Jake's five favorite comics of 2013

5. Prophet

Brandon Graham's Prophet is impenetrable at first. A reboot of a subpar '90s sci-fi series by Testosteronest Artist Ever Rob Liefeld, it's really hard to say what the story is even about. But Graham's take on the series is so surreal and ambitious that it takes you along for the ride even if you're not quite sure what's going on.

There's very little dialogue, since most of the story involves a guy walking around alien planets alone. The art, drawn by a revolving team of all-star pencillers including Graham himself, provides a grimy, melancholic vision of space.

4. Daredevil

Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's run on Daredevil continues to be by far the best traditional superhero comic in production today. I was worried when Paolo Rivera stopped drawing the series, but Chris Samnee continues Rivera's bright, '70s-style approach to the art. It really pops among a superhero comic book landscape covered in grim 3D-ish "realism."

Waid's writing hits a perfect balance of not taking itself too seriously while still presenting a real superhero storyline. For any casual readers who want a gateway into the superhero comix landscape, Waid and Samnee's Daredevil is the perfect entry point.

3. Saga

Daredevil may be a good entry point for superhero comics, but for comics in general, Saga will appeal to just about anyone. It's a humorous, romantic space opera about parenting, but don't let that dissuade you. Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples are crafting a story so thoroughly enjoyable that it's hard to believe the rights to a TV show or movie adaptation haven't been sold yet.

Admirably, Vaughan and Staples are adamant that Saga is meant to be a comic book above all, and it will remain that way. If you want to get into comics and you think you're too high-minded for superheroes, try Saga... Volume 1 is only $7.99 on Amazon.

2. Hawkeye

Matt Fraction took the Avenger No One Cares About and turned it into the single best publication by either Marvel or DC Comics today. Hawkeye is a deconstruction of the superhero genre, a superhero series without the superhero. Hawkeye (or Hawkguy, as most prefer) doesn't have superpowers or wealth. He's just a guy.

The series feels like an indie comic that just happens to be published by a mainstream publisher. Artist David Aja employs a distinctive minimalist, stencil-style approach to much of the artwork. Oh, and there's the issue that's entirely from a dog's perspective.

But my comic book of the year has to be...

1. The Manhattan Projects

"Weird science" alternate history where the Manhattan Project used the development of the atomic bomb during World War II as a front for much stranger research? Alcoholic Einstein as a protagonist? Evil Freemason Harry Truman and FDR turned into an AI program? Sign me up. Writer Jonathan Hickman has his fingers in every pie these days, but The Manhattan Projects is unquestionably his crowning achievement. Hilarious, violent, and exceedingly weird.

Artist Nick Pitarra's creepy Where's Waldo-meets-Rugrats artwork features shaky lines and strangely proportioned humans... in a good way. And I don't think I ever fully appreciated colorists in comics until I came across Jordie Bellaire's work in Manhattan Projects. Turns out she's the colorist for about half of my favorite comics. It was a tough decision, but The Manhattan Projects is the best comic book series of 2013.

Double Stuf Pull List: September 25 and October 2, 2013

Lots of comics to get through from a couple weeks ago, so only the best (and the best at being the worst) will get a lot of attention.

Marvel

-Guardians of the Galaxy #6 (Brian Michael Bendis, Sara Pichelli, Olivier Coipel)

This isn't a good issue.  It's not a particularly bad one either, but it's just not good.

Some notes I made while reading the latest GotG:

• Thought Gamora's redesign was to lower sexploitation, but she's fighting Angela; so that's a dumb idea.
• They gave the previous Star-Lord helmet to Tony Stark?  Really?
• Drax's speech pattern, his lack of knowledge of the blue area of the Moon, and not realizing Thanos is close by is all sorts of wrong. 

Okay, I lied this is a bad issue, at least from a story and continuity standpoint.

Gamora is the one that is fully clothed.  Angela is the one fighting scantily clad on the Moon.

-Uncanny Avengers #12 (Rick Remender, Salvador Larroca)

Larroca taking over art duties is not what I would call ideal.  A weaker entry in a story that overall I enjoy.

-Deadpool #17 (Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan, Declan Shalvey)

North Korean prison camp hijinks continue to be illustrated marvelously in this issue.  One of Jake's big complaints about Marvel comics is that whenever Captain America shows up he's an asshole.  We're treated to a counterpoint within these pages as Cap's memories of WWII motivate him to act in a truly heroic fashion resulting in the line, "This can't be a an Avengers mission, but it must be a job for Captain America."

-A+X #12 (Christos Gage, David Williams, Justin Jordan, Angel Unzueta)

Part 1 is a nostalgia trip of Beast and Wonder Man's friendship, and part 2 is Captain America and Jubilee fighting a sunken U-boat full of Nazi vampires.  Rekindled bromance and good old fashioned vampire slaying/Nazi punching fusion.  These concepts either resonate with you or they don't.

-Avengers #20 (Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu)

Space Operatic elements manage to keep me enthralled even as the plot and general direction of the story lose steam and direction.

-Nova #8 (Zeb Wells, Paco Medina)

A rebirth for the New Warriors might be on the horizon if Nova can manage to not get killed by a super creepy chick that sleeps in the guts of weird space cows.  It seems Nova has moved firmly into rad superhero stories territory.  Ok, I might be riding on a high brought on by the mention of the original Nova (a favorite character of mine), still the trajectory of this series into downright fun superheroics.

-Iron Man #16 (Kieron Gillen, Carlo Pagulayan)

A big ol meh if you ask me

DC

-Justice League #23.4: Secret Society #1 (Geoff Johns, Sterling Gates, Szymon Kudranski)

Someone probably thought this was a clever story that needed to be told.  I am not that person.

-Action Comics #23.4: Metallo #1 (Sholly Fisch, Steve Pugh)

While not as bad as the Cyborg Superman entry, Metallo's story is still boring and incredibly forgettable.

-Aquaman #23.2: Ocean Master #1 (Geoff Johns, Tony Bedard, Geraldo Borges)

Any subtlety or nuance in Ocean Master's character that was present in the Justice League/Aquaman crossover "Throne of Atlantis" has been thrown out the window.  Nothing else is of note as this issue continues the disappointing, but not wholly unanticipated trend, of being another sub-par entry in the gimmick that was Villains' Month. 

-Action Comics #24 (Scott Lobdell, Tyler Kirkham)

The Psycho Pirate is back.  That's cool.  This is part 2 of a crossover that started in Superman?  That is significantly less cool, in fact that might be the exact opposite of cool.  There's a month of one-shot sidestories without Superman, and then when it's time for a "real" issue it's part 2 of a story taking place in a different comic book?  Nah, I'm cool.

Image

-Saga #14 (Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples)

Flying space sharks get hunted with a telescoping lance, and Lying Cat shares a scene with Sophie (formerly Slave Girl) that could warm even the coldest of hearts.  Stuff is kept relatively mundane, but even so Fiona Staples manages to flex her artistic might; it's just channeled into emotions and facial reactions as opposed to fantastical settings.

-East of West #6 (Jonathan Hickman, Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin)

A Judge Dredd/Punisher/Texas Rangers mashup?  Oh hell yeah.  The issue seems like an aside that isn't all that important, however the awesome western elements more than make up for that.  Have I mentioned how amazing the artistic design of East of West is?  Because from a design standpoint it continues to be a nearly flawless comic.

IDW

-G.I. Joe #8 (Fred Van Lente, Steve Kurth) 

Shipwreck shoots boats full of androids trying to suicide bomb the statue of liberty with a bazooka.  blah blah blah... Destro is full on crazy supervillain and has androids (of the same design as the combat ones shot by Shipwreck) dressed in maid and butler outfits as he uses failed underlings as clay discs for his routine skeet shooting.  Can someone explain to me why there isn't a G.I. Joe cartoon on my television right now?

Vertical

-Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin volume 3 (Yoshikazu Yasuhiko)

Like the two previous volumes, there is some stiff translation and different interpretations of certain iconic(memetic) lines that hold this release back somewhat.  The rest of the book more than makes up for this slight misstep, and really, Yas is such a skilled visual storyteller that the book could get by without a hint of dialog (note: I still like the words because they add a depth and insight into the characters).  Volume 3 takes its subtitle from Ramba Ral, a veteran enemy officer sent to Earth to destroy the ship and its inexperienced crew that make up the main cast.  I don't want to go into the gritty details because you either have an understanding of what great twists and turns the story takes at this point, or you don't know and I'm not going to be the asshole to spoil a 34 year old cartoon for you.  Most Gundam aficionados count Ramba Ral as a fan favorite though, and I'm no different.  There's a buttload of deep thematic elements tied to Ramba Ral that I could discuss at length, however there's also the old takeaway that war is hell.  It's worth noting again that Yas makes this hellish war look oh so good.

Please excuse my bad scanner marring otherwise beautiful art (also as a heads up only a handful of pages have full color)

Ten comics I've been reading

I've written reviews for Ultimate Spider-Man, Batman, and Daredevil, but I've been reading a lot of other comics lately without reviewing them on the blog. Instead of writing one article for each series, I'm writing mini-reviews for all of them here.

100 Bullets

Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso

Most of the comics I'm reading are modern-day comics still in their current run, but 100 Bullets is an acclaimed neo-noir series written over the course of a decade, from 1999 to 2009. It's well-written, but I can't read this without thinking of Frank Miller's seminal Sin City, a superior series that came eight years earlier.

Hawkeye

Matt Fraction and David Aja

I'm no fan of the Avengers, so I was as surprised as anyone when the Least Interesting Avenger turned out to have the Greatest Superhero Comic on Shelves Today. Plenty has been said already about how awesome this series is. The creators understand Hawkeye is the Least Interesting Avenger, so they run with it as a story about a regular guy trying to fit into a superhero's world. David Aja's minimalist art style (look at those covers!) and Matt Fraction's satirical writing style compliment each other perfectly. Hawkguy is by far my favorite Marvel or DC comic book series.

Side note: Matt Fraction also has the Greatest Comic Creator Twitter Account of All Time.

Animal Man
Jeff Lemire, Travel Foreman, and Steve Pugh

As a new comic book reader, this was my first time reading a series of a superhero I'd never heard of before. Eventually I heard about Grant Morrison's original run on the series, but I started with this new reboot. And it's fantastic. The metaphysical horror aspect is what draws you in to the series, and you stay for the relatable family-man hero. The grotesque artwork is stunning. It's got a slow first few issues, but now I'm hooked.

Swamp Thing

Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette

Jeff Lemire's Animal Man does a lot of crossing over with Swamp Thing, since both characters exist in the same world. I wasn't planning on reading Swamp Thing, but Animal Man is so good that its compelling depiction of the Swamp Thing made me want to read the sister series. Unfortunately, despite great artwork by Yanick Paquette, Scott Snyder's writing doesn't live up to it. Maybe it's because Snyder is a hotshot at DC Comics right now and Batman is his main creative output. It makes sense that he's leaving the series now, since Swamp Thing is an afterthought to him. I haven't given up on the character as a whole, though, as I've heard great things about Alan Moore's vaunted Swamp Thing of years past.

Dial H

China Miéville and Mateus Santolouco

Dial H is a dark, fun, crazy story about a slacker who suddenly gains the ability to turn into random superheroes. He doesn't get to choose what he becomes--it could be anything imaginable, from Boy Chimney to Iron Snail to Open-Window Man. At first this series just seems like an excuse for the artist to design hilarious, gimmicky new superheroes, but as it goes on the story gets more complex. It feels like an indie series, not something DC Comics would put out, so of course it's being discontinued later this year. R.I.P.

Saga

Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Stapes

I didn't want to buy into the Saga hype. It was called the best comic book of 2012 by basically everyone. Described as a Star Wars-style space opera about new parents, it seemed a bit too much for me. I love the complex alien galaxy of Star Wars because I was introduced to it as a small child, but as a jaded adult, I didn't think I could embrace a guy with horns and a girl with wings and a naked lady bounty hunter with no arms and eight spider legs. It was at the top of so many year-end lists, though, that I had to cave. And I'm glad I did. I called Hawkeye my favorite superhero comic book because Saga is my Favorite Comic Book. Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples weave a beautiful, alien, and ultimately human tale with Saga. I hope to be delving into their world for years to come.

Captain Marvel

Kelly Sue DeConnick, Dexter Soy, and Emma Rios

Comics are mostly a sausagefest, so I was excited to read Captain Marvel: a series about female characters, with a female writer and (for many issues) a female artist. Unfortunately, the Woman Factor is the only interesting aspect of this book. Other than that, it's an incredibly generic superhero story where she flies around and blows up bad guys.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Frank Miller

I finally got around to reading the most famous Batman comic of all time! The brooding, dystopian-cyberpunk-future 1986 tale by Frank Miller is credited with ushering in a whole new era of "grimdark" comics. And it's not the most fun book to read--tons of Walls of Text with many pages featuring sixteen panels each--yet it's obvious why this book was so influential. It's interesting to see a superhero at the end of his career, when he's old and weak. The ending is a bit of a cop-out, but The Dark Knight Returns is still a satisfying read. I especially like all the narration done through TV broadcasts; the local news anchor is just as much a character in the story as Bruce Wayne himself.

Batwoman

Greg Rucka, J.H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman, Amy Reeder, and Trevor McCarthy

This is actually two separate comic book series. The "Batwoman: Elegy" story arc from Detective Comics in 2010, and the standalone Batwoman series that began in 2011. The Detective Comics story written by Greg Rucka and drawn by J.H. Williams III is absolutely fantastic. Rucka is one of the best writers in the business, and JHW3's intricate multi-page spreads are gorgeous. But when Batwoman got her own standalone series, Rucka was nowhere to be found. JHW3 pulled both writer and artist duties alone for a while, and the series suffered because of it. He's a great artist, but a subpar writer. To make matters worse, eventually JHW3 stopped doing the art altogether and enlisted a revolving door of artists to pencil his mediocre writing. I'd strongly recommend the Rucka/JHW3 run, collected as Batwoman: Elegy, but stay far away from the standalone Batwoman series.

The Massive

Brian Wood, Kristian Donaldson, Garry Brown, and Dave Stewart

I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic settings and geopolitical globetrotting, so The Massive is right up my alley. It's the story of a group of environmental activists trying to survive in a post-global warming world. At first I was put off by what looked like fairly generic artwork, but if you give it a chance, The Massive is intelligent and suspenseful. I consider myself a pretty Worldly Dude, and even I had to look up some of the topics in The Massive on Wikipedia. The characters are from all over the world, travel everywhere, and deal with all sorts of real-life issues. I didn't know anything about Tamil Eelam or Unalaska before I read this series. And even the art, which I thought was unremarkable to start, hits its stride after the first issue. The Massive is a text-heavy comic book, but it's intellectually fulfilling in a way not many other comic books are today.