Marvel Comics has created an expansive, incredible universe filled with some of the most iconic characters and beloved stories. There are countless pages of comics for fans to enjoy but every now and then, a single panel stands out in our memories. Whether it’s the incredible artwork, a major reveal or moment in a story or even just a really funny line from one of Marvel’s more comical characters, some comic panels just deserve to be recognized.
With that in mind, I want to take a look at some of my favorite comic panels. Each week, I will select one panel from a new Marvel comic as a “New Favorite” and one panel from an older comic as a “Classic Favorite” and provide some context as to why those two panels are so great. Sometimes I might get a little loose with what I consider a “panel,” because comics tend to play by their own rules. But at the end of the day, we’ll have two glimpses of two great Marvel comics, one old and one new.
So without further ado, here are my picks for this week’s top Marvel Comics panels:
Classic Favorite: “Civil War II #1” (2016)
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: David Marquez
Before I get into this one, yes, it is actually one panel in the comic. I broke it up into two separate panels here to make it work a bit better in this format. Ok, now that that’s out of the way, this is another panel with Spidey just being Spidey. The new young Inhuman, who is the catalyst for this who crossover event, is starstruck after meeting Tony Stark. Luckily, Spider-Man is there to bring him back down to Earth.
“Civil War II” is a very intense story arc with a lot of very dramatic and emotional moments. This panel is a nice moment of levity, as Spider-Man so often delivers. It’s especially funny knowing that this moment comes immediately after a meeting of some of the world’s most powerful heroes in which they discuss what to do about the boy’s ability to see visions of the future.
Another great thing about this panel is that, despite its simplicity, it says so much about both of the characters it features. Ulysses, the young inhuman, is caught up in a whirlwind. His life has been turned upside down by the recent discovery of his new abilities and now he is the subject of a superhero debate featuring none other than Earth’s biggest celebrity, Tony Stark. Spidey, on the other hand, acknowledges how cool Tony is, but given their long history, he also knows better than to be too impressed. Plus, he lets out one of his classic sarcastic quips.
New Favorite: “Taskmaster #1”
Writer: Jed MacKay
Artist: Alessandro Vitti
Taskmaster is one of the most dangerous killers the Marvel Universe has to offer. He possesses the ability to mirror the skills of anyone so long as he can see them first. That makes him a master at fighting, shooting, archery and just about any other deadly skill you can imagine. So, it’s always going to be hilarious when you see him running away in a golf cart while listening to “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton.
See, for all of his incredible talents and fatal tendencies, Taskmaster is really kind of a goof. Yes, he’s a contract killer whose mind is usually on his next target, but he never really takes himself too seriously. So it’s not entirely surprising that he would have a ringtone that doesn’t exactly fit his look.
This new series kicks off a mystery that could lead to a very big arc, with Taskmaster at the center of it. The villain has made himself some dangerous new enemies and he is not about to stick around to find out who they are. Hence the golf cart chase sequence. It’s a wild, hilarious and ridiculous romp that starts off what could be a great new story.
You can check out “Taskmaster #1” now.
Be sure to check back next week for more of my favorite Marvel Comics panels.