Summer 2011 Reading List

Well, it's that time of year again, summer. To me, summer is a time of vacations, BBQ's, and superhero movies. This summer comic book fans are in for a treat with a film about one of DC's big heroes, Green Lantern, and three movies from Marvel (two of which tie into the Avengers movie coming out in 2012 and a prequel to the X-Men films that focuses on Professor X and Magneto). After re-watching the available trailers online, I'm pretty excited for all four movies. While comic book readers are know some of these characters, most moviegoers are not familiar with the characters beyond their names and powers. Luckily, I've made a list of graphic novels that people can read before they see the movies if they want to know more about the characters.

Thor (May 6th):

Since it reprints Thor's first appearances in the Marvel universe during the Silver Age, Marvel Masterworks: Thor is a great companion if you're going to see the movie. This book tells the tale of how Odin sent Thor to Earth to learn humility in the guise of Dr. Donald Blake. During an alien invasion Don Blake finds the mystic hammer Mjolnir which transforms him into the thunder god Thor. This book also features the first appearances of Thor's first love interest, Jane Foster. Other than some differences in detail, this Marvel Masterwork is a perfect frame for the Thor movie coming out in May.

J. Michael Straczynski helped re-introduce Thor and the other Asgardians into the Marvel Universe. The story has Thor re-establishing Asgard in Oklahoma and dealing with Tony Stark after Tony made a clone of Thor during Civil War. Many first time Thor readers said that this was a great introduction to the character and it would help people get to know the God of Thunder before the movie comes out in May.

X-Men: First Class (June 3rd):

Another Marvel Masterwork that features the first appearances of the original team of Charles Xavier's X-Men and the first formation of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants. Before their backgrounds were explored, it was clear that Charles was the hero and Magneto was the villain.

One of the main storylines of X-Men: First Class is how Eric Lehnsherr became Magneto. Eric's time in a concentration camp during the German invasion of Poland is one of the factors that influenced Eric's decision to take the fight to the humans before they attack mutants.

Green Lantern (June 17th):

Emerald Dawn is the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths version of Hal Jordan's origin. It provides some more detail into Hal's early days in the Green Lantern Corps and the story provides information about his father's death. The plot is how Hal Jordan changes from a depressed former air force pilot into one of earth's greatest heroes.

Secret Origin is another re-telling of Hal Jordan's early ring slinging days. Like Emerald Dawn, it does draw some focus to Hal's relationship to his father and how he becomes a pilot again. However, like most of Geoff Johns's work on GL, it does foreshadow Blackest Night with the additions of Atrocitus and William Hand (a.k.a. Black Hand). This is version of Hal's origin does explain how Hector Hammond's brain grew at least three times its normal size, so that might help people know this villain before his debut in the GL movie this summer.

Captain America: the First Avenger (July 22nd):

Why is an Avengers book featured on a list of Captain America graphic novels? Well that's because Captain America was found and revived by the Avengers in the fourth issue of the series. After his revival, the Avengers series started to show Cap's adjustment to the world after he was frozen for many years.





When Captain America regained his popularity in the Avengers series, Marvel decided to put out some solo stories for the Star Spangled Avenger which were featured in Tales of Suspense. The stories featured were flashbacks about Cap's adventures during World War II. Since the Captain America movie will primarily be set during World War II, this book is a great way to get an understanding about what Captain America was like during the war.

So those are all my graphic novel recommendations for people going to see the movies this summer. There are many other graphic novels for these characters available and if you have any recommendations please feel free to comment on this post. I hope everyone has an awesome summer and that none of these movies suck.

What's on my Mind: Franchises in Comics

In today's age of comics, its not rare for a hero's book to gain enough success that the publishers decide to release a spin-off title. Usually this is not a bad thing since this has given fans some good titles such as Green Lantern Corps, or just recently Superboy. Typically, I don't mind when a franchise has one or two titles in addition too the main title, however the amount of Avengers and Batman books makes me think that those franchises are out of control.

I'm not fully against the amount of titles because it does offer some variety among fans. If you don't like the direction or writer on one title, then you could choose another one from the same franchise. A few months ago, I decided to pick up Secret Avengers because Avengers was starting to suck in my opinion. And the new Batman titles coming out this month let readers choose which Batman they want to read about. Variety can be a good thing as long as its not over used.

When Marvel announced its multiple Avengers titles, I understood why because there was an abundance of characters (Steve Rogers, Iron Man, Thor, Luke Cage, etc.) and one of the factors that influence a reader's choice is the team members. One of the reasons I chose Avengers after Siege was because of the roster (having Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Wolverine on one team seemed like a good idea at the time). Another influence on a reader's choice is the team's role in the Marvel Universe. While the Avengers would handle the big cosmic threats, the Secret Avengers would work undercover and the Avengers Academy would train the heroes of tomorrow (at least that's what their recruitment brochures say). All in all I'd say Marvel made the right choice to release multiple Avengers titles.

 Now there's a greater number of Batman titles coming out and I can't understand why DC needs to launch additional titles. I can understand why Batman Inc. needs its own series, but wouldn't it be easier if DC put Bruce Wayne in one series (Batman or Detective Comics) and Dick Grayson in the other. Same idea could apply for Batman: Streets of Gotham and Batman and Robin (I would have enjoyed seeing Bruce work with his son, Damian). I get that Batman is the poster boy for DC Comics and he's one of the favorite heroes among comic book fans but all the Batman promoting DC does makes them look greedy rather than people who want to tell good stories.

As I stated earlier, a comic's creative team can be just as influential on one's reading choice as much as the comic's concept. I thought Avengers was gonna be great but Brian Michael Bendis's writing made me give up the book by issue #4. I enjoy Grant Morrison's portrayal of Batman (Bruce Wayne) but the concept of Batman Inc. prevents me from giving the book a chance. Overall there are many other factors that can affect a reader's decision but if they have a good feeling about a title then they should give it a chance.

As with every other article, feel free to comment and let me know how you feel about the number of comic books that are a part of a franchise or which Avengers or Batman books you are or will be reading in the near future. You know what don't just mention Avengers or Batman feel free to talk about any other franchises that might need more or less titles. Later!

New Comics for May 19, 2010

Here's my pull list for the week of May 19, 2010

What new comics am I excited for?

Avengers #1

There's going to be at least six Avengers books coming out this summer as part of Marvel's Heroic Age. The classic Avengers is something I'm excited for because the line up looks great and the first story involves the time traveling villain, Kang. The only flaw is that the writer, Brian Michael Bendis, has failed to impress me with his final issues of New Avengers and some of the dialogue during Siege was pretty weak. Plus, I (like many fans) was expecting Steve Rogers to return to the Captain America identity. Although Bucky has grown into the role, its going to feel different having a new Avengers series and someone else as Captain America on this new team. Overall, I expect this new Avengers series to be a fun and entertaining ride, and hopefully Bendis will do a better job with this team.

Legion of Super-Heroes #1

A new series staring the classic Legion plus its written by Paul Levitz. What Legion fan wouldn't want to pick this up next week. The Legion has been through a lot of changes due to events such as Zero Hour and other Crisis stories. Thankfully the first Legion of Super-Heroes returned during Geoff Johns' run on Action Comics and the Legion of 3 Worlds mini-series. Now the Legion that fans know and love has returned in a new series by Paul Levitz. Levitz's work on the Legion has been favored by many fans and this new series will recieve as much praise as Levitz's work in the past.

 What current comics am I excited for?

Invincible Iron Man #26

Matt Fraction's Invincible Iron Man has become one of my favorite series. I've enjoyed reading the first two graphic novels of the series as well as the recent Stark Disassembled story. The new Bleeding Edge armor has yet to show its true power but so far it looks really awesome. My only complaint about this series is that Tony's new business decision seems too similar to what happened during the Iron Man move. Overall, I'm still pretty excited for this issue. 

War of the Supermen #3

So far I've been enjoying War of the Supermen mini-series. I like how DC decided to release the entire series during the month of May. Plus I enjoyed how General Lane used some giant weapon in each issue (ex. Bomb obliterating New Krypton in #1 and the red sun bomb at the end of #2). Part of me does want this series to end so DC can get back to making stories that have Superman back on Earth fighting villains like Lex Luthor or Parasite. I'm really looking forward to the last half of this story.

What comics am I least excited for?

Brightest Day #2

Although I was excited for most series coming out during DC's Brightest Day event (ex. Green Lantern books and the Flash), so far the Brightest Day series has been a swing and a miss for me. I did enjoy the set up in the first few issues for the resurrected characters, however there has not been anything to get me excited for future issues of this series. I'll still continue to get this to see if anything develops but I would not expect too much to happen.

Justice League of America #45

I initially started to get this series because James Robinson's League initially featured some good characters such as the Titans, but that was short lived. Now the only members on the team are Batman (Dick Grayson), Donna Troy, Starman (Mikaal Tomas), and Congorilla. Plus I'm not too excited about Jade's re-appearance from the last issue because I have not read any stories featuring her. I'll probably stop getting this series after its crossover with the JSA.

So thats my list of new comics for May 19th. Comment if you think I made any wrong decisions regarding my excitement for next week.