The Best Sequential Art I Read Last Week: July 22 – July 28

I am a comic book collector and happy to be one. I might say “proud” if I hadn’t, over a year ago, switched to reading digital as opposed to print comics. I feel a bit robbed of the tactile sensations of the hobby – of the turn of the page, the sneaking look to the panel a page over, the bagging and shorting and stacking and filing. Though I read my comics in a different medium than I used to, I still treat each Wednesday (comic book delivery day to specialty shops around the country) as different from the other days of the week. I subscribe and now, rather than go to the comic store to be handed the books pulled for my “Hold Slot,” I click a button on my iPad and watch them download.

Then I read them.

Rare is the week that I don’t read them all between Wednesdays and some weeks I have, well… let’s just say more comic books in my digital downloads than a grown man should. Comic book legend Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) is one of the most influential men even to put pencil to drawing board in the pursuit of making comics. So influential was he that the industry awards (think the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys) are named The Eisner Awards. He called comic books “sequential art,” perhaps because he became embarrassed by his profession when he had to admit what he did for a living. This is my weekly reaction to the comics I read.

I read 6 comics last week: Old Man Logan #3, Cyborg #1, We Are Robin #2, Grayson #10, Uncanny X-Men #35 and Star Trek #47.

The best comic I read last week was Cyborg #1.

There is a significant nostalgic resonance for me with the character Cyborg. As a young man, I grew up reading his early adventures as scripted by Marv Wolfman (and others) and drawn by George Perez (and others). Victor Stone was a central member of the New Teen Titans and he was, to me, a unique creation. Part man/part machine/all attitude. He was also appealing to me because he was a teen and, when Cyborg was introduced, I was, too.

As the years have gone by, and as DC has rebooted their universe, many things have happened to Cyborg – most of them bad. My take as I watched what had happened to the character was, was he broken? What was wrong with the approach that needed a significant change in direction?

Apparently, at this point in the character’s history, DC agrees. The “new” version of Cyborg echoes the character’s roots. Again, Victor Stone is a high school athlete whose body is all but destroyed (this time by Darkseid’s forces) and Stone’s father is force to graft experimental technology to his son to save him. In the new 52, this event is part of the origin of the Justice League and Cyborg becomes a founder.

Now, he’s got his own ongoing title and, if the first issue by writer David F. Walker and artist Ivan Reis (assisted, as always, by Joe Prado’s inks) is any indication of where the series is going, count me in.

It’s not a perfect issue -comics new-comer Walker can lean a little more into the “showing not telling” element of the medium and his villains are a bit one-note – but it’s a fitting opening chapter for Cyborg. The story hits the right notes from Vic’s relationship with his father to his interactions with the other characters at STAR Labs. Rooted in Cyborg’s history, the plot also shows us that Walker has more on his mind than superheroics.

Cyborg, when written well, has been a noble character who, by the very nature of his own origin as a hero, can relate to those who are different. Walker lays solid ground work to tap into that aspect of Cyborg and that’s a good thing. The character stuff is so well done here that the scenes concerning the villainous Tekbreakers are utterly secondary. That’s okay. They are a set up for future issues.

Ivan Reis has proven himself a top DC artist. This is his first regular gig since Justice League and he’s more than up to the challenge. One can see that he really has an affinity for Victor Stone and he knows how Cyborg’s powers work. He is one of my favorite artists – the kind I follow from title-to-title – and he’s perfectly suited to Cyborg.

Welcome to the big leagues, Victor Stone. I hope Walker and Reis are on the title for a long run.

The Best Sequential Art I Read Last Week: April 15 – 22, 2015

I am a comic book collector and happy to be one. I might say “proud” if I hadn’t, over a year ago, switched to reading digital as opposed to print comics. I feel a bit robbed of the tactile sensations of the hobby – of the turn of the page, the sneaking look to the panel a page over, the bagging and shorting and stacking and filing. Though I read my comics in a different medium than I used to, I still treat each Wednesday (comic book delivery day to specialty shops around the country) as different from the other days of the week. I subscribe and now, rather than go to the comic store to be handed the books pulled for my “Hold Slot,” I click a button on my iPad and watch them download.

Then I read them.

Rare is the week that I don’t read them all between Wednesdays and some weeks I have, well… let’s just say more comic books in my digital downloads than a grown man should. Comic book legend Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) is one of the most influential men even to put pencil to drawing board in the pursuit of making comics. So influential was he that the industry awards (think the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys) are named The Eisner Awards. He called comic books “sequential art,” perhaps because he became embarrassed by his profession when he had to admit what he did for a living. This is my weekly reaction to the comics I read.

I read 6 comics last week: Convergence #2, Star Trek #44,  Convergence: Shadow of the Bat #1, Convergence: Justice League International #1, Convergence: Man of Steel #1 and Uncanny X-Men #33. Oh, and I bought a crazily low-priced collection of 8 comics for $4.99 from comixology.com Daredevil: Guardian Devil.

The best comic I read last week was Daredevil: Guardian Devil

This was a really bad week for new comics. I really, really am not enjoying Convergence, the DC Comics event of the year that is supposed to… well, never mind. It doesn’t matter what it’s supposed to do. It’s not doing anything for me. What would be impressive is if I stopped reading it and its tie-in issues.

We’ll see what my will power is tomorrow.

Convergence wasn’t good. Uncanny X-Men was okay, but not great. Star Trek was passable.

But Guardian Devil? Perfect.

This is a little unfair of a choice. I read this book in monthly format when it was published in the last 1990s and I remember it being very good. It was on sale because of the Netflix Daredevil series – which is very good, too, by-the-way. Kevin Smith writes, Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti draw and the character Daredevil reaches new heights. This is a terrific book which set the standard for great comics for Marvel for years to follow. Read it if you get the chance.

The Best Sequential Art I Read Last Week – March 25 – March 31, 2015

I am a comic book collector and happy to be one. I might say “proud” if I hadn’t, over a year ago, switched to reading digital as opposed to print comics. I feel a bit robbed of the tactile sensations of the hobby – of the turn of the page, the sneaking look to the panel a page over, the bagging and shorting and stacking and filing. Though I read my comics in a different medium than I used to, I still treat each Wednesday (comic book delivery day to specialty shops around the country) as different from the other days of the week. I subscribe and now, rather than go to the comic store to be handed the books pulled for my “Hold Slot,” I click a button on my iPad and watch them download.

Then I read them.

Rare is the week that I don’t read them all between Wednesdays and some weeks I have, well… let’s just say more comic books in my digital downloads than a grown man should. Comic book legend Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) is one of the most influential men even to put pencil to drawing board in the pursuit of making comics. So influential was he that the industry awards (think the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys) are named The Eisner Awards. He called comic books “sequential art,” perhaps because he became embarrassed by his profession when he had to admit what he did for a living. This is my weekly reaction to the comics I read.

I read 10 comics last week: Darth Vader #3, Arkham Manor #6, Batman and Robin #40, Uncanny X-Men #40, Batman Eternal #51,  Daredevil #14, Gotham Academy #6, The Multiversity: Ultra Comics #1, New Avengers #32 and Wytches #5.

The best comic I read last week was Batman and Robin #40. 

Batman and Robin as written by Peter J. Tomasi and penciled by Patrick Gleason has been a terrific read and a wonderful book to look at each-and-every month. Picking up where Grant Morrison left off must have been a daunting task for Tomasi, but he has taken a title that was really solid (if a little meta) and made a a tremendous super hero read. The writer must have children because he writes Damian Wayne, scion of the Batman, brilliantly as the perfect, petulant pubescent. No one who is childless could nail his voice so clearly.

The relationship between Batman and Robin is what makes this book go. Their dynamic was even at the core of the book when Damian was dead and Batman looked to find a way in which to bring him back to life. Tomasi somehow wove a plot of resurrection that included Batman battling friend and enemy alike, manipulating all to his own ends and reviving his son to surprising result.

When Damian came back, he came back with superpowers. Puberty is hard enough. Raising a teenager is hard enough. Try raising one who can punch through walls.

I was skeptical of this plot twist, worried that it might ruin the taut relationship Tomasi had created between father and son. I needn’t have been. This element became a metaphor for the parent/child relationship and a way for the writer to illustrate the love and affection between a father and son who don’t always understand one another but who’ve come to respect and love each other. Bruce Wayne as a parent is a great invention and Damian Wayne has been a wonderful character in Tomasi’s hands.

Patrick Gleason’s art has many attributes to recommend he. He draws dynamic action and his characters are clearly delineated from one another. His use of expression is very good as well and he can inject great emotion in a wordless scene. Anyone who read Batman and Robin #18 (which was an entirely silent issue) knows this. But, what I really love about Gleason is, unlike many artists working in comics today, he draws children like children. His Robin is recognizable as a kid, not a tiny, misproportioned adult, and this is a big deal. He’s a great artist and, as DC reboots itself again this summer, he’s about to get his chance to not only draw these characters but to write them as well.

I think Batman and Robin is in good hands with Gleason.

The last arc of this book has been so satisfying. I am sorry to see this team come to the end of their run. What a pleasure Batman and Robin has been. Frankly, it might have been the most consistently well done book of the entire “New 52.”

The Best Sequential Art I Read Last Week : February 18 – February 24, 2015

I am a comic book collector and happy to be one. I might say “proud” if I hadn’t, over a year ago, switched to reading digital as opposed to print comics. I feel a bit robbed of the tactile sensations of the hobby – of the turn of the page, the sneaking look to the panel a page over, the bagging and shorting and stacking and filing. Though I read my comics in a different medium than I used to, I still treat each Wednesday (comic book delivery day to specialty shops around the country) as different from the other days of the week. I subscribe and now, rather than go to the comic store to be handed the books pulled for my “Hold Slot,” I click a button on my iPad and watch them download.

Then I read them.

Rare is the week that I don’t read them all between Wednesdays and some weeks I have, well… let’s just say more comic books in my digital downloads than a grown man should. Comic book legend Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) is one of the most influential men even to put pencil to drawing board in the pursuit of making comics. So influential was he that the industry awards (think the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys) are named The Eisner Awards. He called comic books “sequential art,” perhaps because he became embarrassed by his profession when he had to admit what he did for a living. This is my weekly reaction to the comics I read.

I read 10 comics last week: Batman Eternal #46, Avengers World #17, Batgirl #39, Justice League #39, Batman and Robin #39, Batman/Superman #19, Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #10, The Multiversity: Mastermen #1, Superman/Wonder Woman #16  and Uncanny X-Men #31.

The best comic I read last week was Batgirl #39.

What a fun read this book is. As a former teacher (for 10 years!) at an all-girls high school, I think I know a thing or two about young women and, although Batgirl and her supporting cast are about 5-7 older than the girls I worked with, I can say that they read very, very real to me.

Cameron Stewart and Brendan Fletcher are killing it. They are writing a Barbara Gordon who is endearing and vulnerable but tough and tenacious all at the same time. When she questions herself in this issue, the reader feels it. When she seeks out Dinah for her friendship, the reader wants the two to bury the hatchet. When she is confronted by the reality of her latest adversary, the reader is rooting for her. That’s a lot for comic book writers to inspire in their readers but Fletcher and Stewart deliver the goods issue-after-issue. From Barbara’s move to Burnside to her radically cool costume redesign, this book has been a great read for months. If you’re not on board, get there.

This is the book I would give a non-comic reader to introduce them to the medium. It’s that good.

Much of that credit has to go to Babs Tarr who is drawing something we don’t see enough of in comics: realistic women. Her characters, cartoony and fresh, look as though their analogues could actually exist in the real world. Both the women and the men she draws are distinct and clear representations of the genuine article. She knows how to capture expressions and, lately, her inclusion of illustrated side-thoughts are creative and compelling.

Batgirl is the second best Bat-Book on the market (after Snyder and Capullo’s Batman) and that’s saying something. I look forward to it each month.

The Best Sequential Art I Read Last Week – January 28 – February 3, 2015

I am a comic book collector and happy to be one. I might say “proud” if I hadn’t, over a year ago, switched to reading digital as opposed to print comics. I feel a bit robbed of the tactile sensations of the hobby – of the turn of the page, the sneaking look to the panel a page over, the bagging and shorting and stacking and filing. Though I read my comics in a different medium than I used to, I still treat each Wednesday (comic book delivery day to specialty shops around the country) as different from the other days of the week. I subscribe and now, rather than go to the comic store to be handed the books pulled for my “Hold Slot,” I click a button on my iPad and watch them download.

Then I read them.

Rare is the week that I don’t read them all between Wednesdays and some weeks I have, well… let’s just say more comic books in my digital downloads than a grown man should. Comic book legend Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) is one of the most influential men even to put pencil to drawing board in the pursuit of making comics. So influential was he that the industry awards (think the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys) are named The Eisner Awards. He called comic books “sequential art,” perhaps because he became embarrassed by his profession when he had to admit what he did for a living. This is my weekly reaction to the comics I read.

I read 10 comics last week: Batman Eternal #43, All New X-Men #35, Batman #38, Uncanny X-Men #30, New Avengers #29, Gotham Academy #4, Arkham Manor #4, Uncanny Avengers #1, Spider-Man and the X-Men #2 and The Multiversity: Guidebook #1.

The best comic I read last week was The Multiversity Guidebook #1.

 

In prior reviews, I have decried comic books that I don’t understand because, as far as I am concerned, they are too clever for their own good (hello anything recent by Johnathan Hickman!) but I am overcoming that prejudice here. I won’t claim I understood everything in the Grant Morrison scripted Multiversity: The Guidebook, but I will say I enjoyed all of it! This comic book seemed as though it was simply going to be a tour through the newly codified DC Comics multiverse. And, while it was that, it was much, much more.

At the core of the story in this issue (as with all the issues of The Multiversity) is the idea that comic books are the key to seeing into alternate universes – that, when I read a Superman comic book, I am really looking into the “New 52” reality – the “New 52” universe that is an alternate universe of ours, where the adventures of Superman really take place. Actually, the New 52 characters populate Earth-0, something I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t read Multiversity: The Guidebook. 

In fact, I thought the entire Guidebook was only going to be about that sort of thing – listing the earths that make up the 52 parallel universes of the DC multiverse (confused yet?) but it wasn’t just that. There is a remarkable frame story wherein the “Atomic Knights” Batman of Earth-17 teams up with the baby-boy Batman of Earth-42. Again, this could have been a throw-away story, but Morrison infuses it with meaning and it was through these characters that I really began to comprehend the overarching narrative of The Multiversity.

Had this just been a guidebook, I would have liked it as it solidified some of my favorite DC stories as taking place in alternate universes (the Kingdom Come heroes on Earth-22, the Red Son heroes on Earth-30, the New Frontier heroes on Earth-21). I would have liked it because it leaves 7 earths as yet revealed. I would have liked it because it talked about the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and the way it relates to “Infinite Crisis.” I would have liked it because it was a quintessential DC story.

What a fun read.

The Best Sequential Art I Read Last Week: December 24 – December 30, 2014

I am a comic book collector and happy to be one. I might say “proud” if I hadn’t, over a year ago, switched to reading digital as opposed to print comics. I feel a bit robbed of the tactile sensations of the hobby – of the turn of the page, the sneaking look to the panel a page over, the bagging and shorting and stacking and filing. Though I read my comics in a different medium than I used to, I still treat each Wednesday (comic book delivery day to specialty shops around the country) as different from the other days of the week. I subscribe and now, rather than go to the comic store to be handed the books pulled for my “Hold Slot,” I click a button on my iPad and watch them download.

Then I read them.

Rare is the week that I don’t read them all between Wednesdays and some weeks I have, well… let’s just say more comic books in my digital downloads than a grown man should. Comic book legend Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) is one of the most influential men even to put pencil to drawing board in the pursuit of making comics. So influential was he that the industry awards (think the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys) are named The Eisner Awards. He called comic books “sequential art,” perhaps because he became embarrassed by his profession when he had to admit what he did for a living. This is my weekly reaction to the comics I read.

I read 10 comics last week: Batman Eternal #38, Arkham Manor #3, Avengers and X-Men: Axis #9,  All New X-Men Annual #1, Batman Annual #3, Daredevil #11, New Avengers #28, Superman #37, Superman/Wonder Woman #14 and Uncanny X-Men #29.

The best comic I read last week was Daredevil #11.

Daredevil scribe Mark Waid is, for my money, one of the top five best writers in comics. Daredevil artist Chris Samnee is, for my money, one of the five best artists in comics. Put them together and Daredevil should be one of the top five best comics in comics.

It is. Consistently, month-after-month, Daredevil is a wonderful read. Waid has made the character fun. He’s revitalized “the Man without Fear” and his supporting cast and has done so by creating exciting plots that feature not only some of the best adversaries from the hero’s rogues gallery (Bullseye and the Purple Man leap to mind) but also some of the best treatments of so-called “real world” issues that one can find in comic books (Waid’s takes on cancer and depression are shockingly moving). He knows Matt Murdock. He knows Marvel Comics’ history. He knows how to write great stories. Everything Waid puts out is worth reading.

And the writer has found a perfect partner in Chris Samnee whose Daredevil in costume somehow looks just like his Matt Murdock out of costume. It’s a pretty cool feat. I cannot think of another artist who manages to capture his lead so perfectly in and out of costume. Daredevil is a great looking book and Samnee’s cartooning style is an excellent compliment the stories Waid is telling.

The writer and artist will leave Daredevil this spring, and that’s a shame. Their departure coincides with the premiere of Netflix’s Daredevil series, a show which promises to be closer in tone to the darker Daredevil stories of the past and, while dark Daredevil stories are all well and good, I will miss this take on the character.

And I will miss Waid and Samnee. Hopefully, they will find another character to take on together.

DC’s Flash, anyone? Waid has a tremendous history with that other red-costumed superhero and Samnee’s style would be an ideal counterpart.

 

The Best Sequential Art I Read Last Week: November 19 – November 25, 2014

I am a comic book collector and happy to be sure. I might say “proud” if I hadn’t, over a year ago, switched to reading digital as opposed to print comics. I feel a bit robbed of the tactile sensations of the hobby – of the turn of the page, the sneaking look to the panel a page over, the bagging and shorting and stacking and filing. Though I read my comics in a different medium than I used to, I still treat each Wednesday (comic book delivery day to specialty shops around the country) as different from the other days of the week. I subscribe and now, rather than go to the comic store to be handed the books pulled for my “Hold Slot,” I click a button on my iPad and watch them download.

Then I read them.

Rare is the week that I don’t read them all between Wednesdays and some weeks I have, well… let’s just say more comic books in my digital downloads than a grown man should. Comic book legend Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) is one of the most influential men even to put pencil to drawing board in the pursuit of making comics. So influential was he that the industry awards (think the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys) are named The Eisner Awards. He called comic books “sequential art,” perhaps because he became embarrassed by his profession when he had to admit what he did for a living. This is my weekly reaction to the comics I read.

I read 13 comics last week: Amazing Spider-Man #10, Avengers #38, Avengers World #15, Batman and Robin #36, Batman Eternal #33, Batman/Superman #16, Avengers and X-Men: Axis #6, Daredevil#10, Justice League  #36, The Multiversity: Pax Americana #1, New Avengers #26, Superman/Wonder Woman #13 and Uncanny X-Men #28.

The best comic I read last week was Justice League #36.

As has been the case in recent weeks, I read many wonderful comics. Daredevil is a book that is so consistently good, I’ve simply come to expect brilliance. It never fails to be tremendous and its portrayal of depression this month was really startling. The Multiversity: Pax Americana may actually have been the best book overall, but it is so smart and so dense that I am not sure I understood it. Seems hard to pick it as the best when I don’t know that I fully followed it.

But Justice League I followed and loved. Jason Fabok draws a very impressive Justice League. His characters are distinct from another. His heroes look like heroes and his civilians look like real people. After rising up through the ranks at DC Comics, Fabok is knocking his big shot out of the park.

I have, many times, spoken of my love of Geoff Johns’ writing, so I won’t go into that too much here. What I will say is that this book is the best team book on the market as far as I am concerned. Marvel’s Avengers and X-Men titles, while well executed, are fairly inaccessible. Other DC teams don’t feature a line up of characters readers care about top-to-bottom like Justice League boasts. And none of the other books have the “team” feel that Johns has cemented over the past few issues of this book.

I am aware that I selected Justice League last month as well. That’s how good I think this book has been of late. The first two chapters of “The Amazo Virus” have been creative and fun and have me anxiously awaiting the next installment. What more could I want from a comic?

 

And There Came A Rumor I Want To Be True!

Growing up, my favorite comic book was The New Teen Titans. Featuring a roster of DC Comics’ teen, side-kick superheroes, it likely appealed to me because the characters were close to my age. I also had a strange (yes, “strange” is the right word) fascination with Robin – the later half of “Batman and…” and Robin was the leader of this group of heroes. Yes, that Robin, the first Robin, as in Dick Grayson, the original side kick, the ward of Bruce Wayne, a character that is almost as recognizable as Superman and Batman and Spider-Man. In his green shorts and robin-red-breast tunic, Robin was the brains behind the New Teen Titans. The comic book was so popular in the 1980s, it rivaled Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men in sales. Though the X-Men have shown more staying power over the years, The New Teen Titans remains my favorite comic book of all time.

My copy of The New Teen Titans omnibus autographed by co-creator George Perez.

During the course of the series, Robin would famously fall out with Batman and change his name to Nightwing, leaving the teen side-kick role behind.  Nightwing, then, superseded Robin as my favorite character then and remains my favorite to this day.

I had the opportunity to meet the co-creator of Nightwing, Mr. George Perez, at Denver Comic Con this summer. I chatted with him for about 10 minutes while he drew a sketch of the character for me. Jovial and pleasant, Mr. Perez was such fun to be around that I will return to Denver Comic Con next year to talk with him again.

Me and Nightwing co-creator George Perez – what a very nice guy he is!

There is a rumor today that TNT (Turner Network Television) is developing an hour-long drama based on The New Teen Titans called simply Titans. You can read the story HERE.

With Gotham, The Flash and John Constantine this fall  joining the truly excellent Arrow and the respectable Agents of SHIELD on television (I will blog about Arrow in a future post, but, if you watch it, you are familiar with another of Mr. Perez’s character’s, Slade Wilson who in the comics was called Deathstroke: The Terminator), there is clearly money to be made in superhero television shows. I hope that money extends to Titans. I’d love to see it.

Comic Creator Power Rankings – Installment Three

Periodically, The Junior Senator and I will collaborate on our own Comic Writer Power Rankings for the prior month. While he and I agree on a great many things (as the Emperor would say), there are some differences of opinion and, while we will collaborate monthly on the rankings, we’ll include our distinctive comments! In the process of building the list, we’re taking into account sales data as well. Some of these dudes move a lot of comics!

And here … we … go.

Honorable Mentions

Greg Pak

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: I really cannot get into Batman/Superman. It’s not just that the story is bad (which it is), but it doesn’t feel like Pak has a feel for what is interesting about these two heroes interacting. Strangely, his new run on Action Comics is actually much better, which makes it hard to understand the sub-par Batman/Superman.

I SAY: Finally someone is putting the ʺactionʺ in Action. Easy pun. Clearly hard to do. Pak is giving us the Superman we should have had throughout the New 52. I will echo The Junior Senator on the confusion of Batman/Superman, but I am still reading.

Brian K. Vaughn

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Saga is, yet again, the best thing I read this month. Why aren’t you reading this yet?

I SAY: Back off, Junior Senator. Loan me the next trade.

Mike Allred

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: I can see why FF is going to be ending its run soon, but I hope Mike Allred gets another chance somewhere. This is still right up there with Hawkeye and Saga as the best union of writing and art.

I SAY: I am sorry to see FF end. I never picked up Allred’s X-Factor, but I can see why people raved about its tone. This comic has a terrific tone. It puts the “comic” in “comic book” in all the right ways.

Kieron Gillen

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: The second issue of this new series was good enough to keep me reading. Then again, I’m a sucker for the whole premise, so I’m an easy sell. So far, it’s much better than Gillen’s Iron Man, which I dropped very quickly.

I SAY: I am sure he’s very good.  I got nothing here, though…

Brian Wood

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: I’m really not enjoying this ʺX-Womenʺ title as much as I did at the start, but it’s still good. I’m also hoping to pick up the TPB of Wood’s Star Wars run soon, about which I’ve heard good things.

I SAY: X-Men really didn’t work for me, but I bet his Star Wars swan song for Dark Horse is very good.

TEN: Dan Slott

 

TITLES: Superior Spider-Man #22

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA:

Superior Spider-Man #8; Superior Spider-Man #10

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Because My Friend wouldn’t stop bugging me, I returned to Superior Spider-Man. It’s good, but I still don’t love it. I’m hoping that Slott really takes this character he’s created into some new direction.

I SAY: What Slott is doing in this title is really impressive. I won’t say that I don’t miss Peter Parker, I will say that I don’t think about him that much because I am loving following Octo-Spidey. This is often the first book I read. That says something.

NINE: Peter Tomasi

 

TITLES: Batman and Two-Face #25

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA:

Batman and … #26

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Sounds like there’s another Batman book I should try out.

I SAY: I love Snyder and I love what he’s doing in Batman. But Tomasi’s Batman and … which has become something of a spiritual successor to The Brave and the Bold, might be the most exciting Bat-book out there.

EIGHT: Matt Fraction

 

TITLES: Sex Criminals #3, Hawkeye #14

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA:

Hawkeye #42; Sex Criminals #109

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: What if instead of Agents of SHIELD, there were a TV show with the same tone as the Hawkeye comic? I imagine it’d be much more successful. It’s telling that my wife reads three comics, and Matt Fraction writes two of them.

I SAY: Fraction continues his anti-superhero superhero comic with Hawkeye and, monthly, it makes me sad that he’s not writing ALL the superhero comics. I want his take on Green Lantern. I want his take on Superman. Wait, it seems like I just want DC to steal him. Oh, and I read Sex Criminals #1… not exactly my cup of tea, but unlike anything I’d ever read before.

SEVEN: Jason Aaron

 

TITLES: Thor #15; Amazing X-Men #1; Wolverine & the X-Men #38;vWolverine & the X-Men Annual #1

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA:

Amazing X-Men #3; Thor #39; Wolverine & X-Men #46; Annual #51

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Amazing X-Men #1 was a great debut, and I can see why it is going to take the place of Wolverine & the X-Men in the near future. Still, both the Wolverine & the X-Men titles this month were very good, showing the wit and plotting that makes Aaron such a fun read.

I SAY: Aaron is really very, very good. His plotting is tight and his stories always have a payoff for the reader. That’s something that good comic writers remember: each issue needs a payoff. Aaron gets that and I often find myself resisting turning (digitally) right to the last page.

SIX: Mark Waid

 

TITLES: Daredevil #33; Indestructible Hulk #15; Indestructible Hulk #16

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Hulk #50; Hulk #55; Daredevil #62

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Daredevil is as strong as ever, but Hulk hasn’t grabbed me as much lately–the conclusion of the time travel story was unsatisfying. My hope is that the upcoming reboot of Daredevil gets Waid the readership he deserves.

I SAY: Waid remains at the top of his game in Daredevil. The stakes feel high here and there is not a comic on the market which has writing better suited to its art (no matter who the artist might be).The Junior Senator is right on Hulk, which feels to me like there is too much editorial oversight in the last few issues. They left it to Waid to salvage something – anything – from Age of Ultron. Even Waid couldn’t do it.

FIVE: Robert Kirkman

 

TITLES: Walking Dead #116; Walking Dead #117

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Walking Dead #14; Walking Dead #15

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: The big double-shipping event “All Out War” has begun, and it’s off to a good start. It’s early, but I hope the action that is surely coming doesn’t take away from the character moments that make this series so good.

I SAY: I know, I know, I know. I gotta be reading this. I oughta be.

FOUR: Brian Michael Bendis

 

TITLES: All-New X-Men #18; Uncanny X-Men #14; All-New X-Men #19

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA:

All-New X-Men #7; All-New X-Men #11; Uncanny X-Men #16

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: With the Battle of the Atom event over, Uncanny and All-New X-Men are more similar than ever. Bendis is good, and they’re both entertaining enough, but I can’t help but wonder how the quality would be improved if he weren’t writing so many titles/issues each month. Of course, as long as suckers like me buy them, there’s no reason for that to change.

I SAY: Ah, can we get to some developments? Some propulsion? Some forward motion? I love Bendis-Talk, but there has been so much – too much – of it lately. The Junior Senator has asked if there is now a difference between Uncanny and All New. I don’t readily see one. And the new costumes? They make me miss Quitely’s leathers.

THREE: Geoff Johns

 

TITLES: Forever Evil #3; Aquaman #25

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Forever Evil #5; Aquaman #38

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: If I’d won the Mega Millions, I would’ve added Johns’ work to my pull list. But since I didn’t…

I SAY: I care about Aquaman. I really do. That’s all due to Johns. Forever Evil is a company-wide cross-over that doesn’t feature the company’s heroes and is exciting and keeping me guessing. What Johns is doing mining DC’s history and turning concepts on their ears is really cool.

TWO: Johnathan Hickman

 

TITLES: East of West #7; Avengers #23; Infinity #6; New Avengers #12

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Infinity #6; Avengers #15; New Avengers #10; East of West #63

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Infinity (what a perfect name for a Marvel event) finally ended, and Hickman did his best to tie them all together. There are some good points for him to build off of for the future, but I was still left scratching my head at a couple points in that last issue. As My Friend likes to say, I may simply not be smart enough.

I SAY: With Infinity over, I look forward to, perhaps, a less sprawling and more accessible Avengers. I am not at all sure I’ll get that, but I can say that, when these titles slow down and the focus is on character, I see the Avengers I want to read. When it’s all wide-screen action, I get lost in the details. But I keep buying. And I keep thinking this is all very cool.

ONE: Scott Snyder

 

TITLES: Superman Unchained #4; Batman #25; The Wake #5

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Batman #1; Superman Unchained #4;

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Snyder is always strong, but this was a very good month for his titles. In particular, the huge turn in The Wake makes me very excited for the second half of that series.

I SAY: I am in love with The Wake. Though I may not understand everything that’s going on, I can sense the board strokes, I can make out the forest through the trees in a way that I never can with Hickman. Snyder knows how to engage in comics! Oh, and did I not mention Superman Unchained and Batman? Simply put: they are the best comics DC is currently publishing. These are the best comics anyone is publishing in my opinion. I’ve said it before, and I stand by it: Snyder is my number one guy.

That’s it for now! See you next time!

Comic Writer Power Rankings First Edition

Each month, The Junior Senator (find his blog HERE) and I will collaborate on our own Comic Writer Power Rankings for the prior month. Welcome to the first installment! While he and I agree on a great many things (as the Emperor would say), there are some differences of opinion and, while we will collaborate monthly on the rankings, we’ll include our distinctive comments! In the process of building the list, we’re taking into account sales data as well. Some of these dudes move a lot of comics!

And here … we … go.

Honorable Mentions

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Brian Wood, whose new ʺX-Womenʺ series is off to a good start, even if this month’s Battle of the Atom tie-in was just average. And while I’m waiting for the trade, I continue to hear good things about his Star Wars on-going.

I SAY: Peter Tomasi who made the character Damien Wayne come to life in such a way that Morrison’s final stories featuring him had more emotional punch than they would have. Additionally, his Bane issue of the Forever Evil ʺpointsʺ was truly outstanding and illustrated what the New 52 should be.

TEN: Mike Allred

TITLES: FF #12

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: FF (#124)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Lee Allred deserves credit for picking up where Fraction left off on this title. It probably helps that he’s working with his brother doing the art, but the tone that made this such a fun, quirky title seems to have (so far) continued.

I SAY: There is no art that says ʺcomic bookʺ to me more than Allred’s. His writing is in line with that reaction. I eagerly await his Fraction-less take on FF, not that I haven’t enjoyed Fraction here. I have very much. If he’s been an influence thus far – and I believe that he has – we’re in for a treat.

NINE: Matt Fraction

TITLES: Satellite Sam #3, Sex Criminals #1

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Sex Criminals (#54) and Satellite Sam (#182)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Two months ago, I might’ve called Fraction my favorite writer, with his work on Hawkeye, Fantastic Four, and FF, plus my reading his old run on Iron Man. Now? Sex Criminals was pretty good (a strange sentence to write), but I just haven’t gotten into Satellite Sam yet, and we were without any Hawkguy for the entire month.

I SAY: Hey, Hawkguy? Where be you? Fraction is terrific (and I am a sucker for his personal life being married to fellow scribe Kelly Sue deConnick) but I need MORE. NOW! The independent stuff … I am trying to get into it, but am waiting for The Junior Senator to say “do it.”

EIGHT: Greg Pak

TITLES: Batman/Superman #23.1 – Doomsday

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Batman/Superman (#21)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: I only read two of DC’s 23.x issues–this and the Joker. This Doomsday issue was actually decent, and Pak deserves credit for what I think is shaping up to be a strong series.

I SAY: What Pak has done at Marvel is well documented and I am loving what he’s doing with Batman/Superman. It’s a compelling, if a bit confusing, take on the icons.

SEVEN: Brian K. Vaughn

TITLES: Saga #12

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Saga (#26)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Rare is the month when Saga isn’t the best comic I read. If it were up to me, of course, I’d have it nearer the top, but since my compatriot won’t read anything ʺindepedent,ʺ here we are. Still, issue #12 was really great, and as always I don’t think there’s a better blend of writing and art.

I SAY: I have to defer to The Junior Senator on this one… but the trades I’ve read of Saga are really, really good. I am trying!

SIX: Scott Snyder

TITLES: The Wake #4

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: The Wake (#88)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Snyder will usually be much higher for me, but he took the month off of Batman. Still, The Wake has been very good, and I’m surprised at how much I continue to enjoy it, only because I wouldn’t normally consider ʺhorrorʺ to be my genre.

I SAY: Snyder is my number one guy right now. Who else can handle both Batman and Superman as well? Who else could get me into an ʺindependentʺ comic like The Wake? Answer: no one.

FIVE: Jason Aaron

TITLES: Thor #13, Wolverine and the X-Men #36

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Thor (#25), Wolverine and the X-Men (#39)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Aaron’s contribution to the Battle of the Atom event was nothing special, but the problems are mostly the same as with all the other writers in that event. Thor’s new arc, conveniently starring the same antagonist as the new movie, is off to a good start.

I SAY: I was underwhelmed by the latest arc of Wolverine and the X-Men, but Aaron’s been so consistently good, he deserves the recognition.

FOUR: Geoff Johns

TITLES: Forever Evil #1, Aquaman #23, Aquaman #23.2

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Forever Evil (#1), Aquaman (#61, #159)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: I will try not to repeat this same comment every month, but I just don’t read much DC, and nothing from the Justice League family, including this new event. I enjoy getting the summaries from my compatriot every week though.

I SAY: In my mind Johns is about to leap higher… once we’re done with the Forever Evil ʺpointʺ issues and we’re deeper into Forever Evil and Justice League, we’ll see Johns change the DC Universe. Again. I might even forgive him for unmasking Nightwing.

THREE: Mark Waid

TITLES: Daredevil #31, Indestructible Hulk #13

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Daredevil (#60) Hulk (#47)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Waid writes the most consistently great comic (Daredevil) and another consistently good one (Hulk). I only wish he were writing more popular characters to get the recognition–and sales–he deserves. By quality alone, he should be in the top three every month.

I SAY: The only thing on our list keeping Waid at #3 – as far as I am concerned – is his numbers which are criminally low. No one knows more comic history than Waid and no one distills it better in his writing. To call his take on Daredevil “loving” is an understatement. He loved this character back to life after some terrible stories. He’s working similar magic on the Hulk.

TWO: Brian Michael Bendis

TITLES: All New X-Men #16, Battle of the Atom #1, Uncanny X-Men #12, Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #27

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: All New X-Men (#12), Battle of the Atom (#4), Uncanny X-Men (#16), Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man (#81)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: If my problem with Hickman is that his stories are too big, Bendis is the opposite: he’s telling small stories (which is his strength), but trying to draw them out to big events. Battle of the Atom started out strong, but is already feeling a bit… padded.

I SAY: Bendis is wordy, no doubt. He can cram more words in a panel than anyone. He gives good events (bracketing Age of Ultron). This is a good event. Not great, but good enough for #2. And his creation of the Miles Morales Spider-Man from the Ultimate Universe has, surprisingly, been under the radar recently. It shouldn’t be.

ONE: Johnathan Hickman

TITLES: Infinity #2, Avengers #19, Infinity #3, Avengers #20, East of West #6

DIAMOND DISTRIBUTORS SALES DATA: Infinity (#2, #3), Avengers (#9, #17), New Avengers (#10), East of West (#77, #1 Trade Paperback)

THE JUNIOR SENATOR SAYS: Hickman is far from my favorite writer, but I’m starting to warm up to both Infinty and East of West. Plus, it’s hard to ignore those sales numbers.

I SAY: I will grant my friend the sales numbers here. They are what put Hickman over the top to the Number One position this month. My only caveat: I feel like a pretty smart guy (the stating of which ʺfactʺ probably betrays that I am not) and I don’t always understand Hickman. I think I like him a lot, though.

That’s if for this month! See you next time!