The warriors carved their base out of the side of the canyon, making a fortress impossible to breach. They lived clinging to the cliff walls. They pulled fish from the swift waters and grew what crops they could in thin gardens that hugged the cliffside. They bided their time, safe from the reach of their enemies. But just as the rocks below were worn away by water and shaped into graceful arches by the wind, they couldn’t help but be changed by their time in the canyon. They had set their swords aside and picked up hammers and chisel instead.
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Sins of Sinister #1 Written by Kieron Gillen Drawn by Various Artists Colored by Bryan Valenza Lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles Published by Marvel Comics
The Skinny: Speed-running into a dark timeline Ever since the X-Men’s soft reboot into the current era with 2019’s House of X/Powers of X, the heroes have had a problem. It was never a question of if evil eugenicist Mister Sinister was going to betray them, but how. While he’s been sitting on the ruling council and biding his time, his plans have accelerated since the start of Gillen’s Imortal X-Men. Sins of Sinister #1 is the wig reveal for the diabolical mastermind’s ten-year plan, serving as a sort of a speed-run start to the event. Sinister isn’t one person, more of a system of clones, and he’s secretly corrupted the Quiet Council in order to bring about his larger goal of turning the entire Earth into a Mister Sinister hive-mind. The result is that this is less of a kick-off and more of a guided tour of ten years of a Marvel Comics history that is likely to be completely undone at the end of the event. Gillen has put all his cards on the table for this event. By leaning into the fact that this won’t be the status quo going forward, he gets to take bigger swings with the story. The event is spaced out in powers of ten, with the first books set ten years after Sinister’s takeover, then one hundred, and finally a thousand years into the future. This unique structure is a lot of fun, and this volume gives us a whole lot of cool splash pages and hypothetical events as the corrupted X-Men help take over the world. Sometimes it’s fun to watch the bad guys win. With a huge number of artists drawing the book, the art varies, but it’s all good, and Bryan Valenza’s colors tie the different sections together. The book has a dark palate, which fits the sci-fi dystopia that Sinister is trying to bring about. Sins of Sinister #1 is less a puzzle box and more of a explainer video of a comic, a wig reveal of machinations that have been threaded through the last four years of comics. It’s a lot of fun, but I’m most looking forward to the individual books, and seeing how the unusual structure for the event plays out. You can pick up a copy for yourself at the usual digital retailers, and from your local Comics Shop.
The gods divided the world into Civilization and The Wild: Order and Chaos. Humanity lived in the light, while the shadows swarmed with monstrous creatures who hated and cursed them for it. The wizard contemplated the problem for many years. Danger and death were built into the world, but there had to be a better way. The spell was his life’s work, taking decades to cast. He changed the fundamental nature of the world and transformed the monsters’ hate into love. Unfortunately, while the spell worked after a fashion, the attacks continued. Monsters loved humans. They were their favorite food.
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There was a rumbling and shaking, and a figure began to emerge from the Fire Crystal. The stone emitted a gout of scarlet flame, and then a girl of made red, glittering ruby stood staring before them, an intense expression on her face. The adventurers raised their weapons. Then the girl blinked, and the fires guttered. She stared at them, uncomprehending. “Where am I?” she asked. The white mage clicked his tongue, reached into his pack, and pulled out a spare robe. He placed it around the girl’s shoulders. They had expected a fight, but rescue was more his style.
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The twins were digging in the yard again. From her spot on the back deck, the babysitter listened to the sounds of plastic shovels hitting the dirt and giggling. They had found a distant, sandy corner of the garden and had made the hole their summer project. She had been concerned, but their parents said it was fine so long as they stayed in the yard and out of their flower bed. But after a while, she realized she could not see them. Instead of giggling, she heard the sound of the ocean. The twins had made an escape tunnel.
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In this episode, Domon has been gone for weeks in his peyote cave, The support teams head for the finals, and The Dark/Devil Army reveals sea and air models! Plus, Argo always reads the manual, and How did Schwartz fit his Gundam in a cave?
When the Yokai returned, there were questions as to whether they would be able to integrate into modern society. The spirits had always claimed the remote corners of the world: The tops of mountains and the hearts of forests. But as Humanity spread and such places became harder to find, coexistance became the only option. It was the yokai’s first day on the fire brigade, and he could tell that the humans resented and feared him. He rose on his four spider-like legs, sensing the fire a moment before the call came in. He was determined to prove his worth.
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They say they can get you to Earth. They don’t mention what it will cost. Angels know about suffering and cruelty, but it is difficult to understand the darkness when you live wholly in the light. It isn’t until the angels touch the ground and men come to bind their wings with silver chains that they learn what they are in for. But Michael has been to Earth many times before. And he’s hidden his flaming sword where these traffickers will never find it. All he has to do is endure until he can find the others and free them.
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We watched and braced ourselves as the golem continued to struggle toward us. Its magic was fading. Without the hat, it was already reverting to its original form. The facial features had already melted away, and its muscles were turning back into slushy snow. The creature collapsed, and the sun quickly melted the snowman into a puddle. I picked up the battered old top hat. It didn’t look extraordinary, but I could feel the malevolent otherworldly forces trapped within. “An artifact this powerful cannot be destroyed,” I said. “We need to put this someplace where nobody will ever find it.”
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The inventor placed his right arm into the machine. He smelled the faint tang of lubricant as the motors rumbled to life. He felt pressure, then a pinch as the pins locked in place. He attempted to lift his hand, and the robot arm rose from the platform. The robot mimicked his movements perfectly. He had the robot reach out and grab a glass of water. The inventor felt the smooth surface of the glass on his own palm. The inventor’s phone buzzed. He absently moved to pick it up and the robot arm swung around and knocked him unconscious.
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Hugh J. O'Donnell 