X-Men

New: Guide to X-Men: From The Ashes

March 20, 2024 by krisis

Last week Marvel announced the creators and titles that will kick off the new era of X-Men comic books starting this July with X-Men: From The Ashes! And, a new era of comics means a new comic book guide – supported by Patrons of CK but available to all readers: Guide to X-Men: From the Ashes (2024 – Present).

Right now all we know about the nine incoming new X-Men titles are the creative teams and casts of the three flagship books – X-Men (2024), Uncanny X-Men (2024), and Exception X-Men (2024). This new guide will track every issue of the new era as they are announced, and explain the best way to read it and collect them all.

Guide to X-Men: From the Ashes (2024 – Present)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have two episodes of X-Men ’97 to rewatch for the fourth time!

X-Men Reading Order, Part 2: 2010 to 2019 – LIVE on Omnidog’s Vault

March 19, 2024 by krisis

Today I am making my return to Omnidog’s Vault with my dear friend Jess to help him re-organize his X-Men collected editions into reading order LIVE on camera! Last time we handled all of his X-Men books from 2000 to 2010. This time, we’re tackling the next decade – with books from Utopia, Marvel Now, All-New All-Different Marvel, ResurrXion, and Krakoa!

Do you love my comics Reading Orders – like my famous X-Men Reading Order – but wish you could see how I create them LIVE and in REAL TIME? Here’s your chance.

This will be interesting, because I don’t maintain any official reading orders for X-Men past 2012! Am I ready to play Cerebro for an era of comics I don’t often re-read and don’t actually enjoy? Tune in live at 1pm ET to find out! The only advanced knowledge I have of what Jess has in store for me is the thumbnail of the video below.

Crushing Krisis Organizes Omnidog’s X-Men Books LIVE!

New Comics & Collected Editions: Marvel Comics – March 20 2024

March 14, 2024 by krisis

It’s the 12th new comic book day of the new year! This post covers Marvel Comics March 20 2024 releases. Missed last week’s releases? Check out last week’s post covering Marvel Comics March 13 2024 new releases.

This week in Marvel Comics: Franklin Richards’ secret revealed, Gillen’s final X-book, Spider-Woman old and new, repackaged collected editions, and more!

This list includes every comic and digital comic out from Marvel this week, plus collected editions in omnibus, hardcover, paperback, and digest-sized formats. For each new release, I’ll point you to the right guide within my Crushing Comics Guide to Marvel Comics to find out how to collect each character in full – and, if a guide is linked from this post, that means it is updated through the present day!

Marvel Comics March 20 2024 Collected Editions

Astonishing X-Men Modern Era Epic Collection, Vol. 1: Gifted
(2024 paperback, ISBN 978-1302957971 / digital)
See Guide to Astonishing X-Men. On one hand, I’m all for any recollection of the brilliant first two arcs of this title, which should always been easily accessible to new readers. On the other hand, this is an exact copy of a prior Ultimate/Complete collection, which bums me out because it would be cool to see an Epic line of this title include some or all of Kitty Pryde: Shadow & Flame, Phoenix: Endsong, or Phoenix: Warsong – which were all extensions of this title. (For that matter, so was House of M).Shadow and Flame would have fit perfectly as another five issues in this collection.

Captain America Omnibus Vol. 4
(2024 “Vol. 4” oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302955137 / digital)
See Guide to Captain America. This is a reprint of “Captain America by Jack Kirby” simply rebranded to fit seamlessly into the omnibus line. That means it’s actually totally fine to buy as a standalone book – that’s how it’s been sold for well over a decade! If you want to read the beautiful madness that is Kirby drawing and writing Cap, it’s all here.

Carnage Epic Collection Vol. 3: The Monster Inside
(2024 paperback, ISBN 978-1302956363 / digital)
I’m working on this Carnage Guide right now, I swear! It’s been a busy month. This is a third (and likely last) “Classic” Carnage collection, picking up in 1998 and cruising all the way through 2009 to pick up some of his modern mini-series.

Doctor Strange by Jed MacKay Vol. 2: The War-Hound of Vishanti
(2024 paperback, ISBN 978-1302951177 / digital)
See Guide to Doctor Strange. I wouldn’t recommend picking up this book as a standalone, as it’s all payoff for the mystery that was set up expertly in the first volume by MacKay. That said, this is immensely enjoyable. It shows off just how good modern Strange comics can be. There’s a way to build off of old magical continuity and established foes without being slavishly devoted to it in a way that is dull or alienating to new fans. MacKay is the author to perfectly walk that tightrope, and it yields a fascinating puzzle box of plot for our Doctor. [Read more…] about New Comics & Collected Editions: Marvel Comics – March 20 2024

Old Reader, New Reader: X-Men – Mutant Massacre – LIVE on Near Mint Condition

March 12, 2024 by krisis

I’m making a very special appearance on Near Mint Condition RIGHT NOW at 8pm US ET – my debut on their iconic, long-running show “Old Reader, New Reader” to help celebrate Omar’s birthday week by serving as the (very) old reader of X-Men: Mutant Massacre! It was the first multi-title X-Men event, and it includes two of my favorite comics of all time – Uncanny X-Men (1963) #213-214!

Want to read along yourself? Check out the Guide to Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont for collection options for Uncanny X-Men (19630 #210-214, plus all of the other Mutant Massacre tie-ins.

Old Reader New Reader: X-Men Mutant Massacre Omnibus

New Comics & Collected Editions: Marvel Comics – March 13 2024

March 7, 2024 by krisis

It’s the 11th new comic book day of the new year! This post covers Marvel Comics March 13 2024 releases. Missed last week’s releases? Check out last week’s post covering Marvel Comics March 6 2024 new releases.

This week in Marvel Comics: Thor’s most-titanic stories yet, a collected hunk of multi-versal Deadpool, Black Widow & Hawkeye team up, Carnage crosses over with Venom, Ghost Rider’s Final Vengeance, and more!

Marvel Comics March 13 2024 Collected Editions

Deadpool-Verse: Deadpool Corps
(2024 paperback, ISBN 978-1302958527 / digital)
See Guide to Deadpool. Don’t confuse this collection with the “Marvel-Verse” digest-size books collecting scattershot all-ages stories for their focus character like the Wonder Man volume below. This is actually a very chunky standard-size paperback collecting all of the Deadpool Corps material from the Prelude mini-series and the 12-issue main series.

This is one of the main “Deadpool in the multi-verse” sorts of stories, which tracks well with the themes of the Deadpool & Wolverine film from what we’ve seen in the marketing material.

Immortal Thor by Al Ewing Vol. 1: All Weather Turns To Storm
(2024 paperback, ISBN 978-1302954185 / digital)
See Guide to Thor – Odinson. This run is a massive blockbuster that somehow manages to tell a Thor story even bigger than the two runs that came before. However, if you like Thor throwing his hammer at a clearly-defined villain, this one’s not for you. It’s about the concept of Thor, of godhood, and of stories. Also, it looks absolutely gorgeous. More on this run below in the single issue section!

Marvel-Verse: Wonder Man
(2024 digest-size paperback, ISBN 978-1302954543 / digital)
Hmm, I don’t have a guide to Wonder Man, but with Marvel pumping out collections in anticipation of his debut in the MCU maybe I need to move him up the priority list! This digest-size intro to the character collects Avengers (1963) #9, Marvel Two-in-One (1974) #78, Wonder Man (1986) #1, and Avengers (1998) #14.

Moon Knight Vol. 5: The Last Days of Moon Knight
(2024 paperback, ISBN 978-1302950910 / digital)
See Guide to Moon Knight. Jed MacKay brings his 30-issue Moon Knight series to a spectacular conclusion. Normally I’d say, “don’t start with the final volume!” However, this opens with a truly outstanding issue in the giant-sized #25, and I think you could read this brisk conclusion in order to catch up to the new Vengeance of Moon Knight (2023) title and be left hungry to catch up on the four volumes that came before. [Read more…] about New Comics & Collected Editions: Marvel Comics – March 13 2024