What a year 2012 was for comics. It became readily apparent as we were prepping these lists that yeah, this was one hell of a year, and it was impressive if only because the incredible diversity. We saw more titles showing up in all of the categories than ever before, which just speaks to the breadth of genres and types of comics everyone can experience if they just look in the right places these days.
Today, we’re highlighting the most overlooked books in our estimation. The title of “most overlooked book” is a weird double-edged sword, as on one hand, yay! You earned a mention in the illustrious 2012 in Review segment from Multiversity. On the other hand, that means you don’t have as big of an audience as you should. But that’s what we’re here for – to clamor and tell readers, these books should be read!
4 (tie). Mind MGMT
Why it ranks (Drew Bradley): Most of the other books on this list will probably be noted for their great art, or characterization, or originality. “MIND MGMT” has all of that, but those aren’t the reasons this book should be getting more attention. This book needs more attention for embracing the sequential story telling method and pushing its boundaries to the extreme. Matt Kindt made no secret of his intention to make this a book which needed to be read in single issues, and he’s been 100% successful. Maybe it was inevitable, or perhaps it was planned, but this effort also resulted in a comic which needs to be a comic. As great as they are, the other books on this list could easily be made into a movie, or book, or cartoon, or any other medium. Not “MIND MGMT.” Even if the super-spy story isn’t necessarily your thing, you should pick up at least one issue to marvel at the master craftsmanship in every issue, cover to cover.
4 (tie). Prophet
Why it ranks (Matt Meylikhov): If you’d asked just about anyone a couple years ago if there was a lot of vitality left in some dead Rob Liefeld projects from the 90’s, you’d most likely have been laughed at. Yet with the Extreme Studios relaunch, “Prophet” is the prime example of a relaunch done right. Taking into consideration of what came before yet moving forward in an entirely brand new direction, Brandon Graham’s take on the series is unlike anything else on the stands – a sharp sci-fi series with a Euro-attitude and approach to storytelling, more Jodorowsky than Liefeld and vastly more entertaining. The multi-layered odyssey of John Prophet and the war he’s involved with is done with such style and panache with multiple artists illustrating what are basically one-shots, that it’s very hard to understand why “Prophet” isn’t a title with a wider fanbase. Yet as 2013 approaches and “Prophet” stands, outlasting other Extreme relaunches and boldly moving forward with a vision uncompromised, it’s certainly a title to pick up if you haven’t tried it out yet.
4 (tie). Reset
Why it ranks (Nathaniel Perkins): You didn’t read “Reset,” by alternative comics legend Peter Bagge? Looks like you need to press the reset button, go back in time and make your 2012 pull list all over again, this time without such a terrible screw-up. In this book, you can do just that, at least in an artificial reality device created by a secretive corporation. Failed comedian and actor Guy Krause is the perfect test subject: broke, divorced, forgotten and desperate. He’s offered large sums of money to strap in and test their device, but much to the annoyance of the people running the show, he refuses to play by their rules. Peter Bagge may not have the hyper-realistic artistic style it seems most mainstream comics fans require, but he is one of the best storytellers in the industry, and writes the kind of deeply flawed characters that are so believable, we don’t want to admit how much of ourselves we see in them. It’s an absolute travesty that this book still hasn’t received the recognition it deserves. Go fix that, quick, before you end up broke and alone like Guy!
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2 (tie). Captain Marvel
Why it ranks (David Henderson): Okay, put down your copy of “Hawkeye” for a second and let me tell you why Kelly Sue DeConnick’s “Captain Marvel” is easily not only Marvel’s most overlooked book of the year, but also one of their strongest new series. And, I mean, aside from Kelly Sue’s excellent character voices and plotting (that sixth issues where everything just came together in terms of Carol’s journey of accepting her new status was just stellar) and Dexter Soy and Emma Rios’ gorgeous interior art, Carol Danvers is a character who, despite having two solo series before this one, has been in a constant state of running in place. So much of her character is about fighting against herself in her alcoholism and her self esteem issues that seeing her shed herself of that by taking on the legacy of the Captain Marvel name and not only living up to it, but owning it is why you should be reading the hell out of this book.
2 (tie). Danger Club
Why it ranks (David Harper): Danger Club was, perhaps more than anything in 2012, the book that surprised me. I didn’t know anything about it, frankly, until I interviewed the team of writer Landry Q. Walker and artist Eric Jones, and what they had to say excited me. So on a whim, I picked it up, and what I found was an amazing analogue of Teen Titans if the world was in peril and all of the adult heroes were possibly dead and definitely gone. While Walker’s writing is pitch perfect, with great character work and inventive ideas (I personally love the character Yoshimi – FLAMING LIPS!!!), for me, the standout is Eric Jones’ absolutely spellbinding art. It was truly some of the best work I saw in the entire year, with a real sense of power and scale to it that made him one of my breakout creators. I think the only thing that held it back from making my Top 10 ongoing list were the delays it saw, but even with that in mind, it was a really damn great book. More people should read it – get on that folks!
1. Rachel Rising
Why it ranks (Michelle White): Terry Moore’s “Rachel Rising” centres on a young woman who claws her way out of a shallow grave, only to discover that she looks like — and very nearly is — a dead person. This is a small-town story that juxtaposes the banal with the macabre, the supernatural with the everyday, and as Rachel has set about trying to find what happened to her, the underlying sense of menace has never flagged for a moment. And, far from losing steam, it all got that much crazier when Moore started giving us some answers, delving deep into the town’s dark past and dredging up all kinds of fresh horrors. All the while, the black and white art has been understated but eerie, with the women Moore draws coming across as completely realistic, believable, and compelling. Above all, Moore’s masterly storytelling has ensured that every beat, every moment of this series — even the wordless moments — especially the wordless moments! — has hit home with a kind of horrifying familiarity. This is a story that’s uncanny in the oldest sense of the word, stripping everyday scenes down to their DNA and exposing the horrors and atrocities that hide in their beginnings. It’s a terrifying vision, and the consensus here at Multiversity is that more people readers really oughta be sharing in it, and getting creeped out as much as we are.
For those of you looking to catch up, you can order back issues and trade paperbacks of “Rachel Rising” directly from Moore himself.
