From premieres to pandemic, March 2020 has been quite a month. However, rather than dwell on the darkest elements for the comic industry, let’s talk about what’s been, on the whole, positive. Not to say that there won’t be some darkness slipping in, but with the emergence of a new status quo for the comic industry as a whole for the time being, perhaps a bit of that is unavoidable when going over the entirety of this third month.
With a range including AWA Studios – Upshots, Dark Horse, DC, Marvel, and IDW, here’s a recap of March 2020 for comic books.
Best Debut Issue: “X-Ray Robot” #1
When it comes to the best debut, a key element is not just the interesting nature of the subject matter, but also the novelty of the story itself. “X-Ray Robot” #1 hits a sweet spot of both elements at once. Merging parallel universes and time travel into what appears to be a time travel story, all coalescing around both serious characters and ridiculous circumstances, it is hard not to love the introduction to such a tale. While other stories of parallel universes and time travel do exist, the manner in which these subjects are approached appears to be wholly new, combined with artwork that seemingly harkens to a past era of storytelling.
Most Uplifting Graphic Novel: “The Oracle Code”
In this take on the tale of Barbara Gordon, there is definitely mystery and violence, much like many a Gotham City story. However, the underlying thread is not one of antagonism, but of coming together and healing. As this version of Barbara turns into a teenaged version of a variation on the Oracle identity, she teaches herself, and readers by extension a manner of coming to terms with one’s own identity, of accepting and moving through changes. From an adventurous hacker to a craftier heroine, the creative team shows that having physical issues do not preclude anyone from being a hero in their own right, and that there is a kind of power in anyone and everyone if they are willing to accept it. Much like other stories in the DC Ink label, there seems to be an overall feeling that everything will eventually be okay, a thought that definitely helps many a reader in recent times regardless of what had happened in the latter half of this month.
Best Publisher Debut: AWA Studios – Upshots (“Archangel 8” #1, “Hotell” #1, “Red Border” #1, “The Resistance” #1)
On March 18, AWA Studios burst onto the scene with four very different series as part of the start of its Upshots brand. Each of these stories have fascinating art and entirely different genres, resulting in a wide variety for audiences, albeit primarily of a mature age rating. The four debut issues range from intrigue and action in a general biblical feel (“Archangel 8” #1) to apparently “one-and-done” horror tales (“Hotell” #1), from the disturbing dawn of new adventures (“The Resistance” #1) to politically-related international drama (“Red Border” #1). All of these stories are masterfully shown by a variety of creative teams that utilize both illustration and color alongside interesting scripts, leaving the new fans eager for the other stories lined up for release in the future.
Best Crossover: “Transformers vs. Terminator” #1
So far as crossovers go, an important element to include is not just equal showing of each faction, but a way of showcasing how things might be different with the combination of different franchises in a cohesive whole. While “Transformers” is much less used than “Terminator” in this debut, the way in which the two come together helps to showcase a completely different way of looking into the Terminator franchise. While on the surface the plot seems to resemble the original film from the 1980s, the result turns into anything but. The time may be the same, some elements may remain relatively constant, but by including Decepticons in the war with Skynet, practically the entire plot of the time-traveling robot assassin franchise is turned on its head. Add in some black comedy and very detailed artwork from a famous “Transformers” artist, and we have a definite winner on our hands.
Continued belowBest Licensed Issue: “Marvel’s Avengers: Black Widow” #1
Unlike many licensed tie-ins to other media, “Marvel’s Avengers: Black Widow” #1 seems to work both within its own status as a prelude to the Square Enix Marvel’s Avengers game, and as a one-shot story that allows people to learn about the select characters within it. While previous installments in the “Gamerverse” tie-in one-shots for the upcoming game did act in this capacity to some degree, the fact that players were already exposed to Natasha Romanoff’s feud with Taskmaster helps to bridge the gap in both directions, from comic fans to the game and from those excited about the game to comic fans. The fact that Taskmaster is being built up as the antagonist of the upcoming Black Widow film only further increases reader interest, though the incarnation there is of course going to have a variety of differences from the game or the comics that cannot be accurately stated yet.
From intricate writing to show a variety of sides for each principle character, to dynamic and fast-paced artwork balanced out by intense concentration on emotions and facial expressions in even the calmest of scenes, to a vibrant color palette over it all, the creative team gives their all for this final installment to the sequence of prelude comics.
Most Uncomfortably Timed Issue: “The Resistance” #1
Virus-related comics come and go with regularity, often tied to a zombie apocalypse or some related threat. In fact, this month also had the continuation of IDW Publishing’s “Pandemica,” which otherwise may have taken this dubious honor. However, the debut of “The Resistance” #1, a story that has its impetus be an extremely contagious, seemingly cure-less, and nearly infallibly deadly virus that causes societal collapse, is rather resonant in an era of lockdowns and quarantines, both at the city and country level, revolving around a real-life pandemic with no definite end in sight. The way that the virus itself seems to be handled in the debut is all the more dissonant from reality in how such a “solution” is strictly within the realm of fiction for a concurrent crisis faced by readers that is decidedly not. The tale had the misfortune of releasing in the midst of one of the worst possible times for such a tale.
No, there was no way that the publisher could have foreseen the devastating incidental subtext, especially with “The Resistance” being one of the four titles being pushed in the first week as part of the emergent Upshots brand, but maybe it would have been best to release this story another time.
