#writer: jim shooter

[nocontextspiderman]

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #2 (1984)

[ambafaerie]

The scene of them looking at each other at Madelyne/Scott and Remy/Rogue’s wedding as if they are star crossed lovers, a framing of their relationship which writers continue to use and refuse to acknowledge and discuss the reality that Piotr was an adult who played with and took advantage of an underage Kitty.

[omegastation]

Here comes my review (mostly writing & lore) of the Mass Effect Official Cocktail Book. I also included a list of all characters named with all page numbers related to their mentions.

I’m including this for our Andromeda Appreciation Week because the last part of the book is Andromeda-related :)

Introduction:

Cassandra Reeder is the recipe developer and Jim Festante is the writer.

The book is written by two writers in-universe. The first one is an asari calling herself “Ambree T’Sia” who is a lot like Gossip Girl (“you won’t guess and I’ll never tell” is an actual line in the book). We have to guess her identity but she doesn’t mind spreading a lot of stories about people and their drinks. 

The second writer is an angara called Roa who decided to add recipes to T’Sia’s existing ones, but more adapted to the Andromeda Galaxy. Roa dreams of a better world for everyone. He’s friend with Dutch and Anan from the Vortex.

Each writer presents drinks based on locations: bars and spots in the two galaxies. There also some snacks recipes as well.

Review: 

It’s hard for me to say anything about the recipes, though I will say it seems like there are different ingredients so a bit of everything for everyone. The difficulty can be adjusted: I thought some drinks looked really complicated to make (and some use other drinks in the books as base), but if you want to do a simple cocktail/mocktail, there are at least 10 good options.

Some recipes are directly named after characters or inspired by characters, so it might be fun to try some based on your favs. 

One drink seems weird to me, and that’s the N7 Shooter (mostly because of the mix of ingredients). If you try it, tell me what you think. 

Regarding American measurement: if you want to be precise, I would wait for a translation. Otherwise, I would get a cup and google some stuff before making it.

The drinks I'll try at some point, in a mocktail version only:

Tuchanka Sunset - 22

Perfection - 54

Tupari Blast - 61

Denorian Beer Granita - 64

Tequila Se’lai - 70

Shadowbrokertini - 74

The Mindfish - 83

Calibration Cooler - 95

Pink Marble - 130

Marljeh - 142

Kadara Sunrise - 143

So that’s pretty much it for the food & drinks, sorry!

My review is more about the lore and the writing.

I found the witty tone enjoyable. I like that there’s a distinction between how T’Sia writes and how Roa writes at the end of the book. T’Sia gossips a lot but there’s no malice. Roa is very earnest and seems quite adorable to me.

You’ll see I wrote down all the characters named and the pages, sometimes it says something about the writer, sometimes not.  A good example: Samantha is mentioned 5 times by T’Sia. She finds her charming and young, and mostly links her to drinks and other people (a full EDI/Traynor-like drink is in there). Meanwhile, Drack is mentioned 4 times, Vetra 3 times, but Roa has an entire page about how fascinated he is by Vetra.

Regarding what we learn, lore-wise: not a whole lot. It mostly plays on what we already know. 

What we do learn has to do with some characters. Without being too spoilery, it’s very light and fun for the most part - like Joker and Steve having a challenge, Vega seducing T’Sia, characters loving specific drinks (like Traynor), etc. Some characters (like Kaidan and Miranda) are sharing their woes or backstory. Roa, in the later part of the book, talks a lot about Dutch and their meeting is very very cute.

My favorite anecdote is that Liam’s movie night spreads to the Nexus and becomes a tradition :)

Some characters are very absent while others are more present. I would say it’s logical in a way, but it’s one thing to be aware of. If you’re a fan of Jaal, there are no mentions in the book. Though, like I said, a mention doesn’t always mean a lot: Peebee is mentioned once but we learn nothing new.  I also found it a bit sad that Ashley is not in the book. Obviously, I’m happy to have Kaidan there, but Ashley would have been a wonderful character for fun anecdotes here.

Characters named and pages:

Note: if you find that I forgot a mention, drop me a DM. I’ll add the page and/or character!

Joker - 12, 98

Sel Vass - 14

Solem Dal’serah - 21

Karin Chakwas - 25

Padok Wiks and and Urp - 26

Wrex - 26, 65, 106

Aria - 19, 27

Oleg Petrovsky - 27

James Vega -29, 46, 112

Shepard - 33, 30, 41, 93

Garrus - 37, 38, 95

Samantha - 42, 43, 73, 97, 106

Kaidan - 49, 106, 116

Miranda - 54

Kasumi - 55

Doran - 59, 60, 61

Grunt - 66

Fist - 69

Anderson - 71

Elijah Khan - 81, 88

Emily Wong - 93

Jack - 94

EDI - 97, 106, 

Steve - 98, 120

Tali - 101

Aethyta - 51, 57, 106

Dutch smith - 123, 126, 127, 131, 156

Anan T’Mari - 123, 127, 131, 156

Ryder - 123, 128, 133, 135

Drack - 133, 134, 137, 152

Umi Henon - 133, 134, 135, 138

Vetra - 137, 144, 154

Peebee - 137

Sloane - 138

Lexi - 138

Khan Dagher - 141, 143, 147

Kesh - 150

Suvi - 154

Buxil - 156

Niilj - 156

[racefortheironthrone]

What did you think of X-Men Blue Origins?

(I may turn this into a People's History of the Marvel Universe later today, so keep an eye on this space.)

X-Men Blue: Origins and the Power of the Additive Retcon

(WARNING: heavy spoilers under the cut)

Introduction

If you've been a long-time X-Men reader, or you're a listener of Jay & Miles or Cerebrocast or any number of other LGBT+ X-Men podcasts, you probably know the story about how Chris Claremont wrote Mystique and Destiny as a lesbian couple, but had to use obscure verbiage and subtextual coding to get past Jim Shooter's blanket ban on LGBT+ characters in the Marvel Universe.

Likewise, you're probably also familiar with the story that, when Chris Claremont came up with the idea that Raven Darkholme and Kurt Wagner were related (a plot point set up all the way back in Uncanny X-Men #142), he intended that Mystique was Nightcrawler's father, having used her shapeshifting powers to take on a male body and impregnate (her one true love) Irene. This would have moved far beyond subtext - but it proved to be a bridge too far for Marvel editorial, and Claremont was never able to get it past S&P.

This lacuna in the backstories of Kurt and Raven - who was Kurt's father? - would remain one of the enduring mysteries of the X-Men mythos...and if there's one thing that comic writers like, it's filling in these gaps with a retcon.

Enter the Draco

Before I get into the most infamous story in all of X-Men history, I want to talk about retcons a bit. As I've written before:

"As long as there have been comic books, there have been retcons. For all that they have acquired a bad reputation, retcons can be an incredibly useful tool in comics writing and shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. Done right, retcons can add an enormous amount of depth and breadth to a character, making their worlds far richer than they were before. Instead, I would argue that retcons should be judged on the basis of whether they’re additive (bringing something new to the character by showing us a previously unknown aspect of their lives we never knew existed before) or subtractive (taking away something from the character that had previously been an important part of their identity), and how well those changes suit the character."

For a good example of an additive retcon, I would point to Chris Claremont re-writing Magneto's entire personality by revealing that he was a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust. As I have argued at some length, this transformed Magneto from a Doctor Doom knockoff into a complex and sympathetic character who could now work as a villain, anti-villain, anti-hero, or hero depending on the needs of the story.

For a good example of a subtractive retcon, I would point to...the Draco. If you're not familiar with this story, the TLDR is that it was revealed that Kurt's father was Azazel - an evil ancient mutant with the same powers and the same appearance (albeit color-shifted) as Kurt, who claims to be the devil and is part of a tribe of demonic-looking mutants who were banished to the Brimstone Dimension, and who fathered Nightcrawler as part of a plot to end this banishment.

I don't want to belabor Chuck Austen, because I think that Connor Goldsmith is right about his run actually being a camp cult classic in retrospect. However, I think we both agree that the Draco was a misfire, because of how the retcon undermined Kurt's entire thematic purpose as established in Giant-Size X-Men that Nightcrawler was actually a noble and arguably saintly man who suffered from unjust prejudice due to the random accident that his mutation made him appear to be a demon, and because of how the retcon undermined the centrality of Mystique and Destiny's relationship.

X-Men Blue Origins

This brings us to the Krakoan era. In HOXPOX and X-Men and Inferno, Jonathan Hickman had made Mystique and Destiny a crucial part of the story in a way that they hadn't been in decades: they were the great nemeses of Moira X, they were the force that threatened to burn Krakoa to the ground by revealing the devil's bargain that Xavier had struck with Sinister (and Moira), they were the lens through which the potential futures of Krakoa were explored, and they ultimately reshaped the Quiet Council and the Five in incredibly consequential ways.

This throughline was furthered after Hickman's departure, with Kieron Gillen exploring the backstories of Mystique and Destiny in Immortal X-Men and Sins of Sinister, and both Gillen and Si Spurrier exploring their relationship with Nightcrawler in AXE Judgement Day, Sins of Sinister, Way of X, Legion of X, Nightcrawlers, and Sons of X. One of the threads that wove through the interconnected fabric of these books was an increasing closeness between Kurt and Irene that needed an explanation. Many long-time readers began to anticipate that a retcon about Kurt's parentage was coming - and then we got X-Men Blue: Origins.

In this one issue, Si Spurrier had the difficult assignment of figuring out a way to "fix" the Draco and restore Claremont's intended backstory in a way that was surgical and elegant, that served the character arcs of Kurt, Raven, and Irene, and that dealt with complicated issues of trans and nonbinary representation, lesbian representation, disability representation, and the protean nature of the mutant metaphor. Thanks to help from Charlie Jane Anders and Steve Foxe, I think Spurrier succeeded tremendously.

I don't want to go through the issue beat-by-beat, because you should all read it, but the major retcon is that Mystique turns out to be a near-Omega level shapeshifter, who can rewrite themselves on a molecular level. Raven transformed into a male body and impregnated Irene, using bits of Azazel and many other men's DNA as her "pigments." In addition to being a deeply felt desire on both their parts to have a family together, this was part of Irene's plan to save them both (and the entire world) from Azazel's schemes, a plan that required them to abandon Kurt as a scapegoat-savior (a la Robert Graves' King Jesus), and to have Xavier wipe both their memories.

Now, I'm not the right person to write about what this story means on a representational level; I'll leave it to my LGBT+ colleagues on the Cerebrocast discord and elsewhere to discuss the personal resonances the story had for them.

What I will say, however, is that I thought this issue threaded the needle of all of these competing imperatives very deftly. It "fixed" the Draco without completely negating it, it really deepened and complicated the characters and relationships of both Raven and Irene (by showing that, in a lot of ways, Destiny is the more ruthless and manipulative of the two), and it honored Kurt's core identity as a man of hope and compassion (even if it did put him in a rather thankless ingénue role for much of the book).

It is the very acme of an additive retcon; nothing was lost, everything was gained.

I still think the baby Nightcrawler is just a bad bit, but then again I don't really vibe with Spurrier's comedic stylings.

[mkpersephone]

I saw this on Qura about Professor X's character assassination in modern days comics and it fits perfectly:

it's pure character assassination. They've played with this idea before where Xavier's suppressed desires run amok for a while making him evil, or like Onslaught, the writers use the first excuse to make him an outright villain and plot device for "Heroes Reborn". Even Wolverine renaming the school the "Jean Grey School for Higher Learning" is one of the methods of trying to replace Xavier or rewrite his place in the hierarchy or question who is more 'saintly'. But when push came to shove the wheel would turn back because what actually sells (and is popular) is the classic, wheelchair-bound, parental, wise, and caring Professor Charles Xavier. I think they do this in these comics now because comics are dying, and the current writer wants these classic characters parroting their own thoughts and beliefs... even if it becomes the character's epitaph.

Honestly, modern writers DO NOT know how to try to build up a character or idea without tearing something down. And Xavier is always an awesome target because the ideal he stood for when originally created, (just like you pointed out in your answer) is one that ideologically is being opposed by today's progressives. There is no fight for equality, there is only ever varying levels of power and the struggle to have more. Having a straight white male who is a benevolent father figure to the wayward lost souls and moral center to an adoptive family unit is out of the question for modern writers. If you want to destabilize and re-write something in your own image, you attack the root, and Professor Charles Xavier is the root of the X-Men.

This whole story is WAY out of character for Xavier, but in their defense, I would say ever since Krakoa, each writer writes the characters as how they want to interpret the character. And this isn't the first character they've assassinated, including Moira McTaggert. Today, there is no Jim Shooter anymore trying to wrangle the whole bullpen and fighting the writers on bad ideas. (And to be fair, not all of his ideas were good and the writers fought him plenty, but the writers at the time were outstanding pros with long track records of great stories, not twitter account holders on their first comic who were given a job based on their race or sexuality).

When you stop knowing how to make great new characters, (heroes and villains alike), then you're stuck trying to reinvent the characters you have. That's been X-Men's problem for almost the last 20 years; when they make new characters, they're not really good and no one really cares. That leaves using the current stable... over and over and over again.

[thatsastepladder]

I saw an Irene Adler post on my dash and my comics brain can't stop thinking about how Marvel made the bizarre decision to not only make Holmes/Adler a thing, but also make "Holmes" actually Mystique because Claremont named Destiny after the Doyle character.

Which got me thinking about the whole Nightcrawler origin retcon. Now, I'm no fan of Azazel - the Draco was awful and deserves to be forgotten - but I think the way Marvel went about making Kurt Raven and Irene's bio child was messy and ill-conceived.

I'm a Claremont stan, yes - I think his original X-Men run is some of the greatest long-term storytelling comics has to offer and would have been better had Jim Shooter not meddled and made X-Factor - but "it was Claremont's original idea that was shot down by editorial" doesn't justify bringing it back in the modern day.

"Kurt is Destiny and Mystique's biological child" is an idea that would have worked in the 1980s, before we knew anything of Kurt's parentage. But now, all these years later, to tell that story requires it to not only be a reveal, but a retcon. It can't just be a story of how Kurt was conceived, but also an explanation of how everything you thought you knew was wrong.

And it fumbled the bag there, hard, because on top of all of the Irene/Raven stuff, they also still felt the need to justify Azazel's involvement in a very clumsy fashion. (Seriously, it would have been easier to go "Azazel lied to you, he's not your dad" than what they did. I don't know why comic writers are so averse to using "people fucking lie sometimes" as a retcon explanation. It's simple, character-focused, and doesn't involve comic book nonsense.)

At least it isn't the worst parentage retcon in comics history. It's still going to be tough to beat Judd Winick's "Ice isn't actually a Scandinavian princess from a reclusive tribe of ice people, she's the daughter of Romani thieves!"

[amageish]

People seemed to like my post chronicling the queer history of Felicia Hardy, so I'm going to do something similar to that... Let's chat about the queer history of Marvel's unwitting power couple, Ellie Phimister and her girlfriend Yuki Ohara.

Let's dive in!

Content Warning: This summary will include discussion of anti-mutant hate crimes and genocide, as that is part of Ellie's comic book story.

Like a lot of queer X-Men stories, this one begins with queercoding in the 80s.

While Jim Shooter famously prohibited any queer storytelling in Marvel Comics during his tenure as Editor-in-Chief of the company and, on top of that, the Comics Code Authority also banned it, Chris Claremont, the architect of the X-Men as we know them today, never really followed those rules - and neither did his editors, artists, and co-writers. There are so many queer-coded relationships throughout his runs on the X-Men and the modern X-Men stories are still playing catch-up to this day, canonizing the intentions of him and his collaborators one character at a time. Mystique and Destiny are probably his most famous pairing nowadays, as that is canon now, but he also wrote the Juggernaut as being with Black Tom Cassidy, Kate Pryde as being bisexual for most women she encounters in her life, and, the topic for today, Storm being in a romantic relationship with the Japanese assassin Yukio.

Yukio is, to put it mildly, a risk-taker. She runs through life with seemingly no self-preservation instincts whatsoever and, for some reason, always gets by nonetheless. She and Storm have a fling while Storm is in Japan (Uncanny X-Men 172-173) and this leads directly into Storm's famous punk era, which certainly does recontextualize some of the vibes of her having suddenly gotten a mohawk and a taste for leather.

Their later reunion in Uncanny X-Men 311-313 is extra funny to me - both because of the narration textually referring to them as "more then friends" and because of Yukio justifying her daredevil attitude by suggesting it would have been "politically incorrect" of the villain to have attacked them in public.

These two "kindred spirits" hang out for a bit, but Yukio is ultimately a Wolverine character and not a larger X-Men team member, so they naturally split off as time goes on. Their last appearance together was during the 2014 Death of Wolverine event - though their affair was mentioned by an angry Kitty during the Storm flashback mini earlier this year.

That said, Yukio is obviously a Sapphic and I guess when the team behind the movie Deadpool 2 decided to give their version of Negasonic Teenage Warhead a girlfriend, they looked at the list of queer-coded characters and decided she was the right one for them...

Now, as for Ellie...

Eloise Phimister AKA Negasonic Teenage Warhead debuted in Grant Morrison's New X-Men, but her name was not said on-panel until after she was already dead. She was one of Emma Frost's students, a gothic woman with telepathic powers that foretold the death of her and her classmates at Genosha... and yet she died nonetheless.

This is a very tragic character. She has a silly name, but that is part of the heartbreak of this moment. Ellie is a child who died as a result of a genocidal desire to kill all mutants. Her silly name emphasizes her youth... which makes it REALLY tonally dissonant when it played for comedy from here-on-out.

She was briefly brought back by the camp gay villain Selene when she revived horrific versions of many deceased mutants as part of X-Force... and then she was revived for real with a new design fter the release of the first Deadpool movie. She maintains her precognitive abilities and future-sight here, but otherwise... Well, she's now a comedy character in a Deadpool book. She also can warp reality now, partially as an explanation for why she looks/acts different then her first appearances.

She paled around with Deadpool for a bit, but didn't do anything explicitly queer in the comics until 2022 (good god) where she kissed an unnamed woman, causing Wolverine to wonder if she'll one day lead a X-Men team that is exclusively made up of her multiple girlfriends. This comment is also a subtle not to the implied status quo of the Krakoa era, where Wolverine himself has two partners - dating both Jean Grey and Scott Summers.

This is a funny moment, though I do wonder why it took so long for her to be queer in the comics - Marvel comic books are generally the most queer media Marvel puts out, so I do wonder if it was something specifically about her being a Deadpool character that caused people to hesitate to greenlight queer stories about her.

Finally, in 2023, Ellie got her first solo series in the form of an Infinity Comic.

This series uses the increasingly-popular approach of having "fate" be a stand-in for "the concept of being a loyal adaptation in a multimedia landscape," as she is fated to kiss a girl named Yuki Ohara or else the fabric of reality as we know it will be destroyed.

While Deadpool is only in it for a bit, it is a very meta narrative, with a lot of commentary on the way that female characters are written in comics in general and female reality-warpers specifically, with Ellie having a lot of anxiety about the risk of her becoming like Jean Grey or Scarlet Witch - not helped by the TVA chasing her down and declaring her a threat. However, in the end, she meets her girlfriend-to-be and pauses time itself to get know her properly before having their universe-saving kiss. Good for them!

Since then, she has appeared exactly once - in a Pride issue fashion show - but I imagine she and her girlfriend Yuki are just in a little reality-warp bubble, hidden away as Fall of X finishes up.

Synergy is a dirty word in the comics landscape, but I personally like Ellie and her romance with Yuki - and I'm very relieved that they introduced a new, younger Yuki O. based on the movie for her to date instead of just retconning the established Yukio into becoming Eloise's girlfriend... Storm doesn't deserve to have her girl stolen away like that!

Also, Yuki has a giant mech and electricity powers. Maybe a little cliche for a Japanese character's powerset, but it is badass...

I hope we see more comic book stuff with these two eventually... There is potential there that is as of yet untapped - especially as they are probably two of Marvel's most notable queers by virtue of being in wildly popular movies, even if their comic queerness is a relatively modern thing.

[daresplaining]

Heather: "Matt, that super-hero swinging by--! He could almost be Daredevil!" Matt (thinking): "I doubt that, Heather--since I'm Daredevil. On the other hand, whoever our young stalwart is, he's very good..." Iron Fist vol. 1 #11 by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, D. Warfield, Dan Adkins, and J. Costanza *(Flash Iron Fist Fact: The two guys creeping on Heather in the background are Marvel writer/editor Roger Stern and Jim Shooter.)

Here's Heather Glenn/Chris Claremont with some pretty incredible thirty-year foreshadowing...

Today (February 19th, 2024) marks the 50th anniversary of the first appearance of Iron Fist/Danny Rand in Marvel Premiere #15! The above page from almost exactly three years later was, though tiny and brief, technically the first crossover between the Iron Fist and Daredevil series. Danny liked Matt almost immediately when they did eventually meet in-person (Matt took a little more time to warm up to Danny, but that's Matt for you), and they would end up becoming close friends--with Danny, as mentioned, even filling in as Daredevil for a little while during the "Civil War" event and in the Brubaker/Lark DD run.

[gorogues]

Spoilers for comics in January 2025!

You can see them in full at Adventures In Poor Taste.

It's mostly just reprints for that month, but here's the Flash solicit now that we know Marco will be in the upcoming Skartaris storyline. Strangely, no cover is provided.

THE FLASH #17 Written by SIMON SPURRIER Art by VASCO GEORGIEV Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO Variant covers by DIKE RUAN and BALDEMAR RIVAS $3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 1/22/25 As The Flash races to contain damage to Skartaris, forces both below and above ground make their move to grasp power. The Flash Family vacation leads the West clan to meet the one and only Warlord!

This next book is obviously a collection with tons of Digger, so fans of his might want to pick it up!

DC FINEST: SUICIDE SQUAD: TRIAL BY FIRE Written by JOHN OSTRANDER Art by LUKE McDONNELL, JOHN BYRNE, JOE BROZOWSKI, and more Cover by LUKE McDONNELL and KARL KESEL $39.99 US | 560 pages | 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-77950-075-9 ON SALE 3/11/25 Task Force X was created in World War II to neutralize metahuman and supernatural threats. Over time, the roster was updated to include incarcerated supervillains who could reduce their prison sentences if they went on dangerous assignments that were deemed suicide missions. Thus, Task Force X earned a new nickname: the Suicide Squad! This first collection of John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell’s classic run includes stories from Suicide Squad #1-10, Secret Origins #14, Detective Comics #582, The Fury of Firestorm #62-64, Firestorm: The Nuclear Man Annual #5, Legends #1-6, and Millennium #4.

This next trade should include a couple of stories with Rogues, since Kadabra appears in a couple of these stories, and some other Rogues appear a bit too.

LIMITED COLLECTORS’ EDITION #48 FACSIMILIE EDITION Written by E. NELSON BRIDWELL and JIM SHOOTER Art by CURT SWAN, ROSS ANDRU, NEAL ADAMS, CARMINE INFANTINO, GEORGE KLEIN, and DICK GIORDANO Cover by CARMINE INFANTINO, JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, and BOB OKSNER $14.99 US | 56 pages ON SALE 1/22/25 The greatest races of all time between Superman and the Flash are reproduced in this tabloid-size facsimile of the 1976 Limited Collectors’ Edition classic. In addition to tales of super-speed, this issue includes bonus features like a tour of Superman’s Fortress of Solitude drawn by Neal Adams and “How to Draw the Flash!” by Carmine Infantino. Test your knowledge with a Flash puzzle and be sure to buy a second copy to cut out the tabletop diorama on the back cover.

The next trade has a Bronze Age Eobard story in it (the one in which he gets salty about being called the Reverse Flash).

DC FINEST: TEAM-UPS: CHASE TO THE END OF TIME Written by MARTIN PASKO, DAVID MICHELINIE, LEN WEIN, and more Art by JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, MURPHY ANDERSON, CURT SWAN, and more Cover by JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LÓPEZ and DAN ADKINS $39.99 US | 560 pages | 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-77950-082-7 ON SALE 3/18/25 The Man of Steel and the Flash! The Caped Crusader and Black Canary! See the World’s Finest duo of Superman and Batman join forces with other DC superheroes in DC Finest: Team-Ups: Chase to the End of Time, collecting some of the most exciting team-up stories from the Bronze Age of comics from May 1978 to October 1979. Featuring the works of some of the greatest artists and writers in comics, this volume contains stories from DC Comics Presents #1-14 and The Brave and the Bold #141-155.

[frankendykes-monster]

One thing about Secret Wars is that even if I didn't know it was written by Jim Shooter or anything about the lead-up to him selecting himself as writer I would still be able to almost immediately ascertain that it was written by someone of his or similar position. It's not the "characters reintroducing themselves and telling you this is what they do" it's that almost all the dialogue in the story has a very "75% effort" feel to it where it's coming from someone who's job is editor first and writer second wherein characters are "in-character" up to a certain point where it's obvious what they'd do in a given situation but there's extra care taken to make sure nothing is pushed overboard or twisted.

[nocontextspiderman]

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 (1987)

[classicmarvelera]

Remembering The Keeper of Continuity: Mark Gruenwald

Mark Gruenwald stands as a towering figure in the history of Marvel Comics, his career spanning from the late 1970s until his untimely passing in 1996. From his humble beginnings as a writer and fill-in artist to his influential role as Marvel's Executive Editor, Gruenwald left an indelible mark on the comic book industry, particularly through his meticulous attention to continuity and his creative contributions to numerous iconic titles

Check Out Mark Gruenwald's Marvel Masterworks

Early Career and Rise to Prominence

Mark Gruenwald joined Marvel Comics in 1978 under the mentorship of Jim Shooter, quickly establishing himself as a reliable writer and artist. His journey from scripting and illustrating to editorial roles was meteoric. By the early 1980s, he had become an editor for flagship titles such as:

The Avengers: Gruenwald oversaw various story arcs during his tenure, including notable issues like "The Korvac Saga" (Avengers #167-177) and "Under Siege" (Avengers #270-277)

Captain America: His run on Captain America (#307-443) is considered one of the most definitive, exploring themes of patriotism, morality, and the burden of wielding great power

Iron Man: Gruenwald contributed to Iron Man during a pivotal period, overseeing storylines like "Armor Wars" (Iron Man #225-232) which delved into Tony Stark's ethical struggles

Thor: Though not the regular editor, Gruenwald's influence extended to significant storylines such as "The Surtur Saga" (Thor #340-353), which showcased epic battles and Norse mythology

Spider-Woman: He edited various issues during his editorial tenure, contributing to the character's development and narrative direction

What If: Known for exploring alternate realities and hypothetical scenarios, Gruenwald's editorial oversight ensured these stories expanded Marvel's multiverse while maintaining coherence

The Guardian of Continuity

Gruenwald was renowned for his stringent approach to continuity, ensuring that Marvel's vast universe remained cohesive and interconnected. His commitment to maintaining consistency across titles became a hallmark of his editorial philosophy, earning him respect and admiration from both colleagues and readers alike

Contributions as a Writer

Beyond his editorial duties, Mark Gruenwald distinguished himself as a talented writer, crafting compelling narratives that resonated with fans:

Captain America: His writing on Captain America not only shaped the character's moral compass but also introduced innovative storylines such as "The Captain" (Captain America #332-350) where John Walker took up the mantle

Quasar: Gruenwald's creation and stewardship of Quasar (Quasar #1-60) showcased his ability to develop new characters and explore cosmic themes within the Marvel Universe

Squadron Supreme: As both writer and editor, he penned the iconic "Squadron Supreme" series (Squadron Supreme #1-12), a deconstruction of superhero tropes that delved into complex moral and political dilemmas

Inspirations and Mentors

Gruenwald's impact extended beyond his creative work. He inspired characters such as Mobius in the Fantastic Four series (starting with issue #346 in 1990), conceived by Walt Simonson, reflecting Gruenwald's influence on Marvel's mythology of time and continuity. Moreover, he credited Dennis O'Neil, the esteemed comic book writer and editor, as a mentor whose guidance shaped his storytelling sensibilities

Legacy and Impact

Mark Gruenwald's sudden passing in 1996 marked the end of an era at Marvel Comics. His meticulous attention to detail, his unwavering commitment to continuity, and his innovative storytelling continue to inspire generations of comic book creators. His legacy lives on through the characters he shaped and the narrative foundations he laid, reminding us of the enduring power of storytelling to captivate and connect with audiences

In conclusion, Mark Gruenwald's journey from a young writer and artist to Marvel's Executive Editor epitomizes his dedication to comics and his profound impact on the industry. His contributions as a writer, editor, and guardian of continuity have left an indelible mark on the Marvel Universe. As we celebrate his life and work, we recognize his enduring legacy as one of Marvel's unsung heroes, whose dedication to storytelling continues to resonate with fans worldwide

Mark Gruenwald's story is a testament to the transformative power of creativity, dedication, and the profound impact one individual can have on an entire universe of imagination

Check Out Mark Gruenwald's Marvel Masterworks

[istherewifiinhell]

grand finale baby okay. (what do u mean their are 80-300 more of these...)

[ID: Optimus looking up to a hole in the ceiling, a beam of light filtering through, rubble around him. He says "That was Megatron's way of letting us know he has come!" END]

badum tssk 🥁🔔

its marvel tf no 4! or 7-8 in uk reckoning, winter of 84, the cartoon is now on air!

okay lets hear it- Writer: Jim Salicrup, Pencils: Frank Springer, Inks: Ian Akin & Brain Garvey, Letters: John Workman Colour: Nelson Yomtov, Editor: Bob Buduansky, EiC: Jim Shooter Digital Re-master by Digikore Studios Limited. Collection Edits by Justin Eisinger and Alonzo Simon. Editorial notes and assistance by Mark. W. Bellomo

it wouldnt be some 80s comics without some pain so lets get hurting

[ID: Caption box: Meanwhile, at a ballet class attended by Buster's girlfriend Jesse… A gratuitous panel of four presumably teen girls in sleeveless leotards looking out the window. Jesse asks "What is it?" One answers "Looks like the Rolands are leaving town! They've packed everything --including the kitchen sink!" Close of three looking out the window, mild expressions of shock on their ingenue faces. The speaker continues "I really can't believe anyone would take this robot business seriously!" Jesse cries a single tear thinking "There's no escape from this Madness!" In the dance locker rooms, Jesse stands in elegant contrapposto of distress thinking "I thought coming here would take my mind off Buster--fora little while, at least. But knowing that he's risking his life to save his father is eating me up inside! Guess I was only fooling myself! I can't stop wondering if I'll ever see Buster again!" Caption Box: While back at the ark… Buster kneels over his father, fingers to his pulse. Optimus, looming in the fore asks "Is your father still functioning?" Buster pleads up at him "My father's not a machine! He's flesh and blood! And if we don't get him to a hospital fast--he'll die!" Ratchet in the back says "Perhaps I can help!" END]

sorry thats as long and as hateful as i ever intend to be here. boy i hate comics tho...

this episode of transformers is brought to you by: jarring cuts!

[ID: A military jeep driving, a human voice inside it says "I'd give anything to get a little sleep, but if you and this truck aren't delivered to the 4067th M.A.S.H unit in time, my goose'll be cooked! This is all your fault, old friend! If you weren't such a hotshot mechanic they wouldn't need you to repair their ambulances.' END]

[anime girl image] MASH REFERENCE 🎊🎉🥳 (yes sparkplug will be having war flashbacks the whole comic. technically. theres a point to it)

[ID: Two EMT's get into the front seats of Ratchet in alt mode. Passenger: This is the only ambulance available, and we need it. Ratchet: What? Driver: Did you hear that squeak? Passenger: We'll get it fixed after we bring back that heart attack victim! As they drive off Ratchet thinks: These men seem to mean well! I'll just keep quiet and help them! After all, it's the least I can do as a doctor-- even if an earthling is my patient--and it's better than waiting! END]

oh by the way ratchet is just parked outside the hospital cause he drove sparky there. what a nice fella. also im not showing any of it but actually the AUTOBOTS are the ones that hurt him... like. accidentally but they werent being.. VERY NICE either. bad vibes all around.

[ID: Various dinosaurs in a cretaceous vista. A character narrates. "In a volcano-ringed valley, inhabited by weird, alien creatures, some even larger than ourselves. The drone found its answer…" A single transformer walks fully over one of the dinosaurs in the clearing. The speaker continues "The cybertronic life form was none other than the Decepticon known as Shockwave!" Editors note: "Long-time marvel readers will recognize this place as the savage land, prehistoric domain of the present-day Ka-zar!" END]

(sees 5 specific kinds of dinosaurs) OH BOY OH BOY. shut the fuck up marvel editor. THATS DINOBOT ISLAND where my friends the DINOBOTS live. jeez... also shockwave bigfooting it up, as tfs are wont to do.

anyway get ready for the meg.op comedy hour

[ID: Ironhide shouting: What are we waiting for? Let's get him! Optimus: No! That's exactly what he wants!-- so he can pick us off easily! Let him come to us! END]

[ID: Caption box: One after another, the Decepticons enter Mount St. Hilary, pushing the attack… Megatron stands in the left fore, his troops in the mid, and Optimus high on distant hill on the right. He calls out: I'm coming for you, Optimus. Our war is nearly ended! He thinks: Too many of my men stand between me and Optimus! My fusion cannon would destroy them as well! Bah! A small price to pay to rid myself of my constant foe forever! END]

normal thinks to say and think megs. wow

[ID: Optimus large in fore, looking same direction the camera is focused. He and the other Autobots shaded in dark purple and black. The Decepticons, in full colour, seekers flying above, and the rest charging down the middle, all firing weapons. Megatron yells "Prepare to be DESTROYED!!!" END]

HEY. THATS NOT HALF BAD. a panel with dynamic composition and values that direct the eye??? I CANT BELIEVE IT. also i just noticed. lets all thank soundwave's head being obscured in this panel. THEY LEFT IN A PURPLEWAVE!!!! he endures... seek him out where the remaster dare not go.

[ID: Megatron firing his fusion canon, shouting "You're mine, Optimus!" Optimus yells in pain, his arm melting, and his gun dropping to the ground. END]

as im always saying...

anyway yeah the autobots win in the end cause sparkplug sabotaged the fuel he made for them, JUST LIKE HE DID WHEN HE WAS A POW IN THE KOREAN WAR... jesus. comic of people who like. have heard how drama is supposed to work, without perhaps. really getting why it works. at least it looked nice...

fucking hell. anyway and then shockwave shows up and tramples the autobots. THE END

[ID: Printed comic. Caption Box: --Into Shockwave! Shockwave stands in full view, light emanating behind him, rubble, and injured Autobot's at his feet. He speaks "After four million earth years I have accomplished my mission-- The Autobots are no more!" END]

(dont he look great in printed purples. mwah)

[racefortheironthrone]

on Madelyn’s Pryor , is there some Xmen beat that I missed of like an aunt’s name or maternal last name etc why “Jean” would pick it? Pretty funny but iconic that she’d immediatley come up with a completely full name to be called … maybe it makes more “sense” in the comics? Not that k really care, I think it’s fun if she came up with it like that

In the show? None at all. But the showrunners know the fans know who this character is, so it's kind of a waste of time and effort to come up with a complicated workaround to explain something that the people who care about the name aren't really going to be impressed with no matter what you come up with.

In the comics? It comes down to the complicated backstory that Claremont gradually developed. Originally, Claremont did not intend for Madelyne to have any connection to Jean Grey other than a physical resemblance, and the whole plot of From the Ashes is Mastermind using his illusions into tricking people into thinking there was one. But the original concept of Madelyne was that she was her own person, with a concidentially-mysterious past, who was there as a way to give Scott Summers a happy ending as he was written out of the X-books. (The character's actual name was a reference to Maddie Prior, the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span, Chris Claremont's two favorite bands.)

Then the decision was made by Jim Shooter, Bob Layton, and Kurt Busiek to launch X-Factor with the O5 X-Men, and in the process retcon Jean Grey's death (doubly ironic since it had been Jim Shooter's editorial mandate that had caused that death in the first place). Chris Claremont has always hated the idea, so please stop asking him about it at cons, and fought it with everything he had, but at the end of the day as a work-for-hire writer he had no choice. So instead he comes up with the idea of Madelyne as a clone created by Mister Sinister as a way to unite the Summers and Grey bloodlines following the death of Jean Grey, and the rest is Inferno.

[kudosmyhero]

Daredevil (vol. 1) #145: Danger Rides the Bitter Wind!

Read Date: September 22, 2023 Cover Date: May 1977 ● Writer: Jim Shooter ◦ Gerry Conway ● Penciler: George Tuska ● Inker: Jim Mooney ● Colorist: Janice Cohen ● Letterer: Denise Wohl ● Editor: Marv Wolfman ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers

Reactions As I Read: ● interesting… someone going after Matt rather than DD

● DD just got burned by a background character in his own book ● didn’t Owl leave the hospital only a short time ago? how does he already have a guy tied up and ready to unalive? ● 👏 👏 👏

Synopsis: A doctor held hostage gives the Owl an exoskeleton allowing him to walk and fly better than before.

(https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Daredevil_Vol_1_145)

Fan Art: Daredevil Tribute by VincenzoRiccardi

Accompanying Podcast: ● Josh and Jamie Do Daredevil - episode 25

[dustedmagazine]

Dusted Mid-Year 2024, Part III (The Lists)

Winged Wheel

Dusted’s writers picked two for the mid-year exchange, but any of them could easily reel off a dozen or more other favorites.  Find out what else they liked in this collection of lists. 

If you haven’t read Part I or Part II yet, check them out. 

Christian Carey

Arooj Aftab —  Night Reign (Verve)

Richard Baker —  The Tyranny of Fun (NMC)

Kyle Bruckman —  Of Rivers (New Focus)

Madi Diaz —  Weird Feeling (Anti)

Julia Holter —  Something in the Room She Moves (Domino)

Hurray for the Riff Raff —  The Past is Still Alive (Nonesuch)

Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey —  Compassion (ECM)

Kali Malone —  All Life Long (Ideologic Organ)

Rosali — Bite Down (Merge)

Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion —  Rectangles and Circumstance (Nonesuch)

Ches Smith —  Laugh Ash (Pyroclastic)

Waxahatchee —  Tigers Blood (Anti)

Tim Clarke

DIIV — Frog In Boiling Water (Fantasy)

Loma — How Will I Live Without A Body? (Sub Pop)

Jessica Pratt — Here in the Pitch (City Slang)

Jon Mckiel — Hex (You’ve Changed)

Winged Wheel — Big Hotel (12XU)

Corridor — Mimi (Sub Pop)

English Teacher — This Could Be Texas (Island)

Helado Negro — Phasor (4AD)

Ty Segall — Three Bells (Drag City)

The Smile — Wall of Eyes (XL)

Andrew Forell

Arab Strap — I’m totally fine with it 👍 don’t give a fuck anymore 👍 (Rock Action)

Camera Obscura — Look to the East, Look to the West (Merge)

Daryl Groetsch — Above the Shore (self-released)

Drahla — angeltape (Captured Tracks)

Geotic — The Anchorite (Basement’s Basement)

Iceboy Violet, Nueen — You Said You’d Hold my Hand Through the Fire (Hyperdub)

Kim Gordon — The Collective (Matador)

Mick Harvey — Five Ways to Say Goodbye (Mute)

Sandwell District — Where Next? (Point of Departure)

Umbrellas — Fairweather Friend (Slumberland)

Yosa Peit — Gutbuster (Fire)

Reissues:

Brion Gysin — Junk (WEWANTSOUNDS)

These Immortal Souls — Get Lost (Don’t Lie!) Mute

Bryon Hayes

Rosali – Bite Down (Merge)

Winged Wheel – Big Hotel (12xU)

Gastr Del Sol – We Have Dozens of Titles (Drag City)

Beings – There is a Garden (No Quarter)

Ambarchi Berthling Werliin – Dusted II (Drag City)

Sunburned Hand of the Man – Nimbus (Three Lobed)

Water Damage – In E (12xU)

Dun-Dun Band – Pita Parka Pt. 1: Xam Egdub (Ansible Editions)

Gerycz Powers Rolin – Activator (12xU)

Magic Tuber String Band – Needlefall (Thrill Jockey)

Alex Johnson

Rosali — Bite Down (Merge)

RE Seraphin —  Fool’s Mate (Take A Turn/Safe Suburban Home)

Uranium Club —  Infants Under the Bulb (Static Shock)

The Spatulas —  Beehive Mind (Post Present Medium)

Yohei —  Echo You Know (Perpetual Doom)

Pardoner —  Paranoid in Hell (Convulse)

NYSSA —  Shake Me Where I’m Foolish (Six Shooter)

Nowhere Flower —  Ruts the Place (Radical Documents)

Sheer Mag —  Playing Favorites (Third Man)

Cindy Lee —  Diamond Jubilee (Realistik Studios)

Oren Ambachi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werlin —  Ghosted II (Drag City)

Winged Wheel —  Big Hotel (12XU)

Jennifer Kelly

Rosali—Bite Down (Merge)

Mdou Moctar—Funeral for Justice (Matador)

Mary Timony—Untame the Tiger (Merge)

Myriam Gendron—Mayday (Thrill Jockey)

Lupa Citto—S-T (12XU)

James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg—All Gist (Paradise of Bachelors)

Rail Band—S-T (Mississippi)

Winged Wheel—Big Hotel (12XU)

Six Organs of Admittance—Time is Glass (Drag City)

Split System—Vol. 2 (Goner)

Ian Mathers

The Body & Dis Fig — Orchards of a Futile Heaven (Thrill Jockey)

Broadcast — Spell Blanket: Collected Demos 2006-2009 (Warp)

Cassandra Jenkins — My Light, My Destroyer (Dead Oceans)

Chelsea Wolfe — She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She (Loma Vista)

Jessica Moss — For UNRWA (Self released)

Laura Masotto — The Spirit of Things (7K!)

loscil // lawrence english — Chroma (Self released)

Myriam Gendron — Mayday (Feeding Tube/Thrill Jockey)

Polar Inertia — Environment Control (Northern Electronics)

Whitelands — Night-bound Eyes Are Blind to the Day (Sonic Cathedral)

Jim Marks

Ben Allison, Steve Cardenas, and Ted Nash — Tell the Birds I Said Hello: The Music of Herbie Nichols (Sonic Camera)

Mary Halvorson — Cloudward (Nonesuch)

Demian Cabaud — Arbol Adentro (Porta Jazz)

Fabiano do Nascimento and Sam Gendel — The Room (Real World)

Francesco Sensi — In Abstracto (WoW)

James Brandon Lewis Quartet — Transfiguration (Intakt)

James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg — All Gist (Paradise of Bachelors)

Juan Pablo Alcazar — Otro Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps (Porta Jazz)

Michele di Toro, Yuri Goloubev, and Hans Mathisen — Trinomics (Calogola)

Tony Moreno Trio — Ballads Volume 1 (Sunnyside)

Patrick Masterson

Cindy Lee — Diamond Jubilee (Realistik)

Chief Keef — Almighty So 2 (43B)

Marika Hackman — Big Sigh (Chrysalis)

Water Damage — In E (12XU)

Oneida — Expensive Air (Joyful Noise)

Winged Wheel — Big Hotel (12XU)

Burial — “Dreamfear / Boy Sent From Above" (XL)

Gouge Away — Deep Sage (Deathwish Inc.)

Blues Ambush — Blues Ambush (Radical Documents)

Tei Shi — Valerie (self-released)

Armand Hammer — BLK LBL (self-released)

Donato Dozzy — Magda (Spazio Disponibile)

Bill Meyer

 أحمد  [Ahmed] —Wood Blues (Astral Spirits)

 أحمد  [Ahmed]—Giant Beauty (Fönstret)

Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet—Four Guitars Live (Palilalia) 

Itasca—Imitation of War (Paradise of Bachelors) 

Lisa Ullen, Heirloom (Fönstret)

Lumpeks—Polonez (Umlaut) 

Matthew Shipp Trio, New Directions in Jazz Piano Trio (ESP-Disk’)

Olivia Block—The Mountains Pass (Black Truffle)

Oren Ambarchi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werliin—Ghosted II (Drag City)

Rafael Toral—Spectral Evolution (Moikai) 

The Handover—The Handover (Sublime Frequencies) 

Tomeka Reid Quartet—3x3 (Cuneiform) 

Jonathan Shaw

Bad Breeding—Contempt (Iron Lung)

Fuera de Sektor—Juegos Prohibidos (La Vida Es un Mus)

Cindy Lee—Diamond Jubilee (Realistik Studios)

SUMAC—The Healer (Thrill Jockey)

Thou—Umbilical (Sacred Bones)

VR Sex—“Hard Copy” (Dais)