Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars 53 (What Year Is It? Edition)

Most alternate realities that make up the multiverse at both Marvel and DC Comics are variations on a theme.  There are some completely originally universes, but most are inhabited by Elseworlds and What If? stories that take our familiar heroes and villains and apply a twist.  Maybe the hero and villain have changed roles.  Or our hero was raised in Russia instead of on a farm in the middle of the US.

A common twist is to time displace characters.  For example, what if Batman was around in the days of Jack The Ripper?  In 2003, writer Neil Gaiman transplanted the Marvel Universe to the Elizabethan Era in the hit 1602.  Not surprisingly, a domain of Battleworld gets dedicated to this time period in 1602 Witch Hunger Angela.  Unfortunately, while the original series was a huge success, this Secret Wars version is quite poor.  But to fulfill my contract here at Gabbing Geek, I still need to cover the last two issues after the break.

In much the same vein, the Secret Wars series 1872 takes the Marvel Universe and places it in the old West.  So after the break I’ll also be cluing up the final 3 issues of that series…for better or worse.  (For worse if you ask Ryan.)

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars 45 (Issue 5 Edition)

This week saw the release of Ultimate End #5, the second to last Secret Wars book.  Now we just have to wait a month for the four month delayed finale to get the anticlimactic details on how Doom was defeated and everything basically returned to normal.  Where All-New, All-Different seems to equal “we got Miles now and Wolverine is back (kinda)”.

Click through as I cover the fifth and final issues of the following books: Ultimate End #5, Planet Hulk #5, Secret Wars 2099 #5, Armor Wars #5, Spider-Verse #5, Inhumans: Attilan Rising #5, Inferno #5 and A-Force #5 .

As usual there are spoilers, so take care, especially with Ultimate End which is only days old.  The others have been out a while.

Be sure to check out our latest Secret Wars Power Rankings, which also features links to the other parts of my read through.

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars 41 (Issue 4 Edition)

Well, it took a lot longer and was a much more enjoyable journey than DC’s Convergence, but I think I’m officially burnt out on Secret Wars. I’m still looking forward to reading the last two issues, but with the new regular Marvel universe soldiering on almost as if nothing happened, and those two issues being months late, they are almost an afterthought at this point.

But, like the final days of Convergence I still have a lot of books to cover off in my attempt to read everything. Well, moreso, to blog about everything, the reading part is done. To keep myself interested now I have to make a game of it. I see how many times I can bounce Secret Wars and then try to break that record. No wait, that is a different game.

Click through as I cover, for no reason whatsoever, the fourth issue of the following books: Planet Hulk, Armor Wars, Inferno, Spider-Verse, A-Force, X-Tinction Agenda and Ultimate End.

Be sure to check out our latest Secret Wars Power Rankings, which also features links to the other parts of my read through.

First Black Panther Footage In The First Captain America: Civil War Trailer

In a bit of a surprise last night, the Captain America: Civil War trailer debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live.  I think the smart money was on it debuting with the release of something called The Force Awakens: Corporate Synergy, but Disney/Marvel decided to let Kimmel get the glory.  (And probably feared a leak in the near future regardless.)

It’s an interesting trailer with definitely a dark, brooding feel to it.  We get our first look at Black Panther, but no Spider-Man as of yet.  I’m sure they will keep him under wraps for as long as they possibly can.  I still have a gut feeling that his role in the movie is not going to be all that big.

View the trailer after the cut and let us know what you think.  And I’m sure I don’t need to remind you, but catch Civil War in theaters on May 5th, 2016.

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars XXVIII: Runaways Edition

There’s been a lot of talk around these parts by Tom and especially Ryan that I’ve underrated Runaways in our Secret Wars Power Rankings. Like here, here, here and here.

I thought Runaways was ok, with one of the few good endings in these (and I use the term loosely) “tie-ins”.  But I’ve just never dug on teen angst teams.  So no, I’ve never read any previous incarnations of Runaways either.

At the end of the day I can only mark it down to personal preference.  And much like I’m sure Terminator 2: Judegement Day is not Ryan and Tom’s favorite movie, or Led Zeppelin Ryan and Tom’s favorite band, to each their own.

After the cut I’ll take a look at Runaways #1, Runaways #2, Runaways #3 and Runaways #4 with an eye to telling you what happened, and not necessarily if you should spend your $15.96 + tax on it.

Related links:
Secret Wars Power Rankings
Tom’s Road To Secret Wars: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7.
Other parts of this series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars Part Fifteen (Steve and Tony Edition)

The first comic I remember buying off the spinner rack at a local convenience store was Amazing Spider-Man #275.  That was April of 1986, which would mean I was eleven.  Now, I’m sure I read comics prior to that, but that was the first one I used my own money and set myself on a course to spend many, many more dollars over the next number of years.

But eventually interests change, and money has different priorities.  My pull box at my favorite comic shop got lighter and lighter each month until it was always empty and they recycled it.  I picked up the occasional trade paperback that piqued my interest such as The Walking Dead, Preacher, 100 Bullets and Y: The Last Man.  Not many capes in that selection.  I guess little Jimmy was all grown up.

But then a funny thing happened in the summer of 2006.  I don’t even remember how, but two series grabbed my interest: DC’s Infinite Crisis and Marvel’s Civil War.  As I started to read, the collector juices started flowing again.  As I tracked down waaayyy too many tie-ins and crossovers, I was once again hooked and have been reading consistently ever since.

And doing crazy stuff like reading and posting about all of Convergence (that last post is coming, I promise!) and Secret Wars.  After the break I’ll look at two books that focus on Civil War’s main adversaries, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark: Civil War #1 and 1872 #1.  As well as the Steve-centric Planet Hulk #2-3 and the Tony-centric Armor Wars #3.

Also, if you are like me and haven’t read all of Johnathon Hickman’s Avengers run leading up to Secret Wars, be sure to take Tom’s Road To Secret Wars course at gabbinggeekuniversity.com.  The reading materials are online here: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six and Part Seven.

And that course is a prerequisite to the other parts of this series: Part One, Part Two, Part Three,Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars Part Five

I’m trying to read all the Secret Wars issues in the order they come out, but unlike what I’ve done with Convergence, I haven’t pigeon-holed myself.  Hence the title of these posts is not “Week Two, Part Two” or something similar.  Sometimes I just can’t resist the urge to jump ahead.  Out of pure curiosity, or to avoid spoilers.  It’s for that reason that this post sees a bit of a mish-mash between some of the first releases and some of the more recent.

Spoilers after the break for Planet Hulk #1, Loki: Agent of Asgard #14,  Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #1 and Secret Wars: Battleworld #2.

Also, if you are like me and haven’t read all of Johnathon Hickman’s Avengers run leading up to Secret Wars, be sure to take Tom’s Road To Secret Wars course at gabbinggeekuniversity.com.  The reading materials are online here: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six and Part Seven.

And that course is a prerequisite to the other parts of this series: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four

Slightly Misplaced Comics Hero Case Files #19: The Kid Guerrillas Of Unit 3

The only decent pic I could find on Google Images of these characters.

Last week on my unofficial “dead and back again” column for Tuesdays, I wrote about the return of Bucky Barnes and the more troubling aspects of the character.  He was, at first blush, a kid taken into a war zone.  Writer Ed Brubaker really worked on that to make the character more acceptable (he was 16, but on the older side, and very well-trained, so not an ideal situation but also not a small child).

That doesn’t even scratch the surface of what was wrong with the Kid Guerrillas of Unit 3.

Behind The Mask: The Avengers Personality Chart

Generally, with larger-than-life superpowers come larger-than-life personalities. How each hero deals with problems is hugely representative of who they are as people. They are each complex individuals with different ways of tackling everything from their world-threatening enemies to their personal demons. Over at Fanpup, they’ve taken a crack at sorting them by Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). If you don’t know your type but want to see which of The Avengers you’re most like, you can take the test here. – So Jenny is an ENFP – which one do you most identify with?

To see a bigger image version – click here.

Doing It Right: The Resurrection Of Bucky Barnes

Bringing dead characters back to life in comic books is a given.  Readers generally don’t even really believe it when major heroes die anymore.  We expect them to come back.

I mean, technically, they’re just drawings on pages, so they can be revived rather easily.  You just need a good reason.

How, then, did Marvel pull off resurrecting a character that had been dead for decades in a way that actually worked?