Sorry this came a day late! Between a snafu with my ISP (meaning I didn't have a stable connection to be able to write shit on the blog, or access some of my comics) and a bunch of other issues I had to resolve, putting this blog post together had to go to the back of the queue. Also, I had two blog drafts I'd been sitting on for the weekend I didn't have usable Internet (both of which have already gone up by the time you see this post), so I went ahead and finished those first. As promised last week, I have another X-Men theme for this week's Five Comics. With Dark Phoenix on the horizon, this theme ought to be appropriate. THE THEME: Remember the Five Comics entry where I read five comics with women as the lead? Well, this is a sequel to that theme, except all our ladies this time are mutants of the Marvel Universe, and have all served as one of the X-Men. I actually have a few more Leading Ladies themes all set up and ready to go. Expect to see them sooner rather than later. THE COMICS: ![]() ALL-NEW WOLVERINE (2015–2018) #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Tom Taylor Artist: David Lopez, David Navarrot - After the big "Death of Wolverine" storyline from a couple of years ago that saw the fall of Logan, X-23 (his clone and "daughter") takes up the legendary mantle of the Wolverine. This issue sees Laura team up with Angel to take out some assassins in Paris. I was super excited at the time for this comic because X-23 is one of my favorite mutants, and it's nice to finally get to read it. - Comixology link ![]() GENERATIONS: PHOENIX & JEAN GREY Publisher: Marvel Writer: Cullen Bunn Artist: R. B. Silva - The Generations series featured comic stories where original legacy characters of comics past interacted with their modern incarnations (e.g. Hawkeye/Kate Bishop, Mar-Vell/Carol Danvers, etc.). This one features teenage Jean Grey encountering her older self, and the fact that she knows what fate befalls her in the future defines this encounter. - Comixology link ![]() JEAN GREY (2017–2018) #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum Artist: Victor Ibáñez - This is the comic series the aforementioned Generations title ties in with. Here, the teenage Jean Grey/Marvel Girl (who had been sent from the past to the present courtesy of the events of All-New X-Men) struggles with the knowledge of the future (i.e. the Dark Phoenix Saga), and the looming threat that the Phoenix Force might come for her eventually. - Comixology link ![]() ROGUE (2004–2005) #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Robert Rodi Artists: Cliff Richards, Norm Rapmund - As if the lifelong struggles with her powers and her tumultuous relationship with Gambit aren't enough, an X-Men mission in this comic takes a very personal turn for Rogue. The nature of her abilities has always made her one of the most interesting characters to explore, and that fact is in full effect here. - Comixology link ![]() X-23 (2018–) #5 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Mariko Tamaki Artist: Juann Cabal - In this one, X-23 must rescue her sister Gabby from the clutches of Esme (one of the Stepford Cuckoos, the quintet of Emma Frost clones), who has commandeered Gabby's body. With Sophie (one of Esme's sisters) taking real estate in Laura's head as an extra consciousness, and the other three Cuckoos in the mix, it's dysfunctional clone family drama and telepath shenanigans all in one comic. - Comixology link Since the team's humble beginnings in the '60s, the X-Men has grown to include mutants from all nations, races, and sexualities. This, among its many allegorical elements, has helped the series stand out as a beacon of diversity and social commentary in the comics industry. While progress is slow and gradual (or nonexistent, if you're one of those pretentious smartasses who've never bothered to read a single comic to even verify that comics aren't becoming more inclusive), many other comic stories are steadily starting to follow the example set by the X-Men. It's not instant progress, but no change for the better ever is, right? Women in comics have also since evolved past the typical "eye candy", or "just there to be pretty/sexy/the love interest/the one girl in the group" depictions that exist pretty much anywhere else. From Wonder Woman's weakness being unable to escape restraints from a man (yes, this actually happened early on, and it is bad), we've now since gotten compelling storylines featuring women as people with individual characters and motivations (including, but not limited to, the aforementioned Dark Phoenix Saga), and that's not just in comics, but across the board as well. Again, progress isn't smooth or perfect, but the fact that I can effortlessly cook up a meaty list of female-led comic series (from the past five years, no less) off the top of my head should count for something, don't you think? It's easy to lambast the comics industry for not being progressive when you're on the outside looking in (Dunning-Kruger is a real bitch, isn't it?), and I will concede that they haven't been doing the best of jobs making more of and marketing these comics. That said, as somebody who's read a comic or two in his pitiful life: these comics that represent more types of people? They exist; they've just flown under the radar (whether that's on the industry or on the fanbase is another debate). Readers like me can help point you in the right direction; they just need your voice and support to really put these comics on the map. Oh, and if you genuinely cared about representation in comics, surely you'd be spending substantially more time promoting such comics that champion that cause, as opposed to throwing out "hot takes" on an industry you clearly and demonstrably know nothing about? You know, just a thought.... PANEL(s) OF THE WEEK: - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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