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X Books November 2024

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Introduction

I started this trend last month, I think. I missed almost all of the Krakoa era books other than a few random issues and the very end. I tried to make up for it by ordering as many books as possible this time around. Due to less free time and the usual down tick in motivation around this time of year brings the misnamed X Books November 2024. But, hey, you’re used to that kind of thing around here.

Exceptional X-Men 2

Writer: Eve Ewing, Artist: Carmen Carnero

Quick Synopsis and Thoughts: Last issue saw Kitty Pryde trying, in vain, to put recent events behind her and live a life as normal as possible given her situation. She ran into a young mutant and that complicated her plans. Further complications arrived in the form of Emma Frost. This issue continues that story with Kitty meeting up with other mutants and coming closer to a team. That is until Emma arrives at the end to ensure they’ll be in good hands with her.

The great thing about so many different books after the fall of Krakoa is that we get many different versions of how everyone deals with that fall and the aftermath. I especially like this story because it puts Kitty in the Charles role with Emma Frost as her Magneto. I expect stories similar to She-Hulk with Rowell and that makes me happy to have that vibe again monthly. My verdict: Good.

Phoenix 4

Writer: Stephanie Phillips, Artist: Alessandro Miracolo

Quick Synopsis and Thoughts: Jean and Carol take some time to celebrate after the events of the last issue. Jean remains ever vigilant, but Carol implores her to just enjoy herself. That vigilance proves prescient as the council plans some way to reign in the Phoenix before she destroys all. Gorr the God Butcher answers that call and kills Jean after a brief fight. Fear not, True Believers, as the Phoenix rises from that death more powerful.

I couldn’t get into the previous story. I think that might have been because I missed the set up. I often don’t like the universe spanning stories and prefer things to be more personal. This one takes the good from both of those storytelling methods to bring a personal touch to a godlike power that can destroy everything. My verdict: Decent.

The Uncanny X-Men 3 and 4 (Legacy 703 and 704)

Writer: Gail Simone, Artist: David Marquez

Quick Synopsis and Thoughts: Rogue takes the lead in this book. She and Logan bicker about their roles in the team as Logan threatens constantly to go back to “lone wolf” mode any minute. While he broods in the wild, Sarah Gaunt attacks the team, taking out Kurt. She then makes her way to Logan and leaves him bloodied. Rogue faces off against Gaunt while the rest of the team deals with the army she sent to kill them. Logan gets back on his feet, ready to fight, on the last panel.

You all know by now that Gail Simone is one of my favorite writers ever. She wasted no time in sending an existential threat to kill Rogue’s fledgling team. Remember when I said that the books allow for different types of storytelling? Well, this one goes straight for the jugular and leaves you breathless by the end of it all. This might be my favorite of the X Books November 2024. My verdict: Great.

X-Force 4 (Legacy 294)

Writer: Geoffrey Thorne, Artist: Marcus To.

Quick Synopsis and Thoughts: Forge’s team rises from their defeat at the end of the previous issue, dust themselves off, and go back at defeating Nuklo. They need to lead him away from civilization. That takes them into the realm of Man-Thing, who offers his assistance in the fight. Nuklo falls and the Avengers also arrive on the scene to help deal with the aftermath, shocking Forge with Storm’s presence.

They sold this issue as a Man-Thing story and then he only showed up in 4 or 5 pages towards the end. Then, the Avengers show up? Kind of random. I like this iteration of X-Force. It’s just that this story was all over the place. Maybe they’ll find their footing in the next one. My verdict: Decent.

X-Men 5 and 6 (Legacy 305 and 306)

Writer: Jed MacKay, Artist: Ryan Stegman

Quick Synopsis and Thoughts: Psylocke and Kid Omega go on a “psychic mission”. While there, they learn that someone is activating the x-gene in order to create new mutants. One of the mutants that has been reborn is Cassandra Nova. Then, as the team trains, Magik and Temper search for a mutant girl. There, they find out that the feral sentinel is hunting her down. Feels like both of these things are connected and will collide sooner rather than later.

The MacKay takeover of X-Men hasn’t quite lived up to the previous era so far. I like the stories that he’s telling and he’s making the group into something that I can enjoy. But, I just think that Gail Simone is dealing with things much better right now. MacKay’s irreverence works with the Avengers, but it doesn’t quite fit right now with the X-Men. Like X-Force, I hope the title finds it’s voice soon. My verdict: Decent.

The Verdict

In the wake of the end of such a massive story, X Books November 2024 are still finding their voice and footing. While the books overall are good, I just don’t think that things are coming together as well as maybe they could. I know in a few months, I will probably be eating these words once everything does finally work. For now, though, I stand by my assessment.

Images taken from Marvel.com

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X-Books October 2024

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Introduction

I went from missing the entire Krakoa era (other than the very end) to trying to collect as many of the mutant based titles as possible. As a result, X-Books October 2024 outpaces the other Marvel books for last month and this month. And, I haven’t even collected all of the possible books. Each month it seems like they add a new one or I find one that I missed. Clearly, the mutants are carrying Marvel Comics right now and they’re using them to hype up the eventual reveal in the MCU.

Exceptional X-Men #1

Writer: Eve L. Ewing, Artist: Carmen Carnero

Quick Synopsis and Thoughts: Kitty tries to adjust to normal life in the wake of the fall of Krakoa. She’s a bartender, attending therapy, and going out on dates. No plans to start and lead a new team of mutants. Then, she intervenes in the rescue of just such a young mutant. But, still, not going to recruit that mutant into a team. Back to work. Or, is she? Emma Frost reaches out to find several of the X-Men and settles on Kitty. What plans does she have?

I loved Eve L. Ewing’s Black Panther story. I’m glad she’s back and writing for this book. It has some of the charm of She-Hulk, but not quite on the same level. As long as she keeps some of that fun in the book, I’ll keep coming back for more. The art, too, gives me a reason to enjoy the book. Carnero understands the assignment and gives the book a colorful look that adds to the fun. My verdict: Great start.

Nyx #3

Writers: Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, Artist: Francesco Mortarino

Quick Synopsis and Thoughts: The mutants of Nyx bid farewell to one of their fallen as they continue to face prejudice and attacks. In the aftermath, they welcome Anole into their family. Kamala Khan also makes an appearance, fighting alongside X-23. She continues to get pushed to think of herself again as Ms. Marvel and join the fight completely, an act that will tip the scales in the battle.

Lanzing and Kelly brought me my favorite Guardians of the Galaxy story, maybe ever. They pick up this title, another rag tag group of heroes that call themselves a family and bring much of the same magic to Nyx. I never heard of the title before now, but I’m glad that they enticed me to read it by putting these writers together again. The art lacks some detail, but I like the use of two page panels to bring more action when called for. My verdict: Great.

Phoenix #3

Writer: Stephanie Phillips, Artist: Alessandro Miracolo

Quick Synopsis and Thoughts: Jean works to rescue an entire planet of abductees. Tipped off by Corsair, she wonders if she can even trust him. But, she goes through with it nonetheless. They have a showdown and the final page reveals who was behind the entire plot. The Black Order, scions of Thanos, now work to try to bring down the Phoenix.

This story is one of the few from these titles that doesn’t resonate with me. I never got into the original Phoenix story and the only recent experience I have is when they revealed that the Phoenix force was Thor’s mom or whatever. Not sure if that is even canon anymore, so who the heck knows. I don’t hate the story. It’s just that I can’t get into these galaxy spanning storylines as well as the more personal and down to earth ones. I will say the art is pretty in this book and that helps me to make it through the story. My verdict: Good.

The Uncanny X-Men #2 (Legacy 702)

Writer: Gail Simone, Artist: David Marquez

Quick Synopsis and Thoughts: Like Nyx, the Uncanny bunch stumbles on a group of wild and untrained mutants. Initially, Wolverine causes a ruckus and the two groups battle. Jubilee comes back from a visit to the prison and brokers a tentative peace between them. Logan refuses any part of the mentoring or training. Interspersed in the story, they read from the journal of Charles Xavier and it gives some insight into where this story might go.

Marvel continues to sucker me into titles with writers that I love. This time, Gail Simone brings her unique ability to make these super powered beings completely human, even the mutants. By the end of this story, I expect to laugh more, cry more, and cheer when all is said and done. Right now, she’s masterfully setting up the pieces. Marquez helps to establish that humanity and those relationships with his very real portrayal of their facial expressions and other interactions. A good team for this title. My verdict: Great.

X-Force #3 (Legacy 283)

Writer: Geoffrey Thorne, Artist: Marcus To.

Quick Synopsis and Thoughts: Forge’s team makes their way to confront the Fracture Node. They pick up on a massive force in the same area and try to neutralize that, as well. Neither goes according to plan because Nuklo feeds off of the anomaly and vice versa. They sacrifice themselves in the name of saving the day and end up on the verge of destruction.

This book is wild. While some of the other books focused on character building and the more human side of things, this one went balls to the wall with action right out of the gate. Usually, that’s not my thing, but it works with this book and this team. Add to the fact that the art is probably some of the best in the X-Books October 2024 and I want more of all of it. My verdict: Very good.

X-Men #4 (Legacy 304)

Writer: Jed MacKay, Artist: Netho Diaz

Quick Synopsis and Thoughts: An insane group of social media “stars” go live on a regular basis to kill mutants for clicks, likes, and subscribers. When the X-Men track them down from landmarks in the background, an epic battle ensues. What’s worse is that each member of the group seems to have a power that nullifies one of the X-Men. They return to report their success to the Sugar Man. The X-Men return to their base to regroup and come up with another game plan. At the end, an old friend awaits as Magick’s chess partner.

This article mirrors X-Factor some. So much so that it made me think of that book and why I never added it to my pull list. Oh well. A long weekend coming up that maybe I can use to travel to That’s Entertainment to fill in some of the books that I missed. I think I never put in an order for next month, so I need to pick up some books. Anyway, I liked this story more than what they did in X-Factor, which is why I mention it. MacKay gives us a reason to care about the social media aspect of the story. My verdict: Good.

The Verdict (X-Books October 2024)

Just like the main Marvel books, X-Books October 2024 brings some great stories. I liked every book, even if Phoenix isn’t quite my cup of tea. A few months ago, others joined mine and Chris’s chorus of “comics might be dead” and then DC sold half a million Absolute Batman books. So, I’m just sticking with my, “this might just be another golden age of comics” and if you’re not reading, you’re missing out.

Images downloaded from Marvel.

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Marvel Comics September 2024 Part 3

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Introduction

At long last, we arrive at the final article for our comic reviews. In fact, we celebrate two milestones. I also gave up on making any interactive elements for this year’s Spooktober and went with a boring old banner instead. Maybe next year. Additionally, Marvel Comics September 2024 Part 3 represents the final article for last month’s selection of books. Hopefully things run more smoothly in the coming months. But, no promises.

This article brings Venom and 2 X-Books for our enjoyment. If you want a TLDR; Venom has been inconsistent for a while, I’m not sure how I feel about X-Force’s just yet, and Jed McKay’s X-Men got off to a decent start last time. If you, instead, want more depth, keep reading.

Venom 36 (Legacy 236)

Writer: Torunn Gronbekk, Artist: Cafu

Quick Synopsis: Someone who looks and acts very much like Cable fights against some alien or cybernetic monster. H realizes that to finish his mission he needs to die, but that time is not yet. Speaking of time, he jumps through time to “Now” and assesses the situation in the Venom War. I actually know nothing about Venom War, but the issue ends with Spider-Man confronting who we now know is Old Man Venom.

My verdict: Too many crossovers and events for Venom lately. I said the book was uneven, but it’s more that there’s just too much homework right now to completely understand what’s going on. I hope that Venom War leads to some sort of soft reboot and a jumping on point for people. Otherwise, it’s just going to get more convoluted from this point forward and who has the time to read all that backstory? Decent.

X-Force 2 (Legacy 292)

Writer: Geoffrey Thorne, Artist: Marcus To

Quick Synopsis: Forge’s team moves on from the events of the previous issue right into Wakanda. The run afoul of the Wakandans and surrender to Black Panther. He threatens to wipe all mutants off the planet again, but Forge intervenes. Through the battle, they seal the fracture int he planet. No time to celebrate. The shit is hitting the fan on Cambodia.

My verdict: A group of Forge’s hand picked mutants from the bench that act as mercenaries to clean up the fallout from the Krakoa messy ending. Seems like my kind of book, right? Well, yes and no. Still having trouble wrapping my head around the whole team and caring all that much what happens to them. This might be the first to go when I start trimming the pull list again. Decent.

X-Men 2 and 3 (Legacy 302 and 303)

Writer: Jed McKay
Artist: Ryan Stegman

Quick Synopsis: A mutant named Ben rambles about alien abduction. A social worker tries to calm him. As it turns out, Ben had something to be worried about. Scott’s new team of X-Men fights off the aliens and takes in a badly injured Ben to try to figure out what happened to him. In the next issue, Scott debriefs with a contact from the US government, the rest of the team fights to keep themselves and their new headquarters safe. The issue ends with Scott and the team standing off against the government, insinuating that a war might be imminent. Scott retires to a bathroom to get his shit together.

My verdict: Unlike X-Force, which Marvel promoted as “finding its stride”, this book is already in stride and off and running. Granted much of that comes from the fact that we know and love almost all of the characters in this book. Also, Jed McKay has proven himself a prolific and good comic book writer. I will continue to give X-Force a shot, but only because I feel like this all leads to another X-Men/Avengers mega event at some point and I want to be up to date when it happens. Stegman’s art isn’t as clean as the other two X-Books I read, but I still like his style and it brings a fun to the book that counters the seeming constant trauma and tragedy right now. Good.

Final Verdict

Marvel Comics September 2024 Part 3 ends the month on a bit of a downturn. The books aren’t bad. It’s just that one of them requires too much homework right now and I haven’t quite fully bought into the other. X-Men is great and I can’t wait to read more of that one. As a final thought, you may have noticed I didn’t mention the art in Venom or X-Force. While good, I don’t necessarily collect for the art. I didn’t want it gone unsaid that I liked it, though.

Images taken from the mothership.