DC Comics launched the New 52 in 2011 as a “soft” reboot of its superhero continuity. I was 8 years old at the time and just getting into comics. At 9, I attended New York Comic Con for the first time, and continued to attend the convention annually until 2020. At that age, the only…
If you’re a frequent reader of my comic book articles here or elsewhere, then you’re aware how I’m a huge fan of the magical girl genre. Originating in Japan in the 1960s with manga and anime such as The Secret of Akko-Chan and Sally the Witch, it established staples such as the magical girl witch…
Dan Grote · WMQ&A Episode 235: Dropping a Solemn Cowabunga with Sarah Gailey and Liana Kangas Sarah Gailey and Liana Kangas join the show to talk about their new BOOM Studios series, Know Your Station. You can listen to WMQ&A on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Audible and at ComicsXF.com, where new episodes…
The issue in which our girl Lulu gets strung up — and has the time of her life. Hit Me #4 is written by Christa Faust, drawn by Priscilla Petraites, colored by Marco Lesko, lettered by AndWorld Design and published by AWA. Back to fuckin’ school? Already? To Hell with this. It’s Grimm Tales of…
Diana and Cheetah escape by the skin of their teeth from Cale Industries as the mystery behind the milk unravels. Wonder Woman #792 is written by Michael Conrad and Becky Cloonan, art by Marguerite Sauvage and lettered by Pat Brosseau. Escape from the Lab Diana has found Cheetah, locked in a cage, in the experimental…
Just as Marvel’s heroes are known for their feet of clay, their villains are as well. Magneto’s mustache-twirling evil of the Silver Age has been tempered by his past as a Holocaust survivor. Loki tends to operate more in shades of gray since appearing in the MCU. Heck, even Thanos has gotten some sympathetic backstory,…
Who doesn’t love an artist’s edition book? It’s a great way to cut through the noise of a classic story and appreciate an artist’s process in oversized black and white, letting the pencils and inks do the talking. Valiant today announced, exclusively through ComicsXF, that it will publish an Artist’s Edition of 1993’s X-O Manowar…
More Sabretooth(s) means more mayhem and everyone needs their Nanny in this epic conclusion to the second story arc recounting Victor Creed & Co’s ongoing escape from Krakoa. Sabretooth and the Exiles #5 is written by Victor LaValle, drawn by Leonard Kirk, colored by Rain Beredo, and lettered by Cory Petit. Jude Jones: Gordon Plaza…
Batman has escaped the prison set up by Zur, who now inhabits Failsafe’s robot body. He must prepare to finally confront his robot double. But various other factions are circling Zur, including Gotham’s new police commissioner, Vandal Savage, and Amanda Waller, whose agenda is only helped by a rogue metahuman. “Dark Prisons” begins in Batman…
Six weeks into the slow burn of the historic Arroyo Fire, a crew of women from an inmate firefighting program are risking everything on the frontlines when their newest recruit, a white-collar convict with a deep network of shady dealers, discovers they’re mere miles from her crooked former associate’s mansion. When she proposes a plan…
Wouldn’t it be great to go to school in Gotham City? Well, it probably wouldn’t be scarier than anywhere else. This week, Mrs. Abigale Heartbalm, Esq. stops by, and we talk Gotham Academy and two other school centric Batman related stories. We talk about how Gotham Academy successfully brings manga tropes to Gotham, question how…
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…
Each week, Xavier Files staff offer their recommendations for what to read. New DC comics come out Tuesdays, everything else Wednesdays. Chris’ Pick X-Men #14: Presumably we get more Apocalypse: Mutantdom’s first Wife Guy in this “X of Swords” tie-in by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Mahmud Asrar. ($3.99) Previously, in “X-Men” … Zack’s Pick…
Our buddy Beta Ray Bill has had a rough little bit. His friend broke his favorite hammer and his girlfriend called him ugly. It’s enough to drive a man, or horse alien mutated to become the perfect weapon, to drink. Which Bill has done. Along with wrestling moves; many many wrestling moves. But he’s found…
Detective Comics #1,064 sees a fable told by mother to son, Bruce Wayne visit a doctor and the League of Assassins make a play. The lead story is written by Ram V, drawn by Rafael Albuquerque, colored by Dave Stewart and lettered by Ariana Maher. In the backup, Jim Gordon confronts the crooked cop who…