Alex K Cossa, Author at Graphic Policy

Author Archives: Alex K Cossa

Review: Farlaine The Goblin #5

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Alex K Cossa

A couple of years ago, a comic fell into my lap from an independent studio that was, up until that time, nowhere near my radar. And then I met Farlaine.

Published by Studio Farlaine, Farlaine The Goblin is a series that can (and should) be read by anybody, regardless of what issue is your first. Each comic is a standalone story that follows a goblin tree shaman by the name of Farlaine (pronounced Far-lin) and his companions, a robot named Tink and Farlaines’ friend Ehrenwort the tree as they travel the lands looking for a forest to call home for Ehrenwort. After years of searching, there is only a few lands left in order to find a forest within which to plant Ehrenwort. The brilliance of this premise lays in its innocent simplicity; even though Farlain The Goblin #5 isn’t the first part of this story, it can still be read and enjoyed regardless of whether you’re steeped in the series history, or if you just want to check out something new and different.

The comic clocks in at just under fifty pages, and is as effortlessly charming as the goblin himself, with Pug Grumble’s joyous delivery and willingness to explore concepts that are wonders of the imagination; this book reminds of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series in that some of the ideas within this world shouldn’t make a lick of sense, but under Grumble’s masterful hand not only do they (still not really) make sense, but you don’t want to worry too hard about how they’d work. There’s a sense of innocent wonder here, with the author’s willingness to embrace the magical fantasy worlds created in his mind without over explaining irrelevant things like time and space the reader is free to just let their mind wander through this glorious black and white masterpiece.

The challenge with any black and white art is to convey the detail, texture and shade through only two colours – and that’s especially true with a book that has such a vividly imaginative story. Thankfully, the art is incredible. The way Grumble is able to make the subtlest of changes in the way the little goblin’s eyebrows are drawn to give him an entirely different emotional response is always a joy to see. Yeah, I love this series. It’s always such a pleasure to read.

If you do want to start the series from the begining, or you’re not sure this wonderful comic is for you, then there is a free pdf of the first issue available at Farlaine‘s website, here. Once you’ve read that, you can also order the previous issues online, here.

Farlaine The Goblin #5 is another brilliant chapter in the goblin’s journey to find a home, and it’s one that you really need to check out. There is no reason for you not to be reading this. This issue is available now, with the sixth on the way soon

Story: Pug Grumble Art: Pug Grumble
Story: 9 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

Studio Farlaine provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.

Review: Bloodshot Salvation #5

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Alex K Cossa

NOW: As nanites overwrite her biology, Bloodshot’s newborn daughter is about to take a turn for the worse…just as her father is forced to confront the truth about a deranged cultist with a dark connection to their own family.

THEN: In the near future, as Rampage’s nationwide campaign of terror escalates, Magic’s search for salvation points her farther away than she ever could have imagined… To the year 4001 A.D.!

Jeff Lemire had a tremendous 2017 in terms of the quality of comics he wrote, and his 2018 is shaping up to be just as good a year for us comic fans, if Bloodshot Salvation #5 is anything to go by. Splitting the story between Soon and Now, Lemire gives the first four pages of the issue over to the Soon as Magic, the Bloodshot Squad and Bloodshot’s daughter Jessie try to understand last issue’s revelation in regards to Bloodshot’s location. Although Soon isn’t presented as a backup or bonus story, because the bulk of the issue is focused on the Now one could be forgiven for thinking as such, especially with two different artists handling each timeline.

Mico Suayan is wonderful in Bloodshot Salvation #5. His art pops during the Soon segment; so much so that I wish the comic was longer so that we could see more of Suayan’s work. Although the future is only seen for a handful of pages, which is all together too brief, there’s a surprising amount of things for Suayan to flex his creative muscles, and oh boy does he.

Lewis Larosa is one of the finest artists working in comics today, and if you’d like proof then simply open this comic at the midway point (there’s no reason to open it midway through other than you’re more likely to hit a Larosa page as he depicts a de-powered Bloodshot who is at the mercy of a group of cultists led by Daddy, the creepy old man who wants Magic, the mother of Bloodshot’s child, to return to his cult. The scenes within which Bloodshot is at the mercy of the cultists are brutal, graphic, and yet still leave something to the imagination. It’s a really well done sequence that pulls the last few issues together as Bloodshot comes face to face with his place in the world.

Tying two of the best artists currently working in comics together is the colouring work of Diego Rodriguez; his contributions are the cherry on top of an already superb comic.

Lemire’s script could easily get buried beneath the visuals this issue. Hell, even if he’d turned in an average script, I’d still be telling you to pick this up for the art alone, but it’s not an average script. The comic delves deeper into Bloodshot’s psyche than you would initially expect given a first read through, but as Bloodshot asks whether he’s man, monster, or some variation of them both, we’re given a visual kick between the legs as he asks the question. Without spoiling anything, Larosa’s use of blank space is incredibly powerful when combined with Lemire’s script.

There’s a reason I think Bloodshot Salvation is a must read series, and this issue is a perfect example. You will be hard pressed to find a better comic released this week.

Story: Jeff Lemire Art: Lewis Larosa & Mico Suayan Colourist: Diego Rodriguez
Story: 9 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.25 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.

Review: Ninjak Vs The Valiant Universe #1

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Alex K Cossa

“Colin King is Ninjak, MI-6’s deadliest intelligence operative and weapons expert. When the ruthless assassin Roku exploits his greatest weakness, Ninjak will be forced to betray his closest allies. Now, on the run, he must face off against the most powerful heroes known to man for a high-octane, take no prisoners trial by fire more perilous and more unpredictable than any he’s faced before. In 2018, the world’s most dangerous super-spy goes to war with the Valiant Universe…”

The first thing you should be aware of when opening this comic is that it has nothing to do with Valiant’s shared universe the company has been publishing comics in since 2012, and everything to do with the Bat In The Sun produced digital-first live action series that is coming to a screen near you eventually (the project has been hit with delay after delay, possibly to do with something behind the scenes in a legal and/or character rights type situation, but the rumours and speculation are that we’ll see a general release soon). Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Ninjak Vs The Valiant Universe is a tie-in comic to the upcoming webseries, and it feels like it.

Written by Eliot Rahal, the art is provided by Joe Bennett with Belardino Brabo, who are joined by colourist Ulises Arreola – who continues to provide a vibrant life to artwork that struggles between finding its own voice and maintaining a likeness to the actors in the upcoming webseries, much like the comic itself. The art is at least mostly solid, other than a few panels that feel as though they had less time spent upon them than others (it’s entirely possible that I’m unfairly comparing this to Ninja-K‘s art, which is never going to end well for this comic), but for the most it does it’s job and gets you from point A to point B.

Ninjak Vs has a pace to it that mimics its title character, with the action and plot points coming at you like a shuriken in the dark. Rahal wastes no time in getting the plot going, which ultimately is little more than an excuse to set up a fight between Ninjak and everybody else in the next few issues.

There are several things going against this comic, one of the more notable ones is that with this series, Valiant have stated that it takes places out of the typical continuity of the main Valiant universe which should, in theory, allow Rahal to weave a compelling story about Ninjak without any worry toward the consequences of the conclusion. Unfortunately he’s forced into creating some inane reasons for Ninjak to betray everything and everyone in order to obtain something, and so the comic never feels like a natural read, instead we’re left with a situation where we know what’s going to happen, and the “why” feels more like an after thought; honestly, had the intro just said “Ninjak has to fight the Valiant Universe” I’d have been happier. Possibly because it is a tie-in, companion piece and/or adaptation of a live action adaptation and has to follow the pacing of said story. On top of that there’s the obvious comparisons to the excellent Ninja-K that Valiant launched in November – and unfortunately, Ninjak Vs doesn’t come off looking too favourably in that comparison.

Ninjak Vs The Valiant Universe #1 is part of an ambitious project that crosses multiple different media, and perhaps should be taken as such – knowing that there would have been a clear direction for Rahal (because frankly he’s capable of a much higher standard than is on display here), and to a lesser extent Bennett and Brabo, to follow editorially does provide a bit of leeway when judging the issue – but not much. Without an accompanying live action series, one must judge this issue on face value; and on face value, this isn’t the finest example of what Valiant, or the individuals who have created this comic, can produce, and it’s a struggle to honestly recommend this issue to you to face value.

If you want to read a great comic starring Ninjak, then you should look at Ninja-K. If you want to read a story about one Valiant character facing off against Unity, then pick up the first two issues of Book of Death. Both these comics do what Ninjak Vs tries to do, only they succeed.

Not every book from Valiant is a winner, and this is one of the rare misses.

Story: Eliot Rahal Art: Joe Bennett with Belardino Brabo Colourist: Ulises Arreola
Story: 5.0 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.5 Recommendation: Pass

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

DC Rebirth Roundup: Jan 3rd’s Comics

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Alex K Cossa

Welcome to Graphic Policy’s DC Rebirth: Recap And Review where we take a look at the comics released under DC‘s Rebirth banner and try to work out just how accessible they are for new readers – we’ll also be providing recap of sorts for the relevant story beats up until the issue in question in order to help you figure out if the series is something you’re interested in.

Each comic will receive a rating of Friendly or Unfriendly based on how easy it was for new readers to pick them up; the ratings are based solely on the issues released in the post-Rebirth ongoing series. More consideration regarding the comic’s accessibility will be given for the specific issue being read rather than the series overall, but if reading a back issue will help, then that will be mentioned. You’ll also notice that each comic will get a rating that falls on Graphic Policy’s typical ten point scale, which is there to help you pick between issues if you only want to check out one or two.

Not every comic is covered week to week, and that’s because I sometimes forget to read them (although that doesn’t happen often), or I really can’t bring myself to pic up the issue. If I have missed an issue, typically I won’t go looking for back issues to catch up on events – this feature is all about accessibility for new readers, after all.

Batman #38 A standalone story that’s nothing overly special, but is still worth a read all the same. Yes, it’s Friendly, assuming you’re aware who Batman is, and that he’s engaged to Catwoman. 6.5/10

Cyborg #20 Cyborg has been “cured” of his technological enhancements by a magical rhino horn that grants wishes at a cost (because why not?). But just when Cyborg needs his technology the most to free a group of children from a gang in Africa exploiting them for diamond mining, he’s bereft thanks to his wish. This issue is a little Unfriendly, but it’s a solid conclusion to. 7/10

Deathstroke #27 Welcome back to the brilliant yet almost impenetrable series that, I am convinced, would read much better in trade or as a binge. As much as I enjoy this series, the intrigue and quality of the twists and turns wouldn’t survive a roundup post. Unfriendly, but so good. 8/10

Green Arrow #36 As good as this issue is, there’s really no coherent recap I can provide that will adequately summarize the previous events for you; you might pickup some details, but… yeah. This is just a touch Unfriendly a place to start reading, but you might want to consider a trade or two. 7.2/10

Green Lantarns #36 The Moloids, an alien population from a dead world have found refuge on a new planet. But their presence isn’t sitting well with the locals, and the two species are in a mixing pot of anger and misunderstandings that culminated in a murder of a high profile citizen. With the high priest of the Moloids taking blame for the murder, the truth was revealed to Simon Baz that a group called the Red Tide was responsible. And guess what Simon’s new love interest is a member of? This issue is Friendly, and pretty solid. 7.3/10

Nightwing #36 Nightwing was shot in the shoulder by the one cop he trusts after she was coerced into doing so by the Judge – a man who has history with Dick Grayson, and is seemingly able to convince people to give into their darkest desires. This issue is Friendly, and shows a more intense Nightwing than we’ve seen in some time. 7.4/10

Superman #38 If you want to start this series, frankly it’s best to wait till next issue. This is the penultimate chapter of a crossover between several different series, and thus Unfriendly for those looking to start reading Superman. 7/10

That’s a wrap for this week folks. I’ll see you next time!

Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 1/6

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Alex K Cossa

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling short reviews from the staff of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full review for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews.

Logan

Batman and the Signal #1 (DC) With a tongue in cheek joke about the overcrowded Batman supporting cast, Tony Patrick, Scott Snyder, and Cully Hamner throw a wrench into the works of Gotham City in Duke Thomas’ solo title. He’s a young hero, who fights by day, has some visually cool powers, and lacks the privileges of other Gotham superheroes. Patrick writes Duke with plenty of personality and self-awareness, and his plot is a bit of a mash-up of Gotham Central and We Are Robin with just a dash of X-Men. Former Blue Beetle/Question artist Hamner is the perfect fit for this book with his background doing bright superhero battles as well investigating and general detective things. Fingers crossed this becomes an ongoing! Overall: 9.0 Verdict: Buy

Iceman #9 (Marvel) This issue of Iceman had so much potential, including a funny Northstar cameo, some real talk about Bobby’s reasons for leaving the X-Men, and Robert Gill’s sexy depiction of evil Daken. However, even though Sina Grace is a gay writer, the book falls prey to the “bury your gays” trope killing a half-baked boyfriend character to build up the big battle between Iceman, junkie mutant Amp, and Apocalypse Seed Daken. Iceman purports to be a progressive comic, but it leans on the same mind control/love interest getting killed off cliches that have been collecting dust since the 80s and early 90s. Overall: 5 Recommendation: Pass

Ryan C

Black Bolt #9 (Marvel)** Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward are just plain killing it on this book! A moving send-off to Crusher Creel/The Absorbing Man, followed by a cliffhanger that will leave you picking your jaw up off the floor — not to mention art that does the same? Seriously, “Big Two” books don’t get any better than this. Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

Batman #38 (DC)** I like Travis Moore’s art on this one-part story. In fact, I like it a lot. And I like the fact that Tom King was attempting to do something different with this — uhmmm — sorta-Bruce Wayne story. But his stilted dialogue is starting to make everyone sound the same, his herky-jerk pacing no longer seems stylish or unique, and the story itself is pretty light on substance. They get a couple points (okay, four to be precise) for trying here, but not much more than that. Overall: 4 Recommendation: Pass

Batman And The Signal #1 (DC)** – This three-part “Metal” spin-off shining a spotlight (sorry, bad pun) on Duke Thomas seemed to come out of nowhere, but it’s probably long overdue given that ol’ Duke’s been around for a few years now and we still don’t have a very firm handle on what his super-hero gig even is, much less why he’s doing it. Scott Snyder gets top billing here but he’s just a co-plotter, the script itself being the work of Tony Patrick, and I guess it’s fine as far as it goes even if the mystery at its core is far less than enthralling. A Story set in Gotham’s daytime hours is a nifty enough conceit on its own merits and the dialogue’s fine, but “serviceable” is about the highest compliment I can give it. Ditto for Cully Hamner’s art, which gets the job done but not much more. I had no expectations about this one going in, and whaddya know — I guess it lived up to them. Overall: 5. Recommendation: Worth a read for serious Bat-fans, but probably a pass for anyone else.

Rock Candy Mountain #7 (Image)** Kyle Starks is quietly turning out one of the best things on comic shops shelves, and anyone who’s passed on this amazingly inventive and superbly-illustrated tale of hobo life seriously needs to pick it up in trade. One issue to go and I miss it already, but Starks really ramps things up for what promises to be a bang-up conclusion. Comics with this much personality don’t come along from the “major independents” like Image often enough. I’m damn grateful for this one. Overall: 9. Recommendation: Buy

Elana

Black Bolt #9 (Marvel) Saladin Ahmed’s captain America is the real captain America. They should give him the title next so that real healing within the marvel U and in the marvel fandom can begin. Ward’s colorful art combines a 1970s high end sci-fi art aesthetic of sculpted figures and shapes and an Impressionist painter’s color pallets with sensitive facial expressions. His Titania is as mighty and as vulnerable as she should be. Overall 9.5 Recommendation: Buy.

Rise of the Black Panther #1 (Marvel). This is the best Black Panther comic of recent years, which is made even more impressive by being writer Evan Narcisse’s comics debut. It is a crash course in Wakandan history (and Stark history) that’s dense enough to make even a Claremont fan feel their dollars are well spent. The political underpinnings are set just right to tell a story of African resistance to colonialism that the world still needs to hear. The art is elegant and detailed, especially colorist Stéphane Paitreau’s soft and lush palette. The story features T’chaka and N’yami’s beautiful romance and a special appearance from a certain Howlin’ Commando made me cheer. Overall 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Patrick

Cinema Purgatorio #13 (Avatar)** – First up, a history lesson in British music hall and cinema from Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill. Old Mother Riley was the drag character of actor Arthur Lucan, who was married to the girl who played his daughter in their double act, and died in the wings of a theatre in Hull. Moore’s genius for marrying text and subtext, cabaret and comics, is the show here. Next, in Garth Ennis & Raulo Caceres’ “Code Pru”, an unexpectedly moving gay werewolf story that deepened the mystery of the mole in the police department and deepened Eric’s character. I had a lump in my throat at the end of these 8 pages, and “Code Pru” has become my favourite thing in this anthology. I’ve also come to like Kieron Gillen & Nahuel Lopez’ “Modded”. In this issue, we get an unskippable cutscene about drugs and the abyss. I’ve got a bad feeling about next issue, where we’ll be seeing the effects of Blue Sky on our heroine Fringe. Overall: solid 7 (I’ve given up on both “A More Perfect Union” and “The Vast”) Recommendation: Read

Koshchei the Deathless #1 (Dark Horse)** – I am a sucker for a Baba Yaga story (must be the Ukrainian in me) so I picked this up, having not read the Hellboy stories being referred to. But Mike Mignola and Ben Stenbeck hit the basics in the first 4 pages and from then on it’s pure excellent storytelling, or rather tale-spinning. “Gods or devils, there’s nothing for it now but to go on.” I’m with that guy. Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Cosmo #1 (Archie) – I’m always on the lookout for kid-friendly sci-fi so I checked out this offering from Ian Flynn & Tracy Yardley. Basically: Cosmo is a young Martian who travels the universe for fun & adventure & discovery and comes across a UFO that belongs to Earthman Max Strongjaw. This is a little too winky-wink about its tropes for my taste – my 6-year-old wouldn’t get the jokes, and I’ve heard them all before. The art is fun and friendly, so I might give it another couple of issues to see where it goes. Overall: 6.5 Recommendation: Check it out if you’ve got kids.

Well, there you have it, folks. The reviews we didn’t quite get a chance to write. See you next week!

Please note that with some of the above comics, Graphic Policy was provided FREE copies for review. Where we purchased the comics, you’ll see an asterisk (*). If you don’t see that, you can infer the comic was a review copy. In cases where we were provided a review copy and we also purchased the comic you’ll see two asterisks (**).

Those Two Geeks Episode Fourteen: Year’s End Part One

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Alex K Cossa

On the docket this week: The geeks talk about the five comics stories that really excited them this year. There will be a second part to this coming next week, but there was a finite time limit this week and we didn’t want to rush through our top five movies list just to squeeze them in.

So despite what’s said at the beginning, it’s only the comics this week!

As always, the Alex and Joe can be found on twitter respectively @karcossa and @jc_hesh if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or @those2geeks if you want to yell at them together on twitter or email ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you ~~next week~~ in the future!

Underrated: A Once Crowded Sky

Posted on January 6, 2018 by Alex K Cossa

This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: A Once Crowded Sky

It’s no secret how much I love comics. Or at least it shouldn’t be.

While ~~most~~ pretty much all of the comics I read can, to varying degrees, be placed on the superhero side of things, sometimes I’ll pick up the odd non-superhero comic. I’m a big fan of the modern comic book re-imaginings of the early pulp heroes such as The Black Bat, The Spider, and The Phantom, although one could argue their closeness to the superhero genre renders the example moot, so let me be blunt; the point I am poorly trying to make is that I love superhero stories (of all varieties) in my comics more than any other type of story.

Amazingly enough, I also read books.

If you look at my book shelf you’ll see a lot of fantasy, sword and sorcery, and historical fiction. There isn’t much set within the last one hundred years or so that I tend to pick up and read. I can think of, maybe, twenty books (or series) that I’ve read in the last fifteen years or so that are set within the last century, and only a handful of them were based around superheroes. One was an average Wolverine tale I read on Kindle, one is the hugely enjoyable Dresden Files series and another was A Once Crowded Sky by some dude named Tom King, which is the subject of today’s column.

Although the story wasn’t quite mind blowing, it was remarkably well told, and had some incredible ideas within its pages. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the book is actually the way it is told. In a book with multiple point of view characters, each character’s point of view is laid out like a comic book; the book is set up like a text version of a collected comic book tie-in event across multiple issues. It’s a brilliant way to tie in the obvious influence and homage to the four colour medium, as is the occasional comic book page within the book itself.

A Once Crowded Sky is a relative anomaly for me; it’s a superhero story that I read, and enjoyed, that wasn’t in a comic book. Now, my sample size of superhero books is obviously incredibly small compared with that of superhero comics, but the thing I must stress here is it isn’t that I’ve had no access to superhero books, it’s that I simply have no desire to read about superheroes in any other medium that isn’t a comic book, and I have no idea why.

Maybe it’s because up until A Once Crowded Sky every superhero book I’ve looked as has been hard to justify the price tag. I found A Once Crowded Sky for $3 on a table of reduced hardcover books at a chain book store – it’s easily worth four times that amount, but would I have looked at it for more than $3? Seeing as how it took me two days to decide to pick the book up even for about the price of a comic, well, then probably not. Maybe I don’t like superhero books because they lack the visual nature of comics, which probably does have something to do with it, but I’m more then happy reading the Dresden Files novels and graphic novels, but then the Dresden Files and superheroes occupy two different genres. Maybe, and most likely, it’s because there simply hasn’t been much buzz about any superhero books.

So what’s A Once Crowded Sky about, and why should you read it?

“The superheroes of Arcadia City fight a wonderful war and play a wonderful game, forever saving yet another day. However, after sacrificing both their powers and Ultimate, the greatest hero of them all, to defeat the latest apocalypse, these comic book characters are transformed from the marvelous into the mundane.

After too many battles won and too many friends lost, The Soldier of Freedom was fine letting all that glory go. But when a new threat blasts through his city, Soldier, as ever, accepts his duty and reenlists in this next war. Without his once amazing abilities, he’s forced to seek the help of the one man who walked away, the sole hero who refused to make the sacrifice–PenUltimate, the sidekick of Ultimate, who through his own rejection of the game has become the most powerful man in the world, the only one left who might still, once again, save the day.”

Tom King’s debut novel has some lofty ideas, and some great presentation ideas that more than out weigh the at times overly wordy moments as King at times loses himself in backstory and internal monologues. There are flashes of his later brilliance in this 2012 novel, and it’s fascinating to see how he’s grown as a writer since this book. Despite having some rather interesting names for his characters (no, that’s not food – that’s my tongue in my cheek), it’s not hard to identify where their inspiration came from. Soldier of Fortune and Captain America do bear more than a slight similarity, after all.

But by using his own versions of these characters we’re all so familiar with, King is able to tell the story he wants without worrying about the guiding hand of either of the big two publishers impacting his story.

What we’re left with at the end of the day is a solid, and very enjoyable superhero novel written by a man who would go on to write some utterly fantastic comics. This book isn’t on that level, but it’s still well worth checking out should you come across it.

Someday, hopefully soon, superhero books will have their own section in the book store and when they do, that’s where you’ll find me.

Are Indies Selling More Now Than Ever Before?

Posted on January 4, 2018 by Alex K Cossa

I was talking to the owner of my local comic shop (LCS) about the state of the comics scene, or more specifically where Marvel is standing in the shop. When I said that perhaps the best thing to have happened to the indie comics scenes in recent years was Marvel’s constant cycle of events followed by a new number one, rinsed and repeated ad nauseam. There was a time when I had a god awful number of Marvel books on my pull list, but that has changed gradually over the past year or so as I began to find myself drawn toward Valiant, and more recently toward Alterna. My pull list now consists of “everything that Valiant and most of Alterna put out,” which is almost a complete 180 from where it was just four years ago.

I don’t think I’m alone, either.

While Marvel and DC Comics will always have a following, whether because of the popularity of the movies, television shows, or a general cultural awareness, I’ve noticed in the last couple of years that there seems to be a growing buzz around publishers that have traditionally been on the fringe. It’s something my LCS has noticed as well though whether that’s indicative of a global trend or merely something on a smaller scale level among my social circle, I’m unsure – and honestly I’m not entirely sure how to go about finding that out in a way that isn’t going to take a lot of work and time (neither of which I’m currently inclined to invest).

Comichron‘s sales numbers will give me an idea, but as they’re only of print copies sold through Diamond and don’t include digital or sales directly from the creator to the consumer (such as those at conventions) then they’re only ever going to provide a limited window into the sales results. There’s also no real way to tell which individual comics people are buying, and whether their buying habits have shifted from the two major publishers to the indies, or if the indies are attracting a whole new audience.

What that means, is that this will at best be conjecture based on an interpretation of sales figures and a couple of conversations with comic shop owners, and at worst just the ramblings of a comics fan who has too much time on his hands.

But then you expect that by now, eh?

In an attempt to at least keep some semblance of organization and formula I’m going to stick with the same month each year for five years (let’s arbitrarily pick October for no reason other than the data will be in for 2017 by now) and take a look at the top ten, which I fully expect to be mostly comprised of Marvel, DC and Walking Dead as well as the amount of comics sold, and the market share of the top ten publishers.

The years follow the same as above. 2013 on the left and on to 2017 on the right.

Looking at the top ten over the last five years for October, we notice that Marvel held 29 of the 50 top spots, DC had 17, Image had 3, and BOOM! popped their head in with a single entry. Ultimately, that doesn’t surprise me given what was happening in those months (judging primarily by the comics in the list above), although there does tend to be a general decline in sales for the top ten over the past two years, there has been more of a balance between Marvel and DC. Now obviously because we’re only looking at one month out of the year, it’s hard to get a general sense of how the comics performed over the years, so I also went and grabbed the same data for the complete* years we’re looking at (*at the time of writing we don’t have December 2017), which you can find below. Let’s not ask why this wasn’t done in the first place, eh?

You’ll notice in 2015 three of the top four comics have an asterisk beside their name. That’s because they were included in a subscription box, and as such there really isn’t an accurate number for the comics sold minus those that went to a subscription box, I also included the comics ranked from 11-13 as well. Likewise for 2016 and the comic ranked at 11. With those additional comics included, there does seem to be a general decline in sales among the top ten even as the balance shifts from Marvel to DC over the course of the last two years thanks primarily to DC’s Rebirth. But, and here’s what I find interesting, the sales of the top 300 comics haven’t really seen the decline that I was expecting to see based on the conversations I have had with retailers before doing this research.

Now it should be mentioned that these numbers are exclusive to the US, and the retailers I spoke to were based in Canada. Whether there’s a correlation to explore there, I don’t know.

Does this mean that the difference in sales in individual shops as people trend toward the independent comics are anecdotal, or are they localized trends that we won’t notice on the top ten of each of the last five years alone?

I think that ultimately, both are true. Whilst the majority of comics buyers are still looking toward Marvel and DC, in the next decade I wouldn’t be surprised to see more books higher up the sales charts from other publishers as people branch out toward the indies.

Alex’s Best Of 2017

Posted on January 4, 2018 by Alex K Cossa

Now that 2017 is in the history books, it’s time to have a look back at some of the comics, movies and events that really stood out for me. These comics were all released this year, and in the case of a limited series if had at least two issues released this year (if a mini series began late this year but is scheduled to end in 2018, then expect to find it on next years list – if it’s any good). Remember that this is all based on what I’ve read, and if your favourite comic isn’t here, it may be because I may not have read it, not because I didn’t like it.

First up there’ll be your standard Best Of categories of Ongoing Series, Mini/One Shot, Single Issue, Writer, Artist, and Colourist. However, you’ll notice that the word “best” isn’t used, and that’s because I didn’t read everything this year – so I’ve gone with my favourites and subsequently awarded each at least one of either a Gold, Silver and Bronze medal.

Favourite Ongoing Series

The reason this is first is because honestly this was the easiest category to decide on as there really wasn’t a choice when it came to my most anticipated comic each month.

Gold
Bloodshot Salvation (Valiant) An absolutely gorgeously rendered series by Lewi Larosa and Mico Suayan, Bloodshot Salvation follows on from Jeff Lemire’s excellent Bloodshot Reborn series, with the writer being able to continue the story (after a bit of a time jump) while making the first issue very accessible for new readers looking to jump into one of Valiant’s flagship series. The reason I picked this series is because of how excited I am to read every issue; the themes may be deeper and more intricate in some of the other series I’ve been reading, but there is no other series I look forward to reading as much as this one when it arrives in my inbox (and then once again when I get to pick up the physical copy).

Silver
Aquaman (DC) Had you asked me last year what would be on this list, I’d never have said that Aquaman would even be in consideration… but here we are. A series about inherited obligation, predetermined destiny and the usurpation of a king and his subsequent realization that he wasn’t the best king for Atlantis. So when Arthur Curry finds himself fighting for those far less fortunate than himself it creates a very interesting situation where Arthur Curry refuses to acknowledge his former identity, and has become the Batman of Atlantis; the Aquaman. The king is dead, long live the Aquaman.

Bronze
Ninja-K (Valiant) I wasn’t going to include this here because only two issues came out this year, but those two issues were phenomenal. Had there been more to read in 2017, I have no doubt this would have taken the gold. With no real prior knowledge of the character required to enjoy this, there’s no reason for you not to dive right in to this stylish action thriller starring everybody’s favourite British ninja spy.

Favourite Limited Series or One Shot

There were so many great miniseries released this year, that it hurt me to only choose three. Alterna had some wonderful series, as did Image and Valiant, but in the end I had to settle on just three, and so I went with three shining examples of comics in 2017.

Gold
Secret Weapons (Valiant) It’s no secret I enjoy Valiant’s comics, or at least it shouldn’t be. So when they put out a series based around a group of super powered rejects with powers that are effectively useless, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it wouldn’t work. And then you’d read it just to see the train wreck only to discover one of the year’s standout offerings. The second issue alone has a Sikh character, also with minor super powers, noticing people pointing at him and speaking in hushed whispers as he is attending class. Worried that people are mistaking him for a Muslim, and by extension a possible terrorist, he keeps his head down and leaves, only to be confronted by three thugs who don’t care about his appearance, only that he has powers. It’s a tense, and incredibly well written sequence that highlights just how much the creative team have to say. It’s a prime example of comics at their very best.

Silver
Voracious: Feeding Time (Action Lab) I could tell you so many reasons why you should read this emotional tale about a time traveling chef who hunts dinosaurs, whether it’s Markisan Naso’s fantastic dialogue or the wonderful artwork by Jason Muhr and colourist Andrei Tabacaru. I could tell you that comics like this are the reason you should pay attention to indie comics publishers, because if you don’t you’ll be missing out on some of the best stories the year. But I won’t; instead, once again, I’ll tell you tell you all the reasons why you shouldn’t read this:

Bronze
God Country (Image) A man suffering from Alzheimer’s becomes a god when he holds Valofax, the god of swords. The first issue of this series deals with the heartbreaking reality of watching a loved one suffering with this horrible disease, before adding in a dose of space gods. The familial theme never leaves this series, regardless of the setting, grounding this galaxy spanning story remarkably well.

Favourite Single Issue

The top spot was never in question for me here, but the other two issues could have easily have been different if I was in a different mood when I wrote this. There were so many wonderful comics released this year that choosing only three was, once again, painful.

Gold
Voracious: Feeding Time #3 (Action Lab) This issue set the bar very early in the year. The series was continually, and consistently, of a high quality in every aspect every issue, but it’s the third that was the high point with a superb interview sequence interspersed with one of the greatest two page spreads of the year, only to culminate in perhaps the most emotional scene in any comic as one character talks to another about his fears that due to the altered timeline he may forget his wife ever existed. Without the context of the preceding issues, one would that the emotional impact of the scene would be lost. I assure you, it isn’t.

Silver
Batman #36 (DC) When Tom King is good, he’s really good. This issue sees him at his very best as he explores the friendship between Bruce and Clark and the admiration each feels for the other in an oddly touching way with each man talking to his significant other, who also show just how much they understand their husband or fiance. The action is almost secondary to the characterization – and I’m very okay with that.

Bronze
Ninja-K #1 (Valiant) What better way to start a new series about the history of MI6’s Ninja Programme than with a brief history taking up half an issue that doesn’t feel like a recap. Ninja-K #1 immerses you into its world with an effortless grace such as that you’d expect from the title character. As an introduction to the character, this is fantastic. Christos Gage doesn’t try to throw out the previous run, instead he briefly acknowledges that it happened in a way that doesn’t alienate new readers before plunging on with story itself. One of the very best first issues this year.

Favourite Writer

Three writers who produced the best comics of 2017, hands down.

Gold
Matt Kindt
Everything that Matt Kindt touched this year was a winner for me. I don’t think he penned anything less than a good issue in 2017, and his output reads like a recommendation list for getting people into comics. If you want to read a good comic, then grab anything by Matt Kindt. He will take you on an incredible journey no matter where you’re going.

Silver
Jeff Lemire
Another writer with a stellar output this year, the only reason Lemire landed in Silver was that I just didn’t click with his run on Moon Knight. But plenty of people did, and the comic was very well received; it just wasn’t for me. That said, the work he did for Valiant this year was second to none, as was Black Hammer for Dark Horse. Honestly, Moon Knight aside, I loved everything Lemire put out this year (that I read).

Bronze
Markisan Naso
He may not have been as prolific as other writers in comics this year, but he wrote the best issue I read all year. Pound for pound, he was the best writer in comics in 2017, and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us for 2018.

Favourite Artist

Art is always subjective, but the following artists were, in my opinion, three of the very best. Next year, I may move away from the gold/silver/bronze because choosing only three sucks.

Gold
Lewis Larosa
I… look I can’t tell you how amazing Larosa’s work has been this year, so I’ll show you a random page as an example. And when I say random, I took the first result of a “Lewis Larosa 2017” google search that was big enough to highlight what I needed.

Silver
Raul Allen & Patricia Martin
Their work on Secret Weapons alone earns them a spot on this list with a deliciously classic style and some incredible use of the page layout and the pacing of each issue they draw. This style is best experienced within a full comic, but there’s an example below.

Bronze
Mico Suayan
Yet another incredible artist to whom words won’t do justice. Another random page, because everything Suayan touches is incredible.

Publisher Of The Year

Gold
Valiant Entertainment In terms of output, there was maybe three comics Valiant published this year that I didn’t love; they were still good, but weren’t ever candidates for this list. That’s three issues out of their entire line. On top of giving us the phenomenal Secret Weapons, Ninja-K‘s stratospheric debut and two other incredibly solid titles in Bloodshot: Salvation and the relaunched X-O Manowar the publisher also made headlines with their tongue in cheek homage to the mid 90’s with the Quantum & Woody #1 variants, the number of which is mind boggling. Including a single issue second printing that made $1600 or so for the CBLDF. When I asked Valiant CEO Dinesh Shamdasani about that, he said that there were no spares created in case the second printing got damaged – had that happened then Valiant would have incurred costs to print another comic. This is a company run by people who are in it for the comics and the fans (and to make a buck), as is evidenced by the activity of Mr. Shamdasani and the Valiant staff on twitter with fans. Valiant genuinely seems to care about putting out quality over quantity.

Silver
Alterna Comics With a concerted effort to bring comics back to the masses, Alterna launched their newsprint line with prices topping out at $1.50. That’s all well and good, but if the comics aren’t any good, then they’re just selling kindling; fortunately, Alterna’s range of comics and miniseries were some of the most entertaining issues I read all year. You want stuff for an all-ages audience? Check. You want a creepy horror themed story? You’re in luck. Post apocalyptic survival? Yup. If you committed to Alterna this year then aside from saving your wallet a beating, you would have read some fantastic stories at an amazing price point.

Bronze
Self Publishers No matter who you are, if you’ve decided to self publish your comics this year, then I tip my hat to you. I can only imagine the dedication it takes to ensure your story gets out to the public – whether that’s digitally or in print.

Movie Of The Year*

Logan
Hugh Jackman’s last hurrah as the Canadian mutant was better than I ever could have imagined. Not only was this movie my favourite of the year, but it’s probably my favourite movie of all time. I’m a huge Wolverine fan, and this was a perfect homage to the character without being bogged down by continuity or an attempt to follow a preexisting comic story to the letter. Everything about this movie was excellent; the acting, the story, the action and the finale. I couldn’t have asked for a better movie.

*for a list of my top five movies, check out an upcoming episode of Those Two Geeks.

The Moment That Had Me Grinning Ear To Ear

The release of Batman & Bill on Hulu. An incredible look at the crusade of Marc Tyler Nobleman to give Bill Finger, the co-creator of Batman, the credit he deserves after Bob Kane screwed him over more than 75 years ago. This heartbreaking documentary is powerful watching, and is a must for any fan of comics.

Well there we have it; a look back at some of the best comics that I read over the year. Agree, or disagree? Let me know!

Review: Secret Weapons #0 Nikki’s Story

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Alex K Cossa

“Meet high school senior Nikki Finch… She’s a gifted athlete with an unusual set of medical ailments and high-aptitude test scores that have drawn the attention of an obscure and little-known NGO calling itself the Harbinger Foundation. With seemingly limitless resources at its disposal, the Harbinger Foundation has just offered Nikki a place in their newest class of recruits for a prestigious, but secretive, mission: to unlock her hidden potential via the invasive, dangerous and often deadly process known as “psiot activation”…

If they succeed, Nikki could become an extraordinary example of Toyo Harada’s vision for the future of post-human biological superiority. If they fail, she’ll likely die on the operating table…or be locked away for future study in the mysterious research facility known as The Willows…”

Valiant‘s critically acclaimed Secret Weapons was my favorite series, ongoing or mini, of 2017. So it’s with some excitement that I opened the review pdf that arrived in my inbox a few days ago (I wanted to drop everything and read it immediately, but alas I had things that I needed to do). Nikki’s Story originated from, I believe (and am unable to verify because I heard the information on a podcast and can’t remember the exact episode) character backgrounds that Eric Heisserer had created for the characters prior to the first four issues, and after one thing led to another, ended up as zero issues.

Even though this serves as a prequel to the main series, Nikki’s Story is best read after you’ve read the main story, because even though it details the events leading up to Secret Weapons #1, it would only create more questions than it would answer if a reader were to start here. That being said, I’m going to assume you’ve read the best comic of 2017 if you’re reading beyond here as there may be minor spoilers.

Once again, Eric Heisserer is back behind the typewriter for this issue, but he’s joined by artist Adam Pollina and colourist David Baron provide a different visual style than Raul Allen and Patricia Martin, but the comic still feels as though it’s very Secret Weapons-ish thanks to the colour palette and the interesting art style that Pollina employs with four panels a page set up to resemble a photograph with Nikki taking center stage in almost every panel – there’s one or two where she’s not quite the main focus of the panel, but the majority have her front and center. It’s an interesting effect, and one that enables some strong visual storytelling for the majority of the issue right up until the final page or two where the comic reads more as a preview of Secret Weapons #1 than as a conclusion to an issue.

The glimpse into the Psiot activation process will be enough for hardcore Valiant fans to lap this up alone, but the rest of you will be happy to know that the comic does also flesh Nikki’s character out a little more. But, much like Darth Vader’s back story, the question remains whether we actually needed to find out about Nikki’s life before she was activated. To be clear, I am not equating the quality of this issue with the Prequel Trilogy, as unlike those movies, this is a very enjoyable comic that doesn’t quite measure up to the overall quality of it’s sequel – but then not much would be able to do that.

Ultimately Secret Weapons #0 Nikki’s Story suffers because of the strength of the original Secret Weapons. As creatively interesting a book as this is, it’s just not as strong as issues 1-4, and isn’t really required reading for fans if they’re not

Story: Eric Heisserer Art: Adam Pollina
Color: David Baron
Story: 8 Art: 8.3 Overall: 8.25
Recommendation: Read if you enjoyed Secret Weapons. If you haven’t, Pass until you have.

Valiant provided a FREE copy for review, but I’ll be adding this to my collection Wednesday anyway.

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