Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars 43

The end is near for Secret Wars (well, there is still a month to go), but not for my write ups.  Sigh.  So much to do.  Anyway, last week finally saw the release of Secret Wars #7 Part Two aka Secret Wars #8.  I believe that only leaves the following for this long, long event:

Ultimate End #5 – December 16th
Secret Wars #9 – January 13th, 2016

After the break I’ll take a look at that penultimate Secret Wars issue as well as play some catch-up with the following books: Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars #3, Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #3, Red Skull #2, Silver Surfer #15 and X-Men ’92 (Infinite) #6

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 XXXII (Anthology Edition)

This cover is all lies.

There’s been quite a few short stories during these last few months of Secret Wars.  I’ve liked a handful of them, but a lot of them have missed the mark badly.  (Ryan would beg to differ, but we all know what Ryan’s like.)

I’ve already looked at Secret Wars Battleworld 1 and 2 and Secret Wars Journal Parts 1-3  in some detail.  After the cut I will finish those series with Secret Wars Battleworld #3, Secret Wars Battleworld #4, Secret Wars Journal #4 and Secret Wars Journal #5.  As well, I’ll also look at the equally unimpressive Secret Wars Secret Love #1.  

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, 28, 29, 30, 31

Gabbing Geek 55: Not A Fangirl

Gabbing Geek 55: Not A Fangirl

Gabbing Geek episode 55 is not what you’d expect–if you were expecting the promised Geek Book Club about Fangirl.  That has been unexpectedly delayed to episode 56 and you’ll find out exactly why.  We also talk about Lego Dimensions, Gotham, the Martian (movie version!), and play an alien trivia game.  Give the episode a listen right now or jump after the break to find out more!

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars XXVI

Not that we need more Secret Wars tie-ins (they are at over 200 and counting), but I feel like Marvel has wasted most opportunities with their Last Days branded books.  None appear to be of consequence (Silver Surfer is making an attempt to be, but likely won’t), few deal directly with the events of the multiverse ending incursions (Magneto, Ms. Marvel) and the rest either use it as an unnecessary framing device or completely ignore it (Punisher, Black Widow).

After the cut I will have a quick look at the following:  Ant-Man: Last Days #1, Silver Surfer #13, Silver Surfer #14, Black Widow #20, Ms. Marvel #17, Ms. Marvel #18, Magneto #21, Loki Agent Of Asgard #17, Spider-Woman #10 and Silk #7.

That’s a lot more issues than I usually cover in an update, but they should be short as I really only cover them in regards to Secret Wars, and most of them had little relevance. Note, this way be spoilers.

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

Tom Recommends: Planet Hulk

It’s hard to make a corporately-owned superhero intellectual property something distinct.  The temptation is to generally keep the character in the form fans recognize him or her in the most and try to give him or her some exciting adventures to please the fans.  In fact, the more high profile the character, the less editorial is going to allow a certain level of meddling.  Second and third stringers can be used for that sort of thing.

That’s sort of what makes the Hulk a unique character.  Though often depicted as just a big, stupid brute who doesn’t understand how to use personal pronouns, the Hulk has often been used as a more experimental character, someone whose intelligence and setting can fluctuate depending on the story’s needs.  The Hulk is high profile enough for Marvel to always have a Hulk book of some kind in publication, but not enough for them to really care as much about what he’s doing as they are, say, Spider-Man.  That’s led to some interesting Hulk runs and experiments in the character.  Writer Peter David played with the idea Bruce Banner had Multiple Personality Disorder and had different Hulks appearing at different times until Doc Samson figured out how to merge them into a composite being that was always the Hulk.  Paul Jenkins developed this concept further, and had a run complicated by Bruce contracting Lou Gehrig’s disease and needing to find some sort of cure before he had to become the Hulk permanently.  Even Bruce Jones, a writer whose comics I don’t much care for, initially had an interesting run where Banner was on the run from some conspiracy that seemed supervast and complex until Jones wrapped the whole thing up in two issues by saying it was just the Leader the whole time, which ended something cool in a lame manner.

And then there’s the Planet Hulk storyline, which may have been one of the most ambitious Hulk storylines ever done.

The Secret Wars Power Rankings – August 25, 2015

The best part of Marvel’s Secret Wars is that virtually every facet of the massive event starts with an issue #1.  This presents 48 different jumping on points.  Some stories may be based on characters you know, some series may be from another event or world you’ve read about, but all of them are different enough that you can pick up the series and start reading.  With that in mind, we’ve harnessed the powers of Jimmy Impossible (who’s actually reading the entire event) to power rank every single Secret Wars series.  Each week the rankings will change as new issues come out, so come take a look at the latest power rankings after the break!

The Secret Wars Power Rankings – August 11, 2015

Marvel’s Secret Wars event is a fascinating experiment in storytelling.  Not only is it a complete reboot of the Marvel universe, it’s also the rare cross-over event where every series is new and presents a jumping on opportunity for all readers.  You may know the story/universe that the series is based upon but it isn’t required to jump on board.  But with over a half century of unique titles to choose from, it can be a bit daunting.

Although we’ve provided plenty of reading guides for the build-up to Secret Wars and Jimmy’s own complete Secret Wars read-through, this post presents all series in a power ranked list.  We’ll be reposting every week with the new power rankings so come back to Gabbing Geek to see if your favorites moved up or down.  Think a series deserves a different rank?  Let us know in the comments.  Jump after the break for the full rankings!

Awesome Cosplay Of The Day #SDCC Edition

San Diego Comic Con is is full swing – and that means COSPLAY! Hundreds and Hundreds of awesome cosplay. There is so much cosplay in fact, that we truly cannot cover it all – but that being said, IO9 had a wonderful library to share, and we picked out a few of our favorite. Check them all out after the break:

Awesome Cosplay Of The Day #SDCC Edition

San Diego Comic Con is is full swing – and that means COSPLAY! Hundreds and Hundreds of awesome cosplay. There is so much cosplay in fact, that we truly cannot cover it all – but that being said, Business Insider had a wonderful library to share, and we picked out a few of our favorite. Check them all out after the break:

Jimmy Attempts To Read All Of Secret Wars Part Eight (Hulk Edition)

As much of a Marvel Zombie as I was growing up and have been to some degree after rediscovering comics in my later years, one character I’ve never really collected has been the Hulk.  I’ve read lots of comics with the Hulk in them, and am usually to some degree familiar with his current incarnation.  (Though I admit to be completely lost before doing some research about this whole Red Hulk business a few years back.)  I generally knew if Hulk was currently green or gray, intelligent or not.  I knew who the Maestro was from Future Imperfect.  I knew basically what happened in Planet Hulk, World War Hulk and World War Hulks, but never read any of them.  They are on a long list of things I hope to read (yes Watson, I can read) someday.

As familiar as I am mostly with the 616 Hulk, I am the opposite when it comes to Hulk 2099 and the Ultimate Hulk.  Outside of reading the Spider-Man related titles on and off I was never that into the Ultimate or 2099 lines.  I’m not surprised they have Hulks, but I can’t tell you anything about them.

So in this column I will be flying a bit blind in looking at Ultimate End #2, Future Imperfect #1 and Secret Wars 2099 #2, much like I was in reviewing the Secret Wars version of Planet Hulk.  I’m sure I can make sense of it all, but might miss some of the throwbacks and references to the “source material”.

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