A comiXologist Recommends:
Jonah Chuang recommends
Convergence: Green Lantern/Parallax #1
If you first started reading comics in the 90s like me, then chances are you already have this comic on your pull list. If not, please read on: During the Emerald Twilight storyline, which came at the heels of Death of Superman, Greatest Green Lantern of All Time, Hal Jordan goes nuts and kills a bunch of his Lantern allies, then murders his bosses, the Guardians of the Universe, destroys the Central Power Battery, and becomes Parallax, an all-powerful being who goes on to rewrite the continuity of the whole DC Universe. The lone surviving Guardian escapes and gives the last ring to Kyle Rayner who then takes up the mantle and becomes the last Green Lantern. If you grew up in this era, Kyle wasn’t just GL, he was THE Green Lantern, but he forever lived in the shadow of Hal Jordan: Greatest and Worst GL Of all time. It was a fascinating time to be a comics fan.
Convergence: Green Lantern/Parallax is so interesting because it puts us right back in middle of that action. In this story, Brainiac’s Convergence domes cut the Lanterns off from the source of their power. Hal, powerless and crippled by the horror of what he’d done as Parallax, is forced to face the consequences of his actions, when suddenly the dome is dropped and Hal’s power returns. The two GLs are forced to fight for the survival of their world against otherworldly invaders, but in this world Kyle is relatively new and inexperienced, leaving Parallax to pick up will Hal crack under the pressure and blow his second chance at redemption? Read to find out!
[Read Convergence: Green Lantern/Parallax #1 on comiXology]
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology. Emerald Twilight is his favorite GL story.
A comiXologist Recommends:
Jonah Chuang recommends
Kanan - The Last Padawan #1
This may be just one man’s subjective opinion, but Marvel has been killing it with these Star Wars books lately. They each showcase a different aspect of all the things I love about Star Wars. The main title gives us action and adventure, Princess Leia brings us on a familiar journey of growth and self discovery, while Darth Vader is all about intrigue, drama, and bad-assery. That trend continues into Kanan: The Last Padawan, which acts as a prequel to the upcoming television show, Star Wars Rebels.
Kanan is part political thriller, part underdog tale, part epic war story, and will probably wind up being more as the story unfolds. The bulk of the story takes place during the last moments of the Clone Wars, just as Emperor Palpatine orders the Clone Troopers to kill all the Jedi. Back then, Kanan was Caleb Dume, an inquisitive padawan to Depa Billaba, a wise and outspoken Jedi Master who happens to sit on the Jedi council and deeply disagrees with the council’s decisions (Any Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan fans?).
There are some surprisingly deep discussions on the themes of parenthood, society, civic responsibility, and identity in this comic, and Kanan is a really fascinating character. He’s just a young dude coming into his own and trying to figure out his place in life. Sadly, he picked the worst time to do that, as his whole world (actually, the whole galaxy) is about to fall apart around him.
From the briefest glimpse we get of the grown Kanan, he seems like a real cocky sort of outlaw—a very grizzled, Han Solo-esque figure, and I think the journey from fresh-faced young Jedi to that is going to be an exciting and rewarding one.
It all starts here!
[Read Kanan - The Last Padawan #1 on comiXology]
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology. His sister auditioned for a part in the new Star Wars movies and got a callback but was ultimately not cast.
Jonah Chuang recommends: Spider-Gwen #1
Spider-Gwen’s popularity has been steadily rising since her first appearance in Edge of Spider-Verse #2. I remember trying to find a physical copy of the book a week after it came out and was laughed out of several stores and nearly every booth at NYCC after being told that it was “beyond sold out”, so it’s no surprise that she’s now back in her own ongoing series.
Spider-Gwen #1 has all the elements you love about the original Spider-Man books– she’s a young misfit who struggles to juggle her personal life and her great Spider-responsibility and she swings around her neighborhood thumping costumed bad guys. It doesn’t hurt that she has probably the best designed costume ever to be in comics, ever.
In this issue, Gwen is newly returned from the Spider-Verse and finds that her city considers her just as big a menace as ever. With the Vulture, the Kingpin, and NYPD Captain Frank Castle all out to get her, can she find time for her friends/band that so desperately need her?
The character’s appeal goes way beyond the similarities to the original Amazing Spider-Man series, though. If you’re like me and you grew up in the post-Death of Gwen Stacy era, you really only know of her as the perfect woman/Peter Parker’s true love (this was pre-comiXology so back issues were harder to come by). Her absence from the early animated series and the original movies made her a mysterious character that was only ever talked about with a tone of reverence and affection. The character gained an edge and some more mystique in Bendis’s Ultimate Spider-Man series before hitting the mainstream in the Amazing Spider-Man movie as portrayed by Emma Stone. As far as I know, the character has never seen a bad incarnation and now that she is finally able to take lead in a series, this one promises to be the best yet.
[Read Spider-Gwen #1 on comiXology]
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology. He is preparing to be a male Spider-Gwen for next year’s NYCC.
A comiXologist Recommends…
Jonah Chuang recommends:
The Multiversity: Mastermen #1
If you’re like me, you like crazy alternate versions of Superman. Whether it’s the Red Son, The Dark Side Superman, Clark Kent from Secret Identities, or even Ultraman, it’s pretty much always fun to see a different version the Man of Steel we know and love. After all, he’s the first and most superheroic superhero ever, and while I love that he’s all that, lots of people complain that he’s almost too good. (Is there even such a thing?) We see how things could have gone terribly wrong or how the slightest change might lead to huge differences.
The Multiversity: Mastermen brings us the return of Overman and the JLAxis from the part of the Multiverse where Superman’s ship arrives in Nazi Germany instead of a farm in Kansas. Raised by Adolf Hitler to embody his idea of the master race, Overman helped the Nazis create a society of limitless happiness and prosperity for a select few, but oppression, death and terror for everyone else. Overcome by his guilt over his inability to protect those closest to him and the crimes he’s committed for the ‘greater good’, Overman struggles with feelings of helplessness despite being the most powerful man in the world. It shows a very conflicted, dark and weirdly human side to Superman that we’re not used to seeing.
Now, for the fun stuff. There’s a pretty great gag at the beginning of this book that I think everyone who hates Hitler will enjoy (hopefully that’s everyone reading this). I had the privilege of setting the preview pages for this book on comiXology so I took extra steps not to ruin it for prospective customers, so be sure to pick it up so you can see it for yourself.
[Read The Multiversity: Mastermen #1 on comiXology]
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology. He has a thing for heat-themed super-heroes and cold-themed super-villains.
A comiXologist Recommends:
Jonah Chuang recommends Saga #25
Saga continues down its dark path. Hazel’s been kidnapped by that disgruntled TV
head while Alana and her mother in law are trapped helplessly in their crippled
ship. Meanwhile, Gwen, the Brand, Sophie, and their devastatingly clever animal
companions fight to save the Will on an alien world filled with crazy aliens.
Then all the way off to the side of the universe (and on the cover), Marko,
Prince Robot IV, Yuma, and Ghus (that adorable Seal guy that walks that giant
walrus around?) scream disparaging remarks at each other while simultaneously
reminding each other that they need each other.
This issue is a solid reminder of why Saga is so great. Aside from being just a good, well-constructed story, it’s also a title that’s defiant and takes risks, making comics fresh again for veteran readers. While it’s sometimes reminiscent of the adventures that the misfits from Star Wars go through, it’s not as clean and wholesome. It’s very much as if Star Wars grew up and realized that everyone’s been copying it for the last thirty years and the audience is bored of it. (Weirdly, that seems to be what’s happening with the actual Star Wars, too.) As I mentioned earlier, this issue sees the Freelancer gang go to an alien planet and deal with crazy aliens, but instead of fighting rancors, space slugs, sand people to rescue each other, the Saga gang is attacking giant komodo dragons to harvest some semen for the Will’s antidote.
Issue #25 also makes some pretty big statements about war, youth, and society’s attitudes about veterans that make the world of Saga hit a bit closer to home. If that’s not impressive or intriguing to you, just know that in this issue, the fun anthropomorphic animals move a little bit further into the foreground, too.
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology. He stays up late at night wondering how many midichlorians are knocking around inside him.
A comiXologist Recommends:
Jonah Chuang recommends Superior Foes of Spider-Man
Superhero stories sometimes struggle to create flawed but relatable characters with interesting stories and personalities. When the protagonist fails it’s usually because of circumstances out of their control or trying to do too much with too little and not because of gross incompetence or greed, but let’s be real: as great as it is to aspire to nobility, it’s way more fun to watch a bunch of bumbling second-rate crooks rip each other off, poorly.
It follows a group of five minor villains who try to make themselves the new Sinister Six despite barely being able to knock over neighborhood pet stores. They’re always looking for the next big score while navigating parole and avoiding the ire of more dangerous criminals. As you’d expect, there’s a good amount of bickering and backstabbing, but also a small amount of camaraderie as well.
Premise aside, Superior Foes of Spider-Man has some of the best storytelling, character development, dialogue and overall writing in mainstream comics today. It’s funny, interesting, relatable and just very clever. In these pages you’ll get to see villains poop their pants when the Punisher shows up. You’ll see Dr. Doom ask an artist to draw him like one of his French girls, and men in grizzly suits admit, at a super-villain support group, that part of the reason they get beaten by Spider-Man so often is because they’re trying so hard not to laugh when he quips at them during battle.
Superior Foes is pretty heavy on the pop culture references but you can definitely enjoy it without getting all of them. There are a lot of moving pieces and great moments, like when you get so invested in a villain’s success that you find yourself turning the page and thinking, “oh crap, the hero’s here”.
[Read Superior Foes of Spider-Man on comiXology]
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology. Once again, his apologies to Doris Kearns Goodwin.
A comiXologist Recommends:
Jonah Chuang recommends Strongman Vol. 1
Charles Soule and Allen Gladfelter’s Strongman is a well-constructed tale of triumph, tragedy, despair, and redemption. There are really great elements from the superhero genre, dark comedy, spaghetti western, and mystery, with an overarching tone of noir. I realize that sounds like a lot– basically, it’s a darkly funny, masked hero drama placed in a wild, southwest showdown setting, with a luchador version of Sam Spade as the tragic protagonist. Argh, that’s not simple at all, is it? How about this: It’s a great book.
Soule, of Death of Wolverine, Inhuman, Letter 44, Superman/Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing fame, (impressive, right?) knows how to craft a story. It’s over over 100 pages (for only $4.99) and never feels like it’s dragging. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll just sum up the basics: our hero is called Tigre, a former movie star/wrestler/costumed hero from Mexico who, at the height of his glory, faced an immense tragedy and fell to the darkest depths, then the dirtiest gutters. He drinks to numb the pain and clumsily stumbles through life (all while still wearing his luchador mask, and no one seems to notice). Then, a mysterious and alluring woman wanders into his life needing his help, and suddenly Tigre is pulled into a world of shady dealings, high stakes with powerful villains, and personal demons.
Tigre is pretty much a perfect character. The luchador aspect of his identity lends a sense of nobility and cultural significance, and is such a big part of Tigre, but it’s just understated enough to not be distracting. He’s noble and strong, but flawed and human as well. He’s tough, but can be hurt, so the story is still relatable and exciting.
[Read Strongman vol. 1 on comiXology]
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology and a Ravenclaw.
A comiXologist Recommends:
Jonah Chuang recommends Spider-Man & The X-Men #1
Spider-Man, a secret traitor, young X-Men, and dinosaurs!
All this and more in the first issue of Spider-Man and the X-Men.
Before his death, Wolverine asked Spider-Man to teach a class of “special” students at the Jean Grey School. One caveat: one of the students is a mole, so our hero has to (1) keep his secret identity, (2) convince the other teachers/X-Men to trust a non-mutant, (3) find the mole, and (4) nurture and guide the problem students at Jean Grey’s. Clearly Marvel’s most notorious class clown is the right man for the job.
It’s strange seeing Spider-Man as an authority figure. Peter Parker, sure, was a great teacher back in the day, but Parker looks like a teacher and has the smarts and passion to command authority. Imagine a guy dressed like Spider-Man, with his well-cultivated sophomoric persona, trying to get a bunch of adolescents to give them his respect. Even with normal kids it would be a struggle. The X-Kids, on the other hand, can shoot telekinetic blasts, take over his mind, are part shark, and are made of rock. It’s a bit harder to inspire a love of science and archaeology when dealing with the wonders of the universe is an every day occurrence. When these kids throw a tantrum it’s way more dangerous, but very funny to watch.
Spider-Man and the X-Men is a fun ride. If you’re a comics fan, it’s like seeing the daydreams you had when you were bored in class playing out on the page. If you like mysteries, slapstick, tomfoolery, and antics, S+X is the book for you!
[Read Spider-Man & The X-Men #1 on comiXology]
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology. He wishes Spider-Man was his science teacher in middle school.
A comiXologist Recommends:
Jonah Chuang recommends The Multiversity: Pax Americana #1
Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely are a pretty great team. If you’ve ever read any of these comics, you know exactly what I’m talking about and you know you should pick up Multiversity: Pax Americana right away.
Continuing his metafictional journey through the DC universe in this Multiversity event, Grant Morrison brings us a critical examination of a critical examination. He takes Alan Moore’s Watchmen characters (who were based on newly acquired DC characters at the time) and puts his own spin on them to tell a thematically similar story with just as much darkness.
Just as in Watchmen, the conspiracy investigation kicks off with a high-profile murder that just doesn’t make sense. The President is killed by one of the world’s greatest heroes and nobody knows why. As our broken heroes slowly reveal the story through a complex series of time jumps, we’re treated to dark secrets and high concept ideas involving the fourth dimension, non-linear perceptions of time, and shadow politics using dangerous algorithms to change the future.
This is definitely a cerebral tale, but if that’s not your cup of tea, there are still tons to enjoy about this book. For one, this book brings back Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle and Vic Sage’s ‘The Question’. One of my favorite parts of this book is an exchange between these two characters. After The Question implies that the aging Blue Beetle is suffering from erectile dysfunction, the Beetle says, “And you’re so deep in the closet, you pay rent in Narnia.” Zing!
This could’ve easily been a silly looking book with way-too-lofty writing and a confusing plot, but Frank Quitely’s art is a really great fit for the kind of stern and severe voice that Grant Morrison uses in this story. There are high-intensity, high-energy captured in still frames. The sense of ever-present danger really drives the story forward and delivers some great moments with a rewarding reveal.
[Read The Multiversity: Pax Americana #1 ]
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology. He recently adopted a third rescue dog named Bear and is afraid that his life is starting to share too many similarities with Will Graham’s.
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Jonah Chuang recommends Superior Iron Man #1
The arrogant, pain in the butt Tony Stark we all love is back in the Superior Iron Man #1.
After some personal struggles like twenty years ago, The Avengers’s resident bad boy has been a little smug but mostly pretty righteous; he even became the head of SHIELD for a time, and hunted down Super-Hero Registration Act dissenters. Gone was the rogue, reckless Tony Stark who did what he wanted and stood in open defiance of the establishment, but thanks to a wonky spell in AXIS #3, he’s reverted back to his cutthroat playboy roots but is taking it to another level.
He has a new suit, which is a symbiote hybrid, capable of finding and bonding itself to him wherever he is, and, more dangerously, also developed a new app, which allows anyone with a smart phone to use the Extremis virus to change anything they want about themselves (the same virus that Tony once considered too dangerous to have out in the world, and made him fly around the world to hunt down all existing versions). Only he doesn’t do this out of the goodness of his heart—after a short and highly addictive trial period, the app charges users an exorbitant fee to continue using it.
Tony is the perfect candidate for getting the “Superior” treatment. His complicated past and his never-ending cycle of trying to do the right thing and giving in to his own nature makes this saga feel less like a sales gimmick and more like something that’s been a long time coming. Who can forget how exciting it felt when, at the end of the first Iron Man movie, Tony Stark, with alibi and SHIELD-prepared statement in hand, steps up to the podium at a press conference and gives in to his ego, saying, “I AM Iron Man”. This series is the comics version of that!
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology. He is having an OK day, bought a Coke Zero at the gas station, and is incorrigible.
A comiXologist Recommends:
Jonah Chuang recommends Amazing Spider-Man #9
Whoa! After months of teaser posters and one-shot tie-ins, Spider-Verse finally comes to the main Marvel Universe. In Amazing Spider-Man #9, the most epic Spider-Man event ever begins as Peter Parker (our P.P.) teams up with all the Spiders of this universe, his other selves and alternate versions of friends long thought dead in order to face the most powerful and dangerous enemies he’s ever faced.
In case you haven’t been following the Spider-books recently, the villain, Morlun (from the classic JMS run of Amazing Spider-Man) and his family, the Inheritors, have been traveling through the multiverse hunting down Spider-totem heroes, killing them, and eating them. A few of our heroes manage to get away and regroup in an outer dimension, but none of them seem strong enough to put up any kind of defense. Enter Peter Parker.
A long time ago, Peter Parker faced Morlun and managed to hurt him in a way no one ever had before (though it pretty much killed him to do so). As a result, the Inheritors have been mostly keeping away from the mainstream Marvel Universe. Now that’s all changed, and the stage is set for the biggest Spider-battle ever.
If you’re not sold yet, you should just buy this book because it’s gorgeous. The legendary Olivier Coipel provides pencils for all of Dan Slott’s moments with Mayday Parker, his wacky moments with the Spectacular Spider-Ham, and his heroic moments with Spider-Gwen, alternate Ben Reilly, and all the rest.
On a related note, if you haven’t checked out Gwen Stacy: Spider-Woman, you should. The character has since been given her own ongoing series and the first issue was “beyond sold out”, almost right away, according to more than one comic store employee. Fear not, though, it’s available at the link above.
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology. Spider-Gwen is the girl of his dreams.
A comiXologist Recommends:
Jonah Chuang recommends Edward Scissorhands #1
As a huge fan of the movie (I actually rewatched it before reading this issue) I was intrigued at the prospect of an Edward Scissorhands comic book. How would they capture the enchantment and wonder of Tim Burton’s classic work? Without the music and A-list performances, what would this book have to offer?
As it turns out, writer Kate Leth (kateordie) delivers a real solid opener for a quirky series that has the feel of the old Invader Zim cartoons, or the Vamplets series. It’s cuter than the movie and doesn’t quite capture the haunting quality, but it maintains that tinge of the slightly bizarre and adds a little bit of intrigue.
This issue takes place a few years after the end of the movie—Kim has sadly passed away but her granddaughter, Megan, is older, attending school, and still fascinated by the story of Edward Scissorhands. Through Megan’s interactions with her mom, it’s hinted at that there may be more to the fact that Kim never went to see Edward again, and that there might be some secret that continues to shame the family.
Meanwhile, up the hill, Edward, the artificial man with scissors for hands, continues making fancy hedge sculptures and shaving snow for the town below. In this issue, Edward stumbles across another artificial person, even younger and more incomplete than he. At first it seems like Edward might not have be alone anymore, but he quickly learns that his friend might be more dangerous than he expected. What will gentle Edward do then?
I can’t wait to find out.
[Read Edward Scissorhands #1 on comiXology*]
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology. He rewatched three Tim Burton movies this weekend and had a BLAST!
A comiXologist Recommends:
Jonah Chuang recommends The Twilight Zone: Lost Tale
I really enjoyed Twilight Zone: Lost Tales! The writing style is very similar to the tone of the show—especially in the narration. It’s hard not to read it in Rod Serling’s iconic voice. Each of the three tales in this issue are just as poignant as ever in their messages about morality.
The first story, “Hangnail On A Monkey’s Paw,” is a statement on the use of torture as interrogation; a controversial topic right now. The characters: Butler, former Vice President who orders the torture and stands by his decision, and Khalid, a former victim, innocent of the crimes he was tortured for. The two face off against each other in a locked room with a mystical item—the Monkey’s Paw, which grants the user three wishes but with disastrous consequences. As Khalid struggles to make Butler understand the ramifications of his actions he must also decide whether or not to use the Paw to revisit the same horrors he experiences on another.
Next: “Cold Calculation,” which is my favorite of the three. A haunting tale that makes profound statements sees a crew of exhausted astronauts fly through space in order to find a replacement for the ruined planet they left behind. On their shoulders: the fate of the human race, but when they come across a suitable candidate, the crew must make a terrible choice.
The final tale, “It’s All in How You Frame It” sees an ambitious tycoon come across a spectacular item that grants him an amazing ability, which he enjoys using to his advantage. But as is often the case with these Twilight Zone tales, he soon learns something he wishes he didn’t know.
Overall this was a very solid book. The storytelling is great and the art and tone are perfect for getting you into that eerie Halloween spirit!
[Read The Twilight Zone: Lost Tales on comiXology]
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology. He attended NY Comic Con this past weekend and learned a lot of things about the world, and himself.
