A Collection of Comic Book Writings
The late, great Anthony Bourdain was a chef, author, TV host, and one of my favorite celebrities ever. Not everyone is aware that he was also a comic book writer as well. Bourdain co-wrote several graphic novels (that I will detail here) with author Joel Rose. They all deal with food and the culinary world, they show off Bourdain’s love of Japanese culture, and they’re all filled with his trademark offbeat sense of humor.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. The 2005 Nickelodeon cartoon tells the story of Aang, a boy with the power to bend the elements to his will, as he and his friends try to end a century-long war. Although it is ostensibly a children’s show, Avatar: The Last Airbender has amazing character depth and deals with the realities of trauma, loss, and war. I love the show a lot, and I recommend it to anyone of any age.
Although Avatar ended after three seasons, the story continues in the form of comics from Dark Horse Books. These comics have original story concepts by the series’ creators, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. They are all very good, seeming just like more episodes of the show. If you’re a fan who wants to give the comics a try, but doesn’t know where to begin, this guide will give you all the information you need to jump right in. These comics build off one another, so they’re best read in order. Full spoilers for the show are within, so be warned if you haven’t finished it yet.
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I’m very excited for the upcoming DC Comics movie, New Gods. Directed by A Wrinkle In Time and When They See Us director Ava DuVernay and co-written by all-star comic book writer Tom King, the movie is set to adapt Jack Kirby’s Fourth World saga, a sprawling space epic about two planets of superhumans using Earth as a battleground for their eternal war. The Fourth World comics are some of Kirby’s most inventive characters and some of his best work. I really love the comics, so in anticipation of the upcoming movie, I decided to make a fancast of who I’d like to see playing some of the New Gods. I should note that these aren’t predictions for who I think will be cast in the movie, as basically no information has been released about it yet. This is just for fun.
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Superheroes are more popular and more mainstream than ever. It seems like every week there’s a new superhero movie, TV show, or videogame hitting the screens. Nearly all of these superheroes and their stories originated in comic books. Of course, there are decades and decades worth of comics out there, and to a new fan it can be daunting trying to figure out which ones to read. In this column, I’m gonna try my best to give new fans fun, easy to understand jumping-off points into the world of comics. As far as accessibility goes, most of these comics are collected and readily available from comic shops, bookstores or online from subscription services such as Comixology, Marvel Unlimited, and DC Universe. Additionally, I always recommend your local library as a free source of comics to read, and with inter-library loan systems you can get your hands on pretty much anything.
For this edition of Where to Begin, I’d like to take a look at the X-Men. The X-Men have been some of my favorite superheroes since I was a kid, and I’ve always loved their movies, cartoons, and comics. The X-Men comics have become known for wide, sprawling stories with a lot of characters and spin-off series, and they can get kind of confusing to newcomers. If you’re a new fan looking for some easy entry points into the mutant world or to get ready for their eventual introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, here’s where to begin.
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