Pop! Icons: Stephen King With Balloon Black & White

by PopCorn Princess
November 27, 2020

King of terror and sales phenomenon, Stephen King is a prolific writer: he has written and published over 50 books in almost half a century of a literary career. He grew up reading horror/suspense comics, which encouraged his love for the genre, which made him recognized as one of the most remarkable story writers of fantastic horror and fiction of his generation.

Stephen King, the popular author of horror novels, returns to Funko’s Pop! with a new and exclusive figure. This Pop! features Stephen King channeling his inner Pennywise as he holds a Balloon, holding what we can only assume is a copy of It. We had seen this mold before, but now it comes back with a black and white finish.

Funko Pop! Icons: Stephen King With Balloon Black & White Funko Pop! Vinyl Figure – Fye Exclusive is now available in the links below. Without a doubt, it’s an absolute must for any true horror collection!

Funko Pop! Icons: Stephen King With Balloon Black & White Funko Pop! Vinyl Figure – Fye Exclusive

Available at:

Fye
eBay

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Avatar: The Last Airbender Comics Reading Order (Updated)

PopCorn Princess 2021-09-04

Related Topics: Avatar, Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Avatar franchise originated with Avatar: The Last Airbender but has expanded far beyond the original animated cartoon over the years.

In addition to the sequel (The Legend of Korra), the series was continued more directly through comics. They’re dedicated to exploring further what happened to Aang and his friends after the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai. Later, Korra’s story was also given a sequel in the comics.

I present a simple guide, the comics lists released to date, and the reading order for those who want to venture into this world. Let’s go?

1 – Team Avatar Tales

Before the sequel comics, the series has a few single volumes. Most of these are concise stories, released alongside those of other franchises in free special editions of an event called Free Comic Book Day.

Others are contained in a volume called Team Avatar Tales. The first in chronological order is Relics, which follows Aang, Katara, and Sokka during the first season of the animation. Origami, another short story featured in the collection, is also set during the series, but sometime in the third season.

Other short stories presented, such as Sokka’s Poem and Toph and the Boulder, do not make explicit where they take place, as they are entirely separate from the main plot. Still, leaving them for after the series seems to be the best option.

In addition, Rebound, Shells, and Sisters are also presented, all taking place after the animated series. It is worth noting that Rebound deals with the events of The Promise, so it is essential to read this other comic before it.

2 – Katara and the Pirate’s Silver

In chronological order, Katara and the Pirate’s Silver takes place before some of the stories in Team Avatar Tales. More specifically, it is located after the events of Book 2, chapter 9, Bitter Work.

This was the first comic book released as a single volume, a larger, complete story, unlike the previous tales, and it was not divided into three parts like most of the comics in the franchise.

The protagonist is Katara, who is separated from the rest of the team when they go through a Fire Nation blockade. While avoiding projectiles from his enemies, Appa accidentally throws the girl into the water.

Unable to reunite with the others, the water bender must avoid capture by allying with a group of pirates. But for them to take her outside the blockade, she must prove she is strong enough to take on anyone.

3 – Suki, Alone

Despite being the most recent release, having debuted in July of this year, Suki, Alone is one of the first stories in chronological order.

As the title implies, it is all about Suki, taking place precisely in the run-up to episode 14 of Book 3, The Boiling Rock. Like the Katara comic, this is a single-volume story.

The story’s premise is that having been captured by the Fire Nation, Suki is taken to the most secure prison in the country. There, she must deal with being completely alone, without Team Avatar or the other Kyoshi Warriors.

In the midst of this, she decides to build a new community with the other prisoners. This is no easy task, however, since trust is not something easily found among frightened people. So she must find a way to achieve her goal with more than words of encouragement.

4 – The Promise

The Promise is the comic that started the direct sequel series, being released in 2012. It continues the story of Aang and his friends, beginning shortly after the end of the original aminated series. Here, the main characters are the Avatar and Zuko, the new Fire Lord.

Although the war is over, the two must deal with the tension still present in the world during this time of significant change. Therefore, they take a slightly different approach to solving problems in one of the former Fire Nation colonies before it worsens.

This leads the two characters, who became great friends, to face a dangerous path that could set them against each other again.

To make things even more dramatic, Zuko asks Aang to make him a promise: if he starts to follow his father’s path, Ozai, he wants the Avatar to guarantee that he will stop him at any cost — even if it means killing him. This promise gives this three-part comic its name.

5 – The Search

The second comic book in the series was released in 2013 and also consisted of three parts. This time, the focus is one of the great mysteries left behind from the animated series: searching for what happened to Ursa, Zuko‘s mother.

As a result, the main topic this time is the Fire Nation royal family, including the history of Ursa and Ozai from their youth. After the animation, Azula also appears again, showing a little more of her destiny and revealing that she has been placed in a mental health facility.

Despite the character’s condition, she accompanies Zuko on the search for her mother. Aang, Sokka, and Katara are also helping the search, finally answering what happened to Ursa.

6 – The Rift

Next comes the comic The Rift, from 2014. Again, the story emphasizes the Avatar team and steps in building the universe we see in The Legend of Korra. Like the others, it consists of three parts.

At this point in the story, Aang is already a 14-year-old boy and begins creating Republic City. Toph is also more involved in this chapter. It deals with the clash between being too attached to tradition instead of focusing only on the future without considering the past.

The Avatar team is preparing for the Yangchen Festival, a traditional celebration of the Air Nomads that has not taken place for over 100 years. During this time, Aang begins to receive mysterious messages from the Avatar Yangchen’s spirit, investigating what is happening there.

7 – Toph Beifong’s Metalbending Academy

Another single-volume comic, Toph Beifong’s Metalbending Academy, was released earlier this year in February. Again, the story occurs between the main trilogies, specifically after The Rift and before Smoke and Shadow.

In the plot, Toph lives a simple life-transforming earthbenders into metalbenders. Her academy even has the proper infrastructure, but she begins to get bored of the daily tasks. So her former students, Penga, Ho Tun, and The Dark One, start helping her with her workload.

In addition to the earth bender, Suki and Sokka also make appearances in the story.

8 – Smoke and Shadow

This three-part story is once again focused on the Fire Nation. Smoke and Shadow was released between 2015 and 2016 and followed on from the events of the previous comics.

Zuko must deal with a new challenge as Fire Lord: those citizens who still support Ozai. With the help of Aang and Mai, he faces a mysterious group calling itself the New Ozai Society, whose goal is to overthrow the new ruler and restore his father to the throne.

Things become even more complicated with the actions of mysterious evil spirits called Kemurikage, who endanger several children of the Fire Nation.

9 – North and South

Next comes North and South, released between 2016 and 2017. This time, the focus is on Sokka, Katara, their family relationships, and the two Water Tribes.

In the beginning, the brothers return to their tribe, finding a place that has become very different from the small village where they grew up. The two soon meet their father, Hakoda, the current chief of the tribe, also discovering that Malina, a woman from the Northern Water Tribe, has played a prominent role in the changes in their home.

During all these changes, the two must deal with what they mean to them. Also, things get a little more personal with the romantic involvement between Hakoda and Malina.

10- Imbalance

Imbalance follows the previous events in three parts comic. Released between 2018 and 2019, it begins with some tension between folders and non-folders.

The Avatar Team reconvenes, arriving in an industry where they are not well received, due to the growing disputes between those who can use bending and those who are not.

This leads them to try to resolve the conflict, which keeps getting worse and worse. Thus, Avatar needs to find a solution that makes both parties happy.

The basis for many vital conflicts that occur in The Legend of Korra begins to be established here. In addition, the story deals with industrialization, another theme very present in the second animated series.

11- Free Comic Book Day

Like the Avatar: The Last Airbender comics, Korra’s story received some short stories from the Free Comic Book Day celebration.

The first of these, Friends for Life, tells how the protagonist met Naga, her polar bear dog. Thus, the story shows Korra as a child, taking place before the main events of her cartoon.

The other two stories, Lost Pets and Clearing the Air, have some elements that are only shown in the last book of The Legend of Korra and are best read after watching the cartoon.

12 – Turf Wars

The first comic that follows The Legend of Korra events directly is Turf Wars, which begins precisely where the animation ends. Thus, we see Korra and Asami together, exploring the spirit world.

The story was released between 2017 and 2018 and delved into their relationship and the impact the human world and the spirit world have on both sides.

Korra must deal with new threats as she navigates this new relationship and how other people react to it and fulfill her role as Avatar by bridging the conflicts between humans and spirits.

13 – Ruins of the Empire

The second trilogy of The Legend of Korra comics (and last so far) was released between 2019 and 2020. Its story deals with the fall of the empire formed by Kuvira, also following up on the plot presented in Turf Wars.

Here, the future of the Earth Kingdom is threatened by its past as the nation’s first election approaches.

While Kuvira tries to regain her honor, Commander Guan threatens the peace Korra has built by trying to take power for himself. To avoid this, Korra and Kuvira must work together to ensure the future of the Earth Kingdom.

Way of X #5: Nightcrawler Unleashes His Ultimate Power

PopCorn Princess 2021-08-18

Related Topics: Nightcrawler, Way of X, X-Men

Among Marvel‘s numerous mutants, Nightcrawler is not usually considered one of the most powerful. He can teleport, which is helpful, but its uses are limited, and he doesn’t have the same impact as other mutants in battle.

That, however, does not mean that he is not capable of incredible feats, as his actions in the Way of X #5 demonstrated. In the comic by Si Spurrier, Bob Quinn, Java Tartaglia, and Clayton Cowles, the hero used his teleportation ability in extraordinary ways, going far beyond his conventional limits.

His incredible feat ends up being responsible for saving the lives of millions of people but comes at a tremendous cost to the mutant himself due to his shortcomings and what he needed to do to overcome them.

What are Nightcrawler Powers and Abilities?

Nightcrawler‘s main power is the ability to teleport. In practice, what happens is that he moves through the Brimstone Dimension, traveling through it and then reappearing in his own dimension. Although deciding where to reappear is conscious, the trip through the Brimstone Dimension happens so fast that the mutant doesn’t even notice the time spent there.

Thus, he relies on an unconscious and natural sense to locate himself in this place, which directs him to the right path. Similarly, he has a subconscious sense of space, which prevents him from teleporting inside a solid object or below ground. This sense, however, is limited, which is why he always chooses not to travel to a location without first seeing it.

Although his mind is an essential part of the process and he chooses his destination consciously, the hero’s powers are not psionic. Being originated by biochemical and biophysical reactions, only the beginning of the process is mentally triggered.

The Earth’s magnetic fields influence his ability, and it is easier for him to move between the north and south of the planet, following the magnetic lines, than east and west, having to go against these lines.

Nightcrawler in Way of X #1 — Nightcrawler in the *Way of X #1*

This adds to the limits encountered by the character, who cannot teleport just anywhere. The farther away from where Nightcrawler intends to go, the more complex and tiring, reflecting the maximum distance he can travel. In this case, he can travel for about 2 miles from east to west or 3 miles from north to south.

Another issue related to his power is that he arrives at his destination with the exact inertia as he left. So if he is falling from a great height, he would come falling at the same speed. There is also a limit to how much he can teleport with himself. His “passenger” often gets weakened when he carries other people, so he sometimes uses the ability offensively.

Finally, it is worth noting that going beyond these limits could be fatal, although he can improve his skills over time through practice.

In addition to teleportation, he can climb walls and blend in with shadows, which he uses to camouflage himself. His body is also more flexible than that of an ordinary person, and he can scale surfaces. His agility, reflexes, and strength are also superior to ordinary people.

Nightcrawler In the Way of X

In the comics, Nightcrawler‘s mission was to form the basis of a mutant religion, a task that turned out to be as tricky as it sounds. Besides the numerous philosophical issues related to the goal, the different beliefs of the mutants, and the disagreements between them, didn’t make things any simpler.

Things are made even more difficult by the presence of Onslaught. For those unfamiliar, the psionic creature emerged from the fusion of the darkest parts of Magneto and Charles Xavier‘s minds after the latter used his telepathic powers to shut down the mind of his great adversary.

The series dedicated to Onslaught explains that from this fusion came a conscious being that developed into an entity entirely separate from the two.

During the events of Reign of X, Nightcrawler realizes the existence of a force that has been influencing and altering the minds of mutants, leading them down sinister paths.

In addition, he discovers another mysterious figure, who is appearing in the dreams of mutants and haunting them.

While investigating, the character rescues Legion, who Xavier had suggested as the possible culprit for the events. Together discover that everything was being caused by Onslaught, who aimed to destroy what was being built in Krakoa.

In Way of X, Onslaught acts again, forcibly taking control over Fabian Cortez‘s body and using his amplification powers to overload Lost. As a result, the mutant loses her ability to control gravity, which causes Phobos, one of the moons of Mars, to fall toward the planet Arakko.

The overload is such that Lost ends up dying, making it impossible for Fabian to use his powers to amplify her again and allow her to return the moon to its proper place.

With no options to prevent the deaths of millions of people, Nightcrawler decides to act. Fabian, at his request, amplifies the hero’s powers to the maximum, and Nightcrawler quickly teleports to the collapsing moon.

He then teleports with the entire moon away from Mars, saving all the people on the planet. This, however, comes at a high cost to the character, who, in pushing his limits, sacrifices his own life.

Nightcrawler sacrifices himself by teleporting the moon

He is soon revived by Xavier and the Five, but it is clear that everyone in Krakoa and Arakko knows about his impressive feat.

Even if his abilities have been amplified, transporting an entire moon for a long distance is no small thing and is one of the most impressive things the mutant has ever accomplished.

In addition to showing the full capability of Nightcrawler‘s power, the action says a lot about the character himself, who is even willing to sacrifice himself to save others.

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PopCorn Princess

Hey there, I'm Princess. I’m an annual comic con attendee, Star Wars-loving, and collector freak. My mission is simple: To bring cool geeky news and content and share my passion with the rest of the world. (... I secretly wish to save the world as a superheroine...)