New MCU Movies: The resounding success of The Mandalorian, Disney+ has kicked into high popularity, but still to know if the Marvel TV shows will have the same kind of success. People with surprise said that it was an irrelevant question to be asked because; whatever Kevin Feige touches turns to gold. However, there is nothing to bother off, weather people will watch the shows or not. There is no doubt in it. It is certain that people will watch

But the real question stands, if people really need to watch these shows to understand the movies? 

Read more: latest entertaining bollywood updates

In 1963, Amazing Fantasy issue #15 saw the debut character Spider-Man, written by Stan Lee and co-written and drawn by Steve Ditko. It became an instant hit among comic readers and launched its own comic book series. Many years later as we came to know of, Spider-Man was adapted into 7 live-action motion pictures that depicts Peter Parker's teenage years and his daily problems as a superhero, and a teen in love. For the general public of movie-goers, this is what they know but in 1999, Peter Parker as we know it, is no longer a teenager. He is now an adult, on temporary separation with his wife Mary Jane Parker and his life, as always, spiraling down. Still, as a superhero, he uphold and care for the city of New York... until he meet someone (and older) with similar powers like him. Ezekiel became Parker's interest as these two embark on a journey which lead to one of the best written work with artwork by John Romita Jr.. Still, its not that its without faults but overall, its a story worth reading.

 

Collecting from The Amazing Spider-Man (1999) issues #30-58 & #500-514, this massive whooping 1120 pages thick omnibus has every thing from how Peter discovers that his powers may not be from a radioactive spider to how Aunt May discover Peter as Spider-Man and the need to accept for who he really is as a superhero and how Peter's life and MJ comes to terms between them, every thing as how it is is the true spirit of the characters that started since the beginning. One important story included that became an instant bestseller was issue #36 - the 9/11 story. Powerful and beautifully written.

 

While the art from John Romita Jr. is breath-taking, after he left the series, Mike Deodato Jr. took over the drawing board with what is this volume's arc-storyline Sin's Past, which to my opinion, isn't good. It does felt forced and truly, it felt like as if the reasoning writing this story is nothing but shock-value. Overall - I always love J.Michael Straczynski's work and this is one of the best of his worth picking up and read.

The sixties, man. Social upheaval. Youth counter-culture. If you can remember it you weren’t really there, huh? I was there but I was too young for drugs or alcohol so I can remember some of it vaguely. It’s probably false memories of stuff that I read and listened to later and so associate with childhood. I’m not sure that at age six, I would have truly comprehended the awesome majesty of Galactus and I doubt that, aged seven, I fully appreciated ‘Sergeant Pepper And His Lonely Hearts Club Band’. But who knows? Maybe I did.

‘Marvel Comics In The 1960s’ is a cultural history of one aspect of that energetic decade. The sixties are now fit material for study and the arts of that era can be respectably subject to academic scrutiny, even the ten cent comic book. Like an academic, Pierre Comtois has an overall thesis which he lays out clearly and supports with numerous examples. The overall thesis is that the Marvel Comics of the 1960s collectively comprised a kind of revolution that changed the genre completely, a little cultural upheaval in its own sphere. The supporting examples read like the Mighty Marvel Checklists that appeared on the Bullpen Bulletins Page of those bygone days to inform the reader what other ripping yarns were available. As Marvel’s distribution deadlock by National Periodicals/DC Comics at the time only allowed them eight titles a month, this was, for a while, not too much for a fan to cope with.

The plot summaries are excellent but neither they nor the rest of the book is written in a dull, academic style. No! They are delivered in the manner of Stan Lee with plenty of enthusiastic exclamation marks! A lot of the material deserves this as is amply demonstrated by the many stunning illustrations that accompany the text. The best thing about the checklist approach is that it enables comparison between titles year by year. When nostalgic old folks read the blockbuster reprint editions (‘Essentials’ or ‘Masterworks’ according to your means) it’s easy to lose track of what was happening overall. Here it is obvious that the Galactus epic which concluded in The Fantastic Four # 50 (May 1966) was followed only months later by the spectacular clash between Eternity and Dormammu in Strange Tales # 146 (July#1966). So Kirby and Ditko were both hitting their cosmic peak that summer and in August 1966, the Beatles released their LP ‘Revolver’. It was great to be alive.

Pierre Comtois divides the era into the formative years: the years of consolidation and the grandiose years. The formative years began with Fantastic Four # 1 and seem to have stretched to issue # 24 of that series. Along with The Amazing Spider-Man, this was the magazine that anchored the whole enterprise. They were poles apart really, the FF doing SF while Spidey did gritty realism. Each was particularly well suited to the respective artists, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. Stan Lee was versatile enough to script both in an appropriate style. His other clever idea was to address the readers directly in the bulletins and letters pages. Comic creators had formerly been aloof and often anonymous. Stan, naturally gregarious, broke with convention and made the readers feel like part of the gang.

Comtois has Fantastic Four # 25 as the start of the years of consolidation. Here the Avengers and the FF team up to battle the Hulk in New York City and it was a significant step. Cross-overs had already become quite common but this was one of the first multi-issue stories. During the formative years, the creators were finding their feet and introducing the new characters: Thor, Iron-Man, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Ant-Man/Giant-Man, Doctor Strange, the Hulk, the X-Men and the Avengers. The only major hero still to come was Daredevil. Numerous super-villains that would stand the test of time had also been established: Doctor Doom, the Skrulls, the Mole Man, Loki, Doctor Octopus, the Sandman, the Vulture and the Lizard. During the years of consolidation, these elements were more closely woven into a comprehensive ‘universe’ with its own internal consistency. In some ways, this was the best part, I think. The plots were more complex but not over-blown and the scripting was intelligent but not grandiose. They were compact, efficient stories.

Then come the grandiose years which Comtois dates, indisputably, I think, from Fantastic Four # 45 – ‘Among Us Hide The Inhumans’. Joe Sinnott took over the inks on the flagship title and Kirby’s pencils had never looked so good. Meanwhile, Thor’s cast had expanded to include Hercules and the Greek gods and he launched on a long chain of great adventures with trolls, colonisers, beast-men and, ultimately, Ego the Living Planet. Stan Lee leavened Kirby’s cosmic grandeur with humanity and wit. Working with other artists on other titles, he was able to focus more on characterisation and realism, which usually meant soap opera. Every Marvel hero pined for some unobtainable woman and usually got her in the end. Along the way, there were great villains, neat stories and, above all, great pictures. The Marvel method of a loose plot outline left the artists with more freedom to strut their stuff and they did. On the old Lee/Kirby who-did-what debate, Comtois leans more towards Lee, I think. However, he rightly highlights the stunning work of Ditko and also pays attention to other good artists, particularly Gene Colan. It’s nice, too, that he gives due credit to some underrated pros like Don Heck and Dan Adkins.

I believe this division of eras is pretty much the standard view with the latter part of the decade often characterised as the years of decline. Ditko had gone, Kirby left and Stan went off to peddle the wares rather than produce them himself. Still, they were great days while they lasted and they are elegantly summarised, analysed and glorified in this excellent book.

Don’t be put off, as I was initially, by the fact that it seems to be just a set of reviews. There’s more to it. As well as spectacular pages from the comics there are photos of the creators with informative short biographies of their careers. This is not one to read straight through but rather to pick up and delve into in random brief episodes of spare time. It’s a coffee table book or, less politely, one to keep in the toilet.

The sixties, man. It sure was a great time to be alive. Why I believe they even invented sex.

Eamonn Murphy
This review first appeared at https://www.sfcrowsnest.info/

Comics that I know of is never this good. Here's some thing honest coming out from me - I stop reading comics after the year 2002. It was then, I had no idea what was going on in the comic world. Who are the great writers of its time (except Geoff Johns because of his writings on The Flash; I never knew he went and wrote other great titles like Green Lantern & Aquaman) and who are the popular artists at that time. After more than a decade, and out of my own comfort zone of the past that I finally gave The Vision a try. This was because, recommended by someone whom had been reading comics for the past decade, Tom King is an author, that I was being told, had changed the way comics was written. After I had read The Vision...

 

... I never would have thought there are writers like Tom King change the way comics is written now.

 

The Vision isn't exactly a marketable character to have his own solo series. When Marvel Comics had asked Tom Kingto write, what will he actually deliver, was the question I had when I first heard of a solo series. Would it be like any other series that fail? Is it another attempt of just making money for any Marvel fans to buy? How interesting is The Vision can it get? After reading this edition, I never thought what comics to the general public understands would deliver a dark, creepy and weirdly read that is comic from the house of ideas. There are many writers that has such caliber of the weird (Grant Morrison to name a few; I can't seem to remember others) and Tom King, not only he is consistent in delivering The Vision, the kind that is monotonous in speech and that is faithful in his robotic, not human self, but writing a synthezoid who tries to be normal, isn't really normal to be normal. Here's what this solo series is about.

 

The Visions is currently living at 616 Hickory Branch Lane, Arlington, VA, 21301. Its a suburbs where normal people goes to the city to work. They have nothing to talk about except the heavy traffic and they are trying to fit in. Things are different when the appearance of The Grim Reaper attacks the Visions family when The Vision is away, every thing that The Vision strife to fit into being normal, has a whole different meaning to a path that is as dark as humanely possible.

 

This is what I had read that leads to how the ending is. This is not an action-pack comic book where Avengers will appear and fight against the villains. This is not your normal kind of superhero comic book where good wins against evil. This is definitely not the kind that what you had watched in the movies, you will received such high adrenaline action sequence that will leave you awe and wow. No, this is The Vision, seeing through his eyes and his experience that leads to a path so deep, how his family wants to live to be normal but what is normal, in order to fit in? This is the darker part of Marvel, without the tag Marvel Knights or MAX that includes foul languages except its without. Its the path where it leads to the unknown unspeakable tale that what we do, is madness. And to read is what brings this comic book, a masterpiece that deserves its attention that it should be read.

 

With such writings, the art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta brings the right tone to it. The expression of each characters brings life as it should be. The colors are vibrant and the feeling is grit. This hardcover deluxe edition is what I would call the director's cut as it includes not just the entirety of 12 issues run but also includes the sketches of the comic cover pages, the realization of the visuals, the entire behind-the-scenes script of the 12 issue run plus all the letter fan page letters printed in one. I am happy to say this has now being one of my favorite reads this year (even though it was released in 2015) and I am looking forward to read any Tom King material when I go pick up my next comic book read.

 

A required read for my Readings in the Graphic Novel class, but it was a fun one. I've never read any of the Captain Marvel books, so I came into this fresh. It's fun to discover this series without any preconceived notions. In the discussion, classmates brought up some issues that I didn't necessary see initially. 

I think that this one is geared towards a younger audience than the typical Marvel books, and the writing bears that in mind. The storytelling is a shade simplistic, and the illustrations jump rapidly between panels. The drawings are more sketchlike, lacking a clean rendering and finish. Some classmates thought the creators must have been under a tight deadline, and that's why the final version lacks polish. The conflict seems unfinished, and it was hard to follow exactly who the villain is and what their motives were. 

Overall, I liked this a lot. They're some hidden layers to this book that came out on a second read. While the portrayal of Kamala might have been in some way problematic, I still think it's powerful for young Muslim kids to read this book and see someone like them in their superhero books. In these charged times, it's also good for non-Muslim readers who don't know much about what it's like, so they can see that demonization of people who are different or share different beliefs and cultures is wrong. It was also good to Kamala's evolution from being ashamed of being herself, to the degree she wanted to escape her culture and heritage to fit in so badly. Instead, she learns that it's a part of her and it makes her stronger.