Comics are a language. It’s a language that most people understand intuitively
– Bill Griffith
Recently Comic Bento acquired Eye On Comics – and we are super excited to welcome past and future readers to our site. Hopefully, our passion for the comic space shines through and you find everything you need. If not and you would like us to cover any specific topics, please use the contact form on the contact page to send us a message. In the meantime, here is an overview of Comic Bento A-Z:
I love comics, I always have.
They’re a universal language that the entire world understands and they have become the literary form that we use to tell the stories, big and small, that enable us to escape the rigors of the modern world, help us to comprehend our place in the grand cosmic scheme and come to terms who we are, both as a species and individuals.
Comics gave me a voice, helped me to understand that I wasn’t alone and that there were other people out there who adored the color world as much as I did, and made it possible for me to meet the individuals who would become my life-long friends.
That’s why I started Comic Bento, to share my passion for comics with the rest of geekdom and to invite everyone to explore every facet and corner of the four-color world with me. Are you ready to embark on the comic book adventure of a lifetime? Then it’s time to join me, and set sail to Comic Bento
What Is Comic Bento?
While I’m pretty sure that you know what a comic book is, and that you’ve probably read more than your fair share of them during your time here on Earth, you’re probably scratching your head and wondering what the second word in the site’s name means and refers to.
Well, a bento is a take-out Japanese meal for one that fills you up when your stomach tells you that it’s time to eat, and I liked the idea of having a site that was filled with nourishing, easy to digest, and satisfying articles about comics that could be read in a single sitting.
So, I put the two together, came up with the name Comic Bento, which is what led me here, and what will, I hope, lead you to want to spend an afternoon absorbing all of the superhero knowledge, convention information, and comic book history that Comic Bento was set up to share with geekdom and four-color fandom.
But if you want to know more about what you can expect to find on the site, then read on, as I’m more than happy to talk about comics, Comic Bento, the MCU, the DCU, and the other loves of my life, Manga and Anime.
Make Mine Marvel
My comic book journey started with Marvel and the life lessons that I didn’t pick up from my parents were taught to me by the founding father of Marvel, Stan Lee.
Okay, so maybe Stan didn’t actually start Marvel Comics, but he became its champion and spokesman and after he retired and stopped writing, he went on to make countless cameo appearances in almost all of the first four phases of the MCU (that’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the benefit of those who came in late), including Captain America: The First Avenger, the Avengers saga and his ridiculously funny turn as a barber in Thor: Ragnarok.
Stan was featured in every Marvel film right up until his death, and his final on-screen role was in Captain Marvel, the film that was also dedicated to his memory and whose opening credits include a heartfelt ode to the man who made it all possible.
And just like every other comic book fan in the world, I miss Stan.
That’s enough about me and Stan, so let’s take a brief look at the kind of Marvel content that you’ll be able to immerse yourself in when you visit Comic Bento, and whether you spend ten minutes or a couple of hours in our company (our in Bento’s case, being the collective plural that includes me, the writers that might be joining the site in the future and cast of hundreds of characters, books, and films that are featured on the site) there’s enough Marvel content to make every comic book fan smile with the sort of geektastic glee that’s normally reserved for Wednesdays when their pull list titles arrive in their local comic book store.
Have you ever wondered if Thor can actually fly without Mjolnir or if his ability to take to the air and breathe while he’s soaring through space is due to the fact that he’s god?
Or maybe you’ve always wanted to know how old Loki is and whether his youthful appearance is anyway related to his Frost Giant parents or the time he spent on Asgard? Or how Captain Marvel became one of the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel universe?
Perhaps you’re a fan of Marvel’s not-so-jolly green giant and have always wanted to know how big the Hulk can get when he’s mad and whether or not it’s actually possible to kill him?
And while we’re on the subject of mortality, if you’re looking for the answer to whether or not Wade Wilson Marvel’s resident Merc with A Mouth is actually immortal, a mutant, or something else entirely and why he doesn’t exactly get along with Wolverine?
If you want the truth, and you’re sure that you can handle it, then Comic Bento has all the answers that you’ve been looking for.
Avengers… Assemble
Even though it’s taken the rest of the world almost fifty years to realize that Marvel’s premier team are the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and actually catch up with something that comic book fandom has known since the nineteen sixties, there might be a few gaps in your Avengers fact book that you need to fill in.
For instance, do you know how Thanos knew Tony Stark before they finally met in Infinity War? Or who the First Avenger really was?
Maybe you’ve always wondered what would happen if the strongest members of the Avengers decided to face off against each other, and who would win in a no-holds-barred, anything goes grudge match between Thor and Captain Marvel, or who would be the last warrior standing if Carol Danvers and Thanos had fought each other to the bitter end?
Did you ever wonder if Bruce Banner was the only Hulk and how the Avenger’s power balance might have shifted or been altered if they’d had more than Gamma-powered being on their team?
And what about the Avengers who didn’t get to appear on the cinematic screen, but have served the team faithfully and loyally throughout the decades?
And did you ever think about what might have happened in the battle against Thanos if the four-color members of the team had held the line with their cinematic colleagues?
Maybe you’ve spent hours contemplating how Thano’s plan would have worked out if the heroes and villains in the second-biggest film franchise in Marvel’s history, the X-Men, had been allowed to play in the same cinematic yard?
Would Magneto have been able to alter the outcome of the conflict and stop Thanos in his tracks before he managed to find all six Infinity Stones and snap his fingers?
And what would have happened if the Avengers had been able to wield the combined might of adamantium and vibranium during the climactic conflict with Thanos? Would the story have had a much different ending or would the outcome have been the same?
Comic Bento has all the facts that you need to fill in those details and answer all of the Avengers questions that you and your friends might have. Don’t believe me? Then take a look and find out for yourself.
Spending Time With The Other Side… Welcome To DC
One of the most common misconceptions that people who don’t read comics have about those of us who do read them is that we’re either DC or Marvel fans and that our unwavering loyalty to one or the other prevents us from being able to enjoy the books that the other publishes.
That just isn’t true, as just about everyone I know in fandom loves Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman just as much as Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor.
I’m a HUGE Bruce Wayne fan, and that’s probably why Comic Bento has devoted as much space as possible to exploring his relationship with his closest allies Superman and Wonder Woman, and the strange, and complex nature of his rivalry with the Joker.
Who the Joker is and the role he played in Batman’s evolution are as fundamental to the evolution of the DC Universe as the antagonistic relationship between Lex Luthor and Superman is, and at Bento, we plunge headlong into both and try to provide all of the context that you’ll need to understand just how important, and critical both of them are.
But there’s far more to the DC Universe than the founding members of the Justice League and their ever-evolving and changing friendships with their super-powered allies.
DC Comics gave the world its first real speedster, The Flash and at Bento, we’ve uncovered the truth about whether or not the Flash is still the fastest Speedster in comic books, and if you want to find out if Barry is still the quickest hero in history, the easiest way to do it is by paying Comic Bento a visit to find out the speedy superhero truth for yourself.
Just like the Marvel Universe, the DCU (that’s the yin to Marvel’s yang, the DC Comics Universe) has its own share of antagonists, and on Comic Bento we dive headlong into the history of the most powerful of all of them Darkseid, a character who has been a thorn in the DCU’s heroes side in both the comics and on the big screen.
DC has also started to shine a much stronger light on their heroes who rely on magic for their powers, and the most famous of them, Shazam is now the star of his own film franchise and is set to make an appearance in the forthcoming Dwayne Johnson DC big-screen offering, Black Adam.
And where DC leads, Comic Bento follows, which is why we posed and answered the question on the lips of everyone who saw the first Shazam movie, “Who’s strongest Shazam and Superman?” and if you want to find out, you’ll have to show up at Comic Bento
Then there’s the other DC question that I’m asked time and time again, who is the most powerful hero in the DCU and much as I love being asked about my thoughts on the subject, I thought the best way to tackle it was by approaching it head-on and using Comic Bento as the platform to answer it.
Do you want to know who the strongest superhero in the DCU is? Are you sure? Then surf on over to Comic Bento and find out.
A Whole New World… Anime And Manga
I’m aware that a lot of traditional comic book fans don’t know much about Anime or Manga, as they’re vastly different from the books and animated series and films that we’re used to.
The truth is, the closest most comic book fans have ever come to both is through their exposure to Pikachu and Pokemon but trust me, there’s so much more to Anime and Manga than the stars of one of the most popular games in the history of multi-platform gaming.
At Comic Bento you can discover some of the most mind-bending, paradigm-altering series you’ll ever experience.
Shows like Demon Slayer, Attack On Titan, Black Butler, Naruto Shippuden, One Piece, and more series than you’ll ever have the time to watch all make an appearance on Bento.
I know they’re different, and I know that they’re not for everyone, but with a little help from Comic Bento and a nudge in the right direction, maybe you’ll discover the piece of the comic book puzzle that has always been missing from your life.
And maybe that piece doesn’t belong in the West where the sun always sets, maybe it belongs in the country where the sun rises to shine brightly on a brand new day. What have you got to lose?
That’s right, absolutely nothing, so the next time that you’ve got a couple of spare minutes, sit back, relax and spend some time in the Manga and Anime library on Comic Bento
It’s All About The History…
Comic Bento doesn’t just focus on the major players and subcultures in the four-color universe, it’s also devoted to the history of comics and where the future of the genre might take it.
Do you know how many pages there are in a comic book, and why the industry decided that was the format that it was going to adopt? Comic Bento does, and if you’re curious and want to know the answer, drop by to find out.
Have you ever given any credence to the mainstream media idea that the comic book industry is on its last legs? Do you want to know the truth that the mainstream refuses to acknowledge? If you do, visit Bento.
And if you’ve wondered which publishers own the rights to characters like Spawn and Deadpool, who the world’s first superhero was, or wanted to know more about the history of black superheroes, then you need to bookmark Comic Bento, make yourself a cup of coffee and take an hour out of your busy schedule to find the answers that you’ve been looking for.
A little knowledge can go a long way, and at Comic Bento we believe that the more you know about comics, the more you’ll enjoy them.
It’s Time To Head To Comic-Con… Or Is It?
One of the biggest events in the comic book calendar, before the Pandemic radically altered the course of the last two years, was Comic-Con, the world’s biggest comic convention that arrived in San Diego every July.
And I don’t have to tell you that trying to get tickets for Comic-Con was harder than trying to find the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. It was and will be, next to impossible.
But San Diego isn’t the only big convention player in the four-color world anymore, and as the country starts to open up again, you’ll be able to hop from state to state and meet up your fellow fans and soon-to-be lifelong friends everywhere from Rhode Island to Pensacola, Seattle to Denver and Atlanta to Boston and at Comic Bento we’ve got the low down on, and everything that you need to know about, comic conventions all over the US as well a few of the more popular overseas gatherings.
Conventions are the lifeblood of four-color and pop culture fandom and I can’t even begin to tell you how many of my friends I’ve met at them, and the number of great memories that I have from just hanging out at conventions.
That’s why I devoted so much space on Comic Bento to them because I believe that every comic book fan should attend at least one Con during their lifetime. It’s an experience that you’ll treasure forever and will never forget.
See You In The Funny Pages… Or When You Visit Comic Bento
In all the furor and excitement of telling you about Comic Bento, I nearly forgot to introduce myself. Hi, I’m Cal and I’m the four-color fanatic responsible for creating Comic Bento.
I hope that you’ll take some time to explore and enjoy the site, and if you do, drop me a line so that we can chat about comics, Manga and Anime because it’s always good to meet new people and make new comic book buddies.
After all, that’s what fandom is all about, isn’t it?
