Guide Action Comics, 1987 - Present (Early Access for Pledgeonauts & Up) (Patreon)
Content
Hello my Action-Packed Patrons! I'm excited to debut another new DC guide exclusively for folks pledging $2 and up - and, this is one of the biggest guides still missing from the DC side of my coverage!
Quick Updates for Patrons: Blade, Catwoman, Flash, Nightwing, Spider-Man - Miles Morales
Plus, powered-by-Patrons but available for all readers:
DC Comics
Quick Updates: Green Arrow, Harley Quinn, Hellblazer, Teen Titans & Young Justice, Wonder Woman
Marvel Comics
Quick Updates: Avengers West Coast, Captain America - Steve Rogers, Captain Marvel, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, Hawkeye, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man - Peter Parker (2018-present), Spider-Woman, Star Wars: Expanded Universe, Star Wars: Legends (Old Expanded Universe), Thor the Odinson, Uncanny X-Men #281-393 - Crossover Era, X-Men Vol. 2 (1991 - 2001), X-Men - The Age of Krakoa
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I've been chipping away at this new Guide to Post-Crisis Action Comics from the very second I posted my last Patreon update - almost three weeks ago!
It notched itself as one of the single guides to take the longest to create - on par with mammoth efforts like Wonder Woman and Justice League.
I was beating myself up about that for a little while. Post-Crisis Action is just one series compared to Wonder Woman's whole history or the many different Justice League titles!
However, Action Comics has been many different things from 1987 to today.
It was part of John Byrne's trio of Superman ongoing titles. It was a weekly anthology series. It was one fourth of the legendary "Triangle Era" of Superman. It spent a decade making frequent crossovers with Superman. It relaunched in New 52 and Rebirth. Even within Rebirth, Action has had several distinct mini-eras with each author - including Dan Jurgens, Brian Bendis, and Phillip Kennedy Johnson.
From that perspective, even just the modern half of the 80-year history of Action Comics is actually one of the densest single-title guides I've ever created - on par with all of Uncanny X-Men!
After I realized that, I was a bit kinder to myself - and that inspired me to quickly power through the extensive link-building work on the guide.
This Guide to Action Comics means I now have modern coverage of every core member of the Justice League! I've been working towards that since January of 2017, back when there were just a few dozen supporters of this campaign and I still lived in America! It's wild to think about everything that has changed since then. I talked more about that in the launch essay.
I am so grateful that there are now hundreds of you reading these updates and using my Patrons-Only guides. Y'all have changed my life for the better.
It has been all quiet on the streaming front this month after an intense March, but more on that in the next section.
As I've worked on the Action Comics Guide, I've also continued my weekly New Released posts for both Marvel and DC. That means I've done some massive DC Comic guide updates in the past month! I'm making my way through all of the existing public and Patrons DC guides week by week to update them all through the present day of the Dawn of DC.
A reminder: Quick Updates are only announced here on Patreon. They include current and future series and collected editions, but not an update to guest appearances or page structure - both of which I save for when I make full guide updates that are announced on the CK main page.
To see new guides and guide updates announced as they happen, keep an eye on the CK homepage.
When you visit a Patreon guide you should be prompted to log in to CK using your Patreon login. If you aren't prompted when visiting a guide page, try visiting the CK login page directly.
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Behind-the-Scenes Krisis
April was a quiet month on the streaming front because I've been working behind the scenes with the Near Mint Condition gang to plan the first ever Tigereyes DC Most Wanted Omnibus poll!
Also, the US-based NMC gang were all gearing up for their trip to C2E2, where they hosted their first ever live panel just a few hours ago! I wish I could've been there with them!
While most of the NMC crew were on the road, Tigereyes and I finished mapping an initial list of 500 DC Omnibuses that deserve to see print - covering the Golden Age to comics released in the past few months.
Just like with the Marvel Most Wanted poll, I'll be sharing maps for those DC books on Crushing Krisis. The difference will be that I'll be sharing the maps before we open the poll, so folks have time to review, discuss, and revise our suggestions before the poll goes live.
I'll be more visible on Near Mint Condition in the coming weeks - with the next Marvel solicits show, beginning to pop up for DC solicits, and another Great Evergreen Debate in May before we launch the DC Most Wanted poll!
On the personal front, the past two weeks have been school break here in New Zealand! That's meant a lot of time with Kid Krisis both in and out of the house. We were lucky to have gorgeous weather for all but a day or two, which was a nice streak for April here in Wellington.
Also, I've been listening to lots of new music while working on CK! I stayed up late listening to the new Taylor Swift record last week while working on New Releases posts. Plus, I loved the new Vampire Weekend band - they always hit the mark for me.
Marvel Goal: September 2023 Average Freshness Date. Currently:
Jan 2024(!) - Average New Series/Collections
Aug 2021 - Average Full Guide Update
DC Goal: April 2023 Average Freshness Date. Currently:
July 2021 - Average New Series/Collections
(improved from Dec 2019 since last update!!! 💪)Oct 2018 - Average Full Guide Update
Image Goal: October 2023 Average Freshness Date. Currently:
March 2023 - Average New Series/Collections AND Full Guide Update
Indie/Licensed: October 2023 Average Freshness Date. Currently:
March 2023 - Average New Series/Collections
April 2021 - Average Full Guide Update
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What's up next on Crushing Comics?
I need to create the other half of my modern Superman coverage with a guide to Superman titles.
Plus, there's another Doctor Who guide coming your way very soon. And, more creepy Marvel, a minor Marvel guide that is a frequent request, and a Patron's Choice poll later this week.
Do you want something that's not on that list? If you've made it this far through this monster post, I'm definitely interested in your comments!
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Exclusives for Crushing Cadets ($1/month): 52 Guides!
DC Guides (7): Batman – Index of Ongoing Titles, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Birds of Prey, Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: Hal Jordan, Green Lantern: Kyle Rayner, Omega Men
Marvel Guides (32): Alpha Flight, Angela, Beta Ray Bill, Black Cat, Blade, Captain Britain, Carnage, Dazzler, Domino, Dracula, Echo, Elsa Bloodstone, Emma Frost - White Queen, Heroes For Hire, Legion, Marvel 2099, Marvel Era: Marvel Legacy, Mister Sinister, Monica Rambeau - Photon, Morbius, Rocket Raccoon, Sabretooth, Silk, Spider-Ham, Spider-Man 2099, Thunderstrike, Valkyrie, Vision, Weapon X, Werewolf by Night, What If?, X-Man – Nate Grey
Indie & Licensed Comics (13): Aliens, The Authority, Black Hammer, Brigade, Codename Strykeforce, Cyberforce, Pitt, Princeless & Raven The Pirate Princess, Savage Dragon, ShadowHawk, Stormwatch, Supreme, WildStorm Events
Exclusives For Pledgeonauts ($1.99+/month): 93 Guides!
All of the 52 guides above, plus 41 more…
DC Guides (17): Action Comics (1987 - Present), Animal Man, Aquaman, Books of Magic, Catwoman, Doctor Fate, Flash, Harley Quinn, Houses & Horrors, Infinity Inc., Justice League, Justice Society of America, Mister Miracle, Nightwing, Outsiders, Suicide Squad, Superman (1939) - Pre-Crisis, Superman in Action Comics (1938 - 1986), Swamp Thing
Marvel Guides (13): Darkhawk, Falcon, Gwenpool, Hellcat - Patsy Walker, Howard the Duck, Kang the Conqueror, Loki, Power Pack, Red She-Hulk, Sentry, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Venom
Indie & Licensed Comics (5): Miracleman, ROM - Spaceknight, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - IDW Continuity, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mirage Studios Continuity, ThunderCats
Doctor Who (4): 9th Doctor, 14th Doctor, 15th Doctor, Multiple Doctors Events