Mutants, Outcasts, and the Fringe of Society

Let’s start here – I love the X-Men.  How can I not?  Many of their titles toped my reading list as a kid and, growing up in the nineties, it was impossible to watch Saturday morning cartoons (back when they were still a thing…sigh) without X-Men: The Animated Series being a staple.  I loved that show.  And that theme song!  My brother David can conjure up an amazing rendition of the theme on his electric guitar.  But even without David’s prompting I could never forget that song.  It’s forever stamped in my mind.  The X-Men were a big part of my life as a kid.  And I loved them.  I still love the X-Men today, in two very distinct ways. 

A Real Need for the All New, All Different Avengers

Since my return to the world of weekly comic book reading a major struggle has been what to read.  I only have so much money to sink into this passion and I know how this hobby can suck you into an endless spiral of crossovers and new titles.  I decided to be smart.  I decided to limit myself to only five seven ten titles a month.  And I certainly decided to stay away from team books.  They’re crossover hubs, and chasing chapters of one story over multiple team and solo titles is exhausting and expensive.  So just ten titles.  No team books.  Buuuuuut then I tried the trade paperback (just to sample it!) of Mark Waid, Adam Kubert, and Mahmud Asrar’s All New, All Different Avengers.  Damn.  Let’s just say they were more of guidelines than rules, okay?