Blogathon 33: Dreaming Us Part Five

[Concluding my discussion of Omega the Unknown.]

In the final issue of Omega the Unknown, only two word balloons appear. Otherwise, it's a silent issue (some words on TV screens also show up). Mostly, it's a wrap-up issue that relies exlusively on Farel Dalrymple's art to tell the story. In some ways, it's reminiscent of those 'Nuff Said issues Marvel did back in the early 2000s that were completely silent (though plenty of writers found a way around that). For the most part, the issue shows how, after 'Omega' blew up most of the robots, leaving an omega-shaped crater, the good guys spread the salt via foodcarts and the robots try to deliver objects that will infect new people. The war isn't totally over, but there's enough salt out there to give humanity a chance. All of our characters get their little moment, their kind of happy ending. Alex is left with his robots, two of which look like the copies of his parents. He also throws his costume and Omega book into the river. He doesn't need to be the hero, because he already was and it worked.

What I'm left with are the final pages where we see 'Omega' skinnier than ever, disheveled, homeless, and in a wheelchair. Ultimately, he's taken underground where the homeless people have created their own version of the Mink's gameshow with a former classmate of his who was homeless, then a pawn of the robots, and now free takes on the role of the Mink. The set is like Hollywood Squares and the wheelchair-bound 'Omega' is put in a square. We zoom in on his eye and eventually see the Nowhere Man with his jar that leads to the Nowh-Area, which we enter to see the words 'the end.'

What the fuck?

His place in the 'squares' is to the right hand of the 'Mink,' the remembered and celebrated hero. 'Omega' is simply an unknown, a man that people have some vague awareness of -- or thought has died. So, he sits at the right hand of the real hero... or his stand-in. To live out the rest of his sad existence in obscurity -- in nowhere. He began as an unknown and he winds up as 'Omega the Unknown.' Except, of course, no words are spoken and he doesn't even warrant that name. In the end, life goes on and the hero is forgotten...

In 30 minutes, the first of two posts where I'll apply Raymond Chandler's "Twelve Notes on the Mystery Story" to Grant Morrison's New X-Men story "Murder at the Mansion."

[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]

Blogathon 32: Dreaming Us Part Four

[Continuing my discussion of Omega the Unknown.]

So, the Gary Panter issue...

He draws the cover and five pages of the seventh issue. The pages he draws are meant to be a comic drawn by 'Omega' that tells the story of the struggle: innocent happy creatures live on a planet, spaceships come and kill them and use giant robots; the same thing happens on another world; and another; another world's populace observe what's happened and create the Omega warrior to defend the planet; after he's succeeded, he shakes a politician's hand and nanorobots enter his body and kill him; an entire group of different aliens wear the Omega costumes and fire beams out of their hands at a big ball of robots. It's a neat little five pages that stand out and serve a function. If anything, I think they're more notable than anything for being an example of Panter working for Marvel. That alone is enough to make certain people shit themselves with surprise/shock/glee/horror/other emotions. The final panel of the fourth page, of the first Omega, his face melting from the nanorobots as he looks up is the one that sticks with me. It's so striking and heartbreaking. He sends out his powers to the universe to fight the robots with his dying breath...

The idea of an 'Omega Corps' at war with the robots is an interesting one, especially when they introduce Sillman Renfrew, Earth's previous Omega before Alex. We see an overweight, bearded man in a tube whose story is sung to us by Verth the Overthinker (the sometimes narrator and sentient statue in the park across the street from Alex's new apartment). He's a man who rejected his powers and heritage, drifting around, eventually winding up part of a small crew of conmen, eventually taken to the Mink's labyrynth, made into his sidekick and killed in a mission. Because of his rejection of the Omega's role on Earth, Alex was a last ditch effort to make sure Earth wasn't left unprotected. Now, to me, this supports the idea that the unknown 'Omega' is Alex from the future. Without him, there's no way Alex would have discovered his true self in time to stop the robots. He obviously comes from a future where the robots won and his traveling back in time is a last-ditch effort to save humanity. That's kind of weird.

The use of song by the Overthinker is one of the technical tricks used in the series. Like Panter's pages, the Overthink often comes with little tricks. Like closing the curtains on the issue or guiding us through the events. The song is one of the odder ones and it doesn't entirely work for me. Then again, I find songs in fiction with no music hard to get into. Without the tune, what's the point?

In 30 mintues, I'll conclude my discussion of Omega the Unknown with some thoughts on the final issue.

[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]

Blogathon 31: Dreaming Us Part Three

[Continuing my discussion of Omega the Unknown.]

If 'Omega the Unknown' is the selfless hero, the Unparalleled Mink is the selfish hero. Self-centred, corrupt, more concerned about public image than getting the job done, and oddly focused on finding things to put in the labyrynth he had built in his headquarters. We've seen heroes in it for the fame and fortune before, but none have ever seemed quite so skeevy, quite so talented at making themselves look good despite being bad at it. His banter during fights is laughable with bon mots like "Note to self: the harder they fall, etcetera, full stop." He travels from mission to mission in a van with a support crew that seems to focus mostly on making sure there's media present to see the Mink in action. The first time we see him, he sticks Alex's robot mom's head on a car engine, hoping to use the battery to make it work and simply fries it. He begins dating the nurse who's taken in Alex so he can keep a closer eye on him. Issue five has him take Alex to a baseball game in an attempt to talk to him and he's such a jerk. Total jerk. Just a person who talks shit. Everything that comes out of his mouth is shit.

So, he's a pretty fun character.

But, he's not entirely selfish. He loses his hand to the robots (a hand that then grows big enough to grow legs and command the robots) and, in the end, dies to subdue it. That veering between heroics and selfishness make the character interesting. He has the desire to help people. There are a lot easier ways to make money and get fame than becoming a superhero. That underlying nobility is there somewhere; it's just buried under shit. Piles and piles of shit. He's a douchebag bully that's grown up to become a bully for justice and money. His best friend is a city councilman that works with him to make sure they both get paid and laid.

His role in the book, besides entertainment, is to represent the capitalist side of society. This is partly a war between mass produced products and homemade, locally owned products. There's a discussion about brands in one issue that's key. The robots' nanovirus is spread through a burger chain, while it's food carts that spread the antedote with a food truck/minister leading the way with 'Omega' at his side. It's greed that allows the robots to spread so easily. They get Fonzie (the Mink's best friend) through a gold chain and the Mink through a statue/action figure of himself (he cuts off his hand to prevent the spread). The Mink is the hero that enables the takeover in a way. His mentality is the disease -- greed that makes everyone the same. All of his henchmen dress like him, all submerging their identities to the Mink. He's not dissimilar from the robots.

But, he redeems himself in the end. He actually goes out a hero.

In 30 minutes, I'll continue my discussion of Omega the Unknown.

[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]

Blogathon 30: Dreaming Us Part Two

[Continuing my discussion of Omega the Unknown.]

Who is 'Omega the Unknown?' Drawing upon the original series, the version by Jonathan Letehm, Karl Rusnak, and Farel Dalrymple never explains who he is. He looks human, but doesn't speak. He goes about his business and refuses to eat anything he didn't kill himself, preferably a bird of some kind. He has some sort of connection to Alex that we assume later is that they're both Omegas. In the first issue we see that his ship has crashed on Earth... but does that make him an alien? The first narration caption of the comic says "You've been here before, however much you might like to pretend otherwise."

Is this Omega Alex from the future come back in time to save the world? That's what makes sense to me. Is that a spaceship or a time machine? Who built the robots? Are these the robots that Alex builds at the end of the series and they follow him back in time -- or maybe go back in time themselves? There's probably no right answer. It reminds me of the theory someone came up with that Woody Allen's character in Anything Else is actually Jason Biggs's character come back in time to make sure his younger self moves to Los Angeles and gets away from the soul-crushing people that destroyed his own youth. Is this Alex from the future come back to change the past? To give his younger self and his friends the tools they need to defeat the robots? The two look incredibly similar.

If that theory is correct, how much of a bummer is the ending to the series? It's already a bit of a bummer with the broken down Omega homeless and suffering flashbacks, but to end up in a wheelchair as part of an underground homeless version of a game show all because you came to the past to save the world?

Then again, look at the title: he's the unknown Omega. We don't know who he is. He's the hero the world needs and the inspiration Alex needs. He sacrifices himself and his mind for the world and, given the choice, would do so again. He's pretty much the definition of a selfless hero. He asks for nothing except the means to fight the good fight. Who he is doesn't really matter, because he's just the job as far as we see. (But, he's totally future Alex...)

In 30 minutes, I'll look at at the polar opposite of a selfless hero...

[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]

Blogathon 29: Dreaming Us Part One

[Beginning my discussion of Omega the Unknown.]

I never hear anyone talk about this comic. It was all the rage when it came out back in late 2007/2008 and, now, no one talks about it. You ever wonder about things like that? The movies that get tons of praise but no one watched after they came out, the books with rave reviews that you find in remaindered piles two years later, the comics that make best of the year lists and never get read again. I hadn't read this comic since it came out. In individual issues at that. No big reread upon the final issue shipping. Just stuck the issues in a box and forgot about it. When I was looking for this series to reread for the Blogathon, I even forgot where the comic box it was in was. Shit, it's only been three years...

Rereading this, I was struck by just how damn enjoyable it is. There are some weird parts, but, mostly, it's a straight ahead superhero story. Alien robots are here to assimilate humanity, but there are Omega protectors that can fight them off. Alex is the next human to fit the bill and has been raised by robot parents (different robots) to do the job. Except they die and, now, he's stuck in New York living with a nurse from the hospital he was taken to and struggling to understand anything he didn't learn in a book. Slowly, the truth becomes apparent, so, he and his friends get it together and kick some robot ass with salt until the unknown mute Omega blows up the robots and saves the day, but leaves himself somewhat insane and broken.

Within that pretty basic framework are some incredibly funny moments, some touching ones, some strange ones, and some pages by Gary Panter that just sort of make you go "Really? He drew part of a Marvel comic?" Hell, that's the entire book: this was published by Marvel and, technically, takes place in the Marvel universe. Weird. How did people forget about this?

In 30 minutes, maybe I'll actually say something of value about the comic...

And we're up to $245!

[Don't forget to donate what you can to the Hero Initiative! (Details in this post.) After you do, let me know via comment or e-mail (found at the righthand side) so I can keep track of donations -- and who to thank.]

Best of 2008: The Top Ten

Finally, the top ten list. I want to make it quite clear that this is, obviously, based on my personal taste. I will do my best to justify said taste. This is a list featuring the comics I've read this year and came out this year, no reprints of easily obtained material that happened to come out in 2008. As well, I know, I know, I know, I need to broaden my reading habits a bit, but, honestly, money was tighter this year than usual and it's a lot easier to go to the shop each week and buy twenty bucks in singles than it is to buy one twenty buck book, especially with my CBR gig. I didn't always go to the shop weekly, but a couple of things made me begin, which made buying more books easier and, yeah, my "original graphic novel" depth really slid this year (not that it was generally that large), but, hey, if a work that I missed is truly great, I have no doubt that I will, at some point, read it. While I may not have done so right when it came out, I will read it at some point. Hell, I just read Chester Brown's The Little Man! Took me long enough, but I got it. And I will slowly get everything else.

That said, I apologise for nothing. And let's get on with it.

10. Batman by Grant Morrison, Tony Daniel and others. While the results weren't always as great as expected or wanted, the journey was very, very engaging. "Batman R.I.P." and the mystery of the Black Glove engrossed readers, especially ones like me. Each issue was an event unto itself as new clues arrived and new discussions were had. Now, does this book rank here probably more for the reaction I had to it and the fondness for the discussion that it produced than its actual quality? Sure, but those effects are part of the book's quality and that's why it makes my top ten. This was the discussion comic of the year and, as I said, one of the few that genuinely made me anticipate each and every issue. Batman was often the first comic I read each week, because, dammit, I wanted more information! I often considered reading it on the bus (I don't read comics on the bus--and, no, not because I'm ashamed, but because I don't find it comfortable because of their size and the manner in which they're put together physically), which I rarely do.

As for the actual story, I find Morrison's take on the character very interesting, although it's not one that I actually agree with. However, Morrison doesn't just use his Super-Batman, he provides reasons why Batman is so unique, so determined, so better than everyone else. In his final two issues, we pretty much discover that Batman's superpower is the ability to deal with more bullshit and craziness than anyone else. He is a human trauma absorber--and said trauma just makes him more determined and stronger. He has been able to live seventy years of experiences in only a decade... and it's, again, just made him better. Interesting ideas.

The duality of the Joker and Batman was a big draw for me here. Morrison's conception of that duality is cool as it's very similar to the duality of Professor X and Cassandra Nova in his New X-Men run, where, for the Joker, there's just him and Batman. When Batman shot him in the face, it didn't matter that it wasn't the "real" Batman, because it was Batman! In the dream world where Bruce Wayne never became Batman, the Joker is executed for his murders, because, without Batman, he cannot survive. Pairing the two in an intimate manner isn't new, but suggesting that they are the only two real people in the world is--especially suggesting that who wears the cowl doesn't matter, the same way that the Joker's personality doesn't matter: if he's in a costume, he's Batman, and if he's got pale skin, green hair and is batshit insane, he's the Joker.

I could continue, but none of this really justifies this spot for the book beyond "I anticipated each issue more than any other comic." If that doesn't tell you why this book deserves a spot here, I don't know what will.

9. glamourpuss by Dave Sim. This is my first real exposure to Dave Sim's work having never read Cerebus (it's on the list and I can easily see myself going on a mad spree at some point and obtaining all of the phone books) and it's quite something. Sim's exploration of Alex Raymond's photorealist art and its evolution is oddly engaging. I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I am. Honestly, I planned to give it a shot, because Sim is a legitimately important figure in modern comics and this was his latest project and who doesn't jump on board something like that? But, it's been a very enjoyable read... for the most part. His "essays" (for lack of a better word) on Raymond are really fun and accessable, even for those of us who don't know a lot about art. Sim's reproductions of Raymond's art are also very beautiful.

Where the book goes off the rails sometimes is in the fashion magazine parodies, which can be funny, but also have those bits of misogyny. Although, I haven't found these elements nearly as problematic as some, which makes me wonder if Sim's past statements on women and his reputation cause some to take this stuff in a harsher light than intended. The only issue that I'm not quite sure about is the one regarding anti-depressents and the amount prescribed to women--some things Sim says there I agree with, while others I don't. But, it's actually pretty easy to look past this stuff when the other parts of the comic are as good as they are.

The one spot where I take issue is the mocking of readers that Sim occasionally engages in over the amount of scantily-clad women featured in issues and that it's wrong to look at them... but he's the one drawing them. I know, it's meant to be in good humour, but a few of the jokes just seem really out there.

Overall, this process/parody book is unlike anything else out there, not just in content but in format, too. It may not cohere together in completely satisfying single issues, but it has yet to let me down.

8. Captain America by Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting, Mike Perkins, Butch Guice, Luke Ross and others. I don't honestly know what to say about Captain America. It's a great thriller with action, politics and some solid meditation on the effect our pasts can have on our presents. The art is remarkably consistent, due to actual intelligence and effort put into making sure it's consistent. That's actually something about Captain America I find frustrating only because no one else seems to be learning from it. I hate, hate, hate it when something new and smart comes along and no one bothers to notice and go "Hey, that is a much better way of doing things!" Sure, it brings back memories of house styles, but the style here is an interesting and dynamic one. Fuck, it's just so obvious.

Otherwise, this book continues to be great as this year focused exclusively on James Barnes as Captain America--and it's more interesting than when Steve Rogers wore the costume. Barnes has a girlfriend and passion and inner conflict and, really, is a much more complex character, one I'd rather read about. Brubaker hasn't just made Barnes a plausible Captain America, he's made me dread the idea of Steve Rogers coming back.

7. Omega the Unknown by Jonathan Lethem, Karl Rusnak, Farel Dalrymple and Gary Panter. This is a book that I don't know how to describe. I haven't had a chance to read the whole thing since it was published. Well, that's a lie. I've had dozens of chances, I just haven't. And it's not a secret sign that I don't like it, it's for that same reason I don't reread Crime and Punishment: it's daunting and it's demanding, and I just haven't felt like devoting my mental energies to something I've already read like that just yet. But I will, hopefully soon, because this was a wonder of a book. I still can't believe that Marvel published it, it's such a departure and only works to make most of their output look awful by comparison.

This is a book about loneliness and camaraderie. It's a fun take on concepts like the Green Lanterns, but also very grounded. The final issue is a true work of beauty and art, delivering a conclusion totally unexpected yet totally appropriate. I don't really know what else to say. I've never read the original Omega the Unknown and kind of feel like, when I do, I won't like it nearly as much--sort of like when you see the remake of an old movie and then watch the original to discover that, surprise surprise, the remake actually is better! It doesn't happen often, especially in "mainstream" superhero comics, but I think it may have here.

6. Aetheric Mechanics: A Graphic Novella by Warren Ellis and Gianluca Pagliarani. The overall execution of this graphic novella is pretty much perfect. It's expansive yet intimate, focused yet general, and it's got an ending that still blows me away. It's not original in anything other than the combination of ideas and execution. I would be lying if I said that the ending isn't a big reason why this book ranks this high, because it's one hell of an ending. Probably the best ending I've ever seen in a Warren Ellis comic. This book even has a perfect panel. There is a panel near the end of the book that is absolutely perfect in every respect, including the lettering (and how often is lettering considered perfect?).

Aetheric Mechanics is one of Ellis's Apparat books where he explores ideas quickly and without any intention of a follow-up. It began with the Apparat Singles Club, four first issues to comic series that don't exist and now he's in phase two where he tests out the "graphic novella," which falls somewhere between a single floppy issue and a graphic novel, much like a novella is between a short story and a novel. That Ellis is using pulp roots and, here, Sherlock Holmes roots really works with the idea of the format.

This book is much more than Sherlock Holmes homage and much more than just Sherlock Holmes meets science fiction... it falls very much in line with Ellis's other works with Sax Raker fitting in alongside a lot of Ellis's previous creations, especially his detectives. Notice how Raker examines the murder scene and you'll see visual connections with Frank Ironwine and others... Ellis likes his detectives human and his forensic people invisible.

But, really, this book explores a very big idea and how someone would react to it, and the reaction is both startling and completely logical. Plus, some fantastic art.

5. Criminal by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. In issue two, "A Wolf Among Wolves," Teeg Lawless blacks out a lot when he's drinking and we get black panels, sometimes several in a row, but here's the thing: they're never the same size. The black-out panels are never the same size. That may not seem like a lot, but that is huge, that is genius, that is demonstrating something unique: what other medium can have multiple scenes blacked out, but signify that the times of each is different without breaking the black-out mood? (And can someone say that better, please?) Granted, none of the other six issues that came out this year could quite match the brilliance of that second issue, but the book is still pretty damn good.

Three self-contained-yet-linked stories and one four-part one, all centred on crime in a great noir tradition, all told by two people at the height of their craft and using every trick they can think up. This year (and in 2007, too), I'd read other people's thoughts about this book and a lot of people would say that, yeah, Brubaker and Phillips go really good noir, but so what? I know that wasn't meant as genre snobbery, but I always find that shit funny. No one thought Raymond Chandler was all that literate or grand at the time, either (and I know, two different things), but, hey, whatever.

The three self-contained-yet-linked stories set a high standard that I don't think "Bad Night" quite reached. It was a very good story no doubt about it, but those first three were better. I did love the end of "Bad Night," but I love my metafiction. But, "Bad Night" also played that trick where everything that came before suddenly seemed different and you just wanted to go back and read the whole thing over again. That's a very good trick, one that Brubaker and Phillips use very well here.

Honestly, I think Phillips is the better comic book creator (as I can't think of a better term) on this book and Brubaker does his damndest to keep up. Phillips may be the best artist working in "mainstream" comics right now and he's producing his best work ever on this book. His art alone may have secured a spot in the top ten (certainly the top twenty), but along with Brubaker's writing, Criminal is a must read.

4. Scalped by Jason Aaron, RM Guéra, and Davide Furno. If I begin reading a comic in trades, I don't usually begin buying it monthly. I hate having my books in multiple formats like that and, honestly, Vertigo books tend to get trade-waited no matter what. But, I got the first two collections of Scalped this year after reading about how fantastic a comic it is and then I put the book on my pull list, because everyone was right. The hype was no lie, the expectations were not raised beyond the ability of the creators, Scalped is a brilliant fucking comic and not buying it monthly would mean that I don't actually like comics. I'll say that right now: not reading Scalped month in, month out means that you don't like comics. Okay, strong words, because it may not be to everyone's taste, but that's not much of an excuse.

And, hey, I didn't think it would be to my tastes either. A comic about an Indian reservation. "Fuck that shit." I think I thought that sentence at one point. I really couldn't care less about a book set on an Indian reservation. Coming from Canada, I've had my share of literature about Native Americans/Canadians, mostly because 99% of it was awful, lots of cultural revisionism that promotes their culture as superior to the Western European one that I happen to fall into (and, trust me, the last thing I ever want to read is something that says that because I'm a white heterosexual male of Western European descent, I'm somehow an evil fucker--and, trust me, there's enough of that shit going around to make me wary of anything that may involve those ideas). But, you know, Scalped isn't about that. It's a crime comic. It could easily be set in a city, but it's set on a rez and it takes advantage of that to explore crime and its effect on people in different ways than an urban setting would allow. It's got bad guys that may be good guys and good guys that may be bad guys. It's heartbreaking in nearly every issue. It's slow, it's methodical, it's nasty and mean and cruel.

RM Guéra's art is a great fit for Jason Aaron's scripts. Guéra's art kind of reminds me of a crude Darick Robertson in that it can make you believe everything you see, but also does the grotesque well. Everyone looks real and unreal. It's really quite something.

You should read Scalped. I nearly didn't and, shit, what a mistake that would have been.

3. ACME Novelty Library #19 by Chris Ware. I relate to Chris Ware's books like those of no other cartoonist. That's probably not a good thing, is it? I'm sure I'm not the only one (I'm certain of it, actually), but it's still not something that is all that great. "Hey, I really relate to the people in Ware's horribly depressing meditations on loneliness and isolation! YAY ME!" You know? But, if there is one thing that attracts me to Ware's work it's that I relate to it quite a bit. But, I relate to it because he's so good at what he does. People focus a lot on his art, which is integral, but I think I pick up his books for the writing--not that the two are easily separated. I'm always amazed when so talented an artist is also so talented a writer. The writing here is some of the best I've read all year and, had someone else drawn Ware's script (assuming that was possible), I'm sure this book would still find a place on this list.

But, we also get the special treat of Ware's art, which is continually evolving to find new ways to express his ideas and to present pages. In every book, I see a good dozen page layouts that I have never seen before. In every book. How does he do that? I don't know why, but I tend to focus on page layouts and why certain artists pick specific layouts. For the first half of this book, Ware works in variations of eight panels by six panels, which he continues into the second part, but he then expands it into sixteen by twelve... it's really something to see how he uses all these different panel sizes to impact the story and the emotion of each panel. And his actual drawings, which wouldn't look out of place in a children's cartoon, but drawing these incredibly real and harsh stories of people who are lonely and selfish and awful in many ways... Remarkable.

What surprised me most was, in the first half, how well Ware does sci-fi and horror... I'm not familiar with a lot of his work pre-volume 16 aside from Jimmy Corrigan, so this is a big departure from his regular work for me. And it's just so damn good. Shockingly good.

2. Young Liars by David Lapham. I'm not sure I can write about this comic better than I did in my description for CBR: "Twisted, unpredictable, complex, layered, insane, manic, musical, and totally messed up, Young Liars is everything I always wanted in a comic book but never thought to ask for. David Lapham is producing career-best work in an already stunning career. Each issue brings about new shocking revelations and makes me want the next even more." I can try to say more about this wonderful book, but I'm rather content with that description. Besides, we're honestly in the territory where what makes one book rank higher than another is so intangible and difficult to describe that I don't know I can properly explain why I like this book more than everything else except for my number one pick. I can describe its positive qualities, maybe deliver a personal anecdote or two, try and describe that indescribable something something, but it won't happen. So read the above description and understand that I loved reading this comic book in 2008 more than every other comic book but one.

1. Casanova by Matt Fraction and Fabio Moon. And this is the one. What makes Casanova better (if I'm going to use a word...) than everything else? Like I said with Young Liars, it's hard to put into words, because we're at a point where the high level of quality has evened for everything. Just like Batman was a book I read right away, Casanova was always saved for last. I like to read my books with the best at each end (usually the "lighter" stuff at the front and the "heavier" stuff at the back--Young Liars, glamourpuss and Scalped get saved for last, too) and this book was always the last of the last.

In sixteen pages (more for issue 14), Matt Fraction and Fabio Moon packed in more story, more emotion, more drama that most books do in their six-issue story arcs. This title was my number one book in 2007, too, and it continued to be amazing in 2008. Issue 14 was a triumph in concluding a story, but issue 13 was so emotionally charged, so full of small moments that I may have liked it more--until I think about issue 14 and the way that the narration doubled for Casanova and Fraction, the way that the world became so real in so many ways, Kubarck's reaction to Casanova, the desire to die, the desire to live, the assurance that it will turn out okay in the end even though you don't quite believe it... I don't know. How do you put into words why something like this is so brilliant, how it affected you so much?

I reread the second year of Casanova the other day without reading Fraction's backmatter essays and it was brilliant, an absolute masterpiece of storytelling and story construction. Seriously, that final issue... my god.

So, Casanova is my favourite comic of 2008 and, you know what, when it returns in 2009, I'm pretty sure it will have a good chance of being my favourite comic of 2009. Because it is, because in ten years, people will still be talking about what Fraction and the Evil Twins accomplished here, trying to figure out how it all worked and what made it so great--and, come on, if they'll still be trying then, what hopes do I have now?

And those were my top ten books of 2008.

I Bought Comics: Fourth Week of July 2008

[In which I discuss the comics I paid legal tender for on this fine July Wednesday... I bought many comics with my legal tender... I also bought a coke slushy with legal tender... And I'm listening to a CD I bought earlier this year with legal tender... I like the term "legal tender" today...]

Oh, I haven't read Glamourpuss #2 yet. I began it, but it requires more attention than I feel like giving right now. Maybe I'll say a few words later this week or just jump it in with next week's books.

Gravel #3

...holy shit, I forgot this comic even existed. I missed it, because seeing how I buy Hellblazer in trades, having a monthly book (or something approximating one) that's devoted to magic is good. Particularly since William Gravel is a pretty unique figure within magic. In this issue, he continues to hunt down the Minor Seven and actually encounters one with some brains. Funny that. Normally, I like Oscar Jiminez's art, but his Gravel doesn't work for me. Too skinny, too ragged... Everything else he draws works for me; he just can't do the main character quite right. Jiminez's figures have always leaned towards the lanky side of things, so it's not surprising, but Gravel is a big guy who should scare you a bit with his size. He's a soldier and Jiminez draws him more like a Constantine. Ah well. I'm tempted to go back and reread the two-and-a-half issues that came before this one since it's been so long. Hopefully they'll get this book back on track since it's the closest thing Avatar has to a flagship book these days (well, one that someone may give a fuck about), which I find funny since Hellblazer is the spine of Vertigo (in my opinion, at least) and Avatar is a place that out Vertigos Vertigo (or seems to want to sometimes). A comparison between Constantine and Gravel would almost certainly point out many fundamental differences between Vertigo and Avatar. Someone up for that?

The Immortal Iron Fist #17

"New Iron Fist Creative Team Doesn't Suck!" the headlines read across the blogosphere... Not a bad start. Of course, not quite where the book was, but Duane Swierczynski does his best to continue the Fraction/Brubaker plots while also injecting his own stuff. Travel Foreman's art does little for me, but it doesn't interfere with the story, so that's a pass from me. I'm glad I didn't drop this book since Swierczynski's work here is better than it is on Cable. A lot happens in this issue compared to not much happening over with our mutant friend. I'm on board, boys.

Liberty Comics

Picked this up for three reasons:

1. New Boys story by Ennis and Robertson.

2. New Criminal story by Brubaker and Phillips.

3. Fantastic way of giving money to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

There's a lot more here than the two stories I was interested in and most of them are decent. The Boys story is kind of funny as Hughie makes a sales pitch to all of the superhero fans out there--basically, donate money and your favourite heroes won't get fucked up by the Boys. It's a nice little joke.

The Criminal story does a good job of working within the context of that series and within the context of the overall book here. The message in most stories deal with freedom of speech and not being silenced by "authority." The Criminal story has Tracy Lawless visit a reporter and discuss what happens to reporters with integrity.

The other stuff here is decent, too. Some new work by Darwyn Cooke is always cool; I rather like Rick Veitch's Brat Pack pin-up--same with Arthur Adams's contribution. If you didn't buy this book, make sure to. It's easily worth the four bucks cover price.

The New Avengers #43

Insight into the ship full of "heroes" that are really Skrulls as "Captain America" dies. Whoo. Again, a whole issue given to this? It's not bad, it's just not great.

Omega the Unknown #10

The shop had a copy this week! YAY! An odd end to an odd series, but entirely appropriate. I always like it when the cover of a comic acts as the first panel, too. Am going to reread this series as a whole in the next week at some point. Really, it was good. The end here is chilling and depressing, in a way--but not, almost. I don't know.

Uncanny X-Men #500

Fraction joins Brubaker on the book here, so, what the fuck, let's check it out, shall we? Rather mediocre, really. Not bad, but nothing here that makes me want to buy another issue. The Magneto stuff wasn't too bad, but everything else was just too... I don't know... cutesy? This is a cute book. It's all "Things are so good that we're going to get pissed off about an art exhibit!" and shit. Really? We're at the point where it's the X-Men versus an art exhibit? Throw in art by artists whose work I don't like and... well, sorry, folks, but no.

Youngblood #4

Still not sure about this book. Casey seems to have a plan, particularly with how he moves the team away from its reality TV show here (leaving its new leader to fight the villains alone... ouch!), but... it's also kind of bland in how it does it all. There hasn't been any really insightful commentary on "superheroes as TV stars" nor any real drive towards rising above that beyond Shaft kind of telling them to. Maybe next issue will do it better since it looks like they're introducing a new Youngblood team and the return of Televillain... This book was supposed to reclaim Youngblood as the supposedly forward-thinking book it once was (and, if you look at the early stuff on a purely conceptual level, it was in its own way) and has yet to. And, like Gravel, it needs to get back on schedule.

That's it for this week.

The Best of 2008: Halfway Mark Rankings

Over at his blog, Tim Callahan posted his top ten comics of the year so far, so I figured I'd follow suit.

1. Casanova
2. Scalped
3. Criminal
4. Omega the Unknown
5. Thunderbolts
6. The Boys
7. Captain America
8. Batman
9. Young Liars
10. Captain Britain and MI:13

Hmmm... half of this list is repeated from my best of 2007 list, but some comics have changed position. Guess we'll see where things are in six months.

The Sunday Open: First Week of June 2008

I am buying far too many comics. Far, far too many. It's never a slow week anymore. But, whatever, because I got some good comics. Let's get to discussing them.

The Boys #19

It took 19 issues, but Garth Ennis has finally brought war stories to The Boys. Let us all take a moment to reflect on that. Okay. Someday, someone with more brains than I possess will do an excellent overview of Ennis's career, looking at his pet themes that crop up so obviously in everything he writes. And there's nothing wrong with that. Most great writers constantly explore the same ideas over and over again from different points of view in an effort to better understand it. I really enjoy watching Ennis do that, because he writes some damn entertaining comics. This issue is divided between Hughie getting a history lesson from the Legend, and the Seven meeting with the Boys (plus a bit on Lamplighter covered in his own shit). I did enjoy the moment where the Seven's "Aquaman," the Deep comes out of the water and the Frenchman sees this and begins laughing at how fucking stupid he looks. Because he looks really, really stupid. Yeah, this book is full of cheap shots against the superhero genre, but it does have an underpinning of ideas like friendship, loyalty, power, and the general goal of making life decent for most people. Frankly, stuff like that reads better with cheap shots and crude jokes--at least, in my opinion.

Cable #4

Oh, so that guy at the end of last issue was Cannonball. Totally didn't get that. Probably should have, what with the giant "C" on his chest. My favourite bit of this issue were the three panels depicting his aging as the "C" changes shapes and sizes. Costume evolution, people. There's also a fuck-up in this issue where Cannonball calls Bishop "Nathan"--or, it was a Freudian slip. I would love to see Swierczynski see the mistake and then make it a Freudian slip, because that's much more interesting. Kind of a meh issue that would have been better had Cable not just reversed his entire position on the last page for no real reason. This book still lives on the edge of "Not buying another goddamn issue." The last book that lived there and didn't make it back was Midnighter, which was cancelled soon thereafter. Coincidence?

Criminal #3

Speaking of coincidence, the essay for this issue discusses a Sydney Pollack film a couple of weeks after he died. Weird.

This comic is depressing and sad, but real fucking good. It gives us the story of Danica and doesn't even cover the heist that winds up killing her. A little curveball from Brubaker as we all expected at least some of that story since it's the connecting event of the first three issues--but, no, we get none of that. Why? Because this gives us all we need. We get the background and Danica's role in the heist is pretty easy to figure out. It was explained in the first two issues a bit, but Brubaker also relies on the reader to fill in anything else. An easy job considering the fantastic work here.

Duostar Racers #1

...what the fuck? No, seriously, what the fuck? Normally, I defend Ashley Wood's work, but this... what the fucking fuck is this shit? I didn't understand a goddamn thing in this comic and I'm sure that's my fault somehow, or Wood's art has become so obtuse and flat-out impossible to understand that it actually makes no sense. I miss Lore. That was a fucking good comic. Maybe I'm missing stuff, but is Wood just jumping from half-finished project to half-finished project these days mostly? If I see issue two on the shelves (which, knowing Wood, who knows), I'll probably pass.

Holy War #2

Again, I refuse to recognise the full title as the rest of the fucking title is retarded. I'm sorry, but "Holy War" is a million times better than "Rann-Thanagar Holy War." It's true, Dan Didio. It's true.

This is one fucked up comic as our beloved heroes continue to try and build an anti-religion ray--seriously, they're letting Jim Starlin do a comic like this? His last book had him killing gods and now, the main thrust of this book is about how religion fucks everything up for everyone. I love this man. Oh, and then a dinosaur shows up. EVERYONE FIGHT THE DINOSAUR! WHOO!

Ron Lim's art continues to underwhelm me. It's still decent, just not as good as I've seen elsewhere. But, it's also a 30-page comic, which is nice. At first, I thought it was just Starlin's style of storytelling that seemed to take longer (okay, it still does), but then I counted: 30 pages. Awesome.

This comic isn't that great, but I enjoy it as a fan of Starlin. Some may find other reasons to like it, but Starlin doing a comic about building an anti-god ray is enough for me.

Infinity, Inc. #10

This book ends with issue twelve, sadly. This comic is one of the weirder ones on the shelves and never really found that right balance. Personally, I've really liked Millgan's off-kilter approach that pays the most superficial of tributes to the genre conventions while throwing as much fucked up shit as possible at the reader. But, come on, did anyone think a comic from DC about how superpowers fuck you up would sell well? Really? Even Pete Woods couldn't save this title from the axe.

In this issue, the team fights against small town cops and hicks--who are working with an evil doctor that hurts people with a pen. And people are surprised this isn't selling to the hardcore fanboy crowd? Really?

Damn, I really like this book. On the plus side, I'm accumulating a nice collection of books that lasted a year or less that I can devote some nice long posts to. Guess Infinity, Inc. goes in that pile now.

The Invincible Iron Man #2

Matt Fraction is totally in love with Thor. At first, he didn't like Thor, but, now, he has a huge man-crush on Thor--and who can blame him? Take a look at that blonde hunk of man-meat and tell me you could resist his charms? Oh, sure, first it was just a "one-shot" and then Fraction planned to never see him again, but that "one-shot" soon became a couple more and then a three-issue mini-series tying into "Secret Invasion." Now, Thor is showing up in Fraction's brand-new Iron Man title and totally rocking our collective worlds. I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up at the end of the current Punisher War Journal arc, taking down Jigsaw--and then, when Casanova returns, a suitable substitute is introduced there. Maybe an appearance at Danny's birthday part in the next Iron Fist? Or a quick trip to SF to team-up with the X-Men in Uncanny? Fraction has got the Thor love disease and there's no cure. Nor would anyone want one.

Omega the Unknown #9

The Mink fights his giant hand to the death. This comic just blew my mind.

Secret Invasion #3

Okay, can the Young Avengers actually do shit in a fight? I've seen these young losers exactly twice: now and during Civil War where they got their asses handed to them by Noh-Varr. Or, are they just utterly helpless against aliens? Really, shouldn't someone have stopped these kids from pretending to be superheroes until they were properly trained in not getting their asses handed to them all of the time? These guys are shit. I'm glad they're dead, because at least they served the goal of filling up a big chunk of this issue and making Nick Fury seem even more hardcore. See, that's him on the last page with another bunch of young superpowered people who he actually trained to kick ass, not just die in the middle of Manhattan like a bunch of losers. The lesson: the world needs Nick Fury to train superpeople. Or, is it? We haven't actually seen the new Howlin' Commandos in action, but guess what? They have a little Greek god that's going to make the entire Young Avengers squad want to vomit at the thought of costuming up again, because if a seven-year-old can fuck Skrulls up better than the entire team put together... christ, those Young Avengers suck. Hell, the Initiative sucks, too. They show up and the Skrulls kind of shrug and then begin executing heroes in the street while saying "He loves you" in their weird Skrull language.

Oh, and Tony Stark may be a Skrull. At least, that's what the Skrull queen says. And we should trust her. She hasn't been lying about stuff since forever, right? Right?

It may not be apparent, but I enjoyed this comic. Even notice how these posts degrade over time--with initial reviews having a point and maybe some logic... and then later ones has you wondering what the fuck have I been drinking/snorting/popping/injecting to come up with these insanely retarded "reviews"? The answer, dear reader, is nothing. Nothing.

Trinity #1

I'm not buying another issue. This wasn't bad, it just wasn't good. I couldn't even read the back-up story all of the way through, because of the inane dialogue. Oh, and the "Trinity" discuss their dreams over waffles or pancakes, whatever's easier. Great. Really, I'll admit, I went into this issue thinking the whole "these three heroes are somehow linked and important" idea is kind of stupid--I left it thinking the whole "these three heroes are somehow linked and important" idea is really stupid, because what's linking them together? SCARY DREAM THAT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE ANY ORDINARY SCARY DREAM! Nothing here that makes me want to learn more. I just don't care.

"But, Chad! Chad, you can't just judge this comic based on one issue! That's not the way things are done these days!"

No. I'll give books the benefit of the doubt when there's something that has me--this book had nothing. Good for you if you liked it, I'm happy for you, really I am, but I'm out. I don't need to buy a book I don't like four times more a month than normal. That's just stupid.

Hellblazer: Rake at the Gates of Hell

Garth Ennis ends a run like no one else. I've read a lot of his stuff, but only two major runs completely: this and Preacher. In both, he somehow brings it all together in ways you don't expect but seem completely obvious at the same time. He does have a habit of getting into "greatest hits" storytelling in many ways, but he makes it work. The conclusion to his run on Hellblazer is nearly perfect in the way he ties the entire thing together, dovetails John's story with another, somehow has John come out on top, but not without paying a heavy price and feeling like a complete ass as a result. Ennis knows how to play with a reader's connection to these characters better than any other writer in comics. No other writer has even made me laugh so hard or feel so shitty. While I'm enjoying The Boys quite a bit, I know a part of me is reading the book just for that final arc, because Ennis will fucking bring it. He always seems to. This is a very, very good trade and should only be gotten if you have the rest of his run on the book. I'm sure it would read alright without knowing what came before, but why chance it?

The Sunday Open: Second Week of May 2008 Part 2

And so I continue my review of this week's books... but, with a post scheduled ahead. Again. When, oh when, could I be writing this? Wouldn't it just blow your mind if I were writing it before the other post? No? Well, damn. Not that it matters, because it's Saturday right now. I'm PastChad and I'm talking comics. I'm also kinda retarded sometimes.

Mighty Avengers #13

I am really enjoying these Mighty Avengers "Secret Invasion" tie-in issues. Nick Fury gathering his forces against the Skrulls is some good stuff. This issue is a little slower with Fury re-recruiting Daisy Johnson and then Johnson recruits a bunch of other people. I'm actually glad Bendis gave us this slower issue and let us meet each of the new Howlin' Commandos like this. I am curious what the timeline for this is as, when Ares's son is recruited, he's a member of the (Mighty) Avengers. How long will this group have had to train, really?

Oh, and I dig Alex Maleev's art. It's beginning to have a real Tim Bradstreet feel to it.

newuniversal: Shockfront #1

Ah, the return of the book that everyone forgot happened. I liked Ellis's initial newuniversal series and have been looking forward to this quite a bit. It continues pretty much from the previous one, but ups the ante by introducing at least two new superhumans. Best discussed as a whole.

The art by Steve Kurth is not a big jump from Salvador Larocca... a little more "comic booky," but still within that realistic vein. Frankly, I think it works for the book better here... as we are moving into a more "comic booky" world. The world here began as real like ours and is slowly becoming something else. A shift in art makes an alarming amount of sense.

Omega the Unknown #8

And we continue towards the conclusion as the two sides have a more direct confrontation. Kind of. What a strange, wonderful book.

Secret Invasion #2

WHOO! Fight! Yeah! So far, the only Skrulls we've seen in the Savage Land have come from the ship, so is Clint making a mistake trusting this Mockingbird??? Who knows! It's a solid issue that doesn't advance much, but is still fun. Hey, who would have thought an issue of a big event crossover thing would be fun?

Thunderbolts #120

Wow, that opening soliloquy by Norman... it's a shame that Ellis will be leaving this book because he's obviously having a lot of fun with it. And he's also doing a fantastic job with these creepy-as-fuck characters. When was the last time the Green Goblin was scary? Or not just a joke? Okay, so he's a joke here, but a different kind of joke. My favourite line: "NORMAN WILL MAKE THE GIRL PREGNANT AND THEN SNAP HER NECK IN PUBLIC. NORMAN WON'T MIND. NORMAN WILL DO WHAT IT TAKES." Ho ho, bub. One more issue of absolute crazy. Damn shame. Normally, I don't lament Ellis doing a stint on a book and then taking off, because that's what he does... but his work here has been truly great in that twisted way no other comic really is. I'm not sure anyone else can really explore this concept with the same perversion as Ellis... and that's the only way to do this concept as far as I'm concerned. Ah, whatever.

Transhuman #2

Not as impressive as the first issue, but the We3 panel was a nice touch. As were the different superpowers given to the test subjects. Hopefully, this will work well as a whole.

Wolverine #65

Jason Aaron ends his short run on the book with a solid issue. Lots of fighting and blood and hurt feelings. I like the revelation of Logan's betrayal in the past. Not quite as good or meaningful as it could have been, but solid.

Young Liars #3

I'm digging this book, but that second issue was such a drag on the momentum. Unless, as I said last month, Lapham plans to go back-and-forth... but still, I already forgot who half of the people in the present were. The fact that Danny shot Sadie is a big thing and goes a long way to making us dislike him. And how can you not? Although, he's the protagonist, so we kind of do. Odd. I'll be sticking with this book for a while to see what it becomes.

Hellblazer: Fear and Loathing

I continue my trip through Garth Ennis's Hellblazer with the beginning of his work with Steve Dillon on the title (who, I think, did a fill-in issue or two previous). Ennis knows what he's doing with these stories and plants a few seeds for who Gemma would become. The stuff with Kit is heartbreaking. Maybe I'll say more when I have the entire run... perhaps begin looking at Hellblazer in its whole someday. Maybe.

The Sunday Open: First Week of April 2008

Very brief week. Partly because of what shipped; partly because I really shouldn't send too much time writing reviews of comics when there's work to be done.

Anna Mercury #1

Ah, I love how Warren Ellis seems to have a very sink-or-swim attitude going on in this book. He hints at a lot of stuff, but never really explains anything, figuring that any reader picking up this book should be smart enough to put the pieces together. And, he's right--the basic concept seems pretty simple enough, same with the actual plot. Anna Mercury is trying to make sure one city/nation does not wipe out another using a big fucking ray gun that's on a moon colony. She is powered by some central source that can't give her a lot of power. She's kind of like a superhero. The last page reveal helps put a few more pieces into place. I'm looking forward to seeing what Ellis has planned here--and any fan of Morrison may want to check this book out as it's covering some similar territory.

The Boys #17

Okay, I finished this issue and looked at the cover again and laughed at how right it is. That has got to be one of the most perfect covers for a comic I've ever seen. You can see it here. Why is that cover so appropriate? Well, Hughie and Annie finally hook up and... well, it's a certain time of the month and... okay, so Garth Ennis isn't always the most "witty" of writers, but he does handle the scene well--particularly Butcher's reaction when he picks Hughie up the next morning and Hughie has no idea what's on his face. The final page of the issue is also really fucking funny in many wrong ways--namely a reanimated Blarney Cock invading Hughie's apartment because "AH WANNND MAH HAMMZDAH BAGGGKK...!" Clearly, Ennis is a very bad man... but, this is a very good comic.

Cable #2

This, on the other hand, is not a very good comic. It's not very bad, either, though. If this and the first issue had been combined, it would have made for a much stronger beginning to the series as this feels like the second-half of a double-sized debut issue. Cable and Bishop have a showdown until some locals show up and decide to... kill them both? What? The final couple of pages were ruined by Ariel Olivetti's horrible 3-D rendition of a semi truck that doesn't even attempt to fit in with the rest of the art. The issue, like last, ends on a pretty solid cliffhanger. I'm on board for now.

Infinity, Inc. #8

Okay, so my fears that Pete Woods and costumes would mess with the weird fun Peter Milligan has been cooking up with this comic were laid to rest here. Woods has altered his style to fit in with the tone already set and the costumes are almost treated like a superficial element without any real effect. All they do is set up the group as officially having the goal of dealing with the fall-out of Lex Luthor's Everyman Project and the fact that those who were part of it seem to gain new powers and go insane. There's also a subplot about Gerome's multiple copies wanting to kill him, kind of--and his refusal to wear a costume fits with the rest of the commentary on superhero teams. I do hope this title manages to stick around, but I don't see it lasting beyond issue twelve.

Omega the Unknown #7

Huh, this issue has no credits. But, it continues apace, being all awesome and intriguing. We get a few more hints about the overall picture with three issues left to go.

I also bought Secret Invasion #1, but disucssed that with Tim and don't have much to add. I picked up a trio of Stormwatch trades to complete my collection, but don't have much to say about them right now. I'll probably discuss them at a later date.

See... brief.

The Sunday Open: First Week of March Part 2

And so we march on with part two of our look at the books I got this past week...

The Boys #16

"Good for the Soul" is turning out to be a lovely little character arc where we get to see a bit more about the Boys. It's a nice change of pace from the strictly-superhero stuff the book has been up to this point. The main focus is still on Hughie, which makes sense as he's our perspective character and the one we're most likely to feel for. He gets closer to Annie and acts like a decent guy the entire time. There's also a bit about the Frenchman and the Female that doesn't provide a whole lot of insight, but is still nice. I really like this series.

ClanDestine #2

I'm actually in the middle of reading the hardcover collection of the last series, but I am impressed with how much info Davis did communicate in the previous issue as I'm learning more, but not a whole lot--more like specific details than broad strokes. I do wonder why Vincent is the only member of the family that's crossed out in the little family tree at the beginning of the issue since I know at least two or three other family members are dead, too.

Anyway, this series continues as the threat against the family builds with Adam seemingly killed and Dom lost in time, coming face-to-face with Excalibur. Another book that I'm really digging on as Davis really packs shit into these issues. And, as always, his art is fantastic.

Gødland #21

Adam Archer defeats the Triad finally. It seems like those guys have been around for-frickin'-ever. I rather like Archer as he's still very much a novice at this and doesn't always know what to do. The scene where he does special move after special move seemed very video game-ish to me (in a good way). Really this is the third in a series of books today that I don't have much to say about because it's really good and just continuing along at its own pace. I am interested in learning Maxim's secret, though. What will it be????

The Immortal Iron Fist: Orson Randall and the Green Mist of Death

Now, I don't know why, but this book didn't wow me as much as regular issues of the series do. It seemed more like a bunch of scenes thrown together than an actual story. There are some nice moments and I like how the art progresses to the style closest to that of David Aja, but, I don't know, something feels off. It does give necessary background to the current story in the series, particularly fleshing out the Prince of Orphans. We'll see how it reads as part of the story when I reread the whole thing.

Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin #5

Wow, Tony Stark is kind of stupid... he just shows up by himself and gets captured by the Mandarin. Okay, he planned it, but it's still something that could have gone very, very wrong. Particularly that whole execution thing where he barely escapes. But, this series has been really good in telling a focused story about the first fights between these two characters and next issue's final showdown should be great.

Omega the Unknown #6

Well, we've passed the halfway mark and it looks like Alex may find himself working for the enemy soon. Again, enjoying this book but not much to say about it. I'm a horrible critic sometimes.

The Programme #7-8

The introduction of the race war plot can easily fuck this book up, I think. Until now, Milligan has been walking that fine line between brilliance and horrible shit, and adding a new plot element could go either way. However, making it one of the Soviet's tactics to destabilise America helps it seem less random and irrelevent. CP Smith's art continues to baffle me as it also walks the same fine line as Milligan. So much will depend on the final four issues of this book.

Punisher War Journal #15-17

Normally, I don't bother discussing stuff Tim and I looked at in our column, but we only looked at one issue (well, more the whole series, but, you know, whatever). The conclusion to the Kraven story was odd, but sets him up as a foil for the Punisher, which makes sense in its own way.

Issue 16 is a follow-up to issue four, and is very, very good. I like the idea of a Punisher survivors group, and the look at the Gibbon's life since being blown up is pretty depressing. As Tim and I said, the book seems to work best when the Punisher barely shows up.

Issue 17 didn't wow me as much as 16. I do like how it adds more complexity to the Clarke/Castle relationship, though. Obviously something Fraction has an eye to do something with in the future.

And that does it for these books. Short little reviews, aren't they? Mostly "I dig this" or "Wait and see." Odd.

The Sunday Open: Superheroes are Fun

Since I'm now doing a weekly column about a new comic, I'm going to have to actually buy comics each week. That means that Sunday is definitely a day for thoughts on the books. Lucky you.

Amazing Spider-Man #549

When discussing this week's column, Tim listed a few books he would be interested in discussing and this was one of them, so I got it. I actually planned to pick up last month's three issues, too, just to provide some background, but the shop didn't have the first one. Ah well, if I can't pick up this issue and follow along fine then Marc Guggenheim obviously isn't doing his job.

Well, the good news is, I can follow along fine. The bad news is, this comic is utterly mediocre. It's not bad, but it's not good either. For every good bit, there's a corresponding bad bit. Like when Peter shows up late for an important meeting and instead of getting chewed out, he's held up as an example of a hard-working employee, always too busy to be on time. It defies expectations and is pretty funny. This is paired with the boss not rembering Peter's last name. Oh-ho-ho, that would have been so funny when I was eight, but I'm not--and neither is the vast majority of the readers. Jackpot's assumptions about the superhero lifestyle (especially calling the Grey Goblin as her arch-enemy) are fun. But...

The Jackpot and Grey Goblin plots frustrate me because they are obviously hinting at Mary Jane and Harry being these people (Harry less so). The Jackpot/MJ connection is so overdone that the writers are left with two options: reveal Jackpot as Mary Jane and have every reader go "Well, no shit!" or reveal Jackpot as someone else, at which point, all of the over-the-top MJ hints make no sense and the audience feels cheated. Maybe they've got something cool planned, but, as of now, it lacks the subtlety necessary to be a compelling mystery. All I'm waiting for is the obvious reveal or the nonsensical reveal. Fun.

I'm going to pick up the next two issues, so I can judge a complete arc. If the quality is the same as demonstrated here, I probably won't buy any further issues. It's just not worth my time or money to read mediocrity three times a month.

Batman #673 (and Batman: Gothic briefly)

Tim Callahan has a nice write-up comparing this issue to a classic issue that served as inspiration for Morrison, so go read that as I won't be touching on any of those details.

Actually, I don't have much to say about this issue since it's just a piece in a larger puzzle. I enjoyed the Joe Chill bit as it shows how far Batman will go, but then stop. He won't kill Chill to get revenge--but driving him to and encouraging suicide? Sure, why not.

I'm struck by how Bat-Mite's words to Bruce seem a guide to readers of Morrison's run: "That bats ain't so bad when you get to know them. / heheheheh / They can even be funny!" and then, he immediately follows it up with a comment that suggests that Morrison may move the book into a direction readers are familar with: "To tell the truth... / the dark ain't so bad when you learn how to make friends with it." The first quote seems a message to the readers that they need to lighten up about how they perceive Batman, that he isn't just a grim, hard-boiled asshole--and the second seems to suggest that Morrison has fought against that purposefully, but is learning that it isn't all that bad either. Weird contradictions there.

The title of the issue, "Joe Chill in Hell" makes me think of Batman: Gothic where Batman talks about Gotham being hell. I picked up that trade this week and reread it yesterday and something occurred to me: would the story in Gothic qualify as an entry in the Black Casebook? It involves the supernatural and occult, the sort of things that seem like they'd be contained in the Black Casebook. It would be appropriate.

The Boys #15

I love Hughie. I defy anyone to read this comic and not love Hughie. What you need to know about him is summed up on the final page when Annie (secretly a superheroine and newest member of the Seven) runs into him, hughs him and begs him to be nice to her (as her life has been pretty fucking shitty lately) and he just responds, "AW, ANNIE-- / WHY ON EARTH WOULDN'T I BE?" I've always hated how people tend to focus on Ennis' extreme elements and just gloss over stuff like that.

This issue is all about degradation. Annie has degraded herself to be a superhero and member of the Seven. Hughie feels he's morally degraded himself through some of his activities as a member of the Boys. The director (whose actual name I totally forget) degrades herself (in her eyes) by having sex with Butcher. Butcher has degraded himself by making himself a superpowered person. Curious to see if this arc continues with the theme.

More interested to see if things go well for Hughie, though. I love that boy.

The Immortal Iron Fist #12

There are, like, 54 things going on at once in this book. But, the big news is that, for the first time ever, an artist besides David Aja has drawn scenes that take place in the present! However, the choice of Javier Pulido is a smart one as his style is similar to Aja's enough that there is an easy to spot difference, it isn't a jarring one.

This issue advances every plot as the tournament continues, as does the revolution and Hydra's attempts to fuck shit up. Did enjoy Fat Cobra's background stuff like him demanding his "wenches in waiting" when Steel Phoenix takes his place in a fight--or the hair pin stuck through his hand when, several panels earlier, he puts his arm around Tiger.

Great book.

Midnighter #16

I haven't read #15 yet. But, I wanted to see what Assassin8 was like and this is it? Maybe things will pick up next issue, but this issue was kind of bland.

The Mighty Avengers #8

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeah, I read this several months ago in New Avengers. Except then it didn't have the overwrought thought-balloon monologue from Iron Man.

Narcopolis #1

So far, the plot of this series seems really basic (although it fits in with Delano's 2020 Visions--which I picked up this week and I'm halfway through), but the real fun is Delano's language. He really plays with the concept of how people would speak in this future society, much like Anthony Burgess in A Clockwork Orange. Nothing really deep here, just fun to read and get the hang of. The end of the issue suggests the plot will get better in future issues.

The Death of the New Gods #5

So, it's the Source that's killing the New Gods. And Mister Miracle becomes more an agent of the Anti-Life Equation--which is the other half of the Source that makes up a larger being. I wonder if we'll see a similar agent for the Source. Currently, the main suspect for the killer is Orion and I would love it if it turns out he has access to the Source the way Mister Miracle does the Anti-Life Equation, alluding back to where each grew up and being opposites.

I also loved the line that called the events from Crisis on Infinite Earths the "Infinity Crisis." Ah, good ol' Starlin. Looking forward to his reunion with Ron Lim on that Holy War book, too.

Omega the Unknown #5

We reach the halfway point of this book and it's still really fucking weird. I love the hand that grows feet, though. Funny as hell. Not sure what to say about this book. It's interesting, but hard to discuss as much of it will rely on the larger context.

That's it for this week. Until next week.

The Sunday Open: First Books of 2008

Let's pause for a moment and celebrate this being GraphiContent's 301st post. That's impressive, maybe? I dunno, actually. You know what, fuck it, let's get to the books.

Gravel #0

I totally skipped all of the Strange Killings minis. I got Strange Kiss and Stranger Kisses, but then missed everything. But, I always liked William Gravel and thought the idea of a combat magician was pretty cool. So, I saw this zero issue in the store and figured I'd check it out. First off, I was thrown off by the colour. I'm used to black and white William Gravel and colour is kind of weird for me. But, colour is also good. The story is simple: Gravel saves some hostages in Afghanistan since he's an SAS agent and then fucks up an occult detective that has taken his place in a group of magicians called the minor seven while he was in Afghanistan. This sets up him going after the other members of the group for cutting him out. Should be an entertaining series and, honestly, the fact that Mike Wolfer co-wrote it doesn't show.

Thor #5

So, the cover is just lying to me? On the cover, Thor is obviously in front of Sif and, in the comic, it turns out to be Loki now in female form. That means the cover is a lie. Fuck that shit.

The Mighty Avengers #7

Hey, look at that, plot points that happened months ago in another title! And, once again, Bendis has lost me with the thought balloons. There was the kinda funny moment where Wonder Man is told he needs a new costume. Otherwise, nothing really new here.

Batman #672

I'm a little (just a little, mind you) disappointed that the third Batman shows up here, just because I loved the idea of Morrison concluding that story in issue 666. Otherwise, this is a decent issue that falls in line with issues 664 and 665, everything in between not even seeming to factor in. There's not much to say about this issue specifically as it is obviously a piece in a larger puzzle, but I'm wonderng how Morrison's run will read as a whole considering the fact that this issue really does seem to come right after #665.

Wolverine #61

And so ends "Logan Dies," an arc that seems to have done two things: made it so that the next time Wolverine dies, he stays dead (like that will happen), and the return of Mariko's father from the dead. This arc should have been, like, three or four issues max. Meh.

Ultimate Human #1

After Bendis and Millar, it's weird to think that Warren Ellis has had the most impact on the Ultimate universe, although most of his stuff has taken place outside of the main titles. This series seems perfect for Ellis: two oddball geniuses, lots of science, a twisted villain (actually, combining two MU characters like that is really smart), and stuff hitting other stuff. Will this be the best comic of the year? Of course not. But, it's entertaining and a good read. Plus, the last line of the issue "I don't think I like it when he's angry" just makes me laugh.

Youngblood #1

I bought this because Joe Casey is writing and this may just wind up in the pile of crappy Casey comics alongside Infantry and Hellcop. It has potential as Casey takes the book back to its roots, recognising that Youngblood did do a lot of the things that The Authority and Ultimates have done, but years before. The only problem is that the logical thing would be to try and take this title beyond what those books have done... and Casey doesn't do that here. It reads like X-Statix lite. I'm not sure if I like the West Wing reference either--mostly because I'm not sure I want Aaron Sorkin's characters inhabiting the same world as Rob Liefeld's. Eeeeeuuugh!

The Boys #14

There's something very anticlimactic about this issue (especially for Little Nina). The group does stop the plot to take over Russia/turn it back into the USSR, but it just kind of happens. Hughie has a few nice moments, especially when he freaks the suit out. Butcher gets to blow up a warehouse of superheroes, which makes him happy. As well, Ennis sets up the corporation behind the whole thing as a future threat. It's a decent issue, but I expected more from Ennis.

The Death of the New Gods #4

Okay, I think I figured this out: the Anti-Life Equation is a living being (according to Starlin's take on it, which was first used in The Cosmic Odyssey) and it's the little globe at the end of this issue. As well, the killer is actually Mr. Miracle, turned evil by the Anti-Life Equation which he keeps using and pushes him further and further "out there." I could be wrong, but that's my guess. I am digging Starlin's work here. His layouts are so singular and unique to him and I love it. I have a total weakness for it. This series isn't the greatest, but I'm finding at least one moment each issue that wows me.

Captain America #33

And thus Bucky becomes the new Captain America, a choice we all saw coming but couldn't quite believe. Brubaker continues to just nail these characters and have Steve Rogers play a giant role in the book despite being dead. In fact, the driving force in this issue is Rogers with every other character's actions dictated by Rogers. Plus, Iron Man gets in a fight while not seeming like a douchebag. Wow.

Thunderbolts #118

Again, a cover just lying to me. Despite what the cover shows, Doc Samson and Penance get along just fine in this issue. Norman Osborn falls apart and so does the group, further demonstrating that a group of villains is a retarded idea--but makes for good comics. My favourite moment of the issue has to be Osborn sitting on the toilet (just sitting, pants on), wearing the Green Goblin mask and saying "I'M COMING OUT."

Omega the Unknown #4

Ooooooooooooh, so that statue isn't Professor X! The head statue speaks and things become a little more confusing. This is a good book, but will read better as a whole. Am really digging the art--although the lettering on the first page is a little unclear as to the order of the balloons.

I also read Ultimates 2 and Fantastic Four: First Family, but I'll save them for next week. Give them some more space, maybe throw in some Incal and Black Diamond Detective Agency.

It's my mom's birthday, so let's celebrate with new comics!

It is indeed my mom's birthday today. Not really important to any of you, but there it is. I bought some new comics on Friday, so let's get to it.

Batman #671

So, this whole R'as al Ghul story is pretty shit, eh? I'm very tempted not to pick up the remaining three parts. But, as my roommate, Adam says, I'm a horrible completist, so I'll most likely do that this week when I buy comics here in London. Maybe it will turn out decent. Please?

New Avengers #37

Adam bought this comic, too, and hated it. I, on the other hand, enjoyed it. He didn't like Spider-Man's crack about his black costume and the art. I agree about the art--Yu has been not producing his best work on this title and I've gotta wonder what happened.

Criminal #10

I'm not sure about the ending. It works to set up more stories with Tracy Lawless, but I'm not sure it works as an ending to this story. But, otherwise, typical great issue.

The Boys #13

I also suspected Vlas of being a traitor, so Hughie shouldn't feel too bad about it. I rather enjoy this book and find myself always finishing an issue wanting the next one right away. That's a good sign, right?

Sensational Spider-Man #41

You know what? The Mephisto stuff doesn't read as bad as it could. When I read the spoilers for this issue online, I thought it was a pretty retarded idea--still do, actually--but the issue itself presents the idea in a better light than the spoilers let on. There's at least some logic at work here. Is it great? No. Not even good or average, but it's better than it could have been. That's what I took from this issue: better than it could have been.

Wolverine #60

This is one fucked up story--and not in a good way. I don't know what the point of this story is or where it's going. First Wolverine is fighting terrorists, then he's brain dead, then he's fighting an archangel, then he's getting revenge and then he's confronted by a dead man? Seriously, not getting it. But, there's something strangely compelling about this story. It's so odd and weird (in a bad way) that I can't help but see it through. I want to see if Guggenheim will somehow pull a rabbit out of his ass and make it all worth it.

Infinity, Inc. #4

Speaking of fucked up stories... Milligan got me with this issue. He's managed to sell me on the weirdness of these characters. The whole exchange between Kid Empty and his girlfriend was really fucking messed up. I mean, wow, that was some harsh shit right there. Milligan is starting to let the freaky shit come out and I'm loving it.

Omega the Unknown #3

An odd comic that is compelling in its own way. It reminds me of an indie film in a lot of ways. It exists in that strange, quirky little space that the yearly "indie success" occupies (Garden State, Little Miss Sunshine, Napolean Dynomite are all good examples of this). Strange to see Marvel publishing it, but it's a nice read.

That does it. Not much I wanted to say about these books, really, I guess. Next up is another week of Jim Starlin and Joe Casey goodness. Does anyone really care? Nope? Ah well, no worries, I'm going to do it all anyway.

Even with a list, I'm a forgetful moron (Or, many many many comics)

I'm at home in London and I have a rather large stack of comics to discuss/review/whatever it is I do. I hit two shops yesterday with a list in hand that I update with each week's shipping list. Despite the list, I somehow came home without Criminal #10. It's on the list. My regular shop didn't have it and the one I stop at to pick up what my shop doesn't have may have had it, but in all the excitement of getting other comics and their awesome sale, I skipped it. I am filled with shame and, well, self-anger. What the fuck? It's Criminal, dammit! And I forgot! *lowers head in shame*

Ah well. Let's get on with this anyway...

New Avengers: Illuminati #5

Alright, so Black Bolt is a Skrull and revealed himself why exactly? I read the issue and I can't figure out the logic in that revelation. There's some half-assed shit about wanting to make them not trust one another, but really. Come on. Really? That's lame. Why do that when you could do the big reveal at a better time? Or never reveal and work on the inside to make shit worse, which is what we're to assume the Skrulls have been doing? But, hey, that's me.

As well, I have to admit that the magic eight ball was wrong as it said Black Bolt wasn't a Skrull. Damn you, magic eight ball.

Finally, this issue doesn't seem like what was supposed to happen. For some reason, I remember Bendis saying in an issue of Wizard a year ago that it was more about everyone else in the Marvel universe finding out that the Illuminati exists and being pissed. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know. Not that that's a problem really as plans change--just something that occurred to me.

The issue itself was passable and pushed the story forward, albeit in a really dumb way.

New Avengers #36

Alright, so we can skip the second Mighty Avengers arc, right?

I'm amused that the two Avengers teams are working together so quickly. The Venom virus situation was a necessity, but that last page--and the little hints to the Skrull stuff--suggests that we're in for a united front. An undoing of "Civil War" so soon? Probably not, but interesting.

All-Star Superman #9

Wow, because this issue wasn't lame at all.

Some great ideas here, but the ending was a cop-out. It was a cheap as fuck cop-out that has deus ex machina written all over it. The two Kryptonians' bodies are poisoning them with Kryptonite? Yes, yes, we all see the mirroring of Superman because he's being poisoned by his body as well, but... come on. This is an issue where the subtext and themes are given more importance than the basic plot--something Morrison is usually pretty good at avoiding.

Meh.

Thunderbolts #117

No offence to Paul Jenkins as I haven't read his work with Penance, but why is Marvel bothering with a mini-series devoted to that character when Ellis is actually making him interesting? Not just interesting, but actually providing actual reasons for his behaviour? He's taken a joke of a character and suddenly gives him motivation and depth and reasons for being a whiny little emo kid.

Ellis continues to use this book to show exactly why the idea is an incredibly stupid one, logically. It almost reads as a satire of various ideas from "Civil War" and why they were half-baked. This book is a demonstration in why aiming for those "fanboy orgasm" moments doesn't work, really.

Batman #670, Robin #168, Nightwing #138, Detective Comics #838

Half of "The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul" and... wow, there isn't a lot here. Lots of fighting and talking, but it leads to this: Ghul is back, his current body won't last, needs a new one, and is either going to use Damian (his grandson and Batman's son) or Time Drake. Shouldn't more have happened in four issues written by Grant Morrison, Peter Milligan, Fabian Nicieza and Paul Dini?

What If... Annihilation Reached Earth?

This issue was a lot less interesting than I hoped, but it does outline how the heroes will unite to fight the Skrulls. I don't know what I expected, but this issue does pretty much the bare minimum in imagining what would happen: the Annihilation wave is heading for Earth, the heroes unite, they fight together, they finally overcome it with Nova, Iron Man and Captain America sacrificing themselves in the process. It all makes logical sense, but... I don't know, it's just too basic. I wanted more.

The Boys #12

Not quite the direction I thought this story was taking. But, Ennis does some nice bits of dialogue and further develops Hughie's character as he adjusts to his new line of work. I enjoyed this issue, because I really like Ennis' writing. At this point, you know what to expect (in general, not specifically).

Captain America #31-32

The post-Steve Rogers world continues and we begin "Act 2" of the story. Like with the previous stories in this series, individual issues are difficult to discuss as it's about the bigger picture. Things progress, basically. Great book.

Velocity: Pilot Season #1

A nice little done-in-one story by Joe Casey with Kevin Maguire on art. I never really read Cyberforce, so I don't really know much about Velocity. Picked this up because of Casey and it's a decent read. Typical Casey dialogue--a sort of hipster casual (if that makes any sense). A story with a clever solution. A slightly downbeat ending. I haven't read any of the other "pilot season" books, but this could be a fun superhero series if it gets enough votes. Oh, and Maguire's art is excellent.

Infinity, Inc. #3

I really don't know where Milligan is taking this book. This issue moves a very quick pace, jumping forward a lot, just hitting the beats we need, never giving the reader a chance to really catch up or get a handle on what's going on. There's the potential for interesting stories with the former members of Infinity, Inc. getting new powers and, well, being kind of crazy. We'll see.

Thor #4

I love how Straczynski recognises at the end of the issue that his pacing is slow as fuck and needs to be quickened. The first three issues felt like what the first issue should have been. This issue should have been eight pages. I'm giving it to issue six and then I'll assess if it's worth it. So far, it's just been so slow and mechanical, in a way.

Annhilation: Conquest--Starlord #4

A nice ending to this series that always left me a little underwhelmed. I did notice how the Uni-Force acts a lot live the Hivemind that Nova has in his head. Used differently here, but found that interesting. Giffen also does something clever by having the Uni-Force assist the group by joining with a member of the Phalanx for a short period of time. I'm thinking about getting the three volumes of the first Annihilation, so maybe I'll pick up this entire story in trades at a later date.

Midnighter #13

This storyarc is lasting a little longer than it needs to. Midnighter ups the stakes against Anthem and gets his ass handed to him. Plus, looks like his support system is gone. Giffen's done things here that I didn't expect, honestly. I expected the story to stay closer to Midnighter's home town, but taking it into the world at large has been interesting. I just wish the pace would pick up a bit.

Punisher War Journal #13

Okay, I really enjoyed this issue. The opening bit with the Rhino doing it "OLD SCHOOL" is great. The inclusion of Spider-Man is always a plus as Fraction has him nailed. The Punisher is more of a supporting character here, which works. My favourite bit is after Kraven has kidnapped Rhino and Spider-Man is talking to a webbed-up Frank:

S-M: SO TELL ME THE TRUTH. IF I LET YOU GO, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HUNT KRAVEN DOWN AND KILL HIM, ARE YOU?

P: ...

P: NO?

S-M (adding more webs): PSH. LISTEN TO YOU.

I dig it.

Wolverine #59

Um... what? An entire issue where Wolverine fights himself, except not really himself and not in any physical sense, but he does come back to life despite not really being dead as only his soul was missing and now he knows who to kill except why we don't know so we better read next issue. Ye-ah.

Doktor Sleepless #3

This is the first issue I've really dug. It's got lots of nice moments, it advances several stories and gives a hint of the big picture. It doesn't seem aimless like the previous issues. Or, at least, not in the same way. We all knew I was going to keep buying this book no matter what, but this issue has me in as a fan.

Gødland #20

Do you think Casey killed off Crashman because of Captain America's death? Something about the opening scene of this issue just reminded me of that. America's hero dead, everyone freaking out, etc.

This book is some good fun. Lots of action and thrills and good guys and bad guys and army guys and, yeah, you should read this book. It's good. And the Earth is doomed. Fuck.

The Order #4

It looks like Fraction has a plan for this book. I'm liking it more with every issue. It comes across as the most "mainstream" of his work--and it IS--but it's not as "mainstream" as it seemed when it began. It's subtle in its subversions and deviations. I have a feeling that it could all fall apart at any time now and that's pretty cool (and, wow, that sounds weird).

Omega the Unknown #2

This continues to be weird and mysterious, but compelling. It's offbeat in all the best ways. Plus, the end where Omega works at a church and as a fry cook--that's just funny. I think this will turn out to be a fantastic read. Or, I'm hoping.

The Programme #4-5

And I'm really liking this book, too. CP Smith's art is still a little too unclear at times, but the story is beginning to cohere and advance. The Senator Joe bit was nice and not overdone, which many writers would have fallen prey to. Another book that will be judged as a whole, but after a few issues were I was unsure, I'm in 100%. Now, watch Milligan fuck it up next issue...

Casanova #10

Hells yes. We secretly watch Quinn who secretly watches Benday who secretly watches Toppogrosso who secretly watches many people. Asa Nisi Masa. Lots of sex. When is Casanova Quinn? BLUE! I love this book.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that does it for the singles. I also picked up 52 volume four, which I've got to read still; Thanos: Epiphany, which fits into the Starlin stuff; and the three Human Target trades I need in an awesome sale--I've read one of them, but will discuss them all later, maybe after I buy the uncollected issues. Oh, and I also managed to find Infinity Crusade #6, so when my last eBay order arrives, we're back on track with Mr. Jim Starlin up through to his most recent work--the only thing missing will be his Silver Surfer run.

I'm tired.