to see who our bad guy is on the last page of the issue. And it’s…MAGNETO!! Seriously you guys, I’m SOOO excited to have Mags back. He’s the best. Especially ‘60′s Mags. He’s so ridiculously nuts. It’s glorious.
Anyway, issue 18 is where things get weird and crazy. First of all, we see Mags lift the entire school up to move it! I love seeing his raw power like that. Sometimes I think that some writers try to get too clever with how to stretch the idea of “magnetic powers” instead of focusing on just how scary powerful Magneto is. He doesn’t need his powers to manipulate things they shouldn’t be able to manipulate (as we’ll see in this issue). He’s just crazy powerful! Ok…where was I?!
So, Mag’s uses his magnetic powers to hypnotize the Worthington’s into going to sleep in one of the bedrooms. I know, I know, it’s a HUGE stretch to say his powers allow him to hypnotize people through “magnetic attraction”. This is what I was talking about with the stretching the things his powers can do. It’s dumb and a catch all to make him nearly unbeatable. It’s a deus ex machina so that he can capture the Worthington’s, but at the end of the issue, they won’t remember anything so the X-Men can remain a secret. It’s contrived and annoying, but it’s also not the last god from a machine we’ll be seeing in this issue, so pay attention!
Anyway, Mags is building a machine that will use the DNA of the Worthingtons to build new mutants! (WHAT?!?!) See, since the Worthington’s gave birth to a mutant (Angel) they clearly hold the DNA for mutation. I can get behind that reasoning. What I can’t get behind is that Mags can build a machine that will create living things from nothing but a scan of some genes, or that he can manipulate those genes into any power he wants. In my mind, I feel like the “X gene” (as it will come to be called later in continuity) is unique for each mutant and their powers. So the Worthington’s DNA only holds the markers to create Angel, and not an endless amount of different powers. But what do I know? At this point, we haven’t been told much about mutation and the science behind it, so I guess anything goes for now!
While all this is happening, the X-Men have woken up in their big steel balloon. Professor X has explained how Magneto escaped from the Stranger, leaving Toad behind, and came back to Earth with the sole purpose of destroying the X-Men. He’s also contacted Iceman, who is responding well to the meds his doctor tried, and gets him to leave the hospital, still weak, and go to the house to fight Mags while the other X-Men find a way to save themselves from the trap they’re in. Bobby manages to sneak into the school, find out what Mags is up to, stop the machine, and then fights Mags. It’s looking good for Bobby until he tries to trap Mags in an igloo and Mags seals Bobby in with him “magnetically” Can someone who knows more science then me please explain to me how you us magnetism to solidify ice? Seriously? It’s getting a little stupid with all these aspects to Mags powers that make no sense. It’s like the writers just said that he can do anything and they’ll just explain it using “magnetism”. GRR.
So, Cyke and Jean work together to get the steel ball back to the ground safely and then Cyke blasts them out of it and they race to Iceman’s rescue. They fight Mags for awhile before Professor X calls them off. He tells Mags that only he knew how to stop him for good. And then…our second god from a machine shows up in the form of The Stranger. You see, the Prof called him telepathically to come get Mags again. Seriously. It’s so dumb. The X-Men could beat Mags all together if the writers didn’t insist on giving him a ridiculous power set that makes no sense. But instead, they need another deus ex machina to save the story from the box they wrote it into. I’m more than little annoyed at this. Mags is a great foe, and will be forever. But having him be more powerful then he should be, so that the only option is to have the god-like Stranger come swoop him up again isn’t just lazy writing; it’s writing without regard to the whole story.
But anyway, Mags is gone, his machine and the mutants it was creating are destroyed, and the Worthington’s remember nothing! So everything’s A-OK at Xavier’s Institute! Hooray!!!
So, this entry is super long. I said in the beginning that I wasn’t going to give you long summaries of the issues because it would be too much work, but here I am, giving you fairly detailed summaries. This won’t be the case once we have more then 2 books to cover each month, just so you guys know. Once we’re into the 90′s and ‘00′s, there is just WAY too much to summarize everything. So, enjoy it while it lasts kiddos! And, until next time…Keep searching…
Original Tumblr Post: here
Hello my loves!
I’m sorry it’s been a little bit since my last post. I had a long weekend this past weekend, and we had family visiting from out of town, so it was hard to find time to read, let alone write! But, we’re back in action now! So get ready for some fun and some iconic story lines!
Today we’re going to talk about an arc for each of our two titles. This will take us through The X-Men #14-16 and Avengers #23 & 24. It also lands us in January of 1966! We’ll get out of the ‘60′s if it kills me! My goal is to be into the ‘70′s by Labor Day. Let’s see if I can maintain that pace!
So, X-Men. This 3 issue arc is a biggie, kids. It’s the first appearance of the Sentinels!! If you’re not a big comic fan, but you’ve seen the X-Men movies, please know that while they were, in fact, created by Dr. Bolivar Trask, these are not Bryan Singer’s sentinels! These are huge, lumbering, ridiculous hunks of red and blue steel. And they’re glorious! Take a look for yourselves:
So, this arc starts with Professor X appearing on TV to debate Dr. Bolivar Trask about the danger of mutants. Trask introduces his Sentinels, which he’s designed to protect humanity from the “mutant threat” But, the Sentinels immediately turn on Trask, taking him prisoner and declaring that in order to protect humanity, they must rule it. As the X-Men, who are all on vacations separately, rush to the Prof’s aid, the Sentinels begin to leave with Trask. Our mutant teens and their mysterious leader follow the Sentinels, and the next two issues consist of awesomeness as they attempt to penetrate the Sentinel’s defenses, stop the Master Mold (basically the King Sentinel) from creating any more Sentinels, and save Dr. Trask. Let’s see how this goes down…
Bobby and Hank get taken hostage. Whoops! The other three break into the base to save them, leaving Prof. X outside alone. The other three get taken prisoner just as they rescue Bobby from his cell. (Not going too well so far…) Eventually all 5 are reunited. As they attempt to fight their way through the Sentinels, Professor X figures out that some crystal will basically short circuit them, so he brings the crystal and shuts them all down. At the same time, Trask apparently sees the error of his ways and sacrifices himself to destroy the whole complex and all the sentinels within. The X-Men barely escape the collapsing building in time! It’s all really fun to read, and here are some notable things to mention:
First off, after all my talk about the way the writers treat the females on their superhero teams, Jean is really starting to show a bit of a backbone and also her true potential as far as her powers go. This arc introduces her ability to levitate herself, allowing her to float through the air. It also has her falling a Sentinel on her own (something no other X-Man accomplishes), saving herself, Angel, and Cyke from the burning fortress, and then saving them all again by unlocking a hidden door telekinetically. It’s awesome! She also puts both Hank and Scott in their places when they try to treat her like a damsel in distress instead of an equal member of the team. I love it! This is the Jean I love. As I’m sure you’ll see as we go along, I have a love/hate relationship with Jean Grey. Basically, I love her to the ends of the earth, but sometimes I want to slap her for being a doormat. It’s frustrating, but also makes reading this old stuff so much more enjoyable, because I get to see her grow up and progress as a character.
Also notable: Though his creations with be around to hunt the X-Men for decades to come in one form or another, it’s interesting that Bolivar Trask himself only lasts these three issues before dying. It’s also interesting to me that a man that published multiple articles decrying the “Mutant Menace” and who’s fanaticism led him to create the Sentinels in the first place, would suddenly change his mind and want to save mutants just because Hank McCoy explained that the X-Men’s purpose was to protect humanity from evil mutants. It’s a bit far-fetched. But, we’ll later learn that, although he created the Sentinels, Bolivar Trask is FAR from the most fanatical mutant-hater in the X-Men’s world!
Also…Cyke RIDES Angel into battle, guys. No joke. It’s amazingly hilarious. In fact, I’m going to leave you with that image as we make our way over to Avengers…
In Avengers 23 & 24, we meet another iconic villain! Kang the Conqueror!! Avenger’s fans met him before in issue #8, but this is the first time we’re meeting him in our reading. Guys, Kang’s a fairly big deal in the Avengers/Fantastic Four side of Marvel, and this is a really interesting arc.
In order to prove his invincibility and win over the Princess he loves, Kang kidnaps the Avengers (minus Cap. Remember, he left at the end of the last issue!) He takes them to the future where he resides, and proceeds follow their progress through his base, which seems to be a gigantic maze/obstacle course designed to defeat the heroes. Suddenly, Cap shows up. He apparently used something called a Recreater (?!?) to find out who took the Avengers, and then all but dares Kang to bring Cap into the future too. Kang takes the challenge, and Cap shows up to re-inspire our team. They manage to surround Kang, who then tells his armies to attack the city. The Avengers rally with the local people to try and stop the invasion. But, instead, Kang’s generals turn on him and Kang agrees to free the city and return the Avengers to their own time safely if they’ll help him save the princess from his generals. They manage it, and Kang, surprisingly, keeps his word. But, at the last minute, just as the Princess is about to confess she loves Kang just as he loves her, one of the captured generals attempts to murder Kang and hits her instead, killing her. I don’t know about you guys, but I wouldn’t want to be ANYWHERE near Kang right now!
This arc gives us the re-emergence of Captain America as the leader of the Avengers (as if we had any doubts he’d be back almost right away!) It also shows us that, while Jean may be getting stronger and demanding more respect from her male counterparts, Wanda is still being written as a pretty face for Hawkeye to flirt with. Occasionally she gets to be equal to the guys. I mean, she is the one who rescues them from the glass tubes Kang is holding them in. But the effort weakens her to the extent that Hawkeye must carry her around for a bit. In fact, Hawkeye is so obnoxious in his flirting, that in this little, 2 issue arc alone, he calls Wanda all of the following instead of Wanda or Scarlet Witch: Gorgeous, Dreamboat, Baby, Doll, and Lady. I mean seriously. I get that this version of Hawk likes to call people nicknames, but at least his nicknames for the other male Avengers have something to do with either their costumes or their powers (Wings for Cap and Speedy for Pietro). But Wanda is just another chick for him to hit on. One of these days, I’d love to see her hex him really good! It’d serve him right! On the other hand though, Pietro and Steve seem to be treating her more and more like an equal with each passing issue. So, that’s something, I guess!
I also want to bring up the race issue again in regards to this Avengers arc. While Kang himself is white, it’s important to note that all of his generals are drawn as Asian. Most have Fu Manchu beards, and darker complexions. They seem to fall into the same stereotype as the Mandarin did. It’s important to note this because they end up being the real villains of the story. They’re the ruthless killers who would sacrifice Kang’s beloved Princess and her kingdom (who all seem to be, notably, white) causing Kang to team up with our Avengers. So, we have our all-white Avengers team fighting with the all-white nation and the white conqueror against the uncouth, dis-loyal, Asian generals. This kind of casual racism is going to be around in our reading for a bit. It changes, if not exactly improves, as the decades go on. Don’t be surprised when I point it out. It’s hard to read as a modern reader. Especially in this context, there the villains were never said to specifically be Asian. This appears to just be the artist’s choice. That, to me, says a lot about the 1960′s and the racial biases within the US at that time. And, as time moves on, we’ll see those biases shift and change. Historically, it makes sense that, if the villains weren’t going to be white like everyone else, they would appear Asian. In 1966, the US was in the middle of the Vietnam War. It makes sense that the villains in comics at that time would look like the “enemy” the US was fighting. It doesn’t make it any less racist, just fitting within a historical context. It’ll be interesting to see how this shifts as the Vietnam War ends and as the Cold War reaches a fever-pitch.
On that note, it’s time for me to wrap this up. I hope you guys are enjoying this ride as much as I am! And until next time, my loves…keep searching!
Original Tumblr Post: here
Welcome back, my loves!
Over the weekend, I did a little shopping at Carol & John’s, and did lots of reading. We’re really starting to get to some good stuff! I’m excited to get into it!! First off, as promised, let me tell you about the trade I got.
Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 3. It contains Avengers 21-30. Now, for those of us who aren’t very familiar with Marvel’s trades, Marvel Masterworks are a bit pricier than most other trades. For example, this paperback version was $25. However, they are worth every penny! (In my opinion, at least!!) They a gorgeous! I mean, take a look at it, it’s so pretty!!
So, obviously, this is how I’m reading Avengers for the next 10 issues. (I’m still reading X-Men on Marvel Unlimited) And speaking of the reading, we’ll be covering things in arcs going forward, instead of going back and forth between Avengers and X-Men each month. I’m reading the titles in their monthly order, but for sake of keeping these posts clear, we’ll talk about them in arcs. So, without further ado…
X-Men 12 & 13!! Here we meet Professor X’s step-brother Cain Marko, better known as the Juggernaut! You guys, I love Juggernaut. He’s just so ridiculous in his hatred for Charles, it’s awesome. Also, he’s crazy powerful. It’s a great combo! These two issues give us Juggernaut’s first appearance, as he shows up at the school to attack Xavier and the battle leaves basically everyone but Jean and the Prof injured. This time, they actually turn the bad guy over to the police too (although how long normal police hope to keep Juggernaut in jail is questionable)!
Some observations from this little arc… First off, let’s talk about Scott’s powers. There seems to be no set level for them. In issue 12, he uses them to gouge a huge trench all along the inside of the school walls in preparation for Juggernaut’s arrival. This monumental feat seems to barely wind our fearless leader, and yet in prior issues, just shooting a bad guy for 2 seconds at full blast has left Scott unconscious! And in Issue 13, he uses his power at full blast against Juggernaut without much problem, but then suddenly needs “a few minutes” for his power beam to recharge. It’s a little confusing, so I look forward to seeing how his powers and their limits take shape as the series progresses. Also, apparently Professor X can use his telepathy to form a “mental shield” around himself strong enough to at least temporarily slow down Juggernaut. This is the first we’ve seen of this power, so let’s keep an eye out for it as we continue. It’s a cool idea, especially since, at least right now, Magneto has the ability to do this using his magnetic powers, and it seems Stan Lee and the rest of the team want to keep the Prof and Mags fairly evenly matched (assuming Mags ever makes it back from his capture by the Stranger! *wink*)
Also cool: in issue 13 we get a quick cameo from Matt Murdock, and a longer one from the Human Torch himself, Johnny Storm, who comes to the X-Men’s aid to help defeat Juggernaut! On a final note, I have a confession to make to you guys. And this is a little embarrassing since I consider myself a huge X-Men fan and a fairly knowledgeable one at that…I had TOTALLY FORGOTTEN that Cain Marko isn’t a mutant, but instead got his powers from black magic. WTH?!? How I forgot that *minor* detail is beyond me. But, it’s true…whoops!
Professor X gives us Juggernaut’s backstory (and also part of his own) in issue 12 as Juggernaut slowly makes his way towards the school. And apparently Cain and Charles stumbled into the lost Temple of Cyttorak in Korea while serving in the war. Once inside, Cain touched the forbidden ruby, which transformed him into The Juggernaut. It’s crazy, and I feel like it’s totally nuts that I forgot that! In fact, I’m so embarrassed, that we must move on now…
Meanwhile, over at Avenger’s headquarters, our fab four have been really busy. Issues 19 & 20 have the team battling the Swordsman. (Who, incidentally, happens to have trained Hawkeye!) These issues have Cap being duped yet again (Seriously, someone needs to tell the star-spangled Avenger he can’t be so trusting), this time by the Swordsman. He is attempting to kidnap an Avenger to prove he is worthy of joining the team. He captures Cap and holds him hostage, tied up on the top of a building, and threatens to push him to his death if the other Avengers don’t agree to make him the team leader. In very typical Cap fashion, Steve throws himself off the building to save his teammates from having to surrender! And that’s how issue 19 ends! Talk about a cliff-hanger!
But of course, in issue 20, the other Avengers save Cap by working together and they all go after the Swordsman. Just as they get him pinned down, he suddenly disappears. Turns out the Mandarin transported him to China! He wants Swordsman to join the Avengers and then plant a bomb in their HQ so that Mandarin can blow them up whenever Iron Man decides to show up again. Yeah, it’s a pretty silly plan. But, they go through with it, convincing the Avengers to accept Swordsman by projecting an image of Iron Man to tell them he vouches for Swordsman. He plants the bomb, but at the last minute, changes his mind and attempts to stop the plan for no real reason. He gets the bomb out of there just as the Mandarin is detonating it (having chosen to attack immediately instead of waiting for Iron Man, again for no reason)
This was a fun, if silly, arc. I was struck by how much fighting goes on between the Avengers, with Wanda always playing peace-keeper. All three of the guys have hot tempers and all three feel they should be the leader. What’s also interesting is that, despite the fact that she’s the only one with a cool, level head, no one ever even mentions the idea of Wanda leading. (Can’t imagine why that would be.) It seems to me the Scarlet Witch would be a more rational leader than Hawkeye or Quicksilver! Just saying… Also, can we talk about the ridiculously politically-incorrect racial stereotypes in ‘60’s comics? I mean, the Mandarin’s depiction as a crazy, sneaky, Fu Manchu is particularly dissonant to a modern reader. This is something else I look forward to following. It will be cool to discuss the evolution of these racist stereotypes throughout the years. How does the depiction of the Mandarin change from 1965 to 2015? What do you guys think? I’d love to hear your feedback or questions. You can give me your question and opinions at the “Ask Me Anything” tab at the top of the page.
The next arc in Avengers was a good one as well. Issues 21 & 22 saw Enchantress create Power Man using the same technology that created Wonder Man (Avengers #9) and the two of them successfully frame the Avengers and split them apart. Remember how I mentioned the in-fighting going on at Avengers HQ in the last arc? Well, it’s SO. MUCH. WORSE. in this arc, making if fairly easy for our dastardly duo to frame the Avengers and let them come apart at the seams, blaming each other for their failure to stop the frame-job. Issue 21 ends with the City Council of NYC declaring the Avengers illegal and forcing them to disband. The Avengers go their separate ways, and eventually Wanda, Pietro, and Hawkeye end up getting jobs at the circus. What they soon realize is that this isn’t a normal circus, but one run by the Masters of Menace. A fight breaks out, and when the cops show up, Ringmaster convinces the cops that the Avengers are robing them. It’s a little nuts to think that, even with the frame-job Enchantress and Power Man pulled off, the cops would believe a group of ex-cons over the Avengers, but whatever. The Avengers are forced to flee.
Meanwhile, Cap has gone undercover to try to get evidence that Power Man and Enchantress framed the Avengers. He gets a confession on tape, and then he and Power Man fight. The rest of the Avengers show up just in time to help. In the midst of the battle, Enchantress disappears, leaving Power Man to surrender because he apparently has no reason to continue without her. So, the Avengers take him and the tape to the police and have their names cleared. And then the police AND the Avengers just LET POWERMAN GO. Seriously guys. The guy is as strong as Wonder Man, and a criminal, and they just let him go. I can’t even. And then, just when you think everything is back to normal, Cap quits the Avengers!! No joke. He just up and quits, telling them to find themselves a new leader to fight with!!!
Some notable things I noticed in this arc: In past issues, we’ve been told that the Avengers keep their identities secret even from each other (for example, none of the Avengers know that Iron Man is actually Tony Stark). But, everyone seems to know that Captain America is Steve Rogers, and that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. On the flip side, Hawkeye’s identity is never mentioned, and we never see him out of costume, so no one seems to know he’s Clint Barton. This is interesting to me. Let’s keep this in mind as we move forward, and see how this plays out. Also, I just want to re-state that ‘60’s Hawkeye is a HUGE dickhead. Like, I can barely stand reading him. I constantly want to punch him in the face, and keep hoping that Cap is finally going snap and beat the crap out of him. Now, I know that he evolves into a much more likable character, so I can’t wait to get to that point. But for now, I’ll just relish in my hatred for him!
That’s all for now my loves. Come back next time, when we’ll meet one of the X-Men’s central foes and witness the beginning of a war that will define the X-Universe for decades to come!! (I can’t wait!!!) So, until then…keep searching!!
Original Tumblr Post: here
Hello, my loves!
I’ve been on a reading spree! Work’s been slow, and the baby’s been a peach, so I’ve had a lot more reading time than I expected! Hooray for small victories!
Anyway, I managed to read: The X-Men 9-12 and Avengers #16-18. So, lets talk about them! I’m not going to give you in-depth summaries of each issue, but we will talk about them individually since now we’re starting to get introductions to a lot of new characters and I want to let you guys know which specific issues these characters show up in!
In X-Men #9, the team travels to Europe to help Professor X defeat Lucifer. We learn that Lucifer is responsible for the Prof’s paralysis, but are never told what actually happens. This is also the first (of many) time that the X-Men battle the Avengers. Fun, right? It’s actually pretty dumb. The Prof is below ground with Lucifer trying to stop him from blowing up the world with a bomb that is monitored by Lucifer’s heartbeat. Because of this, they can’t let the Avengers hurt him or the bomb will detonate. But instead of just TELLING the Avengers this, the X-Men fight them to stall while the Prof basically puts Lucifer in a coma and then he and Cyke dismantle the bomb just in the nick of time! Seriously. That’s what happens. Also, there’s no real winner in the battle between the X-Men and the Avengers, because it ends when Professor X telepathically explains the situation to Thor and he calls of the battle. Like, come on X-Men! Get it together. There’s no reason you couldn’t have done that from the beginning. But alas, this tends to be the pattern for fights between the Avengers and the X-Men. No one wants to stop for 2 seconds a talk it out…and you’ll see it happen over and over as we get further on in the project.
Also, can we talk about how, once the bomb is diffused, the X-Men just let Lucifer go?!? Seriously guys? He basically just almost blew up the whole world and you’re just going to let him go. Where’s the accountability? It’s bad enough you always let Magneto escape, but now you’re just letting the bad guys leave. This is my issue with ‘60’s comics, you guys. Everything is the worst threat they’ve ever faced, and then everything ends with absolutely no closure and the bad guy is never detained or captured. But enough about this issue, for one of my favorite characters is introduced in issue #10…
Welcome to The Savage Land, home of the Jungle King Ka-Zar and his adorable saber-tooth tiger Zabu! I love this issue! Basically, the X-Men are investigating a strange loin-cloth clad man who appears and saves a worker in Antarctica, and in the process find themselves in The Savage Land (which hasn’t been named as such yet, but, *spoiler alert*, it will be!) Almost immediately, Jean gets captured. (of course, because, duh guys! Girls are so much weaker than boys and are only allowed on the team to give the guys someone to drool over and rescue! Seriously! You’ll see it when we get to Avengers too!). While they’re trying to find her, Cyke, Iceman, and Beast (Angel’s off scouting the area) meet Ka-Zar and Zabu, who help them track down Jean and Angel and save them. And then, just as Cyke is making some speech about how Ka-Zar is their friend now, Ka-Zar basically shoves them out of The Savage land and caves in the tunnel behind them! It’s great! I love Ka-Zar so much because he just doesn’t care at all. Okay, enough about the Savage Land though, because next month starts our second book! So, without further ado, AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!
Okay, I lied. No Avengers QUITE yet. First we have to read X-men #11 so we know what happens that causes two wayward mutants to end up in the Avengers book! So, in X-Men #11, we meet The Stranger for the very first time! Remember him, because he’s going to show up in books all across the 616! Anyway, this is his first appearance and it’s a lot of fun. Just like with Namor, Professor X and Magneto are racing to recruit what they think is a powerful new mutant. Of course, Mags gets to him first, and the X-Men must battle with the Brotherhood. But during the fight, The Stranger becomes bored with everything, turns Mastermind into stone, and disappears with Mags and Toad. He grows to enormous size as the X-Men catch up and then leaves for outer space with Mags & Toadie to “study” their mutations; leaving our X-Men foe-less and Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch debt-less and free. Which brings us to…
Avengers #16: The new team! Avengers joins the reading list at this point because it is here that Iron Man, Giant-Man, and The Wasp decide to take leaves of absence from the Avengers and begin looking for replacements. And who do they select, but our very own Maximoff twins! (And Hawkeye…) This makes the team Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch. And, since at this point, X-Men was only being published every other month and Avengers was being published every month, it’s on to Avengers #17…
In which our new team goes looking for the Hulk and finds Mole Man instead, we learn that Hawkeye is a dickhead, and that Wanda doesn’t need to fight, just stand around and look pretty for the guys! EWW!! Seriously guys, I hate ‘60′s Hawkeye!
In issue #18, Cap falls for a phony transmission supposedly sent from an underground resistance movement in Vietnam asking for help. (It’s really the Commissar setting a trap). The team takes off *Asia immediately, because it’s 1965 and Communism = BAD guys! Once there, we follow the pattern from X-Men #10, so Wanda is captured right away and used as bait for the guys. After each of them tries, and fails, to beat the Commissar, Wanda finally gets to fight and even saves the day! But wait!! Not before Cap explains to her EXACTLY what to do…*grr* OMG, guys, I can’t even handle this shit anymore. It hurts my brain to read Jean and Wanda portrayed as damsels in distress when once we get to more modern books, these two are going to be major bad-asses. Like, WAY more powerful than any of these guys that always have to save them. It’s gross to read. I know some of you lovelies may tell me to get over it and get off my soap-box. After all, this was just the way things were in the ‘60′s. But I won’t. Just cause it “just was” that way doesn’t mean it isn’t SUPER hard to read as a modern reader who expects strong, independent female heroes. Just sayin’…
I know I said I also read The X-Men #12, but that’s the first half of a two part-er that introduces the X-Men’s massive (*wink, wink*) new baddie, so I’ll wait to talk about it until I’ve finished reading the whole arc.
So, until next time, my loves…keep searching!
(And a quick note: You can follow along with every post by following these tags: #thexmenproject and #searchingforgenosha)
Original Tumblr Post: here
Turns out it’s Omnibuses! Also, here are some pics of the X-Men Omnibus Vol. 1 that I wish I was reading all these original X-Men issues from!
This is the Omnibus that collects X-Men #1-31. The cover art is the original Jack Kirby art from X-Men #1. Marvel also released a variant cover with a recreation of the Kirby cover done by Alex Ross. (below)
While I get the appeal of Ross’s work, I much prefer the original Kirby cover. Mostly just because he did the art for the issues within the Omnibus, so it seems fitting to have his art on the cover as well!
Anyway, one day I will own this baby! Until then, I’ll be reading the first 31 issues of X-Men on Marvel Unlimited. Being the bibliophile I am, I seriously like reading paper copies of issues better then reading online. But, in all fairness, there’s NO WAY I’d be able to get this whole project done without this awesome subscription! If you’re short on cash, or don’t have the time to go searching for physical back-issues or trades, but want to read older Marvel stuff, seriously consider this option. They’ve uploaded almost all of their marquee titles! Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Hulk, Spider-Man, etc. And new releases get added no too long after they’re available in print.
Like I said, I prefer physical copies, so MU is my fall back when I can’t find them. When I’m buying comics or trades, my first stop is always my local comic shop, Carol & John’s Comics. This place is geek heaven! Seriously. I’ve been going to CNJ since I started reading comics, and Dan had been going for years before that. The staff is knowledgeable, helpful, and super nice. They’ll help you find anything, recommend new books, and are always willing to discuss not just their favorite comics, but pretty much anything related to pop or geek culture. They also throw amazing events throughout the year! Every year on Free Comic Book Day, they have an epic midnight party for their adult readers, and then, throughout the day on FCBD, they have events and giveaways and such for readers of all ages. There are Black Friday sales, Christmas parties, parties for Superman’s anniversary, you name it. I’ll cover these as the blog continues and I attend them! For any readers in the Greater Cleveland area, stop in and check them out! They’re in the Kamm’s Corners Plaza in Westpark! And for my non-CLE readers, I encourage you to seek out a locally owned comic shop near you. These places can be a great resource for projects like this, and also just great places to talk comics and meet new friends!
Well, that’s all for now, as I have a lot more reading to do! Until next time my loves…keep searching!
Original Tumblr Post: here
Hello, loves!!
So, I’ve read through The X-Men #8. That gets me through 1963 & 1964. I have to be honest, my main thought right now is that I can’t wait to get to the 70’s and Giant Size.
Don’t get me wrong, reading the origins of the original X-Men team and the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants is fun. But also tedious. No offense to Stan Lee, but the ‘60’s style of having characters describe everything that’s happening by saying it out loud doesn’t age well. (And yes, I’m aware this was still happening in the ‘70’s. For some reason it bothers me less. I really can’t explain why.) The other reason this older stuff is so hard to read (and in this aspect, the 70’s may not be any better) is the way the book handles women. Specifically, Jean Grey. I mean, she’s basically there to be hit on outwardly or lusted after secretly by every member of the team, including Professor X. She’s also the weakest member of the team by A LOT and is constantly being carried by either Angel or Cyclops. As a modern woman and a feminist, it’s hard to read. I mean, I get that it was the normal treatment of female characters at the time. I also anticipate that seeing this treatment evolve somewhat will be fun as the project continues. But it doesn’t make it any less cringe-worthy to read.
But enough about the style of writing. Can we talk more about powers? Because currently, Magneto apparently has the power of astral-projection and the ability to sense Professor X and other mutants “mentally” just like the Prof. WTH?!? Is this like, an actual thing? Or is this just another example of powers not being fully defined yet? I’ll keep you guys appraised of the situation, because I’m sure you’re all as weirded out as I am about it! Lol. Also, I’d forgotten that originally Jean’s powers manifested only as telekinesis and that her (*spoiler alert*) telepathy didn’t manifest until later on. I don’t know when exactly that happens tbh, so it’ll be a surprise when I get there!
Now, some of you may be wondering how I’m collecting all of these issues to read them. I made myself a list. Basically, anything I can get in trade, I will. And the largest collection I can get, the better. What I mean by that is, if something is available in 6 paperback trades or 1 omnibus, I’ll get the omnibus. It’s actually almost always cheaper that way! But, it wasn’t until the late 90’s or early 00’s that Marvel started collecting everything in trade. Prior to that, it was mostly just major arcs or storylines that got made into trades. So, the random issues not available in trade from, I’ll get in issue form. Luckily for me, CNJ has a pretty big collection of back issues. And for the ones they don’t have, I have a Marvel Unlimited subscription. For now, that’s how I’m reading this 60’s stuff. There are two omnibuses that Marvel put out collecting the original run, but they’re SUPER expensive since they’re currently out of print. If they’re ever rereleased, or I ever have enough to buy them at their current prices, I will. Until then, Marvel Unlimited has what I need. However, once I get to a point that I’m using trades for my reading, I’ll be sure to post pictures and let you all know which trades!!
That’s all for now my loves! So, until next time…keep searching!!
Original Tumblr Post: here
Hello Loves!
So, I read the first two issues of The X-Men last night. Not what I was expecting! Seriously, I’m so glad C talked me into starting with the ’60’s stuff, because I didn’t realize how different it was from my ’80’s & ’90’s wheelhouse!
Issue #1 is the X-Men’s first battle with Magneto! It’s over fairly quickly, (as battles with Mags go), but he does manage to escape. Issue #2 introduces us to The Vanisher. He proves to be a much more formidable foe then Magneto surprisingly. It takes the combined efforts of the 5 youngsters and Professor X’s telepathic powers to stop him! (The Prof actually causes The Vanisher to forget who he is, which is terrifying in the casual way it’s treated by the other characters! But more about that later!) But these entries aren’t going to be full recaps of the issues. There’s just WAY too many for me to do that. So, instead, lets talk about my impressions and observations.
First off, let’s talk about the team! I knew the original five, but Stan Lee doesn’t write them at all like Chris Claremont! (Or maybe I should say that Claremont didn’t write them like Stan Lee!) These guys seem like caricatures of the characters I grew up with. It’s funny how different the 60’s & 70’s style of writing is. Everyone talks so much, and is fairly one-dimensional. It’s not necessarily bad, just different then what I’m used to. It’s going to take some adjustment. For example, Beast and Iceman constantly fighting and bickering is something I haven’t experienced before. Remember, these characters are just teenagers in these early years. They will surely mature as they grow up, but right now they are written as bratty, high-energy teens. It’s fun for the most part, but can be slightly annoying, if only because it rings so true to real teenagers behavior!
The other major thing I’ve noticed already is how much of a dick Professor X was in these early comics! I mean, I know he’s always been fairly aloof and demanding, but Lee’s version of the Prof is downright scary! It’s kind of awesome! Definitely not the cuddly Patrick Stewart version of the movies!!! And, going back to his treatment of The Vanisher in issue #2, how scary is that? Dude just makes him forget who he is completely and then the 5 X-Men, who routinely let the Prof dig around in their heads, act like its NBD! It’s terrifying! Sometimes these older comics do things like this; instead of killing the villain, they either trap them for eternity or wipe their memories completely, or something like that, and then everyone acts like this isn’t almost worse then killing them. I mean, I know that with few exceptions, good guys didn’t kill people in the early days, so there needed to be another solution. But there’s something unsettling about wiping someone’s memory to the extent they don’t even know who they are and then acting like this is totally fine and the moral thing to do. It’ll be interesting to see how situations like this play out as we get into more modern stories!
Another thing I’m looking forward to seeing as I keep going is the evolution of everyone’s powers and how they’re defined. Right now, there seems to be no mentioned limits to anyone’s powers, but also no real definition of how the powers work or what they actually are. Like, Cyclops refers to his powers as his “power beam” and Iceman seems to have an ever-changing list of ice powers such as ice-breath, the ability to shoot ice missiles, and the ability to turn things into ice cubes (not just freeze them, but actually transform them into ice). I had also forgotten that early art of Bobby Drake had him as a fairly shapeless snow blob wearing only the X-Men boots! It’s pretty funny! So, stay tuned for discussion of how power sets are defined and limited as the series progresses and we meet more mutants.
So, until next time, loves…keep searching! ❤
Original Tumblr Post: here
So…you’ve probably got questions about this insane project of mine. (Or maybe you don’t. I’m going to answer them anyway!) So let me start from the beginning.
I’ve been an X-man fan since I discovered the 90’s cartoon when I was younger. (Seriously, that intro alone made it my favorite!) From there, I started collecting the X-men Trading Cards. In fact, for awhile there, I had the entire 1994 Fleer Ultra set! I was obsessed! What I wasn’t, however, was a comic reader. I don’t think I even realized there were X-men comics at that age. Fast forward 10ish years:
I started dating my now husband, C. C is a HUGE comic nerd. Always has been. In the beginning of our relationship, C and his friends would get together almost every Wednesday to read their new comics and discuss what was going on in them. So, every Wednesday, I was totally left out. I decided that just wasn’t going to fly, and started reading my way through C’s back-issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, and a few Vertigo books (mainly Fables) I’d found my new love: Comics!
As an avid, some-what snobby reader, and an English major who spends most of her time reading English lit, I was surprised to find myself falling in love with Marvel comics. I was also shocked at how these comics, and X-Men in particular, seemed to really be tackling real-world issues and problems. I was hooked. I was reading more and more, and spending more and more time at our AMAZING local comic shop, Carol & John’s Comics, discussing continuity with everyone there. I’d found my tribe. But I’d also found a goal. I wanted to know everything there was to know about the X-Men. Naturally, to this reader, that meant I needed to read everything! And thus, my project was born!
I took me almost 2 years to compile my reading list. There was TON of research involved. My goal wasn’t just to read every issue of Uncanny and X-Men, but every comic related to the X-Men and the 616’s main mutants. This meant finding out which issues of Avengers featured a mutant on the team, reading all of Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) comics since she plays such a large roll in Rogue’s life, and is also a guest of Xavier’s for while, reading all of Namor’s solo books, and also the nearly impossible task of finding all of Wolverine & Deadpool’s 1000’s of solo adventures! It’s been really hard work. I’m still not convinced I found everything! But, I’ve come up with a fairly comprehensive list of every issue, in chronological order by publication month. So, now I’m ready to read!
When I first started the list, I figured I’d start with Giant Size #1. The new Uncanny team. I started my list there, and it grew quickly. Then, just as I was deciding to start this blog, C convinced me that I really should start with X-Men #1 from 1963. How, he pointed out, can I say I’ve read everything and know everything when this is all over if I didn’t even start with the team’s origins. He was right. So, I’m starting from the absolute beginning.
I’ve made a separate page to host my reading list for anyone that’s interested in it. It’s my baby. And it could have never happened without a few amazing sources:
And for all you fellow X-Men geeks out there, if you notice I’m missing something, please let me know! Like I said, I’m sure I’ve missed some issues. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Original Tumblr post: here
Searching For Genosha 
