It was written at least partially in jest, but only partially. It was undoubtedly delivered with a knowing smile and a friendly tone, but it did echo sentiments which have been expressed here before. An anonymous visitor to the blog recently described feeling somewhat alienated by "comments about how nothing good ever came from DC comics past 1989 and the like". What, he asked, about those "intelligent human being(s)" who "happen to like a lot of the New 52?" Isn't it possible that they might "feel a little insulted" by the suggestion that the company's superhero line has, despite notable exceptions, long since seen since better days?
On the one hand, it's easy to respond with the suggestion that anyone who objects to a difference of opinion ought to consider heading off in the direction of less disagreeable points of views. But the banter was both good-natured and entitlement-free, and I have to concede that it is easy to see how this blog might seem to be somewhat snotty when it comes to today's comics. I don't tend to discuss the books of the past unless they strike me as being particularly fine examples of the medium, whereas the product of today runs the risk of being reviewed on its own merits as a recent release. It's easy for me to feel that I'm generally positive in what I write, given that there's the Q Magazine column every month, which deals with today's books in what's nearly always a positive fashion. Yet to the visitor to TooBusyThinking who picks the wrong week, or who randomly arrives at a few negative reviews one after another, it may well seem that TBTAMC is nothing more than yet another reactionary, yesterday-was-better blog.
And that's not actually what I believe at all.
In fact, I doubt that there's ever been a time in which there were more thoroughly good, and often great, books being published.In so many ways, this could be the medium's true golden age in everything but sales figures, and that's especially true where the monthly comic is concerned. Yes, I do believe that the superhero book in general is stumbling through hard times, but that doesn't mean that there's not fine, fine work still being done in the long underwear comic. And look beyond the world of the costumed crimefighter and, as I'm sure we'd all agree, 2012 is a time so rich in entertaining comics that it's impossible to keep up with even a fraction of them.
There may be a case for arguing that today lacks a hardcore of truly brilliant, genre-smashing, medium-redefining monthly books. And we could argue whether that's true, and even whether that's an inevitable consequence of living in such a media-saturated and savvy age. But push that aside and the reader who can't find work to be inspired by today is either possessed of particularly individual taste or they're not truly looking past their prejudices to what's on offer.
It's something which I just don't emphasise enough, and I should. Mea culpa. What follows is simply a list of 23 titles which are always worth the buying, as well as a mention of one digital site and two one-off tales which are quite possibly my favourite stories of the year so far. Those who've visited TooBusyThinking before may notice the presence of comics by creators whose work I've previously struggled to enjoy, and of titles which I've given mixed reviews to in the past. In some cases, I've simply learned that I was wrong, and in others, the weaknesses of the comics concerned are more than compensated for by their strengths. These may not all be great comic books, but they are all thoroughly worthwhile reads. (It should be noted that a few of the titles in the list were introduced to me in the Readers Roulette rounds on the blog, so my sincerest thanks to those who've been generous with their time and nominated comics which I ought to have been paying attention to.)
It's so very easy to recall long-past years in which a visit to a newsagent or a comics shop resulted in a great stack of rewarding books. And it's easy to imagine that those days are gone. Yet any half-a-dozen of the following titles chosen at random would constitute the kind of comics bonanza which nostalgia can suggest will never return. Even given the fact that I'm a long way from up to date with such promising fare as LOEG:2099, Jennifer Blood, Chew, The Unwritten and BPRD, and considering that I've yet to dip into the Valiant relaunch, the IDW pulp books or DC's Shade, amongst many other titles, there's still far more that's worth buying than my pocket can possibly afford.
So, just to make the point as plain as I might; 2012 is proving to be one of the best times for comics-buying that I've ever experienced in my almost half-a-century of reading.
These are, as Chic have been reminding us since 1978, The Good Times. As such, and in no particular order at all, will you please be upstanding for;
1. "Saga" by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (Image, ongoing) review pending
2. "Journey Into Mystery" - by Kieron Gillen, Doug Braithwaite et al (Marvel, monthly) review pending
3. 2000AD (Rebellion, weekly) featuring in particular Nikolai Dante, The Zaucer Of Zilk, Judge Dredd: Day Of Chaos, Ichabod Azrael, & Absalom (reviewed in Q 309 & at Sequart via here)
4. "Snarked" by Roger Langridge (Kaboom, ongoing) reviewed in Q313 August 2012
5."Saucer Country" by Paul Cornell &Ryan Kelly, (Vertigo, monthly) reviewed in Q 311, and TooBusy review pending
6. "Beasts Of Burden: The View From The Hill" by Evan Dorkin & Jill Thompson (in Dark Horse Presents #8, one-Off) review pending
7."Batman: Incorporated" by Grant Morrison & Chris Burnham (DC, ongoing) Toobusy review here
8."The Goon" by Eric Powell et al (Dark Horse, ongoing)
9. "The Dandy"(D. C. Thompson & Co, weekly) reviewed at TooBusyThinking here
10. "Daredevil" by Mark Waid et al (Marvel, monthly) reviewed in Q 309 & at TooBusy here & here
11."The Manhattan Projects" by Jonathan Hickman & Nick Piatta (Image, monthly)
12. "Batwoman" by J. H. Williams III & Amy Reeder (DC, ongoing), discussed on TooBusy here
13."The New Deadwardians" by Dan Abnett & I. N .J. Culbard (Vertigo, monthly, limited), reviewed at TooBusy here
16."Batgirl" by Gail Simone & Alitha Martine (DC Comics, monthly, particularly as with the above)
17."Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred" by David Hine and Shaky Kane (Image, monthly, limited) review pending
18. "Crossed; Wish You Were Here" by Si Spurrier & Javier Barreno (Crossgen, Digital), collected edition in August) review pending
19. "Dial H For Hero" by China Mieville & Mateus Santolouco (DC, monthly)
20."Fatima The Blood Spinners" by Gilbert Hernandez (Dark Horse, monthly, limited)
21."Scalped"by Jason Aaron & R. M. Guera (Vertigo, monthly) - title reviewed at TooBusy here
22."Prophet" by Branoon Graham & Simon Roy, (Image, montly)
23."Demon Knights" by Paul Cornell & Diogenes Neves (DC, monthly) reviewed in Q 308
25. "Mind MGMT" by Matt Kindt (Dark Horse, monthly) TooBusy review here
26. "Uncanny X-Men" # 14 by Kieron Gillen & Dustin Weaver (Marvel, monthly), reviewed here
27. "Mudman" by Paul Grist (Image, ongoing)
28. "Action Comics" by Grant Morrison et al (DC, monthly)
What have I missed? Where was I wrong? I realise that everyone's got far better things to do, but I would love to know your opinion of the State Of The Comics Nation IN 2012, and there are, of course, no right or wrong answers. As those who've popped in here before will be able to see from the above, I find it hard to resist a well-made argument and not change my mind.
.
Colin -
ReplyDeleteI kind of question Batgirl's presence on the list, because despite being a comic that's well-made, it comes from the same moral rot that you talked about with Slott's Spider-Man, only in terms of the marginalization of disabled characters. Are we ever going to see your thoughts on the matter?
Thanks,
J. Martin
Hello J:- Very good question indeed. My position re: the rebooting of Batgirl is just as Jill Pantozzi expressed in the following;
Deletehttp://www.newsarama.com/comics/oracle-is-stronger-than-batgirl-110606.html
I retain my belief that it was a regrettable decision.
I did struggle with the new Batgirl title, but the newest issue has, to my mind, been the second particularly interesting one in a row. The art is improving, the story is becoming far more compelling, and with the introduction of a greater measure of politics in #10, I'm convinced that the book's carving out a niche for itself.
It is a run which I'd like to take the time to discuss and it is on the 'to-do' list. So that that doesn't sound worthy, I'm just curious to discover why I've shifted from lukewarm to interested.
Thank you for asking :)
"Batman" and "Wonder Woman" are in top form too. I can't think of a time in all human history when Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman simultaneously had exceptional comics.
ReplyDeleteHello there:- I've discussed my problems with both Wonder Woman and Batman on the blog recently, so I won't bore you with my opinions there. Yet I am more than ready to concede that the books are interesting and spirited. I have, as I say, problems with the storytelling and, in WW, ethics, but that doesn't mean I can't understand why others would say as you do.
DeleteAnd of course I'll be going back in a couple of months time to each title in the hope that I'll have been utterly mistaken!
The Walking Dead, Locke & Key, All-Star Western, Sgt Mike Battle and The Phoenix Comic should be on there too I'd say.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome - its a very fine list as is and there are far too many on there I've not tried for myself yet! :-)
DeleteHello Lee:- I'm so far behind on the Walking Dead that I couldn't comment. Locke & Key and The Phoenix Comic are on my "to read and review" list. I've admired aspects of All-Star Western, but not been won over by it yet. Sgt Mike Battle only exists on the very edge of my radar, but now, of course, it's moved right into the "why don't I know about this?" column.
DeleteThanks :)
J. Martin -- I'm not sure I see "Batgirl" as an attempt to marginalize the disabled, so much as undo a mistake. "Batgirl" was crippled for the sake of shock value (or "good writing" as some people would call it, or "moral rot" as I would call it), and while something positive came out of it despite Moore's and DC's original intentions, I am pleased to see them correct the original mistake as best as they can.
ReplyDeleteThis is not to say I would be averse to Barbara Gordon finding herself in the wheelchair again someday; I just would not want it done for shock value. Here's a scenario: we know Barbara's treatments were pretty experimental, and it could be she's been pushing herself too hard, to the point where her treatments will fail if she doesn't take it easy. But there's a killer out there; what does Babs do? I wouldn't fault her for calling in Nightwing to speed up the search (that would just be sensible), but if it comes to a choice between walking or stopping a killer, I know which way I would respect. If that's how she returned to a wheelchair, I could be very very comfortable with that; it wouldn't leave me with the distaste that "The Killing Joke" always has.
Hello there:- I think the context of J's post - in referring to the recent discussions here about the torture scene in a recent ASM - indicates that it wasn't being suggested that any conscious harm was intended. A disagreement, then, and an expression of regret at the ethical aspects of decisions made, but not, I think, a accusation of a deliberate attempt to deny representation to a minority who are so under-represented in comics.
DeleteI would agree with you that The Killing Joke was always a very bad idea. The crippling of BG was a wretched miscalculation in the day and I thought that when the book first appeared. (It was a shock to find myself disagreeing so fiercely with a book by both AM and BB, but it isn't a creator's job to produce what I want :)) However, I think that far more good came out of that mistake than could ever have been foreseen at the time. To do away with Oracle in order to correct a mistake in 1987 is, in my opinion, to cap one serious mistake with a far worse one.
If we're open to thinking about other ways in which Babs could've been brought as Batgirl, why not have her following in the footsteps of an older sister, relative, friend or role model who had been Batgirl before suffering the injuries which would ultimately lead to a new Oracle being created? To have, for example, BG discover that her younger sister had been Batgirl and see how that played out would've helped sidestep the problems with removing Oracle has caused.
But that's all by the by. It's the kind of debate whose terms have been largely laid down over the past year and I honestly wouldn't presume to pretend to be representing some objective truth. There are decisions which I disagree with, but it's cool with me that we don't agree :)
I think you'll really like Locke&Key. It was MY personal revelation of 2012 and is still in top position to win the Best Comic (I read) in 2012 Award come Dec.31.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, I totally agree with you that while trends in superhero books are often abysmal (usually in the editor-led decisions), there are probably more good, high quality books than ever. When I look at my reading list, there are a LOT of books not published at the Big 2, and it's where the greatest variety lies. Image in particular has gone all out for its 20th anniversary, but I've got stuff in there from Dark Horse, Boom, Kaboom and Dynamite as well.
A great selection of books you've given us, many of which I read, and the others, I've just never read (in other words, I can't say I dislike any of them).
Particular favorites of mine not on the list include Dial H, Frankenstein Agent of SHADE, Superman Family Adventures (replacing Tiny Titans), Avengers Academy, Adventure Time, Conan the Barbarian, Super Dinosaur, Thief of Thieves and more.
Hello Siskoid:- I've started on L&K and I suspect I'll love it too. But I didn't want to play "I've-read-everything". With writing for Q and Sequart too, I've ended up with such a wonderfully broad area to read up on and review that there's no hope of my processing everything I feel I should. Best to own to that, I think :)
DeleteDial H is on the list, I promise you! Frankenstein I like for the warmth and the quirkiness, but I struggle with the lack of density in the stories. Martin from TooDangerous told me to read SFA, and I will. Conan I've just reviewed. Thief Of Thieves felt too thin and horizontal-panelled for me, if you know what I mean. Avengers Academy I do intend to take another swing at - I know it's well thought of by people I think well of. Adventure Time and Super-Dinosaur have only just appeared on my radar, thanks to you.
Thank you :)
Of what's not on your list, I'm enjoying IDW's Popeye, GI Joe: A Real American Hero! & Next Men, Fantagraphics' Tales Designed to Thrizzle, Aardvark-Vanaheim's Glamourpuss and Dark Horse's Usagi Yojimbo. I certainly recommend Popeye if it isn't already on your radar.
ReplyDeleteI'm also reading IDW's Trio, despite having reactions similar to your own about the series. There's just got to be some sort of twist or satire behind it all, right?
Hello Mike:- Thank you for the suggestions. I'm looking at the books above in the post itself and it strikes me that a dozen and more were recommended to me by commentors here. By which I mean, I really am grateful for the nudging.
DeleteI have Popeye #3 in the comics package arriving out here in the wilds - it's promised - tomorrow, so I'll get to enjoy that soon. I never saw the cartoon or read the GI Joe books, while a few graphic novels from the local libraries have proven rather poor. (Even one written by Chuck Dixon, who I normally find a highly dependable writer.) But if you say so, I'd be a berk not to check it out. Takes Designed To Thrizzle I have NEVER heard of; thank you. Can you assure me that Glamourpuss isn't sprinkled with misogyny, because I just realised that I'm worried it will be. (I know you'd be able to put it into context, but I'm not sure how strong my capacity to do so would be.) Usagi Yojimbo I'm slowly catching up in trade, though I do admire the book - and of course enjoy it - greatly.
But Trio? I know what you mean about expecting ambition and smarts to intrude. But I think .... maybe not. (But if it does, please do let me know!)
Thanks :)
Colin, enjoying the Real American Hero! series really depends on how fond you are of Larry Hama's original work on the series. If you never read and enjoyed his G.I. Joe in the 1980s, you probably won't enjoy it now. I like it because of his humour, political/social commentary and military background.
DeleteGlamourpuss is... uh... very difficult to recommend because it's A) Dave Sim and B) not a traditional comic book. Each issue is divided between the Glamourpuss half (where Sim draws pin-ups based on fashion magazines, then makes fun of fashion magazines) and the Strange Death of Alex Raymond half (where Sim ruminates over the details of Alex Raymond's death and tries to recreate Raymond's art styles). The most recent issues of Glamourpuss have had a little more narrative with the character "Zootanapuss" (parody of Zatanna) invading the pin-up section to mock the fashion models (aided and abetted by her wisecracking rabbit, Bunny). Cerebus also turned up in one issue. Your enjoyment of Glamourpuss really depends on how interesting you find Sim's stream of consciousness, but if you're sensitive to his views on women then you'll probably find something offensive in it.
Hello Michael:- Thank you for the information. Even when you're careful to warn me when I probably won't like a title, I end up feeling interested in reading it.
DeleteGlamourpuss actually sounds like a book that's (a) important to sample, and (b) one which would, at the least, add variety to a stack of comics. It SOUNDS like a car-crash, but it also seems like a must look-see.
And it's not as if I'd be buying it without knowing what might be found therein.
Hi Colin,
ReplyDeleteThat's a great list, there's a few on there I'm yet to try and a few I didn't take to but the rest I'm thoroughly enjoying. I suppose this is as good a place as any to thank you for getting me into Batman Inc, and (back into) 2000AD. The Zaucer of Zilk was outrageously fun to read (I managed to get the back issues I missed before your review), Batman Inc is highly entertaining too (Burnham's art is superb).
I'm pleased to see The Manhattan Projects (how the heck does Nick Pitarra draw this comic on a monthly basis?), Mudman, the Bullet Proof Coffin (loved the original, waiting for trade on Disinterred) and Prophet (about which I'm writing a big, big piece) in particular on the list. All are favourites of mine :)
I suppose the only thing I might add is Orchid, for it's allegorical progressive politics (let down a bit by the dialogue though), and Glory, for being the most viscerally satisfying of all the 'dark' superhero comics I've read in a long time, with great artwork and for being a neat twist on the genre.
For all the cynicism I've felt toward a lot of Marvel and DC's books lately they still do some damn fine comics and the smaller publishers are really flying at the moment.
A couple of comics you might want look out for in the near future: Ellipsis by Tom Humberstone (of Solipsistic Pop) and the ocular assault of James Stokoe's Godzilla: Half Century War.
Hello Ed:- Thank you :) My ambition, as I've said before, is to write negative reviews which make people want to read the book being criticised :) So, even if it means that folks just think "He's obviously wrong" and act accordingly, I'm going to be stupidly pleased. And it helps that Batman Inc, which I assused of a lack of heart, and Zaucer Of Zilk, which I said lacked a touch of narrative precision, are actually really good comics!
DeleteI'm looking forward to your piece of Prophet.Give me a nudge when it appears, if you would.
Orchid I know next to nothing about. Glory I read one issue of and thought it rather smart. But as with many of the above, it seemed to lack that key quality of density. A touch more STUFF going on and I would have had no problem recommending it.
I appreciate your suggestions. Having been encouraged to read Orc Stain by several visitors to TBTAMC, I'm certainly up for Stokoe's Godzilla.Ellipsis will join Orchid in the Get-Round-To-It file.
Glad to see you're enjoying Prophet as well. I've been likening it to a Heavy Metal comic as drawn by Tim Truman to people--it has that sort of combination of earthy grit and surreal, imaginative, imagery.
ReplyDeleteHello Kazekage:- All I can say in my defense is that I do listen to the advice which good folk such as yourself give me. Prophet is by no means my favourite book of the above; I like my narratives less Heavy Metal and more 3 act structure. But it's bright, ambitious and different. Adds variety to healthy meals ... with healthiness :)
DeleteNot so much arguments, but opinions.
ReplyDelete1. Saga
- Yes. This is the best book available today. Everyone involved is at the top of their game, and at it's price-point this comic is by far the best value you will find. Not to mention it's a pure joy to read.
2. Journey Into Mystery
- For several months this was a sadly underrated book. The last few months have been hit and miss, heavy on the miss. Still I have a lot of faith in it. I hope to be reading about boy-Loki for years to come.
3. 2000AD
-I've never read it. Art samples I've seen of Dredd have always turned me off, but I truly can't (and shouldn't) judge.
(pun not originally intended)
4. Snarked
- Another one I haven't tried. I've heard it's lovely and I'm inclined to believe it.
5. Saucer Country
- Great concept for a book. The X-Files meets West Wing angle is intriguing, though this is still not a comic I get very excited about.
7. Batman: Incorporated
- The new ones? I'm not reading them. Really I'm not reading much of any DC anymore, but I find it annoying how quickly their simplified, united universe turned out not to be.
8.The Goon
- Honestly enjoyed this book in the past. However the recent satirical issue lampooning popular super-hero comics came across as pitiful whining and I lost a lot of respect for the title.
10. Daredevil
- Fantastic. Joy and style have brought this hero back out of obscurity and made it perhaps the best ongoing hero title.
11.The Manhattan Projects
- Another concept I wish I'd come up with first. A strong book that is only getting better.
12. Batwoman
- The first few issues were stunning. After that the best I could say was that it was uneven.
13. The New Deadwardians
- My fellow podcast host loves this book, though it never did anything for me. I found the first issue exceedingly dull in a time when a first issue needs to truly impress me to get me to buy another book.
14.Fatale
- This comic too has a lot of hype surrounding it that I can't say I agree with. Then again, I never did get past the first issue.
15. Life With Archie
-I like what I've heard Archie comics have been up to. However, I cannot justify spending money on terrible puns that remind me why many people don't respect comics at all.
...2...
ReplyDelete16. Batgirl
- As much as I usually like Gail Simone's work, she didn't give me the young, fun, adventurous Batgirl that I wanted. Maybe it's good, but it isn't for me.
17. Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred
- Meaning to check it out.
18. Crossed
- See above.
19. Dial H For Hero
- The DC reboot disappointed me so much that I never gave any of the second or third wave books a chance.
20."Fatima The Blood Spinners
- I'm not familiar with this.
21. Scalped
- An excellent narrative and piece of art that I confess I'm not buying these days. I fell out of the habit some time ago and plan to catch up with trades once the story is done.
22.Prophet
- I read one of these recently and it was totally impenetrable. If every comic is someone's first, this one seemed to also want to be that person's last.
23."Demon Knights
- One of the only DC titles that remembered that comics can be fun.
24. "America's Got Powers
- I can't believe this concept didn't get done sooner. I found the first two issues decent, but I don't think I'll get any more.
25. "Mind MGMT
-Began with issue #2. Perhaps that was a mistake. The only thing I enjoyed about it were the hidden messages and extra bits that had nothing to do with the story.
26. "Uncanny X-Men"
- I'm actually surprised this one is on the list. None of the X-books (with the exception of X-Force) are where I want them to be right now, but of the main two I'd say Wolverine's title is the one worth reading.
27. Mudman
- Issue #1 was enjoyable enough. That is all I know.
28. "Action Comics
-All my life I've loved the concept of Superman, though I rarely if ever enjoy any of the comics he headlines. Issue #1 of this had me literally cheering. Very soon after that the book seemed to fall totally apart.
This is a good list. I don't know if this is the new golden age, but there certainly are a lot of books worth reading if you take the time to find them.
Hello George:- Thanks for the feedback. If I don’t respond to a point you’ve made, it’s safe to think that we’re in complete agreement, as we are on, for example, Saga. I wonder if being British has helped make the past few JIM issues so enjoyable, given its focus on the culture of the UK? 2000AD is currently the best anthology comic I know, and several of this year’s strips have been world-class. In fact, it’s often so good that Dredd’s only the third or fourth best strip in it. The first TPB may be the best starting point for Snarked, and the up-coming Saucer Country may be the same. I also didn’t care for the Goon superhero book parody, but that apart, it’s always splendid. Life With Archie is a very untypical Archie comic, being a rather serious, even sober, set-in-the-future title based on the Sliding Doors high concept. It’s not an Archie most of us are familiar with. Issues 16 and 17 are rather politically brave too. Paul Kupperberg’s doing an impressive job there.
DeleteI think the team behind Batgirl has found its feet with #9 and 10. Bulletproof Coffin; Disinterred is fiercely strange and fun; it might be best to start with the first trade. Cross: Wish You Were Here can be read for free on the net! Dial H is by far the best second wave book and good fun. Fatima is a secret agent/zombie/sf mashup that’s very smart and fun too. I agree that Prophet can be a challenging read, but as part of a selection of books, it’s both rewarding & a change of pace. Mind MGMT probably, as you imply, needs starting with #1. Uncanny X-Men #14 as a stand-alone issue is one of the best comics from anyone in any genre this year. Very impressive stuff.
I'm intrigued by the prospect of reading such a well-received anthology book. I'll have to see if I can find it over here in Canada.
DeleteHello George:- Good luck with finding an up-to-date 2000AD or two. As an anthology comic, it goes through better and worse periods. It's unavoidable, of course. But the quality has been very high for a great many months now. I believe that it can be bought digitally too. If you try that, you might want to start with the 2012 issue, an extra size issue that came out at the beginning of December last year. It works as a very good sampler indeed :)
DeleteColin - I know it's finished now, but I'd be very interested to read your thoughts on DMZ by Brian Wood.
ReplyDeleteIt possibly lacks some of it's punch now the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cooled, but the parallels the series draws between those and it's fictional second American civil war remain as clear as ever, as do it's illustrations of the behaviour of the government, military, media, and the people when at war in the 21st century.
It's unashamedly political at many points, but above all it's an humanitarian work, and I'd love to see what you think given your dismay at the the lack of this in superhero books lately.
Hello Mike:- I'm feeling keenly aware that I ought to be reading more of BW's work. I didn't feel able to give his Conan a good review recently, but so many folks have given his work the things up that I know I must go and read more of his work. I read the first 3 DMZ collections, but I've rather different taste and I agree with you; it would a good idea to go back there and see how such a politically engaged comic comes across now. I'll also be reading the first The Massive this weekend. I feel like a student who's remembered they've missed a seminar and haven't caught up with the notes yet!
DeleteTo clarify my thoughts about Batgirl with the benefit of more time to articulate:
ReplyDeleteI love Gail Simone's writing. Secret Six, a noted favorite of both Colin and myself, demonstrated a true, honest, humane moral complexity that was unlike a good number of stories in any medium, let alone comics. It's obvious that any reboot she'd choose to sit out would be much worse off than this one, and that the Batgirl title would be nightmarish in the hands of, say, Winick. But, the title of hers with a real place in my heart was Birds of Prey, because it was literally the only piece of fiction I'd yet read or seen to have a competent, truly disabled character (by "truly disabled", I mean that the character has an impairment that isn't magically erased or surpassed, like Daredevil's blindness or Xavier's paralysis). People who aren't disabled, who are black or queer or female or any other minority, can look around and find at least four or five role models in fiction, a few people to validate their normalcy and worth in our global narrative. I can't, even though being in the colosseum of high school almost necessitates that desire. (I'd argue that the only minorities that still have this degree of invisibility in 2012 are trans and intersex people.) So, Oracle was a resounding breath of fresh air. I burned through all of the trades in a week, like they were an oasis in a desert of misrepresentation. In much the same way that reading Greg Rucka's Batwoman in a time of crisis made me feel good about being gay, Oracle made me feel like I was finally being given a seat at the table. To hear the character referred to as a mistake just because Alan Moore accidentally had a good idea for once boils my blood. It also reinforces the toxic idea that everyone who doesn't meet the rigid standards of American masculinity (females, queer people, and disabled people, mainly) should stay the hell out of our good old-fashioned punch-ups. (If, by some sort of evolutionary malady, you honestly believe this about disabled people, please read my Flash reboot and educate yourself: http://thexbridge.com/sbflash.html)
Birds of Prey did several stories, the Braniac arc among them, that grappled with the idea of restoring Oracle's mobility. At least back then, Gail landed firmly on the side of "no". Only the most heinous of people would think of "fixing" a person's race or orientation, so why do we feel this pathological need to "fix" disabled people?
I read Batgirl on a regular basis. It is easily within the top ten of DC's reboot. But I'll never be able to like it without taking a shower first and pushing a bunch of my core beliefs under the bed. I'm tired of people making every conceivable argument in favor of this, particularly since there's been no visible signs of filling the void of disabled characters (current count: 2. Horsewoman, Jason Rusch's one-panel dad.) in the New 52. It's a shame to see the staunchest supporter of diversity at DC relapse in an area that sorely needs her.
J. Martin
Hello J.:- Thank you for taking the time to express yourself so passionately and with such care. Both yourself and the anonymous poster above - I mean no snark by that - have expressed yourself with a real clairity and force. I'd do come down on, as I've said before, on the side of the argument which regards the rebooting of Oracle as a terrible mistake, and I do think that the absence of another Oracle who has similar challenges to face, or indeed another substantial current-era character, is becoming more and more worrying. It's one thing to ret-con such an inspiring representation out of existence. It's another to not make a serious effort to create a major front-line to fill the ethical hole that's been created.
DeleteMind you, it is possible that I've missed such a thing being done. I do read as widely as I can and keep my ear to the ground, but I would appreciate being corrected here.
The only thing that I'd disagree with you about is your description of Gail Simone "relapsing". It was made very plain by all concerned at the time that the change of Oracle to Batgirl was going to happen anyway; it was what DC was going to do, end of story. At that point, the responsibility for making sure that the DCU was working on an ethical basis surely devolved backed upon the editorial powers that be. Ms Simone has always, as your own testimony establishes -:) - been on the side of the angels, or whatever their secular equivilants might be. Often, of course, with dirty faces, but angels all the same. There's no writer I can think of who's done more than she has to be progressive and humane in her work.
But then, I can't imagine we'd disagree about that :) The key issue is why the New 52 is actually a less inclusive and kind place than the old DC was.
One title I'd put on (although it's almost finished) is Reset by Peter Bagge.
DeleteAlso, where is Twentieth Century Boys?
Dina
"To hear the character referred to as a mistake just because Alan Moore accidentally had a good idea for once boils my blood. It also reinforces the toxic idea that everyone who doesn't meet the rigid standards of American masculinity (females, queer people, and disabled people, mainly) should stay the hell out of our good old-fashioned punch-ups."
DeleteMoore did not accidentally have a good idea; Moore's idea was to break Babs in a garish, lurid way for shock value and throw her in the trash. It was John Ostrander's good idea to make something of Babs despite Moore's (and DC editorial's) best efforts to ruin her.
DC Editorial's sensitive position on Moore's proposal was "okay, cripple the b*tch", according to accounts. This is what you are championing when you speak of Moore's accidental good idea. I see nothing but moral rot in that.
And here is the other point that you are missing, in some inexplicable way: I don't have a problem with Babs Gordon (or another character) with a disability. (For that matter I don't have a problem with gay characters or females either, but thanks for putting those words in my mouth.) What I have a problem with is elevating moral rot to the standard of art. Like I even said in actual words -- and this is why I have trouble understanding how you can misinterpret what I said so comprehensively -- I really would not mind seeing Babs return to the wheelchair, but I'd like to see it happen for better reasons than Alan Moore decided to cripple a b*tch. (Again, those were DC's words: "okay, cripple the b*tch". And I'M the misogynist for not respecting that.)
Hello Dina:- Several people have mentioned Reset to me in different places over the past day. I shall definitely go check it out.
DeleteThe incandescent Twentieth Century Boys didn't get a mention because it wasn't a monthly or new material. I could have filled the post with 500, and quite seriously maybe twice that, books if I'd gone for collections of material currently in print.
Which would be quite fun :)
The 14th volume of Twentieth Century Boys has just arrived. I'm looking forward to reading it this weekend.
I'd like to suggest that the arguments about the Batgirl/Oracle reboot are now closed. I understand why folks feel passionate and I know how easy it is to forget that this a thread with a specific purpose. But it's all getting heated and I'd rather concentrate on the topic at hand. I've left up the comments which have been made, I've intended no disrespect to anyone involved, but I'd like to move on now.
DeleteI share the following choices from your list: Journey into Mystery, Batman Incorporated, Daredevil, Dial H, Prophet, and Action Comics.
ReplyDeleteMy own list would add Atomic Robo, Chew, Empowered, Fables (and Fairest, which has started to grow on me), Glory, Invincible, Winter Soldier (Bru is always better writing Bucky, and Betty Breitweiser is coloring the ass off the book), and X-Factor.
The good Ennis has showed up to write the Shadow revival, Capullo and Manapul's art on Batman and Flash (respectively) have me enjoying those books even when the story tends toward average, Green Lantern and Iron Man are guilty pleasures, and I will back the JSA until I croak--so I am enjoying Earth 2, especially since Robinson is really the only creator to take Didio and Lee at their word and reboot his book's content wholesale.
Hello Rob:- I think the very fact that we can agree on a fair number of "core" titles and then debate about a whole lot more helps establish the point; these are better times than are sometimes credited. While I wouldn't claim that everything above is brilliant, or even of a similar quality, an anthology book with any 5 strips put together better would be a must-buy proposition.
DeleteI just read Invincible 92 for the next Reader's Roulette post; it wasn't new-reader friendly, Chew, X-Factor, Empowered and Atomic Robo need investigating further by me. Fables I've found less and less enticing as time has passed. I need to look at the title again. I did enjoy the first Shadow issue, but found it thin. In fact, that's the main problem I have with most of today's comics, and there's a fair number of the comics in the list in the post above that could do with more muscle on their bones. I found Earth-2 to be so close to a mid-90s Elseworld annual that I couldn't read on, but everyone I know has super-books they're fond of which others might find impenetrable. I've no bones to pick there!
And Iron Man's about to be rebooted with Kieron Gillen, isn't it? I'm looking forward to that.
What are your thoughts on Swamp Thing and Animal Man? They are tied for my favourites on my pull list.I enjoy the other series you list here as well (at least the ones my limited budget allows me to read). I just finished Morrison's run on Animal Man and am making my way through Moore's Swamp Thing run and am almost constantly getting my mind blown. So maybe the fact that I'm so in love with those two runs is bleeding into the current ones. However, that I do believe that the art in both Swamp Thing and Animal Man is consistently up there with if not the best of either of the big two's monthly offerings.
ReplyDeleteHello There:- Swamp Thing & Animal Man are undoubtedly smart books with some notable moments, but for my money, they're just too flick-through-in-a-moment to be mentioned in the above. I'm not trying to colour them with faint praise. There are some smart ideas and plot beats in those books. But compare them to the Moore Swampy or Morrison's Animal Man and it seems to me that yesterday's banquet has been replaced by this year's tasty snack.
DeleteBut the key phrase there is "it seems to me". And I'll be back for the "0" of those two issues issues to see how things change, I do assure you.
Colin, your list includes books I regularly follow, books I've been meaning to read for some time, and a few that I'd never thought of picking up before now--in other words, a perfect list, reaffirming my tastes while daring me to expand them.
ReplyDeleteComics I read regularly that aren't on your list include the New 52 version of The Flash and the Vertigo ongoing, Unwritten. The kid and I have also been enjoying recent issues of Archie, wherein he's rekindled his romance with Valerie (of Josie & the Pussycats--as if you didn't know). The recent Star Trek/Legion of Superheroes miniseries was also good, light fun, although it wrapped up rather too quickly.
As I commented back in your Wonder Woman discussion, I've been hanging on in the hopes that a reveal will come that shows the Diana is smarter than she's let on and that the whole amazons-as-rapists asseertion was a lie. I'm beginning to lose hope, however...
Thanks for sharing the list!
Mikesensei
Hello Mike:- Thank you! One thing I wanted to was have a variety of books, including super-books that some might see as too "common" as well as less populist fare. I'm glad it's working as a way of folks discussing their own preferences across the board. That's all a list like this can ever hope to achieve. Anyone who thinks they've nailed down a definitive list is an idiot ...
DeleteAh, UNWRITTEN!!!! My wife and I are working through it and I read ahead sneakily to the recent Gilgamesh issue. UNwritten should have been there on the strength of that issue alone. Pah. But since I've only read that single issue of this year's run, I'd be breaking my own rules to add it. Rather frustrating. I'll make sure to write about it soon in an attempt to make up for that.
The New 52 Flash and the LSH/ST crossover were a touch too thin for me. That's personal preference, I make no claim to that being an Olympian judgement! I have the latest Flash arriving tomorrow, however, as part of my policy of making sure I check in with what's going on every once in a while. I look forward to be pleasantly surprised.
I too look forward to finding out I'm wrong about my suspicions re: Wonder Woman. Yet each issue seems to take me further from that. If there is a grand reversal coming, it may have been placed so late on in the story that it'll be hard to care when it arrives.
But fingers crossed. And maybe the LSH/ST team-up will read better in trade. I hope so. I would love to enjoy it :)
I'm glad someone else mentioned The Unwritten. It's not only entertaining, but very smart and consistently true to concept. Mike Carey is under-rated to me, as he's hardly discussed when compared to other mainstream writers of quality.
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading Brian Hibbs' Tilting at Windmills, making a similar point that we are in a flourishing age of comics, especially smaller press books that are becoming much more economically successful. Which isn't a main goal for me as a reader, but does portend to bringing in more quality to the field.
I agree with many other recommendations mentioned here, so let me also list Rachel Rising by Terry Moore, Reset by Peter Bagge, and Super Crooks by Mark Millar.
Also, I know it's not a monthly comic, but I recently read Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken by Ray Friesen. It's an all ages book that reads like a cross between Monty Python and Patton Oswalt (his timing, not his swearing). I don't usually laugh when reading unless it's really good. I laughed nearly every page of that thing. It's the funniest book I've ever read. Now that I've oversold it, feel free to read it and wonder what's wrong with me.
Hello Brian:- Mike Carey is indeed a talent. I had the chance the interview his occasional collaborator and Friend Sumit Basu on the blog earlier this week, and he obviously holds Mr Carey in the highest esteem. All of this has served to remind me that I ought to reading more of the man's work. And I shall.
DeleteBryan Hibbs' pieces are always worth reading. I'm always relieved when I pop over to Tilting At Windmills and discover that my opinion sits well with his :)
I am reading Super Crooks. As yet it reads like a storyboard for a movie rather than a comic in itself. It is undoubtedly a good comic, and several people I admire greatly tell me they enjoy it. I've not got past the storytelling yet. Rachel Rising I haven't as yet sampled, but will add to the list. Reset is a book which several folks have recently told me to go check out. And I shall!
I have heard of Pirate Penguin v Ninja Chicken, and I've been tempted to check it out. Your last paragraph makes it sound like a must buy. Fair deal. After all, the title alone is hard to resist, isn't it? The funniest book? Even it's only a fraction as good as that when read from inside my head rather than yours, it must be worth the investing in. (And we've often agreed on books, so it may just be the funniest thing I've ever read too. Fingers crossed and .... jump ....!)
I agree, Super Crooks is likely a storyboard, but does the intent to make it a movie necessarily take away from the work itself? In other words, if you didn't know that Millar intends to milk every dime from that work to make a movie, would you approach it differently, with a less-jaded eye? I will say, I hadn't bought Kick-Ass, or many other recent Millar books, because of concerns both in and independent of the comics. But its such an obvious concept, and he's marking his territory, as it were, with the cynicism he's often shown that also matches the material.
DeleteI wish I hadn't been so effusive about Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken now. Not that I disagree with what I wrote, but that humor is much more personal than drama. My immaturity may not match up well with your own. But I guess part of being a "fan" is the fanaticism that the name "fan" came from, so a certain level of hyperbole might be expected. If you review it, I'll read cautiously, as I will be sad if you didn't enjoy, and, if so, may simultaneously go all Inigo Montoya on you. No pressure, gentle blogger.
Hello Brian:- I didn't mean to imply that Super Crooks lacks virtues. It's just that it also lacks invention where the comics form is concerned. (In my opinion.) For example, the single page splash of the Bastard - I think it is - at the end of chapter 2 is nothing but a head shot. It's the equal of a still, a publicity shot, it's comics reduced to the most simple, literal form. I keep looking at scenes and wishing that I was looking at COMICS in all their inventive glory. Instead, there's just one literal depiction from an obvious and straight-forward angle after another. Very pretty, very clear, rather dull. Is the story interesting, if deconstructed. Yep. Is it satisfying in either art or writing? Well ... It's in no way shameful, it's obviously competent. But ...
DeleteIt's not the fact that it's going to be a movie which alienates me. It's the fact that it hasn't been a proper comic book first :)
But I am reading it, and I will keep reading too.
I share, I think, your concerns about the likes of Hit-Girl. The Bitch Is Back, indeed.
I absolutely appreciate your enthusiasm for PPvBC, as I do your expression of faith in Super Crooks. As you say, that's what being a fan is about. You know me, you know I'm not writing to be agreed with or to win an argument. Every time you say the likes of "reconsider Super Crooks", I make an argument for my own position and then I sneak off and think twice. And half the pleasure of reading books on recommendation is learning more about the folks who said "read this!". I've never read a comic that I haven't learned something from even if I didn't enjoy it. It's a win-win situation.
I'm sounding enthusiastic tonight, aren't I?
In reply to Colin:
ReplyDeleteI've been fortunate enough to learn a bit about this, and let me clarify: I completely understand the perils of introducing any new character in comics, particularly in a market that's shrinking or sinking, depending on your level of optimism. That difficulty multiplies if the character is anything but a white, straight, able-bodied male. I have no doubt that Simone is trying/has tried to diversify their universe in all respects.
But...these types of proposals get shot down. A lot. I've heard stories. Internally, there is a whole slew of reasons provided as to why disabled characters Just Don't Work and Just Aren't Necessary. First of all, we can't just have a few white knights at DC trying to fix this. And secondly, again, they've tried hard. The only plausible explanation is that editorial either has some trepidation about disabled characters in comics or some trepidation about new characters in comics, both of which are problematic. When you consider not just the heroes in comics, but their supporting casts and foes, it is mathematically ridiculous that there are two. In all of mainstream comics. Two. Knowing how difficult it is to bring new blood into comics, then, why was the decision made to pull the plug on Oracle? Seriously, imagine if there were three queer characters, or three non-white characters, or three females in ALL of comics, and one of them got "healed". Would any justification sit well with you, even if the comic it was made from was the next Watchmen?
(And my apologies for clogging up the comments with only tangentially-related rants. Rest assured that I'll come crawling out of the woodwork should you ever bring it up in its own post.)
J. Martin
Hello J:- I've added a comment above where I've noted that the Batgirl/Oracle debate is beginning to slip out of control as well as - you've noted this - being tangental to the topic at hand. So I'm going to leave up everything that's been said without responding to the latest round, which means all three of us have had our say! - and then I think I'd rather declare a time out and get back to folks reminding me of comics I've forgotten. No harm done, no complaints being made, just a respectful plea for hand-shakes and a towel down all around :)
DeleteI thought the first Tales Designed to Thrizzle collection was hilarious. Humor is highly subjective but I recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI'm about 3 issues behind on Flash, but liked the ones I've read. The plotting's nothing special but the art and ideas about Flash's powers were fun.
Uncanny X-Force might not be your thing, but I've been digging the trades. I like how Rick Remender has the team members examine the consequences of their actions.
-Mike Loughlin
Hello Mike:- Tales Designed To Thrizzle appears to be an irresistable prospect. So I won't resist. Sold! Thanks:)
DeleteI agree with you that the art on Flash and some of the ideas being put to work in the series are interesting. If the story had been better - according to my taste - I'd have been pleased to recognise the book. I've just read the latest issue and though there's good stuff, the writing just isn't dense or insightful enough. Actually, there's one page where so much exposition has been loaded into the panels that the talking heads can hardly be seen talking. Double-page designs which say little and then text-crammed frames later on to catch up? A pleasant enough read, mind you, and as you say, the art's very attractive, but for the books ahead, I wanted to be able to say that at the least one out of the writing and art was splendid and the other aspect at least strong.
You're one of several good folks who are recommending that I give UXF another go. I have to assume that UXF is worth returning to. I really haven't enjoyed the individual issues I've read, but ... How can put this? I do trust your judgement, and I have, er, been known to be wrong before ... :-( I might have a shot at Fear Agent first to get a better sense of RR's writing without all that Marvel stuff possibly getting in the way.
Nice list! Though I gave up on Batgirl after the first two dreadful issues and have recently stopped reading Batwoman too (the art is 'mostly' lovely to look at but I find the story so relentlessly dull and plodding and I feel it's style perhaps overhwelms any attempt at substance).
ReplyDeleteI'm reading most of the titles you've mentioned above and I'm really enjoying them. Saucer Country is interesting, though again I feel it's got some faults to overcome. The New Deadwardians is brilliant and I really wish that book would get more notice.
I'll also vote for B.P.R.D., particularly the issues featuring James Harren on art. I'm really apreciating just how good this series is after reading through three of the recent omnibus editions for Plague of Frogs. In terms of continuity and long-running serials, it makes you wonder how DC and Marvel can get it so wrong so often; BPRD excels at 'superhero comics' style of storytelling even if the characters aren't particularly superheroic.
2000AD is just unrelentingly brilliant in the last few years. I have a mistrust of anyone who says they love comics and yet they don't read 2000AD; you surely can't love comics if you're not seing them done at their very best, time and time again!
Hello O (I hope I can call you O) - I too had problems with Batgirl, but #9 and particularly #10 have convinced me that the corners not just been turned, but left behind. With Batwoman, I felt that the visual imagination on show was the strength of the comic, and though the script tends towards competent rather than excellent, it's still a comic worth adding to a pile'o'reading.
DeleteI have just recently finished the third of the Plague Of Frogs collections. If I could have claimed to have read this year's titles, I've no doubt I'd have had been able to add them to the list :) Catching up with the likes of BPRD and CHEW is proving expensive, but I'll get there, I will.
2000AD for me turned the corner in the autumn of last year after something of a disastrous first half of 2011. Since then, it's been a absolute joy to read. And I agree that it is comic that folks who're interested in the SF/action/adventure end of the spectrum ought to be following. In fact, I think a great deal of the comic is appealling far beyond genre lines, but certainly those folks who seem to make up most of the current audience for monthlies can't go wrong with 2000AD.
Nice list. The only one of these that I've read that I don't like is THE GOON. Between the few issues of that I've read and the Godzilla comic he wrote, I am definitely not a fan. Some of the others that I haven't read, I'm tradewaiting, so it's heartening to see them on this list.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know that a review of SAGA is coming. I'm not surprised to see it on your list, but I'm surprised it's so far up. (Never mind, I went back and reread the sentence prior to the start of the list.) I think it's a great book, but I feel like BKV doesn't explore the sci-fi elements enough, which is what I love about PROPHET and why I place that above SAGA.
Anyway, what I'd say that you missed would be ADVENTURE TIME, ATOMIC ROBO, GLORY, USAGI YOJIMBO, and SIXTH GUN.
Hello Joe:- Shocked, I say, shocked at the lack of The Goon coming from your direction. But in matters of taste, there is no argument etc etc But if you do get a chance to pick up a TPB from a local library rather than a single issue or two, I'd recommend giving it another go. It does seem to overlap with alot of things you've enjoyed in the past.
DeleteIt's interesting how you'd rank Saga and Prophet. My interest is in the human relations rather than the concepts, so I'd put the two books in the opposite order to you. That helps me get a better grip on your taste, and I say that with a great deal of curiosity and no amount of snark at all :)
Adventure Time, Atomic Robo and Sixth Gun have passed me by, but no longer. Usagi Yojimbo I'm catching up with in trade. I read a somewhat intriguing issue of Glory, but the storytelling was too read-it-in-a-moment for me to persevere. I thought it was a smart book, I really did. But there was about 8 pages of story stretched - in my opinion - out over 20. I will go back when it's collected, however, and see how wrong I was!
I was equally shocked. Everything I had heard about THE GOON sounded interesting, but when I read it, I didn't think it was bad, I was just apathetic about it. Something didn't quite click for me. And no need for me to check out the local library; I was confident enough in the recommendations that I got one of them (vol 0 or 1?) and I made it through it, but I thought "Well, that was nice. I wish I didn't spend any money on it though." I've flipped through the occasional issue here and there but nothing made me feel like I needed to give it another chance.
DeleteThe human element in SAGA is definitely very well written, but right now I think PROPHET is doing something more unique with its world-building and spartan story-telling and is taking full advantage of its sci-fi setting and the comic format. Maybe after a bit of time passes that newness will wane, but at the moment PROPHET excites me more.
ADVENTURE TIME is another comic that takes advantage of its format and does some stuff that only comics can, like in one issue there are tiny three-panel jokes at the bottom of the page. But I'm gonna take a guess that you probably haven't seen the cartoon, and if you haven't then I'm wondering how well they'd work for the uninitiated, as the characters have a very specific way of speaking (a little goofy, a bit of made up slang, and a little matter-of-fact), and Ryan North does such a great job capturing their voices that I can hear them in my head while reading the comic.
With ATOMIC ROBO and THE SIXTH GUN, there's none of those concerns with those comics.
I was way behind on USAGI YOJIMBO when I finally decided to jump into it, so I know how you feel. I think there is gonna be a lull in the series for a moment while Mr Sakai works on a side-project based on a popular tale from Japanese history.
As for GLORY, I could see how it might feel like light reading. I read the first 3 or 4 issues in one sitting.
Also, if I could recommend some manga despite it not being in the monthly format like the other comics in this article, there's a few I'm itching to talk about. For instance, there's YOTSUBA&! which has almost made me cry from laughter. Often times it's hard for writers to make very young kids seem ignorant and curious without making them seem like stupid adults, but Kiyohiko nails it with hilarious and heartwarming results. Volume 11 has been solicited finally, so I'm counting down the days for when that comes out.
DeleteOn the opposite end of that spectrum, there's GANTZ, which the beginning is so full of angst and nihilism that I was about to drop it despite it being the amazing bloody spectacle that it was, but something happened around vol 5; it started to grow a heart and show that it wasn't just violence for violence sake. Don't get me wrong, it's oh-so-violent and probably beats any other in terms of pure machismo, but the book has a point. In between the pages and pages of gorgeously choreographed, frame-by-frame action, it has a point.
Hello Joe:- If you see one of the volumes later in the Goon's lifetime, do give it a go. But it may just be that it's just not for you. For me, I find it strangely disturbing. Horses for courses :)
DeleteI think Prophet is working in the tradition of Heavy Metal and all the greats associated with it. In that, it's offering something which today's books really aren't. For those like me who really are interested in character, it can feel like arid fare. Smart, but lacking in heart. But I put it in the above list because it is worth reading. And I'm not suggesting that it ought to suddenly change its approach, for all the hubris that such a suggestion would show. Perhaps a greater measure of character would actually spoil the atmosphere that the comic's delivering.
Your other welcome suggestions will all be investigated :) YOTSUBA&! and GANTZ are exactly the kind of books I’d never hear of otherwise. One of the good things about our getting the chance to swap words over the past months is that you know I WILL get my homework done :) It may take me a time to do so, but the list is there, and I’m grateful for it.
I'd nominate AMERICAN VAMPIRE as a title worth following. It is consistently good. Also, HELLBOY and its spin-offs, but I am not caught up with them. The same is true of FABLES.
ReplyDeleteThere are more worthwhile comics to read than I have time to read them. That is part of my frustration. Sampling new comics is a real challenge. Few of the most interesting and/or rewarding titles are top monthly sellers, so they are not often shelved. Trying them means pre-ordering them. It has made me more risk-averse than I would like.
Still, your point is well taken. There is an embarrassment of riches for the informed fan who is willing to skim the cream from various publishers. What is missing is that sense of of the one publishing house really leading the medium in a given direction. Perhaps foolishly, I held out hope the New 52 would signal DC taking those reigns.
Hello Dean:- I struggled with American Vampire's first two TPBs, I really did. This of course worries me, given that your taste has a tendency to be a marker of Good Stuff.
DeleteI agree with you that the market todays makes it hard to keep up with what's going on. Move from the monthlies out to the collections and OGNs, as I have the privilege to do at the moment for Q, and the whole business becomes incredibly confusing. I don't mean to seem to be complaining. It's just that the good stuff and bad stuff alike is coming in, as you say, from so many different directions. It's a great time to be reading comics et al, but as you say, it's become far more difficult to just step into a shop and trust to be able to find the good stuff.
I too hoped that the New 52 would do that. To say that the company bottled that chance would be to under-estimate the degree of bottling. Still, if the Big Two are going to settle for the easy Rumpish dollar - with notable exceptions - then that leaves slack in the market for other creators and publishers to grab more of the limelight.
Colin,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your blog. Thanks for the positive post. Many of your books are my "list" as well. You've put a few on my "radar" that I've got to look into (e.g., Archie). Please allow me to place a new entry on your radar - Rachel Rising. Consistently surprising, entertaining, funny, and Moore is a helluva storyteller. Top of my chart.
Thanks again for the great blog!
Bret
Hello Bret Sector:- Thanks for your kind words :) Several folks have mentioned Rachel Rising in the past day or so, and I appreciate you adding your weight to what I've been hearing. Top of your chart is a hearty recommendation!
DeleteWithout presuming too much, I hope, I can hazard a guess as to why Uncanny X-Force might not be clicking with you. UXF is like '90s X- Men comics if they were written well. If that doesn't sound like your thing, I could see the book not appealing to you. Also, there's the rotating artists & decompression that plagues Big 2 Universe comics these days...
ReplyDelete-Mike Loughlin
Hello Mike:- I have to say that that's what I thought about the double-size issue at the end of last year. I thought "this is late-era Claremont/Image-era X-Books". And as you suggest, those originals weren't books I often read, let alone felt fond of. Of course, if I'd've been ten years younger, I would have! And perhaps that's why I can't process it now.
DeleteThat really does make sense. Thank you :)
Great list, Colin. You've tempted me to check out The New Deadwardians and Journey into Mystery. I know that you'e not crazy about it, but I've been enjoying Snyder and Capullo's Batman a great deal, even if it can be a little gloomy at times.
ReplyDeleteHello Steve:- Thank you :) I certainly think you'll find The New Deadwardians and Journey Into Mystery at the very least interesting, smart-minded books. While I do have problems with aspects of the storytelling of Synder and Capullo's Batman, I also recognise that it's full of inventive and vigorous storytelling. I may not be able to quite warm to it, but it's obviously a good book. I look forward to returning to it in a few months and - finger's crossed - finding out that either I've been wrong or things have changed just that few degrees in the direction of my taste.
DeleteSince you mentioned Fatale, I thought you mind find this interview with Brubaker interesting: http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/cr_sunday_interview_ed_brubaker2012summer/
ReplyDeletePast the usual intro stuff, there's some good comments on the industry and interesting insight. I had heard about Before Watchmen, of course--even that the Cooke issues are surprisingly good--but I hadn't realized JMS tried to defend it in that manner. I would've expected better PR, maybe some of the usual "We wouldn't think to demean Moore's legacy like that! The stories came from a natural desire to..."
Hello Andrew:- It's a fascinating interview, isn't it? Thank you for the link. EB comes across as well as his work has always suggested.
DeleteThe comments by JMS are impossibly ill-judged. He's a man held in the highest esteem and affection by large numbers of significant creative individuals. I try to keep in mind how folks like Neil Gaiman and Harlan Ellison speak of him whenever I read another of these ridiculous interviews. Because his public pronouncements often make it hard not to regard him as, shall we say, a thoroughly unpleasant bloke,
It would help his cause as an artist passing judgement on others if he'd produce scripts that were of a higher quality. From SEO to the Superman/Wonder Woman new direction books and on to BW, the work has often been embarrassingly poor. It's all very strange indeed.
Great idea, Colin - there are a fair few here I haven't tried, and some that I have, but have dropped (such as Batwoman, which recently became unreadable). I loved the first Dial H, the second less so, and the third? I'm having trouble getting through it - it feels as if I've missed an issue. Or I may go and catch up on my Life With Archie digital issues - I love stories that have characters who ages and statuses are usually trapped in amber, age up.
ReplyDeleteHello Martin:- Of all the books on the list, it was Batwoman which caused me the most confusion. I agree that the quality has fallen away, and yet I was in my head imagining a situation in which any of the comics on the list might be part of a five-strip anthology. Would I be disappointed if Batwoman was the fifth strip? I think the quality of the art, its politics, aspects of the writing, combined with the book's strong start, mean that I wouldn't. Yet I only finally added it at the last moment, and I think that of today I possibly wouldn't do so. Having read Popeye this weekend, for example, that would be in without any hesitation at all.
DeleteDial H isn't getting any better for me, which is a shame. It had a promising start, and it's still a good read. But there is a sense of momentum being squandered. Unlike Batgirl, for example, where the momentum is picking up.
Life With Archie, and particularly #16, is a smart, heartfelt comic. I'm really impressed how Mr Kupperberg has matured as a writer.
Looking back on the above list, I may have gone a little easy on a few super-books. But come tomorrow, I'll probably have changed my mind again.
As is the way of lists :)
No review pending for Dial H? Other than that I'll be picking up some of the New 52 titles in trade at some point (mainly the Morrison and Vertigo ones). Over at Marvel all I'm regularly reading are Thunderbolts and Uncanny X-Force (well I'm now behind on them but tend to catch-up in spurts), although I will now be picking up JiM too. Oh and I stumbled across a review of Infernal Man-Thing at CBR, which was news to me, and the chance to read more Steve Gerber was enough to make me order it.
ReplyDeleteDeadwardians, Mudman and Bullet Proof Coffin are already on my to-buy list, although your recommendations might have moved them up a slot or two.
Picking up the Prophet and Saga trades seems inevitable because of all the great word-of-mouth they have.
Saucer County is one I've ummed and ahhed over but I'm sure I'll stumble across it at some point and snatch it up. I saw a preview of Fatima and I'm always up for an interesting take on zombies so...
"It's so very easy to recall long-past years in which a visit to a newsagent or a comics shop resulted in a great stack of rewarding books."
And the sad truth is that re-reading some of these comics is a painful experience, so I suspect nostalgia kicks in here (helped by the fact that comics were cheap so you could buy a great stack of comics without needing to rob a bank first (all the piggy bank might not have been safe). There were some gems obviously, but these days, as you say, there are so many good comics out that it is impossible to keep track of them all. The fact that an awful lot of these are outside of the Big Two is also a good sign.
Hello Emperor:- I'd like to give Dial H a little more time for it to find its feet. It remains worth the price of entry, but it's not gathering momentum as might be expected.
DeleteI must check out Thunderbolts again. I'll get the next issue. Uncanny X-Force is proving a mystery to me, but there are so many folks who speak well of it ...
The new Man-Thing is a gift from the Gerberverse. To say that I miss the prospect of reading more new work from the great man wouldn't express how much that's true :-(
Prophet's strong on ideas and spectacle. Not so good on story, emotions etc. Which doesn't make it any less worth the reading, but will inoculate you to a tiny degree re: inappropriate expectations. Saga is just a great book. I resisted, I failed ...
I think Saucer Country's one smart book, and I'm looking forward to the first arc's conclusion this week. Fatima is only one issue in, but it's got me very interested.
I whole heartily acclaim your must-buy list.
Nostalgia is a killer of good judgment, isn't it? My moment for buying huge numbers of comics indiscriminately - and for very little cash - was between 1969 and 1976. It was hard not to go out and bring back a stack or two of comics for very little dosh at all. But look back now and it's tough to say that much of what I loved was anything other than workmanlike. Often, it was far less. I struggle to think of more than a fraction of the tales in the Marvel B&W mags, for example, which weren't just pretty space-fillers.
Which brings to mind a blog piece ...
"I'd like to give Dial H a little more time for it to find its feet. It remains worth the price of entry, but it's not gathering momentum as might be expected."
DeleteYes that's how I feel. #3 brought the weird, which is what I hoped for from the start. It isn't there yet but that seems to demonstrate there is a lot more where that came from. I suspect it is part of the perils of writing mainstream comic books, Mieville often likes to drop in something odd early on, that doesn't pay off for a while (I remember the "energy plants" from Embassyville) but you can't quite do that kind of thing in a visual medium but there are also similar examples based on high concepts (like the entire set-up for The City & The City, which requires a complete change of mindset to understand the story). It feels like he is going against his usual approach in order not to alienate an ordinary punter, but it is frustrating when you know it is coming but hasn't yet arrived.
"I must check out Thunderbolts again. I'll get the next issue."
Jeff Parker is one of the best writers of teambooks and is doing a cracking job with the aid of Kev Walker and Declan Shavley (even if I'm still sulking at the failure of my attempt to get Elf With a Gun on the team). As I say, I am a bit behind on the trades but just dropping into an issue shouldn't be a problem (unless they've got roped into some crossover or other).
"Uncanny X-Force is proving a mystery to me, but there are so many folks who speak well of it ..."
Hmmm it is a tricky one to explain - I went in as I was looking forward to more stories with Fantomex (who has been under-used since the Morrison days) but I am staying for Remender's writing. He, Parker and Van Lente are some of the under-rated Marvel writers but I quite like the idea of them working around the edges of the Marvel Universe, as moving to the core books could see their originality ironed out under stricter editorial control. I suppose they write comics that still manage to be fun.
"The new Man-Thing is a gift from the Gerberverse."
There is a hardcover coming at the end of the year but I couldn't wait for that, as soon as I spotted it, I'd ordered it.
"But look back now and it's tough to say that much of what I loved was anything other than workmanlike."
Yes going back through some of those Bronze Age comics, I've found you get a lot of pretty dull tales, with gems like New Teen Titans. I started around 1977 so got the Star Wars Marvel reprint, which mixed in some Marvel cosmic too, which was nice. I do think I hit a sweet spot in the Marvel UK titles though as Daredevils and Moore's Captain Britain run were just around the corner.
Hello Emperor:- I couldn't agree more about CM's technique as it appears to be currently being applied in DHFH. The book is well worth following, but it needs more POP to go with the mix. And as you say, the book reads like it's going somewhere, and I'm not buying monthly books solely for the journey. The GREAT comics pay off monthly in a significant way as well as in the long term. It's astonishing how often the likes of Moore and Gaiman make each issue shine as well as the arc it's placed with. DHFH doesn't have that sense of focus and urgency yet. But then, Sandman didn't really start shining for me on a consistent basis until more than a year of issues had passed. So let's hope the book and its author get the time to develop.
DeleteOn Thunderbolts; I do like Jeff Parker. I thought Atlas was wonderful until its last few appearances. I guess the whole idea of the Thunderbolts has become so associated with the MU's habit of having every book telling the same big mega-story. (I'm over-exaggerating, but I'm sure you get my point.) But I'll go back to the start of JP's run, as I should have, and check it out. Feel rather silly that I haven't already.
Van Lente I just don't know anything of beyond a few single issues and of course the lovable Hercules. Where else should I look?
The mid-80s boom in smart American/superhero books must have wonderful for you, having come out of the wilderness of 77-82, where the general standard was so very low. I had some experience of the High Sixties and had followed the 73-76 years very closely, so the 80s was a relief, but not quite as sparkling as it might have seemed if it was my first experience of a high tide, as it were. Good for you :)
"It's astonishing how often the likes of Moore and Gaiman make each issue shine as well as the arc it's placed with. DHFH doesn't have that sense of focus and urgency yet."
DeleteIt is a good point, but it might be the era of decompressed comics and writing for the trade is having its effect here. However, I'd still want some big standout memorable moment from each issue and apart from the characters themselves (Boy Chimmney and Iron Snail were inspired) I can't think of much.
"I guess the whole idea of the Thunderbolts has become so associated with the MU's habit of having every book telling the same big mega-story."
Worse than that, following "Civil War" it seemed to be a title where they could completely change the team' line-up and raison d'etre at a whim to suit what ever was the prevailing storyline from the Ellisbolts (Osborne's bunch of bastards during Secret Invasion) to the Digglebolts (a covert ops team working for Osborne while the Ellisbolts became the Dark Avengers). I can't think of any team book that has been subject to such sweeping changes, especially odd as the Thunderbolts previously had a well established remit and line-up for over 100 issues of their ongoing series. One other things I appreciate about Parker's run is that he brings it back to the redemption angle. It still ties into the occasional storyline but only lightly and often as a way to help boost the numbers and bring in new readers, so it isn't too bad. Another good thing is that you can start at the beginning of Parker's run because of all the drastic changes the title/team has seen mean going back and reading Andy Diggle's run, for example, would just be confusing and unhelpful.
"Van Lente I just don't know anything of beyond a few single issues and of course the lovable Hercules. Where else should I look?"
Well I've rather enjoyed his run on Marvel Zombies, bringing in the Midnight Sons and widening the horror focus. It is a pity the Marvel Universe's horror titles haven't had a reboot like the Annihilation one for the cosmic characters, but you get a feel of it there. However, your mileage may vary.
"The mid-80s boom in smart American/superhero books must have wonderful for you"
Not just American comic books, it was 2000AD's Golden Age, Warrior showed us that we should expect more from our comics and Marvel UK were producing original content. Granted there was workmanlike comics out there, but not much that actually stunk.
Hello Emperor:- I think you're absolutely right about the culture of the age tending towards decompression. Yet CM is of course a great thinking as well as writer. I can only hope that he does what Moore and Gaiman did and start challenging the orthodoxies of how things are done. It's not as if he has to add that much more to each issue to make it shine. Which is of course the kind of stupid comment that bloggers like me make. Just a few notes less, Mr Mozart ....
DeleteYou put your finger on why I've stayed away from The Thunderbolts. It doesn't seem to be a concept so much as a peg to hang this month's event on. If things are different now, and I'm sure that they are, then all well and good. I still recall the cliffhanger of TB # 1 in 96/7. It was probably one of only three well-written books at the time of Heroes Reborn. Those were bad days for comics writing.
I'm already saving for the Marvel Zombies Omnibus, which should be partially funded by anything which may come my way for my up-coming oh-gawd-no Fiftieth. I'll catch the work there and then seek more, no doubt.
I was taking 2000AD in the 80s for granted! Warrior, Daredevils ... it was the only time I felt the Brit comics scene was taking off where the newsagents were concerned. And if I'd've only known, I could have been hunting down Scream and Charley's War etc too. And of course the indy scene was really gathering momentum too in the UK. Of course, as I always do, I missed most of that. But now I get to imagine a perfect world, like a third-generation Nirvana fan picturing what it must have been like to watch punk bands in the London of 1976.
Or something ....
"You put your finger on why I've stayed away from The Thunderbolts. It doesn't seem to be a concept so much as a peg to hang this month's event on."
DeleteThe odd thing, is that it wasn't for so much of its run, the problem seems to have come with the success of Ellis' tinkering which made the title a core of the rolling events so popular at the time. Which, conversely, seemed to make the team/title fair game for people to do what they want with it. A bit of an odd way round really, but there you are. Bendis wanted the Ellisbolts and Andy Diggle writes covert ops well, so it probably seemed a good idea. As I say, Parker has got everything back on the old setting (you could easily skip everything from the Civil War to the start of his run and not be too confused, certainly not as confused as it you'd stayed with the title ;) That said the Ellisbolts are entertaining just not the Thunderbolts, he does write cynical bastards well) and is doing a bang-up job if it, the big pity is there aren't a huge number of people reading it.
"I'm already saving for the Marvel Zombies Omnibus, which should be partially funded by anything which may come my way for my up-coming oh-gawd-no Fiftieth."
Ooo an Omnibus, nice. It is interesting that it really started out with a rather simple/"crude" concept - Robert Kirkman writes good zombies, so let's see him write superheroes vs zombies (introduced by Mark Millar). It doesn't have a huge amount of depth but it is interesting pitching the fairly invincible superheroes against a threat they struggle to counter. It is the later Van Lente series that really expands on this, pushing the Marvel multiverse and Marvel horror angles - two aspects that have been under-developed.
And pre-mature birthday best wishes.
"And if I'd've only known, I could have been hunting down Scream and Charley's War etc too. And of course the indy scene was really gathering momentum too in the UK."
Oh I know. On one hand I treasured the find of Warrior #1 that I took with my on the school trip to Aviemore (a trip that seemed largely pointless except for that), and each little find was an achievement. So it was exciting, but I missed so much. I just wonder what would have happened if we'd had the Net then, even the most obscure titles would have been dug out and appreciated. Perhaps we might have developed a mature and grown-up comic industry. Perhaps not.
Hello Emperor:- Everytime you write about Parker's run on Thunderbolts, you make me want to dig back even further into his run. It seems that a single sample of a modern issue just won't be enough. You do realise how skint this is going to make me?
DeleteI know it's not credible to say this - but then we've never fought to attain the dubious rank of comic's cred! - but I think the Kirkman Zombies issues are GREAT fun. I really do. They're funny, smart, and positively Golden Age in their invention and zest. I'm looking forward to seeing how Van Lente develops the concept, but the first 2 series were a really welcome change of pace. In fact - and here I really am going out on a line - I enjoyed them alot more than The Walking Dead. Not because they've got super-heroes in them, dude, but because of their sheer glee. I am not convinced that the characters in TWD actually exist, if you follow my early-morning vagueness. Great idea, but I just get into the people at all.
Thank you for the kind best wishes as I approach THE END. It does carry a weight which no other birthday so far has. And now, the end is near, I face the final comics Wednesday ...
Your point about the net in 1981/4 is an interesting one. It might be that the net would've done what it does to all cultural movements today that can't stay below the radar; rob them of the time to develop and open them up to premature corporate raiding. There were shadows to hide in and plot in the eighties which aren't there now. In some ways, obscurity can be a blessing, can't it?
"You do realise how skint this is going to make me?"
DeleteWell there is no reason you have to buy everything, there are still good libraries (even if they are suffering under Tory cuts) and if they don't have it in stock an inter-library loan can often be cheaper than buying the book. Of course, if it is anything I've recommended then I'll happily send you whatever you want to read, as long as I can dig it out (I'm part way through a re-organisation and refiling so it is trickier than usual but I know where most things are) and it isn't too precious (I can't think of much that would apply, but don't think I'll stick The Eternals Omnibus in the post :p ). There is obviously going to be difficult to access material for whatever reason (I mentioned The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix in connection with Mr Sinister, which has been collected as a trade but it was back in the day and didn't get an extensive printing, so the individual issues are easier to find and often not cheaply), so don't be shy about asking - it is all for a good cause after all. ;)
"I know it's not credible to say this - but then we've never fought to attain the dubious rank of comic's cred! - but I think the Kirkman Zombies issues are GREAT fun. I really do. They're funny, smart, and positively Golden Age in their invention and zest."
I agree (although I've never had any cred at all ;) ), as I say it actually gives superheroes a proper foe that they can't really get a decent angle of attack on, and it also lays into all those sacred icon with some joyful zeal that is positively British in its desire to tear them down (and apart).
FVL's approach takes on some of that glee and expands the scope to include elements of the Marvel horror comics or just plainly odd aspects - dragging in the Midnight Suns, quite a bit of Gerber and the Nextwave version of Machine Man (basically the blatant cherry-picking of all sorts of characters you could have fun with, what I'd like to do if given a run at a Marvel title). He also continues that idea of what would happen with zombified superheroes and the interaction with their powers, through things like Deadpool's healing factor (and insanity), resulting in Headpool, the head of zombie Deadpool which I'm surprised hasn't got its own mini-series (although I believe it became a member of the Deadpool Corps and co-starred in the mini-series Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth).
You might not thank me but FVL's Taskmaster series is excellent - a smart concept cleverly-realised, plenty of fun weirdness (embracing the kind of oddity that often goes unremarked upon in superhero comics) and with a lot of heart. The kind of thing that I'd like to see more of at the Big Two (but again, he is paying around the edges and it could be you don't get the creative freedom as you approach The Core), it might even count as pop. Sorry, but I do have the trade to hand ;)
"I am not convinced that the characters in TWD actually exist, if you follow my early-morning vagueness."
I was always thrown by the Day of the Triffids-style opening (that also appeared at the start of 28 Days Later, out at the same time), which rather ruined by suspension of disbelief, which is not good as it was initially pitched as being gritty and rooted in reality. So it wasn't helped as it got more outrageous, with more black and white heroics, rather than the early shades of grey. So, despite my being a big zombie movie fan and clearly up for good comics (so I am the core audience), I am now well behind in the trades and unlikely to catch-up unless the library has a full set.
Hello Emperor:- Your generosity is that of very big egg. A huge egg. A world bearing egg. Thank you for an offer which I suspect I will one day be taking advantage of :)
DeleteI must admit, I would find it hard to believe that a lover of old and well as new-school 2000ad would dislike Marvel Zombies. I agree entirely with your reading of the strength of the basic set-up, and let's be honest, it retains a kind of cod-transgressive aspect to it too. Not because of the zombies, but because of mutilation to copyrighted characters, which suggests a freedom to experiment which just doesn't really exist as it did in the three greatest periods in Marvel's history. (1960-8, 1974-7, 2000-4) And of course, I find the ideas which you pass on from FVL's work to be fascinating. In many ways, it's only the Marvel Zombies comics which I've read which - along with JIM & Daredevil - retain the spirit of Marvel as its best. Roll on the Omnibus and a long winter's afternoon to read it in.
You see, I know very little of FVL's work, so idea of an interesting Taskmaster series sounds like a splendid thing. Our tastes rarely radically diverge, so this just means that there's good things for me to still dicover.
I have the first Compendium of TWD, which I've stalled in several times. It's SUCH a big comic and I should set myself the job about writing about it. For my own good and no-one else's, of course. (Of Course!) Nothing helps me get a grip on a book better than that, and there's still a few months at least of blogging to do.
"Your generosity is that of very big egg."
DeleteI've been called a big egg before, but more in outbreaks of Macbeth-inspired name-calling ;)
"Thank you for an offer which I suspect I will one day be taking advantage of :)"
Yeah don't be shy, it is no hassle.
"which suggests a freedom to experiment which just doesn't really exist as it did in the three greatest periods in Marvel's history.
...
In many ways, it's only the Marvel Zombies comics which I've read which - along with JIM & Daredevil - retain the spirit of Marvel as its best."
I think the key is that they are very much at the margins of the Marvel Universe so they are pretty much free to do what they want (perhaps less so for Daredevil), some of which can then fed back into the main books (so they are a good idea, because they can act as an idea lab). FVL for example invented ARMOUR for this even though Ellis' AXM (another continuity-light series) pretty much showed that SWORD also covered extra-dimensional activity as well as extra-terrestrial, but no one seems overly bothered by this, although it could be explained away by some hand-waving if need be. I think it is the same with Taskmaster mini-series:
"so idea of an interesting Taskmaster series sounds like a splendid thing"
Indeed, it actually is. It takes the basic premise (that he has this amazing memory for other people's moves) and extrapolates this into the personal arena (he forgets who he is, disastrous for his loved ones). Then it makes him jump through a series of hoops to piece together who he is, embracing the craziness of the Marvel Universe - as he has trained all the villainous groups they all come after him, so FVL throws in some new ones and it is difficult to work out which is new and it isn't (I especially liked the Black Choppers). Good stuff.
"Our tastes rarely radically diverge, so this just means that there's good things for me to still dicover."
My tastes can be a little eclectic (I sometimes surprise people by the trash I love) and I have raised a few eyebrows when sending out DVDs to folks, ones I thought were entertaining and they were less impressed by ;) So you can never be too sure. In regard to the Taskmaster series, however, I am feeling pretty confident.
"Roll on the Omnibus and a long winter's afternoon to read it in."
It is a great deal, I am half-tempted to trade mine in for that. It certainly works out cheaper than buying everything and you get a giant book for it.
Hello Emperor;- It's odd to think that the superhero universes are now marked by a huge degree of change. Yes, there is a reset button that gets hit at times in certain areas, but the pace of change in the Big Two's books is intense compared to the sub-genre's past. There was always an assumption that it was the lack of change in the superbook which made it an ultimately uninteresting business, but I think we're discovering that's not true. Though the most interesting books are often found in the margins, it's not their ability to change that makes them interesting. Rather it's their capacity the decided-by-committee plots which now anchor just about everything in the super-books.
DeleteThe Taskmaster series seems nailed on as a book to be checked out. I appreciate the warning 'bout your taste; I wouldn't ever blame you if we ended up differing at that point.
On the Marvel Zombies Omnibus; there's something about a Great Big Book Of Comics which can make even a mediocre run seem worth investing - or even re-investing - in. I actually bought Avengers; The Crossing in such a doorstop fashion. I have no idea what I thought I was doing. I suspect that it's the very worst Big Two crossover that there's ever been. Indeed, if anyone ever wants to argue that today's books are worse than those of any other era, they ought to check out The Crossing. Grud, but it's awful. There isn't a single worthwhile moment to be found in any of the issues associated with it.
Really enjoyed this list, and the explanations given out in the comments. I love JiM as well, and i love that with most of the big company 'franchises', apart from the rubbish core titles, there will be some weird and often quite great books. I would suggest Wolverine and the X-Men, for the handling of young possible villians like Broo, Apocalypse and Angel (how come this book is so much better at this than Avengers Academy, which seemed completely founded on that premise?). And while I too don't quite get Uncanny X-Force, or Remender in general, I did love his first arc on Secret Avengers, especially the wrenching twist ending. It was earned and completely pathos-filled, and it couldn't have been done without the regular super-hero hyper-reality crazyness. And now it's caught up in some ridiculous cross-over... sigh...
ReplyDeleteHello Frederik:- Thank you :) I agree with you that it's always fun to spot a gem in the middle of a franchise that might not be, shall we say, very good. I'm curious about Wolverine et al, but I made the mistake of buying a copy that was part of the AvX. I'll get a copy of the first collected edition. I saw some real potential in the Secret Avengers run you mention, but I couldn't deal with the fact that the version of Captain Britain had nothing in common with the Brian Braddock of Paul Cornell's run. That lack of consistency just, I'm sorry to say, ruined things for me.
DeleteBut if I hear that the version of Cap has a good reason for being so different, then I'll go back and sign on. I'm always happy to be wrong when there's good comics involved. Perhaps less so in other ways :)
I love that the abundant comments section proves the point of the post.
ReplyDeleteHello Rob:- Absolutely. I've bought 6 books since and ordered 2 TPBs, plus read some issues that were a-waiting and accepted that they deserved to have been mentioned in the list too.
DeleteIt's a Golden Age and I should've been waving its flag earlier :)
Turning 50, Colin?
ReplyDeleteTime for a reboot! All new, #1 Too Busy Thinking About Comics!
Make sure to get the variant posts with art by Rob Granito--for collectors only, of course.
Hello Andrew:- It's amazing! It's ... disturbing! It's as if ... YOU CAN READ MY MIND!!!!!!
DeleteLove this post, feels so well needed. If I was to comment on only one from that very good list I'd go for Demon Knights. Never my absolute fave yet a fun book with imo such enjoyable team dynamics.
ReplyDeleteSecond the thought for more manga:
Berserk - ultraviolence with redeeming qualities
Twin Spica - downright charming without seeming sickly-sweet
20th century boys - excellent series from one of the best writers
Hello James:- That's good of you to say so. Thank you. It just seemed to me that I hadn't been fully embracing what a fine time it is that comics are going through. And the response has been quite literally unbelievable. Obviously its had nothing to do with me. It's just a list and a brief introduction. But I think the idea has some force, although I never realised that and therefore can't take any credit for such a little-league business. But there were two thousand visitors within 48 hours, which for a little blog is quite a lot. And think that says that quite a few folks are open to the idea that today is a good time to be reading comics. (I'm sure many if not most already knew that. I'm usually late to the party!)
DeleteI didn't add manga that was being reprinted from previous years just because I wanted to make the point about the here and now. But I've written twice about the splendid 20th Century Boys on the blog this year, so I agree with you there. Beserk and Twin Spica I fear I know little of. I shall add them to the check-this-out list. Thank you.
I'd like to read your thoughts on The Manhattan Projects, Colin. Any chances of that happening?
ReplyDeleteHello Miguel:- Thank you for even considering that any such a thing might be interesting. I've recently been won over by the series, though only with its 4th issue, which shows there's been a few problems along the way. I would like to get a chance to discuss it. There's some distinctive storytelling choices being made there, isn't there?
DeleteThat's the thing, Colin, I'm still feeling ambivalent about TMP. It's got some neat ideas and good design, but the characterisation just doesn't work for me. That's why I'd like to read your thoughts about it.
ReplyDeleteHello Miguel:- You DO make wonder what it was precisely that won me over re: TMP. And it would be good to write something which, whatever its concerns, ended with me saying sincere good things about JH's work, which I've previously struggled to enjoy .....
DeleteI'm going to give a try to some of these comics - Fatale, The Bulletproof Coffin. Have you read Atomic Robo and Locke & Key? They're two of the best current series, Atomic Robo for the humor and L&K for the intricate world-building and structure.
ReplyDeleteHello Miguel:- Thank you for your suggestions. I have a copy of Atomic Robo on my must-read pile, as well as the first Locke And Key collection. I hope to have a real catching-up Sunday afternoon reading session next weekend.
DeleteFatale and Bulletproof Coffin couldn't be more different books, but they're both exceptionally fine and personal comics. I hope you'll enjoy them :)
There's a lot of comics out there I love reading, but only five I look forward to each month with pure glee: Demon Knights, Chew, Mega Man, Fatale, and Alabaster: Wolves. Saga's growing on me, though, and if we extend our definition of comics to include graphic novels there's Harvey Pekar and Joseph Remnant's Cleveland and Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb.
ReplyDeleteI also adored Thunderbolts #171 just for some of the subtext where the villain tried to push Songbird back into a life of crime against her will.
Hello Andrew:- Alabaster: Wolves has now joined the list of must-check-out books. I struggled with the one issue of Mega Man I read, but I think my complete lack of familiarity with the original source material did for me there.
DeleteGraphic novels? Oh, there the choice is endless, isn't it? Trinity I'll try to get a copy of. I'm just starting Days Of Destruction Days of Revolt, which again says to me that whether we're discussing the pamphlets or the graphic novels, the solely-comics or the hybrids, this is the best-ever era for reading comics.
Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt sounds promising. And you're pretty spot on that this is a good year for comics. Even on weeks where I think "Man, there's hardly anything worth getting," I still manage to buy 5-6 comics, easily.
Delete