My 2024 Comic Want List

 2024 Comic Want List:

5. Fantastic Four #46 (1966)

This book is the first full appearance of Blackbolt, the leader of the Inhumans. His first cameo appearance is in the issue prior to this, Fantastic Four #45. That issue is considered the first appearance of many of the other Inhumans, including Medusa and Lockjaw.

The reason this book is important to me is that I really enjoyed Anson Mount’s portrayal of Blackbolt in the Inhumans tv show that aired on ABC. He returned as the character in Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness as well for his official debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). I enjoyed it so much that I met Anson Mount at Rhode Island Comic Con in 2023. I did not get a picture with him, but I was able to to get an Inhumans poster signed by him.

4. Tales of Suspense #77 (1966)

Tales of Suspense #77 comes in #4. This comic is significant as it is the first full appearance of Peggy Carter in comics. Peggy Carter appeared in the MCU in all three Captain America films as well as Avengers: Endgame and Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness.

She was also the star of the Agent Carter tv show on ABC for two seasons from January 2015 - March 2016. However, the reason this is on the list is actually for my wife and not for me. She is a massive Peggy Carter fan and already owns her first appearances as Captain America, Exiles #3 (2018) and as Captain Carter #1 (2023).

3. Avengers #57 (1968)

Avengers #57 is the first full appearance of The Vision. The Vision debuted in the MCU in 2015’s Avengers Age of Ultron. He also appeared in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and WandaVision. 

Now, I’m a massive fan of the MCU and The Vision was a great addition to this roster, however, the bigger reason I want to collect this issue is because of Vision #1, which was released in 2015. In this run, Vision creates his own family. His wife, Virginia, his son, Vin, and his daughter, Viv. This is a fantastic story that modern day Marvel produced. I would highly recommend checking out this series. 

2. Daredevil #4 (1964)

Daredevil #4 is the first appearance of The Purple Man aka Killgrave who appeared in Jessica Jones season 1 and 3. He was portrayed by David Tennant. Killgrave was a phenomenal villain in season 1 and left one heck of an impression. 

I have actually had the chance to meet David Tennant twice. I discussed the meeting in my earlier post about my second day at New York Comic Con. He was really gracious to every fan and even though he had to get through a massive line, he took a little time with everyone.

1. Tales of Suspense #66 (1959)

Tales of Suspense #66 is the first silver age appearance of Red Skull, Johann Schmidt. He was portrayed by Hugo Weaving in Captain America: The First Avenger and subsequently potrayed by Ross Marquand in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and What If..?

The Red Skull is an iconic character throughout Marvel comics. He's still front and center in stories like the current Thunderbolts comic series starring Bucky Barnes. This is another book with a personal connection as my wife and I had a chance to meet Ross Marquand as Terrificon in July 2023. He is one of my favorite celebrity encounters. We had a great time chatting with him and just discussing the most random things.

New York Comic Con 2023 Pt. 2

Nightcrawler print from Todd Nauck

Friday started by heading to Artist Alley. Comic book artist Todd Nauck was the first person I wanted to see that day. I had the chance to meet him at Boston Comic Con in 2015 and that meeting gave me a new appreciation for comic art. A funny thing happened while in line for Todd though, he had been talking to Andy Lanning and as Andy went to leave, my wife and I were introduced to him. He could not have been nicer. We actually discussed Disneyland Paris with him. Andy Lanning is known for his work on Guardian of the Galaxy.  If you can, make sure to check out those stories. 

Talking with Todd was great. I got to thank him for giving me a greater appreciation for the artwork in comics and I purchased a Nightcrawler print he had at the con.  It was another great meeting. I hope to purchase a page of his original comic art in the future. 

Costumes from The Marvels

We walked around the show floor a bit and saw some of the cooler things on display. Some of the highlights were costumes from Loki Season 2 and The Marvels movie. Also, various vendors throughout the show had celebrities at their booths as well. The details and the craftsmanship of the costumes were evident when seeing them in person. 

Costumes from Loki

w/ Sam Riegel

From here we headed to the photo op area again as we had a photo op with Sam Riegel of Critical Role. Even in the short time of the photo op, he was very welcoming. Having been a Critical Role fan, this was somewhat surreal. 

w/ Claudia Gray

This was followed up by a return to Artist Alley. There we met Claudia Gray the author of multiple Star Wars books.  It turns out she was a big fan of Andor and Rogue One. This led to a ten-minute conversation where we completely geeked out over both. I picked up a copy of Master and Apprentice which she kindly signed!

w/ Chris Evans

After this, we headed back for another professional photo op. This one was with Chris Evans.  Being from the Boston area ourselves, it was pretty funny to meet a Boston guy in New York so the only fitting thing to do was to say “Go Red Sox”.  

W/ David Tennant

Next was the photo op with David Tennant, who played Doctor Who and Killgrave. He was very nice and seemed genuinely excited to meet all of his fans. I had the chance to meet him previously at FanExpo Boston and he was just as nice here as he was then.

We wrapped up NYCC 2023, by doing one more trip around the convention floor. We purchased some fudge from Copper Coast and decided to head out. However, one last stop on our way out of the convention was the Burger Mobile that was used to promote Good Burger 2.

Burger Mobile!

New York Comic Con 2023 Pt. 1

 Having been to FanExpo Boston and Rhode Island Comic Con multiple times, I thought I was prepared for New York Comic Con. I was not. This event is bigger than I could have imagined which was great and not so great. 

Jim Cummings

I had tickets to attend NYCC 2023 on Thursday and Friday. I knew Saturday would be overwhelming and I did not want to travel back on Sunday after the con. Thursday was a very cool day at the con. I met Ryan Parrott, the writer for over 100 issues of Power Rangers for Boom! Studios, Dee Bradley Baker, the voice of almost all of the clones in Star Wars animation, and Jim Cummings, the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Hondo Ohnaka.  

Tait Fletcher

I had the chance to talk to Tait Fletcher, Paz Vizla in the Mandalorian, again. My wife and I originally met him in July at Terrificon in Connecticut. Both times talking with Tait was great. He is a very nice and personable guy who makes you feel like you have known him forever. Also, try to check out some of his other work if you have a chnace.

Thursday finished up with a professional photo op with the cast of Star Wars The Clone Wars, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Matt Lanter, and Dee Bradley Baker.  Having had the chance to meet all of them before the photo, I was excited to meet them again. Photo ops are much quicker than autograph signings but it was still a great experience. 

All in all, Day 1 was great. Spending sometime in Artist Alley was really cool. The crowd was definitely manageable. Lastly,  never be afraid to make friends with other people at the con. While in line for Dee Bradley Baker we met this awesome family who are huge Star Wars fans. We kept running into them at the con and enjoyed each meeting.

Voice cast of Clone Wars. (Left to Right)
Dee Bradley Baker, Ashley Eckstein, Matt Lanter and James Arnold Taylor

Chew Vol 1: Taster's Choice

Chew Vol 1: Taster's Choice is an interesting read from Image Comics. It follows Tony Chu. He is a police detective with a weird ability. He can see the history of things he eats. This includes animals and how they were slaughtered. For this reason he sticks mostly to eating vegetables, beets specifically. 

This story takes place in a time when chicken is banned because of the avian flu. Chicken has become something only obtained from the underground and it is hilghly illegal. The Food and Drug Administration in America monitors the sale of chicken very closely. Which plays an intricate part to this whole story. 

The story itself picks up with Chu and his partner in an illegal chicken restaurant. They are there to take down the head of the illegal chicken operation. They go undercover and order some food. Tony orders a chicken broth and it turns it one of the cooks cut him finger in the broth. Tony learns that the cook has been abducting, murdering and eating women. What happens next changes everything for Tony. 

Tony and his partner pursue the cook. When they go after the cook, Tony's partner gets hit in the throat with a knife. Tony eventually catches the cook and the cook slices his own throat. Tony decided a to take eat some of the cook to discover who the rest of his victims are. This leads to Tony being fired by his local police office. 

Tony is actually offered a job from the FDA because of his unique ability. He is called a cibopath. Which means he gets psychic images from his food. He ends up with a very hard nosed boss and must solve a issuing person/ murder. As he begins to investigate Tony learns that he was intimidated by a restaurant for giving them a bad inspection and then that he was murdered. The murder is the big plot twist. 

As Tony is investigating the murder they are lead all over the place. He sees the victim lose a finger to the restaurant owners and then he sees his murder. This came after both his new partner, Mason Savoy, and one of the restaurant's hired thugs are shot. In what was a great twist it turns out Savoy murdered the inspector because he thought he knew more about the bird flu and wanted to know what he knew. 

Mason Savoy turned out to be a very interesting character. He lost a loved one to what the government claimed was the avian flu. The same reason it was banned. The thing with Savoy is that he does not believe the avian flu caused all the deaths on the planet. This leads him to join the government to take it down from the inside. 

Savoy and Tony come to blows when Tony discovers the truth. Savoy actually bites off Tony's ear and threatens to use it to find Tony's loved ones should be pursue him. It is a very well done scene because it creates a lot of intrigue for future volumes. 

Before we got to the end of the main story, there were a couple of subplots I wanted to highlight. First, Savoy and Tony go to an international telescope in the artic because their investigation intially leads them there. They end up in a shoot out with Russian astronomers who believe they are there to further the government agenda. This leads to a shoot out between them and one of the Russians runnnng off into the snow. Savoy mentions that she will most likely end up dead out there. 

This telescope was set up to "monitor" a planet that had life on it. There are a quick few panels that shoe the telescope actually being used to wipe out the life on that planet. This is something that could come up later. 

Also, there is a reporter who has the ability to describe food in such detail readers can taste what she describes. Tony is told to investigate her and get her fired because she been describing the most disgusting food to intentionally make people vomit. Tony ends up falling in love with her, but she leaves after a her newspaper is held hostage by a radical group thy does not believe in the avian flu. 

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this. It is a unique story I have not read before. The plot twist was also great. It added a level of intrigue that would not be there without it. 

I look forward to reading Chew Vol 2, but before I get to reading that. Let me announce our book of the month for March 2016! It is from Marvel Comics. The Winter Soldier: The Bitter March. 

Hercules #4

So in a quick change from the other posts, I wanted to highlight a single issue of a comic instead of a number of them. Hercules, which was launched as part of the All-new, All-different Marvel Universe, has been very entertaining so far. It is a fun play on the legend of Hercules. He is in modern times trying to still be as best a hero as he can be. 

This issue picks up in the middle of the story arc going on. As of now, we have seen ancient mythical creatures, immortal beings and other stuff of legend being scared of what is referred to as "The Rising Storm".  Hercules makes it his mission to try and stop whatever is plaguing these creatures. 

Hercules finds that his friend Gilgamesh has unknowingly got himself into some trouble. Gilgamesh is captured by a clan of ancient creatures who plan to sacrifice him for a ritual to stop the storm. Now, Hercules must figure out where he is and save him in time. 

While all of this has been going on, an ancient friend of Hercules's, Tiresias, had been attacked in a previous issue. Tiresias is a seer and warns Hercules of the strength of "The Uprising Storm". Hercules's landlord and friend, Sophia, goes to stay with Tiresias at the hospital. 

When we check in on Tiresias at the hospital we see a member of The Uprising Storm, Horoscope, at her bedside. Horoscope is about to finish the job when Sophia walks into the room. Horoscope quickly makes her appearance look like a nurse and exits the room without killing Tiresias. 

Eventually, Hercules finds that Gilgamesh was taken to a building that is under construction. Hemomentarily stops the ritual and a fight ensued. The leader of the ancient clan grabs Gilgamesh and is about to sacrifice him when two members of "The Uprising Storm" showup. They introduce themselves as Cryptomnesia and Catastrophobia, the God of Tech and the God of War. These are the new gods who are attempting to replace the old legends. 

Hercules is unimpressed with these new gods and begins to provoke them. This leads to them showing Hercules just how strong they are. Catastrophobia blows up the bundling they are standing in and that is the end of the issue. 

Overall, this issue did a lot for this story. While we have been hearing about the strength of The Uprising Storm since the beginning, in this story we got to see it. Without a second thought, they demolished a building and stopped a ritual aimed at stopping them. If that was not enough, we also see why the ancient creatures are afraid of them. The storm can get to them wherever they are. The one who finds Tiresias is the hospital shows that no place is safe. It wi certainly be interesting to see what Hercules is going to do to stop them. At this point he seems gravely outmatched. 

Books of the Month: Thor Vol. 1 The Goddess of Thunder

Let me, first, get this out of the way. This book is not about Lady Thor or Thor Woman. It is about the Thor. Odison, the former holder Mjölnir, has been deemed unworthy. He is no longer Thor. So who is the new Thor? 

We begin this story with an array of Asgardian characters on the moon. This happens to be where Mjölnir went after Thor was deemed unworthy. All of the Asgardians, including Odin, try to pry the hammer from the surface. None are able to. 

While the attempts to lift the hammer are happening, there is an invasion of Frost Giants on Earth. Odin says that it is not an Agarsian issue and leaves. Odinson decides to try and save Earth even though he does not have the hammer. This does not end well for him. He loses his left arm in the battle and the Frost Giants continue to attack earth. 

While this battle wages on, we see someone new lifting Mjölnir from the moon's surface and heading to earth. This is different than what most expect as Thor is now a woman. She possess Mjölnir and all the power that comes it. 

Once back on earth, she confronts the Frost Giants, who are being led my Malekith the Accursed. Malekith is the leader of the Dark Elves and always has an alterior motive. The Frost Giants are looking for the head of their ancient King Laufey. He fell in battle many years earlier on Earth and his remains were never found. Until Roxxon Corporation, an evil corporation, discovered them at the bottom of the ocean. 

The attacks is taking place at Roxxon Corporation Headquarters. The CEO of Roxxon, Dario Agger,  is not all that he seems to be either. It turns out he transforms into a Minotaur. He, eventually,  locks himself inside the vault where the skull is stored. Eventually Malekith makes his way inside the vault and the two of them fight. 

While Malekith and Dario fight. The Odison shows up to confront Thor. He says she stole the hammer and they end up doing battle. They fight until Odinson realized Mjölnir has chosen this new Thor. He decided to trust the hammer and fight alongside her. 

After they have defeated all the Frost Giants, Thor enters the vault and smashes the skull. She says of that's what they're fighting over, neither will have it. Malekith leaves and burns Odinson's severed arm. Dario tells them to leave his property. We later see Dario and Malekith discussing a deal for the real skull. The one that was destroyed was a fake. 

Back on the moon, Thor is about to place the Hammer down when Freyja, shows to warn her. Freyja is the wife of Odin and the mother of Odinson.  She warns Thor that Odin will come for the hammer and that she should be prepared. 

This ends the tale of the Frost Giants' attack on earth but does not end our story.  There is one last part to cover. Back in Asgard, Odin has called upon his brother, Cul Borson to act as his minister of justice. Cul is the God of Fear and has previously tried to take over Asgard. Odin is so desperate he has decided to trust him. Odin wants to know the identity of Thor and wants the hammer returned to, who he believes, is its rightful owner. Our story ends with Cul and Odin looking at the destroyer. This is a metallic robot like Asgardian weapon that is very powerful. Cul plans to use it to find Thor, reveal her indentity and return the hammer. 

While Odin is appointing a new minister of justice, Odinson is in one of the halls trying to narrow down his list of who Thor could be. He approaches Lady Sif, who he had a relationship with. He asks her if she is the new Thor, she gets offended by this notion and throws mead in his face. She storms off while he continues to drink mead. Eventually, he is led out of the hall by his warriors three. 

This story is a great read. It has a lot of action and a lot of great storytelling. The establishing of Thor being a woman and not being a version of Thor is new and interesting. They establish her story really well. She is a strong courageous person. She won't back down from a fight and she's resourceful. 

This story incorporates a lot of well know villains, heroes and side characters from the history of Thor. It is also a good introduction as it provides a lot of details so there is not a lot of information missing on past events. Especially when it comes to what actually made Odinson unworthy. No one knows what was actually whispered. 

I have read the next volume of this story as well. It only gets better. Please check out Thor Vol. 2 if you want to know how this story plays out!

Also, please check out the Book of the Month for February 2016: The Chew Vol. 1 from Image Comics

Uncanny Avengers #1-#4

As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel, they have launched a new Uncanny Avengers team. The Uncanny Avengers team was originally compromised of mutants and humans to show that both could, not only, coexist but thrive when working together. This Uncanny Avengers team has humans, mutants and inhumans.  Both mutants and inhumans are now both feared and hated by ordinary people. There is a virus spreading called m-pox. It's a direct result of inhumans releasing a terrigan mist that causes the inhuman change. It can have a lethal effect on mutants. 

A quick introduction to the team. In the first issue we are introduced to Steve Rogers who is no longer Captain America, Rogue, who is part of the X-Men, Deadpool, the merc with a mouth, Johnny Storm, the Human torch from the Fantastic Four, Jericho Drumm aka Dr. Voodoo, Synapse, recently changed inhuman and Spider-Man, the original Peter Parker. By the end of the first issue we have a chance to the team Spider-man quits as he does not feel he can work with Deadpool. Spider-man does say however that if Deadpool leaves the team, he will rejoin it. 

So now on to the story. This story takes place in the Boston area. It involves a recently turned inhuman who is trying to wipe out the human race. He sees humans as the biggest problem facing the earth. Part of his plan involves spreading a virus and the other part has plant based animals attacking anyone that stands in his way. Obviously, the Uncanny Avengers respond the attack and we go from there. 

As the story is progressing we get the introduction of a new member to the team, Cable! Cable is the future son of Scott Summers, Cyclops, and Madelyne Pryor, a Jean Grey clone.  He travels back in time because where he is from the Uncanny Avengers have failed to stop this villain. He wants to change that. 

This story has a lot of great interactions among the characters. The actual story is pretty great as well. Without giving away the too much, we find out the real reason this team was assembled as well! I highly recommend picking up these issues and reading them. 

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #0

This week's comic of the week is Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #0.  This book has all the feel of the great 90's show with a slightly updated feel. It's really a great way to relive the show in all its glory. 

The book itself comes in seven different covers. One for each of the rangers during the show. However, the Green Ranger and White Ranger covers are limited variants. I myself picked up a Red Ranger cover. 

Now, on to the story. The story takes place just after the Green Ranger joins the team. He was originally and evil ranger controlled by Rita Repulsa. Eventually, he is freed from her control and decides to fight against her. 

A warning before reading this. They have modernized some of the technology in the story. The rangers have cell phones and use computers. It is a slight change from the show, but it doesn't take away from the story. 

Also, included in this issue are two short stories. One feautures Bulk and Skull. The other one features the Power Rangers in another story that takes place shortly after the Green Ranger joins the team. 

This story is an introduction to what will be an on-going series beginning in March. I know I'm going to keep reading it. I hope you check it out too!

Star Wars Chewbacca

I said each week would contain a review of a single comic book issue, but this week I wanted to take time to highlight a mini-series produced by Marvel. As part of Disney acquiring both Star Wars and Marvel, the comic license for Star Wars is back with Marvel. They've published a few different series now that they have this license but this one is my favorite. 

This series takes place after the events of Return of the Jedi. Chewbacca's ship has issues and he has to land on a nearby planet to find a replacement part for his ship. It turns out he doesn't have enough credits to afford the part and goes for a drink at a cantina. 

Meanwhile, Zarro and her father are forced to work in the minds after they can't pay their debts. Zarro escapes the mine but is chased by the henchmen of the mine owner. She runs into Chewbacca in the cantina and he hides her. 

After the henchmen are gone, Zarro asks Chewbacca for help to free everyone at the mine. Chewbacca is reluctant at first but eventually decided to help her. This sets off one of the most enetertaijing adventures I have read in comics. 

If this sounds interesting to you, I suggest checking it out. It gets 5 out of 5 from me 

Welcome to 2016! Updates! Comic book of the month! And Schedules! Oh my!!

Happy New Year! With the start of 2016 comes more content from Whoosh! Let's start with some updates. 

First, I started a comic book of the month club in November and promised another book for December.  With the craziness that the holidays bring, I decided to wait until the new year to choose a new comic book. So without further adieu, the choice for this months comic book is, Thor: The Goddess of Thunder Vol 1. 

Secondly, my next big race is the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend Glass Slipper Challenge. This involves the Dinsey Princess Enchanted 10k on Feb 20th and the Disney Princess Half Marathon on Feb 21st. Last year, I ran the 10k only and I have to say, it's a great race. While yes it is definitely not the most masculine race to run, it's still an amazing time. I would recommend a RunDisney race to any runner. 

Well anyways, be on the look out for a review of a single issue comic once a week in the new year, as well as running updates when applicable and the review of the comic book of the month on the first Monday of each month. At the end of each review I will announce the choice for the next month. 

Saga Vol 1 Review and Discussion

A month ago I announced Saga Vol. 1 as the first pick in my comic book of the month club. I chose this book because Saga was a story I had a lot about and it was by Brian K. Vaughan, who wrote Y: The Last Man. Saga is a much different story than Y: The Last Man. Anyways, on to the review!

Saga starts off with two characters Alana, from Landfall, and Marko, from Wreath. They were on opposite sides of war. Marko was a prisoner and Alana was his guard. Turns out they fell in love. This is very similar to Romeo and Juliet in space but a lot better.

The first thing we see is the birth of their daughter Hazel. We find out they are both now fugitives wanted by the armies once fought for.  After the birth of Hazel they are found by both Wreath and Landfall forces. They were sold out by the person who let them in to give birth to Hazel. This person is shot by the Landfall forces, lead by Prince Robot Iv, and in a last attempt to be a good person he gives Marko and Alana a map to the Rocket Ship Forest. This is a mythical place where rocket ships grow like trees. This map is the key to the adventure in this volume.

Alana and Marko go on a journey to find this forest. While they are doing that they run into the Horrors, which are ghosts on the planet and they are charged with protecting the planet. One of the Horrors, Izabel strikes a deal to help Marko and Alana as log as they take her with them. In order for her to go with them, she must bond her soul to Hazel. It took some convincing but Marko and Alana agree.

Also, they must battle mercenaries as well. They are The Stalk, a spider like creature, and The Will. The Will is the first and only mercenary to actually interact with Marko and Alana in this volume, The Stalk is at first scared away by the horrors and then, apparently, killed by Prince Robot IV as she is trying to capture them Marko and Alana again. Prince Robot the IV had tracked them down  again and was attempting to capture them as well. The will is seen passing a test to get the assignment of hunting them down. He is also seen rescuing a child sex slave. It appears the mercenaries will have a big role going forward.

Eventually, Izabel leads them to Rocket Ship Forest and they get the last ship that was grown there. They finally get the ship to launch and they get an unexpected visit. Alana immediately goes on the defensive, but Marko  stops her because they are his parents

I really enjoyed this book. Even though the story is such a familiar conch, space aspect adds so much. The horrors were a great example of the devastation caused by the war. The help to show traditions as well because they are guarding the planet as spirits because that is tradition. Also, the characters are great because you  can easily relate to them. I would give this story a 4.5 out of 5.

Let me know what you thought of this story!

Doctor Strange #1

Marvel had recently re-launched a lot of it's series as part of their All-New, All-Different line. This takes place after their latest big event Secret Wars. One books from this line that I would like to highlight is Doctor Strange #1.  It has been out for a couple of weeks now, but the book still deserves some recognition.

I recently read it again and was reminded how much I liked it. It's a fun and interesting adventure. It also helps to readers by giving a brief overview of Doctor Strange. It explains how he became the man he is and the responsibilities that come with it. 

Without giving away the story, you see just what makes Doctor Strange such a unique character in the Marvel Universe. He is known as the Sorcerer Supreme and he deals with problems that are outside the normal realms of super hero comics. He is not your typical hero but he certainly gets the job done.
 

If you're looking for a good introduction to this hero before the movie is released, this is the book for you! 

Comics on a Budget

Reading comics may seem costly but there are ways to do it without breaking the bank. Many libraries are starting to build up there graphic novel and trade paperback sections. (Note: a trade paperback is book that collects singles issues in the same story arc together). This is how I have been reading a lot more books that I was unsure on. Flea markets are also a great place get many comics inexpensively. Lastly, you're local comics hop may have a sail or may have $1.00 issues that the publishers have out released to introduce readers to the comics. 

I know the near me is part of a network of libraries. If it does not have a book, I can go on their website and request a hold on it. This is a great resource and something I wanted to point out before starting the Comic Book of the Month Club.  If you are unsure you will like the book, try checking it out of the library. 

If you are looking to collect single issues and older trade paperbacks, a flea market may be the place for you. You can grab older issues for a reasonable price. I have seen them priced from 50 cents and up. I pick up a lot of single issues from the flea market. This had led to me taking out the trade paperback from the library. 

These are just a few options to read comics while on a budget and I hope this helps convince you to join in the Comic Book of the Month discussion when we start! 

Art vs Story

The best part of comics is it combines two different forms of story telling. There are the words that tell the story but also the pictures. A good comic combines a great story with great art work. Some comics have great art work and a mediocre story and vice versa. It all depends on personal preference.

I bring up this topic because there's a comic, Guardians Team-Up #9, that has the potential to have a great story but the art in it does not appeal to me. I have debated buying this comic multiple times but I cannot get past the art work of.  The worst part is that it combines two comic characters I really like and should potentially be a great read. I wish the art was better and it is this that holds me back from buying. Maybe I will eventually cave but it is a real sticking point. 

Let me know where you are on comics. Does the art matter if the story is good or does the story matter if the art is good? 

Please share in the comments

Book Club Pick #1

 As I mentioned when I started Whoosh!, I really want to start a comic book of the month club. This will mainly be Trade paperbacks and graphic novels that have been released. Part of my growth as a comic reader was expanding beyond superhero comics. I have had the chance to read more than few great stories that did not involve superheroes. As such some of my picks for this section may venture outside the superhero realm as well. I hope this expands both my reading and yours as well.

Without further ado, my pick for the first book of the month is Saga Vol. 1.  This is a story I am very unfamiliar with. It is written by Brian K. Vaughan. Vaughan wrote Y the Last Man which was a story I greatly enjoyed. Saga is a space fantasy story about a husband and wife that come from warring alien races and how they are trying to raise their daughter while running from both sides of the war. This story has received a lot of praise and been on my list to read for a while. 

I'll have my review of the book posted here on November 24th! I look forward to seeing why you guys thought of this story.  

Spider-verse

The most recent story arc in comics that I read, I the Spider-verse story from Marvel. The main story took place in their Amazing Spider-Man comic. This was the part of the story I mainly read. I say mainly because I read a few of the books outside of the main story but not many. There are some events that take place outside the main story and they are chronicles in other spider related books like Scarlett Spiders and Spider-Women. The good news is that you don't need these books to follow the overall story, but they do supplement it.

Now for the story itself, it isms story about a family called The Inheritors, who hunt animal totems in all of reality. They are able to hunt them because the control the master weaver who creates the web of life. They are put on the hunt once again when Cindy Moon, aka Silk, is found by Peter Parker in Marvel's main universe. This sets off a chain of events that lead to one amazing story. We have appearances by a punk rock Spider-Man, British Spider-Man, and many more great alternate reality Spider-men. The whole cast of characters creates a wonderfully deep story.

This story does what you hope comics do. They tell a story and teach a lot of great life lessons and asking some great moral questions. Is vengeance worth betraying what you stand for? Can a person be so morally defeated that they cannot redeem themselves? It also teaches great lessons about leadership and teamwork.

This is another story that I like too much to include spoilers, but if you are a fan of Spider-Man this is absolutely a story for you and may be a future choice for the soon to start, Comic Book of Month Club.

Superior Iron Man

As you can tell from my introduction Iron Man is my favorite superhero. When I was younger there was a cartoon on television. It did not last long on air but it grabbed my imagination. Iron Man is the alter ego of Tony Stark, a billionaire who owns Stark Industries. Something really cool about Iron Man is that he has a Hall of Armor which houses armors that can do just about anything you can imagine. He had suits to travel into space, dive deep into the ocean and anything in between. How could this not grab a child's attention.

I mention all of the above to say my perception of Tony Stark has changed since I was younger. I never noticed the ego or the demons of the man inside the armor. Tony Stark is a very arrogant man who has had his battles with womanizing and alcoholism as well. In Superior Iron Man his egotism and bravado are cranked up to ten. It was a very enjoyable look at Tony Stark and Iron Man with the hero restrictions removed. These restrictions were removed because of the evens of Avenger & X-Men: Axis in which the personalities of heroes and villains get inverted. The villains attempt save the day and the heroes are trying to take over the world.

After these events Iron Man, who avoided being reverted back to normal, decides to move to San Francisco and sell the ability to be perfect to the citizens living there. He start off by giving away a free sample of perfection, it's a free sample of the Extremis drug, through an app on their phones. Along the way he does battle with Teen Abomination, Daredevil, Pepper Potts and even himself. It's a great story with an interesting twist on such an established character. 

Have intentionally avoided any big spoilers as I highly recommend reading this.

Introduction

Hello,

If you are reading this then you probably already know me but just in case, my name is Louie. Two of my biggest interests are comics and running. I decided to start Whoosh as a way to broaden my blogging from just running. I used to write on a blog with my friend Riley called VS. The Road. This was primarily dedicated to all things running. Here on this blog I hope to provide updates on my running, new running gear, the comics I am reading, new comic movies and even start a monthly comic book club. Basically, this blog is all about fun in one form or another.

And for those wondering, I chose the word Whoosh! because in the comics it's sound effect used to indicate when someone starts running.

Thanks for joining in my next writing adventure and I hope you enjoy the ride!

PS. Iron Man is the best superhero. (Feel free to disagree)


WHOOSH!
Louie