Black Panther: A Nation under Our Feet, Vol. 1

Black Panther: A Nation under Our Feet, Vol. 1 by Ta'Nehisi Coates, 144 pages.

I read this because Coates wrote it. I am not into super-hero comics all that much, but this was better than almost all that I have read. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. I read this a while ago and don't remember anything about it really, though I blame myself and my total lack of interest in the whole superhero comic book thing. I checked volume one and volume two out for my kids, hoping that they would read them, but I don't think they did.

Journey into Mystery: Fear Itself

Journey into Mystery vol. 1:  Fear Itself by Keiron Gillen and Douglas Braithewaite; graphic novel; 136 pages

A friend recommended this as a good place to get started in the Marvel universe.  Since I loved Loki in the recent Marvel movies, I thought I'd give it a try.  Unfortunately, I think my friend was overestimating how familiar I am with Marvel, especially with its less mainstream characters, like Thor (I can stumble through a Spiderman or X-Men comic, but I'm lost on Avengers-related stuff).  Here's what I could gather from the rather confusing book:  Loki has died (in a previous arc) and through a convoluted series of events, has been reincarnated as a younger, more innocent version of himself.  At the same time, Odin has gone kind of crazy, and is enslaving the residents of Asgard into a brutal war against The Serpent.  Loki's goals are two-fold in this story:  recover his memories and cunning that he lost when he died, and stop the impending doom that only he sees coming. 

While I like Loki as a character, I got lost in all the side characters that were introduced here.  I also found myself getting frustrated, since my knowledge of Norse mythology is only slightly better than my knowledge of Marvel mythology, and I had trouble telling where Marvel ended and Norse myth began (I may very well be the only one bothered by things like that).  Gillen's art, on the other hand, was AMAZING.  I'd pick up anything else he's done in a heartbeat. 

Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon

Hawkeye:  My Life as a Weapon by Matt Fraction; graphic novel; 136 pages

Cindy recommended this as a good way to dip my toe into the Marvel Universe.  It's the story of Hawkeye when he's not being Hawkeye, and what his life is like outside of the Avengers.  Of the stories collected in this volume, all are well-written, fun, fast-paced reads.  The art in some of them, though, is better than in others.  It was disappointing to find that one of the more interesting storylines (involving an underground auction in an exotic city) had artwork that just threw me off, and I found myself having a hard time getting into it.  I was also a little confused about Hawkeye's relationship with his female sidekick Kate, especially since the stories aren't really arranged in chronological order (though after reading the last story, the constant flirting between the two is a little creepy.  Then again, I don't know much about the Young Avengers.  Are they like the Teen Titans--actual teens?  Because if so this book just got a whole lot less comfortable). 

I still enjoyed this volume, and would probably pick up more if I can find the right entry point into this continuity.