Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Halftime Report: 2017 Comics

2016 was an absolutely magical year for comics. Even if you were a Marvel fan for the back half of the year or a DC fan for the first half of the year, on the whole 2016 proved to be one hell of a year in terms of revitalizing both DC and Marvel for some of their stranger characters or concepts. Valiant and Image continued to see creative success, last year in particular for Valiant with Ninjak and the two “Divinity” series. So, now that the year is halfway done, how is 2017 holding up? In short: pretty damn well.

                With a much bigger push toward “legacy” and continuing the ideas that what their characters represent actually matters, both Marvel and DC have made attempts at getting back to the core of their books and evaluating their characters. Sure, over at Marvel’s side it doesn’t seem that way considering how Captain America still exists in his own reality of being the leader of HYDRA, and some would argue that DC is ripping apart the legacy of Watchmen by incorporating Dr. Manhattan as a primary antagonist for all of reality. But given the stories surrounding the situations, it’s really hard to complain.

                Secret Empire is an offensive idea to many people, and I understand. I understand completely. I won’t say the story surrounding this is fantastic, either, but writer Nick Spencer has crafted this complete villain in Steve Rogers that stands as a threat in every panel he’s in. There’s mystery and intrigue to what his next move will be. Captain America: Steve Rogers hasn’t had the best sales, indicating lower readership, but given Secret Empire’s numbers it’s clear that this is many peoples’ first exposure to Hydra Cap. I’d say he’s doing well at giving people a reason to listen the story he wants to tell. There’s a commentary going on in the book that goes beyond the expected political commentary—it speaks to the nature of modern superhero comics.

The best entry of the series to date, Secret Empire #4, shows Hank Pym as Ultron (or, as better known, Pymtron) trying to reunite the Avengers through a classic dinner. Despite the fact that he’s returned to Earth with a giant army that’s taken over most of the Arctic, Pymtron doesn’t want to attack them because there’s no point. All the heroes do nowadays is attack each other. And you know what? He’s perfectly right. The reason he got fully transformed into Pymtron during the events of Uncanny Avengers, which I reviewed, is because he hated what the Unity Squad and Avengers had become. They were cruel to each other, and couldn’t stop fighting. While a clear commentary to all the super hero vs. super hero action of last year (see Civil War II and Inhumans vs. X-Men), it’s also funny that it’s one of the universe’s greatest villains that’s crying out for the super heroes to just be super heroes again. Clever that Spencer would make the voice of the fans a maniacal robot.

                But beyond that, what I’ve seen from Marvel this year has leaned a bit more toward the creative side. Everyone thought the reboot of the X-Men would be terrible and boring and would just continue the trend of crappy X-titles, but in reality, X-Men Blue has been well-received and the other books are, on the whole, better than what they’d previously been. I haven’t read it yet (I’m waiting for a big collection), but I’ve heard my boys Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino have been killing it on Old Man Logan. 
                I’ve been pretty satisfied by what I’m reading, too. Moon Knight is once again a comic of the year contender, with a brilliant and emotional finale that lobs a nice pitch toward the next creative team that wants to take the mantle. Expect to see Moon Knight #14 on an end of the year list on my end. Hawkeye is also as good as I thought it would be given how the book premiered back in December. Kelly Thompson knows how to give a strong voice to Kate Bishop, who is a pretty strong character in her own right.

                And while I haven’t read much of anything regarding Jason Aaron’s “Thor” stuff (unless you count what Original Sin did for the Odinson back in 2014), I did thoroughly enjoy Unworthy Thor, which started last year but wrapped back in March. It was a pretty brutal tale that sets up a dangerous battle down the road for both Thor and the Odinson, and left us on a really nice cliffhanger that makes you wonder who the next big villain may be. Plus, it’s always great to have Beta Ray Bill star in a comic.

                Over on DC’s side, I think everyone can agree that “The Button” was just what we needed as a one-year anniversary for the “Rebirth” initiative. Batman #21, the first part where Batman encounters the Reverse Flash in the Batcave, is so far my comic of the year. It was visceral, exciting, done in a very Watchmen-like style, and highlighted the strengths of storytelling in a comic format. The art was strong, the writing even stronger, and it left us on one heck of a note for the remainder of the crossover. The finale, featuring the return of some old faces and promising a change in status quo for Batman, was also excellent, and confirmed that, indeed, Dr. Manhattan will have a role to play in “Rebirth” going forward.

                I haven’t been keeping up all that much with Tom King’s Batman and am making a concerted effort to catch up as fast as the stuff appears on Hoopla. But, I did start reading Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason’s Superman with the announcement of “Superman: Reborn” and WOW that book is amazing. It’s not Superman: American Alien levels of awesome, but it’s the Supermancomic that DC has been needing on a monthly basis. Superman is more about the family and the farm aspects of the character, whereas Action Comics is more about the “super” elements of things.

                I really enjoyed “Superman Reborn.” I loved the villain choice and while there was a rushed finale, it left us with a great many mysteries and helped highlight the importance of Jonathan Kent in the world of “Rebirth.” There was even a Tim Drake cameo, so you know I’m down for that. Even before that, I thought “Multiplicity” was a strong arc, featuring the return of the Justice League Incarnate from The Multiversity and showing the new Superman interact with characters at a level far beyond anyone else has in “Rebirth” so far.Superman has definitely brought Clark Kent and Lois Lane back into the universe in a proper way and is a joy to read every other week when it comes out.

                The Flash has probably been the most consistent book I’m reading from D.C. Superman and Detective Comics tend to fluctuate in quality, with some issues being “wow that’s awesome!” and others being “ehhhhh let’s just get to the end.” The Flashhasn’t had a particularly bad issue, but it usually doesn’t have issues that go beyond “great.” The Flash #16, featuring the return of Captain Cold in a major way, has been my favorite issue of the year from the series, and maybe one of my favorite comics to have read this year. It was just fun, it was The Flash is meant to be. I had a joy reading it, and I’ve been looking for an issue like it since. The most recent issue at the time of this writing, The Flash #24, came close, as Barry Allen and Hal Jordan had a heart-to-heart, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Reverse Flash practically disabling young Wally West.

                Another comic I’m enjoying, but I’m not sure why, is The Wild Storm, as a part of the big initiative from DC to reinvent the line. Warren Ellis is definitely bringing his creative voice to the series, but outside the first two issues I haven’t been all that impressed with what’s been going on. It’s slowed up significantly compared to that epic single page transformation back in the first issue. Maybe it’s because it’s a monthly that requires lots of detail, and it seems like DC is putting books out every time I step out the door. But, still, I’m impressed with their ability to reinvent practically an entire world in just a single comic.

                Surprisingly, like really surprisingly, I think the best DC book I’m reading is Green Arrow. By the time I fully catch up with Batman that may change, but the art I’m seeing from Batman isn’t quite what it is with Green Arrow. Otto Schmidt and Benjamin Percy just click, I can’t explain it. Schmidt brings the characters to live in a way that hasn’t really been seen since before the New 52 (Sorrentino did his own thing, but it wasn’t as vibrant or exciting as this). And Percy’s crafting a truly epic story for the character, constantly beating down Oliver even when it looks like he’ll get out of a situation relatively unscathed.

                Plus, Green Arrow has had tons of consequences the likes of which I haven’t been seeing in the other books I’m reading. Emiko has finally adopted her codename, assuming the vacant Red Arrow role. Roy Harper has returned and is mending, slowly, his relationship with Oliver Queen while also revealing a previous history with Chesire (Lian confirmed?), and Oliver and Black Canary have had a relationship on ice for a while now. It just feels like the stakes are constantly at an all-time high for the character, and while “Rise of Star City” wrapped pretty quick, “Emerald Outlaw” was an incredible story arc filled with tension, drama, and pretty sweet action. It’s definitely the best part of Percy’s arc with the Ninth Circle, and probably the best story since “Outsider’s War.”

                In the world of indie comics, Ninjak came to a close after a kind of soft year. “Seven Servants of Master Darque” wasn’t incredible, but it wasn’t bad and was a good read every month for the Ninjak and Roku dynamic. I enjoyed seeing them try to mend their relationship only for them to accept that it would be impossible to make it work out. I’ve only gotten to read the first issue ofRapture and it seems like it won’t be on par with previous summer Valiant events, but will be fun.

                HOWEVER.

                I think I can say firmly that, as of this writing, X-O Manowar is my series of the year. It’s only been three issues, but what Matt Kindt and Tomas Giorello have done with the character is nothing short of spectacular. This is a comic that requires little to no knowledge on the previous adventures of Aric of Dacia. This is a hard science fiction war epic with good writing, great characters, and the best art of any comic I’m reading right now.

                Every panel of Giorello’s art I could frame and not be disappointed. He brings to life this brand new corner of the Valiant Universe and almost makes it seem easy. All the new creatures and areas that have never been seen I’m just buying and getting into because of how well he draws them and brings them to life. Any character that looks the same as another is done on purpose. The only reason I get confused is because we’re introduced to a squadron of rogue soldiers in a single issue, but even then, they all have distinct personalities that help define their roles in the story. If you’re looking for an excellent science fiction story, filled to the brim with action, get your hands on X-O Manowar this instant.

                Sometimes I wonder why I read Image books because they’re not often very long and it get really sad when they end. Green Valley is one of those cases. Max Landis and Giuseppe Camuncoli created a really fun fantasy world with very unique elements that made this one of the most fun reads every month. The villain was memorable, the premise was fantastic, and it ended on a strangely satisfying note. Given how dark and bitter the rest of the book had been, it was nice to realize that this story was really all about friendship and the depths one has to go sometimes to believe in one’s self. It was very endearing, definitely another contender for book of the year.

                Injection made it’s long awaited return for me, and boy am I having a blast. The first arc was a neat introduction to the world, but with the previous arc dealing with cannibals and this arc dealing with freaky ghosts beneath Stonehenge, I can’t wait to see what else Ellis, Declan Shalvey, and Jordie Bellaire have planned for us. I’m not sure if it’s possible for this team to create a bad comic, and I don’t think we’ll ever find out given how great they’re pulling off this absolutely insane concept. It’s not a book for everyone, and it’s probably best read as a collection, but Injection is almost too strange to be believed without reading.

                The last book I’ll take about is one that’s added new elements to the lore of the franchise, probably non-canon, but damn it if it isn’t really cool. Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers has introduced an evil, older, tyrannical version of Tommy Oliver, the original Green/ White Power Ranger, in the form of Lord Drakkon, who has the sickest Power Rangers villain costume this side of Lord Zedd. It’s clear that this is setting up Tommy inheriting the White Ranger powers, but it’s doing so in such a fun way. It’s giving Billy and Tommy, two characters that would last the longest of the original Rangers, a harrowing adventure in a darker world while also shows the original Rangers fight off Rita Repulsa at her strongest yet without their powers! If you’re looking for an exciting story featuring the Power Rangers after the movie, definitely come check out the comic.

                And besides some one-shot stories I haven’t mentioned, like the really good Secret Empire Free Comic Book Day story (with just the most frightening and coolest images on the final page), or the super fun Dark Days: The Forge #1, that’s basically 2017 in a nutshell. It’s just been a crazy and oddly emotional year for me with my comic books. There hasn’t been a week where I’ve thought “oh, okay, I guess I’ll read my books.” No, even when they’re not as good, I still want to read them and see where the stories are going.

                And there are many more comics I want to read that I just didn’t get the chance to! I’m trying to catch up on Titans and I’m going to read “The Lazarus Contract” crossover when it gets collected. I’ll soon be catching up on Ultimates 2 and the insanity going on there (seriously, it sounds like this is some of the biggest Marvel cosmic stuff in years and nobody is paying attention to it).

                So, as it stands, here’s what we’re looking at:
                
Top 3 Comic Series (as of June 2017):

1.            X-O Manowar
2.            Green Valley
3.            Green Arrow

Top 3 Comic Issues

1.            Batman #21
2.            Moon Knight #14
3.            X-O Manowar #1

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