This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.
In this entry of Jack’s Comic Gems, I highlight All-New Wolverine: Enemy of the State II. This spiritual successor to the acclaimed Enemy of the State arc in a previous Wolverine series makes Laura Kinney a target among heroes, villains, and hated rivals alike. It pushes her in ways she’s never been pushed before. But it ends leaving little doubt that she deserves the title of Wolverine. Enjoy!
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This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.
This video is my quick, unscripted reaction to Deadpool & Wolverine. Please note I will be dropping some spoilers, but I made a concerted effort to not reveal too much. This is one movie that’s definitely worth seeing unspoiled. Enjoy!
This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.
This is video another entry in my ongoing “Jack’s Comic Gems” collection. And in this gem, I single out one of the most unapologetically fun comics to come out in years. And at a time when everything and everyone takes themselves too seriously, a comic that’s just plain fun is just what we need.
X-Terminators by Leah Williams was not billed as some ground-breaking, genre-defining mini-series. It was just a simple, straightforward story about Dazzler, Jubilee, Tabitha, and Laura Kinney going on a crazy adventure that was joyously entertaining every step of the way.
It made for a unique, but refreshing comic experience and one that’s certainly worthy of being a true comic gem. Enjoy!
Filed under Jack's World, Marvel, superhero comics, X-men, YouTube
The following is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This video is my personal exploration and celebration of Laura “X-23” Kinney, a character who became an icon in the X-Men comics, and later the Logan movie. But it was one fateful episode of X-Men: Evolution that began her journey. And to this date, this episode a testament to what makes this character so special.
Filed under Jack's World, Marvel, superhero comics, superhero movies, X-men, YouTube
The following is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. It is another worthy entry into my ongoing Jack’s Comic Gems playlist. This time, I offer one of the most dramatic and heartbreaking comics I’ve read in the past decade, X-23 Innocence Lost. Enjoy!
Filed under comic book reviews, Jack's Comic Gems, Jack's World, Marvel, superhero comics, X-men, YouTube
Getting into comics can be daunting. That’s unavoidable when some of these comics have hundreds of issues and half-a-century of continuity to deal with. I remember how overwhelming it was for me. Then again, I was a kid at the time. Everything that didn’t involve Nintendo games seemed overwhelming to me. I still managed. It didn’t take me too long to get a firm understanding of the elaborate lore surrounding Marvel, DC, Image, and Dark Horse.
Keep in mind, I did this all before the internet. I’m also not that smart. I just followed my passion, found some basic reference materials, and asked questions to veteran comic fans whenever I needed more insight. Now, I’m one of those guys who can talk about comics for hours and sees every New Comic Book Day as Christmas morning. I can safely say my life is better because of that.
These days, it has never been easier to get into comics. The internet has made it much easier to learn about continuity, lore, reboots, and retcons. The rise of tablet computers and Comixology has made it so you don’t even have to put on pants to enjoy comics. While going to my local comic shop was always a great memory, I still envy new fans today for all the tools they have.
Between better tools and the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, comics have come a long way. They’re not just for nerds and geeks anymore. They’re for everyone. The volume of content has never been more diverse and appealing. This week, more than most, is a great chance to dive in. New eras are set to begin and big summer events are starting to heat up. To assist in embracing the world of comics, here is my pull list and pick of the week. Enjoy!
Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #1
Filed under Jack's Quick Pick Comic
When you’ve had a bad day, chances are it started out bad and only got worse from there. Conversely, when you have a good day, it often starts off promising and hopeful. I say that because when you’re a comic book fan and it’s Wednesday morning, you’ve already got a running start with respect to making your day awesome.
You never know how a day is going to go. You might screw up in ways that leave lasting scars. You might meet the love of your life. However, when you know that day involves new comics and all the awesome that comes with that, you have a small amount of assurance about how that day is going to go.
That’s not to say every New Comic Day is great. I’ve had more than a few that have been lousy, but that had less to do with the comics and more to do with other factors outside my control. I don’t know what factors will influence my day today, but I’m already optimistic, knowing I can wake up to a fresh stack of digital comics, courtesy of Comixology.
What follow is my weekly pull list and my pick of the week. This week was more stacked than most. That often happens on the last Wednesday of the month. I certainly don’t mind. The bigger the stack, my chances of this day being awesome. I hope other fellow comic fans out there have a similar outlook.
Some characters will never escape the shadow of another. Robin will always be defined by Batman. Lois Lane will always be defined by Superman. Wolverine will always be defined by whoever sells him beer and whiskey. It’s not impossible to escape from another character’s shadow, but it is exceedingly difficult, even in comics.
That’s what makes “Fallen Angels #6” such a remarkable accomplishment. It’s not just the final issue of an arc that spun directly out of the events of House of X/Powers of X. It completes a personal journey for a character who, up until very recently, had been inextricably tied to another.
For years, Psylocke was Elizabeth “Betsy” Braddock. Elizabeth’s story was Psylocke’s story. A big part of that story was her mind getting stuck in the body of Kwannon, a Japanese mutant with ties to secret organizations run by ninjas and crime families. It wasn’t until a few years ago during the Hunt for Wolverine story that Kwannon and Elizabeth were finally separated.
While Betsy’s story has continued in pages of Excalibur, Kwannon/Psylocke was in a strange position. She’s no longer tied to Elizabeth Braddock. For once, she can tell her own story, but is that even possible after being so closely tied to another character for years?
I admit I was skeptical, but “Fallen Angels #6” has convinced me. Kwannon can be her own character. She can also be Psylocke, too. Betsy has her own story now and Kwannon’s is worth telling too. Writer Bryan Hill redefined, redeveloped, and refocused Kwannon’s story in the span of six issues. He even managed to create new bonds with characters like Cable and X-23 along the way.
The events of “Fallen Angels #6” is the culmination of that ambitious process. Kwannon finally confronts Apoth, a being with a god complex who is also trying to define his story with Kwannon’s. It’s something she has every reason to avoid. Watching it play out is dramatic, action-packed, and beautiful.
It’s not just a satisfying ending to a story. It’s a turning point for a character who badly needed it. Moving forward, Psylocke is Kwannon and Kwannon’s story is worth telling. It’s also worth being my pick of the week. It has gods, ninjas, and explosions of all kinds. What more could you ask for?
Filed under Jack's Quick Pick Comic
Comics are a unique form of media in that its structure allows a certain kind of story to be told. It’s not like a movie in that it comes out once every few years and costs over $150 million to produce. It’s not like a TV show either that requires broadcast rights, streaming services, and dealing with cable companies.
The simplicity of comics, unfolding on paper and needing only ink and text to convey the story, gives it near unlimited capacity for telling big stories with bold concepts with vibrant imagery. There’s no need to pay Michael Bay or a special effects team to bring it all to life. It just requires a bold idea and someone with incredible art skills to make it real.
A comic like “Age Of X-Man Omega #1” is one of those books that fully utilizes the greatest strengths of the medium. It builds entire worlds while exploring bold concepts on a level that, if it were a movie, would take the gross national product of a small country to make real.
Writers Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler, alongside artist Simone Buonfantino, created an incredible world. Mutants, the X-Men, and their struggle took on an entirely new context within a new realty, courtesy of Nate Grey, one of the X-Men’s most overpowered characters. Age of X-Man has been a story about the strengths and flaws in this reality. “Age Of X-Man Omega #1” brings that story to a close.
From its inception in “Age Of X-Man Alpha #1,” this world that Thompson and Nadler created has been an elaborate thought experiment. What does a perfect, Utopian world look like for mutants and the X-Men? Given the many dytopian timelines the X-Men have explored, it’s not an unreasonable question.
Over the course of multiple books that cover multiple characters and concepts, we get to explore that world and all its complexities. Thompson and Nadler go heavy on the world-building, revealing the best parts of this Utopian vision, as well as price it incurs. With “Age Of X-Man Omega #1,” the full story of this world is complete. Now, it’s up to the X-Men to decide what to do with it.
Like all Utopias, the Age Of X-man comes at a cost. On the surface, everyone is safe and happy. However, there are some dark, disturbing reasons for this. The X-Men of this world, which include the likes of Jean Grey, Storm, Magneto, Nightcrwaler, Mirage, Colossus, Beast, and Bishop, have been uncovering those reasons over the course of the series. Now, they know the full truth.
However, this isn’t just a matter of fighting the source of these harsh truths. Nate Grey is not a mustache-twirling villain. “Age Of X-Man Omega #1” goes out of its way to justify his actions and the logic behind them. In the grand scheme of things, his logic isn’t that twisted.
The greatest strength of “Age Of X-Man Omega #1,” as well as the overall event, is that none of the conflicts were born out of total malice. Nate Grey didn’t create this world to toy with the X-Men or get revenge. He did it because he had the power to end the never-ending struggle that only ever brings them pain and suffering.
It’s at the heart of every Utopian vision, attempting to eliminate suffering so that everyone can be happy. It always comes at a price and Nate Grey understood that price. He even goes out of his way to justify it to the X-Men as they’re opposing him. To some extent, he has a point.
He highlights how the relationships the X-Men forge have been a liability in their efforts. He points out, ironically, how some of their most human traits are the very reason why they suffer so much. His world worked to subvert that and, even though it meant manipulation and subjugation for some, it succeeded in its own perverse way.
That’s exactly what makes the ultimate conclusion in “Age Of X-Man Omega #1” feel dramatic. It’s not entirely framed as the X-Men escaping from a prison or uncovering Nate Grey’s secrets. There is a final clash and it definitely maximizes Buonfantino’s talents. However, that clash doesn’t end because the X-Men defeated Nate Grey.
Without spoiling too many details of a story that has such an immense scope, I’ll note there are some powerful moments in which the X-Men and the mutants they’ve sworn to protect make some difficult choices. They’ve lived in this Utopia. They now know the price of such a Utopia. What they do with this knowledge is less about the battles they fight and more about the choices they make.
For once, there’s no army of killer robots to fight. There’s no deranged, mutant-hating villain to thwart. “Age Of X-Man Omega #1” puts the burden on the X-Men and the entire mutant population of the Marvel Universe to decide the course of their fate. Being heroes, their decisions aren’t that surprising. Even so, those decisions carry a great deal of weight.
As a final chapter, “Age Of X-Man Omega #1” caps off a bold story within an exotic world that dares to explore some weighty concepts. The idea of a Utopia is not new, but it’s a concept that still resonates in both real and fictional worlds. As long as people live in imperfect worlds, fictional or otherwise, it’ll continue to resonate.
The Age of X-Man built a story around an ideal life for mutants, free of conflict and killer robots. That story didn’t bring an end to the X-Men and their mission, but it did put it in a very different context. That, in my opinion, is an uncanny accomplishment.
Filed under Jack's Quick Pick Comic
For comic book fans, Wednesdays are basically our weekly holy days. It’s the day when we take a moment to stop obsessing over the latest casting rumors for the MCU and just enjoy a stack of new comics. After all, superhero movies wouldn’t be the multi-billion dollar draw they are without these comics.
The over-arching narrative of superhero comics is powerful. They embody the best parts of the classic hero’s journey that often finds their way into our most iconic stories. They can inspire, as well as guide people down a particular path. In “Age Of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men #5,” however, someone finds a way to weaponize that narrative.
For the past several months, the X-Men comics have undergone a strange, yet colorful upheaval. Nate Grey, an overpowered mutant capable of warping reality on a level that makes “The Matrix” look lazy, basically lost his mind and decided to go out with a bang. That bang involved taking nearly every major X-Men character with him and putting them in an entirely new reality with an entirely different history.
On the surface, it’s a utopia. Granted, love and intimacy are outlawed, but there are no mutant internment camps so that counts as an upgrade for the X-men. Everyone lives in peace and the X-Men aren’t just celebrated. They’re basically real-life holy figures. There are no more killer robots to fight or extinctions to avoid. They basically won.
However, that’s just the primary narrative of this world. That finally starts to unravel in “Age Of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men #5.”
Since the whole Age of X-Man story began, Nate Grey has basically been the architect of his own world. He’s built the society, crafted its history, and completely changed the life story of every individual. This isn’t just another case of wiping someone’s mind to think they once dated Taylor Swift. This is an entirely new world, but to the X-Men, it’s the only world they’ve always known.
This huge gut-punch to reality isn’t something Nate did out of malice. Writers Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler establish from the beginning that Nate’s intentions are good, albeit tragic. There’s never a sense that he created this world for selfish reasons. He genuinely believes that this world is one in which mutants can live in peace and everyone he loves can be happy.
Even his power and the narratives he weaves around them have limits, though. While investigating the murder of Moneta, the X-Men finally uncover unambiguous clues as to just how much Nate has been manipulating things. The signs have been there throughout the Age of X-Man story, but now there’s no avoiding the truth. They know the story he’s trying to tell and the lies he’s using to tell it.
When Nate wrote the history of this world, he did so knowing that it wasn’t enough to make everyone happy. Even in a world without killer robots or convoluted movie rights, people need something to strive for. That means it’s not enough to give the heroes a good story. He has to give the villains a story, as well.
That means that even Apocalypse, Nate’s biggest enemy, has to be part of this narrative. His role is very different from the murder-happy social Darwinist he’s always been, but he still acts as this powerful threat to this utopian world. He makes the X-Men necessary and creates discord that requires more than just fighting.
Even as Thompson and Nadler finally peel back the curtain, Nate’s efforts to maintain this narrative never waiver. In some parts of the issue, Nate acts as the narrator, trying to justify the story of this world. There’s still no mustache-twirling evil in his story, but it’s clear there are a few plot holes that he just can’t plug.
“Age Of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men #5” isn’t entirely built around the X-Men uncovering the truth. There’s no existential crisis or mental breakdown upon learning the truth. Instead, there’s a sense of anger and betrayal. Nate isn’t just some unhinged, overpowered mutant. He’s their friend. He’s family. To them, he was a hero before he tried telling this bigger story.
In many respects, that’s what has made Age of X-Man such an engaging story. “Age Of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men #5” effectively doubles down on the tragic elements of that story. This is very different from the Scarlet Witch going crazy and committing mass genocide. Nate comes off as disturbingly sane as he tries to protect and maintain this world that he’s created.
In any superhero narrative, intentions matter. Villains, by definition, tend to have selfish and destructive motives. By that standard, Nate is not a villain. He is certainly misguided, though. The extend of just how misguided he is finally plays out in “Age Of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men #5.”
For many of the characters involved, especially characters like Jean Grey, Storm, and Nightcrawler, it’s devastating in ways that go beyond having their lives manipulated. Nate Grey is their friend. He’s helped them in the past. Hell, he goes by the code-name, X-Man. He’s supposed to embody the best aspects of who they are.
Now, they have to take him down. After learning about what he did and how much he warped their lives, the X-Men have to be the ones to end Nate’s story. It’s tragic, but fitting. In terms of ending a story, though, that can be a potent combination.
Filed under Jack's Quick Pick Comic
Every week brings a new glut of comics and the world is a better place because of it. As someone who spends a sizable chunk of his time discussing unpleasant topics, it helps balance a lot of things out. I know the world is a messed up place. I survived high school and I watch the news. I understand the value of all things good, pure, and awesome.
When it comes to delivering on all three regularly, Laura “X-23” Kinney is more dependable than most. Ever since her debut on the “X-Men Evolution” cartoon in the early 2000s, she has found a way to endear herself to X-Men fans of all types. Her status as Logan’s most iconic offspring was further cemented in “Logan” and the past several years of comics have run with it.
Laura is now much more than just Wolverine’s clone/daughter. She has forged her own path and created her own identity. She’s not just Wolverine as a teenage girl, but her world is every bit as brutal. She has had to claw, stab, and snarl her way through hordes of terrible people who still think it’s a good idea to create a living weapon with the same volatile temper as Wolverine.
Along that journey, Laura’s story has had many turning points, some more tragic than others. “X-23 #12” marks another turning point that leaves Laura in a difficult, but intriguing spot. It’s not as tragic as other events in her life, but it definitely leaves her with a wounded heart that those who have followed her story in recent years will feel.
Writer, Mariko Tamaki, has been building towards this moment for the past several issues. When this series began, Laura was definitely on the same page as her fellow clone/sister, Gabby “Honey Badger” Kinney. I’ve done plenty to praise Gabby in the past and since her debut in the pages of “All-New Wolverine,” she has been an objective good in Laura’s life.
Part of that good stems from them being on the same page for much of their struggles. They’re both byproducts of secretive organizations trying to use Wolverine’s DNA to make living weapons. It already cost Gabby multiple sisters and nearly broke Laura. They have many reasons to keep fighting these organizations.
“X-23 #12” establishes that these organizations are still out there and they’re still doing crazy things with Wolverine’s DNA. In this instance, they actually use it to make turkeys with a healing factor. I swear I’m not making that up and it’s as amazing as it sounds. However, the inherent strangeness of healing turkeys is only secondary, if you can believe that.
This whole issue is less about Gabby’s love of adorable animals and more about how they’re no longer on the same page. It’s something Laura has spent the past couple issues struggling with and it finally culminates in “X-23 #12.”
It’s not as bloody or destructive as some turning points are for anyone associated with Wolverine. Yes, a train does explode, but that’s pedestrian by Wolverine standards. The real volatility is in how Laura and Gabby’s path diverge.
Tamaki plays up the family dynamic to the utmost. These aren’t just X-Men who act like a family. They are family and families often fight. In this case, it’s not a matter of a simple disagreement or a costly mistake. This fight reveals that Laura and Gabby see the world in a very different way.
Some of it has to do with age. Laura has seen more tragedy and carnage than Gabby. She’s older and more hardened to the world of all things Wolverine. She has been fighting these battles long enough to know that there are times when she can’t avoid tragedy. Innocence will be lost. Pain, suffering, and injustice will win out.
Laura has had enough Wolverine experience to know when she’s in one of these situations. The past few issues have put her in more than one. Gabby, as adorable as she is, hasn’t experienced the same hardships to know when a battle is truly lost. She still tries to save everyone. She even tries to do it with an adorable smile and a pet wolverine.
It makes for a difficult situation because it’s easy to root for both of them. It’s easy to understand why Laura makes the difficult decisions that she does. She knows when a situation can only be resolved with claws. It often leads to tragedy, which is very much a Wolverine tradition. It’s just as easy to root for Gabby when she tries to salvage all the good from an impossibly bad situation.
It’s the kind of family conflict in which neither side is wrong or right. “X-23 #12” simply marks the point where they can’t side with one another anymore. For a family that has endured so much, it’s a sad, but understandable development.
The story of Laura, Gabby, and Wolverine is full of both drama and violence. “X-23 #12” certainly has plenty of that. The presence of mutant turkeys certainly makes it unique, but it’s the drama that really shines here. Tamaki has been building towards this moment for several issues and even though the outcome wasn’t surprising, it still carries plenty of dramatic weight.
The respective lives of Laura and Gabby are fundamentally different after “X-23 #12.” They still have plenty of battles to fight, but they’re no longer in it together. They’re still family, but they’re going their separate paths. Like Logan has often done throughout his history, they strike out on their own and try to do their own thing. Sometimes it works. More often than not, it leads them into more trouble.
That’s the essence of Wolverine and the larger Wolverine family. They keep fighting their own battles, making tough calls along the way, and often putting themselves at odds with those closest to them. Laura made one of those calls and even if it was the right one, it’s not an approach Gabby can be a part of.
“X-23 #12” is a bittersweet end to Tamaki’s run on this series and the artwork by Deigo Olortegui helps make these powerful moments colorful. The future of the X-Men comics are already subject to some major upheavals. If nothing else, “X-23 #12” ensures that Wolverine’s family will still have plenty of drama to explore.
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