Every comic you've read in 2017


Missy

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Empress #1-7: Star Wars meets Fantastic Four as a royal family attempt to flee a Darkseid-like ruler / father. And it is amazing! If one Mark Millar book is perfectly made for a $200 million big screen adaptation, this is it. Every single character (save the baby) is fully rounded and capable of handling themselves, they all bring wonderful skill sets to the table and use them perfectly, and it works as a self-contained story but has just enough teases for a sequel. It's brisk when it needs to be, slows down for the softer moments, then ramps it all up for big action in the most exciting ways.

Stuart Immonen, as always, is a master. He brings each character to life with the perfect body language and facial expressions, and each planet is its own unique beast. None of this would be possible, however, without Wade Von Grawbadger on inks and Ive Svorcina on colors. Von Grawbadger's thin, delicate lines compliment Immonen's lively, animated pencils. Whereas Svorcina makes you believe each skin tone is real (be it red, orange-ish, or purple), the explosions and energy blasts seems to radiate heat, and each world has its own palette and life.

This cannot be given a higher recommendation from me: fun, emotional, full of surprises, and it has a warm family story at the very center of the action.

Comics: 198

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I'll have to look at Empress. I ignored it because Millar, but that sounds really good.

Batwoman 1: Batwoman as James Bond, I suppose. I'm only reading this because Hannah's buying it. Reliably above average, but the voice feels wrong to me.
Casanova Acedia 8: Cycle goes three Moon issues, one flashback Bá issue. In this case, the flashback centers around the other team looking to kill Cass' employer. Bá's fantastic, and Moon coloring him is a joy. They got five great pinups, too. Risso, Ward, Latour, Zdarsky and Gerard Way.
Ether 5: Turns out this is an ongoing now. Rubín's art + Kindt's ideas are a goddamned home run.
Harrow County two issues: Dark and twisty. It makes me want to read the series.

Edited by jim
harrow county!
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Weird Detective: So fucking good. One of the true departures within Lovecraft's mythos. I want more, asap.

Batman And The Outsiders: an omnibus collecting the first 13 issues and the Teen Titans crossover issue. This was really good. Aparo's art is brilliant, but it's easy to forget that Mike W. Barr might be THE definitive Batman writer.

Suicide Squad Most Wanted #5: the el Diablo story is still great. The Waller backup is solid.

Superman #13: Mahnke drawing Superman vs Frankenstein's monster and his bride? Yeah. Ok.

TMNT Universe #5: hello other characters than the ninja turtles. You've been missed.

Thanos #2: this was boring. I'm out.

The Great Divide #4: really good

The Green Hornet Reign of the Demon #1: solid.

The Mighty Captain Marvel #0: this was garbage. Man, Marvel has an issue with making this characterworth reading. Even though they push her hard.

The Mighty Thor #14: really good.

The X-Files #9: not sure where they are going, but I'm always impressed.

The X-Files X-Mas Special 2016: lame.

Trinity #4: this sucks. I'm done.

Uncanny Avengers #15: I like the idea of lying about Steve Rogers being absent from the Avengers team, but they kind of ruin it in the first issue.

Uncanny X-men #16: this was ok.

Unleash #1: this is pretty terrible as a comic. Probably decent as a low-budget movie.

Vigilante Southland #3: ok.

Warlords of Appalachia #3: really good.

Comics: 271
Trades: 21

Graphic Novels: 9

Omnibuses: 5

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Berni Wrightson: Master of the Macabre 1-2: Some of the .50-cent comics we picked up last month. Berni does various horror adaptations (Lovecraft, Poe) and original short stories, all while drawing and coloring himself. The man was fucking insanely talented. 

Frankenstein Alive, Alive! 1-3: Niles and Wrightson get to do beautiful, insanely detailed Frankenstein fanfiction. The level on some of these single panels are absolutely wonderful to page over, and if you purchased the IDW Humble Bundle, you can zoom in as far as you want and curse every time you uncover some new level of detail.

Fuck brain cancer.

Single Issues: 122
Trades/Graphic Novels: 24
Omnibuses: 1

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Starlight #1-6: This is very much Mark Millar's loving tribute to Flash Gordon. Every page is dripping with respect for the classic strips and serials, with references to said material everywhere. But it's not a straight-up adaptation. Here we have Duke McQueen, a former fighter pilot in his 60s (possibly 70s) who's just lost his wife to cancer. His adult children are distant, and contemplate putting him into a home because they believe him to be delusional. And why's that? Because he tells tales of having overthrown an alien warlord decades ago, only to have returned to Earth to start a normal life. Everyone in town thinks he's a liar (at least) or mental (at worst). When Duke learns the people he saved are enslaved once more, he returns to battle, creaky joints and all. This is just so much fun. While there are some sad, touching, human moments, it's exactly what it should be: far-out space action and adventure with swords, ray guns, and Golden Age space ships. (As an aside, one of my favorite aspects of Duke is that he is not above shooting assholes in the back or kicking them in the balls. It's not that he's without honor, but, rather, he's not going to allow his personal honor to lose him a war.)

With a background portraying dark, violent characters such as The Punisher, Nick Fury, and Barracuda, Goran Parlov is not the first person to spring to mind when someone pitches an Old Man Flash Gordon comic. Yet, he's exactly the perfect choice for the job. Despite his age, the large-framed Duke radiates power, whereas the smaller / lighter characters zip around with great speed on rocket-packs. Parlov's loose lines give the characters and world a lot of breathing room (allowing readers to insert their own details), while depicting them with amazing faces and movements. He's also able to shift from the bright (yet oppressed) landscapes and castles to the dark (yet hopeful) underbelly of the world, and this is with great thanks to Ive Svorcina. On Empress, Svorcina brought a blisteringly bright palette to the worlds, but on Starlight it's much more restrained; the colors are purposely flatter. This is done, one assumes, to fit the era of the source material, and it's executed wonderfully. (As another aside: Parlov adds the comedic touch of putting + over the eyes of characters who have been knocked out. It's an odd choice, but it made me chuckle.)

Between Huck, Empress, and now Starlight, Mark Millar has had a string of books that have greatly impressed me.

Comics: 204

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Justice League - The New Frontier Special: I wasn't aware of this for a while, but it's basically an Annual-sized special with extra material in Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier story. I figure this came out around the time of the animated film.

It goes into the backstory of things that were hinted at, mainly Superman and Batman's relationship, with Wonder Woman at the end. Much of how it played out reminded me of Dawn of Justice, however it's Diana was stops the fighting and brings the two together before they kill each other. Some cool details like learning that Catwoman stole the $70,000 piece of Kryptonite from Luthor to give to Batman, and that President Eisenhower knew Superman's secret identity. The second story is the first meeting between Robin and Kid Flash, done by Cooke-style inheritors Dave Bullock and Michael Cho. Everyone talks likes a 1950s teen movie, which is amusing. The final story is WW and Black Canary infiltrating a Playboy Club party. Diana is animatedly appalled at everything she sees, and basically kicks out Jayne Masnfield and beats everyone up. It's very arch - the art by J. Bone is really cartoony, but it's meant to be fun. Diana might appear to be a cartoonish, radical feminist but she's really completely in line with the original Marston portrayal. I loved Gloria Steinem's cameo. 

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Arkham Manor #1-3: Arkham Asylum has burnt to the ground, leaving nowhere safe to place the inmates. That is, until someone gets the bright idea to use the recently vacated Wayne Manor. After a murder is committed in his old home, Bruce goes undercover to find the killer inside the new asylum.

There are three more issues in this series, as well as an Endgame tie-in oneshot, but I'm not actively compelled to read the remaining four issues. It's okay, and I like the art, but it doesn't hook me. Maybe I'll come back down the line.

Comics: 207

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Avengers #3: did this get lame? I think it got lame.

Batman #14: kind of sweet.

Captain America Sam Wilson #17: this is just fucking ridiculous. 

Champions #4: worst issue yet. Still better than most of Marvel's output I just read.

Hawkeye #2: this is not great. A few really good art moments though,

Justice League of America The Atom Rebirth #1: this was ok.

JL vs Suicide Squad #3: pretty good. Intrigued by the end.

Lucas Stand #5: feels like this series is moving in slow motion.

Midnighter and Apollo #4: great. So good.

Comics: 280
Trades: 21

Graphic Novels: 9

Omnibuses: 5

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Prowler #6: In the wake of The Clone Conspiracy, Hobie doesn't know what to do with his life, so he consults Peter and they weigh his options. None of which are good. As the final issue of a series, it's a nice sendoff for the character and book. Soon I plan to read The Clone Conspiracy and all of its tie-ins, including Prowler, and I find myself looking forward to those issues.

Comics: 209

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Action Comics #976: Nothing was answered, and I'm not sure what the point was. It's a shame, really. The first two issues of this four-part story started strong, then it seemed to get jumbled.

Comics: 208

They realigned the Post-Crisis and new 52 Supermen to become one character with a combined history. Now everyone knows Clark and Lois are married with Jon, he still died at the hands of Doomsday, etc. It's a little confusing, but I'm pretty happy with the ending.

Detective Comics #953: The Cassandra Cain storyline going on is good...but I've been spoiled by reading it done much better years ago in her own series. Issue #25 of Batgirl where she and Shiva have a death duel is the best story of that run, so this can't help but feel like a wannabe in comparison. I also think Tynion is still playing up the melodrama a bit too much. Cass cries all the time, and Shiva's all "BWAHAHA YOU DISAPPOINT ME". Not very subtle.

 Prowler #6: I thought this was a terrific read, and a perfect end to a series I was baffled why Marvel thought this would last.

Hulk #3-#4 (2016): This is still one of the slowest-moving titles I've read in recent memory. I'm enjoying it, but the current Marvel commodification of...IDK, 2010s culture is getting on my nerves. Like the company knows nothing else. I can't explain it, but with Hulk there's a lot of sameness going on. Basically it's the "character is the only one able/who cares to solve the problems of the little people" white knight type of story, and with Jen Walters she's dealing with her PTSD from her coma and losing Bruce while taking on the problems of her many clients. I've seen this done in Batgirl, Patsy Walker A.K.A. Hellcat, Ms. Marvel, and so on. I'd rather focus more on the main character then have to book try to tell me how caring they are for the lower class. It comes of as cynical and patronizing.

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Darth Maul #2: A touch slower than last issue, but the glimpse into Maul's beginnings was interesting. I also enjoy his posse of bounty hunters.

Star Trek / Green Lantern: Stranger Worlds #1-4: This is the squeal to Star Trek / Green Lantern: The Spectrum War, and so far it's even better than the first crossover. There are two more issues to go, and I'm very excited to see how it all wraps up. Hopefully IDW and DC leave room for a third part, because ring-bearers being in the Star Trek universe is an idea that has long legs.

Comics: 214

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Action Comics #976: Nothing was answered, and I'm not sure what the point was. It's a shame, really. The first two issues of this four-part story started strong, then it seemed to get jumbled.

Comics: 208

Hidden Content

 That's kinda what I thought, but I wasn't certain. Thanks for clearing it up.

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Nightcrawler (2014) - So, Kurt is back from the dead.  No idea how that happened or how he came back.  But that is the entire plot of these 12 issues.  Things happen and I am not sure if I am supposed to know these people or not.  If so, it does a bad job of catching me up.  If not, it does a bad job introducing the characters. 

 

Single Issues: 8
Graphic Novels: 2
Trades:
26 (196)

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Iron Fist #1 (2017): This was pretty good. Ku'n Lun is destroyed and Danny has lost his connection to the Iron Fist. He's frustratedly looking for a challenge in foreign countries before getting one at the end. Solid artwork and a new-reader-friendly story. I'm in for the series.

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Batman #433-435: This is the three-part story The Many Deaths of the Batman, which was the first Batman storyline I ever read month-to-month off the newsstand. Thing is, no matter how many times I read it, I always misremember the plot. For some reason, I recall it as being this: a man has deduced that Batman must be rich and athletically fit, so he begins murdering Gothamites fitting that bill, forcing them to dress up as Batman before delivering the killing blow. But that's not the plot at all. It's actually this: Stone, the man who trained Batman in defusing bombs, realizes Batman's technique is one he himself invented and only taught to one person. Since Batman uses it, the person he taught must be Batman. Worried Batman's greatest foes will also realize this, he fears they will stalk and kill him to get to Batman. So Stone begins tracking down the other men who trained Batman, killing them (after forcing them to wear Batman costumes), then faking his own death. This way, Batman's foes will think Batman's trainers are all dead, keeping Stone and his wife safe.

If it sounds convoluted, that's because it is. But I still love it. John Byrne writes a great Commissioner Gordon, in that he's tired and world-weary, but he's not morose and pessimistic. Sitting behind a desk has not slowed him down. His Batman is a brilliant detective, putting all of the clues together quickly but not so quickly he feels omniscient. And his Alfred has the perfect level of dutifulness and snark, and he's clever in his own way. Jim Aparo nails each page; every death is gruesome without being gory, every player has their own way of moving, and, as always, his Batman is slim and sleek and oh-so powerful.

Most people will probably see this as a short Batman storyline with nothing too memorable within (and it probably is), but it holds such a special place in my heart.

Comics: 218

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Agreed. There are only two words spoken in the entire book, and they are so powerful. Upon seeing the first dead "Batman" in the morgue -- not knowing this is just the beginning of a crime spree and that the body isn't really Batman -- Gordon tells the beat officer to "get out" before unmasking the corpse. It's fucking brilliant.

My other favorite moment is Two-Face flipping his coin to decide if he should be happy or pissed that someone killed Batman.

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Batman #432: Along with the three issues mentioned above, this is another Batman comic I very distinctly recall buying off the newsstand. The cover made it an absolute must-buy: Batman fighting the FBI on the steps of a burning building? Hell! Yes!

The one-issue story is a solid detective tale, in which Batman falls backwards into a seven-year-old cold case revolving around a missing boy. At any other time, he would have acknowledged it was too cold to be worth his time, but this is weeks after Jason't death and Batman cannot bare the thought of another dead boy going unavenged. So he pushes everything to the side; cases are ignored, his friendship with Gordon is tested, and he virtually dares the FBI to come after him. It's fantastic. For many, I think, the best bit will be Batman (disguised as a firefighter) fighting the FBI, but for me it's when he confronts the suspect and said suspect realizes it's over. The way Jim Aparo sells the fear in three panels is a masterclass in storytelling.

Comics: 219

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