#as only Uncle Ben (not even Bucky or Jason Todd) stays dead in comics

[cyb-by-lang]

I completely forgot to ask!

With how much Kei suffered when coming to Gotham with all the smells etc. how is Kakashi handling it? Is the mask built in with seals? Honestly I thought he’d be the first to complain or feel overwhelmed.

Also also, I know Kei is stressed about which comic book run she’s in, did she actually have a favorite character? I always wonder about this a bit, eg, going to One Piece world would be terrifying, but also I’d probably be a bit starstruck at meeting the Straw Hats. Any moment like that for Kei? At meeting BATMAN or any of these cool characters?

After wearing a mask for three years, I'd say that the model Kakashi is using now helps cut even the city's terrible scent input by a fair margin. He did know Gotham was a city, after all. That said, he does still notice the problem. It's why Batman was able to get so close without being kicked off the roof.

The main continuity that Kei actually remembers "well" (inasmuch as it qualifies) is the Justice League cartoon from 2000. DCAU, where there were only ever two Robins and both were effectively banned from the universe by DC policies against having more than one show featuring a given character (since it was running concurrently with the 2002 Teen Titans cartoon). This story is very clearly not that, so it doesn't help. Even if it did, that version of Bruce Wayne sorta...gets more >:| the more you think about the implications.

All she's got left is wiki dives, clips of the Under the Red Hood film, and memes. So, so many memes.

Remember that old joke about death in comic books that goes, "No one stays dead in comics except Uncle Ben, Bucky Barnes, and Jason Todd?" Kei knew that was 2/3rds bogus by the time she transmigrated, since there were jokes countering it and also Captain America and the Winter Soldier was coming out that same year. Not that she'd even once read a comic involving any of them.

Kei's also generally not interested in celebrities? Whenever she runs into a continuity she actually knows, she usually just gets extremely worried. In a "oh, shit, the high-end threats in this place are things I can't handle" kind of way. Or in an introvert's classic, "I DO NOT WISH TO BE PERCEIVED" manner. Even meeting Obito--who was eight at the time--was a moment of pure "oh fuck no." Hayate was like that too, but he was a baby and then Kei got attached and here we are.

Some rando who commented on Ocean Stars Falling ages ago called Kei an ignoramus for not knowing who Ace was immediately after entering One Piece. And I just sat there, thinking, "You do not have the slightest idea how much your bias is coloring your idea of what media a given human being in our modern society might be even passingly familiar with." I didn't know who Ace was before the pirate collaboration idea with @ffs-abalisk came up.

And if Kei did know who the hell Ace was at the time she met him, that would've probably inspired her to get it the fuck out of there immediately.

[bedlamsbard]

I’m not much of a comics person, but I am just old enough to remember when “no one stays dead in comics but Bucky Barnes, Jason Todd, and Uncle Ben” was still a true statement.  Sometimes I remember that the Winter Soldier is only from 2005 (I remember how controversial it was back then! that side of the internet was in flames!) and it blows my mind a little because it seems like such a Cold War conceit that if you didn’t know better you’d think it was from the ‘70s or ‘80s, or even the ‘90s. But no. 2005.

[sineala]

Hey! Since you're one of the sources of comic knowledge, I have to ask. Has Marvel ever permanently killed a superhero? Also what are the chances that Marvel would be willing to kill Tony or Steve? Bc your fics among others made me curious about reading the comics but I don't wanna get into that if Marvel is just gonna end up killing my fav character (I've heard a lot abt the current Tony being not real??). I have had enough of that from mcu

Hi there! I am glad you are curious about comics (and sorry to hear about your MCU-related sadness), and I'm sitting here trying to think of a good way to answer your question, because I think you're presuming something about comics that isn't really true. It's not really like other fandoms.

Basically, the deal in comics is that you should never, ever expect anyone to die permanently. But the corollary to this is that comics have been around for so long that it may take a while for someone to get brought back, but eventually it's probably going to occur to someone at Marvel that their story would be a lot more fun if only So-and-So Man were in it, and then they contrive a way to get him back. Take Bucky as an example. The saying used to be that "nobody in comics stays dead except Bucky, Jason Todd, and Uncle Ben," and, well, two-thirds of those people came back. No one thought Bucky was ever coming back, until Ed Brubaker started writing Captain America, and he'd apparently wanted to bring Bucky back since he was a kid, and well... that's what he did. (And then he killed Steve, but I'm pretty sure no one thought Steve was going to stay dead.)

Even heroes whose death has been given a lot of weight still get to come back. Take Mar-Vell. He got an entire Death of Captain Marvel graphic novel, very tragic, very moving -- and yet, they've still brought him back at least twice. He's currently dead now, but I'm sure if they wanted him alive, they could bring him back again.

So when you ask if they've ever permanently killed a superhero -- I mean, sure, there are characters who have died who haven't come back yet, but given how the comics universe works, there's nothing saying Marvel can't eventually come up with a way. I think non-powered characters are more likely to stay dead; for example, Happy Hogan's been dead since Civil War, and there are no signs he's coming back any time soon, but Marvel can always surprise me.

Both Steve and Tony have died more than once each, but they are popular enough -- they've both had an ongoing presence and their own solo (and/or shared with each other) comic since the 60s, enough that I think it's really, really extremely unlikely that Marvel will kill either of them off permanently. They've been in comics for decades and I don't see why they'd stop now. I am pretty sure there's going to keep being Captain America and Iron Man comics, because they keep selling. (You can contrast this with a character like, say, Doctor Strange, who has gone long periods of time without a solo book or even any book.)

However, the other thing you should know about comics is that sometimes... there will just be a lot of comics you don't like. And that's okay! It is the case now that most of Steve/Tony fandom, as far as I can tell, is generally not enjoying much about Avengers, Captain America, or Iron Man. But there are always old comics to read and write about (don't worry, no one expects anyone else to have read them all), and I suspect Marvel is going to end up totally ignoring or writing around "Tony Stark isn't real" after Slott leaves the book (because, seriously, it makes no sense) and the promo art for the Empyre event shows what is probably him on the team as Iron Man anyway.

Being into comics is about learning to pick and choose the parts of canon that you like and ignoring the rest, because honestly there's a lot of it and it all contradicts each other. You can generally expect to see continuity within one writer's run on one comic; if you are very lucky, the people writing the comics at the same time will talk to each other and make sure everything lines up, but unless an event is happening, mostly they do not. This is why (1) Steve and Tony are both current active Avengers, (2) Steve is currently on the run and hiding from the law because he broke out of prison, and (3) Tony is currently on the run and leading the robot revolution. Somehow all of these things are true. Comics are a mess. Don't let it bother you. But if any storylines sound fun, feel free to hop on board and try reading some. There are actually plenty of fun comics out there!

[thisdayincomics]

June 5

In high school, a radioactive spider bite gave Peter superhuman powers. Creating the costumed identity of Spider-Man for himself, Peter sought first to exploit his newfound powers as a masked wrestler and then as a television star. Coming from a television appearance, Spider-Man saw a burglar being chased by a security guard. The guard called for Spider-Man to stop the thief, but the nascent Spidey refused on the grounds that catching criminals was not his job. The robber got away. Uncle Ben first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 (June 5, 1962) and was killed in the very same issue. When Peter later returned home, he was informed by a police officer that his beloved Uncle Ben had been killed by a burglar. Outraged, he donned his Spider-Man costume and captured the man only to realize to his horror that it was the same burglar whom he could have effortlessly captured earlier at the studio. As a result, Peter considered himself morally responsible for Ben's death and resolved to fight crime as a superhero — realizing that with great power comes great responsibility — and vowing never to let another innocent person come to harm if he could help it. The murder of Uncle Ben is notable as one of the few comic book deaths, that has never been reversed in terms of official continuity. He was a member of the "Big Three", referring also to Jason Todd and Bucky whose notable deaths, along with Ben's, gave rise to the phrase: "No one in comics stays dead except for Bucky, Jason Todd, and Uncle Ben".

May Parker, commonly known as Aunt May is the aunt-by-marriage and adoptive mother of Peter Parker, who leads a secret life as Spider-Man. She remained an important influence in Peter's life even during college as she was the only family he had left. Her continued belief that Peter was still the fragile boy he'd been before he gained his powers could be frustrating at times. She is nurturing and supportive of Peter, although throughout most of Spider-Man's history, she has not known of his secret life and considers Spider-Man frightening. In the early years of his superhero career, Peter feared for May's well-being and the fatal shock that he believed would result if she ever learned about his dual identity as Spider-Man. Consequently, Peter often felt anguish over dealing with major crises while his aunt needed nearly constant care. She debuted in Amazing Fantasy #15 (June 5, 1962).

[undertheinfluencerd]

https://ift.tt/2WZ2Mgx #

In 1988 DC readers famously decided against keeping Batman’s second Robin alive, taking part in a fan vote where they could choose whether or not to kill Jason Todd off at the end of the classic storyline A Death in the Family. To the shock of many, in a close vote it was decided that Jason would die at the hands of the Joker. And while it may seem like a bit of cruelty on the part of the fans to vote to kill a young boy, in both the short term and the long term they made the right call.

Jason was first introduced in 1983’s Batman #357 by Gerry Conway, Don Newton and Alfredo Alcala as a replacement Robin after Dick Grayson struck out on his own and became Nightwing. Jason originally had almost the exact same origin as the first Robin: he was part of a family of circus acrobats who was taken in by Bruce Wayne after his parents were killed. After the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, Jason’s origin was revamped in Batman #408 by Max Allan Collins and Chris Warner. He was now depicted as an orphan from the streets who got caught trying to steal the tires off the Batmobile. After first sending him to a school for wayward boys that turns out to be front for a criminal enterprise, Bruce takes Jason into his own home. Despite having vowed to never train another sidekick after Dick, the boy eventually takes on the mantle of Robin.

Related: Red Hood Proves He’s Just As Good As Batman (And Could Be Better)

The death of Robin in Batman #428 by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo has been revisited many times in DC Comics, both from the effect that it had on Batman, as well as from Jason’s own perspective after he returned from the dead. Since coming back to life and becoming Red Hood, Jason has been something of a black sheep in the Bat-Family. He initially appeared as a villain seeking revenge against Batman for not killing the Joker. He later became a vigilante who was not averse to using guns and lethal methods to take down criminals. And while his current role in the Bat-Family has been recently reexamined through titles such as Future State: Gotham and Batman: Urban Legends – as well as his live-action debut in the Titans show – his actual time as Batman’s Boy Wonder and the reason why comic book fans chose to kill him has not received as much attention.

Dick Grayson premiered on the comics page in 1940 with a big smile on his face and became famous for his “Gee whiz!” attitude in both the comics and on television. He was introduced as a way to appeal to children and give them someone they could relate to: a kid their age who tagged along with his hero and helped save the day. Even though he had a tragic backstory that saw his parents murdered in front of his eyes, most stories focusing on Robin were rather light, in fitting with the tone of Batman comics in general at the time. As the ‘70s rolled around, he eventually began to grow up, and finally struck out on his own as the hero Nightwing.

Once Jason was re-introduced following Crisis on Infinite Earths, he could not have been more different from Dick Grayson. Instead of being bright eyed and bushy tailed, he had a bit of an edge to him. He came from the wrong side of the tracks, growing up in Gotham’s Crime Alley where Batman’s parents were murdered. He was a streetwise kid who lived on his own, smoked cigarettes and committed crimes. He had an attitude and by the time he was taken under Batman’s wing, he was less patient than Dick and was overly eager to get out on the streets and start busting heads. The ‘80s marked a time when comics began to move into grittier and edgier territory, and Jason very much reflected the trends of the time.

Fan reaction to the new Robin was mixed. This explains why the vote to kill him was so close (only 72 more people voted to kill him than voted to save him). But looking back at Jason’s brief time as Robin, and it is easier to understand why he might have rubbed some readers the wrong way. He was, in a word, annoying. While stories tried to depict him as a rebellious counterpart to Dick Grayson’s more Boy Scout nature, his constant pushing back against Batman and Alfred could often come off as bratty. Given Dick’s tragic loss of his parents, it made sense that he would try to be a hero and help others from experiencing the same grief that he had to endure. With Jason, though his father died while working for Two-Face, his motives came off as less heroic. He was presented as someone who wanted to punish criminals and have an excuse to fight bad guys, rather than someone looking for justice or to protect others.

Related: DC Teases How Nightwing Almost Became Red Hood Instead

Jason displayed many personality traits that would later play out after he was resurrected as the Red Hood. From early on, Jason seemed to have no problem killing enemies. When an imposter was going around dressed as Batman and murdering criminals in Batman #402 by Max Collins and Jim Starlin, Jason questions if it’s such a bad thing that he’s killing people. In Batman #424 by Jim Starlin and Doc Bright, one of the final storylines right before his death, it is heavily implied that he kills a criminal named Felipe Garzonas. Angered when Felipe walks free after abusing a woman so badly she commits suicide, Jason corners him on the fire escape of his apartment. As Batman arrives on scene, he sees the villain plummet to his death. While Robin claims that the man fell, Batman is not so sure, and later expresses his doubts about keeping Jason on as his sidekick.

While fans might have wanted to just get rid of a teenage sidekick they didn’t like, the vote ended up paying dividends for Batman stories for decades. Jason’s death haunted Batman for much of the ‘90s. His Robin costume hung up in the Batcave for years, serving as a reminder for Bruce of the cost of his war on crime. During key moments in storylines like Knightfall, Bruce is haunted by the memory of Jason’s death and the thought that he could have done something different to save his young ward. Getting rid of Jason also opened the door to a new Robin in the form of Tim Drake, a character who proved to be much more popular with fans and has been acknowledged by many characters to be the best Robin that Batman ever had.

For years Jason Todd was one of the few characters who it was ruled should stay dead. Joining the ranks of Uncle Ben and Bucky Barnes (who would later return to life himself as the Winter Soldier), it was an accepted rule that Jason should stay dead, as a reminder of the cost and a failure for Batman. But that rule changed in the 2005 storyline Under the Red Hood. After facing the villainous Red Hood vigilante, Batman is shocked to discover that it is Jason himself, returned to life using Ra’s al Ghul’s Lazarus Pits.

This kicked off a compelling arc for the character that has been more rewarding than simply leaving him dead would have been. Jason struggled to understand why Batman continued to let the Joker live, and was furious that his death wasn’t enough to finally convince the Dark Knight to put down the Clown Prince of Crime for good. In the years that followed, Red Hood remained on the outs with the rest of the Bat-Family, who looked down on his lethal methods. He himself has struggled to find his place and see how much of a hero he really is. Recent storylines like Batman: Three Jokers and Batman: Urban Legends have seen him grapple with his relationship with Bruce and memories of his own murder. Future State: Gotham depicts him going undercover as an agent for Batman against their enemies, with the rest of the Bat-Family believing him to have turned traitor.

It’s tough to know how the past 30 years of Batman stories would have played out if more fans had voted to keep Jason Todd alive at the end of A Death in the Family. But there have been plenty of great stories and character moments that have come from this decision. It re-established Joker as a dangerous and murderous villain. It made Batman struggle with his role as a father figure and a crusader for justice. It opened the door for Tim Drake and other future Robins. And it made Jason Todd one of the most interesting and three-dimensional characters in Batman comics. And it all happened because a bunch of fans decided to kill Robin.

Next: Red Hood’s Greatest Fear Is Becoming The Next Joker

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The post Batman Fans Were Right to Vote for Jason Todd’s Death appeared first on undertheinfluencerd.net.

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[paulsebert]

A letter to Marvel

To the Runaways Creative Team,

Let me first off say that Runaways and Sentinel are two books that mean a lot to me on a personal level. These book came out at a time when I had just graduated college, was stuck in a dead-end job and it felt like the real world was spinning out of control. I had just left the world of adolescence yet the world of adulthood suddenly struck me as insane and terrifying.  These were two comics whose leads who felt relatabled real in way that the X-Men and the Teen Titans didn't. Unfortunately much to my dismay the Tsunami imprint of comics wasn't long for this world.  Good books don't always sell, but my love of these two books did inspire me to start writing about comics for several different websites (I even worked with current Marvel editor Ben Morse for awhile.) Thankfully Runaways gathered enough of a fan following to be revived as an ongoing and Sentinel got a mini-series to bring it to a satisfying conclusion.

Over the years I would thrill as the Runaways met superheros, traveled in time, and new characters like Xavin and Klara would join the crew.  Alas the fate of the book would be one all too familiar.  After Brian K.Vaughn left the title bounced around various creative teams, some with very good ideas, some with... well not so good ideas.  I ended up taping out around the mess that was the “Rock Zombies” arc and kicking myself because I still loved Nico, Chase, Karolina, etc so much.  Of course I would see the kid again in tie-ins and guest appearances but it never was quite the same.  

Then came a little book called Avengers Academy that really reignited my love of teen superheros. There were cool new characters, guest stars galore (Juston from Sentinel even go to be a supporting cast member) and even a team-up with the Runaways!  It felt good to read and it seemed to be gathering a cult following of it's own... Then came Arena.

Avengers Arena was a book that upset me in a way that no superhero comic should upset an adult. It was a title that filled me with with an unhealthy amount of stress and disgust when it was coming out and a weird gallows humor today. I honestly place it in the rankings “Batman War Games” and “Avengers 200.”  At least Nico and Chase got off somewhat easy despite bad writing and some awful character redesigns. Poor Mettle and Juston deserved so much better.

Nico would later appear in A-Force a book that deserved a longer ryn and well that seemed to be the end of the Runaways. Until now.

To be honest I was fairly anxious when a new Runaways series was announced with a writer I had never heard of at the helm.  I had wanted a new Runaways series for ages yet I couldn't stomach the thought of a bad one. It was a gamble... that thankfully feels like it paid off. The art by Kris Anika is good and writer Rainbow Rowell seems to have Nico and Chase's characters down perfect.  The first issue isn't a big story in the traditional superhero sense, but it's a thrilling rescue. It's a small-ish story but one that feels deeply personal.  It feels like a homecoming and a triumph.

So I'm already looking forward to the next issue. I'm eager and willing to see what what happens with Karolina and Molly plus it's great to have Gert back.  Maybe we'll see Klara and Xavin again down the line. It looks like it should be a heck of a ride.

Paul Sebert Barboursville, West Virginia

P.S.: Since we got Gert back and only Bucky, no... Gwen Stacy, no Jason Todd, uh... Uncle Ben stays dead it would mean a lot to me if you find a way if a certain kid with a giant robot guest-stars.

[usamyzonians]

The Captain

I didn’t really see this talked about, so apologies if you’re reading this and I’m going over old ground for you.  I haven’t really read Captain America’s comics since I was, a kid, so this was always going to be second-hand info.  Also, some spoilers for the current run of Captain America.

So yeah, remember that Nazi heel turn Cap did at the end of issue #1?  The surprise heel turn that set the world on fire?  The one that was supposed to not be mind control or an alternate reality or a LMD or a clone or something?

Yeah, it was basically mind control.

What kills me about this was when the reveal happened: issue #2 of Captain America: Steve Rogers.  This surprise twist that was going to have been the real Cap all along didn’t even last a full issue.  And given the way comics are printed, this was planned before the bombshell was ever dropped or the reaction was ever made.

They planned this.  They planned this all along.  They planned to make Cap a secret Nazi, and they marketed it as some permanent change that was always the case (though I think most people with even a passing familiarity with comics knew neither part of that was true, I doubt many people expected this shocking “permanent” twist to last only a handful of pages, written and inked before the controversy even started).

I was a comic fan in the 80s.  I grew up around big event comics like Secret Wars with its massive crossover and Crisis on Infinite Earths, with its long-term, game-changing impacts.  I was a comic fan in the 90s, when those same crossovers and event comics became less epic and more of a “must be Tuesday” thing.  I was one of those people who followed along when Superman died, and felt a “drink your Ovaltine” moment when it turned out the quest for Superman’s successor ended with the new Superman turning out to be...the old Superman.  With a mullet.  I watched deaths grow cheaper and followed retcon after retcon.

I’m used to death being cheap in comics.  It was said that nobody stayed dead except Bucky, Uncle Ben, and Jason Todd, and two of those (at least) have come back.  I’m used to events being undone, and I’m used to the time between them happening and being undone getting smaller.  We’ve gone from an era where Barry Allen or Supergirl can stay dead for years or decades to even Peter Parker’s kinda-but-not-really-death lasting less than a year.

And a part of me is still surprised that they could do this.  That they could turn Captain America into a secret Nazi (sorry, Alt-Avenger) in some shocking twist that couldn’t even last a full issue of the comic.

They turned what has--for better and worse--been an icon of American ideals into a Nazi.  And then they undid it.  Before the flame had even been stoked.

Like.  Seriously.  Fuck everyone who signed off on this.

[studentsofshield]

2015 Comics Holiday Gift Guide Part 1 - For the Movie Fans

By Vincent Faust

(This was originally published on December 14, 2015)

Happy holidays! Whether you’re a Catholic, Jew, an observant of Kwanzaa or simply a standard slave to consumerist culture, you’ll be giving gifts to those you love. Is your father a boomer who will tell you how he used to love Thor growing up, but hasn’t picked up a four color page in decades? Is there an obnoxious young cousin in your life that could use some action packed stuff to shut her up? Maybe you treat yourself to some things too – courtesy of Santa perhaps? Well, as this club’s self-professed lord of all things comics, I’ve thrown together a handy holiday gift guide.

If you skip to the end, I have a basic list of all my recommendations if you want to bypass all my fluff. I include Amazon links throughout, but most of these books should also be available at your local comic shop (which you can find here) or run of the mill book store. I also recommend instocktrades.com for saving some money (free shipping on orders over $50).

Are you a newcomer to the superhero subculture? Maybe you found yourself among us because of Robert Downey Jr.’s undeniable wit, Chris Hemsworth’s luscious locks or Christopher Nolan’s masterful trilogy? The CW is doing some great things with Arrow, Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. Netflix can apparently only hit home runs, with Daredevil and Jessica Jones so far. Maybe you know that the world will be pummeled with over two dozen more superhero flicks by 2020, and you feel that you may as well willingly submit to your new geek overlords before you’re forced to do so. Here are some selections to prepare you for upcoming blockbusters or to delve deeper into some recent gems.

1. Jessica Jones

After Fredric Wertham nearly destroyed the medium with faulty science, the Comics Code Authority was created in 1954 as a self regulatory agency for the comics industry. Marvel remained an adherent of the censorship club until 2001. 

Jessica Jones was introduced in the series Alias, which served as the flagship title for Marvel’s Max imprint. Max was about leaving creators free to use mature/explicit themes as they saw fit. 

Alias also served as another early stepping stone in the explosive career of Brian Michael Bendis. He had already started his legendary run of Ultimate Spider-Man and was just a few months into his classic Daredevil tale. In 2015, Bendis is a multiple award winning writer and the primary architect of the Marvel Universe. 

For fans of the Netflix show, the Purple Man/Killgrave isn’t really brought up until the last five issues of the 28 issue run. It’s a slow burn character study and less of a “big bad of the week” kind of feel. Besides Bendis’ quick, natural dialogue and intriguing plotting, Alias is graced by Michael Gaydos’ noirish pencils (uplifted by Matt Hollingsworth’s colors) and David Mack’s iconic painted/collage covers. Ultimate Spider-Man collaborator Mark Bagley also does wonders on occasional flashback sequences.

Alias is collected across four trade paperbacks titled Jessica Jones: Alias. Volume 1 is here. The entire series can be grabbed together in a hardcover omnibus edition, with the added bonus of oversized pages. Here it is. 

To continue Jessica’s story, the next step is The Pulse. Still penned by Bendis, but with a more diversified art cast, the series covers Jessica’s new job at the Daily Bugle and her continuing relationship with Luke Cage. This trade paperback collects the whole series and includes the pair’s adorable wedding as a bonus.

2. Civil War

Whose side are you on? Every Marvel fan will have to make that decision on May 6, 2016 when Captain America: Civil War kicks off Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by splitting the Avengers down the middle over philosophical and legal quandaries. 

The anticipated film will be loosely based on Mark Millar’s 2006 mega hit miniseries. For better or worse, Civil War was a huge success for Marvel and would kick off their current summer event strategy that continues to this day. Nearly every single ongoing series being published got drawn into the overall tale, several miniseries popped up to run alongside it, and even series with no connection had no choice but to acknowledge it. 

I’ll spoil it a bit and say that you will probably hate Tony Stark after reading the series. Civil War is incredibly divisive to this day, but at its core is a fun action romp with some barely noticeable post-9/11 philosophical questions brewing under the surface.

The seven issue mini is collected in an affordable trade. It can work as a purely standalone work.

If you want to flesh out the broader story more, check out the next entry on this list as well as looking into the Iron Man, Spider-Man and Fantastic Four tie in issues. Unfortunately, some of these trades are out of print and harder to find today; but Marvel is literally reprinting everything in time for the movie. 

If money flows through your veins, you could even splooge for this $500 MSRP box set collecting almost everything remotely relevant to Civil War.

3. The Winter Soldier

Before Steve Rogers was an anti-authoritarian leader in the monolithic Civil War, his long lost best friend and sidekick Bucky Barnes popped back up on the superhero scene. Ed Brubaker was tasked with making Captain America into a hit again after some rocky years in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

Right off the bat, Brubaker took a huge gamble by breaking a major rule in comics. People joke about death in superhero comics. It doesn’t matter anymore. Jean Grey has died a dozen times (which granted, is the point of the character). Doomsday killed Superman and he was back in less than a year. Despite all these meaningless deaths, many a comic fan used to claim, “no one stays dead except Bucky, Jason Todd and Uncle Ben.” In 2005,  those first two were made moot. Bucky was retconned from being the creepy Robin-like child sidekick to a badass soldier in his own right. The Soviets saved him from death and turned him into a Cold War killing machine. Captain America: Winter Soldier covered the basics pretty faithfully. The original comic story is one of the greatest stories told in the medium though, and knocks the film out of the water.

Brubaker’s very long Captain America saga is collected across several books. The highlights of the run are all at the beginning though. The Winter Soldier arc is conveniently collected in a thick trade. After the major shakeup with Bucky’s return, Brubaker focuses back on Steve for a while in Red Menace, with Crossbones and Sharon Carter making strong appearances. Then Civil War starts its rumblings and something spoilery happens to Steve directly following its finale. It was heavily promoted and reported on by the New York Times, so you should know by now. The third fat collection of Brubaker’s series collects the seminal death of Steve Rogers and the beginnings of Bucky’s time as Captain America. With those three books, you get a whopping 43 issues of stellar comic storytelling. They also work as perfect bookends to Civil War.

4. Batman vs. Superman

This club is called the Students of S.H.I.E.L.D; but it would be naive to think that many of us aren’t huge fans of DC’s characters and stories. It’s also naive to put your fanboy stake in the dirt and not open yourself up to these fantastic tales. 

Personally, I love the Marvel Universe just slightly more than the DCU. However, I think that DC has most of the greatest standalone stories in their stable. Also, Batman. 

With the divisive Man of Steel, Zach Snyder at the helm, an overcrowded cast of cameos, Doomsday showing up for some reason, so on, who knows how Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice will turn out (update - it was terrible). 

If you want to lower your expectations even more, or see where the story can be done right, you should look to comics. Frank Miller revolutionized Batman in 1986/7 by putting out two stories that have since become definitive masterpieces. Batman: Year One showed us Bruce’s fledgling start as the Bat, as well as some juicy Jim Gordon and Selina Kyle backstory. The Dark Knight Returns, on the other hand, was Miller’s stark take on the “end” of Bruce’s life as Batman. The former is blessed by the beautiful art of David Mazzucchelli, while Miller uses his own rough manga/film noir style in DKR. 

Every single Batman story since has drawn on the influence of this indomitable pair. Both books are absolute must haves for anyone who considers themselves a fan of Batman or the comics medium. I am going to highlight DKR, as it includes a famous showdown with Superman. It also inspired Batfleck’s armored suit.

Dark Knight Returns, along with Watchmen, is a major cash cow for DC and can be found literally everywhere. If you want to flex your comic book critic mind, I hesitantly recommend trying out The Dark Knight Strikes Again, the incredibly controversial sequel from 2001. Unlike certain other seminal works, DC at least let Miller do the sequel himself (see: Before Watchmen). 

The thing is, Miller’s work had always had slightly misogynist, racist, xenophobic undertones. But 9/11 happened in the middle of him doing the series, and it noticeably affected the story and his psyche from that point forward. Most comic fans would tell you to completely avoid DK2 and anything he’s done since. Miller’s art is either hideous or esoteric, depending on who you ask. His ex-wife and longtime colorist, Lynn Varley, was also experimenting with digital coloring for the first time. Just like his pencils, some people argue her basic, flat colors are intentional and deconstructionist, whereas others say she did a shitty job. 

If you want to go balls deep, there is an oversized hardcover collecting both series together. DK3: The Master Race is currently being published. Miller allegedly has minimal involvement in it. As of writing this, there is one issue out and reaction has been mixed.

5. The Fantastic Four Aren’t Terrible?

Fox’s most recent mess of a Fantastic Four movie, or “Fan4stic” as people love to call it, may have tarnished the IP for mainstream moviegoers for the indefinite future. 

However, the first family of comics has a storied history in the medium they helped to bring back from the dead. Fantastic Four Vol 1 #1 from November, 1961 may be the most important comic of all time. Spider-Man, Thor, Tony Stark, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Ant-Man wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for Reed Richards, Ben Grimm and Susan and Johnny Storm. 

It would be easy to thank the family for their influence and then dismiss them as archaic and irrelevant. But, that would be a major mistake. Some of the greatest Marvel stories have come from the F4. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s mind blowing 102 issue run literally built the Marvel Universe from planet to planet. John Byrne really built up Sue and brought She-Hulk into the extended family. Even Jake’s fabled Walter Simonson did some great stuff on the book. I’m going to focus on two pretty different takes.

Jonathan Hickman wrote Fantastic Four for three years. Hickman is known for his slow burning, epic storylines that build off one another. In 2015, Hickman is infamous for the insane Secret Wars, which is the closest thing Marvel has ever had to a reboot. Secret Wars features Dr. Doom as a godlike figure and ostensibly features Reed Richards as the main character. Longtime Hickman readers will notice developments in the series introduced all the way back in his F4 run. Hickman introduced the FF, or Future Foundation, to the world of Fantastic Four, so the reading order can be a little confusing. 

A quick google search can help you out. The trades you would need would be this one, this one, this one, this one, then this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, and finally this one. 

If this seems intimidating, it is. I can say with complete confidence that it is worth it though, especially if you dig crazy science fiction. You can also get it all in one fell swoop across two omnibus volumes here and here. That first one is out of print though and may be an arm and a leg in the secondary market. Good thing I got it while it was available, muahaha. If you come across it at a store though, you’ll score a gem (or an investment to flip on eBay).

So…that Jonathan Hickman guy sounds kind of scary. If you were looking for some Fantastic Four stories with a little bit less emphasis on saving the multiverse, there’s something for you too. Mark Waid wrote the book for a while in the early 2000s. Waid is known for the classic Kingdom Come, as well as classic runs on Captain America, Daredevil, Hulk, Justice League, the Legion of Super-Heroes and the Flash. 

He brought one of his Flash collaborators, Mike Wieringo with him to work on the first family. Wieringo was known for his cartoony, manga inspired style that made everything he drew fun. Waid and Wieringo truly captured the family dynamic of the team. Jack Kirby shows up as a representation of God. Doom does some truly devilish shit. It’s all wonderful. 

You can get it across four trades. Tragically, the industry lost Mike Wieringo at a young age. His work will continue to inspire readers and creators for years though and show that, first and foremost, superheroes should be fun.

6. The Flash

The Flash is probably the hottest superhero property on Television (neatly excluding Daredevil and Jessica Jones since they aren’t technically on TV). The CW hit a home run with Arrow and they’ve since birthed a little universe replete with spinoffs and crossovers. When you think about it, The CW’s shows are the closest parallel to the format of comics. The shows are also going places that a multi-million dollar blockbuster wouldn’t dare, with parallel universes and such. 

Along with showrunners Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg, another major player in The Flash is Geoff Johns. Johns is currently the Chief Creative Officer at DC Comics. Starting as an intern for Richard Donner (of The Goonies, Superman 1 and 2 fame), Geoff shifted over to the comics industry and had a meteoric rise. Though he wrote The Avengers for twenty issues, he is most associated with DC’s stable. He’s done character defining work on the Teen Titans, Aquaman, Superman, Booster Gold, Hawkman and the Justice Society. He presently has been writing Justice League since the start of the New 52. 

Among his prolific bibliography, Green Lantern and the Flash stick out the most. Johns brought Hal Jordan back from the grave and turned the Lantern books into DC’s biggest sellers for several years, with smash hits like The Sinestro Corps War and Blackest Night. He also resurrected Barry Allen (after a legendary 23 year absence) during a second stint writing the franchise. 

It’s his early work with Wally West that really stands out though. After Mark Waid built up the Speed Force and the legacy aspect of the characters in the 1990s, Johns brought a smile-inducing optimism to the book and fleshed out the infamous Rogues. Despite featuring a different lead character, much of the show’s characterization and tone is lifted directly from Johns’ Flash.

Johns’ first Flash run was originally collected across a buttload of slim trade paperbacks. Most of those are out of print. Then DC collected the whole thing across three big omnibus volumes. These are also out of print, but they had crappy tight binding anyway. 

Starting this year, the material is being recollected again in meaty trades. Here is the first volume that just came out. The second doesn’t come out until May, but will start collecting some of the truly legendary arcs. There will probably be about four of them total. 

If you absolutely need some Barry Allen in your life, you may as well go to Johns’ rebirth of the hero. He followed it up with a short second run that lead right into Flashpoint, the harbinger of the New 52 for better or worse. 

The New 52 is controversial for longtime DC fans, and hit The Flash particularly hard by wiping out the prominent elements of family and history from the title. Barry has never been married to Iris. He never sacrificed himself in Crisis. Wally and Bart are bastardized versions of themselves. Max Mercury and Johnny Quick simply don’t exist. The first 25 issues of the title are worthwhile though, if only for the absolutely beautiful art of Francis Manapul. Those issues are split across the first four trades. Here’s the first one.

7. Doctor Strange

After the destined smash hit Captain America: Civil War, the next piece of the Marvel Cinematic Universe puzzle is Doctor Strange. Sherlock fans should be hype for Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal of the Sorcerer Supreme. 

Strange is an interesting character in the Marvel Universe. He dates back to the early days of silver age Marvel in the 1960s. He’s always been a cult favorite B-level hero throughout the years. He started out sharing the title Strange Tales with Nick Fury. The book was the ultimate treat for art nerd comic fans. Fury benefited from both Jack Kirby and Jim Steranko and had a brilliant mix of sleek James Bond style and 60s pop art sensibilities. 

Strange, on the other hand, was one of only a handful of books to get the Steve Ditko treatment. Ditko is the elusive, objectivist, visionary creator of not just Strange, but the Amazing Spider-Man himself. Whereas Peter’s scrawny, dorky physique and his creepy movement were the marks of Steve’s style on Spidey, he used Strange to go completely out there with psychedelia. The ultra conservative Ditko ironically grew to be a major inspiration to a generation of hippies. Strange has always kept that otherworldly edge in the years since.

A Lee/Ditko Dr. Strange omnibus is coming out at some point to tie into the movie. However, there are two fantastic titles that have come out closer to our own lifetimes. The most approachable and mainstream book is The Oath by Brian K. Vaughan. Vaughan is a big name in comics for writing the classic Y: The Last Man. He also has acclaim from Marvel heads for creating the cult teenage book Runaways. He is currently the number one indie darling (outside of maybe the mainstay Kirkman) with his and Fiona Staples’ Saga. Many consider The Oath to be the defining story for Stephen.

The other standout in the sparse Doctor Strange collection library is 1989’s Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom: Triumph & Torment. Written by Roger Stern, who had extensive experience with the character, and drawn by Mike Mignola, this is a true gem. Mignola is most known for founding the Hellboy/BPRD empire of independent comics over at Dark Horse. His early work at Marvel and DC is not quite as stylized and focused as Hellboy, but still features stunning art from a master of the medium. Doom goes to Stephen for help in freeing his mother’s soul from Hell. The story truly encapsulates why Strange will always be the Sorcerer Supreme at the end of the day, even if Brother Voodoo, Wanda Maximoff or Viktor seem like threats to the title. It’s also one of the best Doom tales.

8. Star Wars

Before the industry revolutionizing Star Wars came out in May, 1977, George Lucas went to Marvel Comics to try and shop a comic licensing deal. Stan Lee infamously turned him away before Roy Thomas convinced him otherwise (having previously seen success with the Conan the Barbarian license). 

Marvel went on to produce 107 issues and change over ten years. They were experiencing some financial and creative trouble in the late 1970s and early 80s, with many of their star artists gone and franchises flailing. Some critics attribute the success of the Star Wars comic (among other licenses like GI Joe and Transformers) to saving the company. 

Marvel stopped publishing the book years before the next big wave of Star Wars interest peaked in the 1990s. By this time, the license had moved to Dark Horse, where huge swaths of the now-killed Expanded Universe were built. In the 2010s, the license has returned to the house of ideas in the wake of Disney gobbling up every entertainment corporation in sight. Both LucasFilm and Marvel are now under the house of mouse. 

Marvel has since started pumping out Star Wars comics like it’s all they do. It seems to be paying off so far. Star Wars #1 was the best selling comic in twenty years, reaching over a million copies sold (yes, this is a tiny industry). The Star Wars line is basically paying for any weird experiments Marvel wants to try in the MU. If only DC could get a cash cow like this (besides Batman). An important note is that every Star Wars issue published by Marvel since January 2014 is completely canon.

Besides the fact that people would probably buy them anyway, Marvel’s Star Wars books are actually pretty great. The key to this success is putting top tier talent on the book, instead of the obscure D-listers and science fiction authors that Dark Horse used (no disrespect to those stories, which are great). 

The main title, Star Wars, is written by Jason Aaron. Aaron is one of the hottest writers of the era, with a long running indie hit (Scalped), an ongoing indie gem (Southern Bastards) and time put into Marvel on Wolverine, Ghost Rider, Punisher and several X-Men titles. He also has a instant classic under his belt (Thor: God of Thunder). 

Aaron’s Star Wars has a revolving door of all-star artists that switch out each arc. So far, John Cassaday and Stuart Immonen have done their time on the book. 

Darth Vader features the talent of Kieron Gillen (Wicked and the Divine, Phonogram, Young Avengers) and the photo realistic Salvador Larroca. Lots of comics peeps prefer Vader as the true standout in the line. 

For the Rebels fans out there, Kanan is another book. That book has no names on it though, but if you look on the bright side, they’re rising stars being given a chance to shine. 

Besides those three current ongoings, Marvel utilizes a miniseries format to tell one-and-done stories. Princess Leia herself got one by Mark Waid and Terry Dodson (another top tier team). Greg Rucka and Marco Chechetto did Journey to Force Awakens, which serves as a prequel to the film. Marvel will literally keep printing these books until the world ends I think. Chewbacca and Lando minis have wrapped up, with collections down the line. For the deranged prequel fans out there, an Obi-Wan and Anakin book is coming. 

If you want a taste of Marvel’s 1970s output, there is a nice hardcover of the first six issues, which served as a New Hope adaptation. Their old adaptations of the rest of the trilogy are available as well. If you want to read the whole series, there are three omnibuses collecting it all. An omnibus of Marvel’s dubious Ewok and droids spinoffs is coming out too. They also have the distribution rights to the Dark Horse material and are reprinting it in Epic Collection volumes. STAR WARS IS TAKING OVER!

9. Walking Dead

The Walking Dead is one of the hottest shows on television. I think it and its new spinoff actually get ratings up there with Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory, only below football programming of course. For the first few seasons, it was the “cool” thing to know that it is based on a comic book. Kind of like people boasting about knowing the plot of Game of Thrones ahead of time due to reading Martin’s novels. Everyone knows The Walking Dead is a comic by now. However, if you enjoy the show and still haven’t tried the book, you need to fix that ASAP. 

The book is written by Robert Kirkman, a major sentinel of creator’s rights. Kirkman is the poster child of the late 2000s mentality that creators don’t need to toil away at Marvel and DC for name recognition before doing their own thing. He and Brian Michael Bendis had a great debate about creator-owned comics that is worth watching for people interested in how money works in this industry. Kirkman is the only partner of Image Comics who is not a founder of the company. TWD remains the only indie comic to rank in the top twenty selling monthly books with consistency. Fun fact: his son is named Peter Parker Kirkman.

Along with his staunch views on creator rights, Kirkman is a big fan of format diversity. The Walking Dead comes in all shapes and sizes. Of course, you can buy the monthly single issues that come out monthly. Those are up to the monolithic #150 though (still trailing Savage Dragon #210 and Spawn #259 though). So, even if you are down to hop on the Wednesdays train, you have some catching up to do. The most simple way to read the book is through the trade paperbacks, which are up to volume 24 at this point. The most cost efficient method is the fat paperback compendiums. There are three so far, and they encompass eight trade paperbacks each (48 issues). 

If you are looking for something sexy to put on your shelf, you have even more options. There are hardcovers that collect twelve issues each with a trim size of 7.5 x 11 inches (compared to 6.8 x 10.2 paperbacks). Going even bigger, for maximum art appreciation, are the omnibus editions which are 8.2 x 12 and collect 24 issues each. All of the various formats collect up to issue 144 so far. If you intend to continue following the series, another thing to keep in mind is how often your format comes out.

I highly recommend www.instocktrades.com. They will offer almost all of these books cheaper than Amazon or brick and mortar stores will. Some of them might not be in stock on Amazon, or more obscure and harder to find in stores, and IST will also be more likely to have them available. Over fifty bucks, free shipping.

1. Jessica Jones – Alias Volume 1, 2, 3, 4 / Omnibus, The Pulse 2. Civil War, Mega Expensive Box Set 3. The Winter Soldier – Brubaker Captain America Vol 1, 2, 3 4. Batman v. Superman – DKR, DKSA / Deluxe HC 5. Fantastic Four – Hickman Vol 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, FF Vol 1, 2, 3, 4, Waid Vol 1, 2, 3, 4 6. The Flash – Geoff Johns Vol 1, Rebirth, Flashpoint, N52 Vol 1 7. Doctor Strange – The Oath, Triumph & Torment 8. Star Wars – Star Wars Vol 1, Darth Vader Vol 1, Kanan Vol 1, Leia, Journey to Force Awakens, A New Hope 9. Walking Dead – TPB Vol 1 / Compendium Vol 1 / HC Vol 1 / Omnibus Vol 1