The Comics Professor

Did Professor Xavier Just Pull a Doc Brown? (Spoilers for Uncanny X-Men #31)

Just a little speculation about Brian Michal Bendis and Chris Bachalo's Uncanny X-Men #31...

Before the spoilers, a general observation: I've been enjoying Bendis' X-Men books tremendously since he launched them following the Avengers vs. X-Men event. His talent at writing character moments and witty banter serves this property well, especially with the each of the two books focusing on a younger subset of the group (the Original Five in New X-Men and the new students in Uncanny X-Men). While I think he overstayed his welcome a bit on Avengers, he seems to leaving X-Men on a high note, for that I salute him (along with his uncanny artistic collaborators).

New chapters on Captain America and Thor exclusive to free "Superheroes" Kindle book

Wiley just released their free Kindle book, Superheroes: The Best of Philosophy and Pop Culture, featuring one chapter from each of the superhero-themed books in the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, including the forthcoming titles on Superman and the Avengers, as well as two new and exclusive chapters, written by yours truly, on Captain America and Thor.

Here are the contents:

PART ONE: Superheroes Exclusives

1: Lord Odin Have Mercy: Justice and Punishment in Asgard—Mark D. White

2: Captain America and the Virtue of Modesty—Mark D. White

PART TWO: DC Superheroes

3: Is Superman an American Icon?—Andrew Terjesen (from Superman and Philosophy—edited by Mark D. White)

4: The Blackest Night for Aristotle’s Account of Emotions—Jason Southworth (from Green Lantern and Philosophy— edited by Jane Dryden and Mark D. White)

5: Why Doesn’t Batman Kill the Joker? —Mark D. White (from Batman and Philosophy, edited by Mark D. White and Robert Arp)

6: Can We Steer This Rudderless World? Kant, Rorschach, Retributivism, and Honor—Jacob M. Held (from Watchmen and Philosophy, edited by Mark D. White)

PART THREE: Marvel Superheroes

7: Forgivers Assemble! —Daniel P. Malloy (from Avengers and Philosophy, edited by Mark D. White)

8: Does Peter Parker Have a Good Life? —Neil Mussett (from Spider-Man and Philosophy, edited by Jonathan J. Sanford)

9: The Stark Madness of Technology—George A. Dunn (from Iron Man and Philosophy, edited by Mark D. White)

10: Amnesia, Personal Identity, and the Many Lives of Wolverine—Jason Southworth (from X-Men and Philosophy, edited by Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski)

Uncanny X-Men ending in October with #544

Wow, I guess Marvel wants part of the "shooting ourselves in the foot" action--the Associated Press (what, no love for comics blogs, Marvel?) just announced that Uncanny X-Men, the premier X-book among approximately 106 (give or take), will end in October with issue 544, as a result of the Schism event starting soon. (Or perhaps Flashpoint has further reaching ramifications than anyone thought...)

On Twitter, current Uncanny writer Kieron Gillen said, "When I joined Uncanny after S.W.O.R.D. I thought "There's no way I can get THIS cancelled". But there are no limits to my power." (He kids--Journey to Mystery, featuring Li'l Loki, is fantastic.)

Psychologist Robin Rosenberg reviews X-Men: First Class

Just a heads up - my friend Dr. Robin Rosenberg gives her unique perspective on X-Men: First Class on her blog at Psychology Today - check it out. (Can't comment myself--saw Kung Fu Panda 2 with my daughter instead--closest thing to an Immortal Iron Fist movie we'll see for a while, and a really good one at that!)