Written and illustrated by: Chris Clairmont and John Byrne
Published in: 1981
My Thoughts: I decided to give the comic a read after seeing the film and seeing how much criticism the film received for taking the Kitty Pryde role and giving it to Wolverine. It was my first (I think?) X-Men comic and eh, it was fine. It's a 5 or 6 issue arc and in all honestly, only an issue and a half actually has anything even tangentially related to the DOFP storyline. Perhaps it's dealt with further down the line, perhaps it isn't. It was a bit clunky in the writing (as all older comics tend to be) and the characters all seem to love their internal monologues, but it was fun seeing the proper line up of X-Men and also note all the ways the films series shot themselves in the foot by starting out how they did. So an interesting experiment, but I'm not sure if I'll be going back.
Written by: Brian Azzarello; illustrated by: Cliff Chiang, Tony Akins
Published: 2012
My Thoughts: Wonder Woman is without a doubt my favourite superhero and it hurts me, it physically pains me, to think we still don't have a WW film. But for the time being I will make do with Azzarello's recent run of WW comics. And as much as it sucks that we don't have a WW film (cameo/intro in the upcoming Supes V Bats notwithstanding) these comics do help. They're brilliant. While I love superhero comics, I rarely have an emotional connection with the characters or the content. But this volume hit me right in the feels, man. WW is so fragile and troubled but she's also this incredibly strong and independent and fiery woman. And I love her so, so much.
Written by: G. Willow Wilson; Illustrated by: Adrian Alphona
Published: 2014
My Thoughts: Kamala Khan, what a perfect accompaniment to Wonder Woman you are. Kamala is 16, Pakistani-American, and struggling with the usual teenager problems (boys, misunderstanding parents, concern trolls) while also dealing with apparently being turned into a superhero after sneaking out to a party and getting caught in a mysterious fog. But guys, I'm dead serious, this comic is phenomenal. It deals with so many issues, from the issues of a young Muslim girl trying to fit in to the absurdity of superhero costumes (which totally don't include underwear btw) to taking on someone else's mantel to the true meaning of having superpowers. Kamala (along with her friends Bruno and Nakia) is an incredibly well written, well rounded character. She's an absolute must for superhero fans, but if you're after well written and illustrated comics, specifically ones with realistic portrayals of women - well, this one is a real winner.
