Lower Decks

Ten years ago, I was compelled to give up the evil habit of reading (buying, actually) comic books. I was headed off to college and it was suggested that I could save money by doing so. Understand that at the time, I spent virtually everything I earned on comics, whether it was at Zimmies, Ray’s 3 C’s, or All About Comics & Hobbies. Thing is, there was already a conspiracy afoot to break the habit. Zimmies moved, Ray’s closed, and AAC&H was no doubt already in the process of transitioning to The Keep – and its own move. I had spent the years 1994-1999 haunting these shops, and a few years prior working myself up to such an avid devotion, when you could still find packages of the stuff at places like Toys ‘R’ Us and Sam’s Club. Luckily, my parents weren’t the kind to make the comics I had “disappear,” but I spent the next five years looking at Wizard and pretty much nothing else, as far as printed superheroes were concerned. I didn’t seem to need them, or miss them. Then I moved to Burlington, MA in 2005, and found Newbury Comics (which, despite its name, is actually more devoted to music and movies). I was back in the game before I had even found a new job. I started writing about them with Paperback Reader, first reviewing and then in a weekly column, which I eventually named ‘Weekly’ (seriously), but it was originally ‘The Quarter Bin.’ In 2006 I did my first QB awards at the end of the year.

This year, although I no longer write about them so regularly, I’m upping the ante a bit. Because I no longer have that weekly column, all my thousands of rabid readers don’t know what I’ve been thinking about what’s been going on, so 2009 sees the debut of a midyear report. While the last two QBs have covered my favorite 50 series (since I started writing this column last September, you’ll be forgiven for only having recently heard about this whole QB thing, ancient though it really is), this version of the highlights game will spotlight my ten favorite issues from January through June, as well as a smattering of the best stuff I’ve been reading, which is where we’ll begin.

For the majority of comic book fans, 2009 has meant one thing: Dark Avengers, the fall-out of ‘Secret Invasion,’ in which Norman “I Used to Be Green Goblin” Osborne assumed the position of power in Marvel after striking the winning blow against the Skrull. I respectfully submit that this interpretation of the year to date is utter hogwash, because I am not a Marvel Zombie. But since I have recently found things worth reading at Marvel, the story hasn’t been a complete waste for me. ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ is about to conclude “American Son,” in which Spidey finally gets his crack at Norman (busy masquerading as the pseudo mash-up of Iron Man and Captain America in his, let’s face it, update of the Thunderbolts), through Norman’s own son Harry. I still hate the astonishing simplification Marvel seems to do with everything, the thing that keeps all its legions of fans so comfortable, so sedated with the mythology that has hardly changed since the Marvel Age began (updated every now and then, yes, but never changed), the lack of any real complication in its storytelling, as if even grown-up readers can’t be asked to accept that there’s a world that’s not so black and white as how superheroes originally began. But I can still get some enjoyment, because some of the writers still manage to know what they’re doing.

Ed Brubaker, sadly, isn’t one of them, not anymore. His legendary run on ‘Captain America’ was the very symbol of the newly emerging maturity of the company, but soon enough it started to match what the rest of Marvel invariably becomes, if it becomes too close to mainstream, too close to the popular consciousness: bland, boring, and afraid to take any real risk. The whole saga of James “Bucky” Barnes, the thing that jazzed the run and softened the blow of Steve Rogers’ death when he naturally took on the mantle himself, eventually took on the same failings that were already surrounding it. Brubaker refuses to write anything but the self-made fable that penetrates Marvel so thoroughly, a belief that there’s nothing so important as maintaining the air of what a character is supposed to be, an icon (more than an individual) incapable of carrying a story on something they might be able to say, other than what they are. Now that Rogers is returning, we are going to relish the idea of the drugged-up loser who got put in the mold of a perfect man and somehow instantly won the hearts of everyone, the reverse X-Man, but the same all the same. Barnes was the one character who broke that mold. He’s going to be left behind once again, mark my words, all so we can be happy with the status quo, changed but never changing.

This may seem hypocritical, but when DC does it, I always like it so much better. Last year’s “New Krypton” arc concluded in the Superman books early this year, transitioning us to the two main titles featuring new lead characters (much as when he “died” in 1992 and was replaced by four Supermen), Mon-El in ‘Superman’ and Flamebird & Nightwing in ‘Action Comics.’ Then there’s Grant Morrison’s “Batman R.I.P.” which saw, in conjunction with ‘Final Crisis’ the apparent death of Bruce Wayne. He has since been replaced by the first Robin, Dick Grayson, under the cowl. Oh, and Geoff Johns also brings us ‘The Flash: Rebirth.’ The differences, you ask? Superman, Kal-El, is now starring, temporarily, in ‘Superman: World of New Krypton,’ because DC couldn’t very well try and repeat what it already did when it did the whole Captain America thing first. Yeah, Doomsday killed him, but Kryptonian technology made him better (did the same thing for Superboy, actually, in ‘Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #4’). It was the idea of Superman, the world without him, that made the difference. The world needs him, as long as he’ll be around. Cap, well, he’s just a popular dude who got himself killed in a terrible sequence of events, who had already outlived his usefulness twice. Steve Rogers was a name because he was a name. Superman is, well, super. Batman, meanwhile, went away in the 1990s, too, was replaced once before (then again, so was Cap, come to think of it, several times as I recall), but this time was different. This time, instead of merely contrasting the differences of technique, the legacy of the man came down on Gotham, and forced his former sidekick to finally assume the responsibility he never wanted but was basically groomed to take. But enough about Damian. Finally, we have Barry Allen, whom Johns is smart enough to doubt the necessity of his own return.

It harks back to when Johns did the same thing with Hal Jordan, Green Lantern. It was at that point that DC started embracing again the full force of its own mythology, not in a stand-offish sort of way, but intimately, as its fans knew it, had long embraced it. There is no need to protect characters who can defend themselves, where writers aren’t afraid to penetrate below the surface to see how they tick, not just what motivated them, but what still drives them forward today. Kal-El among Kryptonians would have been thought of as a Silver Age relic ten years ago, but Johns (that name again) has been smart enough in recent years to expand the scope of writing for the Man of Steel back to his backstory. What the Superman team did in the ‘90s was a brilliant extension of what he had grown into, but finally someone suggested there was more to where he had come from. The same thing with Batman, the same thing with The Flash. When Johns last wrote the Scarlet Speedster, he stuck only with Rogue tradition. This time, as Mark Waid had before him, he has finally come to embrace the character’s full potential.

This isn’t a complete discussion on what has been done these past six months. The 2009 QBs in December will take a more expansive approach, and no doubt will include comics I won’t be able to mention here, both things I have and haven’t liked, or at least enjoyed as thoroughly. I transitioned to an online buying experience with Midtown a few weeks ago after having spent most of the year shopping the shelves at Bargain Comics here in Colorado Springs (through no fault of the store, but merely as a matter of convenience), which will give me access to some material I didn’t have previously, like reading the actual ‘Wasteland’ comic again, not just the trades, which leave out so much of the experience. I’m hoping I don’t miss some of the things I discovered in a tangible way previously, but I’ve learned that I don’t have to take this quite so seriously. There’s plenty of good things to be read, regardless. Besides, I’ve still got the Newbury e-mails to help guide me.

So, an alphabetical chronicle of the things I found most worth reading the last six months:

‘Action Comics #873’ concluded “New Krypton.”

‘Action Comics Annual #12’ finally delivered the origins of the new Flamebird and Nightwing, one firmly rooted in Kandor lore and the other, well, Christopher Kent from the “Last Son” arc Geoff Johns started this whole revolution on. For more, see Top Ten Issues later in the column.

‘Air,’ specifically #7 & 10, where readers got the most potent doses of this latest of Vertigo gems, delving deep into character and history. Seriously, if you read ‘Sandman’ or ‘Y: The Last Man,’ this is the next book for you.

‘The Amazing Spider-Man #583-588.’ While this nearly-weekly book has been at its best (since “Brand New Day” kicked off the new era of the Webslinger last year, when I started reading regularly) in 2009, Marc Guggenheim’s “Character Assassination” is the highlight so far, in which we finally learn the identity of Menace. Mark Waid’s “24/7” was also neat to follow, when Peter tried really hard to deal with J. Jonah Jameson as mayor of New York City. Guggenheim has been a favorite of mine since his work in ‘The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive,’ and he has rarely disappointed since.

‘Batman #683’ – See Top Ten Issues later in the column.

‘Batman & Robin #1’ – See Top Ten Issues later in the column.

‘Captain Britain and MI13 #13-14’ represent this underrated series at its best. As I said, Marvel is at its best when its writers get to do exactly what they want. Allan Heinberg started the trend back when he launched ‘Young Avengers,’ and here Paul Cornell continues it by guiding a team of British operatives in stories that explore them as much as adventures uniquely suited to them. Lots of other Marvel books get more hype and are less worthy of it than this one. These issues cover an apparent victory by Dracula over the team, only for the big reveal next issue that the villain has played into the realm of Plokta, a foe from earlier issues that owed them a favor. Extremely clever writing. More than a year in and it’s apparent Cornell still has plenty to tell with just where he started from, in a completely natural way, during Secret Invasion.

‘Detective Comics #852 & 854,’ where even before the dust had settled on Wayne, Paul Dini was concluding his spectacular examination of Hush, giving Catwoman some payback. Then, Batwoman finally assumes command of her own book, well after anyone would have assumed who’d followed her since ‘52.’ The Question, thanks to the new backup feature DC has brought back, continues to tag along, the supporting act for a change. But as far as Kate Kane goes, J.H. Williams is a god. Probably the best art this year.

‘Final Crisis #6-7’ is the delayed conclusion of Grant Morrison’s conclusion to the Crisis cycle, in which it is finally safe for DC readers to embrace rather than shrink from the concept of a multiverse. We modern readers are more sophisticated than yon olden days, but apparently not enough to give Morrison his due…

‘Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #4,’ one of a handful of issues released so far, even though by all rights it should have concluded, say, some time around if not preferably before the actual ‘Final Crisis.’ All the same, Geoff Johns at it again, making it safe once more to read the Legion of Super-Heroes. This highlight issue, though, spotlights just about everyone but. Kid Flash, formerly Impulse, formerly The Flash, gets his return explained; Superboy, after his death in ‘Infinite Crisis,’ finally returns; and Superboy-Prime reveals that he is the Time Trapper, a longstanding if mostly until this point inconsequential character. I look forward to the final two issues, like I do the final few issues of ‘The Twelve.’ If and when they’re finished and/or released…

‘Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #2’ features Morrison letting his id furiously free in a mainstream book, unlocking his ‘All Star Superman’ writing all the way and letting us see the Man of Steel, and his many alternate reality friends, do what Superman has never really done in a big crossover event. Forget the 3D gimmick, the highlight is the storytelling, all the way.

‘Final Crisis: Secret Files’ lets Len Wein return to the spotlight by retelling the origin of Libra, a key villain from the mini-series, in a way modern readers will appreciate.

‘Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance #1-2’ brings back Morrison’s glorious Super Young Team, Japanese heroes who bring us kicking and screaming into an interpretation of comic books for a thoroughly contemporary mindset. DC has a penchant for spitting out these teams that are great fun to read while they last, but readers will never support long enough to make a lasting impression. Hopefully this one will be different, but…

‘The Flash: Rebirth #1-3’ we’ve already basically covered. The next issue will totally make the Reverse-Flash this year’s Sinestro. Assuming Sinestro will be willing to concede the spotlight…

‘G.I. Joe: Cobra #1-4.’ When I first learned IDW had gotten the rights to these Real American Heroes, I was bummed, because DDP had done so much with them, up to and including “World War III,” which basically amounted to the completion of the old mythology (Cobra was actually definitely defeated by the end). Then I learned IDW wasn’t going to just take over, but relaunch with three separate books. This was the only one that actually looked worth following, so of course these four issues are its only issues. Anyone who remembers Chuckles can forget what they knew, because this one…Well, let’s conclude these thoughts later on, in the Top Ten Issues…

‘Green Lantern #37-42’ and ‘Blackest Night #0,’ DC’s offering on Free Comic Book Day two months ago, represent Geoff Johns at the peak of his powers, or at the very least his most confident since ‘Green Lantern: Rebirth,’ completely owning Green Lantern lore, expanding it beyond any scope previously imagined, and setting up, well, ‘Blackest Night,’ almost guaranteed to be the highlight of the second half of the year.

‘Green Lantern Corps #32-37’ sees the second GL title providence finally gave us in all its glory, under the excellent supervision of Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason. Whether concluding the morbid tale of Sinestro Corps member Kryb or revealing Sinestro himself to be the father of ‘Green Lantern Corps: Recharge’-era GL standout Soranik Natu, letting Sodam Yat tap into the power of Ion to save his world, or prodding us ever closer to ‘Blackest Night,’ readers have realized this is every bit the must-read as its companion book.

‘The Incredible Hercules #125-130’ continues the rampage of Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente through the Greek myths as they remain relevant to this day, finally elevating the Prince of Power himself, Herc, to the position of significance he has always deserved. This one, unlike ‘Captain Britain,’ actually has some hype. But still not enough. When Marvel lets you follow someone old-new, you take the opportunity.

‘Irredeemable #1-3’ is the book Mark Waid fans have been waiting for since ‘Kingdom Come.’ Fans already knew from ‘Empire’ that he had some revolutionary things to do with the superhero archetypes, but here he absolutely shatters them. He’s on the leading edge of a trend in independent comics that is making alternative superhero books a truly relevant term since Billy Batson first said “Shazam!”

‘The Last Days of Animal Man #1-2’ prove that Buddy Baker need not be mired in space adventures to remain relevant today, but rather can explode once more in his own stories. Some of the last of them, apparently…

‘The Life and Times of Savior 28 #2-3,’ but only because I missed the first issue. After ‘Irredeemable,’ the best of the alternatives, a truly remarkable narrative about a superhero who had a change of philosophy, and just might affect a changing of the whole regime as a result…

‘The Mighty #1-5’ is the third of those books, a creator-owned property DC is letting Pete Tomasi run with (the last time I followed one of these, ‘Simon Dark,’ it was too close and yet too far from the mainstream to stand even a remote lasting chance). Think of Alpha One as an improved concept of Captain America, actually.

‘RASL #4’ – See Top Ten Issues later in the column.

‘Resurrection #0-1,’ where fans of ‘The Walking Dead’ can see Marc Guggenheim examine that story from the other end, after horrific event has already devastated mankind and ended. The zero issue was Oni’s Free Comic Book Day offering, and the original run of the story was collected for $6, making it ridiculously easy to climb aboard this one.

‘Scalped #24-29’ sees Jason Aaron at his best. Hyped for other work, but never better than in stories like the “High Lonesome” arc that draws together numerous shady characters as they revolve around the antihero Red Crow. Or is that Bad Horse? Along with ‘Air,’ the best of the current crop from Vertigo, no matter what anyone tells you.

‘Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye #1-3’ is Grant Morrison’s other alternative to traditional superheroics, some of the most bizarre stuff you’ll read. But that’s Morrison’s M.O.

‘The Stand: Captain Trips #4-5/The Stand: American Nightmares #1-2’ are completely obvious for people who’ve been reading this column. I’m pretty sure I’ve missed an issue in the Midtown transition, but I can track it down.

‘Star Trek: Countdown #3-4’ are some of the best Star Trek comics I’ve ever read, regardless to their connection with a certain movie.

‘Superman #683 & 685’ contain the best “New Krypton” issue of the year (Supergirl slugs Superman!) and a proper transition between one lead character and another. Still, James Robinson, for what he’s been doing, didn’t actually convince me to continue reading this particular series.

‘Superman: World of New Krypton #1-4’ marks the beginning of twelve issues wherein Kal-El lives among his own people for the first time. Oh, and General Zod’s there. He’s the slimy leader Norman Osborne only wishes he were.

‘Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine #3-5’ is the continuation of a comic that began, uh, in 2005. But it was worth the wait!

‘Wolverine #70-72’ are the final in-series issues of “Old Man Logan,” a glimpse via the ‘Civil War’ team (didn’t dig that, but definitely this) of Mark Millar and Steve McNiven of the character in exactly the state the name of the arc suggests, in a dystopian future where he basically was brainwashed into helping all the villains defeat our favorite heroes. Not subtle, but definitely grand, what they were briefly calling widescreen comics. Shame on you if you’ve been skipping this one.

Now, the Top Ten Issues, in no particular order:

1. ‘Action Comics Annual #12’ (DC) – I was persuaded to read about these replacement heroes, Flamebird & Nightwing, when I learned how relevant one of them was, the whole “Last Son” thing I already talked about. But Greg Rucka expands on how Chris ended up as Nightwing (both names are legendary Kryptonian heroes, so it predates Dick Grayson’s extended period with the name, which was always explained as an honor to Superman) in this special, as well as finally getting into the backstory of the entirely new character behind Flamebird. I’d been reading their run in ‘Action Comics’ itching for something like this, and so was pretty glad when it finally arrived.

2. ‘Air #7’ (Vertigo) – The strange journey of Blythe into the world of flight technology that will revolutionize the world as we know it, an expansion of the mind as well as our capacity to cross the globe, shrink our limitations, hits its grandest mark here as G. Willow Wilson plunks our heroine into the enigma that is Zayn, who has been her elusive guide since the beginning. And when I say “plunks our heroine into Zayn,” I mean quite literally, into his upbringing and life experiences. It’s writing like this that makes you fall in love all over again with comic books, their unlimited possibilities. And unlike Grant Morrison, in an utterly serenely simple kind of way. Not that I’m knocking kinetically hyper Grant…

3. ‘Batman #683’ (DC) – In which Grant Morrison in the second of two issues following the conclusion of “Batman R.I.P.” that reveal his fate in the clutches of Darkseid and his minions during ‘Final Crisis’ as they attempt to break his mind, discover they underestimated him. What kind of idiots think Bruce Wayne would leave himself vulnerable in that capacity? The Black Glove failed, too. But no one writes superheroes like Morrison, no one understands them like he does. And arguably the best superhero and best writer together? Seriously, the best stuff you’ll read.

4. ‘Batman & Robin #1’ (DC) – Although readers already know from ‘Final Crisis #7’ that Bruce Wayne is not altogether gone forever, he is finally replaced as Batman, officially, with this launch, under the auspices of none other than Grant Morrison himself, with ‘All Star Superman,’ ‘We3,’ and ‘New X-Men’ buddy Frank Quitely along for the outrageous ride. The brilliant inversion Morrison sneaks in with this debut is that it isn’t really Dick Grayson’s Batman that we should be paying attention to, but rather Damian’s Robin. As the son of Bruce Wayne via Talia (via Ra’s al Ghul), ‘Batman #666’ already prophesied his ascension to the cowl, but ‘Battle for the Cowl’ (executed so well by Tony Daniel) made it perfectly clear that Dick has finally earned the right to step into the mantle of the Bat. I don’t know how permanently this new Batman will be around (I hope permanently), but it’s been a long time coming (anyone remember “The Prodigal”?), and will be worth it. Jean-Paul Valley who? (But seriously, I loved that guy, too.)

#5. ‘Final Crisis #6’ (DC) – In order to reach that milestone, Bruce first had to die, and so Morrison’s third issue in this Top Ten sees him go out in the only appropriate way possible, a move everyone always assumed he was capable of, but never dreamed when it finally came the price: killing a god. I don’t see a comparable moment in any company crossover event since Barry Allen sacrificed himself in ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths.’ And no one sells writing like Grant Morrison.

#6. ‘G.I. Joe: Cobra #1’ (IDW) – Mike Costa and Christos Gage make Chuckles better than Daniel Craig’s Bond. Seriously. It’s a reimagining of G.I. Joe mythos that needs to be read to be believed, Chuckles a lone agent sent into the wilderness to discover what the whispers of this mysterious Cobra organization really amount to. Through in Jinx and Howard Chaykin on half the covers, and you have yourself a party. Seriously some of the best comics this year.

#7. ‘The Life and Times of Savior 28 #2’ (IDW) – J.M. DeMatteis, a comics veteran, finally comes into his own. I’d seen an ad for this book, and knew instantly that I was going to read it. This wouldn’t be the first time I missed the debut issue and gone on to love the comic all the same, because good writing shines whether you know the beginning or not. The concept, the writing, it shines through. This stuff is brilliant.

#8. ‘RASL #4’ (Cartoon) – Ever since ‘Bone,’ the prospect of a follow-up project from Jeff Smith has had some of us weirder comic book fans salivating our chins permanently mushy, so when ‘RASL’ finally came out, it was sweet release. An alternate-dimension-hopping adventure, the new book has only been heating up, expanding its story, and this was the best issue yet. The first three were collected into ‘The Drift’ and seeing that there are only a handful of issues each year, you can hardly claim it as too late to join in.

#9. ‘Star Trek: Countdown #3’ (IDW) – Not one but two issues late into the comic, I was blown away with the work done here, the simple terms in which it explained Nero’s reaction to the destruction of his world, and the life he knew. The origin of the tattoos can be found here, for those still wondering from ‘Star Trek’ (2009). As I said, great writing doesn’t need to be begun from the beginning. It explains itself, no matter where you start.

#10. ‘Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine #3’ (Marvel) – Hey, you can easily be forgiven to forget that Damon Lindelof, one of the genius creative minds behind ‘Lost,’ initially thought to capitalize his new fame in comic books, so it’s with great humility and equal cleverness that he finally returns to this story, letting Wolverine explain, in his top-and-bottom-aren’t-together sort of way (literally; when we last saw them, Hulk had torn the already-runty mutant in two; later on in the series, Logan has a conversation with Nick Fury, where-in he’s just…a head). Completely different from anything you’d see from Damon in his TV show, this is Marvel at its unassuming finest.

That’s it, then. I’ll definitely be writing about comics again come December!