Comics of the Year Part 2--2021 in Review

Now for Part 2!

I now present the rest of my comics of the year from 2021! Again, in no specific order here they are...

The Other History of the DC Universe

Probably the best thing published by DC in years, "The Other History of the DC Universe," is an out-of-continuity take on various characters who are parts of underrepresented groups. John Ridley writes and Giuseppe Camuncoli provides some stellar art in this raw, deep, and emotional anthology of sorts with each character getting an issue.

Moon Knight

There have been some runs on Moon Knight I loved and runs that made me shake my head in disappointment. After reading the issues of, "Moon Knight," that we've gotten this year from Jed Mackay and Alessandro Cappuccio, I am happy to say this is the best damn Moon Knight material I've read since the Charlie Huston & David Finch stuff that got me into the character in the first place. From the debut issue to now, Mackay takes everything in Moon Knight's confusing continuity and lets it all count, acknowledging just how messy a character Moonie can be. He lets this somewhat convoluted background bring us superb stories about a man struggling to come to terms with his personal life, religious views, and how he can help others when he can barely help himself. Plus, there's a dab of humor too so that everything avoids being a bit too dreary. I hope Mackay and Cappuccio get to write Moon Knight for a long time.

Jinx Freeze

When I reviewed, "Jinx Freeze," I put in the title how it was the weirdest comic I'd read in a while. It still is probably the strangest thing I read in 2021, and that's a good thing. Lord Hurk gives us the story of a town dealing with a heist, but it is so much more than that. An assortment of odd characters in seemingly unrelated vignettes begin to tell one epic story, and Hurk illustrates it all in an astonishing grotesqueness that results in this being one of the most striking comics I read this year.

Dead Dog's Bite

Tyler Boss did everything for this surreal little comic. He wrote it, drew it, lettered it, colored it, Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he was at the printing press stapling the thing together. Now, someone can do everything for a comic and it still could suck, but Tyler Boss is a damn fine creator. "Dead Dog's Bite," was impressing me before it even finished and upon the conclusion of this four-issue series, I knew it was a real treat. A little dark, quite funny, and with a mystery that actually pays off at the end in a satisfying manner, this is an example of how a labor of love can be a masterpiece.

"Jinx Freeze," is the Weirdest Comic I've Read Lately, and I Love That!

When the opportunity arose to read, "Jinx Freeze," by comic-maker Lord Hurk, I took it as the comic sounded just plain odd. At first blush, it's a heist story about a golden arm being stolen from a museum. However, a variety of seemingly unconnected vignettes full of weirdness slowly begin to connect in little ways that tell a surreal story encompassing a lucid-dreaming cyborg superhero, a poet riffing on the World, a comic-themed podcaster, private detectives, Youtube streamers, a sci-fi space priest, and more weirdness I haven't even mentioned yet.

One of my favorite comics ever is the most bizarre I ever read--"The Filth." By Grant Morrison with Chris Weston on art and Gary Frank on colors, it too was full of random little diatribes, side stories, and general madness that eventually all combined into a beautifully grotesque and freakish yarn. Hence, when I say a comic reminds me of, "The Filth," in any manner I am paying it one of the highest compliments possible. This is a long-winded way of me saying, "Jinx Freeze," reminded me of, "The Filth," and that is a very good thing. Lord Hurk injects so much outlandish storytelling into this comic (along with a healthy dose of humor that resulted in me laughing out loud a few times) that it goes from confusing, to overwhelming, to a weird place of over-the-top serendipity.

"Jinx Freeze," is as beautiful to look at as it is at times hideous to gaze upon. That sounds like a paradox, but I'm trying to say that Lord Hurk has mastered the comic form in a manner where a couple happily walking down the street into a mysterious exhibit turns into a complex and amazing illustrative work, but it isn't, "Beautiful," because so many characters are ugly, in an extremely detailed and impressively unpleasant way. A detective named Shitplank (I told you the comic was funny) is a large, sweaty, and blatantly unattractive man (and not the best detective either). Even if he's painful to gawk at, you still want to stare as Lord Hurk has drawn everything with the twisted glee of a madman who refuses to let up for one second of this comic.

"Jinx Freeze," does eventually start to make sense as you keep reading it, with almost all the random beats finally synchronizing in a manner that is most impressive (some lingering plot threads beg for a possible sequel). Lord Hurk has created something amazing with his first full-length original graphic novel. I thank Avery Hill Publishing for having me on their press list so that I was able to read a copy in advance of its release this 12th of October. I would strongly encourage you to preorder a copy so you can read it for yourself!

5 out of 5 stars.