ViewtifulJC
Banned
love how he
blew up. It was like a metaphor for how he's killing the comic book industry.
-
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COMICS! |OT| December 2014. Alas, reading this thread backwards simply doesn't work.
- Thread starter Spike Spiegel
- Start date
- Status
love how he
1. I'm surprised at no Gillen for you this year
2. "two southern boys" = GREAT MINDS
Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck (Because These Are Unnumbered!!))
Deadly Class (Rick Remender, Wes Craig)
I'm a little obsessed with teenager-centric fiction. I think it comes from how as a kid I thought the way teenagers were depicted in media was somehow a true to life, combined with the realization as a teenager that it really wasn't. Then I realized I actually didn't care because it was fun regardless. Deadly Class is that kind of comic at its base, but it also feels genuinely teenaged in the way it depicts this sort of adolescent anger and feeling of displacement that both come from serious places.
Ducks (Kate Beaton)
A few things about me probably made me predisposed to love this comic in a way that a lot of other people wont. Doesnt matter. This is great.
Jaegir (Gordon Renie, Simon Coleby)
The second half of 2014 was when I got into 2000AD as a weekly thing. I'd tried before but I found that it makes the most sense just to dive in and stick with it for a while until things click. Jaegir is based on an old 2000AD concept that I'd never read called Rogue Trooper that most people seem to agree had diminishing returns every time it was rebooted. Jaegir flips the perspective to the Norts, whose characterization has traditionally been limited to one-dimensional super-Nazis before this. It's an incredibly smart revamp and while there's nothing really new here (except possibly for the fact that the lead is a woman) I adored it all the same.
The Multiversity: Pax Americana (Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely)
Frank Quitely is so fucking good. Multiversity as a whole has been fine -- fun, but not mindblowing. And honestly even Pax Americana is kind of like that once you get past the playing with chronology. That's what you usually get from Morrison in 2014, who's more often than not playing his same old beats but not as loud or as urgent. On the other hand, what does that even matter when Frank Quitely is so fucking good?
Stray Bullets #41 (David Lapham)
Really, all of Killers too but this issue... Christ I can't even imagine waiting however many years it was between this and issue 40, reading it, and realizing that not only was it as good as I'd ever hoped but actually way fucking better. This is Stray Bullets, man -- heartbreaking, horrifying, with capital-V Violence dealt out, violence built up over years and years and years and hundreds and hundreds of pages. This is violence that means something, and at its centre is Virginia Applejack who for the two-dozenth time proves she's one of the greats.
Transformers vs, G.I. Joe (Tom Scioli, John Barber)
These superhero writers go on and on about "playing with the toys" and it's always fucking bullshit. The end result is never like that or even ever anything you would actually want to read. So why has it taken this long for someone to show them how its done? Scioli treats his characters as what they are: toy soldiers and children's playthings and everything suddenly makes sense. Sure this is nostalgic, but never in a way where you feel comfortable with it.
Uber (Everybody)
Kieron Gillen's best comic this year. Uber is at once an extension of the militarization of superheroes over the course of the 2000s all the way to its breaking point as well as reaction to Morrisonian "superheroes are the greatest thing we (always we, never Siegel and Schuster) ever dreamed of." Absolutely brutal, with subject matter that feels genuinely unexplored in the genre with this degree of seriousness. It would be an accomplishment if all it did was not fall flat on its face.
Uncanny Avengers (Rick Remender, Daniel Acuna, Steve McNiven, everybody)
One of the things I like about Rick Remender writing superheroes is that he's a guy whose work feels like it's from someone who's actually read some Marvel comics made before Avengers Disassembled. Nearly every negative thing anyone has ever said about this book outside the CBR X-Men forums probably has a degree of truth to it. Uncanny Avengers is what superhero comics shouldn't be in the post-Hawkeye Year of Our Lord 2014: a spectacularly insular, convoluted, impenetrable, continuity-heavy book with way-too-long storylines (one of which involves time travel) and a team of mostly white guys. It's also the most damn fun I've had with a monthly comic this year.
The Wrenchies (Farel Dalrymple)
For all its narrative complexity, careful construction, multiple perspectives, and straight up balls, at its core The Wrenchies is a story of a man in crisis. The crisis of... well, pretty much everything really. Adulthood, depression, responsibility, anxiety, and the disappointment your prepubescent self would feel if he were to look at what your life has become. But it's also a story about the ways in which you can be redeemed through the things you create and by the people around you. I've read this story before but it's a story I like every time I read it, especially when it looks this dope.
Zero (Everybody)
Spy fiction that takes responsibility for its politics. I don't know how common that is (and maybe it is common) but Zero is refreshing in a marketplace that is primarily composed of unexamined power fantasies. I'm still not all-in for Kot no matter what (seriously just read this) and Zero, which is his best comic, still has misses for me sometimes. But when it's on, it's smart, visually interesting, and emotionally draining. Name-dropping be damned.
Other stuff:
Annihilator (Grant Morrison, Frazer Irving) Not as good as Flex or the Filth, but thats okay.
Avengers 100th Anniversary Special (James Stokoe) Stokoe doing the kind of Marvel comic people reminisce about when they're asked about their first.
Detective Comics #35 (Benjamin Percy, John Paul Leon) A well-drawn, well-executed Batman comic that doesnt strive to be anything more.
Judge Dredd (Everybody) especially Titan, Cascade, Block Judge, and Dead Zone.
Kakukaku Shikajika (Akiko Higashimura) Obligatory manga pick, cool self-deprecating autobio about an artistic/comics journey.
Lose #6 (Michael DeForge) - The first Lose I experienced the way it was meant to be: as a single issue that stands and falls on its own.
Ms. Marvel (G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, Jake Wyatt) Elasticity (aka the GOAT superpower) + mostly resonant depiction of a teenaged daughter of immigrants.
Southern Bastards (Jason Aaron, Jason Latour) Two Southern boys rewrite the Salvation arc of Preacher.
Superman (Geoff Johns, John Romita Jr.) The comfort of good Superman comics is hard to deny, especially when you could erase every single Superman comic made in the last 3 years except this and that one issue of Aaron Kuder Orion fisticuffs issue and probably be better off.
Sunset People in Study Group Magazine #3D (Connor Willumsen) Goddamn this guy can draw, shoutouts to Serpentine for making me get off my ass and pick this up.
Reprints/translations of stuff I'd never read before:
A Body Beneath (Michael DeForge)
Cannon (Wally Wood)
Goddamn This War! (Jacques Tardi, came out in 2013 but I didnt read it until this year so whatevs)
The Complete Johnny Nemo (Peter Milligan and Brett Ewins)
Zenith Phase I and II (Grant Morrison and Steve Yeowell)
ViewtifulJC
Banned
fyre on the stray bullets hype train....*tears*
mynigga.png
mynigga.png
GOD DAMNIT KNEW I FORGOT SOMETHING. Of course WicDiv (Gillen/McKelvie) is goddamn great pop comics, taking what worked in Young Avengers to the next step, and making a comic of the Now. It's not a throwback like a whole lot of stuff that the Big Two sell, it's not experimental future comix, it's something that feels like 2014, and that's what makes it so potent as a character study, and as a treatise of sorts on art and artists and all that. It's SO GOOD.
it's so good
Filthy Slug
Crowd screaming like hounds at the heat of the chase/ All the colors of the rainbow flood my face
Oh...man...that Batman and Robin ending. Make a grown ass man with a beard weep in public.
Tyrant Rave
Banned
Any Dredd recommendations from the year, frye? I read a little of the IDW series when it launched but that was it :X
I actually know very little about Dredd to be honest. The stories I pointed out are standouts for me but I don't think any of them are collected (or will be collected soon).
If you're looking for print collections then the best recent one is probably the Day of Chaos, which was the last "mega-epic" (I have not read it but everyone says it's very good). Otherwise: dive in! Prog 2015 came out this week which is the last issue of the year (I think) and has the beginning of the "Dark Justice" written by John Wagner which should continue in the new year. You also get access to several weeks of back issues based on your subscription if you choose to do that.
KoruptData
Member
Great list frye.
Serpentine
Banned
i'm not frye but from this year, Mega City Two from IDW
I'm actually ok with the Spider-Woman redesign. But Marvel has so many other characters/properties badly in need of new outfits that they really should get cracking on commissioning artists to design them. I wish Hawkeye would get some sort of mask again, make it tactical or something.
They need to bring back the GOAT Hydra Aja designs (regardless of his drawing speed, he often hits the mark in costume design) from Immortal Iron Fist- they are less ridiculous looking than the green jumpsuits Remender wants to stick with, yet still have the awesome red goggle eyes. They're also flashy enough to say this is a super hero universe.
They need to bring back the GOAT Hydra Aja designs (regardless of his drawing speed, he often hits the mark in costume design) from Immortal Iron Fist- they are less ridiculous looking than the green jumpsuits Remender wants to stick with, yet still have the awesome red goggle eyes. They're also flashy enough to say this is a super hero universe.
That's what happens when you hate everything :/
edit: whatsinaname, go for it. I would love to read it.
whatsinaname
Member
Considering that I am a filthy trade-waiter, the only list I might be able to make is a "Comics I've read for the first time in 2014" list.
combo of that and i still spend most of my time neglecting things i might like. Maybe i'll read Velvet vol 1 next instead of some dumb Bendis book on MU.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
I knew for a fact you would love that comic the way I do, it hits all the buttons you and I seem to love for in genre comics.
Have you read the latest story arc or just the first 41 issues?
that would be cool, too
just post random comics and random observations with some random scores attached to the end
maybe add tyrant rave's wonderful little sirens
AXIS - People get inverted and shit gets real
Baron von Loathsome
Member
Pretty much the same here. Only started reading non-newspaper, non-web comics other than Bone in August. The only stuff I've read that has come in the past year have been issues of Superior Foes, She-Hulk, Moon Knight, and Silver Surfer from earlier this year, along with a few odd free digital issues of other stuff.
That's adorable.
They need to have Charlotte in more episodes. 1 wasn't enough.
The first episode wasn't very good but after that it goes strength to strength. I love how there is lots no background nods to stuff that happened in earlier episodes.
I need to go watch the finale now and then ill be done with this season.
Razgriz-Specter
Member
As I said in the other thread.
Hate this and hate Batgirl's redesign.
Casual costumes will never work for me.
I like it, sure it's reminiscent of Batgirl but it reminds me more of that awesome future Spider-man costume from JMS's run.
Which is still pretty awesome.
Good time too because I'd been wondering if we would ever find out what happened to Orson at that party.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
That last page of Killers!Heck yeah, I went through all of it.
Good time too because I'd been wondering if we would ever find out what happened to Orson at that party.
I also think Lapham loves Spanish Scott too much to leave him alone for too long.
OH RIGHT. THAT'S what that's from.
Today at work, Hollywood was mentioned in conversation multiple times and I kept remembering "Hollywoo" and was chuckling to myself. That was such an amazing running gag. They just kept going with it. For like over half the season. So good.
Freezasaurus
Member
oh, I thought it was a furry version of Olivia Wilde.
whatsinaname
Member
In other news, the last of my BF orders rolled in.
That Dark Horse Luke Skywalker collection is gorgeous. Even if the comic turns out to be Bendis GOTG quality, it'll still be worth it.
Will do.
That Dark Horse Luke Skywalker collection is gorgeous. Even if the comic turns out to be Bendis GOTG quality, it'll still be worth it.
Will do.
GrandHarrier
Member
Doelivia Wild?
I am gonna go ahead an assume that comment was intentional. You have watched Bojack?
OMG there wasn't one episode left there was two. I just watched the first and
Charlotte was in it again. God that entire scene was one long major bummer. fuck. I knew it was the drugs but I wanted it to be true 
. But I also know its not that kind of show. damn it.
. But I also know its not that kind of show. damn it.Serpentine
Banned
quick n dirty list of my tops. I read more avg/mediocre/bad comics than good ones this year, sorry
Deadly Class - it's 80s hardcore punk with an assassin school and Wes Craig/Lee Loughridge kill it on art, so it'd have to be REALLY BAD for this not to be my favorite shit. but it's not. it is, in fact, really good
Wicked + Divine - This is like the opposite of the gritty personable Deadly Class, 'cause it's pure pop and god stuff, but it's just as much My Shit. Slow burn, but still cool as fuck and that's really all that matters
Multiversity - Pax Americana - the only Multiversity i've read (tho i have Thunderworld right here) and i haven't read it backwards, but the big double page spread (you know the one) made it an insta-fav
Sex Criminals - My book of the year? It's really funny (Zdarsky is the best at background gags, and the letters are actually worth reading!) but i wasn't expecting it to be as honest and sincere as it is in regard to sex. I feel like these kinds of stories are hard to find in any medium.
The Auteur - a story about a hack trying to create his masterpiece, made by people tired of elevator pitch comics. Trippy, insane, crude, but smart and funny at the same time.
~honorable mentions~
Superman - Geoff Johns and JRJR still got it!
Silver Surfer - Mike Allred draws it
Transformers vs. GI Joe - it's like playing with action figures, only... a comic. Energetic and a lot of fun
Lumberjanes - delightful all-ages book made by and starring women, which also isn't easy to find in comics. it's pretty dang fun
Seconds - Rushed third act but O'Malley is still a great cartoonist
Sunset People - would've forgotten this if frye didn't mention it, but Connor Willumsen is the motherfuckin truth
my backlog of 2014 comics is actually just Southern Bastards, The Fade Out past issue 1, Madman 3D, Teen Titans Earth One, Zero and Shutter. and i guess Thunderworld. probably forgot several books too but that's too bad, as this list is official and cannot be altered
Deadly Class - it's 80s hardcore punk with an assassin school and Wes Craig/Lee Loughridge kill it on art, so it'd have to be REALLY BAD for this not to be my favorite shit. but it's not. it is, in fact, really good
Wicked + Divine - This is like the opposite of the gritty personable Deadly Class, 'cause it's pure pop and god stuff, but it's just as much My Shit. Slow burn, but still cool as fuck and that's really all that matters
Multiversity - Pax Americana - the only Multiversity i've read (tho i have Thunderworld right here) and i haven't read it backwards, but the big double page spread (you know the one) made it an insta-fav
Sex Criminals - My book of the year? It's really funny (Zdarsky is the best at background gags, and the letters are actually worth reading!) but i wasn't expecting it to be as honest and sincere as it is in regard to sex. I feel like these kinds of stories are hard to find in any medium.
The Auteur - a story about a hack trying to create his masterpiece, made by people tired of elevator pitch comics. Trippy, insane, crude, but smart and funny at the same time.
~honorable mentions~
Superman - Geoff Johns and JRJR still got it!
Silver Surfer - Mike Allred draws it
Transformers vs. GI Joe - it's like playing with action figures, only... a comic. Energetic and a lot of fun
Lumberjanes - delightful all-ages book made by and starring women, which also isn't easy to find in comics. it's pretty dang fun
Seconds - Rushed third act but O'Malley is still a great cartoonist
Sunset People - would've forgotten this if frye didn't mention it, but Connor Willumsen is the motherfuckin truth
my backlog of 2014 comics is actually just Southern Bastards, The Fade Out past issue 1, Madman 3D, Teen Titans Earth One, Zero and Shutter. and i guess Thunderworld. probably forgot several books too but that's too bad, as this list is official and cannot be altered
Tyrant Rave
Banned
Thanks fam, I'll give it a shot next time I feel like spending money.
And thanks to you too, frye!
I was born to make this postjust post random comics and random observations with some random scores attached to the end
maybe add tyrant rave's wonderful little sirens
AXIS
AXIS - People get inverted and shit gets real
Serpentine
Banned
I kind of like the original costume better. It really pops. It definitely is too body-hugging though. Imagine if boob-socking happened to male superheroes in the crotch area. I think I mainly don't like the new one because of the way it's being shown off. I mean, take a look at this:
Someone needs to show this artist how perspective works. Her legs are gigantic, each one is bigger than her head, her upper body is tiny despite being closer, her arms are little spindly sticks, what the hell is going on in this picture?
Edit: I removed the second picture because the full set of images makes it look a bit better. That picture on the right up there is pretty awful though.
Someone needs to show this artist how perspective works. Her legs are gigantic, each one is bigger than her head, her upper body is tiny despite being closer, her arms are little spindly sticks, what the hell is going on in this picture?
Edit: I removed the second picture because the full set of images makes it look a bit better. That picture on the right up there is pretty awful though.
BenjaminBirdie
Banned
Double James Harren this week.
I can't even.
First was BPRD, 100% the best single issue of comics in the history of the medium. Just astonishing.
And Rumble? Arcudi's like, hey Jim, shit yeah, DRAW LITERALLY WHATEVER. GO NUTS.
The most dynamic cartoonist currently living.
I can't even.
First was BPRD, 100% the best single issue of comics in the history of the medium. Just astonishing.
And Rumble? Arcudi's like, hey Jim, shit yeah, DRAW LITERALLY WHATEVER. GO NUTS.
The most dynamic cartoonist currently living.
Freezasaurus
Member
I think the new Spider-Woman costume is cute. They're definitely trying to ride the hipster train that the Batgirl redesign tapped into, but I can't help but think that this costume suits Jessica's personality better than the bodysuit.
GrandHarrier
Member
I still love that Barbara, who has been stabbed multiple times, thinks ditching her armor for a leather jacket makes sense.
She moved to a city that is full of no name criminals and hipsters. She no longer has to worry about real threats. Its all about the glam, fab and one night stands now.
She doesn't even have to worry about the fun villains showing up like Ivy and Harley, because the creators hate established characters.
Face it Tiger..
Banned
I agree that S-W old costume was just a horny teenager costume but that costume is booty.
Freezasaurus
Member
Swapping to something she would be caught dead in.
KoruptData
Member
Just read Thunderworld. That was my favorite issue of Multiversity. Stewart's art is just amazing. My brain wants to think about the other comics being presented in these books and try to find the connection but I'm sure it's something I would have never thought of.
my name is ed
Banned
As a trade waiter, here are my personal comics of the year. It probably looks more like a list of 2013 tho
Elektra by Blackman and Del Mundo
The story is a pretty solid but not really all that remarkable although I like the voice of it. This title is here 80% due to Del Mundo kicking ass on this title on the art front. Del Mundo never sacrifices storytelling for the sake of aesthetics. I'm gonna need an oversized hardcover of this series stat.
Saga by BKV and Staples
Lots has been written about Saga for good reason. Its witty and humorous as you would expect from a BKV book, but the story still carries a strong emotional touch. Staples's work on this book has earned her as much praise as BKV has gotten for his writing. Her work is lush, stylish, emotive and imaginative. She pulls off pages in ways few other artists could match. It meanders here and there but its worth the ride.
Ms Marvel by Wilson and Alphona
My favorite book of the year. Its heartfelt and cute, and basically its Spider-Man for a new crowd for these times. Its had a huge impact and if you read the book, you'll see why
Hawkguy by Fraction and Aja
These bros kiled it, bro. This book reminds me a lot of Louis CK's eponymous show. Its really funny but only because its really sad and Hawkguy can't win. This book would be great with just a functional artist but Aja handles this book like a mad graphic designer. The stories are told in thoughtfully and deliberately. The wait for the finale is gonna kill us all, bro.
Thor by Aaron and Ribic
This shit right here is heavy metal, son. Get on it.
Sex Criminals by Fraction and Zdarsky
This was by far the funniest comic I read this year. Under all the pizazz, there's a very real story of sexual discovery and two people connecting in a way they never could with anybody else. Everything else is just the world's best gravy. I recommend this book to everybody, but I'm always careful to let them know its not about rapists.
Moon Knight by Ellis and Shalvey and Bellaire
Endlessly rereadable, Ellis's take on Moon Knight feels really fresh even it has Ellis's familiar writing tics all over it. Shalvey and Bellaire make this short episodic run stylish as fuck. Don't miss this.
Southern Bastards by Aaron and Latour
This comic is a love/hate letter to the south. Characters seem like real people but Latour's artwork gives them life. This comic is gonna be special
Pax Americana by Morrison and Quitely
Basically, Watchmen if Watchmen was better. Morrison and Quitely's masterpiece. The very essence of storytelling in comics as seen through an infinite loop/thenumber8. Comic of the forever
Honorable Mentions
Avengers titles by Hickman - Would have placed but I honestly haven't read past infinity. Looks like an all time run though
Velvet by Brubaker and Epting - so close to making it but I've only got the first volume and the story feels like it is just begginning.
Black Widow by Edmondson and Noto - its good stuff but just not quite there as one of the best
Magneto by Bunn and Walta - really good book
Supreme Blue Rose by Ellis and Lotay - whats going on in this book? I don't know but its gorgeous
new years resolution: read more comics
Elektra by Blackman and Del Mundo
The story is a pretty solid but not really all that remarkable although I like the voice of it. This title is here 80% due to Del Mundo kicking ass on this title on the art front. Del Mundo never sacrifices storytelling for the sake of aesthetics. I'm gonna need an oversized hardcover of this series stat.
Saga by BKV and Staples
Lots has been written about Saga for good reason. Its witty and humorous as you would expect from a BKV book, but the story still carries a strong emotional touch. Staples's work on this book has earned her as much praise as BKV has gotten for his writing. Her work is lush, stylish, emotive and imaginative. She pulls off pages in ways few other artists could match. It meanders here and there but its worth the ride.
Ms Marvel by Wilson and Alphona
My favorite book of the year. Its heartfelt and cute, and basically its Spider-Man for a new crowd for these times. Its had a huge impact and if you read the book, you'll see why
Hawkguy by Fraction and Aja
These bros kiled it, bro. This book reminds me a lot of Louis CK's eponymous show. Its really funny but only because its really sad and Hawkguy can't win. This book would be great with just a functional artist but Aja handles this book like a mad graphic designer. The stories are told in thoughtfully and deliberately. The wait for the finale is gonna kill us all, bro.
Thor by Aaron and Ribic
This shit right here is heavy metal, son. Get on it.
Sex Criminals by Fraction and Zdarsky
This was by far the funniest comic I read this year. Under all the pizazz, there's a very real story of sexual discovery and two people connecting in a way they never could with anybody else. Everything else is just the world's best gravy. I recommend this book to everybody, but I'm always careful to let them know its not about rapists.
Moon Knight by Ellis and Shalvey and Bellaire
Endlessly rereadable, Ellis's take on Moon Knight feels really fresh even it has Ellis's familiar writing tics all over it. Shalvey and Bellaire make this short episodic run stylish as fuck. Don't miss this.
Southern Bastards by Aaron and Latour
This comic is a love/hate letter to the south. Characters seem like real people but Latour's artwork gives them life. This comic is gonna be special
Pax Americana by Morrison and Quitely
Basically, Watchmen if Watchmen was better. Morrison and Quitely's masterpiece. The very essence of storytelling in comics as seen through an infinite loop/thenumber8. Comic of the forever
Honorable Mentions
Avengers titles by Hickman - Would have placed but I honestly haven't read past infinity. Looks like an all time run though
Velvet by Brubaker and Epting - so close to making it but I've only got the first volume and the story feels like it is just begginning.
Black Widow by Edmondson and Noto - its good stuff but just not quite there as one of the best
Magneto by Bunn and Walta - really good book
Supreme Blue Rose by Ellis and Lotay - whats going on in this book? I don't know but its gorgeous
new years resolution: read more comics
Filthy Slug
Crowd screaming like hounds at the heat of the chase/ All the colors of the rainbow flood my face
Fuck, man, that book is so damn fun and light-hearted and smart.
KoruptData
Member
I know! Read the issue with a child-like wonder from start to finish.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
The Wake is awful.
Freezasaurus
Member
It seemed promising right up until the second issue after the time-skip.
- Status