Wellington City Libraries

In comics and graphic novels, stuff to read, the wellington comic lover's guide to..., [Books]

On Monday, 6 November, 2023

In comics and graphic novels, lgbtqia+, stuff to read

It’s that time of year, exams, assignments, school dances and proms, everything is happening and it’s really hard to find time to concentrate on reading anything too lengthy or complex. Picking up a series right now could be just a bit much in a busy schedule. But you need some down time, right? Here’s a list of recent picks of standalone graphic novels for you to give yourself a break with.

Four-color heroes / Fairgray, Richard
“Written and illustrated by Aotearoa/New Zealand-born creator Richard Fairgray, the story is set in a New Zealand high school during the passing of the Civil Union Act 2004. As tensions rose nationwide over the basic equal rights of same-sex couples, two boys were fighting a battle on a smaller scale, against enemies from within and without, as they found love and self-discovery through the pages of a comic book.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Crumbs / Stirling, Danie
“In a very special town, there’s an even more unusual bakery with a selection of baked treats hand-crafted to help your dreams come true. For Ray, a quiet young woman with special powers of her own, the order is always the same: a hot tea with a delicious side of romance. When Ray meets Laurie, the kind barista who aspires to be a professional musician, she gets a real taste of love for the first time. But even with a spark of magic, romance isn’t so simple.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Family style : memories of an American from Vietnam / Pham, Thien
“Thien’s first memory isn’t a sight or a sound. It’s the sweetness of watermelon and the saltiness of fish. It’s the taste of the foods he ate while adrift at sea as his family fled Vietnam. After the Pham family arrives at a refugee camp in Thailand, they struggle to survive. Things don’t get much easier once they resettle in California. And through each chapter of their lives, food takes on a new meaning. And for Thien Pham, that story is about a search… for belonging, for happiness, for the American dream.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Every day : the graphic novel / Levithan, David
“Every morning A wakes in a different person’s body, in a different person’s life, learning over the years to never get too attached, until he wakes up in the body of Justin and falls in love with Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Sunshine : how one camp taught me about life, death, and hope / Krosoczka, Jarrett
“When Jarrett J. Krosoczka was in high school, he was part of a program that sent students to be counselors at a camp for seriously ill kids and their families. Going into it, Jarrett was worried: Wouldn’t it be depressing, to be around kids facing such a serious struggle? Wouldn’t it be grim? But instead of the shadow of death, Jarrett found something else at Camp Sunshine: the hope and determination that gets people through the most troubled of times. He learned about the captivity of illness, for sure but he also learned about the freedom a safe space can bring.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

In limbo / Lee, Deborah
“Ever since Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee emigrated from South Korea to the United States, she’s felt her otherness. For a while, her English wasn’t perfect. Her teachers can’t pronounce her Korean name. Her face and her eyes – especially her eyes – feel wrong. In high school, everything gets harder. Friendships change and end, she falls behind in classes, and fights with her mom escalate. But Deb is resilient and slowly heals with the help of art and self-care, guiding her to a deeper understanding of her heritage and herself.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Breath of the giant / Aureille, Tom
“The Giants live in the Lost Territories of the North, atop the mountains. The Ones who find their way there will, by killing one of these beasts, collect his breath and pass it on to a lifeless body. Against the Gods’ will, the deceased will then come back to life. Sisters Iris and Sophia are determined to find one of these Giants. They lost their mother too soon and put all their hopes in this quest. But the journey ahead of them will bring way more than they were bargaining for.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Issunboshi : a graphic novel / Lang, Ryan
“In a feudal Japan where creatures of myth and folklore are real, a demon sets out to reforge an ancient weapon to take over the world. The only person who can stop him is a six-inch-tall would-be samurai, who also happens to be the final and most important piece of the weapon.” (Catalogue)

Over my dead body / Boo, Sweeney
“One day, everything was exactly as it was supposed to be. And the next, the closest thing Abby ever had to a sister, Noreen, was just… gone. Distracted by the annual preparations for the Samhain festival, Abby’s classmates are quick to put Noreen’s disappearance aside. The Coven will find her, Abby’s friends say. They have it under control. But Abby can’t let it go. Soon a search for answers leads her down a rabbit hole that uncovers more secrets than Abby can handle.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide to… Loki

By Gus

On Tuesday, 31 October, 2023

Welcome to the Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide, where we take you through the Wellington City Libraries’ collection of a comic book character or series. This post is all about Marvel’s God of Mischief, Loki!

Who is Loki?

Born to the Frost Giants of the realm of Jotunheim and adopted by Odin, the King of Asgard, Loki is the Norse God of Mischief and sibling to Thor, the God of Thunder.

When Thor is banished to Earth and becomes a superhero, Loki follows to menace him as a supervillain. Using their magic powers and skills in deception, Loki has been a thorn in Thor’s side for years. Famously, they were also the first threat to ever assemble The Avengers, and they’ve kept a vested interest in the team ever since, even becoming a member of the Young Avengers.

After years of villainy and mischief, Loki now plays a more ambivalent role in the Marvel Universe; sometimes they’re a hero, sometimes they’re a villain, sometimes they’re working for higher powers, sometimes they’re working for themselves. But whatever they do for whatever reason, to those that know them, Loki will never be trusted.

Some Low-Key Notes Before We Begin

Given Loki’s penchant for trickery, disguise, time travel, faking their death, and actually dying and being resurrected a couple of times, their timeline is incredibly complicated, weaving back and forth across the Marvel canon. I’ve done my best to put Loki’s appearances in chronological order of their personal timeline rather than the publishing date of the series they appear in.

In addition, Loki has three notable iterations (the original Norse god ‘Old Loki‘, the young anti-hero ‘Kid Loki‘, and the present incarnation Loki), the former two identifying as male with he/him pronouns and the third being genderfluid, able to change gender at a whim and identifying with the relevant pronoun depending on appearance. I’m going to default to ‘they/them’ for this incarnation, as current writers have done in Loki’s recent appearances.

Loki: God of Mischief

Following Thor to Earth, Loki uses his skill with magic and trickery to be a supervillain. In addition to continuing to menace his brother across Earth and Asgard, Loki also becomes the first threat that the Avengers ever assembled against. Loki’s iteration from his early appearances up to Siege is retroactively called ‘Old Loki’, though he will occasionally pop up via time travel to antagonise both Thor and his future self (see Agent of Asgard below).

‘Old Loki’ appearances

Thor : the mighty avenger / Langridge, Roger

The Avengers : Earth’s mightiest heroes. Volume 1, 1963-1965 / Lee, Stan

Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Volume 1 (only on Libby)

Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Volume 2 (only on Libby)

Loki (the Marvel-Verse collection)

The mighty Thor [3] / Simonson, Walter

Thor : Ragnaroks / Oeming, Michael Avon

Loki and the Siege of Asgard

When Norman Osborn (the Green Goblin) takes over the Avengers and SHIELD following Secret Invasion, he forms the Cabal (the villain equivalent of the Illuminati) and asks Loki to join. When Osborn begins to lose his grip on absolute power, Loki suggests he boost his status by leading a false flag attack on Asgard (which at this point in time hovered over a small town in Oklahoma), leading to the crossover story Siege.

Loki’s Journey to Siege

Secret invasion : Thor / Fraction, Matt

Dark reign : accept change

Siege : battlefield

Siege : Mighty Avengers / Slott, Dan

Siege / Bendis, Brian Michael

Kid Loki

After Siege, Loki is reborn as ‘Kid Loki’, a preteen Asgardian looking to get a fresh start. This Loki is still a schemer, but also more of a team player, working with Thor, the Young Avengers, and a cosmic team of gods called ‘The Asgardians of the Galaxy’.

Kid Loki appearances

The mighty Thor : journey into mystery : everything burns / Fraction, Matt

Young Avengers [1] : style > substance / Gillen, Kieron

Young Avengers [2] : alternative cultures / Gillen, Kieron

Mic-drop at the edge of time and space / Gillen, Kieron

The three Young Avengers volumes are also collected together as Young Avengers : the complete collection / Gillen, Kieron

Asgardians of the Galaxy [1] : the Infinity Armada / Bunn, Cullen

Asgardians of the Galaxy. Vol. 2, The war of the realms / Bunn, Cullen

There’s also a prose novel of the adventures of a younger Loki in nineteenth-century London, written by The Gentlemen’s Guide author Mackenzi Lee.

Loki : where mischief lies / Lee, Mackenzi

Loki: Agent of Asgard

After their adventures with the Young Avengers, Loki becomes the Agent of Asgard, working behind the scenes to maintain their hallowed home’s place in the cosmic order. Along the way, Loki confronts their alternate selves, gains a greater awareness of their purpose, and later assists the Defenders in an adventure beyond the Multiverse.

Loki: Agent of Asgard reading order

Loki : agent of Asgard [1] : trust me / Ewing, Al

Original sin : Thor & Loki : the tenth realm / Aaron, Jason

Loki : agent of Asgard [2] : I cannot tell a lie / Ewing, Al

Loki : agent of Asgard [3] : last days / Ewing, Al

The entire Agent of Asgard series is also collected as Loki, agent of Asgard : the complete collection / Ewing, Al

Defenders : beyond / Ewing, Al

Loki: Schemer, Sorcerer… Politician?

When the multiverse resets following Secret Wars, Loki has a pretty full schedule of mischief: menacing the new Thor Jane Foster, running for president in Vote Loki, briefly becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, awakening a dead Celestial buried on Earth (which kicks off Jason Aaron’s long-running and recently concluded Avengers run), and leading a ragtag team of Avengers to gather the Infinity Stones.

Post-Secret Wars Loki appearances

The mighty Thor [1] : thunder in her veins / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

The mighty Thor [2] : Lords of Midgard / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

The mighty Thor [3] : the Asgard/Shi’ar war / Aaron, Jason

Vote Loki / Hastings, Chris

Doctor Strange. 1, God of magic / Cates, Donny (also collected in Doctor Strange / Cates, Donny)

Marvel legacy

The Avengers [1] : the final host / Aaron, Jason

Infinity Wars / Duggan, Gerry

War of the Lokis

Loki learns that their past self had a hand in starting The War of the Realms, a massive conflict between the Avengers and an invasion force of villains from across the Ten Realms. They also learn of a prophecy where a version of ‘Old Loki’ is fated to destroy Asgard, which is explored in the miniseries King Thor.

Loki in the War of the Realms reading order

Thor [1] : God of Thunder reborn / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

Thor [2] : road to war of the realms / Aaron, Jason (also on Libby)

The unbeatable Squirrel Girl. Vol. 11, Call your squirrelfriend / North, Ryan

The war of the realms / Aaron, Jason

Loki : the god who fell to Earth / Kibblesmith, Daniel (also on Libby)

King Thor / Aaron, Jason

Thor and Loki

Despite their differences over the centuries, the two Asgardian brothers make a great team, with Thor’s brash honesty and raw strength complimenting Loki’s trickery and magical deceptions. Here are a few series that feature their adventures together (and if you’re interested in more Thor books, I wrote a guide for them here!)

Thor and Loki adventures

Thor & Loki . Blood brothers / Rodi, Robert

The mighty Thor : journey into mystery : everything burns / Fraction, Matt

Original sin : Thor & Loki : the tenth realm / Aaron, Jason

Loki : agent of Asgard [2] : I cannot tell a lie / Ewing, Al

Thor and Loki : double trouble / Tamaki, Mariko

Look No Further: New Teen Books in the Collection

On Wednesday, 18 October, 2023

In comics and graphic novels, dystopia, espionage and sneaky spies, mysteries & whodunnits, realistic fiction, stuff to read

October’s crop of new books for teens is a bumper one! There’s a little bit of something for everyone in these latest arrivals, mystery, romance, survival, families, murder, suspense… even Batman’s butler Alfred in his youth. Take a look at just a few of the new titles available this month…

Look no further / Robinson, Rioghnach
“When Nico and Ali meet at Ogilvy Summer Art Institute, a selective camp for art students in New York City, they seem like complete opposites. When a teacher assigns them as pairs for a genealogy project, Ali and Niko are shocked to find they have a lot more in common than they bargained for. On a quest to uncover their shared history, Ali finds herself falling for her roommate, who may have already fallen for another girl at Ogilvy. Surfer-bro Niko struggles to find his footing in the glamorous NYC art scene. Only when they face real heartbreak can they accept the most transformative revelation of the best art is what you make, not just what you see.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Frontera / Anta, Julio
“As long as he remembers to stay smart and keep his eyes open, Mateo knows that he can survive the trek across the Sonoran Desert that will take him from Mexico to the United States. That is until he’s caught by the Border Patrol only moments after sneaking across the fence in the dead of night. If you’d asked him if ghosts were real before he found himself face-to-face with one, Mateo wouldn’t have even considered it. But now, confronted with the nearly undeniable presence of Guillermo, he’s having second thoughts. As his journey stretches on, Mateo will have to decide exactly what and who he’s willing to sacrifice to find home.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Ride or die / Musikavanhu, Gail-Agnes
“From illegal snack swapping in kindergarten to reckless car surfing in high school, Loli Crawford and Ryan Pope have been causing trouble in their uptight California town forever. Everyone knows that the mischief starts with Loli. When Loli throws the wildest party Woolridge High has ever seen just to steal a necklace, she meets X, an unidentified boy in a coat closet, who challenges her to a game she can’t refuse. Loli and X and X exchange increasingly risky missions. As she attempts to one-up X’s every move, Loli risks losing everything– including her oldest friend.” (Catalogue)

Paper planes / Wood, Jennie
“After a life altering incident, Dylan and Leighton are sent to a summer camp for troubled youth. They both need a good evaluation at the camp. Otherwise, they’ll be sent away, unable to attend high school with their friends. While participating in camp activities and chores, Dylan and Leighton are pushed onto personal journeys of self-discovery and are forced to re-examine the events that led up to the incident that sent them to camp, the incident that threatens their futures and their friendship with each other. Can Dylan and Leighton save their friendship and protect their future while trying to survive camp?” (Catalogue)

Thirty to sixty days / Wood, Alikay
“A compulsive liar with a quick-witted response to everything, Hattie Larken is willing to do whatever it takes to just skate through the rest of high school and she can escape the mind-numbing monotony of this town. Then she finds out she is dying– exposed to a parasite because of a mistake her mom’s company made. Two other kids from her class also have been exposed: Carmen, the class president with a loving family, and a totally beautiful girlfriend; and Albie, a quiet kid who survived childhood cancer only to deal with this. With only thirty to sixty days to live, they decide to: Steal and sail a boat to Miami. Adopt a turtle. Sneak into a sold-out music festival. And maybe film all their misadventures….” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Young Alfred : pain in the butler / Northrop, Michael
“Bruce Wayne wouldn’t be Batman without his righthand man, Alfred Pennyworth. But was Alfred born to be the greatest butler in the world? Not exactly… When Alfred attends the prestigious Gotham Servants School, he is a clumsy and nervous boy going to fulfill his father’s last wish–he will become…a butler! Pushed out of his comfort zone, Alfred must adjust to new surroundings and responsibilities while trying to ace his courses and get along with his classmates. But when he suspects that his school may be involved in a criminal plot, Alfred must look within himself to see if he has what it takes to be not only a butler, but a hero.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Four found dead / Richards, Natalie D.
“Tempest Theaters is closing: tonight is their last night. It’s the last remaining business in a defunct shopping mall. The moviegoers have left, and Jo and her six coworkers have the final shift, cleaning up popcorn and mopping floors for the last time. An unexpected altercation puts everyone on edge, the power goes out– and the manager disappears, along with the keys to the lobby doors and the theater safe, where the crew’s phones are locked each shift. When a body is discovered, their only escape is through the dark, shuttered mall. To survive the night, Jo and her coworkers must trust one another, navigate the ruins of the mall, and outwit a killer before he kills again.” (Catalogue)

Firebird / Sunmi
“Caroline Kim is feeling the weight of sophomore year. When she starts tutoring infamous senior Kimberly Park-Ocampo – a charismatic lesbian, friend to rich kids and punks alike – Caroline is flustered… but intrigued Their friendship kindles and before they know it, the two are sneaking out for late-night drives, bonding beneath the stars over music, dreams, and a shared desire of getting away from it all. A connection begins to smolder… but will feelings of guilt and the mounting pressure of life outside of these adventures extinguish their spark before it catches fire?” (Catalogue)

I am the Mau : & other stories / Glasheen, Chemutai
“This enticing collection of contemporary fiction is a celebration of our ubuntu- the invisible ties that bind us all together. From ancient forest guardians to modern cultural warriors, from grappling with age-old traditions to championing hair identity, these evocative stories explore the duality of Kenyan life and how to find a way between two cultures, both of which are yours.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Monstrous : a transracial adoption story / Myer, Sarah
“Sarah has always struggled to fit in. Born in South Korea and adopted at birth by a white couple, she grows up in a rural community with few Asian neighbours. People whisper in the supermarket. Classmates bully her. She has trouble containing her anger in these moments – but through it all, she has her art. She’s always been a compulsive drawer, and when she discovers anime, her hobby becomes an obsession. Though drawing and cosplay offer her an escape, she still struggles to connect with others. And in high school, the bullies are louder and meaner. Sarah’s bubbling rage is threatening to burst.” (Catalogue)

For more new books in the collection, go to: What’s new / October 2023 (wcl.govt.nz)

Blutant Blurtles: The Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide to… Blue Beetle and Ninja Turtles

By Gus

On Thursday, 5 October, 2023

In comics and graphic novels, stuff to read, the wellington comic lover's guide to..., [Books]

“Blutant Blurtles: Adolescent Armored Animals”

Welcome to the Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide, where we take you through the Wellington City Libraries’ collection of a comic book character or series. This post is all about two armoured animal adolescent heroes who recently made the leap from comics to the big screen: Blue Beetle, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Who is Blue Beetle?

Blue Beetle is a title held by heroes who possess the Scarab, a beetle-shaped artifact that can turn into a metallic insectoid armour. Its most recent bearer is high school student Jaime Reyes, who uses the Scarab’s abilities to protect Palmera City alongside his mentor, the previous Blue Beetle Ted Kord.

Blue Beetle’s Surprisingly Important History

Despite being a minor hero compared to the likes of Superman or Spider-Man, Blue Beetle has a long and storied history in the world of comics.

For starters, Blue Beetle was not originally a DC Comics character; the first Blue Beetle, a rookie cop named Dan Garrett, was first created by Charles Wojtkoski for Fox Feature Syndicate in 1939 (a year after the debut of Superman). The character was later bought by Charlton Comics, where he received a new identity in businessman Ted Kord and got a sleek redesign (see right) by original Spider-Man artist Steve Ditko.

After Charlton went under, their characters were bought by DC and incorporated into their multiverse on Earth-4. You can read about their adventures in the story ‘Pax Americana‘ in The Multiversity series.

Versions of the Charlton heroes also exist in the ‘prime’ DC Comics timeline of Earth-0, including the atomic army man Captain Atom, the faceless detective The Question, the shadow-wielding spy Nightshade, the patriotic soldier (and recent TV sensation) Peacemaker, and of course, Blue Beetle.

The Charlton heroes then went on to inspire the characters of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ celebrated comic Watchmen, considered one of the greatest graphic novels ever made; Blue Beetle’s analogue there is the tech-using animal-themed hero Nite Owl. ‘Pax Americana‘ in Multiversity incorporates elements of Watchmen into its version of Earth-4, and Watchmen‘s official sequel Doomsday Clock has the Charlton heroes collide with the graphic novel they influenced in the most obvious way possible, fighting Doctor Manhattan on the surface of Mars.

Ted Kord – Blue Beetle II

The first Blue Beetle was Dan Garrett, a blue-armoured adventurer in the 1940s. The Scarab then passed to businessman Ted Kord, who couldn’t use the Scarab’s powers but incorporated its design into his costume and his trademark insect-shaped aircraft, the Bug. Ted has been a member of the Justice League International and its low-rent revival ‘the Super Buddies’.

Blue Beetle Ted Kord appearances

Blue Beetle. Volume one / Wein, Len

Justice League task force. Volume 1, The purification plague / Michelinie, David

Formerly known as the Justice League / Giffen, Keith

Convergence : infinite earths. Book two

Suicide Squad : bad blood / Taylor, Tom

Doomsday clock : the complete collection / Johns, Geoff

The human target. Volume one / King, Tom

Dark crisis on infinite Earths / Williamson, Joshua

The Blue and the Gold

In the days of Justice League International, Ted was frequently paired with time-travelling hero Booster Gold as a comedy duo, with the modest, level-headed Ted trying to keep the vainglorious, easily duped Booster out of trouble. After Ted died, Booster would try to use time travel to revive his friend by meddling with history. With the timeline being rewritten after DC Rebirth, Ted is alive once more, mentoring the third Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes.

Booster Gold and Blue Beetle team-ups

Formerly known as the Justice League / Giffen, Keith

Booster Gold : blue and gold / Johns, Geoff

Justice League 3000. Volume 2, The Camelot war / Giffen, Keith

Convergence : flashpoint book 1

Heroes in crisis / King, Tom

Dark crisis on infinite Earths / Williamson, Joshua

Ted Across the Multiverse

As mentioned above, a version of Ted appears on Earth-4 with the original Charlton characters in Multiversity. Ted is finally able to use the Scarab’s armour in Kingdom Come and takes Batman’s side in an encroaching superhero war (the other Charlton heroes also cameo in the story’s inciting incident). In a twisted possible timeline from the Dark Multiverse, Ted becomes a technologically enhanced tyrant called ‘OBAC’ – the One-Beetle Army Corps.

Kingdom come : the 20th anniversary deluxe edition / Waid, Mark

The Multiversity / Morrison, Grant

Tales from the DC dark multiverse

Jaime Reyes

Jaime Reyes is a Mexican-American high schooler from Texas who comes across the Scarab, which promptly fuses to his body and allows him to manifest armour and weapons at will. Jaime learns the Scarab is actually an agent of a conquering alien empire called The Reach, and he sets out to redeem its power for good. Proving his worth as a hero, Jaime later joins the Teen Titans.

Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes appearances

Post-Crisis

Blue Beetle : road trip / Rogers, John

Blue Beetle : boundaries / Sturges, Matthew

Teen Titans : Titans of tomorrow

Teen Titans : changing of the guard / McKeever, Sean

The New 52/DC Rebirth

Blue Beetle. Volume 1, Metamorphosis / Bedard, Tony

Threshold. Volume 1, The hunted / Giffen, Keith

Blue Beetle. Vol. 3, Road to nowhere / Sebela, Christopher

Dark crisis on infinite Earths / Williamson, Joshua

Blue Beetle : graduation day / Trujillo, Josh

Jaime Across the Multiverse

Jaime is a late recruit to ‘The Team’ in the world of Young Justice, where the sidekicks of the Justice League form a black ops unit to save the world covertly. In the second series of Injustice, Jaime becomes Blue Beetle after Ted Kord’s passing, and joins Batman’s resistance.

Young Justice [4] : invasion / Weisman, Greg

Injustice 2. Vol. 1 / Taylor, Tom

Who are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

Four ordinary turtles were exposed to a can of Ooze, which caused them to mutate into humanoid forms. Falling into the sewers and adopted by a kindly rat named Splinter, the four turtle brothers learned martial arts under his tutelage and took on names and trademark ninjutsu weapons, defending New York in secret from ancient and alien threats.

Leonardo leads. Donatello does machines. Raphael has attitude. Michelangelo is a party dude. They are the heroes in a half shell, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Original Indie Ninja Turtles

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first appeared in an indie comic by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, skewering the 1980s obsession with ninjas, especially in Frank Miller’s Daredevil (the Ooze is implied to be the radioactive waste that blinded a young Matt Murdock). We have the earliest issues of their indie comic in this volume here:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Volume one / Eastman, Kevin B

Licensed Comic Ninja Turtles

The Turtles have been rebooted numerous times across media, including comics, television, and movies. The current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series is a reboot by original Turtles creator Kevin Eastman and artist Tom Waltz, aiming to streamline the Turtles lore from various media into one comic. Peter Laird would later return to write the series The Last Ronin with Eastman, set in a totalitarian future where the last surviving Ninja Turtle tries to avenge his brothers.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Volume 1, Change is constant / Eastman, Kevin B

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Volume 2, Enemies old, enemies new / Eastman, Kevin B

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Volume 3, Shadows of the past / Waltz, Tom

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Volume 4, Sins of the fathers / Waltz, Tom

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Volume 5 / Lawson, Jim

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles : the Last Ronin / Eastman, Kevin B

Crossovers with Usagi Yojimbo

Usagi Yojimbo is a long-running comic by artist Stan Sakai, following the adventures of a rabbit samurai in a version of Edo-period Japan full of anthropomorphic animals. Naturally for an animal with Japanese martial arts training, he has teamed up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on occasion.

Ninja Turtles appearances in Usagi Yojimbo

The Usagi Yojimbo saga. Book 9 / Sakai, Stan

The Usagi Yojimbo saga : legends / Sakai, Stan

Crossovers with Batman

The Ninja Turtles have crossed over with Batman as well. The first series has the Turtles arrive in Gotham City to help Batman fight the Shredder (plus, you get to see what mutant animal each of the Batman villains turn into when exposed to Ooze), while the second series features Bane taking over the New York City of the Ninja Turtles universe.

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Volume 1 / Tynion, James

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II / Tynion, James

M is for Monster: New Young Adult Books in the Collection

In comics and graphic novels, eLibrary, stuff to read, the wellington comic lover's guide to...

On Monday, 14 August, 2023

In comedy, comics and graphic novels, dystopia, fantasy, mysteries & whodunnits, new stuff (ooh, shiny!), non-fiction, realistic fiction, science fiction, stuff to read

August is here and with it yet another bunch of awesome new books in the collection. We’ve got comics based on Frankenstein and from the perspective of a survivor of a school shooting; novels with dark mystery and swoon-worthy romance; and even a fantastic cookbook for teens, and so much more. Take a look at the titles below and then click on through to the rest of the new items to explore more.

Comics

M is for monster / Dutton, Talia
“When Doctor Frances Ai’s younger sister Maura died in a tragic accident six months ago, Frances swore she would bring her back to life. However, the creature that rises from the slab is clearly not Maura. This girl, who chooses the name M, doesn’t remember anything about Maura’s life and just wants to be her own person. However, Frances expects M to pursue the same path that Maura had been on – applying to college to become a scientist – and continue the plans she and Maura shared. In order to face the future, both Frances and M need to learn to listen and let go of Maura once and for all.” (Adapted fromCatalogue)

Welcome to St. Hell : my trans teen misadventure / Hancox, Lewis
“Lewis has a few things to say to his younger teen self. He knows she hates her body. He knows she’s confused about who to snog. He knows she’s really a he and will ultimately realize this. But she’s going to go through a whole lot of mess (some of it funny, some of it not funny at all) to get to that point. Lewis is trying to tell her this … but she can’t quite hear him yet.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Knee deep. Book one / Flood, Joe
“Two hundred years in the future, refugees from an environmental cataclysm have fled underground. They are sewerfolk, their home, the bowels of a utopian city that was never completed. Life is hard enough, but an overzealous mining company, PERCH wants to get their claws on this new underground frontier and they don’t mind bulldozing any sewerfolk that get in their way. Caught in the middle is a young girl, Cricket. She’s in a desperate search to find her family that fled underground.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Numb to this : memoir of a mass shooting / Neely, Kindra
“Kindra Neely never expected it to happen to her. No one does. Over the span of a few minutes, on October 1, 2015, eight students and a professor lost their lives. And suddenly, Kindra became a survivor. This empathetic and ultimately hopeful graphic memoir recounts Kindra’s journey forward from those few minutes that changed everything. It wasn’t easy. Every time Kindra took a step toward peace and wholeness, a new mass shooting devastated her again. Las Vegas. Parkland. She was hopeless at times, feeling as if no one was listening. Not even at the worldwide demonstration March for Our Lives. But finally, Kindra learned that – for her – the path toward hope wound through art, helping others, and sharing her story.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Fiction

Someone is always watching / Armstrong, Kelley
“When their friend Gabrielle is found covered in blood in front of their dead principal, with no recollection of what happened, Blythe, Tucker, and Tanya soon discover their lives are a lie as the walls built around their real memories come crashing down.” (Catalogue)

Girl, goddess, queen / Fitzgerald, Bea
“Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying. The real story is much more interesting. Persephone wasn’t taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her. Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld’s annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core. But consequences can be deadly, especially when you’re already in hell . . .” (Catalogue)

We Didn’t Think It Through / Lonesborough, Gary
“The justice system characterises Jamie Langton as a ‘danger to society’, but he’s just an Aboriginal kid, trying to find his way through adolescence. He spends his downtime hanging out with his mates, Dally and Lenny. Mark Cassidy and his white mates – the Footy Heads – take every opportunity they can to bully Jamie and his friends. On Lenny’s last night in town before moving to Sydney, after another episode of racist harassment, Jamie, Dally and Lenny decide to retaliate by vandalising Mark Cassidy’s car. And when they discover the keys are in the ignition… Dally changes the plan. But it’s a bad plan. And as a consequence, Jamie ends up in the youth justice system where he must find a way to mend his relationships with himself, his friends, his family and his future.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Painted devils / Owen, Margaret
“When misfortune strikes, the ‘reformed’ jewel thief Vanja manipulates a remote village for help and in turn, accidentally starts a cult around a Low God, the Scarlet Maiden. Soon after, her nemesis-turned-suitor Emeric and a supervising prefect arrive to investigate the claim of godhood, and she realizes how in over her head she must be. But the Scarlet Maiden does reveal herself…only to claim Emeric as her virgin sacrifice. With vengeful apparitions, supernatural fraud, and ravenous hellhounds, readers will not be able to put down this Bavarian-themed YA fantasy, the thrilling sequel to Little Thieves.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Lose you to find me / Brown, Erik J
“Tommy Dees is in the weeds–restaurant speak for beyond overwhelmed. He’s been working as a server at Sunset Estates retirement community to get the experience he needs to attend one of the best culinary schools in the world. And to make his application shine, he also needs a letter of recommendation from his sadistic manager. But in exchange for the letter, Tommy has to meet three conditions–including training the new hire. What he doesn’t expect is for the newbie to be an old crush: Gabe, with the dimples and kind heart, who Tommy fell for during summer camp at age ten and then never saw again. The training proves distracting as old feelings resurface, and the universe seems to be conspiring against them. With the application deadline looming and Gabe on his mind, Tommy is determined to keep it all together–but what if life isn’t meant to follow a recipe?” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Non-Fiction

Fantastic vegan recipes for the teen cook : 60 incredible recipes you need to try for good health and a better planet / Skiadas, Elaine
“Elaine’s recipes help the modern teen cook be more environmentally-conscious and develop healthy habits while also proving that easy vegan cooking doesn’t need to be bland or boring. With just a few simple techniques and a handful of quality ingredients, it’s easy as can be to whip up a restaurant-quality meal for your family and friends.” (Catalogue)

For more new YA books in the collection, go to: What’s new / August 2023 (wcl.govt.nz)

The Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide to… The Amazing Spider-Man

By Gus

On Saturday, 5 August, 2023

Welcome to the Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide, where we take you through the Wellington City Libraries’ collection of a comic book character. This post is all about the first to do whatever a spider can: Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man!

(via GIPHY)

This blog will just cover what we have of The Amazing Spider-Man, the main Spider-Man series which has published continuously since 1963, and any other Peter Parker-centric comics.

If you want to read about Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, and the other heroes from across the Spider-Verse, check out their blogs here (Part One) and here (Part Two).

Who is The Amazing Spider-Man?

Let’s do this one more time….

Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider, and gained superhuman abilities like incredible strength and reflexes, adhesive fingers and toes to climb along walls, and a ‘spider-sense’ that could predict danger. After the tragic death of his Uncle Ben, Peter learned that with great power must also come great responsibility, and he became the crimefighting hero Spider-Man.

An Amazing Fantasy

Spider-Man first appeared in the fifteenth (and final) issue of an anthology comic called Amazing Fantasy in 1962. Proving to be a hit with readers, he received his own series the following year, The Amazing Spider-Man.

On Libby, we have the first twenty issues of the series (plus the original Spider-Man story from Amazing Fantasy), which introduces Peter’s supporting cast, like his Aunt May, his boss J. Jonah Jameson of the Daily Bugle newspaper, and his first love interest Betty Brant.

Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 1 (only on Libby)

Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 2 (only on Libby)

For a contemporary take on Spider-Man’s early years, check out the Learning to Crawl volume, which takes place between Amazing Fantasy #15 and The Amazing Spider-Man #1, or the recent Spidey miniseries.

The amazing Spider-Man [1.1] : learning to crawl / Slott, Dan

Spidey. Volume 1, First day / Thompson, Robbie

Spidey. Vol. 02, After-school special / Thompson, Robbie

The whole run on Spidey is also collected in one volume as
Spidey. [1], Freshman year / Thompson, Robbie

Brand New Day and The Gauntlet

Brand New Day was a mid-2000s Amazing Spider-Man arc which re-established a classic status quo for Peter Parker, working once more for the Daily Bugle and struggling to stay afloat in post-recession New York. In the now-classic The Gauntlet arc, Spider-Man faces revamped versions of his classic foes, like Sandman, Electro, the Lizard, and Mysterio.

The Amazing Spider-Man: Brand New Day (only on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man : brand new day. Vol. 2 / Gale, Bob (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man : brand new day / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man : election day / Guggenheim, Marc

The amazing Spider-Man : crime and punisher / Guggenheim, Marc

The amazing Spider-Man : death and dating / Waid, Mark

The amazing Spider-Man : the gauntlet [1] : Electro & Sandman

The amazing Spider-Man : the gauntlet. [Vol. 2], Rhino & Mysterio

The amazing Spider-Man : the gauntlet [3] : Vulture & Morbius

The amazing Spider-Man : the gauntlet [4] : Juggernaut

The amazing Spider-Man : the gauntlet. [Vol. 5], Lizard

Spidey hits the Big Time

Big Time sees Peter Parker joining Horizon Labs, a tech company specialising in cutting-edge research and development. This era focused more on Peter’s scientific smarts, as he used his personal lab to develop tech for fighting villains as Spider-Man and then repurposed it into consumer technology at Horizon.

The amazing Spider-Man : big time

The amazing Spider-Man : matters of life and death / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man : the return of Anti-Venom

The amazing Spider-Man : flying blind

The Amazing Spider-Man : Lizard : no turning back / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man : dying wish / Slott, Dan

Into the Spider-Verse

After having his mind taken over by Doctor Octopus (see Superior Spider-Man in our Spider-Verse blog), Peter returned just in time to join the Spider-Verse crossover, where he first met Silk, Spider-Gwen, and the rest of the Spider-Army.

The amazing Spider-Man [1] : the Parker luck / Slott, Dan (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man [2] : Spider-Verse prelude / Slott, Dan (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man [3] : Spider-Verse / Slott, Dan (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man [4] : graveyard shift / Slott, Dan (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man [5] : spiral / Conway, Gerry

Spider-Man Worldwide

Continuing Dan Slott’s 100+ issue run on Amazing Spider-Man, this series has Peter Parker going global after becoming the multi-millionaire owner of Parker Industries, with Spider-Man acting as his ‘security consultant’.

The amazing Spider-Man : worldwide [1] / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man : worldwide [2] / Slott, Dan

Civil war II : amazing Spider-Man / Gage, Christos

The amazing Spider-Man : worldwide [3] / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man : worldwide [4] / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man : worldwide [5] / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man : worldwide [6] / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man : worldwide [7] / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man : worldwide [8] / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man : worldwide [9] / Slott, Dan

Spider-Geddon (ONLY on Libby)

Spider-Man goes Back to Basics

Nick Spencer (Superior Foes of Spider-Man, Captain America) took over the series and brought Spider-Man down to Earth and back to New York. Here, Peter rekindled his romance with Mary Jane Watson and became roommates with one of his B-list villains, Fred Myers aka Boomerang.

The amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 1, Back to basics / Spencer, Nick

The Amazing Spider-Man [2] : friends and foes / Spencer, Nick
(also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 3, Lifetime achievement / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man [4] : hunted / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 5, Behind the scenes / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man : absolute Carnage

The amazing Spider-Man [7] : 2099 / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man [8] : threats & menaces / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man [9] : sins rising / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man [10] : Green Goblin returns / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 11, Last remains / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man : last remains companion / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man [12] : shattered web / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man [13] : king’s ransom / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man [14] : Chameleon conspiracy / Spencer, Nick

Sinister war / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 15, What cost victory / Spencer, Nick

Spider-Man Beyond

Peter Parker’s clone Ben Reilly (see Scarlet Spider in our Spider-Verse blog) takes on the Spider-Man mantle while Peter is out of commission, joining up with the Beyond Corporation as their corporate-sponsored hero.

The amazing Spider-Man : beyond [1]

The amazing Spider-Man : beyond [2]

The amazing Spider-Man : beyond [3]

The amazing Spider-Man : beyond [4]

The Return of Peter Parker

The current run of Amazing Spider-Man has no shortage of ups and downs for Peter Parker, as he gains a new suit courtesy of the reformed Green Goblin, teams up with the X-Men to prevent a demonic invasion in Dark Web, and faces a mind-controlling wasp-goddess in The End of the Spider-Verse.

The Amazing Spider-Man. Volume 1, World without love / Wells, Zeb

The Amazing Spider-Man. Volume 2, The new sinister / Wells, Zeb (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man. Volume 3, Hobgoblin / Wells, Zeb (also on Libby)

Dark web / Wells, Zeb

The amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 4, Dark web / Wells, Zeb

Spider-Man [1] : end of the Spider-Verse / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man. Volume 5, Dead language, part 1 / Wells, Zeb

More Spider-Man series

Spectacular Spider-Man

Published around the latter half of Amazing Spider-Man‘s ‘Worldwide’ arc, this series has Spider-Man reveal his identity to J. Jonah Jameson, and the two form a belligerent crime-fighting duo.

Peter Parker : the spectacular Spider-Man. Vol 2, Most wanted / Zdarsky, Chip

Peter Parker : the spectacular Spider-Man [3] : amazing fantasy / Zdarsky, Chip

Peter Parker : the spectacular Spider-Man. Vol. 4, Coming home / Zdarsky, Chip

Peter Parker : the spectacular Spider-Man. Volume 5, Spider-geddon

Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man

A smaller-scope Spider-Man series, famous for the ‘Spider-Byte’ issue in which Peter takes on a junior apprentice for a day.

Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Vol. 1, Secrets and rumors / Taylor, Tom

Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man [2] : hostile takeovers / Taylor, Tom

Ultimate Spider-Man

In the Ultimate Universe of Earth-1610, the world is in a superhuman arms race in the early 2000s. It was during this period that teenager Peter Parker was bitten by a genetically altered spider and became Spider-Man. Intended to be a modern update of Spider-Man separate from the main Amazing series, this run is celebrated for its strong writing, expressive art, and interesting reinventions of the Wall-Crawler’s classic foes and supporting cast.

We don’t have much of this series left in the collection, but we have enough up to roughly the point where Miles Morales takes over as Spider-Man in this universe (for more on his adventures, check out our Spider-Verse guide here)

Ultimate Spider-Man Peter Parker reading order

Ultimate Spider-Man : double trouble / Bendis, Brian Michael

Ultimate Spider-Man : death of a goblin / Bendis, Brian Michael

Ultimate Spider-Man and his amazing friends / Bendis, Brian Michael

Ultimate Spider-Man : war of the symbiotes / Bendis, Brian Michael

Ultimate Spider-Man : ultimatum / Bendis, Brian Michael

Ultimate comics Spider-Man. Vol. 1, The world according to Peter Parker / Bendis, Brian Michael

Ultimate comics Spider-Man : death of Spider-Man fallout / Bendis, Brian Michael

Miles Morales: the ultimate Spider-Man [1] : revival / Bendis, Brian Michael

Other Spider-Man volumes

Amazing Spider-Man : family business / Waid, Mark

Non-stop Spider-Man : big brain play / Kelly, Joe

Deadly neighborhood Spider-Man / Taboo

The sensational Spider-Man : feral / Aguirre-Sacasa, Roberto

Spider-Man : Spider’s shadow / Zdarsky, Chip

Spider-Man : bloodline / Abrams, J. J.

Legends of Marvel : Spider-Man / David, Peter

Spider-Man Team-ups

These books cover the various times Spider-Man has teamed up with other Marvel heroes, including the X-Men, Deadpool, the Avengers, and the Harlem-based heroes the Santerians.

Spider-Man and the X-Men / Kalan, Elliott

X-Men : with great power / Gischler, Victor

Spider-Man/Deadpool. Vol. 1, Isn’t it bromantic / Kelly, Joe

Avenging Spider-Man : my friends can beat up your friends / Wells, Zeb

Avenging Spider-Man : the good, the green and the ugly

Avenging Spider-Man : threats & menaces

The amazing Spider-Man : amazing grace / Molina, Jose

The Amazing Mary Jane

Peter Parker’s most famous love interest is Mary Jane Watson, a model and actress who has more than held her own against Spider-Man’s many villains. Marvel briefly published a manga-influenced series focusing on Mary Jane’s high school days, and she recently got her own miniseries where she works alongside Mysterio in Hollywood.

Spider-Man loves Mary Jane : the real thing / McKeever, Sean

Spider-Man loves Mary Jane : sophomore jinx / Moore, Terry

The amazing Mary Jane. Vol. 1, Down in flames, up in smoke / Williams, Leah

Mary Jane & Black Cat : Dark Web / McKay, Jed

The Sinister Foes of Spider-Man

Spider-Man has one of the most iconic rogues galleries in comic books, so I’ve included some of their notable stories here. We’ve already covered The Kingpin, The Prowler, and The Spot in our Spider-Verse blogs.

The Sinister Six

Usually lead by either Doc Ock or one of the many Goblins, the Sinister Six are a rotating team of Spider-Man’s greatest enemies. Recently, multiple Sinister Six teams fought each other with Spider-Man in the crossfire in the ‘Sinister War’.

Notable Sinister Six stories

Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 2 (contains the Sinister Six’s first appearance, only on Libby)

The Amazing Spider-Man : the deadly foes of Spider-Man / Fingeroth, Danny

Spider-Man : Miles Morales [4] / Bendis, Brian Michael

Sinister war / Spencer, Nick

Superior Foes of Spider-Man

A comedy-oriented series featuring a group of less-respected Spider-Man villains. Boomerang, Beetle, Shocker, Speed Demon and Overdrive team up to be the best Sinister Six ever…despite the fact there’s only five of them.

The superior foes of Spider-Man [1] : getting the band back together / Spencer, Nick

The superior foes of Spider-Man [2] : the crime of the century / Spencer, Nick

The superior foes of Spider-Man. Volume 3, Game over / Spencer, Nick

Green Goblin (Norman Osborn)

Industrialist and “something of a scientist” Norman Osborn awakened his dark alter ego, The Green Goblin, following exposure to an strange chemical formula. After years of menacing Spider-Man, Norman gained a brief period of respectability leading the Thunderbolts and the Avengers, before succumbing to villainy once more.

Notable Norman Osborn stories

Thunderbolts : caged animals / Ellis, Warren

Thunderbolts : secret invasion / Gage, Christos

Thunderbolts : burning down the house / Diggle, Andy

Dark Avengers (only on Libby)

Dark X-Men / Cornell, Paul

Siege / Bendis, Brian Michael

The superior Spider-Man [6] : Goblin Nation / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man : worldwide [6] / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man : Red Goblin / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man [10] : Green Goblin returns / Spencer, Nick

Gold Goblin / Cantwell, Christopher

Doctor Octopus

Embittered physicist Doctor Otto Octavius was fused to his multi-armed prosthesis in a radiation accident. Empowered by his transformation, he proclaimed himself ‘Doctor Octopus’ and became one of Spider-Man’s greatest enemies, even going as far to replace him for a time (see Superior Spider-Man in our Spider-Verse blog).

Notable Doctor Octopus stories

The invincible Iron Man [8] : unfixable / Fraction, Matt

The superior Spider-Man [1] : full Otto / Gage, Christos

The superior Spider-Man. Vol. 2, Otto-matic / Gage, Christos

The amazing Spider-Man : worldwide [7] / Slott, Dan

Devil’s reign / Zdarsky, Chip

Devil’s reign : Superior Four / Thompson, Zac

Kraven the Hunter

Professional hunter and tracker Sergei Kravinoff grew tired of chasing the same old game, and rededicated himself to hunting someone who would give him an actual challenge: Spider-Man.

Notable Kraven the Hunter storylines

Marvel-verse : Kraven the hunter

Spider-Man : Kraven’s last hunt / DeMatteis, J. M

The unbeatable Squirrel Girl. 9, Squirrels fall like dominoes / North, Ryan

The amazing Spider-Man [4] : hunted / Spencer, Nick

Spider-Man : the lost hunt / DeMatteis, J. M

Sandman

After accidentally escaping into an island nuclear test facility, criminal Flint Marko was transformed into a Sandman, able to shape his particulate body into any form. Recently, Spider-Man fought a future Sandman with new and greater powers, such as turning into glass and gifting sand-controlling powers to others.

Notable Sandman stories

The amazing Spider-Man : the gauntlet [1] : Electro & Sandman

Peter Parker : the spectacular Spider-Man. Vol. 4, Coming home / Zdarsky, Chip

Mysterio

Special effects artist Quentin Beck uses his expertise in illusions to commit crime and confound Spider-Man as Mysterio. Recently, Beck returned to Hollywood and worked alongside Spider-Man’s girlfriend Mary Jane Watson.

Notable Mysterio stories

Friendly neighbourhood : Spider-Man. [Vol. 2], mystery date / David, Peter

The amazing Spider-Man : the gauntlet. [Vol. 2], Rhino & Mysterio

Spider-Men (only on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 5, Behind the scenes / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Mary Jane. Vol. 1, Down in flames, up in smoke / Williams, Leah

Electro

Lineman Max Dillon was electrocuted on the job and discovered he had the power to absorb and discharge bolts of electricity, which he immediately used to commit crime. Dillon has since been replaced as Electro by his ex-girlfriend, Francine Frye. Recently, a multiversal team of Electros teamed up to take over the Web of Life and Destiny from the Web Warriors.

Notable Electro stories

The amazing Spider-Man : the gauntlet [1] : Electro & Sandman

The amazing Spider-Man [1] : the Parker luck / Slott, Dan (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 5, Behind the scenes / Spencer, Nick

Web Warriors, protectors of the Spider-verse. Volume 1, Electroverse / Costa, Mike

The Lizard

Using altered lizard DNA to grow back his amputated arm, Dr Curt Connors inadvertently transformed himself into a reptilian monster. Now dubbed The Lizard, the creature seeks to eliminate all mammal life on Earth.

Notable Lizard stories

The sensational Spider-Man : feral / Aguirre-Sacasa, Roberto

The amazing Spider-Man : the gauntlet. [Vol. 5], Lizard

The Amazing Spider-Man : Lizard : no turning back / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man [4] : hunted / Spencer, Nick

Black Cat

Felicia Hardy is the Black Cat, New York’s premier cat burglar and an on-again/off-again romantic interest of Spider-Man.

Black Cat [1] : grand theft marvel / MacKay, Jed

Black Cat [2] : on the run / MacKay, Jed

Black Cat [3] : all dressed up / MacKay, Jed

Black Cat [4] : queen in black / MacKay, Jed

Black Cat [5] : I’ll take Manhattan / MacKay, Jed

Iron Cat / MacKay, Jed

Mary Jane & Black Cat : Dark Web / McKay, Jed

Venom

Venom might require an entire blog all to himself (not to mention his extended symbiote family). Till then, check out the first volume of his recent series and watch this space!

Venom. Vol. 1, Recursion / Ewing, Al

The Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide to… The Flash

By Gus

On Tuesday, 4 July, 2023

In comics and graphic novels, science fiction, stuff to read, the wellington comic lover's guide to..., [Books]

Welcome to the Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide, where we take you through the Wellington City Libraries’ collection of a comic book character. This post is about all the heroes who have held the title of the Fastest Man Alive… The Flash!

(via GIPHY)

Who is The Flash?

After being struck by lightning in a lab accident, police scientist Barry Allen discovers he has the ability to move at superhuman speeds and travel through time. Donning a friction-resistant red-and-yellow suit, Barry protects his home of Central City from the villainous Rogues and traverses time and space as The Flash.

Later, Barry’s nephew Wally West gains super-speed as well and becomes his sidekick Kid Flash, before graduating to becoming the Flash himself.

A Flash Fact about DC Comics history

DC Comics are divided into publishing eras, determined by a point where they set the issue number (and sometimes, continuity) of a series back to #1. These periods are referred to as:

‘Pre-Crisis’ – everything published before 1986
‘Post-Crisis’ – everything published from 1986-2011
The New 52 – 2011-2016
DC Rebirth – 2016-2021
Infinite Frontier – 2021 to present.

This is important to know because the events that define these publishing eras usually have something to do with The Flash; Barry Allen famously dies during the ‘Crisis’, and after being resurrected, he creates the timeline that came to define ‘The New 52’.

If you’d like to know more about DC Comic’s increasingly complicated internal chronology, I recommend checking out DC greatest events : stories that shook the multiverse.

Pre-Crisis

Barry is actually the second Flash: the first was scientist Jay Garrick, who resides on the parallel world of Earth-2. During one of his adventures, Barry travels to Earth-2 and teams up with Jay; this story ‘Flash of Two Worlds’ established the existence of the DC Multiverse, and subsequently the template for all other stories involving multiverses in other media. Barry and Jay would regularly partner up again along with their respective teams, the Justice League and the Justice Society.

Showcase presents The Flash. Volume 2 / Broome, John (includes ‘Flash of Two Worlds’)

The Justice League of America : the Silver Age. Volume three / Fox, Gardner F.

Showcase presents Justice League of America. Volume three / Fox, Gardner

Showcase presents Justice League of America. Volume four / Fox, Gardner

Post-Crisis

Post-Crisis refers to the point after the story Crisis on Infinite Earths, when the DC Multiverse collapses into one Earth with one shared history. Now the Flash became a succession story: Jay Garrick retires as the Flash after WWII, Barry is inspired by Jay, and after Barry’s death, Wally West takes up the mantle of the Flash.

Mark Waid run

Writer Mark Waid first established the idea that the Flashes get their powers from the ‘Speed Force’, an extradimensional energy that governs all motion across time and space, and can be manipulated to grant super-speed and other powers to its wielders, called ‘speedsters’.

The Flash by Mark Waid. Book one / Waid, Mark

The Flash by Mark Waid. Book four / Waid, Mark

The Flash by Mark Waid. Book five / Waid, Mark

The Flash : emergency stop / Morrison, Grant

The Flash : the human race / Morrison, Grant

(The Flash : emergency stop and The Flash : the human race are also collected together as The Flash / Morrison, Grant)

Geoff Johns run

Under Geoff Johns’ pen, Wally West fights new and old Rogues, starts a family, and learns the cost of being a hero with a public identity from Zoom, a villain who alters the flow of time to move at superhuman speed.

The Flash by Geoff Johns. Book two / Johns, Geoff

The Flash by Geoff Johns. Book three / Johns, Geoff

The Flash by Geoff Johns. Book five / Johns, Geoff

Flashpoint

During Final Crisis, Barry Allen is brought back to life and becomes the Flash again. Barry then attempts to rewrite history to prevent his mother’s death, inadvertently creating the ‘Flashpoint’ timeline, a world where Flash, Superman and other heroes never existed.

Absolute final crisis / Morrison, Grant

The Flash : rebirth / Johns, Geoff (also on Libby)

The Flash by Geoff Johns. Book six / Johns, Geoff

The Flash : the road to Flashpoint / Johns, Geoff

Flashpoint / Johns, Geoff

The New 52

Barry erases the Flashpoint timeline, but ends up creating The New 52, a simplified timeline which DC Comics used as a springboard to reboot their comics’ shared continuity. As a result of history being rewritten, Barry becomes the one and only Flash.

The Flash. Volume 1, Move forward / Manapul, Francis
(also on Libby)

The Flash. Volume 2, Rogues revolution / Manapul, Francis

The Flash. Volume 4, Reverse / Manapul, Francis

The Flash. Volume 5, History lessons / Buccellato, Brian

The Flash. Volume 6, Out of time / Venditti, Robert

The Flash. Volume 7, Savage world / Venditti, Robert

The Flash. Volume 8, Zoom / Venditti, Robert

The Flash. Volume 9, Full stop / Jensen, Van

DC Rebirth

During DC Rebirth, the timeline is once again altered, restoring characters and events that had been erased from the timeline by the New 52. These include Wally West, Zoom, and the Reverse-Flash, a stalker fan from the 25th century who wants to emulate his hero, Barry Allen.

The Flash. Vol. 2, Speed of darkness / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash. Vol. 3, Rogues reloaded / Williamson, Joshua

Batman/The Flash : the button : deluxe edition / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash. Vol. 4, Running scared / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash. Vol. 5, Negative / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash. Vol. 6, Cold day in hell / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash. Vol. 7, Perfect storm / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash [8] : Flash war / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash. Volume 9, Reckoning of the forces / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash. Vol. 10, Force Quest / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash : year one / Williamson, Joshua

Heroes in crisis : the price and other stories / Williamson, Joshua

Flash forward / Lobdell, Scott

The Flash. Vol. 11, The greatest trick of all / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash. Vol. 12, Death and the speed force / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash. Vol. 13, Rogues’ reign / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash. Vol. 14, The Flash age / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash. Vol. 15, Finish line / Williamson, Joshua

Dark nights : death metal : the darkest knight (includes ‘Speed Metal’, a team-up with every Flash in history).

Infinite Frontier

After Barry becomes lost in the once more infinite Multiverse, Wally West takes on the mantle of the Flash once more, fighting crime while balancing life as a husband and father.

Infinite frontier / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash. Vol. 16, Wally West returns / Shinick, Kevin

War for Earth-3 / Thompson, Robbie

The Flash. Vol. 17, Eclipsed / Adams, Jeremy

The Flash. Vol. 18, The search for Barry Allen / Adams, Jeremy

Aquaman & The Flash : Voidsong / Kelly, Collin

Based on the TV series

The (pardon the phrasing) long-running CW series of The Flash has also inspired a few comics of its own.

The Flash : season zero / Kreisberg, Andrew

Crisis on infinite Earths : Paragons rising : the deluxe edition / Wolfman, Marv

Earth-Prime

The Rogues

The Flash’s villains are collectively known as The Rogues, a team of science-powered criminals content to menace The Fastest Man Alive. Lead by ‘The Man Who Mastered Absolute Zero’ Captain Cold, the Rogues have included the pyromaniac Heat Wave, the deceptive Mirror Master, the mischievous Trickster, the blowhard Weather Wizard, the ethereal Golden Glider, and the telepathic criminal ape Gorilla Grodd.

Rogue-centric stories

The Flash by Geoff Johns. Book five / Johns, Geoff (includes the ‘Rogue War’ arc)

The Flash by Geoff Johns. Book six / Johns, Geoff (includes Final Crisis: Rogue’s Revenge miniseries)

Forever Evil [1] : Rogues rebellion / Buccellato, Brian

The Flash. Vol. 3, Rogues reloaded / Williamson, Joshua

The Flash. Vol. 13, Rogues’ reign / Williamson, Joshua

Rogues / Williamson, Joshua

Flash Across the Multiverse

The Flash. Volume 9, Reckoning of the forces / Williamson, Joshua – This volume features Barry meeting the Flashes of the Multiverse, including the cowboy Johnny Thunder of Earth-18, the robot Mercury-Flash of Earth-44, and the unnaturally swift turtle Fastback from the Zoo Crew of Earth-26.

Teen Titans : Earth one. Volume one and Volume two
Wally West hunts down the Teen Titans, here reimagined as teens given superpowers through a covert government experiment.

Earth 2. Volume 1, The gathering / Robinson, James Dale – A reboot of the original Earth-2, now home to a younger Jay Garrick protecting the world from an invasion by Darkseid.

Crime Syndicate / Schmidt, Andy – The Flash from the criminal world of Earth-3 is named Johnny Quick, a member of the nefarious Crime Syndicate.

Multiversity : teen justice / Cohen, Ivan – The matriarchal society of Earth-11 is home to Kid Quick, a genderfluid speedster for the sidekick team Teen Justice.

Justice League infinity / DeMatteis, J. M – A comic continuation of the TV show Justice League Unlimited, where most fans first encountered Wally West.

DC, the new frontier / Cooke, Darwyn – A young Barry Allen helps found the Justice League in the 1950s to battle the monstrous living island ‘The Centre’.

Kingdom come / Waid, Mark – In a future where heroes have rejected humanity, Wally West has fused with the Speed Force and become a human blur.

The Jurassic League / Gedeon, Juan – On the prehistoric Earth-27, the local Flash is a velociraptor (natch).

The Multiversity / Morrison, Grant – The multiversal team Justice League Incarnate includes Red Racer, a comic book fanboy with superspeed from Earth-36, a world protected by the Justice 9.

Justice League incarnate / Williamson, Joshua – After Red Racer’s disappearance, Avery Ho (the Flash of China from New Super-Man) takes over as Justice League Incarnate’s resident speedster.

Injustice : Gods among us : Volume 1 – When Superman takes over the world after a personal tragedy, Barry Allen reluctantly joins the Man of Steel’s Regime.

The Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide to… Spider-Verse (Part Two)

By Gus

On Saturday, 10 June, 2023

In comics and graphic novels, stuff to read, the wellington comic lover's guide to...

Welcome to the Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide, where we take you through the Wellington City Libraries’ collection of a comic book character. This post is about all the heroes that can do whatever a spider can from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse!

Be sure to check out the first part of this blog series, where we covered the Spider-heroes and their villains who appeared in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

(via GIPHY)

Spider-Verse sequel comics

Warzones: Spider-Verse

The first Spider-Verse sequel was set during the Secret Wars storyline, featuring a team of Spiders that would later become the multiverse-protecting Web Warriors.

Spider-Verse / Costa, Mike

Web Warriors, protectors of the Spider-verse. Volume 1, Electroverse / Costa, Mike

Web Warriors, protectors of the Spider-verse. Volume 2, Spiders vs / Costa, Mike

Spider-Geddon

Spider-Geddon sees the Inheritors return to destroy Spiders across time and space, and a new Spider-Army assembles to stop them. Notable new recruits include Spiders-Man, a sentient cluster of spiders who shape themselves into a Spider-Man, and Spider-Ma’am, a version of Aunt May who was bitten by a radioactive spider instead of Peter.

Spider-Geddon (ONLY on Libby)

Peter Parker : the spectacular Spider-Man. Volume 5, Spider-geddon

Spider-Geddon : covert ops / Priest, Christopher J.

Spider-geddon : edge of Spider-geddon

The superior Spider-Man. Vol. 2, Otto-matic / Gage, Christos

Spider-Gwen : Ghost-Spider. Vol. 1, Spider-geddon / McGuire, Seanan

Spider-Verse: Spider-Zero

Spider-Verse: Spider-Zero sees Miles Morales return to the multiverse to help Spider-Zero, a girl with spider-powers who has no universe to call home. This comic is notable featuring fan commissions for new Spider-characters, playing into the ‘Spidersona’ hashtag from social media.

Spider-Verse : Spider-Zero / MacKay, Jed

The End of the Spider-Verse

In The End of the Spider-Verse, the wasp-goddess Shathra takes over the Spider-Verse, and its up to a new team of Spider-Heroes to stop her. New Spiders introduced here include a Disney-inspired Spider-princess named Spinstress, a queer teenager with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome named Sun-Spider, and the Spider-Rex, a web-slinging dinosaur who was hit by a spider-meteor.

Spider-Man [1] : end of the Spider-Verse / Slott, Dan

Who’s Who in Across the Spider-Verse?

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse sees Miles Morales being recruited into the Spider Society, an interdimensional team of Spiders who help fix the broken multiverse, alongside Spider-Gwen and Peter B. Parker. Here are just some of the Spiders who debut in the new film:

Spider-Man 2099 (Earth-928)

In the cyberpunk future of the year 2099, geneticist Miguel O’Hara has his DNA spliced with that of a spider and gains its powers. Aided by his AI companion Lyla, Miguel uses his new abilities to battle the evil Alchemax corporation as the Spider-Man of 2099.

Spider-Man 2099 reading order

Spider-Man : 2099 / David, Peter (the original Spider-Man 2099 series)

The amazing Spider-Man [2] : Spider-Verse prelude / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man [3] : Spider-Verse / Slott, Dan

Spider-Man 2099 [1] : out of time / David, Peter

Spider-Man 2099. Vol. 3, Smack to the future / David, Peter

Spider-Man 2099. vol. 4, Gods and women / David, Peter

Spider-Man 2099 [6] : Apocalypse soon / David, Peter

Spider-Man 2099 [7] : back to the future, shock / David, Peter

The amazing Spider-Man [7] : 2099 / Spencer, Nick

Spider-Man 2099 : dark genesis / Orlando, Steve

Other stories from Marvel 2099 include:

Secret wars 2099 / David, Peter

Deadpool 2099 / Duggan, Gerry

Spider-Woman (Earth-616)

There have been several Spider-Women over the years, but the first to bear the name was Jessica Drew, who gained her powers from a spider-blood serum made by her geneticist father. Trained in espionage, Jessica has been a private eye, an Agent of SHIELD, and a member of both the New Avengers and the Secret Avengers.

Spider-Woman reading order

Spider-Woman [1] : Spider-Verse / Hopeless, Dennis

Spider-Woman. Vol. 2, New duds / Hopeless, Dennis

Spider-Women / Hopeless, Dennis (crossover with Silk and Spider-Gwen)

Spider-Woman : shifting gears. Vol. 2, Civil war II / Hopeless, Dennis

Spider-Geddon (ONLY on Libby)

Spider-Geddon : covert ops / Priest, Christopher J.

Spider-Woman. Vol. 1, Bad blood / Pacheco, Karla

Spider-Woman. Vol. 2, King in black / Pacheco, Karla

Spider-Woman. Vol. 3, Back to basics / Pacheco, Karla

Spider-Woman. Vol. 4, Devil’s reign / Pacheco, Karla

Spider-Woman in The Avengers

New Avengers (2004), Volumes 1-4 (all ONLY on Libby)

Avengers assemble : the forgeries of jealousy / DeConnick, Kelly Sue

Avengers [1] : Avengers world / Hickman, Jonathan

Avengers [2] : the last white event / Hickman, Jonathan

Secret Avengers [1] : let’s have a problem / Kot, Ales

Secret Avengers [2] : the labyrinth / Kot, Ales

Secret Avengers [3] : God level / Kot, Ales

Spider-Man India (Earth-50101)

(via GIPHY)

Pavitr Prabhakar is a boy from Mumbai who was given spider-powers by a yogi, and learned the lesson of great power and great responsibility after the death of his Uncle Bhim. In addition to being the Spider-Man of India, Pavitr is the resident tech whiz for the Web Warriors.

Spider-Man India appearances

The amazing Spider-Man [2] : Spider-Verse prelude / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man [3] : Spider-Verse / Slott, Dan

Spider-Verse / Costa, Mike

Web Warriors, protectors of the Spider-verse. Volume 1, Electroverse / Costa, Mike

Web Warriors, protectors of the Spider-verse. Volume 2, Spiders vs / Costa, Mike

The amazing Spider-Man [3] : Spider-Verse / Slott, Dan

Spider-Punk (Earth-138)

In a country under totalitarian rule, punk musician Hobie Brown is bitten by a spider mutated by illegal waste dumping. Brown now uses his spider-powers and his sick guitar to inspire rebellions as an anarchic Spider-Punk.

Spider-Punk appearances

Web Warriors, protectors of the Spider-verse. Volume 2, Spiders vs / Costa, Mike

Spider-Geddon (ONLY on Libby)

Spider-geddon : edge of Spider-geddon

Spider-Punk : battle of the banned / Ziglar, Cody

Mayday Parker, Spider-Girl (Earth-982)

May ‘Mayday’ Parker is the daughter of Peter Parker and Mary-Jane Watson from the ‘MC2’ universe, a world where the Marvel heroes aged out of their roles and new heroes take their place.

Spider-Girl appearances

Spider-Girl : the complete collection. Vol. 4 / McKeever, Sean

The amazing Spider-Man [2] : Spider-Verse prelude / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man [3] : Spider-Verse / Slott, Dan

Spider-Island : Warzones / Gage, Christos

Web Warriors, protectors of the Spider-verse. Volume 1, Electroverse / Costa, Mike

Spider-Geddon (ONLY on Libby)

Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows (Earth-18119)

The Renew Your Vows series shows a future where Peter Parker, Mary Jane, and their daughter Annie-May fight crime together as a family, with Mary Jane taking up the name Spinneret and Annie-May going by Spiderling.

The amazing Spider-Man. Renew your vows / Slott, Dan

The amazing Spider-Man : renew your vows [1] : brawl in the family / Conway, Gerry

The Amazing Spider-Man : renew your vows [2] : the Venom experiment / Conway, Gerry

The Amazing Spider-Man : renew your vows. Vol. 3, Eight years later / Houser, Jody

The amazing Spider-Man : renew your vows. Vol. 4, Are you okay, Annie / Houser, Jody

Scarlet Spiders (both Earth-616)

Scarlet Spider is an alias used by two different clones of Peter Parker: the amiable identical clone Ben Reilly, who briefly replaced Peter as Spider-Man, and the grizzled flawed clone Kaine.

Ben Reilly as Scarlet Spider

Ben Reilly, Spider-Man / DeMatteis, J. M

Ben Reilly : the Scarlet Spider [2] : death’s sting / David, Peter

Ben Reilly : the Scarlet Spider [4] : damnation / David, Peter

Kaine as Scarlet Spider

Scarlet Spider : life after death / Yost, Christopher

Scarlet Spider : lone star / Yost, Christopher

Scarlet Spider. Vol. 3, The big leagues / Yost, Christopher

Scarlet Spider [4] : into the grave / Yost, Christopher

Superior Spider-Man team-up [1] : versus / Yost, Christopher

Spider-Geddon : covert ops / Priest, Christopher J.

Ben Reilly as Spider-Man Beyond

Recently, Reilly replaced Peter as Spider-Man again, this time as a corporate-sponsored hero working for the tech company Beyond.

The amazing Spider-Man : beyond [1]

The amazing Spider-Man : beyond [2]

The amazing Spider-Man : beyond [3]

The amazing Spider-Man : beyond [4]

Gamerverse Spider-Man (Earth-1048)

The ‘Gamerverse’ Spider-Man is the Peter Parker from the 2018 Spider-Man game. He made his comic debut during Spider-Geddon, and later received his own series.

Spider-Man : Velocity / Hopeless, Dennis

Spider-Man : city at war / Hopeless, Dennis

Spider-Man : the Black Cat strikes / Hopeless, Dennis

Superior Spider-Man (Earth-616)

During the Dying Wish storyline, an expiring Otto Octavius (Doctor Octopus) swapped his mind with Spider-Man in order to prolong his life. When Peter’s mind seemingly died in Otto’s body, Doc Ock was inspired not only to take up Spider-Man’s mantle, but become a better Spider-Man than Peter ever was… a Superior Spider-Man.

Superior Spider-Man appearances

The amazing Spider-Man : dying wish / Slott, Dan

The superior Spider-Man [1] : my own worst enemy / Slott, Dan

The superior Spider-Man [3] : no escape / Slott, Dan

The Superior Spider-Man. 5, Superior Venom / Slott, Dan

The superior Spider-Man [6] : Goblin Nation / Slott, Dan

Superior Spider-Man team-up [1] : versus / Yost, Christopher

Superior Spider-Man team-up : superiority complex / Yost, Christopher

Superior Spider-Man team-up : friendly fire / Gage, Christos

While Spider-Verse takes place after Peter took back control of his body, Doc Ock was able to participate in the cross-over due to a time warp. Later, Otto clones himself into a new body to continue his Superior mission.

The amazing Spider-Man : worldwide [7] / Slott, Dan

The superior Spider-Man [1] : full Otto / Gage, Christos

The superior Spider-Man. Vol. 2, Otto-matic / Gage, Christos

Spider-Geddon (ONLY on Libby)

Villains of Across the Spider-Verse

The Spot

(via GIPHY)

Scientist Johnathan Ohnn gained the power to generate spot-shaped portals and set off on a life of crime as ‘The Spot’, with the advantage that his portals don’t trigger Spider-Man’s precognitive ‘Spider-Sense’. While powerful in his own right, Ohnn is not the smartest crook, and his powers are often exploited by other villains, including MODOK, the Kingpin, the Prowler, Carnage, and the Daredevil villain Coyote.

The Spot appearances

Super-villain team-up : MODOK’s 11 / Van Lente, Fred

Daredevil. Vol. 1 / Waid, Mark

Daredevil [4] / Waid, Mark

Spider-Man : Miles Morales [4] / Bendis, Brian Michael

The amazing Spider-Man [12] : shattered web / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man [13] : king’s ransom / Spencer, Nick

Carnage. Vol. 1, In the court of crimson / V, Ram

More Spider-Man tales from the Marvel Multiverse

Spider-Man : life story / Zdarsky, Chip – A universe where characters age in real time, following Spider-Man’s career from the 1960s to the present day.

Marvel mangaverse : the complete collection – A manga-inspired universe, home to a Peter Parker trained by spider-ninjas.

What if? With great power – Collects two Spider-Man What If? stories, one where Peter’s jock classmate Flash Thompson became Spider-Man, and one where Peter became a web-slinging Punisher.

What if… : Miles Morales / Ziglar, Cody – What if Miles Morales became a different Marvel hero instead of Spider-Man?

Spider-Man : Spider’s shadow / Zdarsky, Chip – This miniseries explores what would have happened if Peter had fully embraced the Venom symbiote.

The end / Larsen, Erik – Features ‘Miles Morales: The End’, a possible future where an elderly Miles defends a post-apocalyptic Brooklyn.

The Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide to… Spider-Verse (Part One)

By Gus

On Sunday, 28 May, 2023

In comics and graphic novels, stuff to read, the wellington comic lover's guide to...

Welcome to the Wellington Comic Lover’s (WCL) Guide, where we take you through the Wellington City Libraries’ collection of a comic book character. This post is about all the heroes that can do whatever a spider can from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse!

(via GIPHY)

And stay tuned for another blog in a few weeks where we explore the comic origins of the characters from the upcoming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

What is Spider-Verse?

Spider-Verse was a 2015 Marvel Comics crossover storyline of all the Spider-Man titles. The story followed Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and other Spider-People from across the Multiverse uniting as a ‘Spider-Army’ to stop a group of aristocratic, interdimensional vampires called the Inheritors from exterminating every Spider-Man in existence.

The original Spider-Verse storyline can be read across these collections:

The amazing Spider-Man [1] : edge of Spider-Verse (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man [2] : Spider-Verse prelude / Slott, Dan (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man [3] : Spider-Verse / Slott, Dan (also on Libby)

Spider-Woman [1] : Spider-Verse / Hopeless, Dennis

Spider-Verse publishing line

Since the release of the film Into the Spider-Verse, Marvel has put out a Spider-Verse line of collections to give readers a primer on the heroes and villains featured in the movie.

Spider-Man, Spider-verse : amazing Spider-Man / Eliopoulos, Chris

Spider-Man. Spider-Verse: Spider-Women

Spider-Man : Spider-Verse : Spider-Men / Bendis, Brian Michael

Spider-Man : Spider-Verse : Spider-Gwen / Latour, Jason (also on Libby)

Spider-Man : Spider-Verse : Miles Morales / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby)

Spider-Man Spider-Verse : fearsome foes / Lee, Stan

Who’s Who in the Spider-Verse?

Miles Morales (Earth-1610, later Earth-616)

Teenager Miles Morales was bitten by a genetically engineered spider and gained spider powers, including the new abilities of camouflage and producing an electric ‘venom shock’. Initially keeping his abilities a secret, after the death of his universe’s Peter Parker, Miles is inspired to take up the mantle of Spider-Man.

Ultimate Universe Miles Morales

Miles was originally from the Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610), a world for modern updates of classic Marvel characters that had its own publishing line, Ultimate Comics, that ran from 2000 to 2015.

Ultimate Spider-Man reading order

Ultimate comics Spider-Man : death of Spider-Man fallout / Bendis, Brian Michael (Miles’ first appearance)

Miles Morales : Spider-Man / Bendis, Brian Michael

Spider-Men / Bendis, Brian Michael (crossover with The Amazing Spider-Man) (ONLY on Libby)

Miles Morales : with great power / Bendis, Brian Michael

Miles Morales : great responsibility / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby)

Miles Morales : ultimate end / Bendis, Brian Michael

Miles Morales : ultimate end is also collected as Miles Morales: the ultimate Spider-Man [1] : revival / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby) and Miles Morales : the ultimate Spider-Man [2] : revelations / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby)

Secret wars / Hickman, Jonathan

Ultimate end. Battleworld / Bendis, Brian Michael

Miles also became a member of the All-New Ultimates, a team of young heroes inspired by their universe’s version of the Avengers.

All-new Ultimates [1] : power for power / Fiffe, Michel

All-new Ultimates. Vol. 2, No gods, no masters / Fiffe, Michel

Marvel Universe Miles Morales

After the destruction of the Ultimate Universe during Secret Wars, Miles was folded into the mainstream Marvel Universe (Earth-616) and now fights crime alongside Peter Parker as a protégé.

Miles Morales Reading Order

Spider-Man : Miles Morales [1] / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby)

Spider-Man : Miles Morales [2] / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby)

Spider-Man/Spider-Gwen : sitting in a tree / Bendis, Brian Michael (also collected as Miles Morales : the avenging Avenger) (crossover with Spider-Gwen, also on Libby)

Spider-Man : Miles Morales [3] / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby)

Spider-Man : Miles Morales [4] / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby)

Spider-Men II / Bendis, Brian Michael

Miles Morales [1] : straight out of Brooklyn / Ahmed, Saladin (also on Libby)

Miles Morales. 2, Bring on the bad guys
(also on Libby)

Absolute Carnage : Miles Morales / Ahmed, Saladin

Miles Morales. Vol. 3, Family business / Ahmed, Saladin

Miles Morales [4] : ultimatum / Ahmed, Saladin
(also on Libby)

Miles Morales. Vol. 5, The clone saga / Ahmed, Saladin
(also on Libby)

Miles Morales [6] : all eyes on me / Ahmed, Saladin (also on Libby)

Miles Morales. Vol. 7, Beyond / Ahmed, Saladin (also on Libby)

Miles Morales [8] : empire of the spider / Ahmed, Saladin (also on Libby)

Miles Morales : Spider-Man : trial by spider / Ziglar, Cody

Spider-Gwen (Earth-65)

On Earth-65, a ‘low-super’ universe with fewer superhumans, Gwen Stacy was bitten by a radioactive spider, gained spider-powers, and became Spider-Woman. Gwen struggles to balance school, her rock band, her super-heroics, all while continuing her multiversal misadventures with her fellow Spiders.

Spider-Gwen reading order

The amazing Spider-Man [1] : edge of Spider-Verse (Spider-Gwen’s first appearance) (also on Libby)

Spider-Gwen [0] : most wanted / Latour, Jason (also on Libby)

Spider-Women / Hopeless, Dennis (crossover with Spider-Woman and Silk)

Spider-Gwen. Vol. 1, Greater power / Latour, Jason (also on Libby)

Spider-Gwen Volume 0, 1, and Spider-Gwen’s first appearance in Edge of Spider-Verse are also collected as Spider-Gwen : Gwen Stacy / Latour, Jason

Spider-Gwen. Vol. 2, Weapon of choice / Latour, Jason

Spider-Gwen [3] : long-distance / Latour, Jason

Spider-Man/Spider-Gwen : sitting in a tree / Bendis, Brian Michael (also collected as Miles Morales : the avenging Avenger / Bendis, Brian Michael) (crossover with Spider-Gwen, also on Libby)

Spider-Gwen. Vol. 4, Predators / Latour, Jason

Spider-Gwen. Vol. 5, Gwenom / Latour, Jason

Spider-Gwen [6] : the life of Gwen Stacy / Latour, Jason

Spider-Geddon (ONLY on Libby)

Later, Gwen takes up the name Ghost-Spider and moves to Earth-616.

Spider-Gwen : Ghost-Spider. Vol. 1, Spider-geddon / McGuire, Seanan (also on Libby)

Spider-Gwen : Ghost-Spider. Vol. 2, Impossible year / McGuire, Seanan

Ghost-Spider [1] : dog days are over / McGuire, Seanan

Ghost-Spider. Vol. 2, Party people / McGuire, Seanan

Spider-Gwen : Gwenverse / Seeley, Tim

The amazing Spider-Man [5] : spiral / Conway, Gerry

Peter Parker (Earth-616)

By the time Spider-Verse happened, Peter Parker had just recovered from having his personality overwritten by Doctor Octopus and was running his own company, Parker Industries. Once the Inheritors arrive on Earth-616, Peter is recruited into the Spider-Army because he is believed to be ‘the greatest Spider-Man’.

Spider-Verse era Amazing Spider-Man reading order

The amazing Spider-Man [1] : the Parker luck / Slott, Dan (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man [2] : Spider-Verse prelude / Slott, Dan (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man [3] : Spider-Verse / Slott, Dan (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man [4] : graveyard shift / Slott, Dan (also on Libby)

If you want to catch up to Peter Parker’s current adventures, here are the volumes of the most recent Spider-Man run.

Current Amazing Spider-Man run

The Amazing Spider-Man. Volume 1, World without love / Wells, Zeb

The Amazing Spider-Man. Volume 2, The new sinister / Wells, Zeb (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man. Volume 3, Hobgoblin / Wells, Zeb (also on Libby)

The amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 4, Dark web / Wells, Zeb

Spider-Man Noir (Earth-90214)

Spider-Man Noir hails from the Marvel Noir universe of Earth-90214, where the Marvel heroes first begin appearing in the 1920s and 1930s. Here, Peter Parker gains his powers after being bitten by a mystical spider and becomes a web-slinging, hard-boiled detective.

Spider-Man noir : the complete collection / Hine, David

Spider-Man noir : eyes without a face / Hine, David (also collected in the above complete collection)

Spider-Man noir : twilight in Babylon / Stohl, Margaret (also on Libby)

Daredevil noir / Irvine, Alexander

Other titles in the Marvel Noir universe include:

Luke Cage noir / Benson, Mike

Wolverine noir / Moore, Stuart

Spider-Ham (Earth-8311)

Peter Porker was a spider bitten by a radioactive pig (yes, you read that right). He’s from the ‘Larval Universe’, a world populated by anthropomorphic animal versions of Marvel’s superheroes. Outside of Spider-Verse crossovers, Spider-Ham mostly appears in Marvel Comics’ humour publications.

Spider-Ham appearances

Howard the Duck : the complete collection. Vol. 4 / Mantlo, Bill

The Marvel Universe according to Hembeck / Hembeck, Fred

Spider-Verse / Costa, Mike

Secret wars, too

Spider-Man : Spider-Verse : Spider-Men / Bendis, Brian Michael

Web Warriors, protectors of the Spider-verse. Volume 1, Electroverse / Costa, Mike

Web Warriors, protectors of the Spider-verse. Volume 2, Spiders vs / Costa, Mike

Spider-Ham : great power, no responsibility : an original graphic novel / Foxe, Steve (also on Children’s eLibrary)

Spider-Man : Spider-Verse : Spider-Men / Bendis, Brian Michael

Peni Parker – SP//dr (Earth-14512)

Co-created by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way, Peni Parker hails from a world inspired by classic manga and anime like Akira and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Selected by a sentient radioactive spider to replace her father as the co-pilot of a giant robot suit, Peni protects New York as the wall-crawling mecha SP//dr.

SP//dr and Peni Parker appearances

Spider-geddon : edge of Spider-geddon

Spider-Verse : Spider-Zero / MacKay, Jed

Cindy Moon – Silk (Earth-616)

Did you know that Peter Parker wasn’t the only person bitten by the radioactive spider in his universe? His classmate Cindy Moon also got spider-powers, including the ability to create limitless webs, but she was abducted by the mysterious Spider Society before she could use her new powers. After escaping during the first Spider-Verse event, Cindy dons a costume and becomes the heroine Silk.

Silk has yet to appear in the Spider-Verse films, but is set to star in a planned spin-off movie based on the Spider-Women crossover comic.

Silk reading order

Silk. Vol. 0, The life and times of Cindy Moon / Thompson, Robbie

Silk. Vol. 1, Sinister / Thompson, Robbie

Silk Vol. 0 and 1 are collected together as Silk. Vol. 1, Out of the Spider-Verse (also on Libby)

Spider-Women / Hopeless, Dennis (crossover with Spider-Woman and Spider-Gwen)

Silk. Vol. 2, The negative / Thompson, Robbie

Silk Vol. 2 and the Spider-Women crossover are collected together as Silk : out of the Spider-Verse. Vol. 2 (also on Libby)

Silk [1] : Threats and Menaces / Goo, Maurene

Silk [2] : age of the witch / Kim, Emily

Villains of the Spider-Verse

For the lowdown on all the villains who appear in Into the Spider-Verse, check out Spider-Man Spider-Verse : fearsome foes. Here, we’re only covering the main two villains from the first film, the Kingpin and the Prowler.

The Kingpin

Wilson Fisk is the Kingpin of Crime, a powerful and ruthless mob boss who has fought Spider-Man and Daredevil. Recently, in the Devil’s Reign crossover, Fisk became the mayor of New York City and employed an army of supervillains to eliminate every hero in the city.

Civil war II : Kingpin / Rosenberg, Matthew

Kingpin : born against / Rosenberg, Matthew

Devil’s reign / Zdarsky, Chip (also on Libby)

Devil’s reign : villains for hire / Chapman, Clay McLeod (also on Libby)

The Prowler

There are two Prowlers currently active in the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man’s sometime-ally Hobie Brown, and Miles Morales’ uncle Aaron Davis. Both Prowlers are inventors who use a variety of gadgets, including a gliding cape, gauntlets that shoot gas pellets, and claws that allow them to climb walls.

Hobie Brown Prowler appearances

The amazing Spider-Man : worldwide [1] / Slott, Dan (also on Libby)

The Prowler : the clone conspiracy / Ryan, Sean

Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man [2] : hostile takeovers / Taylor, Tom

The amazing Spider-Man : beyond [3]

Aaron Davis Prowler appearances

Miles Morales : Spider-Man / Bendis, Brian Michael

Miles Morales : with great power / Bendis, Brian Michael

Spider-Man : Miles Morales [4] / Bendis, Brian Michael (also on Libby)

Miles Morales. Vol. 3, Family business / Ahmed, Saladin

Miles Morales [4] : ultimatum / Ahmed, Saladin (also on Libby)

Miles Morales [8] : empire of the spider / Ahmed, Saladin (also on Libby)

From India to Poland, to Strange New Worlds and Back Home Again: New YA Titles in the Collection

In anime & manga, comics and graphic novels, internet culture, stuff to read, troubled teens trying to put their past behind them

On Friday, 21 April, 2023

In comics and graphic novels, lgbtqia+, new stuff (ooh, shiny!), non-fiction, stuff to read

Let’s face it, there’s nothing like a new book. That shiny new cover, those crisp pages, they’re wonderful. Or maybe you’re just looking for something new and interesting that you haven’t come across before. Well, we got you, have a look at this selection of new YA titles in our collection…

The karma map : a novel / Sharma, Nisha
“Born and raised in the US, Tara Bajaj hides her family secrets. With beautiful clothes, a popular social media presence, and a spot on the Rutgers High Bollywood dance team, she does it well–until her carefully cultivated image shatters. Silas D’Souza-Gupta is an aspiring photojournalist retracing the journey his two mothers took when they fell in love. As Tara and Silas embark on remote pilgrimage sites from Punjab through the Himalayas, they discover what it means to be a child in the Indian diaspora, the significance of karma, and the healing power of love.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Nightbirds / Armstrong, Kate J
“The Nightbirds are Simta’s best kept secret. Magic–especially the magic of women–is outlawed and the city’s religious sects would see them burned if discovered. But protected by the Great Houses, the Nightbirds are safe well-guarded treasures. As this Season’s Nightbirds, Matilde, Aesa, and Sayer spend their nights bestowing their unique brands of magic to well-paying clients. They know their lives as Nightbirds aren’t just temporary, but a complete lie and yearn for something more. When they discover that there are other girls like them and that their magic is more than they were ever told, they see the carefully crafted Nightbird system for what it is: a way to keep them in their place, first as daughters and then as wives. Now they must make a choice–to stay in their gilded cage or to remake the city that put them there in the first place.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The stranded / Daniels, Sarah
“Welcome to the Arcadia. Once a luxurious cruise ship, it became a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. For forty years, residents of the Arcadia have been prohibited from making landfall. Esther is a loyal citizen, working flat-out to have the rare chance to live a normal life as a medic on dry land. Nik is a rebel, planning something big to liberate the Arcadia once and for all. When events throw them both together, their lives, and the lives of everyone on the ship, will change forever.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Protest! : shaping Aotearoa / Hager, Mandy
“A look at protest in New Zealand: what was it about, who did it and were they successful? Starting with Hone Heke and encompassing Parehaka to the land march, votes for women and the nuclear test ban. Culminating in the climate change marches. Mandy Hager looks at the background, the structure of the protest and how it affected attitudes. Includes a brief look at the Pacific Islands claims for independence.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

A tale of two princes / Geron, Eric
“Edward Dinnissen leads a charmed life. He’s the Crown Prince of Canada, gets the royal treatment at his exclusive private school, and resides in a ritzy mansion. But this closeted Crown Prince has just one tiny problem: he’s unsure how to tell his parents, his beloved country, and his adoring fans that he’s gay. Billy Boone should be happy with the simple life. His family’s ranch is his favorite place in the world, he loves his small town, and his boyfriend is the cutest guy at Little Timber High. So why does it feel like something’s still missing? When Edward and Billy meet by chance in New York City, they discover that they are long-lost twins, and their lives are forever changed.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Project Nought / Furedi, Chelsey
“Ren Mittal’s last memory in the year 1996 is getting on a bus to visit his mystery pen pal Georgia. When he wakes up in 2122, he thinks he might be hallucinating… he’s not! Tech conglomerate Chronotech sponsors a time-travel program to help students in 2122 learn what history was really like…from real-life subjects who’ve been transported into the future… and Ren is one of them. On top of it all, he learns that his memory will be wiped of all things 2122 before he’s sent back to the ’90s. And when he crosses paths with the absolute last person he expected to see in the future, he has a bigger problem on his hands: What if Chronotech isn’t the benevolent organization they claim to be, and he and his fellow subjects are in great danger?” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Spice road / Ibrahim, Maiya
“In the hidden desert city of Qalia, there is secret spice magic that awakens the affinities of those who drink the misra tea. Sixteen-year-old Imani has the affinity for iron and is able to wield a dagger like no other warrior. Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother, who tarnished the family name after it was revealed that he was stealing his nation’s coveted spice–a telltale sign of magical obsession. Soon after that, he disappeared, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes. Accompanied by other Shields, including Taha, a powerful beastseer who can control the minds of falcons, she sets out on her mission. Imani will soon find that many secrets lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes–and in her own heart–but will she find her brother?” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The awesome autistic guide for trans teens / Purkis, Yenn
“Calling all awesome autistic trans teens! Yenn Purkis and Sam Rose want you to live your best authentic life – and this handy book will show you how! With helpful explanations, tips and activities, plus examples of famous trans and gender divergent people on the autism spectrum, this user-friendly guide will help you to navigate the world as an awesome autistic trans teen. Covering a huge range of topics including coming out, masking, different gender identities, changing your name, common issues trans and gender divergent people face and ways to help overcome them, building a sense of pride and much, much more, it will empower you to value yourself and thrive exactly as you are.” (Catalogue)

28 days : a novel of resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto / Safier, David
“In Warsaw, Poland, in 1942, Mira faces impossible decisions after learning that the Warsaw ghetto is to be “liquidated,” but a group of young people are planning an uprising against their Nazi captors. Sixteen-year old Mira smuggles food into the Ghetto to keep herself and her family alive. When she discovers that the entire Ghetto is to be “liquidated”–killed or “resettled” to concentration camps–she desperately tries to find a way to save her family. She meets a group of young people who are planning the unthinkable: an uprising against the occupying forces. Mira joins the resistance fighters who, with minimal supplies and weapons, end up holding out for twenty-eight days, longer than anyone had thought possible.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Six times we almost kissed (and one time we did) / Sharpe, Tess
“Six fun facts about PENNY and TATE: 1. They’ve known each other their whole lives; 2. Their moms are best friends; 3. They are DEFINITELY NOT friends; 4. They keep almost kissing; 5. They don’t talk about it; 6. Thanks to their moms, they’re moving in together … But when an almost-kiss goes from almost to I am now wearing your lip gloss, Penny and Tate have no choice but to finally face the music … right?” (Adapted from Catalogue)

She is a haunting / Tran, Trang Thanh
“When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam to visit her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised. But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves cryptic warnings: Don’t eat. Neither Ba nor her sweet sister, Lily, believe anything strange is happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade tries to expose the house’s rotten appetite. A home, after all, is only as powerful as those who breathe new life into its bones. And this one is determined never to be abandoned again…” (Catalogue)

For more new books in the collection, go to: What’s new & Popular / April 2023 (wcl.govt.nz)

The Manga Behind the 2023 Crunchyroll Anime Awards

By Stephen

On Tuesday, 11 April, 2023

Okay, okay, we know we’re a little behind the 8-ball on this one, but the 7th annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards took place about a month ago, with anime fans the world over turning out in their millions to place their votes for their favourite shows, characters, directors, composers, voice actors, and (new this year) their favourite “must protect at all costs” fluffballs. We kind of have a thing for manga here on the WCL Teen Blog, so we thought we’d take you on a bit of a guided tour through our extensive manga collections, and share some of our favourite series whose anime counterparts have been honoured with wins and nominations in this year’s Anime Awards.

Interestingly, the winner of this year’s Awards was not spawned from the manga-verse, but from a game — that honour went to Studio Trigger and CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, a Polish-Japanese coproduction set in the gritty and glittering world of the Cyberpunk 2077 video game. Perhaps we’ll see a manga adaptation in the future. But for now, you have our collection.

Read on, and get in quick to reserve these popular series — they won’t last long on the shelf! While you wait, why not check out the full list of manga series available for you to borrow from Wellington City Libraries? We have about 200 to choose from!

Attack on Titan / Hajime Isayama

{shōnen: action, dark fantasy, post-apocalyptic}

“For the past century, what’s left of mankind has hidden in a giant, three-walled city, trapped in fear of the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming human-kind, but the sudden appearance of an enormous Titan is about change everything.” (Catalogue)

Category wins:

Best Drama Anime
Best Main Character — Eren Jaeger
Best Opening Sequence — ‘The Rumbling’ by SiM
Best Score — Composers Kohta Yamamoto and Horiyuki Sawano
Best Song — ‘The Rumbling’ by SiM
Best Voice Acting (Japanese) — Yuki Kaji playing Eren Jaeger

Category nominations:

Anime of the Year
Best Action Anime
Best Animation
Best Continuing Anime Series
Best Ending Sequence — ‘Akuma no Ko’ by AI HIGUCHI
Best Director

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba / Koyoharu Gotōge

{shōnen: adventure, dark fantasy, martial arts}

“In Taisho-era Japan, Tanjiro Kamado is a kindhearted boy who makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family. His little sister Nezuko is the only survivor, but she has been transformed into a demon herself! Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life.” (Catalogue)

Category wins:

Best Action Anime
Best Fantasy Anime
Best Character Design — Akira Matsushima
Best Animation — Ufotable Studios
Best Director — Haruo Sotozaki

Category nominations:

Anime of the Year
Best Continuing Anime Series
Best Opening Sequence — ‘Zankyosanka’ by Aimer
Best Score — composers Yuki Kaijura and Go Shiina
Best Supporting Character — Tengen Uzui
Best Voice Acting (Japanese) — Sun Natsuki Hanae playing Tanjiro Kamado

Dragon Ball Super / Akira Toriyama

{shōnen: action, adventure, fantasy, martial arts}

“Ever since Goku became Earth’s greatest hero and gathered the seven Dragon Balls to defeat the evil Boo, his life on Earth has grown a little dull. Goku is starting to get bored. His wife, Chi-chi, wants him to get a job, but all he wants to do is train and fight stronger enemies. Elsewhere in the universe, the God of Destruction, Beerus, and his attendant Whis are traveling from planet to planet in search of food and entertainment. After blowing up some hapless victims, Beerus is reminded of a man from his dreams with the moniker “Super Saiyan God,” or something like that […] Maybe this will give Goku something to do?” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Category nominations:

Best Film — Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO
Best Voice Acting (English) — Zeno Robinson playing Gamma 2

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure / Hirohiko Araki

{shōnen: adventure, fantasy, supernatural}

“Young Jonathan Joestar’s life is forever changed when he meets his new adopted brother, Dio. For some reason, Dio has a smoldering grudge against him and derives pleasure from seeing him suffer. But every man has his limits, as Dio finds out. This is the beginning of a long and hateful relationship!” (Catalogue)

Category nominations:

Best Action Anime
Best Character Design — Masanori Shino
Best Continuing Anime Series
Best Voice Acting (Japanese) — Fairouz Ai playing Jolyne Cujoh

Jujutsu Kaisen / Gege Akutami

{shōnen: adventure, dark fantasy, supernatural}

“Yuji Itadori is resolved to save the world from cursed demons, but he soon learns that the best way to do it is to slowly lose his humanity and become one himself! In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna were lost and scattered about. Should any demon consume Sukuna’s body parts, the power they gain could destroy the world as we know it…” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Category wins:

Best Film — Jujutsu Kaisen 0

Kaguya-Sama: Love is War / Akasaka, Aka

{seinen: psychological, romantic comedy, slice-of-life}

“As leaders of their prestigious academy’s student council, Kaguya and Miyuki are the elite of the elite! But it’s lonely at the top… Luckily for them, they’ve fallen in love! There’s just one problem—they both have too much pride to admit it. And so begins the daily scheming to get the object of their affection to confess their romantic feelings first…Love is a war you win by losing.” (OverDrive description)

Category wins:

Best Romance Anime

Category nominations:

Best Continuing Anime Series
Best Comedy Anime
Best Supporting Character — Ai Hayasaka
Best Song — ‘My Nonfiction’ by Miyuki Shirogane and Chika Fujiwara

Komi Can’t Communicate / Tomohito Oda

{shōnen: coming-of-age, romantic comedy, slice of life}

“Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi would love to make friends, but her shyness is interpreted as reserve, and the other students keep her at a distance. Only timid Tadano realizes the truth, and despite his own desire to blend in, he decides to help her achieve her goal of making 100 friends.” (Catalogue)

Category nominations:

Best Romance Anime
Best Ending Sequence — ‘Koshaberibiyori’ by FantasticYouth
Best ‘Must Protect at All Costs’ Character — Shoko Komi

Made in Abyss / Akihito Tsukushi

{seinen: adventure, dark fantasy, sci-fi}

“In an age when the corners of the world have been scoured for their secrets, only one place remains unexplored-a massive cave system known as the Abyss, filled with monstrous creatures and lost relics. Those who delve into its depths are known as Cave Raiders. A young orphan named Riko dreams of following in her mother’s footsteps as a Cave Raider, and when she meets a strange robot while exploring the Abyss, she is one perilous step closer to achieving her goal!” (Catalogue)

Category nominations:

Best Continuing Anime Series
Best Drama Anime
Best Fantasy Anime
Best Score — composer Kevin Penkin
Best Voice Acting (Japanese) — Misaki Kuno playing Faputa and Irumyuui

One Piece / Eiichirō Oda

{shōnen: adventure, fantasy}

“As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, an enchanted Devil Fruit that gave him the ability to stretch like rubber. Its only drawback? He’ll never be able to swim again– a serious handicap for an aspiring sea dog! Years later, Luffy sets off on his quest to find the One Piece, said to be the greatest treasure in the world…” (OverDrive)

Category wins:

Best Continuing Anime

Category nominations:

Best Song — ‘New Genesis’ by Ado
Best Anime Film — One Piece Film Red

SPYxFAMILY / Tatsuya Endō

{shōnen: action, comedy, spy}

“Master spy Twilight is the best at what he does when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions in the name of a better world. But when he receives the ultimate impossible assignment – get married and have a kid – he may finally be in over his head […]” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Category wins:

Best New Anime Series
Best Comedy Anime
Best Supporting Character — Anya Forger
Best ‘Must Protect at All Costs’ Character — Anya Forger
Best Ending Sequence — ‘Comedy’ by Gen Hoshino
Best Voice Acting (English) — Natalie Van Sistine playing Yor Forger

Category nominations:

Anime of the Year
Best Animation
Best Action Anime
Best Director — Kazuhiro Furuhashi
Best Character Design — Kazauki Shimada
Best Main Character — Loid Forger
Best Opening Sequence — ‘Mixed Nuts’ by Office HIGE DANdism
Best Score — composer (K)NoW_NAME
Best Song — ‘Comedy’ by Gen Hoshino
Best Voice Acting (Japanese) — Atsumi Tanezaki playing Anya Forger

The Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide to… Dungeons & Dragons

By Gus

On Monday, 3 April, 2023

In comics and graphic novels, stuff to do, stuff to read, the wellington comic lover's guide to...

Welcome to the Wellington Comic Lover’s (WCL) Guide, where we take you through the Wellington City Libraries’ comic collection. This post collects all the comics we have inspired by the premiere tabletop roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons!

(via GIPHY)

What Dungeons & Dragons comics are there?

Dungeons & Dragons has inspired many comics since the tabletop gaming renaissance of the 2010s. In addition to the official comics licensed by Wizards of the Coast, D&D has crossed over into other comic franchises, and “actual play” podcasts like The Adventure Zone and Critical Role have started adapting their in-game storylines into graphic novels.

If you were looking for sourcebooks and manuals to run your own campaigns, check out J’Shuall of Jackanapery’s recent post on our Dungeons & Dragons collection here!

Official Dungeons and Dragons comics

These are the official licensed Dungeons & Dragons comics we have, based on the Pathfinder system and Forgotten Realms setting.

Forgotten realms. Cutter / Salvatore, R. A.

Pathfinder. Volume one, Dark waters rising / Zubkavich, Jim

Dungeons & dragons. Infernal tides (only on Libby)

Dungeons and Dragons and Television

Dungeons & Dragons has crossed over into comic-book tie-ins of TV shows, notably Stranger Things and Rick and Morty.

Stranger things and Dungeons & Dragons / Houser, Jody
(also on Libby)

Stranger things : Erica the great / Lore, Danny

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons and Dragons (only on Libby)

The Adventure Zone

Artist Carey Pietsch adapts the McElroy-starring live-play podcast The Adventure Zone into graphic novels, starting with the ‘Balance’ arc. The storyline follows impulsive fighter Magnus, vainglorious wizard Taako, and grumbling monk Merle as they collect magical artifacts for a secret organization called The Bureau of Balance.

The Adventure Zone [1] : here there be gerblins / McElroy, Clint (also on Libby)

The Adventure Zone [2] : murder on the Rockport Limited / McElroy, Clint (also on Libby)

The Adventure Zone [3] : petals to the metal / McElroy, Clint (also on Libby)

The Adventure Zone. 4, The crystal kingdom / McElroy, Clint

The Adventure Zone [5] : the eleventh hour / McElroy, Clint

Critical Role

Critical Role, the acclaimed live-play podcast helmed by GM Matt Mercer and a troupe of voice actors, has been adapted into comics, starting with their first campaign Vox Machina.

Critical role : Vox Machina origins [1] / Colville, Matthew

Critical role : Vox Machina origins [2] / Mercer, Matthew

Critical role : Vox Machina origins [3] / Houser, Jody

Vox machina : kith & kin / Nijkamp, Marieke

The Chronicles of Exandria : the Mighty Nein

Critical role : the Mighty Nein origins : Fjord Stone / Burke, Kevin

Critical role : Mighty Nein origins : Mollymauk Tealeaf / Houser, Jody

In addition to the comics, there are also Critical Role books about the settings, lore and history of the campaign.

The world of Critical Role : the history behind the epic fantasy / Marsham, Liz

The tales of Exandria : the Bright Queen / Poelgeest, Darcy van

DIE – a comic turned TTRPG

A darker take on the typical D&D story, DIE follows five forty-somethings who return to the tabletop fantasy world they were trapped in as teenagers. Created by Kieron Gillen (Young Avengers, The Wicked & The Divine) and artist Stephanie Hans (Angela: Asgard’s Assassin), DIE was later adapted into its own tabletop RPG.

Die. Volume 1, Fantasy heartbreaker / Gillen, Kieron (also on Libby)

Die. Volume 2, Split the party / Gillen, Kieron (also on Libby)

Die. Volume 3, The great game / Gillen, Kieron

Die. Volume 4, Bleed / Gillen, Kieron (also on Libby)

The entire DIE series is also collected in one volume as Die. [Book 1].

More tabletop gaming-themed comics

Roll for initiative / Walls, Jasmine – On the eve of their college graduation, a group of friends try to complete their unfinished campaign.

D&D Dungeon Club [1] : roll call / Ostertag, Molly – The friendship between two D&D players is tested when they open their two-person campaign to other players.

Modern fantasy [1] / Roberts, Rafer – D&D meets office culture in this comedy series drawn by Henchgirl artist Kristen Gudsnuk.

Rise of the dungeon master : Gary Gygax and the creation of D&D / Kushner, David – A biography comic about the creator of Dungeons & Dragons, Gary Gygax.

D&D inspired zines

We also have zines inspired by Dungeons & Dragons in the catalogue by local artists, including Hicksville artist Dylan Horrocks.

Darkest dungeons / Horrocks, Dylan

Saint : a collection of drawings and writings from a campaign of 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons / Lean, Alis

Choose your own D&D character. Vol. I, Class / Fey

Comics that ARE roleplaying games

We’ve covered comics based on roleplaying games, but what about a comic that is a roleplaying game? In You Are Deadpool, you play through the comic as the Merc with a Mouth, your journey through the story determined by your dice rolls.

You are Deadpool / Ewing, Al

The Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide to… Superman

By Gus

On Friday, 17 March, 2023

In comics and graphic novels, eLibrary, stuff to read, the wellington comic lover's guide to...

Welcome to the Wellington Comic Lover’s (WCL) Guide, where we take you through the Wellington City Libraries’ collection of a comic book character. This post is about the strange visitor from the planet Krypton, the Man of Steel himself, Superman!

(via GIPHY)

Who is Superman?

Sent away in a rocket from the doomed planet Krypton as an infant, Kal-El landed on Earth and was raised by a kindly couple, who taught him the values of truth and justice. Gaining incredible superpowers under Earth’s yellow sun, he protects his adopted home as Superman, while working for the newspaper ‘The Daily Planet’ as the reporter Clark Kent.

Superman Classics

Before we get to the current run of Superman comics from the DC Rebirth era onward, here are some classic Superman stories to get you up to speed with the Man of Tomorrow.

Superman’s Early Years

The Superman chronicles. Volume two / Siegel, Jerry
Read the earliest adventures of Superman as written by his original creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Superman : secret origin / Johns, Geoff
One of the more recent takes on Superman’s origin, which takes its cues from the Christopher Reeve movies.

Superman : world against Superman / Morrison, Grant
The New 52 origin of Superman, which brings him back to his roots as a ‘champion of the oppressed’ still figuring out his powers.

Superman smashes the Klan : the graphic novel / Yang, Gene Luen
A comic adaptation of a 1946 radio play famous for exposing the then-revived Ku Klux Klan, where Superman is pitted against the xenophobic ‘Clan of the Fiery Cross’.

Classic Superman Adventures

Superman : red and blue
An anthology series where the artists are limited to Superman’s distinctive colour pallete.

Superman for all seasons / Loeb, Jeph
A coming-of-age story where Superman is torn between the big city life of Metropolis and his country home life in Smallville.

Superman : last son / Johns, Geoff
Superman finds a young boy in a ship like the one he crash-landed in as an infant, and adopts the boy as his own, not knowing he is the son of Kryptonian criminal General Zod.

Superman : Emperor Joker
Superman wakes up in Arkham Asylum to learn that the Joker has gained reality-altering powers and now rules the world.

Superman : ending battle
A mysterious villain has gathered all of Superman’s adversaries for an all-out assault on the Man of Steel.

Superman : up up and away / Busiek, Kurt
After a year-long absence due to the loss of his powers, Superman returns to Metropolis right as Lex Luthor unleashes his new master plan.

Superman : Brainiac / Johns, Geoff
One of Superman’s most famous villains, the city-collecting alien android Brainiac, returns to menace Superman once more.

Superman : the black ring. Volume one and two / Cornell, Paul
One of the definitive Lex Luthor stories. Superman’s nemesis sets out on a quest for ultimate power, battling other villains along the way.

Possible Endings

There have been many stories exploring how Superman may die or otherwise cease to be; here are some of the best.

The death of Superman / Jurgens, Dan (also on Libby)
The story that killed Superman (for a while, at least), as he goes down swinging against the unstoppable monster Doomsday.

Absolute All-Star Superman / Morrison, Grant (also on Libby)
Considered one of the best Superman stories ever. After being exposed to strange radiation, Superman discovers that he only has one year to live, and sets out to make sure the world is safe in his absence.

Superman : whatever happened to the man of tomorrow / Moore, Alan
Superman’s identity is exposed to the public, and the Man of Steel must protect his loved ones as his villains lay siege to the Fortress of Solitude.

DC Rebirth – Superman Reborn

The major change to Superman in this era is the birth of Jon Kent, the son of Lois Lane and Superman. During this period, Superman, Lois, and Jon move to a quiet farm in Hamilton County and try to live out a normal life in between alien invasions and reality alterations.

Superman : Lois and Clark / Jurgens, Dan

Superman. Vol. 1, Son of Superman / Tomasi, Peter

Superman. Vol. 2, Trials of the super son / Tomasi, Peter

Superman reborn / Jurgens, Dan

Superman. Vol. 4, Black dawn / Tomasi, Peter

Superman. Vol. 5, Hopes and fears / Tomasi, Peter

Superman. Vol. 6, Imperius Lex / Tomasi, Peter

Superman. Vol. 7, Bizarroverse / Tomasi, Peter

Action Comics

Action Comics is the comic magazine where Superman first appeared in 1938, and is still being published today as a secondary series to the main Superman title. During DC Rebirth, Action Comics reached its 1000th issue, establishing a new status quo for the Man of Steel.

Superman action comics. Vol. 1, Path of doom / Jurgens, Dan

Superman action comics. Volume 2. Welcome to the planet / Jurgens, Dan

Superman action comics. Vol. 3, Men of steel / Jurgens, Dan

Superman action comics. Vol. 4, The new world / Jurgens, Dan

Superman action comics : the Oz effect / Jurgens, Dan

Superman action comics. Volume 5, Booster shot / Jurgens, Dan

The Brian Michael Bendis run

After Action Comics‘ 1000th issue, long-time Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis jumped ship to DC Comics and began to write the Superman and Action Comics series simultaneously. Beginning with the miniseries The Man of Steel, Bendis used his run to revive the Legion of Superheroes, have Superman establish an “intergalactic UN” called the United Planets, and bring Clark and Lois into the world of international espionage with ‘Event Leviathan’.

Brian Michael Bendis Superman reading order

The Man of Steel / Bendis, Brian Michael

Superman. Vol. 1, The Unity Saga : Phantom Earth / Bendis, Brian Michael

Superman action comics. Volume 1, Invisible mafia / Bendis, Brian Michael

Superman. Vol. 2, The Unity Saga : the House of El / Bendis, Brian Michael

Superman action comics. Vol. 2, Leviathan rising / Bendis, Brian Michael

Event Leviathan / Bendis, Brian Michael

Superman action comics. Vol. 3, Leviathan hunt / Bendis, Brian Michael

Superman. Vol. 3, The truth revealed / Bendis, Brian Michael

Superman action comics. Vol. 4, Metropolis burning / Bendis, Brian Michael

Superman. Vol. 4, Mythological / Bendis, Brian Michael

Superman action comics. Vol. 5, The House of Kent / Bendis, Brian Michael

Bendis run spin-offs

During the Bendis run on Superman, both Lois Lane and Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen got their own series. The Legion of Superheroes, a team that began as a spin-off to the Superman title in the 50s, return to welcome Jon Kent to their ranks. Bendis also wrapped up the ‘Event Leviathan’ storyline in the spy series Checkmate.

Lois Lane : enemy of the people / Rucka, Greg

Superman’s pal, Jimmy Olsen : who killed Jimmy Olsen / Fraction, Matt

Legion of Super-Heroes. Vol. 1, Millennium / Bendis, Brian Michael

Legion of Super-Heroes. Vol. 2, The trial of the Legion / Bendis, Brian Michael

Checkmate / Bendis, Brian Michael

Infinite Frontier – The Warworld Saga

During Infinite Frontier, Superman comes into contact with a lost refugee colony of Kryptonians fleeing from Warworld, an artificial planet powered by slave labour and ruled by the despotic alien Mongul. Despite his powers being on the wane, Superman gathers up a team of rebel heroes called The Authority to help him free Warworld’s prisoners.

Warworld Saga reading order

Superman : the one who fell / Johnson, Phillip Kennedy

Superman and the Authority / Morrison, Grant

Superman action comics. Volume one, Warworld rising / Johnson, Phillip Kennedy

Superman : Action Comics. Vol. 2, The arena / Johnson, Phillip Kennedy

Superman Action Comics. Volume three, Warworld revolution / Johnson, Phillip Kennedy

Superman : Kal-El returns / Johnson, Phillip Kennedy

Jon Kent, Son of Superman

Jon Kent is the son of Superman and Lois Lane, and occasionally fights alongside his dad as Superboy. He becomes fast friends with Damian Wayne, Batman’s son and the current Robin, regularly teaming up for adventures with him as the Super Sons.

Jon Kent, Superboy

Super Sons. Vol. 1, When I grow up.. / Tomasi, Peter

Super Sons. Vol. 2, Planet of the capes / Tomasi, Peter

Super Sons of tomorrow / Tomasi, Peter

Super sons. Vol. 3, Parent trap / Tomasi, Peter

Action detectives / Tomasi, Peter

Adventures of the Super Sons. Vol. 2, Little monsters / Tomasi, Peter

Challenge of the Super Sons / Tomasi, Peter

Jon Kent, Superman

After going missing on an adventure in space, Jon returns to Earth as a teenager, before travelling to the 31st century to join the Legion of Superheroes. In the ‘Son of Kal-El‘ series, Jon takes on the mantle of Superman while his father journeys off-planet to Warworld.

Superman. Vol. 1, The Unity Saga : Phantom Earth / Bendis, Brian Michael

Superman. Vol. 2, The Unity Saga : the House of El / Bendis, Brian Michael

Legion of Super-Heroes. Vol. 1, Millennium / Bendis, Brian Michael

Legion of Super-Heroes. Vol. 2, The trial of the Legion / Bendis, Brian Michael

Superman : the one who fell / Johnson, Phillip Kennedy

Superman, son of Kal-El. Vol. 1, The truth / Taylor, Tom

Superman, son of Kal-El. Vol. 2, The rising / Taylor, Tom

Kong Kenan, the Super-Man of China

DC Rebirth saw the introduction of another Superman, an arrogant student from China named Kong Kenan. Gifted with the powers of Superman by the Ministry of Self-Reliance, Kenan must learn to master his new Kryptonian abilities to become a suitable superhuman representative of his nation.

Kong Kenan appearances

New Super-Man. Vol. 1, Made in China / Yang, Gene Luen

New Super-Man. Vol. 3, Equilibrium

Superman action comics. Vol. 4, The new world / Jurgens, Dan

A very DC rebirth holiday

Superman Across the Multiverse

Many writers have explored how Superman could be reinterpreted or reimagined throughout the DC Comics Multiverse.

Final Crisis – Features the story “Superman Beyond”, in which Clark Kent must team up with an alliance of Supermen from parallel Earths to save all of reality.

The Multiversity – President Superman of Earth-23, Superdemon of Earth-13, Captain Carrot of Earth-26 and more must answer a multiversal SOS to battle against interdimensional parasites called The Gentry.

Elseworlds : Superman. Volume one – An anthology of ‘Elseworld’ stories that reimagine Superman in different eras, like the Middle Ages or the American Civil War.

Injustice : Gods among us : Volume 1 – Based on the hit video game, Superman becomes an authoritarian ruler after suffering a tragedy, and the Justice League is split on whether to join him or resist.

Superman: Earth One (only on Libby) – A younger, more withdrawn Superman must decide if he should use his powers or not, right on the cusp of an alien invasion.

Kingdom come / Waid, Mark – In a world where superhumans run rampant with no regard for morality, Superman comes out of retirement to show them a better way.

Justice League : gods and monsters / Timm, Bruce – Based on the animated film, a Superman raised by Mexican immigrants leads a more pragmatic Justice League.

Superman : red son / Millar, Mark – An alternate history that explores what would have happened if Superman landed in Soviet Russia instead of the USA.

Crime Syndicate / Schmidt, Andy – On Earth-3, where heroes and villains are switched, the criminal Ultraman leads a super-powered mob called the Crime Syndicate.

Superman : space age / Russell, Mark – A world where Superman becomes a public hero at the advent of the 1960s Space Race.

Superman ’78 / Venditti, Robert – A comic continuation of the Christopher Reeve Superman films from the 70s and 80s.

Doomsday clock – A sequel to Watchmen, where Doctor Manhattan invades the DC Universe to confront Superman, while the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

The Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide to… Ant-Man and the Wasp

By Gus

On Monday, 13 February, 2023

In comics and graphic novels, eLibrary, stuff to read, the wellington comic lover's guide to...

Welcome to the Wellington Comic Lover’s (WCL) Guide, where we take you through the Wellington City Libraries’ collection of a comic book character. This post is about the Marvel Comics characters who grow and shrink with the power of Pym Particles: the Astonishing Ant-Man and the Wasp!

Who are Ant-Man and the Wasp?

Ant-Man is an identity adopted by a number of heroes (and one villain) based around the discoveries of Dr Hank Pym. Using the incredible ‘Pym Particles’ which can add or subtract mass, size, and strength to anything, Ant-Man can grow and shrink between human and insect size at will while maintaining his regular human strength. He also dons a helmet that allows him to command ants, using them as helpers or riding on flying ants as a mount.

The Wasp is an identity adopted by two heroines, fashion designer Janet van Dyne and teen prodigy Nadia van Dyne. Hank Pym also briefly donned the identity of the Wasp during a period where Janet was lost in the Microverse. Using Pym Particles, the Wasp can shrink to insect size, with the addition of having wings to fly and ‘bio-electric stingers’ to zap opponents.

Since Hank and Janet, there have been many heroes that have taken up the identities of Ant-Man and the Wasp in Marvel Comics history, and other characters that have taken on either one of Hank’s previous identities (like Giant-Man) or made their own heroic identity using Pym Particle-based powers (like Stature).

Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man

Dr Hank Pym is the first Ant-Man and a founding member of the Avengers with his partner, the Wasp. As the inventor of Pym Particles, he has applied them in various ways to grow and shrink objects, grow to giant sizes as Giant-Man, and discover new realms between atoms in the Microverse. He has gone by a number of identities in his time as a hero, including Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, and The Wasp.

Hank Pym appearances

Ant-Man and the Wasp : adventures

The Avengers : Earth’s mightiest heroes. Volume 1, 1963-1965 / Lee, Stan

Ant-Man/Giant-Man : growing pains / Lee, Stan

Avengers : Disassembled (only on eLibrary)

Civil war / Millar, Mark (also on eLibrary)

Secret invasion / Bendis, Brian Michael
(also on eLibrary)

The Mighty Avengers : secret invasion. Book 1 / Bendis, Brian Michael

The Mighty Avengers : secret invasion. Book 2 / Bendis, Brian Michael

The Mighty Avengers : Earth’s mightiest / Slott, Dan

Siege : Mighty Avengers / Slott, Dan

Avengers Academy [1] : permanent record / Gage, Christos

Avengers A.I. [1] : human after all / Humphries, Sam

Vision & the Scarlet Witch : the saga of Wanda and Vision / Englehart, Steve

Ultron

Hank Pym also created the robot Ultron, who rebelled against his ‘father’ and became an enemy of the Avengers. Ultron consistently upgraded over the years to destroy the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, until eventually Hank and Ultron fused together as a single being. Now, he roams space searching for power as ‘Ultron Pym’.

Ultron appearances

Avengers : Ultron unbound / Thomas, Roy

Avengers Academy [1] : permanent record / Gage, Christos

Avengers A.I. [1] : human after all / Humphries, Sam

What if? : Age of Ultron / Keatinge, Joe

Appearances as ‘Ultron Pym’

Secret Empire / Spencer, Nick

The uncanny Avengers [2] : the man who fell to Earth / Duggan, Gerry

Infinity countdown / Duggan, Gerry

Iron Man : the Ultron agenda / Slott, Dan

The astonishing Ant-Man. Vol. 1, Everybody loves team-ups / Spencer, Nick

Scott Lang, the Astonishing Ant-Man

Scott Lang is a ex-con who stole the Ant-Man suit in order to save his daughter. Proving himself a hero, Lang was allowed to keep the suit and became the second Ant-Man, joining the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. Lang is a big believer in second chances, working alongside reformed criminals like himself in his security business in Florida.

Ant-Man [1] : second-chance man / Spencer, Nick
(also on eLibrary)

The astonishing Ant-Man [2] : small-time criminal / Spencer, Nick

The astonishing Ant-Man. Vol. 3, The trial of Ant-Man / Spencer, Nick

Ant-Man and the Wasp : lost and found / Waid, Mark

War of the realms : Giant-Man / Williams, Leah

Ant-Man : World hive / Wells, Zeb

The Avengers : Red Zone / Johns, Geoff

Scott Lang’s Teams

Avengers : Disassembled

FF. Vol. 1, Fantastic faux / Fraction, Matt

Eric O’Grady, the Irredeemable Ant-Man

Eric O’Grady was a low-level SHIELD agent who stole a prototype Ant-Man suit and used it for his own selfish purposes. After proving his potential for espionage during the Skrull’s Secret Invasion, O’Grady became a member of the Thunderbolts and the Secret Avengers before eventually turning traitor. Now going by Black Ant, he is half of a villainous duo with the Taskmaster.

Appearances as Ant-Man

World War Hulk : X-Men (contains an issue of Eric’s first series, The Irredeemable Ant-Man)

Avengers : the Initiative. Vol. 3, Secret invasion / Slott, Dan

Thunderbolts : burning down the house / Diggle, Andy

Fear itself : Secret Avengers / Spencer, Nick

Secret Avengers. [Vol. 1] / Remender, Rick

Secret Avengers [3] / Remender, Rick

Appearances as Black Ant

Secret Empire / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 1, Back to basics / Spencer, Nick

The Amazing Spider-Man [2] : friends and foes / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 3, Lifetime achievement / Spencer, Nick

The amazing Spider-Man [4] : hunted / Spencer, Nick

Sinister war / Spencer, Nick

Raz Malhotra, Giant-Man

When Hank Pym felt that shrinking wasn’t an adequate power, he changed tack and used his Pym Particles to grow to titanic heights as Giant-Man and later Goliath. Other heroes since taken up the Giant-Man mantle, the current one being Raz Malhotra, a computer programmer who befriended Scott Lang.

Raz Malhotra appearances

The astonishing Ant-Man. Vol. 1, Everybody loves team-ups / Spencer, Nick

The astonishing Ant-Man [2] : small-time criminal / Spencer, Nick

The Ultimates [2] : Civil war II / Ewing, Al

Secret Empire : brave new world

Agents of Atlas : pandemonium / Pak, Greg

War of the realms : Giant-Man / Williams, Leah

Cassie Lang, Stinger

Cassie Lang is the daughter of Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man. After being exposed to Pym Particles, Cassie gained the ability to grow and shrink at will. Calling herself Stature, she joined a team of teenagers emulating the original Avengers, the Young Avengers. Later, she gained her own insect-controlling helmet and helps her father as the heroine Stinger.

Cassie Lang appearances

Young Avengers: Ultimate Collection (Only on Libby)

Secret invasion : Runaways & Young Avengers / Yost, Christopher

The Mighty Avengers : Earth’s mightiest / Slott, Dan

Siege : Mighty Avengers / Slott, Dan

Ant-Man : World hive / Wells, Zeb

War of the realms : Giant-Man / Williams, Leah