Jason Aaron

Marvel Now In Hindsight: Every Comic Book Series, Ranked

September 17, 2015 by krisis

After Avengers vs. X-Men at the end of 2012, Marvel reloaded their entire line save for a handful of just-launched books and dubbed the era of titles “Marvel Now.” There have been a few incremental waves of additional launches since then, but the main spine of Marvel has been telling consistent stories since then – the Avengers and X-Men flagships, their big three Avengers heroes, and Spider-Man.

The stories haven’t only been consistent – they’ve been really good. Unlike the 2011 DC New 52 launch, Now hit the stands with nothing bad in the bunch. Even as some books declined as the period wore on, we got other amazing winners in the intermediate waves.

Now that we’re only weeks away from the next major period of Marvel where every book will be refreshed, I thought it was the right time to look back about what was so awesome about Marvel Now by ranking every book we got along the way – over 70 ongoing titles!

As with my Writer-Rankings last week, being low on the list doesn’t mean a book was bad – just that it’s not my top pick for you to spend your hard-earned dollars on.

The criteria: I’m a trade-waiter, so books had to release at least one trade by this week. Books from before Now only count if they made it through 2014. No series that were explicitly disclaimed as limited (short series that got cut off by Secret Wars do count). Two volumes of a book by the same author or with continuous story count as one entry – like Daredevil Volume 3 and Volume 4, both by Waid, or Iron Man and Superior Iron Man.

The final trades for these series were too late-breaking for me to evaluate them fairly: All-New Captain America, Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3, Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier, Deathlok, Savage Hulk, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Woman, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Uncanny Avengers Vol. 2, Wolverines.

Let’s get to it! [Read more…] about Marvel Now In Hindsight: Every Comic Book Series, Ranked

Marvel Now In Hindsight: Every Writer, Ranked

September 10, 2015 by krisis

ANMN-promo Next month, Marvel launches an all-new era of series and storytelling (with the same history and continuity) called “All New, All Different Marvel!”

What does that really mean? Think of it this way – Marvel treats every few years of their comics as like a TV Season or one of their Cinematic Phases. Every comic released from October 2012 to right now was part of “Marvel Now.” As of the end of this month, every one of those comics will end, and we’ll start a new season or phrase, called All-New, All-Different Marvel.

That means we just had three whole years of brilliant, interconnected storytelling in the largest and most long-running shared universe in the world – and I read every comic along the way.

As a look back at what was awesome about Marvel Now, I’m ranking every writer in the bullpen. What’s great about this list even the writers at the bottom of the rank turned in some five-star issues for me, but the ones at the top are the unquestionable best-of-the-best of Marvel Now – they write the books I immediately snag from the box and read in the middle of the floor like an eager little kid.

The criteria: Writers had to be the sole pen behind more than six issues or more than a single arc in the main Marvel Universe during Marvel Now, beginning with Uncanny Avengers in October, 2012 and extending through titles currently in their Last Days arcs during Secret Wars like Magneto, Ms. Marvel, Loki, Black Widow, and Punisher.

Honorable Mention: Warren Ellis – If we let Ellis loose on this list he may very well be its ruler every time, so let’s call him “Warren Ellis the King Emeritus of Marvel”. His 2014 run on Moon Knight (go to the guide!) was a jagged reboot of eminent readibility and his Avengers Assemble (go to the guide!) team-up with Kelly Sue DeConnick was a delight. That’s what Ellis does for Marvel: parachutes in once a year to leave things nice and messy for the next writer up at bat. We love him for it.

In ANAD: Writing Karnak, the Inhuman. This should be pretty interesting since Karnak was dead last time I checked. He’s also one of the most interesting Inhumans, so getting him back under Ellis’s pen is an awesome development.

Now, on to the list! Do you have some different opinions? Sound off in the comments! [Read more…] about Marvel Now In Hindsight: Every Writer, Ranked

Ghost Rider – Definitive Reading Order and Collecting Guide

The definitive issue-by-issue comic book collecting guide and reading order for Marvel’s Ghost Rider – Johnny Blaze, Danny Ketch, Robbie Reyes, and more – in omnibus, hardcover, trade paperback, and digital. Part of Crushing Krisis’s Crushing Comics. Last updated September 2024 with titles scheduled for release through April 2025.

Ghost Rider is the rare classic Marvel hero whose name is just a title given to a skull-headed, vengeance-seeking rider (or sometimes driver) possessed by a demonic spirit. Over the years, at least five Marvel characters have carried the title, as well as several spirits. [Read more…] about Ghost Rider – Definitive Reading Order and Collecting Guide

Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner – Collecting Guide and Reading Order

The definitive issue-by-issue comic book collecting guide and reading order for Marvel’s Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner, in omnibus, hardcover, trade paperback, and digital. Part of Crushing Krisis’s Crushing Comics. Last updated June 2024 with titles scheduled for release through December 2024.

Collecting Hulk

There are hundreds of different collections of Hulk comic books starting from his debut in 1962 and continuing through the modern day. However, there are a few specific formats of books that cover large portions of this title, and I’ll cover those first – Essentials, Epics, Masterworks, and Omnibuses. [Read more…] about Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner – Collecting Guide and Reading Order

Thor, the Odinson – The Definitive Collecting Guide and Reading Order

The definitive issue-by-issue comic book collecting guide and reading order for Marvel’s Thor, the Odinson, in omnibus, hardcover, trade paperback, and digital. Part of Crushing Krisis’s Crushing Comics. Last updated June 2024 with titles scheduled for release through January 2025.

The Marvel Comics version of Thor was created in 1962 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby as a literal interpretation of the Norse god of legend as tied to a mild-mannered human doctor, Donald Blake.

Of all of the founding Marvel heroes, Thor was the one who felt most like a DC hero like Wonder Woman or Superman – an all-powerful, iconic, godlike figure finding his way through a superheroic life in human society.

In the decades since then, the Asgardian god of thunder has become so much more than that. Creators have pulled in more Norse myth as well as invented their own, merged his identity with Donald Blake and then separated them again, put him and all of Asgard through several Ragnoroks, killed him, replaced him, stripped him of his hammer, and made him a king.

Throughout it all, Thor has established itself as a title

There are hundreds of different collections of Thor, especially his original run from 1962 to 1996. However, there are a few specific formats of books that cover large portions of this title, and I’ll cover those first – Omnibuses, Marvel Masterworks, Mighty Marvel Masterworks, Epic Collections, and Essentials.

Then, I will break down every Thor series and appearance issue by issue to explain their reading order and how you can find those comics – both in physical collected editions an donline.