June was a month chock full of tie-ins, deaths, events that will “change everything”, promotional buttons and more deaths. It was also one of the longest months of my recent life and comics helped me get through it a little more than they usually do. That said, you’ll notice a few staple TMIC categories missing, mostly since I was just stumped as to how to fill them. That said, we’ve still got spotlights shown on Cullen Bunn, Detective Comics, Witch Doctor, a whole heaping mess of Flashpoint goodness and a look ahead to July and Schism! Don’t worry about the missing categories though; I’ve introduced several new ones to wet your mental whistles and reflect more specifically on my comics experience in the month of June.
Click on down for the haps!
(WARNING: SPOILERS ARE DISCUSSED FOR A FEW BOOKS YOU PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE READ BY NOW ANYWAY!)
Best Book of the Month – Detective Comics #878
Jesus tapdancing Christ, Scott Snyder! What is wrong with you?? Seriously! I’m aghast at how much better this comic gets from issue to issue and this one absolutely continues the trend in a jaw dropping way. The grasp Snyder has on the character of Dick Grayson and the world of Gotham City is nothing short of breathtaking, but even that can’t prepare you for the psychological payoff to several threads placed in this book since Snyder’s run began last December. And the ART! The way people talk about Bill Sienkiewicz today is the way they’ll talk about Jock 20 years from now, mark my words. It is an absolute joy that Snyder gets to reboot Batman in September, and I can’t wait for him to get his hands on Bruce Wayne.
Worst Book of the Month –
Fear Itself: Deadpool #1
My review of this book pretty much sums up my feelings toward it. Looking back, I have no idea why I thought Christopher Hastings might save the waning quality of books starring Deadpool, but he sure as hell fumbled the ball in my book. As a long time fan of the character, I was pretty damn near INSULTED by this one. Seriously, Marvel? Cut all the ancillary books and put Remender on Deadpool since he seems to be the only one that understands the character anymore. Seriously.
Top Writer of the Month – Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun, Fear Itself: The Deep & Black Widow, The Tooth)
Man, was June ever a banner month for Cullen Bunn. In addition to continuing the fantastic work he’s doing with The Sixth Gun, he also debuted on not one but TWO Fear Itself tie-ins (both of which were pretty damn good), and his long anticipated collaboration with Matt Kindt, The Tooth, finally saw the light of day and good lord was it worth the wait. All of these examples convince me that Bunn is absolutely at the top of his game and I can’t wait to see what he manages to churn out moving forward.
Top Artist of the Month – Dale Eaglesham (Alpha Flight)
Now, I am insanely and unabashedly biased here, but I absolutely loved Alpha Flight #1. Not just because I own a Montreal Expos hat and say “eh” when I get frustrated, but because the work done on the book was nothing short of absolutely stellar – ESPECIALLY the pencils of Dale Eaglesham. I’ve not been particularly quiet about my love of Eaglesham’s work over the last few years. His Kirby-esque line-work combined with his thoroughly modern take on page structure and momentum make him one of the absolute best artists in the industry today and his work is just getting better and better.
Worst Writer of the Month – Adam Glass (Flashpoint: Legion of Doom)
Adam Glass, just… please, please stop writing comics. I beg you. I know you’ve got that cushy gig writing that absolutely vile looking Suicide Squad book that will probably still sell somehow in September but if you have any respect for this medium (like, at all) then hang up your hat. “My name is Heatwave. I’ve got a hunger burning in my gut. The only way to stop it… is to satisfy my appetite!” If that is how you treat an alternate timeline version of one of the best villains in the DCU, I feel damn sorry for all the Harley, Deadshot and King Shark fans out there.
Best Scene of the Month – The Death of (Ultimate) Spider-Man (Ultimate Spider-Man #160)
Brian Michael Bendis almost snagged the top writer spot for this scene, but as it stands this was the one comic (since really its one giant scene) that really hit me to the core this month. While still skeptical of the fact that Ultimate Peter Parker had to start pushing daisies, good LORD was his demise treated with the reverence, emotion and genuinely heartbreaking pace fitting the death of (an alternate universe version of) one of the most well known fictional characters within the last 80 years. The pacing, panel placement, and sheer word choice (particularly of Aunt May) tear your heart to pieces and while I would have liked a LITTLE more emotion from Bagley’s work, what we get worked perfectly fine. If you aren’t at least a little bothered by this one, you really do have no soul.
Worst Scene of the Month – Plastic Man’s Flashpoint Debut (Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #1)
That desperate plea to Adam Glass to stop writing comics up there? Yeah, this scene is largely why. While given his origin I have no problem with Plastic Man being a villain on this restructured Earth timeline, I DO have a problem with one of the most legendary super heroes in all of comics operating on the same level as a condom full of cocaine. I suspect I am not alone in this either.
Most Overrated Book of the Month – Fear Itself #3
Yeah I know, Bucky died again, but that didn’t stop this issue from seeming rushed and half hearted, and the death itself seemed largely meaningless and quota filling. It sure as held sold well though, didn’t it? For what its worth, the theory and team behind this crossover SHOULD be delivering damn well more than they have been, which is ironic since Fraction’s primary book – which indeed TIES INTO this event – is still fantastic. Oh well.
Best Debut Issue of the Month – Witch Doctor #1
Yeah I know, there was that #0 in the back of The Walking Dead last month, but I’m still pegging this one as the debut. Sue me. If Image has any sense, this book will be one they invest in heavily. Combining elements of *insert your favorite hospital drama but particularly House* and a very genuine perspective on the horror genre, this book has all the laughs, high stakes medical flare and outright gore that one could expect from a company like Image, and I am really looking forward to more.
Best Flashpoint Tie-In Series (So Far) – Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown
I had to include this category largely because something snapped in my mind and caused me to buy way more Flashpoint tie-ins than any rational human being should have (must have been the goddamn buttons), so I might as well stake my claim on the event at least somewhat. While some showings represented the worst in modern comic books (Legion of Doom, Hal Jordan) and others succeeded in entertaining but not really breaking any ground (Deathstroke, Emperor Aquaman, The Outsider), one in particular really stood out, and that was Lemire’s take on Frankenstein. While this mini will almost assuredly function as a precursor to the upcoming Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE book (also by Lemire), the first issue at least seemed to indicate a really fresh and classically inspired but modernly implemented take on the character and his supporting cast, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Comic I am the Most Skeptical/Still Hopeful About – Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #6
Well, it certainly seems like Allan Heinberg is trying to undo a lot of the things people have publicly hated about comics over the last few years, now isn’t he? It’s with this thought in mind that I define my skepticism surrounding this mini-series (and this issue in particular): he is doing way too much status quo shifting. So much so that I feel that something HAS to happen to redo some of these developments to keep this book from becoming a giant deus ex machina machine. Of course I am also heavily conflicted thinking that, since I am genuinely happy to see Scott Lang alive, Wanda Maximoff sane(ish) and SPOILERS Julio Richtor re-powered, but it just seems too damn easy ya know?
Most Anticipated July Book – X-Men: Schism #1
While the concept has certainly been done before in a pretty obvious way in another corner of the Marvel Universe, I am STILL excited to watch Jason Aaron rip apart the team that defined my childhood. I feel this way for one very obvious reason: I firmly believe we see the absolute best in these characters when they are thrown through the physical and mental ringer, and if anyone is good at royally screwing over the characters he writes, it’s Jason Aaron.
