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Five comics to prepare for summer blockbusters

Whether you love them or hate them, there are many new superhero and comic movies coming out this year. I have assembled a list of comics that will get even the most casual fan up to speed.

Kingsman: Released in February, “Kingsman” is amazing. The comic book differs from the movie, but both tell the story of gadgets, spies and a punk’s rise to hero status. Mark Millar’s title to the comic is The Secret Service, and his villain is more of a shy Mark Zuckerberg-type rather than the bold Samuel L. Jackson who plays him in the movie. The comic is only six issues and is relatively new. It was not that popular, so your best bet to buy it is Amazon.com.

Daredevil: Even though this is a Netflix release (April 10), I still chose to include it. Daredevil is a complex, standing character, so there is a lot of source material to choose from for a filmed adaptation. “Daredevil: Yellow is a condensed narrative written by the amazing Jeph Loeb and is self-contained in a few short issues. I suggest this title because it shows Daredevil as a lawyer, a Catholic, a hero and a son. Because it’s more popular, “Daredevil: Yellow” might be at a local comic store, but your best bet is online.

Avengers 2: Age of Ultron: I need to preface this by saying that Ultron is a long-established and confusing character. The comic I recommend is Avengers Age of Ultron: Prelude.” This comic is meant to lead up to the movie and briefly talks about the events of previous movies. If you want more information about Ultron, look up the comic Age of Ultron.” This was chosen because it’s simple and sticks to the cinematic universe.

Ant-Man: This is probably the newest movie coming out that most people are either hesitantly excited for or confused about. It will be following the second Ant-Man, Scott Lang, a thief and engineer with a little girl he loves more than anything. It stars Paul Rudd and will surely be a wildcard. Because of that fact, I recommend Ant-Man: Prelude.” This follows Lang’s predecessor Hank Pym, the inventor of the Ant-Man suit. It’s interesting and holds lots of promise.

Fantastic Four: The “Fantastic Four” has had multiple movies and multiple versions, and seems doomed to fail. This new movie is based mainly on one comic. Mark Millar, who has written almost only great stuff, was part of the creation of the Ultimate Universe. In this case, the Fantastic Four were re-imagined as young scientists in a think tank trying to go to different dimensions. It is certainly a large departure but Ultimate Fantastic Four is an enjoyable read for anyone interested in learning more.

If you want more news about pop culture and comics, check out my show PopCorn Culture on Fridays 12-1 p.m. on Aggie Radio found at radio.usu.edu

— Riley Thompson studies marketing and is the Marketing Director for Aggie Radio. He enjoys everything about pop culture but especially likes to write reviews on comics and Apps. He claims to be the No. 1 Disney fan at USU and will challenge anyone who says otherwise. Contact him at rileymcmurdiethompson@gmail.com.