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Who Is Spider-Ham? The Origin Story of the coolest anthropomorphic pig from Marvel Comics

Now a well-established character in the Spider-Family, Spider-Ham started his life more than 40 years ago as a character for a one-off Marvel comic, without any real future. But who could resist this funny animal version of Spider-Man? Not long after his introduction, Spider-Ham headlined his own series for a short while before slowly fading into relative obscurity.

This situation changed in the 2010s when Spider-Ham came back slowly but surely into the spotlight. First, with his cameo in the video game Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. Then, making his real comeback into the comic book world in the big Spider-Verse event, followed by a stint as a main member of the Web Warriors team. And finally, making a splashing entrance in the mainstream area with the release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018. 

Today, let’s explore Spider-Ham’s creation and origin story, from his improbable invention to his also improbable transformation into a superhero pig!

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Who is Clea? Marvel’s Sorceress Supreme and Daughter of the Dark Dimension

Wanda Maximoff can be considered Marvel Comics’ most famous sorceress, but she isn’t the sole possessor of mystical powers. Clea, introduced the same year, stands out as a superhuman spellcaster and illusionist, deserving readers’ attention.

She was first introduced as a damsel in distress to be saved by Doctor Strange in the Dark Dimension before she became her disciple and lover. Endowed with vast magical powers and knowledge, Clea dedicates much of her life to fighting oppression, on Earth or in her dimension, with Strange and as part of the Defenders. She fought many menaces (including her own family), led the rebellion in her dimension, took over as the new ruler, and became the Sorceress Supreme of The Dark Dimension.

Despite those prowesses, Clea appeared sporadically in Marvel Comics for a long time and was mostly used in service of other characters, mainly Stephen Strange. Her origins started to be explored only ten years after her debut, and it took many more decades before the character was offered a real chance to shine away from Strange. She had to undergo numerous tribulations, but her fate started to change in the noughties. She finally became a main character in her ongoing series in 2022, completing her transformation from the “mysterious silver-haired girl” into the Sorceress Supreme we know today.

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Howard the Duck Reading Order

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Howard the Duck Reading Order

Created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik in the pages of Adventure into Fear #19 (cover-dated Dec. 1973), Howard the Duck is now probably better known in the world of comics for the feud between Marvel Comics and Gerber who tried to claim the right of the character—and for the 1980s live-action movie. But the three-foot-tall anthropomorphic duck’s adventures went beyond the courtroom and continued long after his creator stopped writing him.

But let’s start at the beginning. Introduced as a secondary character in the adventures of Man-Thing, Howard the Duck went on to get his own title and to become a candidate during the U.S. Presidential campaign of 1976. He was not elected, as you may know. It’s not easy when you are a write-in candidate. Anyway, Howard is originally from an alternate Earth populated entirely by ducks instead of humans. After being transported to Earth against his will, Howard finds himself in the Florida Everglades where he meets Man-Thing.

When he got his ongoing series, Howard saved model Beverly Switzler who became his sidekick, the two went on crazy adventures as the sarcastic and wisecracking duck had to navigate through various adventures (Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror…) and often dealt with absurd and satirical situations—the character gained popularity for his unique and humorous take on the superhero genre.

Nowadays, Howard works as a private investigator, but that was not always the case. In fact, he was a cab driver for a time, a politician, and other jobs as his stories satirized various aspects of society and pop culture.

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Uatu The Watcher, Marvel’s record keeping immortal

Marvel Comic books are a record of the life and times of Earth’s superheroes delivered to us for our enjoyment. But in this fictional universe exists a race of people recording everything that happens. They are the Watchers. One, in particular, is responsible for watching over Earth, his name is Uatu. You may be familiar with him as he was introduced in Fantastic Four #13 (1963) by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee–and he subsequently served as a narrator for multiple stories he observed from his home in the Blue Area of the Moon.

Who are The Watchers?

A highly evolved and ancient species in the multiverse, the Watchers are a peaceful and intellectually advanced species, and their society is built around the concept of non-interference. They believe that knowledge is the key to enlightenment, and they have dedicated themselves to observing and recording the events of the universe. It was not always the case. They tried to help another race by giving away technology which led to a catastrophe.

They learned from that mistake and took a vow to avoid repeating it. Nevertheless, one of them broke that vow in order to help Earth’s heroes. His name is Uatu.Read More »Uatu The Watcher, Marvel’s record keeping immortal

The Best Kitty Pryde Comics, the Essential Reading Order

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At the beginning of the eighties, a 13-year-old girl named Kitty Pryde was introduced to the X-Men Universe. Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, Katherine “Kate” Pryde is a mutant with phasing abilities that allow her to move through solid matter. Following the manifestation of her powers, she was approached by Emma Frost and Charles Xavier, respectively, to invite her to join their school.

Kitty chose to go with Xavier and became the youngest to join the X-Men, at first under the codename Sprite. She would also use the alias Ariel, but would become more associated with the name Shadowcat. She was at first portrayed as the “kid sister” for the other members of the group – and developed a strong friendship with Storm while living big and dangerous adventures

And with more than 40 years of history, Kitty Pryde has seen a lot, from the young kid recruited by Xavier to a founding member of the Excalibur team, adventurer in space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, as Captain Kate Pryde of the Marauders and more. She would grow up, be de-aged, become a young adult, and finally recently abandon her nickname in favor of “Kate”.

One of the most popular characters in Marvel Comics, Kate is today in the spotlight with this essential reading order, listing the best comics to read to understand her character, motivations, and transformations. Beware! We try to deliver a mix of best and essential order to retrace the history of the character, and it means sometimes that the story can be a mediocre or okay story with great characterization or simply offers information about the character’s evolution.

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Marvel Omnibus: The 2026 Release Schedule

Omnibuses are a favorite among collectors. They are large-format graphic novel editions, beautiful hardcover editions collecting reprints of complete series, runs, or events. They are heavy, but it’s often the best way to collect some hard-to-find comics. If the editing is good, it’s also the best way to read in order.

Sadly, these books are not cheap or printed in large quantities. It’s too easy to miss out on a new one. We will try to list here what’s coming, what’s already published, and if there are reprints.

You can also take a look at the release schedule for DC Comics’ Omnibuses.

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The 10 Best Spider-Man Stories To Read

Spectacular or Amazing, Spider-Man has been slinging his web through a lot of adventures for more than 60 years. That’s a lot, but Peter Parker is more than familiar with his responsibilities and uses his powers to entertain us as much as he can. Of course, it’s not always a hit. As a matter of fact, some years have been difficult.

Nevertheless, there’s still a lot to enjoy in Spider-Man comics and there are a lot of Spider-Man comics to enjoy. Therefore, you may ask: what are the ones that are the best? What are the must-read stories any Spidey fan can enjoy?

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The Hulk Family Tree: Who’s Who? From the Banners to the Walters

If you are a reader of Marvel’s Hulk’s Adventures, you may already be familiar with the fact that Bruce Banner has family issues and not just with his abusive father. His extended family is not always on good terms with him—even his own multiple personalities can’t seem to tolerate each other. It’s complicated.

Dr. Robert Bruce Banner was introduced in Incredible Hulk #1 in 1962—and you can read a lot more about his origins in the article dedicated to his creation. Since then, his family has grown, he made new friends, and a lot of monsters appeared, some were totally normal family members and acquaintances at first, which can complicate things even further.

Anyway, after more than 60 years of smashing, Hulk’s family evolved and, today, we are taking a look at it, exploring Bruce Banner, Jennifer Walters, and others, plus their green (or red) monstrous alter egos.

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Kaine Parker Reading Order, The (second) Scarlet Spider (also Peter Parker’s clone)

Just as there are multiple superheroes named Spider-Man and several superheroines known as Spider-Woman, there are also two members within the Spider-Verse who took the mantle of Scarlet Spider. And they are both clones of Peter Parker. We already covered the life (and multiple deaths) of Ben Reilly. Today, we are covering the superior Scarlet Spider (in my own personal opinion), aka Kaine.

Created by Terry Kavanagh and Steven Butler, Kaine Parker made his first appearance in Web of Spider-Man #119, during the infamous Clone Saga. It was then revealed that Kaine was the initial unsuccessful experiment by Jackal to clone Spider-Man. Dying from day one, Kaine’s life was marked by violence and villainy until Spider-Man intervened and offered him a second chance.

Sometimes presented as a sort of mash-up between Punisher and Spider-Man, Kaine has evolved a lot throughout the years as a character, from his mysterious introduction to his murderous actions, his redemption, and his own cool run as Scarlet Spider.

Let’s dive into his story with this Kaine Reading Order!

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Predator & Alien Comics Reading Order!

Based on the movie franchises respectively launched by Alien (1979) and Predator (1987), the Alien & Predator comics were published by Dark Horse Comics from 1988 to 2020. 

Because they thought it would give the writers and artists more creative freedom and flexibility, the heads of Dark Horse Comics decided early on not to publish ongoing or unlimited titles from the license and to compose the line as a series of limited series, one-shots, and short stories, with a main focus on limited series. The first three books were a sequel to the first two Alien movies.

Quickly, the Predator franchise was added to the line, following the same editorial directive. Dark Horse Comics published continuously new miniseries, one-shots, and graphic novels set in the Alien and Predator universe, and in both of them, as “Aliens vs. Predator” stories were also regularly published, for a good decade. But between 1999 and 2008 the line was on hiatus.

In 2020, after Disney acquired FOX Studios and took control of the characters’ rights, Dark Horse lost the license to publish more Alien and Predator stories, and could not reprint anything anymore. Marvel Comics, being a Disney property, took over and started by reprinting all the stories in new omnibus collections (and now Epic Collection). Marvel also launched new miniseries (or short ongoing series).

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