Because everyone loves a trilogy, it’s time for “So You Want To Read Comics”, our weekly feature where we take a look at a single topic and then give you two comic book recommendations, perfect for new readers (most of the time), based on that topic. This week we’re finishing our look at the upcoming MCU shows for Disney+.

This time we got ourselves a real challenge on our hands.  One of the hallmarks of the MCU has been how they are able to pull from established storylines from all across the eight decades that the Marvel characters have existed and then change and alter them to fit into this massive cinematic universe.  Some of these storylines are easily adapted into this format like the return of Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier, or parts of Civil War.  Some of them though are a bit tougher and the line from comic to show/movie, isn’t as clear, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t absolutely try and find some comics to read if you’re interested in these two upcoming shows:  Echo and Secret Invasion.

DAREDEVIL: PARTS OF A HOLE

Writer: David Mack
Artist: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Maya Lopez AKA Echo is a character who is deaf, but her ability to mimic any physical action she sees makes her an incredibly skilled person in both violent and non-violent activities.  As of the writing of this article, we’re currently seeing Maya Lopez’s origin story play out in the series Hawkeye and it’s not all that dissimilar to how it’s played out in the comics, with one big, glaring difference.  In the comics, the one who is pinned as the person who wronged her, is Daredevil, not Hawkeye.  This sets up a sort of counter to Daredevil’s blindness, think of that movie See No Evil, Hear No Evil, with more spandex.  In this volume we see Echo’s very first appearance.  Also, at this point in history, this particular series becomes very Echo focused at times, almost like they were trying to sneak in her own series without people noticing.  As an added benefit, this is one of the most well regarded series of Daredevil as well.

SECRET INVASION

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Leinil Yu
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Okay, so here’s the deal: This is not a good book for newcomers to the Marvel Universe.  This story is about the discovery that shape shifting aliens known as Skrulls have been impersonating well known Marvel heroes and villains, for a very long time.  The reason that this isn’t such a good book for beginners is that it’s story is sort of reliant on a large section of Marvel history.  Plus, there are so many tie-ins it’s difficult to read the entirety of the story (the omnibus is nearly 1000 pages, weighs almost 6 lbs, and costs over 150 dollars).  But, that’s not to say that this isn’t without merit.  Much like the MCU took Civil War (a storyline that is also not very beginner-friendly) and made appropriate changes to make it work, we can expect something similar to happen with their Secret Invasion series.  So, it’ll be fun to see just what they change and what they leave in.  Plus, there’s no doubt in my mind that there will be plenty of little callbacks and easter eggs to be found and reading this storyline will have you on the inside track of discovering them.

Did you check out these suggestions?  How have you been enjoying the MCU shows so far? Let us know in the comments section below.

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