Despite the fact that we got some pretty cool stuff, including the teaser for Rogue One: A “Get That Star Wars Bank” Movie, the release of Dark Souls III (a.k.a. My Biggest Timesink) and Beyoncé nuking the entire internet (apparently; I don’t know; I didn’t watch Lemonade) did it just seem like April was a massively insufferable month? There were some good comics, but there was so much outside the books themselves that could make one a bit miserable. So let’s talk about them!
Best Issue: “Divinity II” #1
This was both a surprise and not a surprise for me. It was a very close run between this and “Black Panther”. That said, “Divinity” was one of the better mini-series last year and the opening issue of its sequel was able to simultaneously subvert and dial up to ten what made the original so great. Kindt introduced a foil to Abram that is very interesting and the art team has only improved since then. Plus, as if we could forget: Special Guest Star Vladimir Putin.
Best Writer: Ta-Nehisi Coates (“Black Panther” #1)
I’ll admit, there’s always a hesitation in me when a writer from a different medium comes over to comics. But Coates proved in one issue that he just so gets T’Challa as a character. On top of that, there’s always appreciation when a creative team takes serious consideration to the world building. Wakanda is not New York (thank goodness), so seeing someone want to really make this fictional nation as real as possible without taking shortcuts is so commendable.
Best Artist: Sui Ishida (“Tokyo Ghoul” vol. 6)
The story in “Tokyo Ghoul” vol. 6 may have been more focused on setup, but when Ishida is allowed to embrace the weirdness of how ghouls fight, it’s beautiful in its fluidity and surrealism. But even when we are not seeing supernatural creatures duke it out, there is an elegant deftness in the more quiet moments like Touka’s contemplation at the beginning of the volume.
Eisner’s
So yes, this year’s Eisner Award nominations were a slew of ups and downs. On the plus side, this year saw more nominations for female creators than any year prior and Fantagraphics getting more nominations than any other publisher. On the other, the frankly odd choices like Tom King nominated for a short story and not “Omega Men” or “Sheriff of Babylon” and the bizarre choices in Comics Journalism. And I’m not saying that because we didn’t get nominated! Where’s PANELS? Where’s Women Write About Comics? Where’s Comics & Cola? And of course, this once again brought up the infinitely trite question of “Does Comics Journalism Matter?” Trust me, do not be around comics Twitter when this question is being discussed!
New Reason Why “Civil War II” Needs to Get in the Sea: Each Issue a Minimum $5
This seems to be flying under the radar a bit. So, I did the math. The first three issues of this series (#0-2) costs $15.99 (w/o tax). I can buy two volumes of “Assassination Classroom” on comixology (totaling a little under 400 pages of content) for less. Now:
Apart from not seeing anyone excited for this book (to compare: I actually saw people excited for “AXIS”! and that was a dumpster fire with hillbilly accents!) —
Apart from this being a cynical cash-in to a movie that already looks bloated —
Apart from this book’s idea that the way to elevate Carol Danvers is by having her in charge of Team Fascist and have Tony Stark opposing, in spite of the massive amounts of crap he’s pulled —
Apart from this story being written by a writer who has never written a big event with good payoff and just, in general, has not evolved in years and seems to have no plans to, considering his thoughts on media reviewers —
Apart from all of that, now you’re saying that each of these issues will be more costly than the 4 for $4 at Wendy’s? Now, I’ve never intentionally said “don’t buy this book” to people. I’ve recommended against purchasing, sure. It’s your money. Do what you will. But don’t you think that could buy… anything else, really?
Continued belowOn the other side, Mike del Mundo is coming to “Totally-Awesome Hulk”. May even try that book now that the obnoxious artist that launched it is off.
Most Tortuously Dragged-Out Shuttering of a Once-Acclaimed Imprint: Shelly Bond’s Dismissal
Let’s get some minor detail out of the way: Vertigo has not been great for a while. Sure, it’s had some pretty good books like the aforementioned “Sheriff of Babylon” but general consensus seems to be that Image now is what Vertigo was in its Golden Age. That said, any “restructuring” that causes someone as talented as Shelly Bond, who helped build that brand over the years, to be dismissed is beyond ridiculous. As far as I’m concerned, Vertigo is sadly crawling into the same irrelevancy as Icon. I honestly hope that Bond’s phone was off the hook for offers after that news dropped. She deserves it.
But don’t fret people! Eddie Berganza still has his job, just in case you thought concepts like “justice” exist.
Yes, Eddie Berganza, despite all this information, still retains his position as editor of several beloved DC properties, including “Green Lantern”, “Teen Titans”, “Wonder Woman” (or he did until Greg Rucka essentially gave Berganza the Ultra Fuck Offs as a stipulation for returning to the book) and — most damning of all — the Superman books. Superman. Superman would not stand for this: a talented woman losing her job because her company can’t compete with Image while a sexual harasser maintains his stranglehold on several properties.
Worst Example of “Dark Soul’s III”‘s Marketing Campaign: “Dark Souls” #1
Dark Souls III marketing campaign is a great example of how much I love the series, but how much I wish Namco would stop missing why people loved it. Like Alice stated, it’s less about how “painfully difficult” it is (although I’d argue it’s less “difficult” but more “tough but fair and doesn’t suffer fools”) and more about the atmosphere and the subtle storytelling that trusts the player enough to make their own judgments. It (and its sister game Bloodborne) is the kind of series lore that you talk about with your friends at the pub and most everyone’s interpretation is valid in one way or another (like me, I have a crazy theory that connects Lady Maria, the Old Blood, Cainhurst, and the Healing Church Executioners that I’ll eventually commit to paper). All in all, a great deal of the appeal is in its intentional obtuseness.
You know, pretty much everything the comic lacks. True facts: the second I saw some bald character right out of a generic DnD comic call himself “Aldrich,” I immediately closed the book and got rid of it. I don’t want to be told the backstory of these characters. I want subtle clues and the respect to allow me to come up with my own story. And that’s why this comic — in spite of the chicken wing challenges and the absolutely drab clothing line — is the worst part of Dark Souls III marketing push.
That Black Mask Studios Lineup Looks Pretty Good
Not to end on a downer note, let’s talk about the 2016 lineup Black Mask Studios dropped. We’ve got volume two of “We Can Never Go Home” along with some surprises, like Kickstarter hit “Black” being picked up and some surprise creators like J.M. DeMattias and Adrianne Palicki. But from a list of really awesome and diverse creators and casts, I think it’s “The Skeptics” that is drawing my eye the most. I always enjoy non-nostalgic examinations of the last several decades of America’s past and this looks right up my alley. That said, all of these look pretty neat.
