The Many Confusing Lives of Wonder Girl

With the exception of Hawkman, there probably isn't a single character in mainstream comics with a messier backstory than the original Wonder Girl herself: Donna Troy. Her origins have changed so many times now that DC has even produced multiple story arcs about how many different origins she has.

Recommended Reads for Marvel Movie and TV Fans

Do you like Marvel movies and TV shows? Do you want to read the source material, but have no idea where to start? Well, don't worry, I've got you covered.

21 Comics I Read in '21

For multiple reasons I really haven't watched a lot of TV this year, so instead of my usually irrelevant rundown I'm going to look back at the 21 most memorable comics (old and new) that I read this year.

An X-Men Retrospective: Part 5

"I am not ashamed of what I am. Let them try and stop us this time."

In the final part of my journey through the wild and crazy history of the X-Men I'll be looking at that weird period in the mid-2010s when Marvel tried (and failed) to make Inhumans the new X-Men. After that I'll be bringing us right up to date with the massive success of the Hickman reinvention.

An X-Men Retrospective: Part 4

"Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction. And every time this team goes into the field, we remind the world that we do."

In the penultimate instalment of my journey through X-Men history I'll be championing the brief, brilliant and criminally overlooked tenure of Kieron Gillen, before navigating the many highs and lows of Brian Michael Bendis' divisive run.

An X-Men Retrospective: Part 3

“No more mutants.”

In the third part of my X-Men retrospective I'll be looking at the works of Grant Morrison, the second second coming of Chris Claremont, the astonishing work of a writer we now know to be less than astonishing, the fallout from House of M, as well as the ups and downs of the team's big move to the West Coast.

An X-Men Retrospective: Part 2

“We are all but bit players in a tragedy far larger than any of us...”

This is where I started reading X-Men so I have something of a nostalgic soft spot for this era, but I'll be the first to admit that it is far, far, far from the best.

An X-Men Retrospective: Part 1

"To me, my X-Men."

This all started as a follow up to one of my Doux Five posts about classic comic book runs. I wanted to do something more detailed covering both Marvel and DC. That eventually evolved into doing a separate piece for X-Men because there was so much I wanted to write about it. X-Men is a comic I've had an on-off relationship for almost 30 years now. It wasn't the first comic I read, but it was the first one I read seriously. And then that continued to evolve into this multi-part retrospective. Which is all rather fitting considering X-Men is all about change and evolution.

Five Classic Comic Book Runs

Five memorable comic book runs by some of the industry's best writers and artists starring some of the world's greatest superheroes.

Buffy Season Eight: Last Gleaming, Part 5

[This is the final issue of Buffy Season Eight.]

Faith: "You're the only slayer. You always were."

Synopsis:

San Francisco. Buffy is waitressing at the "Pick Me Up," a coffee/book place. A customer trips her, but she manages to maintain the tray of hot stuff upright and serve the customers anyway -- with her foot. The customer is a former slayer who hates Buffy.

Buffy Season Eight: Last Gleaming, Part 4

Xander: "Giles, I'm all for rash acts of nobility-- but you can't get between those two."

Synopsis:

Willow is chanting a spell to protect the Seed, which I want to call the Big Red Egg because that's what it looks like. Buffy and Angel are fighting, and Spike vamps out and attacks Angel. Angel grabs Spike and takes up into the air; it's still daylight, and Spike begins to burn. Buffy arrives and knocks them apart. Spike is either sucked into the sphere ship, or Buffy deliberately tossed him there, or both.

Buffy Season Eight: Last Gleaming, Part 3

Buffy: "It's not enough to side with our original big bad -- now we're working for him."

Synopsis:

Angel is fighting the Phoenix-like Higher Being Twilight whatever. It complains that Angel abandoned It, and that its mother, Buffy, abandoned It, too. It wants Angel to bring It the Seed, its soul. (Aha, says Billie.) The demons and monsters pouring in are a bit premature; they're anticipating the removal of the Seed.

Buffy Season Eight: Last Gleaming, Part 2

Spike: "So what do you say, luv... fancy a bit of exposition?"

Synopsis:

In his stateroom on the sphere ship, Spike fills Buffy in on the Seed of Wonder, which is the source of all the magic in the world. It has been in Sunnydale since before humans and before The First. The world was overrun with demons and horrors, a spillover from another dimension. The Seed kept the demons/monsters from seeping back into the old dimension. The Seed is like a key. (I'm getting Dawn flashbacks.) Or maybe it's a cork. (And now I'm getting Lost flashbacks.)

Buffy Season Eight: Last Gleaming, Part 1

Buffy: "The last time I saw Spike, he died saving me and my people."
Angel: "He told me like four thousand times."

Synopsis:

Angel flies through a dimensional rift and lands on an O in the Hollywood sign. He looks out over L.A. and expects to see ruins, but no -- everything appears to be normal. (If you can call L.A. normal.)

Buffy Season Eight: Twilight, Part 4

Buffy: "And I wanna just make sure we're not somehow standing here in my mind, or in some dream where I'm the snowglobe at the end of St. Elsewhere."

Synopsis:

Buffy and Angel are in a beautiful Eden-like but alienish landscape. Buffy is expecting the worst, that the orcs will come over the mountain at any time, but no. Their toga clothes change to something exotic. A gorgeous sun is going down. The world they're in is called 'Twilight'.

Buffy Season Eight: Twilight, Part 3

Xander: "And that's the universe's grand plan? Giving Buffy super-powers so she can have destiny sex?"

Synopsis:

Willow teleports the gang to Twilight's HQ, where they reunite with Giles, Andrew, and a bloodied Faith, who is magically healed from her injuries in her fight with Angel.

Buffy Season Eight: Twilight, Part 2

Twilight: "This isn't just another fistfight, Buffy. This is history."

Synopsis:

And we're still in Tibet. Xander is trying to make Buffy feel better with snacks, encouragement and logic. Buffy feels that since she's sucked the power from all those dead slayers, it makes her a vampire. (Gee, foreshadow the next few scenes much?) Xander gives her Pa Kent's encouragement speech from Superman I. Willow remotes in as a big giant head and says they're losing time.

Buffy Season Eight: Twilight, Part 1

Dawn: "See, the Monkey's Paw is starting! Just like I said!"

Synopsis:

Buffy and Xander are in the woods (still in Tibet) testing out exactly what superpowers Buffy has. Buffy runs faster than a speeding bullet, lifts a locomotive, and leaps over a tall Tibetan monastery in a single bound (carrying Xander). They try mind reading (no), x-ray vision (no), and heat vision (no).

Buffy Season Eight: Turbulence

Xander: "Cat's out, Dawnie."
Buffy: "And I approve. I'm Buffy, and I approve this kissage."

Synopsis:

On her way back to the temple, Buffy decides to keep her brand new superpowers a secret. The powers -- flying and super strength -- feel right to her, somehow.

Buffy Season Eight: Retreat, Part 5

Dawn: "Were my pores that big when I was–?"
Xander: "No. No no no no. Not at all."

Synopsis:

As expected, the giant Tibetan goddesses wreak havoc on Twilight's army. Xander and Dawn are still in charge; they tell everyone to beware of the rampaging goddesses and not to leave their home base undefended as the rout continues. Oz talks with the wounded Bayarmaa, who is worried about the goddesses. She says that the goddesses don't recognize the ones who feed them.