#Marvel Legacy Primer

[necrotic-nephilim]

ok so sending my question here bc this is more marvel comics than mcu related so im like. sliding you a note in class about an somewhat related but mostly tangential topic here 😂

so i've been wanting to get into bucky comics (and winter soldier comics) recently but as a dc fan now whose only marvel comics background is reading matt fractions hawkeye (the best ever, currently rereading it to feel something again actually) and part of wilsons ms marvel run back when i was in high school i have no idea where to start. you said that you have read comics for bucky; do you have any recommendations?

hello i love being slid notes this is so sweet <3 bc luckily Bucky is one of a small handful of characters i can *actually* give good recs for on the Marvel side of the fence! so i'm MORE than happy to give recs bc i actually already have a list i'm happy to share. also, BIG agree on Fraction's Hawkeye run, oh my god. that comic means *so* much to me and though i haven't really read Hawkeye comics outside of it, i love it a lot. 10/10 taste <3

so when it comes to Bucky, he has a *lot* of Golden and Silver Age comics as Captain America's teen sidekick and all. skip them. they're not worth it and they're not the version of the character you want to read. honestly, you should just start with his return as Winter Soldier, and go from there so

Captain America (2005) - this is Ed Brubaker's run, it's fantastic and it's the run that brings back Bucky as the Winter Soldier. i will warn you if you're used to DC comics, Marvel does this really confusing thing called legacy numbering. (DC sometimes does it but not as much) so you're gonna notice it'll jump from issue #50 to #600. you did not somehow miss hundreds of comics, it's just numbered that way bc it's the 600th Captain America comic overall. this run is super good though.

Captain America & Bucky by Ed Brubaker - once again numbering is weird just don't mind it. but this will give you a primer on Bucky's backstory as Cap's sidekick without you having to read all the Silver Age stuff and it's a great comic.

Captain America: Forever Allies (2010) - if you want to read where Bucky was Captain America for a bit, this comic is good for that. it also briefly touches on Secret Allies, a team he was on as a teen during the war. i'm not the biggest Cap!Bucky fun, but this is decent.

Winter Soldier (2012) - by *far* the best Winter Soldier solo run. Ed Brubaker my beloved. this is just amazing. this was where i started with Bucky and tbh if you vaguely understand his comics backstory and don't want to read all the Captain America stuff, i think you can start here. you get to see his relationship with Natasha, his spy work it's just. everything <3

Winter Soldier: The Bitter March - if you want to see a story that takes place during Bucky's time brainwashed under Hydra, that's what this one is and it's pretty solid

Thunderbolts (2016) - this comic is most known for the relationship between Bucky and a young girl who's a cosmic cube named Kobik and it's just so delightful. the whole team is really fun and explores moral greyness in superhero work, but mostly i love this one for Kobik.

Winter Soldier (2018) - i really enjoy this mini-series, it has Bucky trying to save a young boy who's forced to be a weapon and there's just a lot of good stuff. always have a soft spot for Bucky trying to do right by kids.

Falcon & Winter Soldier (2020) - a good team up mini-series. also Bucky has a cat so yk, that's delightful. <3

there are other Winter Soldier comics and comics he's in but Marvel's comic world is big and fucking confusing (to me as a DC fan, anyway) so these will be the easiest to start with. my top recs are probably Captain America & Bucky and Winter Soldier (2012), though i'm incredibly biased to any comic written by Brubaker for Bucky. i love Bucky so dearly. he is everything to me. i hope you enjoy!

[doamarierose-honoka]

May is quickly shaping up to be one of the biggest months for new comic book releases in a long time. Marvel alone is going all-out this month, kicking off the massive Blood Hunt crossover and celebrating the milestone 50th issue of The Amazing Spider-Man with the return of Spidey's greatest nemesis. Elsewhere, DC has big stories planned for two of Batman's most important sidekicks, while Image is launching several promising new projects like The Whisper Queen and Grommets.

Read on to see all the biggest comics of May 2024, and be sure to let us know in the comments what you'll be reading this month.

Blood Hunt

Creative Team: Jed MacKay & Pepe Larraz

Publisher: Marvel

Release Date: May 1

As is tradition for Marvel, the first week of May brings with it the start of a major summer crossover event. Blood Hunt pits the Avengers and other assorted heroes against a resurgent vampire nation. For the first time, the many vampire tribes of the Marvel Universe are united under a common cause, and that's bad news for the human world. Expect some major heroes to be turned to the undead as this massive war unfolds.

Blood Hunt will unfold in the pages of the core miniseries by Jed MacKay and Pepe Larraz, but expect a lot of tie-ins to accompany that book. Most of Marvel's Avengers and Spider-Man-adjacent books will tie into the event, and several new limited series will also launch aside the main book.

Get Fury #1

Creative Team: Garth Ennis & Jacen Burrows

Publisher: Marvel

Release Date: May 1

Garth Ennis doesn't often write for the Big Two publishers, but we're always excited when he does. That's especially true whenever Ennis delves into the grim and gritty world of Marvel's MAX imprint. Get Fury brings together Nick Fury and Frank Castle, arguably the two characters on which Ennis has left his greatest mark. In this Vietnam War-era story, Fury is captured by the enemy, leaving the military to dispatch Frank to bring him back by any means necessary. We're getting strong Apocalypse Now vibes from this book, which can only be a good thing.

The Whisper Queen #1

Creative Team: Chip Zdarsky & Kris Anka

Publisher: Image

Release Date: May 1

It's hard to go wrong with a creative pairing like writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Kris Anka, and we're big fans of their work on The White Trees. At long last, the two are reuniting for a new story set in the Blacksand fantasy universe. In The Whisper Queen, a former assassin named Javro must hunt down the king's killers before her son is murdered by a ghostly threat known as the Dark Whisper.

The Boy Wonder #1

Creative Team: Juni Ba

Publisher: DC

Release Date: May 7

DC's newest Black Label series comes from Monkey Meat creator Juni Ba. The Boy Wonder aims to present a fresh spin on the origin of Batman's son, Damian Wayne, and his rise as Robin. In this limited series, Damian is forced to confront the realization that he isn't Batman's first Robin and embrace the idea that he's part of a legacy bigger than himself. It sounds like a great primer for the character, and a worthwhile read for anyone who simply craves more of Damian's crimefighting adventures.

Doom #1

Creative Team: Sanford Greene & Jonathan Hickman

Publisher: Marvel

Release Date: May 15

Jonathan Hickman's latest Marvel epic is quite the deviation from books House of X and G.O.D.S. In Doom #1, Hickman teams with Bitter Root's Sanford Greene for a very different take on the Fantastic Four's most iconic foe. This oversizedone-shot is set in the future, as Doom takes it upon himself to defend Earth from a ravenous Galactus. Can his mighty ego stand up to one of the most powerful forces in the Marvel Universe? We're about to find out.

Nightwing #114

Creative Team: Tom Taylor & Bruno Redondo

Publisher: DC

Release Date: May 21

DC just celebrated the 300th issue of Nightwing, and now they're speeding straight ahead into one of the most important chapters of Dick Grayson's costumed career. This issue kicks off "Fallen Grayson," a story arc that explores what happens when Dick loses his ability to leap. Can he still be Nightwing when his city needs him the most? This is the climax of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo's excellent run, so it's definitely a bittersweet moment for fans of what has easily been one of the best superhero comics on the stands.

The Amazing Spider-Man #50

Creative Team: Zeb Wells, Marv Wolfman, Nikesh Shukla & Various Artists

Publisher: Marvel

Release Date: May 22

Thecurrent volume of The Amazing Spider-Man reaches the all-important issue #50 mark this month, and it's shaping up to be a big one. This oversized issue features several new stories, including new material from guest creators like Marv Wolfman and Terry Dodson.

But the real news is that ASM #50 features the return of the Green Goblin. For years now, Norman Osborn has tried to prove that he's reformed and can be a crucial ally to Peter Parker rather than his worst nightmare. That all seems to be at an end, as Osborn becomes consumed by his sins once again. But is this simply a return to the status quo for Osborn, or do Zeb Wells and Ed McGuinness have another big twist in store? Hopefully we'll find out in issue #50.

Blood Squad Seven #1

Creative Team: Joe Casey & Paul Fry

Publisher: Image

Release Date: May 22

Superhero deconstruction stories are nothing new in comics, but it's not often that we see them directed at the bombastic, gritty heroes of the '90s comic book explosion. That's what Joe Casey and Paul Fry aim to do with Blood Squad Seven. This new series focuses on a team of former superhero celebrities who flamed out after the '90s, leaving a new generation to try and take up the mantle in 2024. We're expecting a book that both pays loving tribute to the '90s and skewers the more over-the-top aspects of the era, and it should be loads of fun.

Grommets #1

Creative Team: Rick Remender, Brian Posehn & Brett Parson

Publisher: Image

Release Date: May 29

We're immediately on board for any new project from Rick Remender, but this one looks especially intriguing. Grommets pairs Remender with comedian Brian Posehn and Tank Girl artist Brett Parson for a limited series steeped in 1980's skateboard culture and punk rock. The series is both a throwback to that bygone era and a timeless story of two Gen-X outcasts who find a new home in this scene.

Fall of the House of X Finale

Creative Team: Various

Publisher: Marvel

Release Date: Various

We all knew the X-Men's Krakoan Age had to come to an end sooner or later, and that finale is now close at hand. May marks the end of both Fall of the House of X and Rise of the Powers of X, capping off a journey that began way back in 2019's House of X and Powers of X. Will the X-Men finally triumph over Orchis? What sort of future will there be for mutantkind when all is said and done?

May also marks the end of both the current volume of Wolverine and the Immortal X-Men epilogue X-Men Forever. We'll see Logan leap into his latest and bloodiest battle with Sabretooth in Wolverine #50, while X-Men Forever #4 promises to close out with even more startling revelations about Krakoa and its survivors. All of this paves the way for Marvel's X-Men: From the Ashes relaunch in July.

[kithpendragon]

This post is part of a series explaining the step-by-step process I use to enhance a set of minis that come with a board game. The whole series is tagged #KP2023SCY to make it easier to find.

Equipment and Materials

Painting the pieces is a great way to personalize a board game and make it more fun and easier to play. You will need a few things to get started, and the hobby of painting miniatures can go pretty deep if you love it hard enough. In this post, we'll look at the stuff that makes it all work. This list is far from exhaustive, but should give a good overview of the hobby.

Needed

Minis

Just to start with the obvious, you'll need a game with pieces you want to enhance. This can be something as elaborate as the figures in Scythe, Clank Legacy, and Marvel United; or you can give your Sorry pawns a fresh look and tattoo all your meeples.

Paint

Acrylic paints are the defacto standard of the craft. They dry quickly, dilute and clean up with water, and tend to be generally easy to work with. Model acrylics are engineered to make easy work, but I've used mid- and low-priced art acrylics as well. The experience tends to be like using dollar store crayons instead of name brand, but it is absolutely possible to get good results with all but the worst of paints.

Palette

Somewhere to hold your paints up between the bottle and the mini. This can be as simple as a paper plate. Dimple trays are widely accessible. I've seen people use glass or tile as a pallet. I have one that is literally an offcut of thin board with some primer on it.

Brush

Finger painting exists, and you actually can use it on minis if that floats your boat. Most people like a tuft on a stick because it gives a bit more precision.

A good natural hair brush with a sharp tip can make painting an absolute pleasure! I also have a blue plastic stick with some heavy nylon strands on the end that came with a dirt cheap watercolor set, and I use the thing sometimes! If you have a sharp-tipped brush in the house, you can probably do something amazing with it. As usual, better equipment will fight back less often.

Water

You don't have to thin your paints, but you'll get better results if you do (especially in the beginning).

You do have to clean your minis before you paint them because oils from your hands, manufacturing residue, and miscellaneous dirt will all make it harder for the paint to stick. Soap and cool water, scrub with a toothbrush. For bonus points, scrub again with isopropanol to make sure you've got everything as clean as it can be!

Enough light

When you can't see what you're doing, it probably isn't a magnification issue. (If you need magnification, use it!) More often than I'd like, the answer is to bounce some more photons off those tiny details and they pop right out.

Nice to have

Sable hair brushes

Natural brushes are more supple and responsive. They cost more, but they last a long time if you take good care of them.

Round brushes

These will help you improve your dry brushing game. Dry brushing let's you hit just the high spots on a surface, and it's just easier with a round brush.

Wet palette

The short drying time is one of the features that make acrylic paints so popular. But if you're going to spend a good chunk of the day painting, you'll probably have a lot of paint dry out on the palette. Wet palettes can help us avoid this waste. You can buy a commercial wet palette, or you can build one with a couple paper towels and some baking paper in a small tray.

Primers

Helps the paint stick to the mini, and provides opportunities for underpainting.

Hobby knife and sand paper

Lots of minis have lines and other marks from the molding process. It's nice to smooth those out before you paint.

Glue

Allows you to add things to the mini if you are so inclined.

Getting deeper

Air brush

Uses compressed air to turn paint into a fine mist and push it forward. This tool offers speed and lets you use the shapes of the mini to do some of the work for you.

Plastic cement

Less a glue and more a solvent that welds bits of plastic permanently together

Modeling compound and sculpting tools

Good for constructing custom parts and covering up gaps left by assembly.

Tufts

Pre-made bits of plastic designed to look like grass. Gives your mini somewhere to be standing.

[strunmah-mah]

Amazons Attack (2023)

The world has decided that Amazons are dangerous and have turned against them. Nubia, Faruka, Yara Flor, and Mary Marvel team up to protect the Amazons from the world, but also the world from someone who's manipulating the situation for their own benefit.

City Boy

City Boy is about new character Cameron Kim who was given the power to talk to cities, figuring out how to control his powers and using them to figure out what happened to his mom years ago

Green Lantern: Legacy

One of DC's graphic novels for younger audiences, this one is about 12 year old Tai Pham who inherits a Green Lantern ring from his Grandmother when she dies. Now it's up to him to protect his city from the racists that rather see him and his family gone.

Primer

Another graphic novel for youth. Ashley Rayburn is a foster kid who accidentally gets a hold of body paints that grant super powers. Which she thinks is really cool, unfortunate it means she gets caught up in a government conspiracy because the military wants them back.

Superman: Lois and Clark

After Superman's universe is destroyed, he and his family get transplanted to a new universe where they attempted to live a new life incognito. After 10 years of living in peace they've begun to draw some attention to themselves.

Superman/Shazam!: First Thunder

Superman and Shazam's first team up. They fight some demons together,and while they save the day Superman finds himself concerned about Shazam's behavior and tries to figure out who Shazam is.

Orla's Non-Bat Comic Recs.

Hello folks, in light of the 'all published comics are BAD' wave that has been swept everywhere recently I would like to share a collection of comics that are good actually and are generally isolated (you don't need a spreadsheet to read them).

1.) Impulse (1995)

Why: This is about a neurodiverse coded teenage refugee from the future who cannot live with his blood family in the 20th century due to circumstances that are beyond his control. It is about learning to adapt to a world that doesn't make sense, and learning to love it too. As time goes on Bart learns how to love and he discovers who he is and what is important to him really. All the while some of the most chaotic things happen that you may ever see in a comic (Bart tricks the whole school into getting into a brawl and drives a car off a cliff). Primary themes: Found family (for real), loss, immigration coding, neurodiversity, foster homes, friendship, self discovery, school. Trigger warnings: child abuse, ableism, ptsd, gangs and gun violence (a shocking amount) mental illness. Available in Trade Paperback: Partially. Reckless Youth - collects Bart's first appearances from The Flash plus issues #1-#6 in Impulse. Flash/Impulse: Runs in the Family - collects Impulse #1-#12 plus supplementary issues from The Flash. Mercury Falling - Collects the entire Mercury Falling arc.

2.) Jack Kirby's New Gods (1971)

Why: This is the epic that started it all with Darkseid as he scours the earth in search of the Anti-Life Equation. It is about many deep layers of history involving the New Gods, the divide between New Genesis and Apokolips. In desperation to stop an endless war Darkseid and Highfather of New Genesis agree to a pact - to trade sons and in return a long period of truce and a ceasefire would pass between worlds. Highfather agreed, trading his son for Darkseid's whom he raised with love on New Genesis. Orion, years later, is a god of war and he fights for New Genesis and he fights for Earth, undogged he persists in vanquishing Darkseid's evil wherever it dwells. But Orion has a secret, and deep shame, for he experiences anger and wrath like no other on New Genesis but there is deep compassion and love that tempers it. As Orion fights for Earth he uncovers many secrets about himself, and at his side is his 'friend' Lightray who knows the darkness in him but never turns away. Primary themes: war, anger, ptsd, secrets, space opera, family, anti-war, malice, self discovery Trigger warnings: ptsd, this was written in the 70s but was pretty liberal for its time, still has some awkward moments that are slightly sexist and racist (mostly with names of black characters Vykin the Black and Black Racer which some people are uncomfortable with). Available in Trade Paperback: Complete. 1 book. Jack Kirby's New Gods - Collects all issues of Jack's 1971 series plus Even Gods Must Die and The Hunger Dogs. NOTE: Jack Kirby's entire Fourth World epic with Mr. Miracle and The Forever People is also highly recommended and is part of the New Gods tale. All 3 series has been complied into one massive trade called Jack Kirby's Fourth World, and all are available individually as well. Either way you might be able to find these at your library, or on Hooplah.

3.) Orion by Walter Simonson

Why: Decades after Jack Kirby wrote his final chapter for New Gods Orion finally gets his solo where he faces his father on Apokolips and steps up as its ruler. Now the leader of Apokolips Orion begins the arduous task of cleansing it of its malice and cruelty, a feat that is not easy and even more so when he does it without aid. With sinister deception at every turn Orion struggles and finds himself being tempted to use the very force that he was sworn to protect everyone from; the very anti-life equation itself. Primary themes; deceit, temptation, rebirth, life and death, redemption, mercy, compassion, love, forgiveness. Trigger warnings: torture, sexual assault implications. Available in Trade Paperback - Complete. 2 books.

4.) Barda by Ngozi Ukazu (NEW!!)

Why: This is a graphic novel and is a retelling of Barda as she comes to understand love and what she really wants from her life all while navigating the cruelty of Apokolips. Primary themes: love, cruelty, malice, torture, imprisonment, hope Trigger Warnings: torture, execution. Single complete graphic novel.

5.) Superman: The Harvests of Youth by Sina Grace

Why: This is a heartbreaking coming of age story about Clark Kent as a teenager in Smallville as he finds his place among his friends, family and himself as an alien during a time of death and hatred. It is a young Superman story that is incredibly relevant today in an age of internet toxicity and leaves you feeling hopeful. This blends some elements from Smallville (the show) but tweaks them to make this its own unique bubble world that feels believable and fresh. Primary Themes: toxic masculinity, incels, bullying, suicide, capitalism, teenage coming of age, teenage romance, high school Single complete graphic novel

6.) Superman Smashes The Klan by Gene Luen Yang

Why: In the 1940s the Superman Radio Show released the story "Clan of the Fiery Cross" that told a terrifying story about the KKK targeting a Chinese-American family that moved from Chinatown into Metropolis white-dominated suburbs following WWII. This is a graphic novel that is based on the same story. Primary Themes: racism, identity issues, internalized racism, police brutality. Single complete graphic novel, and also has 3 separate novels.

7.) Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story by Nicole Maines (New!!)

Why: This is Nia Nal's solo and origin story that has been confirmed to take place in the main verse for the current comics. Nia was born and raised in a small heavily isolated Sanctuary where aliens live safely. Even among dozens of alien species Nia is still seen as different as she is the only person who is trans. To complicate everything even more, Nia inherits her people's precognitive powers when her sister Maeve was raised her entire life to accept the powers into her. Terrified of her new powers and destroying her family by revealing them she inherited them instead of her sister, she flees from her hometown to Metropolis where she for the first time in her life meets other queer people. But there is a threat to her family on the horizon, and in order to protect them she must go back and face her fears. Primary Themes: transphobia, self discovery, xenophobia, acceptance, fearfulness, family, secrets, deceit. Trigger Warnings: see above, also internalized queerphobia. Single Complete Graphic Novel

8.) Static: Season One

Why: This is a modern retelling of Milestone Comic's Static as bullied nerd Virgil Hawkins comes into his powers at a protest when police discharge an experimental tear gas. The gas leaves many of his classmates dead, but some like him gain amazing powers - unfortunately some other people, like his bullies, also gain powers. Caught between law enforcement, capitalism, and the complexities of being a new teenage superhero Virgil works to uplift his community and stay strong within his nerdy friend group. This series is heavily based on the Static Shock TV show so fans of that show will be delighted with familiar faces, and names. And yes, Richie Foley is gay. Primary Themes: racism, police brutality, bullying, anger, frustration, dehumanization. Trigger Warnings: See above Available in Trade Paperback - Complete in Static: Season One which collects all six issues. Note: We also have its sequel Static: Shadows of Dakota out as well.

9.) Superman: American Alien

Why: This is a collection of short stories about Clark at varying stages of his life that range from funny to incredibly heartfelt. Primary Themes: finding ones self, self discovery, compassion Trigger warnings: I cannot think of one Available in Trade Paperback - Complete as Superman: American Alien which collects all 7 stories.

10.) Legion of Super-Heroes: Post-Zero Hour Reboot

Why: In the 30th century R.J. Brande Industries creates the Star Gate System, finally connecting the galaxy closer than it ever had before. Travel that once took months or years to complete now could only take hours and with it came the United Planets with Earth as its home headquarters. In an effort to promote the United Planets and unify the galaxy, the Legion of Super-Heroes was formed by Brande as a peacekeeping unit and an inspiration to cooperation. Sadly, it was co-opted by political parties and turned into a draft for talented teenagers to serve, or risk their planet's enrollment in the U.P. Over the course of over 200 issues teenage super heroes are given unfathomable responsibility and power while unifying to protect their galaxy and friendships while combating xenophobia and political corruption. This series is everything people wanted TTv3 to be but never got. Primary Themes: Dehumanization, loss of autonomy, death, life, space, technology, capitalism, political corruption, manipulation, deceit, hope, romance, found family Trigger Warnings: See above plus ableism and teenage pregnancy. Available in Trade Paperback: Partially. We have 2 volumes called Legionnaires which collect approximately 20 issues, plus extra content, of this run. We also have various other trade collections such as Legion Lost in its entirety.

11.) Ascender and Descender by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen

Why: Tired of superheroes? These are two separate series that follow the same story about a young companion robot named Tim who was assigned to be his human brother's best friend and companion. Unfortunately, during a mining accident his entire colony had to flee and leave him behind as they attempted to escape toxic gas. 10 years have gone by since then, and a lot has changed in the world since he was shut down. Mostly being 95% of all robots have been destroyed and are targeted for destruction after a mysterious robotic alien force attacked all sentient worlds and obliterated the populations down to catastrophic levels. All Tim wants to do is find his brother Andy, but what has become of Andy in 10 years, and what will happen to him in 10 more years after they reunite? This story takes place over 20 years as Tim and Andy both grow and change, as they face the challenges before them and unravel the mystery of the Artificial Intelligence that swore to destroy all organic life. Oh, and magic is also involved too. Primary themes: hatred, violence, abuse, xenophobia, forgiveness, found family, brothers, dehumanization, life, death, magic, balance, manipulation, deceit, mysteries, will probably remind you of Mass Effect. Trigger Warnings: see above Available in Trade Paperback: the entire series is available across multiple books.

That's all I have for now folks, I'm tired of writing.

[big-gay-apocalypse]

“My father was given an impossible choice -- send me to the distant future for a chance at a cure... or watch me die. He sent me to the future. Where the impossible was possible. The psyches of Scott and Jean Grey-Summers were brought forward in time with me and into Slym and Redd Dayspring. They raised me... trained me to use my mutant powers to keep the virus at bay. I was my own cure.”

[renaramblesaboutcomics]

Wednesday Roundup 1.11.2017

Late with a review? Me? Never! Maybe a little.

In my defense there are ten of them. 

Regardless, we have another Roundup with quite a diverse ensemble that I hope you all enjoy! I sure did. 

Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, DC’s Batman, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Dark Horse’s Overwatch, Marvel’s Power Pack, DC’s Super Hero Girls, IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters II, Marvel’s Thanos - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages, Dark Horse’s Usagi Yojimbo, Lion Forge’s Voltron Legendary Defender Vol. 2

Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages (2017) Robbie Thompson, Nathan Stockman

As people can no doubt tell from a glance over my blog as well as the rest of these Roundups, I’m actually quite the fan of this title, and have enjoyed this comic’s take on Spider-Man and, in truth, the entire Spider-Family more than almost any Spidey title in a decade now. At the very least of those that feature Peter. 

So this is a cute overview and relieves my stress over worrying that the title could be wrapping up soon since they’re promoting the next arc. I’m so glad to have this story of family and love~

DC’s Batman Halloween Comic Fest Special Edition (2017) #1 Steve Orlando, Tom King, Riley Rosso, Ivan Plascencia

I actually really enjoyed the Night of the Monster Men crossover comic from earlier this year, even if I think people would be best off if they waited like me until the whole trade collected everything and then bought it so they didn’t miss anything or read out of order. It was a good family crossover, used most of the characters to their benefit, and gave us some team ups we haven’t really seen used that much before, or at all.

So I really support the fact that this first issue of the arc came out to tease people for the Halloween Comic Fest because it’s the right amount of creepy and it exposes lots of new readers to members of the Bat family they may have not otherwise been exposed to. 

It’s a fun little free comic, and I recommend checking it out if you haven’t read the full storyline and would be curious about checking it out for yourself. 

Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages (2017) Robbie Thompson, Marco Failla

Being the huge fan of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur that I am, the hardest thing about the recent storyline has been that Devil hasn’t been in it and Lunella’s little broken heart breaks my heart every issue. So I was curious if that was going to be in the roundup and.... well, it wasn’t!

That means that, as could probably be predicted, the reunion between the two title characters is sure to be upon us, but it also kind of feels like these particular Primer Pages are.... really out of touch with what’s been going on in the comic recently, which kind of sets it apart from at least the comic primers I’ve read myself. I don’t know what to put this on, since Robbie Thompson has been the writer for all of these Primers and has done an amazing job thus far. It’s just a strange blip, I suppose. 

Dark Horse’s Overwatch (2016-present) #12 Michael Chu, Gray Shuko

Since I’m not really someone who’s played the video game for myself (I’m much more of a Let’s Play watcher), I view the world building pretty much entirely through the eyes of these comics we get. And that makes things... routinely difficult to decipher. Mostly because these are not coming out in a linear fashion to walk me through the worldbuilding. 

Heck, they’re not even coming out in order of issue number for us poor souls on the comixology train! 

So this is really one of my first exposures to how Overwatch functioned before it broke up, how the hierarchy worked, how the characters interacted. How... goofy everyone looks all wearing the same costumes and colors. 

It’s interesting stuff for sure and I feel like if I was more plugged in to the metatextuality of the Overwatch universe I’d not have the difficulties following that I’m describing, but there are only so many hours in a day.

The art is good but sometimes feels a little stilted, especially when it concerns fully portraying Tracer’s movements and time displacement. I’ve seen it used better but that’s more of a personal nitpick.

Why isn’t Overwatch trusted in England. Why isn’t Jack completely on board with sending a team in at first. No clue. Especially if this is Overwatch in its prime. But I suppose we’ll see. 

Or not. I don’t know if these comics actually fulfill any narrative structure since there are different writers and artists every other issue. 

Marvel’s Power Pack (2017) #63 Devin Grayson, Marika Cresta, Chris O’Halloran

So this one-shot was a blast from the past in multiple ways for me. First off, a Power Pack comic!!! Legitimately some of the first Marvel superheroes I read about outside of Spider-Man when I was growing up specifically because reprints of some of their issues were in the back of Spider-Man Magazine back when.... I was a kid and... subscribed to Spider-Man Magazine through a school fundraiser. Anyway. 

It’s also a play on my nostalgia for both having Devin Grayson as a writer and also having shoutouts to the fact that the Fantastic Four are still around and, by the logic of their last series, Alex Power is still with them. 

Devin Grayson is a writer I’ve had a complicated relationship with for years now, which her tag on this very blog can tell you in and of itself, but for all the reasons I’m incredibly critical of her writing, there is also the undeniable fact for me that some of her character work is genuine some of my favorite writing in comics when it’s restrained and kept to series and characters she clearly loves and understands a lot. For instance, I much prefer Grayson’s writing of familial relationships over her writing of romantic ones. And it’s quite obvious here that she at least understands enough about Power Pack to predict where Katie -- who is a character that unlike Julie and Alex we have not seen much of in recent years -- would be like as a growing teenager. Given, most of the issue is Grayson retelling an old story from the original Power Pack series.

While the framing and general premise is hokey, you really get the idea that Marvel is testing the waters of what properties they can really bring back in the new comic book landscape, especially with the note at the end of the issue compelling people who want more Power Pack to contact Marvel themselves. Which, personally, I will. Because I love my kids and I do think there’s a genuinely interesting place for them to inhabit in Marvel right now. Especially since we know Julie is pansexual in canon and I just really, really love Julie. 

The art also elevates a somewhat hokey concept to something really beautiful and modern, the breakdowns on every page are just gorgeous and I really have to give props here to Marika Cresta for that. 

And in general, I want more women to be involved with comics so this team would be one I’d really like to see more of, whether it’s a future Power Pack comic (fingers crossed) or not. 

DC’s DC Super Hero Girls 2017 Halloween Comic Fest Special Editions (2017) #1 Shea Fontana, Yancey Labat, Agnes Garbowska

Why this was chosen as a Halloween freebie is honestly kind of beyond me?The storyline of “Past Times at Super Hero High” literally has nothing to do with hauntings, curses, Halloween, or magic. It’s just the hang of kids from Super Hero High getting stranded in the Jurassic period and having to save their teacher. I guess... girls don’t like getting scared? Which by my estimation is an assumption which could only truly be made by either someone who never went to a sleepover party as a kid or doesn’t remember sneaking horror movies between friends without parental supervision. Kids eat up being scared. Kids also eat up anything with dinosaurs, but these things are fairly mutually exclusive when not a Don Bluth movie. 

Beyond my hilarious, if I do say myself, skepticism involving the choice of this particular comic being used as the Halloween comic of choice for DC to distribute from the series, it is a well written and well drawn addition to what has been an incredibly popular series for kids, especially young girls, who want to get more interested in reading superhero comics. And as I’ve made known before, that is something that is very important to me, personally. Comics for kids and comics especially interested in young girls, that doesn’t talk down or overly exaggerate gender differences are so important in nurturing the next generation of comic fans. I know, because that’s how I became a comic fan. 

It also is further proof that Shea Fontana’s run on Wonder Woman was criminally underrated and cut short as she really does understand how to write to the superhero genre tropes in a loving fashion and especially in exemplifying how strong and important the female characters are. 

I just wish the general lineup of the main cast wasn’t so white. Like, Bumblebee is one of the main Super Hero girls and she got entirely left behind within the first few pages. We do have Katana, at least, but representation for race is just as if not sometimes more important than just representation for women. I hope that’s something that becomes more prominent as the series continues. 

IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters II (2017) #1 (of 5) Erik Burnham, Tom Waltz, Dan Schoening, Luis Antonio Delgado

So I really adore Ninja Turtles crossovers to an extent that’s probably not healthy, and the previous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters crossover is by no means an exception to that, but one of the things that I could not have expected, even with as excited as I was for this comic to come out, was how much it tied into the ongoing storylines in both Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

No. Really! Seriously!

This is taking place between the last issue of TMNT that I reviewed and the next issue that will come out this month, which is why all five issues of this mini is coming out week by week this month. 

It’s honestly really amazing. 

The moment it opened up I knew that it was going to be Burnham and Waltz’ usual high standards of writing as well as Dan Schoening’s art (which also explains why his art has been missed on some of the recent Ghostbusters stories), but the moment we got to the “Ghost Realm” and saw not just Darius Dun from the IDW TMNT comics, but also references to his not-so-past murder I was like “holy crap I can’t believe that the consequences of storylines I’ve been curious about are finally coming to fruition here!

Of course that comes to its own difficulties -- as I mentioned in my review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe, we’re increasingly getting to a point where the Ninja Turtles’ ongoing narrative just... isn’t self-contained anymore. And while that’s worldbuilding and expanding, but also makes it increasingly difficult to follow what’s happening in the main book unless you’re plugged into everything that’s going on in IDW. Which, if you’re not an immersive fan, can suck. A lot. I mean, for nerds like me who intersect with Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters and Transformers and X-Files and so on, that’s kind of cool and enjoyable. But for people who aren’t... Well, there’s a reason that comics have been pushed as more and more niche even as the superhero genre and comic-sourced media are growing into multimillion dollar properties. 

The art’s fantastic, the writing’s top notch. If you want to eep up with either properties’ storylines or if you just enjoyed the last crossover, I would absolutely recommend picking this up. 

Marvel’s Thanos - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages (2017) Robbie Thompson, Ron Lim

As someone with not exactly the most cares in the world that Marvel has given a series to Thanos of all characters, I was kind of hoping this primer would, more than any of the others, sort of give me an insight to the appeal of the comic as a whole. And... really it didn’t that much. At least not by my estimates. 

I did enjoy the art quite a bit, and I love that the impact of the Guardians of the Galaxy has just been growing larger and larger thanks to the movies, but other than that this Primer really didn’t offer anything that really stuck with me personally. 

Dark Horse’s Usagi Yojimbo (1984-present) #163 Stan Sakai

So I did something with this issue that I rarely ever do, and that was that I looked around at other reviews online to see what other people were thinking as long time Usagi fans because... Well, to say the least the comics are always excellent but this time around I felt like I had read the comic before. Or, at least, that the storyline was similar enough that I was growing suspicious that somehow I had read the storyline before. 

It turns out, I hadn’t. I had just been confused because the spy character you can see in the bottom right panel has been around in other stories (and yes I know that’s a weird detail for me to get hung up on but that’s my brain for ya). And instead of confirming or deterring my suspicions I became exposed to a completely different trend in comic reviews right now. 

A.... strangely almost.... red-scare esque read of Usagi Yojimbo as pro-socialist???

We live in weird times, my friends. Where Usagi Yojimbo, a comic mostly about and making commentary on the history and culture of Feudal Japan, is being read now as..... socialist propaganda because the thief that Usagi and Ishida are after for most of the issue, Nezumi, is known for being a Robin Hood like character who steals from the rich and distributes part of his gains to the rest of the poor in the city, thus making him beloved and protected by the people who are more wary and unimpressed by the ruling class and police. Even though the eventual murder victim shown in the same issue is shown as having fallen on hard times and had his life ruined by Nezumi stealing from his business several times. 

But. Everything’s political now. And while I get that, I guess it doesn’t sit right with me because yes, that is a reading you can take away from this issue, but personally what always strikes me about Usagi Yojimbo as a fan is how depth and nuance are hidden by the seemingly simple. That has always been my compliment of the art -- which is simple, B&W, and toned, but full of deep details and very insightful use of environment and dedication to building spaces -- from this issue alone you can almost build a map of the city just from how Sakai lays out the art and how the chase moves through it -- but works just as well with the writing.

There is a commentary here on how opinion and loyalty is built by redistribution and how the class system as it was in Feudal Japan leaves injustice to be answered by outcasts like Nezumi and gangs like the Black Goblins, or how punishment in a justice system which is imbalanced discourages citizens from assisting law enforcement -- but none of those things are shown as without judgment or repercussions either. Nezumi’s own lawlessness is leaving him exposed to being hunted down by the gangs as well as the police, and to be framed for murder. There’s definitely repercussions shown for his victims, how they are left damaged by his actions and the injustice of their society to the point that they are desperate and get involved with crime themselves. 

There are no simple answers or simple interpretations from this issue. Just like there isn’t for Usagi Yojimbo as a whole. Our main character is not a benefactor of the system, but he is also involved in this case because of his friendship and loyalty to Inspector Ishida. Not to mention that Usagi’s associates are usually not the honorable sort like Ishida himself. And he has been involved with some questionable morality himself at times. 

At any rate, it’s usually against my style to read other reviews before I write my own but I’m glad I did this time around, because the common interpretation I’m seeing is.... oddly disconnected from the comic I read myself. So it was fun to do a bit of a deep dive. 

Lion Forge’s Voltron Legendary Defender Vol. 2 (2017-present) #3 Tim Hedrick, Mitch Iverson, Rubine, Beni Lobel

So. This was quite an unexpected addition to my pull list this week. They’re really cranking these comics out. I mean, it’s only been two weeks since the previous issue, it’s like they’re trying to be the comic version of the show in every possible way -- there’s not even breathing room between updates!

In all seriousness, this issue continues the honestly pretty solid quality that the last issue made standard, which again is just a complete shock to me because I didn’t enjoy the first issue. That being said, it still maintains the weaknesses that were proven last issue, too, especially in the alien designs and the general storyline we’re currently on. 

While I could definitely see this across-space amnesty mission as something that would happen in the actual show, there is a lack of urgency or even connection to Zarkon or the Galra Empire that is incredibly noticeable. For better or worse, the show keeps very close to its baseline of tension by having even mostly filler episodes have an impression and general outreach of the Galra Empire felt. Without that present in the current storyline and without anyone on Team Voltron even bringing up the possibility of the ongoing conflict with the Galra coming up, we feel a certain amount of disconnect and weightlessness to everything happening. And I’d argue that nowhere is that clearer than when Voltron is formed to fight the Big Bad of the issue but.... the Big Bad is defeated by.... Coran’s cold.... Which Coran gave it by.... breathing/sneezing on it in space. 

The art is a lot of give and take. I’ve said all I can on the fact that the alien designs aren’t feeling particularly original, but at the same time I have to credit the adherence to the style of the television series as well as the effort put into the backgrounds, really making even the scenes within the ship actually feel like the artist and writer had an actual location in mind for everything that was going on. 

At the same time, that adherence could also arguably be a hinderance. After all, we do see a lot of times where the characters look... strangely off model, or their expressions and poses don’t match the tone of what is happening or even what they’re saying (the panels I included above are a particularly egregious example of this). 

This all said, if you’re a fan of Voltron there really is a lot of reason for you to pick up the comics yourself. It’s not a supplement or introduction for the show, and in truth it’s not really making an effort to place itself in the show’s known timeline (somewhere between Seasons 1 and 3??? who knows). 

And those are the comics for this week! Did you happen to agree with me? Disagree? Think I missed out on picking up a comic that was good? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

But before I let you go, I have to (yes have to) plug once more:

I have exactly a month to pack up everything I own and move halfway across the country again which is not helping those financial crunches I mentioned before either.

As such, I really would appreciate if you enjoy my content or are interested in helping me out, please check out either my Patreon or PayPal. Every bit helps and I couldn’t thank you enough for enjoying and supporting my content.

You could also support me by going to my main blog, @renaroo, where I’ll soon be listing prices and more for art and writing commissions.

[  Ko-Fi  |  Patreon  |  PayPal  ]

[age-of-moonknight]

“Marvel Legacy Primer,” Moon Knight (Vol. 8/2016), #188.

Writer: Robbie Thomson; Penciler and Inker: Germán Peralta; Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg; Letterer: Cory Petit

[khakilike]

I need to get into Gwenpool, if only so I can justify making this my next tattoo.

[youngavengerscameos]

youngavengerscameos pls help me... where is this from....

Back when America's first solo series was coming out back in like 2018, Marvel released a... promo thingy? that was a series of short introductions to each of their current ongoing series. If memory serves me right, they compiled all of these "primers" in a trade paperback called Marvel Legacy. Here's the full 3 page primer about America

[lobocomicsandtoys]

ALL NEW WOLVERINE #25 LEGACY

Orphans of X Part 1 Daken, the enigmatic son of Logan, has been kidnapped and it's up to the All-New Wolverine to find him. But when the trail leads Laura, a genetic clone of the original Wolverine, back to the facility where she was created and tortured, she will find new horrors waiting for her.  Who are the Orphans of X and what do they have in store for the children of Logan? PLUS: Includes 3 bonus Marvel Primer Pages! Story by Robbie Thompson and art by Mark Bagley!

Available at Lobo Comics & Toys this coming Wednesday, 10/11/2017

visit us on facebook, google+, blogspot, our eBay store, and our website

[vermalreikcablepool]

Cable - Marvel Legacy Primer Pages  (Cable (2017-2018))

[redvanillabee]

MCU Phase 4: S.W.O.R.D and the Collapse of the Multiverse

I’ve been seeing a lot of theories about Phase 4 floating around, and with the finale of Agents of SHIELD, I reckon I’d collate all the theories here, as well as add in a few of my own theories, and get a feel of what Phase 4 might hold for us.

WARNING: contains slight Agents of SHIELD S7 spoilers.

1. Leaving Endgame: unresolved issues

The infinity Saga (Phases 1-3) ended with Avengers: Endgame. Regardless of how you feel about the narrative, the film wraps up the story based around Thanos’ encroachment on earth. So that should leave no loose threads, right? No world-bending problems left to resolve?

WRONG.

Avengers: Endgame actually left a lot of paradoxes and loopholes. There are objects remove and added into different points of time, characters killing their past selves, etc.

These problems with their Time Heist can’t just be left there, unattended. These paradoxes also can’t be brushed aside simply with a “new timeline” theory. As we learnt in Agents of SHIELD Seasons 5&7, while time can indeed be changed, there will still be paradoxes, which will result in anything from confusion to deaths and destruction.

Are the Marvel execs that stupid? That they would painstakingly explain the logistics of time travel to the audience in the film, then blatantly break all their own rules? Even mass-market films aren’t that stupid. Especially not ones by a studio that is known for planting Easter eggs and somehow planned a whole 10-year, 22-film franchise.

Rather, I believe this is a pantomime moment. Remember, the Thanos storyline--the Infinity Saga--may be over, but the MCU is far from it. I believe they are leaving behind these gaping holes in the spacetime continuum, luring the audience to point at the screen and shout out the inconsistencies, to name the problems themselves. So let us peel back the story, and identify those time-travel and inter-dimensional problems ourselves.

2. Far From Home is our primer for Phase 4

Here’s the funny thing: Far From Home is classified as the last film of Phase 3, with Black Widow as the first film of Phase 4. But narratively, it seems odd to class FFH as part of Phase 3, stringing it with the rest of the infinity Saga. Apart from the plot thread with Tony Stark, what does FFH have to do with the main premise of the Infinity Saga?

This awkward position of FFH might make sense if we view it not just as part of Phase 3, but as that transition instalment between Phases 3 and 4. On the one hand, FFH continues its legacy from the Infinity Saga, by physically having Peter inherit something from Stark, arguably the lead star of the Infinity Saga. At the same time, FFH melds that with a whole new element that will bring us forward: the idea of dealing with threats from not just different points in time, but different realities altogether. Even though Mysterio isn’t really from another dimension, Pandora’s Box is now open. This idea has officially been introduced into the MCU, and as we will find out later, there are heavy suggestions of the MCU going in the direction of inter-dimensional threats.

FFH also bridges the past by reintroducing to us the idea of an overarching organisation governing or monitoring the actions of the superheroes. As mentioned above, MCU superheroes have been freelance superheroes since Apr 2014, with the fall of SHIELD in Winter Soldier. However, with FFH, we see a return of... well, some kind of SHIELD, with the intervention of Fury and Hill. Granted, this is not really SHIELD. Fury and Hill, as we find out in FFH, are impersonated by Skrulls. Regardless, an authoritative organisation has been reestablished in the MCU. The return of ““SHIELD”“ also gives FFH the feel of Iron Man 2/ The Avengers (2012), harkening back to the early days of the Infinity Saga, which I would say is rather appropriate for opening a whole new arc. And, as I will explore below, we might be seeing more of SHIELD in MCU’s future.

(Incidentally, is Peter Parker supposed to know that, for what it’s worth, Nick Fury is supposed to be “dead”?)

FFH is not the first time MCU has played with alternate dimensions, of course. The Ancient One has introduced the idea of borrowing powers from alternate dimensions going as far back as Doctor Strange (2016). But during that film, they have left it at a tease. However, it seems that we might finally be meeting alternate versions of our known reality.

3. Black Widow: Taskmaster is a little too familiar

While we still haven’t seen the Black Widow standalone (damn you coronavirus),  based on what we know from trailers, BW will likely follow FFH’s angle of bridging elements of the past (e.g. a secret organisation with Fury at the helm) while introducing elements from the future (alternate dimensions), But this time, Mama Spider is going to kick it up a notch.

Firstly, it seems that BW might be introducing a nemesis to the SHIELD-equivalent in Phase 4. In the Infinity Saga, the main villain--at least when SHIELD was a thing--was HYDRA. With the fall of SHIELD, the last of the HYDRA bases are also wiped out of the MCU at the start of Age of Ultron.

(If you go with Agents of SHIELD, Thanos is very very vaguely connected to HYDRA, what with him being known to/ part of(?) the Confederacy, who are working with HYDRA).

So what will be the main villain in Phase 4? BW trailers focus very heavily on reconnecting with the past, which reminds me of how FFH calls back to Fury being in charge of the big picture. But in BW, it seems that a reconnection is also made with shady characters. There is a lot of discussion about Natasha’s Red Room past, of other Black Widow graduates. There are grey areas, and the focus on reconnecting to the Red Room reminds me of the “the other Winter Soldiers” arc from CACW, as well as the Dottie Underwood arc in Agent Carter season 1. Will the Red Room be our new HYDRA? Or... are they just a smokescreen?

Because there’s the Taskmaster, and they are very strange indeed. We know nothing about the Taskmaster--their motives, their affiliations, their goals--but they already strikes an eerie chord with the audience. They seem to be an amalgamation of so many notable heroes in the MCU. Why would a villain just... happen to be a combination of so many MCU heroes? Or could the Taskmaster be paving the way to how the Madness of Multiverse “may reportedly feature alternate-reality versions of known MCU characters”?

First Mysterio, and now the Taskmaster. The threat in Phase 4 is gaining steam, and is gearing up to be a force that can only be defeated if the superheroes are once again brought together. The Avengers was initially designed by SHIELD, but were brought together by Loki’s invasion (and Coulson’s death). But where are they now? Who will take up the mantle of the fallen? Who will be there to unite the forces needed? 

4. SHIELD, TVA, and SWORD

For those who only watch the films of the MCU (like myself until recently), SHIELD has not been a legal organisation since April 2014, and has been completely out of the picture in the MCU since April 2015. However, the organisation has actually been hard at work behind the scenes since.

The actual events in Agents of SHIELD, being so separated from the MCU, are not strictly relevant to the discussion and prediction of Phase 4. What we need to know is that: following a series of events that turned them legitimate, then illegitimate, then legitimate again, SHIELD should be a legitimate organisation again by the time of FFH.

(Side note:

There is some debate as to whether Agents of SHIELD is still taking place in the same timeline as the MCU. I personally like to think yes, AOS is still taking place in the same timeline as the MCU. Some have argued that the Snappening never happened in AOS, and when Daisy stopped Talbot from destroying Earth at the end of Season 5, that launched AOS into a branching timeline. However, I would argue that they are in the same timeline because Daisy stopped Talbot. Based on the words of the alien Confederacy, it does not seem that the Snappening and Talbot are two inter-dependent events. If Talbot had cracked the Earth in half, it wouldn’t matter what the outcome of Infinity War was, because, well, there’d be no Earth. There’d be no Endgame. So in my opinion, Agents of SHIELD, as it closes in 2020, is in the same timeline as the MCU, at which point the Avengers would have been moping about losing half of Earth’s population. As for the fact that none of the AOS team got dusted... the OG6 Avengers also didn’t get dusted, and the AOS team was small. I think we can let that slide.)

(Besides, if timelines really are going to be fucked up, as we will see below, then it really doesn’t matter if AOS and the Infinity Saga are in the same timeline. They can just cross over into each others’.)

But SHIELD’s reach, after all, is limited. Even Fury did not have a handle on Carol Danvers as she spent 23 years (1995-2018) just roaming the Universe as a space vigilante. With the jurisdiction of the MCU heroes now extending beyond time, space, and dimensions, we will need authorities in space. Maybe some kind of... ambassadors from earth.

In the Agents of SHIELD series finale, Marvel threw us a bone. As the team part ways after their final mission together, Daisy, Sousa (yes that Sousa from that Agent Carter), and Kora take to space, as some kind of SHIELD representative. The showrunners teased the audience by having Sousa describe their little unit as the “Astro Ambassadors”, but the audience immediately know what to ask for: SWORD. SWORD, according the MCU Wikia, stands for Sentient World Observation and Response Department, and is a “subdivision of SHIELD”. In fact, I believe we will be seeing more of SWORD in Phase 4. And with the release of the latest WandaVision trailer, we know that SWORD with Monica Rambeau as one of its agents is definitely going to be a thing.

Even if, EVEN IF, SHIELD and SWORD aren’t going to be a thing in Phase 4, we still have another authority that will be very interested in all these alternate dimension business going on around Earthlings. In what little we know of the Loki standalone TV show, it seems the Time Variance Authority will be part of it. Time, space, dimensions, these will all be threatened in Phase 4.

5. Steve Rogers and Corrupted Timeline Theory

By this point, if we are keeping score, we know space and time in the MCU is fucked up. Timelines are messed up, left in paradoxes, and people are just travelling everywhere and anywhere they fancy. Loki. Natasha. Astro Ambassadors.

And then there’s Steve Rogers.

Since the end of Endgame, a theory has been gaining steam that the actual Steve Rogers is stuck in the Quantum Realm, and whoever/whatever Old Steve is, it is a corrupted version of him. Please click through and take a look at the brief post about how Steve may be trapped in the time stream. It is an excellent analysis on how Steve could be a central indicator to all these time/space/dimensional tomfoolery.

6. What to expect

Here’s what I think is going to happen:

Following the primer that is Far From Home, Black Widow will continue to push the idea of interdimensional threats a notch further. Things that should be resolved, things from the past, are coming back to haunt us. Things start to get uncanny. The Taskmaster’s powers are too familiar. It’s all a little eerie.

Meanwhile in Marvel TV land, things go from “still earthly” to downright insane. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, in all likelihood, will be the most earth-based of the Marvel TV shows, kind of like how the Cap trilogy is the most earth-based, with the least amount of sci-fi invention compared with the Iron Man trilogy and Thor saga. However, since Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes are the two people closest to Steve, one literally inheriting his mantle, it might be in this show that we see more signs of reality being corrupted through iterations of Steve.

WandaVision is a result of both anomaly!Steve, as well as the many timeline problems left in Endgame. In WandaVision, Wanda and Vision find themselves flung through so many alternate realities. The anomalies in spacetime catches the attention of the authorities, in this case, Monica Rambeau and SWORD. We officially have our overarching authority for Phase 4.

The madness in time and space goes even further when Loki, now armed with the Space Stone and somehow looking like his Thor 1 (2011) self again, just... Loki-s it all up. Making jumps. Causing chaos through human history. General Loki shenanigans. The disturbance that this causes alerts an authority higher than SWORD: the Time Variance Authority.

This is also an excellent time to reintegrate the Marvel TV Universe back into the MCU, after having them split off from the MCU in 2013 and 2015. There is a very special cameo in Endgame, an Easter egg reserved only for those who have watched the Marvel TV spin-offs. “James D’Arcy’s cameo as Edwin Jarvis in Avengers: Endgame marks the first time a Marvel Cinematic Universe character introduced in a television production has crossed over into the films.“ Of course, there is no promise that just because they have brought Jarvis from Agent Carter over to Endgame, that they will bring others into the MCU in a similar fashion. But with Marvel Studios/Disney+ branching officially into making their own TV shows (instead of collaborating with ABC/Netflix), we can expect more crossings between the TV shows and the films. With the door now open with Edwin Jarvis, characters from AOS can rather easily be integrated into Phase 4 shows. And, if Daniel Sousa, a character that was last seen in 2016, can somehow be brought forward in a miraculous time escapade, there is no reason why other Agent Carter elements can’t be.

Time, space, dimension, reality, are now all fucked up beyond recognition. The hints of alternate reality characters? They are now coming in full-swing. There will be “alternate-reality versions of known MCU characters“. Marvel’s What If? cartoon ties into this as basically some kind of MCU fever dream: what if skinny Steve had an Iron Man suit? What if Peggy Carter was Captain America? It’s all out of the window by this point.

Captain Marvel 2, being likely set between earth and space, can easily fit into this whole development. Arguably, same for Thor: Love and Thunder. The events in space can rather easily tie into all these inter-dimensional madness. (And if Marvel Studios stop being a coward, they will let Carol Danvers date Dr. Thor).

Fun fact: SWORD was apparently mentioned as early as a deleted scene from Thor (2011).

With the world on the brink of universal collapse, we finally enter Doctor Strange: Madness of Multiverse. In the first Doctor Strange film, we’ve only seen one alternate dimension: Dark Dimension (Dormammu). In the Madness of Multiverse? Get ready for the Actinaria Dimension. The Grass Jelly Dimension. The Flowering Incense Dimension. The Mandelibus Dimension. Btw I’m not making these dimensions up. They are all introduced in the Marvel Studios Visual Dictionary.

Endgame may have ended Thanos’ arc, but it is only the beginning for a whole new chapter of the MCU. Years ago... probably around the time of CACW, I read a meta that discussed how Marvel might be taking the MCU in the direction of a “collapse of the multiverse”. That was predicted to happen in Infinity War/Endgame. While the Universe did not implode in Endgame, the world also doesn’t... necessarily settle into peace at the end of Endgame. To borrow what a friend of mine said,

Aren’t the other timelines just as doomed as the OG timeline where the Thanos snapped ... and the stones [are] gone in the end?

Like if we assume that they came up with the same idea for every other fucked timeline, then we would just end up with even more alternate timelines, and even more fucked timelines

and it becomes endless

Is this why it’s called Infinity War lmao

As we learnt in Agents of SHIELD Season 7, if a timeline is mucked up, actions must be taken to help it settle, if not restore it to its original form, otherwise there will be grim consequences. Between the milieu of timelines created by the Avengers and the Agents of SHIELD, I think Doctor Strange has his work cut out for him in Madness of Multiverse.

Madness indeed.

-----

Further Reading

‘I’m a storyteller, I know when I am in one’ — John Watson, Series Four, and Authorial Intent 

Pantomime moments of the storyteller leaving gaping holes for the audience to point out are very common. In this piece, I explore how that technique is used in BBC Sherlock’s Season Four. While it looked like the showrunners are breaking all storytelling rules, they are doing it for a very sound reason.

Don’t Mourn — Avengers: Infinity War and the Five-Act Structure

Aka that time I wrote 7k words on the narrative structure of the Infinity Saga that is somehow still gaining clicks and reads on Medium.

[themarvelssource]

“My name is Carol Danvers. Ever since I was a little kid, I didn’t fit in. See, I always wanted to fly, and not just in the sky. Nobody believed in me, so I took matters into my own hands. I joined the Air Force, and after years of working and training I finally touched the sky. But I wanted to go higher, farther, faster, and finally… beyond.” — CAPTAIN MARVEL LEGACY PRIMER PAGES (2017)

[comicsbeat]

Confused about the Marvel Universe? Anxious you won’t get Legacy? Not sure which Jean Grey is real, which is a clone and which is an alternate timeline? Marvel’s got you covered with MARVEL PRIMER PAGES. Selected Marvel Legacy titles will have three pages of background info in comics form written by Robbie Thompson (Silk, Doctor Strange and the Sorcerer Supreme) with most of the art by Mark Bagley (The Amazing Spider-Man, All New X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man).

The pages are designed to making jumping into the pool a lot easier with background info that reminds you why you loved the Marvel U in the first place…or for the first time.

“When I first approached Robbie and Mark to do these Primer stories, I gave them only one edict: to remind all readers both who these characters are and what they’re about in three all new pages,” said Marvel editor Darren Shan. “What we got back has been some of the most fun art I’ve ever seen from Mark! And we couldn’t be luckier to have someone like Robbie to cherry pick the most classic moments in Marvel history. Then the two of them tie this all up into one perfect package. I think everyone will love these!”

“It’s been an absolute blast working on this project — it gives me a great excuse to re-read so many of my favorite comics!” said writer Robbie Thompson. “I’ve been a fan of Mark’s for years, so to get to work with him is a dream come true. Mark takes the scripts and distills them down to their essence, finding brilliant ways to tell these stories with truly iconic images. I can’t wait for people to see what he’s done with these!”

“This Legacy gig has been a lot of fun to work on and a bit of an education…even for someone who has been drawing comics for as long as I have! I think readers will really enjoy the stories we’re revisiting,” added artist Mark Bagley.

Seems like a very good idea. And here’s a sample of the learnings:

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Marvel make Legacy easier to understand with Primer Pages Confused about the Marvel Universe? Anxious you won't get Legacy? Not sure which Jean Grey is real, which is a clone and which is an alternate timeline?

[big-gay-apocalypse]

[blocodibujo]

Dije que iba a empezar a resubir los dibujos de esta serie, pero ahora en español, para que más gente pudiera apreciar y conocer más de los super y antihéroes latinos e hispanos de DC, así que eso voy a hacer, partiendo por Fernando Suárez, aka, EL CASTIGO.

Suárez es un antepasado de Rodrigo “Rodney” Elwood Gaynor, aka, THE WHIP quien, hasta donde pude averiguar, fue el primer superhéroe latino de DC (y siendo apropiado para DC, es un “legacy hero”, un superhéroe que es el sucesor de otro que había usado la misma identidad).

EL CASTIGO operó durante la década de 1840 en México y era básicamente una copia de El Zorro, lo que no debe sorprender a nadie considerando que el personaje fue creado en la década de 1940. 

Tampoco sorprende que su nombre fue mal traducido en inglés, considerando que se llama EL CASTIGO, mientras que sus sucesores ocupaban el manto de “The Whip” (EL LÁTIGO). Si hubieran seguido el primer nombre -o lo hubieran traducido bien- DC podría haber tenido personajes llamados The Punisher décadas antes que Frank Castle apareciera en Marvel.