Top 5 Comic Book Moments of the Week: King Broo, Doctor Doom's ego and a Spider-Man villain's tragic backstory
Spoilers for comics released on March 25, 2020
Every week we bring you the five best new moments from the world of comics and this week, there was quite a lot to choose from. From status upgrades to legendary heroes, a lot has happened in the world of comics this week and we can't wait to share our picks for Top 5 Comic Book Moments of the Week with you. So let's get started, shall we?
5. Putting the Teen in TMNT
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tend to have a lot of focus on the Mutant and the Turtle aspect of their nature, but besides their fighting prowess, there's nothing that sets them apart as an actual ninja. Reunited for the first time since their father's death, however, and living in the segregated Mutant Town, the five turtles choose to honor Master Splinter, and they're doing that by showing the community what it means to be a ninja — not just to fight, but knowing things like calligraphy, ongyo-jutsu and the art of disguise. What's more, as they're now living in a town filled with mutants, they no longer have to hide who they are. For the first time ever in 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' #104, the TMNT get to dress up like normal teenagers, going out to a concert with their friends.
4. The King of (Brood) Queens
Despite popping up in 'Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda', Broo the mutant Brood hasn't really had much of a role in Marvel Comics in recent times. Well, Jonathan Hickman's 'X-Men' #9 fixes that in a big way by giving the young alien/mutant a major upgrade, making him the king of all Brood-kind.
'X-Men' #8 set up this upgrade by introducing the King Egg, a Kree device that can be used to take control of all the Brood. As it turns out, the King Egg is only a container for the serum that would make anyone who consumes it into the King Brood. And as luck would have it, Broo ate the egg so now the little monster who was rejected by his species has just become their supreme overlord. Neat.
3. 'Von Doom Particles'
That Doctor Victor Von Doom has an ego the size of Ego the Living Planet is a well-documented fact but naming the source of all superpowers after himself? Actually yes, that is exactly the sort of behavior you'd expect from the Latverian despot. The first issue of 'X-Men/Fantastic Four' introduced the idea that superpowers may be powered by some sort of extradimensional energy that Reed Richards called "Godpower."
In 'X-Men / Fantastic Four' #3, Von Doom expands on the theory while trying to help Reed's son Franklin Richards fix his waning powers and decides to call the source of this strange energy "Von Doom Particle" after himself. Because when you're one of the planet's leading scientists/sorcerers and the monarch of a whole country, you can get away with that.
2. Gog Need Boy
The gigantic super-muscle Gog has been a recurring villain in Spider-Man's life for decades. He's always been more of a henchman than an actual villain and in the past, it's been revealed that Gog is little more than a hyper-violent lost puppy.
Well, 'The Amazing Spider-Man' #42 finally gives us the story of Gog's origins as an iguana-sized pet on an alien world and the tragic events that led to him losing his beloved owner and ending up on Earth. Weaving in the entirety of the character's comics history, this story was equal parts engaging and heartbreaking.
1. The Return of Beowulf
With the state that Britain is in at the moment, it's easy to see that some might think it's a great idea to bring King Arthur back to usher in a new era of glory for the British Empire. Unfortunately, as it turns out, King Arthur was actually rather old fashioned, violently racist, and since his resurrection, gruesomely undead, or at least that's how he is in Kieron Gillen's 'Once & Future.'
His return is definitely more a curse than a blessing, so when another "hero" of legend returns in 'Once & Future' #7, it's likely to be doing a lot more harm than good. Nonetheless, old magics have brought back yet another hero from classic literature — it's the return of Beowulf!
That's all for now. What were your favorite moments for this week? Let us know in the comments.