Introducing Panels of the Week, where our writing staff lets us know what one comic book moment stuck with them most from the past week’s offerings.
Dr. Lorna Dane
Our first moment is one that’s LONG overdue. Cori McCreery chooses this panel from X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #2 “because she finally got her Ph.D., and I love that for her.”
Check out our coverage of Trial of Magneto here!
Beware the Batgirls
Batfan and compiler of this very list Armaan Babu chooses a moment from The Joker #7. It’s a perfect week to celebrate this particular trio, made all the more enjoyable for subverting another “Beware the Court of Owls” moment.
Matthew Lazorwitz and Will Nevin discuss this very issue in last week’s Bat Chat!
Speak with Honesty
Cat Purcell chooses a moment from Wonder Woman #779, saying, “It just speaks to her character so so much, and it’s something I strive to encompass myself.”
Cat and Andrea Ayres discuss this moment and the issue here!
Superman on the Brain
Ritesh Babu picks this panel from Superman and the Authority #3, drawing attention to “the terror and awe this panel captures, as the first supervillain of comicdom stands above the stars, decreeing why Superman must die, is terribly thrilling and rather fun.”
Tony Thornley and Armaan have their own thoughts on the series, over on Super Chat!
Wayne Family Memes
Cassie Tongue’s choice put a new spin on an old meme, from the supremely delightful Batman: Wayne Family Adventures #4 on Webtoon.
It’s not Cassie’s only visit to Gotham this week, as she reviews Harley Quinn: Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour #1, and check out Bat Chat’s first impression of this experimental new comics series!
Here’s the Thing…
Dan Grote’s choice comes from Fantastic Four: Life Story #4. “This panel has big Jack Kirby energy, not in the way it’s drawn but in the mood it conveys. Ben Grimm, the King’s self-insert, walking among the young people he loved so much, not understanding them but loving the energy they put out into the world. Out of touch yet somehow timeless. Also I’m an old, so the ’90s were my decade,” says Dan.
Dan is joined by Justin Partridge in their discussion of the series, and you should catch up on their coverage if you haven’t already!
A Sight for Sore Eyes
Zachary Jenkins celebrates Wolverine’s love for everyone’s favorite fuzzy blue elf as Logan gazes upon Nightcrawler in X-Men Unlimited #3 on Marvel Unlimited.
We may not have covered that, but you can listen to Zack and Adam Reck talk about the X-stories that could have been…
From a Wakandan Empire…
Jude Jones has a lot to say about The Last Annihilation: Wakanda #1, but his panel of the week wants you all to pay attention to “the contrast; the composition; the religious allusions; the dialogue” — it seems like the Last Annihilation event has a little something for everyone.
…to One Far, Far Away
Austin Gorton lays out his thoughts behind this full-page panel from Darth Vader #16: “The climax to the issue’s ‘Luke is hella scared of Vader’ plotline, with Luke running from Vader while Vader calmly chases after him like a dad driving a golf cart, as a group of pirate murder droids hired by the Empire intervene on Luke’s behalf. Aside from being a fun image, its composition echoes Luke’s triumphant trench run in the first film, and thus sets an expectation that the end of the issue ultimately subverts.”
Want to read more? Austin’s got a lot more to say.
And that wraps it up for this week!
Armaan is obsessed with the way stories are told. From video games to theater, TTRPGs to comics, he has written for, and about, them all. He will not stop, actually; believe us, we've tried.
