Top 5 Fridays: Jody's Top 5 Current Marvel Series

Welcome back to another MARVELous edition of Top 5 Fridays! To those who have not seen the news, we here at Weird Science are going to dedicate every Monday to Marvel comics. I know it seems like a big shock to everyone, but truth is some of us writers are actually friends of Marvel as well as DC. Yes, we write about DC and our love for it, but we won't deny our love for mutants, super-soldiers, and web-heads. While we have already chosen who will be reviewing what, I thought it would be cool to let you readers know what current series I go to pick up on the Marvel side of things! As always this list is based on personal opinion, so if you don't see a series you like, I apologize. Enough talk! Load up your web shooters and let's swing into this list!

5: Captain America: Sam Wilson

Yes, I enjoy this Captain America. I won't lie when saying that I was confused and a  little at the sudden decision to make Sam Wilson the Star spangled Man with a plan, but I cautiously opened my arms for it. The series so far has revolved around Sam Wilson settling in as Cap as he lost the popular appeal when stating his political beliefs, while S.H.I.E.L.D. refuses to help fund him after he and Steve Rogers exposed a nefarious use of a Cosmic Cube. The months rolled by and the first story arc... was actually pretty good. Sure it had its political overtones, it is a Captain America book after all, but I never felt that it was beating me over the head like comics like The Dark Knight Strikes Again. It has great action, silly callbacks,and humor, and actually doesn't try to force the reader to like Sam. He's flawed. He makes mistakes but does what he believes is right... Just like Cap would do. 

4: Doctor Strange

Ever see characters like Scarlet Witch, Magik, and even the word Sorcerer Supreme and thought, "I want to see the Magical side of the Marvel Universe!" Look no further than this series. This series follows Stephen Strange as he protects the Marvel world from otherworldly entities. So if it's just about Doctor Strange, who is a cool character in himself, you think he's the driving force of the book. In actuality, I am more of a fan of all the magical places and people we see along the way. My knowledge of the magical side of Marvel is limited to the good doctor, Scarlet Witch, and Magik of the X-men, so to see dozens of witches and wizards unite under Strange to face a foe so large it threatens anything and everything magical. Speaking of anything and everything, the creatures, and monsters you see strange face are very creative and cool to see. The magical world is a sight to behold, and Doctor Strange is ready to show more! 

3: Patsy Walker aka Hellcat

To those who don't recognize the name of Patsy, you might know her as Trish Walker, Jessica Jones' best friend and adopted sister in the Netflix series. Unlike that version of the character, this one feels... Happier. This story follows Patsy and her life in New York as dark forces rise to end her as she learns that  someone else has begun reprints of her embarrassing life chronicles written by her mother(picture old school Archie comics). It sounds like a strange mix of her earliest appearance and her current iteration, yet it works very well. If I had to describe the series in 2 words, it would probably be 'adorable' and 'kick-ass'. Seeing the highflying Hellcat in action: Kick-ass. Seeing the hijinks Patsy and Friends get into: Adorable. Patsy Walker herself: Kick-ass and EXTREMELY adorable. I didn't know what to expect, but as their letter page suggests, I'm officially a Hellkitten. 

2: The Vision

This comic at the moment is a little bit bittersweet to me. If you haven't read the first issue, stop reading this list, go find a copy of the first issue, and read it. The story revolves around the Vision, who after getting his emotions removed from his systems, made a family of Visions(who are just as creepy as they sound) and moved near the Capital to serve as Avengers liaison to the president. I never once expected to enjoy a vision series so much. It's dark, tension-filled, and at most times a little creepy. The art of the book definitely helps set the tone for this series. So now I go back to why this one is bittersweet. The writer of this fantastic dark Sci-Fi story is none other than our favorite Omega Man and Agent of Spyral, Tom King. With Tom King signed on to be writing Batman, he will be ending his run on The Vision at issue 12. As of right now, I don't know if it will end after that, or get a new writer, but it probably won't be the same as this dark Pinocchio-like tale. 

1: Spidey

Do you want to know something? I think comics try to be too big and epic like the movies. Stories like Darkseid War, Secret Wars, Green Lantern Godhead, The Final Days of Superman etc. I'm not saying that's entirely a bad thing, but it's grown so big and dark it sometimes is hard to have fun with a story when you see your favorite characters fighting each other or watch worlds you love reading about be destroyed in front of you. What happened to the stories that make you smile? Where heroes fight the bad guys while cracking jokes while dealing with problems their true identities have... That's where Spidey comes in. Spidey takes us back to when Peter  Parker was first starting out as the web slinger. Each issue is a self-contained adventure where he fights classic enemies while still juggling this life of a high schooler. It looks fantastic with amazing art, humor from the characters, action in the battles, and most importantly: it has the fun comic like adventures that Spider-Man started out with. If you can enjoy a story with Peter being a big CEO and traveling the world with his most advanced suit yet, good on you. Me? I'll take a classic Spidey adventure any day. 

That's it for this week's Top 5 Friday! What Marvel series are you readers out there reading? Leave a comment and I'll see you next time!