2012 Graphic Novels of the Year

2012 was an epic year of comics reading for me.  In what was probably my most voracious year of reading ever, I managed to read a grand total of sixty-three graphic novels!  Definitely the most comics I've ever read in my life, and there was lots of quality too.  Picking out the titles for list was pretty tough, and there's a lot of great stuff that I read that won't get mentioned.  As always, there's a mix of the new and the not so new on the list here, that's just how I do it here at Battle Hymns.

2012 GRAPHIC NOVELS OF THE YEAR:

#5. Orc Stain: Take some incredibly detailed art, a crazy cast of characters, a hilarious plot, and a fantasy world where orc penis is the main currency, and you not only get the genius wonder-comic that is Orc Stain, but you also get the fifth best comic I read all year.

One glimpse of this comic which was written, illustrated, colored, lettered, and all that good stuff by the one-man comic machine that is James Stokoe and it's easy to see that you are holding something perfectly unique, and wonderfully creative.  There simply isn't anything else like Orc Stain.  Stokoe's art is stunning in it's level of detail, and it's beauty.  He just draws awesome stuff.  Orc Stain is also a hell of a lot of fun to read, as it is hilarious, and creative, and well written. Stokoe pretty much hit this one out of the park. This is an all around gem that will make your life more awesome.  Read it.

#4. King City: A couple years back I came across a couple single issues of King City and instantly fell in love with the art.  All twelve single issues were more or less impossible to track down at that point, so I resigned myself to waiting for the trade to come out.  And boy did it ever come out. When Image released King City, they collected all twelve issues in one thick volume and priced it at the bargain price of $20.

That's by far the best fucking deal you'll find on any shelf.

King City is another work of comics genius.  Brandon Graham, who is pretty much my comic creating hero of 2012, delivers the goods here as writer and artist. His story follows a "catmaster" who can do a number of amazing feats with his cat.  As per usual with Brandon Graham material, the story flows organically, the characters seem like people you know, and there's a heavy dose of puns.  Additionally, Graham makes this one of the more beautiful comics on the shelves with breathtaking art, pages you want to stare at for hours, and mini-games included right on the pages; a recipe for one phenomenal comic.  Just writing about King City makes me want to go grab it off my shelf again and read it.

#3. By This Shall You Know Him: It was the cosmic, geometrical, swirly, floaty art that initially drew me towards this comic, but it was the story and that drew me in.  Becoming fully engaged with both the art and the story of By This Shall You Know Him is a true pleasure and an experience that has stuck with me since I read it back in mid-October.

I've never read something quite like By This Shall You Know Him, and I sort of hope that I don't, as this comic felt like a wholly original piece of art.  I've never seen such layerd or textured illustration like this. Not to mention, the combination of art and writing evoked this really interesting cosmic feeling that you probably can't get without the use of drugs. This was one of my first indie-somewhat-underground-comic reads and I feel like I've been opened up a whole new world of wonder.  This is an absolutely unforgettable comic, an instant classic in my book.

#2. Skyscrapers of the Midwest: There's so much to love about this comic.  Like any top five graphic novel of the year, it has great art, and great writing.  That's a given, but the emotions artist/writer Joshua Cotter was able to evoke is what really impressed me with this graphic novel.

The highlights of such emotional evocation came when Joshua Cotter managed to perfectly capture so much of the experiences, emotions, and wild imaginings of childhood.  I was blown away with the numerous times where he perfectly captured and articulated complex childhood feelings; feelings that in some shape or form everyone experiences.  On top of that Cotter captures the awkward, the bizarre, the sad, the tradgic, the embarrassing, and also the hilariousness that comes with moving from childhood into adolescence.  This is flat out on impressive work of art, one that has stuck with me, and one that I've been recommending to anyone who's willing to listen.  I laughed, I cried, and I even wrote a fan e-mail to the writer/artist. (That should say something!) This is a comic I treasure.

#1. The Underwater Welder: If you know me, and know my comics tastes, then this probably won't come as much of a surprise.  Much like my Comics of the Year post, my most anticipated graphic novel became my most favorite graphic novel.

Jeff Lemire told me a year prior to this release that The Underwater Welder was shaping up to be the comics work of which he was most proud and I can see why.  Though he's responsible for some absolutely great comics, this one stands out as his best both in terms of art, and writing.  Lemire utilizes two distinct art styles here, which help to add to the emotional impact of the story.  As a monthly reader of his comic Sweet Tooth it was cool to see how Lemire adapted his art to a different story.

As usual with Lemire's work, his story is one that packs an emotional wallop, and I can definitely see that this is a story that I'll come back to at various stages of my life and gain new insights and experience different emotions each time I read it.  Any story that can be read over and over and offer new things each time is a treasure and Lemire has created one of my all-time favorite comics with The Underwater Welder.  Lemire is one of the very best writers of our generation and The Underwater Welder is his finest work yet.

Most Honorable Mention:

Batman Snow: Despite Batman Year 100 coming onto the scene later in the year, I gotta give the nod to Batman Snow as my favorite "mainstream" read of the year.  This one gets the edge because the story packed more of an emotional punch.  A great Mr. Freeze story, coupled with some ridiculously fun art.

Ghost World: This comic impressed me with it's cross-generational appeal and with the fact that it's a work that is a cultural touchstone.  It was also a great gateway drug for me towards reading more indie-comics.  It also provided a great look at how to masterfully intertwine art and writing so that the two seem indistinguishable from one another once into the flow of the narrative.


So there you go, my 2012 Graphic Novels of the Year.  A pretty amazing list of work.  There's some heavy hitters on there, and a couple of pleasant surprises.  All told, I had an awesome year of comics reading.  There's lots more good stuff unread on my shelves too, so next year should be equally great.

So, how about some outside input? What stuff did Battle Hymns readers read this year that you loved? Anything you'd like to see me cover? Chime in with comments!

2012 Comics of the Year

2012 was easily my best year of comics reading yet.  Not only did I read a ton of great comics, but I honed my tastes further and branched out in new directions. The result being that I was rewarded with some amazing gems.  Scarily, my comics reading pile continues to grow; I think I have enough comics to last me the next couple years...

As always, I read my fair share of both floppy single issues and collected editions, or as they're more commonly known: graphic novels.  My 2012 Comics of the Year list covers just the former, the single issue stuff, and there was so much good stuff it was pretty hard to choose just the top five.

TOP 5 COMICS OF 2012:

#5. Prophet: Prophet has been one of my favorite monthly titles this year and a big reason is the sheer variety of talent that Brandon Graham has brought together for this title.  Ever since issue one (or technically issue 21), there's been a smorgasbord of talented artists associated with this comic.  Though the main players have primarily been Graham, Simon Roy, and Giannis Milonogiannis, there have been plenty of other awesome folks getting credits for this title. The result is that I've had the wonderful pleasure of being exposed to some amazing talent along the way.  Farel Dalrymple stands out as an artist who has worked on this book and impressed me greatly with his talent.

On top of all the great artistic talent associated with this comic, the story has been incredibly entertaining and intriguing.  Any week where there's an issue of Prophet is a special week.  Graham and company have created an absolutely fascinating universe to set their story in, and I love the feeling of discovery and exploration that comes with each issue.

The icing on the cake for Prophet is that each issue comes with a back-up short comic, and all of these have been fantastic. The back-up Shock Post by Malachi Ward and Matt Sheean stands out as one of the best comics I read all year.  Awesome, awesome stuff.

#4. Fatale: The combo of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips is one of my favorite comic creating duos.  When these guys are together they create fantastic comics.  They did a couple of super powered spy stories in Sleeper and Incognito, then some straight up crime with their Criminal stories.  Their latest work is Fatale  a sort of crime-Lovecraftian mash up.  

I'll admit I wasn't totally enamored with this comic from the get go. I liked what I was reading, but I wasn't totally feeling it. I had enough faith and past experience with Brubaker and Phillips to keep plugging away and sure enough, everything congealed in the fifth issue.  We're two story arcs in now, the second of which was fantastic, and Fatale was an easy pick for this top five list.  

There's an awesome blend of horror and crime going on in this comic, a mix we don't see too often, and I think fans of both genres will find plenty to like here.  

#3. Godzilla The Half Century War: Despite the fact that I love monsters, I can't say that I've ever really been a Godzilla fan.  Well, that all changed earlier this year when James Stokoe started working on Godzilla The Half Century War.  

This is one amazing comic.  

It's amazing for lots of reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is that this is almost completely Stokoe's vision.  He does the writing, art, and lettering.  The only thing he doesn't completely himself is the coloring, and he gets "coloring assists" from someone, so he still has a hand in that aspect of the book as well.  That's an amazing amount of work to put into a comic, but the pay-off is great as there is no loss of vision along the way.  

This is one absolutely gorgeous comic too.  Stokoe is definitely one of my favorite artists, and his work here is some of his best.  His stuff is always hyper-detailed, and that skill is put to amazing use here as you really get a feel for the destruction and mayhem Godzilla can cause when he wrecks shop.  Add in some fucking phenomenal monster fights and Godzilla The Half Century War is probably the best treat for your eyes on the shelves. Oh, the story is pretty flippin' great too! A must read for any comics fan.

#2. Multiple Warheads: 2012 was the year of Brandon Graham in the comics world.  His King City stuff got recollected and republished, His amazing re-imagining of a Rob Liefeld comic, Prophet came out, and to top it all off, he started releasing his Multiple Warheads mini-series.  That's a pretty impressive output, but even more impressive is the incredibly high quality of it all...most impressive of all though is that fact that Multiple Warheads makes this list with a mere three issues worth of material on the shelves.    

Multiple Warheads, is completely a Brandon Graham entity as he handles all the comic creating duties: writing, art, colors and lettering.  To put it simply, Graham is a comic creating powerhouse of unique vision and artistic talent.  His comics simply aren't like anyone else's.  In fact, it almost seems like a deliberate effort is being made by Graham to not be like anyone else.  

And I love it.  

His stories meander, follow interesting paths until they are no longer interesting, then find another path to follow until something else comes up.  Along the way the reader is treated to some really beautiful art, and a boat-load of puns and jokes.  The misogynist parlor joke being my favorite so far.  Multiple Warheads is a shining example of how much fun comics can be, and I love and am grateful for every panel of every page.

 #1. Saga: It's not often that my most anticipated title becomes my most favorite, but that's exactly what happened here.  Saga stepped onto the scene back in March, and it has been absolutely top of the line ever since.  Frankly, I'm a bit surprised that a space opera about star-crossed lovers on the run could impress me so much, but it did. I love this story and I love these characters...with the exception of The Stalk, she scares the shit out of me!

What's impressive is that I can't point to either the writing or the art as the primary culprit of quality.  Both aspects are so wonderfully connected and work so well together that they seem to flow into one another. Granted, both the writing and the art are top of the line, and Fiona Staples has got to be the best discovery of the year for me, but it is impossible to talk about one without the other working the way into the conversation.  Simply said, Saga is a great example of how comics should work, how the art and the writing should be a combined effort.  

Month in and month out this has consistently been the best written and best looking comic on the shelves, and honestly, despite so many other really great comics, an easy pick for the number one spot.  

Most Honorable Mention: 

Sweet Tooth: Despite all the nice things I said about the comics above, Sweet Tooth is still my favorite monthly comic.  It hasn't had a dip in quality either, I simply didn't put it in the top five because I've covered it so extensively here at Battle Hymns.  I will be really fucking sad when the last issue comes out in January.  

The Sixth Gun: Another flat out fantastic comic which only gets better as the issues go by.  The fantasy-western combo has found it's home here.

Best Single Issue of 2012:

Stumptown Vol 2. #4: Holy fuck, this is an amazing comic!  This beauty gets top billing for one big reason: the best flippin' car chase scene in a comic ever. 

First, a little side story: Seattle has a bunch of drawbridges, which are really cute looking but it sucks to be stuck at one in your car while the wings raise up to let some rich prick in his yacht motor through on his way to a day of sailing. I've always thought about how cool it would be if someone just said "fuck it" and used the raising wings as a ramp to jump to the other side rather than waiting. 

It turns out Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth have had the exact same thoughts, because that very scene, among many others that were amazing, plays out in this comic.

Ahh, wish fulfillment, even vicarious wish fulfillment, can be a wonderful thing

This issue would not have been such a success without the talents of Matthew Southworth. He not only made me feel like I was watching cars scream by me at break-neck speeds, but he also played around with the format of the comic so that when the cars turned, you had to physically turn the comic in order to continue on with the story.  This was a really cool concept, and brought me closer to the action. 

I don't think I've ever had such an overwhelming sense of fun and excitement while reading a comic.  A singularly great issue and an easy pick for best single issue of the year.

So there you go, my best comics of the year. Image almost completely swept the category.  What stuff did you folks read that you thought were deserving of mention?  

Comic Quickies: Let the Phantasmagoria Commence

The Zaucer of Zilk #1: Wanna talk about a book that leaps off the shelves? It was hard to not notice The Zaucer of Zilk when I walked into the comic shop a few weeks ago.  With a cover more vivid than the technicolor dreamcoat, I just had to pick this up and flip through it.  The inside of the comic was on par with the cover, and the art style was certainly eye-catching and offered up some incredibly psychedelic and mind-bending illustrations. (My lady said it looked like one of her old Lisa Frank stickers!)  The art seemed to be completely different from anything else on the shelves, so I decided to pick it up and give it a read.

The Zaucer of Zilk is co-written and illustrated by Brendan McCarthy, a guy whose writing is as far out as his art.  The story follows a young man who wanders into a candy shop, steals some candy, eats it, and winds up in a strange, psychedelic fantasy land where he holds the noble title of Zaucer of Zilk.  Along with a magical wand and some strange companions, The Zaucer finds himself caught in an elaborate trap set up by his enemy, the Errol of Raine, who's trying to steal the Zaucer's magic wand.  Along the way a lot of really strange, weird and oddball shit goes on.

The Zaucer of Zilk has got to be the weirdest thing I've ever read in my life, yet it was still pretty entertaining.  McCarthy can draw some really weird shit, but I gotta say, I enjoyed taking my time with the art and soaking it all in.  Just out of sheer curiosity, I'll be looking forward to seeing what happens next with the Zaucer.

Godzilla The Half Century War #3: I don't claim to be a Godzilla fan, which is kinda strange given my affinity for monsters, but god damn, James Stokoe has created one absolutely amazing Godzilla comic.  You don't have to look any further than the cover to know that you'll be getting some absolutely amazing artwork when you buy this comic, but you're also getting a really amazing story.

Stokoe's story follows a team of soldiers who specialize in trying to reduce the amount of death and destruction Godzilla wreaks whenever and wherever he happens to pop up across the globe.  He doesn't come around all that often, but when he does, the AMF is there. So far Godzilla has cropped up in WWII Japan, Vietnam during the Vietnam war, and In this issue, in Accra, Ghana in 1975.  In fact, a shit ton of other monsters are on hand as well, and they all appear to be drawn there by some sort of homing beacon.

Everything is dialed up to eleven in this issue, the monster fights, action, destruction, and incredible art are all off the chain here.  Stokoe pretty much puts on a clinic for how to make a fucking incredible comic.  There's more going on in one splash page here then most other comics combined.  Reading Godzilla The Half Century War is a treat.

Multiple Warheads #1:  Rounding out this comic quickies where amazing art rules the day, is Brandon Graham's latest, Multiple Warheads.  This dude was very impressive with King City, and his work on Prophet has been awesome as well.  A year ago, I had never read a single thing by the guy and now I'd easily place him as one of my top five favorite comic creators.

Multiple Warheads is a comic I've been eagerly awaiting for a while now, especially since Graham handles all the comic creating tasks, and I've been eager to see him unleash his comic creating skills on a title that is 100% his own.

Well, my wish was granted.  This first issue of Multiple Warheads weighs in at a whopping 48 pages of Brandon Graham comic-creatin' genius.  The story follows a young couple, Sexica and Nikoli who are on a road trip together after their home was destroyed in a bombing.  Sexica was once an organ smuggler, and sewed a werewolf penis on poor Nikoli.  Now he has dreams of the wolf's past life.  Then there's also Nura, another organ smuggler, who also appears to be pretty handy with the sword she has strapped to her back.  It's unclear exactly what everyone is doing here and why, but as I learned from reading King City, Graham isn't the kind of guy to worry much about plot, and instead prefers to just let the story go wherever it may.

I'm up for whatever as long as Graham keeps cranking out the level of amazingness he produced here.  This is one absolutely beautiful looking comic, and a lot of fun to read too.  Graham is a modern master of the pun, and each page is laced with at least one great pun, if not more.  My favorite was the misogynist parlor.

I think my favorite thing about this comic is the fact that all signs point to the fact that Graham is making exactly the comic/art he wants to be making, without having to make any compromises.  That is a rare thing, and Multiple Warheads is a better comic for that fact.  This is an absolute must read.

Brandon Graham's WALRUS Beaches Itself on Shelves in 2013

Photo Courtesy Comics Alliance

Winter may be coming but now we have something to look forward to for the coming Spring.  Thanks to the folks at Picture Box Inc.  Walrus is a collection of Brandon Graham's sketchbooks.  From the early reports, we'll be getting a taste of unseen art, and sketch book comics from the past few years.  The whole she-bang is 112 pages of Brandon Graham goodness, so it'll be awesome.

Graphic Novel Review: Beast

Beast was one of my must have pick-ups from this year's Emerald City Comicon. I'd been wanting to check out some of Marian  Churchland's work for a while, and ECCC seemed like the perfect opportunity to get my hands on some of her work since she was slated to be in attendance.  However, Churchland was a last minute cancellation, but her husband, and awesome comic creator, Brandon Graham, was kind enough to bring some copies of his wife's work with him to ECCC.

In Beast, a struggling young sculptor by the name of Colette gets hired to create a portrait of her client from a massive block of marble. The marble has been brought all the way from Carrera, Italy and all the other necessary materials are provided for Colette as well.  In addition, room and board at the client's home are provided free of charge.  It seems like the perfect job for Colette, until she sees the house, a decaying old thing in a neighborhood whose glory days are far behind.  On top of that, her client is a mysterious and shadowy figure known only as Beast.

Beast has a bit of that modern fairy tale feel to it as the characters and the story feel somewhat familiar, but at the same time, it all seems very new and fresh to the reader.  I was immediately taken in by this tale which delivers a great sense of mystery and also some powerfully emotional moments as well.  I was very impressed at how easily I fell into this story, and came to feel like I understood and knew the characters that bring this story to life. Churchland was able to use both the story and her art in tandem to connect me to the setting and characters both emotionally and mentally.  This was an impressive feat and one that Churchland seemingly pulled off effortlessly.

As I mentioned earlier, I had a very strong emotional connection to the story with Beast.  Colette is a character I found myself fretting and worrying over despite the fact that all she was doing for most of the comic was sculpting.  Sure, that's not exactly the most dangerous thing for a main character to be doing, but the situation, staying in a worn down house with perfect strangers, is a little sketchy. Additionally, Colette seems trapped by the job, with little contact with the outside world, which added to my worries.

However, I fretted and worried most for Colette every time Beast himself entered the picture.  There was this underlying sense of mystery and danger, possibly even sexual danger, that just emanated from the page whenever Beast was around that I found pretty terrifying.  This sense of danger permeated the whole story and kept me wondering, and worrying how things would turn out in the end.

The entirety of Beast is created, written, drawn, lettered, and all that jazz, by Marian Churchland and for the sake of this story, I wouldn't have it any other way. Churchland clearly had a strong grasp of how she wanted the story to look and feel, and that's achieved thanks to the fact that Churchland is the one doing all the work.

Churchland does an expert job of making both the story and the art work hard for their money.  This is essentially a colorless work, but Churchland does use different monochromes that seem to match with the mood or setting of the scene. I liked this little technique a lot, as it often signaled a mood change, or a change in tension which got my anticipation and expectations working without my really noticing as I was reading.

The art in Beast is completely unlike what usually tickles my fancy, but I liked it all the same.  Churchland is very willing to let her art do a lot of the heavy lifting and story telling and I appreciated that.  In some cases, Churchland not only lets her art tell the story, but also leaves things open to interpretation which allows the reader to have their own unique experience with the story.

Beast is a very impressive graphic novel both in terms of story and art.  This is Churchland's debut and it is a powerful one.  This is one of those comics that is probably well below most folk's radar, but is deserving of much more credit and acclaim.  There's a really strong story here, and some absolutely beautiful art as well.  What is most impressive is how it all comes together to make a sum that is greater than its parts, all while being a story that will appeal to and entertain a wide audience.  Great Stuff.

Grade: A-

Comic Quickies: A Hot Batch of Tasty Comics

Reset #1 of 4: This new title has two good things going for it; one it is written by Peter Bagge, of Buddy Does Seattle fame, and it has a premise similar to that of my #2 book of the year last year, Replay.  With two gold stars sitting proudly on its star chart, it should come as no surprise that I've been looking forward to Reset for quite some time.

So what exactly is the premise? Well, the comic stars a guy named Guy Krause, who's a has-been actor and stand-up comedian.  Krause is at a court-ordered safe driving course, thanks to a road-rage conviction, when he meets Angie Minor, a consultant for a tech firm that has developed a machine that lets you relive your own life.  Angie wants to hire Guy to be the guinea pig and test out this new technology.  Since life seems to have Guy backed up against the ropes, he agrees to this strange proposal.

The first issue lays down a lot of ground work, and explains the machine but still manages to pack in some great story as well.  Guy's first foray into his past begins at his high school graduation where a pretty girl who'd never spoken to him all through high school finally talks to him, and when she does she calls him a "Spaz".  It's pretty funny to see how such a stupid little incident has had a lasting impact on Guy and watching him relive that moment is pretty hilarious.

As far as first issues go, this was a pretty good one and I'm definitely looking forward to more.

Prophet #24: Holy shit, it is hard to believe, but this comic just keeps getting better.    First I was treated to three issues of incredible Simon Roy art, and though I am sad to see him go, I was also happy to see that the art for this issue and the next will be handled by the amazing Farel Dalrymple.  This entire issue is like one great big treat for the eyes.  I think I read the whole issue with my jaw dropped.

So yeah, Dalrymple delivers some very beautiful art here, and as per usual, Brandon Graham delivers another slice of awesome story.  This issue kicks off a new story arc, and I gotta say, it looks to be another gem.  I'd put this comic in my top three favorite comics right now.

Even though this comic is already great enough, I think it gets a few extra cool points for not only featuring some kick-ass art talent, but also some absolutely wonderful back-up stories.  This month's Shock Post  by Matt Sheean and Malachi Ward is my favorite one yet.

The Sixth Gun #21: This was a pretty cool issue of The Sixth Gun as it was a completely silent issue.  The reason behind the silent issue is that (Slight Spoiler...) Becky has temporarily lost her hearing due to a large explosion, so we get a text-less issue.

When I was reading this I tried to decide if it would be easier or harder to pull off a silent issue, and I decided it would be much harder.  The scripting has be a lot tighter, and there's a lot of pressure on the artist to carry the story and make it understandable.

Well, easier, harder, whatever, Bunn and Hurtt pulled it off, and delivered a sweet action-packed issue.  Lots of shit gets blowed up, lots of bullets fly and lots of folks get filled with lead.  There's also an appearance by a (seemingly) massive tentacled beast towards the end, so I'm excited to see what that's all about next month.  This is one of the best comics on the shelf month in and month out.

Saga #2: Saga, one of the hottest debuts of the year is back for it's second issue.  The first issue was sublime, so my expectations were pretty high going into this second issue.

Vaughan and Staples did not disappoint.

There's a lot of character development, and world building going on in this issue, and Vaughan does a great job of blending all that in with the story.  I'm already beginning to like, dislike and be weirded out by a bunch of the characters in a way that reminds me of my first ever A Game of Thrones read.  The various story lines are all quite fascinating so far, and I am very eager for more.

This issue also had a very creepy and haunting scene with a bounty hunter named The Stalk that will surely be giving me nightmares until the next issue comes around.  Great stuff!

Graphic Novel Review: King City

Every now and then, as a reader, I come across something that is so good it makes me reevaluate every last book/graphic novel/comic on my shelf.  Sometimes I read something extra special and ask myself why have I been wasting my time on inferior creations?  Call these books/comics bar-raisers,  call them game changers, or some other platitude, you know what I'm talking about.  It's those mind-blasting books/comics/whatever that keep me reading and keep me exploring.  I know these types of experiences are supposed to be few and far between, but damn, if I haven't been having them semi frequently lately.  Well, lo' and behold, here comes another one.

King City is quite probably the most wonderful and amazing comic I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I first discovered King City over a year ago when there were still a few copies of the single issues still kicking around at my preferred comic shop.  One look at the art told me I needed to read if just for that aspect alone, but then the shop owner told me that King City is about a regular dude named Joe who is a "catmaster" and can inject his cat with drugs to make it do special things like say, become a gun, or a parachute, or a periscope, or numerous other awesome things.  So, boom, awesome concept to go with awesome art.

Though I gave it a shot, tracking down the individual issues was a tall and expensive order, so I forced myself to be patient and await the eventual release of the graphic novel.  Well, a long year of waiting later and here I am, and I can proudly say that this has been more than worth the wait.

As I already mentioned, King City more than delivers the goods on the art front.  Writer/Artist Brandon Graham is hands down one of the most talented dudes in the industry and has landed with ease and grace onto my "Buy Whatever This Dude Is Making" list.  His pages and panels can be loaded with exquisite detail  hidden gems, great art, and other times they can be sparse with lots of white space that somehow makes everything seem more vast and epic.  No matter what is on the page, it is a visual treat.  Graham isn't afraid to move away from the norms of what you might find on a comic page either.  There's plenty of visual jokes, and mini-games that are a lot of fun and are cool extras that makes this comic extra special.  How often do artists turn a page into a crossword puzzle, or a game of connect the dots or a game board?  Pretty much never, but Graham does all three, and each time they make the reading experience more fun, or provide a cool way of telling the story.  

Though King City is about Joe and his cat, Earthling J.J. Catingsworth the Third, it is kinda sorta a comic about well...nothing.  Sure there's a tentacle-blob thing that threatens the entire world, a dangerous femme-fatale whom Joe lusts after, and his ex-lady who he still has some feelings for, but Joe, by way of Graham's writing, is content to take his time getting around to that big scary plot-monster. Instead Graham gives the readers a sort of anti-plot comic that is anything but the "main plot" and instead an exploration of the characters, their lives, the world, and how all those elements interact and have a past present and future.  That might sound weird, but it is actually quite brilliant and incredibly entertaining.  If you've read the blog, you know I'm a stickler for plot, but I actually loved Graham's plot-be-damned approach.  

On top of being a guy that can deliver amazing art, and a captivating story, Graham proves in King City that he is also a world class pun-master. Graham unloads the puns at a rate that probably averages out at over one pun per page. A bunch of puns might seem like a little thing, maybe even a silly thing to some, but they add a great layer to the story, and gave me something to search for in every world bubble, and piece of text on every page.   It's not very often that any creative piece is interactive, engaging, thought provoking, and entertaining but King City is all of the above.

Even though King City is incredibly awesome as is, there's another great quality that bears mentioning. Just in case you need more encouragement to buy/read King City, this graphic novel tips the scales at an astounding 424 pages all for the insanely cheap price of $20.  This is quite possibly the best deal ever on a comic. 

I think King City is special for a lot of good reasons, but it gets raised to that extra special level because Graham is so willing to stretch and redefine what comics are capable of doing.  The comics medium can be a bit of a stale place sometimes, but in King City, Graham showed me that comics can and should be so much more than what I've been accepting as the norm. What's great is that Graham isn't trying to shove any ideals or views down my throat, there's no agenda; making comics that expand the medium into new territory, well, that's just how he rolls, and I for one, am so happy that he does.  

Grade: A+

Comic Quickies: Young Guns

Rocketeer Adventures 2 #1: Yes! (Fist Pump!) I didn't know this even existed until I strolled into the comic shop one Wednesday and it was in my pull box...it's good to have a shop owner who looks out for you!

So, in case you didn't know, Rocketeer Adventures is back for round two.  And look at that fucking sweet Darwyn Cooke cover!  I would buy that poster.

Anyway, like the first go-'round this new version follows the same template: short 8-10 page comics from an all-star cast of comics creators, and pin-ups from some of the finest artists in the land.  This issue is no exception, as comics legend, Stan Sakai delivers what was my favorite story of the issue.  This was one of my favorite titles from last year, so I'm very excited to be getting more.  If you haven't already done so, check this one out.

Rebel Blood #1: When I heard Riley Rossmo was working on his very own project to follow up his fantastic work on Green Wake, I got really excited. Then, when I saw some art previews, I nearly wet my pants.  Even if the story was about a zombie outbreak, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist.

I guess you could say that Rebel Blood is a zombie story with a twist.  The twist being that even animals can get infected, thus the infection rate is insanely fast.  The story follows Chuck who's a firefighter stationed at one of those remote forest watchtowers when he gets the news of the outbreak.  With his family at home in a distant town Chuck hustles to see if he can save them.  Along the way there's some sweet zombie killin' action.

What I think I liked most about this first issue is that we get a good sense of who Chuck is.  Spoiler Alert: He's kinda a dick.  Which makes him an interesting "hero".  What was extra special is that as Chuck is racing to the rescue, we get into his head a bit as there's a series of green colored panels which depict Chuck's imagination of how his rescue mission might turn out. Through these I got a good sense of the character, and I thought it was a unique and interesting way to handle character development.  I'm definitely excited for more.

Prophet #23: The first arc in the new generation of this amazing title comes to an amazing, and plot-twisty end in this issue.  I gotta say, this had a really awesome ending and it set up infinite possibilities for a future of awesomeness for the title.  In just three issues, Prophet has skyrocketed to the top tier of comics on my pull list.  Each issue has been a wonderland of creative, nutty, fantastic ideas all working together to create a unique science-fantasy action comic.  The writing by Brandon Graham has been sweet, and the art by Simon Roy has been perfect.

I think this is Roy's last issue at the art helm for now, but I'll definitely be looking out for his future projects as I think he's a rare talent in the business.  (In just a paragraph or so I'll be checking out some of his past work too!) My fingers are crossed that he blows up (in the good way) and always has a project that he's working on.  I can't say this enough: you gotta check out Prophet.  Issues 21, 22, and 23 specifically, as they are a shining example of how great comics can be.

Jan's Atomic Heart: One of the goodies I picked up while I was at Emerald City Comicon was Simon Roy's first published work, Jan's Atomic Heart.  I consider this a very fine piece of treasure, as it was one of those things that I just sort of stumbled across, but knew I had to have it as soon as I laid eyes on it.

In this 52 page one-shot (which is printed like a digest-size graphic novel) set in near-future Frankfurt, Jan is the recent victim of a car-accident.  While his body is healing in the hospital, his consciousness has been transferred to and old lunar-made robot body.  Jan soon discovers that similar robot bodies are being used as bombs in terrorist attacks.  Fearing he may be the next to explode, Jan turns to his only friend, Anders for help, but what they discover is more shocking that Jan could have ever expected.

Considering that Jan's Atomic Heart is Roy's first published work, I was surprised at how ridiculously good this comic is.  It is written with all the skill and confidence of a veteran all-star writer and illustrated beautifully.  Simply said, this is a nearly flawless comic.  There's a subtle emotion to the comic that gives the story another layer on top of the great art, and engaging characters.  This is seriously awesome and I strongly urge anyone who reads this to check it out.

Jan's Atomic Heart might be tough to get a hold of through traditional channels, but Roy provides a nice link from his blog to a spot which sells it...you can also see a 22 page preview, so all the more better.  Enjoy!

2012 Emerald City Comicon

This past weekend I made my annual journey to the Emerald City Comicon.  Well, it wasn't really much of a journey, it was just downtown, but it was still epic.  Like the past two years, I attended the Saturday version of the convention, typically the busiest, craziest day of the con, and this past Saturday was no exception.

Being the nerd that I am, I arrived right at 10 o'clock, exactly when the convention opened it's doors.  However, there was such a monster crowd that it took me about 40 minutes just to get onto the actual convention floor.  I was one very aggravated blogger during those forty long-ass minutes.  Once I actually got into the con I was shocked to see how totally packed it was so early on in the day.  The past two years taught me that the early nerd catches the creator they want to see, but there was no beating the crowds or avoiding of lines on this day, as it was nearly impossible to move through crowds and navigate to the tables of creators I wanted to chat up.

Extended chats with favorite creators were also a difficulty as the lines tended to be pretty lengthy.  I try to not be a dick and keep other people waiting, or monopolize a creator's time but it was a bit disappointing to just mumble a few words of gratitude to Brandon Graham while he signed my stuff.   I did manage to get in a few good chats though.  My best chat came from a favorite comic writer of mine, Kurtis Wiebe who not only remembered me from last year, but also mentioned that he drops by the blog from time to time!  I'd like to think I hid my giddiness well, but when he mentioned that he's read some of Battle Hymns, I grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

My modest haul...

There were many other highlights as well.  I got to chat with Matt Southworth, who had some pages from the new Stumptown issues that'll be out later this year.  From what I've seen, it looks fantastic.  I also spoke to Daryl Gregory who was there for his comic writing endeavors, but was happy to hear that I'm a fan of his prose work as well.  The guy I was most interested in meeting and talking to was Brandon Graham.  I actually made two stops by his table, once for signatures on my issues of Prophet and my copy of King City (review forthcoming), and again when there were less people around to look through his original art.  The art was beautiful, and sadly, just out of my price range, but it was still awesome to check it out.  He also had some of James Stokoe's original art pages from Orc Stain and those are glorious too.    


All told, it was a pretty good day at the con.  I was a little overwhelmed by the crowd which was much larger than past years, but I guess I shouldn't complain too much because it's not everyday I get to meet some of my favorite comic creators, and get to look at beautiful artwork.  Anyway, I know people are probably just reading this to see pictures of people dressed up, so here you go.....

Loki hangin' with some DC peeps. 

This guy was pretty scary as
Scorpion.  He had the physique
and ninja moves to go with the
sweet costume.

The ladies were lining up to
pose with Buzz.

Down in the right hand corner you can just
barely see their donation bucket.
Apparently, the poor economy has effected
even the Avengers.  

Did I crop out the dorky lookin'
Robin? Yes I did.  Just Batwoman
please. 

Easily my favorite
costume from the con.
Bowie from Orc Stain.

Comic Quickies: Farewell Green Wake

Green Wake #10: It is sad to say, but issue 10 of Green Wake is the final issue of this wonderful comic.  The title has had a bit of a rollercoaster life span, it was first meant to be a 5 issue mini, then became an ongoing, then when sales were poor, got the ax.  I guess that's the business side of things.

For its brief lifespan, Green Wake has delivered on quality month in and month out.  Kurtis Wiebe's writing has been strong from issue one on out.  Though Green Wake isn't his most accessible work, (my vote is for The Intrepids) this is probably his best.  I always had the feeling Green Wake was a very personal book for Wiebe and that close to the heart element imbued Green Wake with an added layer quality.

Riley Rossmo's art is pretty much the perfect match for the subject matter.  He has an amazing knack for drawing you into the world with his atmospheric art, and he can draw some really gross/creepy/grotesque/wonderful creature-beasts.  All positives in my book!  Truly a great combination of art and writing.

Farewell Green Wake, I'll miss you.  Thanks for all the memorable times, particularly the soul-bearing moments in issue 5.  Wiebe has a great and detailed description of the Green Wake mythos up at his blog, Spinning Yarn.  Definitely worth checking out, but not before reading issue 10!

I should add that even though issue 10 spells the end for Green Wake, there's plenty of great comics from Wiebe and Rossmo already here or on the horizon.  The duo have a cool looking post-apocalyptic comic coming in July called Debris. Also, check out my post about Wiebe's Peter Panzerfaust. He also has another mini coming up called Grim Leaper.  Rossmo also has a four issue mini coming up about a zombie apocolypse called Rebel Blood.  I'm not a zombie lover by any stretch of the imagination, but this one looks worth a read.  Zombie Squirrels! RUN!

Prophet #22: This is easily my favorite comic of the moment.  Prophet is exactly what I look for from a comic: incredibly fun to read, yet stimulating and thought provoking, great writing, incredible art, and wonderfully creative.  Oh, and throw in sweet beasts.  Hard to beat that!

I could very easily gush on about this title, but you'd be better served by just going out and buying the issues for yourself.  This is one of those titles that makes me slash a bunch of lesser comics off my pull list because it makes me realize how great comics can be and that I shouldn't suffer anything less than the best.  (Good-bye Action Comics, Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. and Daredevil.)  I think I'm gushing again.  Yup, I am....

For real though, this is some of the best stuff on the shelf.  It will enhance your life.  Read and Enjoy!

Comic Quickies: Re-imaging Origins

Action Comics #5: Grant Morrison gets another crack at telling Superman's origin story in this issue, and unlike his previous effort in All Star Superman, which only took up a single page, this one get's a full issue's worth of story.

It's a pretty damn good origin story too.  We get to see a little bit of the downfall of planet Krypton, and even some Ma and Pa Kent in their younger days.  (Good job stickin' it to the man Ma and Pa!) There's also some very cryptic foreshadowing going on here, pointing towards some epic stuff in the future for the title.  Which is about time if you ask me.

Morrison has spent the first four issues telling a cute little Superman story about his youthful struggles, but so far the story hasn't been nearly big enough for a character like Superman.  I'm not saying the first four issues weren't good, they were good, but Grant needs to really bring the thunder from here on out.  I have faith in the man.  Looking forward to seeing what he's got up his sleeves.

 Batman #5: I'll make this really simple.  This is the single best Batman comic I've ever read.

It's like this: Batman is stuck in a massive labyrinth, no bat belt, no food, no contact with the outside world, and the only water to be found is likely drugged.  Oh, and he's been in there for at least eight days so far.

Aside from an insanely tense story, what you get here is a journey through delusion and starvation with one of the normally most sharp minded guys around.  When all of Batman's mental walls start to break down due to exhaustion and hunger, it is a crazy trip, and an incredible read.

Accompanying the fantastic writing by Scott Snyder here is by far the best art I've seen from Greg Capullo yet.  I know, I haven't been so easy on the guy in the past, but he not only impressed me here, but pretty much blew my mind with his depiction of the events in this story.  Capullo does a fantastic job of showing the unhinging of Batman's mind, and puts the reader right there next to the big guy.

It's not easy to describe the amazingness of this issue, it really needs to be experienced, and I highly recommend, even if you aren't a comic reader, or a Batman fan, that you go out and give this issue a read.  It is quite amazing, and pretty fucking awesome to look at too.

All Star Western #5: I'm sad to say this, but I think I'm beginning to get tired of this title.  I've started to realize that there isn't much character depth to Jonah Hex, and each issue bears a striking resemblance to those that came before it: Jonah Hex gets in huge fight, and either A) kicks total ass or B) gets in life threatening situation with no feasible way out, and somehow survives to kick more ass.  Wash, rinse, repeat.

I think I failed to notice this routine for so long because I was enjoying Moritat's art so much, but sad to say, even that has begun to falter in the last couple of issues.  I wonder if he's having a hard time keeping up with the monthly schedule because it seems to me that his art is a little rushed looking these past months.  I don't know, hopefully this one will pull itself together, but right now this one is moving towards being dropped.

Prophet #21: Yes, this is technically the twenty-first issue of Prophet, but it is also the first in a new era for the title.  I guess this was a Rob Liefeld comic back in the day and ran for 21 issues, and has lain dormant like a Balrog for some years. Now it's back, freed from the dungeons of Liefeld-dur (Rob Liefeld's castle of shitty comic artistry and writing) and being written by one of my comic creating heroes, Brandon Graham.

It seems like a minor tragedy that Graham isn't doing the art here too, that is until you actually flip open this issue and see the amazing artwork by Simon Roy.  Graham gives Roy's art lots of room to breathe, and I found myself having eye-gasm after eye-gasm as I journeyed through this issue.  Roy's art is simply wonderful.

Graham's writing is pretty flippin' awesome too.  He took sort of a minimalist approach here, with little dialog, or narration boxes, but his scripting is great, and he works in some great fantasy and sci-fi elements that are as creative as anything China Mieville has cooked up.  I definitely wish I had a Dol Mantle (a symbiotic shawl-like creature that appears to have many versatile advantages).  There's plenty of other great ideas to be had in Prophet, and this issue definitely left me hungry for more.

More than anything else, this comic reaffirmed to me how wonderful and creative comics can be when done well.  Graham seems to be well on his way to creating a true gem of the medium.  This is one of the best single comics I've ever read. Check it out!

The Bulletproof Coffin Disinterred #1: Yay!  More Bulletproof Coffin!

The first arc of The Bulletproof Coffin was one of my favorite titles from previous years, so I'm thrilled to see new material hitting the shelves.  I'm a big fan of the David Hine and Shaky Kane writer/artist combo, so I have high hopes for this series.

The first issue seemed to mostly lay out the origin story for The Shield, and felt like it was mostly a stand-alone comic, but it worked in a few other angles that makes me think the six issues in this arc will interconnect in some way.

I'm hoping to see more of the strange pulp-style heroes that only played limited role in the last arc in this current arc.  So far, this one is off to a great start.