#resurrection of magneto issue 4

[magnetothemagnificent]

In light of Resurrection of Magneto's latest issue and blunder of the Jewish belief that "if you save one life it's as if you saved an entire world"....

It doesn't mean that Jews are all saintly protectors who must save everyone and never kill anyone. It doesn't mean that all. In fact, there's an equally as important belief that goes along with the aforementioned one which is that "if you allow a murderer to escape, the blood of their victims is on your hands." We Jews are not naive. The life of a murderer is not worth more than their victim- if you had a chance to stop a murderer and didn't, yes, even if it means killing them, the blood of their victims is on your hands.

Which is why Magneto saying "to save one life is to save the world" about Tony freakin' Stark is not only out of character, but also not what the phrase is about. Tony Stark has proven numerous times that his actions have led to disastrous things. Magneto is under no theological or moral obligation to help him. And Magneto himself as a character wouldn't *want* to help him.

"oh but he's had his redemption arc, Magneto is good now uwu"

Magneto doesn't have to be a doormat to have a redemption arc. Him not killing Tony for his actions inadvertantly causing the destruction of mutantkind by Orchis is enough of a "redemption". He doesn't have to save Tony to prove he's "good" now, and in fact, helping him would statistically most likely end up with more destruction in the future. Magneto can just. Not do anything. That would be more in-character.

Jews are not naive doormats. *Magneto* is not a naive doormat.

[rei-ismyname]

Avengers and X-Men crossover 2024 is... really good

The Avengers show up to The Factory in force and Carol calls on Cyclops to stop hiding.

It's obviously a fakeout and they're here to play baseball. So nice to see zero punches thrown for cheap drama. Carol has a lot of X-Men history and it's wonderful to build on that.

Everyone is here and they're mingling like healthy adults. Beast is here and Storm isn't dead so I assume this takes place before Storm #2 and X-Men #7.

I LOVE this, but I can't help but shake my head that this kind of content isn't in an X-book. If you don't read Avengers #21, you'd have no idea about Magneto's ideological awakening or his current relationship with Wanda. Kinda feels like R-LDS should be solved here and now. Wanda built the mutant afterlife - she knows more about the Resurrection nitty gritty than anyone.

Quentin is still a jerk, no surprise there. Super cool to see Hank and Tony as friends.

They even meaningfully and earnestly engage with the existential nightmare and personal issues Hank is having.

This is satisfying. It doesn't sweep it under the bed - Tony offers his support but Hank's problems continue. Storm was Idie's headmaster for a good while. It's fantastic to call back to that and to Krakoa (though 'not fitting in' is not how I'd describe it.)

Faith and support, vulnerability.

The Dream discussed as a coherent position - an ideology that hasn't worked but implied to still have some value, tempered with hope and adaptability. Not just accepted as a nebulous code to live by or invoke in vague terms.

Lastly, Scott and Carol doing the leader thing. I do think Scott would be honest about the contagion, because it's a frame up, but whatever. Either way they're getting along. Carol says that there's not much difference between the X-Men and Avengers, that they should collaborate more.

She asks if she can count on him and he says yes. Just goes to show heroes don't need conflict to be interesting. What blows my mind is that this issue gives us so much of important things the X-Men book hasn't managed in 7 issues, and it's written by Jed Mackay! This is good stuff, so what's going on in the X-Line? I assume it's an editorial mandate because nothing else makes sense.

Avengers Assemble #4 is very elegant and fits so much into very little space. I finally feel like I get where the characters are at, that they live in a world with other people in it. Mackay writing both means he can do stuff like this, it'd just be good to get their development in their own book, you know?

[scarlet--wiccan]

Scarlet Witch reading guide

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of every appearance, but a walkthrough of what you need to read to understand Wanda's lore, history, and personal life events. I also have a breakdown of the Maximoff's powers and an explanation of their parentage and ethnic background. [This is an updated + condensed version of this post-- the formatting is messed up and I can't edit it, so I made a new one]

X-Men Vol 1 #4-11 (1964)-- Wanda & Pietro's first appearance as teenage mutants & Brotherhood members.

Avengers Vol 1 #16-27 (1965-66)-- The twins join the Avengers. Known as the "kooky quartet" era.

Avengers Vol 1 #91-108 (1971-72) -- Wanda begins a romantic relationship with Vision

Avengers Vol 1 #128-133 (1974)-- Wanda meets Agatha Harkness and begins studying witchcraft.

Giant-Size Avengers #1-4 (1974) -- Wanda meets Robert Frank and believes he is her father; Wanda and Vision get married.

Avengers Vol 1 #181-183 (1978-79)-- introduces Django Maximoff.

Avengers Vol 1 #185-188 (1979)-- also known as Nights of Wundagore, the twins return to Transia and learn about their birth on Mount Wundagore & the origin of Wanda's powers; Wanda is possessed by Chthon.

Vision & the Scarlet Witch Vol 1 & 2 (1983-85)-- Wanda & Vision acclimate to married life. Pietro's daughter Luna is born; the twins learn that Magneto & Magda are their birth parents; Wanda becomes pregnant and gives birth to twin boys.

Avengers West Coast #42-62 (1988-89)-- includes Vision Quest & Darker Than Scarlet storylines. Vision's memories and emotions are erased; the babies are destroyed by Pandemonium and Mephisto; Wanda learns that she is a Nexus Being while suffering the manipulations of Immortus. [the volume + issue numbering is weird on this one-- just look up the storyline titles and you'll find them.]

Force Works (1994)-- Wanda acts as team leader and begins a relationship with Simon Williams.

Scarlet Witch (1994)-- a miniseries which introduces Lore and expands on the concept of Nexus Beings.

Avengers Vol 3 #1-3; 10-11 (1998)-- Wanda learns more about chaos magic and resurrects Simon Williams.

Avengers Vol 1 #503-507 (2004)-- a storyline titled Chaos, which kicks off the Avengers Disassembled crossover. Wanda suffers an apparent mental breakdown and causes a series of calamities as her powers escalate to uncontrollable reality-warping.

House of M (2004)-- a sprawling crossover event set within an alternate reality of Wanda's creation; concludes with Wanda inadvertently erasing a large percentage of the mutant population. This is referred to as the Decimation, or M-Day. Wanda disappears and remains missing for several years.

Young Avengers; Young Avengers Special; Young Avengers Presents: Wiccan & Speed (2005-08)-- introduces Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd, who learn that they are Wanda's reincarnated sons and begin searching for her.

Avengers: The Children's Crusade (2010)-- the Young Avengers, Magneto, and Quicksilver discover Wanda as an amnesiac living in the care of Doctor Doom. They help her recover her memories and her powers are returned to normal.

Avengers vs. X-Men (2012)-- Wanda rejoins the Avengers. Alongside Hope Summers, Wanda helps banish the Phoenix from Earth and causes a proliferation of new mutant to manifest, the first step in her redemption for M-Day.

AXIS (2014)-- Wanda & Pietro learn that Magneto is not their father after all, and they're not actually mutants.

Uncanny Avengers Vol 2 (miniseries, 2015)-- the twins learn that their powers are the result of the High Evolutionary's genetic experiments.

Scarlet Witch Vol 2 (2016)-- Wanda returns to her magical focus and has henceforth been written as an adept spellcaster. The series does a lot of worldbuilding around witches and witchcraft. The twins learn that their birth mother was actually Django's sister, Natalya Maximoff, and that they are descended from a lineage of Scarlet Witches.

Doctor Strange Vol 4 (2016)-- Wanda is featured in the Last Days of Magic storyline.

Uncanny Avengers Vol 3 #26-30 (2017)-- Wanda rejoins the Avengers Unity Division and begins a relationship with Doctor Voodoo.

Avengers Vol 1 #675-690 (2018) -- a crossover event titled Avengers: No Surrender.

Quicksilver: No Surrender-- an excellent miniseries following the previous event. Wanda and Jericho use magic to aid Pietro.

Avengers: No Road Home (2019)-- a sequel to No Surrender.

Strange Academy Vol 1 (2020)-- Wanda becomes a faculty member at a school for young magic users.

Darkhold (2021)-- the original Darkhold is discovered; Wanda's prior experiences have made her strong enough to handle it without corruption; she merges the Darkhold with her own soul and uses it to bind Chthon.

Trial of Magneto (2021)-- Wanda stages her own death as part of an elaborate scheme to gain access to, and magically enhance, the Krakoan resurrection system, leading to her final redemption for M-Day.

Scarlet Witch Vol 3 (2023)-- Wanda opens a metaphysical shop in upstate New York and constructs a magical portal called the Last Door. New friends, enemies, and a new status quo are introduced.

Avengers Vol 9 (2023)-- Wanda joins a new iteration of the Avengers, led by Captain Marvel.

Contest of Chaos (2023) -- a crossover event. Agatha attempts to create a new Darkhold, much is revealed about the origin and nature of chaos magic.

Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver; Scarlet Witch (2024)-- a special anniversary miniseries which leads into the solo title relaunch. The twins are hounded by an abstract entity called the Griever as their powers begin to expand beyond their prior limitations; new context is given to Nexus beings; Chthon escapes containment.

Vision & Scarlet Witch Vol 3 (2025)-- an upcoming miniseries, continuing from the previous volume of Scarlet Witch.

[pacing-er]

The Krakoa Era Reading List Cherik Version (PART 3):

5. Hellfire Gala

This one confused me a bit since I expected it to be considered its own separate collection of stories. It was actually entirely contained within Reign of X. Not to be confused with the 2022 and 2023 runs which are separate and may be ignored for now. See the Part 2 of my Krakoa reading list for my thoughts.

6. Trials of X

The start of this series was my absolute favorite. You got the Trial of Magneto which was just a great story with lots of twists and fun characterization moments for Erik. It takes off immediately after the dramatic ending of the Hellfire Gala/Reign of X storyline, and you have the option to read only the parts with Magneto via the Trial of Magneto TPB. If you read this as part of the entire Trials of X collection there will be other side plots and issues dispersed throughout, which Charles and Erik will largely not be included in. Trial of Magneto is contained in Volumes 1-2 and Volume 3 is entirely skippable.

After this we get the continuation of the Nightcrawler/Legion vs Onslaught storyline, which was super trippy and a fantastic read. There are several mentions of Onslaught and Legion being half-brothers and Onslaught refers to his creators as "fathers" lol any mention of Onslaught being Magneto and Charles's lovechild just made me super happy. Legion's characterization in the Krakoa era is super endearing and there are several scenes where we get to see his unhealthy dynamic with Charles (mostly on Charles part lmao he is a terrible father, poor David was just tryna help 😭).

A moment of appreciation for these covers, I'm obsessed with them.

As for Cherik levels, the fact that their kid(s) are a large part of this story makes it worth reading, but we don't actually see Onslaught referred to as a son by either of them. He is more of a "thing" and a problem, which is fair bc he is literally the manifestation of both of their evils. There is a scene where the possessed!Erik is viciously protecting the possessed!Charles, which I really liked even though it was brief. Then the anti-Onslaught team (including Magneto) is chasing down a possessed!Charles cornering him in a clever trap designed by Legion. Once released from Onslaughts control we get this super cute panel:

Look at him holding Charles hand 🥰🥰🥰 They then immediately get vaporized and we hardly see them again for 5 whole volumes. Spoilers aside I really loved the solution to the Onslaught problem and thought the end of this arc was very satisfying! All of this was neatly contained in Volumes 4-5 of the Trials of X TPB, but there may be a collected version of just Nightcrawler and Legion's storyline that I'm unaware of. I hope so bc I really loved it and there's just WAY too many side plots that I don't care about even a little bit in the main collection. The Onslaught saga is distributed throughout Reign of X and Trials of X and it'd be great to see the complete story without interruptions.

As I mentioned, we then don't see Charles and Erik again until Volume 10. I had expected a resurrection scene bc they did both die but I guess that's implied to happen off screen? Anyways Volumes 6-9 I think there are literally only two panels that have either of them in it so safe to say you can skip those if you are only reading for Cherik.

Their inclusion in Volumes 10-12 are sparse with them mostly having their moments in Silent Council meetings and impersonations of Charles in the Hole™. They finally reveal what goes on in the Hole™ which was super interesting and worth reading imo. Also it's great to see them get along in these volumes, they finish each other's sentences and even when they disagree they are mostly civil XD

Overall some great stuff despite the long lull in the middle 👍 See the rest of my Krakoa reviews under #krakoa era reading list

[dailyjeangrey]

Hello!!!!

This is a fan blog dedicated to Marvel’s greatest telepath: Jean Elaine Grey. Also known as Marvel Girl and Sometimes Pheonix

Jean Grey was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for their new comic book series The Uncanny X-Men. Jean was the only girl on the original team (up until Uncanny X-Men #49) and served as a founding member of the X-Men alongside Cyclops, Beast, Angel, and Iceman.

Jean’s powers initially revolved around telekinesis, which allowed her to manipulate objects with her mind. As the series progressed, it was revealed that Jean was also a telepath

Jean’s story took off with the introduction of the Phoenix Force. In X-Men #101, her transformation into the Phoenix made her Marvel's first female cosmic hero. However, this also introduced an internal struggle as she grappled with the entity’s darker side. This conflict ultimately culminated in the Dark Phoenix Saga.

Her role in the X-Men is foundational—Jean is the team’s heart and moral compass, often balancing her immense strength with compassion and selflessness. She’s been a student, a teacher, a leader, and, most importantly, a symbol of the power and resilience of the human (and mutant) spirit.

Whether as Marvel Girl, Phoenix, or simply Jean, her legacy in the Marvel Universe is unmatched. We’re here to celebrate all things Jean Grey daily—her triumphs, struggles, and everything in between!

This account has two admins: 👻 and 👽. On this blog we will also talk about the current struggles within the world such as Palestine and Congo. We will try to post once a day but no promises 😁

Here is a basic reading guide for her

—The Original Marvel Girl Era (1963–1975)—

The Uncanny X-Men (1963) #1 – Jean’s debut as the only female founding member of the X-Men.

The Uncanny X-Men (1963) #4-7 – Jean’s early adventures and her blossoming relationship with Cyclops.

The Uncanny X-Men (1963) #43-46 — Jean’s growing confidence with her powers and teamates

—The Phoenix Saga (1976–1979)—

X-Men (1975) #98-108 – The Phoenix Saga. Jean bonds with the Phoenix Force for the first time, sacrificing herself and gaining godlike power.

Classic X-Men (1986) #8 and #43 – Expanded stories and insights into Jean’s time as Phoenix

—The Dark Phoenix Saga (1980)—

X-Men (1980) #129-138 – The Dark Phoenix Saga. This is the definitive Jean Grey story, chronicling her fall into darkness and ultimate sacrifice.

—Post-Dark Phoenix and Resurrection (1986–1990)—

X-Factor (1986) #1-3 – Jean is resurrected, and the original X-Men reunite as X-Factor.

X-Factor (1986) #27-30 (Inferno Arc) – Jean faces Madelyne Pryor, her clone, and wrestles with the fallout of her resurrection.

Uncanny X-Men (1988) #242-243 – Confrontation between Jean, Scott, and Madelyne during Inferno.

— Jean as a Leader and the 90s Era (1991–2000) —

Uncanny X-Men (1991) #281-283 – Jean leads the X-Men through major transitions after Professor Xavier’s departure.

X-Men (1991) #1-3 – The launch of the 90s X-Men series, featuring Jean and the team battling Magneto.

X-Men: The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix (1994) – Jean and Scott are sent to the future to raise Cable.

X-Men (1995) #30 – Jean and Scott’s wedding issue.

— Morrison’s Era (2001–2004)—

New X-Men (2001) #114-154 – Grant Morrison reinvents Jean as a more assertive leader and explores her connection to the Phoenix.

• Highlights: Her transformation into the Phoenix once again (New X-Men #132), and her tragic death at the hands of Xorn/Magneto (New X-Men #150).

—Jean Grey’s Return and Modern Stories (2017–Present)—

Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey (2017) – Jean officially returns to life, returning to her role among the X-Men.

X-Men: Red (2018) – Jean leads her own team, fighting for mutantkind with a focus on peace and justice.

House of X / Powers of X (2019) – Jean plays a pivotal role in the creation of Krakoa, a mutant utopia.

X-Men: Hellfire Gala (2021) – A great showcase of Jean’s leadership and style in the modern era.

Jean Grey (2023) – A modern retelling of Jean’s history and her role in the X-Men’s future.

Pheonix (2024) - Jean starts her journey as a cosmic hero

Time Displaced Jean Reading order:

Jean Grey’s Teenage Era, when the time-displaced original X-Men were brought to the future during the events of All-New X-Men. This storyline dives into how a young Jean grapples with her legacy, powers, and the knowledge of what her future self becomes.

The Beginning: All-New X-Men (2012–2015)

All-New X-Men (2012) #1-5 — The younger X-Men are brought to the present by Beast to show Cyclops the consequences of his actions during Avengers vs. X-Men.

All-New X-Men (2012) #6-10 — Jean’s telepathic abilities awaken prematurely in this timeline, forcing her to learn psychic skills quickly. She also starts developing her own identity apart from her older self.

All-New X-Men (2012) #11-15

All-New X-Men (2012) #18-19(Battle of the Atom) — A crossover event where the future X-Men try to force the younger team to return to their original timeline

Jean Joins the X-Men in the Present Timeline

Guardians of the Galaxy (2013) #11-13 — Trial of Jean Grey. The Shi’ar put teenage Jean on trial for crimes committed by the Phoenix Force. She teams up with the Guardians of the Galaxy

All-New X-Men (2012) #20-35 — Jean continues to grow into her own person

Teen Jean Faces the Phoenix and Her Legacy

All-New X-Men (2015) #37-41 — Black Vortex Crossover, Jean and the team are pulled into a cosmic conflict involving the Black Vortex, an ancient artifact that unlocks unlimited potential. Jean receives a vision of her ultimate power and begins to grapple with the inevitability of the Phoenix Force.

Extraordinary X-Men (2015) #1-12 — Post-Secret Wars, After the Secret Wars reboot, teenage Jean joins Storm’s X-Men

Jean’s Solo Adventures

Jean Grey (2017) — Teenage Jean gets her own solo series, where she prepares to face the Phoenix Force head-on. This series delves into Jean’s internal struggles, and her attempts to change her destiny

The End of the Teenage X-Men Era

X-Men: Blue (2017) #1-36 — Teenage Jean leads the time-displaced X-Men in their final adventures.

Extermination (2018) #1-5 — The teenage X-Men’s story concludes as they are sent back to their original timeline

(We're sorry if this is bad neither of us know how to make a reading guide)

In other media

Shows/Animated Series-

X-Men: The Animated Series (1992)

X-Men: Evolution (2000)

Wolverine and the X-Men (2008)

Marvel Anime: X-Men (2011)

X-Men '97 (2024)

Films-

X-Men (2000) (Played by Famke Janssen)

X2 (2003) (Played by Famke Janssen)

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) (Played by Famke Janssen)

The Wolverine (2013) (Played by Famke Janssen)

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) (Played by Sophie Turner)

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) (Played by Sophie Turner)

Dark Phoenix (2019) (Played by Sophie Turner)

Video Games

X-Men Legends (2004)

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse (2005)

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009)

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011)

Marvel Super War (2019)

[marvelstars]

I Magneto

After reading the last X-men issue, I wanted to tackle part of Charles and Magneto conversation in which Charles clearly establishes a difference between Max and Erik as two version of the same person.

He relates Erik to Magneto´s persona and Max as the person he was originally,so I wanted to explore Magneto(Erik) proper birth, because he didn´t became Magneto even when his daughter Anya died, he still tried to rebuilt a life for himself, first working on that hosital at Haifa where he meet Charles and later as a secret agent working for "control" marvel´s earlier version of CIA to help capture and bring to international justice UN former members of the Nazi Party.

At this time, Erik had started a relationship with his doctor, called Isabel, he shared with her his past story with Magda and how that made him feel as if he was not quite human and effectively the monster she called him for inspiring such fear in the people he loved most. Here he still clearly defines himself mostly as a human being. At this time his powers also gave him frequent head aches, a sign they were growing but also of the emotional and mental unstability they could give him if he made an overuse of them.

Unfortunately, at this time, control was involved in an operation called, operation paperclip, in which they were actively recruiting former Nazi offircers to help them in the fight agaisnt the soviet union and Magneto, his code name as an agent for "control" had captured one of "theirs" Nazis so they made a plan to get rid of him.

And That was how Magneto, the mutant terrorist, was born.

So I am quite happy how this is coming back in full circle, after dying and getting back, remembering the person he is and was, his journey from Max, to Erik to Magneto because he saw nobody was going to care for mutants unless he did something and now back to Max but with the added Magneto experiences is in full cricle even if he never stopped being any of those men, he is all of them but shaped by his experiences and the world so it´s nice to see him once again try to live his own path and try to make it better for everybody.

Sources:

Magneto #0 by Chris Claremont and John Bolton

Magneto resurrection #4

X-men #35(700) 2024

[ffverr]

Recently I’ve become obsessed with x-men but I can’t get the comics sadly😞 so I really want to watch the movies but I keep seeing everywhere don’t watch them in the order they came out in and then other people are like yeah you should but like I don’t have time to watch every single one😭😭 so far I’ve only watched xmen first class and then I went onto xmen days of future past (that’s what some random person on Reddit said to do idk if that’s right??) but like I’ve only seen maybe half an hour of it because I was so confused why professor x now is randomly old so I’ve been searching for someone who could possibly give me a good answer!! Sorry if this is a load of rubbish but yeah if you don’t mind please could you possibly help

I fear I truly can't help you with that as I don't appreciate those movies at all and much prefer the comics. So I will redirect you to a very nice website that rhymes with read comic online that will show you loooots of cool stuff for very very free.

You can have fun and read X-Men: first class by Jeff Parker.

Or just dip your toes into the incredible writing (of only 4 issues!) that is Resurrection of Magneto by Al Ewing 🤝

[tredawakandan]

5 Of My Favorite Krakoa Era X-Men Moments

(Storm won't be included since I already always talk about her from time to time😅💯. Just search Storm or Ororo Munroe on my page 👌🏿)

1. Charles and Magneto vs Nimrod and Omega Sentinel.. Been loving the Orchis involvement and how Charles and Magneto ultimately started Krakoa with one of their first missions being to stop Nimrod and the organization. Ultimately they failed and this was the first meeting of theirs during this era. Cool deaths and dope rage moments 👍🏿

2. Magneto Dying for Arrako .. Definitely was the dopest part of the event . Although i disliked how Uranos ran threw the Arrako mutants(in general i have a problem with the lack of development from the writers regarding the Arrako Mutants) Magneto death was very impactful since as we know him and storm have refused resurrections.. He survived being punctured and managed to raise hell for his remaining time. Salute To Erik💯

3. One of the benefits of resurrections for mutants are the natural buff they get. Having been shown to get stronger after they die is a dope concept and great way to write in unexplainable instances where characters seem stronger then they would be normally 😅. Also loved seeing writers become more intimate on how mutants can use their powers. Mentioned before but Manifold/Eden reveal is still my favorite. I feel in the future just how we got the Omega Mutants list at the beginning of this era we need either a redone copy(with prominent Arrako mutants listed as well) or A near Omega pending list that would include Synch ,Eden,Polaris, Cable(Although he technically is Omega) etc

4. The reunion of Synch and Old woman Laura was dope. Having spent centuries together and Laura sacrificing herself for him ,it was assumed to be a tragic heartbreak. But seeing her having survived and come back is definitely a moment I felt genuine happiness for Synch👌🏿

5. Although I didn't read New Mutants I enjoyed the issue with John and James reunion. Warpath has been a favorite mutant of mines since The Gifted show(was dope & you should definitely check it out) . Also love seeing him in comics. With his wife variety of abilities he should be on a X-Men team or at least another comic regarding mutants. Also loved John Proudstar new costume.

[alroma1]

About art - I think its good but more importantly it can be even better if Garron can improve under such schedule. Logan design took quite a hit which kinda hilarious considering what happened this issue.

1.Kids parts are good but one stood out to me was Jitter. Those guys are jerk but her reaction at bus scene prior school was kinda too much. Also Becca calling Ember at the end pretty clear hint that horse is just manifestation of her powers.

2. Remy persuading Becca so fast might be due her already knowing the truth and needing final push... or due Remy having Agamotto Eye.

3. Here a guess - everyone at school are mutants in fact. Coverup school sponsored by - let me take a bet - Emma

4. Oh boy... I know saying that Logan got PTSD is like saying snow falls at winter (though again - not everywhere ) but at the same time... I am not the most faithfull x-men reader and I know what happened to him during Krakoa only in tidbits but even with only those it does feel like he is at one of the lowest points in his life. People kinda forgot he was dead for some time and was resurrected by Persephone not long before Krakoa. At the start when he was visiting his friend I feel like he was talking about that time he was dead not resurrection protocols. Him questioning whatever it would be batter if he stayed dead.

I would say it doesnt negate possibility of having RLDS. In fact reverse. What three persons who showed that something was off with them - Scott, Magneto and Logan - have in common? Insane amount of stress.

[alfietalksaboutcomics]

The Comics I've Read in April 2024

Ok Hi, so this post is almost a year late. For context, in march 2024 I did a list of the comics I read that month with commentary on each. This was supposed to become a monthly occurrence but it just became too unwieldy a project for me to keep up. So here this incomplete post sat in my drafts for almost a year. But I decided now that maybe it's worth putting out into the world just to have it out there. So here you go, my very late and final "Comics I've Read this Month"

Single Issues

Resurrection of Magneto #4 by Ewing and Vecchio

"Which hat should I wear? Which Magneto will I be?" That's the question at the heart of Resurrection of Magneto #4 by Al Ewing and Luciano Vecchio. On a pure plot level the story is relatively simple, Magneto liberates mutants from a Orchis base all the while kicking ass. But on a deeper level through internal monologue we explore the question at the heart of the issue, "Which Magneto will I be?"

This question is cleverly visualized by the three helmets that float around Magneto's head. Of course these helmets barely make sense on a rational plot level, but they don't need to, they work on a metaphorical level. The three different helmets represent three different versions of Magneto.

In the past the colors and costumes Magneto wears have represented the following: black represents mourning, white represents peace time, and red represents war. Here Ewing conceptualizes their meanings in a different way: Black represents the "Magneto of old" who acted with the mindset of "Single-minded vengeance at any cost", White represented the Magneto of compromise and self sacrifice, and red represents a new and forward looking way.

Magneto ultimately chooses the path of the red helmet, the path of redefining himself and not being beholden to old modes of operation from his past. He literally reshapes his helmet as a act of symbolic redefinition.

Everything I said about Vecchio's art on the series from last month still stands. Once again he proves himself to be a rising star over at Marvel. One notable thing about his art on this issue that I want to give him credit for is the slight redesign of Magneto. The changes to Magneto's costume are relatively minor, the moving of the X symbol to his chest and a change of helmet ornaments is really all that there is. The other notable thing is Magneto himself, he is ever so slightly younger looking after being brought back from the dead. It's a nice update on a classic design and I'm a little sad that we are probably going to lose it in the relaunch since Magneto seems to be sporting a suit in the promotional material that's been released.

While Resurrection of Magneto #4 isn't quite a coda to Al Ewing's time on the X-titles (that would be his upcoming section of Uncanny X-Men #700) it is the culmination of his work on the character of Magneto, closing the circle of his arc. Through S.W.O.R.D, X-Men Red, and Resurrection of Magneto Al Ewing has left a definitive mark on this character and for the better.

Series

Moon Knight by MacKay, Cappuccio, and Sabbatini

I am by no means a Moon Knight expert. I have only read the major runs of the 2010s, those being the Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey run and the Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood run (both of which are colored by the excellent Jordie Bellaire). The Ellis and Shalvey run is short, sleek, and stylish, it oozes cool from every panel. The Lemire and Smallwood run is much more cerebral and focuses on the interiority of Marc Spector and his various alters. While I adore both runs, I do find that they lean on opposite ends of the spectrum. Ellis and Shalvey’s Moon Knight runs on vibes while ignoring the psychology of Spector, whereas Lemire and Smallwood’s run has Spector fighting his inner demons with scantily a trace of street level heroism. Both these runs left me wanting something more, some kind of synthesis of these two halves of Moon Knight. I can happily say that I have found that synthesis in Jed MacKay, Alessandro Cappuccio, and Federico Sabbatini's Moon Knight.

This series is coming out of the Age Of Khonshu arc of Jason Aaron's Avengers where Moon Knight took over the world under the command of his patron Khonshu. As far as I understand (since I didn't read Aaron's Avengers I'm half assuming here) Khonshu's plot is foiled and Moon Knight is ostracized from the superhero community. Here is where this series picks up, Moon Knight is operating a outfit called the Midnight Mission, a place where people can come for his help. He's also seeing a avengers appointed therapist.

The introduction of Moon Knight's therapist, Dr. Sterman, is a smart one. While it's by no means new or novel, having a character attend therapy lets us gain insight into their psychology in a pretty natural way.

The structure of the series is interesting. For the most part issues tell their own self contained stories. These issues may still push forward character relationships and dynamics or the overarching plot but the focus is pretty firmly on telling a complete story in most issues.

Unlike both the Ellis and Lemire runs the MacKay run introduces largely new cast members for a Moon Knight series. These characters provide the heart of the series.

Chiefly you have Reese, Moon Knight's new assistant. She's a recently turned vampire who Moon Knight saved from a vampiric pyramid scheme cult. A big part of her arc is learning to become accustomed to her new way of life. She serves as a emotional rock for Moon Knight, getting to see her grow over the course of the series is one of the best things about it.

After that you have Solider, an ex-Hyrdra agent who is laying low until he finds himself one of the targets of a villain's plot. After being saved by Moon Knight he swears allegiance to him and his cause. Later in the series Solider, like Reese, becomes a vampire. Solider is someone who wants a cause to belong to.

Then there's Hunter's Moon, like Moon Knight he's also a fist of Khonshu. He starts out in a antagonistic role, viewing that Moon Knight has lost his ways and has strayed from the path of their god. As the series goes on he becomes more of a ally, later in the series him and Moon Knight are regularly calling each other brother, which honestly is really sweet. A big difference between the two fists of Khonshu is that Hunter's Moon inherited what is called the Chorus, which means he carries the minds of all of the past fists of Khonshu in his own mind.

Next there is Tigra, as she enters the series she is spying on Moon Knight on the behalf of Black Panther. As the issues go on she comes to find the guilt to be too much bear and confesses to Moon Knight who admits that he knows, but he didn't confront her because he "needed a friend". Awhile later in the series they start a romantic relationship.

And then you have 8-Ball. 8-Ball is a low level villain in the marvel universe, he shows up now and then early in the series mainly as a comedic punching bag. Later on he genuinely becomes a ally to Moon Knight and the Midnight Mission when he's given a second chance. It's honestly shocking how much I now care about fucking 8-Ball.

One of the biggest connecting threads through all these characters is that they are people who are being given a second chance. Solider is ex Hydra, Reese is a vampire, 8-Ball is a villain, Hunter's Moon is a zealot. All of these people could easily be left where they were and forgotten about, left to rot or even be killed. But the story of Moon Knight is all about second chances, Marc Spector was a ruthless mercenary who killed his way around the globe, but he was reborn a hero, Moon Knight, who protects the travelers of the night. The Midnight Mission is all about community and second chances.

The biggest villain of the series comes in and perverts that trust. Terry is the first person we see come to the Mission for help, he's the one who alerts Moon Knight to the vampire pyramid scheme cult that has turned several locals including Reese. We see Terry periodically after this helping out around the Mission. Throughout the first arc Moon Knight is targeted by a mysterious individual who keeps hiring low rate villains to either attack Moon Knight himself or those in his community. It's revealed in issue #5 that the mysterious person behind all these attacks is actually Terry, who isn't even real mind you, Terry is just a false identity of the villain Zodiac. Zodiac is a pure agent of chaos, he wants to unburden Moon Knight from his morals and see him devolve into a sadistic killer. Zodiac is a perfect principle villain for the series, he inserts himself into the welcoming social circle of the Midnight Mission and uses it's congregants' kindness against them.

On the art front there is Sabbatini as the main penciler for the series, his art grows considerably from the start of the series to the end, he starts out quite talented and by the end he is putting work in that blows his earlier stuff out of the water. Sabbatini's art has this extremely moody quality which is amplified by the amazing color work of Rachelle Rosenberg.

Bellaire's work on the previous two major runs of Moon Knight is core to the tone of those comics. So this run having a completely new colorist poses somewhat of a question, how do you follow up the work of someone who has defined the look of this character for the last decade? In my estimation there are two possible paths, you could imitate Bellaire's work, or you could go in a completely new style that redefines what a Moon Knight comic looks like, Rosenberg does the latter.

Bellaire's most striking choice was the use of white's in her Moon Knight work, Moon Knight was often a pure white which contrasted brilliantly with the moody cites in the Ellis and Shalvey run and the apoplectic vistas we saw in the Lemire and Smallwood run. How Rosenberg renders Moon Knight is equally striking but also radically different, she coats him in a brilliant white glow. Moon Knight is a radiating source of light in the dark with Rosenberg's colors. In fact Rosenberg's use of light in general is one of the most eye catching features of her work on Moon Knight. Rosenberg's work in this book is unlike any of her other work at Marvel so she's clearly going above and beyond for this title.

Sabbatini is the fill in artist for the series and does a pretty good job. His style generally leans more towards a anime aesthetic and while that's still pretty on display here it does seem to be slightly toned down a little to fit more with Sabbatini's style. There is a stretch towards the end of the book where he does about four issues in a row and honestly I wasn't the biggest fan of it, partially because I wanted more Sabbantini but moreso because they were some of the penultimate issues of the book. But overall he's a good choice for a fill in and I think his work has real merit to it even if it's not quite to my taste.

Before I move on I want to talk about my favorite issue and what parts of it I think work and what doesn't.

Moon Knight #25 is about eighty pages, granted around seven of those pages are a reprint of a older story (a quite great one in fact) but that still leaves over seventy pages of original story by MacKay and co. Those seventy pages are a pretty exhilarating read, it's the culmination of everything in the story up to that point. Many of the villains from earlier in the series reappear in a epic showdown. It's also the issue where 8-Ball really comes into focus as a member of the cast. However the most interesting thing about the issue to me and perhaps the part of it that least works is the flashback.

Through the course of the issue there is a flashback to a job that Marc ran with his old team the Karnak Cowboys back in his mercenary days. The team comprises established characters in the Moon Knight mythos except for a notable new face, Marc's love interest, Layla El-Faouly. The whole purpose of this flashback is to introduce us to this character who at dies in the same issue we meet her in.

"You became a demon. Her death made you one" is the line uttered in relation to Layla's death. Which doesn't make much sense considering Marc was still a murdering mercenary before this point. Without context this is a pretty bizarre story choice, to introduce a love interest who's death is allegedly at the core of what made this man a "demon". It doesn't quite make narrative sense. It only makes sense when you consider that Layla El-Faouly is a character from the at the time recently released Moon Knight tv show and this whole flashback is set up for a separate mini. Does this context make the narrative beat make more sense? Not really, at least when viewing this as a story. But it does make a certain amount of IP sense. It's serving as a launching point for this new character who wider audiences are familiar with to enter the comics.

None of that is the reason why Moon Knight #25 is my favorite issue though, but it does make it one of the most interesting issues of the series to me.

Moon Knight by MacKay, Cappuccio, and Sabbatini is my favorite of the Moon Knight runs I've read so far. It balances the psychoanalytic part of the character and the street level action to a perfect tee. I've barely scratched the surface of these thirty issues in these one thousand seven hundred words but I hope that I have done it even a sliver of the amount of justice it deserves in this overview.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight by MacKay, Cappuccio #1-4

I don't have much to say about the first four issues of Jed MacKay and Alessandro Cappuccio's Vengeance of the Moon Knight. Which makes sense given that it has the same creative team and continues the story of Moon Knight. With that being said I can still confidently say it's a step up from what came before. Moon Knight is dead, his allies at the Midnight Mission and the surrounding community are left to mourn. However it never stays quiet on the streets of New York, for a new mysterious Moon Knight has come to town.

So far each issue focuses on one of the members of the Midnight Mission while progressing the story forward, through therapy sessions that foreground the issues we get their reactions to the death of the old Moon Knight and the emergence of the new one. It's a testament to the cast that MacKay and Cappuccio have created that they can not only hold a series of their own in the absence of the title character but be a draw themselves.

The art from Cappuccio and Rosenberg stays stellar, somehow eclipsing the high bar of quality that they set for themselves in the prior series. Of particular note is the design of the new Moon Knight who just looks so god damn cool.

Moon Knight: City of the Dead by Pepose, Ferreira, and Hill

I'm not going to lie, I didn't love Moon Knight: City of the Dead by David Pepose, Marcelo Ferreira, and Sean Damien Hill all that much. The book is a very different flavor of Moon Knight to MacKay's in about every way imaginable. For one thing it's a completely mythological setting as opposed to the street level action of MacKay's take. For another it's depictions of characters and relationships is very far removed from what MacKay does in the main title around the time this came out.

The basic premise of the book is this, a child is mortally wounded in a street fight and Moon Knight travels to the city of the dead to recover is soul. During this trip to the city of the dead Moon Knight runs into his lost love Layla (remember her from earlier?), and he uncovers a plot by the mysterious Jackal Knight to take over the world of the living or something.

Pepose's style of writing differs quite a bit from MacKay's. Pepose relies a lot on internal monologue where it's just about entirely absent from MacKay's Moon Knight. One thing I will give Pepose is that it very much feels like he did his research on Egyptian mythology, the book gives off the vibe of a deep understanding of the mythological concepts being played with.

While Layla was introduced in Moon Knight #25 this series is her real debut, here we meet her as the Scarlet Scarab the protector of the city of the dead. The thing is, she doesn't get a huge focus in this series. She definitely present but she has no real arc, she just performs a series of actions that keeps the plot moving. For a comic that should establish her as a interesting character it falls pretty flat.

The primary focus of the book is instead on the guilty conscious of Moon Knight, the book hammers this home several times within the first issue with variations on "I deserve pain because I am such a bad person".

It's pretty insentient and gets tired fairly quickly. This characterization also feels out of step with MacKay's take on Moon Knight. While I don't think that MacKay's Moon Knight feels good about his past as a mercenary he's not as whiny about it as this version of the character is. MacKay's Moon Knight acknowledges what he's done and tries to make up for it, he isn't indulgently stuck in his own past. To the extent that MacKay's Moon Knight is ashamed of his actions it's his more regrettable moments as Moon Knight, not as Marc Spector.

The series generally feels out of step with MacKay's run, with several weird depictions of relationships. For example Moon Knight and Hunter's Moon's relationship is depicted as quite adversarial whereas at this point in the main book they have formed a brotherly bond. Another inconsistency is how Marc's relationship with Tigra is outright ignored, the series instead has him seemingly falling back in love with Layla with no mention of his preestablished romantic commitment.

I'm pretty lukewarm on the overall art for the series, it's by no means bad but it's not particularly my taste. Ferreira's pencils are quite detailed, almost exhaustively so. Maybe it's the inking by Jay Leisten in combination with the pencils that I don't I don't vibe with. Something I noticed in particular is that his panels tend to often be slanted, especially during action. It creates a interesting visual effect but not one I'm super keen on. The area that he does excel at though is selling the magical look of the city of the dead.

Rosenberg's colors excel most with these magical looking environments. She is applying the same type of coloring as she does on the main book. This doesn't work as well on Ferreira's art as it does on Cappuccio's though.

It's also worth a mention that Hill does a fill in for issue #3. This is fairly peculiar considering that this is only a five issue mini. However this has been the case with several of Marvel's recent minis so it probably speaks to a overall issue with how deadlines are set up, still though it feels weird having a fill in for a five issue mini. I don't have much to say about Hill's art since it's only one issue, I will say however that he is a good compliment to Ferreira's art.

The best part of the art on the series is by far the covers by Rod Reis.

At the end of the day Moon Knight: City of the Dead just wasn't for me. I couldn't get into it's depiction of Moon Knight and nothing about it really resonated with me. It's by no means terrible but I can't quite recommend it either.

Strange by MacKay and Ferreira

Strange is dead, long live Strange! Strange by Jed MacKay and Marcelo Ferreira is the follow up to The Death of Doctor Strange. With Doctor Steven Strange dead his wife Clea Strange must take the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. Clea's goal is simple, to return her husband back to the land of the living. But along the way she'll face resurrected dead superheros, a mysterious cartel rampaging through the magical underworld, and the mysterious Harvestman!

Clea Strange is forefront in this title, and she rules. Clea is from the dark dimension and was raised in the court of Dormammu, she's a born warlord. This sets her approach to the office of Sorcerer Supreme in a quite different place then Steven's. Whereas Steven strives to spare life, even that of his most devious enemies, Clea takes life readily. Another defining trait of Clea in the series is that she is highly motivated to get what she wants, in this case that's the life of her husband. As a warlord she'll go to any means to bring Steven Strange back to life.

Wong also gets a bit of a focus in this series. He's was fiercely loyal to Steven Strange as he was raised to be the attendant for the Sorcerer Supreme. He carries quite a weight after Steven's death and puts himself firmly into the work of his office. He's a compelling character and luckily MacKay takes the time to give him and his feelings room to breathe, even dedicating a whole issue to the character.

The series differs from MacKay's work on Moon Knight in a few ways. For one thing it occasionally employs internal monologue. Another way the series differs from Moon Knight is structurally. Most issues of Moon Knight are somewhat self contained while moving the overall plot arc forward. Here in Strange MacKay moves the narrative forward in a much more serialized way. There is only one arc in the ten issues of Strange and each issue feeds into the next. These differences go a long way to show that MacKay isn't a one trick pony as a writer and is capable of multiple avenues of storytelling.

Before I get into the art of the series I have a confession to make, this month I'm writing these as I go. For March I typed out my thoughts on the comics I read that month in a day or two, it was pretty exhausting. This month instead I'd decided to write as I finish each series. The reason I point this out is that I had no idea that Ferreira did the art on this series as well as Moon Knight: City of the Dead.

Ferreria's art is serviced much better in Strange then it was in Moon Knight: City of the Dead. I suspect the reason for that is the inking and the coloring of the series better suiting his style. I still don't quite vibe with Ferreria's frequent use of slanted panels but his art is much stronger in this series. His Clea is very animated and cute yet fierce. He really sells a few key moments of magic spectacle in the book as well.

Lee Gerbett returns from The Death of Doctor Strange on issue #6 while Stefano Landini provides most of the art on issue #8. Both do a good job but there work constitutes such a small part of the series that it doesn't give me a lot to talk about.

One other thing I want to talk about with the series is how Clea is designed.

Clea is given a pretty simple new design for this series. She's largely dressed in black with a yellow sash around her hips and the cloak of levitation which is held together by the eye of agamotto. Like I said it's a simple design but it is a good one that is reminiscent of Doctor Strange's look while not being a outright copy. The really notable thing to me and what gives the design flair is the fact that Clea's head often turns into a white flame. As a member of the Faltine and as such she has a form of pure energy, thus the white flame. It's a cool signature look and helps assert when she means business.

Strange isn't the best series by MacKay that I've read but it is a step above the already great The Death of Doctor Strange. MacKay's writing is as sharp as it has been on titles like Black Cat and Moon Knight, and Ferreria's art is better served here then it was in Moon Knight: City of the Dead.

[daydreamerdrew]

Comics read this past week:

Marvel Comics:

Daredevil & Captain America: Dead on Arrival (2008) #1

This 48-page issue was published in November 2008. The story was first published in 2006, and in this edition it’s being “presented for the first time in North America.” I’m not sure in what context exactly it was first published. The story was written by Tito Faraci and drawn by Claudio Villa. And it was translated from Italian by Alexandra Hain-Cole. It’s also credited as adapted by Larry Hama. I found it interpreted online that that means he took what Alexandra Hain-Cole translated and rewrote it so that the words could fit into the already existing dialogue bubbles and narration boxes.

Nick says, walking in on Steve training, “Workin’ out’s a bitch when you get old, huh?”

And Steve says, of Nick showing up at the Avengers’ headquarters, “You’re not one for social calls, so why don’t we cut the idle chit-chat and show all our cards. I like the hear the worst news first. Saves the useless suspense.”

After Nick’s briefing, which ends with that he’ll get a call once the villain’s location is figured out, Steve says, a bit of frustrated, “Great. All we have to do is wait.” Nick tells him, “You and I know that’s most of a soldier’s job: waiting.”

The villain of this issue, Death-Stalker, previously died in Daredevil (1964) #158, which was published in January 1979. This story takes place in the modern day, and rather than being resurrected, Death-Stalker has accidentally travelled to the future because of his powers. And since it’s known that he was fighting Daredevil when he died, he decides to get revenge on his own “murderer.”

Ultimate War (2003) #1-4

These issues were published across December 2002 to February 2003. All were written by Mark Millar and penciled by Chris Bachalo. Issue #1 inked by Tim Townsend, issues #2-3 were inked by Tim Townsend and Andy Owens, and issue #4 was inked by Tim Townsend, Andy Owens, and Aaron Sowd. All were colored by Paul Mounts. Issues #1-3 were 23 pages, and issue #4 was 24 pages.

This miniseries is about a ‘war’ between the Ultimates and the X-Men. The inciting incident is a terrorist act by Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants. Initially the Ultimates believe that Magento and Professor X settled their differences and combined their Brotherhood and the X-Men. This isn’t true, but then the Ultimates don’t care. Because the X-Men faked Magneto’s death and secretly kept him alive so that they could try to rehabilitate him, they’re considered responsible for his current actions now that he’s escaped them. And then Magneto tips the Ultimates off to where the X-Men are hiding so that Xavier will get captured and he can try to become the new leader of his students.

This miniseries takes place before the Ultimates had proven their worth to the public. In issue #1 it’s said that “Captain America and the super heroes have to sound like they know what they’re doing to justify getting paid every month for doing absolutely nothing.” And in issue #2 they’re referred to as “that Ultimate Defense Department we’re spending stupid amounts of money on.” Those quotes are from Toad, of the Brotherhood, and Jean Grey’s father, respectively, but it’s still a little surprising to see the Ultimates’ existence questioned during the crisis that is Magneto’s reappearance. In The Ultimates (2002) #4 it was asked, “All this cash being diverted to superhuman forces is creating a lot of friction with the military brass. Can you seriously justify a fifty billion dollar headquarters off the coast of Manhattan when there’s only been one notable super-villain attack in American history? What if it’s another ten years before someone like Magneto comes along? Supposing it never even happens again?”

I was interested Janet’s perspective as a secret mutant in the public Ultimates. Wanda and Pietro are secret members of the team, which makes sense because their father is the famous terrorist Magneto.

In issue #1 Janet says, watching news reports about the attack and the revelation that Magneto is still alive, “People are going to be terrified out there. Scared out of their wits again… I thought we were getting paid to make sure this kind of stuff didn’t happen anymore.”

When Janet is upset in issue #3, over what Bruce did in a Hulk episode and over Pietro’s injuries, Steve pulls her aside for a talk. He tells her, “I know why this case is getting you so upset, Jan. We all do, and I want you to know that none of this DNA stuff matters to anyone else on the team.” He says, “You don’t have to pretend anymore, Jan. We know you’re a mutant and we know you were born with these powers.” He explains that Nick has known since she joined the Ultimates, but “Fury never brought it up because it’s inconsequential to him, sweetheart.” And finally, “It’s a war on terror we’re fighting out there, not a war on mutants. It’s important you appreciate the difference here.”

In The Ultimates (2002) #6 Hank had told Janet, because he felt embarrassed and emasculated by her being friendly with Steve in public where the media saw, “He wouldn’t be flirting with you if he knew what you really were,” referring to that she’s a mutant. Hank elaborated, “I wonder if he’d still have the hots for you if he saw you eating caterpillars and beetles or hiding in your little larval nest when all the mutant hysteria was going on a while back? Do you think they’d all find you so special and pretty if they were waking up every six weeks to find eggs in their beds?” And he said, “your personal hygiene makes me sick to my stomach sometimes.”

Janet stayed with Hank for so long because of self-esteem issues caused by those unseemly parts of her mutation. And probably also because of the fact that Hank could out her as a mutant. And, also, I had assumed, because from this description it didn't seem possible that Janet could be in an intimate relationship and hide her mutation, she didn’t think anyone else would be with her. So it’s disappointing to me that Steve simply learned that she’s a mutant from Nick and these other parts of her powers were never brought up or portrayed in the context of their relationship. Particularly because however Janet felt about them at this point in time, and however Steve reacted to them, could have helped better flesh out their relationship, and therefore the problems they had later on, as well. But I do appreciate for Janet’s sake this clear rebuttal to the horrible things Hank told her.

Also, Steve reassuring Janet that she’s not being judged for being a mutant reminded me of him not expecting her to feel judged in The Ultimates (2002) #9 after Hank’s domestic violence towards her was made public. After Steve referred to that Janet would be back on the team once she recovered, she explained that she was transferring to Germany and asked, “Do you really think I’m going back into the public eye after being humiliated like this?” He responded, “Why should you have to give everything up because of something Hank did? You’re not the one who did anything wrong here, Jan.”

In issue #4 Janet says to Nick, as Xavier is paralyzing every non-mutant mind in the area, “Well, at least now I know why you keep your little secret mutant on the books.” And when she finds Xavier, she says, “I got him, Nick, but I can’t say I’m too especially pleased with myself about this…” Nick tells her, “Just think about all those bodies floating in the East River and hit him with the biggest wasp sting you got, baby.”

In issue #1 Natasha questions including the Maximoff twins in the fight against the Brotherhood of Mutants. The twins, for their part, are divided about being there. Pietro complains, “We must be out of our minds. Our father is the most wanted terrorist leader in the planet and we’re walking into a U.S. Army facility? I’m telling you- this whole invitation of theirs was a trap.” But Wanda argues, “Why would they use us as bait when they know The Brotherhood regard us as traitors to their very species? Besides, hanging around here with the Super-Soldiers is probably the safest place to hide from Dad at the moment.”

The original explanation for their involvement with the team in The Ultimates (2002) #8, from Wanda, was merely that “my brother and I will take part in appropriate S.H.I.E.L.D. missions in exchange for the release of political prisoners.” Nick phrased it as that it “Ain’t the first time the security services done deals with terrorists” and that the Brotherhood “ain’t above shaking hands with us homo-sapien trash when the price is nice,” implying that the twins were still affiliated with the Brotherhood at this time.

Steve says, when Pietro is snippy, “I’m sure both you and Scarlet Witch could make a valuable contribution here.” And he defends them to Natasha by saying, “I think Wanda and Pietro have proven themselves on a number of covert missions for the U.S. government. While toning down the activities of The Brotherhood.” It’s worth noting that mutants weren’t a known concept in the 1940s, so Steve isn’t coming into this with any pre-existing anti-mutant bigotry, which may not be the case for everyone else.

Also, Thor says in issue #2, “I think it’s important that you realize how much everyone admires you for doing this, Wanda. Taking sides against your own flesh and blood is incredibly brave.”

I was intrigued by Pietro and Wanda’s relationship with Magneto. What I’ve seen of it is the main 616 continuity is minimal, and from before the reveal/retcon that he’s their father, but has come across as him feeling uniquely possessive of them.

In issue #2, when Steve tells the twins to fight back against Magneto, Wanda says, “We can’t. You don’t understand.” And Magneto says, “And they never shall, my darlings. Now come forward and accept your punishment.”

Magneto says, of Pietro betraying him and helping Xavier mind-control him, “I thought that showed admirable ambition” and “for the first time in your life, you were showing some degree of strength.” What he’s angry about is that “you turned my organization into a stooge for the Homo-Sapiens.” Wanda tries to argue, “I’m as guilty as Pietro, sir. If you have to punish him, you have to punish me, too.” But Magneto says, “Oh, but your punishment is quite straightforward, my little Wanda… You get to watch.” Then he uses his powers to shoot Pietro in both kneecaps with guns. Throughout this the twins were just standing still in front of their father. This all makes it seem as though they are somehow physically incapable of disobeying him.

In issue #2 a S.H.I.E.l.D. employee goads Bruce in his cell after the lights flickered, saying, “What’s the matter, Doctor Banner? You get all excited for a second? You think that was your big chance for the world to get a glimpse of the big, bad Hulk again? Ignore us all you want, you’ll still rot in that holding tank, lowlife.” But he is actually able to escape when Magneto shuts off the power for longer, and in issue #3 Janet explains, “It was only a couple of minutes before the back-up generator kicked-in and the gas knocked him out, but that was all he needed to break loose and eat the nursing staff. […] All six of them. Every one of these people had kids and our resident vegetarian here downed them in seconds.”

Janet being disturbed by the Hulk makes it more meaningful that she visited Bruce in his cell in The Ultimates 2 (2005) #13 after feeling guilty about how lonely his life was after his funeral in The Ultimates 2 (2005) #3.

In issue #3 Natasha is referred to as “an anti-human assassin.” Back in The Ultimates (2002) #8 Clint said during a battle, “It’s okay for you and your million dollar enhancements, but I can’t do this stuff and talk at the same time, honey!”

Ultimate Six (2003) #1-7

These issues were published across September 2003 to April 2004. All were written by Brian Michael Bendis. And all were penciled by Trevor Hairsine and inked by Danny Miki, except for that the first 7 pages of issue #1 were penciled by Joe Quesada. Those 7 pages were colored by Richard Isanove, and the rest of issues #1-3 were colored by Dave Stewart. And issues #4-7 were colored by Ian Hannin. Issue #1 was 28 pages, issue #2 was 23 pages, issues #3 and #7 were 21 pages, issues #4 and #6 were 22 pages, and issue #5 was 26 pages.

Issue #1 is the first I’ve seen of there being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Sharon Carter in the Ultimate universe. In the 616 continuity, Sharon has the same last name as Peggy Carter because she’s her niece, and both are blond. In the Ultimate Universe Steve’s WWII love interest is Gail Richards (though now Gail Barnes), pulling from a character in the Captain America serial from 1944. In The Ultimates (2002) #3 Bucky said, “Gail and I just take care of my eldest daughter Sharon’s two boys three days a week so she can get back to work.” Both Gail and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon have red hair.

In issue #1 Nick Fury tells prisoners at “a secured S.H.I.E.L.D. compound,” who haven’t been told what their charges are, that they are all a “permanent guest of the United States government” and “are being detained as an illegal, unnatural genetic mutation.” He explains, “You gave up your participation in society the second you- any of you- purposely and maliciously altered your genetic structure. There are no laws for you, except for the ones the President of the United States authorized me to make up for you. You turned yourself into freaks and you’ll be treated as such.”

It’s explained to a new prisoner, “The device around your neck, your collar, will stabilize your self-inflicted genetic damage to a more appropriate and legal level- until such time that our specialists can analyze and repair your DNA sequences. You are also hereby informed that at such time as your genetics have been stabilized you will be tried for your crimes in a United States Federal Court. If you attempt to engage your genetic irregularities […] your collar will forcibly stabilize your genetic sequences.”

After the prisoners escape, even though they remove the collars, they can’t use their powers except for in planned moments where they are prepared to leave quickly afterwards, or when they are no longer in hiding, because the use of their powers will detected by satellites.

In issue #4 the President, furious to be first finding out about the prison and about the possibility of it becoming public knowledge, says, “Can you- do you know how many bleeding heart organizations I am going to have crawling up my skirt when they find out you were holding men against their will!!?? Without a trial?? Doesn’t matter what they did, Fury? Doesn’t matter why you put them there. You think it does- I am telling you, to these people, to the American people, it absolutely does not!!”

In issue #4 Osborn explains to the other escaped prisoners, “My company, Oscorp, was commissioned to create a super soldier serum. That’s what Otto and I were working on when we ended up the way we are. Same with you, and you… you are direct results of my competition for that same government contract? All of us crawling over to impress Fury and get that contract? See it now? Do you think anyone in that White House wants it getting out to the world media… to their enemies and allies… that Nick Fury was secretly funding and financing super soldier research?”

This is a little confusing to me. Trying to recreate the super-soldier serum was a core part of the beginning of the Ultimates before Steve was found still alive. In The Ultimates (2002) #2 Nick explained to Bruce that “That Super-Soldier program you’ve been working on for the last eight years” is getting “a hundred and fifty billion dollar cash injection” because, for the team, “we need someone up there with a flag on his chest more than ever right now.” And this research was public knowledge. In The Ultimates (2002) #4 Tony said on TV, “As for the Super-Soldier situation; of course, we’re disappointed that Doctor Banner hadn’t delivered the goods, but Captain America is the most dangerous man alive. Are you seriously telling me we’re going to need two of this guy to win a fight?”

In issue #2 Jan says, of the villain Doc Ock, “This guy- I swear to God- this guy Octavius was a genius. I wrote one of my Doctorate’s on this man’s work. Worshipped the guy.” Nick follows that up with, “Speaking of your taste in men… Our Doctor Pym here has been spending his free time working at the facility where we house these illegal genetics. I know seeing Henry here, since he left the team, is a bit jarring. I hope we can keep things civil and professional and listen to what the man has to say.” Hank is there meeting with Nick, Steve, Janet, Thor, Clint, and Natasha in person.

This was surprising to me, considering the scene in The Ultimates 2 (2005) #6 where Hank talked to Janet alone after he’d had a meeting with Nick at the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, and Steve stepped in as soon as he saw and said, “Walk away, Pym.” And then, “Walk away or I put your head through that wall.” I had assumed this by-chance meeting was the first time Janet had seen Hank since their fight, and that Steve didn’t want Hank anywhere near Janet. But now it seems that Steve’s reaction was specifically because their conversation was one-one-one and a bit flirtatious. Steve was exasperated afterwards, saying when Janet said that wasn’t necessary, “Jan, for God’s sake…” Also, I realize now that Hank and Janet, though they didn’t interact, were both present for Bruce’s execution and funeral in The Ultimates 2 (2005) #3.

In issue #3 Janet gets upset and rushes in when Tony finds Hank seriously injured, even though Tony hadn’t declared it safe for anyone else to enter yet. Steve calls out for her, but as she ignores him, he then simply informs Tony that she’s coming. There’s nothing to indicate afterwards that Steve was upset by this. While Steve dislikes Hank and doesn’t understand why Janet cares about him- he said in The Ultimates 2 (2005) #8, “How can she even speak to a guy who beat her up every night?”- I don’t think he’s possessive or insecure like that, or is tactless enough to confront Janet over this. And I don’t think he actually wants Hank dead. He wasn’t try to kill Hank when he beat him up in The Ultimates (2002) #9. And, though he hates Bruce for all the people he killed after he willingly chose to transform into the Hulk, Steve was upset when it became clear Bruce was probably going to get the death penalty in The Ultimates 2 (2005) #2.

In issue #7 Janet goes to see Hank, still unconscious, in the hospital. It’s said that the “notes and files” she provided on his unique genetics “were very helpful.” But as soon as Janet is told that Hank is “in serious but stable condition,” she mentally checks out of the situation. And when she’s told as she leaves that they’ll call her if there’s any change in his condition, she responds, “No, call General Fury.” This, of course, brings to mind Janet in the hospital in The Ultimates (2002) #7 after Hank nearly killed her. It was said then, “Fortunately, she found the strength to grow back to human size by the time the emergency teams arrived or they’d probably never even have seen her,” and also that Hank was seen “wearing a baseball cap and running out of the house in the early hours of the morning with a duffel bag over his shoulder,” meaning Hank, despite his claims of remorse, simply left her there to die.

I like this new moment at the hospital, of Janet making sure that Hank stays alive but not involving herself any further, representing her moving on from him, but it makes her being interested in returning to Hank because she isn’t attracted to Steve and finds him boring and judgemental in The Ultimates 2 (2005) feel less supported. And there’s nothing between now and that book to build towards Janet feeling more positively towards Hank.

Also, that Hank is working with the imprisoned Spider-Man villains in this series, doing group therapy and trying to cure them of their genetic alterations, works well with how he kept visiting Bruce in prison in the main series despite them not being friends before Bruce was locked up.

Steve gets upset when he first learns in issue #2 that these criminals got their powers from experiments commissioned by Nick to try to recreate the experiment that made him Captain America. Then in issue #4 he confronts Nick at an inopportune time, saying of the experiments, “seventy years later and all we have to show for it… is this? Half-mutated homicidal maniacs? Thugs with powers? How many people have died for this? How long has this been going on? How long is this going to [continue?]”

Nick tells him, “Captain, you, like the atom bomb, are one of the greatest success stories in the history of war. And ever since, like the bomb, every country with a petri dish and five dollars has been scrambling to not only repeat you… but to improve on you and stockpile you.” And he echoes something Hank said in issue #2 by saying, “One way or another, the next war will be a genetic war.” Steve says, “This isn’t the legacy I was hoping to leave behind when I volunteered for the program.” But Nick tells him, “This has nothing to do with you. If it wasn’t ’Super Soldier’ it would be something else.”

Steve says to Nick in issue #7, after seeing that S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t going to kill Osborn, but is going to keep him imprisoned until they get everything they need from his genetics, “You know, being a veteran of war… Being a creation of war… It occurred to me… That, really, it’s men of influence and power that decide what these wars will be about. They decide who we are going to fight and how we will fight them… And then they go about planning the fight. In a sense, really, these people of power will the war into existence.” Nick doesn’t respond.

Steve drawing a line between himself and Nick made me think of their quiet moment of camaraderie in The Ultimates (2002) #10 where they stood together in silence on the way to a mission after Nick asked if he was okay and Steve said he was, but then pointed out that he had done “an airdrop onto one of these alien death factories” before, referring his final mission in WWII.

That Nick tolerates being confronted by Steve when he’s busy in issue #4 and the lecture in issue #7 seems notable when compared to that Nick blows up on Peter Parker in issue #3.

In issue #1 Steve, Clint, Natasha, Thor, and Janet all show up for the arrest of a reality TV show star who had an illegal genetic enhancement. When he makes a run for it, Steve asks Thor to round him up, but Thor says no. So then Steve asks Clint. I was surprised that Thor would participate in this in the first place, but then Steve explains, “Only one of us had to swing by and get you but then everyone else wanted to see Hollywood.” Clint adds, “We’ve had nothing to do for almost two months.”

In issue #3 it’s questioned how S.H.I.E.L.D. can’t easily locate powered people with all the technology it has, and Nick says, “Captain, if we had that kind of technology- to locate anyone anywhere- Your butt wouldn’t have sat in a block of ice for fifty years.”

And in issue #3 Nick yells, “I lost thirty-five people today!! That’s more agents in a single day than I have lost since I took this job!” His reaction adds more weight to that “twenty thousand troops” were killed in The Ultimates (2002) #10, though that was actually published before this.

Ultimate Nightmare (2004) #1-5

These issues were published across August 2004 to February 2005. All were written by Warren Ellis. Issues #1-2 and #4-5 were penciled by Trevor Hairsine, and issue #3 was penciled by Steve Epting. Issue #1 was inked by Simon Coleby. Issue #2 was inked Nelson DeCastro with Simon Coleby. Issue #3 was inked by Nelson DeCastro with Tom Palmer. Issue #4 was inked by Nelson DeCastro with Mark Morales, Rodney Ramos, Simon Coleby, and Tom Palmer. And issue #5 was inked by Nelson DeCastro. All were colored by Frank D’Armata. Issues #1 and #4 were 23 pages, issue #2 was 24 pages, and issues #3 and #5 were 22 pages.

In issue #1 Nick says, “I like Tony. Everyone likes Tony. He’s a friendly little freak of nature, you know? But one day he’s going to pull his weak sister act at the wrong moment and he’s going to get capped. And then we’ll be without a double-brained freak of nature.”

In issue #2 Piotr says, of the Tunguska event, an explosion over a remote area of Russia a hundred years before, “What people say is… the forest grew back wrong. Trees and plants were different. There’s a heavy level of mutation in the natural world there. That’s why people don’t talk about it. No one wants to be too interested in mutation, you know?” Jean responds, “Oh, I know.”

Nick says to Sam, after Sam explains that he saluted him despite not being in the army anymore because of force of habit, “You’re a good boy.” And later Nick addresses a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent as “son.”

In issue #3 Natasha confirms, of the abandoned bunker they’re investigating, “The staff here didn’t get paid for six months. This looks to be around 1994. So they literally just locked up and left.” Steve says, “I knew a lot of Russians. I could never imagine Russians doing that.” And Natasha tells him, “You missed sixty years of disappointments, Captain. Sixty years of the state saying they’d look after us, and then having no choice but to look after ourselves.”

In issue #4 Natasha explains, of the facility they’re investigating, “They were terrified of you, Captain. Even though you were lost by then. An American supersoldier. You reinvented ground war. It was the last thing they expected. And there were no guarantees that America wouldn’t rediscover how to make more of you. So they began a cold-war battle to fight a soldier who no longer existed. The whole time you were asleep in the ice, these people were at war with you.” She says, “These things that fill this place, Captain, these human horrors… These are your Russian cousins, medical jokes kept underground for everyone’s safety. Implanted with radio devices monitored by nuclear landmines set to explode if they leave the area.”

Natasha had opened her explanation with, “This is all your fault, Captain. […] This is all because of you.” Then, after they fight another ‘monster,’ she says that the facility was operating “Long enough to make a hell of a lot of mistakes. Mistakes too big to kill. Mistakes so bad they could do nothing but lock them up. And in a funny kind of way, it’s all your fault. But perhaps you have to be Russian to appreciate the humor.” Steve later says, “One thing I don’t get. You are a Russian supersoldier.” And Natasha explains that there were multiple programs to try to create Russian super-soldiers.

I think it’s safe to assume that Natasha’s harshness towards Steve isn’t entirely stemming from learning about this facility but also comes from her own personal experiences. That Steve took what she said about him being responsible so calmly was surprising to me. But this is coming after he was upset by learning about other attempts to recreate him, which resulted in powerful criminals, in Ultimate Six (2003), so he’s not entirely unprepared, though those experiments were at least self-inflicted. It may be that Steve has already firmly decided that it’s not him but “men of influence and power” that are responsible for having ‘willed’ the “genetic war” into existence, which he didn’t foresee when he volunteered for the Super-Soldier program. It may also be that Steve recognizes that Natasha is angry over what happened to her, so he was waiting for a more appropriate target to vent his own anger.

The Ultimate universe version of Alexei Shostakov, the Red Guardian, is the “trustee” of the facility, and, recalling the first appearances of the main version of him in The Avengers (1963) #43-44, he was created to one day fight Captain America and prove Russia’s superiority. Alexei phrases his explanation of himself as “the good workers of this place, they said we make you great,” and, “I have waited. And guarded the means of production like a good worker.”

Steve wants the one-on-one fight with Alexei. He explains, “Because, you know what? I knew Russian soldiers during the war. They were good and decent men, and they made horrible, painful sacrifices to defend their people. And to see them turn into people who make monsters and keep them underground on top of a minefield- to see people like you, proudly complicit in this nightmare- yeah, I’ll give you your fight.” In their original showdown, Steve fought alone because the other Avengers had been captured.

This Steve having admiration for the Russian soldiers of WWII is really interesting to me. This version of Steve infamously yelled in The Ultimates (2002) #12, after a villain said he expected Steve to surrender, “You think this letter on my head stands for France?” In contrast, the main version of Steve talked in Captain America (2005) #3 with extreme admiration for the French Resistance he witnessed and fought alongside during WWII, and said “it really galls me when I hear my own people dismissing the French as cowards. We’re talking about a people who never gave up fighting the Nazi occupation. Their country may have surrendered, but they didn’t.”

And in contrast to that, in Captain America (2005) #5 Steve felt less positively about the Russian soldiers he fought alongside. Steve and Bucky were both upset when a Russian soldier killed one of their prisoners, his cousin, because “he brought shame on our country, to fight for our enemy. He was no longer Russian.” And Steve judged the Colonel they were working with for torturing another prisoner for information. That during WWII the Russians treated their German prisoners much more cruelly than the Americans did is true to life. The Colonel said to Steve, “You don’t like our ways? How easy it is for you to judge us. When Nazis control half of your Washington D.C.… when they turn your own brothers against you, then you can judge…” Steve responded, “Well, maybe if your leader hadn’t been so obliging when they invaded Poland, you wouldn’t have the wolves at your door like this.” He’s referring to the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact of August 1939, where both sides agreed not to attack the other or ally with enemies of the other. Germany invaded Poland a week after it was signed. The pact was broken when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, leading to the Soviet Union joining the Allies.

Issue #5 introduces this world’s version of the Vision. Rather than being an android (with human brainwaves) created by the android Ultron, who was created by Hank Pym, Vision is a robot from space and was sent to warn the Earth about Galactus as one of his Heralds.

Ultimate Secret (2005) #1-4

These issues were published across March 2005 to October 2005. All were written by Warren Ellis. Issues #1-2 were penciled by Steve McNiven, inked by Mark Morales, and colored by Morry Hollowell. And issues #3-4 were penciled by Tom Raney, inked by Scott Hanna, and colored by Rob Schwager. Issue #1 was 23 pages, and issues #24 were 22 pages.

This book introduces this world’s version of Captain Mar-Vell. His role in issue #1 certainly feels very similar to his first appearances in the main continuity in Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) #12-13 and Captain Marvel (1968) #1. His mission here was supposed to only be to watch the Earth be destroyed by Galactus, and before that to make sure the humans didn’t have the rocket technology to allow some humans to escape the planet alive. While his first story in the 616 universe also involved protecting a rocket from a Kree Sentry, it didn’t have anything to do with Galactus. And the Kree hadn’t decided what to do with the Earth yet, so Mar-Vell wasn’t necessarily going to be watching over their destruction at that point. And he wasn’t disobeying orders by protecting the rocket, either, as it was Yon-Rogg that was jeopardizing the mission by sending the Sentry after it in the first place. Also, there’s no mention of Una in this story, who was the source of Mar-Vell and Yon-Rogg’s original conflict, the woman they were both in love with.

In the main continuity the Kree naturally look human as long as they’re wearing human clothes, whereas here Mahr Vehl had to have surgery in order to look human, and this is forcibly reversed after his betrayal to the human side, making him look like an alien again. He does have the human identity Walter Lawson at the beginning of the book, though I don’t know if here it is also the name of a dead man whose identity he stole, but he gets caught as an alien pretty quickly, anyway. Mahr Vehl also has the same watch imbedded in his wrist. And his change of sides is because he genuinely likes humans and human culture. I haven’t actually read far enough in Captain Marvel (1968) to know why he aligned with humanity there.

In issue #2, discussing the Chitauri’s claims about their power and importance in the galaxy, Sue Storm says, “The Ultimates could beat the Kings of the Universe but couldn’t stop the Hulk from eating half of Midtown? I don’t think so.”

Tony says to the Fantastic Four, who are teenagers in this universe, “Good afternoon, kids. They tell me the entire world is in danger from some hideous alien beasties once again. Terribly dreary, I know. So what we’re going to do is fly across the continent very, very fast, discover all kinds of perfectly vile things, kill everybody and then have a little drinkie. Ready?”

In issue #3 Clint says to Natasha, “I hate working with the super heroes. I liked it better when it was just us. No showboating, no ‘you think this A on my head stands for France’, no overgrown kids getting into their battle armor drunk.” Natasha says, “That’s my fiancé you’re talking about,” referring to Tony. And Clint says, “That’s your future estate inheritance I’m talking about.” But he continues, seriously, “The bigger and weirder this gig gets, the less professional it becomes. Did Fury really say he’s drafted those four kids from New York? It’s all gone to garbage. We’re all going to die.”

In issue #4 Clint says, “[Mahr Vehl], Tony, and I take the lead. You kids stay behind us at all times,” referring to Sue and Reed. Sue argues that they have powers, but Clint says, “But you’re not trained. Let me make this crystal for you, brainy: I kill. Tony kills. The alien probably kills. You don’t.” I wonder if this is intended as that this Clint has a stance against kids killing as a counterpart to the main Clint’s stance that “Avengers don’t kill.” This version of Clint does have children.

Reed and Sue argue with Clint when he wants to leave Mahr Vehl behind on the mission after he gets injured, and while they make a good argument that they need Mahr Vehl to control the Kree technology for them, Sue also says, “If being ‘professional’ means turning into you, we don’t want to be.”

At one point Tony addresses Reed as “sport.”

Nick explains that a pile of alien bodies is “The ones we killed, as opposed to the ones the kids just beat the pus out of,” referring to Johnny and Ben. And then he says, “I’m gonna wait until the four kids are out of here, and then burn these in piles.”

Ultimate Extinction (2006) #1-5

These issues were published across January 2006 to May 2006. All were written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Brandon Peterson. Issue #1 was colored by Justin Ponsor with Paul Mounts, issues #2-4 were colored by Justin Ponsor, and issue #5 was colored by Justin Ponsor and Jason Keith. Issues #1-2 and #5 were 23 pages, and issues #3-4 were 22 pages.

In issue #3 Reed says, “I’ve had this idea, Sue. I’ve had this terrible, terrible idea. I mean, I want to throw up every time it crosses my mind. But I won’t go away. I know how to hurt Gah Lak Tus. Maybe even kill it. But it’s… obscene. And I’d be handing Nick Fury something very much like an ultimate weapon.” In issue #4 Reed contacts Nick, setting into motion building the weapon, then says, “Well… I can’t undo it now.” Sue says, from across the room, “We shouldn’t have to think about things like this. We shouldn’t have to do this. It’s too big.” Then when Reed stretches across the room for her, she says, “Don’t touch me. Not right now, okay? Just… don’t touch me, Reed.” I found this really compelling, and it made me interested in reading about this version of these characters further.

In issue #2 Reed learns about and asks if he can borrow S.H.I.E.L.D.’s “private version of the Hubble Space Telescope. Used for detailed imaging inside the solar system.” Nick responds, “I dunno. Could you sound less like I was your dad and you were asking to take out the car?”

Steve says, freaked out from being told about Galactus, “It’s an evil too big for me to hit. I never thought there’d be such a thing. I can’t do anything. There’s something that looks like it came from out of one of those stupid color movies that are everywhere now, on its way to kill us- and I’m just an infantry guy.” Later he says, “This is all getting too big for me, I think. And here I thought I was coping with the 21st century.” Then when a report of an attack comes in, he insists, “It’s mine, Nick. Terrorism, I can hit.”

In issue #3, when Sam is nervous about fighting what he assumes is a mutant, Steve says, “Toughen up, son. They get beaten down just the same as anything else on this world.”

When Misty Knight yells at him, Steve says, “You know, in Iceland, they have a bottomless well where they drown dames like her.” I’m not sure what this is referencing.

In issue #4, as Tony is correcting Steve, he prefaces it with, “Cap, I know things have gotten very weird of late, and I know you must be hanging on to the ground with all your fingers right now.”

As Tony, Mahr Vehl, and the Silver Surfer are falling into the ocean, Nick instructs, “Iron Man and Marvel are priority- pick up the other body only if you can without endangering my people’s lives.” Later, however, when he learns that the “silver guys” are “softening us up for the arrival of Gah Lak Tus” by running a cult that encourages people to kill themselves, because “If eating planets is what powers you, you’re going to want to expend as little energy as possible in doing it” and that meant there would be less people to fight back, Nick says, “Holy hell, that’s sneaky. I want one of these guys. We didn’t retrieve the one Tony smashed, and I want one.”

I liked the contrast in issue #5 of Xavier and Jean preparing their psychic weapon against Galactus, telling the world, “Give us your thoughts. Thoughts of making things. Think of who you love. Your ideas, your fantasies, your ambitions,” sandwiched between scenes of bloody fighting as S.H.I.E.L.D. defends the facility from many attackers.

Timely Publications:

the Captain America stories in Captain America Comics (1941) #23-24 and All-Winners Comics (1941) #7 and U.S.A. Comics (1941) #7

These 7 stories were in issues cover dated February 1943 to March 1943. They ranged from 13 to 20 pages.

I was surprised by the military and police being portrayed as kind of pathetic in “Captain America Battling the Deadly Snapper” (written by Otto Binder; penciled by Syd Shores; inked by George Klein and unknown) in Captain America Comics #23. In the beginning a bunch of soldiers are walking in formation past Swamp Sinister. One says, “That place gives me the creep!” Another says, “I wouldn’t go in there alone on a bet!” Also nearby are a bunch of prisoners in a chain-gang digging a ditch with shovels. One suddenly breaks free from his chains and runs right through the soldiers, knocking them all over.

Then when Captain America and Bucky are about to enter the swamp to search for the escaped murderer, police arrive with dogs, and one of them says, “Wait, Captain! Even you can’t tackle that swamp alone!” But then the officers and dogs are viciously attacked by giant turtles and flee, so Steve says, “The guards ran! Guess it’s up to us, Bucky!” It’s later revealed that there are a lot of dangerous criminals living in the swamp who’ve escaped over the past two years.

This made me think of the Black Venus story (writer unknown; drawn by Charlie Tomsey) in Contact Comics (1944) #1, cover dated July 1944, which was published by Aviation Press. The main character was a U.S.O. hostess who also had her own secret plane that she used to help the official American Army pilots. When a Japanese squadron ambushed an American squadron, she ambushed them, giving the American pilots the chance to regroup and counterattack. It’s said, “She stayed around just long enough to give us the upper hand!”

Black Venus then landed her plane to search for clues as to where the Japanese planes had come from. This is followed by her getting capture, turning the table on her captors, and then escaping while destroying the enemy base. When I first read this story I assumed that having Black Venus land her plane was a way to be able to create stakes in the story without risking making the American Army pilots look weak.

In the beginning of the story “Captain America and the Idol of Doom” (writer unknown; penciled by Don Rico, Ernie Hart, and Ed Winiarski; inked by George Klein and unknown) in Captain America Comics #23 Steve and Bucky are walking along a dock in the evening, with the narration saying they “are on their way back to camp after a leave.” Seeing a boat leave, Bucky says, “Look at that, Steve! It’s a funny time to go for a row!” And Steve says, “They’re a strange couple, too- a Hindu and a white woman! I’ve got a hunch we’d better stick around!”

The story “Captain America and the Return of Doctor Crime” (writer unknown; possibly penciled by Al Avison) in All-Winners Comics #7 is the second appearance of Dr. Crime, who first appeared in “Captain America and the Terrible Menace of the Pygmies of Terror” (written by Otto Binder; drawn by Al Avison) in Captain America Comics #12, cover dated March 1942. In the first story both Steve and Bucky were miniaturized by Dr. Crime’s shrinking drug, and while they were threatening him into curing them, Steve said, “The antidote Dr. Crime! Give it to Bucky first!” And Bucky said, “Gimme! Quick! This being a dwarf ain’t to my liking at all!” Yet in this story only Bucky gets shrunken of the duo, and after Steve uses the antidote on another prisoner, Bucky says, “Hey! What about me?” And Steve answers, holding Bucky in the palm of his hand, “You might come in handy this way! I’ve got the formula to restore you anytime! Come! We’ve got work to do!”

In the story “Captain America: The Vampire Strikes” (writer unknown; penciled by Syd Shores and Al Gabriele; inked by George Klein and unknown) in Captain America Comics #24 Steve and Bucky are in an absurd amount of denial that they have encountered a vampire on Vampire Mountain, which legends say no one ever comes back from alive. They stupidly refuse to make that determination as they repeatedly see clear evidence of it. I can remember them fighting a vampire once before, in a story with the exact same title (writer unknown; possibly penciled by Al Avison; possibly inked by Don Rico) in All-Winners Comics #5, cover dated Summer 1942. Though that vampire wasn’t a natural, ancient vampire like this one, but the result of a Japanese-made biological weapon.

DC Comics:

Batman: Gotham Noir (2001)

This 64-page graphic novel was published in March 2001. It was written by Ed Brubaker, drawn by Sean Phillips, and colored by Dave Stewart.

This is a classic noir-style story, which I know Ed Brubaker has written a lot of, set in 1949. The focal character is Jim Gordon, a divorced, alcoholic private investigator, formerly a cop, with a less than stellar reputation. Harvey Dent is still the assistant district attorney, is still friendly with Jim, and is dedicated to catching the corrupt mayor.

Selina, the Cat, Kyle previously dated Jim, but is now married to millionaire Bruce Wayne. She runs a nightclub, the Kitty Cat Club, which has illegal gambling in its backroom, which means it also has to cooperate with Tony Zucco’s mob.

Bruce was a lieutenant in WWII, though he refused to use a gun and instead fought with his bare hands, and is now Batman. As Bruce he’s friendly with the mayor, hosting a campaign fundraising event for him at Selina’s club. Jim is convinced that Bruce is using his wealth to rig the election for the mayor, and comes across to me as feeling betrayed by this- “And what the hell are you doing rubbing elbows with that fat fool?” In the end it seems that Bruce was only close to the mayor in order to get dirt on him, as he says he gave “documentation of payoffs to the mayor’s campaign” to the U.S. attorney.

Jim thinking that Bruce is a part of the city’s corruption- and Jim’s resentment over Bruce marrying Selina, demonstrated by him thinking of Bruce only as “the millionaire” in the context of their relationship, rather than by his name- is a sad state for their friendship to be in, considering that they were close during WWII. Jim saved Bruce’s life back then, and, though we don’t see it in this story, as one point Jim used to call Bruce “the brave lieutenant.” And in this story Jim has a dream where Bruce, still in his tux from the party he was at with the mayor, tells Jim, who is in his army uniform, “This city disgusts me, soldier.” And then, “Is this what they expect us to come home to? A city run by gangsters?” This is the only part of Jim’s dreams we see that isn’t entirely about his trauma from the war.

Bruce, as Batman, for his part, seems to me to feel betrayed by Jim’s current state. Batman says to Jim, “Pull yourself together, Jordan! You let your drinking get out of control and a girl died.” And then, “You can’t hold anything, Gordon- not your job or your family.”

The murder of Bruce’s parents in front of him when he was a child was never invoked in this story, as it’s from Jim’s perspective. Instead, Jim’s trauma that’s the source of his problems is that he killed an enemy soldier during the war that was going to kill Bruce, not realizing it was a child soldier. Afterwards Jim cried out, “No! He’s just a baby,” and, “he’s just a little kid… Oh, God… what have I done?” Bruce explains in the present, “He saved my life… but it broke him.”

We don’t really see much of Bruce and Selina’s relationship. It doesn’t come across that she knows he’s Batman. When Jim asks Selina why she doesn’t have Bruce look after the friend she hires him to bodyguard, since Bruce will be at the party Jim’s to attend with the girl, Selina says that Bruce “has a tendency to disappear at social functions.” But later, when Bruce is off being Batman during the campaign fundraiser event, she complains, “Where the hell is Bruce? This is his party, not mine.”

But when Jim is in hiding, having been framed for a murder, Bruce and Selina go together to drop off a package for him in a trash can in a run-down part of town, which to me indicates closeness and trust in their relationship, that they would both be open with each other about being involved in this, and civility over their respective pasts with Gordon.

Batman at this point is still thought of as an urban legend to everyone but the criminals who’ve encountered him. Even Jim only learns that Batman is real during the events of this story. But at the end Harvey claims that he made up Batman, that “I needed something to strike fear into the hearts of the monsters that were running this town. So I got a few of my snitches to start the rumor, and it took off like wildfire.” This made me think about how Harvey and Batman were working together in Batman: Year One (1987), and I wonder if this Harvey does know that Batman is real and claimed to have invented him to help protect their secret. I prefer that Batman is real in this story over that Jim hallucinated him.

The evidence otherwise is that this Bruce isn’t shown to disapprove of Selina’s business having a relationship with the mob, meaning he may not be as principled as the usual Bruce. That one of Zucco’s goons says, referring to when Batman saved Jim from them, “I didn’t see no damn Bat. I don’t know what those mugs are talkin’ about. Gordon just went crazy on us, that’s all. And, most damning, that Bruce shows up at the end, after the big fight, but then Batman shouts a warning to Gordon later that same page, and then there’s one panel on the next page showing Batman watching from above.

There’s no indication of what direction it was coming from, but we know it was Batman shouting because the speech bubble is in his unique jagged style for this book. To me, though, it indicates that he wasn’t just Jim’s hallucination that Batman warned Jim about something behind him. I also don’t really believe that Jim could have fought off those mob goons on his own. As for the Batman watching from above the scene as Jim died… I know it’s a stretch, but maybe it’s a metaphorical Batman, as some kind of manifestation of Bruce and Jim’s real bond, their similar righteousness and shared indignation about the state of their city, being present for Jim in his final moments. I’m also willing to accept a fantastical Batman that’s connected to but isn’t quite Bruce himself, a la Batman: Creature of the Night (2018).

It’s just that I think it’s more interesting to include the way Batman spoke to Jim as a part of the characterization of Bruce and Jim’s relationship, rather than just thinking of that as a part of how Jim would talk to himself.

Also, Harvey is also in that scene at the end, so the alternate explanation that he’s Batman, as was suspected in Batman: Year One (1986), doesn’t work.

Fawcett Comics:

the Captain Marvel stories in Whiz Comics (1940) #93-94 and Captain Marvel Adventures (1941) #80-81 and The Marvel Family (1945) #19-20

These 15 stories were in issues cover dated January 1948 to February 1948. They ranged from 7 to 9 pages.

In the story “Captain Marvel Becomes a Hobo” (writer unknown; drawn by Pete Constanza) in Whiz Comics #93 Cap tracks down a man who was a hobo before he was married and became one again because he wrongly believed his wife and child were dead. Since “hobos are clannish! They’ll never give away any information about each other,” Cap has to dress up as a hobo to be “like one of the family” and get them to tell him if they’ve seen the man. Before, when Cap was still in his Captain Marvel uniform and the hobos tried to intimidate him into not searching for the man, Cap thought, “No sense fighting them! They did nothing wrong! They’re just protecting one of their buddies!” And at the end of the story Cap says, “That was a happy reunion they had! Well, I guess I can take off these rags now! First time I was ever a hobo… and it’ll be the last!” This seemed significant to me because Billy was once homeless himself.

In the story “Captain Marvel in the Midget Race” (written by Otto Binder; artist unknown) in Marvel Family #19 Cap helps race-car driver Pat when he’s injured and can’t drive by racing for him, since the car was invented by his invalid father and “the disappointment might kill him!” After Cap wins a woman approaches him and kisses him on the mouth. Cap says, “Hey! I don’t even know you miss!” She says, “Sure you do! I’m Pat! My full name is Patricia Ashwood!” And Cap exclaims, “Holy moley! You were a… a…. a… girl!” Billy then says on his radio show, “Captain Marvel soon got over his embarrassment at mistaking Patricia for a boy.”

The story “Captain Marvel in the Twice Told Tale” (written by Otto Binder; penciled by C.C. Beck; inked by Pete Constanza) in Captain Marvel Adventures #80 provides a retelling of Billy’s origin story as Captain Marvel as Dr. Sivana travels back in time in an attempt to kill Billy right before it. The conversation between Billy and the Wizard Shazam is a lot briefer than originally depicted in “Introducing Captain Marvel” (written by Bill Parker; drawn by C.C. Beck) in Whiz Comics #2. In this version the Wizard explains to Billy, “You are pure of heart! You have been chosen!” The term “pure of heart” was not used in the first version of this story. Also, a detail unique to this telling is that Billy had delivered newspapers to Sterling Morris, so Billy approaching him because he overheard information about Dr. Sivana’s plot to destroy the radio system, which is what led to him getting a job as a boy broadcaster, was not their first meeting.

In the story “Captain Marvel’s Inferiority Complex” (written by Bill Woolfolk; artist unknown) in Captain Marvel Adventures #80 “one of the financial backers of Station Whiz is having a big party at her mansion! She’s anxious for Captain Marvel to come!” Billy says, “I know Captain Marvel isn’t going to like it! He’s always anxious to avoid these social functions!” Cap is really dramatic about it. At the party, after messing up socially, he sits in a corner and thinks, “I don’t know how to act with these society folks! Maybe I am a big, musclebound oaf! I’ll never be able to face anyone again! I’ll go far away, and hide myself in a cave where I won’t ever have to face people…” Then worsening Cap’s feelings, as he leaves he hears the hostess say, “Don’t be too angry with him, my deah Count! The poor fellow obviously hasn’t had a good upbringing! He simply doesn’t know any better!” Cap’s intense feelings were sparked by a specific prior incident that is cleared up in this story. At the end of the story Billy says on his radio show, “So Captain Marvel turned out to be a hero, after all! His inferiority complex is all gone! But confidentially, he still doesn’t like big parties like Mrs. Van Rockabilt’s.”

Also, though he did go the party, Cap complained right after Billy transformed into him, “Billy had no right to accept that invitation! He knows how I hate to go!” This reminded me of the story “Captain Marvel and the Haunted Halloween Hotel” (writer unknown; drawn by Ray Harford) in Whiz Comics #36, cover dated October 1942, in which Cap said to Billy after he’d volunteered him to escort Mr. Moriss’ sister-in-law, “Just a minute, Billy Batson! I’ve fought men and monsters for you- gladly! I’ve done every dirty job you’ve called me for…. But if you think you’re going to leave me alone with that acid-tongued battle-axe, you can guess again! I won’t do it and that’s that!!!

The story “Captain Marvel in the Land of Surrealism” (written by Otto Binder; drawn by C.C. Beck) in Captain Marvel Adventures #80 reminded me of the story “Captain America in the Realm of the Subconscious” (writer unknown; possibly drawn by C.C Beck) in Captain Marvel Adventures #9, cover dated April 1942. The Land of Surrealism is an actual other world that Billy is shown the entrance to, and the Realm of the Subconscious was only a dream in the end.

The story “Captain Marvel Battles Mr. Atom and the Comet Men” (written by Bill Woolfolk; penciled by C.C. Beck; possibly inked by C.C. Beck) in Captain Marvel Adventures #81 is the second appearance of Mr. Atom, a villain whose power is nearly a match for Captain Marvel, who first appeared in “Captain Marvel Meets Mr. Atom” in Captain Marvel Adventures #78. At the end of that story Mr. Atom said from his underground lead prison, “You, who have made me your prisoner, beware lest I return to destroy my keepers!” And Billy said on his radio show, “Mr. Atom is a menace the world cannot safely ignore!” In this story Mr. Atom is freed by aliens who came from a comet and intend for him to help them colonize the Earth, though they tell him that he will rule it. In the end, however, the comet naturally burns out, and in his devastation an alien lets slip that he intended to rule the Earth, saying, “My world is gone! Vanished in the twinkling of an eye! What good will it be for me to conquer the Earth now?” Betrayed, Mr. Atom turns on the alien, who fights back, culminating in an explosion which presumably kills them both. And so Billy says on his radio show, “The Comet Man tried to gain power through Mr. Atom and found disaster! It is grimly true that- He who lives by the atom, dies by the atom!”

In the story “Captain Marvel in the Lottery of Death” (written by Bill Woolfolk; artist unknown) in Captain Marvel Adventures #81 it’s said that, as the winning lottery ticket was forgotten in a man’s inside breast pocket, it “must have felt the sick, frightened lurch of his heart” in a moment of tension. There’s been a lot of stories with personification lately. The story “Captain Marvel and the Street of the Forgotten Men” (written by Otto Binder; penciled by C.C. Beck; inked by Pete Constanza) in Captain Marvel Adventures #78 is narrated by the titular street. The story “Captain America in the Land of Opportunity” (writer unknown; drawn by C.C. Beck) in Whiz Comics #92 is narrated by the personification of opportunity. And the story “Captain Marvel and the Mistake of Father Time” (written by Otto Binder; drawn by C.C. Beck) in The Marvel Family #20 is based around the personification of time making a mistake.

[magnetothemagnificent]

Magneto what have they done to your eyebrows

[rei-ismyname]

Holy Shit, Magneto

I was going to title this post 'Don't fuck with Magneto' and make it a sequel of sorts to my 'Don't Fuck With Ororo' post from a while back, but people already know the Master of Magnetism is not to be fucked with. Or at least they should...

What do women call him?

However, as you might expect people keep fucking with Magneto to their detriment. Issue 4 of Resurrection of Magneto is one of my favourite examples of why this is a bad idea. He'd been, for lack of a better term, burning in hell. His good friend Storm convinced him that he deserved to live at great personal risk and he returned to life - renewed and questioning his relationship with violence.

Ahem, some ruminating on his old friend.

Immediately he, Storm and Blue Marvel raided an ORCHIS base to rescue the mutants within. As is so often the case, they had Magneto Protocols. These ones were particularly focused and cruel. This squad of shithead fascists deployed and goaded him into attacking them while shooting him with bullets. Usually a poor decision, but they'd set up a magnetic trap where if he used his powers on them it'd kill the several hundred hostages. The perfect trap, they thought. So did he at first, but then he realised that if he could neutralise the ORCHIS Magneto Squad at the speed of thought it wouldn't set the trap off and kill the mutant hostages.

He was right, and this is what it looked like for Magneto to annihilate them as quickly as possible.

Holy shit, Magneto

Five cruel fascists turned into floating spheres of blood and viscera, human bodies utterly eviscerated and dripping goo. I don't know about you but my jaw dropped when I first saw it. The particular cruelty of it is that he was resolved to treat life with more respect, to kill only if he had to. To protect life, not take it. That ORCHIS had this trap for him specifically, this forced decision to either die and allow his people to die or to kill these men. It was never a real decision - he was always going to kill these men, but only because they forced him to.

One also has to wonder how much he's been holding back all these years. Imagine if he did this to Logan instead of pulling out his adamantium skeleton.

[scarlet--wiccan]

How did you feel about the ending of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver and the reveal of Magneto's letter?

I'm going to start by saying that I still think that Orlando really struggles with endings. His final issues always feel disjointed and sloppy to me, and SW&Q #4 is no exception. My main takeaway from this issue is that everything made sense in theory-- each character's positions and responses felt coherent and I perfectly understood how Orlando was characterizing each relationship-- but not in practice, as the scenario itself was harder to follow and I don't think everyone's actions made sense.

My biggest problem is understanding why Magneto would write this letter in the first place, much less keep it under his floorboards, and why, after all of the growth he went through in Red and Resurrection, he would still say those things to the twins' faces. The Griever's scheme to use the letter is clever, in terms of emotional manipulation, but Orlando does little to disguise the fact that it is a heavy-handed plot contrivance that he's using to mine Magnet Family Drama™️ in a book that otherwise has little reason to concern itself with Magneto. By comparison, the Joseph storyline in Scarlet Witch was more well integrated into the main plot and was driven by a character who was strong enough to stand on his own feet, while simultaneously facilitating conversations about Wanda and Max's relationship. This simply does not measure up to me. It feels tacked on, and the twins' abrupt, stilted reunion with Magneto himself does nothing to assuage that feeling.

Generally speaking, though, this is exactly the type of toxicity I expect from Magneto, particularly post-HoM, and post-Children's Crusade. He is overprotective to a fault towards Wanda, and resentful and dismissive towards Pietro. This has been a pretty consistent setting for their "family" dynamic for at least a decade.

I've written about this several times, but that paternalism is something Wanda has a really hard time setting boundaries around. A lot of her loved ones, including Pietro himself, have been treating her this way for a very long time. It makes perfect sense to me that she would find Magneto's words destabilizing, especially given that she is starting the series in a place of unresolved grief. I also thought it was really smart that Wanda, who, for the first time in her life has the upper hand in almost all of her relationships, is mirroring those paternalistic behaviors towards Pietro. We saw it in Scarlet Witch (2023) #1, and we saw it here in SW&Q. These flaws are crucial to balancing out Wanda's character, now that she is so powerful and evolved, and I think they've been demonstrated very well.

Similarly, I think that the twins' explosive fight in #1 was perfectly in character. To me, this felt like a more well-realized and narratively justified version of the fight from Scarlet Witch (2015) #9. A lot of the same tensions are fears are coming to a boil, but here there is a more reasonable impetus, and again, reversing Wanda and Pietro's dynamic is a great way to dig up any flaws and simmering resentments in their relationship. As fans, we want them to have a healthy, loving relationship, and I think Orlando has shown, up to this point that they do, but when we look back at their history, we can see that they do have problems. I don't think either of them is a bad sibling, but this is an area where they can be challenged and still experience satisfying growth.

And I am satisfied, because ultimately, this challenge does not break them. Although he initially allows his temper and pettiness to get the best of him, Pietro finds the patience and empathy to put their fight to rest. He falters, but ultimately, he demonstrates the same growth and self-awareness that he achieved in Quicksilver: No Surrender. I thought it was a great moment for him, and again, I love that this is a reversal in the twins' usual dynamic-- Pietro is the one doing the bulk of the emotional labor.

Wanda, for her part, hesitates more than I would like, and I really do wish that she'd been quicker to come to Pietro's defense. Most of what they're talking about here is House of M, and for all of his faults, and for as horrible as the consequences may have been, Pietro is one of the only people who consistently acted in Wanda's best interest during that time. If this scene had been given more space to breathe, or if Orlando was just a little better at grounding his dialogue, perhaps Wanda would have been able to speak and acknowledge that fact.

I think that part Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver's goal was to settle Wanda and Pietro's past with Magneto-- the same way Darkhold settled Wanda's past with Chthon and ToM settled the Decimation-- and in doing so, strengthen and refresh their relationship in a way that reflects their current maturity and growth. In a lot of ways, it succeeds, and I do think that there is some real depth and great character work here, but those things are buried under choppy pacing and dialogue. The two competing storylines-- the family drama, and the introduction of the Griever -- feel disjointed, and the expansion of Wanda and Pietro's powers gets lost in the middle. It's a shame, because setting new benchmarks for their powers and setting new benchmarks for their relationship at the same time should feel really cohesive and exciting, but for me, it falls a little flat because almost every element is just slightly underdeveloped- every idea comes just short of being fully explored.

[jackalsiii]

Best X Issues of 2024 – April

As of April 24, 2024 1. X-Men V6 32 2. Dead X-Men 1 3. Fall of the House of X 3 4. X-Men V6 33 5. Rise of the Powers of X 4 6. X-Men Forever 2 7. Spider-Gwen Smash 2 8. Cable V5 1 9. Resurrection of Magneto 2 10. Women of Marvel V5 1 . . . Compared to March 27, 2024 1. X-Men V6 32 2. Dead X-Men 1 3. Fall of the House of X 3 4. Spider-Gwen Smash 2 5. Cable V5 1 6. Resurrection of…

[ihatepeopleohnooo]

Spoilers for X-Men Red #5 and Immortal X-Men #5

Red #5

- this issue is so packed with deliciousness

- we finally get to see all the Great Ring in action (even though they got stomped)

- I still find it extremely unclever for Uranos to just be 'immune' to reality warping? Like tf how did he just ignore Ora Serrata's erasing stare?? She erases gods for breakfast for god sake. And how did he even manage to defeat Legion who can manipulate reality and manifest other powers at will??? Legion of X #6 better be giving answers.

- RIP Idyll, you deserved better (mutilated by Tarn, beheaded by Isca, just generally unappreciated lol)

- Also wtf Isca you bitch. But I saw that one coming a mile away. I wonder if on top of making her go to the winning side, her power also indirectly influenced her to not be near Uranos? Like she got teleported away by Nightcrawler because she switched sides and killed Idyll, so I think it also saved her from being killed by Uranos (not that she can die from that I don't think)

- Sobunar and Lactuca defending Arakko is so epic. Idk how Isca can survive against a literal ocean of monsters but oh well. I wonder if they're both alive. I hope so, but there's still a chance Uranos teleported away and finished them off in the 40 min that he has leftleft (also the fact that he bodied 4 Great Ring Members + Cable + Brand 💀)

- So it's confirmed by the end of the chapter that Table Dusk is intact although severely wounded (idk how Ora is gonna function after being gouged and idk how long Xilo will take to replenish his insects but they're both not looking good. Lodus Logos on the other hand seems way better than the rest). Table Day is still in question though I'm presuming that they're all alive since Sobunar and Lactuca aren't shown dead and Storm is on Earth. The only casualty is really Table Dawn. They lost Isca and Idyll.

- Magneto is so badass. I knew he didn't die when Judgement Day #1 came out. Twitter people all calling Gillen anti Semitic and stuff are just overreactive attention seekers who reads too much between the lines. Magneto is literally to angry to die. Even without a heart he's using his magnetism to control the blood in his body to keep flowing. That is so fucking hot. He's the real Omega Silver Daddy 🥵.

- "Such strategies are not the business of Table Dusk. This is war. A war we are losing. And so the Seat of Loss takes command" God damn I'm scared and turned on.

- a bunch of other things that caught my attention: Khora finally joined the Brotherhood?; Fisher King is definitely one of the 3 Night Seats; I find it hilarious that Brand tried to avoid Resurrection but died anyway lol that's what you get you double faced bitch.

Immortal #5

- Exodus is gay (or at least into men)???? I live for it. I hope this gets explored more.

- Winter Seat is indeed the Rainbow Gang. They're the seats of murderous gays. I Stan!

- Exodus was drawn really attractively in the panels of this issue. Idk what about him that just seems like a romantic soft lover boy from some angles.

- Exodus and his protectiveness and adoration towards Hope is sooo comedic. They make the best duo lol.

- I love how this issue showcases how powerful the telepaths are in the Quiet Council. Charles singlehandedly defended 12 people from the Uni Mind of the Eternals while Exodus, Emma, and Hope just sheared through their psychic defenses.

- also Exodus just bodying 2 Hex Eternals like they're nothing is just 👌👌