Guess I got what I deserved
Kept you waiting there too long, my love
All that time without a word
Didn’t know you’d think that I’d forget or I’d regret
The special love I had for you, my baby blue
Oh man, if you were not a part of the Breaking Bad community during this month then I am really so so sorry. If you were, HOLY SHIT! right?! Even the comic creator community got in on the loving with fan contributions ranging from the fan art here to Dan Slott’s self-made meth empire. Sure, it may seem like a cheap joke to compare Slott to Heisenberg, but remember that both killed some of the most powerful men in the world with nothing but an old man in a wheelchair and initiative…
Anyway, since Breaking Bad was such a huge part of the ol’ zeitgeist this month, it might seem like not much happened otherwise. Wrongo! In the wake of the vacuum left by Vince Gilligan and company, there are four new TV series arriving based on comics. Agents of Shield already debuted to great ratings and mixed reviews (I liked it but only because I accepted it for what it was when it turned out not to be the Secret Warriors TV show they need to get Samuel L. Jackson to sign on for). DC partnered with Fox to begin production on a series focusing on a young Commissioner Gordon called Gotham (which Greg Rucka, co-writer of Gotham Central: Best Batman Comic Ever said he would love to work on). DC also has a Constantine series being developed by NBC which will either be alright, an attempt to steal some of Supernatural’s fanbase or the only show available streaming on Alan Moore’s Netflix in Hell. Probably all three. Also there’s a new Walking Dead show which will last approximately as long as Mad Men, as everyone is aware that once Mad Men is over we’re going to put AMC in a box and try to remember it as a pretty good network. As of now, the only people truly excited for The Walking Dead spin-off are my uncle and Chris Hardwick’s agent.
Over on the actual comic book side of things, DC lost more of its mind when they wouldn’t allow Batwoman to be married off, retconned Mera and Aquaman to no longer be married, and told everyone to draw a naked woman trying to kill herself so they could put it in a book. Jimmy Palimotti explained the actual context behind the scene which doesn’t seem so bad now, what with its “Looney Tunes” inspired tone, but something like naked wet suicide is always something that could have used some context from the get-go.
Marvel meanwhile has been releasing their usual mysterious one word teasers. Apparently all of these teasers will be explained at the upcoming New York Comic-Con where you can definitely come meet us at our swagnificent party with Image where we will raise money to help support the Hero’s Initiative; a charity that helps support comic book creators. You can find me there too, but I’m afraid I will only talk to you if you’re sporting some hip cosplay.
Oh and Let’s Be Friends Again! came back! huzzah!
Best Book: Sex Criminals #1
I already went at length about how great this book is in my Pick of the Week review and even six days later after its release and over a month after my initial read-through, it still stands out as the most unique book to come out in a long time. Sure there was a lot of other great stuff, like “ZERO” which was really great (please don’t hurt me, Ales Kot), but how often do you see a comic book that treats sex both maturely and funnily? The opening monologue from Lolita was the male lead’s first few lines and there was no way I could choose any other book. Also, Fraction and Zdarsky did the absolute best promotion for this comic. Seriously go check that link out. Preferably not around your bosses, children, or child bosses.
Runner Up: ZERO #1
Best Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Even though he may not have penned a singular life-changing comic like “ZERO” or “Sex Criminals,” Hickman is still pulling his weight and putting out an insane number of comics with a damn consistent quality. “Infinity” and its “Avengers” tie-ins are everything a crossover should be, “The Manhattan Projects” is still insanely hilarious, “East of West” is the most badass comic out there and the only reason I haven’t picked up “God is Dead” is because I’m becoming fearful that Hickman might take over my whole pullist. I may be a little biased here (I do have an amazing “Infinity” poster in my room even though we’re only halfway through the event) but that Hick-Man is up to something mighty fierce.
Continued belowRunner Up: Matt Fraction
Best Artist: Chip Zdarsky
I love Fraction, I really do, but “Sex Criminals” could not have happened without Zdarsky’s art or his, uh, personality. Again, I’ve mentioned this in the review but Zdarsky’s art is both serenely beautifully alone at times and downright funny at others, especially with all of the tiny touches Zdarsky throws in. Also, the man’s real good with stick figures, if you know what I mean.
Runner Up: Michael Walsh
Best Cover: Chew #36
This may not be the most technically beautiful cover to come out this month, but goddamn do I love it. Anyone caught up with this series surely felt the sense of dread from remembering #30’s events and wondered what twisted circumstances this issue would entail. So Guillory invites the reader to shuffle in alongside the silhouettes Chu, Savoy, Caesar and the rest, almost certainly as dreaded to relive the events preceding the confrontation with The Vampire; to find out what Antonelle did.
Runner Up: Sex Criminals #1
Biggest Disappointment: Villain’s Month.
Okay, so the Justice League(s) are gone right? And the villains are now either in control with the Crime Syndicate or running free on their own or with Luther. That is a FANTASTIC set-up for a series so why did we waste an entire month with 52 origins for characters we mostly know. Aside from cases like Lex Luthor or Black Manta that dealt directly with “Forever Evil” what was the point of having roughly fifty origins for characters whose origins were either well-known or irrelevant?
Seriously, The Justice League is gone so we get one full issue of that world, some issues kind of dealing with the fallout, and roughly forty-something issues about how every villain had issues as a kid. You’re sure twenty pages about The Joker raising a crime monkey were more interesting than him, faceless, crawling through Gotham’s sewers, hearing news about the CSA from the girl he would transform into The Joker’s Daughter (rather than having her just find his face and kind of wandering around), and being set up as a wild card there? I remember hearing that DC likes to say comics with monkeys sells more, but so do books with a plot.
Biggest Outrage That Really Wasn’t A Big Deal:
Best Advice I Tried To Take From Sex Criminals #1 That Made My Girlfriend Leave Me:
