Republished Comics of the Year--2022 in Review

They're Back!

Sometimes comics fall out of print, this stinks when they are especially good ones. I was pleased two older yarns were able to come back into print this year and they were my favorites to be brought back in a new edition in 2022...

The Creep

I absolutely loved seeing the earliest stories of "The Creep," republished this year. John Arcudi and Jonathan Case's story (done with Dale Eaglesham and Brian Kalin O'Connell) about a unique detective solving a variety of strange cases is just a fantastic read and featured twists that surprised me--someone who usually can see them coming. I hope we get more stories featuring " The Creep" someday soon.

The Mighty

"The Mighty," was horrendously overlooked when it first came out but thankfully found itself republished by Image this year. A dark tale of a superhero with some really twisted secrets and the one man to try and stand against evil, it is worth diving into these years later. Peter J. Tomasi, Keith Champagne, Chris Samnee, and Peter Snejbjerg absolutely rocked it on this series, I'm glad it escaped publishing-rights purgatory (it was originally a DC title years ago) and can now easily be on our bookshelves.

"The Mighty," is Getting Republished by Image Comics!

"The Mighty," was a maxi-series from Peter J. Tomasi, Keith Champagne, Chris Samnee, and Peter Snejbjerg. It was extremely underrated and a bit overshadowed by a comic with a slightly similar theme, "Irredeemable." This series imagined a world with a single superpowered being--no others--who was secretly quite evil. Named Alpha One, the series followed a police captain named Gabriel Cole who uncovered a whole lot of stuff about Alpha One and had to stop him. Yes, it was to some degree a, "What if Superman were evil?" styled story, but it was actually fantastic and had a really satisfying ending (I know opinions are split on, "Irredeemable," and its conclusion). "The Mighty," has been out of print for years, however, until now.

Image will be reprinting, "The Mighty," in its entirety along with some hard-to-find eight-page stories, behind-the-scenes sketches, and more. I got a press email from Image announcing this new edition in the morning and it woke me up more than coffee as it got me so excited! Tell your favorite location to order you a copy and expect to see, "The Mighty," on September 28th (in comic-book shops) and October 4th (in bookstores). I'm pumped for it!

A Prelude Graphic Novel For an Ongoing Comic? Interesting...

Image Comics announced a bit ago that with Robert Kirkman done writing, "The Walking Dead," he has a new comic in the works--"Fire Power." Even though he could probably spend the rest of his days counting the cash he's accumulated from TWD I admire him wanting to do more comic-work, even if I suspect any future projects are secretly pitches for media options as comic-books...but I digress. Basically, Kirkman and all-around awesome artist Chris Samnee (who I met at a comic-con before and really is as nice as people say) will be doing, "Fire Power," to tell the story of a man who travels to a mystical city to discover his ability to summon fire through martial arts. I know, it doesn't sound too wildly creative, but one way the comic will be released is pretty clever.

Essentially, Kirkman and Samnee will be releasing a full-length graphic novel that serves as a prelude for the ongoing series. People can read a big chunk that serves as an introduction and then follow the comic monthly afterward. I see the logic in this, as, "The Walking Dead," itself picked-up a lot of readers via people who read the earlier trades and then once caught-up would follow the series monthly. By having a big ol' prelude graphic novel there is already a pre-collected edition of sorts readers can absorb and really dive into the series before it starts releasing single issues.

This all does make me wonder why they don't just release everything in graphic novel installments (as Joe Casey and Pitor Kowlalski have done with their comic, "Sex," after it was monthly for a while...so kind of the reverse of this)? Robert Kirkman is a lot richer than me so I have zero qualifications to judge his business and publishing choices, however, so I guess now we will just see if this idea of a prelude graphic novel before an ongoing series works-out well or falls flat on its face. I mean, at the end of the day if the story is good that will help, if the story is bad, little can be done to save it. At least with Samnee on art that'll look smashing, I imagine.

How Wizard World St. Louis Went For Me.

I was at Wizard World Saint Louis extensivelyFriday and just for a bit Saturday. I will now talk about it.
I found Wizard World's STL event to be very enjoyable. I was there surveying the retailer booths, seeing the cosplayers, and visiting with some of the celebrities (at least the ones I was willing to wait in line to say hello to). I also really enjoyed chatting with the various publishers, small-press, and independent comic-makers. I shall now discuss the most memorable and fun moments for me.

Big-Name Creators I Saw:

Probably my favorite part of the event came relatively early in the convention on Friday. I was on the show-floor and people had not yet swarmed Neal Adams. I went to talk with him and he was every bit as animated, outspoken, and interesting as interviews I have read with him make it seem like he is. We chatted about the future of comics with digital and print hopefully reaching a happy medium between on another and he told me more about one of his latest works, "Batman Odyssey" as I have only read half of it and he told me how I need to finish it. He also was eager to an interview sometime so before too long you all may be reading one I do with him! Check out his website here.

Another creator I met for the first time was Chris Samnee. His current work illustrating Daredevil is just stellar-looking and he was very pleasant too. You can see more of him here.

Readers of the blog have seen my interview with Cullen Bunn, and he was there too! View his page here.

There were other folk there too but I missed them or the line to talk to them was far too long by the time I got over to them (it was an hour-plus wait to even shake Arthur Suydam's hand).

Celebirties I Saw:
There were many celebrities there, and I didn't talk to all of them, but I was excited to speak with the ones I did!

I said hello to Lou Ferigno. I'd seen him speak at my undergraduate college, SUNY Cortland, and he was quite nice.

I saw Henry Winkler himself, probably best-known for his work as, "The Fonz," although I also loved him in the "Waterboy" as a young'un.. He was really up and about talking with the crowd and not just sitting at his booth.

I chatted with Billy Dee Williams for a moment. I told him I really liked his work in "Undercover Brother" and seeing him on "Scrubs" which seemed to surprise him that someone remembered he was on that show. He thanked me and I told him I loved him in "Star Wars" too, of course.

Small-Press and Other Comic-Creators
Other than talking with Neal Adams, speaking with all the independent comic creators was when I had some of the most fun at the convention. In no particular order here are the cool guys and gals.

Big Dog Ink was there. They are a publisher with a variety of comics coming out. I've seen them listed in Previews or at the comic store before, but haven't tried any of their stuff yet mainly because with this economy I've cut comics from my pull-list more than I've added any. After talking with them and hearing about their neat stuff I purchased the first volume of their dark-humor comic, "Penny for Your Soul" and should have a review of it up here before too long. See their stuff here!

Speaking of comics-imprints that have a dog-theme, I talked with the folk at Hound Comics about their stuff. I hope to review some of it soon too as it sounded pretty cool when they told me about their stories. View them here.

Last summer I met the guys behind "Gargoyle by Moonlight" at Project Comic-Con. I saw them again this year and bought some nice merchandise I should review before too long. See their site here.

I talked with the creator of small-press comic "Strawman" and bought the latest issue. It looks like a good read! You can view more of his general work at his business website here.

I met the people behind, "Zeroes Heroes," a cool-looking comic with some nice art. I hope to review some of their stuff soon too! You can see their online comic here.

I first met Neil Fitzpatrick at Project Comic-Con last summer and ran into him again at Wizard World. His stuff continues to look both cute and creepy (in a good way) with the fun characters that have big pupil-less eyes. His site is located here.

Bradley Potts has the website "Sunday Superheroes," where he posts a new installment of his comics on--when else?--Sunday. He also has some print-versions of his stuff. I'm eager to read his comics! See his site here.

I've talked about the guys behind HeadMetal comics before, and I saw them again at this convention. They have finished the 99th issue after the 1st just as they said they would and now will go about filling in the space of the character's life. Should be quite the saga when it is all done! See more of them here.

I met a couple who both make different webcomics, "Pictures of You" and "Tiny Pink Robots," by Gibson Twist and Rori, respectively. Both have different styles, formats, and foci, but both also have some cool art and look worth a read! See, "Pictures of You" right here, and, "Tiny Pink Robots," at this site.

I met the folk behind "Rocketbot" a website that supports comic-makers. It is interesting stuff. See their stuff here.

Two Other Neat Things
I also saw two other cool things that weren't directly related to comics but I wanted to mention too.

The Da Vinci Machines exhibit is currently in Saint Louis and will be through May 2013. While that itself is cool what is especially interesting is that the version that is normally in Australia is the STL one. The exhibit takes many of Da Vinci's famous sketches and makes machines based on them, its really fascinating stuff. See a description of the exhibit here.

I met the people behind the group, "Zombification Orientation and Defense," who enjoy going to conventions in zombie-fighting gear. They enjoy learning all about general disaster preparedness so as to be able to help in emergencies...and for when the zombies start rising, which you know someday they very well may do. Learn more about them here.

In Closing
Wizard World Saint Louis was a great time and I want to thank Wizard for putting on such a fun event. I would recommend going to one of their future conventions and a list of them can be seen here--check and see if one is near you! Meeting the creators, seeing the fans, and otherwise having a good time is why I like going to comic conventions. If you have never been to one you definitely should try it sometime!

Rant-Reviews--3 Amazingly Good Books and 1 Mostly Shoddy One

Let's talk about Daredevil #19, Hawkeye #3, Batman #13, and Marvel NOW Point One...because I suppose we have to acknowledge the one great bit in that otherwise mostly-lame comic.

Daredevil #19
Mark Waid has been writing comics for quite some time now, and like a fine wine he seems to just keep getting better with age. This issue of Daredevil answers the question of if Daredevil truly is going insane, looks great thanks to Chris Samnee, and otherwise is a great time. Besides that lousy, "Omega Drive," cross-over business this comic had some time ago, this has been the newer Marvel series to read without question. Well, with the next comic I'm going to review this is still one to definitely read, just not the newest. It's still pretty awesome though (and yes I'm being vague about the plot on purpose to avoid spoiling anything in this comic).
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Hawkeye #3
Matt Fraction found that spark that made some of his stuff amazing (Casanova) and left behind the piece of him that made horrible stuff (Fear Itself) to give us this new series. It is like mana from the heavens, and even if this 3rd issue isn't as utterly amazing as that 1st one, this is still just as awesome as the 2nd. Between Fraction's amazing writing and David Aja's seemingly effortlessly-done art which is so beautiful it makes my eyes gasp in joy, this is some superb stuff. Seriously, it is really hard to draw car-chases well in comics, but Aja illustrates the Hell out of it whilst Fraction spins a really clever yarn (which I'm being vague about again so you get maximum enjoyment from this comic).

As long as this series stays as amazing as it has been so far I will do whatever it takes to keep it coming out (because you know a comic about Hawkeye probably doesn't have the best odds). Do I need to do a bikini car-wash fundraiser to make sure you get enough funds for this comic, Marvel? Tell me if I do, because I will put on that bikini and make it work, baby.
5 out of 5 stars.

Batman #13
This thing was promoted more than the upcoming Presidential Election (woo, topical!) but somehow actually delivered--unlike a candidate's promises (oh snap, I did it again!). Scott Snyder writes a Joker that is genuinely terrifying--something that the character isn't always. Yes, the Joker can be intimidating or a bit spooky, but its been awhile since the character has truly made me feel some fear. From the way he knows where Jim Gordon's last secret stash of cigarettes is to having Batman go to the very place where he was possibly "born" (there are multiple origins for the Joker but this is going by the "Killing Joke" one), the least-scary thing about the Joker may be how he cut off his face and has done a poor job reattaching it--and even that's pretty damn eerie.

Greg Capullo turns in some quality art as he has been doing on this series since its launch, but the back-up with Harely Quinn which is illustrated by the always-amazing Jock is a buffet of beauty--I say its a buffet because you keep coming back for more/to look at it. The only thing that really bugs me about this whole Joker-reappearing business is how its become some big cross-over event for all the books with the slightest relation to Batman. I don't plan to pick up anything else than what I usually do, but as long as the story is contained enough that I can enjoy it in, "Batman," by itself this looks like it will be one amazing story.
5 out of 5 stars.

Marvel NOW Point One #001
I'm going to celebrate how good my new comics are. I mean, even this mostly-bad book had one amazing part in it--the, "Young Avengers," scene. Kieron Gillen is almost always a great writer, and Jaime Mckelvie is a talented artist. When they work together, such as on, "Phonogram," something wonderful is created. When I heard they were teaming up for a Marvel book about some Young Avengers (and were going to use my horribly-mishandled-by-Bendis-in-Avengers Marvel Boy) I was just thrilled. Within this slightly over-sized and quite over-priced comic ($5.99) there is at least some good stuff--yes, we get a hint of the magic we are in store for, and boy I could not be more excited.

What about the rest of the comic though? It was mostly sucky. We have Nick Fury's son who everyone now calls Nick Fury (because even though he spent his whole life as Marcus Johnson, upon finding out his absentee father was Nick Fury, and that was apparently his "real name" too he just switched it up) and Agent Coulson--a less charming Coulson than the one in the movies, if I may say so--talking to some guy from the future who is warning them about impending doom really vaguely while also saying that even if he spoke clearly they wouldn't listen. Well, give it a shot, old man, because you aren't making a tiny lick 'o sense with your babbling.

There are other scenes that are book-ended by that dull Nick Fury Jr. bit, and other than the, "Young Avengers," one I can't say I was impressed. There was something that I only realized was for, "Guardians of The Galaxy," once the title of it clued me in, a weird scene with a crazy man in the future--don't confuse him with the one from the future in the other scenes--named Forge (he's a machine-knowledgeable mutant, for you kids who don't know of him) who bumps into Cable. Both of these bits are entirely forgettable with the only other thing in here approaching an entertainment level even slightly near Young Avengers is an Ant-Man segment (to promote, "FF,") illustrated by Michael Allred which has a cute closing-joke.

Other than the great, "Young Avengers," piece and a somewhat-entertaining bit with Ant-Man this was a pretty poor comic--and one that I had to pay $5.99 to be disappointed by. If you see this at your comic shop, flip to the, "Young Avengers," pages, read them, and then put the book back, that's all you really need to do in order to get maximum enjoyment out of this.
1.5 stars (although that "Young Avengers" piece by itself is 5 out of 5).

Even when you get a bunch of superb comics it seems there has to be some bad with the good. I'm just thankful even the bad thing had something great in it.

UPDATE: I realized I forgot to mention the, "Nova," bit in, "Marvel Now Point One," a couple of minutes after I posted the article. That should tell you all you need to know about the Jeph Loeb-written segment.

Rant-Reviews--Three #0 Issues, Daredevil, and...Tarot: Witch Of The Black Rose? Hoo Boy...

Let's get into some reviews by looking over a few of the DC zero issues that have been coming out, then we'll check in with the as-always stellar Daredevil, which is on its 18th issue. Plus we'll give a gander to Tarot: Witch Of The Black Rose because when you need something to giggle at the absurdity of, this is the comic to buy.

DC Universe Presents #0
This honestly should be called, "Cancelled Comics Cavalcade" as most of the stories in here are from books that got cancelled before they could reach a zero issue. Oh, and a Deadman story that somewhat satisfactorily sets up his few issues that were originally at the start of this series. Seriously though, is there much of any point to that, "Hawk and Dove," tale written by the now-officially-insane Rob Liefeld? I may not have bought this book if I had noticed his involvement as I'm avoiding his work now. The Mister Terrific story isn't bad, but at this point it would make more sense to have it in the, "Earth 2," comic where he is apparently popping up. The OMAC bit begs to be considered important with a title, "Origins Matter After Cancellation," and the Blackhawks tale was so inconsequential I can't even remember it. Yeah, what was the goal of this issue, really?

To give credit where it's due, this did make me a little curious about the OMAC comic that I believe you can now (or soon) get the whole short-series of in trade. It has Maxwell Lord whom I've always found to be an interesting character. Perhaps that was the goal of this, to make people want to go and get the trade paperbacks of these cancelled series, and grab the first trade paperback of, "DC Universe Presents," to read more about Deadman. As an actual single comic though, meh.
2.5 out of 5 stars.

Batman #0
This isn't so much an origin of Batman as it is two stories. One is a tale of how Bruce Wayne first got a start in fighting crime and the other segment is about how the Bat-Signal came into being, with various future Robin's noticing it up in the sky. It's a good issue of Batman and actually sets out to tell an origin as I believe was the point of the zero issues. One problem with this however is how it throws a huge kink in trying to figure out Batman's continuity in this new 52 universe.

There was the idea that Batman was operating in secret for years before the whole Justice League came together 5 years ago from our present. However, in this comic it shows a Bruce Wayne who isn't even Batman yet, "Six years ago," and one who doesn't have a Robin by his side, "Five years ago." This means Batman went through three Robins before having his son, Damian, take the mantle within five-ish years. Oh, and his son is 10 with, "Batman and Robin #0," apparently stacking on additional continuity glitches...I give up trying to figure it out. This is still a fun comic at least.
4 out of 5 stars.

Resurrection Man #0
Let's be honest and just say this is, "Resurrection Man #13," instead of the #0 DC is giving all its books this month. This does have a flashback to explain how there could be two Mitch Shelly's, but most of the book takes place in the present, right where issue #12 ended. Plus the book sets up future stories too for the character despite his series being cancelled. The whole idea of giving this a zero for its number is really a mess...but at least the story was pretty good.

Yes, I was concerned with the whole, "There's two Mitch Shelly's," plot, but the twist that (SPOILER) the Mitch Shelly who grew out of the first one's lost arm is actually a nice guy and the original Mitch Shelly is a huge, evil jerk was kind of a fun idea. The "clone" of Mitch Shelly has been the man we're rooting for and who continues to exist after the "real" Mitch Shelly has his soul taken for...some reason--it was never really clear to me how Heaven and Hell were involved in this story.  Still, I had fun, and I can't hold the whole numbering snafu against this book when it's DC editorial crew who chose to do that. I wonder where the Resurrection Man will show up next--I'll probably pick up the comic showing where he does.
3 out of 5 stars.

Daredevil #18
This series was giving us a bright and happy Daredevil with the understanding that he had that darkness lurking around in him. Matthew Murdock hoped he could just try and forget it, living a nice life. Well, it seems that ol' madness is slowly coming back to strike Daredevil if the events of the last few issues and especially this one are anything to go by. Sure, we'll probably have it revealed some villain is making Murdock look crazy and be seeing impossible things, but as the series is seeming to point out, it really wouldn't be that much of a stretch for Daredevil to genuinely be going crazy. Mark Waid is an expert writer and this book continues to reflect that. The art by Chris Samnee ain't too shabby either. If you have been following this series definitely pick up this book. If you haven't been Daredevil, what are you waiting for? Get those earlier issues and catch-up!
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Tarot: Witch of The Black Rose #75
The next issue comes out this Wednesday, and waiting for it with bated breath has been so hard! With its intricate plot and complex storytelling the two months between every issue are difficult to bear....okay, if we're honest this book is about Tarot fighting a naked fairy-woman who has a weird thing for repeatedly spanking Tarot. Yeah. As always Jim Balent is a pretty talented man who for some reason has chosen to spend his time writing and drawing a comic about a witch who has trouble keeping her clothes on...who fights other magical beings that also have trouble staying clothed (or just skip wearing anything). It's a silly book, but considering Balent has so many people who buy it--with a fair amount being female readers who are into the whole Wicca-magic stuff--I imagine Balent is the one who is really doing the laughing. All the way to the bank.

For what this book is, it's perfectly decent, and it's a cheesecake-art comic with magic and jokes thrown in. Nothing more and nothing less. If that's what you want, here you go. Those of your looking for deep stories or females with realistically-proportioned bodies look elsewhere.
5 out of 5 stars for accomplishing what it sets out to do.
2 out of 5 stars if we're judging it as we judge other, actually good comics.

There are the comics of late I felt like reviewing. The good thing about comics is not matter how many good or bad ones you read there is always a fresh batch Wednesday.