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Micronauts: Marvel Comics went into the Micro Verse

In 1977, Marvel Comics was not doing that well until the movie Star Wars helped propel the newly launched comics based on George Lucas’s creation to the top of the charts. It was such a massive hit that the company started looking into more licensed comics, from Godzilla to Hanna-Barbera cartoon adaptations, Edgar Rice Burroughs comics, and Battlestar Galactica. It represented 20% of Marvel Comics’ production and some fans were not too happy about that. But it was a commercial success and it was not going to stop any time soon.

Introduced in 1974 by Japanese toy maker Takara (also known as Tomy in English), Mircoman was included in the line “Henshin Cyborg” but was not an 8 or 12-inch action figure, as it was the standard back then, but was 3.75-inch tall. The marketing used the size to sell the idea that this miniature bionic alien came from a place called Micro Earth. It was so successful that Microman got his own line. Soon, the American company Mego started importing them into the US under the name Micronauts.

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Lady Mechanika Reading Order, A Guide to Joe Benitez’s Steampunk Comics

Created by comic artist Joe Benitez, Lady Mechanika is a steampunk-inspired comic book series that debuted in 2010 with the one-shot Lady Mechanika #0 (later subtitled “The Demon of Satan’s Alley“). Originally published by Aspen Comics, then later under Benitez Productions, the series is composed of multiple miniseries.

Set in a steampunk world full of advanced Victorian-era technology, alchemy, and supernatural elements, the Lady Mechanika comic book series follows the adventures of a woman with mechanical limbs who has no memory of her past. Lady Mechanika is a detective and adventurer who is using her skills to uncover mysteries, battle villains, face off against shadowy organizations, and piece together the story of her origins.

Called by the tabloids “Lady Mechanika,” she’s the only survivor of a mad scientist’s cruel experiments that gave her mechanical limbs. With no memory of her past or captivity, she started a new life as an adventurer and private investigator, solving cases others couldn’t or wouldn’t. Still, she never gave up searching for the truth about her past.

With the help of Mr. Lewis, her loyal engineer who assists her with gadgets and technology, and later the young Winifred “Winnie” Huxley, Lady Mechanika navigates a world rich with clockwork automatons, airships, and a blend of science and magic. Read More »Lady Mechanika Reading Order, A Guide to Joe Benitez’s Steampunk Comics

Hawkgirl Kendra Saunders Reading Order

There were other Hawkgirls before Kendra Saunders made her first appearance in 1999 in JSA: Secret Files #1 (by James Robinson, David Goyer, and Scott Benefiel). It’s part of being Hawkgirl, an immortal warrior following a reincarnation cycle that reunites her with her lover Hawkman (Carter Hall).

But unlike past Hawkgirls who fully embrace their process, she actively resists it, trying to forge her own path rather than be bound by fate. A troubled young woman, Kendra Saunders died by suicide. When she was found by her grandfather, Speed Saunders, her body was miraculously revived—but her soul had been replaced by that of her ancestor, Shiera Hall, the original Hawkgirl.

While she doesn’t initially remember her past lives, she struggles with the memories of them and is pushed by unforeseen events to reunite with Carter and fight alongside the Justice Society of America to survive. Kendra retains her own personality and memories, and refuses to be defined by a past she doesn’t remember living.

However, she unconsciously acquires Shiera’s fighting skills and instincts. Like other Hawk avatars, she wields weaponry made from the mystical Nth Metal, which grants her flight, enhanced strength, and durability.

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Comic Book News of The Week: Batman Initiative and More

What’s going on in the Comic Book World? Life can be pretty busy, so we highlight recent news and articles that may catch your interest!

Batman #1 by new Ongoing Creative Team Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez will be published in September. DC Comics has decided to create an initiative around that book to offer jumping on point in the Batman line for new readers, as Scott Snyder explains in his newsletter:

We launch Matt Fraction’s Batman with Jorge. Amazing, right?

But are you going to go in and try more Bat books? I don’t know if you will. That’s why we created an initiative around that book. We’re doing almost a mini moment of jumping on points for all those books where everybody has the new costume. Everyone is sort of beginning stories. There’s some cool new books coming out. So that group of books as a moment where you can explore all of them at once, the way you can explore the Energon Universe. So to my mind, what this is saying structurally, the success of the Absolute and Ultimate Universes and the Energon Universe and Ghost Machine and a lot of these things happening right now, the Massive-Verse that

and his co-creators are doing so well, is that people want to feel like they’re getting in on something that is kind of a moment. It feels tectonic. It feels seismic. It feels inviting. It feels like you can lose yourself in it. And it’s a bunch of books that are all speaking the same language. And you have all of a sudden this whole thing to explore, this whole landscape to explore.

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Gwen Stacy: Her Life, Her Death, Her Clones

Recently, Marvel Comics announced another storyline about Gwen Stacy, one of those characters who has been killed but never came back to life. At least, it was not the original Gwen who came back. Her death is probably one of the most iconic and well-known in the medium’s entire history, one that had such an impact on Spider-Man that touching it would be considered sacrilegious to many fans. This never stops the House of Ideas from trying to find a way around it, making Gwen Stacy a sensible subject. As a character, her life was short in comparison to many others, but her influence is still felt to this day.

The Creation of Gwen Stacy

Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, Gwen Stacy first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #31 (1965). She was introduced as one of Peter Parker’s college classmates at Empire State University, alongside Harry Osborn. Initially, Gwen was a background character, but as Ditko departed the book and John Romita Sr. took over as the main artist, her role expanded.

Lee and Romita made Gwen a sophisticated and fashionable young woman. She became Peter Parker’s primary love interest, embodying an idealized romance often filled with drama, misunderstandings, and heartbreak. Being Spider-Man always complicated Peter’s relationships, and with Gwen, this often led to conflicts. Following the death of her father, NYPD Captain George Stacy, in The Amazing Spider-Man #90, Gwen blamed Spider-Man for the tragedy, not realizing Peter was behind the mask, and she decided to leave for Europe as a way to grieve far away from everything that reminded her of the tragedy. However, her love for Peter quickly brought her back to New York and they rebuilt their relationship.

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Life is Strange Comics Reading Order

While the world of comic books has inspired many video games, such as Batman: Arkham, The Wolf Among Us, Midnight Suns, and more recently Marvel Rivals, many comics have also spun out of video games. Sonic the Hedgehog, Tomb Raider, Assassin’s Creed, and the subject of today’s article, Life is Strange, are among them.

Created by Dontnod Entertainment, Life is Strange is an episodic adventure game following Maxine ‘Max’ Caulfield, an 18-year-old photography senior who discovers she can rewind time and change the course of events. Back in her hometown of Arcadia Bay after a five-year absence, Max reconnects with her old friend Chloe Price, and the two women start to track down Rachel Amber, Chloe’s missing friend. Their investigation exposes them to the darker side of Arcadia Bay. Meanwhile, Chloe and Max attempt to understand the consequences of Max’s new power, driven by Max’s frequent visions of a tornado destroying the town in four days.

Released in 2015, the Life is Strange video game found critical and commercial success and marked the beginning of a franchise that includes multiple video games, a comic book series, and other books. Today, we are exploring this universe—a guide to the Life is Strange franchise, from the original video game to the comics and beyond.

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The Best of Jubilee Comics, Your Recommended Reading Order (X-Men)

Being part of the mutantkind comes with a different set of powers. Some people have telekinesis or pyrokinesis—and plenty of other -kinesis. Others can shoot energy from their eyes, control a planet’s magnetic field, or heal from any injury.

If your name is Jubilation Lee, you’re most known for your “fireworks”! While some people have called Jubilee’s powers one of the lamest, that didn’t stop her from becoming popular, especially in the nineties. And since it’s clear she can go nuclear on you, it’s safe to say you should never underestimate any power!

Created by Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri in 1989, Jubilee joined the X-Men and became Wolverine‘s sidekick, forming a father-daughter bond with him. Later, she joined Generation X and became a fan favorite on X-Men: The Animated Series. Over the years, Jubilee’s life took some wild turns: she had a stint in Hollywood, lost her powers, worked for a pro-mutant group, became a vampire, adopted a child, got her powers back, and even turned human again!

To discover these stories and more, you can follow our Jubilee reading order guide for the best comics to read about one of Marvel’s most popular Asian American superheroes.

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Squirrel Girl Reading Order, the Unbeatable Comic Book List!

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Many Marvel superheroes have been defined by tragedy, from the death of Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben to Matt Murdock being hit by a truck full of chemicals and losing his father. While tragedy and bizarre accidents have created many heroes, it’s nice to be reminded sometimes that you can be happy and superheroic—just like Squirrel Girl!

Right now a playable character in Marvel Rivals (voiced by Milana Vayntrub), Squirrel Girl was created by Will Murray and Steve Dikto.  Also known as Doreen Allene Green, she made her first appearance in Marvel Super-Heroes vol. 2 #8, published in 1991. In this issue, she teamed up with Iron Man and defeated the villainous Doctor Doom with the help of her squirrel sidekick, Monkey Joe. After this one-off partnership with Iron Man, Squirrel Girl didn’t become an instant hit and largely disappeared from comics for years.

She made her return to the Marvel Universe thanks to Dan Slott, in GLA: Misassembled, a miniseries about the Great Lakes Avengers—a team of superheroes with seemingly “useless” or odd powers. This comic book series also introduced her new squirrel sidekick, Tippy-Toe. After that, she popped up occasionally, crossing paths with characters like Deadpool before taking on a job as a nanny for Jessica Jones and Luke Cage’s daughter in New Avengers (in 2010).

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DC Absolute Universe Reading Order

A new alternate reality has recently emerged in the DC Universe. As part of the DC All In Initiative, DC Comics has launched The Absolute Universe (AU), an imprint overseen by Scott Snyder that tells stories set on Earth-Alpha and features new versions of of DC’s iconic superheroes.

Similar to Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, this Universe is friendly to new readers. You don’t need to have a PhD in DC’s complex history or its many crisis to enjoy these new comic series.

Ready to explore DC’s newest reality? Here’s a quick guide to the Absolute Universe and how to start reading.

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What to Read This Month: The Best Comics of March 2025

While you can check out all the Marvel or DC Comics Omnibus announcements for 2025 or see the upcoming releases in the Epic Collection, DC Finest and DC Compact on the website, there’s still a lot more collected editions put out there every month by comic book publishers! So much in fact that sometimes, you’ll wish you could buy more than what’s reasonable. That cost adds up and the time is missing to read everything we want!

That’s why we are launching a new column, starting in March, to spotlight a selection of collected editions released each month we think would be great to have in our library (and yours by extension!). 

Without further ado, here is our selection of comic books for March!

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