May has come and gone, bringing with it the welcomed return of true Spring-time weather, the start and end to that yearly N*SYNC meme, Mark Hamill doing a daily challenge and much, much more. I would throw my own hat in the ring, attempting to quote some famous person or make a May pun, but this month has left me weary. I struggled, I must confess, to bring you this This Month in Comics; there were simply too many to choose. Too many series that have left us and too many more that continue to impress or are coming into their own.
Five Wednesdays. Over three hundred single issues. At least two weekly series’ that began and ended this month. And that’s not even counting all the manga, OGNs, webcomics, indie comics, and collections. I could not, even if I wanted to, read it all. I am only human. So, I read as much as I could and as closely as I could. Here are some of the comics, and the people who made them, that floated to the top. May you find something new and something wonderful within them.
Best Issue: Eternity Girl #3
Magdelene Visaggio, Sonny Liew, Chris Chuckry, and Todd Klein are making magic with this book. Equal parts Milligan and Morrison, Kirby and Bachalo, “Eternity Girl” is a meditation on what it means to be a comic-book character without ever addressing it head on. Characters allude to the cycle, allude to the existence of retcons and no-one in comics ever staying dead, but that is not the chief concern. “Eternity Girl” is more importantly, and more overtly, a story about depression and about the way a nigh-immortal woman copes, or fails to cope, all while dissociating about the end of everything.
It’s a comic that builds upon itself and to explain it reduces much of what makes it so special. But what good would this article be if I didn’t at least try.
The interplay between Visaggio’s script, Liew’s artwork, Chukry’s coloring, and Klein’s lettering is seamless, producing a comic that is greater than the sum of its parts. This issue once again raises the central theme of nothingness and its promises of freedom. Promises being the operative word. Caroline believes in finding death, the ultimate death, she will be free. Or, as revealed in this issue/the “Milk Wars” back-ups, she was once “free” and no-longer is. It is apparent that the text does not believe this to be true, that Caroline’s quest is the wrong one, but she cannot see that yet.
This issue may not have been a tear-jerker or an action spectacle but it did something better. It made me think, it made me wonder, and it made me hope that Dani can be the link Caroline needs to side with life instead of death. The people in this comic are broken but when was life ever filled with unbroken people.
Best Writer: Si Spurrier, “Coda” #1, “Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation” #4, “Motherlands” #5
Si Spurrier wrote three comics this month that I could not get out of my head so, of course, he had to be here on this list. “Coda” is another Image fantasy book. It shouldn’t work. I should be tired of these books by now. But Spurrier and the rest of the creative team have managed to make it stand out among the crowd, helped along by its oversized first issue. Every design in that book is fantastic and unique, the humor is spot-on and the concept, a fantasy world where magic existed but then suddenly dried-up, is intriguing. Plus, it’s got a talking skeletal dragon that’s trapped in the ground and a terrifying unicorn.
This alone wouldn’t have put him on the list, despite the great debut of the new series. What sealed the deal were the other two books: “Motherlands” and “Labyrinth: Coronation.” Both series are well into their story and have two totally different tones. One is, well, Labyrinth, a dark fantasy series that leans more towards serious and earnest than the more ironic and colorful “Coda.” The other is a sci-fi series that traffics in family drama and gory-action.
Continued belowI bring this up because, despite the creativity on display and the varying modes of writing, these series wouldn’t feel nearly as alive without Spurrier’s dialogue. He has a talent for giving character’s unique, distinct voices that befit their personalities. They are natural to the characters instead of simply being “natural” or stream-of-consciousness like some other writers. To do this on three books, with wildly different tones and settings, that’s deserving of a spot on our list.
Best Artist: Francis Manapul, “Justice League: No Justice” #1, #2, #4
Just look at this spread from “No Justice” #1. The size of the source wall, the detailing on the faces, the sheer power conveyed through this one image. DC Cosmic has never looked so good. What makes this even more impressive is that he drew three of the four issues of this weekly series. While Rossmo’s art on #3 is great, it doesn’t quite carry the same weight as Manapul’s does. Manapul is able to turn the crazy, the cosmic, the grand, into something easy to digest, yet impressive to behold. His character work, too, might be some of my favorite at DC, particularly his Beast Boy and Raven.
All the costumes are fashionable and modern yet true to the characters. I could stare at these pages for hours and just admire the composition. His ability to portray size and scale is put to the test with these books but he never falters. There isn’t a cluttered panel to be had in these books, even in the giant team shots, and each page reads effortlessly. Even a page as complicated as the second spread of issue one was not only easy to read, the paneling creates varying effects based on how you look at the pages. A composite image of Waller’s command base is formed via the interlocking, alternating panels in the top and middle row while when read panel to panel, the intercut between the teams and the close-up on the screens produces a slow reveal, building tension and intrigue which lasts well beyond the “reveal” a couple panels later.
Manapul’s art has been sorely missed and I’m so glad he’s back, even if it was just for this one mini for now.
Best Colorist: Elizabeth Breitweiser, “Kill or Be Killed” #19
What can be said about Elizabeth Breitweiser that hasn’t already been said? Her coloring work is not as sumptuous as David Rubin’s or Msassyk, which pop off the page with all the vibrancy a fantasy world has to offer. What it does, instead, is paint reality. “Kill or be Killed” is a story that is, for all intents and purposes, is set in the modern world without any fantasy ala “Coda” or supernatural elements. Yes, there’s a demon but not in this issue. This means that the colorist has to, or should, reflect reality in their colors.
Instead of representing the world in greys and browns and other colors that “serious stories” use, Breitweiser bathes the comic in all the colors one would see in the real world, with all its shadows and blush. At the same time, these colors are stylized to look both real and unreal, popping while also blending into the artwork so that the story can do the talking.
The white of the snow looks different than the white of a van, the snow being tinted blue to stand out. The posters in the interrogation room are solid and pop out but that’s only because of the harsh fluorescents of the room. When the lights go out, the illuminated portion of Dylan’s face is green and orange. Not an otherworldly green and orange but one that, were you to only glance, would seem perfectly natural.
That is the power of Breitweiser’s coloring and this is her at her finest.
Most Wic-Div: “The Wicked & The Divine” #36
This is an issue that can only be described as peak “Wicked & Divine.” There was no preview for the issue. The solicit simply read, “one day we’ll reveal a happy secret, like a Secret Santa, but not today,” and the issue itself is something that on first glance is simple but upon further reading is really, really dense and labor intensive. If you haven’t read it, Gillen explains a bit of the process in his back of the issue letter. Living within me is a hatred for what was done in this issue and a love for it all the same. It’s masterful and frustrating and forces me to take my time not to understand the issue but to peel back the layers and to feel the intended effect.
Continued belowI don’t want to spoil it, especially because much of the impact comes from reading and re-reading the issue, so I’ll leave you with this one tidbit. I cackled while reading this. My friend screamed, “God DAMMIT!” and sent me the Always Sunny conspiracy board image. Peak Wic-Div.
Best Single Issue-only Reprint of a Digital Comic: “Barrier” #1-5
“Barrier” is a strange beast. Only being released as a set of single issues, all five issues were published this month, with the first two being on sale at the start, and issue one being included in FCBD. In addition to this, the comic was already technically completed, having been serialized at Panelsyndicate.com first. What this means is that if you want the comic, you’re either going to have to buy the digital versions or track down the print editions, which are never going to be collected, at least according to Brian K. Vaughn.
Oh, did I mention this was a Brian K. Vaughn comic? It’s hard to go wrong with a BKV comic, especially when paired with the rest of the creative team of Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente. It’s a beautiful, if not entierly narrativly fulfilling, story that leaves you wanting more in the best of ways. Half the dialogue is in English and the other half is in Spanish. You don’t have to speak either language, however, to get the story, although I’m sure knowing both would help the story flow much more smoothly.
It’s also one hell of an experiment and one that deserves commendation. While I do prefer my shelves lined with books, the decision to leave it single issue only (and on panelsyndicate.com) feels right. The medium matters and for them, the act of switching between 5, smaller books was more important than having it all in one, easily sell-able location.
Best Mermen for Mermay: “The Ocean Soul” pg. 27-29
Webcomics don’t get enough spotlight so I thought I’d sneak one in here. Since the art challenge of the month was mermay, it’s only fitting to highlight a comic featuring many merpeople. Vimeddiee, the creator of “The Ocean Soul,” is talented artist and storyteller and with only a few pages so far has managed to breathe life into the series. The world they’ve created is full of life and the characters ooze charm. Every page of this comic is bathed in shadowy blues, as befits the seas, and her balance of physical comedy, staging, and drama is excellent. The taste of the sea spray, the sound of new legs hitting ground, the feel of the cool, moist ocean air are all evoked through their art. Even if slower comics are not your speed, the merpeople inisde are gorgeous and the most recent page has a fantastic death-glare.
If their previous series, “Under the Aegis,” is anything to go by, “The Ocean Soul” will continue to dazzle and move.
Best Milestones & The Ends of an Era: “Amazing Spider-Man” #800 & “Spider-Man” #240
It’s fitting that this month should see not one but two long-time Spidey writers conclude their runs. Dan Slott and Brian Michael Bendis have both defined their respective Spideys as well as having the dubious honor of killing off Peter Parker, even if only one of the deaths stuck. While Bendis’ number on “Spider-Man” doesn’t seem as impressive, nor was it played up as much as Slott’s, a quick search shows that that number? 240? Yeah. Each and every issue of that was penned by Bendis. I cross-checked the legacy checklist.
Let that sink in for a second. 240 issues. 18 years on this series throughout its many incarnations. Miles Morales may not have been around for all eighteen years but Bendis crafted the Spider-man that inspired Miles as well as Miles himself. For 18 years. Despite what you may think of Bendis’ writing, or the pacing of this final issue, that’s impressive and deserves a spot on this list.
The same has to go to Dan Slott. He HAS been working on the same character for a little over a decade, redefining him for a new generation after J. Michael Straczynski’s lengthy and fantastic run (discounting ‘One More Day’), and has left an inarguable mark on the character. He has taken Spider-man to new heights, to new lows. Sent him across dimensions and redefined the lore around him. Much can be said about him and his run and it is unfortunate that I am the one who gets the opportunity to write about him. I can only discuss him in broad strokes, in his effect on the greater marvel canon for you see, save the issues this month, I have read only one arc by Slott, ‘Spider-Verse.’ Same goes for Bendis, although for him I have read even less.
However, this doesn’t make their achievements any less important nor their legacies any less impactful. It just means that I’ve got a lot of reading to catch up on so that these issues can make some more sense to me.
