Marcus To

I'm one of the rare few who didn't actually like the big X-Men reboot event House of X/Powers of X. I liked the conceit, I just didn't care for the execution.

So Excalibur was a bit of a gamble, I picked the run that seemed like the most fun. And it totally was.

Betsy Braddock is no longer Psylocke and not really sure who she is. She leaves her non-mutant twin brother, Brian Braddock aka Captain Britain, at home with his wife and child and enters the new mutant homeland of Krakoa. show more Otherworld-ly shenanigans ensue. Betsy takes on the Captain Britain mantle from Brian, Rogue does a Snow White, and Rictor discovers some fellow Earthbenders druids who welcome him as one of them.

Most important: Jubilee's accidentally adopted baby Shogo is still here and he turns into a dragon in the Otherworld. Absolutely what I wanted in a X-Men comic. show less

This was my favourite kind of space adventure. Badass girls, unlikely friends, complicated sibling relationships, beautiful art, and stealing a damn spaceship because you just really want to see the stars. Please give me the next volume immediately.

The multiple series relaunches over the past few years gives me the impression that Marvel is struggling to keep Shang-Chi a viable comic book property. This limited series cashes in on the Ten Rings from the recent movie title and sweeps aside most of the supporting cast from Gene Luen Yang's previous volumes to bring back Shang-Chi's MI-6 secret agent buddies from the original series. There is even a deadly contest, à la Hunger Games to see who will take possession of the Ten Rings.

All show more the above kept my interest through the book, and I had hopes it would lure in others so we'd get another Shang-Chi book next year, but I see online that the one-shot special included at the end of this collection is supposed to be the final issue of Yang's run on the title. It's far from satisfying, but at least Yang got a chance to bring some of his story elements full circle in what amounts to an epilogue instead of a real conclusion. show less

One of those anthologies that is awesome in concept but a bit disappointing in execution as we are given shallow little glimpses of a lot of characters. A couple of the longer stories offered are first issues of mini-series where the rest of the story will be continued elsewhere.

There are a few gems that make it worthwhile to flip through it though.

The Watcher ~ 3 stars

Uatu provides a roll call of all the Marvel heroes with Indigenous roots. I'd forgotten about some of these characters, so show more it was nice to get a reminder right off the top.

Hitting Back ~ 2 stars

Echo gets called to help an alien race defeat a swamp god who is terrorizing him. A martial artist vs. a god? "Super easy, barely an inconvenience." More a prelude to developments in Maya Lopez's life than a story.

Multifaceted ~ 3 stars

New Mutants Mirage and Wolfsbane do the standard X-Men thing, showing up to help a new mutants whose first display of power has gotten him in trouble with the local authorities. Nicely done, though, with charming character interactions.

Blue Moon ~ 2 stars

In the distant past Silver Fox and Trigo, a wife and husband of the Blackfoot Confederacy, sabotage a fort so it will fail and slow down white settlers. Dark and depressing for many reasons.

The Unexpected ~ 2 stars

Indigenous members of the X-Men play whack-a-mole with a weird but easily defeated giant thingywhatsit. Less a story, more a statement.

The Tuurngait's Song ~ 2 stars

Snowguard of the Champions returns home to Nunavut to recruit help for her village against some sea witches. Stiff and silly.

Not Dead Yet ~ 3 stars

Set in the 2070s, American Eagle shows us that aging is not the same as being washed up when he stumbles into a bank robbery.

A Friend in Need ~ 2 stars

Another prelude to the upcoming series starring Maya Lopez introduces readers to River -- short for Riverwalker -- a young man who does the old "I see dead people" thing. Meh.

An Interview with Writer Rebecca Roanhorse

Roanhorse complains of "one-dimensional characters where there's always a spirit animal or someone's always changing into an animal." The editor maybe shouldn't have placed this article right before the next two stories.

Champions Annual #1 ~ 2 stars

Snowguard, a shapeshifter, returns to Nunavut for the second time in this collection to deal with still more mythical creatures endangering her hometown. She's a more interesting character this time around, but it's all so earnest it gets a little boring.

Werewolf by Night #1 ~ 2 stars

When he's not protecting his people by turning into a werewolf at night, Jake Gomez works as a janitor at an evil corporation. Seems like those two things are going to collide at some point. And Red Wolf is hanging out in the background keeping his eye on everything. Seems a little generic as far as first issues go, but I might pick up the series collection to see if it builds momentum.

The United States of Captain America #3 ~3 stars

This short excerpt introduces us to Joe Gomez, a Kickapoo construction worker from Kansas, who ends up using a tower crane to battle Bulldozer when the villain attacks his construction site. Gomez's regular guy rising to a moment of heroism is cool. It's a shame they didn't do more with him instead of making him yet another new Captain America in a series that gave us a half dozen or so.

Phoenix Song: Echo #1 ~ 2 stars

Oh, look, here's what those previous two stories about Echo were hinting at. I've seen Maya Lopez in various places around the Marvel Universe, but she never seems to be anything but angry. This first issue from her new mini-series seems to be more of the same at first, but might be moving toward something a little deeper. I'm not totally won over, but I might check out the full collection later.

Honor the Sacred ~ 3 stars

A nice tribute to Red Wolf with some dynamic art and design.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:

• Introduction / Lee Francis IV, writer

Marvel's Voices: Indigenous Voices (2020) #1, cover art by Jim Terry
• The Watcher / Jeffrey Veregge, writer and artist
• Hitting Back [Echo] / Rebecca Roanhorse, writer; Weshoyot Alvitre, artist
• Multifaceted [New Mutants] / Darcie Little Badger, writer; Kyle Charles, artist
• Blue Moon [Silver Fox] / Stephen Graham Jones, writer; David Cutler, penciller; Roberto Poggi, inker
• Afterword / Taboo and B. Earl

Marvel's Voices: Heritage (2021) #1, cover art by Kyle Charles
• The Unexpected [X-Men] / Jim Terry, writer and artist
• The Tuurngait's Song [Snowguard] / Nyla Innuksuk, writer; Natasha Donovan, artist
• Not Dead Yet [American Eagle] / Steven Paul Judd, writer; David Cutler, penciller, José Marzan Jr., inker
• A Friend in Need [River] / Rebecca Roanhorse, writer; Shaun Beyale, penciller, Belardino Brabo, inker
• An Interview with Writer Rebecca Roanhorse / Angélique Roché

Champions Annual (2018) #1, cover art by R. B. Silva
• [Snowguard] / Jim Zub and Nyla Innuksuk, writers; Marcus To, artist

Werewolf by Night (2020) #1, cover art by Mike McKone
• [New Wolf Rising, Part 1] / Taboo and B. Earl, writers; Scot Eaton, artist; Scott Hanna, inker

The United States of Captain America (2021) #3, cover art by Gerard Parel
• [Excerpt featuring Joe Gomez, the Captain America of the Kickapoo Tribe] / Darcie Little Badger, writer; David Cutler, penciller; Roberto Poggi, inker

Phoenix Song: Echo (2021) #1, cover art by Cory Smith
• [Phoenix Song: Echo, Part 1] / Rebecca Roanhorse, writer; Luca Maresca, artist

Marvel Comics (2019) #1000
• Honor the Sacred [Excerpt featuring Red Wolf] / Taboo and B. Earl, writers; Jeffrey Veregge, artist

• Marvel's Voices Essay / Darcie Little Badger, writer
• Marvel's Voices Essay / Karla Pacheco, writer
• We Are Here! Indigenous Presence and Imagined Futures / Amanda R. Tachine, writer
• Variant Cover Gallery / David Mack, Afua Richardson, Jeffrey Veregge, Roy Boney, Jim Terry, Bill Sienkiewicz, Babs Tarr, and Maria Wolf, illustrators show less