Crushing Krisis

Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand

Crushing Comics

Crushing Comics S01E053 – Neil Gaiman’s The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 2

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After yesterday’s unwrapping confusion, today I take great care to actually select an Absolute Edition from my shelf. As I unwrap, I talk about why DC is so under-represented on my shelf.

The book that I pulled is the second Absolute edition of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. Since I have an imperfect memory of the stories therein, I discuss the World Fantasy Award the series received just prior to this run, and how that was a part of Sandman becoming the Literature of comics (all while Marvel and DC where at the height of the 90s speculation boom).

Want to start from the beginning of this season of videos? Here’s the complete Season 1 playlist of Crushing Comics.

Episode 53 features The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 2.

Crushing Comics S01E052 – Avengers Assemble by Kurt Busiek & George Perez (+ an explainer on Onslaught and Heroes Reborn)

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In this episode I am totally faked out by set of books that are so thoroughly-wrapped that I was sure I’d be talking about an Absolute Edition! As I unwrap them (under this mistaken assumption), I talk about how Marvel only occasionally releases a book that large – variously titled an Adamantium Edition or Vibranium Edition.

Instead, I wind up unwrapping the first half of Kurt Busiek and George Perez’s 1998 run on Avengers! That lets me give an explanation of how Heroes Reborn extends from Onslaught and changed the status quo of the Marvel Universe.

Want to start from the beginning of this season of videos? Here’s the complete Season 1 playlist of Crushing Comics.

Episode 52 features the Avengers Assemble Volume 1 and Volume 2, plus Avengers Forever. For more information on these books and what they contain, see the Guide to Avengers (1996-2005).

Crushing Comics S01E051 – X-Men Fatal Attractions & Phalanx Covenant (+ the challenges of reprinting 90s comics)

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Do you remember what it was like to celebrate the new year as a young child? For me, it’s memories of banging pots and pans at midnight, but also of months trying to remember to get the date right when writing the headers of my school assignments. After all, when you’re seven years old, you’ve spent 100% of you school life so far writing the prior year down on assignments!

In this episode open up two big books of comics from my original collecting days of the 90s: X-Men: Fatal Attractions and X-Men: Phalanx Covenant. As I page through them, I discuss Marvel’s process for restoring the art from these comics, and how it presents different challenges than reprinting books from the Silver Age – including dealing with holographs.

Want to start from the beginning of this season of videos? Here’s the complete Season 1 playlist of Crushing Comics.

Episode 51 features the X-Men: Fatal Attractions and X-Men: Phalanx Covenant oversized hardcovers. To understand where they fit into X-Men continuity, see Uncanny X-Men #281-350.

Crushing Comics S01E050 – Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, Vol. 2 (+ how many times have you moved?)

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Today I pull one of the first books I wrapped back in Philly, which leads me to talk about the (relatively limited) number of times I’ve moved in my life – all but two of which are documented here on CK! Plus, how we (or, at least, I) grow to fit the space that I occupy.

After a much longer-than-intended introductory chat, I open an unusual omnibus that’s as much a collection of magazines as it is comic stories – including the first stories of Daughters of the Dragon, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing!

Want to start from the beginning of this season of videos? Here’s the complete Season 1 playlist of Crushing Comics.

Episode 50 features Deadly Hands of Kung Fu Omnibus, Vol. 2. For more information on these stories, see the Guide to Shang-Chi.

Crushing Comics S01E049 – “The Illusion of Profit” + Early-90s X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda, Bishop’s Crossing, & X-Cutioner’s Song

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My new Dazzler T-Shirt must be lucky, because today I unwrap a haul of four books from my prime era of X-Men collecting – the early 90s! First, I talk about how we convince ourself that some of our habits in life are profitable when really they’re costing us more than we realize.

Want to start from the beginning of this season of videos? Here’s the complete Season 1 playlist of Crushing Comics.

Episode 49 features X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda, X-Men: Bishop’s Crossing, and X-Men: X-Cutioner’s Song – see the guides for X-Men by Chris Claremont and X-Men: The Crossover Era for more!