Have you ever found yourself wondering about the comics that inspired some of your favorite movies? Do you ever wish that you had some knowledge of heroes and villains prior to their arrival on screen? I have found myself in this position every single time when a new Marvel Studios or DC project comes out. My younger self would wait until after viewing the movie to dive into the comic books to compare and contrast. Now, I attempt to devour every issue I possibly can that might in any way give me a clue of what the movies or series will consist of.
Upon recently finding out that I’m not alone in this craving for information, some of the other Cosmic Circus writers and I decided to put a group together for like-minded individuals! I’m excited to welcome you to the newest attraction here at The Cosmic Circus, a comic book club of cosmic proportions!
The Cosmic Sideshow: Comic Book Reading Club
Every month or two, depending on the length of the reading, we will choose a different comic run focusing on a character or franchise. The specific comics will be announced prior to the first of the month so that any who wishes to join us has enough time to acquire them. By the end of the month, we’ll have a discussion about what we’ve read and how it may be brought to life in the films and the movies.
We may sometimes explore beyond those characters coming to the big screen, however, most choices are tailored to exciting upcoming projects.
The monthly meetings will be held in our Discord for our Patreon members, as an added bonus for their continued support and dedication to The Cosmic Circus. Not a Patreon member yet? No worries, we always welcome new friends!
The meetings will be a combination of voice and text channels, depending on what everyone is comfortable with. How we conduct the meetings may change depending on the response of the members. Meetings will probably only be about an hour or so in length, to give everyone proper time to talk about the comics! This also is subject to change depending on how they go. If you only have time to drop by the meetings for just a bit or wish to stay the full time, we’d love to have you either way!
Attendance of meetings is also not mandatory to be a part of the book club! There is also a dedicated channel in the Discord for people to chat about the comics being read at any time during the month and afterward. This way if you are joining us now and want to talk about a prior month’s comic book reading, there is still a dedicated place for you to do that.
Our Past and Current Readings
Over the past couple of meetings, we have covered some excellent comic runs from Marvel’s collection. We explored the streets of New York with Moon Knight, learning more about his character and the Egyptian lore that accompanies him. We read an interesting run of Doctor Strange that saw his magic disappear and how he traveled the cosmos looking for an answer. Just this past month we explored the origins of Ms. Marvel and discussed what we hope to see adapted from page to screen when she comes to Disney+.
Setting our eyes on the next big Marvel Studios project, we have decided to join Thor and Jane Foster in the comics to see how their source material influences the movie! The reading is as follows, with two optional prologues to enhance your reading pleasure!
Optional prologue 1:
Thor: God of Thunder (2012) #1-11
Optional prologue 2:
Thor (2014) #1-8
Main reading:
Mighty Thor (2015) #1-23, 700-706
Generations: The Unworthy Thor & The Mighty Thor (2017),
Mighty Thor: At the Gates of Valhalla (2018)
This reading will not just be for the month of June but will carry us through July! Because this is a longer reading, we decided that expanding it to two months gives everyone ample time to explore The Mighty Thor. Especially as she prepares to make her jump to the MCU at the beginning of July!
This reading guide has been specially curated by Vin, who has created some stellar reading guides for everything Marvel that has come out lately! Check out all of his reading guides and more over on The Cosmic Circus, under the reading guide tab!
There’s always room for more friends in our circus tent, so we can’t wait to see you for this spectacular sideshow! So if you’re interested in making some new friends and discussing some great reads, please join us in this new adventure!
