2012 was an exciting year for the comic book world, at its
beginning we had the full fruition of DC’s New 52 initiative, where they
restarted their entire universe from scratch (give or take), in the
Summer we had the ever-controversial Before Watchmen set of mini-series,
Marvel gave us the massive Avengers vs, X-men crossover and their own
pseudo-relaunch in Marvel NOW! towards the end of the year which is
currently on-going, and spread throughout was the re-invigoration of
Image Comics as a force to be reckoned with in the industry with The
Walking Dead becoming the biggest seller of the year and their leading
charge of the “creator-owned” movement.
So with all that said, what were the most satisfying reading experiences of the year in the medium? I can’t say I can answer that definitely for anyone except myself, but I’m happy to present what I personally see as the Top Ten for 2012.
A point to note, certain titles didn’t make this list for varying reasons, be it an over-abundance of crossovers (Journey into Mystery), distracting fill-in art (Action Comics) or they just were just slightly below the quality of the rest (Saga). The other qualification is that at least 5 issues of a title has had to of come out this calendar year, so no new Marvel NOW titles can make the list despite their early excellent quality (Thor: God of Thunder, FF). The order holds no significance beyond what I find the most exciting to read month to month.
If I could recommend 10 books to somebody who is somewhat like me, I would choose:
10. Mind MGMT – Matt Kindt – Dark Horse Comics
I’ve often called Mind MGMT “the Inception of the comic world” and I can’t think of a fitter description for this wild espionage series. The story focuses on Meru, who is a struggling journalist who seeks her next big break in reporting on a jet-liner where all of the passengers have lost their memories, and one particular passenger is missing. In her pursuit of this passenger, Meru runs afoul of the top secret Mind Management organization and their weaponized psychics, talking dolphins, immortal assassins and agents with the power to change your perceptions at a moment’s notice. Kindt’s work is unique, working in nothing but pencils and water color with intriguing concepts and probably the best usage of all facets of a comic that I’ve ever seen, as back-up stories litter the inside front and back covers and subliminal-style messages line the inner spine on each page. I can only hope Kindt’s work gets the kind attention it deserves and soon.
9. Batwoman – J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman w/ Amy Reeder and Trevor McCarthy – DC Comics
DC Comics faced criticism in 2011 at the dawn of the New 52 at what was perceived as a mishandling of female characters as well as a lack of female creators at the helm of any notable titles. For some books, there was much merit in this criticism, this is not the case for Batwoman, where Kate Kane, the title character is perhaps DC’s most fully fleshed out member of the fairer sex with realistic fears and vulnerabilities covered up by an incredibly tough exterior. Williams and Blackman also populate the title with supporting characters that you actually grow to care about, including Kate’s father, her lover Maggie (who is unaware of her night-time activities), and her cousin Bette. Williams and Blackman opened 2012 with a staggered arc that jumped around in time as Kate battled a group of urban-folklore nightmares come to life, that while making for a difficult read on a monthly basis once read in one sitting comes together as a brilliant experience. The on-going storyline is one of the best planned arcs DC is currently producing and when Williams is on art duties, which he is sadly ending toward the beginning of 2013, the book enters the stratosphere.
8. Daredevil – Mark Waid, Marcos Martin, Chris Samnee, various other artists – Marvel Comics
“Ol’ Horn-Head” has always been amongst my absolute favorite characters in all of comics, not just Marvel. The down on his luck Matt Murdock has always has a place on my pull-list as far back as I can remember, and from Miller to Bendis to Brubaker, and a few other highlights in between, he’s always inspired some of the strongest writing from comic’s most popular creators. Mark Waid, having began his run in 2011, continues this trend. Pushing back from the tragedy that has marked Matt’s life, Waid gave us a swashbuckling Daredevil that we haven’t seen since the days of Karl Kesel. It’s a unique concept that makes for great story-telling, a Daredevil that can laugh, unfortunately for Matt, none of his friends actually believe that he’s happy for once and it makes for one heck of a read. After an arc where all the major crime organization’s are after Daredevil over a disc-drive, Matt then takes on Doctor Doom’s minions, while staving off a growing anxiety over his mental state, both internal and from his law partner Foggy Nelson, caused by a villain with a grudge to bear. Colorful, funny, well-written, it’s completely different from the Daredevil we’re all used to, but all the better for it.
7. Prophet – Brandon Graham, Simon Roy, Farel Dalrymple, Giannis Milonogiannis – Image Comics
John Prophet is a Rob Liefeld creation, and an example of the worst excesses of 90′s era Image Comics. Now that that’s out of the way, allow me to then say that Brandon Graham has completely reinvented the character from the ground-up. John Prophet awakes from hyper-stasis on an earth many years in the future taken over by an alien race. Within the books first three issues, you get an excellent taste for the run, which is best described as Space Conan meets Heavy Metal with a dash of survivalist tale. The book is eloquently written in the third person by Graham, which is a unique throwback to the EC style tales of the 50′s. Roy handles the art duties for the initial three issues which follow the first John Prophet readers see, events then conspire that in subsequent issues Dalrymple and Milonogiannis take on art duties depending on which John Prophet you’re following (yes, there are more than one). Graham himself even takes on art duties here and there when the story calls for it. The key-word (or words) for the entire series is world-building. Unlike the vistas displayed in Conan tales or other sci-fi stories where the terrain and alien races are quite similar in scope based on pre-determined boundaries, the worlds displayed with the series display no such heed. The planets visited range from deserted wastelands to worlds populated with talking tree-people to some of the trippiest Jack Kirby style landscapes you’ll ever see, and the whole time you know exactly what is in John’s inventory, the level of detail in the writing is that pin-point. Sci-fi in comics took a big leap forward with Graham and co.’s work here.
6. Hawkeye – Matt Fraction, David Aja, Javier Pulido – Marvel Comics
I’ve never enjoyed Matt Fraction’s work, I think his Iron Man run was incredibly overrated and it just never sat well with me. My opinion of his work changed a bit with the suggestion that I read this title that focuses on what Hawkeye does “when he’s not an Avenger”. The title opens with Clint Barton/Hawkeye falling out a window and the first narration box stating “Okay… this looks bad”. And this type of action-film whimsy is the tone the series has carried thus far through its first six issues. Hawkeye as a book sort of marries the high adventure spy action of James Bond with a seriously heavy dash of Green Arrow-style urban champion. For example, in the very first issue, Clint defends the rights of the tenants of the building in which he lives from a predatory landlord and saves the life of a dog that is hit by a car, this is then followed up by an issue where, amongst other things, Clint goes to the local hardware store to get tape so he can identify each of his trick arrows before winding up in a high speed chase with a potential lady of interest. Clint also gets a female side-kick in Kate Bishop, much like a certain emerald archer once had prior to the New 52. It’s this mix of the ordinary with high octane story-telling and a big dash of humor that has made the once boring “guy with the arrows in the Avengers” into possibly Marvel’s most exciting and well-rounded character. Some of the dialogue on display here is my favorite in all of comics, when foreign enemies appear, instead of getting gibberish or some literal translation of what they’re saying, readers are treated to Clint’s spin on what is being said, which is always hilarious. Each story is also self-contained (short of the more action-based 2 parter in issues 4 and 5), so it’s very easy for a reader to just jump in at anytime, but the book is in such an embryonic stage, why not start at the beginning? David Aja is also producing some of my favorite work of any artist for any company, giving the book a very 70′s Marvel edge that makes it a wonderful companion piece to the retro work Chris Samnee is doing in Daredevil, funny how they both ended up on the list. Oh, also, for every issue David Aja pencils, he provides recommended listening which adds a neat little soundtrack to your experience. Pretty rad stuff! Big thanks to Tony Barletta and Chris Cox for turning me on to this wonderful little title.
5. Before Watchmen: Minutemen – Darwyn Cooke – DC Comics
The less said about the controversy around the Before Watchmen project, the better. Needless to say, I understand the complaints and respect them, though I do not fully agree. On the other hand, having Darwyn Cooke producing this kind of work is enough to almost justify the whole line by itself. In Minutemen, Cooke takes on the first set of heroes in the Watchmen universe; the first Nite Owl, first Silk Spectre, Hooded Justice, Silhouette, Captain Metropolis, Dollar Bill, a younger Comedian, and Mothman. The story is framed by Hollis Mason’s (Nite Owl) writing of the infamous novel about his life in super-heroics “Under the Hood”, and as Hollis deals in the trials and tribulations of his former friends reactions’ to his newfound authorship, readers are treated to flashbacks to the formation of the Minutemen and a fleshing out of each member that we only received a narrow glimpse of in the original Watchmen. Additionally, smaller details about the Minutemen that were only hinted about in Watchmen are important plot points within Minutemen; for example, Hooded Justice and his lover Captain Metropolis are given a fascinating treatment, particularly Hooded Justice, where its possible that everything we ever thought about this character and his eventual fate may be thrown into question. This deep dark secret of the Minutemen will likely inform readings of Watchmen for years to come. Surprisingly, the two most exciting characters in the story are Silk Spectre and Silhouette, the former being far more brutal than one ever thought and a force to be reckoned with on par with the Comedian or Rorschach and the latter being possibly the greatest unsung hero of the entire group. There’s little that can be said that doesn’t ruin the surprises held within the miniseries, but I can say that its a beautiful book with Cooke at the absolute top of his game. To me, it even rivals his work on New Frontier in a micro-sense. I highly recommend it, particularly in pairing with the Silk Spectre miniseries he co-wrote with Amanda Conner. Those two minis will be paired together in the first Before Watchmen hardcover collection for good reason.
4. Batman – Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo – DC Comics
In the New 52, nothing was heralded with greater excitement then the continued writing of Batman by Scott Snyder, who had written a modern Batman classic in The Black Mirror. Snyder continued this momentum with a story focused on Gotham City in “The Court of Owls” where it isn’t Riddler or Two-Face that are creating havoc within Gotham, but the dark history of the city itself. The Court is ancient order made up of a mysterious group of Gothamites that has existed for hundred of years, since the city was founded, and employs unstoppable assassins called Talons that literally live in hidden bases between the floors of Gotham’s oldest buildings. It’s quite an ambitious concept, but Snyder’s poetic prose keeps what could be an impersonal concept very intimate on focused on Bruce’s own feelings about Gotham and how it has shaped the man he has become, and the “family” he has built around him in Alfred, Dick, Tim, Damian, Barbara, and Jason. This preceding fact is important as the subsequent arc, “Death of the Family” which began towards the latter half of the year, focuses on that very family dynamic and the havoc a newly repurposes (and faceless) Joker is playing on their relationships and well-being (of course). Snyder’s Joker is perhaps the most brutal he has been since Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke, and his initial appearance in Issue 13 is genuinely creepy. This is the Joker by way of the influence of Heath Ledger and the indelible mark he left on the character in his portrayal in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. With that in mind, these initial 16 issues (counting issue 0) are the perfect jumping on point for anyone who has seen the Nolan films and wants to read more Batman stories but isn’t sure where to start. This is the best series of books written in the world of Gotham since Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka ended their phenomenal Gotham Central run (which partially informed The Dark Knight, ironically enough). Greg Capullo, for his part, is producing the best work of his career. His panels are action-packed and brutal, his Batman is a Batman than can and will be hurt, badly. The perfect example of this abusive nature is in Issue #5, the infamous “you have to turn it sideways and then upside down” issue. Batman is played in a labyrinth in a hallucinogenic state by the Court of the Owls, and the attacks he must fend off are pretty horrific. Capullo will make you feel bad for Batman, until he turns around and kicks ass, which he inevitably always does…I mean, he’s Batman. It’s DC’s second best book.
3. Manhattan Projects – Jonathan Hickman, Nick Pitarra – Image Comics
Who would have thought a year ago that Robert Oppenheimer would be the basis for one of my favorite characters in comics? But guess what? That has happened! Could you imagine a story where FDR is an immortal AI after his death? That also has happened! Or how about a book where Albert Einstein discovers a parallel dimension, is knocked out and replaced by that universe’s evil version of him? Yep, that happened too! The Manhattan Projects is a fascinating little book from the mind of comics’ newest genius Jonathan Hickman, writer of great thought provoking books like Red Wing, The Nightly News, and his recent run on Fantastic Four (and the originator of the FF concept). Manhattan Projects takes the original Manhattan Project (that of the creation of the atomic bomb) and claims that its public purpose is just a front for far more ambitious (and consequently more fascinating) experiments. This includes teleportation through the usage of Death Monks, Alien encounters, and dealings with a space-age style USSR. The series is a mad dash of Jack Kirby, Warren Ellis, Keith Giffen and Quentin Tarantino’s penchant for violence, creating what might be the best team-up book on the shelves today. Nick Pitarra’s artwork is deceptively clean and cartoony but holds tremendous emotional and artistic resonance as well. Characters and items that are evil are shaded in red at times, and the good is shaded in blue. It’s a fun system of spot what is colored what when you’re going through the inevitable re-read of an issue to see just what you missed. Manhattan Projects is Hickman’s best work yet and tremendous slice of Alternate American sci-fi/history.
2. Fatale – Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips – Image Comics
Ed Brubaker is probably comic’s biggest rising star for the mainstream this side of Robert Kirkman having recently sold a few pilot scripts that hopefully will make it to production and will make him an even more in-demand writer. His work on Captain America (the upcoming movie sequel is based on his initial arc with the character), Criminal, and Gotham Central has certainly earned him some major plaudits, and Fatale is as of this month his best work yet. Brubaker, teamed with his long-time collaborator Sean Phillips have produced what can be loosely called a “Lovecraftian Noir”. Fatale is framed by the the story of Nicolas Lash, while at a family friend’s funeral, crosses paths with a woman named Josephine who he just can’t get out of his mind. As he learns more about his recently passed “Uncle Dominic”, he realizes the woman he saw at the funeral is the same age in a picture taken with Dominic in the 1950′s, and thus begins Nicolas’ descent down a dark path in which he may never return. Nicolas’ investigation into Josephine framed two subsequent tales; one taking place in the 1950′s about Dominic’s (or Hank’s) meeting of Josephine and the second taking place in the 1970′s where an out of work actor named Miles also crosses paths with Josephine, needless to say neither man (nor any man who meets her) is able to resist her, but Josephine has her own dark past and is hunted by a cult that worships an ancient god led by a man named Bishop (and later known as Hansel). It is a dark, dark book where there’s no such thing as a fully good-person and everyone is a moral shade of gray, as is the case with any good noir it seems. Sean Phillips’ art creates the atmosphere that is ever so important to a tale such as this. His panels are wonderfully dark, moody, sometimes even scary, but always a joy to look at. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists. Fatale is an incredible page-turner of the highest order, the more you read the more you want to learn about just WHY Josephine does what she does, what has caused this incredible power she has over men. In a bit of a meta-way, Jo is casting her spell on readers, keeping them tuned in and focused on her first and foremost. Ed Brubaker has probably created the best new female protagonist of the year, in what is the second best series of the year for me.
1. Wonder Woman – Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang, Tony Akins – DC Comics
Wonder Woman. It’s a character than many very good writers have struggled with in recent years, including Simone, Picoult and JMS. Even when we named off superheroes that we liked from the Justice League cartoon, my girlfriend was quick to say “But Wonder Woman…ugh, so lame”. It’s true, she has not been a character that anyone has been able to define well in many years, maybe not since the George Perez run. She’s constantly been made out to be the female Superman, fighting odd villains like Cheetah and Dr. Psycho, but frankly its never caught on. Finally, Brian Azzarello came aboard with Cliff Chiang during the New 52 relaunch and completely refocused the character and changed many of the supporting cast. Instead of being a female Superman, she’s now something much more akin to Thor. The gods in her greek pantheon are now front and center rather than an occasional nuisance, and old Steve Trevor (her version of Lois Lane) has been relegated to interactions in Geoff Johns’ Justice League title. The old trappings of Wonder Woman are long gone and replacing them is a much leaner and fierce book representing the kind of character Diana should have always been. The beginning of 2012 saw the continuation of the initial series arc where she is acting as protector of Zola who is carrying the child of Zeus from Hera and the other greek gods such as Apollo who seek to murder the child specifically to protect his own claim to Zeus’ crown. Diana also learns that little of what she believed about her creation was true, let’s just say, she wasn’t actually made of clay and prayed to life. This information then leads to what will become a great tragedy that will seemingly define the character for years to come provided it isn’t undone by someone else. This set of issues also allowed Chiang and Akins (who joined mid-arc to relieve Chiang as a consistent fill-in) to show off their very Del Toro like redesigns of the Greek mythological figures, no longer togoed muscle-men and shapely women, they no resemble something much more subhuman. Hephaestus looks as if he is a creature practically made of rock, Hades is the size of a child with a giant candle melted on top of his head, Poseidon is a gigantic fish/frog hybrid, and the villainous Apollo looks like a man who is solar powered, literally. The coming year is off to quite a bang as well, as the first arc ended at issue 12 with a final battle between Diana and Hera, Apollo and Strife (and boy oh boy is it a doozy) and a final shocking betrayal before the ultimate twist; how else can I say this but….ORION!!!! It’s a great comic, and the best thing I read this year from the entire medium. I understand there’s a chance it may spawn a second Wonder Woman book that focuses more on super-heroics, whether or not that is a wise decision, it speaks volumes about just how great Azzarello and team’s work is here. I highly recommend it!
So with all that said, what were the most satisfying reading experiences of the year in the medium? I can’t say I can answer that definitely for anyone except myself, but I’m happy to present what I personally see as the Top Ten for 2012.
A point to note, certain titles didn’t make this list for varying reasons, be it an over-abundance of crossovers (Journey into Mystery), distracting fill-in art (Action Comics) or they just were just slightly below the quality of the rest (Saga). The other qualification is that at least 5 issues of a title has had to of come out this calendar year, so no new Marvel NOW titles can make the list despite their early excellent quality (Thor: God of Thunder, FF). The order holds no significance beyond what I find the most exciting to read month to month.
If I could recommend 10 books to somebody who is somewhat like me, I would choose:
10. Mind MGMT – Matt Kindt – Dark Horse Comics
I’ve often called Mind MGMT “the Inception of the comic world” and I can’t think of a fitter description for this wild espionage series. The story focuses on Meru, who is a struggling journalist who seeks her next big break in reporting on a jet-liner where all of the passengers have lost their memories, and one particular passenger is missing. In her pursuit of this passenger, Meru runs afoul of the top secret Mind Management organization and their weaponized psychics, talking dolphins, immortal assassins and agents with the power to change your perceptions at a moment’s notice. Kindt’s work is unique, working in nothing but pencils and water color with intriguing concepts and probably the best usage of all facets of a comic that I’ve ever seen, as back-up stories litter the inside front and back covers and subliminal-style messages line the inner spine on each page. I can only hope Kindt’s work gets the kind attention it deserves and soon.
9. Batwoman – J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman w/ Amy Reeder and Trevor McCarthy – DC Comics
DC Comics faced criticism in 2011 at the dawn of the New 52 at what was perceived as a mishandling of female characters as well as a lack of female creators at the helm of any notable titles. For some books, there was much merit in this criticism, this is not the case for Batwoman, where Kate Kane, the title character is perhaps DC’s most fully fleshed out member of the fairer sex with realistic fears and vulnerabilities covered up by an incredibly tough exterior. Williams and Blackman also populate the title with supporting characters that you actually grow to care about, including Kate’s father, her lover Maggie (who is unaware of her night-time activities), and her cousin Bette. Williams and Blackman opened 2012 with a staggered arc that jumped around in time as Kate battled a group of urban-folklore nightmares come to life, that while making for a difficult read on a monthly basis once read in one sitting comes together as a brilliant experience. The on-going storyline is one of the best planned arcs DC is currently producing and when Williams is on art duties, which he is sadly ending toward the beginning of 2013, the book enters the stratosphere.
8. Daredevil – Mark Waid, Marcos Martin, Chris Samnee, various other artists – Marvel Comics
“Ol’ Horn-Head” has always been amongst my absolute favorite characters in all of comics, not just Marvel. The down on his luck Matt Murdock has always has a place on my pull-list as far back as I can remember, and from Miller to Bendis to Brubaker, and a few other highlights in between, he’s always inspired some of the strongest writing from comic’s most popular creators. Mark Waid, having began his run in 2011, continues this trend. Pushing back from the tragedy that has marked Matt’s life, Waid gave us a swashbuckling Daredevil that we haven’t seen since the days of Karl Kesel. It’s a unique concept that makes for great story-telling, a Daredevil that can laugh, unfortunately for Matt, none of his friends actually believe that he’s happy for once and it makes for one heck of a read. After an arc where all the major crime organization’s are after Daredevil over a disc-drive, Matt then takes on Doctor Doom’s minions, while staving off a growing anxiety over his mental state, both internal and from his law partner Foggy Nelson, caused by a villain with a grudge to bear. Colorful, funny, well-written, it’s completely different from the Daredevil we’re all used to, but all the better for it.
7. Prophet – Brandon Graham, Simon Roy, Farel Dalrymple, Giannis Milonogiannis – Image Comics
John Prophet is a Rob Liefeld creation, and an example of the worst excesses of 90′s era Image Comics. Now that that’s out of the way, allow me to then say that Brandon Graham has completely reinvented the character from the ground-up. John Prophet awakes from hyper-stasis on an earth many years in the future taken over by an alien race. Within the books first three issues, you get an excellent taste for the run, which is best described as Space Conan meets Heavy Metal with a dash of survivalist tale. The book is eloquently written in the third person by Graham, which is a unique throwback to the EC style tales of the 50′s. Roy handles the art duties for the initial three issues which follow the first John Prophet readers see, events then conspire that in subsequent issues Dalrymple and Milonogiannis take on art duties depending on which John Prophet you’re following (yes, there are more than one). Graham himself even takes on art duties here and there when the story calls for it. The key-word (or words) for the entire series is world-building. Unlike the vistas displayed in Conan tales or other sci-fi stories where the terrain and alien races are quite similar in scope based on pre-determined boundaries, the worlds displayed with the series display no such heed. The planets visited range from deserted wastelands to worlds populated with talking tree-people to some of the trippiest Jack Kirby style landscapes you’ll ever see, and the whole time you know exactly what is in John’s inventory, the level of detail in the writing is that pin-point. Sci-fi in comics took a big leap forward with Graham and co.’s work here.
6. Hawkeye – Matt Fraction, David Aja, Javier Pulido – Marvel Comics
I’ve never enjoyed Matt Fraction’s work, I think his Iron Man run was incredibly overrated and it just never sat well with me. My opinion of his work changed a bit with the suggestion that I read this title that focuses on what Hawkeye does “when he’s not an Avenger”. The title opens with Clint Barton/Hawkeye falling out a window and the first narration box stating “Okay… this looks bad”. And this type of action-film whimsy is the tone the series has carried thus far through its first six issues. Hawkeye as a book sort of marries the high adventure spy action of James Bond with a seriously heavy dash of Green Arrow-style urban champion. For example, in the very first issue, Clint defends the rights of the tenants of the building in which he lives from a predatory landlord and saves the life of a dog that is hit by a car, this is then followed up by an issue where, amongst other things, Clint goes to the local hardware store to get tape so he can identify each of his trick arrows before winding up in a high speed chase with a potential lady of interest. Clint also gets a female side-kick in Kate Bishop, much like a certain emerald archer once had prior to the New 52. It’s this mix of the ordinary with high octane story-telling and a big dash of humor that has made the once boring “guy with the arrows in the Avengers” into possibly Marvel’s most exciting and well-rounded character. Some of the dialogue on display here is my favorite in all of comics, when foreign enemies appear, instead of getting gibberish or some literal translation of what they’re saying, readers are treated to Clint’s spin on what is being said, which is always hilarious. Each story is also self-contained (short of the more action-based 2 parter in issues 4 and 5), so it’s very easy for a reader to just jump in at anytime, but the book is in such an embryonic stage, why not start at the beginning? David Aja is also producing some of my favorite work of any artist for any company, giving the book a very 70′s Marvel edge that makes it a wonderful companion piece to the retro work Chris Samnee is doing in Daredevil, funny how they both ended up on the list. Oh, also, for every issue David Aja pencils, he provides recommended listening which adds a neat little soundtrack to your experience. Pretty rad stuff! Big thanks to Tony Barletta and Chris Cox for turning me on to this wonderful little title.
5. Before Watchmen: Minutemen – Darwyn Cooke – DC Comics
The less said about the controversy around the Before Watchmen project, the better. Needless to say, I understand the complaints and respect them, though I do not fully agree. On the other hand, having Darwyn Cooke producing this kind of work is enough to almost justify the whole line by itself. In Minutemen, Cooke takes on the first set of heroes in the Watchmen universe; the first Nite Owl, first Silk Spectre, Hooded Justice, Silhouette, Captain Metropolis, Dollar Bill, a younger Comedian, and Mothman. The story is framed by Hollis Mason’s (Nite Owl) writing of the infamous novel about his life in super-heroics “Under the Hood”, and as Hollis deals in the trials and tribulations of his former friends reactions’ to his newfound authorship, readers are treated to flashbacks to the formation of the Minutemen and a fleshing out of each member that we only received a narrow glimpse of in the original Watchmen. Additionally, smaller details about the Minutemen that were only hinted about in Watchmen are important plot points within Minutemen; for example, Hooded Justice and his lover Captain Metropolis are given a fascinating treatment, particularly Hooded Justice, where its possible that everything we ever thought about this character and his eventual fate may be thrown into question. This deep dark secret of the Minutemen will likely inform readings of Watchmen for years to come. Surprisingly, the two most exciting characters in the story are Silk Spectre and Silhouette, the former being far more brutal than one ever thought and a force to be reckoned with on par with the Comedian or Rorschach and the latter being possibly the greatest unsung hero of the entire group. There’s little that can be said that doesn’t ruin the surprises held within the miniseries, but I can say that its a beautiful book with Cooke at the absolute top of his game. To me, it even rivals his work on New Frontier in a micro-sense. I highly recommend it, particularly in pairing with the Silk Spectre miniseries he co-wrote with Amanda Conner. Those two minis will be paired together in the first Before Watchmen hardcover collection for good reason.
4. Batman – Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo – DC Comics
In the New 52, nothing was heralded with greater excitement then the continued writing of Batman by Scott Snyder, who had written a modern Batman classic in The Black Mirror. Snyder continued this momentum with a story focused on Gotham City in “The Court of Owls” where it isn’t Riddler or Two-Face that are creating havoc within Gotham, but the dark history of the city itself. The Court is ancient order made up of a mysterious group of Gothamites that has existed for hundred of years, since the city was founded, and employs unstoppable assassins called Talons that literally live in hidden bases between the floors of Gotham’s oldest buildings. It’s quite an ambitious concept, but Snyder’s poetic prose keeps what could be an impersonal concept very intimate on focused on Bruce’s own feelings about Gotham and how it has shaped the man he has become, and the “family” he has built around him in Alfred, Dick, Tim, Damian, Barbara, and Jason. This preceding fact is important as the subsequent arc, “Death of the Family” which began towards the latter half of the year, focuses on that very family dynamic and the havoc a newly repurposes (and faceless) Joker is playing on their relationships and well-being (of course). Snyder’s Joker is perhaps the most brutal he has been since Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke, and his initial appearance in Issue 13 is genuinely creepy. This is the Joker by way of the influence of Heath Ledger and the indelible mark he left on the character in his portrayal in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. With that in mind, these initial 16 issues (counting issue 0) are the perfect jumping on point for anyone who has seen the Nolan films and wants to read more Batman stories but isn’t sure where to start. This is the best series of books written in the world of Gotham since Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka ended their phenomenal Gotham Central run (which partially informed The Dark Knight, ironically enough). Greg Capullo, for his part, is producing the best work of his career. His panels are action-packed and brutal, his Batman is a Batman than can and will be hurt, badly. The perfect example of this abusive nature is in Issue #5, the infamous “you have to turn it sideways and then upside down” issue. Batman is played in a labyrinth in a hallucinogenic state by the Court of the Owls, and the attacks he must fend off are pretty horrific. Capullo will make you feel bad for Batman, until he turns around and kicks ass, which he inevitably always does…I mean, he’s Batman. It’s DC’s second best book.
3. Manhattan Projects – Jonathan Hickman, Nick Pitarra – Image Comics
Who would have thought a year ago that Robert Oppenheimer would be the basis for one of my favorite characters in comics? But guess what? That has happened! Could you imagine a story where FDR is an immortal AI after his death? That also has happened! Or how about a book where Albert Einstein discovers a parallel dimension, is knocked out and replaced by that universe’s evil version of him? Yep, that happened too! The Manhattan Projects is a fascinating little book from the mind of comics’ newest genius Jonathan Hickman, writer of great thought provoking books like Red Wing, The Nightly News, and his recent run on Fantastic Four (and the originator of the FF concept). Manhattan Projects takes the original Manhattan Project (that of the creation of the atomic bomb) and claims that its public purpose is just a front for far more ambitious (and consequently more fascinating) experiments. This includes teleportation through the usage of Death Monks, Alien encounters, and dealings with a space-age style USSR. The series is a mad dash of Jack Kirby, Warren Ellis, Keith Giffen and Quentin Tarantino’s penchant for violence, creating what might be the best team-up book on the shelves today. Nick Pitarra’s artwork is deceptively clean and cartoony but holds tremendous emotional and artistic resonance as well. Characters and items that are evil are shaded in red at times, and the good is shaded in blue. It’s a fun system of spot what is colored what when you’re going through the inevitable re-read of an issue to see just what you missed. Manhattan Projects is Hickman’s best work yet and tremendous slice of Alternate American sci-fi/history.
2. Fatale – Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips – Image Comics
Ed Brubaker is probably comic’s biggest rising star for the mainstream this side of Robert Kirkman having recently sold a few pilot scripts that hopefully will make it to production and will make him an even more in-demand writer. His work on Captain America (the upcoming movie sequel is based on his initial arc with the character), Criminal, and Gotham Central has certainly earned him some major plaudits, and Fatale is as of this month his best work yet. Brubaker, teamed with his long-time collaborator Sean Phillips have produced what can be loosely called a “Lovecraftian Noir”. Fatale is framed by the the story of Nicolas Lash, while at a family friend’s funeral, crosses paths with a woman named Josephine who he just can’t get out of his mind. As he learns more about his recently passed “Uncle Dominic”, he realizes the woman he saw at the funeral is the same age in a picture taken with Dominic in the 1950′s, and thus begins Nicolas’ descent down a dark path in which he may never return. Nicolas’ investigation into Josephine framed two subsequent tales; one taking place in the 1950′s about Dominic’s (or Hank’s) meeting of Josephine and the second taking place in the 1970′s where an out of work actor named Miles also crosses paths with Josephine, needless to say neither man (nor any man who meets her) is able to resist her, but Josephine has her own dark past and is hunted by a cult that worships an ancient god led by a man named Bishop (and later known as Hansel). It is a dark, dark book where there’s no such thing as a fully good-person and everyone is a moral shade of gray, as is the case with any good noir it seems. Sean Phillips’ art creates the atmosphere that is ever so important to a tale such as this. His panels are wonderfully dark, moody, sometimes even scary, but always a joy to look at. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists. Fatale is an incredible page-turner of the highest order, the more you read the more you want to learn about just WHY Josephine does what she does, what has caused this incredible power she has over men. In a bit of a meta-way, Jo is casting her spell on readers, keeping them tuned in and focused on her first and foremost. Ed Brubaker has probably created the best new female protagonist of the year, in what is the second best series of the year for me.
1. Wonder Woman – Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang, Tony Akins – DC Comics
Wonder Woman. It’s a character than many very good writers have struggled with in recent years, including Simone, Picoult and JMS. Even when we named off superheroes that we liked from the Justice League cartoon, my girlfriend was quick to say “But Wonder Woman…ugh, so lame”. It’s true, she has not been a character that anyone has been able to define well in many years, maybe not since the George Perez run. She’s constantly been made out to be the female Superman, fighting odd villains like Cheetah and Dr. Psycho, but frankly its never caught on. Finally, Brian Azzarello came aboard with Cliff Chiang during the New 52 relaunch and completely refocused the character and changed many of the supporting cast. Instead of being a female Superman, she’s now something much more akin to Thor. The gods in her greek pantheon are now front and center rather than an occasional nuisance, and old Steve Trevor (her version of Lois Lane) has been relegated to interactions in Geoff Johns’ Justice League title. The old trappings of Wonder Woman are long gone and replacing them is a much leaner and fierce book representing the kind of character Diana should have always been. The beginning of 2012 saw the continuation of the initial series arc where she is acting as protector of Zola who is carrying the child of Zeus from Hera and the other greek gods such as Apollo who seek to murder the child specifically to protect his own claim to Zeus’ crown. Diana also learns that little of what she believed about her creation was true, let’s just say, she wasn’t actually made of clay and prayed to life. This information then leads to what will become a great tragedy that will seemingly define the character for years to come provided it isn’t undone by someone else. This set of issues also allowed Chiang and Akins (who joined mid-arc to relieve Chiang as a consistent fill-in) to show off their very Del Toro like redesigns of the Greek mythological figures, no longer togoed muscle-men and shapely women, they no resemble something much more subhuman. Hephaestus looks as if he is a creature practically made of rock, Hades is the size of a child with a giant candle melted on top of his head, Poseidon is a gigantic fish/frog hybrid, and the villainous Apollo looks like a man who is solar powered, literally. The coming year is off to quite a bang as well, as the first arc ended at issue 12 with a final battle between Diana and Hera, Apollo and Strife (and boy oh boy is it a doozy) and a final shocking betrayal before the ultimate twist; how else can I say this but….ORION!!!! It’s a great comic, and the best thing I read this year from the entire medium. I understand there’s a chance it may spawn a second Wonder Woman book that focuses more on super-heroics, whether or not that is a wise decision, it speaks volumes about just how great Azzarello and team’s work is here. I highly recommend it!
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