Hey! I haven’t written a lot of posts on comic books and specifically Marvel Comics! So this week’s Marvelous Monday is all about comic books! What am I reading? What should you read? Which storylines do I need to catch up on? Let’s check it out.
First and foremost – I have a confession to make. Since January I’ve been primarily reading DC’s New 52 Batman by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. Now there’s nothing wrong with that comic book, or that company for that matter, but it has annoyed me for quite a while that prior to last week, the last Marvel Comics book I read was Marvel’s Star Wars (Volume 2) #1 by Jason Aaron.
So, early last week, I decided to start catching up on the Marvel Comics that matter to me – and whilst doing so, I decided to give a couple of fairly new comic books a read. Here’s the list of Marvel comic books I’ve been reading this last week:
- Ant-Man (Volume 2) #1-4 by Nick Spencer & Ramon Rosanas.
- Avengers (Volume 5) #36-40 by Jonathan Hickman & Mike Deodato Jr. et al.
- New Avengers (Volume 3) #25-28 by Jonathan Hickman & Kev Walker et al.
- Star Wars (Volume 2) #2-4 by Jason Aaron & John Cassaday.
- Star Wars: Darth Vader #1-4 by Kieron Gillen & Salvador Larroca.
It doesn’t look like a lot when you put it like that. But comics aren’t cheap, I have multiple other opinion pieces to write, I have to study at the University of Copenhagen, and – oh right – I also have family and friends. Now let’s talk about these books one by one (spoiler-free). These aren’t exactly reviews, though. For review grades go here.
Okay, so Nick Spencer’s Ant-Man got me even more excited for the movie. Spencer’s take follows Scott Lang, who’s labeled early on in the comic book as “no one’s favorite Ant-Man.” This is the most hilarious comic book I’ve read in years. The dialogue is absolutely amazing, and when you have a great general plot coupled with strong art, you get a thrilling comic book. I don’t want to spoil the comic book, ’cause you should definitely read it, but I will say it’s about family first and foremost.
Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers/New Avengers run is one of the most remarkable things in comic books right now. I’m not completely caught up yet, but I’ll say this: if you want an intelligent take on some of Marvel’s most interesting characters, including Namor, Black Bolt, Steve Rogers, and Black Panther, then this is the comic book for you to read. Or rather, these two comic books are for you.
Jason Aaron’s Star Wars book and Kieron Gillen’s Darth Vader book are connected – know this – I have a preference, but both are great. I believe both of them are canon, and they take place between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. Aaron and Gillen are slowly starting to master these universes, and I’m really looking forward to see how their books develop.
What are you reading?
I’m Jeffrey Rex
I'm Jeffrey Rex 