Q3 of 2012 delivered a slew of brand new comics, with the quality range swinging between inexplicably brilliant to downright terrible. I can’t talk about them all, of course, but here’s my two cents on a few favorites and not-so-favorites that dropped between October 1 and the 31st.
Best Book of the Month: Daredevil #19
Mark Waid and Chris Samnee win the coveted “Best Book of the Month” because, quite frankly, they’re doing the best damn book around. It’s just that simple. Everything about October’s issue of Daredevil’s as solid as a rock, from Matt and Foggy’s falling out, to the eerie reworking of the one of Marvel’s goofiest villains, The Spot. Since issue one, this series has played against expectations, and Daredevil #9 keeps at it, taking Matt Murdock in every direction but down on my pull list.
Runners-Up: Uncanny X-Force, Batman, Captain America
Worst Book of the Month: Marvel NOW! Point One
Here’s the thing: it’s not that Point One was bad. It wasn’t. Not all of it. But I’m sick of these oversized preview books that precede every so-called next big thing story arc.
They’re entirely — forgive the pun — pointless. They’re a transparent excuse to sell us $6 comic. The jokes on us — you just bought a comic of trailers for something coming out sometime soon! But if you’re like me, and interested in some of the upcoming series, you want to a) get in on the ground floor and b) be a completist. You then, of course, feel obligated to buy these damn things. But I blame Marvel here. Because seriously, it’s 2012 and the biggest comic company in the world should work smarter for its fanbase instead of making us work harder.
Every story in Point One could just as easily been added as extra content to a related book. No reason that Nova couldn’t have run as a back-up in Avengers, or Fraction and Mike Allred’s FF preview in either of the Fantastic Four titles.
And before you point out that these books sometimes introduce readers to a story they might not have read before, forget it. Every single one of these stories should run on Marvel’s website as free content. Surely they’d reach a much larger audience than asking an already cash-strapped readership to drop money on a try out comic that’s almost twice the cover price of a regular book.
Best Writer: Fred Van Lente (Archer & Armstrong #3, Marvel Zombies Halloween)
You probably already know this about FVL, but dude’s pretty hilarious. It’s hard for me to pick up anything he works on without letting out at least one good chuckle per issue. But what you might not know — especially if you’re not reading him regularly — is just how good he is when the jokes stop.
Van Lente had a couple of really fantastic comics out this month, with Archer & Armstrong #3 and the Marvel Zombies Halloween one-shot. A&A delivered some good ol’ teen assassin vs. teen assassin action that we comic folks love so much, but when the fists stopped flying, an unexpected death serves as a touching set-up for Van Lante’s mission statement for the whole series.
With Marvel Zombies Halloween, Van Lente does what he’s done a couple times now. He takes the somewhat recycled premise of Marvel Superheroes as zombies, but turns things in just the right way, delivering a sweet, if just a little heartbreaking story of Marvel Superheroes as real people.
Runners-Up: Matt Fraction, Mark Waid, Grant Morrison
Most Disappointing Writer: Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers #31 & 32, New Avengers #31 & 32, Avengers Assemble #8)
I like Bendis. Honestly, I do. He’s not a bad writer. But I can’t say I’m sorry to see him handing the Avengers off to somebody else. But before he gives up chronicling the adventures of Earth’s Mightiest, we’ve got to get through his last story arc on not one, but two Avengers titles. And sadly, it’s pretty clear Bendis wasn’t saving the best for last.
Best Artist: David Aja
Runners-Up: Alex Milne, Chris Samnee, James Stokoe
Most Disappointing Artist: JK Woodward (ST:TNG/Doctor Who: Assimilation2 # 7)
A quick Google search will lead you to some beautiful painted artwork by JK Woodward, and his own fantastic process blog, JK Woodward Covers. What you won’t find, I’m afriad, is why in the world IDW still thinks it’s a good idea to let him continue doing interiors for this Star Trek: The Next Generation /Doctor Who mini-series.
Woodward’s a talented guy with the potential to be the next Alex Ross. That’s high praise, I know, but it’s deserved, as Woodward’s cover work has blown me away in the past. But he’s clearly overworked and rushing these interiors, and well, it’s really killing any excitement I’ve got for a story that’s, unfortunately, already meandering a little bit. IDW’s usually pretty good about putting the right artist on the right book, but in this case, it’s barely holding together. I guess they just figure Trekkers and Whovians will buy pretty much anything, no matter what it looks like.
And they’re exactly right.
Best Scene: Godzilla: Half Century War #3
I was a little skeptical about James Stokoe on this book when it was first announced. It was going to look great, that was clear, but constructing a good Godzilla story is harder than it sounds. I wondered if Stokoe handle both a high level of monster art AND construct a worthwhile story at the same time?
With this month’s issue, he takes us into the 1970s, introducing most of Toho’s other major monsters, and as you can see, Stokoe doesn’t give them a subtle debut. He goes all out, with the above magnificent double page splash that illustrates savagely exactly what this world is, blending words and pictures together in his own unique voice, and earning himself this month’s Best Scene.
Runner-Up: Action Comics #13
Best Collection of the Month: Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye, Vol. 2
IDW makes the cut again, this time with Vol. 2 of the best Transformers series in, well, forever.
This volume introduces the Decepticon Justice Division, warrant officers tracking down and eliminating any and all post-war Decepticon deserters. They’re a rough crowd, to say the least. But the ‘Cons they’re after just found something even more dangerous — Grimlock!
Best New Series: Uncanny Avengers #1
I know, I know… predictable. But I really liked this book, and was hoping it’d be just about exactly what it is.
For more one what was good (and a couple things that weren’t so great) about Uncanny Avengers #1, here’s Brian’s review.
Best Book You Probably Overlooked of the Month: Cobra #18
In Cobra #18, Mike Costa and Antonio Fuso do it again, and introduce the updated, slightly more realistic versions of some of the G.I. Joe franchise’s most beloved characters. This time around, it’s the Soviet’s answer to G.I. Joe, the Oktober Guard… but this crew’s a lot more, um, direct than their old-school counterparts.
This book’s as good as it gets for me, and if I did this column every month, Cobra’d win this category every time.
