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X-Men ‘92, Sylvania, Blood N Guts, Dragonring: This Week in Comics #11

We go retro with this week’s best comics, available in stores and online.
Panel selection from Dragonring #2. Illustrated by Barry Blair and Guang Yap. Screenshot by the author. Image courtesy of Outland Entertainment

This week’s comic roundup features all sorts of nostalgia. First, Marvel’s used its world-shaking crossover events to create room for comics like X-Men ‘92, which takes place in 1992 and features the X-Men the way a lot of fans grew up with them. Second, Comixology has just released a bunch of comics from the old Aircel imprint, a notorious (but pretty punk) Canadian indie comic company from the late 80s. Is this a turning point in comic fandom? Are fans folding back in on themselves and craving a less-introspective, more splash-bang vibe from their comics? With dour DC superheroes and “super-quotable” Marvel movies, maybe readers are looking for a way back to the days where good guys punched bad guys until they ran away. Simpler times. Also reviewed this week is a sweet little comic, Sylvania, about tree witches.

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X-Men ‘92 #1

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Cover for X-Men ‘92 #1. Illustrated by David Nakayama. Image courtesy Marvel Comics

Written by Chris Sims & Chad Bowers, art by Alti Firmansyah, colors by Matt Milla.

X-Men ‘92 is a celebration of everything that made the X-Men so awesome during the early 1990s. The costumes are as classic as the one-liners, and the main hero lineup looks great (Storm, Beast, Wolverine, Rogue, Gambit, Psylocke, and Bishop). The plot is pure 90s, too, as a team of Russian superheroes attempt to crack down on the X-Men. Though the art style is a little modern with digital coloring and hints of manga-inspiration, the spirit of this comic is purely throwback.

Sylvania #2

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Cover for Sylvania #2. Illustrated by Kristin Kemper. Image courtesy Comicker Digital

Sylvania, released this week on Comixology, follows a group of tree witches as they meet for a gathering. One of their own is turning 18, and he’s being infused with the power to protect the forest and be a guardian. When two star witches come to speak to the tree witches, they’re presented with an interesting, interstellar opportunity. This beautifully illustrated comic is the work of a single artist, Kristin Kemper, and her unique, peaceful vision comes through. This isn’t a rough and tumble comic. Instead, it’s a well-paced, near-sleepy release and a wonderful change of pace.

Dragonring #2

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Cover for Dragonring #2. Illustrated by Barry Blair and Guang Yap. Image courtesy Outland Entertainment

Written and illustrated by Guang Yap and Barry Blair.

Dragonring is one of those indie comics from Canada mentioned above. Originally published by Aircel Comics (who created, most famously, Men in Black comics before focusing primarily on erotica comics) in the late 1980s, Dragonring tells the story of a guy who finds a mysterious ring that fuses to his skin. After years of obscurity, a big batch of these Aircel comics have finally hit Comixology. And sure, the story is scattered and messy, but both the plot and artwork have a wonderful, hurried, late ‘80s feel that can’t be replicated. Dragonring’s near-madness is part of its charm, just look at that cover!

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Blood 'n' Guts #1

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Cover for Blood N Guts #1. Illustrated by Barry Blair. Image courtesy Outland Entertainment

Created by Barry Blair.

Barry Blair, the creator of Blood 'n' Guts, passed away back in 2010. And while his impact on the indie scene isn’t as fundamental as R. Crumb, as commercially viable as Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creators), or as evocative as the Hernandez Brothers (of Love and Rockets fame), he still added a ton to the community. Take, for instance, Blood 'n' Guts, a sloppy story about killers in a future where clones are raised as body-replacements for humans. Somewhere in this comic is a work of complexity, with some challenging themes. Is it all scrubbed away by the messy artwork and slapdash story? Yeah, maybe, but there’s also a bit of a relic quality to this work. We can look at what Blair was trying to do here, and learn good lessons about making comics out of big ideas in the process.

What were you reading this week? Let us know @CreatorsProject or in the comments below.

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