Marvel-Comics

As a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy media I’ve grown used to seeing female characters in skimpy clothing and impractical armor. In fact I’ve grown so used to seeing women’s bodies on display that it rarely even registers until it reaches Starfire levels of ridiculous. Fan service aimed at pleasing the male gaze is such an ingrained part of the genre that female fans are expected to just deal with it. After all, sex sells. That’s why, as a woman, I find the Thor franchise to be such a breath of fresh air.

Thor: The Dark World opens in America this weekend, bringing attention back to the Asgardian corner of the Marvel Universe. Thor is one of my favorite Marvel characters so I’m very excited to see the movie—excited enough that I’ve had my tickets for a month. It’s a very good time to be a Thor fan between his presence in the theater and the excellent work being done by Jason Aaron in Thor: God of Thunder. Thor: God of Thunder was one of the new titles launched as a part of the Marvel NOW last year and I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that it’s the reason that I’m currently as immersed in Marvel comics as I am. The Marvel Cinematic Universe reignited my interest in comics and when I saw that Thor was getting a new title I went out and bought issue one. The next thing I knew I had a pull list at my local comic shop full of titles.

Daredevil is a title that has been blessed with many excellent writers over the years. There are so many exceptional stories that it can be hard to pick favorites, but today I thought I would revisit one of mine. The five issue Decalogue arc written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Alex Maleev is one of my favorite Daredevil stories because it shows us how Daredevil fits into the lives of ordinary Hell’s Kitchen citizens. Decalogue is different than most comic stories because it shows us Daredevil through the eyes of the people whose lives he’s touched. The story opens in a church basement where a community support group is meeting. The people have convened there to discuss Daredevil (aka Matt Murdock) and his impact on their lives. The idea of a support group to deal with super hero encounters is a brilliant idea and an interesting look at how ordinary people might actually react to living in an extraordinary world.

Iron Man 3 has just been released on DVD, which makes now the perfect time to discuss some of the controversy surrounding its primary antagonist. The way the movie handled the character of the Mandarin upset some long-time comic fans and relieved others. When I first saw the trailers for Iron Man 3, I was concerned about the inclusion of the Mandarin. He’s been one of Iron Man’s greatest foes for decades, but as his name suggests, the character was created without much sensitivity during an era when the US was deep in the Cold War. The fact that the trailer showed a British actor of Indian descent dressed in very stereotypical fashion did not assuage my fears.

The Avengers name is a hot property right now. If you go to your local comic shop and look at the shelves, you’ll see seven comics with “Avengers” in the title. That kind of saturation can be confusing for the consumer, making it difficult to figure out what makes each book stand out, and last week, Marvel made it even more confusing by adding yet another Avengers title. Mighty Avengers is the first ongoing series to spin out of the events of Infinity, and this week I thought I would take a look at what makes it stand out from the other, similarly named, titles. ...

Very few superheroes are lucky enough to be invulnerable like Superman or have a healing factor like Wolverine, so what happens when they get hurt on the job? Even heroes with good healthcare in their civilian lives may have trouble explaining away gunshot wounds and regular concussions when their insurance company gets curious. Then there are all the heroes whose vigilante career keeps them from having a stable nine to five with healthcare in the first place. So what’s the answer? In the Marvel Universe, the answer is to go to the Night Nurse. ...

Age of Ultron is barely over, but Marvel is already rolling out Infinity, which is the latest major event from the publisher. Events can be a divisive topic for a lot of comic fans, but I tend to enjoy them as long as they’re telling stories that have been properly set up and they don’t derail other stories in progress. That was my biggest issue with Age of Ultron–it felt like it didn’t matter and was an unnecessary hiatus from other, better stories. There were a lot of other issues, but Kari has already covered most of them in her article Comic Events and Consumer Affairs: Age of Ultron, so I’ll move on to discuss Infinity, which I actually have high hopes for. ...

Should a superhero kill? What happens if he does? Those are questions that are constantly being asked by creators and fans of superhero comics. Every character approaches that question differently: Batman never kills, but Superman has under extreme circumstances even though he has a strict moral code against it. Part of Wolverine’s popularity centers on the fact that he is a warrior who will do what he deems necessary, which includes killing. Then you have characters like the Punisher, who are popular because they feed into our id by killing criminals without hesitation and with great prejudice, the way we know we never can. ...

It could be argued that in recent decades, Wolverine has been the face of Marvel. The only character that gets more exposure is Spider-Man. If you go to the comic store today and look at the shelves you’ll find Wolverine, Savage Wolverine, Wolverine Max, and Wolverine and the X-Men, not to mention that he is a featured member in several other Avengers and X-Men books. This weekend he also gets the honor of appearing for the sixth time in the movie theater. ...

Last week I took a look at four superhero characters – Batman, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, and Starfire – and what made them decide to put on their costumes and fight the good fight. If you haven’t read that one yet, I’d suggest checking it out before you read this week’s installment. It will give you some context for where I’m starting with this article. My last article noted that a lot of popular superhero characters, including all four that we took an in-depth look at, had incredibly traumatic experiences that directly lead to them becoming heroes. According to the World English Dictionary, a superhero is “any of various comic-strip characters with superhuman abilities or magical powers, wearing a distinctive costume, and fighting against evil.” We can break it down even more: a superhero is someone who has skills that Joe Smith on the street doesn’t have, and who disguises his or her identity in order to fight crime with the help of those skills. Nowhere in that definition does it say that a superhero has to have a tragic back-story, but it happens more often than not. Given a little thought, the reason becomes clear. ...