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The Flash In Five Seasons, Season 1: Terminal Velocity

1/30/2017

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Carlos Williams requested a Flash comics chronology. Personally, I'm not a big fan of reading a comic about someone who runs fast. The character is much better suited for TV, and the CW is doing an incredible job with the current Flash TV show, and it's spin-off, "Legends Of Tomorrow". "Arrow" sucks, though.

If I were to make a five season chronology for The Flash, I would skip out on all the silver-age Barry Allen stories. So, unlike some of the previous chronologies, you're not going to get a ton of origin stories and first appearances of villains. The Flash will follow Wally West (who is not like the Wally West in the TV show...instead of being Iris's brother, he is her nephew) and the villains he inherited from the previous Flash. 
Picture
Fuck you uncle Barry!
art by Greg Larocque


Season 1: Terminal Velocity
(Showrunner: Mark Waid)

Serial 1: The Flash By Mark Waid Book One
written by Mark Waid, art by Greg Larocque, Jim Aparo, and Pop Mhan

Wally West is Barry Allen's favorite nephew. But Barry has always been careless with chemicals and lightning, so he accidentally, and against astronomical odds,  recreates the situation that turned him into The Flash, thus turning Wally into Kid Flash. Idiot. But it's not too long before Wally has to go from Kid Flash to regular old Flash when Uncle Barry disappears saving the universe.

Kid Crisis. 2 episodes.


Serial 2: The Flash By Mark Waid Book Two

written by Mark Waid, art by Greg Larocque and Sal Velluto

It seems like just one serial ago when Wally West was Kid Flash and Barry Allen rescued the universe, meaning he was gone forever. Oh, wait. It was. Then how is Barry back already? And why is he such a dick? Original Recipe Flash, Jay Garrick, and some Green Lanterns step in to try and solve the mystery.

The Premature Return Of Barry Allen . 2 episodes



Serial 3: Impulse Reckless Youth, The Flash Terminal Velocity
written by Mark Waid, art by many

One of the things that drives me crazy about Flash books is that there are So Many Characters whose power is that they can run fast. And this series adds even more! Bart Allen, Barry's grandson from the future (comics, sigh), finds himself in the present, and it's up to Wally West, Jay Garrick , Johnny and Jesse Quick, and Max Mercury (alliteration, ugh) to train him, lest he become any more of a bratty nuisance.

Impulse Control. 3 episodes


Episode 8: The Flash Dead Heat
(written by Mark Waid, art by Oscar Jiminez, and Humberto Ramos)

The lamest part of the Flash tv series is how terribly CGI the villain Savitar looks. It's so substandard to the other effects on the show that I have a hard time taking him seriously. Well, in this book we meet Oh So 90s Savitar, who looks like Rob Liefeld designed him but someone with talent and opposable thumbs got to draw him. Once again, all the speedsters are in this book.  And Savitar, also a speedster, has brought a new army of speedsters. So much running. So much hair.

Faster Than The Fastest Man Alive. 1 episode


Episode 9: The Flash Race Against Time
written by Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn, art by Oscar Jiminez, Anthony Castrillo, Jim Cheung, and Sergio Cariello

Another another goddamned Flash??? This one wears a blue suit and, like very other new Flash before him, his arrival changes everytthzzzzzzZZZZzzzzzzzZZZZxxxxXXZXZxzzxzx, huh? Oh, changes everything.  While this Flash is in the present, Wally West is doing some serious Ghost Of Christmas Future adventuring around the timeline on his way home from defeating Savitar.

Blue Steal. 1 episode



Serial 4: The Flash Emergency Stop
written by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar, art by Paul Ryan...not the spineless Speaker Of The House

Wally West is dead. And it's up to the eight billion speedster characters, including Wally West, himself (totally not dead) to solve his murder. In addition to yet another speedster villain, we get some time to visit with classic villains like Mirror Master and Captain Boomerang.

The Suit. 2 episodes


Serial 5: The Flash The Human Race
written by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar, art by Paul Ryan and Pop Mhan

Alien gamblers arrive on Earth and demand a champion speedster human race an alien speedster. Sure. Featuring all the speedsters, and even new speedsters! Alien speedsters! Speedsters that Wally might have encountered when he was a child! And then, The Black Flash. No, it's not a cool new character of color, it's a...speed force demon doppelganger maybe? It runs! Fast! And Wally must conquer it to avenge yet another death that may or not be permanent!

The Human Race. 3 episodes



Season 1 of The Flash is 15 episodes that don't go as fast as you might imagine a book about speed would.
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Avengers In Ten Seasons, Season 9: Time Runs Out

11/26/2015

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The Avengers franchise is what made Marvel Studios the completely dominant force in comic based entertainment. The way they streamlined Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and other characters into an expansive universe that also includes television shows like Daredevil and Agents Of SHIELD is something that has never been achieved before in motion picture entertainment.


The Avengers continuity, even without including the individual characters is supremely daunting. So, I’ve put together a chronology of some of the best Avengers related books that are currently or were recently available in collected editions (the recently available are still around for pretty cheap on various online outlets and in bookstores) into ten TV seasons.

​Season 8 was all a big lead up to the end of all things Avengers and Marvel. The complete destruction of 616. But it wasn’t just 616 that got destroyed, there was a whole nother universe completely eradicated, and that’s where we start season nine.

Picture
The Vision’s harddrive failure led to a most unfortunate over-tanning during The Avengers beach vacation.

Season 9: Time Runs Out
(Showrunners: Mark Millar and Jonathan Hickman)
​Serial 1: The Ultimates Ultimate Collection
(written by Mark Millar, art by Bryan Hitch)

Super powered being are popping up all over the place, and the government decides to form a team to deal with them. It’s a whole different version of The Avengers.

The Ultimates. 2 episodes




Episode 3: Ultimate Fantastic Four The Fantastic
(written by Mark Millar and Brian Michael Bendis, art by Adam Kubert, John Dell, and Danny Miki)


Awww, look at the adorable little fantastic fourlings. They’re all teenaged and excited about life. I hope they never ever change.


The Fantastic. 1 episode




Episode 4: Ultimate Galactus Nightmare, Ultimate Galactus Secret, Ultimate Galactus Extinction
(written by Warren Ellis, art by Trever Hairsine, Mark Bagley, Steve Mcniven, and Scott Hannah)


The devourer of worlds descends on The Ultimate Universe, and a team of Ultimates, and a team of X-Men need to figure out how to stop him before it’s too late. Ga Lak Tus hungers. Even The Fantastic Four join in on the, uhhh…fun?


Ga Lak Tus. 1 episode




Episode 5: Ultimates 2 Gods And Monsters, Ultimates 2 Grand Theft America
(written by Mark Millar, art by Bryan Hitch)


The origin of Thor, Ultimates dating Ultimates, the celebrity life of being superheroes, The Hulk gets outed, and one of the Ultimates is probably a traitor. Dra-ma.


Gods And Monsters. 1 episode




Episode 6: Ultimate Origins
(written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Butch Guice)


Everything. is connected.


The Ultimate Connection. 1 episode




Episode 7: Ultimate Comics Avengers Next Generation, Ultimate Comics Avengers Crime & Punishment
(written by Mark Millar, art by Carlos Pacheco and Francie Lienil Yu)


Nick Fury must protect Captain America at all costs. AT ALL COSTS. What does The Punisher have to do with any of this?


Crime And Punisher. 1 episode




Episode 8: Ultimate Comics Doomsday
(written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Rafael Sandoval)

There’s a new Big Bad in The Ultimate Universe. And he’s going to be doing some major damage.

The Face Of Evil. 1 episode




Episode 9: Ultimate Comics Ultimates By Hickman Volumes 1 & 2
(written by Jonathan Hickman and Sam Humphries, art by many)


The Ultimates have to contend with Reed Richards and his Children Of Tomorrow. The Universe is, of course, at stake.


The Children Of Tomorrow. 1 episode




Episode 10: Ultimate Comics Ultimates Disassembled
(written by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Carmen Di Giondomenico)


It’s Reed Richard’s world, and you’re just living in it.


New World Order. 1 episode




Episode 11: Original Sin
(written by Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, and Mark Waid, art by Mike Deodato JR, Javier Pulido, and Jim Cheung)


I bet you thought we were never going to get back to the 616. Well, surprise, we’re back in the old continuity. And whenever some huge event is about to take place in the Marvel Universe, Uatu The Watcher can be seen observing. So, what do you do when someone shoots and kills him? PANIC!!!!


Original Sin. 1 episode




Episode 12: Avengers Infinite Avengers
(written by Jonathan Hickman, art by Leinil Francis Yu)


Remember that time Steve Rogers was part of The Illuminati? Well he doesn’t. Remember how they mindwiped him? Well, now he does. That and other revelations come out due to Original Sin. It could distract our heroes from some very important going-ons.


The Past Catches Up To The Future. 1 episode




Serial 3: Secret Avengers Let’s Have A Problem, Secret Avengers The Labyrinth, Secret Avengers God Level
(written by Ales Kot, art by Michael Walsh)


It really does seem like the whole world is coming undone, doesn’t it? Can the addition of Deadpool and MODOK possibly help take down AIM? Probably not. Plus, Fury the monster threatens to completely destroy the team put together by Fury, the man,


The Labyrinth. 2 episodes




Episode 15: Thor Goddess Of Thunder, Thor Who Wields The Hammer
(written by Jason Aaron, art by Russel Dauterman)


After being deemed unworthy during Original Sin, the Odinson can no longer lift Mjolnir (his hammer). While we’ve seen many heroes attempt to lift it over the years, apart from Storm of the X-Men,  frogs and horse faced aliens are way more likely to be worthy of the hammer than any humans. And yet, a woman on the moon picks up the hammer easily. Who is this new Thor? Odinson would like to know.


Goddess Of Thunder. 1 episode




Episode 16: Avengers World Before Time Runs Out
(written by Frank J Barbiere, art by Marco Checchetto)


The super, mega, universe destroying event is about to occur, so let’s tie up as many loose threads as possible before we get the…we’re introducing new plots? Why?


Before Time Runs Out. 1 episode




Serial 4: Avengers  Time Runs Out Books 1-4
(written by Jonathan Hickman, art by Jim Cheung, Kev Walker, and many more)


This is it. This is really it. All of the plots from the Hickman run, plus all the plots from The Ultimates universe converge in one dizzying story where all continuity unravels. Truly, the end of Marvel 616 and The Ultimate Universe. How will any of our heroes survive the destruction of The Universes?


Time Runs Out. 4 episodes




This penultimate season (“but how”,  you ask, “is not everything gone?”) is 20 episodes
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Avengers In Ten Seasons, Season 3: The New Avengers

11/18/2015

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The Avengers franchise is what made Marvel Studios the completely dominant force in comic based entertainment. The way they streamlined Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and other characters into an expansive universe that also includes television shows like Daredevil and Agents Of SHIELD is something that has never been achieved before in motion picture entertainment.

The Avengers continuity, even without including the individual characters is supremely daunting. So, I’ve put together a chronology of some of the best Avengers related books that are currently or were recently available in collected editions (the recently available are still around for pretty cheap on various online outlets and in bookstores) into ten TV seasons.
​
Last season ended with The Scarlet Witch’s nervous breakdown nearly taking down the entire Avengers roster. We start this season with them tracking her down, not to hurt her but to figure out if they can help her.

Picture
We’re kidding. Without macguffins, Bendis stories would never resolve.
art by Olivier Coipel
​

Season 3: The New Avengers
(showrunner: Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar)
Serial 1: New Avengers Breakout, Spider-Man Breakout
(written by Brian Michael Bendis and Tony Bedard, art by David Finch and Manuel Garcia)

The Avengers are all broken up but when dozens of prisoners break out of a prison called The Raft, someone has to keep the streets safe. Spider-Man tries on his own but doesn’t have much success so he joins The New Avengers, a virtual Who’s Who of Marvel heroes.

Breakout. 2 episodes



Episode 3: New Avengers Sentry
(written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Steve Mcniven)

One of the New Avengers is totally new. A Superman like hero with some serious mental problems could fit perfectly on to this team, or, you know, could cause a lot of problems.


New Avengers. 1 episode




Serial 2: Young Avengers Sidekicks, Young Avengers Family Matters
(written by Allan Heinberg, art by Jim Cheung)

A group of teenagers who seem to resemble classic Avengers shows up in New York City and start fighting crime. What are their ties to the original team? Are there ties? Jessica Jones, Iron Man, Captain America and…J Jonah Jameson? are on the case.


Young Avengers. 2 episodes




Episode 6: The Pulse Fear
(written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Michael Gaydos and Oliver Copiel)

Jessica Jones and Luke Cage have a baby. Then they get married, and The New Avengers are at the wedding. Enjoy the somewhat fun sidetrack while you have the chance.


The Baby. 1 episode




Serial 4: New Avengers Secrets & Lies, The Amazing Spider-Man New Avengers
(written by Brian Michael Bendis and J Michael Straczynski, art by David Finch and Mike Deodato JR)

Spider-Woman gets caught up in some New Avengers drama, and Spider-Man is upgrading to life in the big leagues with a swanky new apartment and new friends. Isn’t it just a great time to be a superhero? Oh, who the hell is Ronin?


Secrets & Lies. 2 episodes




Serial 5: House Of M
(written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Oliver Coipel)

Still suffering from her nervous breakdown, Wanda uses her powers to distort reality so that every hero gets everything they’ve ever wanted. But in this fantasy world, one little girl keeps activating the memories of certain heroes who know that what they need to do is convince The Scarlet Witch to return reality to the way it was. That is not, precisely, what she does.

House Of M. 2 episodes



Serial 6: Captain America Winter Soldier, Captain America Red Menace
(written by Ed Brubaker, art by Steve Epting, Michael Lark, Jon Paul Leon, Mike Perkins, Javier Pulido, and Marcos Martin)

The Red Skull gets killed over possession of The Cosmic Cube, and it’s up to Captain America to find out who killed him. Also, there’s an assassin running around who seems to be Captain’s long dead partner, Bucky. Someone should make a movie about this.

Red Menace. 2 episodes




Episode 13: The Road To Civil War
(written by Brian Michael Bendis and J Michael Straczynski, art by Alex Maleev, Ron Garney, Mike McKone, and Tyler Kirkham)

A group of top tier Marvel heroes have been meeting every few years to solve major crises like The Infinity Gauntlet. Their current problem is what to do about The Hulk. Thor’s hammer appears to have fallen and Dr. Doom and The Fantastic Four are all trying to prove worthy of it. Plus, Peter Parker works for Tony Stark now, and his new Spider-Man costume is definitely more useful, but it feels as though something is about to go horribly wrong for everyone.

Illuminati. 1 episode




Episode 14: Iron Man Extremis, Iron Man Execute Program
(written by Warren Ellis, Daniel and Charles Knauf, art by Adi Granov and Patrick Zircher)

It’s the Extremis storyline, so uhhh, Iron Man 3. But then Nick Fury, Captain America, and The New Avengers step in to stop Tony and a rogue assassin.


Extremis. 1 episode




Episode 16: Ms Marvel Best Of The Best
(written by Brian Reed, art by Roberto De La Torre)

Carol Danvers woke up from House Of M remembering how her life could have been. So the former Avenger who’s gone by Ms Marvel, Captain Marvel, Binary, and Warbird, returns to her Ms. roots to fight crime. Doctor Strange and The Fantastic Four are on hand for a few of her exploits before Captain America shows up with an offer.

Ms. Marvel. 1 episode



Serial 7: Civil War, Amazing Spider-Man Civil War, Peter Parker Spider-Man Civil War, Young Avengers Civil War, New Avengers Civil War
(written by Mark Millar, J Michael Straczynski, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and Zeb Wells, art by Steve McNiven, Ron Garney, Angel Medina, Clayton Crain, Sean Chen, and Stefano Casselli)

After a group of reality TV superheroes called The New Warriors are involved in a massacre that wipes out an elementary school, The Government finally decides to push for a Superhuman Registration Act. Tony Stark leads the movement to get all superheroes to unmask for the government, including Spider-Man (and, oh that does not go well for him). Meanwhile, Captain America runs an underground group of superheroes who don’t want to register. A few deaths, and some personal conflicts surface that aren’t going to disappear for a while.

Civil War. 5 episodes



Season 3 is 20 episodes



Interseason Special: Planet Hulk
(written by Greg Pak, art by Carlo Pagulayan and Aaron Lopresti)

​Remember how, in episode 13, The Illuminati thought it would be a good idea to fling The Hulk into space and let God or Science or whatever sort him out? Wellllll, he went a little off course and is now a gladiator on an unfamiliar planet. He has one thing on his mind, though, escaping, and getting back to Earth.
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  • Tips From The Bar
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