TNIAAM Comic Shop, Issue No. 1: What is this place?

There’s no sports for about a month, and no Syracuse Orange sports for even longer. If this sounds like us setting the scene for some strange, post-apocalyptic fiction, it’s not. Plus, stuff like that is Keeley’s job.

Despite no actual Syracuse sports news, we’ll be talking about Syracuse sports plenty just the same. But we still need other topics to write about, and lo and behold, it ends up we have interests beyond Orange athletics. So welcome to the first issue of the TNIAAM Comic Shop.

Each week, we’ll each be highlighting a worthwhile book to read in the Marvel Comics universe. There aren’t other comic book companies, sorry. And we’ll be making sure these are all selections you can read on Marvel Unlimited (not a sponsor — but they could be!).

Steve Haller

X-Force No. 1 (by Benjamin Percy)

The book drops you right into the deep end of what X-Force has always been about, the “away team” for the X-Men. Over the years, the cast of characters has changed, but this iteration, post Dawn of X is wonderfully intriguing. Beast, Domino, Wolverine, Sage, Colossus, Kid Omega and Jean Grey, as well as a huge surprise in Black Tom Cassidy, traditional villain of the X-Men over the years, pack a lot into this book, and the current run in general. If writer Benjamin Percy doesn’t have you hooked by then end of this issue, I’d be mildly amazed.

Andy Pregler

Secret Avengers No. 16 (by Warren Ellis)

When the Secret Avengers started under Ed Brubaker, the tone was abundantly clear: dark, gritty, and surprisingly human stories about a black ops team of Marvel characters. This issue begins Ellis’ takeover of the series and moves away from a large narrative to single missions with different members of the team. Ellis’ dialogue light storytelling style shines through with a team I didn’t think it would work with. Easily my favorite run in this series.

John Cassillo

Fantastic Four No. 8 (by Dan Slott)

Perhaps you, like me, were never a big FF fan in part because of how bad the initial movies were. As someone that didn’t read the comics before seeing the films as a kid, that was all I needed not to bother with Marvel’s “first family.” And then I read Slott’s recent Fantastic Four run. There’s a lot in these books that really get into the heart of who Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are as people, and this one makes you fear for the worst with Doctor Doom seemingly in control of their (and the world’s) fate. You’re hooked before this issue, but I feel like this one best encapsulates Slott’s work writing these.

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Have a series you’ve been reading? Have no idea what we’re talking about? Want to just talk about the Marvel movies instead. The comment section’s below.