Author: Charles Murphy

EXCLUSIVE: Tara Strong Says ‘LOKI’ Finale Will Leave Fans “Happy and Excited” After a “Great Ride”

While Marvel Studios has made quite a splash in the streaming market with its first two original series WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, there’s been some sentiment among the fans that neither series really stuck the landing in their respective finales. With the finale of Loki just over a day away, fans are starting to wonder if this series, which has been incredible so far, will follow suit. Earlier today, I chatted with Tara Strong, who voices the TVA’s AI interface Miss Minutes, and asked her how fans would feel after this week’s episode.

They’re going to be so happy. A lot of times you watch a show and you’re invested in a show and the final episode leaves you disappointed. And I think this series of Loki, from start to finish, has been one of the most stellar, perfect shows I’ve ever seen and everyone’s just going to happy and excited and feel like they’ve gone on a great, great ride.

Strong’s answer should leave fans feeling pretty hopeful about how Kate Herron, Michael Waldron, and the rest of the series’ creative team have chosen to wrap up the first season of the show. We know that Loki and Sylvie are headed to the citadel at the end of time to take on whoever is the true power behind the TVA (who could it be?) and that the MCU is headed towards the Multiverse of Madness, so it seems that not only will the finale wrap up this episode but also serve as a springboard into the next wave of Phase 4.

July 12, 2021
Connecting Imaginary Dots: ‘HAWKEYE’ Could Be Aiming for a November Release

CONNECTING IMAGINARY DOTS ARE PIECES WE WRITE HERE THAT ALLOW US TO BE WHAT WE ALL TRULY ARE: FANS. THESE SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS SCOOPS, EXCLUSIVES OR FACTS; JUST SPECULATION ABOUT THE THINGS FOR WHICH WE ALL SHARE A GREAT PASSION.

Loki is winding down and we finally have a start date for Marvel Studios first animated series, What If…? but MCU fans are always keeping one eye on the future. On that note, the release dates of two other Marvel Studios streaming series due out this year, Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye, are a constant topic of conversation among fans on social media. Over the past week, sharp-eyed fans picked up a couple of hints that might not only give us a decent idea of when one will release, but also leave a perfect-sized space for another.

Just a couple of days ago, an Instagram post by Lauren Ridloff, who posed alongside Hawkeye’s Alaqua Cox, indicated that Hawkeye was set for the “Fall.”

View this post on Instagram

Fall is a pretty cool season but it is defined as late-September to late-December astronomically, from September through November meteorologically and in Hollywood generally means “pre-Christmas”, so Fall doesn’t really do much. Thankfully, one of Cox’s Hawkeye co-stars, Fra Fee, who will bring Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Kazimierz Kazimierczak to life, may have given us a bit more information on when to expect the streamer.

Fee recently posted a picture of a Captain America collar on his dog and was told he had the “wrong hero” (a pretty clear reference to the fact that he’s starring in Hawkeye). Fee’s response, while interesting, certainly shouldn’t be taken as gospel at this point but might give fans a place to draw their bullseye for when to expect the Avenging Archer and Kate Bishop to hit Disney Plus.

Interestingly enough, November falls into Fall no matter which definition you choose and lines up with some previous information that was shared with Murphy’s Multiverse Patrons several months ago (my personal best GUESS is a November 17th debut). A November release for Hawkeye would also seem to indicate that the other series set for 2021, Ms. Marvel, would stream first, as indicated by Disney at their Investor Day presentation last December. So while nothing is confirmed until Disney announces it (and even then it can move, just like Loki), fans who are interested in the release dates of these projects can have a little more evidence to help them make their own guesses.

July 10, 2021
‘LOKI’ Originally Contained an Additional and Hilarious Throg Scene

Episode 5 of Loki, “Journey Into Mystery”, introduced audiences to the Void, a vast wasteland where anyone and anything pruned by the TVA goes to be devoured by Alioth. Given the Void’s purpose, it was no surprise to find it filled with Variants and remnants of their branched timelines, making an Easter egg-rich environment that thrilled fans. Among the many blink and you’ll miss it appearances that got the most attention was Throg, a Thor Variant who was briefly seen trying to get out of his jar prison (labeled T365 in reference to the character’s first comic book appearance in Thor #365) and get hold of a variant Thor’s hammer (probably Frogjolnir).

It was a great Easter egg and it does establish Throg as MCU canon but according to staff writer Eric Martin, there was originally more planned for the Frog of Thunder, including a scene of him kicking Loki’s ass that sound like it might have been reminded fans of Hulk’s thrashing of the God of Mischeif from Avengers.

https://twitter.com/MrEricMartin/status/1412987552324145152?s=20

Throg, first introduced in 1986, has gone through a few retcons but the first story was part of an arc in which Loki turned Thor into a frog (at the end of Thor #363) who found himself on Earth, being attacked by rats and then going on to, of course, meet other frogs before finally transforming into the fully-powered Throg when he found Mjolnir. Simonson had some wild ideas when he was writing Thor, so if nothing else, use this as an excuse to get into the 300s of Thor and do some reading.

Now that Throg is canon, let’s hope we see him in Season 2 or somewhere else in this multiverse.

July 9, 2021
Principal Photography Underway on ‘BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER’

Kevin Feige recently informed us that production on Ryan Coogler‘s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was underway in Atlanta and now we’re happy to report that principal photography is underway on the film.

The film is set to move forward after the events of Avengers: Endgame and will now have to do so without star Chadwick Boseman who tragically passed away nearly a year ago. The movie, shooting under the working title Summer Break, is rumored to introduce one of Marvel Comics’ oldest characters, Namor, the king of a civilization long thought lost (they call it Atlantis in the comics but will they here?). Following the passing of Boseman, Feige revealed that they would not recast the role, turning attention to which character will now take on the mantle of Black Panther. The thought has fans divided over who that should be with a dead Killmonger, M’Baku, Shuri, Nakia and Okyoe all being popular choices, even if they don’t all make as much sense.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, due out July 8, 2022, will see Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira and Lupitia Nyong’O return in lead roles and Winston Duke, Angela Bassett and Martin Freeman (whose backstory will get an interesting jolt) return in supporting roles, among others. Tenoch Huerta is rumored to bring Namor to life in the MCU and will be joined by a pair of currently unknown actors in the roles of Namora and Attuma. The film will also feature the first appearance of a major MCU character who will play a key part in the film.

July 7, 2021
‘LOKI’ Episode 5: The Man in the Castle

Episode 5 of Loki, Journey Into Mystery, made its case for being not only the strongest episode of this series so far, but also potentially the best episode of any Marvel Studios Disney Plus series to date. A collection of “moments” came together to make something that felt strange and uncomfortable but still left you feeling hopeful that our Variants can follow the lead of Richard E. Grant’s Loki (what an absolute blast he seemed to be having in this role!) and the advice of Mobius and find a way to change. And in the episode’s final minutes, it sure seems like that’s what they’ve done. Loki gives a long-overdue embrace to his best bro, Mobius, and willingly takes Sylvie’s hand and lets her lead the way in an effort to reveal who the big bad behind the TVA truly is by enchanting Alioth. It seems like there are 2 prevailing hypotheses among fans as to who the man in the castle is going turn out to be: a version of Kang the Conqueror or a sort of old man version of Loki. Let’s lay out the evidence to support those claims and see how it goes.

King Loki

It’s a show named Loki telling a story about Variants of Loki, so it’s no surprise that fans have come to expect to find another version of the character behind the curtain of the TVA. Today’s episode probably brought us to a total of maybe 15-20 different Variants that we’ve seen on screen but fans are holding tight to the idea that we might just see one more in next week’s final episode. But does it make sense for another Loki to be pulling the strings and protecting the Sacred Timeline? Streamlining things to avoid chaos seems like most un-Loki thing I can imagine but we did just see a few Lokis undergo some pretty cathartic moments in Episode 5 (albeit as a result of a bunch of Lokis doing very Loki things), so maybe what we’re dealing with here is another Loki (a superior version) who has done it all and seen it all and made his way through the wasteland, built himself a fancy castle, wrangled up Alioth and created the TVA to keep other Lokis from becoming successful by pruning them from the timeline. If that were the case, would that superior Loki really want to risk bringing all those Variants that close to his castle? Would that be in his best interests? As Grant’s Loki said, Lokis are survivors so, as a Loki, superior Loki would know this about Lokis and might not want to risk it.

If we’re being objective, there really isn’t any other evidence to support the idea that we’ll see another version of Loki inside the castle. None of the bread crumbs, save the fact that the series is titled Loki give us reason to believe that another Variant is behind this. Additionally, the God of Mischief becoming the shepherd of the Sacred Timeline really doesn’t jibe with the what Loki is all about. It seems like letting all the other Lokis do their thing and cause more chaos would leave him more secure in hanging out in his castle and the end of time.

Kang, or some version of him

Before the show even debuted, rumors indicated Loki might feature a potential appearance from Kang. Jonathan Majors was cast as the Master of Men and set to appear in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, but the fact that he was cast 10 months before the start of production on that film but while production on Loki (which filmed under an LLC titled Limbo Productions) really backed up those rumors. Prior to the show’s release, Disney revealed that Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s character to be Ravonna Renslyaer, a Marvel Comics character with DEEP ties to Kang that have extended into other mediums such as Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 video game. And while today’s episode certainly seemed to indicate that Ravonna has not been in on the con and not in league with whomever is running it, that actually helps make a stronger case for it to be Kang because their relationship started off on very rocky ground after Kang conquered her father’s empire. It’s unclear what’s truly up with Ravonna (is she a Variant that many Kangs have fallen in love with?) but that’s not the point of this exercise. Her presence here, running the TVA in a place outside of time and space, helps steer things towards Kang being the man in the castle.

Journey Into Mystery introduced fans to Alioth, described as the guard dog to the man in the castle. Alioth doesn’t have anywhere near as long and twisted of a history in the comics as Kang does, but what history does have is closely tied to Kang. We saw Alioth can basically destroy any and everything it touches, which fits with its comic book counterpart, which originated in Temporal Limbo (there’s that word again), a location RULED by Kang. So we have a little bit of an original take on the character here, but it is another character which leads us down a road that ends with Kang standing there, hands on his hips, waving hello like Forrest Gump.

Alioth’s job is to go around and clean up the Void, a wasteland where Variants who have been pruned and the realities they’ve altered go. The principles of the Void are cool because they follow science (neither energy nor matter can be created or destroyed) and so these beings and objects are transported to a new place where the Variants become food for Alioth. But what about the objects? Alioth doesn’t seem to like concrete and thankfully he didn’t eat one of the episode’s biggest Easter eggs and another neon arrow pointing in the direction of Kang: the Qeng Enterprises Tower. Qeng Tower is honestly a pretty obscure reference and the tower itself made only the briefest of appearances in the episode; however, it’s another BIG hint at Kang. In the comics, Qeng Tower came into play 500 years in the future during the 3 issue Avengers: Ultron Forever series. The tower was overseen by the CEO of Qeng Enterprises, Mr. Gryphon, who was just another one of Kang’s alters. As mentioned above, it’s such an obscure reference and passes so quickly but it’s another great reason to thing the O.K. (Original Kangster) is the man in the castle.

A final piece of evidence for the man in the castle being Kang is the castle itself. Kang is nothing if not a modest man and ruled Temporal Limbo from a quaint tri-level named Tenebrae, or Castle Limbo. The version of Kang who lived here went by the name Immortus and spent his days shepherding the timeline by pruning Variants (mostly of himself) to make sure it all ended in peace and tranquility. If that sounds vaguely familiar to you, it means you’ve been paying attention to the previous episodes of Loki where they described that as the job of the TVA.

Once again, if we’re being objective in our analysis of the evidence, we can find all kinds of support for the hypothesis that Kang, or one version of him, is going to be revealed as the man in the castle when Episode 6 streams next week. Strongly sourced rumors, Limbo Productions, Ravonna, Alioth, Qeng Tower and Castle Limbo make a much, much stronger case than “didn’t you learn anything from WandaVision.”

July 7, 2021
‘LOKI’: The Time-Keepers, the Hourglass and the Man Behind the Curtain

Episode 4 of Marvel Studios latest and greatest Disney Plus streaming series, Loki, exposed the great lie of the TVA when it was revealed that the Time-Keepers were nothing more than some Chuck E Cheese style animatronics instead of the almighty overlords of the Sacred Timeline. Now that we finally know for sure that they’re not in charge (we’ve speculated for a while now that they weren’t all they were cracked up to be), the big question left to answer is who was behind the curtain and making the decisions about what was allowed to go on and what had to be pruned. My money has always been on Kang, or at least one Variant version of him, and it’s possible that this episode may have given us a small, Easter egg-y type of clue that it is him.

This could easily be a case of someone (me) seeing something and interpreting it to fit their desired outcome; it could also be a case of Marvel Studios sneaking something so subtle that it could easily go undetected. So here’s the plan: I’ll point it out and you decide for yourself.

After being teased for 3 episodes, we finally find out that the Time-Keepers are just an elevator ride away for Ravonna; however, this doesn’t seem to be the same elevator we’ve seen before in scenes with Loki and Mobius, rather an elevator only Judge Renslayer has access to. And it’s this elevator, adorned with what look to be hundreds of hourglass shapes, that might be hinting at the man truly in charge of the TVA or is simply the kind of symbol you’d place on the doorway to the keepers of time.

Maybe, long ago the Time-Keepers were real. Maybe, like in the comics, they sought out Kang and made him guardian of the timeline. Maybe the Time-Keepers were never real. Either way, someone built the TVA and someone designed those elevator doors. In following the line of thought that Kang, or one version of him, is behind all this, the hourglass shape becomes more than just a nice nod: it was actually the symbol worn by one version of Kang, the Scarlet Centurion.

The Scarlet Centurion was one of the more aggressive versions of Nathaniel Richards (and yes it was also a name taken up by one of his sons at one point) who confusingly created another version of himself that found himself up against the Squadron Supreme (rumored to be in Loki) but who also ultimately became the most recognizable version of Kang. I’ve always found it strange that the TVA, a place that exists outside of space and time, has such a 60’s feel to it. Maybe, in this instance, it’s another bread crumb on the trail leading us to Kang, who was introduced in the 60s, or to the Scarlet Centurion version of the character who first appeared in 1967’s Avengers Annual #2. Maybe the version of Kang we’ll see here is the tired version who has literally seen it all and not one who has the edge of his less-experienced self who, maybe, built the TVA as a means to conquer time. Of course, it makes sense that these hourglasses symbols are just there because they are things that keep time and adorn the entrance of the Time-Keepers, but I wouldn’t put it past Marvel Studios to hide a subtle clue in plain sight, either. With only 2 episodes left, we’ll find out soon enough.

July 4, 2021
Murphy’s Most Anticipated Comics from the September 2021 Solicitations

Over the past week, publishers have released their monthly solicitations for their September 2021 comics. Here’s a brief look at what books have me most excited and are sure to end up on my pull list, if they’re not already there:

Marvel Comics

INFERNO #1 (OF 4)
JONATHAN HICKMAN (W) • VALERIO SCHITI (A) • Cover by Jerome Opeña

VARIANT COVER BY ARTGERM
VIRGIN VARIANT COVER BY ARTGERM
STORMBREAKERS VARIANT COVER BY CARMEN CARNERO
WRAPAROUND VARIANT COVER BY MARK BROOKS
VARIANT COVER BY JEFF DEKAL
VARIANT COVER BY OSCAR VEGA
VARIANT COVER BY PEACH MOMOKO
HOMAGE VARIANT COVER BY R.B. SILVA
HIDDEN GEM VARIANT COVER BY GREG CAPULLO
THE CULMINATION OF JONATHAN HICKMAN’S X-MEN BEGINS HERE!
“There will be an island—not the first, but the last…” Promises were made and broken. The rulers of Krakoa have been playing a dangerous game with a dangerous woman, and they are about to see how badly that can burn them. Mastermind of the X-Men JONATHAN HICKMAN brings his plans to a head, joined by an incredible lineup of artists beginning with VALERIO SCHITI… as one woman follows through on her promise to burn the nation of Krakoa to the ground.
56 PGS./Rated T+ …$5.99

Hickman’s run as Head of X has been nothing short of fantastic. When I first heard Hickman was returning to Marvel Comics, my wish was that he’d take on the X-Men but I never dreamt this big. The seeds he planted back in HoX/PoX are all ready to bear fruit and this is going to be one for the ages.

ETERNALS: THANOS RISES #1
KIERON GILLEN (W) • DUSTIN WEAVER (A) • Cover by ESAD RIBIĆ

Variant cover by Ron Lim
Variant cover by Dustin Weaver
STORMBREAKERS VARIANT COVER BY IBAN COELLO
HEADSHOT VARIANT COVER BY TODD NAUCK
• Eternals are created, not born. They have families, but their families make no new children.
• It’s simply not what Eternals do.
• Some of them thought they could find a way to change that and believed it would be for the best.
• They were terribly, terribly wrong.
32 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$3.99

Kieron Gillen on Eternals was always going to be a win and he’s done great so far. Thanos is a big part of the story and now Gillen, one of Marvel’s most imaginative writers, is going to take some time to focus on the big guy.

BLACK PANTHER #2
JOHN RIDLEY (W) • JUANN CABAL (A) • Cover by ALEX ROSS

Miles Morales: Spider-Man 10th ANNIVERSARY Variant Cover by KEN LASHLEY
Variant Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG
VARIANT COVER BY JOSHUA “SWAY” SWABY “THE LONG SHADOW” PART 2
T’Challa must act quickly to save his sleeper agents before they are assassinated! With the help of his sister, Shuri, he might be one step closer to the culprits…but is it too late? The assassins seem to always be one step ahead. And T’Challa better watch his back, for secrets lie everywhere…
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

This is really here because I didn’t do one of these for August and John Ridley’s Black Panther is probably my most anticipated non-X-book of the second half of 2021. Ridley has done some great work at DC this year that you should read to get an idea of what he’s going to bring to the stories of T’Challa, Shuri and more.

DEFENDERS #2 (OF 5)
AL EWING (W) • JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ (A/C)

Variant cover by JOE QUINONES
Teaser Variant Cover by JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ
THE MOTHER OF GALACTUS?
The Defenders find themselves in the birthplace of Galactus — but the Devourer is not the man they remember. Meet Taaia, Omnimax and more as Al Ewing and Javier Rodríguez expand the cosmos — and put Doctor Strange’s makeshift magical team in extreme jeopardy!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Same as Black Panther #2, this is here because I missed August. Al Ewing on a Defenders mini! And revisiting Galactus! I’m all in. My guess is you’re all going to want to read this one.

EXCALIBUR #23
TINI HOWARD (W) • MARCUS TO (A)

Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
VARIANT COVER BY DIKE RUAN
THE CALL OF DOOM!
As guardians of the gate, Excalibur has sworn to safely escort those who quest to the Otherworld within, but their duties are tested to their limits when DOOM returns to Avalon.

Tini Howard has written maybe my favorite volume of Excalibur to date and bringing Doom into the mix isn’t going to do anything to hurt!

ALIEN #7
PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON (W) • SALVADOR LARROCA (A)

Cover by MARC ASPINALL
Variant Cover by GERARDO SANDOVAL
Variant Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli
THE SEARCH FOR SANCTUARY BEGINS!
• A small colony of “Spinners,” looking to lead a simpler life, have nearly completed terraforming a moon.
• A ship crashes into their Eden from the heavens.
• A terror is unleashed.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

Phillip Kennedy Johnson is ascending as an author and he’s having a lot of fun with this book. If you’re a fan of the early Alien films, give these books a chance. He’s doing a great job adding to the big story.

DC Comics

GREEN LANTERN #6
Writer: GEOFFREY THORNE Artists: TOM RANEY and MARCO SANTUCCI

Cover: BERNARD CHANG
Variant Cover: BRYAN HITCH
$4.99 US | 40 PGS | $5.99 US VARIANT (Card Stock)

Far Sector’s Jo Mullein goes head-to-head with one-time Green Lantern Sinestro, now the leader of the Sinestro Corps that harnesses the yellow light of fear. But as Jo deals with Sinestro, Simon Baz finds out his former partner, Jessica Cruz, just joined the Yellow Lanterns as the Corps’ newest member. Then, in deep space, Kilowog, who’s been cut from the Corps, fights for his life in the Dark Sectors. But without a working ring, he may not stand much of a chance of survival.

I’ve mentioned a few times that the disaster that was Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern film stripped me of my love for the stories of the Lanterns. For the first time in years, I’ve actually gotten hooked into a new Green Lantern book and have really been enjoying catching up on some of the newer characters I’ve missed. A fun space book!

INFINITE FRONTIER #6
Writer: JOSHUA WILLIAMSON

Artist: XERMANICO
Cover: MITCH GERADS
Variant Covers: BRYAN HITCH
$4.99 | 40 PGS | 6 of 6 | $5.99 US VARIANT (Card Stock)
ON SALE 9/7/21

One story ends and the next phase of the DC Multiverse begins. We have one name for you: DARKSEID.
Our heroes knew that someone had been pulling the strings this entire time, but are they prepared for it to be the biggest bad of all? As President Superman, Alan Scott, Roy Harper, and the rest converge for a showdown, the secret of Omega Planet is revealed. Plus, Barry Allen is put on a path he may never get off!

My hopes for the future of DC Comics rests on how this event ends…and this is the ending. Here’s to a future where the continuity makes a little more sense to me. Don’t let me down, Josh Williamson!

RORSCHACH #12
Writer: TOM KING
Artist: JORGE FORNÉS
Cover: JORGE FORNÉS

Variant Cover: BEN OLIVER
$4.99 US | 32 PGS | $4.99 US VARIANT (Card Stock)
BLACK LABEL | 17+
ON SALE 9/14/21

The end to the mystery is here!
It’s been a long road to get here, and there have been a lot of dead bodies along the way, but the detective is very near closing the case. All the disparate threads lead back to the crime itself, to the assassination attempt that claimed the lives of the would-be assassins. Find out how it all went wrong for the comic book artist who put on a mask and declared himself Rorschach.

As is often the case with Tom King’s limited series, things don’t really start to come into focus until the second half of the series and I end up rereading the whole thing once it’s come out. I’m finally starting to understand what Rorschach is about (or am I?) and as sad as I’ll be to see it come to an end, I can’t wait for the finale!

THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE #4
Writer: JAMES TYNION IV
Artist: ÁLVARO MARTÍNEZ BUENO
Cover: ÁLVARO MARTÍNEZ BUENO

Variant Cover: TIFFANY TURRILL
$3.99 US | 32 PGS | 4 of 12 | $4.99 US VARIANT (Card Stock)
BLACK LABEL | 17+
ON SALE 9/7/21

A terrifying truth about the house is revealed!

David wants nothing more than to make his fellow residents of the House laugh. He’s the Comedian, right? That’s what he does. But if no one’s in the mood to laugh, then perhaps it’s time for him to perform the other function of comedy: to tell his audience an unbelievable truth…

James Tynion is a Swiss Army knife of a creator. Batman, conspiracy and now horror. I’m guessing it won’t be long before this one is optioned for a streaming series somewhere.

Image Comics

PRIMORDIAL #1 (OF 6)

WRITER: Jeff Lemire
ARTIST / COVER A: Andrea Sorrentino

SEPTEMBER 15 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99

Mind-bending sci-fi collides with Cold War thriller in this six-issue miniseries by the bestselling and Eisner-winning creative team behind GIDEON FALLS! In 1957, the USSR launched the dog, Laika, into Earth’s orbit. Two years later, the USA responded with two monkeys, Able and Baker. These animals never returned. But, unbeknownst to everyone, they did not die in orbit…they were taken. And now they are coming home.

Lemire is one of my favorite creators of the past decade and even though I have no idea what Gideon Falls was about, I loved it. This one sounds absolutely amazing and I’m pulling the series.

CROSSOVER #10

WRITER: Donny Cates
ARTIST / COVER A: Dee Cunniffe, Geoff Shaw, John J. Hill

SEPTEMBER 22 / 32 pages / FC/ T+ / $3.99

“MEANWHILE,” Part Three
“Hey hey! We’re back with another mysterious slaughter-filled romp! And man oh man, is this one…honestly, guys, there’s not much I can say here without spoiling every single page. Look, I don’t know, guys. Writing solicitations is hard. Come read our crazy little book!!”

Crossover has been a pretty consistently fun book with a really wild premise (kind of Cates’ thing). It deals with a lot of his previous work at Image, so it also gives you a reason to go back and read something like God Country. Cates is a big idea guy, let’s see how he delivers as this book keeps moving along.

THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH #13
WRITER: James Tynion IV
ARTIST / COVER A: Martin Simmonds

SEPTEMBER 29 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99

Thirty years ago, Cole Turner dreamed up a Star-Faced Man who ate children in the basement of his preschool. Today, Cole is going to make sure that nightmare can never haunt another kid. The second arc of the smash-hit THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH ends here with a revelation that turns the series upside down!

The Department of Truth is the kind of book that would never find a home at the big 2 and makes you thankful for creator-owned comics. This book is crazy as hell and has already been optioned for a streaming project. Tynion holds nothing back and I’m looking forward to how this new arc wraps up.

RADIANT BLACK #8
WRITER: Kyle Higgins
ARTIST: Marcelo Costa

COVER A: Felipe Watanabe
COVER C: Tyler Kirkham

SEPTEMBER 15 / 32 pages / FC/ / $3.99

The battle for the Radiants tears through Chicago. Can this unlikely new team stand against an enemy who knows more about their powers than they do? And even if they win…what happens next?

Higgins has hit us with a couple big surprises over the last 2 issues and now I will go into every book thinking nothing is sacred. That makes for one hell of an exciting series. If you aren’t already reading Radiant Black, it’s not too late!!

This is just a glimpse of what’s available out there and just scratches the surface of what I’ll be ordering for the month of September. You can find full solicitations for DC and Marvel at Newsarama/Games Radar and for Image at Image Comics.

June 28, 2021
Comics: Murphy’s Fab Five New Books from the Week that Was

As promised, here’s the first of what I hope to be a weekly series taking a look at the 5 best comics I read from the most recent NCBD. Let’s hop right in…

1. Guardians of the Galaxy #15

Al Ewing’s Guardians of the Galaxy has been a gift to me. Marvel Comics made a huge mistake when they changed up the comic book Guardians to make them more recognizable to fans of James Gunn’s MCU films. Fortunately, Donny Cates and now Ewing have taken them as far away from those iterations as possible and, in doing so, blown open the doors to all kinds of new possibilities.

Ewing’s Guardians have opened up their ranks to keep up with the problems caused by several volatile political situations going on throughout the galaxy. Issue 15 narrows the view a little bit and puts Richard Rider at the center of the book (this auto-ranked it as the best book of the week). Rider’s been through it over the last couple of years, is struggling to reconnect with his bestie (a very changed Star-Lord) and has had enough of compromising with villains. This is exacerbated by the Guardians inviting Doctor Doom to join the team and a visit to S.W.O.R.D. headquarters to meet with Magneto. The Human Rocket and the Master of Magnetism have a great brawl followed up by a better conversation that takes place on the eve of the Hellfire Gala: big changes are coming to the galaxy, even bigger than the ones that have already shaken it to its core. And while the mutant terraforming of Mars seems like it should be the biggest blip on their radar, another team of Guardians make a huge discovery that leads directly to the upcoming crossover event, The Last Annihilation.

It’s common for publishers to joke that new books or new events will “change everything.” It’s no joke to say that Ewing’s work on Guardians has done that without any of the hype.

2. Infinite Frontier #1

I’ll happily admit that I’ve never been very good at keeping track of the DC Universes Crises and Otherworld tales and Rebirths and that, to me, the overall continuity is confusing. I’ll also admit that all the Death Metal stuff just really confused me more. That having been said, Infinite Frontier #1 gave me a feeling of hope that even I might be able to understand where DC Comics is taking things moving forward because it seems like there making a move to streamline things. So while it might get worse before it gets better, I think it’s going to get better.

With the general populous now aware that they exist within a multiverse, a group of heroes, lead by Green Lantern Alan Scott, has set out to monitor any threats to its well-being; Thomas Wayne arrives on an alternate Earth looking for the Flash and meets President Superman and Justice Incarnate; another Flash discovers a new way to move through the multiverse where he meets Psycho Pirate, in the employ of Darkseid, on Earth Omega Dr. Bones blackmails Cameron Chase into coming back to work for the DEO; Roy Harper is revealed to be Roy Harpers, including the Black Lantern Roy from Death Metal and is being chased by a new villain named X-Tract.

The book seems like an all-new direction for a DC event, though Psycho Pirate does tease a new Crisis is imminent. I’m not sure what direction DC has planned for things after this event, but issue #1 sets up the key players and plots to be resolved over the next few months in a way that seems like the right place for you to jump in and enjoy the ride.

3. S.W.O.R.D. #6

Another book by Al Ewing on the list and that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Ewing has been one of Marvel’s most consistent top talents for years now and while he’s been hailed for his work on The Immortal Hulk, he’s been having a lot of fun playing in the Cosmic corner of things dating back to his work on The Ultimates. This book neatly follows up on the events of not only the prior X-books but also the aforementioned Guardians of the Galaxy #15. Here, we pick up after the mutants have terraformed Mars and moved the island of Arrako and its inhabitants there.

The book features a surprising and entirely welcome 3+ page conversation between Steve Rogers and Doctor Doom in which the 2 show mutual respect for one another while they try to come to terms with the mutants incredible display of power. As they continue to grab more and more control of power on Earth through their pharmaceuticals, the mutant’s parallel move to control trade and power in the galaxy is revealed by Abigail Brand: a new material called mysterium that can only be made by mutants. Mysterium is a new metal that is tougher, stronger, a better conductor and all around better than pretty much any other option available for building ships, making computers and doing all sorts of other space shit.

The big reveal, however, isn’t the metal itself but that Brand is giving it away to those who will acknowledge Planet Arrako (the one that used to be Mars), not Earth, as the governing body of the Sol system, a system the mutants now see on par with the other great empires of the galaxy. And the issue ends with a great reveal as the Regent of Planet Arrako and the Voice of the Sol system makes her appearance. S.W.O.R.D. has been a great ride from book 1 and it doesn’t lose any momentum here.

4. Robin #3

I’m a sucker for anything with Damien Wayne so when this new book was announced, I knew I was in. Damien has been taken to an island where the League of Lazarus, an offshoot of the League of Shadows, is holding a Lazarus Tournament that includes old, new and reinvented characters. It’s a great “tournament” setup that’s allowing readers, and Damien, to explore what makes Batman’s son tick. Damien’s more than capable of handling himself in almost any situation but the book, this issue especially, does a great job of exposing the weaknesses he refuses to believe he has and it ends with one hell of a cliffhanger…well first a clifftoss and then a cliffhanger.

5. Shadowman #3

A new take on an old 90’s book, Shadowman by Cullen Bunn is becoming one of the most interesting horror books on the market. After taking the fist 2 issues to catch up on who Shadowman is and prepping the canvas, book 3 takes us down a path that ends with a revelation that makes everything a whole lot bigger. Bunn has always done great work in the horror genre and the art in this volume, by Jon Davis-Hunt, is captivating and reminds you why this medium can be so great. It’s not too late to find all 3 issues of this one in your LCS and get on board for what’s looking like a wild ride.

June 27, 2021
New ‘SHANG-CHI’ Trailer Reveals the Return of the Abomination

For about 5 seconds tonight, fans thought the underwater reveal of the Great Protector was the money shot of the new trailer for Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings. 5 seconds later, fans got their first look at the All-New, All-Different Abomination and social media went wild.

The final seconds of the trailer give us a look at a very different, very comic-based Abomination (confirmed by the captions) going up against Wong in what appears to be the oft-rumored tournament. While we’ve heard rumors of Wong’s potential appearance in the film, the Abomination’s presence seems to come out of nowhere (his return to the MCU was confirmed for She-Hulk but this definitely caught me off guard) and begs the asking of one very important question: on whose behalf is Blonsky fighting? The last we saw of him, he was headed to a cryo-cell in the Vault in Alaska under the watch of Thunderbolt Ross following his ass beating at the hands of the Hulk. What is the nature of this tournament and what does Ross stand to gain by sending this monster into the ring? Or is Abomination under someone else’s control at the moment, like the Contessa?

Watch the new trailer below. Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings hits theaters September 3, 2021.

June 24, 2021
‘LOKI’ and The Great Lie

Episode 3 of Loki, Lamentis, revealed not only some background on Sophia DiMartino’s Sylvie, but also the first crack in the facade of the TVA. Through the first two episodes, fans rightfully questioned the legitimacy of the TVA’s story as told by Mobius; today’s episode made those questions more relevant when Sylvie revealed that Hunter C-20, played by Sasha Lane, was a human with a history and not a product of some TVA baby factory where they produce Hunters, Minutemen and agents to do their bidding (no wonder your boy Mobs loves jet skis). As fans, once we learn that we’ve been lied to about the TVA’s employees, we should question everything (if we haven’t already) and that line of questioning is going to lead to one truth: the TVA is the great lie meant to protect the interests of a very select number of people.

It’s been fairly obvious, thanks to Loki’s thickly applied skepticism, that the TVA and the Time-Keepers are all part of a rather authoritarian propaganda machine meant to keep the TVA’s workers moving in one direction and questions to a minimum. We’ve seen Mobius’s questions about the Time-Keepers met with hand-waving by Ravonna Renslayer and Loki’s questions to Mobius met with very religious, faith-based “just accept it” responses. Unfortunately for Mobius, even though he’s perceptive enough to see the faults in the official story, he seems to come up just shy of being willing to question it and serves as a willing instrument of the great plan of the Time-Keepers, protecting the Sacred Timeline until he can exist in peace at the end of time. Ravonna, on the other hand, appears entirely implicit in preserving the agenda of the Time-Keepers despite it becoming increasingly obvious that they are, at least at this point, little more than fictional creations intended to keep everyone feeling safe. And when people feel safe, they don’t ask a lot of questions. Like Mobius said, if we start to questions things, everything seems ridiculous.

The TVA has amassed an incredible amount of power though even its employees seem unaware of just how long it’s been around. We know “time works a little differently” in the TVA and that objects of immense power don’t seem to work there, facts that point to the TVA being somewhere outside of time and space, somewhere like the Marvel Comics Temporal Limbo. In comic continuity, the beings that inhabited Temporal Limbo never aged because the dimension existed outside of the timestream; more importantly, it was lorded over by Immortus, an older version of Kang who had been chosen by the Time-Keepers to steer the timeline in one very specific direction towards the end of time. Part of that job meant that Immortus had to prevent different versions of himself, Kang Variants you might say, from achieving what he achieved: mastering time. Here’s a great time to ask another question: if the Hunters are Variants plucked from other timelines and chosen to work for the TVA and the official TVA company line on them isn’t true, can we accept any of Ravonna’s propaganda about the Time-Keepers?

Given Ravonna’s comic book history is so deeply tied to Kang’s and the obvious layers of bullshit she’s spreading about the Time-Keepers in her limited time on screen so far, it’s fair to say that we can’t believe anything she says about them. As apparently the only person with access to almighty space lizards and a person of great power and influence herself, Ravonna is sort of the Pope of the the TVA, directing her faithful servants to do the will of the almighty, which only she is fortunate enough to know and then, as she says, disseminate to those less fortunate. So whose will is being done here? While we haven’t seen him yet, it becomes harder and harder not to believe it’s Immortus as the little bits of evidence start to accumulate.

So halfway through the series, we certainly can’t question the TVA’s power and authority but we absolutely should be questioning at whose behest they are wielding those things. If it Immortus behind the curtain, we should also question whose interests he’s protecting by directing the Sacred Timeline in one very particular direction. If he’s truly doing so to prevent another Multiversal conflict, that’s all well and good and fits the very nice narrative of the Time-Keepers; however, if he’s up to something else, something that’s more personal, such as making sure he’s the guy on top of things at the end of time, then we’re looking at another narrative entirely. And that’s where Loki, or some Lokis, can really do their thing(s). What makes a Loki a Loki? Spreading mischief and being an agent of chaos has to be one answer and it would seem that these two Lokis have begun to unravel the thread of the Great Lie and either Immortus or the Multiverse will be at risk because of it.

June 23, 2021