Though he had a varied career as a writer of short fiction, Texan author Robert E. Howard only wrote a single novel. Unsurprisingly, it centered upon his most popular character, Conan of Cimmeria. The finished novel, which Howard titled The Hour of the Dragon, was commissioned at the request of a British publisher, who subsequently rejected it. Howard then sent it on to his editor at Weird Tales magazine, who published it in a serialized format. It would later be reprinted as a novel throughout the 1950s and 1960s as Conan The Conqueror.
The story of how The Hour of the Dragon was adapted into a comic book is nearly as wild and varied. Writer and editor Roy Thomas, who had introduced Conan into the world of comics, had a bold plan to adapt Howard’s novel as a means of kicking-off a new quarterly Giant-Size Conan series, with the legendary Gil Kane illustrating the story. While Conan the Barbarian was popular, the Giant-Size line as a whole sold poorly, and Giant-Size Conan was canceled after only four issues of original material could be published. Thomas eventually saw the rest of the The Hour of the Dragon published, with illustrations by the equally legendary John Buscema, in two separate issues of the black-and-white magazine Savage Sword of Conan.
Conan: The Hour of the Dragon collects the whole of Thomas, Kane and Buscema’s adaptation of Howard’s magnum opus for the first time in a single volume, with all-color artwork, commentary by Thomas, script pages for Giant Size Conan #3 and a history of the fictional Acheron empire (which lies at the center of the story) by Robert L. Yaple. This volume also collects two original comics by Thomas and Buscema (published as Conan the Barbarian Annual #4 & #5, respectively) which detail the aftermath of The Hour of the Dragon.
The story itself is pure pulp magic. Conan, now a king by his own hand, is stricken by a sorcerous malady as he rides out to meet the armies that threaten to invade Aquilonia. Captured and condemned to a die in a dungeon while his people think him dead, Conan is rescued by Zenobia, a slavegirl who fell for him years earlier when he was a simple mercenary captain. Armed with a knife provided by Zenobia, Conan begins a quest to slay the sorcerers and usurping nobles responsible for his fall; one that will take him to the monster-haunted tombs of Stygia and see him once more sail with the Black Corsairs as Amra the Lion.
Conan: The Hour of the Dragon is an epic display of four masters at work. Howard’s prose is largely untouched by Thomas, who made only a few minor changes (noted in his introduction to this volume) to make the story more visually interesting. While Kane is better known for his superhero work, he proves no mean illustrator of sword-and-sorcery and Buscema is widely regarded as the finest artist to ever tackle Conan for Marvel Comics. This volume would make a fine addition to any library for that reason alone, if The Hour of the Dragon weren’t such a ripping yarn on its own terms.
Conan: The Hour of the Dragon is rated for audiences 17 and up, though I’m not certain why. There’s nothing objectionable to teen audiences beyond some blood-spattering violence, spooky stuff involving reanimated corpses and some scanty costuming but no outright nudity. A larger concern may be that the story is a product of its time and there’s some uncomfortable racial overtones with Conan being referred to as a white dog by his black jailers and Conan leading a slave revolt on a galley manned by black rowers. While it is Conan’s reputation as a fearsome pirate captain and being recognized by some of the rowers (who used to be part of his crew) that leads to the revolt, it still reeks somewhat of a white savior complex.
Conan: The Hour of the Dragon By Roy Thomas Art by Gil Kane and John Buscema ISBN: 9781302923297 Marvel Comics, 2020 Publisher Age Rating: Parental Advisory (17+)
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16), Older Teen (16-18), Adult (18+)
Adventures of the X-Men: Clear and Present Dangers is a reprint of the Adventures of the X-Men comic book series from the 1990s. This collection contains Adventures of the X-Men, issues 1-6 and Adventures of Spiderman #3. The comic series was originally named X-Men Adventures and was comprised of comic adaptations of the 90s animated series, X-Men: the Animated Series. The name changed to Adventures of the X-Men in 1996 with original stories not based on the cartoon, yet still in line with its continuity. The creative team was writers Ralph Macchio and Nel Yomtov, pencilers Ben Herrera, Mike S. Miller, Alex Saviuk, and Roberto Flores. It is exactly what you think of when it comes to 90s Marvel comics: bright colors, explosions, and Wolverine kinda being a jerk.
The storylines in Adventures of the X-Men: Clear and Present Dangers do not create an arc of any kind. Instead, the stories are all separate encounters that don’t really play into each other. The first two stories are about tangling with the Incredible Hulk. Logan runs into him on a camping trip, they get in a fight, get captured by X-Factor and taken to a secret military Hulkbuster base; a villain called The Leader then kidnaps the Hulk. The X-Men get involved when they stop by to pick up Wolverine. They thwart The Leader’s plan and set the Hulk free.
The next two stories feature Spider-Man and an orphan named Adam who has been gifted with the mutant power of pyromancy. Gambit and Beast were stopping by the orphanage to check on the young man when a mob scene occurs because of Adam’s mutant existence. Spidey helps break it up and they take Adam to the lab of Curt Connors. The villain Mr. Sinister kidnaps Adam so he can study him. Gambit, Beast, and Spider-Man rally and save the day. The next story is a one-off about an elder god showing up at Salem Center, New York. Cyclops discovers the plot while riding on Wolverine’s motorcycle, and calls the X-Men in to help quell the monsters.
The final two stories have monologuing villains Magneto and Apocalypse trying to outwit each other. Apocalypse tricks Magneto into thinking the Russians brought down his home. Magento overreacts by breaking into a nuclear facility and launching missiles at the United States to start WWIII. Nick Fury calls the X-Men in to deal with this quietly since Magneto is usually their problem. Once Magneto realizes he’s been tricked, he and Scarlet Witch go along with the X-Men to stop the nuclear missiles. Magneto does let one missile land in the middle of the Nevada desert, which is Apocalypse’s headquarters. The day is mostly saved (unless you’re Apocalypse).
Overall, I wouldn’t say this is a must-have for a library collection. If you’re looking for filler superhero comics for a children’s and/or middle grade graphic novel collection, then this is a good pick. It’s like someone took Silver Age comics and 90s comics and threw them in a blender: lots of dialogue and explosions. Macchio and Yomtov try too hard to evoke Chris Claremont’s verbal style without the characterization depth. Everyone comes off as two dimensional with a lot of monologues. The reader never has to guess how anyone feels because there’s a wall of text to tell them.
The art is better in some places than others. For example, the kids at the orphanage had this weird art style, like Herrara was trying to marry the manga style of the 90s with the Marvel house style. The superheroes look fine though, which was an odd contrast. The coloring is very bright, which isn’t surprising; since this is comic series that spun off from an established cartoon, it’s evoking that style with the inks. It’s an enjoyable read if you don’t think too much about it.
Adventures of the X-Men: Clear and Present Dangers By Ralph Macchio and Nel Yomtov Art by Ben Herrera Mike S. Miller and Alex Saviuk ISBN: 9781302917968 Marvel, 2019 Publisher Age Rating: (7-10)
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11)
We all know Janet van Dyne, The Wasp, but Nadia, The Unstoppable Wasp, is a whole other experience. She’s smart, she knows it, and she’s here to shake things up, starting with the scientific patriarchy. Oh, and take down the organization that kidnapped and raised her. And make friends, even with villains. And finish her dad’s projects. And maybe take the bomb out of her friend’s head. Who needs sleep?
Every once in a while, there’s a comic that has a very sound concept, but has trouble with follow-through. Unstoppable Wasp is such a case; volume one is interesting enough at first, though a bit unbearably cheerful and manic, before descending into just kind of silly to the point of feeling pandering. Volume two picks up at the end of volume one, ties them together, and adds in another level of depth and interest.
My primary problem with the Unstoppable Wasp comics is the writing; the first volume especially feels like one long advertisement for diversity in science, especially with the significant number of pages at the end dedicated to interviews with real women in science. Of course, they’re not just women in science, but women in science who also have social media handles and/or are involved in TV or YouTube.
That’s great, and sure, we should talk more about it, but within the story it comes across as the White Savior bringing together her plucky team of disadvantaged girls of color. Because, of course, the rest of the team are girls of color, each from a slightly different background. It doesn’t help that after forming the Agents of G.I.R.L. (an unfortunate acronym that matches the phrase Nadia ascribes to it), the plot never comes back to them for the rest of the first volume. Thankfully, the second volume circles back and gives more detail to each girl beyond just say, Black, into pop culture, quirky dresser, and engineer. Overall though, there’s a weirdly strong emphasis on whether they’re interested in fashion or not, adding to a Barbie feel.
The art is also variable; the first volume is very smooth, but the girls all look strangely the same in body shape, facial features, and coloring. The exception is Lashayla, who is actually a darker-skinned Black girl, an unusual sight in comics. The second volume gives much greater visual variety, though Lashayla is strangely much lighter in skin tone, which is disappointing. The one consistent complaint I have with the art is that the girls all have overfull lips in both volumes. It’s a little disconcerting, but also something of a nod to older comics. Otherwise, the art does a good job of conveying the frenetic energy of Nadia and handling this very dialogue-heavy comic.
The most distinguishing feature of Unstoppable Wasp is that it discusses mental illness in teenagers. We’ve seen discussion of mental health in comics before, even in Marvel (consider the Mariko Tamaki run of She-Hulk), but as far as I know, almost never with youth. And the most remarkable part of it is that they don’t do a bad job of it. There’s discussion of likely genetic links, therapy sessions, and medication. There’s supportive family and friends, encouraging her to take care of herself. Mixed in with that is talk of having to separate the public, heroic image of a person and the personal image that can be more troubled. This means a brief discussion of domestic abuse; I wish that had been expanded a little more because it feels like that particular topic is brought up and quickly set aside, though not done poorly.
I can’t strongly recommend this series because the first volume is so rocky, but if you’re looking to add to your collection with more diverse superheroes and something tailored towards teens, Unstoppable Wasp is a solid choice. It would be a great suggestion as further reading for lovers of comics like Unbeatable Squirrel Girl,Ms. Marvel, or Patsy Walker, AKA Hellcat.
The Unstoppable Wasp, vols. 1-2 By Jeremy Whitley Art by Elsa Charretier, Alti Firmansyah & Gurihiru ISBN:
Volume
ISBN
1
9781302906467
2
9781302906474
Marvel, 2017 Publisher Age Rating: T+ Series Reading Order: https://www.goodreads.com/series/208648-the-unstoppable-wasp-2017 (Wikipedia or Goodreads)
Browse for more like this title NFNT Age Recommendation: Tween (10-13), Teen (13-16), Older Teen (16-18) Character Traits: Characters with Disability East Asian, Black, Latinx Queer, Creator Highlights: Related to…:
It’s been a long time since the X-men comics were a must read for comics fans, but superstar author Jonathan Hickman is poised to change this with his new take on the many X-men characters in House of X/Powers of X. These two limited series replaced all of the X books that were being published in the summer of 2019 in favor of telling one overarching tale of mutants setting up their own country to take care of their community. While it’s hard to say if this will fix some of the problems the X-men have had, this story has definitely put the X-men back on the comics’ map.
The stories in House of X/Powers of X alternate. The House of X tales depict the X-men in the present setting up their new country on the living island Krakoa. It also includes startling revelations about their past. The Powers of X show what happens 100 and 1000 years in the future for mutants. In the present, all mutants will be welcome on Krakoa, even the past villains of the X-men. There are portals on the island that let any mutant teleport around the globe. The mutants are also developing life saving drugs on the island for the rest of humanity, but they will charge humans for these drugs. This is a very different look for the X-men. There are several shocking revelations in these books that I won’t spoil here but the status quo is irrevocably upended and the reader will have to look at some long time X-men characters with new eyes. The changes seem to be well thought out and not a last minute adjustment. The X-men are no longer a hunted minority on the run from a humanity that doesn’t understand them, they are a powerful community that is taking matters into their own hands.
As you would expect with a high profile reboot of the X-men, the art is excellent. Pepe Larraz does the art on House of X, RB Silva draws on Powers of X and Marte Gracia contributes colors for both. It’s remarkable how well the artwork works from House of X to Powers of X and connects both stories. The lines are clean and both artists depict detailed, expressive characters that look distinct from one another, an important skill when dealing with so many heroes and villains. The colors are vibrant and pop off the page. Hickman includes his signature graphs and white pages where he breaks down some of the action in stark quotes and mysterious timelines. The mutants even have their own language now that can be decoded if you have a key. While these interludes can be interesting, sometimes they slow the story down and take up a lot of precious story space. Comic readers expecting art and action on every page may be disappointed with the prose on these pages.
This new status quo on the X-men books is going to affect many of the stories Marvel is tells going forward. Six new X-men titles immediately follow this book with X-men by Hickman and The Marauders by Gerry Duggan being the standouts. Most public libraries will want to have this book even though it’s an expensive purchase. Hickman has successfully reset the table for the X-men. The big question long term is how will fans adapt to the X-men as they take decidedly less ‘heroic’ actions going forward. They are their own nation state now and they act accordingly. Will the more subtle action of diplomats and bureaucrats be appealing? Can the former heroes and villains coexist on Krakoa? What happens when different agendas emerge? Will there be political factions that develop? These new questions will hopefully give fans many interesting stories in the immediate future.
House of X/Powers of X By Jonathan Hickman Art by Pepe Larraz, RB Silva ISBN: 9781302915704 Marvel, 2019 NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16), Older Teen (16-18), Adult (18+)
Uncanny X-Men: X-men Disassembled is the latest reboot of the Marvel franchise in trade paperback. It is larger than most trades coming in at 248 pages instead of the regular 130-ish pages. This stems from it being a weekly comic in single issue form. Since it was a weekly there are three writers (Ed Brisson, Matthew Rosenberg, and Kelly Thompson) with five artists (Mahmud Asrar, R.B. Silva, Adriano Di Benedetto, Yildiray Cinar, and Pere Pérez) to keep up with publication deadlines. The prior books split the X-Men into three different teams, but this book smashes them back together featuring twenty mutant heroes. Some of the new favorites like Honey Badger are mostly absent from the storyline.
The story contains an A plot, B plot, and a C plot. The A plot is Nate Grey, known as X-Man, who kidnaps Kitty Pryde (a leader of the X-Men), anti-mutant rights politician Senator Allen, and Apocalpyse (long-time X enemy). Grey is from another timeline in which the Age of Apocalypse occurs, which is a hell dimension where Apocalypse reigns supreme. Mister Sinister (a Victorian-era mutant scientist who’s into eugenics) created him from Cyclops and Jean Grey’s DNA. He is an omega level mutant (omegas are the most powerful mutants) that has a god complex and parental issues. Nate discovers a stone called the Seed of Life that amplifies his power to an omnipotent level, but shortens his lifespan. He makes it his life purpose to usher in a new age of mutants using the people he kidnapped as a council of ideas. Since he has omnipotent powers a few of the things he does are; create a lake in the Kalahari Desert and bring dinosaurs back to the Midwest. In most of these events, Jamie Maddrox, the Multiple Man, pops up trying to find Pryde and being a problem for the X-Men. Grey also creates the Four Horsemen of Life, which is a sort of inverse on Apocalypse’s Four Horsemen. He telepathically conscripts Angel, Magneto, Omega Red, and the Blob into these roles. They are his messengers of a new world order, and they are fine with murdering anyone who gets in their master’s way. The X-Men investigate all the strange occurrences, fight the horsemen a lot, release Angel from the mind control, and he leads them to Nate where the big standoff occurs.
The B plot concerns the X-Teenagers and their feelings of always being the third string. They are on a mission with Pryde to save people working in a pharmaceutical company because the Mutant Liberation Front (a radical terrorist mutant group) is there. That mission goes sideways, and they get relegated to missions that are not the most exciting. The team is usually split between bucking authority and doing the hero thing versus listening to their X-Elders. Eventually, Legion (Professor Xavier’s unstable son who is an omega level) shows up and tells them what’s going on. He’s the one who’s been controlling Maddrox on his quest to find Pryde. What better way to find someone than by using someone who can create multiples of himself thus instant search party! The teens listen to him despite orders not to, and he leads them to Grey.
The C plot circles back to the pharmaceutical lab. The Mutant Liberation Front was trying to steal a new vaccine that could cure mutants. Beast investigates further into this vaccine and finds that it will work because it’s made from a vaccine he created yet never destroyed. Beast figures out Anole stole it and confronts him. Anole’s mutant power gives him reptilian powers and strength, but his appearance is reptilian, too, with green skin, scales, and he can regrow limbs. He doesn’t like being this way and thought that others like him should get a chance to reject this sort of life. Beast is disappointed and points out that now that humans have such a vaccine they will eliminate the threat of homo superior by force. No one will get a choice.
The book ends with a huge fight scene between all the X-Men and X-Man and his horsemen. Legion tried to contain Grey by imprisoning him in his mind, but Grey takes control of Legion. All the telepaths band together to separate them, causing Jean Grey to get sucked into Nate Grey’s mind where they have a heart to heart. She points out that he’s just following Apocalypse’s Fascistmutant blueprint which is not a good look. Nate Grey monologues a lot about how hard it is to be a god, which Jean Grey doesn’t fall for because she was the Phoenix. She explains she gets it, but what Nate Grey doesn’t understand is the suffering he’s causing. Then she telepathically shows him. Instead of having a change of heart, Nate Grey uses his final bit of power to erase the X-Men, stating they will never understand, so they don’t deserve the world. X-man’s last act is a temper tantrum because mom doesn’t understand him. The final page shows humans going on about their business, a government-mandated anti-mutant vaccine for everyone, and a figure that looks suspiciously like the long-dead Cyclops walking out of frame.
This is not the easiest X-Men story to dive in if you are a new X-Reader because the plot lines work on the idea that you know every character. I’m a long-time X-Reader, but have some holes where I didn’t pick up a storyline, which is why I had to google Nate Grey. I knew he was related to the Age of Apocalypse era, but never followed his storyline. This book can be confusing with so many plots weaving in and out. Also, a lot of characters are in throwback costumes, which I didn’t love, such as Polaris and X-23. It felt like a step back for both of them. The Horsemen of Life’s costume design is like 90s tribal art met a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Also, Magneto’s helmet makes him immune to telepathy, so how did Nate’s telepathy override that?
It does have a lot of fun superhero comic moments, like X-23 getting swallowed by a T-Rex and then cutting her way out of its stomach, and Maddox creating so many multiples of himself that it shows up on satellite. Also, lots and lots of fight scenes for the action inclined. Despite having so many artists, the art style is consistent throughout the book, which is a triumph. The writing feels a little unbalanced with so many cooks in the kitchen. This is not a great starter X-Comic for someone looking to start fresh. If you have an X-Collection already at your library, this is an automatic buy for your X-Loving patrons. And if they aren’t excited by it, that’s okay, because Marvel relaunched the title again with the first trade coming out December 2019.
Uncanny X-Men: X-Men Disassembled By Ed Brisson Matthew Rosenberg Kelly Thompson Art by Mahmud Asrar R.B. Silva Adriano Di Benedetto ISBN: 9781302914868 Marvel, 2019 Publisher Age Rating: Teen+ Series Reading Order
The lives and futures of two individuals collide in Agent 47, vol. 1: Birth of the Hitman. This media tie-in follows Agent 47, the protagonist of the Hitman video game franchise, and his handler, Diana Burnwood.
In Diana’s backstory, she vows to kill those responsible for her parents’ death by a car bomb. She is taken in by a woman named Savi who trains her on how to be an assassin. Diana later fails Savi’s test. What she lacks in killer instinct, she makes up for in intellect. She is able to use her savviness to steal Savi’s clients away away from her.
Agent 47’s origins are more ominous. He is cloned by what is called the Institute and is created to be an assassin. His creator, Ort Meyer, marvels at 47 as a perfect specimen. After the other clones begin to malfunction and a brain wipe is initiated, 47 is the only one to remain unscathed by the procedure. Ort Meyer’s financial backers become intrigued and ask for 47 to be handed over to them. The Professor has other ideas in mind, and assists 47 in his escape from the Institute. Eventually, these stories converge.
The story is told with frequent cross cutting between Diana and Agent 47. While Diana’s story is told in chronological order, 47’s starts off with various missions that he is assigned to. There was very little context as to what the missions were about and why certain people were assassinated. I enjoyed Diana’s character development, but I found the constant assassinations to be dull. They contributed nothing more than to show Agent 47 as being the perfect killing machine.
Agent 47’s story is told in pale greens and bright reds. The reds denoting action and violence. The violence is very graphic depictions of shots to the head. Diana’s story is filled with dark blues and the weather tends to be overcast, recalling the gloom her life has fallen into over the death of her parents. The variant covers are rendered beautifully using the color scheme of red, black, and grey. My favorite cover is of Agent 47 going down an escalator. You can see an airplane in the background. He is back-lit, emphasizing his all black suit, but you can glimpse hints of a dark red tie.
Agent 47, vol. 1: Birth of the Hitman will delight video game fans and those who like action-oriented graphic novels. I cannot recommend this title, because the story is rehashing plot points that can be found in the video game. It is not providing any new insight or motivations to these characters. Due to the graphic depictions of people getting killed this title is most appropriate for those 16 and up.
Agent 47, vol. 1: Birth of the Hitman By Christopher Sebela Art by Jonathan Lau ISBN: 9781524106607 Dynamite Entertainment, 2019 Publisher Age Rating: T+
Child of Thanos, Corvus Glaive, and those who work for him, have gotten complacent. Thanos has been gone for quite a while, busy with Earth and its related problems. Unfortunately for them, Thanos has returned and he is not pleased with their lack of progress. But the level of surprise faced by Glaive can be matched by Thanos himself, as he faces several new challenges, from within himself and those around him. Sometimes family really is the worst.
With Thanos Returns, Jeff Lemire and Mike Deodato make good use of bold colors and paneling choices to give the Mad Titan a truly larger than life story and feel. The formatting of the comic breaks up the story between current events, flashbacks, and interviews with characters, and I like how this builds the story together. It also injects a little of the kind of strange sense of humor Thanos often exhibits. The language throughout is largely somewhat formal, avoiding contractions and slang, which also adds to the epic feel. In another comic, it would feel stilted and out of place, but it fits with Thanos and made me feel a bit like I was reading 300 by Frank Miller.
Like any big name superhero comic, there are references to events previously covered in other comics, despite this being a first volume, but thankfully Thanos Returns keeps it at a minimum, so this is still a fairly approachable comic for someone new to Thanos as a character. It does however have spoilers for the ends of other series, such as Infinity Wars and the end of Thanos’s time as a cosmic being. However, since this comic is specifically about Thanos’ return, it makes sense that these are subjects touched on within.
Thanos Returns does come with a parental advisory on the back of the book, and this is warranted purely for the amount of bodily harm and violence in the comic. However, it’s not a particularly gory comic, with very artful and almost abstract blood sprays and very few instances of seeing details such as detached limbs. There’s also some brief nudity, but kept to about one panel in particular, and is from a distance, also with few details. However, mass death and violence is another trait common to Thanos comics, so this will not be a surprise to someone who has picked up his comics before.
Whether to add Thanos Returns to a library’s shelves or not can heavily depend on the readership. This isn’t directly connected to Infinity Wars, which is in the public eye thanks to the films, so might be less appealing to those wanting to get into the comics through the films. It does give a good feel for how Thanos comics generally work though, and is a solid comic with a dramatic cliffhanger ending, good for getting requests for the next volume. As I mentioned before, there are some mild spoilers for other storylines, but they’re not terrible, and Thanos comics tend to bounce around in time. This comic also lacks some of the heavier philosophical moments common to this character, which can make it an ideal introduction to him.
Thanos, Vol. 1: Thanos Returns By Jeff Lemire Art by Mike Deodato Jr., Frank Martin ISBN: 9781302905576 Marvel, 2017 Publisher Age Rating: Series Reading Order
New Mutants: Curse of the Valykries is a Marvel Epic Collection, and whoa, is it epic in size and story! The Marvel Epic Collections contain longer runs than usual of previously out-of-print comics that make up large story arcs. This book comes in at 494 pages, combining the four-issue X-Terminators mini series with 15 issues of New Mutants. Almost all of it is penned by Louise Simonson except one fill-in issue of New Mutants by Chris Claremont. Several different artists’ work is showcased, but the standouts are Jon Bogdanove and Brett Blevins. This collection features two story arcs, Inferno and Curse of the Valkyries, published between late 1988 to early 1990 and starring the X-Men’s young adult team. The New Mutants are teenagers who attend and live at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, where they are learning to control their mutant powers.
The Inferno story arc is one of the best X-Men crossover events, but this book only contains the X-Terminators and New Mutants parts of the story. The parts of the Inferno crossover in X-Factor and Uncanny X-Men are not reprinted in this volume, which is fine because the crossover had two stories woven together. This book represents one half and can be read on its own. It’s a complicated story about Illyana “Magik” Rasputin sacrificing herself to save New York City/Earth from a demon invasion. Illyana is the younger sister of the X-Man Colossus. She was kidnapped as a child by the demon lord Belasco who raised her in the hell dimension Limbo. Illyana was able to kill Belasco and get back to her dimension, but she had aged to a teenager and was now the ruler of Limbo. She isn’t comfortable ruling Limbo or using magic, because every time she does, the darkness within her grows. There are two demons, S’ym and N’astirh, vying for control over Limbo. N’astirh goes to New York City and dispatches his demon minions to bring him thirteen babies for a ritual sacrifice that will open Limbo. His minions aren’t very smart, and they kidnap the pre-teen mutants Artie and Leech, mistaking them for babies. This is where the X-Terminators, teens adopted by X-Factor (the original X-Men), come into play. Jon Bogdanove’s very cartoonish style is perfect or the X-Terminators book, and it plays really well with Brett Blevin’s also cartoonish style in New Mutants. The way Bogdanove draws snooty boarding school teens with their stuck out chins is so great! The comedy really comes through his art with the bumbling demons. What could be horrific is played for comedy, as N’astirh’s minions keep screwing up their instructions.
The New Mutants get trapped in Limbo and N’astirh shows up to make a deal with Illyana. He tells her she can get back to Earth if she reclaims the darkest part of her soul, which is the soul sword. She wrests it back from S’ym, completing her transformation into the Darkchilde, which is what N’astirh wanted; now Limbo is wide open and demons are pouring through the ritual pentagram he created with the babies. This is where the X-Terminators and New Mutants converge, trying to rescue the babies forming the pentagram in the sky. Also, Colossus, who is supposed to be dead (he’s not. The X-Men were pretending to be dead…it’s a long story), shows up and inspires Illyana to sacrifice herself for the greater good, which sends all the demons back to Limbo. She is reborn as the small child she was before falling into Limbo. This is a super dark story, but Brett Blevin’s pencils create a duality between levity and horror that is superb. When the New Mutants get back to NYC they find inanimate objects like pay phones and mailboxes suddenly possessed and trying to kill everything. Blevins draws this in a way reminiscent of Chuck Jones cartoons.
In The Curse of the Valkyries Hela is up to her old tricks trying to kill Odin and rule Asgard. Her strategy is to corrupt the Valkyries and make them her slaves. Danielle Moonstar is susceptible to this, as she was granted the power of the Valkyries in an earlier comic. She tries to fight it, but succumbs to Hela’s corruption. The gang end up in Asgard, where Danielle goes full evil Valkyrie. Hela needs the dwarf king Eitri’s crafting skills to make a sword that can kill Odin. She plans to give the sword to the corrupted Danielle, who will sneak into Odin’s chambers and kill him while he is in his Odinsleep coma. The plot is thwarted by Eitri, who sacrifices himself to stop Danielle. He crafted a flaw in the Odin-killing Sword and Sam “Cannonball” Guthrie fires up his rocket power, aims himself at the flaw in the sword, and destroys it. Once the sword is destroyed, the Valkyries including Danielle are freed from the curse, and Hela flees back to her realm.
This volume is A LOT OF STORY, and it’s great look into the bonkers world of late 1980s Marvel comics. Louise Simonson makes all these confusing things come together seamlessly with her writing. The Inferno storyline is a great story looking at the darkness within, while The Curse of the Valkyries is a fun Asgardian romp. In between the two larger stories there are some super fun shorter stories that move the story along and clean up subplots. The collection is best for libraries that are interested in collecting X-Men stories. I advise buying New Mutants Epic Collection, vol. 1: Renewal, which includes New Mutants 1-12, as well as Illyana’s miniseries Magik that explains how she fell into Limbo and what happened to her there. Interest might go up for this teen series once the New Mutants movie is released in August of 2019. It is weird that the two Epic Collections for this title are not sequential. There is a 59 issue gap and a lot happens in between. [Editor’s note: Marvel’s Epic Collections are not published chronologically and currently only volumes 1 and 6 of New Mutants exist. Check this Wikipedia page for a list of all current Epic Collections.] If a reader not versed in X-Men history picks up this book, though, they can muddle through it with only slight confusion. During this time period at Marvel, writers would introduce characters, their power sets, and brief backstories so someone who never read the title before could get up to speed and not feel completely lost. It’s best suited for teens and up.
New Mutants Epic Collection, vol. 6: Curse of the Valkyrie By Louise Simonson and Chris Claremont Art by Bret Blevins and Jon Bogdanove ISBN: 9781302910174 Marvel. 2018 Publisher Age Range: Teen
School can be tough when you’re a teen and it only gets harder when you’re in danger of becoming the next super-powered villain. The kids of Avengers Academy grapple with understanding superhero morality and figuring out how to live with their powers in Avengers Academy, vol. 2: Will We Use This in the Real World? This volume of Avengers Academy collects issues #7-13 of the 2010 series, and my review is for this volume alone, as I didn’t read the previous or following ones.
Avengers Academy is a school founded by Dr. Hank Pym (a.k.a. Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Yellowjacket, and Wasp, among others, at various points in his superhero career). The faculty: a handful of mostly less-well-known superheroes, along with occasional more-famous guest instructors such as Dr. Strange. The students: teens with powers who were previously recruited and tortured by Norman Osborn (of Green Goblin fame) in other comics. The teens struggle with understanding the morality and values the Avengers preach, while juggling concerns and self-esteem issues over their “abnormality” and the threats their powers pose to their own bodies.
I found there were both things to like and to dislike in this run of seven issues. Though the volume and the stories stand alone pretty easily, readers will get more out of it having read the previous six issues, and those with a broader knowledge of the Marvel Universe will benefit the most. Aside from Pym and Quicksilver, most of the existing characters included are more obscure and haven’t yet featured in any of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, so it may not be the best place to dive in for fans coming straight from there. Knowing more about the characters can backfire, though. Pym spends a great deal of the comic grieving for and even considering resurrecting his ex-wife Janet van Dyne (the Wasp). Knowing what I do about his past abuse of her, and her choice to no longer be with him, I found it pretty difficult to sympathize, or to wish for their “happy” reunion.
The story takes the teens and adults through a number of pretty serious issues, finding creative ways to address topics like abuse/trauma, self-harm, and body image. While many will find this relatable and will enjoy the exploration of these ideas, I felt they were fairly surface-level in their portrayal and in what the comics ended up saying about them. Most of the stories are wrapped up within a single issue and aren’t afforded much of an in-depth look, and some of the topics, such as self-harm, feel pretty glossed over or brushed off. There are also instances such as a scene where two characters discuss their negative feelings about their own “abnormal” bodies while simultaneously dropping fat-shaming insults about a fellow super teen. Realistic, perhaps, but not a great look.
In terms of inclusivity, the book at least tries tries. The teens are mixed in terms of gender and race, though the adult heroes lean heavily white and male. Dating and sex come up, but there’s not a single non-heterosexual relationship in sight, even in the “Superhero Prom” issue. While some of the teens might consider their superpowers a “disability,” there are no characters depicted with disabilities we would recognize in our world.
The art overall is adequate but not terribly interesting, and at points is even awkward. Through the seven collected issues, three different pencillers (primary artists) are featured, though the art stays fairly consistent. I noticed a number of perspective issues, strange and unnatural angles, over-dramatic expressions, and a fair amount of awkward posing and/or exposure of female bodies. One particular panel sticks in my mind: the young Veil waking up and arching her body in a way no human woman has ever stretched upon awakening. The adult Cat-person hero Tigra also spends the majority of her time in a bikini with a bra that definitely offers zero support. To be fair, this is her usual costume in the comics canon, but she wears other clothes sometimes, even in Avengers Academy, and I wouldn’t mind seeing her outfit changed up more. Her near-nakedness opens the door for a fair amount of male gaze-steeped artwork.
Overall, the book isn’t terrible but isn’t particularly innovative, either, and I believe there’s better stuff out there. The publisher’s age range of 12+ seems appropriate, and younger readers might find more to interest them than older ones will. Pre-teens and teens may enjoy seeing themselves in the young superheroes and the issues they struggle with as they attend this unique school, and the book offers some fun—just not a whole lot beyond that.
Avengers Academy, vol. 2: Will We Use This in the Real World? by Christos Gage Art by Mike McKone, Tom Raney, and Sean Chen ISBN: 9780785144960 Marvel, 2011 Publisher Age Rating: 12+
[Editor’s note: This year (2018) Marvel started releasing Avengers Academy: The Complete Collection which recollects this series. So far two volumes have been published.
Volume 1 (collecting issues #1-12 plus crossovers): 9781302909468
Volume 2 (collecting issues #13-20 plus crossovers): 9781302909451
Occasionally in comics, it’s time to “get the team back together again”. The new Runaways series is no exception. The original concept followed Nico, Chase, Gert, Karolina, Molly, and Alex as they learned their parents were super villains in the Marvel Universe and went on the run together to escape them. With a TV show on Hulu, it is an obvious time to relaunch this series. Marvel has also brought in young adult novelist, Rainbow Rowell of Eleanor & Park fame to write the series. There aren’t many people who could follow up on Brian K. Vaughan’s well known run on a book he created, but I was genuinely excited to see what Rowell could bring to these characters. If the first volume is any indication, it will be a fun ride.
Rowell starts off with some challenges. The team is spread to the wind, several original characters are dead, and it’s hard to call a bunch of 20-year-olds who have lost their parents, “runaways”. Other than Molly, they aren’t kids anymore.
The story begins as Chase finds a way to bring a former teammate back to life. Thus, the first part of the story involves Chase and Nico catching this newly alive character (and the readers) up on what teammates have been doing since that character’s death. Once the exposition is taken care of, these three teammates go out to gather the rest of the team. What they find is that everyone is leading fulfilling lives and are reluctant to start being heroes again. When they reach their youngest and strongest member, Molly, the conflict of this first book in the series starts in earnest.
Molly is living with her grandmother and seems to be thriving. Her grandmother is warm and friendly and seems to understand everything the kids are going through. Yet, in order for them to be Runaways again, history must repeat itself. Soon, we find grandma is up to no good and the team must break free of her influence and go on the run again.
The core team is back together and Rowell captures the characteristics of each team member well. The revived character is now one of the youngest members and past relationships are more complicated (it will be creepy if they revive romantic relationships for this character as their partner is now an adult). Rowell brings a lot of humor to the team and it is welcome. It might be challenging to introduce new readers to this book because their history is so complicated, but I expect future volumes will shine since the complex part of gathering the team again is done.
One of the strongest points of this book is the artwork by Kris Anka and coloring by Matthew Wilson. Anka’s linework is clean, yet still more realistic than cartoonish. His faces are particularly good as he can convey a range of emotions with minimal drawing. Wilson brings vibrant colors to bear on the various skin colors and hair colors of the characters. Fashion is always important to young characters who don’t have costumes and both Anka & Wilson bring style and panache to these characters’ wardrobes. The art team is top notch.
Most libraries with extensive teen graphic novel or YA selections will want this book. Followers of the previous books, Rowell’s fans and people interested in the TV show will want to take a look. I’m hopeful that future volumes can shine a spotlight on these great characters and help them reach a new audience. Runaways was the first in a wave of young superhero books that led to Ms. Marvel, Squirrel-Girl, and many more great new heroes. They deserve more time in the spotlight.
Runaways, vol. 1: Find Your Way Home by Rainbow Rowell Art by Kris Anka and Matthew Wilson ISBN: 9781302908522 Marvel, 2018 Publisher Age Rating: teen
It’s been a long time since the X-men comics were a must read for comics fans, but superstar author Jonathan Hickman is poised to change this with his new take on the many X-men characters in House of X/Powers of X. These two limited series replaced all of the X books that were being published in the summer of 2019 in favor of telling one overarching tale of mutants setting up their own country to take care of their community. While it’s hard to say if this will fix some of the problems the X-men have had, this story has definitely put the X-men back on the comics’ map.
Uncanny X-Men: X-men Disassembled is the latest reboot of the Marvel franchise in trade paperback. It is larger than most trades coming in at 248 pages instead of the regular 130-ish pages. This stems from it being a weekly comic in single issue form. Since it was a weekly there are three writers (Ed Brisson, Matthew Rosenberg, and Kelly Thompson) with five artists (Mahmud Asrar, R.B. Silva, Adriano Di Benedetto, Yildiray Cinar, and Pere Pérez) to keep up with publication deadlines. The prior books split the X-Men into three different teams, but this book smashes them back together featuring twenty mutant heroes. Some of the new favorites like Honey Badger are mostly absent from the storyline.
The lives and futures of two individuals collide in 
Child of Thanos, Corvus Glaive, and those who work for him, have gotten complacent. Thanos has been gone for quite a while, busy with Earth and its related problems. Unfortunately for them, Thanos has returned and he is not pleased with their lack of progress. But the level of surprise faced by Glaive can be matched by Thanos himself, as he faces several new challenges, from within himself and those around him. Sometimes family really is the worst.
New Mutants: Curse of the Valykries is a Marvel Epic Collection, and whoa, is it epic in size and story! The Marvel Epic Collections contain longer runs than usual of previously out-of-print comics that make up large story arcs. This book comes in at 494 pages, combining the four-issue X-Terminators mini series with 15 issues of New Mutants. Almost all of it is penned by Louise Simonson except one fill-in issue of New Mutants by Chris Claremont. Several different artists’ work is showcased, but the standouts are Jon Bogdanove and Brett Blevins. This collection features two story arcs, Inferno and Curse of the Valkyries, published between late 1988 to early 1990 and starring the X-Men’s young adult team. The New Mutants are teenagers who attend and live at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, where they are learning to control their mutant powers.
School can be tough when you’re a teen and it only gets harder when you’re in danger of becoming the next super-powered villain. The kids of Avengers Academy grapple with understanding superhero morality and figuring out how to live with their powers in Avengers Academy, vol. 2: Will We Use This in the Real World? This volume of Avengers Academy collects issues #7-13 of the 2010 series, and my review is for this volume alone, as I didn’t read the previous or following ones.
Occasionally in comics, it’s time to “get the team back together again”. The new Runaways series is no exception. The original concept followed Nico, Chase, Gert, Karolina, Molly, and Alex as they learned their parents were super villains in the Marvel Universe and went on the run together to escape them. With a TV show on Hulu, it is an obvious time to relaunch this series. Marvel has also brought in young adult novelist, Rainbow Rowell of Eleanor & Park fame to write the series. There aren’t many people who could follow up on Brian K. Vaughan’s well known run on a book he created, but I was genuinely excited to see what Rowell could bring to these characters. If the first volume is any indication, it will be a fun ride.
