Secret Wars - 1984 - The Original Reading List on Marvel Unlimited!

Greetings Superfriends!

Thanks for making this blog another stop on your regular web circuit! I will continue to add new reading arcs for you frequently as 2016 proceeds, so check back often for new reading arcs, links to cool products and even expansion to DC and indy publishers.

This post is about the original Secret Wars miniseries, still a classic story that impacts the entire Marvel Universe. Working with Mattel, Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter developed a series that would have a tie-in with action figures, and the writing ended up being significant for a handful of great additions to the Marvel Universe history, like the black suit of Spider-Man’s that later become… Okay, I know it is too late for spoilers, but we’ll pretend to avoid spoilers anyway!

You can see all of the Secret Wars Miniseries at a glance on Marvel Unlimited here.

1. Secret Wars (1984) #1 - Heroes and villains alike are transported across the universe by a mysterious being known as the Beyonder.
2. Secret Wars (1984) #2 - The first battle between heroes and villains begins as Galactus watches.
3. Secret Wars (1984) #3 - Doom creates new villains!!
4. Secret Wars (1984) #4 - Molecule Man drops a mountain on the heroes??
5. Secret Wars (1984) #5 - X-Men strike back!
6. Secret Wars (1984) #6 - Spider-Woman?
7. Secret Wars (1984) #7 - First full appearance new Spider-Woman
8. Secret Wars (1984) #8 - Spider-Man uses the wrong machine to rebuild his costume and ends up with the black costume!
9. Secret Wars (1984) #9 - The fight against Galactus to prevent world devouring is on!
10. Secret Wars (1984) #10 - Death to the Beyonder!
11. Secret Wars (1984) #11 - Doom kills the heroes (but they are resurrected next issue!)
12. Secret Wars (1984) #12 - The end of the miniseries, Thing stays behind because he can change into human form.

Some of the covers have been used in homages over the years since, and the black suit continues to impact Marvel stories on a monthly basis. This year-long event ran from May 1984 to April 1985 back at a time when there were not many long events, crossovers or anything like that.

As this was before decompression, the content in one regular book might exceed the story in two or three books today. Overall, a worthwhile series to check out on MU!

Check out the links below if you’d like to buy collected editions at discounted prices.

Until next time,

Excelsior!!!

Amazon has the trade paperback editions for low prices as shown below.

 

Messiah War - MU Reading Order List

Greetings heroes!

This entry details a tiny but significant crossover arc called “Messiah War” starring X-Force with Hope Summers and a great villain in Apocalypse.
After Cyclops sends X-Force into the time stream in pursuit of Cable and Hope, with characters ending up in different times and tons of interesting side adventures along the way. Rather than ruin the fun for you, here are the issues involved. If you have Marvel Unlimited, click the hyperlinks to go straight to the issues and READ!

Prologue: The Times and Life of Lucas Bishop #1 #2 #3
Chapter 1: X-Force/Cable: Messiah War One-Shot
Chapter 2: Cable #13
Chapter 3: X-Force #14
Chapter 4: Cable #14
Chapter 5: X-Force #15
Chapter 6: Cable #15
Chapter 7: X-Force #16

Hopefully you dig this reading order list — I’ll continue posting them and now you can search for them using the hashtag #LarkLists


Are you on Facebook? Check out the COMIC BOOK COLLECTING group - this entry is also published on that group here.

Until next time,
Excelsior!!!

All-New X-Men: The First 20 (Marvel Unlimited)

Greetings Mutant Lovers,

All-New X-Men has been a fun ride thus far and now the first 20 issues are available on Marvel Unlimited in case you’ve wanted to sample the title without spending a penny.

Click the image or hyperlink below to see the list of issues available on Marvel Unlimited.

All-New X-Men on Marvel Unlimited

If you love Jean Grey, you’ll enjoy teen Jean and the rest of the teen mutants learning to deal with both their own powers and the ramifications of seeing their own futures turn out in ways they couldn’t have imagined.

Many of the early story arcs are available on Amazon.com for great prices, click here to search for All-New X-Men and support this blog at the same time.

 

Until next time,

Excelsior!!!

All-New X-Men Wikipedia Dump

Following Cyclops's escape from prison after the war with the Avengers, he, Emma Frost, Magik and Magneto begin a crusade against mutant persecution, freeing mutants who are being held prisoner after their powers have manifested, violently striking out at the humans responsible at the same time.

As the other X-Men bemoan their inability to strike back at Cyclops's actions without triggering a mutant civil war, a frustrated comment by Iceman about how the past Cyclops wouldn't tolerate his present self's actions inspires Beast to take action; he travels back in time to the early days of the Xavier Institute shortly after Professor X has taken a leave of absence and Beast's younger self was about to temporarily leave the X-Men for the first time to recruit their assistance, informing them that Cyclops must come to the future to stop himself from committing mutant genocide.

Read more at Wikipedia's All-New X-Men article.

X-23 in NYX - Marvel Unlimited Links

Welcome,

If you’re a fan of X-23, you aren’t alone. For a character used in a cartoon, she’s grown into a beloved part of Marvel’s continuity. The story in Nyx is interesting, and well worth checking out. NYX stands for District X, New York City, also known as “Mutant Town.”

X-23 was created for the X-Men: Evolution animated television series before being brought into comics. X-23 first appears in episode #41 (season 3, episode 11) of the program titled "X-23."

X-23 Wikipedia Dump

A top-secret program is tasked to replicate the original Weapon X experiment that bonded adamantium to the skeleton of Wolverine. The project is taken in a new direction: Doctor Martin Sutter recruits renowned mutant geneticist Doctor Sarah Kinney to develop a clone of Wolverine.

Since the only genetic sample from Weapon X is damaged, Kinney is unable to salvage the Y chromosome. Kinney proposes the creation of a female genetic twin; her request is denied. Sutter's protege Doctor Zander Rice, whom he has raised after Rice's father was killed by the original Weapon X, is opposed to the idea. After 22 failed attempts at reconstituting the DNA using a duplicate X chromosome, the 23rd sample yields a viable sample to combine with an embryo. Although Kinney is allowed to proceed, Rice exacts revenge for her insubordination by forcing her to act as the surrogate mother of the specimen. For nine months, Kinney's every move is monitored; finally, she gives birth to "X-23".

Read more at Wikipedia's X-23 article.

Her first appearance is in issue #3 below, you can click the hyperlink text or the issue cover. Below you’ll find links to the collected editions on Amazon.

Nyx #1

Nyx #2

Nyx #3

Nyx #4

Nyx #5

Nyx #6

Nyx #7

 

Until next time,

Excelsior!!!

 

Nyx - Original Series Collected on Amazon

X-Men Schism

Comic book fans,
This 2011 crossover sets up so much of what came in Marvel Now and the latest series. It’s got everything we loved about the 80s X-Men like the Hellfire Club and Sentinels!
The following links all open in Marvel Unlimited:

• X-Men: Prelude to Schism #1
• X-Men: Prelude to Schism #2
• X-Men: Prelude to Schism #3
• X-Men: Prelude to Schism #4
• X-Men: Schism #1
• X-Men: Schism #2
• X-Men: Schism #3
• Generation Hope #10
• Generation Hope #11
• X-Men: Schism #4
• X-Men: Schism #5

There are three trade paperbacks, all currently available on Amazon:

• X-Men: Prelude to Schism
• X-Men: Schism
• Generation Hope: Schism

Until next time,
Excelsior!!!
PS - Check out Amazon Prime - 30 day free trial - it costs you nothing and has a great collection of fantasy series and movies including The Avengers movie! There is no charge to your credit card if you quit within 30 days and the program also features free 2-day delivery on 100,000+ items in the Amazon catalog.

Avengers/X-Men Utopia Crossover Arc

From Wikipedia:

After a mutant riot and an anti-mutant riot in San Francisco, Norman Osborn tries to enforce peace by creating his own team of Dark X-Men to serve in much the same way the Dark Avengers did, and using both his teams to bring down the real X-Men.

This is a new classic in the X-Men story arcs. Norman Osborn never seems to die does he? This story has some great qualities and is very fast-paced so it is well worth examining, especially if you have Marvel Unlimited.

• Chapter 1: Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia #1 (one-shot)
• Chapter 2: Uncanny X-Men #513
• Chapter 3: Dark Avengers #7
• Chapter 4: Uncanny X-Men #514
• Chapter 5: Dark Avengers #8
• Chapter 6: Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus #1 (one-shot)
• Epilogue: Dark X-Men: The Confession #1 (one-shot)

This series was followed by a series of one-shot comics each titled “Dark Reign: The List” focused on a single team or character. Some of these include The Hulk, Wolverine and The Avengers.

If you want a great recent cross over, this series from 2009 might be for you!.

Click the hyperlinks on the title name to go to the Marvel Unlimited issue (if you are a subscriber).

You can purchase the entire series on Amazon here:

Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia

Shop Amazon - Free One-Day Shipping on Last Minute Gift Ideas

Until next time,

Excelsior!!!

PS - Check out Amazon Prime - 30 day free trial - it costs you nothing and has a great collection of fantasy series and movies including The Avengers movie! There is no charge to your credit card if you quit within 30 days and the program also features free 2-day delivery on 100,000+ items in the Amazon catalog.

Uncanny X-Men #10 - WTF?

Greetings readers,

I must say: I love the current X-Men titles by Brian Michael Bendis. Uncanny X-Men is fun and All-New X-Men is really interesting; indeed, in spite of the way they’ve realllllly gone out of their way to stretch short story arcs into many issues and separate me from even more of my money, I dig what they’re doing!

However, I have a complaint. I don’t like to call out artists and I’ve kept my mouth shut on some of the guest artist issues in spite of how bad I thought the panels looked. The latest issue of Uncanny X-Men is full of characters that are barely recognizable.

What do you guys think? Am I being overly critical or are some of these choices really horrible and disappointing?

Please share your thoughts on the artwork in the comments - and let me know (honestly) if you think I’m overly critical.

Anyway, here’s the comic book code for #10:

TMM52ZU8XFW2

Enjoy - and remember to share your codes, here or on your favorite forum. My current favorite forum is the one over on Google+ -- they are great about sharing content and the members of the forum are active in discussions about all kinds of topics and many different comic book publishers. By the way, the inside artwork shown above isn’t a scan of my own book (I hate the creases from putting comics into my scanner!) and instead is from Comic Book Resources, a superb website. The original image appears here.

 

Until next time,

Excelsior!!!

The Utopia Crossover - Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men!!

Dearest readers,
Sorry for the delay in CROSSOVER ARC link lists, but I’m finally back at it for August and here’s a fun one - the Utopia arc.

After a ballot initiative for limiting reproductive rights of mutants is proposed, all hell breaks loose. Check out this reading order courtesy of the fine folks at Uncanny X-Men dot Net.
Utopia Chapter 1 -> Dark Avengers / Uncanny X-Men: Utopia
Interlude -> X-Men Legacy #226 and #227
Utopia Chapter 2 -> Uncanny X-Men #513
Utopia Chapter 3 -> Dark Avengers #7
Utopia Chapter 4 -> Uncanny X-Men #514
Utopia Chapter 5 -> Dark Avengers #8
Utopia Chapter 6 -> Dark Avengers / Uncanny X-Men: Exodus
I hope you find the story as interesting as I have. This is a pretty interesting story IMHO, with some great art like the panel below.


The Kindle version is available on Amazon, but the paperback and hard cover versions are only available through third parties at much higher costs. Click the image below for more information!


Until next time,
Excelsior!!!

UPDATE: Check out the Confession for even more behind-the-scenes Emma Frost/Scott Summers stuff!

X-Men Family Tree (FUN!)

Someone sent me this on Facebook, and I thought it is worth sharing. I hope you like it too!

Remember, a great place to buy comics online is the website of Lone Star Comics. Click here for a complete listing of all the X-Men related titles (including trade paperbacks) available there.

Of course, I still highly recommend Marvel Unlimited for the low cost $60/year unlimited access to 10,000+ issues of Marvel comic books.

X-Men Forever - Claremont Excellence!

Dear readers,

If you grew up on Chris Claremont’s X-Men and haven’t read X-Men Forever, you are going to be thrilled with his alternate continuity version of X-Men. This story takes place in its own universe, making possible quite a few interesting choices for plotting that wouldn’t happen in a traditional Marvel comic book series.

Avoid the Wikipedia entries at all costs so you can enjoy the stories to the fullest. You will definitely be surprised. The depth at which Claremont builds these characters’ stories is something that really got at me when I started reading. While I’m only on the second volume, the first year (24 issues) was worth every page-turning moment. Knowing that characters live and die adds a ton to the stories as does the complete elimination of worrying about what is going on in the rest of the Marvel universe. While we see tons of other characters like Spider-Man, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, their appearances aren’t restricted to ongoing continuity of the other books.

This is volume one’s link here, as is the image above.

The second volume is available here or by clicking the link below. Note: the finale of the series is not available on Marvel Unlimited. A thorough plot summary is available at Uncanny X-Men dot Net here.

Click this link to see all of the trade paperbacks on Amazon.

 

Until next time,

Excelsior!!!

Best Kitty Pryde Comic Books

Kitty Pryde was one of my early favorites in the X-Men. First, I was a kid when she was first a kid in the comics. Second, she plays into some very important stories like Days of Future Past. Finally, she has a pet dragon! On Wikipedia (Kitty Pryde) the story of her name is explained. She is named after a classmate of John Byrne’s from art school and has taken to using her initials (K.D. Pryde) because of how popular the character has become.

Sometimes they even draw her hot!

According to Comic Book Vine, she appears in over 3200 issues.

Here are my favorites:

• Uncanny X-Men #141 and #142 - this is the Days of Future Past storyline that is the basis for the upcoming X-Men movie.
• Uncanny X-Men #143 - oddly, the next issue is a great Kitty-focused issue when Kitty spends Christmas alone at the X-Mansion.
• Uncanny X-Men #153 - Kitty’s Fairy Tale
• Uncanny X-Men #168 - “Professor X is a Jerk” - also features the Paul Smith cover that was our first Kitty-might-be-sexy cover - which no doubt was inappropriate because she should’ve been about 14 or 15 at the time
• Astonishing X-Men
• Kitty Pryde - Shadow & Flame #1 ● #2 ● #3 ● #4 # ● #5
• “God Loves, Man Kills” Marvel Graphic Novel #5 - special edition finally on Marvel Unlimited. It’s a great Kitty Pryde story anyway, where she debates evil anti-mutant religious zealot Reverand Stryker on live television

Tons of great Kitty Pryde stuff on Amazon!

Kitty Pryde is a fun character for X-Men fans, especially those of us who grew up with her.

Until next time,

Excelsior!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Uncanny X-Men: Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire

In this series of issues of Uncanny X-Men, Vulcan seeks revenge against the Shi’ar Empire. It’s big stuff and it’s available online on Marvel Unlimited. It’s quite a long story arc to be in a single comic book series (as opposed to the typical crossovers), but it is filled with action and great artwork.

Ed Brubaker was only at the helm of the X-Men for a couple of years, but I think he did some interesting things in that time. I know there was a lot of criticism about the retcon of the first “new” X-Men story and the introduction of another Summers brother, but I really enjoyed the way it was all added and how this one unfolds.

Click each issue number’s hyperlink to open the issue in Marvel Unlimited. If you prefer to order the trade paperback, check out the link to Amazon at the end of the post. FYI, 480 and 481 are my favorites in the set.

Note: I wish there was some sort of logic to which issues are on Marvel Unlimited. In this entire set, only one issue isn’t available for free with a Marvel Unlimited subscription. I hope this is an oversight (as I’ve seen this with other story arcs as well) and not simply some intentional way to squeeze us for $1.99 here and there.

475

476

477

478

479

480

481

482

483

484 - not free. NO IDEA WHY!?!?!

485

486

These comics are collected in a trade paperback called Uncanny X-Men: Rise & Fall of the Shi’ar Empire available at Amazon for just $25.55.

Until next time,

Excelsior!!!

Classic Issue Break: X-Men #138

This classic X-Men issue featured the (temporary) swan song of Cyclops as an X-man. Click this link to read with Marvel Unlimited.

By the way, a great source for content about X-Men comic books is UncannyXmen.net with this issue covered here. The website has a great synopsis of the plot, covering the funeral of Jean Grey (spoiler alert!!) by going back to her first appearance in X-Men #1 and talking about some of the most important battles of her life. As fans know, this isn’t truly the end of Jean Grey, but was a pivotal point in both storytelling and the saga of the Phoenix as an all-powerful cosmic entity.

This issue follows the death issue, #137.

Below you’ll find some of my favorite panels from the issue. Enjoy!

Until next time,

Excelsior!!!

Classic Issue Break: X-Men #137

This is one of my all-time favorite issues. It’s got hope, it’s got tragedy, it’s got Scott Summers and the love of his life Jean Grey and it’s got the Starjammers plus the Shi'ar empire. It’s got everything I love about a comic book, and it was an adult story for me as a 9-year old who felt really mature reading it.

You can read it online here and I’ve posted some of my favorite pieces of art from the book below. You can pick up X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga on Amazon for CHEAP if you want the trade paperback (or full Kindle edition) in your hot little hands.

Until next time,

Excelsior!!!

Mutant Massacre

The Mutant Massacre from October to December 1986 was one of the early crossover events that tied together the x-teams: X-Men, X-Factor and New Mutants. The comic list comes from the Wikipedia article, but this perfected order comes from ComicBookRealm.com and this forum post.

Uncanny X-Men #210 (Prologue)

X-Factor (vol. 1) #9

Uncanny X-Men #211

X-Factor (vol. 1) #10

New Mutants (vol. 1) #46

Thor (vol. 1) #373

Power Pack #27 - Not available on Marvel Unlimited

Uncanny X-Men #212

Thor (vol. 1) #374

X-Factor (vol. 1) #11

Uncanny X-Men #213

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From Wikipedia:

Daredevil (vol. 1) #238 is an unofficial crossover issue set after the events of the Mutant Massacre. The issue features Daredevil fighting Sabretooth after his escape from the X-Mansion.

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This was originally Chris Claremont’s idea and he had planned it for a run solely in the pages of Uncanny X-Men. You can pick up the collected editions on Amazon in paperback or hardcover and I highly recommend X-Men: The Fall of the Mutants that came in 1988. A great sequel of sorts to the theme.

 

Until next time,

Excelsior!!!

X-Men Origins: Colossus

Dear readers,

The man of steel (in a more literal way) is Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin. otherwise known as Colossus or simply “Peter” to his friends especially his long-time on and off partner Kitty Pryde.

Created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum as a part of the all-new, all-different X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men #1, Peter is a Russian mutant who can shift into mutant form where his skin becomes a powerful metallic covering. While he’s been in and out of the various X-books in recent years, Colossus was a main member of the team from his 1975 debut until he faced the Legacy Virus.

Origin is a great summary book, taking us from his earliest days discovering his mutant ability in Russia up to the point he joined the (at the time) new X-Men.

Unlike the other books in the origins series, we really don’t get anything extra about Colossus in this book, so it is a perfect use of Marvel Unlimited to read. Click the image or here to go straight to the issue. For a better selection of Colossus-focused books, check out this online comic shop here.

Until next time,

Excelsior!!!

X-Men Origins: Emma Frost

Greetings comic book fans,
Obviously, I adore Jean Grey; however, Emma Frost has been a close second for a long time! This one-shot issue focuses on the transformation of little mousy Emma to powerful villain leader of the Hellfire Club!
Little Emma meets Charles Xavier:

Big bad Emma. the White Queen of the Hellfire Club:

You can read the issue online here. In a future blog post, we’ll revisit some of the highlights of Emma’s life including her involvement in the Dark Phoenix storyline, her reformation and her current place alongside Scott Summers fighting for mutant kind in the wake of Avengers vs X-Men.
Until next time,

Excelsior!!!
UPDATE: The Emma Frost series is pretty good.

(but they do draw her way too hot!)

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