#Universe X Omnibus

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

THE LATE AVENGERS OF EARTH-9997.

PIC INFO: Resolution at 1482x1778 & 975x1250 -- Spotlight on penciled sketch art of the late AVENGERS (sans Captain America), all killed by the Absorbing Man, artwork and/or character designs by Alex Ross, from "Universe X Omnibus" Vol. 1. June, 2001. Marvel Comics.

OVERVIEW: "In a way, the death of the Avengers was not the fault of Crusher Creel, who after absorbing the super-computer Ultron, was able to compute the perfect solution for killing the final assembly of the World's Greatest Heroes. No. Their death, according to Captain America... was the fault of Captain America.

When Cap killed the original Red Skull, he discovered that the Super-Soldier formula that gave him and the entire Super-Soldier program powers was, in fact, part of a Nazi front. Ironically, Steve Rogers owed his abilities to his enemy. The guilt Cap felt over the Skull's death and the breaking of his moral code convinced him that he was not deserving of team membership any longer.

And so, when the Avengers tried to defend Washington D.C. from Creel, they did so without the aid of Captain America. And when they died, they did so without the Living Legend of WWII... leaving Cap, a man who no longer believed himself worthy of the title "Avenger," alone to avenge them."

-- X-51, a.k.a., MACHINE MAN (script by Jim Krueger)

Rest in Power, Earth-9997 Avengers: Giant-Man, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, the Wasp, Hawkeye, and Vision.

Sources: www.pinterest.com/pin/385339311848120437 & www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1176686.

[starwarsbookclub]

Star Wars Omnibus: X-Wing Rogue Squadron Volume 1 | pages 5 & 292 Dark Horse Comics | Michael A. Stackpole; Peet Janes; Dave Nestelle

[dduane]

A query I've had previously

This came in through the messages box, but I've had others like it often enough that I thought I'd answer it in public.

Merry Christmas! On Amazon you’ve got the Door into X volumes 1-3, but there’s also Tales of the Five Volume 1. Are all four of these something different, or is the last one an omnibus or something? (I didn’t get them for Christmas but I got a gift card, so I’m doing some shopping!)

The first three are different from the last one.

The Door Into Fire, The Door Into Shadow and The Door Into Sunset are the first three books of the main Middle Kingdoms series, which is sometimes referred to as "The Tale of the Five".

Tales of the Five Volume 1, though, is the print version of The Levin-Gad and The Landlady—the first two parts of the "Tales of the Five" prose miniseries that's presently in progress. This is a sequence of five novella- or novel-length stories connecting the main series to its final volume, The Door Into Starlight. The Tales cover major events in the lives of the main characters during the decade or two elapsing in-universe between The Door into Sunset and the last book in the series, when that's completed.

Tales of the Five Volume 2, when it comes out, will contain only the third work in the prose miniseries, The Librarian. Volume 3 may contain both the fourth and fifth works, depending on their length... but we won't know for sure about that for another year or so.

HTH!

[radiofreederry]

I'm trying to get into comics, any recommendations?

I'm a DC girl so this list is gonna be very DC heavy, sorry.

DC

All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely: The book that made me a Superman fan. Beautiful, joyful, self-contained story.

The Flash by Mark Waid: Will make you a Flash fan. Some of the first comics I ever read come from this run. The original run is collected in omnibus format but Mark had a second, shorter run from around 98-2000 that wrapped up a lot of loose ends, and another one around 2008. Those are good too.

The New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Perez: This book probably saved DC, and it's a wonderful read.

Batman by Scott Snyder: One of the best modern Batman runs, although it suffers from the stink of the New 52 at times.

52 by Mark Waid, Greg Rucka, Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, and Keith Giffen: Might need some onboarding for this one but it's a great read focusing on some of the second-string characters in the DCU and a triumph of collaborative storytelling. Its spinoff Booster Gold series is great too.

Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross: A surprisingly-accessible refutation of the 1990s trend towards darker and edgier superheroes, it's a must-read for the beautiful painted artwork alone.

Mister Miracle and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, both by Tom King: Tom King's had some big misses, especially Heroes in Crisis, for which as a Wally West fan I should want his blood. He makes up for it when he hits, though. These two titles are his best work.

Secret Six by Gail Simone: A great off-beat title revolving around a small group of supervillains trying to do good. Wish they'd bring this concept back tbh.

DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke: A love letter to the Silver Age of Comics with gorgeous artwork. Was later adapted into an animated film, which is also very good.

Dwayne McDuffie's original Milestone Comics (incl. Icon, Hardware, and Static), are all very good titles focusing specifically on Black heroes. McDuffie also had a great run on Justice League of America from 2007 to 2009.

Justice League International by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire: A great and hilarious book that offers a much more lighthearted take on the DC Universe. There's a lot of focus on more obscure and minor characters which I always enjoy.

Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison and Rachel Pollock: If you've seen the TV show, it cribs heavily from this. A lovely series featuring a group of misfits trying to find their way in the world.

Jack Kirby's Fourth World: Brilliant, esoteric, at times close to incomprehensible. A must-read.

The Question by Dennis O'Neil: A wonderfully cerebral and philosophical series. Denny left reading recs in every issue! See also his run on Green Lantern/Green Arrow, which is a bit outdated but still electrifyingly political for its time, and his seminal run on the Batman titles.

Marvel

Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont: One of the greatest comic book runs of all time. Largely defined the X-Men for several generations basically until the Krakoa era. Most X-Men stories on the "greatest of all time" list come from this run.

Vision by Tom King: Hey, it's Tom King again! He wrote for Marvel too. This one's a really good character piece featuring a character who often doesn't get to stand on his own.

Daredevil by Mark Waid: The best Daredevil run, hands down.

The Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko: The original Spider-Man run is still my favorite. Some great Silver Age nonsense combined with great character drama is what put Marvel on the map, and it's on full display here.

Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona: A really good series that's mostly self-contained about a bunch of kids who run away from home after discovering that their parents are supervillains.

Fantastic Four by Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo: I sing Waid's praises a lot, but damn can he write. The best run for Marvel's First Family.

Others

Bone by Jeff Smith: An epic fantasy adventure starring three cartoon funny animal characters. My favorite comic of all time.

Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai: Another epic starring funny animals, this time set in the Edo period of Japan. Mostly episodic, so it's really easy to jump into.

Astro City by Kurt Buseik: Another love letter to the Silver Age, and to superheroes in general. Essential reading.

[gorogues]

Spoilers for comics in April!

These are from the official solicits for that month, which you can see in full at Adventures In Poor Taste.

SUICIDE SQUAD: KILL ARKHAM ASYLUM #4 Written by JOHN LAYMAN Art by JESÚS HERVÁS Cover by DAN PANOSIAN Variant cover by ARIEL OLIVETTI Variant cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA $4.99 US | 32 pages | 4 of 5 | Variant $5.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 5/7/24 It takes more than a boomerang to survive a riot at Arkham Asylum, and all its super-powered rioters. This in particular sucks if a boomerang is your weapon of choice, and your name is Captain Boomerang. So, to survive you join up with some allies. But be careful who you join with, because nobody is to be trusted, and your allies just might be worse than your enemies. Presenting the most brain-bending, backstabbing, boomeranging-est episode yet of Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League! Each print issue includes a redeemable code for a bonus weapon doll digital token in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League inspired by the comics. Get the new Mad Hatter weapon doll digital token with issue #4. Paying subscribers with a DC Universe Infinite Annual or Ultra subscription (U.S. only) who read the digital issues of Suicide Squad: Kill Arkham Asylum will also receive these bonus digital codes.* *Terms Apply. See dc.com/suicide-squad-faq for details. DC UNIVERSE INFINITE is not intended for children.

Ah Digger, never change.

This next book reprints some Webtoons strips, which has a new Mirror Master.

RED HOOD: OUTLAWS VOLUME TWO Written by PATRICK R. YOUNG Art by NICO BASCUÑÁN, JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ VÉJARES, and SEBASTIÁN FRANCHINI Cover by VASCO GEORGIEV $14.99 US | 208 pages | Softcover | 6″ x 9″ | ISBN: 978-1-77952-689-2 ON SALE 7/2/24 Jason Todd, Bizarro, and Artemis know what it means to play second fiddle to the Justice League…but now, that is even more the case as they’ve been contracted into work-for-hire duty by none other than Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. All aboard the Watchtower as the new Outlaws tackle a meddling Medusa and take a trip to the Mirror Dimension to face Mirror Master himself (along with some other Bizarro versions of our great trio). Can the Outlaws handle the twisted reflections of themselves? Or will they succumb to pressure from all (literal) angles?! Collecting episodes 12-22 of WEBTOON’s smash-hit series, optimized for a brand-new reading experience in print. Your new favorite series continues!

And we're finally getting a William Messner-Loebs Omnibus! For those not familiar with it, this (partially) covers the run which introduced Hartley's reform and coming out. However, this particular volume won't contain the coming out issue; that'll probably be in the next one.

THE FLASH BY WILLIAM MESSNER-LOEBS AND GREG LaROCQUE OMNIBUS VOL. 1 Written by WILLIAM MESSNER-LOEBS and MIKE BARON Art by GREG LaROCQUE, BUTCH GUICE, and others Cover by GREG LaROCQUE $125.00 US | 986 pages | 7 1/16″ x 10 7/8″ | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-77952-581-9 ON SALE 6/18/24 Following the death of Barry Allen, Wally West will don the red suit and become the new Fastest Man Alive. Kid Flash no more, Wally must pave his own path forward and live up to the legacy of the man who saved the universe. Collects The Flash #1-28, The Flash Annual #1-3, Manhunter #8-9, Secret Origins Annual #2, and pages from Invasion! #2-3, featuring over a dozen never-before-collected issues.

[spidermannotes]

Two Massive DC/Marvel Omnibuses Coming this Summer

Covering around 25 years of DC/Marvel crossovers, the two comic book giants are giving fans young and old the chance to appreciate classic characters together in memorable tales.

Press release:

The vast and varied history of DC versus Marvel returns to print for the first time in decades with two massive volumes collecting the universe-bending comic book crossovers between the greatest characters in pop culture! These fantastic stories, originally co-presented by the two powerhouse comic book publishers, have been highly sought after and hard to find for most readers—but they’re making their return in DC Versus Marvel Omnibus and DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus,both publishing on August 6, 2024.

Who would win: Superman versus Spider-Man? Batman versus Captain America? The X-Men meeting the Teen Titans? DC Versus Marvel Omnibus collects crossovers between the core DC and Marvel characters, from 1976’s Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man to 2000’s Batman/Daredevil. Included are stories from some of comics’ most revered talents, namely Dennis O’Neil, George Pérez, Dan Jurgens, Chris Claremont, Walter Simonson, J.M. DeMatteis, Mark Bagley, Gerry Conway, John Romita Jr., and more. DC and Marvel fans alike can’t miss these thrilling pieces of unearthed comic book history!

DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus features stories, first told in 1996, of the two superhero universes fused together into a new Amalgam Universe, combining DC’s and Marvel’s heroes, villains, and mythologies. The result was a series of unforgettable one-shot comic books starring the likes of Dark Claw (Batman and Wolverine), Super Soldier (Superman and Captain America), Iron Lantern (Iron Man and Green Lantern), and many more! These stories, from creators such as Peter David, Dan Jurgens, Mark Waid, Dave Gibbons, Ron Marz, José Luis García-López, Gary Frank, Bill Sienkiewicz, Claudio Castellini, and more, represent one of the most fun and unlikely periods in comic book history, and now are available in one omnibus. Included in this volume are the historic DC Versus Marvel miniseries and its sequels, perfect for fans of both DC and Marvel!

DC Versus Marvel Omnibus collects Batman/Captain America #1, Batman/Daredevil #1, Batman/Punisher: Lake of Fire #1, Batman/Spider-Man #1, Daredevil/Batman #1, DC Special Series #27, Darkseid vs. Galactus: The Hunger #1, Green Lantern/Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances #1, Incredible Hulk vs. Superman #1, Marvel and DC Present Featuring the Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans #1, Marvel Treasury Edition #28, Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights #1, Silver Surfer/Superman #1, Spider-Man and Batman #1, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man #1, and Superman/Fantastic Four #1.

DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus collects DC Versus Marvel #1-4, DC/Marvel: All Access #1-4, Unlimited Access #1-4, Bat-Thing #1, Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, Bullets and Bracelets #1, Challengers of the Fantastic #1, Doctor Strangefate #1, Iron Lantern #1, Legends of the Dark Claw #1, Lobo the Duck #1, Speed Demon #1, Spider-Boy #1, Super Soldier #1, Thorion of the New Asgods #1, X-Patrol #1, and more, plus a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes material.

DC Versus Marvel Omnibus (9781779523259) and DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus (9781779523266) will both be published on August 6. The two volumes will each have a direct-market-exclusive cover available only in local comic book shops, while supplies last.

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Weeks in Review (July 16-29, 2023)

Legendary announced a pair of Monsterverse comics during a panel at San Diego Comic Con. They've said nothing further since, and no one posted the panel online, so I have less to tell you than I'd like. Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted is the obligatory prequel comic for the film. From the pages they showed off, it looks like Zid has art duties again (well-deserved) and the monsters that Kong is fighting could be the "swamp kitt[ies]" cut from Godzilla vs. Kong. Release date is February 27. Monsterverse Declassified is going to spotlight some of the series' original monsters, with the previews showing Behemoth, Amhuluk, and Tiamat. (Supposedly Scylla, Doug, and the previously-unseen Abaddon will be in it too.)

Toho is finally letting Togen's 4K scans of some of its Godzilla films out of satellite TV jail as tie-ins to Godzilla Minus One. Godzilla (1954) and Mothra vs. Godzilla are coming to 4K Ultra HD on October 25, with Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster, Invasion of Astro-Monster, and Destroy All Monsters on November 22 and Godzilla vs. Hedorah and Godzilla vs. Biollante. Expect them to be as English-unfriendly as Toho's other releases - but a vague promise of "unused special effects footage", combined with some very crisp-looking photos in a recent book, means there's a chance the Frontier Missile sequence from Godzilla vs. The Thing will be included with Mothra vs. Godzilla. That'd be a godsend, considering how elusive an uncropped, uncut, high-quality version of the scene has proven to be.

These releases will easily be the best Mothra vs. Godzilla, Ghidorah, Astro-Monster, and Biollante have ever looked on home video. But with Togen shutting down, it's unclear when the rest of the pre-Shin films in the series will get upgrades. (It's also unclear when Toho will permit anyone outside Japan to use these versions for streaming or home video.) So this announcement feels bittersweet to me.

We have a release date for GAMERA -Rebirth- (September 7), a second trailer, and a reveal for the final monster: Viras! As @starestream pointed out, there's a lot of Legion in that design (along with Iris in Zigra). And as Maser Patrol pointed out, this is the same enemy kaiju lineup that Trendmasters chose for its toyline back in 1998. Poor Barugon, no one wants to taste the rainbow (and it probably hurts that he's so visually similar to Jiger too). To be honest, this trailer didn't do much for me; a bit too chaotic. Hopefully it'll be easier to tell what's happening in the show proper.

Bandai, of course, has readied Movie Monster Series figures of Viras, Zigra, and Guiron already. We're also getting a prequel manga set 100,000 years before the show.

Decades after his rampage through the Marvel Universe, Godzilla is barging into the world of DC (where he'll finally meet Batman). Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong is a seven-issue limited series launching October 17, written by Brian Buccellato (who also penned the short "Fight or Flight" comic that will be included in Legends of the Monsterverse: The Omnibus later this year) with art by Christian Duce. The inciting incident is a battle between the Justice League and the Legion of Doom, which tears a hole in reality to let the Monsterverse through.

I'll confess, I was more jazzed for last year's Power Rangers crossover, thanks to the tokusatsu link. This could just be more of Warner Bros. Discovery bashing its toys together. I'm most curious to see if the Legion of Doom makes a bid to conquer the Monsterverse, which with Godzilla and Kong out of the picture is far less prepared for them than the DC universe is for a couple of giant monsters. Superman beats them all, as Ken Yano once said.

Hiya is stepping further out of S.H.Monsterarts' shadow with a figure of the female MUTO, a character long neglected by toymakers. They showed her off at San Diego Comic Con. Playmates meanwhile releases an ad for Titan Tech Rodan - I'm glad they're not giving up on this delightful subline.

Summer Smash concludes IDW's middle-grade Monsters and Protectors storyline, which has spanned the entirety of their second go-round with Godzilla. You can tell it was supposed to be another miniseries; Godzilla, Jet Jaguar, and Mothra send Mecha-King Ghidorah and the Xiliens packing pretty quickly. Art's still great though.

Godzilla Rivals will persist into October with Vs. Mechagodzilla, the magnificent machine being the last of the Toho's Big Five to headline one of these comics. The intriguing logline:

IS YOUR CITY BESIEGED BY KAIJU? DO YOU LIE AWAKE AT NIGHT ANXIOUSLY LISTENING FOR THE MONSTER SIRENS? HAVE YOU HAD ALL YOU CAN TAKE OF GIANT LIZARDS, MOTHS, PTERODACTYLS, AND SHRIMP? THEN CALL TRACER TECH TODAY! OUR STATE-OF-THE-ART ANTI-KAIJU TECHNOLOGY HAS ALLOWED DOZENS OF CITIES AROUND THE WORLD TO FEND OFF THE THREAT OF MONSTER ATTACK. San Palomar, California. It’s a sleepy city with not much going on. That is, until Tracer Tech built their new corporate headquarters there, displacing lifelong citizens and forcing out local businesses. But what is the source of Tracer’s amazing, almost alien technology, and why has it put San Palomar in Godzilla’s sights? And what can a couple of local kids like Alex and Jaz do to protect their city when the King of the Monsters and its robot doppelgänger clash?

SRS Cinema has opened preorders for The Whale God, revealing this cover art by Bob Eggleton. Special features aren't anything spectacular (they're vaguely described, but I think a couple of essays are included, plus the obligatory trailers). Should be out by the end of the year.

The disc replacement program for Cleopatra Entertainment's misbegotten Shin Ultraman releases has resulted in an only marginally better product. The opening montage has subtitles now... but like the rest of the movie, they're just copied from the English dub. Dubtitles in 2023... and for a film that already has a perfectly good official English translation, no less. Oh, and they threw in some new visual glitches too. If your local library picks up a copy, I recommend telling them about the disc replacement program (as I've done), but don't give these clowns your money.

[batmannotes]

Two Massive DC/Marvel Omnibuses Coming this Summer

Covering around 25 years of DC/Marvel crossovers, the two comic book giants are giving fans young and old the chance to appreciate classic characters together in memorable tales.

Here is the official press release:

The vast and varied history of DC versus Marvel returns to print for the first time in decades with two massive volumes collecting the universe-bending comic book crossovers between the greatest characters in pop culture! These fantastic stories, originally co-presented by the two powerhouse comic book publishers, have been highly sought after and hard to find for most readers—but they’re making their return in DC Versus Marvel Omnibus and DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus,both publishing on August 6, 2024.

Who would win: Superman versus Spider-Man? Batman versus Captain America? The X-Men meeting the Teen Titans? DC Versus Marvel Omnibus collects crossovers between the core DC and Marvel characters, from 1976’s Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man to 2000’s Batman/Daredevil. Included are stories from some of comics’ most revered talents, namely Dennis O’Neil, George Pérez, Dan Jurgens, Chris Claremont, Walter Simonson, J.M. DeMatteis, Mark Bagley, Gerry Conway, John Romita Jr., and more. DC and Marvel fans alike can’t miss these thrilling pieces of unearthed comic book history!

DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus features stories, first told in 1996, of the two superhero universes fused together into a new Amalgam Universe, combining DC’s and Marvel’s heroes, villains, and mythologies. The result was a series of unforgettable one-shot comic books starring the likes of Dark Claw (Batman and Wolverine), Super Soldier (Superman and Captain America), Iron Lantern (Iron Man and Green Lantern), and many more! These stories, from creators such as Peter David, Dan Jurgens, Mark Waid, Dave Gibbons, Ron Marz, José Luis García-López, Gary Frank, Bill Sienkiewicz, Claudio Castellini, and more, represent one of the most fun and unlikely periods in comic book history, and now are available in one omnibus. Included in this volume are the historic DC Versus Marvel miniseries and its sequels, perfect for fans of both DC and Marvel!

DC Versus Marvel Omnibus collects Batman/Captain America #1, Batman/Daredevil #1, Batman/Punisher: Lake of Fire #1, Batman/Spider-Man #1, Daredevil/Batman #1, DC Special Series #27, Darkseid vs. Galactus: The Hunger #1, Green Lantern/Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances #1, Incredible Hulk vs. Superman #1, Marvel and DC Present Featuring the Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans #1, Marvel Treasury Edition #28, Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights #1, Silver Surfer/Superman #1, Spider-Man and Batman #1, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man #1, and Superman/Fantastic Four #1.

DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus collects DC Versus Marvel #1-4, DC/Marvel: All Access #1-4, Unlimited Access #1-4, Bat-Thing #1, Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, Bullets and Bracelets #1, Challengers of the Fantastic #1, Doctor Strangefate #1, Iron Lantern #1, Legends of the Dark Claw #1, Lobo the Duck #1, Speed Demon #1, Spider-Boy #1, Super Soldier #1, Thorion of the New Asgods #1, X-Patrol #1, and more, plus a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes material.

DC Versus Marvel Omnibus (9781779523259) and DC/Marvel: The Amalgam Age Omnibus (9781779523266) will both be published on August 6. The two volumes will each have a direct-market-exclusive cover available only in local comic book shops, while supplies last.

[outbackera]

I want to hear your thoughts on the most specialist brown haired white boy ever (Rick Jones)

holy SHIT this is the ask i've been waiting for since i became obsessed with him via immortal hulk and then captain america thank you so much

i was just thinking about him today because i've been unsure of what to read next after x-force and x-factor, but was considering either captain marvel vol. 1 or rom the space knight since rick is a supporting character in both. i bought the first rom omnibus (the romnibus, if you will) earlier this year specifically for rick lol

anyways i do think it's insane how important he is to the marvel universe, but has remained such a c-list character for the last 60 years despite being a silver age lee/kirby co-creation and literally founding the avengers. whenever i tell people irl that he's my favourite (non x-men) marvel character i either have to explain who he is or i get a "him?" in response

but i don't know i just think he's super just a neat character! he's the ultimate sidekick and reader stand-in character, and he's taken up permanent residence in my brain the last 3 years

i have a spotify playlist that is both music that i think he would do covers of and music that i think his own original songs in universe would sound similar to. here is another playlist for just hulk-in-general related songs, mostly inspired by immortal hulk because i love that run so much. additionally i have a few pinterest boards that are related to him because my obsession runs that deep

[b-else-writes]

The Great CLAMP Re-Read Part 3: Tokyo Babylon

Part 1 (RG Veda) | Part 2 (Man of Many Faces)

And now we reach the CLAMP 90s series, and we are firmly back in serious territory. Tokyo Babylon ran from 1990 to 1993, which means it was concurrent with RG Veda, the CLAMP school series, Shirahime, Chun-hyang, AND X, which is just so much work to think about - and to wonder how X and Tokyo Babylon shaped each other (but more on that when I get to X). Tokyo Babylon (and X) is also set in the same universe as the CLAMP School with Subaru sharing a class with the Duklyon cast, which is very strange to consider given the tonal whiplash and thematic inconsistency, but it does reflect CLAMP’s early interest in crossovers. It consists of 18 chapters in 7 volumes, with each chapter being about 60 pages long.

While I'd never read it before this, it's famous enough (two OVAs, a drama CD, and a live action movie), that I went into this knowing some of the big spoilers, but not the details. So while my reading was coloured by the knowledge of its tragic end, it still felt revelatory to me. I'm very pleased that I found copies of the two omnibuses. The back of my Darkhorse Omnibus versions describe this as "CLAMP's first great work", which I don't entirely agree with - I'll die on the hill that RG Veda is GOOD - but it is the first CLAMP work where I think they were very consciously thinking of how to write a story that ties together on a thematic level, in every stage, and it's phenomenal. Heavy spoilers.

Synopsis: Onmyoji and thirteenth head of the Sumeragi clan, Subaru Sumeragi is called upon to solve occult mysteries in post-bubble Tokyo. It's a time of glittering lights, a rotten economy, and city populated by lonely people desperate for an answer to their problems as the millennium draws near. Joined by his fashionable twin sister Hokuto and the kindly but strangely sinister vetenarian Seishiro Sakurazuka who is in love with him, the overly sacrificing and empathetic Subaru must solve these problems and learn how to live - but Tokyo is not a kind place, especially to those with gentle natures.

The Story: On its surface, Tokyo Babylon begins as a "case-of-the-week" style story, where Subaru has to solve an occult case and learns something. Its a deceptively simple premise that allowed for CLAMP to explore pressing social issues of their time (which still feel resonant due to the sensitive way they explored them), while also building upon Subaru's character development through this, and the suspense of Seishiro's true nature. The comedy is well-timed and CLAMP know when to pull back from it to allow the emotional aspect to come through. Every case is incredibly gripping and I even cried reading "Old". I have seen some suggest it would have been more effective to have a massive twist rather than seed Seishiro's psychopathy throughout, but I actually think this works on a thematic level, and finding out Seishiro is a murderer, the bet, and Hokuto's death, still hit like a gut punch. It's a brilliant usage of seeding information without the full context until the end. I have no complaints here. It's a poignant story of Tokyo in the early 1990s and its destructiveness, while never losing its humanity.

The Themes: Do you know why the cherry blossoms are red. Tokyo Babylon is a story about well, Tokyo. It's about how modern city living that pursues only personal gain and conformity leads to human loneliness, and loneliness is a trap that destroys us all. We can never know someone else's pain, which leads to loneliness - but to recognize that is also freeing because it means we cannot judge and be judged for it. Having empathy is good, but too much and for the wrong people and not for yourself, can only lead to death. Its a fascinating interplay between community and individuality, the reality of modern life of trying to be someone while also needing to generalize, without ever really settling on either side, but where it does come down hard is that humans are not the villains but Tokyo is, in what it represents - greed, selfishness, cruelty, and apathy. It is intensely tragic and yet, strangely, incredibly life-affirming. Despite everything Subaru suffers, people are not born and made evil and everyone should be taken for who they are, not a faceless mass.

The Characters: Like the plot, everything in the characters is tied into the story of Tokyo. Seishiro is Tokyo: the slick, cool-cut well to do man in a suit with no empathy and a taste for violence. Nobody is special in Seishiro's eyes, nobody deserves to be treated as anything but an object. And then we have Subaru, poor sweet Subaru who is so empathetic and yet so detached from the world and himself because he's so focused on only his job, on not being an individual. He is what Tokyo wants him to be, filled with self-loathing and frankly suicidal impulses that he shouldn’t be alive. It's so tragic to watch Subaru finally grow into a person, but to do so to the one person who will hurt him. Subaru wants to to love Tokyo so badly, that it kills his sister, the one person he SHOULD have been pouring his love into, the person who could love him back and expect nothing in return. And Hokuto is just a showstopper, funny, kind, witty and cool. She's Subaru's northstar, the empathy and humanity where he cannot, almost co-dependent. I love characters that reflect one another and the themes.

The Art: The visual storytelling and panelling are fantastic. While less imaginative and fanciful than RG Veda, there's still some incredibly done spreads and pages, particularly anything to do with the bet. Subaru surrounded by cherry blossoms? Haunting. The fashion is impeccable, I love the bold design choices in the covers and spreads. The character designs in and of themselves are quite simple (and I don't love the seme-uke look of Seishiro and Subaru), but the personality-costuming is so well done and tell stories themselves. And the use of Hokuto and Subaru being identical to conceal the twist? Masterful character design. My only complaint is some of the scanned photo backgrounds are jarring against the lovely drawn art.

Questionable Elements: Subaru is 16 and Seishiro is 25. That being said, I do think from their interviews and the actual text, we aren't meant to ship them, and it's not unrealistic to be a teen and fall for an older person only for it to majorly fuck you up because they abuse their greater knowledge to harm you (which hey, might be a theme!). Some of the way issues are handled is dated, but not too badly. Again, I’m not going to comment on whether this is queer representation or not, since I don’t think that has ever been CLAMP’s intention. All the same, despite the stereotypical seme and uke stuff, the relationship feels real and tangible (which is why the payoff works).

Overall: A beautiful tragedy and an ode to human alienation and empathy. I went into this expecting to like it, and ended it never the same. It is genuinely a fantastic, fully complete thematic work from them that speaks as a reflection of the time it was written, and yet remains resonant. I know some people find it edgy, but I actually don't think edge is its intention, it's dark and it's tragic but never misanthropic. Yes, Subaru enters the adult world broken, but his refusal to become like Seishiro and to continue to count himself amongst humanity despite everything, reaffirms that life and people have value. You can see so much of their ideas crystallize here that they’ll repeat across X, Xxxholic, etc. We're all just lonely people and we hurt each other in it, and it's important to recognize that in ourselves and take of ourselves for it. Read it!

[omniversecomicsguide]

Not sure how much of an impact Rom actually had on the Marvel Universe?

See the ROM READING ORDER, 1978-1994: SPACEKNIGHT OF GALADOR for his compete comics chronology, plus the parts of the MU he interacts with and the characters introduced in his series!

Featured cover art:

ROM AND THE X-MEN: MARVEL TALES #1 (2024) by Nick Bradshaw & Richard Isanove

This one-shot collects Rom #17-18, 31-32 - his interactions with the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Grab this or the freshly released Rom: The Original Marvel Years vol.1 Omnibus for more Rom reprints!

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

A TRIBUTE TO KUROSAWA'S GREATEST MASTERWORK -- FROM THE WORLD OF "EARTH X."

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on a double-page spread of the Seven Silver Samurai, loyal protectors/defenders of the Land of the Rising Sun, from "UNIVERSE X" Omnibus Vol. 1 #1. June, 2001. Marvel Comics.

"Lord Sunfire's father, the original Sunfire and sometime member of the X-MEN, was assassinated shortly after the death of the Avengers, but the newly-created pact between those who became keepers of the pieces of Creel lived on.

To guarantee that an assassination attempt like this would never happen again, Tony Stark created the Seven Silver Samurai to help the heir of the eastern Orient bring peace to his feuding lands.

Sunfire has since wondered if these seven heroes might not be prototypes of the Iron Avengers, who serve a similar purpose in America.

Lord Sunfire's robot bodyguards are now the extended will of their master, Sunfire."

-- MACHINE MAN (X-51), story/script by Jim Krueger & Alex Ross

Source: Facebook (an old post of mine, repurposed for Tumblr).

[emmym1]

If you need a timeline order reading list for Laura Kinney I have one! 😅

Hi there! So currently i'm reading through the X-23 Omnibus Vol. 1 (which collects X-23 (2005) #1-6, X-23: TARGET X #1-6, X-23 (2010A) #1, X-23 (2010B) #1-21, CAPTAIN UNIVERSE/X-23 #1 and DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE #8-9) So that's kind of the order i'm going through right now . The omnibus does (thankfully) have some recap pages explaining what she's been up to inbetween certain runs. But i do think a timeline order reading list definitely would come in handy, especially as I'm planning to read X-23: Deadly Regenisis after being done with the omnibus as i've heard it takes place around the same timeperiod of the comics collected in the omnibus. I think it also would come in handy if I want to visit some of the other runs she appears in somewhere down the line! I think currently the plan I have in mind (subject to change) is to focus on her solo stuff first mostly (I'm planning to read Avengers Arena once i'm done with Deadly Regenisis because it follows up on both Avengers Academy and Laura's journey in the marvel comics) before venturing out to some of her appearances in other series! TL:DR: I definitely wouldn't mind a timeline order reading list for her!

[carrymelikeimcute]

do you have an update on the con-tent of how to have a perfect marriage? x

Sorry it took so long! Had to wait for audible credit day :P

Right - the breakdown.

Background on the show:

'How to Have a Perfect Marriage' is a radio drama, 4 series, each 5 episodes around 13mins each. The whole thing is available as an omnibus on audible - I couldn't find a free source as it's no longer on the BBC Radio 4 website.

The plotline revolves around Jack and Karen, who have two teenage daughters and are settled into their marriage. However, Jack has been struggling with his sexuality since university, when he had an affair with his professor (Ben) and is now ready to come out as gay. The series follows him as he comes out to Karen and gets a boyfriend (Tom) whilst still trying to make his marriage to Karen work. He remains friends with Ben in the present, who kind of provides a sounding board/gay wisdom.

Con's role:

Con O'neill plays Ben in series 1 ONLY. There was around a 2 year gap between that and s2, during which they re-cast the part to John Sessions (who plays the character older and cattier in my opinion - also I think the writers forgot the name of Ben's boyfriend because it seems to change between Simon/Steven but remains the same character?).

Con is in 3 of the 5 episodes of series 1 and has some great lines in his roughly 5 mins of combined airtime. (If you're familiar with Val in Uncle or Cliff in Cucumber - blend those two together and that's basically his baseline here). Very cheeky. (Special mention for use of the phrase 'rumpy-pumpy' which doesn't get enough press in my opinion).

At first I was like, YAY! a happy queer character! But (SPOILERS) Ben suffers a stroke in the latter part of s1 and is determined to have serious health issues, which he asks Jack to keep from his boyfriend/fiancé - phenomenally acted. But ouch.

Thoughts on the show so far:

I listened to the first 2 series last night because I couldn't sleep. It's really well acted and covers the complex relationships really well.

I will say that I LOATHE Jack with a passion at the moment. He really craps all over Karen, especially when she gets a boyfriend of her own (the hypocrite). I could understand his possessiveness even if it wasn't justified, but (and this is possibly down to the condensed episode lengths) after Ben has a STROKE and is rushed to hospital, Jack shows up to literally dump all his relationship drama on his friend who has only just regained the power of speech. - AH move.

I am invested in it now and will probably finish it, but I really wish Con was in more of it, because his version of Ben was a lot more likeable.

[turtleations]

Pink Couldy Sky, Chapter 06 – Crossroads (Summarized) - Part 1

Note 1: This chapter is once again split into two parts, the second, longer one following tomorrow. Note 2: Whenever someone is talking about “America” here, they specifically mean the United States. Note 3: I have decided to put warnings about things like fatal accidents, illnesses, parental death etc. into the tags, so pay attention to that if there are things that can be expected to show up in an autobiography that you would rather avoid reading about.

Chapter 00 - 01 Chapter 02 Chapter 03 Chapter 04 Part 1, Part 2 Chapter 05

REM and hide felt the same way: The didn’t have the energy to assemble all new members. They also couldn’t image making a band other than SAVER TIGER. So, looking desolate, hide told REM, “I’m going to quit music and become a beauty artist in America.” REM, too, strongly felt like he should just go back to studying. And if he were to quit the band, he felt like he should quit music altogether.

Having reached this decision, he held a “retirement ceremony” in his apartment and cut off all of his waist-long rocker hair. Then he didn’t touch his guitar at all for an entire year.

Most of his guitars, his amps, he sold. The money he got for that disappeared into three or four days of binge drinking.

He didn’t listen to music either.

He had given up his dream. Threw away anything and everything. And now, he would become a dentist.

Later, REM would talk to the member who had left SAVER TIGER and led to the band’s break up. By then, ten years had passed since that day.

REM never knew it back then, but it turned out that apparently one of the reasons for that person leaving had been the fact that REM continued to go to university.

That member absolutely wanted to go major, and he needed everyone else to give it their all to reach that goal as soon as possible. And he didn’t think REM was doing that, as long as he was still enrolled in university.

Hide never said anything about REM continuing with his classes. And REM though that he was getting the same understanding from the other band members as well.

It was a pity he was not given the chance to convey this to the one who left, but REM shared the dream of going pro with SAVER TIGER and would have dropped out of university as soon as it came true.

In those days, hide often asked REM if he would quit his studies if they made it, and every time REM answered, “Of course!” From the moment REM joined SAVER TIGER, he had the feeling that, as long as he was with hide, they could do anything, make any dream a reality. But in the end that border was never crossed.

REM and that other band member talked openly about it all when they met again a very long time later. Now, REM thinks that for this guy, the choice was an unavoidable one. He cannot blame anyone for it, and does not plan on doing so.

His former band member chose the path that seemed best for him on the shortcut to success. To reach his goals, he did all he could. In that, he was no different from REM or hide.

They all walked down the path they chose for themselves, just unexpectedly in different directions. Who could blame a friend for something like that?

[Note: REM never identifies the band member in question, but by now it has been revealed that it was TETSU.]

Hide was with REM for every day of his binge drinking. Then, several days after the disbandment, Yoshiki from the band X invited him, telling him that he absolutely wanted hide to join them. At that time, X was a forceful band that was rather famous in the indies scene.

Hide and Yoshiki had met through the recording of the aforementioned omnibus album and hide had previously invited Yoshiki to SAVER TIGER at an afterparty.

Now, hide was very torn about that invitation. He meant to quit music! He didn’t dislike X, but it wasn’t the kind of music he wanted to do! But Yoshiki’s enthusiasm and sincerity eventually won him over.

Hide’s decision to join X hardened. There was only one condition that he had: He insisted on twin guitars.

Yoshiki readily agreed. When it came to the guitar, he left everything to hide, who then invited REM to join them, arguing that REM was the one he could harmonize with the best. With those words, he passionately tried to pull REM over. But REM had cut off his hair, returned to university, and given up on his music dreams. His last remaining guitar had been carelessly deposited in its case in a corner of his room, and he hadn’t touched it once since the dissolution.

Even so, his heart was swayed by hide’s invitation. But in the end, he stuck with his decision. The disbandment of SAVER TIGER had been a shock that had done a lot of damage.

REM could no longer invoke the feeling he had when first starting music. So, after some hesitation, he said, “I’m still becoming a dentist,” declining the invitation. Seeming heartbroken, hide ended the call.

After this hide found a fantastic partner called PATA and started to play a very active part in X. X quickly left the indies behind and not only went major but started to climb to the top.

Though he turned from SAVER TIGER’s leader into X’s guitarist, hide ran up the stairs towards his dreams in one big leap. Soon, he left Yokosuka and started living in an apartment in Tokyo. Since the disbandment, about one year had passed. In this time, REM also managed to get over the shock. He even started to sometimes engage with his guitar again.

In this time, hide sometimes called him on the phone. But while they gave each other updates on their recent lives and talked about music, REM couldn’t get into it like he had before.

“Ooh, hide really went pro! I’m glad! I’m jealous!” But even as he thought that, it was like that part of him was far away.

It was probably during this time that REM thought for the first time in his life that music wasn’t everything.

His instincts informed him that he no longer had the passion for music that he had a year ago. So now he put all of that passion into becoming a dentist.

Therefore, it often happened during their calls that REM only listened and left the talking to hide. Still, hide always seemed to enjoy calling him and ended with the worlds, “Next time I’m in Yokosuka, let’s go to Dobuita Street and drink until morning!”, laughing.

The other members of SAVER TIGER also joined other bands and stayed on the path of music. Kyo and TETSU went pro with a band called D’erlanger, Tokihiko joined a band called Dementia. One time, Dementia came to perform on Dobuita, and REM went to watch Tokihiko play for the first time in forever.

Tokihiko had changed his appearance a lot since his days in SAVER TIGER, and it was a refreshing sight to see him play progressive music in jeans and a t-shirt. He, too, had found his own way, REM thought, a little maudlin.

One time, when REM was visiting hide at his place in Tokyo, they also contacted Tokihiko. Until then, they had spoken on the phone a few times, but never made it to the point of having a drink together. This time, things came together and the three of them went out drinking together for the first time in a while.

They met at a place near Meguro Rokumeikan, Tokihiko coming in with his long, glossy, well-maintained jet-black hair. The three of them drank until morning without running out of stuff to talk about.

REM still vividly remembers what hide said to Tokihiko that day: “One day, I want to work with you again. I want you to play the bass on a song I wrote. Even though the music we want to do and our styles are different, I want to have your bass in my song.”

After thinking a little, Tokihiko replied. “I am not satisfied with the things I can do in today’s Japan. Therefore, I think I want to go to America. For that, I want to further raise my level as a musician. But I don’t know when I can go to America, because I have no money. As long as I am in Japan, I’ll be happy to work with you whenever you want. In any case, your words made me really happy!”

REM was deeply moved by those words. This was a Tokihiko who had grown a lot in both personality and music since the days of SAVER TIGER, when he had been young in many ways. He clearly formulated his goals and was able to communicate what he wanted to say.

Then, hide said passionately to REM and Tokihiko, “One day, I want to record with the members of SAVER TIGER! I really want to make an album with you!”

At his words, something hot welled up in REM, and doubtlessly in Tokihiko as well.

A peasant wind was blowing; it was a good night in May.

-

A few years later, in August 1995, when the swelteringly hot summer nights were going on and on, REM was on the other side of Lake Kawaguchiko at a camp of his university “Pops Club” when suddenly his cell phone rang. It was past midnight.

Tokihiko had died in a motorcycle accident. What REM learned from the band man from Yokosuka who called him was the following: In those days, Tokihiko has joined a team of bikers who often went on tours together. That time, they had come back from their tour without incident, separated in the early morning, and Tokihiko died in an accident on the way home.

REM was so stunned, he didn’t even feel sad. He called hide in L.A. and hide, too, didn’t know what to say. Between the two of them, they had no words.

REM soon ended the call because there were other friends from the music scene he wanted to inform. But when he reached them, they said, “I just heard it from hide-chan. I cannot believe it...”

Hide kept calling their acquaintances, including Yoko from UNITED, who was surprised to receive any call at all since he wasn’t even home, being in the middle of a tour. REM thinks that hide felt that was all he could do for Tokihiko at that time.

This is what REM thought when hide returned to Japan a little later and the two of them visited Tokihiko’s house, talking to their friend who smiled at them from the photo as if nothing had ever happened: That after that incident immediately after entering university, he once again got a harsh reminder of how fleeting a human life could be.

Summer turned into Autum. A memorial event for Tokihiko was held in a live house in Yokosuka called “Panama Red”, where the bands he’d been connected with gathered in his honor. Hide was at the studio that day, but even though he was in the middle of recording and kept saying that he had to rush, he was on the phone with REM for an hour, constantly asking who was on stage, who had come, what were they doing.

It was after midnight when hide finally managed to get away from the studio and made it to their meeting place. He came in, got all the tequila in the house for those assembled, and disappeared like a storm. It was a very hide-like way of expressing his grief.

Outside, the threes were covered in morning dew, the leaves on the ground scattered. The clear atmosphere made the darkness in the alleyways all the deeper. Far above the people drinking at “Panama Red”, an orange moon was silently drifting along its orbit. Another season was coming to an end.

Continued in part 2

[yellowocaballero]

🌟🌟🌟DEALER’S CHOICE ROUND TWO

Hi sorry this took so long to get to I was finishing up my chronicle of Danny and Colleen's fucked spring break.

This is actually mostly some notes I wanted to make that I couldn't explain out right but that I think are funny and that I want people to know:

“Guilty. Jaime Garcia at your service. You gonna turn me in?”

“Señor Suerte himself? I feel like I’m meeting a celebrity.” Merridew waved a hand, running his other hand along the edge of the desk before leaning back in his chair. “Nah. Go ahead and take the art. I couldn’t care less. I have all the treasure I need right here.” He rubbed his thumb on the obsidian crystal, gentle and reverent. “Do you like it? Found it on the black market. These were found in the body of some mutie the cops exterminated. Apparently the guy was a wannabe superhero. Called himself the Living Monolith. The crystals in his body could propagate themselves endlessly. No real human could possibly use it, obviously, but a talented magician like me can tap into the potential. I’m making better use of it than he ever did.”

This is a terrible person.

So I read over an omnibus of Heroes For Hire and it is, frankly, very weird. There's a vibe of...it tries, and sometimes it says something interesting, but it mostly fails. Something interesting stood out to me about Danny that cued me to write a story about him and his multi-racial identities, but here's a quick breakdown of the plot relevant bits of issue #56:

Danny & Luke are hired by Professor Merridew of a local university and an (terribly colored holy shit he was grey) Egyptian dude Ahmet Abdol. There's a showcase of Egyptian artifacts at the museum and they want to hire Luke & Danny to act as security for the museum.

Luke & Danny complain but they do so. Halfway through the night, the museum is attacked by a robber - Senor Suerte, aka Jaime Garcia, and his gang of thieves. Luke & Danny stop them and arrest them, but they escape and it's discovered in the chaos that all of the artifacts were replaced with fakes.

Luke & Danny take a big hit to their credibility and public name, threatened with financially compensating for the stolen objects. For some reason.

Eventually it's revealed that the real thief was Ahmet Abdol, who swindled Professor Merridew into giving him access to the artifacts and who (is secretly? worships? something?) has a connection with the old X-Man enemy the Living Monolith.

Stay tuned for the X-Man team up next issue! (How do they team up? The X-Men were just WALKING BY..?)

As usual with the old HFH comics, the cast of characters itself was diverse. The characters themselves were confusingly half racist. I picked the plot because it was Egyptian themed and easy to write in a vacuum, but the weirdness ticked me off a bit so I decided to fuck around with it.

The weirdly stereotypical Ahmet Abdol is replaced by the earnest and innocuous white Merridew.

Ahmet Abdol is replaced plot wise more-or-less by Layla. Also Egyptian. Less weird about it.

Replace Egyptian artifacts with Wakandan cultural exchanges (less weird, more interesting, wanted to highlight Layla's Wakandan friends just because I really think it's funny and I think people should know what she does all day and also puts her in the plot etc).

Instead of just guarding the place they do investigative work because detectives, baby!

Senor Suerte, the smokescreen thief, the distraction from the true enemy, is...one of Jake's endless pseudonyms lmfaoooooooooooo.

The Living Monolith isn't an evil X-Man weird villain, he's a dead mutant whose corpse was looted by evil assholes.

This wasn't me trying to woke-ify the thing I swear, I just thought it would be really funny & interesting to swap around the characters and roles that they take. A lot of the changes are just because I thought it'd be more interesting plotwise. I had recurring themes of exploitation of marginalized populations, so changing the Living Monolith from being an enemy who attacks mutants to being an exploited mutant was for thematic reasons.

But Senor Suerte's dialogue was a lot of bad Spanish and a curling moustache and everything. Not blatantly offensive, but...yeah. It's the kind of stereotypical and weird thing that I think Jake would love setting up as a fake identity because people like Merridew buy it hook line and sinker. And it immediately sets up how that encounter is going to end - with Jake the bad guy again.

And also Good Luck is what you tell someone going on stage to a theater as a way of giving them BAD LUCK OK GOODNIGHT.