Are you familiar with The Ship of Theseus? Doesn’t matter, because it’s time for “So You Want To Read Comics”, a weekly feature where we take a look at a single subject and then offer you a pair of comic book recommendations that are great for new readers, based on that topic. This week we’re taking a look at Wandavision.
Being that there is currently a gap between Marvel series releases on Disney+ this feels like the best time to look at their first one. Wandavision was thrust into the spotlight partly due to it’s high concept and bold storytelling methods, and partly for its clever ways to address certain sensitive topics while not being preachy or dismissive. Seeing Wanda and Vision hop and skip their way through various decades via popular sitcoms of the era was a fun romp for a lot of people and let’s not forget that catchy song. Not to mention, all the little easter eggs scattered throughout activated that corner of the internet that’s always hungry for a new thing to dissect frame by frame in order to elicit any bit of knowledge and prophecy they can find.
Yet, like all Marvel Cinematic Universe properties, now that it’s over there’s not many resources telling the viewer where to go next. Let’s rectify this. Here are two comic book series to check out if you were a fan of Wandavision.
Vision Vol.1: “Little Worse Than A Man”
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Gabriel Hernandez Walta
Publisher: Marvel Comics
You can purchase this volume via the comiXology affiliate link.
The Vision is a series that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. This series is about what happens when Vision decides to create his own wife, a son, and a daughter (Virginia, Vin, and Viv respectively) and move to the suburbs. What follows is then a deep, sometimes dark, look into what it means to have a family, to be human, to exist when everyone else says you shouldn’t, and how far some people will go to preserve the idea of normalcy that they have in their head. Essentially, this is very similar to Wandavision just instead of Wanda being the one to propel the story, it’s Vision, it even features some of the same side characters as the show, just in different roles. Beyond just the similarities to the show, The Vision is some of the best narratively constructed, superhero comic book work out there. Each issue uses clever narration and unrelated concepts (for example, P Vs. NP) to put the events of the issue into a certain context to make them more impactful. Also, it’s a good place to enter the Marvel Universe due to it’s relatively standalone nature.
I Kill Giants
Writer: Joe Kelly
Artist: J.M. Ken Nimura
Publisher: Image Comics
You can purchase this volume via the comiXology affiliate link
I know that this doesn’t feature any of the characters from Wandavision, it’s not even from the same company, but stick with me here. One of the major themes of Wandavision is how people manage their grief and really examines the ideas of escapism. In the show, Wanda literally creates a fantasy world around her simply to live out a fantasy that she unfortunately can’t have. That’s where I Kill Giants comes in. Featuring the character of Barbara, who’s a bit of an outsider, kind of a geeky girl, who begins to slip into her own fantasy world and how this starts to creep into her day to day life. Without revealing too much here, as the truth behind Barbara’s fantasy becomes more known, this story becomes a poignant, complex story about a whole array of topics like: Grief, disassociation, mental health, family, and more. If any of the deeper themes in Wandavision struck you as particularly interesting, this book should be on your list.
What did you think of these recommendations? Do you have any suggestions of your own? Let us know in the comments section below.
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