Category: Other comic book musings

Posts about comic books not specifically related to reading through the Marvel Universe

Falcon & Winter Soldier: The Comics

The comics that inspired the show

I’ve spent the last several weeks reading along to the Falcon & Winter Soldier TV series, another excellent show to come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the show finished last week, I’d like to share the comics the show inspired me to revisit: the adventures of Falcon and Winter Soldier, John Walker, the Power Broker, Flag Smasher, Batroc, Zemo, etcetera.

I also found myself very interested in the idea of the mantle of Captain America, and what happens when the shield passes to the hands of another. It turns out that happens all the time in the comics. We’ll read through at least 10 different times when somebody else has wielded the shield.

Let’s read some comics.

This post is broken into 4 pages.

  • Page 1: 1941-1979. Meet Captain America, Bucky, Zemo, Batroc, Sharon Carter, Falcon, and Contessa Valentina Allegro de Fontaine.
  • Page 2: 1972-1988. Meet 4 other heroes to assume the identity of Captain America. Visit Madripoor; learn about the Power Broker.
  • Page 3: 1985-1992. Meet the Flag Smasher. See John Walker become Captain America, with Battle Star as his partner.
  • Page 4: 2003-2020. Meet Isaiah Bradley, the true Captain America of the 1940s. Then see Bucky Barnes assume the mantle of Captain America. Then see Sam Wilson do the same. We end with some reading recommendations.
Continue reading “Falcon & Winter Soldier: The Comics”
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Missing Wandavision? Read some comics

The stories that inspired the show

Sigh. This time last week I would have been tuning in to the latest episode of Wandavision. Alas, it has come to an end. Where to get my fill of Wanda and Vision now? Well, the answer is obvious. Comics!

I loved Wandavision very much. I spent the past several weeks pulling out comics from my boxes that Wandavision brought to mind. My nightstand has been a stack of Vision and Scarlet Witch comics constantly on the verge of tipping over. I thought it would be fun to share what I’ve been reading and more.

I’d like to give you an overview of the history of Vision and Scarlet Witch in the comics, point out some of the stories which seemed like direct influences on Wandavision, and make some recommendations of what you can read if you are craving more of Wanda and Vision.

The history of these characters can actually be quite convoluted. I’m not inclined to spare you any details.

HOWEVER, we will not be attempting to understand Wanda’s powers today. That… will have to wait for another day.

Due to its length, this post is broken into 5 pages:

  1. Origins: The introduction of Wanda and Vision. (1939-70)
  2. Love story: Wanda and Vision meet, fall in love, and get married. (1970-75)
  3. Family: Wanda and Vision deal with their extended family, buy a house in the suburbs, and grow their family. (1976-86)
  4. Things fall apart: Wanda and Vision find there is no happily ever after. Plus: Jimmy Woo, Monica Rambeau, and SWORD. (1989-2017)
  5. Reading recommendations: Comics suggested for fans of Wandavision.
Continue reading “Missing Wandavision? Read some comics”
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2010-2019: A decade in comics

Lots of great “Best of Decade” lists popping up across the internet. This is just a little personal blog, so I figured I could make a bit of a personal list. Here are 25 comics from the past decade that I’m glad to have read and think you should consider reading too.

Without repeating writers or worrying too much about what “this decade” is, I made myself a list of a top 50ish, then whittled it down to 25. We’ll present those 25 in approximate chronological order of first release and mention some other good works by the same creators from the decade.

Continue reading “2010-2019: A decade in comics”

Twelfth Day of Classic Comics Christmas

Dr. Doom and Magneto

See my initial post for the context. Suffice to say that I will be sharing my entries to the Classic Comics Forum tradition, “Twelve Days of Classic Comics Christmas“. This is a cross-post of my twelfth entry, representing #1 on my list of favorite comic book Crossovers.

Today is the final day. Thank you for reading along.

1. Dr. Doom and Magneto
“A World for the Winning”
from Super-Villain Team-Up #14 (Marvel, 1977)

by Bill Mantlo, Bob Hall, Don Perlin, and Duffy Vohland

[This isn’t quite a complete story; it concludes in the Champions, but the contest I’m playing along with was specifically not about teams, so we’re focusing on the first chapter. All that said…] this was a clear #1 for me.

These are my favorite super-villains. And Dr. Doom has conquered the world. Like, it’s over. He’s won. His only enemy left is boredom. And out of that boredom, he gives Magneto a chance, a small chance, to free the world.

This story would get reused and reworked for Marvel Graphic Novel #27, “Emperor Doom”, also by Bob Hall. And the bare premise of a super-villain in psychic control of an entire world has shown up here and there, since. Most recently in Tom King’s Batman.

But this is the one. Doom’s finest hour. The best story for Marvel’s best villain.

Eleventh Day of Classic Comics Christmas

Spider-Man and Gargoyle


See my initial post for the context. Suffice to say that I will be sharing my entries to the Classic Comics Forum tradition, “ Twelve Days of Classic Comics Christmas“. This is a cross-post of my eleventh entry, representing #2 on my list of favorite comic book Crossovers.

2. Spider-Man and Gargoyle
“Time, run like a freight train…”
from Marvel Team-Up #119 (Marvel, 1982)

by J.M. DeMatteis, Kerry Gammill, and Mike Esposito

The general consensus is that the high point of Marvel Team-Up is the work of Claremont and Byrne. A position I don’t disagree with. But it’s often overlooked that there is another great run, that of DeMatteis and Gammill.

They may not have the slickness of Byrne, but they make up for it with strong character work and stories that break out of the established Marvel Team-Up formula. Most of the series had allowed very little time for Spider-Man to be Peter Parker. As they have like 20 pages for him to meet up with some other hero, get up to speed on a threat and deal with that threat together. Throw in an initial misunderstanding or fight between the heroes and you see why you’re out of pages.

But DeMatteis wanted time to show Spidey out of uniform and to develop the supporting cast. Now, the “main” books were already developing most of the supporting cast, so DeMatteis took what he was allowed to play with: the people at Aunt May’s nursing home. He developed the character of Nathan Lubensky, Aunt May’s love interest and reflected on aging in our society.

The apex of this reflection came in two issues #119-120. Issue 120 teams Spider-Man with an aging Dominic Fortune. I wasn’t sure [the event moderator] would buy them together as a two-parter based on tenuous thematic links, so I decided to focus this entry on the best issue of the run.

This story spins out of Defenders #109 and focuses on the new friendship between Spider-Man and Gargoyle. Gargoyle is notable for being a rare old-man superhero, and Spider-Man is notable for being a particular young not-sidekick superhero. Now, Spider-Man has aged since his early teenage appearances, but he’s still only recently out of college, so probably about 23 or so.

An attempted mugging leads Spider-Man and Gargoyle down parallel tracks, which try to tackle the difficult question of when it’s time to fight to keep living and when to accept it’s time to go.

The title of the comic seems to reference an Eric Andersen song. I don’t really know Eric Andersen outside of looking up the title to this song.

“Time, run like a freight train, won’t you take me down the line; there’s so much I can never say of the ruins left behind.”

Tenth Day of Classic Comics Christmas

Usagi and Zato-Ino

See my initial post for the context. Suffice to say that I will be sharing my entries to the Classic Comics Forum tradition, “ Twelve Days of Classic Comics Christmas“. This is a cross-post of my tenth entry, representing #3 on my list of favorite comic book Crossovers.

3. Usagi Yojimbo and Zato-Ino (inspired by Zatoichi)
“Blind Swords-Pig!”
from Critters #7 (Fantagraphics, 1987)

by Stan Sakai

While Spider-Man has dominated my list this year, I had to make some room for the best non-Spidey comic book series in history. What originally came to mind is Usagi/Ninja Turtles, as that fits neatly in the theme. But then I thought about [the contest moderator] using Captain Strong as a Popeye stand-in, and remembered Usagi Yojimbo is filled with such stand-in characters. Surely his meetings with Lone Wolf and Kid would qualify as well then.

And that thought process brings us here. Zatoichi is the famed blind swordsman of Japanese cinema. Did you know there have been around 30 Zatoichi films? I think I’ve seen one of them. There was even a film, Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo. (With Usagi’s character drawing from a mix of Yojimbo with the Miyamoto Musashi of the Samurai trilogy).

But this isn’t Miyamoto Musashi. It’s Miyamoto Usagi. “Usagi” being the Japanese word for “rabbit”. So of course he doesn’t meet Zatoichi, the blind swordsman; he meets Zato-Ino, the blind swords-pig.

One of the series’ (many) great characters in one of the series’ (many) great tales.

Ino sees the flaws in everybody except himself. And is always ready to believe the worst of people and lash out at the world. Usagi is the first person to try to understand him and connect with him, but Ino is too hateful and spurns Usagi’s advances. It’s a tragic tale of a man (err, pig) who thinks he is seeking a peace the world denies him, when, in truth, it is he himself who stands in the way of his own peace.

Ninth Day of Classic Comics Christmas

Daredevil and Captain America

See my initial post for the context. Suffice to say that I will be sharing my entries to the Classic Comics Forum tradition, “ Twelve Days of Classic Comics Christmas“. This is a cross-post of my ninth entry, representing #4 on my list of favorite comic book Crossovers.

4. Daredevil and Captain America
“Armageddon”
from Daredevil #233 (Marvel, 1986)

by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli

It also features the Avengers, but I decided to downplay that fact above, per the rules of this contest. Besides, most of the Avengers only show up for like a page. But oh what a page. “A soldier with a voice that could command a god… and does.”

Once the pill-popping psychopath with delusions of patriotism is subdued, then it’s up to Captain America and Daredevil to expose government connections to the Kingpin of crime, and trace the origins of Nuke all the way back to the experiment that once created Captain America.

Frank Miller had done a legendary run on Daredevil, which came to an end. He returned to the book a few years later for one more sprint, this time teamed with the legendary David Mazzucchelli. (The same team would later reunite for Batman Year One) Over the course of 7 issues, they tear Matt Murdock’s life apart, but leave him standing strong despite it all. This is their final issue. Kingpin has grown tired of his more subtle attacks on Daredevil and unleashed hell on New York.

For those keeping count, this is the 3rd Daredevil entry and second entry without Spider-Man.

Eighth Day of Classic Comics Christmas

Swamp Thing and Batman

See my initial post for the context. Suffice to say that I will be sharing my entries to the Classic Comics Forum tradition, “ Twelve Days of Classic Comics Christmas“. This is a cross-post of my eighth entry, representing #5 on my list of favorite comic book Crossovers.

5. Spider-Ma Swamp Thing and Batman
“Garden of Earthly Delights”
From Swamp Thing #53 (DC, 1986)

by Alan Moore and John Totleben

After seven straight days of Spider-man entries, let me try to recall if I’ve ever read any other comics. Well, Alan Moore is my favorite comic writer, so let’s see if he ever wrote a crossover. Looks like he has. I’m not the only one to think of his Swamp Thing series, I see. Not even the only one today.

Here’s where he fights Batman.

The story so far: Swamp Thing’s wife has been arrested in Gotham City for the crime of fornication with a swamp creature. Swamp Thing is angry and has turned Gotham into a garden paradise. Many Gothamites have embraced the new order and a cult of worship has grown around Swamp Thing. But Batman is not happy.

Batman gives it his all, but can’t beat Swamp Thing, and begins to question whether he is even on the right side of this conflict, and whether Swamp Thing should just be reunited with his wife. Obviously the law is wrong. But can you just start giving into demands to change the law made by force?

Where Batman fails, Lex Luthor succeeds. He scoffs at the notion that Swamp Thing is invulnerable, saying, “You don’t know from invulnerable. I know from invulnerable…”

The issue ends with Swamp Thing dead. Second time Moore killed him this run. Yet somehow the series isn’t over this time either…


Seventh Day of Classic Comics Christmas

Spider-Man and Punisher and Daredevil


See my initial post for the context. Suffice to say that I will be sharing my entries to the Classic Comics Forum tradition, “ Twelve Days of Classic Comics Christmas“. This is a cross-post of my seventh entry, representing #6 on my list of favorite comic book Crossovers.

6. Spider-Man and Punisher and Daredevil
from Ultimate Spider-Man #6-8

by Brian Michael Bendis and Bill Sienkiewicz

I could have made 12 choices just out of this series. Bendis brings great artists to draw Spider-Man teaming up with various heroes. Wagner for Wolverine. Allred for Iron Man. Mahfood for Fantastic Four. Totleben for Man-Thing (seems like a no-brainer).

I decided I would pick just one. This seemed to work. After all, it’s the great Bill Sienkiewicz. Sienkiewicz of course famously worked on Daredevil before, teaming with Frank Miller for the Love & War graphic novel. It’s good to see his return to the character.

Now, it stretches the rules of its own series. The Spider-Man part. The first issue bills itself as a Spider-Man/Punisher crossover, but it’s really a Punisher story. Spider-Man shows up on the last page, just kind of swinging around. The next part bills itself as Spider-Man/Punisher/Daredevil. But it’s really only got Daredevil in it. Spider-Man’s not even there, and Punisher finally meets Daredevil right at the end. They do all come together at the end, but Spider-Man provides only a twist by swinging blindly into a situation he doesn’t understand and messing things up. Spider-Man’s just a kid. He’s trying to do the right thing, but doesn’t know how. Daredevil has to be the adult in the room.

Mostly this is a Punisher story, introducing us to the Ultimate version of Punisher, which looks a lot like regular Punisher. This is his origin. He was a cop, the only incorruptible one on the force. So some corrupt cops murdered his family trying to kill him. Now he’s out for revenge.

Daredevil shows up to try to convince him that the best path for justice is through the legal system. And Spider-Man shows up to make a mess out of things.

Seventh entry. Seventh Spider-Man story. But they don’t HAVE to be Spider-Man crossovers…