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Secret Empire #0: Nick Spencer pens love letter to postmodernism
Marvel’s next big event, Secret Empire, has arrived with issue #0. For those who wondered over the last year if writer Nick Spencer could craft an interesting Hydra-Cap tale, the answer appears to be...
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Iron Man #6: Brian Michael Bendis’ Riri sadly no Jessica Cruz
Comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis recently gave an interview with Marvel on his approach to writing, and during the exchange he took time to discuss Invincible Iron Man’s Riri Williams. He said...
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Scarlet Spider #1: Peter David gives Ben Reilly his own Tyler Durden
Imagine you were a Marvel editor not too long ago and someone said, “We should totally bring back Ben Reilly from the infamous Clone Saga days. That would be cool. People liked him and his fans will...
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Secret Empire #1: Hydra-Verse and Marvel PR damage control in full swing
Marvel’s comics division has been taking it on the chin in terms of bad press for well over a year now, and the official kickoff to its latest event is no exception. This week saw the release of Secret...
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Spider-Man #27: Ends justify the means in Dan Slott’s ‘Private War’
Question: What do you get when you take 3/4 of a cup of “ends justify the means” and 1/4 of a cup of “moral relativism” and mix it in a bowl with one serving of Peter Parker and a bag of goblins?...
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DC’s ‘The Button’ offers lesson for Marvel, Axel Alonso
I used to have an irrational disdain for DC superheroes as a child. I was a “Marvel kid.” Sure, I loved Batman, but outside of his adventures I turned up my nose at DC fare. The echoes of my own...
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Marvel’s ‘America’: 50 Shades of Ororo, more race politics in 3rd issue
It was only a few months ago that Marvel Comics released America, by writer Gabby Rivera. Fans who thought Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso had reached a saturation point with politicized comics were proven...
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Secret Empire #2: Nick Spencer sells the joy of joylessness
Is it possible to do convincingly write up a review for Marvel’s Secret Empire that requires references to C.S. Lewis’ Surprised by Joy, Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, and Elie Wiesel’s...
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Secret Empire #3: Nick Spencer event is really his ‘Secret Lecture’
Marvel’s Secret Empire #3 came out this week, although at this point it really should be called Secret Lecture. As I have said before, writer Nick Spencer is an intelligent man who knows a thing or two...
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Amazing Spider-Man #28: Dan Slott’s nostalgia smokescreen can’t hide horrible...
The Amazing Spider-Man #28 sounds on the surface like it would be a great book. It features classic bad guy Norman Osborn going face-to-face with Peter Parker in a “no holds barred” brawl. Neither man...
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Iceman #1: Purifiers show Marvel’s double-standard, cowardice
Marvel Comics is known for having a “world outside your window” approach to its storytelling, and for decades the company did it well. These days, however, editor Axel Alonso appears to have issued a...
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Subs Dare Doug: Answers on Jordan Peterson, Star Wars, and Marvel politics
A friend of mine used to call me “Daring Doug” when I was a kid because I was willing to do all sorts of crazy stuff in the neighborhood. That fun element of my past has morphed into a new segment on...
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Spectacular Spider-Man #1: Chip Zdarsky’s joke machine debuts with slew of...
Peter Parker fans had high hopes for the past few months as Chip Zdarsky’s Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man neared its released date. Dan Slott’s The Amazing Spider-Man, even for those who...
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Iron Man #8: Brian Michael Bendis gives Riri Williams the definitive SJW origin
For months I have purchased Brian Michael Bendis’ Invincible Iron Man, the book that replaced billionaire Tony Stark with superawesomegottaloveher genius Riri Williams. I have repeatedly asked what the...
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‘Dark Days: The Forge’ proves why DC is a cut above Marvel
The past year or so has seen the classic “DC vs. Marvel” debate take on added significance due to the success of DC Rebirth and the faltering (to put it lightly) of Marvel under the tenure of...
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Amazing Spider-Man #29: Dan Slott’s infantile hero needs Mommy Marconi
Question: What happens when a comic book has strong art, strikes the right tone and nails the pacing, but the author’s fundamental understanding of the main character is flawed? Answer: The world gets...
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Marvel Fall Previews 2017: Lies, like Venom symbiote, envelop company
Anyone who has a job knows that you do not want to make a habit of over-promising and under-delivering with you boss. A person who does that too many times will soon find themselves in the unemployment...
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Marvel’s Secret Empire 4th of July: Celebrate Hydra-Cap, Post-Modernism or...
It’s the 4th of July, which means Americans everywhere are celebrating independence and all things red, white and blue. Sadly, Captain America is not available this year because Marvel’s “Hydra-Cap”...
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‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ saves Sony’s bacon (just don’t you dare mention the...
There are times when I wish that I never made the leap to YouTube and instead stayed on my little old blog churning out content for people who understand things like nuance. My reaction to Spider-Man:...
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Marvel’s ‘America’ tries to ‘slay the patriarchy,’ kills last bits of Axel...
The past couple of years have been rough for Marvel Editor in Chief Axel Alonso. People got sick and tired of having partisan politics jammed down their throats, and as a result they withheld their...
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