Category: Features

‘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’ Episode 5 Primer

After a little bit of lull in episode 3, episode 4- Nexus Event- brought more to the table. It’s a little cringy that Loki fell in love with a version of himself, but it’s also the most Loki-like thing in the show. Seeing he is so self-centered it’s not really a surprise. While the TVA splits up Sylvie and Loki, Mobius gets time to reconnect with his bestie, Loki, and express his disappointment; Loki, on the other hand, tried to convince Mobius that he and everyone else in the TVA are variants and that they have been lied to. Sylvie and Hunter B-15 were having a similar conversation that led to B-15 breaking free of her program. During his conversation with Ravonna, Mobius steals her Tempad, confirms Loki’s story, and hatches a plan to break Loki out and destroy the TVA. Unfortunately, Ravonna catches him and deletes him. Ravonna then takes the two variants to the Time-Keepers, B-15 has another plan and helps them break free which eventually leads to Sylvie decapitating one of the Time-Keepers revealing that they are not the all-powerful time gods they are cracked up to be, they are cheap robots. Sylvie and Loki’s big revolution ends with Ravonna deleting Loki, but a post-credit scene shows Loki waking up to be surrounded by other variant Lokis.

The TVA is just a great big lie, I’ve thought all along that there must be someone running the show other than the Time-Keepers the reveals in this episode seem to prove my theory. In episode 1, Loki believed that the TVA was the greatest power he has ever seen, maybe they still are but we know it’s not the Time-Keepers who wield the power. Kang was the first person who came to mind that might truly be in charge, especially when I saw Ravonna. The other big reveal from the episode is when variants get deleted they don’t die. This gives Loki hope in finding his way back to Sylvie. We know from the trailer the wasteland is filled with other Lokis and it will be exciting to see if they are a help or make it more difficult.

Arlyn’s Assumptions

We know that Loki is getting out of this wasteland because we see Loki and Sylvie fighting in a location we haven’t seen yet, most likely Kang’s castle. Mobius isn’t dead so there is a chance Loki can get him out of his wasteland. I’m looking forward to this next episode being crazy fun with all of the different Lokis.

The next episode of Loki streams tomorrow!

July 6, 2021
Theory Tuesday: Vision’s Avengers Fail-Safe Program

A few months have passed since WandaVision concluded its heartwrenching story. Yet, to this day, there are still a few questions on everyone’s mind regarding the future of its characters. The biggest question mark surrounds the Vision. In the final two episodes, we learned that Vision’s body was recovered by S.W.O.R.D. and was turned into a weapon. Now, this “White Vision” had no memories of his past and lacked any empathy. Yet, the Vision in Westview managed to unlock that final piece before saving Wanda. After his memory got unlocked, the newly reformed Vision flew off and was never seen again. So what exactly has the Vision been up to since his memory’s been unlocked? Our very own, Joseph Aberl, already explored his story post-WandaVision with a Vision Quest adaptation pitch. My theory expands on this vision and what it could imply for the future of the MCU.

The Vision is bound to be riddled with hundreds of protocols in case of a specific scenario sets in. In the comics, Vision had developed a contingency program called “The Avengers Fail-Safe Program”. It was made to activate if the Avengers were ever destroyed by a potential threat or disbanded due to unforeseen circumstances. If we base ourselves on Joseph’s VisionQuest pitch, following the events of WandaVision, The Vision sets out to retrace his steps to fill in the gaps between the moment he died in Infinity War and the moment he came back online. And as he finds out that most of the Avengers have either died or gone their own paths, it is possible that Vision could activate his fail-safe program. It could even be a modified version of Zola’s Algorithm from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but rather than use it to eliminate potential targets, Vision utilizes the protocol to search for the next generation of heroes to take up the mantle of the Avengers.

Marvel Studios is setting up the Young Avengers to join forces at some point in Phase 4 or beyond. We’ve already been introduced to Billy and Tommy Maximoff in WandaVision. Elijah Bradley had a few appearances in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Cassie Lang has already reached her teenage years in Avengers: Endgame. It doesn’t end there, as we’re also bound to see the introduction of Kate Bishop, Riri Williams, and America Chavez to the MCU in future projects. With the Avengers gone and almost no heroes to help save the world, it seems pretty opportune for this band of heroes to step up to the challenge and take on the mantle as the Young Avengers. It would seem fitting for the Vision, who is trying to uncover his own identity, to help guide a new generation of heroes while re-learning his humanity. Little does he know, two members of his new team are closer to him than he might not realize.

July 6, 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
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’: A Desperate War for Vibranium

The rumors are pointing that the upcoming Black Panther sequel will introduce the world to Namor and Marvel’s Atlantis. The first hint came when Illuminerdi shared the info that Tenoch Huerta had already gotten cast in the role. The Marvel Cinematic Universe would potentially connect Atlantis with Mayan civilization, which would make it distinct from DC’s Aquaman franchise. Just a few days ago, Production Weekly shared some story plot points that hinted at a war brewing between these two isolated cities. As Wakanda expands to meet the world, Namor’s home country remains hidden from the world. The only question is, why will these two end up in conflict. Well, perhaps that listing may give us our first hint.

There’s a curious line regarding Namor’s human father at the tail end of the description. It states that he went to search for the Vibranium in Antarctica. Sadly, it cuts off there, but it echoes the events from the comics. Winston Churchill sent Ernest Shackleton to find the rare metal there. He would end up falling in love with Princess Fen, and they would give birth to Namor. So, they might be closely following his comic origins. As Atlantis, a highly advanced civilization, was also hidden away in Antarctica, it might be another location where a Vibranium meteorite crashed long ago.

Interestingly enough, Homo Mermanus also had an alien origin, as they are from the water planet Vodan. They may have arrived on Earth a long time ago to find the crashed metal. Yet, they shared their information and mixed it with Mayans that then moved underwater after the fall of their civilization. It could even connect to Chloé Zhao‘s Eternals, who played an integral role in the fall of the first Atlantean city of Lemuria. They fled from the surface world and used past scriptures to uncover the remnants of the meteorite. Yet, unlike Wakanda, where it took root in the fresh soil, the icy environment would not allow the alien meal to take root. So, they would eventually run out.

As Namor took over the throne, the country has reached a boiling point. Their source to keep the city safe is depleting. As such, a tough decision had to be made, and they set out to find the only other known source of the material. They send out some scouts that get caught by the Dora Milaje. It ends up pushing the conflict as they try to uncover the new secret invaders. Namor sees it as an attack and prioritizes the safety of his people. With it, the war for the final source of Vibranium starts. Wakanda faces a threat that no one would’ve seen coming.

July 4, 2021
‘Loki’ and the Harsh Reality of the TVA

It’s easy to focus on all the multiversal shenanigans of Loki. We finally got introduced to the Time-Keepers, are exploring beyond our understanding of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and might get one of the strangest love stories ever put on a streaming platform. In the middle of it, all is the Time Variance Authority. A highly bureaucratic organization that is responsible for cleansing the Sacred Timeline and preserving the vision of its leaders. They see a purpose in their tasks, even if it is as menial as greeting new Variants and Minutemen at the front desk. In a way, their entire life revolves around their job. They believe they were created solely for that purpose, as it gives them meaning. The only moment of solace they get seems to be a time-gated lunch break. It’s pretty hard to deny that anyone working from nine to five may have felt a bit too at home with these moments.

The depressing reality of existence is that even the most powerful organization falls into repetitive structures. We were only missing a sit down with a departments manager claiming they should switch to agile project management, as it will ensure more productivity. There is a good chance those conversations were happening in the departments we didn’t get to see. Some seem to have the same job for their entire existence, such as the person making sure Variants aren’t secretly robots or the cat lover having to make sure every spoken word gets signed off on. The peons have no say and only know the goals of their operations through a singular “representative,” which is Ravonna Renslayer in this case.

It’s hard not to see the parallels between the Time-Keepers acting as shareholders of a company acting on a whim to ensure their goals are met. Ravonna is the Chief Executive Officer (and Judge) that ensures those actions are met to their satisfaction. She wasn’t always in her position, but they saw something in her to reach that point in her career. Her job is to ensure that everything is going according to plan and even if sacrifices need to be made, they may be rewarded at some point in the future. Empty promises that overshadow one’s true passion. No matter if that is wanting to enter a specific field or the simple joy of riding a jet ski. The moment Mobius confronted the fake reality he was taught to learn by being at the organization for years, he suffered the consequences.

Once you are disenfranchised from the organization that you once believed in, it becomes difficult to push forward. We all are in Mobius’ shoes at one point. Our entire belief structure is broken down because of the thing we dedicated potentially years of our lives to feels like a lie. We lose ourselves in the greater picture of those that stand above us because we hope that we could stand among them. All the hard work has to pay off eventually, right? Yet, we have to face the reality that such decisions come at a price. We will lose something on the way. Perhaps the availability of our dreams, such s riding a jet ski, or even at the risk of our health. We are all puppets connected to the same string. Some are just higher up than others. Perhaps we all need a Loki in our life. An agent of chaos that breaks us free from the monotony of our nine to five and frees us to see the world what it truly is.

June 30, 2021
‘LOKI’ Episode 4 Primer

I loved the last episode of Loki. After the Variant set off all of the time bombs to distract the TVA, she popped into the building followed by Loki. They worked together to fight off the guards but that’s the least of their worries. Ravonna found out the building is being infiltrated and went after them. Interestingly, we found out that Ravonna was once a hunter. When Loki realized Ravonna was coming for them, he opened a door to Lamentis, the site of another apocalypse.

Sylvie, the Variant, has been on the run from the TVA her whole life. While Loki grew up as royalty and with great memories of his mom, Sylvie can barely remember her mom and had to learn to take care of herself. The two seem to fight A LOT but by the end of the episode, they seem to have a bond. They work together to get to the evacuation ark to recharge the Tempad; however, the evacuation ark gets destroyed so now they can’t get out of Lamentis. Unfortunately, the episode just kind of ended on a pretty silly cliffhanger since we know they aren’t going to die there.

Arlyn’s Assumptions

There are lots of things that can happen in this next episode. The new trailer shows them in the TVA’s custody, so the TVA will clearly pull them out of Lamentis. But them being in the TVA could lead to them getting deleted, especially since Mobius seems to be really unhappy with Loki. I don’t think things are going to end well for our Lokis in this next episode . We only have three episodes left and I expect Ravonna to have a bigger role in these next few episodes, including our first meeting with the Time Keepers (*cough*Kang*cough*) which will probably expose the TVA for the fraud that it is….poor Mobius.

The next episode of Loki premiers tomorrow!

June 29, 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
Open Questions Ahead of ‘Loki’s Second Half
The first three episodes of Loki have been fascinating in their own right. Whether it’s the curiosity about the Time Variance Authority or a look into who Loki really is as a person. So far, it seems that we’re set up for quite the second half. Yet, people felt as if this episode was more filler and halted the overarching plot. I would wager it did the opposite. Here are four important questions moving forward in the series:
- Sylvie always seems to be ten steps ahead. We’ve seen the various steps of her plans unfold, especially with the manipulation of Hunter C-20’s mind early on in the episode. It creates a boding feeling as if you can’t trust anything. Throughout the episode, the two Loki Variants have plenty of back and forth conversations. They are bickering and even fighting while supposedly stranded on Lamentis-1. I would like to wager there is a chance this adventure is Sylvie simply bending their current predicament. Perhaps even Loki managed to reverse it on her?
- The big revelations surround the TVA agent’s true identity. They weren’t created by the Time-Keepers, but are Variants from the Sacred Timeline. Owen Wilson‘s Mobius truly believes in everything their work stands for. His words that “Existence is chaos. Nothing makes any sense, so we try to make some sense of it,” reflect the way they almost are. religion. Now that the cat is out of the bag, will it shake the foundation of his beliefs? Most importantly, will it lead to him finally riding a jet ski?
- Ravonna Renslayer has some kind of connection to the Time-Keepers. Supposedly, they’ve even been keeping a close eye on Loki’s current antics. Yet, it opens the question of why they haven’t intervened. You would think that all-powerful beings could easily snap these Variants out of existence. Yet, why would they require the TVA in the first place then? Perhaps there is more to their existence and a bigger lie at play.
- There are quite a few hints at Kang the Conqueror having a hand in the events of this series, or perhaps even surrounding the TVA’s creation. In the comics, he spends most of his time motivated to save his love, Ravonna Renslyer. We know that he’ll appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. So, all roads seem to lead to him. Perhaps he is the mastermind pulling the strings behind the curtains?
There’s been a lot of time spent getting to know Loki in ways we never have before. The levels of introspection, what he thinks about existence, love, and so much more. Yet, he’s still a Variant at the end of the day. Is he going to be able to trick his way out of this to survive, or is he destined to be erased? It seems that he might end up as a pawn in a grander story, but the series never forget who is its protagonist. It would make one think that the amount of time spent with the character there’s more to this story past this season. There’s no doubt that either way, it’s going to be fascinating to watch.
June 27, 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