This 2020 was tough for me as an indie comics reader because, well, there were no cons for me to pick up wares! No zinefests or the pleasure of perusing the indie racks at my local comic shop. Luckily, there were virtual fests and cons for me to find some good books, and Webtoons are…
REVIEW: Star-Lord, Reborn, in Guardians of the Galaxy #9
“I shall make you a Star-Lord!” said the god-like Master of the Sun in Marvel Preview #4, over 40 years ago. That origin, casting Peter Quill as a brash, angry scholar-turned-spaceman willing to kill innocent men in his quest for vengeance, little resembles the Star-Lord you probably know. The wisecracking, roguish starship captain with a…
REVIEW: Crossover #2 is a Smug Cover Song in Comic Book Form
I honestly didn’t think I was going to review Crossover #2. After issue #1, I felt confident that the series was both firmly not my cup of tea and has shown its hand, in storytelling terms. I was an idiot, y’all. Crossover #2 carries forward the combination of ignorant use of real-world parallels and Ready…
REVIEW: Five Sharp Takes on X of Swords: Destruction #1
Lay down your swords, the battle is over! X of Swords: Destruction #1 is the spectacular finish to the X-Men event of the year–an issue so big, so explosive, that we needed FIVE reviewers to talk about it! Cori McCreery, Zoe Tunnell, Nola Pfau, Danielle L., and Kayleigh Hearn are here to discuss who lived,…
REVIEW: Cable #6 Rises High, as its Hero Falls Low
X of Swords rages on, and since the last time we checked in with everyone’s favorite time-tossed tactical teen…a whole lot of shit happened. Cable #6 is Chapter 19 of the event when Cable #5 was Chapter 8, so it might be more than a little jarring if you are a reader who, for whatever…
REVIEW: Crossover #1’s Worst Crime Is Being Boring
Donny Cates is one of the biggest writers in comics right now. His Marvel books, including Venom and Thor, routinely rank among the best-selling titles on the market. He is masterminding his second crossover event in as many years next month, and his newest Image Comics series, Crossover with longtime creative partner Geoff Shaw, is…
REVIEW: Guardians of the Galaxy #7 Brings Murder and Politics to the Negotiating Table
After the events of Empyre, the landscape of Marvel’s cosmic universe has gotten a big shake-up. The Kree-Skrull war is over, replaced with an impossible alliance, and the powers that be are forced to reassess old treaties and agreements. While an issue built entirely around galactic geo(astro?)politics and debates may not sound like the most…
REVIEW: Two Sharp Takes on X of Swords: Stasis #1
It’s time to d-d-d-d-duel! We’ve officially reached the halfway point of the X-Men event of the year with X of Swords: Stasis #1. Two writers, two artists, two teams of champions, and, now, two reviewers: this is a comic so big we needed both Zoe Tunnell and Kayleigh Hearn to cover it! How fare our…
[PATREON EXCLUSIVE] Magik and Shadows: How Kate Pryde and Ilyana Rasputin Made Me a Better, Gayer, Comics Fan
Our monthly Patron-exclusive essay series continues. You can read all of these incredible analyses for as little as a dollar a month on our Patreon. Hi. My name is Zoe Tunnell, and I was an awful comics fan. To be clear, I don’t mean I liked awful comics. (I still do! They’re trash, but they’re my…
REVIEW: Family Road Trip-Meets-Alien in Cable #5
X of Swords is here! The sprawling 22-part epic has arrived and, surprising no one, Krakoa’s favorite psychic teenager with a big space-sword is joining the party. As it is with most event tie-in comics, the question is how well it succeeds as both a piece of the XoS event and an issue of Cable…
Questionable Content’s 17-year Journey From Edgy Shocks to Queer Comfort Food
Do you remember what you were like 17 years ago? I do, unfortunately. In 2003, I was a little 12-year-old shithead who was starting to discover the edgy humor of the mid-2000s. Jokes built around transphobia, homophobia, and ableist slurs were the funniest things on the planet for a good chunk of my teenage years…
REVIEW: Cable #4 Doesn’t Challenge Readers, but is Fun as Hell
Cable, like most teenagers, thinks he knows everything. Thankfully, also like most teenagers, he is hilariously wrong. After a significant misfire in Cable #3, the series returns to the fun, engaging tone and standard of quality established since launch. While not a perfect tale, the end of Cable’s first arc is satisfying and sets the…