Seven Comics You Probably Aren't Reading But Should

What? You are reading these comics? Then you don't need to be here -- thanks A LOT! for just scrolling down and ignoring all those pesky words in between the picks! Anyway, below are some pretty amazing suggestions for comics you could read that you might not think would be good and/or something you might be into. 

Starbrand and Nightmask (Marvel Comics)

I won’t go on and on about how I pretty much had this same idea for a comic book series years ago (I did, I promise, and it was so good), but I will say that Greg Weisman and Domo Stanton’s Starbrand and Nightmask is more or less what I had envisioned: two friends attending college and also being superheroes. The specifics of Adam and Kevin’s journey to enrollment might be different than what I had in mind (the next generation after heroes were outlawed in the 60s), but the emotional core is what makes the series so enjoyable. Yes, there are space baddies and cool fight scenes, but the awkwardness of real life often makes the cosmic stuff seem easy.

Hercules (Marvel Comics)

Dan Abnett and Luke Ross take a more-or-less defunct character, admit his recent flaws, and do a damn good job rebuilding him from a drunken ass into the hero he’s supposed to be. The current (and maybe only) storyline concerns the rise of new gods based on modern societal vices like social media technology and extreme narcissism. Herc must rise to the occasion against this new pantheon intent on culling all the old gods from existence. The plot is interesting, but it’s truly Abnett’s character work that sells this title.

The Spire (BOOM! Studios)

If you’re a fan of BOOM! Studios, Simon Spurrier, or Jeff Stokely, you probably already know how incredible The Spire has been, otherwise it might not be on your radar. As beautifully as Spurrier has spun this mysterious mythos around an enigmatic plot, Stokely’s intuitive artwork is simply magnificent, a fitting blend of comic nuances and minimalist techniques that highlight emotion and give the entire series a storybook feel without coming across as childish or unfinished. The Spire is only an eight issue mini-series, so catch up now then pick up the final two issues as they come out because they are going to be amazing.

Black Canary (DC Comics)

This is the black sheep (no pun intended) of even the most experimental of DC’s titles to come of last June’s DC You initiative, one that focused primarily on spreading outside the traditional superhero comic tropes a la Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, and Babs Tarr’s successful refresh of Batgirl. Even by Batgirl metrics, Fletcher and artist Annie Wu’s Black Canary seems like a stretch; Dinah Drake (nee Lance nee Drake) is the lead singer for a rock band called Black Canary, and when Dinah’s past catches up with her, it spells disaster and supernatural shenanigans for her bandmates and any innocent civilians who might happen to be attending a concert by a super-popular rock band. And to be fair, it was a very silly premise for a number of issues, but more recent events have elevated the once-flimsy story into something more substantial and interesting. Fletcher is playing a long game with short bursts of energy, so the pacing feels erratic when it’s actually quite purposeful. Definitely a sleeper hit.

Saints (Image Comics)

I don’t even remember there being much marketing for this series before it debuted, and I certainly haven’t seen much press for it since, and that’s a damn shame. Sean Lewis and Benjamin Mackey are unraveling a crazy fun narrative about saints suddenly reincarnated to fight in some upcoming war. The premise isn’t terribly innovative or fresh, but Mackey’s stylized artwork with Lewis’ humorously colloquial dialogue make for a fantastic tale about misfits that must band together even if they might hate one another.

Past the Last Mountain (Comics Experience)

After a war between men and magic, mythical beasts are subjugated in a number of ways, but mostly they’re confined to work camps to help make human lives easier. The series follows a motherly dragon, a warrior fawn, and an orphaned young goblin on the run from their human captors. Connected by an oath to the goblin’s murdered mother, the dragon and fawn pledge to keep their friend’s son safe and out of human hands. Writer and letterer Paul Allor brings a sense of emotional intuition with his narrative, one that helps the reader see the tragedy of the magical creatures but also the difficult position in which human find themselves. Louie Joyce and Gannon Beck provide incredible visuals that feels like a mosaic of styles, with each character given distinct features and detailing that others don’t and vice versa. The young goblin’s aesthetic is minimal, the fawn’s physical prowess makes her body the main focus, and the dragon’s emotions are directly connected to her bevy of facial expressions. It all works together fantastically.

Pencil Head (Image Comics)

Ted McKeever is bold. With this series, he is exposing the underbelly of the corporate comic book machine without outright calling out big publishers like DC and Marvel. The character depictions of sleezy corporate big-wigs is commentary enough on how McKeever perceives the powers-that-be. Pencil Head is paced crazy, but is incredibly easy to read, somehow. More than any other series on this list, I find it difficult to explain what makes Pencil Head so engaging – it’s part James Robinson’s Airboy, part Grant Morrison’s Animal Man #26, and part Christopher Burns’ Black Hole. If that’s not enough to confuse you to all hell, just go read the two available issues and see what I mean.

Justice League #18

(w) Geoff Johns     (a) Jesus Saiz

Geoff Johns is taking the same route Cartoon Network's Justice League did in 2004 by expanding the roster of the League in anticipation of bigger, more ferocious enemies in the future. Honestly, it would have been nice to see more of the core team's adventures and interpersonal relationships before diving into team expansion. Sure, this is Justice League #18 and the 'New 52' has been around for close to two years, but in the modern age of decompressed storytelling, 18 issues has only produced a handful of conflicts that the League has faced. 

Back in the day, 18 issues could have been 18 different stories, a different approach to team building, but one that offered a more robust look at how said team works as a unit. Today, it's still somewhat unclear how the core League members truly work together, how their personalities play off each other, and how that affects their behavior. Johns has done an excellent job delivering character development where possible, but it's still frustrating to see new members coming in at this point. And that's not even mentioning Justice League of America, which also sees Johns bringing lesser known characters into the spotlight. It's just a geyser of new characters, it seems.


** SPOILERS AHEAD! **


Justice League #18 is an exciting issue because we get to see so many faces in one issue. With Hal Jordan out of the picture for the time being, and the near-destruction of Boston in "Throne of Atlantis", Batman and Cyborg decide it's time to reveal the Grid, a circumstantial database of all the world's superheroes. I say circumstantial because the entire Grid was a side-effect of the persistent flow of information into Cyborg's always-connected mainframe. Since he's basically a living supercomputer, Cyborg shares the curse of overabundance with Superman -- they're both continuously aware of almost everything around them. The difference is that Clark hears everyone while Victor processes digital information terabytes at a time. Thus, over the five years of the League's existence, Cyborg inadvertently collected all the known information on every superhero on Earth.

But it's just that: only the known information. Justice League #18 not only showcases established heroes like Black Canary, Zatanna, Firestorm, and Nightwing in a new light, but also gives minor and new characters a chance to shine with a chance at membership in the planet's most exclusive hero club. While the current members of the League all understand the where they are and what the stakes are going forward, most of the invited candidates have no idea what they're in for. It's this juxtaposition that provides a nervous tension that simmers throughout the issue. Even Nightwing and Batman's short interaction reflects their relationship post-"Death of the Family". And how could it not be awkward? Six of the most powerful beings on the planet are judging and choosing new colleagues to patrol everything, not just a city or neighborhood beat.

There's no escaping the fact that Justice League #18 is a good old-fashioned prelude issue. There's so much being set up from beginning to end that it's hard to squeeze a story-proper out of an issue like this. Fortunately, Geoff Johns stands up to the task and makes the entire affair feel completely fluid and natural. My bias for the structure of character development aside, JL #18 hits all the right marks. At the end of the day, it's really hard not to like seeing so many familiar (and some unfamiliar) faces in one issue.

GRADE

7.5/10

(NIGHT OF THE OWLS) CATWOMAN #9 & BIRDS OF PREY #9

STORY: Judd Winick
ART: Guillem March

I've never been a huge Catwoman fan, not as a villain or as an anti-hero. But I understand the appeal and I respect what the character has done for feminism (or anti-feminism, depending on who you ask) in the pages of Batman books over the years. I hesitated to read Catwoman when relaunched under the 'New 52', mostly because I was already reading a bunch of Batman-related titles and didn't want to overload myself on the Gotham Gloomies. I mean seriously, how many heroes can operate in a single city without running into each other on a regular basis? Apparently, at least eleven.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed Catwoman #9 because it wasn't a straightforward "Night of the Owls" tie-in that just pits a Talon against Selena Kyle. Instead, the Talon in question is fleshed out to an appropriate length. Ephraim Newhouse was once an oddly duty-bound Talon whom the Court retired early (and naked) to atone for murdering British soldiers and losing his sacred knives. Now, the current Court promises Newhouse his honor restored if he assassinates the Penguin.

Simultaneously, Catwoman and Spark (her partner? Again, I haven't read Catwoman, so I'm assuming their friends and they work together - JM) are waiting for Cobblepot to leave his bar so they can steal a dagger with an owl head on the handle. When the Talon shows up to 'off' the Penguin, Selena considers it an unfair fight and takes on the Talon with Spark close behind her.

After a bunch of fighting, Judd Winick gets down to the real meat of the story; Newhouse's honor. The blade of concern for all of these characters was one of Newhouse's lost daggers, of which he desperately wants back. Selena has the rest and after another round of fist-throwing, the Penguin finally blows out Newhouse's brains. Catwoman leaves the corpse at the Batsignal for Bruce to pick up, but leaves Newhouse with his lost daggers as a sign of respect - and of good storytelling.

GRADE:
A





STORY: Duane Swierczynski
ART: Travel Foreman and Jeff Huet

Much like Batwing and Detective Comics a few weeks ago, Birds of Prey #9 doesn't bring much to the table for "Night of the Owls". Sure, it's got a little backstory for the 'Talon of the Week', but other than that, this issue's villain could have been anybody else. What I've noticed so far is that "Night of the Owls" tie-ins are effective when they add more to the overall Court of Owls mythology. Unfortunately, the Birds of Prey simply get jammed into the foray with little reason. Hell, Black Canary still thinks Batman is 'mythical'. Seriously? She's a superhero in Gotham City and is not certain that Batman exists? Whatever.

This issue's Talon has a handlebar moustache that connects to his mutton chops. It's a very perplexing image, a major juxtaposition to the Talons trained in martial arts and the like. This man seems like he's out of the Civil War, not only in appearance, but also in mannerisms and behavior towards women. Yep, the Birds get the only sexist Talon in the bunch so far because of course the Birds get the only sexist Talon in the bunch so far. A lot of Birds of Prey #9 feels forced, and that never makes for good reading.

GRADE:
C+