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Logan’s Favorite Comics of 2022

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If you’ve followed my writing this year, you can definitely tell that 2022 was the year I had serious issues keeping up with new comics even though I opened up my first pull list in six years (Shout out to Rick’s Comic City!) However, I still believe it’s the greatest storytelling medium, and the stray moments I had re-reading old favorites or finding new works were some of the best I had in 2022. I don’t really have the attention span to keep up with crossovers or sprawling shared universes any more, but I love my five issue minis or soft, queer OGNs.

So, without further ado, here are my ten favorite comics of 2022.

10. One-Star Squadron (DC)

Mark Russell and Steve Lieber’s One-Star Squadron follows a group of C and D-list superheroes who are part of an organization called Heroz4U that tries to help find heroes “meaningful” work whether that’s sales for the company, personal appearances, or even actual search and rescue work. The comic satirizes all aspects of modern employment culture, including corporate restructuring, gig work/side hustles, and the cavalier/cutthroat nature of hiring/laying off folks. NFTs and “girlboss culture” even come into play with the Russell’s take on Power Girl. There’s plenty of jokes and comedic beats and visuals from Lieber, but One-Star Squadron also has a strong emotional throughline in the relationship between Red Tornado and his employees as he tries to go to bat for characters like Minuteman and Gangbuster while trying to provide for his family and make the higher-ups at Heroz4U happy. One-Star Squadron is a must-read for fans of David Graeber’s Bullshit Jobs, r/antiwork, and obscure DC heroes.

9. Rockstar and Softboy (Image)

Rockstar and Softboy is a breezy, fun one-shot ode to queer friendship from cartoonist Sina Grace and also acts as his triumphant return to doing interior art. Even though they have completely opposite personalities, Rockstar and Softboy have a lovely friendship that survives the ups and downs of the increasingly surreal house party that is the main setpiece of the comic. Beneath the super sentai battles and dick jokes, Grace also explores the nature of creativity, collaboration, and friendship through his two lead characters as the real motivation for the house party is creating great music and video games as well as getting laid. Rockstar and Softboy is definitely one of the more fun and chaotic comics I read in 2022.

8. Sabretooth (Marvel)

As mentioned earlier, I’m a bit behind on the current X-books, but enjoyed a lot of what I read from them in 2022, including the first arcs of X-Men Red and Immortal X-Men. However, my favorite comic from that editorial group was the Sabretooth miniseries from Victor LaValle and Leonard Kirk. It’s basically Paradise Lost with Sabretooth playing the role of Milton’s Satan and trying to make a heaven of hell with his fellow Krakoans that were thrown in the Pit for various reasons. LaValle and Kirk fully explore the dark side of a utopian society and also provide social commentary on the prison system in the United States using various B and C-list mutants. Plus it ends on a killer sequel hook that enhances Victor Creed’s role in the X-books.

7. Doughnuts and Doom (Top Shelf)

Doughnuts and Doom is a (literally at times) sweet and magical queer romance graphic novel by cartoonist Balazs Lorinczi. It’s full of all the fun, relatable tropes like missed signals, enemies to lovers, and most importantly, slow burn with Lorinczi using most of the story to shape the relationship between witch/online potion seller Margot and musician/donut shop employee Elena. I also like how Lorinczi focuses on Margot and Elena’s lives outside their relationship, like Margot struggling to get her magic license, or Elena’s conflict with a local Visually, Doughnuts and Doom has a bubblegum punk aesthetics with plenty of pastels and spot blacks and different panel layouts any time magic, music, or romance happens that makes the comic even more immersive and heartwarming.

6. Spider-Punk (Marvel)

Spider-Verse denizen Hobie Brown aka Spider-Punk gets his first solo miniseries in five issues of anticapitalism, antifascism, antiracism, and head cracking from writer Cody Ziglar and artist Justin Mason. Ziglar and Mason’s passion for classic punk music shines in characters like a Devilock-sporting alternate version of Taskmaster, and they also create memorable riffs on other Marvel characters like Daredevil being a female punk drummer from Philadelphia or Captain America (Renamed Anarchy, of course) being a queer and indigenous man. Mason’s energetic art and Jim Charalamapidis’ colors create spectacular fight scenes as Hobie and his makeshift band cross the United States in a quest to take out the relatably fascist president of the United States. Spider-Punk shows that superhero comics can be subversive and call out the status quo while still being fun as hell, and it’s always interesting to see anti-corporate art being put out by one of the world’s biggest and most smothering corporations.

5. Joe Hill’s Rain (IDW)

Rain is a post-apocalyptic comic miniseries adapted from one of Joe Hill’s short stories in his 2017 Strange Weather collected and is scripted by David Booher with art by Zoe Thorogood. Though originally written years before the COVID-19 pandemic, it captures some of the feelings of fear, terror, and in some cases, coming together as found family of this time period as protagonist Honeysuckle tries to survive and eventually figure out why crystal nails are raining down from the sky. Rain is part road story, part tragic queer romance and a showcase for Thorogood’s skill at conveying character acting and emotions in life and death situations. Rain is definitely a dark read, but has several great moments where humanity shines even at the end of the world.

4. DC Pride 2022 (DC)

DC Pride 2022 was one of my favorite reads of this year, and the most memorable story in the volume was by the late Kevin Conroy and J. Bone that explores Conroy’s life as a gay man in the 1970s and 1980s, how he dealt with discrimination while trying to break into the acting business, and how getting the role of Batman in Batman: The Animated Series changes his life and the lives of millions of folks who enjoyed the show. In addition to this lovely short story, DC Pride 2022 serves as a showcase for interesting LGBTQ+ comic book characters, and more importantly, LGBTQ+ comics creators. There’s Jon Kent’s first Pride done in a beautiful (and sassy when Damian Wayne is involved) way by Devin Grayson and Nick Robles, a Jo Mullein story from Tini Howard and Evan Cagle that explores the nuances of bisexuality in a space detective story, an action-packed Connor Hawke story from Ro Stein and Ted Brandt that digs into his experience as an asexual man, and much more. These big Pride one-shots are starting to be a nice tradition from DC and hope they continue indefinitely.

3. Catwoman: Lonely City (DC)

Cliff Chiang writes, draws, colors, and letters the definitive Selina Kyle story in Catwoman: Lonely City, a Black Label miniseries that wrapped up in 2022. Catwoman: Lonely City is a touching, suspenseful story about legacy, resisting authoritarianism, and finding family in unexpected places that explores an aging Kyle pulling off one last heist in a Batman-less Gotham. It has a colorful cast of supporting characters from all over the DC Universe and is one of the most gorgeous books of 2022 with Chiang nailing everything from romantic banter between Catwoman and Riddler to a color palette that straddles neon and noir as well as some very acrobatic fight choreography. It’s truly the Catwoman book you can recommend to anyone who’s remotely interested in the character and is Cliff Chiang’s magnum opus up to this point.

2. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands (Drawn and Quarterly)

Ducks is a graphic memoir about cartoonist Kate Beaton’s (Of Hark! A Vagrant fame) experience working various jobs in the oil fields of Alberta to pay back her student loans from art school. Beaton doesn’t shy away from showing the difficult work conditions there and the terrible treatment of women, especially in the work camps and later explores how the oil fields affect the wild life and the indigenous people who originally owned the land. Ducks unpacks the trauma that comes from trying to make money under capitalism and being woman in a field where reports of untoward behavior and even sexual assault get a blind eye. All of this is done in Kate Beaton’s trademark cartooning that punctuates the difficult moments with bits of dark humor and insights into her upbringing in Cape Breton, Canada although she uses a more detailed style for establishing shots and the inner workings of the tool area she works at . Personally, I feel like I learned a lot more about other parts of Canada beyond Ontario and the Vancouver area, and that the country isn’t some kind of Great Northern utopia even though it feels like that some time living in a right to work state where healthcare is dependent on your employer.

1. It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth (Image)

Zoe Thorogood is easily one of the most exciting writer/artists working in comics, and her experimental, brutally honest graphic memoir It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth was my favorite comic of 2022. Thorogood effectively uses anthropomorphization to visually represent different parts of her personality as well as her friends and folks she comes in contact with throughout the memoir and gives an unfiltered look about how she feels about being a comic book artist, the response to her previous comic The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott, and her relationship with her friends, family, and an ex-lover. It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth can definitely be a difficult read at times, especially when Thorogood brings up her inability to connect with other people and negative self-talk. But it’s a masterpiece because it uses the tools and tricks of the comics medium and page to bring her inner world to life and ends with a powerful call to the reader that their existence matters as she dances in the streets of London to a nine panel grid.

IDW announces six new series being developed for TV

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IDW television projects

IDW has announced more comic books being developed for television, joined by noted showrunners, executive producers and directors. A total of six new projects have been revealed to be in the works.

IDW’s series development line-up includes:

BACCHUS — Will Davies (Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Man Vs. Bee, How to Train Your Dragon) and Chloe Moss (Switch, Hollyoaks) will write and Executive Produce the series which is based on Eddie Campbell’s subversive drama that drops the gods of ancient Greece into present day as if they had never left.  Campbell’s graphic novel, published by IDW imprint Top Shelf Productions, imagines what the Gods of our past might be doing in present day among mere mortals. Bacchus’ development will be shepherded by IDW’s Vice President of Live-Action, Jonny Gutman and Director of Live-Action, Julie Winograd. Representing Will Davies is UTA, 42, and Jackoway, Austen, Tyerman, Wertheimer, Mandelbaum, Morris, Bernstein, Trattner & Klein, and representing Chloe Moss is 42. 

DRAGON PUNCHER & SPOONY – Holly Huckins (Recess, Angela Anaconda, Sheriff Callie) is set as Showrunner and Executive Producer for the series based on the book Dragon Puncher by James Kochalka (Johnny Boo, Glork Patrol, and Monkey vs. Robot), published by IDW imprint Top Shelf Productions. The Eisner Award-winning comedy adventure chronicles the exploits of Dragon Puncher, a cute but rather ruthless kitty who dons his heroic armored battle suit as he punches out evil dragons together with sidekick Spoony (a fuzzy little friend armed with a wooden spoon). Daniel Kendrick, Senior Director of Kids, Family and Animation will head up development on behalf of IDW. Representing Huckins in the deal is The Gotham Group.

KORGI – Aury Wallington (Spirit Untamed, Spirit Riding Free, Veronica Mars, Heroes and Gravity Falls) joins as show runner for the television series based on writer-artist Christian Slade’s beloved dog opus that follows the stories of a Korgi pup in epic fairy tales of adventure.  A fantasy world filled with creatures both adorable and abominable, Korgi is a coming-of-age tale about the friendship between a young fairy and her magical puppy as they uncover the secret history of their homeland and face evil monsters threatening their idyllic community. punches out evil dragons together with sidekick Spoony (a fuzzy little friend armed with a wooden spoon). Daniel Kendrick will head up development on behalf of IDW. Wallington is represented in the deal by Epicenter LA and APA.

LODGER – Max and Adam Reid (Gil’s All Fright Diner, Aeon Flux, Sneaky Pete) will serve as Showrunners and Patricia Riggen (The 33, Dopesick) will direct the psychological thriller based on David and Maria Lapham’s IDW-published graphic novel of a young woman bent on revenge against a serial killer who she blames for the murder of her mother and incarceration of her father. A dark, grimy game of cat and mouse in the best tradition of crime noir, Lodger is a twisted love story set against a tangled American landscape. All three will Executive Produce the series along with Matt Solo, Lydia Antonini, and IDW Entertainment. Jonny Gutman and Julie Winograd will cover the project for IDW Entertainment. Max and Adam Reid are represented by William Morris/Endeavor and 3 Arts and Patricia Riggen is represented by CAA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Jackoway, Austen, Tyerman, Wertheimer, Mandelbaum, Morris, Bernstein, Trattner & Klein.

RELIC OF THE DRAGON – Bryan Q. Miller (Shadowhunters, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) joins as showrunner for the series based on the graphic novel by Adrian Benatar and Miguel Ángel García. The fantasy action-adventure follows the journey of Uric, an ordinary man hunting for a relic of enormous power.  The most dangerous undertaking of his life, the choices Uric makes along the way will change his life forever – along with the fate of his entire nation. Daniel Kendrick will head up development on behalf of IDW. Bryan Q. Miller is represented in the deal by Verve Los Angeles.  

SATELLITE FALLING – Will Pascoe (Orphan Black, Absentia) has been named as Showrunner/Executive Producer and Jude Weng (Finding ‘Ohana, Only Murders in the Building) is attached as Director/Executive Producer for the series adaptation of Satellite Falling, based on the comic books by Steve Horton, Stephen Thompson, and Martin Morazzo. Set in a seedy future of radical technology, sentient aliens, and familiar prejudices, Satellite Falling is a sharp social commentary about the horrors of xenophobia.  As a corrupt Earth maintains a human-only planet, incredible creatures from across the galaxy are forced to gather on Satellite, a city-sized space station near our planetary system.  Lilly, the lone human on Satellite, makes her way as a cabbie by day and a bounty hunter by night.  But as tensions between aliens and humans reach their breaking point, Lilly’s world begins to fall apart as the dark secrets of her past come back to haunt her. Pascoe is represented by APA and Weng is represented by Creative Artists Agency.

These latest project developments come on the heels of additional IDW Originals that were announced earlier this year, including Dark Spaces with Universal Content Productions (UCP), Earthdivers with 20th TV, The Delicacy with Warner Bros. TV and Brutal Nature with Anima Studios.

Those Two Geeks Episode 183: Matthew Klein Joins us to talk about Crashing and Wrestling

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The two geeks talk with Matthew Klein once again in advance of his debut comic from IDW Crashing (due September 21st). The last time Matthew joined us, we mostly ignored the comic and his journey in comics to talk about wrestling. We didn’t do that this time – instead we almost entirely ignored the comic to talk about wrestling.

Matthew can be found on Twitter @matthewklein316, and his signing schedule is below.

As always, Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @FirstRonin4 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 by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.

Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Those Two Geeks Episode 177: Crashing With Matthew Klein

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The two geeks talk with Matthew Klein in advance of his debut comic from IDW Crashing. Final order cut off is in a couple of weeks (August 16th), so make sure you get your LCS to order a copy today! Matthew has had an amazing journey in the world of comics, so join us as we mostly ignore that to talk about wrestling, his comic and more wrestling.

Matthew can be found on Twitter @matthewklein316

As always, Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @FirstRonin4 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 by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.

Music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Underrated: Comics Not In Diamond’s Top 100 For January 2020

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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: Comics not in Diamond’s top 100 sellers for January 2020

This week we’re going to be looking at a list of comics that are all pretty good, but don’t get the attention that they deserve. Now I’m not even going to pretend to have a definitively exhaustive list of underrated comics here, because we’re hoping  that you decide to check at least one of these series out next time you’re looking for something new either online or at your LCS, and giving you a huge list to check out would be counter productive to that. Instead, you’ll find four to six comics that are worth your attention that failed to crack the top 100 in sales. The only hard stipulation for this week: not one of the comics made it into the top 400 (yeah, I went for books that hardly any of you have read for whatever reason) for this month’s comic sales, according to Comichron, which is why they’re Underrated.

Uncle Scrooge #53 (IDW)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 338/2,926
Why You Should Read It:  I will never apologize for enjoying Disney comics. They’re often aimed at kids, but I’ve rarely ever not enjoyed the vibrant four colour pages. Will they ever make my Top Ten Year End lists? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean they’re still not a genuine pleasure to read (I refuse to call them a guilty pleasure).

Rai #3 (Valiant)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 275/5,080
Why You Should Read It: There’s something magical about a story that helps you to ask questions about your place in the world, what it means to be human, when you should resort to violent recourse and how easy it can be to touch the lives of those around you. This comic does all of that.

Quantum & Woody #1 (Valiant)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 203/8,958
Why You Should Read It: Obviously I’m going to be biased toward this, but there’s a very British comics style to the first issue of the new series. For me, that’s a major plus, but if it’s not a selling point for you, there’s actually a complete story in this comic from start to finish. And I loved it.

Folklords #3 (Boom)
Rank/Units Sold: 189/9,769
Why You Should Read It: Thankfully, more people read the third issue than the second, but this is still a criminally underrated comic. It is a book that rewards close attention; far from predictable, this is another Matt Kindt story that you’re going to wish you read.

The Last God #4 (DC/Black Label)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 159/11,967
Why You Should Read It: A comic with two stories being told concurrently – the present and the past, with only 30 years in the difference. The book examines what happens when the legends you believe aren’t entirely true, whilst also dealing with how we came to believe in those same legends. Plus, violence, corruption and a lost innocence and naivety.

Once and Future #6 (Boom)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 144/13,548
Why You Should Read It: Reimagining King Arthur as something other than the hero we’ve all come to know and love growing up is an interesting wrench to throw into the mix, but then when you add in the modern elements to the tale whilst centering on a main character who has no idea what’s happening… it’s fantastic stuff. Truly brilliant.

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Unless the comics industry ceases any and all publication look for a future installment of Underrated to cover more comics that aren’t cracking the top 100.

Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 1/18

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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.

Joe Hesh

Batman #86 (DC) It is always darkest before the dawn. After the up and down fest that was Tom King’s historic Batman run we get a much welcomed change of pace here. James Tynion IV does not waste any time getting Bruce into costume again. This is a good thing because Tony Daniel draws such a great Batman. I am loving the Bruce and Lucius dynamic ala The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight rises movies. Bruce is still very much touched by his grief over losing Alfred and is not on all cylinders yet (something I can very much relate to having lost my father last year) I like how Deathstroke knows this and chooses to strike when Bruce is off his game. In addition to drawing an awesome Batman, Daniel draws one hell of a Slade and I always enjoy these two at each other more and more. Seeing the other side characters was cool but just fodder. We get new bat vehicle and gadgets and lots of cool toys this issue and Lucius is very much the Q to Bruce’s James and I want much more of it. So only a first outting but Tynion studied under the tutelage of Scott Snyder and if he keeps this up we are in good hands for short term. For the love of God though, no more fucking BANE. Let that character languish for a long while. I’d like to see what Slades bigger plan is. We all know he has one.
Score: 8.6 Recommendation: Buy 

Logan

 Excalibur #5 (Marvel)– Excalibur #5 is an up and down comic for me. I love how Tini Howard writes Rogue so powerfully and Southern and Marcus To’s clean linework when she is trapped in Otherworld. However, the majority of the comic is a mess of explosions, crystals, magic, and Apocalypse being more of an overt villain. There is definitely something primal cooking in Howard’s overarching story, but at this point, I don’t know if I’m interested in as she and To switch characters perspectives and juggle plots each issue. Basically, Excalibur #5 has some entertaining moments (And it’s nice to see Rogue play an active role in the proceedings.), but doesn’t work together as a coherent unit of story. Overall: 5.8 Verdict: Pass

New Mutants #5 (Marvel)– Jonathan Hickman and Rod Reis are back with the “old school” New Mutants in space on a mission that’s, well, complicated by Shi’ar politics. This issue balances space and superpowered action with humor, characterization, and a dash of political intrigue. Hickman gives each New Mutant something to do whether it’s Chamber and Mondo sharing a toast to pacifism while their teammates fight the shit out of some Shi’ar Death Commandos, or Magik showing off her leadership (and flirting) skills with the Death Commando boarding party. Reis has been my favorite artist on the Dawn of X books, and he’s back with more expressive faces, lush colors, and Heavy Metal-inspired spaceships and stations meets Bob McLeod’s classic character designs. He’s also an economic storyteller. For example, one panel with a flatline tells more about Magik’s ruthless and combat abilities than five pages of protracted action. I didn’t mind the Ed Brisson/check with some underutilized mutants from Grant Morrison’s New X-Men interlude, but New Mutants #5 returns this book to elite status. A must read for anyone who likes their mutants in space and flirtatious. Overall: 8 Verdict: Buy

 X-Force #5 (Marvel)– Benjamin Percy and Joshua Cassara’s X-Force #5 brings the gory and gruesome black ops action while also considering of the implications of these battles on the team and their antagonists. With Wolverine mostly out of commission, Domino takes center stage in the fight against Xeno, the organization that blew up a Krakoa gate and assassinated Charles Xavier. Percy and Cassara drive home the effects of the torture Xeno unleashed on her, and she returns it on kind. Percy also takes a moment to humanize a member of the team they’re fighting against, but not too much as he pivots to Beast undermining the utopian world of Krakoa through very human things like mental and physical torture and off the books operatives. X-Force is a book about the secret sins that nations commit to preserve themselves and shows this through words as well as sometimes revolting, sometimes stylish action. Overall: 8.4 Verdict: Buy

 Tank Girl Full Color Classics #3.1 (Titan)– The numbering is weird, but Tank Girl Full Color Classics #3.1 presents some absolutely bonkers Tank Girl, Jet Girl, and Sub Girl stories from the early 1990s by creators Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett with some stories drawn by artists Glyn Dillon and Philip Bond. Hewlett’s character design is fantastic, but he’s a great storyteller too as evidenced in the first story where he homages different film genres when Tank Girl and Booga take on every bounty hunter in Australia. His panels are crammed full of fun litle details and background jokes while Martin’s dialogue is easygoing and filled to the brim with double entendres. One thing I liked about this comic is that it also focused on Tank Girl’s supporting cast like a story where her kangaroo boyfriend Booga’s dad is a yeti, or a MAD-meets-Behind the Music parody of Morrissey and The Smiths that Sub Girl narrates. (Dillon draws a hilarious Morrissey Fat Elvis caricature.) Along with the original strips, this comic is packed full with photos of the creators and pinups from Hewlett, Bond, and Dillon and provides a window into the creativity of British comics and Deadline in the early 1990s. Overall: 8 Verdict: Buy

SFSX #5 (Image)– Jen Hickman joins SFSX as both artist and colorist, and they and Tina Horn tell an exciting heist story as Avory and her crew of sex workers from Dirty Mind try to break out her husband George from the Party’s reeducation camp. This comic is a bullet in the head of purity culture as Horn and Hickman systematically dismantle kink shaming. (Chasten Buttigieg would be appalled ;) ) Hickman’s character acting is amazing, and they add some clever touches like having characters’ knowledge of rope bondage and harnesses get them through vents and air ducts like some kind of BDSM John McClane. Add one incredibly (and actually) monstrous bad guy that has an emotional connection to the main characters, and SFSX #5 is another great chapter in this series. Overall: 8.6 Verdict: Buy

Steeple #5 (Dark Horse)– Billie finds her inner darkness in the conclusion of John Allison and Sarah Stern’s miniseries. Allison sets the tone hilariously by Billie finding Satan a bit buff and attractive and hanging up a John Wick poster in the rectory. This issue is compelling because it’s centered around the relationship between Billie and Maggie as they basically swap places/religions. A heart to heart at a coffee shop reveals that Maggie is a good person with a sensitive conscience who joined the Church of Satan so that she could forget about her activism and thirst for justice through hedonism. And Billie just wants to be “bad”. Allison goes the ending with a big character change route while leaving the door ajar for more stories in the Steeple world. His art continues to be a delightful treat as he makes possessed vacuum cleaners and the extinction of the water vole hilarious. Overall: 8.5 Verdict: Buy

Shean

Rising Sun#1 (IDW)– In a feudal tale of Ninjas fighting monsters, we get this comic book serialization of the popular video game, as someone who has never played the game, I felt lost for a good part of the issue, something that should never happen to any comic book reader. Hopefully, a second issue will do more to give more back story. Overall: 6 Recommendation: Borrow

Black Widow Prelude #1 (Marvel)– An adequate primer, nothing more, nothing less. Overall: 6.7 Recommendation: Borrow

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 (**).

Underrated: Comics Not In Diamond’s Top 100 For June ’19

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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: Comics not in Diamond’s top 400 sellers for June 2019

This week we’re going to be looking at a list of comics that are all pretty good, but don’t get the attention that they deserve. Now I’m not even going to pretend to have a definitively exhaustive list of underrated comics here, because we’re hoping  that you decide to check at least one of these series out next time you’re looking for something new either online or at your LCS, and giving you a huge list to check out would be counter productive to that. Instead, you’ll find four to six comics that are worth your attention that failed to crack the top 100 in sales. The only hard stipulation for this week: not one of the comics made it into the top 400 (yeah, I went for books that hardly any of you have read for whatever reason) for this month’s comic sales, according to Comichron, which is why they’re Underrated.

Banjax #1 (Action Lab)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 319/2,730
Why You Should Read It: A story about a hero who hit rock bottom, struggling with addiction and falling out of favour after a very brutal public murder, who has recently been diagnosed with a cancer caused by the use of his powers. So what does a fallen hero with nothing to lose do when faced with a very finite time left on this world? He decides to go out in a blaze of glory.

Beasts Of Burden: Presence of Others #2 (Dark Horse)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 264/4,276
Why You Should Read It:  The second part of a two part story that helps flesh out one of the most charmingly disturbing worlds; Evan Dorkin’s story about the animals of Burden Hill and the surprising supernatural adventures they get involved in to keep their corner of the world just a little safer. A comic from this series is always a highlight of my week

The Life And Death Of Toyo Harada #4 (Valiant)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 250/4,850
Why You Should Read It: A character who can easily be seen as either hero or villain depending on whose story you’re reading, Joshua Dysart’s current Valiant project pulls to a close the writer’s time with the Harbinger villain as we witness his fall from power. I truly think this is a masterpiece in waiting.

TMNT: Urban Legends #14 (IDW)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 241/5,404
Why You Should Read It: I often feel that IDW’s TMNT comics are often written off as kids stories. While some are targeted to a younger audience, I’ve yet to read one that I didn’t enjoy. Give ’em a chance when you next see one on the racks.

Punk Mambo #3 (Valiant)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 219/6,304
Why You Should Read It: A snarky British magic practitioner, Punk Mambo has been pulled into a world she doesn’t really care about in order to help save the Voodoo gods. She’s more pissed because the villain stole something from her, and makes no secret of her disdain for the old ways. Think Constantine, but angrier.

The Crow: Hack Slash #1 (IDW)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 199/8,163
Why You Should Read It: As a huge fan of The Crow, I’m usually the first in line to grab any new story set in O’Barr’s universe, and this is an enjoyable entry point. It may not be the best comic in your pile this week, but I enjoyed the hell out of it.

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Unless the comics industry ceases any and all publication look for a future installment of Underrated to cover more comics that aren’t cracking the top 100.

Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 6/29

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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.

Ryan C

Batman: Damned #3 (DC/Black Label)** – Remember this thing? Well, it’s back, just in time to finally end. Brian Azzarello puts forth minimal “effort” on the script, Lee Bermejo busts his ass on the art, and the end result is some seriously middling stuff. They probably should have just released it as a wordless art portfolio, as the dialogue and captions just clutter up the grim-but-beautiful pictures. Overall: 5 Recommendation: Give it a look, but not a read. 

Detective Comics #1006 (DC)** – Another one that would have been better served released sans script, as Peter Tomasi’s Batman/Spectre team-up is an absolutely unreadable mess, but Kyle Hotz just plain kills it on the art. What’s with the Bat-books this week, anyway? Same story as far as the scoring goes for this one. Overall: 4 Recommendation: Give it a look, but not a read

Major X #6 (Marvel) **– The big draw for this final issue is Rob Liefeld returning to handle the art as well as the scripting duties. And, of course, that’s the big problem, as well. A comic that’s exactly what you think it is. Overall: 2 Recommendation: Pass

X-Men Grand Design: X-Tinction #2 (Marvel) **– This, too, is exactly what you think it is — only in this case that means it’s absolutely great. Sorry to see Ed Piskor’s “X-history” come to an end, but what a breathtakingly refreshing take on it all this series has been. Marvel needs to give this guy another grand-scale project ASAP. Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Shean

X Men Grand Design: Xtinction #2 ( Marvel) – Ed Piskor is at it again with the second issue of this monumental book, giving readers snapshots from the X-men’s vast history. As I am fan of his, and what he is doing in this book, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Star Wars Age of Rebellion: Darth Vader #1 (Marvel) – In probably the most interesting story from this series, we finally get a solo Darth Vader story. As Vader finds his way, a power hungry Governor tries to show him up in front of the Emperor. As he gets sent on a few missions where if it was not the villain we know, he would have been killed by now. By issue’s end, he gets rid of a threat and the Governor and ultimately gaining favor with The Emperor once again. Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Logan

Marilyn Manor #1 (IDW/Black Crown)– Marilyn Manor #1 is a high concept comic about the First Daughter throwing a New Wave rager in the White House while her parents are gone. Magdalene Visaggio writes the protagonist Marilyn as a little bit insufferable and a little bit of a rebel hero while Marley Zarcone nails the period fashions and nooks and crannies of the White House. Irma Kniivila’s flat colors fit the tone of story too, and there’s a really expensive 1980s music video vibe to some of the ways the panels are staged like when Marilyn is laying in JFK and her namesake Marilyn Monroe’s old love nest. Marilyn Manor has a lot of energy and a fun tone, but the first issue lacks a real hook for the rest of the series beyond the party and some supernatural stuff. Overall: 7.7 Verdict: Read

Wolverine Exit Wounds #1 (Marvel) Three legendary Wolverine creators, Larry Hama, Chris Claremont, and Sam Kieth, return to tell stories about him with the help of artists Scot Eaton and Salvador Larroca. Hama and Eaton’s story, which is set in the Weapon X days, is the most long winded and least memorable as Dr. Cornelius triggers Wolverine’s past memories to make him kill a bear without remorse. The story is an okay dark Wolverine yarn, but Eaton is unfortunately no Barry Windsor-Smith. In the second story, Claremont and Larroca, who is sporting a looser and less stiff art style, check in with Wolverine and Kitty Pryde in Japan as he protects the secrets of ramen recipe from some gangsters. The story is fun because you get to see Wolverine make ramen even if the “twist” at the end is a bit of head scratcher. It’s nice to see Wolverine settle back into his classic role as ronin even if Kitty Pryde is annoying as hell. The final story is the best one as Kieth writes and draws a simple one on one battle between Wolverine and Venom. There’s violence, wacky proportions, and the fight is choreographed like a dance. Kieth even gets to use his painted style in one of the best depictions of Wolverine’s berserker rage. Overall: 7.3 Verdict: Read

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 (**).

Mini Reviews For The Week Ending 6/22

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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

Glow #2 (IDW)– I wish to bestow this book with the highest compliment you can give a licensed comic: I wish it was a plotline on the Glow TV show. Tini Howard and Hannah Templer pit the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling against La Prima, who are wrestlers being wrestlers, not actors being wrestlers. This issue is full of attempts at bonding with their opponents as Ruth wants to prove that they’re legit. The best character beat is Carmen sharing a sweet moment and some power bomb lessons with Desdemona, who is from a family of luchadors and is someone she can relate to. As far as visuals, Templer hits that sweet spot between capturing characters likenesses and being expressive for dramatic or (mostly) comedy purposes. Howard has a fantastic handle on all these women’s voices, and this comic is the perfect thing to tide fans over who are waiting for Glow Season 3 as well as a swan song to their Southern California days. Overall: 8.8 Verdict: Buy

Superman Year One #1 (DC/Black Label)– Woo, the discourse has been spicy about Superman Year One, but Frank Miller’s poetic inner monologue nails Clark’s adolescent discomfort with his abilities and status as an alien on Earth. I got a press copy of the comic, but actually want to pony up the dough to get a physical copy because I want to see how John Romita Jr’s wide open panels and muscular poses look in the prestige format.Also, Clark joining the navy is a smart bit of revisionism because to many young people in rural areas, the military seems to be the best way to escape their small towns and see the world. I might be reading too much into it, but it’s clever foreshadowing at Superman’s future role as a weapon of war/Reagan stooge in Dark Knight Returns. (I would love to see Miller/Romita’s take on Superman and Batman’s 1st meeting.) Rating: 9.0 Overall Verdict: Buy

Excellence #2 (Image)– Brandon Thomas and Khary Randolph craft an intoxicating world of magic, consequences, legacy, and daddy issues in Excellence #2. The protagonist, Spencer, has just come into his own as a magic user and earned a rare hug from his dad when his grandmother becomes ill, and there’s nothing he can do. Or is there. Excellence is a comic about breaking boundaries and hierarchies, and the connection between magic and emotion. It perfectly fits Randolph’s high energy art style and Emilio Lopez’s crescendo of colors. I really felt for Spencer throughout this comic as his main fear isn’t losing his powers, but his father’s disapproval. Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Elana

Glow #2 (IDW) Can’t wait for more of the humor, warmth, wild 80s wrestling aesthetics and believable women’s community of the Netflix show GLOW? This comic is absolutely for us! Writer Tini Howard perfectly channels the voice of each character in the show. It’s truly uncanny. Is she in the writers room? Can she be? Artist Hannah Templer has a lively style and her take on the costumes and clothes is exuberant, fun and 80s as hell. This month’s issue focuses on Carmen and gives her a chance to succeed in a space where the other women are fumbling. It’s gratifying and fun.
Recommendation: Must read! 

Ryan C

Superman: Year One #1 (DC)** – As bad as you’ve heard. Maybe even worse. Is it okay to hope this version of Clark Kent gets killed in combat when he joins the navy? Also, “Year One”? Huh? This issue alone covers like 18 years of his life. I’m done talking about — hell, even thinking about — this thing. Overall: 0 Recommendation: Pass. I purchased my copy. That was a stupid idea.

American Carnage #8 (DC/Vertigo)** – This series has been great, and with just one issue left, Bryan Hill and Leandro Fernandez are setting the stage for a barn-burner of a conclusion. If you’ve been passing on this in singles, get the trade — and if Vertigo’s going out, as rumored, at least it’s going out with a bang. Not that anyone’s really paying attention. Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Clue: Candlestick #3 (IDW)** – Dash Shaw is doing more just-plain clever and inventive stuff with this modest three-parter than mainstream comics have seen in forever. Superb cartooning that I dearly hope gets more folks to pay attention to his small-press work. This guy is the real deal. Overall: 10. Recommendation: Buy

Batman #73 (DC)** – Mikel Janin delivers some astonishing art here, particularly with a double-page spread that’ll knock your socks off. Tom King mails in a lazy script that wastes a rather intriguing “Batman and his dad in the desert” premise. You know the drill by now. Overall: 5 Recommendation: Look at it, then put it back on the comic store shelf.

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 (**).

Underrated: Comics Not In Diamond’s Top 400 For May ’19

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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: Comics not in Diamond’s top 400 sellers for May 2019

This week we’re going to be looking at a list of comics that are all pretty good, but don’t get the attention that they deserve. Now I’m not even going to pretend to have a definitively exhaustive list of underrated comics here, because we’re hoping  that you decide to check at least one of these series out next time you’re looking for something new either online or at your LCS, and giving you a huge list to check out would be counter productive to that. Instead, you’ll find four to six comics that are worth your attention that failed to crack the top 100 in sales. The only hard stipulation for this week: not one of the comics made it into the top 400 (yeah, I went for books that hardly any of you have read for whatever reason) for this month’s comic sales, according to Comichron, which is why they’re Underrated.

Voracious: Appetite For Destruction #1 (Action Lab)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 509/1,194
Why You Should Read It: The beginning of the end for one of my favourite stories, this comic features a time travelling dinosaur hunting chef, a dinosaur detective and a giant monster. The series has evolved over time to cross genre boundaries and blend them into one great melting pot of awesomeness.

Britannia: Dollar Debut #1 (Valiant)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 441/1,698
Why You Should Read It:  Because for a dollar, you really can’t go wrong with this Roman era detective story that’s packed full of insanely detailed action and imagery.

Grumble #6 (Albatross Funnybooks)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 430/1,810
Why You Should Read It: Another criminally under read series on this list, Grumble is easily one of my favourite comics being published at the moment (and another one is the first on this list). The art is vibrant and beautiful, and the story has a surprisingly dark undertone beneath the good feelings that you’ll get in your stomach watching the characters connect.

From Hell: Master Edition #5 (IDW)
Sales Rank/Units Sold: 406/2,163
Why You Should Read It: If you have never read Alan Moore’s From Hell, then you should. These Master Editions are a great way for you to do that without splurging on the huge trade (and they’re much easier to hold). This is a great book set around the times of Jack the Ripper, and another reason Alan Moore has the reputation for greatness that he does.

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Unless the comics industry ceases any and all publication look for a future installment of Underrated to cover more comics that aren’t cracking the top 100.

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