Every comic you've read in 2017

[jim]

Paper Girls v1 and v2-Oh! Right! I read Paper Girls. Art's good, but just pretend I wrote two paragraphs of "there's a stick up my ass and I feel like someone else did a similar idea more effectively". Sadly, the only times I cared about the characters were twice in ten issues. Paper Girls is endlessly referential, but to what end?

[jim]

Sherlock Frankenstein And The Legion Of Evil 1 and 2-Man, Cthu-Lou and Cthu-Louise are adorable.

[Donomark]

The latest (and possibly final) chapters of Hajime No Ippo brings the current fight to a heart-squashing finish, and has it to where I can't even think of this manga series that I've followed for the last ten years without wincing in depression.

[Missy]

Doctor Strange #382: Well holy shit, that was a cliffhanger I did not see coming.

Comics: 481
Manga: 2

[Donomark]

Superman #36 (2016): Solid with some of Doug Mahnke's finest artwork

Nightwing #34 (2016): S'alright. Not a bad issue at all, but I think I'm ready for the new creative team now.

Deathstroke #26 (2016): Good stuff

DC Holiday Special 2017: A good, classic feeling DC Holiday special. Really delivers on the classic feeling that Rebirth continues to bring.

Bane: CONQUEST #8: Still good

Batman #36: A fun issue hearkening back to the Jeph Loeb Superman/Batman days. 

Batman - White Knight #3: Remains to be a really engaging, intriguing story.

[Missy]

Batman #36: As Donovan noted, the storytelling technique is a throwback to Loeb's Superman / Batman, but it's also a truly great exploration of the men behind the capes as well as male friendship. Specifically, the trouble men have expressing their feelings for one another and the rifts that can create. It's an honest, touching look at manhood through the eyes of Superman and Batman.

Comics: 482
Manga: 2

[Donomark]

Captain America #696: Another solid Waid and Samnee issue, and although I'm surprised at the (relative) low stakes business-as-usual approach to these stories, I'm still very much liking the back-to-basics approach.

Iron Fist #75: Great art, solid story and characterization, this book is still good.

Spider-Man #235: S'okay

The Savage Dragon #229: Fast paced forward momentum with a gratuitous page of sex that's just as jaw-droppingly graphic and, depending on your tastes, kinda gross as last issue.

[Missy]

Justice League #34: Batman's sleepy and is, therefore, not thinking straight. People die. He's sad. It's rather generic, and the voices feel off. Even though Pete Woods' art is always a pleasure to see, I probably won' be sticking around.

Comics: 483
Manga: 2

[Missy]

Batman Annual #2: I'm not crying! You'e crying!

Comics: 484
Manga: 2

[Missy]

The Walking Dead #174: Seeing as how I haven't read TWD since #25-ish, maybe it shouldn't matter to me, but this issue felt like a creator cop-out. Maggie dropping the clichéd "I'm not going to give you what you want" (RE: death) is such bullshit. For a book that isn't afraid to kill major characters, leaving Negan on the board feels like Kirkman doesn't want to kill his darling.

Comics: 485
Manga: 2

[Missy]

Batman Annual #11 (1987): Alan Moore and George Freeman craft a tale of madness-fueled jealousy, in which Clayface III (Preston Payne) falls in love with a mannequin and does everything in his power to prevent Batman from ripping them apart. Moore chose to put the focus on the exceptionally troubled Clayface, rather than Batman, allowing the narrative to be told through Payne's foggy, heartbroken lens rather than Batman's clear, cold detective gaze. This serves to create mild sympathy for Payne, in that we see and hear him in his own words. So when Batman arrives to take Payne into custody, one understands Clayface's motivations to stop Batman -- even if they are unjustified and fanned by mental illness.

George Freeman isn't a name I can recall coming across before, but his work here makes me want to seek out other stories illustrated by him. There's a moment during the climax where Payne sees Helena (RE: the mannequin) from a low angle as she stands on a pedestal. Over one shoulder is a sign for Virgin Records & Tapes, and over the other is a photograph of Madonna during her sultry "Like a Virgin" phase. Whether this was Moore's influence or Freeman's, it reveals everything one needs to know about Payne's psyche and how woman are seen overall: she's faithful or she's not; women are pristine, untouched objects or damaged, used goods. Furthermore, her shoulder and leg are exposed on the Virgin Records side, while more skin is covered on the Madonna side: we want to sully the virginal while redeeming the sexed.

Though I'm not sure I would put this up there with Moore's better-known work, it is worth a look and holds up very well; thanks to the #MeToo movement, we're starting to have deeper conversations about the treatment of women, and this comic could and should be reexamined for that alone. On top of that is how Batman ultimately comes to see Payne as a troubled man; Batman offers him an outstretched hand -- one that starts from our POV before breaking through the next panel -- as soon as he realizes Payne needs to be shown compassion despite his misdeeds. In these two regards, this story is miles ahead of its time and shockingly relevant today.

The second story (by Max Allan Collins and Norm Breyfogle), in which Penguin falls in love and attempts to turn over a new leaf, is fun and somewhat touching. After Penguin is released from prison he starts a legitimate business, one Batman believes is a front for a criminal operation. This leads to Batman inadvertently causing Penguin's re-incarceration. (It is partially Penguin's fault too, as he was breaking the terms of his parole.) We then see Batman attempting to show empathy for Cobblepot, but it falls on the deaf ears of the review board.

It's interesting to see these two stories paired together, in that they have similar themes (RE: how the criminal justice system treats its wards) but with distinctly different executions.

(As a side note, I want to see a story called "The Adventures of Robin As He Sits in the Lobby As Batman Rants at the Parole Board." Breyfogle also does an excellent job showing Robin being a kid. There are a few times when The Boy Wonder is loose and relaxed, but when he's next to Batman he's doing his best to look tough. It's a wonderful depiction of Jason.)

Comics: 486
Manga: 2

[Donomark]

Preston Payne might be my favorite Clayface because he's by far the most interesting, and the most dangerous. His gimmick and abilities are horrifying, and he's actually insane as opposed to Basil Karlo, Matt Hagen or Sondra Fuller. Check out the 4-part Mudpack storyline if you haven't Mike, as I think that's the last Preston Payne story ever told.

1 hour ago, The Master said:

On top of that is how Batman ultimately comes to see Payne as a troubled man; Batman offers him an outstretched hand -- one that starts from our POV before breaking through the next panel -- as soon as he realizes Payne needs to be shown compassion despite his misdeeds. In these two regards, this story is miles ahead of its time and shockingly relevant today.

Moore once said the difference between Batman and any other vigilante like the Shadow or the Punisher is his compassion, which is something that should never be forgotten but often has been for a long time.

[Dread]

Sacred Creatures #1, 2: another instalment of "oh shit, this is basically something I was writing and abandoned and is now a published comic book that's actually pretty good."

The Divided States of Hysteria #3: I mean, I see what they're doing, but I don't have the attention span to read anything this erratic these days.

The Newsboy Legion and the Boy Commandoes Special #1: this is better than the last special of this ilk I read, but that's no praise.

The Shadow #1: they really seem to have trouble making a good solo Shadow book these days.

The Unsound #3: this rolls crazily forward. Talk about compressed storytelling!

Youngblood #4: ok

Astonishing X-Men #2: this kind of sucks, but I still want to see where it's going a little bit.

Colossi #4: this did not end well.

Dark Nights Metal #1: if you told me to synopsize the basic premise at gunpoint, I would ask for death.

Divinity #0: pretty solid.

Memetic TPB: Looking to dive into more Tynion since I've enjoyed his bat-work. This was weird. I get it, but I didn't so much enjoy it.

Sex & Violence vol 1: it's Palmiotti, so I don't know why I expected more than this.

Suicide Squad #23: this was good. 

Future Quest Presents #1: pretty decent. 

Heathen #5: not as good as previous issues unfortunately. Still good though.

Invincible Iron Man #10: this was really fucking excellent. 

Defenders Epic Collection Ashes, Ashes: this is the crux of DeMatteis' run, encompassing the breaking of the Elf with a Gun subplot and introducing the New Defenders. I've only ever read this in disparate back issues and it's a pure delight to read in whole. 

Comics: 1225

Trades: 36

Graphic Novels: 28

Omnibuses: 20

[Donomark]

Detective Comics #970: Good.

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #17: It was okay, but a little too pat for my taste. This could've been a really rich and nuanced story, but this played out like a Saturday Morning cartoon. I would've loved to have seen some real commitment to this story idea.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #34: I need to stay on this book more. This is what the Green Lantern series should be about, all four lead Earth Lanterns. Not Hal Jordan and his frat boy antics. The GL movie should be about the four of them, and there shouldn't be any other GL books but this one unless it features other Lanterns from different Corps.

Falcon #2 and #3 (2017):  I took a break from this series because of the searing backlash it received on the forums, then went back in with a really critical eye. I can say that the biggest negative for me is the dialogue. It's consistently awful, whether it's from the new Patriot or Dray. They spout one liners in practically every panel. Everyone in this book has an almost MCU style sense of humor that doesn't match or flow with what's going in the scene. I can appreciate it a little because it's a pretty serious book, but it just doesn't fit right and reads too much like it's pandering. Also the mayor secretly beiing Blackheart thing is pretty bad as well.

I can't hate this book though. While it does read like second-rate Milestone, a story about a black mentor hero and his younger partner trying to make the world better is always going to appeal to me. It's not nearly as hamfisted and dumbly written as BLACK, which came off as though it appealed to the lowest common denominator. I think this book has a lot of potential, and the more directly political tone it inherited from Nick Spencer's Sam Wilson run still makes it engaging for me. It's far from the best thing Marvel's offering these days, but it's not the worst. 

Amazing Spider-Man #792: This comic is right out of the 90s. Both meant to be good and bad.

She-Hulk #159: Good start to the story.

Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #11: I didn't love the artist choice for this issue, but he wasn't bad. Just didn't feel right for this type of comic. I like that Peter David is making Ben's redemption not so easy, but am hoping he won't drag it out either.

Action Comics #993: It REALLY feels like a 90s era Superman when Dan Jurgens is on both writing and art. That's a compliment.

[Dread]

Kill The Minotaur #3: I'm really enjoying this.

Magnus #3: I'm not.

Ringside vol 1: pretty good. I'll read a couple issues after this to see where it goes. Was kind of hoping more of a drama behind the scenes of wrestling rather than a crime thing.

Comics: 1227

Trades: 37

Graphic Novels: 28

Omnibuses: 20

[Missy]

Judas #1: Beautiful!

Jughead, the Hunger #2: Mindless fun.

Comics: 488
Manga: 2

[Missy]

The New Guardians #2: The infamous Snowflame issue. Truth be told, this book and character would have been forever lost to history if not for Linkara. The issue is nowhere near as bad as his show and others proclaim. Is it nuts and stupid? Yes. But it is so very forgettable. And despite having a late 1988 cover date, it reads like any other early 1990s / Image-ripoff. What struck me, though, is the core plot of the series: after suffering bites from the AIDS-infected Hemo-Goblin , several members of the team fear they now have the disease too. For 1988, when AIDS was still very much seen as only infecting homosexuals and IV drug-users, this was a bold move by DC and it actually makes me want to read the rest of the 12-issue series.

Comics: 489
Manga: 2

[Missy]

Aquaman Annual #1: Holy shit, that's heartbreaking.

Comics: 490
Manga: 2

[Missy]

The Punisher: A Man Named Frank: When this came out in 1994, I read it nonstop. The idea of The Punisher as a cowboy blew my mind. John Buscema's art has the perfect grimy, gritty feel for a Western; each line capturing the era, the dirt, the sun and heat, and the pain of working in the southwest at the turn of the 20th century. Each character stands out from the rest; there are no generic faces, not even on character who barely speak; everyone's lived a life, and each line tells their story. The story itself is what you'd think it would be -- Frank's family is killed, he hunts down the killers, and gets mixed up with cattle-rustlers in the process -- but it doesn't need to be more than it is. The fact that it makes any sense (considering the era and character) is a marvel. (Heh.) All these years later it holds up for what it is, and is worth a read.

Comics: 491
Manga: 2

[Dread]

Legends of the Dark Knight Jim Aparo vol 3: the fact that this ends in 1982 assures me there will be at least two more volumes of this and that makes everything good in the world again for me. Aparo is THE definitive Batman artist and it is shown quite readily here with what is basically a huge selection of Brave and the Bold issues with a couple Detective issues and some ephemera (like The Batman Family and Untold Legend...). There's a bunch of crossover here with the Wein volume and that's ok. Some of the very earliest comics I ever read were in this volume including this gem:

Also, a really weird B&B issue where Batman just shows up in WW2 to team up with Sgt. Rock out of nowhere...with no explanation. I Haven't checked, but I'm certain Bob Haney wrote it. He had to.

 

Comics: 1227

Trades: 37

Graphic Novels: 28

Omnibuses: 21

 

[Donomark]

They need to collect the Jim Starlin/Marv Wolfman/Jim Aparo issues from the mid-to-late 80s. That's some definitive Batman shit right'chea

[Dread]

2 hours ago, Donomark said:

They need to collect the Jim Starlin/Marv Wolfman/Jim Aparo issues from the mid-to-late 80s. That's some definitive Batman shit right'chea

Yeah, that was totally my jam. Now that I think of it, there might be four volumes left to go. Oh, after writing it up on here I put it on my shelf and volume 3 has a different trade dress than every other volume (not just the Aparo ones. What the fuck, DC? I want my shelves to look pretty!

[Missy]

18 hours ago, Dread said:

Also, a really weird B&B issue where Batman just shows up in WW2 to team up with Sgt. Rock out of nowhere...with no explanation. I Haven't checked, but I'm certain Bob Haney wrote it. He had to.

 

Is that the one where Batman has to prove Rock didn't kill a fellow soldier?

[Dread]

6 hours ago, The Master said:

Is that the one where Batman has to prove Rock didn't kill a fellow soldier?

No, not that one. That was an earlier Aparo issue, I think.

[Dread]

Nightwing #27: this is going through a lull.

Normandy Gold #3: still pretty great. Sleazy as fuck.

Secret Empire Brave New World #5: one story was decent here. Like Kindergarten Cop is Arnold was replaced with Blade and some of the kids are vampires.

Sheena Queen of the Jungle #0: Fun. I'll try out a few more.

Spiritus #1: could not synopsize this at gunpoint.

Superb #2: this is decent. Richer and deeper than it needs to be. Solid.

Superman #29: did not see this coming.

The Mighty Thor #22: solid. Still loving War Thor.

The Sandman Special #1: Jurgens writes a decent Sandman (Joe Simon sure couldn't) but the stars of this issue are Jon Bogdanove and Rick Lenardi who do their own wonderful Kirby homages. It makes sense that the best of these Kirby 100 specials is the one that comes form the property with the least goodness behind it.

Time & Vine #1: hahahahaha! Fuck this.

US Avengers #9: still good.

Vampirella #5: liking this direction.

Winnebago Graveyard #3: this has turned into a really lovely little horror series.

X-Men Blue #9: decent.

Action Comics #986: really good.

Archie #23: fucking great.

Black Hammer #12: great.

Black Hand Comics: this is a hardcover collection of Wes Craig's webcomics. Pretty solid. I think I'm reviewing this and the following few books on next week's show.

DC House of Horror #1: definitely reviewing this on next week's show. Holy shit. It worked.

Mr. Higgins Comes Home: review upcoming

Nightmare World volume 4: I didn't like this, so i don't think I'll be reviewing it. I think I might have needed a reread of the previous volumes to get into it.

Comics: 1245

Trades: 39

Graphic Novels: 29

Omnibuses: 21