The Best & Worst of ‘09

FORWARD

Welcome to WCBR’s year end comic book industry report card. In essence, this report card is a list of offerings we’ve enjoyed and disliked for the entire year 2009. There was definitely a lot of debate over each editor’s pick, and in the end we just decided to let everyone have their say. Let us know if we’re out of our minds, or if you concur.

BEST ON-GOING SERIES

Detective Comics – Detective has reached consistently dizzying heights throughout the year.  The sheer creativity and astounding quality this title has seen in 2009 is simply mind-blowing.  From March to April, we had Gaiman’s “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader.”  Then, we quickly moved into Greg Rucka and JH Williams’ landmark work on Batwoman.  Gorgeous artwork met epic storytelling all year long.  We started out with a beautiful farewell to one great character, only to be introduced to another.  -Alex Evans

Captain America – Ed Brubaker’s smart, suspense and intrigue stories with a doubting, redemption-seeking hero really top the game in the ongoing category.  -DS

Detective Comics – Greg Rucka and JH Williams took this B-list character from the forgettable pages of 52, and made 2009 her year. Batwoman in Detective Comics makes a strong case for a series of her own. -Ray

BEST NEW SERIES

The Unwritten – The Unwritten is the smartest book on the racks today.  It’s an English major and literary critics dream and by series end, I expect it to be appearing on the university syllabuses of more liberal-minded professors, right next to Sandman.  Yet, despite all that, it’s also got enough mystery and fancy to entertain and pull in the average reader.  And of course, its pop culture awareness is more than enough to grab anyone’s attention.  This is a must-read.  -Alex Evans

Batman and Robin – It’s difficult to argue against Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, dealing with the heir apparent to DC’s second biggest pair of boots (some might argue biggest). The amount of conflict, psychological tension and sheer creepy villainy set the bar for the noir avenger corner of the superhero industry.  -DS

Sweet Tooth – This is indie genius hitting mainstream, while managing to maintain its literary charm. Jeff Lemire’s Vertigo title offers us a fresh new journey/ coming-of-age story, while providing us a bizarre and post-apocalyptic world filled with violence and isolation– all the ingredients for an entertaining and relevant series.  -Ray

Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #7 – Review

by Mike Mignola (writer), Duncan Fegredo (art), Scott Allie (back-up co-writer), Patric Reynolds (back-up art), Dave Stewart (colors), and Clem Robins (letters)

The Story: Hellboy learns the weighty consequences to wielding Excalibur.

What’s Good: Mignola crafts an issue here that causes the reader’s experience to mirror Hellboy’s own. Specifically, almost to the point of frustration and monotony, every damned thing leads back to the prophecy. No matter how far we go, we’re always pulled back to, or rather pushed into, Hellboy’s supposed destiny. Much as Hellboy can’t escape this, neither can we. Despite this arc taking place in England and focusing on Arthurian legend, we somehow still find ourselves right back on familiar grounds. The grand circularity of it all is both painful and tragic, especially when Mignola at one point has Hellboy literally fight his future, something he’s been doing indirectly for the entire series. If Hellboy cannot escape his destiny, neither can we.

Mignola is also especially skillful this month in having Hellboy essentially be under siege, as influences from across the spectrum attempt to fill his ear with whispers, pushing him towards wielding Excalibur. It’s only so effective due to the two “whisperers” being complete opposites in nature and method. There’s the old enemy talking of demons and prophecies, and then there’s good old Alice, hugging Hellboy and telling him that he needs to save the world and that it’ll all work out. In many ways, Alice is the more dangerous of the two, despite being the “good guy.” She’s so comforting and so affectionate that we readers are perhaps even more convinced by her than Hellboy himself. All the voices filling Hellboy’s head fill our own, and the issue ends up feeling like a swirling mass of manipulation from all angles.

On art, it’s another great issue from Duncan Fegredo. Fantastic shots of Gothic gloom and old horror castles meet our hulking red hero, all set opposed to hellish blazes of fire. Fegredo and Stewart set up continuous dichotomies between pitch black and searing light that are absolutely fantastic, opposing the stark, haunted, and barren with the dense and cataclysmic activity of hell.

Last month, I stated my strong dislike for the back-up. Thankfully, this month’s back-up, now with Mignola at the helm and a new artist, is far superior. It was a fun, comprehensible, self-contained story that didn’t overreach and ultimately satisfied. Witch-hunt based stories are often good, if not ghoulish, fun, and Mignola certainly knows his stuff in this arena. It’s clear though, especially given the retrospective nature of the narrative, that this story is all about the atmosphere, and thanks in no small part to the scratchier, painted feel, it’s a complete and very dark success in this regard.

What’s Not So Good: Given how fast a read Hellboy always is, even though the back-up was enjoyable, I still lamented not getting a full issue of Hellboy.

Some readers may also be disappointed to learn that no decision is reached this month regarding Excalibur. Even with next month being the finale, Mignola seems to be in no rush.

Conclusion: When the reader’s experience mirrors that of an iconic character, you’re doing something right.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #6 – Review

by Mike Mignola (writer), Duncan Fegredo (art), Dave Stewart (colors), Gary Gianni (back-up writer & art), Alex Wald (back-up colors), and Clem Robins (letters)

The Story: A big reveal about Hellboy’s lineage is outed, as he’s given one of the biggest choices he’s ever had to make.

What’s Good: Well, let’s get the obvious out of the way: Duncan Fegredo rules and Hellboy has always been a gorgeous book. Fegredo never falters as, he’s one of the most consistent guys out there. This looks just as we’ve come to expect a Hellboy comic to look: heavy inks and distinctly blocky characters meld with pulpy atmospherics. I also particularly enjoyed the continual shots of gothic architecture and skeletons that were used to punctuate the dialogue scenes, alleviating the “talking heads” problem. The contrast between most of the book and Hellboy’s entrance to the land of Excalibur was also nothing less than beautiful. While the rest of the book is shrouded in moody darkness, that one scene is brilliant, clear, and nothing short of Elysian. It’s clear that Fegredo is a master at his trade, as is colorist Dave Stewart, who always knows how to put Hellboy’s bold red to good use.

Story-wise, the Hellboy portion of the comic is basically just one gigantic, epic reveal that takes up the entire narrative. And man, oh man what a reveal it is. Perhaps because it comes out of left field, this is sure to floor you, whether you’re a new initiate to Hellboy or a long-time devotee.

The reveal is so ridiculous that it actually works. Had this been another comic, I would’ve laughed at how unbelievable and ludicrous this turn of events was, but somehow, in the weird, continually obfuscated world of Hellboy, it is fantastic.  It’s simply so large, grand, and insane that it actually reaches epic status.  Logic, believability, and coincidence be damned. This just goes to show that in Mignola’s world, anything really is possible. While the comic really has created such an enormous suspension of disbelief for itself that I’ll not only accept the must “out there,” crazy, impossible, deus ex machina, and grandiose developments, but I’ll enjoy it all the more for its boldness.

Beyond this, it’s hard to say much about the issue without spoiling anything. Suffice to say, there’s a great action scene, Hellboy sounds like Hellboy, and the revelation of Morganna’s motivations is not to be missed (nor is her sudden change of apperance).

The back-up meanwhile, can only be described as wacky hijinks. Given the gravity of the main feature, the change of pace is fairly welcome. It certainly lightens the mood.

What’s Not So Good: Hellboy has never been a lengthy read, so the presence of the back-up can be a bit frustrating. It really is just totally out there, totally unrelated, light-hearted stuff, and I can’t think of a sane person that wouldn’t’ve just preferred an actual, full-length Hellboy story instead. The fact that this story intentionally reads like a reprint of a forgotten, decades-old horror comic doesn’t exactly justify the necessity of its place. I’m also definitely not a fan of Gianni’s art, which looks like a hybrid of a forgotten Vertigo comic and a forgotten comic strip, both at least twenty years old. It all feels really tiny, dated, and ill-defined.

Also, with the Hellboy feature, bear in mind that this issue really is just a reveal. In many ways, this, along with its shortened length thanks to the second feature, makes it feel a little lighter than a full comic-book sized story. It feels more like an imparting of new info more than a full 22-page narrative.

Conclusion: Excuse me, I’m busy collecting my jaw from the floor.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans