Why, yes, we do. Many of them. So many, I’ve realized that my previous efforts to record and rate all of them were futile — not to mention prone to leaving even more big stacks of comics down in the family room.
So here are a few from the past few weeks that I heartily recommend. They should still be in stores if you missed them.
Sojourn (#11, June 2002, Crossgen) continues to be one of the most beautiful books on the market. Our Heroes have managed to talk a dragon into helping them on their quest against Mordath. Rather than building their strength further, not to mentioning their quest for the five fragments of Ayden’s Arrow, they decide to attack, figuring, hey, how could the most powerful evil sorcerer in the world be a match for a dragon.
Er …
Marz telegraphs his plot from a ways away, but that’s okay, because it’s decent enough. Greg Land’s art (inked by Drew Geraci) overcomes any measure of clumsiness in story. I’d love to own any page from this book.
Mike Mignola’s taken a brief break from Hellboy with The Amazing Screw-On Head (#1, May 2002, Dark Horse). Take Hellboy, throw in a bit of Tim Burton Pee-Wee Herman (with the inevitable Danny Elfman soundtrack) , and that’s what you’d get here. Surreal horror that, through its non sequiturs, becomes a curiosity piece, something on display from the Ripley’s museum. Weird stuff, and if you like that side of the Hellboy adventures, it’s the weird stuff for you.
Bendis and Oeming continue to take Powers (#20, no date, Image) off in new direction. Officer Walker breaks his silence, and looks to have lost his job, over the FG-3 scandal, only to get some help from an unexpected quarter. A monthly must-read.
I can’t decide if Noble Causes (#3, May 2002, Image) is annoying soap opera or inspired soap opera. Jay Faerber crosses the Fantastic Four (on one of their more contentious days) with the Kennedy clan, and mixes well with the cast of Dynasty, so that’s what you’ve got, with the “nat” widow of one of the Nobles acting as the fish-out-of-water element to give it all perspective. This one might be worth waiting for the inevitable trade paperback, but it’s been more entertaining than than annoying so far.
Way of the Rat (#1, June 2002, Crossgen) does the best job ever of giving us a Jackie Chan movie, successfully, in comic book form. Amazing. This pseudo-China, with its mysterious magic, mysterious assassins, and mysterious talking monkey, is a perfect setting for the master burglar (the Chan role) to get stuck with a mysterious ring of power and mysterious scroll of bad stuff, and so become the target of a bunch of mysterious forces that want them all back, whether the Rat lives or not.
Chuck Dixon does the writing, with Jeff Johnson and Tom Ryder on the pencils and inks. Lovely stuff. On my list of things to loan to folks.
The Authority (#29, July 2002, Wildstorm) wraps up with a small bang, as the Good Guys finally win. The End. I’ve enjoyed this book immensely at times, but it may have outlived its purpose, as the idea of metahumans who decide the rules don’t apply to them any more in affecting world affairs seems now … well, dated, the franchise diluted within Wildstorm and outside as well. Mark Millar rescues the last of the “imprisoned” Authority members, kicks serious butt on the remaining bad guys, and wraps up with a slightly self-referential homily, aided by Gary Erskine’s fine art.
Bill Willingham seems to have found the niche he needs to let his creative juices flow in a reliable fashion — the DC Vertigo realm. And he’s on a roll with the first issue of Fables (#1, July 2002, Vertigo). Various members of old fairy tales live in New York, exiled from the storybook realms by some mysterious force. They’re governed by Snow White who, with the Big Bad Wolf, must now discover what happened to her wayward sister, Rose Red. Biting satire and appropriate tweaking of fairy tales ensue, setting up what looks to be a good, long series. Willingham has never worked well — make that consistently and reliably — on his own. In the last year or so he’s found good success doing work for Vertigo. Which is fine to see, because he’s been a long-term favorite of mine.
UPDATE: Here’s three more:
The art has improved immensely on Elektra (#10, July 2002, Marvel), under Joe Bennett’s ministrations, but Greg Rucka’s writing is just as solid as ever. This “day in the life” story of what Elektra’s like when she’s not on assignment is fascinating, violent and not just a bit scary. Especially since there are some long-term ramifications for our anti-hero.
Speaking of scary, Strange Killings (#2, April 2002, Avatar) is just that, as Warren Ellis’ tale of an MI.6 sorcerer is just as bloody and twisted as you would expect from the writer. Mike Wolfer’s black and white art is straightforward, and so all the more starkly horrific for it.
The new Green Lantern TPB, “Circle of Fire,” was the beginning of Judd Winnick’s examination of what it means to have a ring that can make your imagination and will into whatever the bearer wants. Reprinting a series from the summer of 2000, it’s the first solid sign that Winnick had the Kyle Raynor character in hand, and that Kyle, no matter what the hardcore Hal Jordan fans maintain, is a worthy successor to the ring. It also foreshadows, in various ways, the recent Ion saga. Good stuff, also on the Loaner List.