Crushing Krisis

Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand

Crushing Comics

Crushing Comics S01E23 – Secret Wars II, female protagonists, and what it means when omnibuses are “out of print”

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Today I unwrap one of Marvel’s largest early omnibuses – Secret Wars II! The first ever sequel event was also Marvel’s first event with line-wide tie-ins, including Spider-Man teaching the Beyonder how to… well, you’ll see.

Before I dig in Secret Wars, I share a story about my lifelong obsession with strong female protagonists. Afterward, I explain what it really means when we say an omnibus is “out of print.”

Want to start from the beginning of this season of videos? Here’s the complete Season 1 playlist of Crushing Comics.

Episode 23 features the Secret Wars II Omnibus (Amazon / eBay), which is covered in the Guide to Marvel Events. I also mention my Guide to Watchmen, which makes its public debut today! More on that a little bit later.

 

Crushing Comics S01E22 – X-Force by Kyle & Yost Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 and X-Force/Cable: Messiah War

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In part two of unwrapping a big brick of X-Men, I tackle 2008’s X-Force revival as a Wolverine-led team of violent fixers, including how I went from a skeptic to a fan and how Messiah War shouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath as Messiah Complex and Second Coming. (Go even more in-depth on this run with my Most Wanted Omnibus post!)

Want to start from the beginning of this season of videos? Here’s the complete Season 1 playlist of Crushing Comics.

Episode 22 features X-Force, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 by Kyle & Yost OHC (Amazon Vol. 1 / Amazon Vol. 2 / eBay) and X-Force/Cable: Messiah War (Amazon / eBay), but I also discuss X-Necrosha (Amazon / eBay) and X-Men: Second Coming (Amazon / eBay). Find the full collection details of all of those books in the Guide to X-Force.

 

Crushing Comics S01E21 – X-Men: Manifest Destiny and Dark Avengers / X-Men: Utopia

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After a brief digression about how weight training helps with comic collecting, I unwrap a hefty brick of six books, including a pair of X-Men “Manifest Destiny” volumes and the X-Men’s throwdown with Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers. The episode ends in a cliffhanger, as I tease what the other half of the brick holds in store.

Want to start from the beginning of this season of videos? Here’s the complete Season 1 playlist of Crushing Comics.

 

Episode 21 features X-Men: Manifest Destiny (Amazon), Uncanny X-Men: Manifest Destiny (Amazon), and Avengers/X-Men: Utopia (Amazon / eBay). This material is covered in the guide to Uncanny X-Men’s Matt Fraction era as well as in the guide to Bendis’s Dark Avengers.

Crushing Comics S01E20 – Marvel’s Annihilation and Annihilation Conquest hardcovers

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In this episode I open a massive hunk of modern cosmic Marvel that is a massive fan favorite and the birthplace of the Guardians of the Galaxy as we know them today. I give a quick crash course on where Marvel’s galactic characters where in 2006 prior to Annihilation, and a hint of where they head after Annihilation Conquest.

Want to start from the beginning of this season of videos? Here’s the complete Season 1 playlist of Crushing Comics.

Episode 20 features the contents of the Annihilation Omnibus (Amazon / eBay) in the form of Annihilation Book 1 OHC (Amazon / eBay), Annihilation Book 2 OHC (Amazon / eBay), & Annihilation Book 3 OHC (Amazon / eBay), and 2/3rds of the contents of Annihilation Conquest Omnibus (Amazon / eBay) in Annihilation Conquest Book 1 OHC (Amazon / eBay) and Annihilation Conquest Book 2 OHC (Amazon / eBay).

Read more about Annihilation in the Guide to Marvel Events, or follow the formation of the Guardians of the Galaxy in their guide.

Crushing Comics S01E19 – Hellboy Library Editions Vol. 3 & Vol. 4

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Today I open another pair of Hellboy Library editions and talk about Dark Horse’s consistency in issuing comprehensive collected editions, including the upcoming Hellboy Omnibus series.

Want to start from the beginning of this season of videos? Here’s the complete Season 1 playlist of Crushing Comics.

Episode 10 features Hellboy Library Edition Vol. 3 (Amazon / eBay) and Vol. 4 (Amazon / eBay). Need more direction on how to read Hellboy?