World Comic Book Review

19th March 2024

X-Men: Blue #17 (Review)

X-Men: Blue #17 Marvel Comics, December 2017 Writer: Cullen Bunn US comic book publisher Marvel Comics’ X-Men franchise is no stranger to time travel-related story arcs. Some of its most popular runs (such as Chris Claremont’s 1981 storyline entitled Days of Future Past) and most popular characters are heavily reliant on time travel as a … Read more

“Lost in the Funhouse” Thirty Years Later: Uncanny X-Men Giant Sized Annual Vol. 1 #11

“Lost in the Funhouse” Thirty Years Later: Uncanny X-Men Giant Sized Annual Vol. 1 #11 Marvel Comics, November 1987 Writer: Chris Claremont Chris Claremont wrote Uncanny X-Men for US publisher Marvel Comics from 1975 to 1991, a period of time comparable to peers in the French comic book industry but unheard of in the American comic book … Read more

Opportunity Wasted: Jean Grey #1 (Review)

Jean Grey #1 Marvel Comics, May 2017 Writer: Dennis Hopeless “Jean Grey” #1 is a new comic book series from American publisher Marvel Comics. The title focuses on the powerful psionic mutant named Jean Grey, one of the founding members of the superhero team called the X-Men. However, as the introductory pages make it clear … Read more

Extraordinary X-Men Annual #1 (Review)

Extraordinary X-Men Annual #1
Marvel Comics September 21, 2016
Writers: Brandon Montclare and Ollie Masters

American comic book publisher Marvel Comics has spent the past couple of years targeting new readers, primarily leveraging upon the success of related company Marvel Studio’s motion pictures. The print strategy is to refresh existing superhero franchises (usually by having a new character take over an established hero’s role) or by introducing substantive continuity changes to a property.

Some of Marvel Comics’ superhero characters are described as acquiring their powers through unlikely mutation, the product of madcap evolution, and these characters tend to sit apart from the other characters. Marvel Comics’ once flagship line of mutant-centric X-Men comic books were given the latter treatment of continuity shift. “Extraordinary X-Men” Annual #1 is an example of why the approach is counter-productive.

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