Crushing Krisis

Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand

Marvel Comics

Crushing Comics S01E28 – “Why I love X-Men,” X-Men Origins, Asgardian Wars, & Mutant Massacre

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It’s no secret that that my comic book collection is overwhelmingly filled with X-Men comics, but I feel like there are so many more X-Men comic bundles to unwrap as I work my way through my oversize shelf.

In this episode I work my X-Men t-shirt on for good luck in plucking some X-books from the wall, and it worked! While I’m unpacking, I share a little insight on why I love the X-Men. Then, I dig into their origins and two of their earliest classic oversize hardcovers – Mutant Massacre and Asgardian Wars.

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

Episode 28 features X-Men Origins (Amazon) & Origins II (Amazon), X-Men: Asgardian Wars (Amazon), and X-Men: Mutant Massacre (Amazon). Find out where the latter two collections fit in with my Guide to Claremont-era X-Men.

Crushing Comics S01E27 – Thoughts on being a “comic book fan,” Squadron Supreme, Wolverine’s Origin, & more!

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Are fans of comic book movies still “comic book fans”? I struggle to articulate my answer to the question as I struggle to open what turns out to be a pretty big bundle of books. It starts with Mark Gruenwald’s classic Squadron Supreme and how it represented Marvel being a little more like DC than they normally were back in the 80s. Then we move to a pair of Fantastic Four retcons before winding up with Wolverine’s pair of Origin series.

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

Episode 27 features Squadron Supreme by Mark Gruenwald (Amazon), which was later recollected as Squadron Supreme Classic Omnibus (Amazon), Fantastic Four: The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine (Amazon), Spider-Man/Fantastic Four (Amazon), and Wolverine Origin (Amazon) and Origin II (Amazon), recently recollected as Wolverine: Origin – The Complete Collection (Amazon).

Read more about collecting the Fantastic Four and Wolverine!

Crushing Comics S01E25 – Why I don’t like Avengers vs. X-Men (but do like Wellington weather)

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What happens when you combine my favorite comic franchise with a editorial direction I despise? Buckle up for a rough one, folks, as I dissect Avengers vs. X-Men and how it was a necessary evil to set up Marvel Now, plus discuss the difference between theoretical and actual weather conditions.

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

Episode 25 features Avengers vs. X-Men (Amazon / eBay) and Avengers vs. X-Men Companion (Amazon / eBay), both covered in the Guide to Marvel Events.

Crushing Comics S01E23 – Secret Wars II, female protagonists, and what it means when omnibuses are “out of print”

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Today I unwrap one of Marvel’s largest early omnibuses – Secret Wars II! The first ever sequel event was also Marvel’s first event with line-wide tie-ins, including Spider-Man teaching the Beyonder how to… well, you’ll see.

Before I dig in Secret Wars, I share a story about my lifelong obsession with strong female protagonists. Afterward, I explain what it really means when we say an omnibus is “out of print.”

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

Episode 23 features the Secret Wars II Omnibus (Amazon / eBay), which is covered in the Guide to Marvel Events. I also mention my Guide to Watchmen, which makes its public debut today! More on that a little bit later.

 

Crushing Comics S01E21 – X-Men: Manifest Destiny and Dark Avengers / X-Men: Utopia

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After a brief digression about how weight training helps with comic collecting, I unwrap a hefty brick of six books, including a pair of X-Men “Manifest Destiny” volumes and the X-Men’s throwdown with Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers. The episode ends in a cliffhanger, as I tease what the other half of the brick holds in store.

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

 

Episode 21 features X-Men: Manifest Destiny (Amazon), Uncanny X-Men: Manifest Destiny (Amazon), and Avengers/X-Men: Utopia (Amazon / eBay). This material is covered in the guide to Uncanny X-Men’s Matt Fraction era as well as in the guide to Bendis’s Dark Avengers.