Superhero movies have been popular for a long time now, and there’s no sign of this genre’s run in Hollywood slowing down. And thanks to HBO Max subscriptions and Disney+ subscriptions, it’s easier than ever to watch the Marvel movies in order and DC movies in order. But what if that simply isn’t enough comic book media for your eyeballs? Well, when in doubt, it never hurts to return to the source material.
Comixology is one of the best destinations to read comics online, whether you’re doing so through the platform’s Unlimited subscription service or buying single issues or collections to add to your digital collection. As far as collections go, Comixology is currently running a Black Friday sale packed with offerings that Marvel and DC movies fans should buy. Let’s start things off with some things for the folks looking for more Black Panther in their life following the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Black Panther By Christopher Priest: The Complete Collection Vol. 1
Black Panther has existed in the comics since 1966, but it could be argued that the character’s ‘modern’ era began in the late 1990s with writer Christopher Priest’s run on the Black Panther title. The start of the series sees T’Challa traveling to the United States to deal with multiple threats against Wakanda’s sovereignty, and along with facing off against villains like Erik Killmonger and Achebe, this era of Black Panther’s comic book history is also notable for introducing the Dora Milaje and establishing the relationship between the title character and Everett K. Ross. This is the Black Panther series to read if you’re captivating by Wakanda political intrigue and like seeing T’Challa balancing his superhero activities with being his people’s statesman.
Black Panther By Ta-Nehisi Coates Vol. 1 Collection
In 2016, the same year that Chadwick Boseman debuted as T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War, author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates began writing the Black Panther comic book. Coates, who also wrote the Captain America title for a spell, put Wakanda through one hell of an upheaval during his run, with this volume bringing in a superhuman terrorist group called The People to instill turmoil among the citizens of the African nation. Coates’ Black Panther run is also notable for introducing the superhero team The Crew, with other members including Luke Cage and Storm, and if you’re a fan of heavy sci-fi, then you’ll want to stick with this Black Panther era for the long haul.
All-Star Superman
2022 was a big year for the cinematic Superman, as Henry Cavill not only reprised the Man of Steel for Black Adam’s end-credits scene, but he also confirmed that we’d be seeing more of him as Kal-El/Clark Kent in the coming years. So now’s a great time to check out one of the most iconic Superman stories of all time, All-Star Superman, Written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Frank Quitely, this limited series follows a Superman from an alternate continuity who discovers he’s dying from overexposure to the sun and sets out to accomplish as many heroic tasks as possible before he dies. Balancing action, mythicism and emotional beats incredibly well, All-Star Superman is a must-read for anyone remotely interest in this pop culture idol.
Moon Knight Vol. 1: The Midnight Mission
While Moon Knight didn’t appear in any Marvel movies this year, he did debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe debut through his own TV series. So for those of you waiting for Oscar Isaac’s version of the character to return, be it in a potential Moon Knight Season 2 or perhaps on the big screen, you’d be wise to delve into Marc Spector’s most recent round of comic book adventures. The first volume of writer Jed McKay’s run on Moon Knight sees Marc opening up Midnight Mission, where people can come to be sheltered from all kinds of strange threats. Unfortunately, Marc soon finds himself having to face off against people he’s promised to protect who’ve been into weapons to bring him down.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
If you’re in any way familiar with Batman’s comic book history, then chances are you’ve already read Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, or at the very least know how much it revitalized Gotham City’s Caped Crusader. But on the off chance you aren’t familiar with The Dark Knight Returns, take the opportunity to read it now. Here we have another alternate continuity tale, with a 55-year-old Bruce Wayne resuming the Batman mantle not only to battle enemies both new and old in Gotham City, but also deal with opposition from the GCPD, U.S. government and even Superman. There’s a reason this story isn’t just a classic in the Batman canon, but the entire world of comics.
Death Of Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness saw Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange traveling to different realities with Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez, and while Multiverse of Madness’ ending saw him go through a disturbing transformation, we’ll be seeing more of the Master of the Mystic Arts in the MCU. In the comics, however, Doctor Strange was recently killed off, resulting in his superhero allies needing to not only protect Earth against a mysterious sorcerer threat that was right up Strange’s alley, but also figure out the circumstances behind his murder. While Death of Doctor Strange isn’t the story to read if you’re looking for Stephen Strange-centric action, it’s still a compelling magical tale worth checking out.
X-Men Epic Collection: Children Of The Atom
Although the MCU has yet to introduce its version of the X-Men, this year brought some major developments tied to the mutant superheroes, including Patrick Stewart playing Earth-838’s Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel and Tenoch Huerta’s Namor being identified as mutants, and Tatiana Maslany’s She-Hulk straight up asking K.E.V.I.N. when we’re getting the X-Men. So why not go back to the beginning with these characters? The Children of the Atom collection contains the first 23 issues of the first X-Men comic book series from Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and other Silver Age heavyweights.
Wonder Woman: Dead Earth
To cap things off, we have Wonder Woman: Dead Earth from writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson, which follows a version of Diana of Themyscira who wakes up from centuries of sleep to discover that Earth has been turned into a nuclear wasteland. While struggling with the guilt of having failed Man’s World, Diana must learn how this tragedy happened and protect the last human city still standing from gigantic monsters. We’re still a ways off from Wonder Woman 3 coming out, but this limited series is available to read for those of you interest in a post-apocalyptic take featuring DC’s Amazonian warrior.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more news about upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming DC movies, including how these cinematic tales pull inspiration from the comics. You’re also welcome to browse around the site for other Black Friday deals geared towards movie and TV fans.
