Best of 2012: The Top Ten Comics of 2012

My top ten comics of 2012...

10. PRISON PIT BOOK FOUR BY JOHNNY RYAN! Book two made my 'best of the year' list, while book three did not last year. What makes book four of Prison Pit so worthy? After all, you'll see that a lot of big, important, fantastic comics did make this list. Yet, a comic about depraved violence does? Mindless, brutal violence with no redeeming value, some might even argue! I wouldn't be one of those people. I love fake violence. I read superhero comics, watch professional wrestling, and love me some Prison Pit. I love Johnny Ryan's imagination. While there is an element of "If you've read one Prison Pit book, you've read them all," that's not true. Because he surprises in every book with the ways he does the same sort of violence in new ways. The ways in which he keeps himself and the reader from being bored at a little bit more of the old ultraviolence. The ways he comes out with new monstrosities and new conflicts for Cannibal Fuckface to deal with, each bigger than the last. Each seemingly more hopeless.

Book three ended on a cliffhanger that left me wondering "What next? How can Ryan get CF out of this? WHAT HAPPENS TO PRISON PIT NOW, YOU BASTARD!" And, then, here we are, and CF gets out of it in a clever, entertaining way. Recently, I've become fascinated with the way writers will create seemingly impossible situations for their protagonists and, then, get them out of it. I love that stuff. And, like most fiction, that's all Prison Pit is at its core: Cannibal Fuckface gets into a seemingly impossible situation and, then, gets himself out. Usually, it's a big, monster of a foe that he has to kill in a bloody, disgusting way. We've seen him eaten by an enemy... and break his way out. He's set on a collision course with a former enemy in this book and the end of this book is... well, you have to see it to believe that someone would make a comic like this.

And I love it.

I spent a lot of time after getting Prison Pit book four flipping through it, letting Ryan's art just sit in front of my eyes... His messy blacks -- pages covered in black inky blood! That splash page where you can hear the metallic score reach a high mark in the background as CF stands with a sword, head and torso covered in blood as he demands another guy's boots and kneepads. It's pure fucking heroic storytelling! THIS IS COMICS!

9. SCALPED BY JASON ARRON, RM GUERA, AND OTHERS! Scalped released its final six issues in 2012 and I had a chance to read the entire 60 issues over the course of a week. It is an impressive work, especially in its final six issues. Jason Aaron doesn't give us a clean, easy conclusion. It's messy and awful and ends in a way that I hate yet respect and understand. It wasn't a book that was going to end in a way that satisfies, honestly. We all wanted a happy ending. After 59 issues of death and pain and struggle, all you really want is an issue where some peace and happiness can be found, especially for the book's lead, Dash Bad Horse. Scalped is an ensemble piece with the Rez acting as the star to a degree, but Dash is the closest thing we have to a protagonist and, fuck, I wanted him to get a win. I wanted him to be happy. I could live with everyone else getting fucked, but Dash? He did some awful stuff and I wasn't more happy reading this book than at the beginning of that final arc when he was happy and seemingly settling into a leadership role in the Rez. Not the leader, but someone who was finally looking beyond himself and his concerns.

But, it wasn't that kind of story. I should have known better.

I don't always (or often) get invested in characters like that. It takes something special to do it and Scalped had that. A big part of that was the art of RM Guera. It took some time, but I grew to appreciate and love his art. His work is so savage and sweet at the same time. There's so much passion in his line work and the way he builds pages. Even moments of calm (of which there are two or three over the couse of Scalped) have this energy that makes them seem like a page can barely contain them. His art is messy and grotesque in those best ways. His characters look like people and not -- exaggerations, but so specific and deep that they may as well be real.

Endings are hard to land in cases like this. How could that final issue live up to everything that the previous 59 issues promised? Hell, who wanted this book to end? We hate endings, because we don't want endings. Especially in comics. Comics don't end, they keep going forever! It's hard to really love an ending to a comic. Like I said, I respect and understand the final issue of Scalped... but I kind of hate it. Yet, this book makes my top ten comics of 2012 nonetheless, because it was still a damn good ending even if I hate it. Does that make any sense?

Every single one of these six issues released in 2012 were issues that I greatly anticipated and... they all delivered in their own way. They surprised me, they moved me, they entertained me, and they stuck with me.

8. ULTIMATE X-MEN BY BRIAN WOOD, PACO MEDINA, CARLOS BARBERI, AND OTHERS! This time last year, the Ultimate title that I was in love with was The Ultimates under the direction of Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic (it was my #7 book of 2011). But, Hickman and Ribic left that title for Avengers and Thor: God of Thunder, while Ultimate X-Men writer Nick Spencer was replaced with Brian Wood. What Wood did with the title was make it a book about a revolution, about a world where mutants are not just feared and hated, they are penned up and killed -- and just when it seems like they've won, like they've finally gotten their freedom, something comes along and all but 20 mutants decide to stop being mutants. Forget the 198, Wood made mutants a truly endangered species on the brink of extinction. And he made them unable to function as a single group.

That one-two punch of mutants coming together to fight against oppression and win only for humans to come along and find a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat... it was masterful. It was taking advantage of the Ultimate Universe in a similar way to how Hickman did the same in The Ultimates. Take some familiar toys and fuck them up, because... why not? He could never do this on X-Men, but Ultimate X-Men is a whole other story.

Kitty Pryde has been the protagonist and leader of the mutants... even though, now, a sizeable minority seem to want her dead, because she seems intent on playing nice with humanity. In the most recent story, the mutants invent a seed that can grow anything anywhere... and she decides to give it away for free. This, after President Rogers gave mutants a dead piece of land for their reservation. You can see why some would simply want to declare war on humanity and die taking out of a few humans. But, Kitty sees a better way. It's a more spiteful way, I think. A "You try to kill us? Well, we're going to solve world hunger. Fuck you." way. It's doing good in a manner where everyone will want to accept it and some will hate themselves for it. It's forcing humanity to embrace its hypocrisy.

What would someone do if they were in a similar situation? Wood is quite good at creating these dramatic, fucked up contexts and, then, exploring how people would act in them. How noble intentions can go wrong, how people will still insist on doing stupid things, and how things will usually wind up bad even when it seems they can't.

Honestly, what I keep waiting for is for Wood to be paired with an artist that can make his scripts sing like they should. This is a book that makes this like despite the art. It's rarely been bad, but it doesn't enhance and improve like it should. It's serviceable at best. The strength of Wood's writing -- and the way that writing like this appeals to me specifically -- carry the day.

7. WONDER WOMAN BY BRIAN AZZARELLO, CLIFF CHIANG, TONY AKINS, AND OTHERS! Earlier this week, I wrote that Wonder Woman often reads like the least Azzarello-esque thing I've read by Brian Azzarello. I stand by that. There's little in Wonder Woman or Orion that scream "Typical Azzarello!" but there's plenty that does. Like the way the gods play one another and vie for power. Or the way Azzarello writes dialogue with so much precision and playfulness. The most recent issue, for example, had the Wonder Woman/Orion stuff that didn't seem at all like Azzarello, but it also had the stuff in the bar that felt like the Azzarello we all know and are a little afraid to love.

While Batman seems like a more 'natural' fit for a guy like Azzarello, he's very suited to writing Wonder Woman. A pure character who has a dark, dangerous side. She comes from a violent, cruel world - the Amazons are warriors, their gods are spiteful... she can work within the dark side of things. She can think of dangerous, cruel things to do, because she has a noble cause. She clearly doesn't like doing certain things, but she will. She will doublecross gods and sacrifice herself to save a baby. She's a hero unafraid to do what it takes to protect life. Yet, it never feels like she's bloodthursty or as brutal as someone like Batman. There's a hope and optimism to the character that most don't have -- and it never feels corny like it sometimes does with the likes of Superman. She's a good person who will do bad things if necessary and that's pretty simple.

Wonder Woman had the best zero issue that I read from DC. Azzarello was so playful in the opening narration and used the conceipt in a way that clearly plays a big role in the story he's telling. Almost like a backstory he was aware of but wouldn't share unless necessary. A lot could be learned there.

The art on Wonder Woman is top-notch. Cliff Chiang brings the right sort of light, cartoony feel that helps soften Azzarello a little and make this work feel more like a complete whole than a mismatched writer/artist (it helps that they're not mismatched). And Tony Akins is a great fill-in artist, working in a similar style to Chiang. There's a very unified look to this comic and it's a strong, bold one. It's sort of what you want a superhero comic to look like.

The character designs really impress me as well. The looks of the gods are inventive while remaining true to their natures. Apollo looks nothing like you've seen him portrayed before... yet it doesn't seem wrong in any way. Hades is particularly inspired. And the Orion redesign is the best redesign of that character. Very true to Kirby's original while looking more contemporary in a way that isn't immediately dated. How did Chiang do it?

Tim, you should catch up on this comic. It's really, really good.

6. FURY MAX BY GARTH ENNIS, GORAN PARLOV, AND OTHERS! I picked the perfect summer to read American Tabloid by James Ellroy, didn't I? Ennis owes Ellroy a debt in how he's writing Fury MAX, but that isn't really what makes it such a great comic. Sure, grabbing a few things from a truly great piece of fiction never hurt. A lot of what Ennis does with Fury is stuff we've seen before in the few times that Ennis has written Nick Fury in the past. He's always written him as a hard man, cruel and lonely, but usually one who recognises his place in the world. If possible, Fury wants to make the world better and make sure as few innocents die. The closest we saw to him not doing that was in the first Fury series Ennis did -- and that was the point. The character had gotten old and desperate for something. Here, he's still young and all he wants to do his job well and make the world 'better.' Often, he learns that he didn't. There's a sense that this is a history of Nick Fury's failures. His self-delusion that he was a good person in any way. That his actions had any nobility. He leaved Indo-China in one arc on the side of a man, returns two arcs later to kill him. What changed? Politics. Is there a point? Probably not.

Parlov is one of my favourite artists to work with Ennis. He draws hard men well. He draws violence well. His Nick Fury is a man of stone that looks more cracked as we go on. Old Fury narrating... that man is unhinged but we see that only around the edges sometimes. This is a messy comic and Parlov captures that. Much like no one can draw Ennis scenes of two men shooting the shit in a bar like Steve Dillon, few can draw violent Ennis comics like Parlov.

If I did a list for 2013 (and I won't), this would make it again most likely.

5. PUNK ROCK JESUS BY SEAN MURPHY AND TODD KLEIN! When you hear the title of this comic, you expect a certain type of comic. Maybe something akin to American Idiot by Green Day. Certainly something a bit more crude and actually focused on the eponymous character. Instead, it's a wide-ranging character piece that spends nearly half of the series looking at the people surrounding Chris, the reality show clone of Jesus. If anything, the main protagonist is Thomas, the bodyguard at the J2 project. A former member of the IRA, he's a believer in the possible divinity of Chris and tries his best to keep his depressed, alcoholic, regretful mother alive, fend off religious fanatics that hate the project, and all while keeping watch over a child raised to be the new Christ... who, as he grows, realises more and more that it's a crock of shit.

I regret that this comic didn't come out 15 years ago. My teenage self would have loved it. It would have topped his best of the year list no doubt. I grew up going to Catholic school and, in my teens, became a hardcore atheist. I'm still quite anti-religion. This comic speaks to that side of me. But, that alone wouldn't earn it a spot on this list. Sean Murphy's writing and art do that. Anyone can take cheap shots and trash religion -- not everyone can create compelling characters, complex situations that make you think and consider your position, and deliver gorgeous black and white art. I loved his work on Joe the Barbarian, but this was better. More than that, this was Vertigo doing something unexpected: giving him a complete comic with no ads in black and white. How great is that? Could every Vertigo comic be that?

Murphy builds the world in this series. He doesn't simply jump in and start throwing punches. He does the work, he develops his characters, and, when Chris becomes the "Punk Rock Jesus" of the title, it feels earned. It feels organic and true, not simply an easy way out. This series showed writing skills beyond what I thought we would be getting. Everything about this series seemed to be about destroying my lame expectations. Well done, Mr. Murphy.

4. BUILDING STORIES BY CHRIS WARE! It seems that one of the things that takes a work from simply being something I respect/admire and makes it something I love is the ability to connect with me on an emotional level. There are plenty of technically profficient books out there, but if I feel nothing (emotionally, intellectually), well, shit, what's the point? There's got to be something besides lines on the page. Chris Ware has always done that for me. He did it when I first read part of Building Stories when it was released as an edition of ACME Novelty Library and he did it again here. His character study is engrossing and so far-reaching that it's hard to escape.

So much was made of the format of Building Stories that I'm not sure that I have a lot to say there. I think it worked in some ways, not in others. I wasn't a big fan of the little fragment fold-outs. But, I got the point of them. He gave you two little pieces with no set beginning or end and that's the only way to present that material to accomplish that. You can't do that in a book and produce the same effect. That formalist experiment is a nice thing to think about and I would love to see it explored further. But, that doesn't mean that everything worked quite as well. It's cute to put one of your stories in a storybook-esque package... but to what end?

But, I came here to praise Ware, not bury him. His art stuns me. Just floors me. The way he designs pages and make everything work -- adds such warmth to his characters, is able to communicate what's going on in their heads... His style seems like it would be cold and impersonal, but it isn't. That never stops shocking me. It always defies my initial expectations that I can't seem to shake.

3. GØDLAND BY JOE CASEY, TOM SCIOLI, AND OTHERS! And it's not over yet! That's what I had to say. All of that in Gødland #36 -- the ultimate battle of cosmic life against entropy and that's not it! One of the biggest superhero comicbooks I've ever read. Something that felt like it Mattered and would remain a part of me forever... Or something. It was a single issue of brilliance. Of payoff for 35 issues that came before. I mean: ADAMAXIM! Page after big of big pictures of cosmic battle matched with Casey's narration at its most bombastic. This is comics! This is the sort of thing that reminds me of being a kid, of when these things meant the world to me instead of being stacks that I read through and add to other stacks. This is the sort of comic that, back then, I would have read and reread and reread and, damn, I should do that more often. The finale is coming. I should reread this comic many, many times. I should know every line, every word, every hue and shade...

The moment where Kafka Nickelhead steps out of reality... Like the last time we saw that, reality sits in a room with Kirby '70s comics. It's all filtered through that. But, that's this reality. What about the next? What about what's new?

Tom Scioli... Tom Scioli... that battle. The weightiness of his lines... the sense of import, of largess... how can he do that?

"LET THE HEAVENS FALL!"

"SYSTEM RESTORE"

I just want what happens next... what happens... next...

The new Gød replaces the old...

2. PROPHET BY BRANDON GRAHAM, SIMON ROY, GIANNIS MILONOGIANNIS, AND OTHERS! It's hard to see the shape of Prophet entirely. There's a war, the resurrection of the Earth empire, the awakening of its John Prophets... and a gathering of Old Man Prophet as the opposing force. So much is still unknown, but each issue is something new that I haven't seen before. Each issue brings more answers and more mysteries. Such touching moments of friendship and kindness fill these comics. The gathering of Old Man Prophet's group was nice. Old comrades coming together, remembering what it was like to be together, relearning, and enjoying one another's company. There's a bit of a 'hang out' book in Prophet. It's pacing is odd, but never not engaging.

Brandon Graham's imagination seems limitless as he comes up with new names and species and things that defy explanation. One of Old Man Prophet's closest allies is a sentient tree of some sort. But, really, he's just like anybody else. A surprise that shouldn't have been was the return of Die Hard. Graham makes good use of the universe he has to play with.

And each issue is geared towards the artist in question. What Simon Roy draws isn't what Giannis Milonogiannis draws isn't what Brandon Graham draws. All of these pieces fit together in such a way that it works incredibly well to have numerous artists that pick up different threads. I hope to see a jam issue one day if they can make that work logistically. Bring it all together is a mashup of different artists and styles. I wouldn't put it past them to give it a go.

Like I said, what really grips me is that every issue is a new experience. I never know what to expect and I have stopped expecting anything but surprise. No other comic can match that. No other comic fails to let me down like this one. It gives me what I didn't know I wanted until I got it.

1. THE BOYS BY GARTH ENNIS, RUSS BRAUN, DARICK ROBERTSON, JOHN MCCREA, KEITH BURNS, TONY AVINA, AND SIMON BOWLAND! Yes, The Boys. When compiling this list, no other comic cried out, demanding to be put atop like The Boys. It offered not one, but two fantastic conclusions this year. First, wrapping up the superheroes plot and, then, wrapping up business between Butcher and Hughie. It was an awful year of issues that broke my heart again and again. But, first Ennis concluded the superhero conflict as the supes descended on the White House and Butcher came face to face with the man who killed his wife. And he kills the bastard. Uses a crowbar to rip the top of his head off and pulls out chunks of brains. Because that's what you want to do to a man who raped your wife and impregnated her with a superhuman child that burst out of her like an alien. It's crude and nasty and so, so, so satisfying to see. I do love superhero comics, but I love hating superheroes, too, and, not since Marshal Law has a superhero murder been oh so lovely. The Boys do what they set out to do. The good guys win.

Until Billy Butcher does some nasty shit and things go south. And it keeps getting worse. Every issue is nothing but shock and gasps and heartbreak. Ennis plays off everything he can and do so masterfully. If there's something that man is great at, it's final storyarcs that just crush you and surprise you and leave you wanting more while hating him for what he does. Nobody does it better, honestly.

And, then, there's the final issue where Stillwell realises that he is fucked forever. And Hughie and Annie get a happy ending. I love happy endings. And I wanted this one more than any other. Garth Ennis may be a bastard of a writer, but he knows when to deliver the feel good moment. He much softer than people give him credit for and it's one of the reasons why he's one of my favourites.

While Darick Robertson returning for the final issue was nice, I will continue to be in awe of the way Russ Braun stepped onto the title when he did. It was so effortless the way he made the characters his own -- make the book his own. Robertson's return was appropriate, but didn't feel quite right. Then again, Braun got to draw the Hughie/Butcher finale and that was just fantastic.

The Boys was cheap and crude in its treatment of superheroes. But, it was funny and heartfelt and touching and true and right. I miss is quite a bit and I can't see that feeling ever going away completely.

Blogathon 25: Garth Ennis's Best Female Characters (Part 2)

I haven't read Dear Billy, so I'll have to take Brian's word on that one. I have read Ennis's Hellblazer and agree with regards to Kit. I did find her a little one-note in her relationship with John, but she served a specific role and filled it well. Her later reppearance (of sorts) in issue 200 was even more terrible because she had been left out of the book for so long.

I guess I'll take issue with the Tulip stuff, because while she is clearly the 'least' of the three leads, I don't think she's as shunted to the side as Brian suggests (I could be reading that a little harsher than he intends). Part of the point of the series is that she gets shunted to the side by Jesse and everything we see with her is meant to show how wrong that is. She can handle a weapon, she keeps a cool head, and she saves his ass a time or two. She can also put Jesse in his place and keep him grounded. Beyond him, she functions just well. She's the one outside enough to see through Cassidy (though his behaviour doesn't help) and, often, sees things more clearly than Jesse, because she's not weighed down by his macho bullshit. It probably doesn't count per se, but one of my favourite panels in the whole series is in the final issue when she sees Jesse crying. That reaction may be the best thing that Steve Dillon has ever drawn. And you don't get that sort of reaction on my part if all that I can about is Jesse. Everything about that panel was earned because of Tulip and her story. Her childhood, her father, her saving her friend from date rape, her relationship with Jesse, her time outside of Jesse... it was a moment where you could see that maybe she would be happy and, goddamn, I wanted that. It didn't seem fair that Jesse could fuck that up and she would have to pay the price, too. It was never just about Jesse... if anything, for me, that moment was more about her and it working out for her.

If Ennis has one big failing with women it's that, too often, they exist only to point out the flaws in his views on masculinity... while then enforcing them by being with the men who espouse them. They sometimes seem to simply put up the token arguments before falling into bed with the very men they were criticising pages before. That is something very problematic and he's never really gotten rid of entirely.

In 30 minutes, I will tell you that Cyclops was right. Tim O'Neil will probably tell you that he was wrong. Trouble's a'brewing.

My mom donated and put the total up to $920! And she doesn't even love comics. She just loves me. Most of you love comics AND love (like? respect? tolerate?) me, so what's your excuse?

Also: we're halfway done. (Is that right? Only halfway? Oh lord...)

[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 24: Garth Ennis's Best Female Characters (Brian Cronin Guest Post)

While you and I both love the work of Garth Ennis, I think it is a reasonable criticism that as good as his work is, it tends to be a bit on the male-centric side. There is little doubt that one of the driving forces of much of his work is the bond of friendship between two men and how the said two friends play off of each other. That's the driving force of three of his most famous works, Preacher, Hitman and the recently finished The Boys. However, because that aspect of his work is so prominent, it also leads people to dismiss his work with women, which is unfortunate, because he HAS done some strong work with female characters in his career, including one of the most impressive handlings of rape that I can recall ever reading (not just in comics, but period). Here are my takes on the two best female characters Ennis has created.
Interestingly enough, his first major mainstream work, the work that led to him having the freedom to create Preacher in the first place, also introduced one of his best female characters, Katherine "Kit" Ryan, one-time girlfriend to John Constantine. Kit is from Belfast. She met John when they were both still teenagers but she was dating a friend of his. Years later, when the friend died, Kit and John became involved in a serious relationship. The greatness of Kit comes both from her steely resolve and her frank nature. She is willing to put up with a lot of shit for the people that she loves, but at the same time, it is clear that there is an imaginary line in the sand that she will not let people break and once they do, she is willing to cut people off, even people she loves. With John, that line mostly involved his dealings with the occult. If John were to have a real life with her, he had to be willing to give up his occult dealings and he, as much as he could, really did try to do so for a time. However, this being John Constantine, shit happened and Kit was forced to break things up. Really, in a lot of ways, what it seemed like was that Ennis just loved the character too much to see her be written by a different writer, It is no coincidence that she left Hellblazer at the same time that Ennis stopped writing the book. It is a testament to how well Ennis developed Kit that the editors of Hellblazer and future writers were willing to respect the way that Ennis essentially put her aside for protection. In a comics world where the supporting characters of previous writers rarely get respected and typically get brought back simply to kill (which actually has happened a number of times in Hellblazer itself - very few people who had extended dealings with John Constantine live to tell the tale for too long), Kit was different. She was so interesting that Ennis and his Hellblazer collaborator, Steve DIllon, even wrote a one-shot solo story about Kit featuring her time back in Belfast (Where she left after things with John ended). It is a compelling tale of Kit and her siblings and the things Kit was willing to do to protect them. It also, of course, deals prominently with the conflict in Northern Ireland between the Protestants and Catholics living there.

Tulip O'Hare is one of the most popular female characters Ennis has created, but while she was certainly a force to be reckoned with in Preacher, like I noted before, the driving force of Preacher was the relationship between the title character (Jesse Custer) and the Irish vampire Cassidy. Tulip definitely got a bit of the short straw when it came to the great character work in the title.

The female character that stands out the most for me from Ennis is a recent creation, Carrie Sutton, of the mini-series Battlefiends: Dear Billy (as a quick aside - let me express my gratitude that a series of books like Battlefields even EXISTS. Dynamite takes good care of Ennis by giving him these series of war comics where he can tell whatever kind of war story that he wants. He hasn't had this type of avenue for his work since Vertigo's War Stories, which were almost a decade ago. The first Battlefields mini-series, The Night Witches, is also about a strong female character, one of the many female aviators for Russia during World War II, who were forced to use such outdated planes that they actually developed plans where they would cut their engines and just glide into attacks since their old engines made too much noise. Their silent attacks on German forces earned them the name "Night Witches"). In Dear Billy, Ennis explores the lesser-explored aspects of war, the treatment of female prisoners by the Japanese. Carrie was a nurse who was captured with a group of other nurses in Singapore and after they were all raped, they were gunned down, Only Carrie survived. Carrie eventually develops a relationship with Billy Wedgewood, a British pilot who was tortured by the Japanese. Wedgewood was stabbed so many times by Japanese bayonets that it is shocking that he survived. Here, though, is where Ennis gets into the disgusting yet fascinating issue of surviving rape. For lack of a better term, both Carrie and Billy were violently pierced by the Japanese. However, as Ennis rightly notes, there is no real comparison when it comes to actually being raped. Where Billy is a damaged person, he is able to heal. You can cure his stab wounds. You cannot cure a rape. Ennis gets that and the series follows the fact that while they love each other, Carrie and Billy are on two very different paths. Billy is like a broken chair. You replace the leg and you have a working chair. Carrie is like a broken mirror. You can't ever truly repair what happened to her. Carrie tries to explain herself to Billy through a letter (the "Dear Billy" of the comic's title comes from the letter, naturally) but as you go through the series until its tragic ending, you know that this powerful, fascinating woman is just too broken. But by the time the series ends, you will come to enjoy Carrie so much that the depravity of her rape feels that much more painful, that it robbed us of a woman like this.

[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 23: Garth Ennis's Best Female Characters (Part 1)

Anyone who's read some Garth Ennis comics for a decent period of time knows that Ennis seems focused around a certain type of masculinity. It's an older sort where men are men and they drink and hurt bad people and say "ma'am" and treat ladies with respect. It also means often keeping emotions bottled up and act condescending to women. Preacher dealt with that in a big way. The Boys did it again with a slightly different take. Yet, despite this recurring pattern, Ennis does have a habit of writing strong women who act as counterbalance to his men -- often pointing out the faults in this particular view of men and woman, too.

I want to focus on Annie January in The Boys, because she seems like a possible target to point out where Ennis writes women poorly, mostly because of her introduction: she performs oral sex on three men to get into a Justice League-esque superhero team. Ennis has said that the character began as one-note joke. Another example of how horrible and crude the supes in that world are. Someone who would be corrupted (willingly to a degree) and really just another supe for Hughie to see and feel disgust at. But, something changed and, soon, Annie reappeared and, slowly, became a more rounded character, someone who struggled with the choice she made, what says about her, who she thought she was, and where she is. Over the course of the series, she developed into her own person who falls in love with Hughie and, while understanding his issues with her actions, stops apologising and says that he needs to move on, because that's something she did. She regrets it, but she's not going to obsess over it and allow it to determine every aspect of her life. If there's a weakness to the character, it's her inability to move past Hughie. It's understandable given that he was a genuine moment of kindness at a time when she needed it. She even recognises this weakness. But, what I have to wonder is if that's really cause for criticism. Since when is anyone perfect and sound in their judgment, especially when it comes to matters of the heart? She fell in love and can't get past that. It winds up happy in the end when her idiot boyfriend gets over himself. I don't know what anyone else would want, besides that perfect embodiment of everything righteous and wonderful in a woman.

And what are those qualities, by the way? For me, someone making a horrible mistake and then doing their best to learn and grow from it is about as close as it gets.

More than other Ennis women like Kit or Tulip, there's a bit more of a flawed streak running through Annie and I appreciate that. If she were a male character, no one would pay a second look to those flaws. They would simply see an interesting character. A well-rounded character even. Look at her other half, Hughie. He is the entry-point character of The Boys and is horribly flawed. He's narrow-minded, whiny, and selfish. He doesn't always do the right thing and struggles. All of which make him more 'real' and interesting. The relationship between the two is so compelling and engrossing because they're both so flawed. Neither is perfect... except maybe for each other. (Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...!)

In 30 minutes, Brian Cronin will share his thoughts on this topic.

[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.]

EXCLUSIVE! Chad Nevett's Comic Book Mini-Reviews and Star Ratings for the Week of December 5, 2012

Action Comics #15: So... everyone's going to assume any criticisms I make of Rag Morales's art are actually personal, aren't they? My bad. Didn't quite think that through... shit. I like the ideas that Morrison throws out here. Not sure how they actually work. But, it does explain the series so far to a degree. Isn't it convenient when the plot explains away the bits that people criticised? I think so. [***1/2]

All-New X-Men #3: A bit of a dip down. The 'our powers are going crazy because... uh... PHOENIX!' shit is a bit lame. Especially after there didn't appear to be any problems whatsoever in issue one. I dug the last page. Let's get to that: the interesting part. Maybe? Soon? [***]

Avengers #1: Unsurprisingly, this reminded me quite a bit of The Ultimates #1. Same writer, same general characters, a very similar art team... even a plot that bears some similarity. The key bits are in the differences, then. This is more hopeful, not as seedy. More inate goodness and heroism here. A sense of heroic epic -- myth in action -- that wasn't present in The Ultimates #1. That comic ended with Nick Fury looking freaked out, completely at a loss. This one ends with Captain America gathering more Avengers, because he doesn't get freaked out or find himself at a loss. This is a largescale story of heroes and goodness... that was the world falling apart and being changed forever. I think I preferred that one more, but I'll certainly take this one. [***3/4]

Daredevil: End of Days #3: Bendis and Mack recognise a simple fact: Daredevil fucks a lot and probably doesn't carry around a box of condoms. And James Bond died of VD. [***1/2]

Fury: My War Gone By #7: That felt like ages since issue six... The look of... fear in his eye on that second page... this is going to get dark by the end, isn't it? Also: more Frank Castle! Why isn't issue eight out next week, dammit? [****]

Hawkeye #5: Of course, my first reaction was that they took away the thing that appealed most to me about this story. Funny how a government-sanctioned superhero team can't actually... do... anything for said government. Also, I don't like fake Nick Fury, Jr.'s tone when discussing his father. Who the fuck is he? A poor plot contrivance brought about by casting a movie... But, I dig the vibe of this comic and the lovely art. [***1/2]

The Ultimates #18.1: Captain America is a boring president. All he does is play superhero. I could read any other comic featuring Captain America for that. In this one, he's president. That means I want more Jed Bartlet and less typical superhero bullshit. Christ. What's the use of doing anything different if all you wind up doing is more of the same? No. Really. What? [Fuck you]

Later

EXCLUSIVE! Chad Nevett's Comic Book Mini-Reviews and Star Ratings for the Week of November 14, 2012

The Boys #72: I don't think any ending could have totally satisfied, but this came damn close. The final few pages in particular are wonderful. And Stillwell's realisation... I'll miss this book. [****1/2]

Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE #14: This book isn't quite on autopilot, but all urgency is gone. It knows it's dead and is taking everyone is can with it. That's interesting, but also depressing. It's nothing but death and misery. [***]

The Massive #6: Another good character spotlight issue. I like the slow pace with this book. There's no need to rush. There's so much room that so long as the comic is interesting in and of itself, I don't mind a thin plot. Not many books could get away with that, but this is the sort of title where that seems almost preferred to heavy, plot-driven stories. [***3/4]

New Avengers #33: Thankfully, the cover didn't predict what happens inside of this issue. But, I guess that could be next issue... This arc hasn't wowwed me, but Bendis has one issue left. Two weeks. First, Avengers and, then, New Avengers... [***1/4]

Punk Rock Jesus #5: This comic reminds me of my teenage self so much. If time travel is ever invented, I may send him this. He'd love it. Love it. I'm liking it quite a bit. [***3/4]

Thor: God of Thunder #1: A fine Thor comic. Probably the best I've seen in many years. Not a home run -- a solid double that might have been stretched into a triple if they'd ran their asses off. I do like Aaron's take on the character here and who doesn't love the Ribic/White art team? (Idiots, that's who.) [***3/4]

The Ultimates #18: I wound up liking this finale to Sam Humphries's first arc than I expected. It somehow clicked. It's a bit rushed, a bit obvious... but, it works. And the status quo is still interesting enough that I'll stick with this for a while. I just need to remember that Hickman, Ribic, and White are gone and they are never coming back. Remember... remember... remember... [***1/2]

Where is Jake Ellis? #1: I dug Who is Jake Ellis?, though not as much as many. It was a great-looking comic with a story that grew increasingly thin. That seems to carry on in this first/sixth issue. But, it's nice enough to look at that I don't mind. And Edmondson gives Zonjic enough cool things to draw. Maybe it will turn out to read great, too. Who knows? [***1/2]

Wolverine and the X-Men #20: The other side of the coin, in a sense, to All-New X-Men #1. The final page isn't a knock-you-on-your-ass one... if only because I think that's meant to be Kade Kilgore and he looks about ten years older than he's supposed to. But, good issue still. [***1/2]

The Zaucer of Zilk #2: This is comics. This is superhero comics. This is you. This is me. This is them. If only... if... why isn't that... you and me and them and comics and superhero comics... why... Why don't we learn? [ZZZZ1/Z]

Later

EXCLUSIVE! Chad Nevett's Comic Book Mini-Reviews and Star Ratings for the Week of October 3, 2012

Action Comics #13: A solid superhero comic. Nothing too special. [***1/4]

Age of Apocalypse #8: An interesting issue up until the end where it punked out in the same way that mainstream superhero comics always seem to punk out. "They're not just fighting for humanity, they're fighting for their humanity." Shit. I'm rooting for the mutants. [**1/2]

The Boys #71: The minute Butcher started talking about Hughie's family, you could tell what he was doing and that was the point: we could, but Hughie couldn't. That's part of what Butcher was talking about the rest of the issue. That trusting, emotional nature of Hughie -- how he should know better, but never does. And that's fine, because he's a good guy and you'd rather he was like that than be a right bastard. There's a sense that he never really got Butcher and that's sad. If Hughie has a flaw that needs correcting, it's his absolutist thinking at times. Butcher was always more nuanced than Hughie gave him credit for -- and more simple than he appeared to us. This wasn't Jesse/Cassidy, but it was pretty fucking good. I don't know where we go from here for next month's finale, but I can't wait. [****1/2]

Daredevil: End of Days #1: "You don't understand... I tried everything else." Line of the year. [***1/2]

The Defenders #11: Wow, that's a big crock of shit. Here it is: the reason why so many superheroes are in the Marvel Universe aka the explanation that no one needed or wanted. At all. Why the fuck would anyone waste their fucking time thinking up that shit? What is this obsession with everything requiring an explanation no matter how unnecessary or downright fucking awful? Maybe the final issue will redeem things... probably not. Issues like this lead to my weird, complicated feelings on the work of Fraction. He's so incredibly hit or miss it seems. [BIG FUCKING MISS]

Fatale #8: Okay, this book only really works when read in big chunks it seems. I enjoyed the first arc more when I read a bunch of issues and any sort of delay nearly kills whatever interest I have in this series -- which I'll admit is on the lower end of the scale. [***1/2]

Later

EXCLUSIVE! Chad Nevett's Comic Book Mini-Reviews and Star Ratings for the Week of September 26, 2012

Can I fit all of this in during a break at work? Let's see...

Batman, Incorporated #0: That makes two very good zero issues, one decent zero issue, and one pretty bad zero issue for me this month. Pity poor Tim who read them all. No wonder he wants little to do with weekly comics. He gets sent those, I got sent the new Prison Pit. Somehow, I'm happy one and he's the miserable bastard. Though, now that I've said that, he'll tell me he also got sent Prison Pit and I'm not so special. [****1/4]

Fury MAX #6: Having read American Tabloid in August, I enjoyed this recent arc and now can't help but wonder: Fury vs. Pete, who wins? Discuss. [The essay portion is worth 25% of the test]

Happy! #1: From Fury to Happy... I love that. I rather enjoyed this comic. Not all what I expected -- but what were we to expect from this comic? No one really knew. So, thanks, Grant Morrison, for keeping your mouth shut during interviews. [****]

Journey into Mystery #644: The lesson of this story: everyone betrays everyone and then the world burns. FUCK. [****]

Prophet #29: Excellent use of colour (or lack of colour most of the time). Interesting visual choice and I loved the punchline at the end. I swear that this series could go on forever and tell any sort of story. [****1/4]

Secret Avengers #31: Decent, but there's only so much dread and fear that mind control stories can raise in me. I did like the Venom stuff... fuck, maybe I should go back and check that book out? No? Okay. [***]

The Ultimates #16: There's a certain thrill in seeing Captain America fly around and fix the country with hitting, while telling corrupt politicians to fuck off before threatening them into doing the 'right thing.' It's what we all want to see happen in government at some point. And it's fine given the state of Ultimate USA: fractured, corrupt, at war with itself in a dozen places... At this rate, though, he'll have the whole thing back to normal in two weeks and then what? And then what? Also, the final 'twist' wasn't really one. Apparently Thor sired David Bowie. [***1/4]

Winter Soldier #11: Weird visuals and a hell of a final page. Now that is an interesting endgame for that other Winter Soldier to be working towards. [***3/4]

Wolverine and the X-Men #17: Judging from the 'next issue' tease, the scheduled Avengers vs. X-Men tie-in issue has been pushed back to issue 18. Instead, we get a rather funny issue spotlighting Doop and his role at the Jean Grey School. Jason Aaron brings the odd and the funny, while the Allreds supply the perfect visuals. A really great issue -- one that I thoroughly enjoyed. [****1/4]

X-Men #36: As a piece, Brian Wood's brief time on X-Men has been interesting. The same idea tackled in a few different ways along with some unexpected inner team dynamics -- and the Storm/Cyclops stuff has been fantastic. I think it ends next issue, right? I'll miss it. Not every issue lands, but every issue contribute to the whole and that's where this run shined. [***1/2]

Later

EXCLUSIVE! Chad Nevett's Comic Book Mini-Reviews and Star Ratings for the Week of September 5, 2012

It's been many weeks since I've last read comics outside of a context involving Avengers vs. X-Men. Usually, the comics for that event are what I read first (the first Wednesday of the month is an exception as nothing gets between me and the newest issue of The Boys). It didn't change much, really. Why would it?

Action Comics #0: The most frustrating thing about Grant Morrison's Action Comics is that this early Superman/Clark Kent is leagues more interesting than the Superman/Clark Kent we're used to seeing and Morrison is continually moving away from the former, running towards the latter. It's hard to come to grips with sometimes. I appreciated a chance to see the character at an earlier point than before. A chance to be reminded that, yeah, a young, driven Superman who spends his off time geeking out with Jimmy Olsen and trying to prove he's worth a damn is far superior to the Superman we usually get. [****]

Age of Apocalypse #7: I still don't know anyone's name in relation to their image. Nor their personality. Except for maybe Graydon Creed as he descends into drunken failure. Yet, I don't mind. I enjoy Arlem's art. It suits the tone set by del Torre. Lapham continues to wander through this world with characters that mean nothing and display motives that I'm not sure we're supposed to be rooting for. They fight against the future. They will (and should) lose. [***1/4]

Black Kiss 2 #2: You can't fight customs. I know that from my dayjob. They are all-powerful and answerable to no one. Whenever I forget that, they make a decision that flies in the face of all logic and prior experience simply because they can. I'm not angry or upset, because that's like being upset at the rain. Customs is and that's all there is to it. Bitching and whining is lying about the world. [Dude, pick me up the rest of the series. Yes, you. You may be wondering if I'm addressing you and I am. Really. BUY THEM ALL FOR ME AND THEN MAIL THEM TO ME.]

The Boys #70: The difference between Garth Ennis and everyone else: when he explains a mystery that requires no explanation, he still makes it damn entertaining. "Ain't there s'posed to be?" is the punchline of the year. [****]

The Defenders #10: Matt Fraction Week Part One: The Silver Surfer pages... my god, McKelvie! [***3/4]

Hawkeye #2: Matt Fraction Week Part Two: David Aja and Matt Hollingsworth win. They had stiff competition from the likes of Amanda Conner and Paul Mounts, Russ Braun and Tony Avina, and Alan Davis, Mark Farmer, and either Javier Rodriguez or Chris Sotomayor. But, they won the week. Easily. I dug this issue more than the first. Fraction's dialogue lends a little too flip in places, though. I loved the white explanation panels. [****]

Hell Yeah #5: I guess the problem here is that this book isn't really about anything yet. It hints at being about things, but it isn't actually about anything. It dances around the point, getting in close before pulling away and running across the room. And that's fine. I just keep wanting more. Something to latch onto. It's not even "Answers that raise more questions," it's "Vague statements provided in response to questions that just sort of get on your nerves after a while." Maybe it's my fault for thinking there's more. Maybe this is all there is. What to do what to do what to do what to do what to do blah blah blah. [***]

The Mighty Thor #19: Matt Fraction Week Part Three: That final page is meant to mean something, but, without context (and damn good context), it's just a weak cliffhanger in my house. The stuff with the Vanir isn't quite working for me, because it came out of nowhere. At no time in either of these titles' currents runs have those people been mentioned. So, to suddenly have a big part of this revolve around the tension between the Aesir and the Vanir feels false and convenient. But... Alan Davis draws a pretty book and the stuff with Thor and Loki continues to win me over.

Later

EXCLUSIVE! Chad Nevett's Comic Book Mini-Reviews and Star Ratings for the Week of August 1, 2012

Action Comics #12: How can one empty their brain of all thought and still explain how they're emptying their brain of all thought? Also: RIP Johnny Clark. [***]

Age of Apocalypse #6: I love how, on the cover of this issue, Cyclops takes a punch from Colossus and his head stays attached to his body. This series remains a little strange, a mixture of awful people and even worse people... a lack of anything approaching a plot... characters that fail to leave any impression... Yet, I'm drawn to it somehow. [***]

Black Kiss 2 #1: This is some fucked up shit. A dude survived the sinking of the Titanic because a Succubus anally raped him. A move screen comes alive and shoots out tentacle penii to rape the audience. There... there's something wrong with Howard Chaykin, I think. [So... I have to wait a month for issue two?]

The Boys #69: We march towards the conclusion and it's not quite the same lively march that other Ennis series have had at the end, but the sense of dread is somehow bigger. It's a proper superhero story in many ways. A pretty easy to grasp attempt to kill a large chunk of the world's population, allies betrayed and killed, and one lone man standing alone to stop his former mentor. It was inevitable almost that, after last issue, two more would fall here. What I can't figure out is how the V-A folks will factor in. And what of Annie? [****]

Daredevil #16: The Pym/Murdock stuff left me cold, but Waid and Samnee nailed the Foggy/Matt scene. [***1/2]

The Defenders #9: Heh... I liked that. It never quite cohered how you can picture it meaning to, but it was still pretty fun. Somehow, though, two issues in and McKelvie's art hasn't quite lived up to expectations/past work. It feels almost at odds with Fraction's writing. He needs something a little wilder. [***1/4]

Fury MAX #5: Reading this, if this weren't based on what happened, you'd think that Ennis was writing a pretty bad comic in how the whole Bay of Pigs thing goes down. And, yet, that's how it happened. Fucked up. I love their surprise when they learn that Castro wasn't hiding in some bunker, letting other people do all of the fighting for him. [****]

Gødland #36: From the beginning of this issue, the endpoint seemed obvious, but no less satisfying when it was reached. It's amazing how big this got while still maintaining a small, human perspective. Scioli fucking brought it and Casey is at his verbose, hyperbolic best. This is the comic that I'll be thinking about for a while, picking up, flipping through, and just lingering on cøsmic cømic gøødness. [øøøøø]

Hawkeye #1: Not at all what I was expecting. This is a pretty different take than what we've seen before and it has potential. A little cheesy in places, but definitely an attempt to carve out a unique spot for this character. And, y'know... David Aja... yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah. [***3/4]

RASL #15: And, so it ends where it began and it's a great final issue. Smith lingers a bit here and there and his visual storytelling is incredible. So clear and engaging. I'll miss this book. It was always something new and surprising right down to the final page. [****1/2]

X-Men #33: Somewhat disappointing. I'm not really a fan of the whole 'bad guy is confronted, brags about the hero is too late, and kills himself' thing. It seems like a cheap way to provide 'closure' on the story while leaving the door open for more later. Like, the cheapest way to do so. But, the focus here is more on the characters and what this mission meant to them and, in that respect, Wood and Lopez succeed. [***1/4]

Later

EXCLUSIVE! Chad Nevett's Comic Book Mini-Reviews and Star Ratings for the Week of July 4, 2012

Action Comics #11: There's a fragmented approach to Action Comics over the past couple of issues that I like. Superman is pulled in numerous directions: the social-justice-crusader in a t-shirt, the new fireman persona, the fully costumed superhero... he's basically trying to be everything at once. I don't really dig on the art of either Rags Morales or Brad Walker, but I like the idea of different artists presenting these fragments of his life. What I'm concerned with is whether or not this run will add up to anything. It's been fairly all over the place. [***1/2]

Age of Apocalypse #5: Bringing on a new artist (for this issue at least) was a big shift and it made me realise how I didn't recognise almost any characters just by looking at them. That's problematic. As is the languid, directionless feel of this comic. It doesn't feel like it's actually going anywhere. The AoA Quentin Quire is an interesting character/concept raised and dismissed... a shame. [**1/2]

Animal Man #11: Underwhelming issue. This comic was once interesting and scary and something I looked forward to. Now, it's just been doing the same thing for so long that I should just drop it and be done. [Held up, hand opens...]

The Boys #68: When MM and Butcher were in the same room, you knew what was going to happen. It was obvious and Ennis didn't try to hide it. The cut-away for two pages was a brilliant delaying tactic that only made the return worse. One down, eh? And Butcher... the amount of damage he has inside has always been there, but, until now, it was easy to deny. I mean, this is a suicide mission he's on. A man who is genuinely determined to tear the world down -- the supervillain of the book, if you will. Brilliant. [****1/4]

Fury MAX #4: If you thought being in Vietnam would end in disaster, getting involved with Cuba is a lovely raising of the clusterfuck stakes. I love the way Parlov drew faces in this issue. I don't know why I noticed them more this time, but I did. [****]

Haunt #24: Visually, this issue was a bit of a mess. Nathan Fox's style does tend to lean in a direction where you have to try a little harder to understand what you're looking at sometimes, but this issue was a whole new level of that. A big part of that is the colouring, which does a pisspoor job of clarifying Fox's line work, instead making it messier. What could have been a thrilling action issue falls flat in a lot of places. [Damn shame]

Later

EXCLUSIVE! Chad Nevett's Comic Book Mini-Reviews and Star Ratings for the Week of June 6, 2012

Giant week. At least by my standards. 16 comics, though only 12 are discussed below. Three Avengers vs. X-Men comics will be discussed in this week's "Riding the Gravy Train" post and Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 will be discussed, possibly, on two different sites. If Brian Cronin and I can get our shit together and begin our weekly discussion series on the project, look for that on Comics Should be Good. And, depending on what happens, some brief words on the pirate back-up will appear elsewhere. Because why not? (UPDATE: That capsule review is up in this week's Spandexless Reads, written/compiled by friend of the blog Alec Berry.) Still. 12 comics is plenty.

Action Comics #10: People went crazy over issue nine (and it was good), but I think this might have been my favourite issue of the series yet. Strong lead that touched on a few different aspects of Superman's life and has a pretty big twist. Even the back-up strip was strong, which is a change of pace as far as I'm concerned. That bit with Superman busting in on the child murderer was fantastic... [****]

Age of Apocalypse #4: There's a danger in this comic of making the human resistance too good at what they're doing. This issue felt a little over-the-top in that regard. At least Lapham is playing into their advantage -- surprise and being able to plan out an attack without the enemy having any recourse but to react as it happens. Still, mutants are so dominant that the resistance needs to suffer a big loss soon, I think. Otherwise, it's less 'underdogs fighting against tyranny' than 'awesome people beating up a bunch of fucking goofs that you can't believe took over the world in the first place.' You know, just like Star Wars. [***]

Animal Man #10: Just... just get to the fucking point, won't you? [Please?]

The Boys #67: Four things. 1) My cover says that this is issue 66. It is not. 2) That stuff with the Legend screaming at his dead, unseen artist at the beginning of this issue is some of the funniest, most cynical comic book metafiction that Garth Ennis has written in this series. The best quote is "Soldier Boy! Stormfront! Webweaver! Starboard! All were mine! Thou didst no more than scrawl thy doodles at my bidding!" Or... the lawsuit bit. He may look like Jack Kirby, but he says fuck you, Kirby. Oh ho ho. 3) "Did I just... pull a Butcher?" HA! 4) I'm not entirely sure what Butcher's endgame is, but... Christ. This is getting big and crazy and... yes, Legend, it will have blood. [****1/2]

The Defenders #7: I rather enjoyed this issue. Fantastic tone, the art was a perfect fit, and the story is really taking shape. I loved the next issue teaser of "MCKELVIE!" [****]

Dial H #2: At some point, this issue lost me a bit. Some fun ideas, but a combination of art that turns me off every chance it gets and storytelling that doesn't really engage makes for a rather lacklustre comic. I may get issue three. I may not. [**]

Fury MAX #3: That ending is chilling. Perfect writing and perfect art. Just looking at the cover right now, it bothers me a little... damn fucking good comic. [****1/2]

Green Arrow #10: This... is not a comic that wants to keep me as a reader. There's just nothing to latch onto here. Maybe, somewhere underneath, there's a good idea, but the execution is just so grating, so slippery and deflective, that I find myself moving forward more out of duty than because I give a fuck. [DONE]

Journey into Mystery #639: Once you get past the first four pages, this is a fairly enjoyable comic. It's not that I dislike lots of narration/prose in my comics, it's that I don't especially enjoy the way that Kieron Gillen writes narration in this comic. It's always on the verge of making me close the book, put it down, and never pick it up again. Thankfully, there's plenty of other stuff he does very well in this comic -- enough for me to press on and try my best to absorb the necessary details. Still... dreary, dull, bad fucking writing. But, hey, the rest of the issue has some nice bits and I love Loki's enthusiasm. [***]

The Mighty Thor Annual #1: I'm currently on hold in my reading of the Clone Saga. I finished volume three the other day and am waiting for Amazon.ca to send me volume four. Once that arrives, I can read up through volume four of the Ben Reilly stuff. And, then, it's just waiting for Marvel to release the remaining books. But, anyway, Scrier is a mysterious figure in those comics; an associate of Judas Traveller who also appears to Kane. Why he does anything is unknown. Apparently, he (and Traveller) was the creation of JM DeMatteis, who also wrote this annual, which features... Scrier...? I mean, that's what he's called, but he doesn't look anything like the Scrier of the Clone Saga. This title is on my pull list, so I got the annual and it's actually decent. Some weird bits of dialogue and a plot that's oddly simple and confusing at the same time -- mostly because it's so big that it doesn't actually matter at all. I'm mostly thrown by Scrier being in it. Also, it marks the second Richard Elson-drawn comic of the week. Though, judging by the Thor stuff here, this seems like an inventory issue released now, because... uh... why not? [***]

Secret #2: I... uh... what happened in the first issue again? No. Really. I remember some of what happened, but nothing about characters. Why is it that the comics with the more intricate stories, the one that require you pay close attention and remember a lot are also the ones that come out less frequently? Nonetheless, I like the tone of this comic -- the mood it creates. And that opening was killer. [***1/2]

Winter Soldier #6: I'm a little disappointed that Leonid shaved his beard at the end. I prefer my Russians to have beards. This issue does make me wonder about the future of this book. Once we deal with the third sleeper, what next? Will this always be a comic about cleaning up the Winter Soldier's past or will it also look forward? Will it always look back? Also, another Bucky replacement dies. Being Bucky is a worse gig than being Robin. [***1/2]

Later

EXCLUSIVE! Chad Nevett's Comic Book Mini-Reviews and Star Ratings for the Week of May 16, 2012

For weird reasons that I don't want to go into, I didn't get comics until today. When I arrived at the shop and was handed the contents of my pull list, the trade for Deadenders was included. This surprised me, because I didn't think I had actually pre-ordered it. I knew that I had considered doing so and went back and forth on the matter a bit. Not because I didn't want it or anything; it was purely a 'Maybe I'll wait and get it a little later' sort of thing. So, I got that as a little surprise to myself and have no problem with that. I'm looking forward to reading it.

Daredevil #13: What's in the drawer? I have to say that Mark Waid fooled me a bit here. I was thinking "HA! Stoopid Daredevil! You so stoopid!" and, instead, it was a good ol' fashioned New Avengers fake-out. Nicely played, sir. I thought Koi Pham's art looked better here than last time. [***1/2]

Fury MAX #2: I know this series can't (and won't) last forever since it's only supposed to be 13 issues, but, come on, a boy can dream, can't he? I need to hunt down a copy of that Peacemaker mini-series Ennis did (I have the first mini and reread it last night; it's good stuff; obviously). Oddly, what I enjoyed most was that Fury didn't kill the former Nazi. Most writers would write the character as an unstoppable god or something... [****]

The Manhattan Projects #3: The art slipped a bit here it looks like. Just a little rougher around the edges. This version of the bombing of Japan is interesting -- as is the fate of FDR. I'm curious about the larger picture of this series. So far, it's been very much little scenes/moments on its own. That's fine. Actually, this book is entertaining enough that I think I could be happy with a monthly dose of crazy scientists playing god. But, I have a feeling this is more than that, so... [***3/4]

New Mutants #42: No rack copies. No comic purchased. No one reads that fucking series to warrant rack copies. [NR]

Scalped #58: I've long enjoyed Scalped, but the constant movement of this final arc is insane. Things move fast as we approach the end -- and only two issues left now. What's remarkable is how so much can happen, yet scenes feel so leisurely. And Guera... the second panel of page two is fantastic. The way the grocery store scene is so visual... We're also starting see possible 'replacements' of characters, which part of me likes and part of me wants to avoid as much possible. Two more. Christ. [****1/4]

Winter Soldier #5: Talk about art deteriorating... If I weren't so lazy, I'd pull out the first issue and compare then and now -- guess which will look slicker, more polished, more put together? I'm also not noticing as many colouring tricks as began the series (which I'm glad of, by the way). That's something that TV will always have over comics: episodes don't look worse and worse as the season goes on because of deadline bullshit. But, an enjoyable issue nonetheless. James letting loose a bit more than we've seen before, further cementing him as someone who couldn't necessarily be Captain America longterm. And Doom is funny. Doom is always funny. [***1/2]

Wonder Woman #9: Hey, the cover gives away the end of the issue! Smooth, DC... smooth. Azzarello's writing is so playful and... bouncy. Has anyone ever used that word to describe Azzarello's writing before? But, that's what this is. It's just bouncy fun. [***3/4]

Later

EXCLUSIVE! Chad Nevett's Comic Book Mini-Reviews and Star Ratings for the Week of May 9, 2012

Another week, another shortage at the shop. After some sort of problem (I heard it was a truck accident?) with Diamond meant Fury MAX #1 (and some other comics) were delayed from last week, this week, my shop was shorted on Silver Surfer: Parable hardcovers, so I don't get that for another week or two. I wouldn't mind shit like this if it happened only occasionally, but it seems to happen a lot -- and when it isn't happening at my store, I don't have to expend much effort to read about it happening elsewhere. Fun. But, I did get Essential Black Panther, so I didn't exactly need another collection to buy this week. While I'm on that, thanks a lot, Marvel, for leaving Jack Kirby's final two issues of Black Panther out of this volume... good on ya... idiots.

Avengers Assemble #3: Given how well Bendis wrote Thanos when he 'appeared' in Avengers last year, I'm not exactly thrilled to see him pop up here. That appearance was Dr. Strange posing as Thanos, though, so, hopefully, Bendis does a better job this time around. Then again, Thanos is one of those characters that I have a hard time reading when he's not written by Jim Starlin. Other writers don't seem to quite grasp the character or what he's about the same way. Reading this issue, I wonder if I would have liked it more if any artist other than Mark Bagley drew it. Yes, of course. Ugly fucking comic. Cluttered pages, poor line work... And Bendis's writing here isn't that impressive. The fight construction is generic, the villains lack personality, and there's that standard comics trope of 'power equals the ability to fight well' cropping up. [**]

Batman #9: The narration to this issue made me want to enter the comic, walk up to Batman and remind him that he's not actually a bat and those people he's fighting aren't actually owls. They're all people dressed up in costumes and what costumes they choose to wear doesn't necessarily reflect the relationship those animals have. It's just so silly, man... [**3/4]

Captain America #11: Solid as always. It seems weird to want to look down on a comic that's just delivering good superhero stuff every month. Not amazing, not bad -- just good. Like that's a crime or something. [***1/4]

Fatale #5: This issue finally hooked me in a little. I'd been having a tough time getting into this series, not convinced that all of the elements cohered well. There's a lot of mystery still there, but seeing that there was an actual point to everything goes a long way sometimes, even if that point isn't 100% clear. But, still, this remains the Sean Phillips and Dave Stewart show. [***1/2]

Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE #9: Alberto Ponticelli works with a new inker this time out and the results are messier than Walden Wong's efforts, but it's still too wide open, too empty. Ponticelli's art when he inked himself was darker, used blacks more, which complemented his demented line work. Take that away and figures wind up looking awkward -- too bright somehow. Not the best issue as far as writing goes either. [**3/4]

Fury MAX #1: That first page... fuck me... I love it. It's Ennis and Parlov back together, doing their thing. It would be too much to hope it lasts forever, right? [****]

Hell Yeah #3: I think this series is hitting its groove for me finally. (Like three issues in deserves a 'finally...') Thus far, it felt a little meandering and scattered, not able to fit enough into an issue to make it feel worthwhile entirely, but, here, Joe Keatinge hits a really great balance across the issue, especially introducing a plot twist that seems to work at cross purpose to last issue's plot twist. I knew having a little patience would pay off here... (Or, maybe it's learning that Keatinge is a wrestling fan. That could be it...) [***3/4]

Hulk Smash Avengers #2: It's like reading an ultra-compressed version of "Earth's Mightiest Heroes 3" or something... I love how well Joe Casey can jump in and capture a period of Avengers history so completely. The scene with the Vision and Scarlet Witch served no purpose except fitting this issue into context. Casey takes a very character-driven approach and, more than a lot of flashbacks, it makes this feel almost like a genuine 'lost' issue. Max Fiumara's art is a bit hit or miss at times, but I love the way he draws the fight. [***3/4]

Journey into Mystery #637: An improvement over Exiled #1. Almost interesting enough for me to buy next week's New Mutants. Some of the 'Asgardians as humans' bits didn't work completely, forcing it a bit. Still, more worthwhile that it seemed a week ago. [***]

Mystery in Space #1: The third Vertigo anthology like this in the past couple of years and, like the previous ones, it's a hit-or-miss affair. Mostly mediocre SF stories with the odd one that's better than the rest and one that I didn't get past the second page of before giving up. What happened to Paul Pope's contribution, though? The lack of it is the most disappointing part about this book. [**3/4]

The Ultimates #10: The creative team switch begins here with Sam Humphries joining Jonathan Hickman as co-writer for a short transitional period before he takes over entirely. There isn't a noticeable shift in writing yet. The opening pages showing Washington before it was blown up, though, are an utter waste. Otherwise, this was a quieter issue of response to what's happened and gearing up for some more big stuff. Esad Ribic and Dean White's absence is what hurts. This series just took a big downgrade in art and it affects the reading experience quite a bit. What bugs me most is when, later in the issue, Luke Ross and Matthew Wilson's art begins to resemble the Steve McNiven plastic people. Gone are the lush colours and exquisite line work that made this comic stand out (along with Hickman's insane writing); left is something that looks so much more typical and dull. [***]

Later

EXCLUSIVE! Chad Nevett's Comic Book Mini-Reviews and Star Ratings for the Week of May 2, 2012

The tragedy of the day is my shop not getting any copies of Fury MAX #1. They ordered them, but they never arrived. Drat.

Action Comics #9: What are we to make of this one-off issue that doesn't really have anything to do with the series otherwise? Hell, this title seems to have little approaching a larger structure. That's not a bad thing since this was an enjoyable issue. Hints of Hexus in there -- Hexus as Superman / Superman as Hexus. And Lex Luthor of Earth 23 denying he's a racist is funny. Still, what seemed like it would be a series about the young and upstart Clark Kent has quickly become something more freewheeling -- more like I would almost imagine Morrison's idea for more All-Star Superman would be like. Weird. [***3/4]

Age of Apocalypse #3: Small moments amuse me in this series. The little one-page scenes usually, like Pierce busting Shaw's balls on that first page. I like the way this series meanders a little -- more about the characters and their world than a strict forward-moving plot. And de la Torre draws the hell out of it. [***3/4]

Animal Man #9: Reading this comic sometimes feels like riding in a car on a long trip and watching for signs that tell you how far it is to your destination and no matter how much distance you think you've travelled since the last sign, the change is small and depressing and you will never get there. Never ever. [**3/4]

The Boys #66: Similar idea to the final arc of Scalped: jump ahead a period of time and move past the immediate fallout to the 'good part.' There, it's the trial of Red Crow; here, it's the 'trial' (senate subcommittee thing) of Vought-American. And Hughie is made to look the ass in front of the Boys because Butcher is sick of his whining. And his girlfriend leaves him because she's sick of his whining. Next issue: the fat hamster kills himself because of his whining. Oh ho ho. [***1/2]

Daredevil #12: A thoroughly enjoyable comic with some great art. That's enough, right? (Though, that ending did make me wonder... what the fuck was the point of last month's crossover? Did it actually accomplish anything?) [***3/4]

The Defenders #6: Watch as the art grows increasingly bad as the issue progresses! It's like the world's worst magic trick. There's something about this issue that felt so forced. The chaos and meandering (I like that word) of the first few issues has been replaced with... I don't know what. Something. Something I don't like as much. It's not order. It's almost like continuity. Or being too pleased with itself and the self-awareness that lacks true self-awareness? Like, those 'dateline' bits that were, three quarters of the time, really lame. It's like Fraction took that Doc Brass issue of Planetary and decided that it was too exciting for the modern Marvel audience so he took out all of the clever and interesting bits. Except for the bar one. That was pure Venture Bros. [**1/2]

Dial H #1: It's like reading one of those early Vertigo comics. But without the swears or nudity. The art even looks like it came from that period. DC will eat itself -- all of it. That sounds really snarky since I did like this comic. I didn't love it. But it was solid. Good enough that I'll probably buy the next issue. [***1/2]

Exiled #1: Another crossover! Unless the Journey into Mystery issue kicks this up a notch, I can't see myself buying the New Mutants parts of this crossover. There just wan't much that I found interesting in this. Some nice little moments, but not much else. [**]

Green Arrow #9: Does this make sense to anyone else? Yet, I can't look away... [???1/2]

Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #5: I like how Wolverine is the type of guy who, if you kick his ass, he immediately likes you more and wants to hang out with you twice a week so he can learn how you kicked his ass and he can make sure it never happens again. Once he's done this, he will then kill you and feel a little bit bad about it, but... dude, you kicked Wolverine's ass. You do not get to walk away from that. Obviously Avengers vs. X-Men will end with Hank Pym's head on a one clawed hand and Quentin Quire's on the other. Also, Wolverine hates those thinkin' types. Probably. I don't know anymore. So... where are people placing this in Wolverine and the X-Men chronology? [***1/4]

Later

EXCLUSIVE! Chad Nevett's Comic Book Mini-Reviews and Star Ratings for the Week of April 18, 2012

Things conspire against me today. First, there's the Sickness that makes sitting up and writing problematic (so this week's "Riding the Gravy Train" post will be delayed somewhat). Then, there's Blogger changing its layout from something simple that I knew well having used it for many, many years to something that I'll probably learn to love but hate right now. I hate how nothing online can just stay the same. Especially when most of the time it seems like change for change sake -- which I don't mind when it's someone's site that I'm simply getting content from, but, when it's a site I use for my own purposes, it's annoying. Ah well. Let's get to the very brief EXCLUSIVE! mini-reviews and star ratings so I can go back to the couch or the bed... whichever one seems more appealing.

Batman #8: "Night of the Owls" begins and it's not exactly a story I've made any secret about not loving the premise of. The execution has been good so far, it's more my immediate distaste for 'hidden threats from the past' and that always seeming like a lazy way to establish someone or something. Hell, I would have preferred it if this organisation had only been around for a couple of years and hadn't revealed itself, because it had been stalking Batman, learning Gotham's secrets, etc. A subtle change, but one that is less distasteful than the 'I never knew my city at all' melodrama we're forced to deal with. Ignore that and this is a fun, entertaining comic. I'm not sure what you do with a city whose major public figures have all been killed -- then again, people die in Gotham all of the time and it always returns to the same old place. The back-up piece was a nice addition to the story. [***1/4]

Batman: Odyssey #13: That was all kinds of fucked up. The pages of the Rogues Gallery reacting to Batman gunning someone down was worth the entire series. It was like Neal Adams showed the gunshot page to some hardcore Batman fans, took pictures of their faces, and used those to draw the bad guys. I need to reread this entire series. SWOOP![****]

The Defenders #5: "The ocean's too big for police." Okay, Namor doesn't say that, but... you suck, Namor. Also, where's my translation of the bottom of the page text? Internet, you owe me that! [***3/4]

The Manhattan Projects #2: I'm surprised at how much I just enjoy reading this series. Two issues in and I have had a blast with each issue. I love this shit. [****]

Prophet #24: Last week, I accidentally bought a second printing of issue 22 thinking that this issue had come out a week early (it was in my pull file!) and, this week, they also stuck a copy of the second printing of issue 23 in my file with this issue. I think my shop is trying to trick me... Anyway, an unexpected 'twist' for the story, but one that makes a lot of sense. I love the subtle aging of this John Prophet. Given that my major experience with Dalrymple's art is Omega the Unknown, it seems fitting he's drawing another comic with weird doppelgangers. [****]

The Shadow #1: Because I'll give almost anything Garth Ennis writes a try... (And because there were no rack copies of the new issue of Punisher, so I didn't feel like I was 'losing' money...) This was alright. Nothing special, but I did like the opening quite a bit. From there, I grew less engaged. If I see issue two in my shop next month, I may give it a shot.

Wonder Woman #8: Not that I wanted to see Diana shooting off those guns, but that cover is a total lie. A lying cover! I really enjoyed how this issue continued the idea of Diana learning that assumptions or things she thinks to be true aren't necessarily so -- this time with the role of those in the underworld. The end of the issue was one of those cliffhanger/twists that genuinely hit me. When that bullet goes through... jesus. [****]

As I said at the beginning, no timeline on this week's "Riding the Gravy Train." I'd expect it sometime during the weekend or Monday most likely.

Later

EXCLUSIVE! Chad Nevett's Comic Book Mini-Reviews and Star Ratings for the Week of April 4, 2012

Since I'm no longer 'sketching' for the actual things, in the long-standing GraphiContent tradition, I've once again retitled my brief thoughts on comics I've gotten. I think this is the most accurate title yet. And sure to be a hit getter... I expected to have this up earlier today, but the Toronto Blue Jays' opening game against the Cleveland Indians went 16 innings and almost five-and-a-half hours. Which was awesome. Fantastic way to start the season. Especially since they won. Well, let's get to this because there are too many fucking comics here...

Action Comics #8: There are two things I rather liked about this comic: 1. Lex Luthor being Clark Kent's secret source. 2. Superman won ultimately by being smarter, not stronger. I guess I also liked how it poked fun at the fact that he went from public enemy #1 to everyone's favourite son in no time flat. I'm still struggling with my personal conception of Superman and Grant Morrison's conception of Superman not meshing entirely. That and the art that manages to only look attractive maybe one of twenty-three panels. [***1/4]

Age of Apocalypse #2: There's a big problem in this comic: I don't remember who any of the humans are. Nor do I care. Moving past this, this is has some nice sick moments of dark cynicism, some surprisingly strong moments of bright optimism, some good art, and, of course, alternate versions of characters we know. [***1/2]

Animal Man #8: "It's my fault that the red is in my sperm!" Just so you know, old lady, when you wish your daughter never married that guy, you're also wishing that your grandchildren had never been born, and you're pretty much ensuring that they'll kind of hate you as they get older. Sorry... that's... uh... a little too personal a reading of this comic, right? Steve Pugh's art doesn't wow me as much as Travel Foreman's spectacular work on this comic, but it's pretty good. [***1/2]

The Boys #65: This issue had the first genuine "Marshal Law moment" of the series for me. People compare the two a lot, but the tone is actually pretty different. But, when the Black Noir stood on the White House lawn, half dead, naked, his guts spilling out, and chunks of him missing... well, that made me think "This is like something I'd see in a Marshal Law comic." I like what Garth Ennis was going for here -- a bit too exposition heavy. From the end of issue 64, I figured we'd learn that the Black Noir was behind it all somehow. I didn't expect this, though. That was pretty fucked up. As was Butcher's revenge. One more big story left and where do you go from here? [***3/4]

Casanova: Avaritia #3: Christ, now I'm going to have to put up with people going "Let's. Get. Fucked." on Twitter or in blog posts for a while now, aren't I? "It's not the band I hate, it's their fans..." Always the case. Always. That said, I'm not sure this holds together completely. It may have crossed that chaos line that this comic always gets right on top of... Maybe. We'll see in June, won't we? [***3/4]

Daredevil #10.1: It's weird to watch an artist try very hard to fit in with the visual tone of a comic like this and it become apparent almost immediately that he doesn't. The art never comes together how it should, always looking unfinished... The story almost felt the same way. It's funny that Daredevil would show up and mock the bad guys, but why not take them out one by one? Why insist that they all come at him as one? There's a certain logic there... but it seems mostly fucked to me. I'm probably not getting it. That happens sometimes. [***]

Fatale #4: Gorgeous art and writing that's so relaxed, so geared towards chapters of a novel pacing that I'm tempted to set each new issue aside until the whole series is out and THEN read it. [***1/2]

Green Arrow #8: I found the seventh issue charming in the way it bounded ahead, carried by a way of banter and energy... This issue didn't have that so much. Instead of being carried away, I had to fight my way through a bit. I guess we'll use issue nine as the tie-breaker then. [*3/4]

Hell Yeah #2: This issue was an improvement over the first issue in both writing and art, but both areas can still be improved upon. I think my biggest issue with the writing is that this comic seems to (and those two words are key) want to be wild and energetic and crazy... almost like Casanova. But it's paced like something Brian Michael Bendis wrote. And I like Bendis's writing quite a bit. But, chaotic and energetic in a way that mimics what it's like to be young and full of mad, crazy ideas... that's not what he does. And this comic seems to try to do that, but doesn't give us enough and feels slight for it. It's almost like what happened in this issue and the first needed to be the first issue to really get the tone and feeling right. If what they're aiming for is what I think they are. As always, I'm probably wrong. I do like this, just not as much as I'd like to. Or they'd like me to. [***1/4]

OMAC #8: A mirror of sort of the first issue... appropriate and leaves the door open to the future. About as good as we were going to get... I'll miss this book. [***1/2]

Wolverine and the X-Men #8: I'm not entirely sure the time jumping worked, but another fun issue with some heart. And I do like some Chris Bachalo art... [***3/4]

Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #4: I don't like Quentin Quire as much when he grows as a character. There. I said it. [***1/4]

Later

CBR Review: The Boys #64

I recently reviewed The Boys #64 and, in the process, wrote my final review for the site. I also wrote the following sentences: "My first review for CBR was of The Boys #24 back when the book was mostly concerned with making fun of superheroes. It spent so much time running the theme into the ground that most people wrote the series off as nothing more than juvenile mockery of superheroes. Three years and four months later, The Boys is a very different book, one with origins in earlier mockery and has grown into a disturbing meditation on power and corruption. Superheroes in The Boys aren't a joke anymore; they're deadly serious."

You can read the rest HERE!

Sketch Reviews (February 2 2012)

Fun weeks for comics, no? I expand upon my Before Watchmen thoughts a bit in an upcoming podcast with Kevin Hellions that I recorded this morning, so I won't talk much about it. I will say that I'm going to buy the books -- and I will be doing a weekly discussion thing on the comics with Brian Cronin over at Comics Should be Good. So, depending on how much you like Brian and I, this isn't all bad, right? As for my announcement on Sunday, I don't have much to add. I don't think it's too difficult to figure out my reasons.

Action Comics #6: An odd detour. This feels like a recycled idea Morrison had for All-Star Superman if he'd done more of that after the first 12 issues. Not necessarily a bad thing and I can appreciate the idea of not advancing the 'main' story without the regular artist. Yet, this story doesn't feel like it was worth telling either. Some nice moments, sure. The point, though? [**1/2]

Animal Man #6: When comics do issues like this, people usually lose their mind with praise. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't. This issue, besides giving me some John Paul Leon art, seems rather pointless. "Hey, look, Buddy Baker starred in a really bad movie once!" That's about it. I can see the thematic relationship to what's going on in the main story, I just don't think that it adds anything. Like Action Comics, this seemed like the book was put on hold simply because the regular artist couldn't do the issue (or the entire issue). [**]

Avengers: X-Sanction #3: I really liked this issue. It's dumb fun. Cable killing the Avengers for no reason other than a future that may never happen. When the X-Men show up to stop him, I damn near went into a laughing fit over how ridiculous they all are. Cable as an old crazy man muttering to himself and trying to convince people of his twisted logic... I could read that every month. [***3/4]

The Boys #63: Jesus, Hughie... [****]

Fatale #2: I think I need to reread the first issue... [NR]

OMAC #6: It's not fair, but I read Kirby's OMAC series this week after getting the hardcover for my birthday and this series seems a lot less interesting by comparison. Especially with Scott Kolins providing art this issue. I did like Leilani dropping her act almost immediately. [***]

Uncanny X-Men #6: I get it, they're kind of like Xavier and Magneto! Actually, some solid, entertaining stuff. [***1/2]

I also got the Xombi trade. I've only read the first two issues, though. I'm liking it.

Later

CBR Review: The Boys: Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker #6

I recently reviewed The Boys: Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker #6 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Upon finishing The Boys: Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker #6, the conclusion to the mini-series spotlighting Butcher prior to The Boys, there was a feeling of emptiness, that the comic that I’d just read was a bit unnecessary. The fifth issue ended on such a strong point with Butcher earning his spot in Mallory’s group that this concluding issue is an exercise in tying up loose ends that aren’t really loose at all. It’s the issue that answers the minutiae of Butcher’s past and ends on a crude note when he finishes his little monologue to his father’s corpse. The series to this point was compelling, but this is a dull, uninteresting place to end."

You can read the rest HERE!