Normally when we do the month in review we focus on the best and worst of the month’s comic output. Surprisingly, though, I made it through the month without reading a single bad comic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there were more than a few, but upon returning to college I have had neither the time nor the money to bother reading comics like, say, Wolverine: The Best There Is. As such, I instead have a bunch of random highlights of the month, accompanied by the standard “Best ______” choices. Follow the cut to see what I mean.
If you somehow haven’t had the latest Fantastic Four spoiled for you yet, read it before following the cut.
Best Book of the Month: Fantastic Four #587
While I wouldn’t quite give the climax of “Three” a 9.9 like our fearless leader Matthew did, it was still my favorite pick of the week. I loved each and everyone one of Hickman’s earlier Pronea minis, but until this issue came out I still wasn’t sure if he could “stick the landing” on an ongoing. All of those doubts have disappeared. Pretty much every character had a defining moment, and nearly every (but not all) of the loose plot threads were neatly tied. If Hickman can do this so well with Fantastic Four, I can’t wait to see how Secret Warriors ends.
Best Scene: The Death of Johnny Storm
I’ve been a fan of the Fantastic Four for quite some time, but — for whatever reason — I never really cared for Johnny too much. Hickman made me set that aside. Death scenes are relatively frequent in superhero comics, and as such they seem to have lost their “oomph.” The Human Torch’s last stand really touched me, though, which hasn’t happened with a superhero’s death in quite some time. In the world of superhero comics, where resurrection is pretty damn common, if the writer can make you set aside the all-too-common skeptical thoughts of “oh, they’ll be back” for just a moment, then they’ve done a good job.
Most Confusing Scene: The first few pages of Scarlet #4
I love Bendis and Maleev’s Scarlet. It was near the top of a few of my lists for the best of 2011. For some reason, though, the first third or so of this month’s issue seemed very off to me. Bendis’ dialogue, which I normally only have praise for, seemed awkward ill-timed, and Angela’s breaking of the fourth wall was more disruptive than anything else. The rest was just as great as the previous three issues, but it took a bit more to get into this issue than it should have. Maybe I’m just dense.
Best New Series: Infinite Vacation
There was a lot of hype going for this book before it came out. Indeed, I would say that Infinite Vacation was rising star Nick Spencer’s most anticipated book yet. Lucky for him, it passed with flying colors. This month’s first issue did everything a good first issue should do, and deserves particular praise for introducing the strange world the story is set in without getting bogged down with too much exposition. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this series is like, and a quick glance around the internet is all I need to do to know that I am not the only one.
Best Writer: Nick Spencer
Don’t get me wrong, Fantastic Four was great, but that is all Hickman had out this month. Compare that with Spencer, who had Infinite Vacation, Morning Glories, Supergirl, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and a prelude to Iron Man 2.0. All of that in one month. All of which was awesome. I swear, the man must do nothing but write. This month in particular proved that Spencer deserves all the attention that he has been getting, and has solidified his position as a man who is going to become an industry legend.
Best Artist: Christian Ward
How have I not heard of this guy before? One of the things that made Infinite Vacation such a hit for me was Ward’s phenomenal artwork. Sure, it was great in the normal storytelling panels, but those massive spreads that showed all the various realities at once (see the attached picture) were no less than eyegasmic. Because of Ward, I would buy Infinite Vaction without any of Spencer’s great text and still love every second of it. I’m way ready to see how he illustrates the rest of the book, but I am also quite interested in what he will be doing once the miniseries is over.
Most Overlooked Book: Skullkickers
We here at Multiversity like to talk about the importance of occasionally taking a break from serious, gritty comics and reading something fun. And if you’re looking for fun, I believe I can honestly say that Skullkickers is the most fun comic on the stands right now. Even the most humorous comics on the stands have difficulty in making me laugh aloud, but Skullkickers pulls it off effortlessly. It isn’t just a silly little romp, though; the plotting is very well done and keeps you interested from the first page to the last. This month’s issue was just as entertaining as those preceding it, and one of my favorites of the month as a whole. If you missed the first few issues, you might get lucky and find out that your LCBS ordered more than enough; otherwise, you may have to wait for the trade.
Craziest Concept: Steampunk Palin
Move over, Time Lincoln. I doubt that I will ever actually get around to reading this, but just knowing that a comic entitled “Steampunk Palin” exists makes me happy. If I had enough money in my pocket to buy something silly, you betcha this would be at the top of my list.
Most Unsuccessful Business Practice: DC’s “Iconic” Covers
The idea of having a unifying look for every DC book on the comic stands is neat in theory, but quite flawed in its execution. With a few exceptions, nearly every single DC cover this month was boring to look at. Even the best artists will have significant difficulty making an image of a character on a white background interesting. What’s worse is that the covers didn’t have the names of the creators on them, so any last minute changes in creative team could pass under the radar quite easily. We appreciate the effort, DC, but next time you try to do something like this, think it through a little bit more.
Simultaneously the Best and the Worst 90s Throwback: Ten Spawn #200 Variant Covers
Further proving that Todd McFarlane is more interested in comics as a business than as a creative medium, the release of Spawn #200 was marked by TEN variant covers. I don’t really care for the concept of paying extra for variants in the first place, so you can bet that this got a major eye roll from me. I don’t see why anyone would want to spend money on more than two covers in the first place, but I suppose everyone can choose to use their money however they want. Still, I don’t think it compares with the Spawn #200 wine.
Best Bit of Comics News: More Fell!
Fell is one of my favorite series of all time. Unfortunately, it appeared to be lost forever when writer Warren Ellis’ computer died, taking every script and outline with it. Earlier this month – some years since the computer incident – something magical happened: Ellis posted a screenshot of the script for the next Fell on his website. Out of the many announcements made this month, this was the one that got me the most excited, and I’m sure anyone who has read Fell will agree with me. If you haven’t read any of Fell yet, do so and you will know why I’m so excited.
