Comics got weird in June. Comics are always pretty weird, but this month some of the best issues were based on board games or teaming superheroes up with vintage cartoon characters. That’s weirder than usual right?
In the wider world of comics, the TV season came to a close, and I’m pretty sure half the shows on the air were based on comics properties. Wonder Woman was released and became the biggest DC movie yet, by just about every metric. The Inhumans trailer… happened. The Han Solo movie lost its directors than got a new one in that guy from Happy Days and Arrested Development.
Like I said, June was a weird month. But weird is good for comics, and here are some of our favorites:
Best Issue: “Batman/Elmer Fudd Special” #1
So the best issue this month was a gritty team up between a bumbling Looney Toon and the Dark Knight. Seriously, what’s next, Space Jam: Legion of Doom? (Actually, that sounds awesome). We all knew that Tom King was talented, but this was superb, making Fudd a worthy adversary of the Caped Crusader and an even better foil. The plot was a simple noir mystery, but it was also perfectly executed. Lee Weeks and Lovern Kindzierski rendered a gorgeous, rainy Gotham City and created memorable human versions of our favorite Looney Toons. I would gladly read an entire series about this madcap cartoon world.
Best Writer: Al Ewing for “Ultimates,” “Rocket,” and “U.S.Avengers”
It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what Al Ewing is doing so right, but I’m sure Marvel would bottle it and give it to every writer if they could. His comics effortlessly combine all the aspects of a good modern Marvel comic, while bringing in some old-schools twists. They are funny and self-contained. Anyone could pick up and enjoy “Rocket” without knowing anything about the character. Conversely, his books are drenched in continuity, and thus have a real weight to them. Hardcore Marvel fans will be delighted to see what obscure villains like Technet have gotten up to. Ewing’s books are the pinnacle of what licensed superhero books should look like in 2017.
Best Artist: Nicola Scott for “Black Magick”
Nicola Scott has always been a damn fine artist, but on “Black Magick” her work feels a cut above. Sophisticated. By limiting when and how she can use colors, she is forced to do things with light and shadow that you won’t find in any other comic. Her panels are paintings; even when they leave out details, they include more than you need to tell an entire story. Rucka, who can tend towards wordiness, let’s Scott do all the heavy lifting in this beautiful book. Though she does great work in her DC superhero books, she’s proven herself to be among the best with “Black Magick.”
Best Cover: “Clue” #1 by Gabriel Rodriguez
I shouldn’t be surprised that “Clue” is as good as it is. After all, it probably has the best record of cross-media adaptation of any board game. This cover is awesome though. The gimmick is obvious- it looks like the classic board game. But do you see how the floor tiles evoke the movement of pieces on the board? Or how the chalk outline is on a square that looks like the envelope the killer’s identity is found in? The way the different rooms are colored? How about the updated designs of the suspects? Gabriel Rodriguez became one of my favorite artists with “Locke & Key,” and this cover is him at his comic book best.
Best Issue That Was Already The Best Issue: “Vision: Director’s Cut” #1
Let’s show Tom King some more love. “Vision” is probably my favorite book he’s written, so I’ll take any excuse to lavish it with praise. Read this book! It’s existential sci-fi at its best, capturing the headiest themes of Westworld, while also being a suburban family horror story and a superhero adventure. Also, a murder mystery, and a hilariously bleak comedy. There’s no other comic that can deftly quote Shakespeare and Ultron and make the latter seem more pretentious. “Vision” is a superlative work of comic book art.
Continued belowBest Historical Supernatural Detective/Gladiator Comic: Britannia “We Who Are About To Die” #3
“Britannia” is probably my favorite Valiant book right now, and it hardly needs to be published by Valiant at all. It’s a whole universe unto itself. As I mentioned in my review of the issue, I’m a big time Rome nerd, but even history novices will find a lot to love. The story of the world’s first detective follows a man who puts reason before superstition in the most superstitious culture of all time. Antonius Axia uses forensic techniques and psychology to solve mysteries, and occasionally a spatha and gladius. There’s so many great ideas in “Britannia,” one of the most underrated comics on the stands.
Brian K. Vaughan Did Some Stuff, He’s Pretty Great: “Saga” #44, “Paper Girls” #15
I think we all know that Brian K. Vaughan is fantastic. If I try to look at things objectively, he produces the best comics around, every single month. So let’s just acknowledge that, and then move on, OK? “Saga” is great. You’ve heard of “Saga,” it’s that smutty and emotionally moving sci-fi adventure that outsells most Big Two books every month. “Paper Girls” has gotten to be at least as good, if not better. It’s a tightly written mystery with some of the best written kids in any medium. Plus it turns that whole “four boys on a supernatural adventure in the 1980s” thing on its ear by making them four girls. So this is your obligatory reminder that Vaughan is great.
