Captain Britain and MI:13 (2008)

Captain Britain and MI:13, written by Paul Cornell, with art by Leonard Kirk revolves around the British government agency known as MI:13, dedicated to protecting the UK from supernatural threats.

Meet Shatterstar and Rictor

Tumblr is down for maintenance tonight and I promised I'd write a thing about RicStar, so here it is. Kind of an illustrated guide to what happens when you put the homoromantic dramas of two side characters in a book with an already amazing storyline: they become my fucking favourites.

So! Background info time. Taken straight from the Marvel wiki.

Julio Esteban Richter (Rictor) was one of the mutants depowered after the House of M storyline, and losing his seismic powers and his connection with the earth was devastating for him, so much so that he considered taking his own life.

Literally trying to talk him off the edge.

His father was a gun-smuggler and Ric witnessed his death at the hands of Stryfe, a clone of Cable, the time-travelling son of Scott Summers (Cyclops). Naturally, this made working for Cable's X-Force team a bit awkward (I only mention this because I know how much y'all enjoy this kind of convoluted  time travelly storylines. I haven't actually read anything before Peter David's 2005 resurrection of X-Factor). Ric was created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Walt Simonson and first appeared in X-Factor vol.1 #17 (June 1987).

Gaveedra Seven (Shatterstar) is an alien from a planet called Mojoworld who is sent back in time and to Earth, where he joins X-Force and develops a close friendship with Ric that eventually turns into a secret romance. Shatterstar was genetically engineered for brutal gladiatorial combat and has strong notions of a warrior's pride and honour. He first appeared in The New Mutants vol. 1 #99 (March 1991) and used to look like this because he was created by Rob Liefeld (artist*) and Fabian Nicieza (writer):

Yeppers.

Hawkeye #1 (1983)

Writer/Pencils: Mark Gruenwald, Editor: Dennis O'Neil

Avengers Annual 2012

Look, I don't know how comics work. I assume that "annuals" are just one-off stories that get released every so often in order to entice new readers into a main series?



My first thoughts: I really like Steve's new outfit.

The Avengers (2012)

I went to the midnight premiere of the Avengers movie in Sydney but for a lot of places the movie doesn't come out until May 4th. I'll be writing an essay for uni until then, so I went ahead and just wrote my recap now. If you don't want to get spoiled, don't fucking click on the "read more" thing, because under there I just straight up tell you what happens.


I mean it! From here on out you are in the spoiler zone! Don't go beyond this jump break if you don't wanna know what happens!

Civil War

I read Civil War! It hurt my soul and now I'm dead inside. I didn't do a full recap because hello, hundred-plus issues no thank you it was exhausting enough just reading the damn thing. I did take notes though, so here they are.

Already miserable? Try reading Civil War for extra feels.





Gosh, this is a long one! Go get a sandwich or something before you start, guys.

New Avengers Vol. 1: Breakout [issues #1-6]

So I just finished up Disassembled and House of M, and am moving on to New Avengers, Vol. 1: Breakout. Recaps ahoy!


Writer: Brian Michael Bendis, Editor: Tom Brevoort, Art: David Finch

The Children's Crusade #9

This week, I'm recapping the Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade, a nine issue story that just wrapped up this month. You can start with my commentary of the first issue, here. 


When we last saw our heroes, Victor Von Doom had tricked Wanda, the Scarlet Witch, into giving him the power to change reality as he saw fit. He reveals that he is the one actually responsible for destroying the Avengers and mutantkind, and he has apparently killed Cassie, aka Stature.



Oh my fucking god. Any time you want to wake up and be fine, Cassie, that would be great.

The Children's Crusade #8

This week, I'm recapping the Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade, a nine issue story that just wrapped up this month. You can start with my commentary of the first issue, here. 


My predictions for Victor Von Doom's reaction to absorbing the "life force" (aka the power to shape reality as he sees fit) were scarily accurate. He plans a benevolent dictatorship, where all the world's inhabitants will have everything they desire, and he is the supreme ruler of mankind, and also, he still wants Wanda to be his bride.



I don't know why Doom is always looking for a bride. It seems to be his primary goal in life. Maybe you should set up a Latverian OkCupid, Vic!

The Children's Crusade #7

This week, I'm recapping the Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade, a nine issue story that just wrapped up this month. You can start with my commentary of the first issue, here.

Last issue Wanda got her powers and her memory back, and started restoring the powers of mutants. This issue begins with me wondering if maybe the Scarlet Witch wouldn't have been so cranky if she didn't have a permanent wedgie.




That can't be comfortable! Anyway moving on.

The Children's Crusade #6

This week, I'm recapping the Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade, a nine issue story that just wrapped up this month. You can start with my commentary of the first issue, here.

Nate takes Wanda Maximoff and the Young Avengers back in time to observe the day that destroyed the Avengers: when Jack of Harts returned from the dead and killed his former teammate Scott Lang, AKA Ant Man. Except they don't just observe.

Cassie is able to get her father to a safe distance before the explosion kills him, and the whole incident seems to have returned not only Wanda's memories, but also her powers. She remembers being the Scarlet Witch, and now everyone is witnessing that day once again, even Clint Barton, the original Hawkeye, another Avenger who died that day.

All you need to know about Clint Barton is that he has fucked everything that moved.

Jessica Jones: Oh, my god, Clint! You had sex with her!
Beast: What?!?
Hawkeye: Can we focus on the impending catastrophe, here?

The Children's Crusade #5

This week, I'm recapping the Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade, a nine issue story that just wrapped up this month. You can start with my commentary of the first issue, here.

Um. So if you guys recall, Billy snuck off from Avengers HQ to rescue his mother, the Scarlet Witch, who Wolverine and many others believe should die for her role in the mutant genocide. Billy is promptly caught by Doctor Doom, and the Avengers, Young Avengers, Magneto and Doom's army of killer robots are all doing battle in Latveria. Cap sums up the situation while very distinctly not telling Eli "I told you so."



Heh. Hehehehehe. "Out-bad-guy each other to death". Captain America has a sense of humour!

The Children's Crusade #4.5

This week, I'm recapping the Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade, a nine issue story that just wrapped up this month. You can start with my commentary of the first issue, here.

Um. So the cover for this issue claims that it is a Fear Itself one-shot, but still part of the Children's Crusade storyline. The cover seems to depict grown up versions of the Young Avengers? Some of them, anyway. There is definitely a Kate Hawkeye, an Eli Patriot, and what I think is an adult Tommy as Speed:



I sense fuckery in our futures, dear reader.

The Children's Crusade #4

This week, I'm recapping the Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade, a nine issue story that just wrapped up this month. You can start with my commentary of the first issue, here.

Discovering his spirit mama Wanda is being held captive by Dr Doom, Billy travels to Latveria to scout out the situation. There, he discovers that she seemingly has no recollection of her true identity or her past actions, and that she intends to marry Doom the next day.

As Billy tries to explain, Doom himself arrives and incapacitates the teen witch. Meanwhile, Magneto and the Young Avengers plan their search and rescue mission, only to be distracted by the sight of Wonder Man showing up to rescue Wanda.



mmm, gratuitous Simon. I'd be distracted too.

The Children's Crusade #3

This week, I'm recapping the Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade, a nine issue story that just wrapped up this month. You can start with my commentary of the first issue, here.

While attempting to kill his father Magneto, Quicksilver accidentally stabs a woman who the group initially believe to be Wanda, the Scarlet Witch. However, she has a serious case of Terminator-face, and so now they believe that Wanda is being held captive by Doctor Doom.

This issue begins with a helpful recap of the character of Victor Von Doom, who, listen, I'm sure when these comics came out in the 60s seemed really deep and interesting and a compelling villain, but who now is just super dumb.

His thing is that he mixed science and magic, and got burned. It literally burned him, and so he made himself a face out of metal? And I guess if you're walking around looking like this:



and your name is literally "doom", then your only choice is to become a super villain.

The Children's Crusade #2

This week, I'm recapping the Young Avengers: The Children's Crusade, a nine issue story that just wrapped up this month. You can start with my commentary of the first issue, here.

So the team have just busted Billy and Teddy out of Avengers HQ when Magneto shows up and claims that they are Wanda's "spiritual heirs", and this will somehow help him find her.




When they do close-ups like that, I seriously cannot tell if it is Erik, Pietro, or Tommy. Welp. Talk about a family resemblance.

The Ultimates #13

With the new Avengers movie coming out in May, I'm reading The Ultimates to familiarise myself with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Colour commentary is provided free of charge.

In this issue we learn that Captain America is maybe not such a nice guy. I thought it was Fury who gave the order to have Bruce air-dropped in the hopes he'd Hulk out and survive the fall, but it was CAP. Also, I was not aware that the Hulk is *grey* this time around, not green. What? Why? I don't understaa... oh who cares.

The Ultimates #12

With the new Avengers movie coming out in May, I'm reading The Ultimates to familiarise myself with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Colour commentary is provided free of charge.


For reasons it took literally one panel to explain, the Skrull have decided that instead of their tranquil solution indoctrination plan they have to blow up the whole planet with some kind of huge-ass bomb, destroying not just Earth but the whole solar system. I don't know, just go with it I guess.

The Ultimates #11

With the new Avengers movie coming out in May, I'm reading The Ultimates to familiarise myself with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Colour commentary is provided free of charge.


This issue begins with a goddamn hero pose on the cover. Fuck I love Captain America. Is that weird? That's probably weird.

The Ultimates #10

With the new Avengers movie coming out in May, I'm reading The Ultimates to familiarise myself with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Colour commentary is provided free of charge.

We begin this issue with a flashback, where Steve is on a Nazi train in 1944, and I begin immediately to sob. BUCKKYYYYYY ;_;