Storm is regent of Arakko. Should she be? Al Ewing, Stefano Caselli, Federico Blee and Ariana Maher investigate in X-Men Red #1 Jude Jones: I was all in from the jump. A book, set on the planet we saw (beautifully, artfully, amazingly) terraformed; featuring the culturally rich, oft maligned Arakkii; led by the Queen, err,…
It begins with a ping in my pocket. It’s Monday afternoon, a little bit after 3 EST. A Slack notification has gone off, and lo and behold, our comic collection for the week has dropped. I work a full time job (thank goodness, despite how I feel in the mornings), so I can’t always read…
Professor X promised there would be no prisons on Krakoa. He lied. Sabretooth was the first mutant sent to the Pit. Now he welcomes five more mutants into his own private hell. What laws did they break? Are they ready for what they’ll find? Sabretooth #2 continues digging into Krakoan justice. Written by Victor LaValle,…
As Shuri’s investigation into an assassination ring continues, Omalola comes truly into her own. Black Panther #4 is written by John Ridley with art by Juann Cabal and Ibrahim Moustafa, colors by Matt Milla, and letters by Joe Sabino. Black women take center stage in Black Panther #4. Do these characters own the moment as…
Miles Morales #35 concludes one arc and leads into another. As the Assessor and Quantum return to wreak havoc on Miles’ life, he and Shift have to seek out some unlikely allies. Miles Morales: Spider-Man #35 written by Saladin Ahmed, drawn by Michele Bandini and Luigi Zagaria, inked by Michele Bandini, Elisabetta D’Amico, and Luigi…
I, like so many others of our certain (elder) age, grew up watching BET. And in between watching Rap City freestyles and Donnie Simpson (and most of the acts from this year’s Superbowl in their heyday), they’d be commercials. But not just any commercials, but BLACK commercials. (Because it’s BET you see. Blackity Black.) And…
For breaking the laws of Krakoa, Sabretooth was dragged into the Pit, sentenced to an eternity of torment. But no prison can hold him – or can it? A sentient island staffed by mutants has many kinds of walls. Sabretooth #1 is a gory journey into the carceral state of Krakoa written by Victor LaValle,…
Between man and country, between country and king; between friends; between ex-lovers; between the love of ideology and the love of individualism – there’s a lot of love in Black Panther #200. We find T’Challa and his partner-cum-conscience Omolola mid-fight, as the masked ideologues who’ve been stalking and killing T’Challa’s secret Wakandan spies have finally…
There’s a tension in critique between judging a piece of work for what it is and judging that work against our internal monologue of what we think the actions and resolutions of the work should be. Honest, good critique does not degrade a work because it doesn’t live up to head-canon fan fiction; good critique…
T’Challa, Omolola, and Shuri all take part in dealing with Wakanda’s sleeper program being compromised. Difficult conversations, well-deserved ire, and some murder investigation all feature in Black Panther #2 written by John Ridley, art by Juann Cabal, colors by Federico Blee, and letters/design by Joe Sabino. Love and trust are verbs: tangible and inseparable actions. …
In Miles Morales #33, we see Miles’ best friend fit the sidekick trope to a tee: outrage with the protagonist – in this case outrage if the incredulous cease and desist order given to Miles by the Beyond Corporation, demanding he stop using the Spider-man identity; he gives the reader context around the protagonist’s recent…
Miles Morales goes on a delightful date with someone he feels he can connect with in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #32 written by Saladin Ahmed, art by Christopher Allen, colors by Guru-eFX, and letters by VC’s Cory Petit. Do you remember your first date? Your favorite one? Were you nervous? Did you hold hands? Did you…
In Matthew Rosenburg & Tyler Boss’s upcoming Image title “What’s The Furthest Place From Here?” a group of teens each pick an album to represent themselves, to give themselves meaning, long after they are gone. Now, they can’t actually listen to the albums but that’s beside the point. With the book coming out next week…
Years ago I asked my partner what their favorite flower was. They wouldn’t tell me. They liked purple; their personality was gregarious, bombastic in tone and tenor. I thought they’d like a Lilly. I was wrong. They loved red roses – basic, predictable, thorny, and reliable. “But” they told me, eyes playful, voice low, “a…
Champions #10 written by Danny Lore, art by Luciano Vecchio, color art by Federico Blee, letters by Clayton Cowles. All things, good, bad, and otherwise end, eventually. Ending is a certainty. What is not certain is if those things will be memorable; what’s unknown is if we should care. Champions #10 is the swan song…