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Uncanny X-Men Vol.1: Revolution Review

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Professor Charles Xavier had a dream. He wanted to help create a world in which humans and mutants could happily coexist. He also wanted to create a school that taught mutants how to get the most out of their powers in the name of good.

Cyclops sort of wants to follow that dream. As new mutants begin to pop up, he wants to rebuild Charles’ school and be a leader for all of mutant kind. The problem is, Scott Summers is down to kill any humans that want to hurt his fellow mutants. Also, he’s sort of a fugitive wanted for the murder of Charles Xavier. Together with Emma Frost, Magneto and Magik, they begin to build a new X-Men.

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X-Men Vol.1: Primer Review

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For the first time in the franchise’s 50-plus years of existence, the latest edition of the X-Men team doesn’t have any actual men in it. Not only that, but the likes of Storm, Rogue and Jubilee aren’t the faces of a spin-off faction of the X-Men; they are the X-Men. If that doesn’t make a statement about gender roles in comics, I don’t know what will.

From a distance, this may appear to simply be a gimmick. One that allows them to either go overboard with the sex appeal or preach the gospel of girl power. However, if Vol.1: Primer is an indication of things to come, then this iteration of the X-Men simply wants to win you over with a quality superhero story for anyone to enjoy.

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All New X-Men Vol. 3: Out of Their Depth

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Last time on All New X-Men, someone on the original team jumped ship to join present-day Cyclops and his group of revolutionaries. In Vol. 3: Out of Their Depth, we find out who actually jumped ship, though this may not be the biggest history-altering event that happens between issues #11-14.

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All New X-Men Vol. 2: Here to Stay

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Since starting this comic book adventure with the All New X-Men, I’ve been reading a lot of other stuff, mostly from the DC and Marvel relaunch omnibuses I purchased. Some of them were really good, others were alright, and there were a handful that I couldn’t even get through. Still, everything I’d read to date fell short of the high bar that All New X-Men set. Maybe it’s the short-term nostalgia setting in, but I thought that first book read beautifully, was an interesting take on the X-Men universe and also featured great art.

Now that I’ve run myself through a crash course in comics, I come into Vol. 2: Here to Stay with what I think is a keener eye to what I think a good comic book should be. Was I wowed by the first one just because it was my first book? Or is this old/new X-Men crew really worthy of high praise?

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Ms. Marvel #1 Review

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By the time I started reading comics, Carol Danvers had already left her Ms. Marvel persona behind to become Captain Marvel. I have no preconceived notions for what that character should be beyond her signature lightning bolt bathing suit, but the new Ms. Marvel definitely caught my eye. Not only for the fact that Muslim characters are rarely featured in western comics, but because it’s something I can empathize with. I’m not of Muslim descent myself, but many of my friends are, as I grew up a community with a large Muslim population. With issue #1 having recently hit store shelves, Steff picked up Kamala Kamal’s debut outing and I gave it a read.

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Notes From Comic Book Ground Zero

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Marvel Now New 52Ever since I bought the Marvel Now and New 52 omnibuses, I’ve been on a bit of a comic book vision quest. The benefit of starting with these books is that I can start at the first issue of almost every Marvel and DC franchise. The experience has kind of been like reading the first chapter of a few dozen books, which in itself is a bit odd. But with the way comic book stories have progressed over the years, this is a perfect introduction to the landscape. I’ve still got a long ways to go before completing either book, but I did want to jot down some notes regarding my progress.

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Starting From the Comic Book Bottom

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Comic books have influenced my life for as long as I can remember through movies, cartoons, video games, toys and more. However, up until recently, I’ve never actually read a legitimate comic book in earnest. For most of my life, I perceived the act of reading comic books as something that was too nerdy for me. By the time I warmed up to the idea, I had no idea where to start. With almost 100 years worth of DC and Marvel content out there, picking a logical starting point proved difficult.

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