David Bowen

OMEGA DEATH: X Lives of Wolverine #2 / X Deaths of Wolverine #1

February 13, 2022 by David Bowen 1 Comment

A picture containing text, book Description automatically generated

The violent kaleidoscope of Logan’s lives tumbles on in the second installment of X Lives of Wolverine, and true to the linear fashion of this gonzo quasi-event, we’ll start with looking at this week’s release before ratcheting back to the inaugural issue of X Deaths.

“Once I Get Real Good”: Sabretooth #1

February 9, 2022 by David Bowen 2 Comments

Acclaimed horror writer Victor LaValle’s five-issue Sabretooth mini will undoubtedly go down as the best solo title ever for El Tigre Vic, the Slasher, the Butcher—though, admittedly, the bar for that metric has always been pretty darn low*. But probably, this five-issue story will prove one of the most successful minis of the past several years, as well. As we’ve come to expect in the Krakoa era, the creative team here certainly know their Victor Creed, and it’s exciting to know right off the bat that this is going to be so much more than an excuse for a feral murderfest. This first issue is hella fun, very wild, and shockingly unpredictable.

Ed Note: Spoilers for this issue follow

X-Men #7: A Reflection on the Duggan / Larraz Run So Far

February 9, 2022 by David Bowen Leave a Comment

The ongoing X-Men title that started last summer, in the wake of both X of Swords and Hellfire Gala, is doing what many longtime fans of the franchise have been missing—interacting more with the world beyond Krakoa (unsurprising the way the Marvel Universe bills itself as “the world outside your window”). But writer Gerry Duggan is actually giving us much more than just that almost numbingly overstuffed world; he’s making the X-Men intersect with MU mainstays in entirely unexpected ways that on reflection appear entirely inevitable.

So right off, I just have to say that I’m enjoying Gerry Duggan’s X-Men immensely, especially the stellar art that is really making it all pop so vividly, whether we’re talking Pepe Larraz or Javier Pina. Even so, I’ve got a few quibbles, like, most recently: Why, why, why did the Arakki not immediately secure their moons, Phobos and Deimos?

There Will Be Love: Steve Orlando Arrives on Krakoa with Marauders Annual #1

February 1, 2022 by David Bowen Leave a Comment

[cover by Russell Dauterman and Matthew Wilson]

A New Crew Sets Sail—over the skies of Westchester!

So, Steve Orlando, Kate Pryde, and Lucas Bishop’s new crew of Marauders hasn’t literally set sail yet, but this annual coming out two months before the start of the next volume of Marauders does neatly establish the working roster, with brief tidy scenes with great character work through the kind of snappy dialogue you’d expect from Steve Orlando, an energetic but deeply character-focused writer with a gift for gab*; Kate and Bishop each do their recruiting job efficiently, and we get a vivid sense of who their fresh mates are without undue exposition.

(*If you don’t know Steve’s work, at least check out his astounding Midnighter and Martian Manhunter, both complete, state-of-the-art 12-issue runs, each a highwater benchmark for 21^st-century superhero comics, in a wildly innovative collaboration with artists ACO and Riley Rossmo. And his recent work I’ve not yet checked out has seen much praise, like the 2020 indie OGN with Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Kill a Man, and his ongoing Image series, Commanders in Crisis. Clearly, Mr. Orlando’s just revving his engines and there’s much more to come.)

(Re)Read Hickman’s X-Men: X-Men #8-11 & Empyre: X-Men #1-4

January 30, 2022 by David Bowen Leave a Comment

All Set-Up and… A Fun Side Romp in Someone Else’s Big Event–

With Hickman having once again upped the cosmic ante for Krakoa in 2020’s X-Men #8-11, hopefully readers won’t have to wait for his eventual return to the X line for the resolution to these alien mysteries—more to the point, let’s see these story elements get some development in 2022. The world’s looking at you, Mr. Ewing!! Aliens, aliens, so many aliens, oh my!!!

Related:

Hickman X-Men Reading Order

Krakin’ Krakoa!

David Bowen

A New Crew Sets Sail—over the skies of Westchester!

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