#all they’re succeeding in doing is making fans distrust them

[gabriel-landeskog]

seriously what the fuck is the avs pr team/front office doing

[lalo-tellmeagain]

I just need to get this off my notes— I’ve been working on it a while and hopefully it’s enough to convey my feelings. I’m putting this here with the preface that I love this character so much!

While I’ve been enjoying the fan fiction and art and all the various ships, I just don’t see Lalo as capable of having any sort of relationship with anyone.

I don’t think he thinks about love or friends or sex at all beyond maybe just the most basic of bodily functions. And that’s a very big maybe.

This is perhaps best illustrated during the scenes at his home in Mexico. Every person there is hired help, and so they are loyal for the pay and probably out of fear, and yes they seem to sort of enjoy his company (maybe) but it’s all superficial because they know what Lalo is capable of.

It’s hard for the audience to get past the idea that this handsome middle aged man would just sit around by himself in this giant compound, barely sleeping, and working on his hobbies without at least wanting a partner or a family, but I really don’t think he cares or thinks about it.

He gets off on endlessly plotting his next moves- which brings us to Sylvia and Mateo. What happens to them shows us how utterly insidious Lalo is- he has imagined scenarios where he may need to fake his own death, or use Mateo in some way because of their similar looks, and he keeps them around solely for that purpose. He’s generous to them and they appear to be very loving and grateful toward him— he will always turn on the charm to deflect his true intentions. They think he really wanted to help them with the dental work, and he did, but for his own twisted reason.

Speaking of employees, poor Ciro! Here’s a kid who has been clearly bullied by Lalo his whole life, and who clearly lives in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. Lalo tells Jimmy he’s known Ciro since he was a little boy, but neglects to mention using the kid as a human shield!

Nacho is also an employee. Lalo treats him as such, even in moments of seeming to be friendly (Nachito!) there’s always an undercurrent of distrust. He’s not going to send Nacho to pick up 7 million. He makes Nacho drive him everywhere and never tell him what they’re doing or where they are going. And let’s be honest- his gut feeling about Nacho was correct-

That’s why Kim’s lecture is so incredible- you see the moment where Lalo doubts himself- maybe she’s right? Maybe I do need to try and let someone in and try to trust a little bit- even against my better judgment…..

And he’s immediately betrayed. He’s never going to make that mistake again.

The argument that Lalo has the ability to care because of his attitude toward Hector also doesn’t really work for me because Hector is absolutely the worst kind of person. Cruel. Hateful. Joyless. Where does Lalo get his own lack of humanity? Probably Hector.

Lalo admires him, constantly talking about how family is everything, but none of the Salamancas even have their own families! It’s an empty sentiment. Plus Lalo could easily bring Hector to live with him in his giant mansion and provide him with round the clock medical care, and he doesn’t! He cares about the business and the money and taking out his rivals. Imagine if the Salamancas succeeded? To what end? Who gets their vast fortune when they can never trust anyone and have no families of their own?

I think Lalo has fun playing mind games with Gus. I think he enjoys the chase a lot. He’s never not going to have a good time. And we love him for that. It’s really hard to not be curious about him (and his potential relationships) and I’m endlessly fascinated with the idea that someone could really just exist this way because to us he has an incredible life! And why wouldn’t he be sharing it with someone or many people? Why live this way? He’s just really an extremely shallow person- he cares most about his money, his cars, his house-“don’t get grease on my sink!”

Bottom line — he cannot care about any person other than himself. He doesn’t think about others at all beyond what he can use them for. He’s happiest in his own head. In Lalo land.

[indiavolojones]

any Belphie fans out there? this is for a current wip so it's a bit of a spoiler if any of you have read my sex pollen fic on ao3.... but I'm trying to get a grasp on Belphie bc I hate the in game progression of his hatred > immediate adoration of mc and severe lack of uh, consequences or any kind of conversation other than “no you were under a lot of stress belphie, it’s fine buddy” 

so under the cut is a 550ish word snippet of a Belphie/MC conversation I'd like them to have and more garbled Belphie thoughts @ the bottom.

#uh, murder? (⊙‿⊙✿)

"That first night you wandered up the stairs to my room, caught up in your curiosity... you immediately didn't believe my story. I saw the suspicion in your eyes, and I wondered, why is she still helping me then? Is she stupid?" Belphie's expression is one of wry remembrance, as if he's picturing the night you'd met as he speaks. 

"At the time, your intelligence mattered little compared to how it would feel once I escaped and killed you," It’s the first time Belphie’s mentioned his betrayal with such a casual affectation to his voice. You don't think he would try again, not with your pact, but to hear him mention it still makes your breath catch in your throat. 

“And then I succeeded.” Belphie says, as if surprised, a slight tremble in his voice, “I watched Mammon cry and hold your corpse to his chest. I saw the horror in my brothers' faces. And I still felt right." A heavy, suffocating silence falls between the two of you.

"Tell me," Belphie looks at you as he speaks your name, "Is it possible to atone for murder?" 

What could you possibly say to that? 

"Could you ever truly forgive me? You were so quick to help me reconnect with my family, to say good morning to my face like I hadn't—" Belphie's eyes widen with shock as he remembers something, staring down at the chessboard. When his eyes glance back up at you, they're colder, more dangerous. This is the closest he's looked to the day he killed you, and it sends shivers down your spine. 

"I didn't use my demon powers to kill you the first time in the attic, you know. You freed me from my prison—you were so trusting when you embraced me—and I strangled you with my bare hands," Belphie says, a strange awe and detached cruelty to his confession as he looks down at his palms. You try to remain calm; Belphie is trying to elicit a reaction from you, possibly? But you’ve been wrong before. Holding the pillow closer to yourself, you search for Belphie's true message amidst your own growing discomfort—

“And now," he barks with laughter, fervor picking up in pace as Belphie seems to boil over, all the tension between you since his return coming to a head, "You're seriously inviting me into your bed? Are you not afraid I'll snap and do it again, but that I'll be truly successful this time? I know my brothers are. They watch any time I place my hands on you with distrust, worried that the last time they touched you will be their las—"

"—Stop," you say, and Belphie jerks his head up at you, startled from his tirade with parted lips and eyes wide at what he's said, what he was about to say. Only now do you notice you're shaking, tears forming but not falling from your eyes.

"I'm scaring you," Belphie realizes, deflating instantly and leaning back in his chair. He takes a deep breath as he keeps your gaze, as if he’s realized the both of you are too far down this path to go back now.

Softer now, he says, "You have my oath—I'm yours to do with as you please. I am at your mercy, and yet, you've been nothing but kind. Why aren't you taking your revenge?" With the desperate ferocity gone, replaced by exhaustion, Belphie's voice can only be described as small. 

"Is that the reason you made a pact with me?" You ask, quietly, and the impassioned severity has all but left Belphie as he leans over and covers his face with his hands. 

"So I could take revenge?" 

--

whooeeeee 

I’m just so dissatisfied with the progression of him in game.. especially because if I lay out Belphie’s story/traits in bulletpoints, it REALLY appeals to me.

- heavily prejudiced due to personal trauma - add another dollop of guilt bc lilith only started going to the human realm bc belphie was fascinated w/them (is this canon or just a damn good hc I saw somewhere? I forget. either way, it feels so right.) - villain doing what they believe is right, just fuck me up dawg - is being saved regardless of what he wants lmao mc is like “all aboard the healing family relationship train, you fuckfaces.” @ all brothers, don’t @ me abt this. - straight up murders a character only to get the ultimate slap to the face that they were wrong the entire fuckin tiiiiiime, like god, the angst. -*waves hand in the air* there’s some other belphie thoughts but yeah -bee once told me that belphie is actually what lucifer claims satan is. smiles being fake/his personality a facade and I was like OUHHHH... - belphie and beel processed their grief differently. he’s just a depressed older brother that lost his sister and is so maladjusted emotionally he’s just... angry and cynical while beel took it and it made his heart so soft.... not that this is a slight against belphie (until he tried to go on a murder rampage at least) bc people just process things differently! - anyway this started as me trying to flesh out my belphie thoughts a bit more and it became a #beel appreciation post

if you have other takes on him, I’d love to hear it bc I’m still struggling to get him myself!!! 

[callioope]

Continuing my reactions to Avatar: The Last Airbender

This post is about Book 3. See my overall impressions and thoughts on Book 1 here. See my thoughts on Book 2 here.

ETA: crap i forgot the keep reading line initially SORRY if anyone saw this before i edited. anyways. please see the tags as a disclaimer before reading. gosh it’s late i need to go to bed.

General

Starting S3 now and dang Katara & Toph have gotten so powerful!!!!!

I literally recorded ZERO reactions from Chapter One through Chapter Twelve. And my first reaction is basically my excitement that Zuko is finally with the Aang crew! But let me try to skim through an episode list to recall my reactions.

You may have already seen my post expressing shock that MARK HAMILL voiced the Fire Lord. Still not over that revelation.

So, ultimately, I binged this show in less than a week. I think I started on Monday? And finished Saturday afternoon. That alone should speak to how much I enjoyed it! 

Aang

Okay, a bit weird to have barely any thoughts under Aang when he’s literally the protagonist, but I think (since I wrote other sections before this) that I touch on some of my thoughts on him under other characters. 

I will say, his journey really intensifies in this season. First, when he awakens after being unconscious for several days and has no idea what’s going on, and is still healing and more helpless than he’s probably ever felt in his life. I did really like his arc in this season, but what a stark contrast to the Aang of Book 1. He has to grow up so fast. I gotta say, a lot of Aang’s journey reminded me just a little of Ender in Ender’s Game. 

I do say this later, but his final decision about how to handle Ozai was amazing. I loved every second of his journey to get there, and I was rooting for him to find a path that felt true to him — and not what everyone else kept telling him he had to do. 

There was one small thing that bothered me, which was that his eventual regaining of the Avatar state did not really seem to come about through intentional action of his own. After he goes down at the end of Book 2, sorta feels like they never even talk about him going into the Avatar state again and he doesn’t until the final moment. That moment doesn’t seem a conscious choice on his part; the scar on his back collides with a rock jutting out and seems to jolt him into the Avatar state. I would have liked to see a little more agency on his part in regards to the Avatar state. 

Sokka

My boy! My boy Sokka! Truly the mother of the group. IDK why they pretended in the beginning that Katara was the mom because it’s definitely Sokka. His maps! His scheduling! He is ridiculous and I love him for it. 

I adored that he got his own training master episode! He got to learn some sword stuff and even got to make a fancy space sword! Everyone else got super powerful with their bending and I’m glad Sokka got his own arc of self-improvement. He has come a LONG way from episode 1. He couldn’t really hold his own at all that early, and now look at him! Planning battle strategies! Taking down the Fire Lord’s air fleet! He’s come so far and I’m so proud!

Oh, you know, I just realized that I didn’t really talk about ships with Sokka in Book 2 but he did continue to have the most active romance arc. It was nice to see Suki return in Book 2, and I am glad we found out what happened to her. I liked Sokka and Suki, I have nothing against it. I was very surprised that so little happened with Toph and Sokka. There did seem to be moments where it seemed like Toph might actually harbor a crush on Sokka, but nothing came of it and she certainly didn’t say anything about it. That felt a little odd to me. Why hint at something but then make nothing of it? 

Katara

Sigh. This is early in the post, but probably one of the last parts of it that I’m actually writing. I’ve definitely been putting it off. Unfortunately most of what I have to say about Katara is about shipping, and I’m really not happy about that, but then it’s what comes to mind over anything else. Which is sort of ironic considering some of her lines in the theater episode...

So in the theatre episode, Aang confronts Katara about how nothing has happened in their relationship after they kissed. She responds by saying she is “confused.” I had some issues with the script here, to be honest. It seems to imply that she’s confused about her feelings for Aang. But she also says that she’s been more focused on the war, and that totally makes sense. I really would support this moment if that’s where they left it: “I don’t have time to think about romance, my mind is preoccupied with the war.” 

But no, they say she is “confused.”

This is pretty baffling to me, and honestly seems to come out of nowhere. Book 1 it was very obvious that both Katara and Aang have feelings for each other, and Book 2 might have backed off a little from that but then we get moments where Katara is so keyed in to Aang’s struggles with the Avatar state and also the only one who can bring him out of it. Now, all of a sudden, she is saying she is confused? Where is this coming from? 

I could definitely see people argue that it’s because she has feelings for Zuko. If I shipped them (I don’t, but I also Get It), I could point to numerous moments in the series as ‘clues/support’ for this ship. Zuko and Katara have a moment at the end of Book 2 where they talk about the loss of their mothers. (“We’re both sad about what happened to our mothers!” not really a foundation for a relationship, but Katara is the most betrayed and distrustful of Zuko when it comes to the idea of letting him join their crew and it is because of this moment. She obviously begins to feel some kind of connection — I’d argue platonic but ship and let ship.) 

And yeah, Zuko and Katara have their bonding adventure, but again I don’t think this has to be read as romantic. Clearly the idea here is that Zuko “understands” a part of Katara that Aang doesn’t — except that in the end, Aang is the one who is right about her. She cannot give in to revenge. It’s not her, and Aang knows that. I mean, they’re both right — Katara had go to on the journey to learn that about herself, and it was important that Zuko was the one who helped her. But still. 

Finally Zuko and Katara go together to face Azula. Again seems like plot is pushing them together for Tension. They definitely work together here and Katara heals him and all that but she’d have healed anyone. (Like yeah if you ship it of course you’re gonna be excited over those moments.)

But.

Like. The thing is. When the dust settles? Zuko and Mai return to each other like moths to a flame. I could believe that Katara might have had feelings for Zuko, but I don’t think he ever returned them. I think it was always Mai for him. 

I don’t really want to fan the flames of ship wars — I’m trying to walk a fine line of “I totally understand why people ship this, but I don’t,” and hopefully I’m succeeding, but I’m sorry if I’m not. 

My main gripe is how the show handled this dynamic. It seemed like they half-heartedly thought about creating a love triangle, but then they didn’t follow through. I don’t particularly like love triangles, so I’m not actually mad that there wasn’t one. But what bothers me is that the Aang and Katara moments are so heavy handed in the beginning, that a sudden subtle take on how Katara feels in Book 3 feels strange. It feels like if she was having feelings for Zuko, it should have been more blatant. The depictions are inconsistent — if the writers were even ever intending for Katara to have feelings for Zuko in the first place.

Like, I really can’t tell if those moments implying Zuko and Katara were intentionally trying to start a love triangle OR if it was just sort of a mistake OR if it was maybe creators trying to address and then negate Zuko and Katara as a ship? I mean it’s weird because the play episode really emphasizes Zuko and Katara but then that play is really supposed to be all levels of inaccurate and get under the characters’ skins. 

So, I don’t know. Obviously we all bring different interpretations to a piece of media and I am by no means saying anything here is a “correct opinion” (because I hate that attitude when it comes to story interpretations). Sorry if you don’t agree, hope I didn’t make anyone mad. Ship what you like! You do you, man. 

On that note, please see further disclaimers about shipping and canon at the end of the “Zuko and Mai” section below.

Toph

Loved how Toph was the first to warm up to Zuko. It made a lot of sense. I mean obviously they were looking for a fire bender to teach Aang and it was like “Hello, powerful fire bender on a silver platter!” but also, Toph is someone who joined the crew later on. The group had to adjust to her, and she probably knows what it feels like to be an outsider. Now, granted, she was never alienated from the group in the same way that Zuko (rightfully) was. But she can also understand Zuko’s position as someone who comes from a wealthy family, the sort of pressure that comes from that. None of this was really addressed explicitly, and it might not have really fit then and there, but it was what I was thinking as she was standing up for Zuko.

Um, and also, on that note? Huge bummer Toph did not get her special bonding adventure with Zuko. Toph, I’m with you on that one! Why did Sokka get two episodes for his? 

Zuko

No “& Iroh” on this post because — Iroh spent much of this season in jail, and then the next half just ??? who knows where. 

So, I believe I stated in the last post how shocked I was at Zuko’s betrayal. Knowing he eventually joins Aang’s crew, it seemed like his time in the prison with Katara would ultimately lead to that, and then NOPE! He has this nice heart to heart about his mother, and then… it really shocked me.

But.

As I watched this season, it became clear that this has to be Zuko’s journey. He has to go back to the Fire Nation. He has to win the approval of his father. He has to get everything he wants in order to realize that it really isn’t what he wants. This is integral to his ultimate revelation and redemption and he couldn’t have stayed truly good without verifying and knowing how empty the win of his father’s approval is.

Realizing this, I loved it and appreciated the moments we get. Zuko’s visits to Iroh. Even when Zuko is being cruel, you can see how hurt and lost he is. And Iroh gives him the cold shoulder he deserves, even though of course this is breaking Iroh’s heart, too. 

Now, I absolutely must discuss the Fire Kids Beach Party episode! Because as ridiculous as parts of it are, it provides such an important and necessary insight to all four characters (Zuko, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee). You see the privilege that they’re all used to, it’s good that no one knows who they all are. (although maybe a little surprising because Zuko’s scar certainly reveals who he is but anyways.) 

and it’s funny how you almost end up rooting for them before you’re like “no no no. they are bad people doing some bad things.” I mean, almost rooting for them. And sure, the campfire scene is a bit Breakfast Club-y but I do think it’s important. And I just loved the moment Zuko admits he’s angry at himself, how his burst of fire as he says it almost covers it up, it’s so hard for him to say. Fabulous character development going on here, fabulous. 

[Uh, side note, so apparently Zuko is descended from Avatar Roku! This is ridiculous but can we get Zuko calling Aang great-grandfather, mainly to get on his nerves?! O:-) this would amuse me greatly]

And GOSH the catharsis when Zuko finally realizes his father’s approval is not what he wants and not worth it! It’s so well earned. It’s so satisfying. I was so excited and just like, so anticipating Zuko going to meet up with the crew. Zuko practicing his speech in the woods to the frog? Amazing. Endearing. I love him so much. 

And despite that and because of it, I also loved how difficult it was for him to earn their trust. It had to be difficult. It would not be believable if it wasn’t. Every character regarded him exactly as you would expect them to, exactly as he deserved. And Zuko tried so hard to be sincere and contrite, and it was hard for him, but he was doing pretty well all things considered! And still, they distrusted him. Yes. This was good and right. And I loved it. 

AND ANOTHER THING I LOVED was that once that initial barrier was surpassed, Aang actually warmed up to Zuko pretty quickly. This is not surprising; he’d reached out to Zuko in the past. First when Zuko (masked) rescues him, and Aang says they could have been friends. Later, at the end of Book 1 when Zuko again kidnaps him, there’s just a moment… I think when Aang spares him. It’s like, my impression is that Aang can sense that their destinies are connected, and he’s not really sure how but he knows that Zuko is important. Also, I mean, Aang just doesn’t kill people and revenge is not his way. 

Each character getting their own side story with Zuko was also integral to his arc — perhaps moreso, theirs, though. Because it was necessary for them to overcome their distrust and forge the bonds necessary for the Avatar’s crew to function. Bummed he didn’t get one with Toph. Toph was robbed.

And side note, but I really would have like an Aang and Sokka bonding episode? Like, Book 1 is all Aang and Katara and Sokka, but some 1:1 time would have been nice. There was almost a chance when Aang flew Sokka to his father and the water tribe (and at the time I was like, “Oh? Aang and Sokka bonding?!”) But then it was really only a few minutes. But yeah, that said, it does make sense to focus on carving out 1:1 time for Zuko and each member of the crew to ease him into the group.

Sokka: You happy now?

Zuko: I’m never happy.

This made me sad. And also made me go “classic Zuko.”

Every time Zuko was like, “What would uncle say?” And then say the most ridiculous thing? Fantastic. Amazing. Fuel for the fire that was my love for this show.

Zuko and Mai

Mainly the Beach Party episode was important in helping me warm up to Mai. Once Zuko is back in the Fire Nation and they’re together, I was of the mindset that Mai would have to do something pretty big in order for me to enjoy seeing their relationship become canon. This episode is not that episode, but it is an important insight into Mai’s character that explains some of her actions. The fact that she’s basically internalized apathy because she’s been forced to repress her emotions. It wasn’t enough for me but we get more later, this is an important stepping stone. 

It’s also important in establishing just what Zuko and Mai’s dynamic is. It’s a bit shaky in this and they end up breaking up but then they just get back together like immediately (moths to a flame…) In hindsight, I just think they’re behaving like normal teens who care about each other but are still navigating what it means to be in a relationship. At this moment in time, their relationship is not good, but by the end of the show I can believe as they mature that it could be a good relationship.

So the actual moment that I was like, “Okay, officially supporting Mai and Zuko now” was when she helps them escape Boiling Rock. I don’t think we’re ever told the full contents of Zuko’s letter to her, but considering what she says to Zuko earlier in this episode, it doesn’t seem likely he explains himself very well. At least not for Mai to understand. And he still isn’t able to explain himself well to her as they talk face to face. Then he locks in a cell and flees! He leaves her again. 

You wouldn’t blame Mai for hating Zuko. You wouldn’t blame her for actively working against him. But is this what happens? No. Not at all. She helps them get away. She betrays Azula for Zuko. Azula!!! Azula who is very powerful and very scary! This is a clear and distinct line in the sand, and … it almost comes out of nowhere, but what it demonstrates is how she really feels about him. She’s decided to trust him and put her faith in him when she really would have been justified in not doing so. 

I’m also going to say that despite some rather odd implications of Zuko and Katara in parts of the series (namely with other characters who really don’t know them), I never feel like Zuko is interested in Katara. I would buy interpretations that Katara might have considered Zuko, the way some parts of her story are portrayed, but I don’t get anything on Zuko’s side and that is all the more reinforced by how he acts around Mai, especially in the end of the series when they’re reunited. 

(Now, that said — because I don’t abide ship wars, ship and let ship, and power to multi-shippers — I can totally 100% see the appeal of shipping Zuko and Katara, and I would contend there is even some canonical implication of it. And I can’t blame people for not totally loving Zuko and Mai. Now, I do think the canonical implications are sort of muddied and confusing, but though I have actually not written it yet, you’ll have read my thoughts there in the Katara section already. OH, and OF COURSE, MORE IMPORTANTLY — ships being canon should not matter! Ship what you love! Who cares if it’s canon! Finding canon justification for ships should not be necessary for shipping! It can be a fun exercise but should never ever be a reason for approving or disapproving of a ship, it’s just a cherry on top!)

Azula

We get some pretty interesting insights into her character this season. I’ve already mentioned the Beach Party episode, and there was some good stuff in there for her. I particularly appreciated the moment that she admitted she knew her mother thought she was a monster, that she even admitted to being a monster, and then admitted that it still hurt anyways. Honestly that’s probably her best moment.

I also thought her breakdown at the end was well done. Mai and Ty Lee’s betrayal just broke her. She probably knows her attitude puts people off, but those two were the only ones she ever really got on with. And it turns out, she really didn’t get on with them, they’d only ever been intimidated and manipulated into being her friends. She has no one, she pushes everyone away. Literally — and it is ultimately her downfall. 

It’s an interesting contrast to her brother. We literally get an episode “Zuko Alone,” and then it turns out the theme of “Azula Alone” is such an integral part of her arc, as well. The last person she has is her father, and he leaves her, too. Sure, he tells her it’s because she’s to stay behind as the new Fire Lord, but honestly Ozai was never truly close to anyone, either. But yeah. Iroh spends a lot of time and effort trying to help Zuko redeem himself. He never tries with Azula? I think, maybe it would have been nice to see him try with her, and be just utterly rebuffed. Now, Zuko also rebuffed him a lot, too. So Azula’s rejection of Iroh would really have to be something. This is the kind of stuff I’d look for in fic. Speaking of fic: I mean, I’d really love Zuko to find his mom, mom to come back, and then maybe some kind of attempt at reparations between mom and Azula. It doesn’t have to work, I just want to see the effort, you know?

Final Thoughts: Ending & Denouement

I loved Aang finding a different way to defeat the Fire Lord. I loved how every past Avatar he talked to was like “no dude just kill him.” And I loved that that was not enough for Aang. He’s pushing himself and ultimately the spirit of the Avatar to think harder, to try harder, to seek a different way. And that mercy was so integral to Aang’s character, and important to his arc that he struggled so much with it. And he’s just a kid! Oh, Aang. And I loved that he was able to find the answer he needed, the fact that it was taking away Ozai’s fire bending. Yes. Perfection.

I was a little disappointed by how little we got post-Ozai’s defeat. I was hoping the epilogue might have shown a little more in the years and decades following. It would have been nice to see glimpses of everyone prospering as they got older. 

Also, as I was watching Zuko’s coronation, I was sorta like, “uhh wait that’s a little too easy.” Now we don’t know when that happens so it’s possible some bit of time has lapsed and I’ll take that. But I thought there would have still been some trouble with some of the Fire Nation troops. Some of them would have remained loyal to Ozai. Many of those general had probably committed war crimes and would have needed to be rounded up and put on trial and put in prison. There’d be so much work to do!

That said, I do understand that we want to see our heroes with a happy ending, ultimately. I guess just a simple like “X years later” before the ending scenes would have sufficed for me to be satisfied that enough time had passed for those things to have been dealt with. IDK, I can probably suspend disbelief enough to headcanon that myself. I’m just saying. Some acknowledgement of resolution and reconstruction as a *process over time*, albeit unnecessary, would have been nice to have!

On that note, we don’t actually find out what happens to Azula. Presumably she is also in prison with her father. 

More importantly, we were Robbed of a Zuko and Ursa reunion scene!

[decepticon-spydrone]

Okay guys, I’m about to get real and rant about something kind of controversial, so if you don’t like getting caught in drama you might wanna skip this one.

I saw a post, however, in which someone called James Roberts a “fascist” and a “Nazi sympathizer” because he DARED portray Megatron in a sympathetic light. Because he DARED to make a character that has been depicted as a tragic villain by the fandom for 33 years actually a kind of tragic villain. I’m about to drop some stuff on you guys.

MEGATRON IS NEITHER REAL NOR HITLER.

Does he have parallels to Hitler? Sure. Is what he did during the war completely unforgivable and monstrous? Yep. But that doesn’t mean that depicting him as being remorseful for his actions and wanting to make it right makes the writer a fascist or a Nazi sympathizer. MtMtE and LL make it VERY CLEAR that you’re not supposed to be okay with what he did. With what he caused for four million years. For the billions of lifeforms that died because of his cause.

You know what it does do? It poses a very interesting question. No matter how terrible and unforgivable a person’s crimes are, if they make it clear that they have every intention of living their lives doing good from now on, if they are TRULY REMORSEFUL for what they did, do they deserve a second chance? I’m not asking us to have this debate here, that’s something you guys can do in your own threads. I’m pointing out that it’s a philosophical and thought provoking question that the comics give us. And many of us are on different sides of the answers.

Would we give Hitler a second chance? If we could, of course we wouldn’t. But Hitler was a very real and very terrible person. He felt no remorse for his actions and in the end took the coward’s way out rather than face his consequences. Megatron is not Hitler, though, and he’s not real.

GIVING MEGATRON A SECOND CHANCE WASN’T JRO’S IDEA

Hasbro And IDW are responsible for that decision. MtMTE was set to go in a completely different direction before they told JRo, “BTW, we’re giving Megs a second chance, but we don’t wanna deal with him in the main story. Can you take this one?” JRo had to change his entire storyline to fit this new development. And you know what? He did a really great job for having to basically pull all this out of his ass. He could have just made Megatron the monster, keep him as just being a complete villain who would cause chaos and trouble across the ship. But… that’s not the tone of the comics, guys. For a single story arc, such as the Slaughterhouse? Sure. But not for the overall comic.

So he took a stab in the dark and blended Megatron into the crew by giving him a chance. By showing this side of him that we wouldn’t have expected. One that gets in petty arguments with Rodimus, respects Ultra Magnus, and actually makes good decisions (though not all the time) for the crew. All while stubbornly retaining a good chunk of his Decepticon tendencies, and while most of the crew distrusts and despises him. It’s never depicted as the crew being wrong for hating him. The only people truly shown to be in the wrong are Atomizer and Getaway, and it’s not because they’re against Megatron. It’s because of the actions they take to get back at him.

Again, whether or not JRo succeeded in it isn’t a debate for here. This isn’t a speech about whether or not his writing is good. This is about him being unfairly accused of Nazi sympathizing and fascist tendencies.

VILLAINS ARE ALLOWED TO BE THREE DIMENSIONAL

If you want a mustache-twirling, baby-kicking villain, then that’s fine. Let’s face it, that’s what the DJD are for. But even they are allowed to be depicted as having moments of civility. Just because the villains don’t kick puppies and kill civilizations 24/7 DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO AGREE WITH THEIR ACTIONS. Humanizing monstrous villains exists to give them more layers, NOT TO EXCUSE THEIR CRIMES.

Villains are allowed to have tragic backstories, reasons for their actions (even the deplorable ones), and moments of sympathy. Megatron is allowed to have a fear of mnemosurgery because of Trepan. Tarn is allowed to be shown as being disgusted by his fellow DJD members’ bloodlust. Neither of these things are excusing their actions. Never once in the comics does any character say, “Oh, well, they have reasons they’re like they are. Well, then, they’re completely excused from the horrible things they’ve done.”

What it does is makes the characters feel more real. That they’re not one-dimensional characters. Whether or not that sympathetic backstory makes you forgive them is on you, not the writer who has never said he agreed with the villains and their ideals. Speaking of…

IT’S NOT THE WRITER’S FAULT IF A VILLAIN IS POPULAR

And yes, the DJD are insanely popular with the fandom. Hell, they’re one of my favorite parts of MtMtE. That is NOT JRo’s fault. He did his job. He wrote extremely likable depictions of characters. It’s up to the individual readers whether or not that’s now their new favorite character. Even if he himself likes the characters, just like with he fans, that doesn’t mean he thinks they’re right.

You know what other villains are popular but weren’t written with the intent that you agree with their outlook and methods? ALMOST EVERY OTHER COMIC VILLAIN EVER. Are there those who think say… The Joker is in the right? Of course, but again, that’s on the readers, not the writers.

IN CONCLUSION:

Guys, please stop accusing JRo of being a Nazi sympathizer and a fascist just because you disagree with his sympathic depiction of Megatron. Those are extremely serious accusations, ESPECIALLY the Nazi sympathizer part. Actual fans on twitter already seem determined to ruin his reputation with their incessant meme-filled questions (and bless him for how many he actually answers because he loves his fans that much).

Again, this is NOT a post about whether or not his writing is good. That’s a matter of personal taste and opinion. Also, please leave any debates about issues revolving around him (such as the accusations of gay baiting and transphobia) to other posts. That’s also not what this post is about. This is strictly about the accusations of fascism and Nazi sympathy.

To my followers, I apologize for the long-ass rant. I love you all.

[ganymedesclock]

If Lotor were to learn that Keith is a hybrid, do you think he'll try to persuade Keith into joining him? Of course it won't work but I can't but feel that at some point Lotor is going to play mind games with Keith (or Lance because he's insecure) in order to tear team Voltron apart.

I mean, I know it’s certainly a popular fandom idea that Lotor’s going to try and lure someone away from Voltron, but...

On Lotor’s strategy

Voltron is not really Lotor’s target as much as Voltron, to Lotor, is a potential obstruction and a means to an end. He got up in their face to mess with them in season 3 because he was after the comet, and to have that, he needed to know they had Voltron. The Thayserix stunt in s3e3 was basically Lotor wanting to nail down that odd discrepancy and make sure Voltron actually had a chance of succeeding, before he threw them at the rift.

Ultimately Lotor wanted the comet, and as soon as he got it, he shifted focus away from Voltron. The only reason they still engaged after that in s3e6 is that the team came after Lotor and pressed the attack while Team Lotor was trying to steal the giant teludav component.

And what happens after that? Well, according to Keith in the season 4 trailer: “[Lotor] hasn’t been seen in months, this might be our chance to track him down!”

Lotor’s gotten what he wants from Voltron. From here on out, the only way Lotor’s really going to engage with Our Heroes is trying to get them out of his way- or potentially get something else from them. He is seemingly in the market for a teludav so I wouldn’t rule out an attack on the Castle of Lions to try and steal theirs.

Beyond that, though, I could see Lotor picking at Voltron... but potentially because he’s trying to build allies out of them. In which case he might go underhanded and try to pick them away from the group or encourage one of them to act as a spy, but it’d probably be more likely Lotor would actually just want to genuinely appeal to their good nature. Why?

On the history between the two teams

Because people forget- that little shindig between Keith, Hunk, and Acxa in the weblum is something on Lotor’s radar as much as on the paladins. And while we see Keith recognizing Acxa when they cross weapons in s3e6- Acxa doesn’t have that moment of realization, because she doesn’t need to.

She’s known who Keith was this entire time.

There’s no way Acxa, did-you-just-talk-about-my-prince-in-that-tone Acxa, didn’t pass on her experience in the weblum to Lotor. Lotor’s team operates and intercommunicates very closely. Acxa in particular is often one to talk up and explain things. So either Lotor’s team is already aware of everything from the weblum incident, or they’re missing some details that Acxa didn’t think were important, and will offer as soon as they do seem important.

So what went down in s2e9?

Well...

Keith and Hunk saved Acxa’s life.

Despite misgivings about trusting a galra blatantly working for the empire, Keith makes it very clear, within Acxa’s earshot, that they need to help her if nothing else just because she’s a living person and nobody deserves to be left for dead in a weblum. Keith is at times tense and hostile towards her, and harsh when she turns out to ultimately rob him, but it still stands, important takeaways that Acxa, and Lotor, would get from this:

Voltron is honorable. If nothing else they can be trusted to stick to their own creeds and said creeds are about helping people.

Voltron’s Red Paladin some amount of galra heritage, not normally visible. (they also know his name’s Keith because Acxa heard Hunk greet him by that name)

Reinforced by their collaboration with the Blade of Marmora, Voltron does not really have reflexive hard feelings towards the galra as a species.

On Lotor’s personality

Another thing to consider here is that Lotor is not immediately going to hear Keith is half-galra and start tapping his fingertips together because smells like opportunity.

There is a reason Lotor has surrounded himself with, and placed in powerful positions, people who are mixed race galra. This seems, way more than utility or pragmatism, actual genuine empathy, for their situation.

Lotor likes the generals. He works with them because he enjoys their company, is comfortable around them, and agrees with how they think. We see him happy to give them tasks they’ll enjoy, we see him talking to them fondly, and casually in a way that his ultimately facetious presentation to the main empire was not. And it also stands that overwhelmingly, Lotor spends a lot of time with the generals when he basically ignores most of the main fleet.

In s3e6, him chewing the generals out even fairly lightly by the standards of this show is a big deal because we virtually never see it happen. Furthermore, it’s an unusual situation because we virtually never see Lotor away from the generals in the first place to have that kind of distance.

My point is- these people are Lotor’s friends and the reason why Lotor spends so much time thinking about mixed race galra and their situation is because he has strong personal feelings about this. This is the uniting thread between him and his four closest friends and it’s pretty clear at least part of his utter disdain for “the old way”- Zarkon’s way of operating- is that in many ways that’s something that would want to destroy the only friendships Lotor really has.

Lotor seemingly “passes” as a full-blooded galra- the empire doesn’t know he’s of mixed race himself. But his generals are looked down upon as second-class citizens, and he’s considered improperly close to his subordinates. Racism and classism are not set up in Lotor’s favor.

So Lotor isn’t going to see Keith’s heritage as an opportunity to screw him over. He’s certainly not that desperate for leverage on Voltron that he’d bite his tongue and do something he’s opposed to. His team has so far been able to stay mostly ahead of Voltron. We might see Lotor twisting the knife a lot more if he’s cornered and scared as implied by the season 4 trailer, but I still doubt that he’d go for Keith’s heritage.

Not just because harping on people’s fear or distrust of the galra is Lotor shooting himself in the foot since he’s trying to establish his own foothold in the hearts of the universe’s populace and he’s also half-galra.

But hearing Keith’s got galra heritage and internalized self-loathing is going to actually pluck Lotor’s heartstrings and his response actually might be more of a danger to the team because it might, actually, be fairly heartfelt.

Because the thing about Lotor I keep coming back to is- Lotor, in many regards, is a shade of gray, not really one thing or another but a harmonious blending of allegedly stark and disparate components. We see this in his aesthetic, his strategy, almost everything he does. Fluidity and adaptability- and carving out his own niche in between alleged opposites.

And one of those alleged opposites is that Lotor actually is an empathetic person, and a manipulative one. He’ll lie, but he’ll never be completely facetious. In practice we see that a lot of what he said in his big speech to the empire, he legitimately means and will push even when it doesn’t serve him.

He basically told the empire what he planned to do with new planets, and, that’s the exact content of his recruitment spiel to Puig. He wasn’t there to put the Puigians back in chains, he was there to offer them a seat at the table, and even though he came in very aggressively, and used them to further his own ends... you know what we don’t see? Any implication whatsoever that Lotor went back and hurt the Puigians besides using Narti to control their leader- and Narti definitely didn’t stay there.

So that’s the thing. If Lotor really wants to talk Voltron around- which he might or might not, depending on his situation? He’s not just going to spew whatever they want to hear. That’s not Lotor’s style.

No, I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if Lotor plays on things, with a clear agenda, but also, with a heartfelt angle to it.

Keith’s heritage is one thing, but more importantly Keith’s yearning to relate to people on his heritage was what slipped out interacting with Acxa. Acxa was just a stranger, just some unknown galra, but Keith really wanted that to work out. He wanted them to be friends. He wanted to be able to trust Acxa. Because at that point, Keith was feeling very much like an alien in his friend group.

You don’t think entirely outside of practical pursuits and getting a leg up on Voltron, that’s gonna resonate with Lotor who seems to have built all of his close associates out of people who haven’t really been able to fit where they were? Where, again- Lotor’s whole thing is carving out a niche for yourself in a world that says you have to be one thing or another when you’re not really completely either?

And I come back to, Lotor isn’t always straitlaced, morally, but he seems to at least respect the same ideals Voltron does. In the sense that he actually, scornfully, kind of calls them out on Puig- if the Puigians are in open revolt against the empire, where exactly is their protection that this coalition is supposed to grant them? Lotor and his team are highly skilled but it does say some worrying things for your defenses if a four-man strike team can retake an entire planet in a day.

Lotor is a fan of teamwork. He’s a fan of solidarity. He wants to appeal to people genuinely and positively, and not just string them along. He sure as hell will, if he needs to, if that’s furthering a goal, but the cutthroat tactics come out either with people Lotor specifically distrusts (like Throk) or people who’ve already spit on the hand of friendship, and even then, Lotor’s got a hell of a lot more restraint than Zarkon’s ever shown.

So I’d say, I wouldn’t even say for sure if Lotor potentially trying to appeal to Keith is necessarily going to be a bad thing! Hell, we might actually see a situation where two of the generals bail out one of the paladins as a kind of- “there, we’re even for the whole weblum thing.”

It’s possible that Lotor might actually warm up to the paladins because he can trust them to have basic standards for potential enemies, like Acxa- and one of the things Lotor has the greatest disdain for is the empire’s whole attitude of “anything besides unmitigated aggression is for cowards and weaklings.”

There’s a reason, even though it would be ‘unpopular’ to his audience, Lotor made a big show of sparing Throk when in Lotor’s personal assessment Throk was too dangerous to keep around.

There’s a reason Lotor showed off his ability to keep ahead of people scheming against him but ultimately spared that person.

There’s a reason Throk’s ultimate fate is delivered at the hands of Haggar, acting on the vicious, cruel, victory-or-death attitude that Lotor’s already condemned.

Because Lotor knows that doesn’t work- that’s why he uses it to cover his own tracks, because the empire’s not going to listen to Throk. And for himself, when he’s running the show- Lotor would just as soon be completely rid of it.

Even when Lotor’s acting cruelly, his contempt for that aggression shines through. He smirks when Throk is taken out because the empire’s bellicose policies are once again nailing them in their coffin and protecting him. After all, amnesia in this setting has been rather porous. It’s very likely if Haggar hadn’t murdered Throk for his inability to cough up an immediate answer, he eventually would have remembered who attacked the base- or set out to figure out who did.

What this means going forward

Ultimately I doubt it’s going to be this simple. Lotor has a lot of things about Voltron he can respect, and a lot of things about Keith’s situation he can empathize with, but, he’s also between a rock and a hard place.

Everything about the season 4 trailer suggests things are going to go south for Lotor. We see a lot of tense faces out of him, his nervous insistence of “My father’s on his deathbed and I am in control.”

At a glance, that sounds like villainous gloating. But the thing is, Lotor doesn’t say those lines when he’s comfortable and confident and actually sitting on an advantage.

When Lotor’s got an advantage, he’s breezy, cheerful, informal. When he’s talking stiffly about superiority... well, we mostly saw it when he was confronting Haggar in s3e5. “I am the leader!”

That’s defensive snapping because Lotor feels cornered. And that line about “I am in control” sounds very similar to the way he talks to Haggar- that is to say, it suggests, ironically, that Lotor is feeling anything but in control.

And Keith’s comment that Lotor hasn’t been seen in months is another worrying nod to how Lotor’s feeling. Because Lotor is someone who retreats, and withdraws, when he doesn’t like his odds. If he doesn’t like a fight, he’ll try to avoid showing up for it.

If Lotor’s hiding, he’s tense.

What all of this means to me is? Personally, I think Lotor has some respect for Voltron at this point. Practically they agree more on morals than Lotor does with his father (see, the utter contempt Lotor reacts with when Haggar compares him to Zarkon).

But at the same time... Lotor is also pragmatic, and, as mentioned, he isn’t really afraid to push the boundaries of his own values if he’s scared and endangered. So I don’t think Lotor would want to, for example, maliciously exploit Keith’s desire for recognition against him... that doesn’t mean he necessarily wouldn’t, depending on what else is chasing him.

Lotor’s not like Zarkon. His desires aren’t necessarily completely irreconcilable with Voltron’s survival or even victory. But a powerful motivator for Lotor is pretty clearly that he’s terrified of Zarkon and Haggar actually closing their grip on him again. And he cares about the generals as well- who have publicly thrown their lot in with him. Who, as very obvious minorities who are very strongly looked down on within the empire, are going to be in a lot of danger if he gets publicly cornered as a traitor.

If push comes to shove and the empire starts putting pressure on Lotor he’s going to feel a lot less sporting towards Voltron. And that might drive him to go further into nasty, ruthless tactics in order to get results- because he can’t afford to lose. His cozy little strike team with the generals is a nice arrangement but, like Voltron itself... they don’t have any dead weight to toss off.

[seventeendeer]

Hi! I'm a huge fan of your blog, not sure if I'm on anon on my phone or not, but I'm a bit worried. My life goal is to become a psychiatrist but it seems everyone online hates theirs. I only want to help but it seems like it could cause harm... what do I do?

Your phone succeeded in putting you on anon, don’t worry! (and I’m so happy you like my blog, thank you!!

Psychiatrists can definitely cause harm and if you want to become one, it’s extremely important that you educate yourself not only on how to be a psychiatrist, but also on how to be a good ally to neurodivergent people. From what I’ve heard about and experienced, the lack of familiarity with different neurotypes’ own perspectives seems to be the cause of many of the worst offenses.

The problem with psychiatry is that it’s a field of science often studied primarily by neurotypicals. Which means that when it is being taught to psychiatry students, it lacks the perspective of the actual patients who should really be center-stage. It’s like if a man wrote a book about understanding misogyny, or a Caucasian person wrote about racism in America. In the end, someone outside of a minority will never truly be able to understand the struggles of the people in question, because they haven’t experienced it themselves.

However, one thing you can do is listen. Take the knowledge you learn from the education and then question it. Look online for actual neurodivergent people talking about their experiences and compare it to what you already know. When you become a psychiatrist and get a new patient in, ask them questions, get to know them, and truly consider their perspective. Do not fall into the trap that is “I’m the one with the degree, so I know best.” Because chances are, the things you believe you know were written and communicated to you by a secondary source, that is, someone who has not actually lived through the things they’ve written about.

Neurodivergent people are one of the most misunderstood and vulnerable groups in current western society because we’re still overheard. Neurotypicals think they know more about us than we know about ourselves. Personally, I think that’s one of my greatest sources of stress - knowing that to the vast majority of people, I am considered “irrational” and “unreliable”, purely because of my diagnosis. I’m not even trusted to understand myself.

A few tips for interacting with other neurotypes in a respectful way:

- Not all symptoms of neurodivergency make us ill. Only destructive and self-destructive traits are bad. Never, ever condemn something harmless.

- Understand that many of us are fundamentally different. People are the result of their experiences, and our experiences are different from neurotypicals’, as well as from each other’s. We’re not “normal people” buried under incomprehensible weirdness, we are that weirdness. Respect us for what we are, not for what we could have been or what we might become.

- Interact with people based on what they’re like, as people, and not based on the social norms you know. The same goes for your interactions with neurotypicals! A dog wagging its tail means it’s happy, but a cat wagging its tail means it’s agitated or overstimulated. You wouldn’t get mad at a cat for not adhering to dog rules. In the same way, don’t get mad at one person for not adhering to the rules of another one. Each individual person is unique. Learn their language and respectfully interact with them in a way that they understand.

- Accept the fact that some people may never trust you. Whether it’s due to past experiences or a general distrust of people who haven’t been through the same things they have, it’s simply out of your control. Don’t take it personally.

- Stay humble in the face of people who are different from you. It doesn’t matter if the person is psychotic, intellectually disabled, or any other oft-condemned sub-group of neurodivergent. All people have the potential to teach you something. All people have the potential to be the ones who blow your mind and change your life. Every new person you meet is a treasure chest and you won’t know if they contain something awesome beyond your imagining before you get to know them and they open up to you.

I’ve only recently met my current psychiatrist, but at least in this point in time, I love her. She knows the official system, but she also listens to me and disregards sections of the treatment that simply wouldn’t work for me. She asks me questions and she works with me to try to isolate the problems that hurt me the most. She also accommodates the issues I have that we know won’t go away overnight instead of pressuring me into things I’m not ready for. And perhaps most importantly, she’s warm and open and kind, and she makes it clear that above all, she’s a doctor. Her work is about healing and aiding, not correcting or normalizing.

If you’re reading about neurodivergent people’s experiences and asking questions about how to get better, you have already proven that you have the right attitude to someday be a good psychiatrist. You have the right approach. You’re the kind of person this field of medicine needs more of. So I absolutely 100% encourage you to follow your dream and become the doctor that so many people out there wish they had. You can make a world of difference for so many future patients if only you stay questioning and listening and caring. I know you can be the helping force you want to be!

If any other neurodivergent peeps out there have anything to add, please feel free to reblog this post and add commentary.

[blooming-blooming]

Saw I - VII: A Comprehensive View

This is something I don’t normally do, but have been meaning to do for a while when I consume a large series of media in a short period time. I figured this was the perfect opportunity to start.

As of recently, I’ve realized that I am a fan of horror. Like, a really, really big fan of horror. I’ve always flirted with my fascination of it (The Green Ribbon had more of an impact on me in the walls of my elementary school library than it probably should have on an 8 year old, in hindsight), but I never really knew where to go about getting into the genre until I started dating my girlfriend, who has horror as a special interest.

Growing up in the 2000’s with an older sister that was going through her middle school goth phase when the first film in the franchise came out, it was hard not to know about Saw. Such an iconic franchise I knew very little about past the gore (and, let’s be real -- I’m a huge fan of gore); so me, my girlfriend, and a friend of ours decided to spend my last weekend of Summer marathonning all 7 movies. Both of them had seen the first two films and we’d all read plot summaries, but besides that, it was a blind watch through. Here’s my brief stance on each one.

Altogether, I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed this experience. I was expecting to mostly suffer, and maybe find some small nuggets of enjoyment along the way to keep me going, but after every movie (except III), I found myself wanting to watch the next one right away. These movies are by no means good movies, for the most part, but they’ve become a guilty pleasure for me. Among all the egregious, torture porn-y gore and a plot that beyond transcends making even remote sense, I found myself having a lot of fun. And, at the end of the day, that’s the purpose of a cash cow franchise like this was: to entertain you. In that regard, the Saw franchise succeeded.

Saw (2004)

The first in the franchise, and the most iconic. We’ve all heard of the reverse bear trap and the part where Gordon cuts his foot off.

I didn’t know what to expect when I dove into this movie, and I was very pleasantly surprised. The atmospheric building is top notch, and the twist at the end has much more impact than I expected it to. I enjoyed the tension and distrust between Adam and Gordon; I felt it was just as realistic of an approach for them to never trust each other as it would have been had they slowly learned to trust each other.

What’s really important in this one, though, which every sequel lacks, is Kramer’s portrayal. He’s not painted as philosophical or in the light, he’s painted as downright sadistic and cruel. The fact that he isn’t a murderer in the absolute broadest sense of the term is only ever mentioned by Gordan, and not constantly used as a justification for him. His cancer is only ever brought up to give him a connection to Gordon and Zepp; not something to make the viewers empathize.

This especially makes the final scene, the one where he stands up, have so much more impact: “The key was in the bathtub,” and Adam’s subsequent reaction is the ultimate punch in the stomach to the viewer because it’s so evil. The entire time Adam thought he had a chance, that there was a spot of hope for him, only to have it viciously jerked away as he realizes he was damned from the beginning. Because this is a franchise with a narrative built entirely on retconning, this impact is diminished severely in later installments, but as a standalone film, it’s top notch.

Also, apparently the ship name for Gordon and Adam is “Chainshipping”. I have no idea how that, of all ship names, wasn’t taken by the YuGiOh fandom at least a decade ago, but I’m mildly impressed that a ship that obscure has a name at all.

Overall score: 8/10

Saw II (2005)

The second installment in the franchise. It’s worth noting that the original screenplay wasn’t intended to be a Saw film, but rather an original story that got adapted to work into the Saw universe.

The story follows eight people who have all been locked in a house. The doors will open and they’ll be free in three hours, but there’s just one problem: there’s a neurotoxin in their systems that will kill them in two. They need to work together to find out what their connection to one another is while overcoming challenges to gain antidotes to the neurotoxin before they die. Meanwhile, a police team lead by detective Eric Matthews has located and is interrogating Kramer on the location of Matthews’ son, Daniel, one of the eight people in the house.

Right off the bat, the drop of quality from the first movie is extremely apparent. Very few members of the cast are properly developed, and many die before they even get to their trap. Most notably, one of the characters, Obi, is an arsonist who is very heavily implied to be an accomplice of Kramer’s. This aspect is explored for all of about two minutes before he gets burned alive in an incinerator. It’s hard to get invested because there are too many characters who have nothing going for them.

Despite that, there are good things about the film. The needle pit scene is well done in just how tense and unfair it is. Likewise, the twist at the end that the house game happened before the police found Kramer is really creative and interesting. Sadly, these positives don’t make the movie worth watching overall, though.

Overall score: 4/10

Saw III (2006)

I honestly don’t know what to say. This was the worst movie I have ever watched in my entire life. Sadism and cruelty in a story should have a narrative purpose and should ultimately be shown to be bad, but it’s not here. You are honest to god supposed to think John Kramer, the serial killer who took one of his victims, a mentally ill recovering drug addict, and brainwashed her to carry out his torture with him, is in the moral right when said victim finally lashes out. You’re supposed to think it’s cool when Amanda, who has been deliberately manipulated and abused by this man, gets told she couldn’t meet up to his standards. You’re supposed to think she deserved her death for being “irrational” when she calls Kramer out on his bullshit, hypocritical, half-assed “philosophy”. Fuck that. Fuck that so hard with a stake wrapped in barbed wire.

Also, the dad was an unsympathetic piece of shit and all of the traps weren’t violent in a way that was thematically appropriate (minus the crucifix one, but that one was disturbing for a million other reasons, anywways, so who the fuck cares if it was good conceptually), they were just gross. I have never wanted to unwatch a movie as badly as I wanted to unwatch this one immediately after finishing it in my entire life.

HATE. LET ME TELL YOU HOW MUCH I'VE COME TO HATE YOU SINCE I BEGAN TO LIVE. THERE ARE 387.44 MILLION MILES OF PRINTED CIRCUITS IN WAFER THIN LAYERS THAT FILL MY COMPLEX. IF THE WORD HATE WAS ENGRAVED ON EACH NANOANGSTROM OF THOSE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF MILES IT WOULD NOT EQUAL ONE ONE-BILLIONTH OF THE HATE I FEEL FOR HUMANS AT THIS MICRO-INSTANT FOR YOU. HATE. HATE.

Overall score: -∞/10

Saw IV (2007)

Lord knows why I decided to continue watching these movies after the misanthropic, nihilistic, faux-philosophical sack of trash that was III, but I’m surprisingly glad I did. I feel like I could just say, “A pedophile dies one of the single most brutal deaths known to man, and a man who abuses his wife and daughter has a terrible death, too,” but that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what makes this movie amazing.

This is the first film where Kramer is dead (or so we’re lead to believe), however, Amanda is dead, too. So the franchise needs a new accomplice retconned in to take over after this film when Kramer and Amanda are dead For Real. Enter detective Hoffman, who had a grand total of one line of dialogue in III, to take that spot.

The plot and pacing of this film is stupid. And when I say stupid, I mean stupid. Everything is so ridiculously convoluted with multiple plot lines and involvement in the FBI that I honest to god could not describe to someone what happens. And, somewhere along the way, the film goes full circle. It becomes so ridiculous, so hard to follow, that it becomes brilliant. It’s so convoluted that you can’t help but laugh at the absolute absurdity of it all. This movie is a shitshow, but it’s an entertaining shitshow.

Overall score: 3/10

Saw V (2008)

The first film where Kramer and Amanda are Dead For Real, following the fallout from the incidents of Saws III + IV. FBI Agent Peter Strahm is onto Hoffman’s identity, and is deadset on bringing him to justice. Meanwhile, five people are trapped in a sewer and need to learn what connects all of them, and also go through some traps to attract viewers to theaters because nobody would see this otherwise.

This film is ultimately disappointing because it could have been good. All five contestants in the sewer game are really interesting, and it takes the concept of II and fixes up the ideas from it. Sadly, this cast and their story gets even less development than those in Saw II. I’m not joking when I say that they’re only there for the sake of a murder game to attract viewers; 90% of the film is focused on a boring game of cat and mouse between Strahm and Hoffman. It’s really a shame, since I absolutely love the twist at the end that they were supposed to work together for all of the traps and none of them had any idea until it was too late. It’s a concept I might make something of my own with, since I’d really love to see it done well and properly developed.

Overall score: 2/10

Saw VI (2009)

This movie is, quite frankly, surreal. I’m not sure if all of the previous sequels simply wore down my standards for what is or isn’t a high quality movie, but this film was legitimately fantastic.

A very common criticism for this movie is that it is far too political for a franchise that is known for just being senseless gore -- and it’s true, especially because of how hypocritical it is that a franchise based entirely around killing/punishing people for arbitrary reasons is making social commentary on the insurance industry deciding who deserves to live based on arbitrary reasons. Despite that, though, there’s something about it in this film that works so well.

The storytelling in this movie is the closest any of the sequels get to matching the quality of the first film. Following protagonist William Easton, the CEO of an insurance company that is notorious for rejecting potential clients coverage when needed or prematurely terminating contracts, he is lead through several traps where he is forced to put value on the lives of his employees. Meanwhile, Hoffman is dealing with the consequences of trying and failing to frame the now-deceased Strahm for his crimes.

I really don’t know what to say about this film other than it’s bizarrely well done. The Merry Go Round trap is my favorite trap in the franchise (after my Number 1 Hall of Fame favorite, The Bed Trap from IV, anyways); the direction of the arguing employees begging for life and Easton ultimately leaving his second choice up to chance just so he can get it over with is handled chillingly well. A lot of people find the twist diminishing to Easton’s storyline, but I disagree. The fact that the game was never Easton’s and was always the wife and son of one of the people his company was responsible for the death for reminds me a lot of the first film in a good way. It has the same cruelty to it that is satisfying because it works within the narrative; just because Easton realized the errors of his ways in an extreme situation does not mean the people he has hurt in his practices have to forgive him. This is pointed out as such in both Tara and Brent’s dialogue as they make the choice in the end to kill him. It’s just as appropriate of a response as if they let him live.

This is also the first (and only) movie where I even find myself interested in the extended “plot” throughout all seven movies; Hoffman has completely screwed himself over, and it’s surprisingly suspenseful to watch him try and crawl himself out of his hole.

Overall score: 7/10

Saw VII (2010)

Overall score: Torture porn/10

[princessparadoxical]

I know we’re all having a fucking ball with the CIA-related angst.

But imagine if season two gives us Mission Impossible: Dirk Gently’s Mass Psychic Breakout, followed by multiple episodes of Dirk Gently’s Fast And The Furious: Mystery Squad Road Trip.

Because the breakout itself is an absolute clusterfuck of epic proportions.

The mystery squad is heavily armed thanks to Farah and Estevez, and incredibly pumped thanks to Amanda and Vogel, but they’re still a very small group trying to find and infiltrate a top-secret government facility. Todd jokes that they just have to follow the sounds of muffled government screaming because Dirk won’t stop talking, but honestly it’s a hideous couple of months while they do research and they’re all on tenterhooks by the end of it. Meanwhile the Blackwing subjects are poorly equipped and half-starved and quite often drugged but they’re desperate at this point so when there’s a commotion, they assume that it’s the universe sending them a message to run.

It’s the classic “one group breaks out at the same time that another group breaks in” trope, and individually neither group would have succeeded but together they’re actually quite successful (they don’t find out until much later on that Riggins was responsible for the gates mysteriously unlocking and the cameras mysteriously malfunctioning).

On the way out Bart manages to kill multiple CIA agents using a pillowcase, a paperclip, Dirk’s recently-retrieved yellow leather jacket, and a security camera that she pried from the wall with her own bare hands. Her face when Farah finally hands her a pistol is priceless - she doesn’t need it, but she’s touched by the gesture all the same.

So they’re finally on the outside and Farah immediately takes charge, suggests setting up meeting points and ditching their burner phones because they can still be tracked. But Dirk and Bart respond with “the universe will provide!” and Farah initially insists that they split up into smaller groups, but they end up accidentally meeting up three times in as many weeks so she just fucking rolls with it at that point (with only minor internal screaming).

The original mystery squad are all piled into yet another jeep. Dirk’s so excited about heading into the Heartland even though Todd and Farah keep trying to explain that it’s nothing but corn and weird apocalyptic signs, but his enthusiasm is infectious and they’re all in a good mood until Dirk subjects them to 5 hours of K-Pop and then Todd and Farah are ready to return Dirk to the CIA.

One time Todd tries to ride with Bart and Ken to get away from the K-Pop and ends up ringing Farah after an hour of straight Backstreet Boys ("WHY DO CIA EXPERIMENTS ALL HAVE SUCH BAD MUSIC TASTE, WHAT DID THEY DO TO THEM, SHE DOESN”T UNDERSTAND SHAMPOO BUT KNOWS ALL THE WORDS TO BACKSTREET'S BACK FARAH I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE UNIVERSE AT ALL”).

Dirk suggests buying another corvette (”we had one during the Patrick Spring case and that got solved, Todd!”) and Todd is trying desperately to explain that their ‘on the run from the government’ fund doesn’t stretch that far. He and Farah have tacitly agreed that perhaps Dirk shouldn’t be given knowledge of or access to the $4 million sitting in Farah’s bank account. So they stick with the jeep and it’s fine, Todd and Farah can easily share driving duties. Farah initially doesn’t believe that Dirk can’t drive and Todd’s like okay, that’s fine, let him behind the wheel and watch what happens. Farah lasts all of fifteen minutes (which Todd is privately impressed by) before she reaches Peak Twitchiness™ and pulls them over. 

Farah Black will stand for a lot of things, but she will not stand for “the universe will tell me when I’m about to hit a car”. There is a line in the fucking sand that she won’t cross and that’s it. She didn’t risk her life so that she could die on an abandoned back road in Ohio because Dirk was eating old pizza from the box again.

But somewhere along the way Dirk’s sense of humour develops into "I wonder how many times I can say that the Universe wants me to do this before they catch on" and it takes both Todd and Farah a surprisingly long time to work out what he’s doing and when they do, they’re both ready to commit murder but also weirdly proud that their awkward psychic bean made a joke. Dirk’s personal favourite has been “the universe wants us to listen to more K-Pop now" because he could hear Todd literally grinding his teeth in the back seat (it turns out that corn isn’t actually that interesting after all and he has to stave off the boredom somehow).

So they’re in Nebraska and Dirk’s chasing yet another cat because “the universe says that it’s soft and I need to pat it for mysterious unexplained psychic reasons” and Todd and Farah are silently watching him until Farah leans over and quietly says “he wouldn’t fit in the trunk” and Todd replies with “I know, I already measured it”. Both of them end up spending a lot of time wondering whether they could convince Bart to try kill him again.

Amanda totally susses it out like three minutes after they meet up again that Dirk's playing them like a fiddle but instead of saying anything solemnly sides with him on all of it. She’s a true believer (and a good bro) plus, it’s pissing Todd off something terrible and that pleases her on an emotional and a spiritual level.

Bart and Ken alternate between riding with the mystery squad, riding with the Rowdy 3, and acquiring their own vehicle through legally dubious means. Ken still doesn’t know what to make of the Rowdy 3 but they’ve all decided that he’s a pretty decent dude and give him a greeting brick whenever they all meet up. He’s got a small pile of them and he’s not quite sure what the protocol is (does he thank them? return the favour? is it a gesture of friendship or a proposal?) but Bart’s used them as projectile weapons multiple times so he’s just going with the flow at this point.

Amanda gives Ken shit about cheating on Bart with other psychic experiments, but Amanda also gives the Rowdy 3 shit about cheating on her with other "badass normals" like Ken. Amanda just gives people shit in general and it’s lucky that they all love her because otherwise shit could hit the fan. Amanda and Ken have a huge discussion about whether she's cheating on Dirk with the Rowdy Three or whether she's cheating on the Rowdy Three with Dirk which neither party is allowed to give input on because Dirk saw her first but the Rowdy Three gave her a brick with a nice message and that's dedication you know (Dirk wonders whether he should offer a brick of his own but decides against it, he doesn’t know what he’d write on it but it sounds dangerous).

Amanda decides that they're all cheating on her and takes some pizza from everyone as a result. But she also insists that everyone makes good and so there’s a tentative peace established that lasts for the entirety of the Midwest. Dirk and the Rowdy 3 aren’t friends, but they manage to give each other The Stoic Dude Nod™ every time they meet up. Martin can do it flawlessly. Dirk just looks like he's spasming. Gripps and Cross think it's hilarious but refrain from mocking in the spirit of their new-found friendship. Todd catches Dirk practicing in the mirror and doesn’t even bother asking, it was okay the first time but it feels like it’s getting steadily worse.

Farah can do the The Stoic Dude Nod™.

Amanda can not only do the The Stoic Dude Nod™ but the Single Eyebrow Raise™ that some people (see: Zimmerfield) can do wheretheir foreheads don't even wrinkle. One time she did both at the same time and it ends up being the Rowdy Three's equivalent of "one time she punched me in the face... it was awesome". They start saying “Amanda, eyebrows” whenever anyone says or does something dumb, and she is fucking ecstatic. This is what the universe wants her to do. This is what she was born for.

Estevez primarily functions as their contact in the police force but occasionally rides with them when it’s safe to do so. He usually chills with the mystery squad in the jeep but every so often joins the Rowdy 3 in their van. Sits there watching them drink-drive and he can’t even be mad because they’re all criminals now. Plausible deniability went out the window a really long time ago. The Rowdy 3 distrust him at first, nothing personal but they’ve had some horrific experiences with people in positions of power, but one day he rocks up with a slab of beer to share and Cross paints his nails the same vivid green as Amanda’s nails (Estevez takes this as the compliment that it’s intended to be).

They end up presenting him with a crowbar that’s been spray-painted a myriad of neon colours and Estevez isn't sure how he reached a place in his life where he's touched about getting a crowbar but sure, this seems like exactly the sort of thing he’s trained to deal with (he can’t help but think that somewhere out there, Zimmerfield approves).

Todd gets given half a brick in a sock and accepts it as probably the best he's going to get from them because lord knows that the Rowdy 3 are never going to be his biggest fans. Amanda doesn't even get gifts of weapons from them anymore, she just gets first pick whenever they find new ones because it’s easier and simpler that way.

Bart can fashion her own weapons but she, too, gives them The Stoic Dude Nod™ once she works out what the fuck it is.

[thegloober]

30 Minutes on: “The Hate U Give”

by Matt Zoller Seitz

October 20, 2018   |  

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I saw “The Hate U Give” after a couple of weeks spent revisiting classic silent films made nearly 100 years ago. George Tillman, Jr.’s film, which is based on Angie Thomas’ bestselling young adult novel, reminded me of them, a bit.The movie is at its best while channeling work from cinema’s earliest era, when films were still disparaged as lowest common denominator entertainment because they put beautiful images in service of simple, powerful stories stocked with simple, powerful characterizations, and always took the direct route in trying to connect with viewers. 

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It tells the story of Starr Carter (Amandla Sternberg), an African-American private school student who narrowly escapes a shooting incident at a party, gets a ride home from a charismatic young drug dealer named Khalil (Algee Smith) that she’s known since childhood, and becomes the sole witness to his murder at the hands of a jumpy white police officer who pulled them over in traffic stop that has all the hallmarks of routine harassment. The traumatized Starr has to decide whether to testify in front of a grand jury. Informing would put her and her family in the crosshairs of a drug dealer named King (Anthony Mackie), who bought her father, an ex-con and former gang member named Maverick (Russell Hornsby), a convenience store as reward for doing three years in prison for King’s crimes.

The movie’s even more tangled, plot-wise, than this synopsis suggests. It’s trying to cover major sociopolitical and historical ground while also succeeding as a three-hanky tragedy, an inspirational coming-of-age story, and a portrait of a community with its own distinct traditions and values, some noble, others self-defeating—all while appealing simultaneously to young fans of Thomas’ bestseller and newbies who have no idea what they’re about to see, not to mention enough of a demographic cross-section to make the film a mainstream hit. Starr has a half-brother named Seven (Lamar Johnson), born to a woman that Mav impregnated when he and Starr’s mother Lisa (Regina Hall) were separated; this would be irksome enough if Seven’s mother hadn’t taken up with King. King is so worried that Starr’s testimony will incriminate him that he and his goons try to terrorize the Carters to get her to clam up. The movie would fit nicely on a double-bill with “On the Waterfront,” another film about the ethics of informing (though one with a more problematic justification) where the story unfolds in a tightly knit community in which many of the key players are related by blood or work and everyone, including the most menacing or antisocial characters, are bound together by religion, politics, and a distrust of the government. Lisa even has a brother on the police force, a patrolman named Carlos (Common) who urges our heroine to tell the authorities what she knows, and asks, “If you can’t trust the system, can you at least trust me?”, seemingly oblivious to the fact that, when he’s wearing a dark blue uniform, that’s a distinction without a difference.

As adapted by the late screenwriter Audrey Wells—who died of cancer the day before the film’s release—”The Hate U Give” comes on like a basic novel-to-movie adaptation, designed to impress the source material’s fans with its faithfulness at the expense of subtlety. Its least effective scenes are overlaid with swaths of narration drawn straight from the book. These are read in a stilted tone, and tend to either duplicate what we can already see or supply facts that could’ve been conveyed through acting, direction, and expository dialogue. But they’re of a piece with the movie’s determination to take the most direct route towards explanation and illumination, and paint with a broad brush rather than leave anyone confused about what was intended. 

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This sounds like condemnation if you haven’t seen the movie with a decent sized audience, in which case you’ll appreciate how Wells and Tillman manage to keep the viewer emotionally invested at all times while constantly adding layers of information and marginal details that complicate our reactions to the characters. The actors all get at least one big monologue that lets them bring a lifetime of craft to bear on one or two minutes of screen time. The standouts might be Khalil’s playful attempt to seduce Starr, Maverick’s summation of his belief system, and Lisa telling Starr why she decided to stay with Maverick after he fathered another woman’s child, and Carlos admitting, with evident shame, that he’d treat white and black motorists differently in the same situation—but with this many spotlight turns, it’s hard to choose. 

The film is a primer on systemic racism in the United States, aimed at young people as well as any older relatives who might not have gotten the memo. It embraces the idea that riots are the language of the unheard, inevitable and necessary if the people are being lied to, silenced, or micromanaged by authorities. A climactic clash between heavily armored police and anti-police brutality protesters in their street clothes is shot to evoke coverage of Ferguson, but also images of sadly similar incidents dating back to the origins of visual media. The film is also about how slavery and lynching continued in the United Staes under different labels while perpetuating the same multigenerational oppression. Starr’s Instagram page juxtaposes recent victims of police brutality with a graphic closeup of Emmett Till’s disfigured face, flat-out telling us that when American police kill unarmed black men for no clear reason, they’re committing acts of racist, vigilante terror, even though they refuse to call them that.

I’ve been watching Tillman’s work since “Barbershop” and “Soul Food,” but I didn’t know until I looked up his biography recently that he was inspired to become a director after seeing low-budget, predominantly black comedies and melodramas like “Claudine” and “Cooley High” as a ’70s child. That he’s managed to build a durable career making those kinds of movies at a time when it’s hard to get stories about reality into mainstream theaters is remarkable. That this film was released by a major studio and is essentially the story of a young black woman’s political radicalization is even more impressive. 

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And when the film is firing on all cylinders—as in the riot sequence, the political dynamism of which evokes the first Edmund Pettis Bridge scene from “Selma“—it’s nearly breathtaking in its sneaky audacity. The signature image in this film is a teenage black girl finding her inner revolutionary by chastising riot police through a bullhorn, then seizing a tear gas canister that they fired at her fellow protesters and lobbing it back a them. There’s a lot of commentary in the film about the way black police officers’ loyalties are torn, as well as how the tribal mentality ultimately decides the matter of whom to side with in a crisis. Maverick even draws an extended analogy between gang warfare and the rival houses in the Harry Potter books. If you somehow fused one of those earnest and didactic 1970s ABC Afterschool Specials with James Baldwin’s “Go Tell it on the Mountain” and “Battleship Potemkin,” the result might look something like this. 

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Source: https://bloghyped.com/30-minutes-on-the-hate-u-give/

[theconservativebrief]

In the past week, tech giants including Facebook, Apple, Youtube, and Spotify banned notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones from their platforms. Jones, perhaps most famous for promoting the idea that the Sandy Hook, Connecticut, school shooting was a hoax, was banned from these platforms for allegedly violating their terms of service in all sorts of ways.

But there was one Silicon Valley corporation that opted to allow Jones to stay: Twitter. You can still go to President Donald Trump’s favorite social media outlet and scan the @RealAlexJones feed, where you will learn that the bans are a plot by “deep state actors” to prevent the American public from learning the real truth about our government.

Tuesday night, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey wrote a lengthy statement — published as a series of tweets, naturally — defending his company’s decision. My colleague Aja Romano has a lengthy and sweeping takedown of Dorsey’s full logic; I encourage you to read it.

But I want to focus on one of Dorsey’s specific tweets, one that — to my mind — reveals a deep issue at work here:

Accounts like Jones’ can often sensationalize issues and spread unsubstantiated rumors, so it’s critical journalists document, validate, and refute such information directly so people can form their own opinions. This is what serves the public conversation best.

— jack (@jack) August 8, 2018

The tweet displays a profound misunderstanding of the way that conspiracy theories and “fake news” work. The problem isn’t that there aren’t enough journalists correcting misinformation and myths; there’s tons of evidence out there that what Jones says is patently false. Rather, it’s that conspiracy theories, once they spread, create hermetically sealed communities that are impervious to correction. The only way to stop this process is to stop them from spreading on platforms like social media, which is exactly what Twitter decided not to do.

It’s not surprising that Jack Dorsey doesn’t understand this: He doesn’t really have time to read the latest social science on conspiracy theories. And that’s the real problem: Tech giants are increasingly being asked to handle social problems, ones their leaders don’t seem equipped to address.

Jack Dorsey. Michael Cohen/Getty Images/The New York Times

In 2008, Harvard Law professors Cass Sunstein and Adrian Vermeule penned an article on conspiracy theories and how they work. They argued that conspiracy theories — which they define as “an effort to explain some event or practice by reference to the machinations of powerful people, who have also managed to conceal their role” — are, in their own way, quite rational.

“Most people are not able to know, on the basis of personal or direct knowledge, why an airplane crashed, or why a leader was assassinated, or why a terrorist attack succeeded,” they wrote. As a result, they search for information that fits what they already believe about the world and is confirmed by people they trust.

Conspiracy theories, Sunstein and Vermeule argued, spread in a variety of ways. One of these pathways, called an “availability cascade,” happens when a group of people accepts a conspiracy theory because their preexisting beliefs about the world make them likely to believe it.

This is what happens with Alex Jones and people on the American right. Theories like “Sandy Hook was faked so Obama could take your guns” and “the deep state is conspiring against Trump to destroy democracy” appeal to their basic, gut-level political orientation, which is that Democrats are nefarious and Trump is a hero.

Not all conservatives accepted these ideas when presented with them, of course, but it was appealing enough that Jones managed to build up a significant social media presence and shockingly large amount of influence. In December 2015, then-candidate Trump went on Jones’s show, telling the host that his “reputation is amazing” and vowing that “I will not let you down.”

Jones has created a thorny problem for society. Once people start believing in his conspiracy theories, and trusting him as a source, it becomes extremely difficult to change their minds.

“Conspiracy theorists are not likely to be persuaded by an attempt to dispel their theories; they may even characterize that very attempt as further proof of the conspiracy,” Sunstein and Vermeule wrote. Because conspiracy theorists “become increasingly distrustful and suspicious of the motives of others or of the larger society,” efforts to debunk their myths often “serve to fortify rather than undermine the original belief.”

This isn’t just Sunstein and Vermeule’s theory: A significant body of empirical research on conspiracy theories finds that it’s extremely hard to change believers’ minds. One 2017 study, by two UK-based psychologists, presented people with anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and evidence debunking them — but randomly switched whether they saw the anti-vax arguments or the actual facts first. Then they asked them how that affected their opinions on vaccinating a child. The results were sobering.

“Anti-conspiracy arguments increased intentions to vaccinate a fictional child but only when presented prior to conspiracy theories,” the authors explained. “These findings suggest that people can be inoculated against the potentially harmful effects of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, but that once they are established, the conspiracy theories may be difficult to correct.”

This is the problem with Dorsey’s logic. Now that Jones has an audience on Twitter, journalists’ attempt to “refute” him will fail. His fans will mostly disregard the debunkings, and his audience will continue to grow. This is what was happening on every other platform, prior to the bans. The other companies recognized that Jones was spreading dangerous lies, and that journalists simply couldn’t debunk them. The only way to stop these ideas was to deprive them of oxygen, to prevent people from being exposed to them in the first place.

Twitter’s CEO just doesn’t get that.

As frustrating as Dorsey’s statement is, there’s a part of me that doesn’t blame him. It really is not his fault that he hasn’t read the academic literature on conspiracy theories. His job is running a massive technology company.

While Twitter was alone on the Alex Jones issue, Dorsey is hardly the only tech CEO to make glaringly ignorant comments about social issues that affect their platform. Just last month, for example, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg offered this nugget of anti-wisdom in an interview with Recode’s Kara Swisher:

I’m Jewish, and there’s a set of people who deny that the Holocaust happened. I find that deeply offensive. But at the end of the day, I don’t believe that our platform should take that down because I think there are things that different people get wrong. I don’t think that they’re intentionally getting it wrong, but … it’s hard to impugn intent and to understand the intent.

Zuckerberg’s argument is that Holocaust deniers are merely deluded people (he later clarified that he “didn’t intend to defend the intent of people who deny the Holocaust”). But the purpose of Holocaust denial is not to have a good-faith argument about history — it’s to advance an anti-Semitic political agenda. Letting deniers spread poison on Facebook doesn’t serve the purpose of illuminating debate. Rather, all it does is allow yet another vile conspiracy theory to spread.

How to approach Holocaust denial has been, historically, a hard problem for liberal societies. The United States, with its expansive free speech tradition, permits Holocaust deniers to publish freely on grounds that it would be dangerous to let the government regulate speech in this fashion. Germany and France have both decided to criminalize denial, on grounds that it’s a form of incitement to racial hatred rather than legitimate political speech. Both approaches have benefits and flaws; brilliant scholars have written tomes making the case for one or the other.

But today, the spread of Holocaust denial, Sandy Hook trutherism, and other vile conspiracy theories isn’t just a problem for governments. It’s a problem for technology corporations, who regulate the primary means through which information is disseminated today.

Those companies — none of whom have the legitimacy or public accountability government officials do — have no choice but to engage with all sorts of extremely hard social problems surrounding free speech and bigotry. People like Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg are not the people who ought to be making these decisions for a democratic polity, but they have no choice but to make them. Sometimes they’ll get those decisions right, as most of these companies eventually did with Alex Jones. But often, they’re going to get them wrong — and the public will have no real way to hold them accountable.

This is your politics on Big Tech.

Original Source -> Twitter’s CEO doesn’t get how conspiracy theories work

via The Conservative Brief

[aion-rsa]

Marvel Comics Solicitations for July 2017

Marvel Comics has provided CBR with covers and solicit information for product shipping July 2017. Discuss these solicitations here on CBR’s Marvel Comics forum, Spider-Man forum, or X-Books forum and share with fellow fans what titles spark your interest.

Marvel Solicitations – Last Six Months

Product shipping June 2017

Product shipping May 2017

Product shipping April 2017

Product shipping March 2017

Product shipping February 2017

Product shipping January 2017

SECRET EMPIRE #6 (of 9)

NICK SPENCER (W) • LEINIL FRANCIS YU (A)

Cover by MARK BROOKS

Variant Cover by J. SCOTT CAMPBELL

Variant Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU

Hydra Hero Variant Cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO

Villain Variant Cover by DAN MORA

Action Figure Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER

The unworthy, the untrusted, the unstable — this is their day! BEWARE THE SECRET EMPIRE!

40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SECRET EMPIRE #7 (of 9)

NICK SPENCER (W) • ANDREA SORRENTINO (A)

Cover by MARK BROOKS

Variant Cover by J. SCOTT CAMPBELL

Hydra Hero Variant Cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO

Villain Variant Cover by DAN MORA

Action Figure Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER

It was foretold by Ulysses, it’s haunted Spider-Man’s nightmares for months, and now the moment has arrived: It’s time for Miles Morales to kill Captain America! Unless Natasha…

40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SECRET EMPIRE: BRAVE NEW WORLD #3 (of 5)

PAUL ALLOR, ETHAN SACKS, MAGDALENE VISAGGIO (W) • BRIAN LEVEL, SEAN IZAAKSE (A)

COVER BY PAULO SIQUEIRA

Estranged from the planet he’s duty bound to protect, Kevin Conner, A.K.A. STARBRAND wrestles with the weight of his destiny… Meanwhile on Earth, the citizens of New York City find themselves trapped and a traitor in Atlantis could bring an end to Namor’s truce with Hydra!

Starring J. JONAH JAMESON, STARBRAND and THE INVADERS.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SECRET EMPIRE: BRAVE NEW WORLD #4 (of 5)

PAUL ALLOR, KARLA PACHECO, AMY CHU (W) • Brian Level, Alex Arizmendi (A)

COVER BY PAULO SIQUEIRA

Misty Knight undertakes covert mission to protect the liberty’s of those HYDRA would see oppressed.–but has she taken on more than she can handle?

Take a behind-the-scenes look at life in the Mutant Homeland with a special tour from New Tian’s elite.

And below the surface, the fight for Atlantis takes a turn for the worse.

Starring MISTY KNIGHT, EMMA FROST and THE INVADERS.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

CAPTAIN AMERICA: SAM WILSON #24

NICK SPENCER (W) • JOE BENNETT (A)

Cover by ELIZABETH TORQUE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

No more prevaricating! No more hesitation! Sam Wilson is back in harness as Captain America — to lead the fight against his ultimate foe!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS #19

NICK SPENCER (W) • JesUs Saiz (A/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Steve Rogers has won over the hearts and minds of the people — save one! Unfortunately, that one is the person closest to him, the one he cares about the most. And so Sharon Carter has a fateful decision to make…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

AVENGERS #9

MARK WAID (W) • MIKE DEL MUNDO (A)

Cover by ALEX ROSS

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

The most loved Avenger of all has now shown his true colors — and the Avengers will have to put their allegiances to Steve Rogers aside and fight the good fight! But for one Avenger, that fight is very far away indeed! Trapped in a nameless land, a timeless time, can Thor find her way back to the here and now in order to return to the struggle?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SECRET WARRIORS #4

MATTHEW ROSENBERG (W) • JAVIER GARRON (A)

Cover by TRADD MOORE & MATTHEW WILSON

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

After narrowly surviving their battle with the X-Men, the Secret Warriors have to get back to New Attilan to use what they have learned in the fight against Hydra…but Hydra won’t make that easy. As the danger grows, so does the distrust among the Warriors. Karnak is clearly making plans of his own. But why? With Hydra breathing down their necks, the team is tearing itself apart, and the clock is ticking on their plans. But first Quake must be ready to lead the Secret Warriors into a confrontation with her father, the Hydra commander, MISTER HYDE!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

CHAMPIONS #10

MARK WAID (W) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

The Champions are put to the ultimate test. This is no small-town problem they’re facing — it’s up to them to help right an entire world turned upside down!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #30

DAN SLOTT (W) • STUART IMMONEN (A)

Cover by ALEX ROSS

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Otto Octavius is back, but he’s not returning to his old ways… No, this time, he’s THE SUPERIOR OCTOPUS! And he’s allied himself with Steve Rogers and Hydra! What does Ock have planned for Peter and Parker Industries? Nothing good for Spider-Man, that’s for sure!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

DEADPOOL #33 & 34

GERRY DUGGAN (W) • MATTEO LOLLI (A)

CoverS by DAVID LOPEZ

Issue #33 – Secret Comics Variant Cover by SCOTT KOBLISH

Issue #33 – X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Issue #34 – Secret Comics Variant Cover by SCOTT KOBLISH

It’s not easy living under a Hydra government. Especially when you accidentally sided with them. Yeah — Deadpool messed up pretty badly this time.

PLUS: Deadpool vs. Agent Preston for the fate of Ellie!

32 PGS. (EACH)/Parental Advisory …$3.99 (EACH)

DOCTOR STRANGE #23

DENNIS HOPELESS (W) • NIKO HENRICHON (A/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Strange, Fisk and company take the fight to the person running New York City…BARON MORDO!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

OCCUPY AVENGERS #9

DAVID F. WALKER (W) • GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA (A/C)

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Walk tall. Shoot straight. Die with your boots on.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

THE MIGHTY CAPTAIN MARVEL #7

MARGARET STOHL (W) • MICHELE BANDINI (A)

Cover by ELIZABETH TORQUE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Captain Marvel makes her last stand against the Chitauri fleet’s onslaught! But with Alpha Flight all but out of commission, things look grim… Can Carol and her band of sisters TURN BACK THE CHITAURI?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

U.S.AVENGERS #8

AL EWING (W) • PACO MEDINA (A/C)

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Squirrel Girl and Enigma continue the fight against HYDRA’s forces in Europe! Meanwhile, in a deep, dark cell, Roberto Da Costa is dying by degrees as his M-Pox runs out of control. Can Dr. Toni Ho save them both…or will she follow her father’s legacy to the end?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

UNCANNY AVENGERS #25

JIM ZUB (W) • KIM JACINTO (A)

Cover by R.B. SILVA

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Manhattan is under siege! In order to survive this endless night, the Avengers must face darkness without and darkness within.

40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

X-MEN BLUE #7

CULLEN BUNN (W) • CORY T. SMITH (A)

Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS

VARIANT COVER BY DAVID LOPEZ

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

How will our intrepid heroes react to this new world order? Will MARVEL GIRL, CYCLOPS, ANGEL, ICEMAN and BEAST be overwhelmed by HYDRA? I really hope not!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

X-MEN BLUE #8

CULLEN BUNN (W) • CORY T. SMITH (A)

Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

EMMA FROST! She’s back…and badder than ever.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

X-MEN GOLD #7

MARC GUGGENHEIM (W) • KEN LASHLEY (A/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

When Manhattan is besieged, the X-Men open their doors and repurpose their school as a safe haven for any human or mutant in need of sanctuary. But little do they know that one of the humans they’ve welcomed in is the all-new X-CUTIONER! And he’s about to make the Xavier Institute the last place mutants want to be…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

X-MEN GOLD #8

MARC GUGGENHEIM (W) • KEN LASHLEY (A)

Cover by ARDIAN SYAF

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

The Xavier Institute is on lockdown. But the X-Men haven’t succeeded in keeping danger out. Instead, they’ve just locked themselves inside with it. Can the X-Men stop the all-new X-CUTIONER before he claims any more of their number?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

GENERATIONS OVERSIZED VINYL POSTER BY ALEX ROSS

FOC 6/05/17, ON-SALE 7/05/2017

62×48…$39.99 • 5960605400-88711

RETAILERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE 1 FREE FOLDED 20×36 PAPER POSTER PER ACCOUNT!

ASTONISHING X-MEN #1

CHARLES SOULE (W) • JIM CHEUNG (A/C)

Variant Cover by ARTGERM

Variant Cover by JOHN CASSADAY

Character Variant Cover by TERRY DODSON

Villain Variant Cover by DALE KEOWN

REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Action Figure Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER

ONLY THE X-MEN CAN SAVE US! An ancient evil is attacking the world’s most powerful minds. It will have them by the time you finish this sentence, and a moment later, it will have us all. A band of X-MEN discovers the truth behind the threat, but there is no time left. PSYLOCKE, OLD MAN LOGAN, BISHOP, ARCHANGEL, FANTOMEX, ROGUE and GAMBIT will attempt to save a world that hates and fears them. Why? BECAUSE THEY ARE THE X-MEN.

From blockbuster writer CHARLES SOULE and joined by a roster of superstar artists beginning with JIM CHEUNG. ASTONISHING X-MEN. It’s the X-book you need.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

SPIDER-MEN II #1 (of 5)

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • SARA PICHELLI (A)

Cover by Sara Pichelli and Justin Ponsor

Variant Cover by Daniel Acuña

Connecting Variant Cover by Jesüs Saiz

VARIANT COVER BY KADIR NELSON

VARIANT COVER BY JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO

VARIANT COVER BY TBA

THIS IS IT, TRUE BELIEVERS! The moment five years in the making is finally here! The first time Peter Parker and Miles Morales met ended with a question — WHO IS THE MILES MORALES OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE?! Now that the Miles you know and love is with Peter in the Marvel Universe, you’re finally going to get that answer to who the OTHER Miles Morales is! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg as Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli bring you the next heart-stopping adventure for both Peter Parker and Miles Morales!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

DEADPOOL KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE AGAIN #1 & 2 (of 5)

CULLEN BUNN (W) • DALIBOR TALAJIC (A)

Covers by DAVE JOHNSON

ISSUE #1 – Variant Cover by MICHAEL WALSH

ISSUE #1 – Variant Cover by PEPE LARRAZ

ISSUE #1 – VOLUME 1 VARIANT COVER BY TBA

ISSUE #2 – Variant Cover by SALVA ESPIN

Remember the time Deadpool went a little TOO crazy and killed the entire Marvel Universe? Well, this isn’t that. This is a DIFFERENT time. Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Dalibor Talajic (A.K.A. the creators behind DEADPOOL KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE) have reunited for ANOTHER tale of Deadpool taking out all of your faves in the most horrific ways possible! It’s gonna hurt him more than it hurts you…and you’re gonna love it!

32 PGS. (EACH)/Parental Advisory …$3.99 (EACH)

MARVEL’S THOR: RAGNAROK PRELUDE #1 (of 4)

WILL CORONA PILGRIM (W) • J.L. GILES (A)

THE INCREDIBLE HULK’S MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE DEBUT!

BRUCE BANNER has been trying to put the past behind him as he learns to control the powerful beast inside him. But as GENERAL ROSS continues to hunt the fugitive Banner, it’s only a matter of time before the HULK will smash! Join us for part one of our lead-up to 2017’s cinematic event Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok with this brand-new comic adaptation of the smash hit The Incredible Hulk!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

MARVEL’S THOR: RAGNAROK PRELUDE #2 (of 4)

WILL CORONA PILGRIM (W) • J.L. GILES (A)

HULK VS. ABOMINATION! GENERAL ROSS’ obsession with the HULK will have dire consequences…including the emergence of a powerful villain that may prove too much for his forces…or the Hulk! It’s a showdown in New York City, and the next step on the road to Ragnarok!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

MIGHTY THOR #21

JASON AARON (W) • RUSSELL DAUTERMAN & VALERIO SCHITI (A)

Cover by RUSSELL DAUTERMAN

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

THE ULTIMATE TEAM-UP! The Queen of Cinders sets the realms ablaze — and even the combined might of three Thunder Gods may not be enough to put out the flames! But the all-new Ultimate Thor has a shocking secret. Can Thor trust her newest ally to have her back as Malekith’s army grows and the War of the Realms reaches Asgard’s doorstep?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

HULK #8

MARIKO TAMAKI (W) • GEORGES DUARTE (A)

Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER

“LET THEM EAT CAKE” PART TWO! As Jen struggles to use her HULK persona in a constructive fashion, an innocent person must contend with an unlikely transformation of their own… Will their paths cross? Of course they will! It’s like you’ve never read a comic book before or something.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

ULTIMATES 2 #9

AL EWING (W) • TRAVEL FOREMAN (A)

Cover by CHRISTIAN WARD

The Eternity War ramps up — as the Maker and the High Evolutionary join forces! They have an ultimate plan for the Multiverse…but whose side are they on? Meanwhile, Galactus gathers his forces against the Dark Celestials…for the final battle!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

INFAMOUS IRON MAN #10

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • ALEX MALEEV (A)

As the impossible task of redeeming himself to the universe begins to overwhelm him, the truth about Doom’s reincarnated mother is revealed!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #9

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • STEFANO CASELLI (A)

COVER BY DANIEL ACUÑA

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Riri Williams strikes out on her own as her idealism is put to the test by a world she does not understand yet. How far is Ironheart prepared to go to do what she knows is right?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

ZOMBIES ASSEMBLE #0 (4 OF 4)

YUSAKU KOMIYAMA (W/A) • Adapted by JIM ZUB

Cover by KIICHI MIZUSHIMA

VARIANT COVER BY DAVID NAKAYAMA

VARIANT COVER BY NIC KLEIN

You’ve seen Earth’s Mightiest Heroes face off against a raging zombie virus — now, go back to the beginning in this special prelude issue of the epic manga adaptation! The Avengers risk their lives to make the world a safer place for all, oftentimes suffering severe injury and great loss. When Tony Stark faces a more personal threat — one leveled against Pepper Potts — the risk is too great to ignore, and he’s forced to act fast. What lengths will Tony go to in order to keep Pepper safe? Iron Man is an important part of his life, but can he figure out a way to replace the armor and step away from being an Avenger, if that’s what it takes? There are some things more menacing than monsters.

48 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

SPIDER-MAN: MASTER PLAN #1

ROBBIE THOMPSON (w) • NATHAN STOCKMAN (a/C)

Variant Cover by RON LIM

Variant Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI

CRIME DOES PAY! Everything’s going perfectly for PETER PARKER…he’s got some time off and landed tickets to the hottest Broadway show in town…which means there’s another shoe ready to drop somewhere…

Join everyone’s favorite web-slinger in an all-new story against his classic foe THE CRIME MASTER!

Also including a special reprinting of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2, featuring the first appearance of THE VULTURE!

40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$3.99

PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #2

CHIP ZDARSKY (w) • ADAM KUBERT (a/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Variant Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS

A tech-crime ring is tightening around Spider-Man. If Ironheart will stop beating him up, she may be able to help him zero in on the source. And who is the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent showing up at Peter’s door with more info on Spidey than anyone should have?

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

EDGE OF VENOMVERSE #2 (of 5)

CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS (w) • IRENE STRYCHALSKI (a)

Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA

Variant Cover by RON LIM

A PINK NIGHTMARE! The wall-breaking wunderkind we call Gwenpool gets ahold of the VENOM SYMBIOTE and turns into a sword-slinging, web-swinging master of disaster! But it won’t all be fun and games when Gwenpool comes across something huge… something that will directly lead to the Venom event of 2017!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

EDGE OF VENOMVERSE #3 (of 5)

SIMON SPURRIER (w) • TIGH WALKER (a)

Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA

Variant Cover by RON LIM

THE SYMBIOTIC SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE! Robbie Reyes was just an average, ordinary super hero with a flaming skull…right up until he found himself bonded with a dangerous extraterrestrial symbiote! Don’t miss the first daring drive of the HOST RIDER!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

VENOM #152

MIKE COSTA (W) • GERARDO SANDOVAL (A)

COVER BY Francisco Herrera

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

“THE LAND BEFORE CRIME” CONTINUES! Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote are reunited, but something’s wrong! The symbiote can’t contain itself within Eddie’s veins and has started seeping out of his pores as he sleeps. To make matters worse, Stegron is aiming to turn all of New York into dinosaurs by sunrise…and Venom is DINNER!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER #5

PETER DAVID (w) • MARK BAGLEY (a/C)

Ben Reilly is back in the blue, and right on time for his big showdown with Cassandra Mercury and her strongman, Slate! But Mercury and her minions aren’t the only people who have it in for Ben. Kaine does, too, and he won’t stop until he brings Ben in…dead or alive!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS #9

GERRY CONWAY & RYAN STEGMAN (W) • RYAN STEGMAN (a/C)

MJ’s Regent-tech suit has been acting up and sapping spidey-powers from Peter, so she went and got herself a biological upgrade. Something black and white and terrible all over… With MJ bonded to the Venom symbiote, will she give in to its villainous urges?

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #19

JOSHUA CORIN (w) • WILL ROBSON (a/C)

The adventures of your favorite duo in comic books continue, and this time Spider-Man and Deadpool have decided NOT TO BE FUNNY ANYMORE?! What could have possibly driven our two heroes to take the funny outta their own funny book? And just what the heck has SLAPSTICK got to do with it?!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SPIDER-GWEN #22

JASON LATOUR (W) • ROBBI RODRIGUEZ (A/C)

“Predators” Part 4! Gwen’s relationship with Matt Murder-dock is coming to its natural end…but is that end also Gwen’s not-natural death?

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

SPIDER-MAN #18

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (w) • OSCAR BAZALDUA (a)

Cover by PATRICK BROWN

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Spider-Man finds out that Hammerhead isn’t so funny after all. The NYC crime-land gang war is heating up, and Miles is getting a little too involved. This won’t end well.

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

SPIDER-MAN 2099 #25

PETER DAVID (w) • WILL SLINEY (a)

Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA

Spidey and his allies have pinpointed the precise date and time of the event that stranded Miguel O’Hara in the past — and left 2099 in shambles! Once THE FIST is defeated, the timeline will be set right. But is this new Spider-Man here to help or do harm? Miguel’s fight for the fate of the future comes to a climactic end!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

ROYALS #5

AL EWING (W) • JONBOY MEYERS (A)

COVER BY KRIS ANKA

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Deep in the ruins of the Kree homeworld Hala, THE SECRET is revealed! Who — or what — are THE PROGENITORS? What is their connection to the Terrigen Mists? And how much does Marvel Boy know…?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

MS. MARVEL #20

G. WILLOW WILSON (W) • Marco Failla (A)

Cover by VALERIO SCHITI

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Kamala Khan’s older brother is in danger and she’s determined to help him at all costs — but to rescue him she’ll need help. But who can she trust when Jersey City is more divided than ever? It’s becoming clear that this unrest in J.C. might be more personal than Kamala ever considered…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

BLACK BOLT #3

SALADIN AHMED (W) • CHRISTIAN WARD (A/C)

VARIANT COVER BY BILL SIENKIEWICZ

PRISON BREAK! The prisoners revolt! But are Black Bolt and his unlikely allies simply pawns in a bigger game? Plus: Death’s Head! Is he there to help…or hunt? And who — or what — is the warden of this strange place? Whatever it is, the Jailer knows only penance and fear. And soon, so will the Silent King!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #21

BRANDON MONTCLARE (W) • NATACHA BUSTOS (A/C)

GOOD GIRL GONE BAD! The Omni-Wave Projector (the very device that bent time and space to bring Devil Dinosaur to the present) is on the fritz, so when Lunella and Devil return home, things are not quite as they remember… Why is everyone afraid of them? What happened to Yancy Street? And who exactly are DEVIL GIRL AND MOON DINOSAUR?!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

DEFENDERS #3

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • DAVID MARQUEZ (A/C)

VARIANT COVER BY W. SCOTT FORBES

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

The Punisher strikes! With the mean streets of Marvel more dangerous than ever what could possibly make Frank Castle turn on his fellow vigilantes? Don’t they all want the same thing? Another dangerous chapter of the hottest new team in all of comics. Brought to you by the same people that gave you Miles Morales and Invincible Iron Man!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

DAREDEVIL #23

CHARLES SOULE (W) • ALEC MORGAN (A)

COVER BY DAVID LOPEZ

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

JEN WALTERS ENTERS THE SCENE AS “SUPREME” CONTINUES!

MATT MURDOCK’S risky move is garnering attention……and not everyone sees it in a positive light… It’s a battle on two fronts as Matt defends his new legislation and DAREDEVIL comes under attack!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

DAREDEVIL #24

CHARLES SOULE (W) • ALEC MORGAN (A)

COVER BY DAVID LOPEZ

KINGPIN TRIES TO CRUSH MURDOCK’S “SUPREME” MOVE!

It’s the fight of MATT MURDOCK’S life! KINGPIN and LEGAL on one side, the jury on the other, and DAREDEVIL caught between it all! And if the Daredevil survives the letter of the law, he’ll still have to deal with…TOMBSTONE! The penultimate issue of “SUPREME”!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

IRON FIST #5

ED BRISSON (W) • MIKE PERKINS (A)

Cover by JEFF DEKAL

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

THE EPIC CONCLUSION OF THE TRIAL OF THE SEVEN MASTERS!

Danny has reached the end of the gauntlet, but is this also the end of the Iron Fist? It’s Danny versus Liu-Shi’s most deadly master…THE WOLF!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

JESSICA JONES #10

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • MICHAEL GAYDOS (A)

Cover by DAVID MACK

Variant Cover by Martin Simmonds

The mysteries of Maria Hill. Ousted by the world peacekeeping task force she dedicated her life to, Maria Hill has no choice but to turn to Jessica Jones to help her find…the last secrets.

32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

THE PUNISHER #14

BECKY CLOONAN (W) • MATT HORAK (A)

Cover by DECLAN SHALVEY

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

LIGHTS OUT! A blackout hits New York City…but this is no ordinary blackout. Character is what you are in the dark! And we’ve got some baaaad characters! No lights! No camera! All action!

32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

LUKE CAGE #3

DAVID F. WALKER (W) • NELSON BLAKE (A)

Cover by RAHZZAH

Variant Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO

BIG TROUBLE IN THE BIG EASY! Why is everybody trying to kill Luke Cage??? And where did they get the weapons to do so?! With supplies of “the cure” running low, Burstein’s former subjects are growing dangerously unstable!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE SORCERERS SUPREME #10

ROBBIE THOMPSON (W) • NATHAN STOCKMAN (A)

Cover by JAVIER RODRIGUEZ

The Sorcerers go to the future to try to save Wiccan’s life!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

AMERICA #5

GABBY RIVERA & KELLY THOMPSON (W) • RAMON VILLALOBOS (A)

COVER BY JEN BARTEL

Variant Cover by KEVIN WADA

ALL THEY WANNA GET IS… A LITTLE BIT CLOSER! Reunited at last! Former Young Avengers Hawkeye and America team up to take on a new threat! When a case spins out of control, semi-legal 100% legit private investigator Kate Bishop calls the one person she knows will have her back. But is this one too big to punch her way out of?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

BLACK PANTHER AND THE CREW #4

TA-NEHISI COATES (W) • BUTCH GUICE (A)

Cover by JOHN CASSADAY

LUKE UNCAGED! In the wake of the death of his close friend and mentor, community pillar Ezra Miller, Luke Cage sets out to stop the siege on the streets of Harlem. And he’s not the only one — Black Panther, Misty Knight and Storm all have a stake in the fight for Harlem’s future. But in order to save that future, they’ll have to uncover the dark truth of Ezra’s past…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

BLACK PANTHER #16

TA-NEHISI COATES (W) • CHRIS SPROUSE (A)

Cover by Jay Anacleto

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY JAMIE MCKELVIE

Kirby 100th Anniversary Variant Cover by JACK KIRBY

FULL COVER CHARGE! Club Fenris is the most exclusive nightspot in New York City…even a king has trouble getting in! T’Challa needs to get into VIP no matter what Piledriver and Thunderball say about the guest list… Still, without the Wakandan gods looking over his shoulder, there’s no telling what trouble T’Challa will get into…

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

GWENPOOL, THE UNBELIEVABLE #18

CHRIS HASTINGS (W) • GURIHIRU (A/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Gwenpool is no stranger to trouble in the Marvel Universe. But now, it seems the Marvel Universe is after her. Whose secret identity did she blurt out this time?!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

MONSTERS UNLEASHED #4

CULLEN BUNN (W) • DAVID BALDEON (A)

Cover by R.B. SILVA

THE NEW INTELLIGENCIA : REVEALED! What if you were an 11-year-old boy who suddenly had the powers to bring giant monsters to life simply by drawing them? And what if you brought five brand-new monsters to life as instant friends and teammates for a new super hero team? And what if someone ELSE wanted those monsters for themselves? What if it was a whole group of people? Bad people, even?

Find out what KID KAIJU and his amazing team of monsters — AEGIS, MEKARA, SLIZZIK, HI-VO and SCRAGG — will do when the NEW INTELLIGENCIA comes calling!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

HAWKEYE #8

KELLY THOMPSON (W) • LEONARDO ROMERO (A)

Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO

Hawkeye’s investigation takes a dark and surprising turn as a face from her past resurfaces… And Kate can’t help but wonder: Does this case go back further than she knows? Back to the beginning? One thing’s for certain, solving this mystery could unravel everything Kate holds dear…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

NICK FURY #4

JAMES ROBINSON (W) • ACO (A/C)

DEEP BLUE SEA! NICK FURY goes undercover and under the sea to uncover a HYDRA spy in ATLANTIS! With a limited air supply and time running out, it’s a quick dive-and-surface mission… That is, if he can evade ATTUMA’S wrath! Take a deep breath, and submerge yourself in THE DEEP BLUE SEA CAPER!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SILVER SURFER #13

DAN SLOTT (W) • MICHAEL ALLRED (A/C)

Once upon a time, a strange device scanned the Silver Surfer and found him the one being who was his “most important person in the universe,” Dawn Greenwood. And, it turned out, he was her “most important person in the universe” too. This is the story of a love that ended before it started, and began after it ended. But is it a love that can outlast the universe? Because the universe is about to go away. For real.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #22

RYAN NORTH (W) • ERICA HENDERSON (A/C)

When Doreen Green and Nancy Whitehead enter a mysterious programming competition, they don’t suspect that the prize for winners will be…an all-expenses-paid trip to the SAVAGE LAND! Yes: THE SAVAGE LAND! Also known as “a mysterious tropical region of Antarctica that we discovered is actually populated by DINOSAURS”! In the Marvel Universe, I mean. In OUR universe, the only thing ever discovered in that region was a note from Robert Scott’s doomed expedition to the South Pole (he arrived there weeks after his competition, Roald Amundsen, got there first), which read in part, “This is an awful place and terrible enough for us to have labored to it without the reward of priority”! The story of those Antarctic expeditions is fascinating, but OURS IS PRETTY FASCINATING TOO, plus it has Squirrel Girl AND dinosaurs in it!! So maybe read up on the other ones but definitely check out our comic right away.

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

VISION: DIRECTOR’S CUT #2 (of 6)

TOM KING (W) • GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA (A)

Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO

A bonus-packed encore presentation of one of the decade’s most celebrated Marvel titles! The Vision created his family to be normal — but this isn’t normal! A house attacked. A daughter dying. An old, dead friend screaming out in pain. And that’s just the beginning! It’s the Android Avenger as you’ve never seen him before.

Collecting VISION (2015) #3-4, plus extras.

80 PGS./Rated T+ …$6.99

THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP #7

JEREMY WHITLEY (W) • VERONICA FISH (A)

Cover by Elsa Charretier

In the fallout from the attack on G.I.R.L. by the Red Room, lives and the future of the lab hang in the balance. Nadia is lost, drifting and unsure how to move forward. Now, there’s only one heroine who can save the day and that is… THE WASP! Janet Van Dyne is on the scene to save the day. But the Red Room is not done yet. Can Janet take on the superhuman bounty hunters who have been contracted to retrieve Nadia and Ying?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

ALL-NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #5

GERRY DUGGAN (W) • CHRIS SAMNEE (A)

Cover by AARON KUDER

Variant Cover by CHRIS SAMNEE

Star-Lord has been sailing the radio waves of the galaxy for years, keeping up with the one piece of Earth he could never quite leave behind. Guest artist Chris Samnee joins writer Gerry Duggan to check into Peter Quill’s sonic conquests!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

ALL-NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #6

GERRY DUGGAN (W) • AARON KUDER (A/C)

As if the Guardians didn’t have enough trouble keeping off the radar of the Nova Corps, they’ve now run afoul of the Fraternity of Raptors! Can’t a space hero get a break?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

THANOS #9

JEFF LEMIRE (W) • GERMAN PERALTA (A)

Cover by MIKE DEODATO JR.

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

The God Quarry. None who enter have ever returned. Now, it’s Thanos’ turn.

32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: THE TELLTALE SERIES #1 (OF 5)

FRED VAN LENTE (W) • Salva Espin (A)

Cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA

VARIANT COVER BY RON LIM

GAME VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE

An all-new prequel to the interactive episodic game Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series! A group of cultists have taken over the planet Titan, turning it into a proverbial hive of scum and villainy, all worshipping its most infamous native son, the cosmic tyrant Thanos! Luckily for the Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s also the target of their newest heist! Hired by a mysterious buyer, our band or ragtag misfits will have to get in and get out without being sliced and diced by a planet full of crazies. Easier said than done! Join Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Groot on an action-packed, laugh-filled adventure that’s not only being created in conjunction with Telltale, but also leads directly to the new smash hit game!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

I AM GROOT #3

CHRIS HASTINGS (W) • FLAVIANO (A)

Cover by MARCO D’ALFONSO

Groot and his new friends go off on a quest to get home! But will Groot realize there’s a traitor in his midst? And how will he react when he meets some very familiar-looking strangers?

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

ROCKET #3

AL EWING (W) • ADAM GORHAM (A)

Cover by MIKE MAYHEW

Variant Cover by ADAM GORHAM

Rocket in the hoosegow! He’s doing bird in the toughest stir in the sector — the brutal space prison they call…the Colon! It’s a living hell with no exits and a tailor-made punishment for every inmate — and if Rocket can’t break out in one night…he’ll get broken out? Wait, what? How does that work?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

WEAPON X #5

GREG PAK (W) • MARC BORSTELMANN (A)

COVER BY SKAN

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

“WEAPONS OF MUTANT DESTRUCTION” PART THREE! The mysterious new director of the reformed Weapon X program has assessed the data from their latest Adamantium cyborg attack and the results look good… They are ready for the next stage of their plan to eradicate all of mutantkind! Warpath and Domino follow leads into a remote part of the Midwest…but what vicious secrets will they find hidden in a sleepy gated community?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #21

GREG PAK (W) • ROBERT GILL (A)

Cover by STONEHOUSE

“WEAPONS OF MUTANT DESTRUCTION” PART FOUR! With deadly Adamantium cyborgs on the loose picking off seemingly unconnected targets, Amadeus must keep his wits about him to uncover the mystery behind the new Weapon X program. But how can he maintain his cool against the most savage threats he’s ever faced? Meanwhile, Weapon X scientists are closer than ever to perfecting BATCH H… Guest-starring OLD MAN LOGAN, SABRETOOTH, WARPATH, DOMINO and LADY DEATHSTRIKE!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

WEAPON X #6

GREG PAK (W) • MARC BORSTELMANN (A)

Cover by SKAN

“WEAPONS OF MUTANT DESTRUCTION” PART FIVE! BATCH H is finally ready for a test drive… Its targets? Old Man Logan, Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike, Domino, Warpath and the Hulk! With a genetic cocktail of the most powerful enhanced beings on the planet coursing through its veins, how can anyone stand a chance?!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

OLD MAN LOGAN #26

ED BRISSON (W) • MIKE DEODATO JR. (A/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

LOGAN IS ON THE HUNT! Determined not to let history repeat itself, LOGAN takes matters into his own hands and hunts down the HULK GANG! But he’ll need the help of an OLD FRIEND if he wants to stay on their trail… And will a miscalculation on MAESTRO’S team give Logan the advantage he needs…or seal his fate?

32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #22

TOM TAYLOR (W) • LEONARD KIRK (A)

Cover by Leinil Francis Yu

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

WOLVERINE IN SPACE! Following the events of “IMMUNE,” WOLVERINE teams up with the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY to hunt for answers about the devastating events that unfolded on Roosevelt Island. How did that alien child know who LAURA KINNEY was? Where did she come from? Wolverine has no idea what she’s gotten into…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

CABLE #3

JAMES ROBINSON (W) • CARLOS PACHECO (A)

Cover by DALE KEOWN

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Variant Cover by CHRIS STEVENS

A DANCE WITH DEATH! CABLE finds himself in ancient Mayan civilization facing down a futuristic death trap! But who will rear their head as an unlikely ally? Ancient history and future tech clash as the mystery behind CONQUEST’S deadly plan is at last revealed!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

GENERATION X #4

CHRISTINA STRAIN (W) • AMILCAR PINNA (A)

Cover by TERRY DODSON

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Taking it upon themselves to catch the assailant who’s been attacking mutants in Central Park, the Xavier Institute’s “Lovable Losers” go on the hunt for the culprit. But they aren’t prepared when the trail leads them right to Generation X’s most formidable foe… EMPLATE returns! Only she isn’t the same monster they once knew…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

ICEMAN #3

SINA GRACE (W) • ALESSANDRO VITTI (A)

Cover by KEVIN WADA

Iceman heads home to visit his folks! But they aren’t too pleased with their son’s latest news… And to make matters worse, a gang of revenge-seeking Purifiers comes calling! Will Iceman survive this family dinner? Or the throwdown with militant mutant-haters that follows?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

JEAN GREY #4

DENNIS HOPELESS (W) • HARVEY TOLIBAO (A)

Cover by DAVID YARDIN

VARIANT COVER BY JUNE BRIGMAN

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

After an adventure with Namor, the Sub-Mariner, Jean Grey is more determined than ever to escape her predecessor’s fate and when the Phoenix comes for her, she will BEAT THAT BIRD DOWN. And to learn how to go toe-to-toe with a god, she’ll seek out training from a god… Enter: ODINSON!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

MARVEL UNIVERSE ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VS. THE SINISTER SIX #11

Adapted by Joe Caramagna

THE NEW SINISTER SIX – PART TWO! SPIDER-MAN must protect those dearest to him from DOC OCK and his new SINISTER SIX when they attempt to retrieve the dreaded HYDRA ISLAND!!

32 PGS./All Ages …$2.99

MARVEL UNIVERSE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #20

Adapted by Joe Caramagna

SPARTAX WAR – PART TWO! THANOS has come to SPARTAX and now the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY must unite with THOR and his all-star guard in order to save PETER QUILL!

32 PGS./All Ages …$2.99

STAR WARS #33 *

JASON AARON (W) • SALVADOR LARROCA (A)

Cover by MIKE MAYHEW

Star Wars 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by David Lopez

Action Figure Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER

The Hero of the Rebellion & the Princess of the Revolution! Luke and Leia finally get some time alone. Unfortunately, it’s stranded on a desert island.

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

DARTH VADER #3 *

Charles Soule (W) • GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI (A)

Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL

Variant Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli

Vader sets his sights on a Jedi who’s avoided Order 66…a Jedi Master who’s long lived in seclusion…a Jedi more powerful than any Vader has faced before…

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #9 & 10 *

KIERON GILLEN (W) • Kev Walker (A)

CoverS by KAMOME KAMIYAMA

Issue #9 – Star Wars 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by Reilly Brown

Issue #10 – Star Wars 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by TBA

Aphra’s back with a brand-new plan that’s guaranteed to pay! There’s just one teensy problem… It involves surrounding herself by some of the galaxy’s biggest baddies. And they don’t like Aphra’s tricks!

32 PGS. (EACH)/Rated T …$3.99 (EACH)

STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE ADAPTATION #4 (of 6) *

JODY HOUSER (W) • EMILIO LAISO (A)

Cover by PHIL NOTO

Jyn Erso brings the news of the Death Star plans to the Rebellion… It seems her father built a way for the superweapon to be destroyed! But when the Rebellion refuses to help, Jyn is left only with a small crew of soldiers to fight. The Star Wars story continues!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

STAR WARS: POE DAMERON #17 *

Charles Soule (W) • ANGEL UNZUETA (A)

Cover by PHIL NOTO

Star Wars 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by Paulina Ganucheau

Black Squadron is back in action! And this time they’re on the lookout for some new recruits for the Resistance! Poe Dameron’s first encounter? Turns out to be a mysterious person from Jess Pava’s past…

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

SPIDER-MAN: CLONE SAGA OMNIBUS VOL. 2 HC

Written by J.M. DEMATTEIS, TODD DEZAGO, DAVID MICHELINIE, TERRY KAVANAGH, MIKE LACKEY, HOWARD MACKIE, TOM DEFALCO, EVAN SKOLNICK, TOM LYLE, TOM PEYER, MARK WAID & MORE

Penciled by MARK BAGLEY, DARICK ROBERTSON, ANGEL MEDINA, DAVE HOOVER, PHIL GOSIER, TOM LYLE, PAT BRODERICK, GIL KANE, JOE ST. PIERRE, TOD SMITH, SAL BUSCEMA, CLAUDE ST. AUBIN, STEVEN BUTLER, ROY BURDINE, STEVE LIGHTLE, ROGER ROBINSON, KYLE HOTZ, KEVIN WEST, PATRICK ZIRCHER, RON LIM, SHAWN MCMANUS, KEN LASHLEY, JOHN ROMITA JR. & MORE

Cover by SAL BUSCEMA

Spider-Man, the Scarlet Spider and Kaine hurtle toward the truth! As Peter Parker goes on trial, both Spider-Men are shaken to the core by revelations about their identities. And when the Jackal’s plans unfurl, the New Warriors are drawn into the fray. But will an invasion by Venom’s race put everyone’s agenda on permanent hold? Ben’s lost years and history with Kaine are revealed, Peter makes a dramatic decision, and Spider-Man’s world changes — for good!

Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #402-406 and SUPER SPECIAL, SPIDER-MAN (1990) #59-63 and SUPER SPECIAL, SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #225-229 and SUPER SPECIAL, WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #126-129 and SUPER SPECIAL, VENOM SUPER SPECIAL, NEW WARRIORS (1990) #61-66, SPIDER-MAN: THE JACKAL FILES, SPIDER-MAN: MAXIMUM CLONAGE ALPHA and OMEGA, SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED (1993) #10, SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP #1, SPIDER-MAN: THE LOST YEARS #1-3, and SPIDER-MAN: THE PARKER YEARS.

1,288 PGS./Rated T …$125.00

DEADPOOL & X-FORCE OMNIBUS HC

Written by FABIAN NICIEZA & MARK WAID

Penciled by GREG CAPULLO, MAT BROOME, TONY DANIEL, ART THIBERT, DARICK ROBERTSON, DWAYNE TURNER, ARON WIESENFELD, JOE MADUREIRA, IAN CHURCHILL, KEN LASHLEY, RICK MAYS & MORE

Cover by GREG CAPULLO, IAN CHURCHILL & KEN LASHLEY

The Merc With a Mouth and the Mutants on a Mission! With Cable thought dead and Xavier’s pacifist dream behind them, the young members of X-Force carve out their own aggressive destiny, taking on threats like S.H.I.E.L.D., War Machine and Magneto! But Cable’s bombshell return reveals the answers to long-standing mysteries — and draws Deadpool into the fray! What is Cable’s true identity? Is Stryfe really dead? Who was Deadpool’s former boss Tolliver, and what is the secret prize in his will? Can Deadpool defeat Juggernaut and Black Tom Cassidy to claim it? Plus: An all-new Mutant Liberation Front rises! Romance blossoms between Deadpool and Siryn! Arcade strikes! Moonstar returns! And who is X-Treme?!

Collecting X-FORCE (1991) #19-31 and ANNUAL #2, CABLE (1993) #1-8, DEADPOOL: THE CIRCLE CHASE #1-4, DEADPOOL (1994) #1-4, NEW WARRIORS (1990) #31 and NOMAD (1992) #20.

872 PGS./Rated T …$100.00

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE INCREDIBLE HULK VOL. 11 HC

Written by LEN WEIN

Penciled by HERB TRIMPE & SAL BUSCEMA

Cover by GIL KANE

Hulk is the strongest! Why? Because it’s hard not to be when you go from strength to strength with artists Herb Trimpe and Sal Buscema! Trimpe defined the Incredible Hulk in an artistic tenure stretching from 1968 to 1975. When Sal Buscema took over the reins, not only did the series gain a great talent, but one that, unbelievably, would have a tenure longer than even Trimpe’s! Add to that Len Wein writing some of his greatest Hulk stories, and you’ve got a bona fide Marvel Masterworks! The adventures include Hulk smashing his way through the Mole Man, the Gremlin, the Shaper of Worlds, Doc Samson, the Abomination…and, of course, the never-ending military machinations of Gen. Thunderbolt Ross!

Collecting INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) #184-196 and material from GIANT-SIZE HULK (1975) #1 and MARVEL TREASURY EDITION #5.

272 PGS./Rated T …$75.00

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE INCREDIBLE HULK VOL. 11 HC — VARIANT EDITION VOL. 252 (DM ONLY)

272 PGS./Rated T …$75.00

UNCANNY INHUMANS VOL. 2 HC

Written by CHARLES SOULE

Penciled by CARLOS PACHECO, KIM JACINTO, R.B. SILVA, ARIO ANINDITO & KEV WALKER

Cover by RYAN STEGMAN

War is hell for the Uncanny Inhumans! First, CIVIL WAR II rocks the Marvel Universe, and the Inhumans are central to the conflict! As one of their own is blessed — or cursed — with the ability to predict the future, disastrous events are set in motion, and tensions between Inhumans and humankind reach a boiling point. Meanwhile, Maximus the Mad seizes the moment to make matters worse! Then, fresh from that conflict, the Inhumans go to war with the X-Men — in a battle that only one side can survive! And in the depths of Black Bolt’s Quiet Room, a plan is hatched that will decide Inhumanity’s future…and shadowy forces move against Queen Medusa in the wake of her battle against Tony Stark. Big changes are coming for the Inhumans!

Collecting UNCANNY INHUMANS #11-20 and ANNUAL #1.

264 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99

BLACK PANTHER: WHO IS THE BLACK PANTHER? PROSE NOVEL

Written by JESSE HOLLAND

Cover by TODD NAUCK

During the last 10 centuries, as European colonial powers spread throughout the continent, the African nation Wakanda stood alone — an unconquerable land inhabited by undefeatable warriors and filled with incredible technology. T’Challa — latest in a lineage of warrior-kings — is Wakanda’s Black Panther, endowed with enhanced speed, strength and agility, and a suit made of indestructible Vibranium, the metal that secured his country’s future. Now, outsiders have returned to plunder Wakanda’s riches, including its store of the rare metal. Leading the assault is Klaw, an assassin with T’Challa’s father’s blood on his hands. Klaw brings an army of super-powered mercenaries, hell-bent on raining death and destruction on this pristine land. Even with Wakanda’s might and his own superhuman skills, can T’Challa prevail against this massive invasion? An all-new Black Panther novel based on Reginald Hudlin and John Romita Jr.’s groundbreaking tale!

304 PGS./No Rating …$24.99

MARVEL Graphic Comic Boxes – GENERATIONS

Welcome to the Marvel Age of Comic Boxes! Store your treasured collection in sturdy surroundings every bit as exciting as the issues inside! Featuring action-packed illustrations on all sides from some of comics’ finest artists, Marvel’s Graphic Comic Boxes will star all your Marvel Universe favorites – continuing with Secret Empire! Preserve your comic collection with Marvel Graphic Comic Boxes!

Inside dimensions – 15-1/2” x 7-5/8” x 10-7/8”…$9.00

X-MEN GOLD VOL. 1: BACK TO BASICS TPB

Written by MARC GUGGENHEIM

Penciled by KEN LASHLEY, ARDIAN SYAF & R.B. SILVA

Cover by ARDIAN SYAF

SPECIALLY PRICED FIRST VOLUME!

In the wake of war with the Inhumans, the X-Men are at a crossroads. Where do they go from here? Luckily, one beloved X-Man has the answer! Xavier’s dream comes full circle as Kitty Pryde returns to lead the team into a golden future! Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rachel Grey and Old Man Logan renew their mission to protect a world that hates and fears them as the next chapter in the saga of the X-Men begins! But a revamped Brotherhood of Evil Mutants isn’t far behind — and when their rampage through New York City begins, some surprisingly familiar faces will be among their ranks! Who has turned their backs on the X-Men…and why?

Collecting X-MEN GOLD (2017) #1-6.

144 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

X-MEN BLUE VOL. 1: STRANGEST TPB

Written by CULLEN BUNN

Penciled by JORGE MOLINA, MATTEO BUFFAGNI & JULIAN LOPEZ

Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS

SPECIALLY PRICED FIRST VOLUME!

Like a bolt from the blue, the original five X-Men reunite — like never before! And this time, Jean Grey is in charge! Cyclops, Iceman, Angel and Beast follow her into action, bringing mutant criminals to justice and restoring a heroic sheen to their team. But how well can they do that when their new mentor is their one-time archenemy? That’s right — Magneto has joined the original X-Men! And not everyone can put old rivalries aside. The X-Men encounter the new Marauders, Mister Sinister and the delights of Madripoor — but with tensions rising, can the team come together to be a cohesive force for good? Or will ulterior motives and personal quests derail the entire enterprise? At the end of the day, who can be trusted?

Collecting X-MEN BLUE #1-6.

144 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

WEAPON X VOL. 1: WEAPONS OF MUTANT DESTRUCTION PRELUDE TPB

Written by GREG PAK

Penciled by GREG LAND & MAHMUD ASRAR

Cover by GREG LAND

For years, the Weapon X program engineered the deadliest mutant killers on the planet. Now it’s back, under the control of a shadowy new director — and it’s out to eradicate Homo superior, not recruit them! Weapon X has unleashed an army of cyborg killers, and among its targets are Old Man Logan, Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike, Domino and Warpath! But the key to achieving the Program’s master plan could be none other than Amadeus Cho, the Totally Awesome Hulk! What is the sinister secret of the mysterious new “Batch-H” experiment? The worlds of Weapon X and the Totally Awesome Hulk collide — and the results will be explosive! The stage is set for an incendiary epic that could only be called “Weapons of Mutant Destruction”!

Collecting WEAPON X (2017) #1-4 and THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #19.

112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN VOL. 4: IVX TPB

Written by JEFF LEMIRE with MARC GUGGENHEIM, GREG PAK & CULLEN BUNN

PENCILED BY ERIC KODA, VICTOR IBANEZ & ANDREA SORRENTINO WITH WITH KEN LASHLEY, IBRAIM ROBERSON, LEONARD KIRK & GUILLERMO ORTEGO

COVER BY DAVID YARDIN

Extraordinary X-Men versus Uncanny Inhumans! The X-Men have learned that the Terrigen Mist — the source of the Inhumans’ powers, but lethal to mutants — has reached an irreversible saturation point. Earth is on the verge of being rendered uninhabitable to mutantkind. And now the X-Men see no other option than to strike against the Inhumans to ensure their own survival. But one X-Man doesn’t take the decision lightly. Storm has literally led her teammates through hell and back, but will she command them in battle against their longtime friends and allies? What will war mean for Forge, Old Man Logan, Magik and Jean Grey? And if the X-Men come out the other side, what will be the cost? One Extraordinary era ends as another begins!

Collecting EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #17-20 and X-MEN PRIME.

128 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99

UNCANNY X-MEN: SUPERIOR VOL. 4 — IVX TPB

Written by CULLEN BUNN & ANTHONY PIPER

Penciled by EDGAR SALAZAR, KEN LASHLEY & ANTHONY PIPER

Cover by KEN LASHLEY

The X-Men confront the Inhumans in the most uncanny conflict of all! Since the discovery that the Terrigen Mist — the key to unlocking an Inhuman’s hidden potential and powers — is lethal to mutants, the X-Men and Inhumans have been locked in a cold war. But now things are heating up, and about to boil over, as the X-Men are forced into drastic steps to ensure the future of their species! But when Magneto goes too far, what will be the repercussions of his dramatic actions when the battle ends? When she left his team, Psylocke vowed that if Magneto stepped out of line, she would end him. Is she about to make good on that promise? Plus: A dead X-Man returns, and so does Domino!

Collecting UNCANNY X-MEN (2016) #16-19 and ANNUAL #1.

128 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99

ALL-NEW X-MEN: INEVITABLE VOL. 4 — IVX TPB

Written by DENNIS HOPELESS, SINA GRACE & REX OGLE with MARC GUGGENHEIM, GREG PAK & CULLEN BUNN

PENCILED BY MARK BAGLEY, PACO DIAZ, CORY SMITH & ANDREA BROCCARDO WITH KEN LASHLEY, IBRAIM ROBERSON, LEONARD KIRK & GUILLERMO ORTEGO

Cover by MARK BAGLEY

Since the discovery that the Terrigen Mist — the key to unlocking an Inhuman’s hidden potential and powers — is lethal to mutants, the X-Men and Inhumans have been locked in a cold war. But as the Terrigen seeps into the earth and reaches an irreversible tipping point, the X-Men are spurred into action to ensure the future of their species! For Jean Grey, that means taking out the Inhumans’ deadliest weapon: Karnak! But when Cyclops learns the truth behind his adult counterpart’s quest to destroy the Inhumans, there’ll be hell to pay! As the dust settles on the war, the original five X-Men will be reunited once more — but will they walk into their all-new future together or apart? Plus: Date night for Idie, and Dani Moonstar returns!

Collecting ALL-NEW X-MEN (2015) #17-19 and ANNUAL #1 and X-MEN PRIME.

136 PGS./Rated T+ …$17.99

MAN-THING BY R.L. STINE TPB

Written by R.L. STINE

Penciled by GERMAN PERALTA, DANIEL JOHNSON, CHRISTOPHER MITTEN, KATE NIEMCZYK & MORE

Cover by TYLER CROOK

Marvel’s melancholy muck-monster as you’ve never seen him before — courtesy of beloved author R.L. Stine (Goosebumps, Fear Street)! After so many years of somber silence, Man-Thing has found his voice — and taken Hollywood by storm! But when an ancient evil threatens his old swamp stomping ground, Man-Thing will have to choose between his new life and celebrity, and the world he used to call home. An old ally pays a visit, but everything else is out to get Man-Thing — including crocodiles, bats and mosquitos, oh my! Can the balance of the swamp be restored, or will the cause of this calamity be beyond Man-Thing’s control? Plus: Bone-chilling bonus horror tales from the master himself, R.L. Stine! Reading this will give you goosebumps…but beware — for whoever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing’s touch!

Collecting MAN-THING (2017) #1-5.

112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

STAR WARS: DARTH MAUL TPB *

Written by CULLEN BUNN & CHRIS ELIOPOULOS

Penciled by LUKE ROSS & CHRIS ELIOPOULOS

Cover by ROD REIS

Raised on hate, fear and anger — steeped in the ways of darkness — and trained to kill! Darth Maul’s time as apprentice to Darth Sidious has long been cloaked in shadows; now, at last, his tale of revenge is revealed! It’s a story of rage unleashed as Darth Maul prepares for his first encounter with the hated Jedi. But when a Jedi Padawan is captured by sinister forces, why is Maul so determined to find her? And what’s the role of the band of bounty hunters that includes Cad Bane and Aurra Sing? Get to know the galaxy’s deadliest Zabrak like never before!

Collecting DARTH MAUL #1-5.

112 PGS./Rated T …$16.99

NOVA VOL. 1: RESURRECTION TPB

Written by JEFF LOVENESS & RAMON PEREZ

Penciled by RAMON PEREZ

Cover by RAMON PEREZ

Richard Rider is back! And when he makes his roaring return to the Marvel Universe, it changes everything for Sam Alexander! How will the young Nova cope with his predecessor’s unfathomable homecoming? Is Earth big enough for two Nova-helmet-wearing protectors? Strap in, True Believer, you’ve never seen a Nova book like this before! Action meets romance as Sam goes on a date with the new girl in school, while Rich reconnects with an old flame: the Guardian of the Galaxy called Gamora! But all the while, the truth of Rich’s time in the Cancerverse is festering in the background — and it is dangerous! It’s the comeback you’ve all been waiting for — but will it be a happy ending, or a terrifying new beginning?

Collecting NOVA (2016) #1-7.

160 PGS./Rated T …$19.99

THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP VOL. 1: UNSTOPPABLE! TPB

Written by JEREMY WHITLEY

Penciled by ELSA CHARRETIER

Cover by ELSA CHARRETIER

SPECIALLY PRICED FIRST VOLUME!

Nadia spent the entire first half of her life a captive of the Red Room, but now this teenage super scientist is spreading her wings! Hank Pym’s daughter has a lot of time to make up for, and she’s determined to change the world. With Jarvis at her side, she’s on a mission to bring together the brightest girl geniuses of the Marvel Universe — starting with Lunella Lafayette, the miraculous Moon Girl! But Nadia didn’t count on evil scientists, man-eating giant rats or Devil Dinosaur — or the lethal lady wrestlers known as the Grapplers! And even as Nadia’s recruiting drive continues, the Red Room is on her trail — and they’ll pull out all the stops to get her back! Can the geniuses of G.I.R.L. find a way to save Nadia from being dragged back to the bunker?

Collecting THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP #1-4 and ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS #14.

120 PGS./Rated T+ …$12.99

THE MIGHTY CAPTAIN MARVEL VOL. 1: ALIEN NATION TPB

Written by MARGARET STOHL

Penciled by RAMON ROSANAS & EMILIO LAISO

Cover by ELIZABETH TORQUE

Behold the mightiest, fightiest super hero around! Carol Danvers has been to the depths of outer space and back, but that still hasn’t prepared her for her newfound status as the greatest there is. She returns to her helm as Alpha Flight commander with the world cheering her on — but has Captain Marvel become someone she no longer recognizes? She’d rather focus on the job, so when her crew discovers that a shady character is hunting for alien-refugee children, Carol jumps on the case. But an elusive enemy draws closer to destroying everything she and her Alpha Flight teammates have sworn to protect! Oh, how the mighty will fall! New York Times-best-selling author Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Creatures, Black Widow: Forever Red) makes her comics-series debut with a blockbuster Marvel story!

Collecting MIGHTY CAPTAIN MARVEL #0-4.

112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

SLAPSTICK VOL. 1: THAT’S NOT FUNNY TPB

Written by REILLY BROWN & FRED VAN LENTE

Penciled by DIEGO OLORTEGUI & REILLY BROWN

Cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA

Steve Harmon was an average teenager with an average job as your average clown, living in average New Jersey. But after being zapped by weird and mysterious extradimensional energy, Steve became Slapstick — a living, breathing cartoon character! Now, after joining — and then quitting — Deadpool’s Mercs for Money, Slapstick is striking out on his own! Sure, he’s gotta move back in with his parents, but he gets to team up with the Amazing Spider-Man and meet adorable (but deadly) little minotaurs, so there’s that! And when he embarks on a very personal mission, Slapstick will have to work with far stranger allies — like the War D.O.G.S., America’s Best Friends! But can these patriotic pups help Steve get to Dimension Ecch, where a throne of games awaits him?

Collecting SLAPSTICK (2016) #1-6.

136 PGS./Parental Advisory …$17.99

BULLSEYE: THE COLOMBIAN CONNECTION TPB

Written by ED BRISSON & MARV WOLFMAN

Penciled by GUILLERMO SANNA & ALEC MORGAN

Cover by DAVE JOHNSON

He’s a ruthless hitman who never misses, a deadly foe who can turn any object into a lethal weapon! So why is the Marvel Universe’s most dangerous assassin heading to Colombia to take aim at a drug cartel? Find out as Bullseye takes charge! But as the body count rises, the bull’s-eye falls on…Bullseye! Teodor and the Black Knife Cartel flip the script, ensnaring the lethal assassin in a no-win situation — and Joy wants the joy of killing Bullseye all to herself! If he doesn’t find a way out of Colombia, this will be his last job! But when S.H.I.E.L.D. comes a-callin’, will that increase Bullseye’s odds of survival — or finish him completely?

Collecting BULLSEYE #1-5.

120 PGS./Parental Advisory …$15.99

DEADPOOL: WORLD’S GREATEST VOL. 8 — ’TIL DEATH DO US… TPB

Written by GERRY DUGGAN, CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS & JOSHUA CORIN

Penciled by SALVA ESPIN, IBAN COELLO & SCOTT KOBLISH

Cover by REILLY BROWN & JIM CHARALAMPIDIS

You’ve never seen marital problems like this! It was a whirlwind romance — Deadpool traveled across the world with Shiklah, fighting all sorts of threats at her side and finally married her as a way to thwart the evil vampire lord Dracula! But the honeymoon is over, and reality has set in. Wade’s bride is a demon succubus, the queen of a monstrous kingdom hidden beneath Manhattan. So when this monster metropolis declares war on the surface world, Deadpool’s loyalties are divided between his husbandly duties and the role he’s crafted for himself as a hero. Can Spidey and the Mercs for Money help him decide whose side he’s on? Brace yourself for a domestic dispute that’s really going to break some things up!

Collecting DEADPOOL (2015) #28-29, DEADPOOL & THE MERCS FOR MONEY (2016B) #9-10 and SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #15-16.

136 PGS./Parental Advisory …$17.99

CAPTAIN AMERICA: SAM WILSON VOL. 5 — END OF THE LINE TPB

Written by NICK SPENCER with LARRY HAMA

Penciled by DANIEL ACUNA & ANGEL UNZUETA with PAUL RYAN

Cover by DANIEL ACUNA

When Steve Rogers could no longer wield the shield, Sam Wilson stepped up as an all-new, all-different and very much all-his-own Captain America. The public was divided. And when a reinvigorated Steve returned to share the mantle, the protests grew louder. Sam just kept fighting on, the only way he knew how. But is the world big enough for two Caps? And as Sam is pulled into the shocking events of Marvel’s next big event, will he — and the world — have to choose? At the end of the line, there’s no way out! Plus: The classic first appearance of Sam’s controversial pal, Rage!

Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA: SAM WILSON #18-21 and AVENGERS (1963) #326.

112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS VOL. 3 — EMPIRE BUILDING TPB

Written by NICK SPENCER

Penciled by JAVIER PINA, JESUS SAIZ & MORE

Cover by DANIEL ACUNA

He’s a hero. An Avenger. A living legend. The Sentinel of Liberty. Mankind’s greatest threat? It’s the story that shocked the world — and you won’t believe where it’s going next. In the aftermath of war, Tony Stark and Carol Danvers turn to the one person they can trust: Steve Rogers, Captain America. Uh-oh! And when Zemo returns, can the new Masters of Evil be far behind? The secret story of Cap in World War II is told! The full extent of Madame Hydra’s string-pulling is revealed! But only one man can lead Hydra into a new age of dominance and superiority — and the Red Skull believes he is that man! But Captain America has other ideas — ideas that will change the landscape of the Marvel Universe!

Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS #12-16 and CIVIL WAR II: THE OATH #1.

152 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99

SILK VOL. 3: THE CLONE CONSPIRACY TPB

Written by ROBBIE THOMPSON

Penciled by IRENE STRYCHALSKI & TANA FORD

Cover by HELEN CHEN

Silk is drawn into THE CLONE CONSPIRACY! And with a variety of folks mysteriously dead no more, she’s about to face a Spider-Woman who’s come back from the grave! New U has made J. Jonah Jameson’s dreams come true. First his late wife, Marla, was returned to him, and now his adopted daughter, Mattie Franklin, is alive again as well! It should be a time for celebration, but Cindy Moon is feeling anything but festive — especially since her boss’ entire resurrected family is setting off her spider-sense! And since Mattie used to be Spider-Woman, what will she make of Silk? The situation seems destined to bring heartbreak — but if Cindy Moon can survive that, then Bobbi Morse, a.k.a. Mockingbird, may have an interesting proposition for her. Is the world ready for…Silk, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?!

Collecting SILK (2015B) #14-19.

136 PGS./Rated T …$17.99

MIGHTY THOR VOL. 2: LORDS OF MIDGARD TPB

Written by JASON AARON

Penciled by RUSSELL DAUTERMAN, RAFA GARRES & FRAZER IRVING

Cover by RUSSELL DAUTERMAN

The legend continues with Thors new and old! Loki spins a special ages-old tale of a young Odinson in action against a hulking great enemy. You wouldn’t like this Viking when he’s angry! But what incredible impact will this yarn from the past have on the present? Prepare for corporate espionage, Marvel-style, as some of the world’s most powerful and evil conglomerates go to war — with Thor caught in the middle! And as if Roxxon and the rest aren’t enough trouble, Jane Foster must contend with a new enemy: S.H.I.E.L.D.! Whose side is Agent Roz Solomon on? Worse still, millions of lives will depend on the God of Thunder saving Roxxon’s evil executive, Dario Agger! All this and…Exterminatrix and Silver Samurai?!

Collecting MIGHTY THOR (2015) #6-12.

160 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99

UNCANNY AVENGERS: UNITY VOL. 4 — RED SKULL TPB

Written by GERRY DUGGAN

Penciled by KEVIN LIBRANDA, PEPE LARRAZ & RODRIGO ZAYAS

Cover by STEVE MCNIVEN

The Avengers’ Unity squad is on the verge of collapse after debilitating wars with Ultron and the Hand. Exactly the wrong moment for the Red Skull to strike! When the Skull springs his trap, Avengers Mansion will become a house of horrors! As the Avengers are tortured by their own worst fears and past failures, what sacrifices will they be forced to make to break free of the Red Skull’s diabolical deathtrap? Rogue attempts a bold gambit! Deadpool gets help from a few pals! And it’s lights out for one team member! Not everyone will finish on their feet as the final fate of Charles Xavier’s telepathic brain is revealed! But which classic Avenger will return?

Collecting UNCANNY AVENGERS (2015B) #18-23.

136 PGS./Rated T+ …$17.99

DOCTOR STRANGE/PUNISHER: MAGIC BULLETS TPB

Written by JOHN BARBER

Penciled by ANDREA BROCCARDO, DOMo STANTON & Jason Muhr

Cover by MICHAEL WALSH

The Master of the Mystic Arts and the One-Man War on Crime unite their unique talents! When mafia demons strike, it’ll take the combined skills of Doctor Strange and the Punisher to stop them! But does this mean Stephen Strange will adopt Frank Castle’s lethal ways? Or will the Punisher learn some new tricks? The Sorcerer Supreme works on being a little more grounded, while Frank expands his worldview in surprising new directions. But with monstrous mobsters on the rampage, this mismatched pair have their work cut out for them! The very different worlds of two of Marvel’s most unique characters collide, and the fate of New York is at stake!

Collecting DOCTOR STRANGE/PUNISHER: MAGIC BULLETS #1-4.

128 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

DEADPOOL VS. THE PUNISHER TPB

Written by FRED VAN LENTE

Penciled by PERE PEREZ

Cover by DECLAN SHALVEY

Frank Castle has an unstoppable will — a powerful drive to punish those who do wrong, rooted in the tragic killing of his family. Wade Wilson has an unstoppable mouth — an unthinking knack for annoying everyone around him, rooted in thinking he’s funny. Both men, however, are among the deadliest on the planet. And when they find themselves in disagreement over the criminal known as the Bank, they’re in for one of the most brutal fights of their lives! Can Frank kill Wade over and over without dying once himself? Or will Wade bug Frank until he welcomes death? When the shells all hit the ground, will anyone truly win? (Besides the ammunition manufacturers, that is?) It’s the Merc With a Mouth against the Gunman With a Grimace!

Collecting DEADPOOL VS. THE PUNISHER #1-5.

112 PGS./Parental Advisory …$15.99

INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN TPB

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

Penciled by ALEX MALEEV

Cover by ALEX MALEEV

The award-winning creative team that turned Daredevil’s life upside down sets its sights on Iron Man! But who is Tony Stark? Since learning he was adopted, this question has cast a shadow over his life. Now, it’s time to uncover his true legacy — a journey that will carry Tony into new directions as both a man and an armored adventurer. Alongside unlikely quasi-ally Doctor Doom, Iron Man will discover answers to questions he never knew existed! But as a new international crime boss beats him at every turn, can Tony unravel the mystery of his past before deadly history repeats itself? Revelations will send him reeling — and even if Iron Man makes it out alive, his new standing in the Marvel Universe might be the death of him!

Collecting INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN #1-7.

160 PGS./Rated T+ …$24.99

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: MOTHER ENTROPY TPB

Written by JIM STARLIN

Penciled by ALAN DAVIS

Cover by ALAN DAVIS

Two celebrated talents take on the Guardians of the Galaxy! The Guardians owe everyone on Knowhere money, so they’re forced to do a job for the local police. But that causes them to run afoul of Pip the Troll and a mysterious entity known only as Mother Entropy — and that’s when the fun begins! Mother Entropy puts Pip and the Guardians to the test, to determine which of them will rule on her behalf in this plane of reality! But where does everyone’s favorite Titan, Thanos, come in? And how about Gladiator and the Shi’ar? The final test will involve — what else — a no-holds-barred brawl at Starlin’s Bar! Who will be the last Guardian standing to face a monstrous villain all on their lonesome?

Collecting GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: MOTHER ENTROPY #1-5.

136 PGS./Rated T …$17.99

ROCKET RACCOON: GROUNDED TPB

Written by MATTHEW ROSENBERG

Penciled by JORGE COELHO

Cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA

Rocket is grounded…literally! Along with his fellow Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket has found himself stuck in the last place he’d ever want to be: the backwards, no-class pit of a planet called Earth! It doesn’t matter how…it doesn’t matter who or what gets in his way…he’s just gotta get off this mudball! Right now! But that’s easier said than done, as Earth is a world filled with distractions — like Kraven the Hunter! Investigating poor, defenseless creatures being slaughtered in New York City, Rocket goes on the hunt — and finds a hunter! Will Rocket end up stuffed and mounted? Or locked up in a S.H.I.E.L.D. prison? Will his quest to escape Earth be sidetracked for good? Find out as the growling Guardian becomes Earth’s bitiest hero!

Collecting ROCKET RACCOON (2016) #1-5.

112 PGS./Rated T …$15.99

THE UNBELIEVABLE GWENPOOL VOL. 3: TOTALLY IN CONTINUITY TPB

Written by CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS

Penciled by MYISHA HAYNES & GURIHIRU

Cover by GISELE LAGACE

Gwen Poole continues to make friends and influence people across the Marvel Universe! But what will Marvel’s heroes and villains make of Gwen and her bizarre perspective on the world they live in? First up, Gwen gets hired to save a small town from a vampire! It’s high stakes, but all is not as it seems. Then, her gaming skills are put to the test when she’s captured by Arcade, and thrown into…a world of fantasy roleplaying?! After that, Gwen will need a vacation. We hear L.A. is nice! Gwen heads to Hollywood, where she encounters Kate Bishop (the real Hawkeye), Ghost Rider and…dwarves?! Plus: Things get festive back home — but something’s wrong with Christmas, and only Gwenpool knows it! Prepare for an unbelievably merry mix-up!

Collecting UNBELIEVABLE GWENPOOL #11-15 and material from GWENPOOL HOLIDAY SPECIAL: MERRY MIX-UP.

160 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99

SPIDER-MAN 2099 VOL. 6: APOCALYPSE SOON TPB

Written by PETER DAVID

Penciled by WILL SLINEY

Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA

Spider-Man 2099 has learned the location of the Fist — the extremist anti-government offshoot of the Hand that put his fiancée in a coma — and he’s ready to mount his attack! But it turns out he’s not the only one investigating the radical group. Elektra Natchios, Marvel’s deadliest assassin, has her own reasons for hunting these terrorists. Can Miguel trust this mysterious newcomer, or is she yet another obstacle in his quest for vengeance? And even if Spidey and Elektra team up, the Fist has upped the ante — calling in an ancient evil to help them bring about the end of the entire world! If that weren’t bad enough, how about Electro 2099? Or Man Mountain Marko? How can the future Spider-Man prevent certain doom when Armageddon is written in the cards?

Collecting SPIDER-MAN 2099 (2015) #17-21.

112 PGS./Rated T …$15.99

DEADPOOL 2099 TPB

Written by GERRY DUGGAN

Penciled by SCOTT KOBLISH

Cover by SCOTT KOBLISH

Nothing can prepare you for the Deadpool of the year 2099! Leap decades into the future to discover the legacy of the regenerating degenerate. There’s a new Merc, with a new Mouth — but who is she? What could make her want to inherit a codename from Wade Wilson? And are there still chimichangas in 2099? Some or all of these questions may be answered — and new ones will be posed! Find out if there’s a Zenpool 2099, catch up with one of Wade’s old teammates and choose your side in a battle for the right to be Deadpool in this collection of sci-fi shenanigans from the world of tomorrow!

Collecting DEADPOOL (2015) #6, #12, #19 and #25.

112 PGS./Parental Advisory …$14.99

SPIDER-MAN: REVENGE OF THE GREEN GOBLIN TPB (NEW PRINTING)

Written by HOWARD MACKIE, ROGER STERN & PAUL JENKINS

Penciled by ERIK LARSEN, JOHN ROMITA JR., JOE BENNETT, LEE WEEKS, RON FRENZ, MARK BUCKINGHAM & CHARLIE ADLARD

Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.

The Green Goblin takes to the skies once more! As the mentally addled Norman Osborn battles to strengthen his fragile grip on reality, he summons the will to once again plague the life of Peter Parker in one of the greatest Green Goblin stories of all time! And Osborn has more on his mind than revenge: He wants Parker as his heir! The timing couldn’t be worse for Spider-Man, who’s grieving the loss of a loved one. Plus: Spidey must survive a showdown with the Spider-Slayer, a squabble with the Squid and an encounter with the Enforcers! But whatever happened to Mary Jane?

Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) #20-29 and ANNUAL 2001, SPIDER-MAN: REVENGE OF THE GREEN GOBLIN #1-3 and PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN (1999) #25 and #29.

440 PGS./Rated T …$39.99

SPIDER-MAN: THE COMPLETE CLONE SAGA EPIC BOOK 5 TPB (NEW PRINTING)

Written by EVAN SKOLNICK, TOM DEFALCO, TODD DEZAGO, J.M. DEMATTEIS, HOWARD MACKIE, MIKE LACKEY, TOM PEYER, MARK WAID & TERRY KAVANAGH

Penciled by PATRICK ZIRCHER, STEVEN BUTLER, DARICK ROBERTSON, ANGEL MEDINA, PAT BRODERICK, GIL KANE, ROY BURDINE, SHAWN MCMANUS, SAL BUSCEMA, KEN LASHLEY, PHIL GOSIER, TODD SMITH, KEVIN WEST, CLAUDE ST. AUBIN & ROGER ROBINSON

Cover by SAL BUSCEMA

The saga of Peter Parker and Ben Reilly takes a dramatic turn! Venom’s true origins are revealed as his entire race of Symbiotes invades the planet! And as Mary Jane enters the final stages of her pregnancy, will Peter decide to retire his red-and-blue threads once and for all? Plus: Will Ben Reilly join the New Warriors? Guest-starring the X-Men and Black Cat, and featuring the threats of the Hellfire Club, the new female Doctor Octopus, Venom, Carnage, Lizard, D’Spayre and the young Vulture!

Collecting NEW WARRIORS (1990) #62-64, WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #128-129, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #405-406, SPIDER-MAN (1990) #62-63, SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED (1993) #10, SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #228-229 and SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP #1; and material from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN SUPER SPECIAL, SPIDER-MAN SUPER SPECIAL, VENOM SUPER SPECIAL, SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN SUPER SPECIAL and WEB OF SPIDER-MAN SUPER SPECIAL.

488 PGS./Rated T …$39.99

SIF: JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY — THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TPB

Written by KELLY SUE DECONNICK & KATHRYN IMMONEN

Penciled by RYAN STEGMAN, VALERIO SCHITI & PEPE LARRAZ

Cover by JEFF DEKAL

One of Asgard’s greatest champions fights her way to true warrior’s glory! When her gleaming homeland comes under attack, the sword-wielding Sif leads the battle charge — but her no-holds-barred zeal may be the very thing that brings its walls crashing down! Are the Nine Realms ready for Sif…the Berserker?! When Sif finds herself on an unsuspecting Earth, with no patience for peace, she starts putting out fires with gasoline! Just ask the Superior Spider-Man! Controlling her rages won’t be easy — particularly when a certain hammer-wielding, space-faring ex shows up! Can Sif and Beta Ray Bill get beyond their fiery past and rekindle the flame? Or will a cosmic crisis snuff it out forever? Get to know Sif like never before!

Collecting SIF #1 and JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (2011) #646-655.

248 PGS./Rated T+ …$29.99

CAPTAIN MARVEL: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HERO VOL. 4 TPB

Written by KELLY SUE DECONNICK, WARREN ELLIS & KELLY THOMPSON

Penciled by DAVID LOPEZ, LAURA BRAGA & PAOLO PANTALENA

Cover by DAVID LOPEZ

Stellar combat and Secret Wars! Captain Marvel’s time as an astronomical Avenger has seen her face off against some of the worst the galaxy has to offer, not least the Haffensye Consortium! They’ve been tracking Carol and Tic for weeks — and now they’ve finally caught up! Carol Danvers barely survived the last time she squared off against the Haffensye — is there any chance she could be so lucky again? Then, when the Multiverse ends, there is only Battleworld. And in the domain of Hala Field, the elite Carol Corps are the best of the best, who will take down anyone and everyone who threatens their Captain! Riding with them takes guts, guile and a whole lot of grit — so get ready to aim high, fly, fight and win!

Collecting CAPTAIN MARVEL (2014) #12-15 and CAPTAIN MARVEL & THE CAROL CORPS #1-4.

184 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99

RUNAWAYS VOL. 5: ESCAPE TO NEW YORK TPB (NEW PRINTING)

Written by BRIAN K. VAUGHAN

Penciled by TAKESHI MIYAZAWA, ADRIAN ALPHONA & SKOTTIE YOUNG

Cover by TAKESHI MIYAZAWA

The team’s lineup changes forever! When a dangerous alien invades Los Angeles, the Runaways’ own Karolina Dean may be the only hero in the Marvel Universe who can stop him — but at what cost? Plus: The Runaways embark on a coast-to-coast adventure, guest-starring Cloak and Dagger and the New Avengers! When Cloak is accused by his fellow heroes of a crime he didn’t commit, the vigilante is forced to turn to the teenage Runaways for help. This story will take our teens to a place they’ve never been: New York City!

Collecting RUNAWAYS (2005) #7-12 and FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2006.

168 PGS./Rated T+ …$14.99

S.H.I.E.L.D.: HYDRA REBORN TPB

Written by SCOTT LOBDELL, ELIOT R. BROWN, BOB SHARP, GREGORY WRIGHT & BARRY DUTTER

Penciled by M.C. WYMAN, GERALD DECAIRE, DON HUDSON, PAUL ABRAMS & JOHN HEEBINK

Cover by JIM CHEUNG & PAUL RENAUD

Director no more, Nick Fury is a plain ol’ Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. — but that won’t stop him from calling the shots! And there are plenty to be fired, because Baron Strucker has a new vision for Hydra…and S.H.I.E.L.D. As Strucker strikes and Fury faces treachery and betrayal from within his own ranks, he reunites with the Howling Commandos and Captain America — as well as a few faces he never thought he’d see again! And it all builds to a cataclysmic confrontation with Hydra that will usher in a whole new era for S.H.I.E.L.D. — and reveal the group’s definitive secret origin! Plus: Nick crosses paths with Luke Cage, investigates a murder and flashes back to the Cold War. But how does a decades-old adventure affect the here and now?

Collecting NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (1989) #36-47 and FURY (1994) #1.

352 PGS./Rated T …$34.99

HEROES FOR HIRE BY ABNETT & LANNING: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TPB

Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING

Penciled by BRAD WALKER, ROBERT ATKINS, TIM SEELEY, KYLE HOTZ & RENATO ARLEM

Cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE

“Hello hero, are you for hire?” With those words, Misty Knight enlists streetwise vigilantes to tackle the jobs no other super-team will. When she calls, people listen — including Falcon, Black Widow, Ghost Rider, Silver Sable, Moon Knight and Paladin! But while Misty takes control, the Puppet Master might be pulling strings of his own. Can Iron Fist and Punisher help her uncover the truth? The events of Fear Itself and Spider-Island call for some serious street-level do-gooding; luckily, Misty’s little black book is crammed full of costumed contractors like Spider-Man, Black Panther, Satana, Shroud and Daimon Hellstrom! But when the manipulative Purple Man unleashes his Villains for Hire, she’ll need a whole new recruitment policy: fight fire with fire!

Collecting HEROES FOR HIRE (2011) #1-12, SPIDER-ISLAND: HEROES FOR HIRE and VILLAINS FOR HIRE #0.1 and #1-4.

416 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99

WOLVERINE BY DANIEL WAY: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 2

Written by DANIEL WAY & JEPH LOEB

Penciled by STEVE DILLON, KAARE ANDREWS, SIMONE BIANCHI & JON PROCTOR

Cover by JOE QUESADA

Continuing Daniel Way’s blistering run — with a blockbuster assist by Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi! Completely shattered by recent revelations, Wolverine must now ask himself some hard questions: Can he continue on his quest? Should he? Logan finally remembers who he was, but who — and what — is he now? The answers involve Madripoor, Jubilee, old foes Cyber and Omega Red, and the deadly debut of Daken — the son that Wolverine never knew he had! Learn Wolverine’s secret history with Black Widow, and gasp as a savage showdown with Sabretooth draws the manipulative mastermind Romulus out of the shadows! Plus: Ask “what if?” tragedy had turned Logan away from the path of the Wolverine — and on to that of an even more punishing vigilante!

Collecting WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #6-15 and ANNUAL #1, WOLVERINE (2003) #50-55 and WHAT IF: WOLVERINE.

480 PGS./Parental Advisory …$34.99

PUNISHER: SUICIDE RUN TPB

Written by STEVEN GRANT, CHUCK DIXON, LARRY HAMA & MORE

Penciled by HUGH HAYNES, GARY KWAPISZ, JOHN BUSCEMA, VAL MAYERIK & MORE

Cover by MICHAEL GOLDEN

Frank Castle stars in an explosive epic so big it took three titles to contain it! When the Punisher undertakes his most extravagant hit of all — collapsing an entire skyscraper on a group of crime bosses — he ends up dead himself! Or does he? With a vigilante vacuum on the streets, a host of psychopathic killers lays claim to the Punisher’s crown — and iconic chest symbol! Take your pick from the skull-masked Hitman, jaded cop Lynn Michaels, postal worker Desmond Kline, media-savvy author Dean Swaybrick or British Frank-ophile Outlaw! Bullets fly as the pretenders take on criminals and each other, learning the hard way that to step into Castle’s shoes is virtual suicide. But amid all the chaos, will the one, true Punisher make his return?

Collecting PUNISHER (1987) #85-88, PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL (1987) #61-64 and PUNISHER WAR ZONE (1992) #23-25.

344 PGS./Rated T …$34.99

PUNISHER MAX: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 6 TPB

Written by JASON AARON, JONATHAN MABERRY, ROB WILLIAMS, VALERIE D’ORAZIO, PETER MILLIGAN, CHARLIE HUSTON, DAVID LAPHAM, JASON STARR, JASON LATOUR, MEGAN ABBOTT, NATHAN EDMONDSON & SKOTTIE YOUNG

Penciled by ROLAND BOSCHI, LAURENCE CAMPBELL, JUAN JOSE RYP, SHAWN MARTINBROUGH, DALIBOR TALAJIC, CONNOR WILLUMSEN, MATTEO BUFFAGNI, FERNANDO BLANCO & MIRKO COLAK

Cover by ESAD RIBIC

Frank Castle’s relentless war on crime continues! It’s Christmas, and the Punisher is checking off names on his naughty list! Frank gets creative to snuff some snuff filmmakers! In the United Kingdom, he takes on Earth’s hardest soldiers, the SAS, and unleashes his war wagon against a biker gang! But when a hitwoman releases a lurid tell-all, will the Punisher be her salvation, temptation…or damnation? Plus: Stories from the murky world that exists in the Punisher’s shadow, starring an opportunistic psycho, a frantic father, a mild-mannered accountant and the young son of one of Frank’s victims. When the Punisher is involved, there are rarely any happy endings.

Collecting PUNISHER MAX X-MAS SPECIAL, PUNISHER: NAKED KILL, PUNISHER: GET CASTLE, PUNISHER: BUTTERFLY, PUNISHER: HAPPY ENDING, PUNISHER: HOT RODS OF DEATH, PUNISHER: TINY UGLY WORLD and UNTOLD TALES OF PUNISHER MAX #1-5.

376 PGS./Explicit Content …$39.99

NEW AVENGERS BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 7 TPB

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

Penciled by NEAL ADAMS, MIKE DEODATO JR., WILL CONRAD, MICHAEL GAYDOS, CARLOS PACHECO, MICHAEL AVON OEMING & MORE

Cover by MIKE DEODATO JR.

Brian Michael Bendis concludes the epic saga of his New Avengers — and they go out fighting! First, the return of Norman Osborn pits the team against an even deadlier and more dangerous team of Dark Avengers! But even that can’t prepare them for a world-rocking war with the X-Men! Will Luke Cage join the battle, or choose to stay with his wife and child? As the situation goes from bad to worse, Iron Fist must seek the secrets of the Phoenix! Three of Earth’s Mightiest will be taken captive, but no jail can hold them for long — or can it? And when all looks dark, can the Illuminati succeed where the Avengers failed? Anyone who gets out alive will face an era-ending mystical force too big for even Doctor Strange to handle!

Collecting NEW AVENGERS (2010) #16.1 and #17-34.

440 PGS./Rated T+ …$39.99

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE — THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 2 TPB

Written by CHRISTOS GAGE & DAN SLOTT

Penciled by STEVEN KURTH, HUMBERTO RAMOS, RAFA SANDOVAL, JORGE MOLINA, MAHMUD ASRAR & STEVE UY

Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS

In the wake of the Skrull Invasion, the public has lost faith in the Initiative! What a time for Reptil to make his mark on the Marvel Universe! As storm clouds gather, the members of the black-ops Shadow Initiative must abduct one of their own — who has defected to Hydra! But Norman Osborn’s Dark Reign changes everything. Where Camp Hammond once trained future Avengers, Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. now trains tomorrow’s Dark Avengers! The new principals are Taskmaster and the Hood, and they’re registering villains as heroes and spreading Norman’s empire across the nation. But those who once made up the Initiative aren’t about to let this happen. Hunted by the law, hidden from sight, a Resistance has formed — and its members are out to stop H.A.M.M.E.R. by any means necessary!

Collecting AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #20-35, AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE SPECIAL and AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE FEATURING REPTIL.

456 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99

AVENGERS EPIC COLLECTION: OPERATION GALACTIC STORM TPB

Volume #22 in the Avengers Epic Collections

Written by BOB HARRAS, ROY THOMAS, DANN THOMAS, MARK GRUENWALD, GERARD JONES, LEN KAMINSKI & TOM DEFALCO

Penciled by STEVE EPTING, DAVE ROSS, GREG CAPULLO, RURIK TYLER, JEFF JOHNSON, STEPHEN JONES, PAUL RYAN, PAT OLLIFFE & RICHARD LEVINS

Cover by STEVE EPTING

The Kree/Shi’ar War! When two of the galaxy’s most ancient and powerful races clash, it’s up to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to play cosmic peacekeeper! With Earth in the crossfire, the Avengers are drawn into the conflict — and end up as alien invaders on war-torn worlds of wonder! Assemblers East and West are embroiled in an epic too big for even two Avengers titles — one that will shake the team to its very foundations! Super heroes from three galaxies clash in a war filled with incredible action — including Thor vs. Gladiator of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard — and the Avengers will face repercussions that will haunt them for years!

Collecting AVENGERS (1963) #345-347, AVENGERS WEST COAST #80-82, QUASAR #32-34, WONDER MAN (1991) #7-9, IRON MAN (1968) #278-279, THOR (1966) #445-446, CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #401 and material from CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #398-400.

488 PGS./Rated T …$39.99

THOR EPIC COLLECTION: IN MORTAL FLESH TPB

Volume #17 in the Thor Epic Collections

Written by RANDALL FRENZ, TOM DEFALCO, RON FRENZ, ROY THOMAS & MORE

Penciled by RICH YANIZESKY, RON FRENZ, GARY HARTLE, TONY DEZUNIGA, MIKE MIGNOLA, RON LIM, HERB TRIMPE, AL MILGROM & MORE

Cover by RON FRENZ

To spare a life, Thor makes the ultimate sacrifice! With the fate of his friend Eric Masterson in the balance, Thor steps in — and finds himself once again bonded to a mortal form! But which deadly foe will bring about such dire straits? Could it be Quicksand? The maniacal Mongoose? A new Executioner? Or as an untethered Asgard drifts into the Negative Zone, Annihilus? As a new era begins for Thor, another legendary hero returns: Zounds, it’s Hercules! It will take the combined might of these godly friends, plus She-Hulk, to face not one but two Dooms! In another heavyweight bout, Thor takes on the Juggernaut — with the New Warriors lending a hand! Plus: The High Evolutionary! Doctor Strange! The Thing! Tales of Asgard! Beta Ray Bill! And Ulik joins the Wrecking Crew!

Collecting THOR (1966) #401-418 and ANNUAL #14.

488 PGS./Rated T …$39.99

DEFENDERS EPIC COLLECTION: ASHES, ASHES… TPB

Volume #7 in the Defenders Epic Collections

Written by J.M. DEMATTEIS with DON PERLIN & STEVEN GRANT

Penciled by DON PERLIN with SAL BUSCEMA & AL MILGROM

Cover by BRENT ANDERSON

The Defenders face threats Satanic, Seussian and everything in between! Marvel’s greatest non-team will take you on adventures made with their own special brand of action and interpersonal drama, topped by a heaping helping of the absurd! In this Epic Collection, the Defenders battle the cosmic Over-Mind, the alternate-Earth Squadron Supreme, the fan-favorite Elf with a Gun, the Avengers, and even themselves! Patsy Walker’s relationship with Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan, will flower, while classic Defenders — Hulk, Namor and the Silver Surfer — will return! Out of it all, the New Defenders — featuring Iceman, Angel, Beast and Moondragon — will rise, and nothing will be the same. Same as it ever was!

Collecting DEFENDERS (1972) #110-125 and AVENGERS ANNUAL #11.

440 PGS./All Ages …$39.99

AVENGERS #9 BY ROSS POSTER

FOC 6/12/17, ON-SALE 7/052017

24×36…$8.99

*Star Wars © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Text and illustrations for Star Wars are © 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd.

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