Yee-haw! We do Westerns now, pardner! OK, enough of that. We’re breaking form from your regular (as of the past month) Indie Triple Play to bring you two reviews of comics of a similar bent, as Matthew Lazorwitz reviews Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ latest OGN, Pulp, and Will Nevin looks at the second issue…
High noon in a desert town. Two men face off, hands on the butts of their holstered revolvers. [Grote’s note: Heh heh, butts.] A blur of motion, a crack of gunfire, and one (or both) falls. This scene is a hallmark of the American Western, a genre that was popular in comics throughout the 1950s…
Hello friends and readers, Empyre sinks in deep as we cover the highs and lows of this week’s crop of tie-ins. Zack Jenkins has some heavy thoughts about Empyre: Captain America #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Ariel Olivetti, Rachelle Rosenberg, and VC’s Ariana Maher and Joe Caramagna. Then we join the extreme team of Conan…
Carol has recently been given the powers and responsibilities of a Kree Accuser, and her first job is investigating a war crime. But the perpetrator is…a surprise to be sure in this tale by Kelly Thompson, Cory Smith, Adriano di Benedetto, Tamra Bonvillain, and VC’s Clayton Cowles! Cat Purcell: I’m a little wary of this,…
Raise your swords and get ready for date night. Nathan Christopher Charles Dayspring Askani’son Summers goes to Philly to find a missing baby, and bites off more than he can chew. Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto take us out on the town in Cable #2. Ian Gregory: I loved the first issue of Cable, and…
The Fantastic Four and Avengers find themselves at the center of a war, between who? Find out in Empyre #3 by Al Ewing, Dan Slott, Valerio Schiti, Marte Gracia, and Joe Caramagna! Tony Thornley: Oh my goodness, what a month. Hi again Allison! So we’re back and what a whirlwind our heroes have been through…
As Empyre rages on, another fire burns deep inside Gabriel Summers. Vulcan greets his new neighbors and reflects on that which is growing inside him. Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu, and Sunny Gho bring us X-Men #10. Chris Eddleman: Ahhhhh! After ten thousand years [Ed. note: 4 months] we’re free! It’s time to talk Krakoa!…
Sometimes you find a way to conquer death, and wouldn’t cha know it? You gotta make sure you don’t accidentally create a bunch of clones and overthrow the natural order of the universe.That’s where X-Factor comes in. They investigate the deaths so that mutants might once again live. Join Leah Williams, David Baldeón and Israel…
MISSED PART I OF OUR INTERVIEW? READ IT HERE! Black Stars Above is an existential, cosmic and survival horror comic written by Lonnie Nadler, drawn by Jenna Cha, colored by Brad Simpson and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. It follows Eulalie, a Métiswoman living in 1887 Canada, who flees the trap her family has set for her…
Just when you think you have all the answers, it’s time to change the questions. The Splash In the fracas between writer Tom King, artist Jae Lee and comic book fans who want works created by people who aren’t intolerable assholes, there are no winners. Not King, who now looks like a bully for taking…
Each week, Xavier Files staff offer their recommendations for what to read. New DC comics come out Tuesdays, everything else Wednesdays. CORI’S PICK (BUT REALLY EVERYONE’S, BUT MOSTLY CORI’S BECAUSE SHE’S REVIEWING IT THIS WEEK, BUT MAN, WE ARE ALL VERY EXCITED): X-Factor #1: After a tantric, monthslong wait, Leah Williams and David Baldeon’s series…
When comics fans now think about Marjorie Liu, we may think about her creator-owned book Monstress. When we think about who made the X-Men the X-Men, we may think first of Chris Claremont, Louise Simonson and collaborators in the 1970s and 1980s. And if we think of Liu’s work for Marvel, we might think of…
When A Series Relaunch Doesn’t Stick Its Landing Warning: The following contains spoilers for Champions (2018-2019), Doctor Strange (2018) The most important issue of a comic is its first. Not all comics get to see their intended last issue, but they all get to see their first. First impressions are key when introducing — or…
IDW went through a bit of a leadership shakeup last week, as President, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Chris Ryall was announced to be stepping down to develop his own publishing venture. A day later, IDW said Jerry Bennington and Jud Meyers had been tapped for Ryall’s previous roles as president and publisher, respectively, while…
“I cannot forget Carcosa where black stars hang in the heavens; where the shadows of men’s thoughts lengthen in the afternoon, when the twin suns sink into the lake of Hali; and my mind will bear for ever the memory of the Pallid Mask.” Robert Chambers, The King In Yellow “When you are here and…