As I’m writing this, it’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States, so I think it’s important to start this blog off with a reminder of the difficult and important work that MLK undertook, the impact that his murder had on the Civil Rights movement, and the legacy of love that he has left in his wake. Dr. King is an inspiration to us all, and his message of togetherness and community can be seen in the pages of countless comics over the last 60 years. From the Avengers to Superman, Batman to the X-Men, we can see the teachings of this great American figure on display for us all to learn. So today, put aside your differences and step out of your comfort zone to meet and befriend someone different than yourself, be they of another race, gender, religion, ability set, or sexuality. The comics community is diverse and wonderful, and if you are limiting yourself to a homogenous social group, you truly are missing out. Break down your barriers and spread some positivity.
Speaking of comics, it’s been another great week for content and industry news. There were lots of amazing things that took place in the pages and panels of way to many comics to name. We’ve also had some big industry news come out that have us excited about the future of a particular barbaric pulp figure. This blog isn’t pointing out “the best” things that happened in comics last week, simply things that I found awesome and want to drop some praise on. If you are reading this, and have some different moments you think need some love, shout them out in the comments and lets keep the conversation going. Now, here are #5ThingsToLove in comics this week.
- Getting to know Dejah Thoris: As one of the most renowned female figures of all of Edgar Rice Burrough’s literary catalogue, Dejah Thoris has been a key player in the John Carter canon and a fan favorite in the Martian saga’s. But who is she really, and what were her formative years before her adventures with the Warlord of Mars like? These are questions that writer Amy Chu and artist Pasquale Qualano seek to answer in the #0 issue of the self titled book from Dynamite. Readers get to see Dejah as a young Princess learning political dynamics and the ugly side of ruling Helium as she encounters the militant prisoners held in the palace dungeons that she is expected to execute.
- Hercules carries the world on his shoulders: Avengers No Surrender debuted this week bringing with it some epic moments from Earth’s mightiest heroes. No Surrender is an in-continuity Avengers event that is going to be fully self contained, that is, there are no tie-ins to buy. The event is going to a weekly surge through the zeitgeist of Marvel’s flagship team by an All-Star team of writers: Al Ewing, Jim Zub, and Mark Waid, all of which have been making their mark on the Avengers mythos in The U.S.Avengers, the Uncanny Avengers, and the main title, respectively. The manner in which No Surrender kicks off reminds me a lot of the Kurt Busiek-George Perez run where even the B and C list heroes are called in for a crisis. We start off with the Lightning, formerly the Living Lightning, as he thwarts the plans of a few low level criminals. Then, *something* happens, which takes several of the major players out of the game and unites those left over. Buckle up, this is going to be a wild ride, and its going to be beautifully drawn by Pepe Larraz, who is no stranger to the Avengers rolodex, having drawn books like the Uncanny Avengers alongside Zub and his predecessor on the title, Gerry Duggan.
- Conan is in the News: This week it was announced that the publication rights for the Conan franchise are returning to its former holder, Marvel Comics. Now, this is not the best news for Dark Horse Comics, whom have held the rights for several years now. The small publisher has taken a lot of hits over the past year and I certainly feel for them, however, Marvel has a long history of producing some of the Cimmerian’s most well known and adventurous stories. It is even being rumored that Jason Aaron, writer of The Mighty Thor, is gearing up to pen the title. Crom be praised, I can think of very few writers who I would rather be on the title.
- Superman and Booster Gold blast through time: Writer and Artist Dan
Jurgens continues his buddy cop, space romp through time as Clark and Booster continue to attempt to separate fact from fiction in what unfolded during The Oz Effect storyline. The story is equal parts action, comedy, and heart. Jurgens has a strong grasp over the identity and the nuance’s inherent in not only the two main protagonist, but in the peripheral characters such as Lois and Jon as well, who also are involved in their own adventure to rescue Lane’s father, a U.S. General who has been captured and is set to be executed by enemies of the states while on an unsanctioned black ops mission. As someone who isn’t historically a Superman fan, this book has really sunk its teeth into me and made me fall in love with the individuals and the story being told. 5/5 recommend. - New Podcast on the Block: If you’ve been keeping up with this blog, I’ve been pre-promoting a new podcast that I am a co-host and producer of. The Southern Fried Geekery Podcast is now up and available for download. We still haven’t been approved by iTunes, but its pending and we should be on most other podcast sights already. Myself, along with my counterparts Craig Lantz and Sean Litten, bring hot takes on geek culture, comics, manga, and more. Give us a listen and feel free to send feed back to southernfriedgeekery@gmail.com. If you like what you hear, rate and review us on whatever source you downloaded it from.
Go check out these comics, read up on the news, and listen to a new podcast. These are all things that I’ve enjoyed immensely and I thing you will as well. Got something that you love that you want featured? Holla at ya boy on Twitter at @councilofcaleb or on Instagram at @Council_of_Caleb. While your on social media, reach out to the creators you enjoy and tell them how much you enjoy what they are doing. Those incredible people get blasted by negativity from online trolls all the time. Give them some warm and fuzzies to build off of. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and as always…
Go forth and love comics.
councilofcaleb 