January 2021 – Living My Dreams Through Fiction

Lava Red Feather Blue by Molly Ringle is a fantasy novel that was published at the start of this month. It centres around two characters: Prince Larkin, a human royal who has been recently awoken after being put under a sleeping spell under duress for over two hundred years, and Merrick, a half-fae perfumer, descendant of the witch who put Larkin under the sleeping spell, and the man who wakes him entirely by accident. Waking Prince Larkin also wakes the fae Ula Kana, who is intent on destroying all humans on the island that they live on. Merrick and Larkin have to team up to defeat Ula Kana once and for all, venturing into the dangerous fae realm without any guarantee of their safe return.

Cover of Lava Red Feather Blue by Molly Ringle. The cover has a dark blue background with gold ornaments dangling from the top and trees and a mountain depicted in gold at the bottom. Lava Red is written in capitals in pale pink, and feather blue is written in capitals underneath it in the centre of the page in pale blue. There is a sword and a pair of antlers underneath blue. Molly Ringle is written underneath the sword.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. The story was interesting and gripping, with some interesting world building and a great cast of characters, including many openly queer characters which made my little queer heart happy. The exploration of the concept of love given the differences in the perception of time between fae and humans was also really interesting, as was the contrast between the life Larkin had known and life for the rest of the human or part human characters of the book.

Merrick and Larkin had some cute moments as a couple. I love the trope of one character facing or overcoming a fear they hold for another, and Ringle executed it beautifully. The only thing I would say is that as someone who is used to slow burn romances, their relationship seemed to progress a little fast to me. I would have liked some more time to really get to know them and understand why they love each other, but I still think that they compliment each other well as characters.

I would recommend Lava Red Feather Blue by Molly Ringle for fantasy fans looking for a high stakes story with a side of queer romance.

I was given a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Marvel comics in 2020 saw the Kree and Skrulls unite under Teddy Altman, or Emperor Dorrek VIII, to fight off the plant race the Cotati who were intent on destroying all animal life. I read all of them, and given how much my opinion of each issue varied I decided to rank them all from worst to best in my opinion.

I will note here that I don’t read all of these characters’ comics frequently, but I don’t think that really affected my rankings. What did affect my rankings is that I really love Billy and Teddy, and I loved seeing the arc that they got through Empyre.

Without further ado, here is my ranking of every published comic from 2020 listed as being a part of the Empyre arc:

33. Empyre: Captain America #2: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Ariel Olivetti, & Rachelle Rosenberg

The cover of Empyre: Captain America #2. There are four figures falling towards the camera, all of them skeletons. The three in the background are wearing military combat uniforms. The skeleton at the front is dressed as Captain America with his shield raised in his right arm, jaw open. There is a mushroom explosion cloud in the background over a yellow-green background. The title 'CAPTAIN AMERICA' is written in red capitals over the mushroom cloud.

This was just… so bad. It started with Captain America berating the Kree-Skrull army for not caring about the lives of civilians, and ended with him suggesting them bombing Mexico City without an ounce of self-awareness. In the middle, everyone sat around tiny campfires in the street for seemingly no reason. Of all the arcs, the Captain America Empyre arc is my least favourite, and this comic is to me the best evidence as to why. I cannot comprehend why we got this and they instead cancelled things like Empyre: Thor, where we would have got to see Thor retrieve the weapon he brings to save the day in the final big battle.

32. Empyre: X-Men #3: Vita Ayala, Zeb Wells, Ed Brisson, Andrea Broccardo, & Nolan Woodard

The cover of Empyre: X-Men #3. Empyre is written stylistically with dots above and below letters in a white circle in the top left of the cover, along with X, and then MEN on the lower line. The cover is split into three sections diagonally, each showing different characters. The left section shows Cotati (plant people), the middle section shows the X-Men involved in this arc, and the right section shows the zombie X-Men.

This issue seemed to be pure chaos, and I also cannot rank anything with the line ‘you ladies are too old to go outside’ higher than this, especially when their age was played as a joke at every step – it was a joke to be attracted to middle aged women, it was a joke that they were out in the first place, and I wasn’t a fan of that to be honest. Other than that, I quite enjoyed the zombie apocalypse story of this arc.

31. Empyre: Captain America #3: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Ariel Olivetti, & Rachelle Rosenberg

Cover of Empyre: Captain America #3. There is a brown earth monster reaching towards the viewer whilst yelling. It is stomping over some brown mountains against a green sky. The title 'Captain America' is written in brown capital letters above the dirt monster. Captain America is standing with a group of soldiers facing the dirt monster.

30. Lords of Empyre: Swordsman: Alex Paknadel, Thomas Nachlik, & Marcio Menyz

The cover of Lords of Empyre: Swordsman. Swordsman is standing in the forefront, with vines curling around his body and sword, with the sword raised across his body. He is grimacing. The ghost of Swordsman is standing behind him in glowing white without the beard that plant-Swordsman has, and with a thinner and longer sword. The background is red. The title 'Swordsman' is written in green across the top of the image, with green lit up vines curling around it.

These interludes were great in the sense of filling in the gaps about characters, but this one is only so low because it left me more confused than anything else.

29. Empyre: Captain America #1: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Ariel Olivetti, & Rachelle Rosenberg

The cover of Empyre: Captain America #1. Captain America is jumping towards the viewer, shield in his right hand. There are soldiers shooting kneeling in the bottom quarter of the cover. Aircraft are flying towards the viewer and shooting. 'Captain America' is written in capital letters in white blue over the top of the cover.

28. Empyre: X-Men #2: Gerry Duggan, Ben Percy, Leah Williams, Lucas Werneck, & Nolan Woodard

The cover of Empyre: X-Men #2. There is a clawed hand in the forefront left of the image that looks like it is made of bark. Two of the X-Men are standing facing off against the owner of the hand, one of them with blonde hair and dressed in black strips of clothing covering her private areas and black combat boots, wielding fire. Angel is flying int he background. The title 'X-Men' is written stylistically in a circle under the clawed hand.

27. Fantastic Four (2018-) #22: Dan Slott, Paco Medina, Mario Menyz, Jesus Aburtov, & Sean Izaakse

I have to say, as someone who doesn’t read Fantastic Four comics I was pleasantly surprised by the Fantastic Four comics in this arc. The kids are sweet, as is the story.

26. Empyre: Avengers #1: Jim Zub, Carlos Magno, & Espen Grundetjern

25. Empyre: X-Men #1: Jonathan Hickman, Tini Howard, Nolan Woodard, & Matteo Buffagni

Cover of Empyre: X-Men #1. Three of the X-men are standing in the middle of the cover with a black morningstar and a lightning sword. There are blue and purple roses around the edge of the cover.

24. X-Men (2019-) #10: Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu, & Sunny Gho

Cover of X-Men (2019) #10. Six of the X-Men are standing around looking straight at the viewer. They are in a leafy environment, surrounded by red, purple, and green foliage. The title 'X-Men' is written over the moon.

23. Empyre: Savage Avengers #1: Gerry Duggan & Greg Smallwood

Cover of Empyre: Savage Avengers. Venom is standing, tongue out, behind Conan the Barbarian who has a sword behind him, poised to swing. There are vines extending towards both characters from the edges of the cover. 'Savage Avengers' is written over the top of the cover, with the first word in painted white strokes and 'Avengers' in battered green with a sword through the middle of it.

22. Lords of Empyre: Celestial Messiah: Alex Paknadel, Alex Lins, & Matt Yackey

Cover of Lords of Empyre: Celestial Messiah. Quoi is standing in the middle of the cover, one foot on a rock in front of him and brandishing two jagged golden swords with hilts that look to be made of tied leaves. Mantis is layered over the moon, looking into the distance. There are six ships of the Kree-Skrull alliance under the title 'Celestial Messiah' which is written in curved golden script over the top of the cover.

21. Empyre: Avengers #2: Jim Zub, Carlos Magno, Espen Grundetjern

Cover of Empyre: Avengers #2. There are five of the major characters of this arc all poised to fight, including Scarlet Witch in the front left and Swordsman on the far right. A green creature with three tentacles coming from its face is running towards the viewer, right arm down as if to propel it further. They are in a green jungle environment, balancing on mossy trees.

Again, I didn’t know much about the major players of this arc going into it, but I think through the series I got to know them well enough to understand what was going on and I ended up quite enjoying parts of this arc.

20. Empyre: Avengers #3: Jim Zub, Carlos Magno, Espen Grundetjern

Cover of Empyre: Avengers #3. Swordsman is crouched, clothes ripped and showing long bleeding cuts, surrounded by long, twisting thorns. The background is green.

19. Fantastic Four (2018-) #21: Dan Slott, Paco Medina, Mario Menyz, Erick Arciniega, & Sean Izaakse

The cover of Fantastic Four (2018-) #21. Spiderman, Wolverine, and Valeria and Franklin Richards are jumping towards the viewer, all wearing Fantastic Four uniforms. THere are pink glowing webs weaving around all of them, coming from both of Spiderman's hands.

18. Empyre: Fallout Fantastic Four: Dan Slott, Sean Izaakse, & Marte Gracia

Cover of Empyre: Fallout Fantastic Four. The original Fantastic Four are in the bottom half of the cover, with Valeria and Franklin standing next to Sue Richards. Above them are the two children that they rescued from a fighting ring in Empyre. They are all in the centre of the cover, surrounded by a kite shape of light with hands extending from it. Chains of light connect the kite shape to the edges of the cover. The rest of the cover is black with occasional dots of stars.

17. Empyre #2: Al Ewing, Dan Slott, Valerio Schiti, & Marte Garcia

Cover of Empyre #2. Captain Marvel, Captain America, the Accuser, Thor, Johnny Storm, and Sue Richards are standing in the middle of a tornado, light bursting from over Captain America's shoulder, all poised to fight something on the outside of the tornado.

16. Empyre: X-Men #4: Jonathan Hickman, Jorge Molina, Lucas Werneck, Adriano di Benedetto, Nolan Woodard, & Rachelle Rosenberg

The cover of Empyre: X-Men #4. The cast are piled up in the centre of the cover with a sword stabbed into a rock at the top. They are all encased in twisted branches. The background looks like a fire in colour gradient.

15. The Immortal She-Hulk: Al Ewing, Jon Davis-Hunt, & Marcio Menyz

This was so intriguing and I am definitely going to seek out more of Jennifer’s story when I can.

14. Fantastic Four (2018-) #23: Al Ewing, Dan Slott, Paco Medina, & Jesus Aburto

Cover of Fantastic Four (2018-) #23. Valeria and Franklin Richards are holding a mechanical object over their heads between them, each of them with one hand on it as they lean away. The mechanical object is emitting green light that covers the rest of the cover. Wolverine and Spiderman are fighting the Cotati in the background in their Fantastic Four uniforms.

13. Captain Marvel (2019-) #19: Kelly Thompson, Cory Smith, Adriano di Benedetto, & Tamra Bonvillain

Cover of Captain Marvel #19. Teddy Altman stands to the left of the cover, eyes glowing orange, hand on his sword which is pointed towards the ground. Captain Marvel is facing Lauri-Ell in the middle of the image, poised to swing her hammer at her. Lauri-Ell gazes back defiantly, fists clenched. The background shows space, a planet, and several Kree-Skrull alliance ships.

12. Road to Empyre: The Kree/Skrull War #1: Robbie Thompson, Mattia De Iulis, Javier Rodriguez, & Alvaro Lopez

The cover of The Road to Empyre: The Kree/Skrull War. Marvel is facing the Emperor of the Kree at the top of the cover, both with their teeth gritted. The rest of the characters are smaller below them, flying towards the viewer. From top to bottom, they are Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Thing, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Reed Richards, Sue Richards, Vision, and Ronan the Accuser. There is a group of Skrull women in a white circle standing facing each other in the middle of this group, pictured from the waist up. The title 'Road to Empyre' is at the top in yellow, with the subtitle 'The Kree/Skrull War' at the bottom in white.

11. Empyre #1: Al Ewing, Dan Slott, Valerio Schiti, & Marte Gracia

Cover of Empyre #1. Teddy Altman's face is large on the top right of the cover, his skin with the green hue o his Skrull form. Iron Man, Reed Richards, and Sue Richards are all moving in the same direction, diagonally out of the cover. Captain America, Ghost Rider, Captain Marvel, She-Hulk, Black Panther, and the Thing are all pictured looking out from the cover in various directions. Behind them is a pattern of Cotati faces on a green leafy background.

10. Empyre #6: Al Ewing, Dan Slott, Valerio Schiti, & Marte Gracia

The cover of Empyre #6. Johnny Storm is engulfed in flame, surrounded by plant vines, crouching with an expression of pain on his face. A woman's face can be seen in the flames, expression stern, looking at the viewer. Black Panther is behind the flames, arms outstretched behind him, looking poised to jump. The title 'Empyre' is written across the top of the cover.

9. Empyre #3: Al Ewing, Dan Slott, Valerio Schiti, & Marte Garcia

Cover of Empyre #3. Various characters are engaged in battle, including Mantis and the Thing, as smoke rises from building behind them implying destruction. Black Panther is poised mid jump, right leg outstretched upwards and right hand claws out at the viewer, balanced with one hand on a thick, twisted tree branch. The title 'Empyre' is at the top and goes behind the battle.

8. Empyre #0: Fantastic Four: Dan Slott, R B Silva, Sean Izaaksen, & Marte Gracia

7. Captain Marvel (2019-) #21 Kelly Thompson, Cory Smith, Adriano di Benedetto, & Tamra Bonvillain

I adored Lauri-Ell in this arc of Captain Marvel. I’m a sucker for characters presumed evil, discovered not to be, and then rescued only to have to figure out normal life and that’s exactly what Lauri-Ell presented. I enjoyed her more with every issue. I’d love to read more about Lauri-Ell, especially with the role she now holds as the Accuser.

6. Empyre #0: Avengers: Al Ewing, Marte Gracia, & Pepe Larraz

Cover of Empyre #0: Avengers. Iron Man stands at the front of a group of Avengers, left hand outstretched with a blue repulsor blast of energy coming from it. The other hand is crackling with blue energy. The Avengers behind him are (from left to right): Hulking (with wings), Captain America, Thor, Ghost Rider, Swordsman, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, and She-Hulk. They are standing in an overgrown place with stone structures behind them featuring a carved face. The Earth is visible in the sky behind them.

5. Captain Marvel (2019-) #20: Kelly Thompson, Cory Smith, Adriano di Benedetto, & Tamra Bonvillain

Cover of Captain Marvel (2019-) #20. Captain Marvel is standing in the centre of the cover, along with the team she's split the power of the hammer with: War Machine, Spider-Woman, and Hazmat. All of them are in green and black versions of their normal costumes. Carol holds the hammer, and the other three hold lightning versions of the hammer. War Machine stands to the left of Carol, Hazmat on her right, and Spider-Woman is crouching in front of them all. The background is a cloudy grey.

4. Empyre: Aftermath Avengers: Al Ewing, Dan Slott, Valerio Schiti, & Marte Gracia

Cover of Empyre: Avengers: Aftermath. Billy and Teddy are in the centre, looking into each others eyes as they embrace. Wedding attendees surround them, from left to right top to bottom: Reed Richards, Spider-Man, She-Hulk, Cyclops, Storm, Sue Richards, Johnny Storm, The Thing, Iron Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Black Panther, Patriot, Kate Bishop, Cassie Lang, and Tommy Shepherd. There s a rose arch behind all of the characters and a rose bush between the Young Avengers and the rest of the characters. The title 'Avengers Empyre Aftermath' is across the top of the comic. The background is white.

Outer space same-sex Jewish wedding, complete with a tiny rainbow ‘krish’ when Billy and Teddy smash their glasses underfoot. What more can I say.

Screencap from Aftermath Avengers: Teddy and Billy's feet as they stamp on glasses to break after they're married. There's a spiky speech bubble reading 'Mazel Tov!' There's a rainbow 'KRIISH!' to the right of Billy's foot.

3. Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulking: Chip Zdarsky, Anthony Oliveria, Triona Farrell, Cam Smith, & Manuel Garcia

Cover of Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling. Teddy Altman is floating, cape billowing behind him, holding his sword as lightning cracks around him. The background is a red sky with stars and a sun immediately behind Teddy. Various spaceships dot the background behind his head. The title 'Emperor Hulkling' is above Teddy's head, the edge of the H slightly obscured by his cape. The end of the sword is spilling lightning into a rock, forming a small river of electricity.

I laughed and cried reading this issue. One of the panels is currently my laptop background (‘Hands off my space man!’), and another is my phone wallpaper (‘You’re the best part of me, Teddy Altman’) (although I am considering changing it to the picture of the wedding from Empyre #5). Whilst I was reading it I was thinking to myself that this was going to be my new favourite single issue of any comic ever, and it is in a sense. The only reason that it is in spot number 3 instead of number 1 is the art style. Whilst the panels at more of a wide shot were beautiful in the backgrounds, to me Valerio Schiti’s art just has a beauty to it that Garcia’s doesn’t quite match for me. I still love it though, and it was the comic that got me most excited for the rest of the Empyre run.

2. Empyre #4: Al Ewing, Dan Slott, Valerio Schiti, & Marte Gracia

Cover of Empyre #4. The title stretches across the top of the cover. She-Hulk and The Thing are pictured large, both from the waist up, facing opposite directions. Swordsman is fighting Mantis in the forefront of the cover, small enough to fit on the Thing's bicep. The background of the cover is red.

As I mentioned, I love Billy and Teddy – the Young Avengers series was my entry into Marvel comics – so I loved seeing them at the forefront of this arc. The reveal at the end of this issue made me gasp and nearly jump straight to Empyre #5, rather than reading the other issues in between #4 and #5 in the official order. And Valerio Schiti’s art is just beautiful.

1. Empyre #5: Al Ewing, Dan Slott, Valerio Schiti, & Marte Gracia

Cover of Empyre #5. Hulkling and Wiccan are posed together, bodies facing each other but heads turned in different directions, both poised to fight. There is blue energy surrounding Wiccan's hands. Captain Marvel is at the bottom of the cover from the shoulders up, looking concerned. Various Cotati warriors are poised to attack in the background. The title 'Empyre' is across the top of the cover. The background is blue, but there is a yellow circle behind Hulkling and Wiccan.

Need I explain myself here? The Vegas wedding with a Pride flag in the background and the Young Avengers in attendance, coupled with the drama of the rest of this issue made it the best issue in the whole of the Empyre arc for me.

For the most part, I really enjoyed Empyre. It had some of what were, in my opinion, the best comics I’ve ever read (along with some of the worst). I look forward to seeing what Marvel has in store for 2021!