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Author: Thomas Stockel

· by Thomas Stockel · Jun 17, 2019

Swamp Thing #21 “The Anatomy Lesson”

So the Swamp Thing TV series just became a mini-series, and there seem to be conflicting stories as to what the hell happened. DC Comics’ response was a bit vague, and even the producer James Wan (if the name sounds…

Agonizer / Comic Book Review / Text

· by Thomas Stockel · Jun 10, 2019

Introducing Venom: Amazing Spider Man #300

I confess I’ve never been a big Spider-Man fan. I’ve grabbed the odd issue here and there over the years, and except for a lot of J. Michael Straczynski’s run, ol’ Web-head doesn’t occupy much space in the short boxes.…

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· by Thomas Stockel · Jun 6, 2019

RAW FEED: Science City

A video celebrating my game, Science City.

Agonizer / Comic Book Review / Text

· by Thomas Stockel · Jun 3, 2019

X-Men #137 “The Fate of the Phoenix”

Before we dive into this landmark issue, I feel a brief recap is in order for those of you who are unaware of this story’s background. The X-Men had been kidnapped and taken into space by a man named Stephen…

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· by Thomas Stockel · Jun 3, 2019

RAW FEED: Science City

A video celebrating my play by e-mail

Agonizer / Comic Book Review / Text

· by Thomas Stockel · May 27, 2019

X-Men #175 “Phoenix!”

I won’t deny that it’s tempting to spend the next six months recapping X-Men comics, seeing as this era is to my mind one of the greatest periods in comic book history. Of course, I’m biased, seeing as these were…

Agonizer / Comic Book Review / Text

· by Thomas Stockel · May 20, 2019

X-Men #150 “I, Magneto...”

Decades ago, comics were sold in grocery stores, three comics to a bag, with the middle comic being a mystery. One day I used my paper route money to buy one of these bags, and inside it was X-Men #148.…

Agonizer / Comic Book Review / Text

· by Thomas Stockel · May 13, 2019

DC Comics’ Legends #6

The sixth and final chapter of this epic saga (I say this perhaps with only a touch of irony. A smidge. A scoch) begins with Darkseid ready to deliver an old school, classic monologue about how awesome he and his…

Agonizer / Comic Book Review / Text

· by Thomas Stockel · May 6, 2019

DC Comics’ Legends #5

Issue #5 starts out with young William Batson wandering the streets of… I think it’s New York? To be honest, I forgot which city he’s in. I guess it doesn’t matter, because America is burning due to G. Gordon Godfrey’s…

Agonizer / Comic Book Review / Text

· by Thomas Stockel · Apr 29, 2019

DC Comics’ Legends #4

The last issue underwhelmed, being a bit too focused on exposition and not enough on action and plot advancement. That being said, it gave us our first look at what would become the Suicide Squad, so it was far from…

Agonizer / Comic Book Review / Text

· by Thomas Stockel · Apr 22, 2019

DC Comics’ Legends #3

When we last left the DC Universe, Billy Batson was traumatized, Robin was brutalized, Cosmic Boy was cast aside, and Blue Beetle almost died. Oh, and President Ronald Reagan told Superman he was suspending all super heroic activity in the…

Agonizer / Comic Book Review / Text

· by Thomas Stockel · Apr 15, 2019

DC Comics’ Legends #2

Last time on DC’s Legends: Darkseid decided to destroy not only the world’s heroes but the very concept of heroism itself, depriving Earth of its legends. To this end Desaad, set into motion a master plan involving minions Bedlam…

Agonizer / Comic Book Review / Text

· by Thomas Stockel · Apr 8, 2019

DC Comics’ Legends #1

It was 1986, and DC Comics had delivered a game changer. Crisis on Infinite Earths had ushered in a new and exciting age, and as a comic book fan I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. You had John Byrne…

Agonizer / Comic Book Review / Text

· by Thomas Stockel · Apr 1, 2019

The Doom Patrol #21 and 22: “Crawling from the Wreckage” (parts 3 and 4)

If you haven’t already done so, you can check out part one of this article here, where I recap issues #19 and 20 of Gran Morrison’s Doom Patrol. Reading that first will help you understand what goes down here.…

Agonizer / Comic Book Review / Text

· by Thomas Stockel · Mar 25, 2019

The Doom Patrol #19 and 20: “Crawling from the Wreckage” parts 1 and 2

Once upon a time in the ’60s, there was a comic about a group of people considered by the public to be freaks of nature. These outcasts were brought together by a genius in a wheelchair who gave them a…

Agonizer / Comic Book Review / Text

· by Thomas Stockel · Mar 7, 2019

The Thing boxes for the fate of the planet in Marvel Two-in-One Annual #7

Back in the day, both Marvel and DC Comics had what were known as team-up books. DC’s books were The Brave and the Bold which starred Batman (which was discontinued to make way for Batman & the Outsiders), and…