November has certainly been a busy month in comics. On the event front, Marvel wrapped up “Infinity”, while DC trudged along with “Forever Evil” and its numerous tie-ins. Two 20-year-old characters made new debuts in “Harley Quinn” #0 and “Sandman: Overture” #1, where both were critical successes and the latter was immediately delayed. In the cinematic world, Thor: The Dark World arrived to prove Marvel’s continued dominance at the box office, while on TV, DC’s Arrow continued to embrace its wider universe in a way that the improving-but-still-below-its-potential Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has failed to do.
Here are some of the highlights from November.
Best Book: Sex Criminals #3
I tried really hard to pick another book. There’s no way “Sex Criminals” could be the book of the month three months in a row, I thought. Except that it totally is. There is no other book that has as, much great characterization, combined with funny moments and incredibly relatable life experiences (aside from the whole ‘time-stopping orgasm’ thing, possibly?). If you aren’t reading this book you are missing out on the most enjoyable and heartwarming stories happening in comics today.
Runner Ups: Sandman Overture #1, Batman #25, Harley Quinn #0
Best Writer: Matt Fraction
While the fact that Matt Fraction has created two instantly relatable characters that people already care about after only two issues would be enough to earn him the top spot this month, it’s the musical number in “Sex Criminals” #3 that solidified his position. Or really the way he dealt with a serious curveball in the musical numbers execution. After finding out they couldn’t use the lyrics to “Fat Bottom Girls” by Queen, as planned, Fraction substitutes them with a serious of post-it notes explaining the situation and their intentions with the scene in a very funny way. It doesn’t break the flow of the book, or mess with the tone, and Fraction turned what could have been a disaster into another highly enjoyable sequence.
Runner Ups: Neil Gaiman, Scott Snyder.
Best Artist: JH Williams III
Neil Gaiman’s famed “Sandman” series made a triumph return this month, featuring mesmerizing art from JH Williams. Featuring multiple layers, and hidden visuals that plunge the reader right back into the world of Dream and the Eternals. Williams accomplishes that tricky task of telling the story clearly, or as clearly as it gets in “Sandman”, while maintaining the series’ tradition of mesmerizing, and detailed visuals.
Runner Ups: Chip Zdarsky, Sean Murphy, Chris Samnee
Best Cover Batman #25
The blackout that hits Gotham City in “Batman” #25 is set up perfectly by the issue’s cover. The solid black image is striking in it’s minimalism and bleakness. While paying a bit of an homage to the famous “Death of Superman” black cover, it also perfectly reflects the ‘Dark City’ storyline. It might not be the flashiest cover on a book this point, but it certainly is the most visually arresting.
Best Digital Series: The Eighth Seal / Insufferable
Mark Waid’s Thrillbent website has been at the forefront of free digital comics, and any comic fan should take the time to try out the site. Two series of note are “The Eighth Seal” from James Tynion IV, and “Insufferable” from Mark Waid himself. The former is a straight-up horror story featuring demonic possession, strange cults, murder, and the First Lady of the United States. The series actually utilizes the digital medium, and the lack of pages to turn, in order to create real scares. A scream is only a click away. The latter series is a take on the classic Batman and Robin dynamic, as a petty sidekick has embraced public life as a superhero, much to the chagrin of his former mentor. It’s a great take on superheroes in the modern world, with twitter accounts and everything. These are great reads, and they’re completely free.
Biggest Disappointment: Jim Lee’s page in “Harley Quinn” #0
Continued belowA gimmick designed to sell books with meta self-references is still a gimmick designed to sell books.
Best Use Of Controversy To Bring Attention To An Awesome Book Without Being A Jerk About It: Matt Fraction and Sex Criminals
Apple, in their infinite wisdom, made the decision to ban “Sex Criminals” from their IOS store to the disappointment of fans and immediate controversy. While many were quick to trash Apple for censorship and demonizing sex, Matt Fraction chose A much classier approach.
Apple has every right to decide what they will and will not sell and where; @zdarsky and I have every right to mock them for it
— BUTT STUFF WEREWOLF (@mattfraction) November 5, 2013
The controversy has brought a lot of attention to the excellent series, and hopefully new fans will be able to enjoy the story from non-Apple sources.
