Smells like Team Spirit (Author Spotlight on Jed Mackay)

Hello again everyone, today I wanted to do another spotlight on an author I really enjoy. This time I will be putting comic book writer Jed Mackay in the spotlight! Comic books are a medium I have recently gotten back in to within the last several months, and this time I am not falling victim to comic FOMO. It is very easy to fall into that rabbit hole where you feel like you have to read everything when you really don't. Just follow the characters or in this case the writer that you like.

The Man, the Myth, the Mackay

I first picked up one of his books when I started the current Avengers run with Marvel comics. After reading the first couple issues I was hooked and also very impressed. I always love team comics as they allow really unique and interesting dynamics to be shown on and off the battlefield. However it's pretty common for some characters to be moved to the front and some to be in the background at least for a couple issues.

This was not the case with Mackay's writing, he made every single team member feel as important as the other. With heavy hitters on the team like: Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Thor, Scarlet Witch, Captain America, Black Panther, and later Storm, all team members feel like they belong, and they should not have to prove themselves as everyone on the team is already an established hero. One of my favorite moments of the series so far has been when they had to break into an intergalactic casino, and half the team had to create a diversion. The battle between Scarlet Witch and Storm was really cool. I'm really looking forward to see what he does next with the team, but that's not the only team lineup Mackay is handling with ease right now. They even crossed over to play a friendly game of baseball, I'm talking about the X-men!

Mackay also writes the main X-men run right now starring one of my favorite X-men Cyclops. I say main X-men run right now as there is also the Uncanny X-men and Exceptional X-men runs happening right now by Gail Simone and Eve L. Ewing respectively. I feel like Mackay succeeds here by making me care about the lesser-known members of the team. While that sounds a little harsh, it is truthful I had no idea about characters like Temper, Xorn, and Juggernaut. Plus, they've reminded me why I loved other characters too, like Kid Omega aka Quentin Quire. He has quickly become my favorite smart mouth telepath in all of Marvel comics. I do also appreciate their fearless leader Cyclops and am intrigued to see what secrets he's hiding. I'm waiting for the reveal that's coming after his one on one with Quentin where he tells him, "There's a reason I wanted you on my team." I am also hoping for a few more unhinged moments from Magik, during the battle against 3K's X-men when she tells a previous enemy that she's eager to have a matching set after chopping off one of his arms in an earlier battle had me laughing out loud.

Jed, you have certainly gotten yourself a fan in me, and I cannot wait to see how these teams' adventures continue in the Masters of Evil and Hellfire Vigil stories. Happy reading everyone, and see you next time at the Nest!!