Panel Patter

SPX Spotlight 2025: "Random" Debut Books

2025-09-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the latest edition of this year's Panel Patter SPX Spotlights! Back in the days when websites were the way people communicated about comics (via RSS, no less), we at Panel Patter, starting with myself, but also with the rest of the various people who served on the writing team, would spotlight lots of things about what I personally think is the premiere indie comic show.

For those who don't know, the Small Press Expo is an annual comics show that focuses squarely on independent comics and creators. It's the show that changed how I read comics and the one where I formed some lasting connections.

This year's show is September 13th and 14th. You should go if you can!

Yesterday, I looked at debut comics from some of my friends. Today, I'm taking the exact opposite approach. One of the things I most looked forward to when I went to comic shows regularly was trying to discover new people to become huge fans of, just like I did once upon a day when I first started reading Joey Weiser in 2008 or Whit Tayor in 2010(?) or when Box Brown said I absolutely HAD to read this comic by Tillie Walden, right before she exploded onto the comics scene. (Heck, even Box counts to some degree, as I was a fan long before he was writing books on Tetris or Andre the Giant.)

So yeah, I want to try to imagine what it might be like if I was going to SPX this year (I'll be back some day, but not yet) and looking for books from people I don't know who are debuting at SPX this year. I won't be able to hit all of them, but these are the ones that caught my eye, based solely on cover art and descriptions. Instead of doing a preview, I'm going to tell you why I'm interested and why I think you should be, too. These are in random order, BTW, not ranked by anything other than the order I clicked on them.

Let's find our next favorite creator together, shall we?

Go Away, Rainbox Dragon!

by Laura Terry

Premise (from SPX site): One day mysterious Rainbow Dragon shows up in a quiet village and has everyone worried. He’s famous for stealing bagels and getting into mischief. Best friends Zayne and Rex the brontosaurus are surprised to find themselves being followed by this mythical creature who tries and fails to “play nice” with them. What does Rainbow Dragon want? Does he bring snacks? You’ll have to read it to find out.

Why I'm Interested:

1) There's a dragon and a dinosaur on your cover. Either will get you a look, both will get me to stop by your table and take a peek.

2) There's a familiar art style I am likely to enjoy. The linework I an can see from the cover shows me that I am going to find a comic where the art is able to actually match the storyline.

3) The premise is cool. A rogue dragon who steals bagels? A boy and his dinosaur being stalked by the bagel thief, who presumably uses his own fire breath to toast said stolen bagels? Ok, I'm in.

4) All ages book. I really do enjoy all-ages comics, when they are in fact for all ages.

Summary: I'd be trying to find this one on Day 1 of the show.

Not at SPX this weekend? Look for the book here.

Balloon Cat Robs a Bank

by Nami Oshiro

Premise (from SPX Site): Balloon Cat is on the loose – and she’s armed! Will her quest for ice cream money be successful? Will she make a friend through her endeavors? Is the lesson here that robbing banks is good?!

Why I'm Interested

1) Oh come on, do I even have to list anything beyond the title? BALLOON CAT ROBS A BANK. Just take my money, like I'm Philip J Fry.

2) Okay, fine. First things first, that cover is just pitch perfect. A cute anime style cat, holding a set of cartoon balloons and a comical-looking sidearm. Even if I can't see the title, I'm going to want to know more.

3) It's about a cat. That will always get me to investigate what you're trying to sell me. Might not get me to buy, but I'll always take a look.

4) The tone of the pitch, especially that ending line about whether it's time to rethink the morality of robbing banks, tells me that this comic is going to be as irreverent as I would hope it would be.

Summary: I might use balloons to float over the con floor to find this one before it inevitably sells out.

Not at SPX this weekend? Look for the book here.

Trial + Error

by Matt Emmons

Premise (from SPX Site): Part book, part game, TRIAL + ERROR is a choose-your-own-path comic where you are a newborn artificial creature (known as E.L.M.s – Ethical Lab Mammals) who must escape the derelict lab you were created in.

Why I'm Interested:

1) Choose your own adventure! You don't see this often in comic books (I know there's been a few over the years, including official ones from, um, Oni Press maybe? Yes, a quick Google confirms I am remembering this correctly.) I like when people experiment with the medium, so I'm curious.

2) Premise of the protagonist. What is an Ethical Lab Mammal? Why were they created? By whom? Are they abandoned? Do they all look like kinda hideous monkeys? I want to know!

Summary: I opt to go to the aisle where this is located. If there are copies available, I turn to page 1 and start reading...if they're sold out, I make a note of the website and my SPX seeking adventure is over!

Not at SPX this weekend? Look for the book here.

Halloween Boy 7

by Dave Baker

Premise (from the SPX site): Halloween Boy is the greatest archaeologist-for-hire, super-scientists, and warlock that the globe has ever seen. His daily existence is the impossible, his average solution is the unimaginable. This issue sees The Demon Who Lives meeting new allies, new enemies and new challenges in… “Evolve or Die” part 2

Why I'm Interested:

1) It's called Halloween Boy. I want to know why. The premise tells me a little about him, but that name is why I'm reaching over the table to check this one out.

2) The premise seems absolutely absurd, which is right up my alley. An archaeologist for hire that's also a super-scientist and a warlock? Does he babysit as a side gig? It's just such a great, random combination.

3) The cover gives me a Josh Bayer vibe. The art is slicker, but the mashup, the obvious homage to newspaper strip comics, and the premise all make me think of Bayer's "raw" takes on cartooning that I very much enjoy.

Summary: I definitely want to see what this one looks like in person.

Not at SPX this weekend? Look for the book here.

Dracula: Dad and Loving It

A My Dad is Dracula Collection

by Jason Poland

Premise (from the SPX site, edited): Part Dracula. Part Dad. 100% absurdly wholesome. In JASON POLAND’s brand-new comic collection, MY DAD IS DRACULA: DAD AND LOVING IT, a supernatural father proves you can be anything… by literally becoming everything. One day, Dracula’s a rad centaur. The next, an emotional support water bottle. A vampire toaster? Why not. Always Dad, always loving it.

Why I'm Interested:

1) You had me at the reference to one of Leslie Nielson and Mel Brooks' underrated movies.

2) Fatherhood is something very much on my mind these days.

3) The idea of Dracula being not just a father, but attempting to be the best father he can be and using his powers to make his son happy just feels really cute, but not cloying.

Summary: I grew up on comic strips and I used to love webcomics for the same reason. A collection like this might be like hitting a vein.

Not at SPX this weekend? Find the book here.

There are sooo many debut books this year. I mean it feels like a record-setting amount. Maybe it's just because they're getting better at soliciting the information. You can find all of them at the link at the top of this column. Go get lost in the options for an hour or so, like I did, and pick out a few of your own favorites. And if you do get any of these, make sure you tell them Panel Patter sent you!

SPX Spotlight 2025: Debut Books by Old Friends

2025-09-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first edition of this year's Panel Patter SPX Spotlights! As we used to do when the site was more active and was picked up again last year, I'm highlighting some cool creators who are scheduled to be at the show this year. For those who don't know, the Small Press Expo is an annual comics show that focuses squarely on independent comics and creators. It's the show that changed how I read comics and the one where I formed some lasting connections.

This year's show is September 13th and 14th.

Today's column is dedicated to a few of those lasting connections. These are some (but not all) of the great comics that are debuting at SPX this year by people I know. I'm going to try to do a second column about debut books if I can focusing on creators I'm personally unfamiliar with. When looking over the SPX Debut Books section, I was so pleased to see how many of my old friends in the comics world are still out there putting great comics into the world.

A note here: I have met some amazing people in comics since I first got started with Panel Patter in 2008. There are many I call "panel pals" because we've come to know each other over the years. But the people in this column are more than that to me. These are people I know more personally. We've had long talks, gotten dinner, gone to a ball game, things like that. I don't think I missed anyone with a debut book that I would put in this category, but please know it's just my age, faulty memory, and trying to make the infinite scrolling work. I really am sorry if I missed you! Anyway, these are some of the best people I know, and I know a lot of great people.

And what's the use of having a site you 100% control if you can't use it to plug the books of your friends?

So let's do it!

Fizzle #5

by Whit Taylor

published by Radiator Comics

I first met Whit at SPX in either 2010 or 2011 (I can't remember which) and am proud of being (I think) one of the first people to review her work, which I continued to do until I decided to take a break from the site for awhile. Whit even wrote a few posts for the site, which was extremely cool (you're welcome to do so again any time!). She's gone on to so many great things! Fizzle is a series she started back in 2020, if I remember right, and it's now on its 5th issue.

Fizzle follows the adventures of Claire, a young woman whose life is a bit directionless and her boyfriend, who is directionless but has money. Claire eventually hits on a potentially winning concept, but there's more to the story than that, as Whit deftly explores her main character's life. By issue 5, she's realizing that maybe some life decisions were poor ones while spending time with a co-worker's family.

Whit's linework progressions from (yikes) almost fifteen years ago in Watermelon to her time with Fizzle is really something to see. Here's a sample of her current work:

I'm a little behind on Fizzle due to taking a hiatus. Go pick up the entire series at SPX this weekend if you can! Can't make SPX? Whit's website is here.

Whit also has the third print issue of her webcomic available, Dead Air #3:

Wait, Luke!

by Rafer Roberts

Rafter Roberts has such a vivid, creative brain, and when he turns it on established characters (Archer and Armstrong, Thanos and Darkseid), it's always a great ride. This time, he's going to a galaxy far, far away and seeing what happens when the camera is off and poor Kenobi, R2, and C3PO are stuck waiting for that stupid kid to get back with their ticket out of a Jawa graveyard.

It's parody aplenty with Rafer's distinctive visuals giving this a look guaranteed to ensure hilarity ensues as the pages go on:

I always love how Rafer uses everything to make a page work, like how the word balloon in the second panel is as claustrophobic as being stuck listening to a protocol droid. Just so much fun and well worth grabbing for fans of Roberts and Star Wars. Can't make SPX? Rafer's website is here.

Iron Scars Book 2

by Colleen Frakes

The first collection of Iron Scars was one of my favorite comics in 2018, and I'm super-excited that the second book, collecting issues 6-10 of the series, is finally coming out. For those who didn't read the first collection (shame on you!), Colleen's world is a group of people living in an island setting where there is a ton of magic and a lot of unfriendly fairies.

I haven't read this one yet so I don't know what happens, but I can tell you that of all the creators from her time frame, I think Frakes is one of the best at using the black and white comic medium to amazing effect, like the page below:

Just look at how the solid blacks are used to set the mood of the flashback and draw a contrast to the current narration. The fifth panel and its white lines where we'd normally expect black works so well here. Frakes is a great storyteller. Make sure you pick up both volumes of Iron Scars at the show. Can't make SPX? Colleen's website is here.

If you're more into something shorter, Colleen also has a second show debut, Cursed 1, about two witches squaring off against the Baba Yaga:

Taekwondo: A Fanzine

by Maia Kobabe

Like Whit, Maia is a former writer for the site. E also was a big part of the Prism Awards for many years, and took me along for the ride as a Judge. Maia's most famous work is probably Gender Queer, a book challenged frequently in libraries for its queer themes. But in this case, Maia's dedicating a book to eir study of Taekwondo. I wasn't able to find a preview but the description talks about how the discipline helped Maia with eir mental health over the course of the past eight years. Maia's introspection is top notch and getting to see inside eir perspective of using a sport as a way to feel better mentally as well as physically will be a great mini-comic - exactly the type of thing that SPX is great at spotlighting.

If you can't make SPX, Maia's website is here.

Join us next time when I plan to look at some "random" debut books. See you there!

Coming Soon: Spx Spotlights are Back!

2025-09-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! It's Rob, and I'm going to take another swing at making the site more active again. More details in the weeks to come.

But there's no time for that now! SPX, the best Indie Comics Show (in my not at all humble opinion!) is back again September 13th and 14th, in Bethesda, Maryland.

Yes, it's already been a year and now the Small Press Expo is upon us.

And I'm determined to make it two years in a row where I do some SPX Spotlights.

So pull up a chair, pick up your phone/tablet/laptop/watch/implant or whatever the kids do these days and keep your eyes peeled to the site! It's time to once again preach the Gospel of Great Comics that will be available to you at the show. Make sure you check out the site all week!

Can't make SPX? I'll be doing my best to link you to the creators directly OR go to your favorite comics shop and see if they'll get them for you!

Let's do this!

James' Favorite Comics of 2024

2024-12-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm still basically retired from comics review, but I couldn't let the end of a year go by without putting together a post of my favorites. My second favorite thing about comics, after reading them, is sharing what I love with others.

So here are my favorite comics of 2024. As always, these aren't the BEST comics, just my personal favorites that meant something to me during this year. I hope you find something you enjoy!

Absolute DC Comics/DC All In by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval, Josh Williamson, Daniel Sampere, Wes Craig, and more published by DC Comics

This is the first of a number of "cheats" on my list where one entry actually picks up a number of comics. Well, it's my list, my rules! Anyway, I want to honor the entire mini-line here. This all started off with the DC All In special earlier in the year. These sorts of one-shots are not always great, and particularly where it ties into a previous event (in this case, Absolute Power, which was actually pretty fun). However, this All In special was terrific. There were 2 separate but related stories in this special, one drawn by Daniel Sampere and the other one by Wes Craig(!). It was highly entertaining and the outcome of the special led right into the new Absolute universe. This is a new, darker DC universe where there are different versions of the heroes you know and love. So far there have been series for your big 3, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, and I'm happy to report that all of the comics have been excellent. Each pairs a first-rate writer with an A+ artist, and tells a story that's a really interesting variation on the origin stories you think you know. Thus far I think Wonder Woman is my favorite but they are all excellent. I'd recommend reading all of this.

Action Comics/Superman by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Clayton Henry and more, published by DC Comics
Speaking of really strong families of comics, the Superman-related titles have been great this year. Both Action Comics and Superman have been telling really fun stories, and they often tie in together but they're distinct enough to be doing their own thing. But both books are continuations of the triumphant return of Mark Waid to DC Comics (along with a number of other contributors). The man has read every Superman comic ever written, and knows the character (and his associated co-stars) better than just about anyone. Waid has had a very strong year, with these books, World's Finest, and the aforementioned Absolute Power event. He just knows how to tell a really fun, engaging superhero story. And he's got great art partners such as the amazing Dan Mora, who is really kind of the gold standard (as far as I'm concerned) in superhero comic storytelling (always with great colors from Tamra Bonvillain). Both of these books are a ton of fun and give you entertaining stories involving Superman and his associated family.

Avengers Twilight by Chip Zdarsky and Daniel Acuña, published by Marvel Comics

This was one of my favorite comics covering last year and this year. The basic premise is that this is set in the future of the Marvel universe, and the world has really gotten off track. So, the old superheroes (Cap, Luke Cage, and more) have to come in and clean up the mess that the next generation has made. The art from Daniel Acuna is wonderful here - big and epic and dramatic. A really satisfying read. It's basically like Marvel's version of Kingdom Come (speaking of Mark Waid comics). Writer Chip Zdarsky has a great sense for the voices of old, beaten-down versions of the various characters, and this is just a terrific, engaging story.

Batman: The Dark Age by Mark Russell, Mike Allred and Laura Allred, published by DC Comics

This is an alternate telling of the story of Batman over a period of a number of years, slightly more intertwined with the events of American and world history. Written by Mark Russell and with art by Mike and Laura Allred, this is a companion piece to a similar story from the same team called Superman: Space Age. That story was one of my favorite comics of the last few years, and so you'll be unsurprised to learn that this one is also a favorite of mine. First, the fact that it's the Allreds on art is enough to get me to read the comic, irrespective of what the comic is actually about. They're among my favorite comic artists ever, and I think their work just keeps getting better and better. And Mark Russell is a fantastic writer, who knows how to fill a comic with emotion, huge laughs, incredibly insightful ideas, and great storytelling. So, similar to the Superman series, this comic is full of action and melodrama and sadness, but it doesn't feel sad when the art comes from the Allreds. They continue to do extraordinary work that conveys big emotions and action and stakes. But we feel the passage of time and history on Bruce Wayne and his friends and family and on Gotham. This story has great twists and turns and is just a feast for the eyes.

Blacksad They All Fall Down Part 2 by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido, published by Dark Horse

I’m thrilled that there’s a new Blacksad comic - this book is part 2 of a story and part 1 was released in 2022 (so you should start there). Blacksad is a French-published series that’s released a number of volumes over the years, and it is truly one of the most beautiful comics you will ever read. It’s a noir detective story taking place in the 1940’s and 1950’s of a world that’s a lot like ours, except that this is world full of anthropomorphic animals. The lead character is John Blacksad, a private detective who is a large cat. You might initially be thinking that you’re not really interested in something fantastical like that. You want more realistic, grounded stories. Well, the good news for you is that the stories here are incredibly real and grounded and compelling. Apart from the fact that the characters are animals, this is classic noir detective storytelling. There’s been murder, and politics, and racism. This story centers around the arts, and around the politics and money involved in the building of a big superhighway and bridge (very Robert Moses of a story). And like I said, you’ll be left absolutely slack-jawed by the lush, detailed cartooning, and the incredible personality that artist Juanjo Guarnido puts into every character. Don’t miss out on this one.

The Department of Truth by James Tynion IV, Martin Simonds and Aditya Bidikar, published by Image Comics

The Department of Truth is a comic that becomes more and more prescient every time I read a new issue. Department of Truth is a fantastic comic that I highly recommend to anyone looking for a dark, smart commentary on our current times. This is my feel-bad book of the year! What I mean to say is, I wish that the current circumstances in our country/world were such that a book like Department of Truth didn’t need to exist. The central premise of Department of Truth is based around the idea that belief itself shapes reality. Not just in an abstract, philosophical sense of "your perception shapes your reality" but in an actual "what people collectively believe can change and warp reality itself" sense. Think about how that power could be wielded and used to shape and reshape the world. Imagine it how it might change things like the outcome of elections if you could basically just present people with a completely different reality for them to live in. Different facts, different truths, etc. So, you get the power of the Department of Truth. This is a book with a clear point of view that I very much appreciate. It's not subtle, but these are not subtle times that we are living in.

Energon Universe Comics - By Daniel Warren Johnson, Tom Reilly, Jorge Corona, Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo De Felici, Dan Watters, Andrei Bressan, Kelly Thompson, Marco Ferrari and more, published by Image Comics/Skybound

Like the DC Absolute Universe, this is another situation where I am really just recommending an entire universe of comics. Void Rivals, Transformers, Duke, Cobra Commander, Destro, Scarlett and GI Joe. They've all been fun and exciting and it's been a real joy to see this whole new shared universe take shape. They've got some terrific creators involved. A number of these have been discrete miniseries which provide background on some of the main GI Joe characters. Each of those has been a lot of fun. They're building up the GI Joe world, while also tying it in to what's going on in the Transformers comics (which have been wonderful). And Void Rivals is off in space telling a different and incredibly engaging story, but which also ties into this same universe. It's building a very strong foundation for these individual corners of the universe, but also presumably building up to when we can see all of these stories tie in together. They're all great fun, and I recommend you dive in.

Fantastic Four by Ryan North, Carlos Gomez and more, published by Marvel Comics

The current run of Fantastic Four has really taken shape as a great, fun, emotional superhero comic that's really as much or more of a sci-fi adventure comic than a superhero comic. Ryan North has been writing terrific stories that find ways to focus on each of the members of the FF and their family and close friends, and it's been a delight. We really get to spend a lot of time with these characters as people, not just as superheroes. Part of what's great is that most issues are either totally self-contained or just involve a 2 or 3 issue arc. So while this comic hasn't been telling one big story like some other FF comics, each issue is its own self-contained story. And North and his artistic partners have done a great job telling some wonderful stories. Issue 25 from just a few months ago was an extraordinary comic that told a full story set on a new world, with characters we came to care about and real stakes, all in a single issue. The art from Carlos Gomez and others has been fun and engaging. This is top-notch storytelling that you should definitely check out.

Fishflies by Jeff Lemire, published by Image Comics
If Jeff Lemire is writing and drawing his own series, he's another one of those creators where he can just reserve a spot on my list of year-end favorites. He's such a great visual and emotional storyteller, and really good at getting you invested in his characters very quickly. Lemire is one of my favorite storytellers in comics, whether illustrating his own story or working with talented artists. He's got a distinctive voice that often tells stories of loneliness or melancholy, and people making the most of weird or bad situations. Fishflies fits well into that tradition. Fishflies is an unlikely story of a lonely kid and a criminal on the run, and their unlikely bond. There are also lots of weird gross flies, but don't let that stop you. This is a heartfelt, weird and lovely story.

Helen of Wyndhorn By Tom King, Bilquis Evely, Mat Lopes and Clayton Cowles, published by Dark Horse

Helen of Wyndhorn is a miniseries that just concluded, from the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow team of writer Tom King, artist Bilquis Evely, and color artist Mat Lopes. Well, I loved that comic, so I was thrilled to get more from the team, and Helen of Wyndhorn did not disappoint. This is a really special story - about family, and legacy, and the lines between fiction and reality. It's an incredible adventure comic, but also a really sad story about generations of family alienated from one another. I don't want to say too much more about the story because it's worth discovering for yourself, but it's incredibly engaging and the art is stunningly beautiful.

Houses of the Unholy HC by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Jacob Phillips, published by Image Comics

This is my annual inclusion of whatever work artist Sean Phillips and writer Ed Brubaker have cooked up for a particular year. The two have been working together for decades now and have created some of the most iconic, memorable comics of the 2000's. There appear to be no signs that they are slowing down! This year Houses of the Unholy was their graphic novel, and I absolutely loved it. This is a story that, like most Phillips/Brubaker stories, has crime, tragedy, regrets, bad decisions, and people trying to escape something. Here, it's the Satanic Panic of the 1980's. We've got a protagonist who was one of the unwitting accusers in a Satanic scandal back then, and she continues to be unable to shake her past. There's murder and conspiracies and people on the run. This is fantastic storytelling, and while all of their stories broadly fit into he category of "crime" stories, Brubaker and Phillips keep coming up with fresh and interesting ideas. As long as they do that, they'll have a spot on my list of year-end favorites.

If You Find This, I’m Already Dead by Matt Kindt, Dan McDaid and Bill Crabtree, published by Dark Horse

This was a fun, weird, 3-issue miniseries from earlier this year that's been collected into a nice HC from Dark Horse. This is a sci-fi series where things start one way and go incredibly wrong, and our lead character finds herself in a stranger place than she would have imagined. Matt Kindt is the ideal storyteller for this sort of weird, scary world, and he has a perfect partner in artist Dan McDaid, whose gritty and exaggerated linework, and ability to draw weird and gross stuff, makes him the perfect artist for this story. The colors from Bill Crabtree work perfectly with McDaid's linework to give this story a weird, grimy, alien feel. This is a fun, weird read.

The Incredible Hulk by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Nic Klein and more, published by Marvel Comics

The current Incredible Hulk run is very rooted in Hulk's origins as a monster (picking up that theme from the much-loved Immortal Hulk), and explores Hulk's ties to some of the other "monsters" of the Marvel Universe. Hulk is a loner, and he and Banner are at odds, and they've picked up a sidekick in a troubled teen who sees the strength of the Hulk and wants to be strong like him. The art duties have been split among Nic Klein, Travel Foreman and others. They have very different styles from one another but all of them are incredibly skilled storytellers, and the various artists excel at drawing some of the most HORRIFYING things you'll see in a mainstream superhero comic. Like when Banner turns into Hulk - yikes, it's pretty horrific. But that's awesome. I love seeing Hulk explored as a monster among monsters; it's an incredible read.

Kneel Before Zod by Joe Casey, Dan McDaid and David Baron, published by DC Comics

Speaking of the terrific work of Dan McDaid, he drew one of my favorite superhero (or villain, in this case) stories of the year, Kneel Before Zod. ZOD!! (sorry, had to do that) This is a very engaging miniseries about the mighty General Zod and his extremely dysfunctional family, trying to rule their own world and improve their fortunes. Unfortunately for Zod (but fortunately for us) things don't go great. This is a terrific comic full of action and intense drama. And McDaid's gritty, grimy artwork is perfect for telling the story of this villainous but highly compelling military leader and family man(?). This is absolutely a great read.

Man's Best by Pornsak Pichetshote and Jesse Lonergan, published by Boom! Studios

If you're looking for a funny, sweet, emotional miniseries involving hyper-intelligent animals on an alien world, have I got the comic for you! This series (written by Pornsak Pichetshote and Jesse Lonergan) is highly compelling and really just beautiful to look at. Pichetshote is a talented writer (see The Good Asian) and Lonergan is a great artist and storyteller (Hedra, Planet Paradise). Here Lonergan really gets to go wild, with space vistas and alien landscapes, you see all that Lonergan can do. He often adds a really great geometrical element to his storytelling, with innovative panel designs and layouts; it's all both very cool and still in service of the storytelling. And it's a compelling story, about 3 animals just trying to do the best they can for their humans, in some stressful situations. It's a great read.

Minor Arcana by Jeff Lemire, published by Boom! Studios

I love a Jeff Lemire written-and-drawn story for the reasons I mention above. Minor Arcana has a lot of those classic Lemire elements that pull you in, such as complicated family dynamics and history, and a town full of history and secrets, and a world that is more fantastical than it first appears. These are themes at which Lemire excels, and he does so here as well. I was instantly drawn in by the story of Theresa who comes home to take take of her sick mom (who is a fraud "psychic"), and gets more than she bargained for. It's engaging and compelling from a plot level and an emotional level, and I think Lemire continues to grow and evolve as an artist, doing great work.

The One Hand and The Six Fingers by Dan Watters, Sumit Kumar, Ram V, Laurence Campbell, Lee loughridge, Aditya Bidikar, and Tom Muller

This was a very cleverly told story. It was 2 different miniseries, written and drawn by 2 different teams, but telling one big story. And that's how you should think of it, as one big story. This is a dark detective story that's set a long time in the future, but in a city that looks very much like our world right now. It's a dark, gritty, scary place, and there's a serial killer on the loose again, which shouldn't be possible because that particular killed was locked up. Suffice to say, there is a lot of weird stuff going on here. This comic is dark and scary and occasionally a little disturbing, but is a fantastic read. I highly recommend picking it up, as the whole story is collected in a single volume.

The Power Fantasy by Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard, Clayton Cowles and Rian Hughes, published by Image Comics

The Power Fantasy is an amazing, thought-provoking, dense read. Don't let that dissuade you though, it's also a very fun comic with dramatic twists and turns. It's not a superhero story, but it is a story about people with superpowers. Basically they are superpowers, but in the political nation-state sense of the term. This is a more "realistic" telling of a story about people with super powers, and in this world, these people co-exist uneasily with the nations of the world, living by their own standards and seemingly with humanity's best interests at heart, but sometimes it's hard to tell. I enjoyed each issue so far individually, but the story really came together when I read the first 4 issues in one sequence. At that point I could really appreciate what writer Kieron Gillen and artist Caspar Wijngaard were doing. This is a big, heady story that you will love. Part of why you'll love it is the amazing work of Wijngaard. He's got a clean, fun art style that just keeps getting better and better. His work is extremely ambitious in this series so far, and he brings small and huge moments to life in an equally skillful manner. The whole feel of the book (with letters from Clayton Cowles, and design of the book by Rian Hughes) just has a super-modern, stylish, intelligent feel to it.

Geiger, Redcoat, Rook: Exodus, and Rocketfellers by Geoff Johns, Bryan Hitch, Jason Fabok, Gary Frank, Brad Anderson, Rob Leigh, published by Image Comics/Ghost Machine

This is another time where I sing the praises of a whole superhero mini-line of comics. The Ghost Machine comics from Geoff Johns and other writers, and all of the wonderful artists I've listed above (and more) is a series of comics that (so far) have been telling independent stories) but seem to be part of a broader universe and which are going to come together at some point. I can't speak to how or when, but I can tell you that the individual books themselves are really fun. Geiger is the story of a post-apocalyptic world, and a nuclear powered hero roaming the wasteland of former America with his two-headed dog, doing good and presumably looking for purpose. With amazing art from Gary Frank. Rook: Exodus is a fun sci-fi story about a human-settled planet where everything has gone wrong, and order is (sort of) kept by people who are psychically linked to different types of animals. It sounds weird, but it is a super-fun series with great art from Jason Fabok. And Redcoat is a terrifically fun and funny story about a former English soldier who ended up as an immortal and has been having misadventures in America over the last few centuries. That one has delightful art from Bryan Hitch. And most recently, I've loved the first 2 issues of The Rocketfellers, kind of a "Lost in Space" story with a futuristic adventurer family stuck in our time period. All of these are apparently going to tie together at some point, but the good news is that until then, they're all super fun action-adventure comics.

Saga by Brain K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, published by Image Comics

Saga! Saga came back in 2024! After a 3+ year absence, I'm so glad to say that Saga was back this past year, and it continues to be a comic that I absolutely adore. The artwork of Fiona Staples continues to be as wonderful as ever, and really actually get better and better over time. And BKV knows how to write memorable characters and dialogue. And this creative team still knows how to tell a story with shocking, gross, hilarious and incredibly emotional moments. Saga may not be quite the phenomenon it was when it first came out (which incredibly was more than a dozen years ago), but it still remains a wonderful, really special comic, and one of my favorite books of the year.

Sensational She-Hulk by Rainbow Rowell, Andres Genolet, Ig Guara and more, published by Marvel Comics

She-Hulk comics don't seem to last that long, sadly. That's a shame, because over the past few years writer Rainbow Rowell has been writing some really wonderful stories about everyone's favorite green super-powered attorney. In this most recent run, Rowell has worked with Andres Genolet and Ig Guara, with great covers from Jen Bartel. It's been a fun, sweet, romantic, occasionally action-packed, always delightful comic. More of a slice-of-life comic that frankly superhero comics could use more of. I love a comic where not everything feels like the end of the world, and the stakes are more personal than they are cataclysmic. It's been a delightful read, and hope Rowell and some of her artistic partners come back to give us more fun, incredibly charming comics like The Sensational She-Hulk.

Ultimate Spider-Man/The Ultimates by Jonathan Hickman, Deniz Camp, Marco Checcheto, Juan Frigeri, Phil Noto, Chris Allen, David Messina, Matt Wilson and more, published by Marvel Comics

Marvel has their own mini-line of comics that I have been really enjoying. Well, 2 comics in particular. That's the Ultimate line, and specifically The Ultimates, and Ultimate Spider-Man. The Ultimates has been the big central story in the new Marvel Ultimate Universe, involving The Maker (evil Reed Richards) and the different sort of Marvel universe he created. Much like DC's Absolute universe, this world is a darker, less heroic place. But there are still heroes and even as the underdogs, they are still coming together. Camp is a great writer and I've really enjoyed what he's been doing in this book with several different excellent artistic partners. And I've loved the Ultimate Spider-Man book, as it's kind of the story I always wanted. Peter is new to being Spider-Man, but he and MJ are together and they have kids. And he's navigating the new world of bring a superhero alongside his pal Harry Osborn, with new threats continuing to appear. The art (mostly from Marco Checcheto) has been really great. I like what Marvel is building here, and these 2 books have both been terrific.

Unnatural Order by Christopher Yost, Val Rodrigues and more, published by Vault Comics

I'm so happy to see new art from Val Rodrigues. Rodrigues was the artist on an amazing miniseries called Deep Roots (also from Vault Comics) where he had some of the most amazing, weirdest art I've seen in a while in a comic. Unnatural Oder thankfully gives Rodrigues plenty of opportunities to get super weird again. This is a miniseries about a strange alternate world fully of fantasy figures, that isn't exactly what it appears. We meet a bunch of different characters who come together as a group to fight evil, and we meet the threat of the story, and our expectations get upended. It's a really engaging, amazing-looking story and I can't recommend Rodrigues' work highly enough.

Weatherman Vol. 3 by Jody LeHeup, Nathan Fox and Moreno Dinisio, published by Image Comics

The Weatherman is a totally weird and wild sci-fi miniseries that has great, absudist vibes but actually delves into a lot of heavy, deep ideas. I took a very deep dive into the Weatherman back in 2020, and I'm thrilled that it returned for one more volume. It's a story set centuries in the future, where there isn't a lot of humanity left because of a tragedy that occurred a number of years before. And it involves a seemingly innocent weatherman who might actually be at the center of that tragedy. Or was it someone else? Or was *he* someone else? Like I said, this story goes deep. And the art is wild and weird and gorgeous, from artist Nathan Fox and color artist Moreno Dinisio. It's a remarkable, special series that's unlike most anything you've ever read. I highly recommend it.

Panel Patter's 2024 Gift Guide

2024-12-01T08:00:00.040-08:00

Holy Crap, has it really been 10 years since we did one of these? Wow!

For several years around the turn of the 2010s, Panel Patter (well, me, mostly) would put together a gift guide to help people who wanted to buy comics for others, but weren't sure what to buy.

Well, if anything, the sheer volume of comics has just grown even larger than it was back in 2014 and comics remain an awesome thing to buy for your friends, neighbors, and loved ones.

Now the fun part here is that I don't read nearly as many comics as I used to, which makes this a bit more challenging. But let's see how this goes!

For the Fantastic Four Fan (Part 1): Fantastic Four Full Circle by Alex Ross with Josh Johnson and Ariana Maher, published by Abrams

Oh man, it's almost impossible to oversell this one. Ross is one of the all-time greatest comic artists, though he mostly sticks to doing spectacular covers (including on the current FF run). Last year, Ross took the time to write and draw a Fantastic Four story that incorporated pieces of the classic Lee-Kirby run while still making references to more modern concepts. He perfectly captures the voice of the characters, comes up with some wild ideas that drive the plot, and proves that Marvel's First Family, when done right, can indeed be The World's Greatest Comic Book. There's a new expanded edition, out this year, that provides tons of back material that shows just how detailed Ross is when he sets his mind to a project like this, right down to panel homages.

For the Nostalgia in a Good Way Fan: Skybound's Revamp of GI Joe by Various Creators, published by Skybound

While I loved the show as a kid and had several of the toys, which was rare for me back then, I never got into the comics version from Marvel, despite an insatiable love of comics. And with rare exceptions like the recent Paul Allor and various artist's version at IDW, I still could not for some reason. So color me surprised when I was delighted by Destro, Duke, Scarlett, Cobra Commander, and the first issue of the new series. The creative teams on all four of the lead-ins to the new series are spectacular and each has their own strengths. Because I've always loved the character, I'll say Destro is the best one by a hair and most likely headed to my final favorites list, with writer Dan Watters really getting inside what makes him so cool and the primary art team of Andrei Bressan and Adriano Lucas just killing it. But then there's Williamson showing Duke's drive fighting with his loyalty alongside Tom Reilly and Jordie Bellaire, along with a rather surprising turn of events for long-time fans. Anyway, the point is these are not just good licensed comics, they're good comics. If you've got a Joe fan in the house, give them one of these trades, or even a few singles. The latter fit nicely in a stocking, just saying...

For the B-Movie Fan: The Midnite Show by Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, Bill Crabtree, and Jim Campbell, published by Dark Horse Comics

Cullen Bunn is one of the most prolific comics writers and I probably could have picked any number of his books this year to put on this list, but I opted for this one because it's just so much fun and a total love letter to those who enjoy B-Movie horror fare. A legendary horror movie long thought lost turns up at a film festival to prove that it's reputation for being cursed is - entirely true! Soon a small group of (mostly) horror flick fans must band together to try and prevent a monster mash of epic proportions. It's every classic horror creator for himself in an attempt at total control, culminating in multiple monster murder mashes and a really cool twist that makes sense but still comes as a surprise. Hurtt does a lovely job making the creatures feel familiar but still gives them his own take while Crabtree really colors the hell out of this book and Campbell provides awesome lettering, as always. Just a fun romp, which is why I've enjoyed Bunn's work for basically the entire time I've been running Panel Patter.

For the Lover of Classic Comic Strips: Bungleton Green and the Mystic Commandos by Jay Jackson, Published by New York Review Books

I wrote a lengthy piece about this one earlier this year, so I'll summarize here: Jay Jackson took a moribund comedic character in Bungleton Green, teamed him with some kids, and sent him into a historical sci-fi adventure, giving readers the chance to think about current events without getting censored. Plus Jackson is an amazing artist whose work is at par or superior to his peers. It's a chance to learn a forgotten part of comics history while becoming engrossed in epic sci-fi/fantasy adventure. I wrote then and I'll say it again now - we need someone like Fantagraphics to do a complete run of this man's comics. For now though, grab this book an enjoy it from cover to cover.

For the Aging Lover of Auto-bio Comics: Kids are Still Weird and More Observations from Parenthood by Jeffrey Brown, published by NBM

Jeffrey Brown is one of the all-time best auto-bio comics people, but he's also great at doing all-ages books with licensed characters like Darth Vader and Batman, so I honestly didn't think we'd ever get another one of these. Here's Brown the Dad ready to provide the good and the bad from his life as a father. I'm completely here for it and you should be, too.

For the Gothic Horror Fan in Your Life: Dracula: A Storybook Portfolio by JH Williams III, published by Image Comics

There's been some great vampire books out this year, but I'm putting this one on the list because I think it has the most crossover appeal. While recovering from illness, Williams III started doing illustrations based on Bram Stoker's novel. This collection features a Williams III Illustration matched with a summary of the portion of the text that matches the drawing. What was originally therapy for him has turned into something far more and it's absolutely beautiful, which is no surprise given how good Williams III is as an artist. He captures the moments so very well and his text selections do justice to the original despite their brevity. This is one I'd gift to my Mom, and I mean that a very high complement.

For the Fantastic Four Fan (Part 2): Ryan North, Iban Coello, Jesus Aburtov, Ivan Fioreli, Carlos Gomez, Joe Caramanga, and Others' Fantastic Four run, published by Marvel Comics

The FF have kinda been pushed aside a bit because of the movie issues, but were fortunate to be handed to Ryan North, who stated he's a huge fan of the characters. I say fortunate because the best writers of the quartet are those who are willing to be as out there as possible with what the team encounters. And that's North to a T (fourth letter in his last name - coincidence? I think not!), who gleefully does everything from having Johnny Storm try his hand at a secret identity to pulling out an old 50s Atlas Monster to dinosaurs. He'll just as easily add Nicholas Scratch as he will integrating the Grimm's adopted children. Teamed with Coello, Fioreli, Gomez, and other creators who can match North step for step on the visual side, this run has just been a sheer joy from start to what I expect will soon be its finish, as it's far too weird for when the movie shows up. This is my favorite run on any series in a long time.

Okay, that's it for this year's edition! I'm just so happy to be doing this again. May the traditional start of this holiday season find you well, and I hope one or more of these selections is the perfect gift for someone you know - or maybe just yourself!

SPX Spotlight 2024: Some Cool Creators to See

2024-09-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another edition of our 2024 SPX Spotlight! You can find all of our spotlights over the years here. It's some of the work I'm most proud of as a site. This is where we feature some aspect of the Small Press Expo, coming your way September 14th and 15th, 2024 in Bethesda, Maryland. No one from Panel Patter will be there this year, but if you're able and like the kinds of comics Panel Patter features, you owe it to yourself to go to the show. Trust me, you won't regret it!

Today's Spotlight is on some of the many, many cool people who will be exhibiting at the show. Like my debut books feature yesterday, which only scratched the surface, there is no way in hell I'll get to everyone you should check out at the show. So I set up 2 rules of this: 1) Anyone I featured yesterday, I'm omitting because I already talked about them and 2) I'm going to roll a d10 for which page I go to after page 1 and keep going until I run out of steam, so that I'm not hurting folks at the end of the alphabet.*

After the jump, we'll get started!

Josh Bayer

Josh, an Ignatz Nominee, is the person who taught me to love the genre of "raw" comics, where illustrations are more about the emotional power of the visual instead of the technical artistry. I struggled with the idea for years until I encountered Suspect Device and Raw Power, an amazing anthology and solo series, respectively. Bayer's storytelling is amazing, able to give us creations with emotions as brutal as the lines that create them. If you've ever wanted to experiment with this genre of comics, Bayer is a great place to start. He's also amazing at promoting the work of others, so I'm happy to promote him in turn.

Jonathan Bayliss

I mentioned Jonathan yesterday but didn't feature him, so I'll do that here! Bayliss, who's done so many things in his life, including being a part of Valiant during one of its blow ups, keeps a one-man writing anthology called So Buttons, which is now on its 14th edition. Bayliss enlists an amazing group of artist collaborators for his work, which has included Noah Van Sciver, Fred Hembeck, Becky Hawkins, Josh Bayer, and many more. Each issue features several short stories about different times in Bayliss's life, which keeps things varied. He picks just the right artist for each one, too. The newest issue is a murder's row of folks we've featured: Marinaomi has the cover, with stories drawn by Box Brown and Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg. If you haven't read So Buttons yet, now's a great time to start!

Anders Nilsen

A three-time recipient of the coveted Ignatz Brick and a nominee again this year, Anders' line work is immediately distinctive and eye-catching. I remember discovering him in an anthology (maybe one of Fantagraphics' from the late 2000s?) and immediately trying to find his other comics, because they were just so original to my eye. Clearly inspired by European comics in terms of intricate detailing and willingness to use openness in his panel creation, Nilsen's art deserves a lingering eye -and your attention this coming weekend.

Kelly Phillips

I mentioned Kelly in my post noting I'd be doing Spotlights again, and could not remember for the life of me the name of her co-edited anthology, which was Dirty Diamonds. I am pretty sure I still have the whole run. Kelly's love of Weird Al knows no bounds, and her Weird Me is one of my all-time favorite memoirs. She even got to do the cover for his recent biography. She's also big into cats, and well, that's winner for me, too. Her newest is Catalog Volume 4, part of an ongoing chronical of the cats that have graced her presence. Cats and comics go great together and Kelly's comics will go great in your collection.

François Vigneault

I don't remember when I first encountered Francois, but I do know I was reading Titan back in single issues before it got a great collection by Oni Press. Also one of the creators of Oni's Orcs in Space, Francois does a great job of placing ordinary people in science fiction settings and mixing drama with the trappings of the genre. I also love his use of color on Titan, which helps really keep the reader off-balance as the danger increases for the characters. Orcs is a different style, but also a lot of fun. If you like your sci fi quirky, look no further.

Andrew White

I couldn't find a picture for Andrew, so you get a sample of his illustration style. Andrew often works in what I believe is called "poetry comics" where the art and text are designed to evoke the feel of prose poetry. It's hard to show that style in a post like this, but there are examples of my reviewing the genre on the site. White is one of the best at this style of art, and I love reading his books when I have the opportunity. I don't think a lot of people are familiar with the idea, but you can do so much with a minimal approach, manipulating the text and images in ways that prose poetry alone just can't match. This is what comics are when they're at their best - doing something unique. Make sure you stop by White's table to get a feel for this in person.

*My D&D group is on infinite hiatus. Bear with me as I make up blatant excuses to use my dice.

SPX Spotlight 2024: Some Debut Books Deserving of your Dough

2024-09-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

Let's see if I remember how to do this!

Welcome to the first SPX Spotlight on Panel Patter since 2018 (yikes). The SPX Spotlight is where we highlight creators, publishers, or books of note that you can find at the Small Press Expo, being held this weekend, September 14th and 15th, in Bethesda, Maryland.

I may not be at the show this year, but that won't stop me from encouraging you to go and spend some money with quality creators. In this spotlight, I'll be focusing on debut books, namely comics that should be making their first public appearance this weekend.

What would be on my shopping list if I still lived within driving distance of one of the best conventions of the planet? Let's take a look!

Ceek'r

Written and Dawn by Rafter Roberts

Plastic Farm Press

While it's been great to see long-time Panel Pal Rafter Roberts get published by folks like Valiant and Albatross, its his self-published work, whether it's Plastic Farm or Nightmare the Rat, that's my all-time favorites, all of which have a permanent place in my ever-shifting bookshelves. Now Rafer has a new book, Ceek'r, which he describes as "It’s new! It’s fun to stare at!" That's no surprise, given Roberts' intricate linework and penchant for the bizarre. He does add that "An idea goes in search of a story, traversing a vast lumpy landscape of brain noodles in this wordless exploration of the comic form." So basically it's Rafter drawing broad pictures that will make you linger over ever panel? I'm sold, and hopefully you will be, too.

Chad in Amsterdam

Written by Chad Bilyeu

Illustrated by Multiple Creators

Published by Scratch Books

Around the time I was starting to need to take a break from the site, Chad sent me over digital copies of the the single issues that make up this collection. So I'm gonna try to right a bit of a wrong timing issue by highlighting it here. This series features Chad's experiences in the titular city, with each issue featuring a series of short stories. It very much reminds me of Jonathan Baylis's So Buttons, where there's a central theme and a variety of creators chosen to match their style to the story. These comics are a lot of fun and it's cool they're collected together in a nicely bound hardcover. Chad in Amsterdam is a perfect pick up for autobio comics fans.

Dummy Issue 1

by John Kelly

Published by The Dummy Corporation

A mix of interviews and illustrations, Kelly talks to the creators of Pee-Wee's Playhouse, one of my favorite TV shows as a kid (and one that holds up fairly well as an adult, too). Per the promo text, "The debut issue of John Kelly’s new publication Dummy looks at the extraordinary cartoonists who designed the visual landscape of the late Paul Reubens ‘ pioneering television program Pee-Wee’s Playhouse." The real gem here is the promise of "never before-seen artwork" which makes me extremely intrigued. This won't have the wider appeal of some of the debut books at SPX, but man, if you're just the right age, Dummy Issue 1 is a must have. The secret word is "fun!"

Fielder #3

Written, Illustrated, and Published by Kevin Huizenga

Fielder #3 is the newest book from Kevin Huizenga book. You should get it. You will thank me later.

Just the Good Bits

Written, Illustrated and Published by Carey Pietsch

It seems like only yesterday that I was picking up hand-copied comic anthologies co-edited by Carey, who's gone on to do the Adventure Zone books, which I read despite having no knowledge or strong interest in their source material. Like many creators I follow, Carey does autobio comics. In fact, she did about 150 of them. But instead of putting them all together, she's opted to go for the ones she liked the best, giving readers a 52-strip sampling of the larger work called, appropriately enough, Just the Good Bits. Carey promises they're "pretty good" and I have a feeling that's selling herself pretty short. Another autobio book to look out for.

Kids are Still Weird and More Observations from Parenthood

by Jeffrey Brown

Published by NBM

I swear I had no idea Jeffrey Brown had a new autobio book out when I mentioned him in my intro post, but I am delighted that Kids are Still Weird exists. Brown's amazing at whatever he opts to do, and getting an inside look at some of his time as a parent is a real treat. The title is a nod to his Cats are Weird book, which is one of my favorites of his books. Brown opens up his private life for us once again, this time promising a look at what happens when you have a growing brain and a mouth without a filter. Can't wait to add this one to my collection.

Knots

By Colleen Frakes

Published by Harper Collins

Another Panel Pal with a debut book! Knots is about a young woman heading into middle school who thinks that she can handle everything, but, well, we all know how that works out in a middle grade comic, right? Dealing with changes to her family and changes she wishes she could make to herself, Norah gets in over her head and needs help - but will she ask for it? Frakes has been doing some great work in the world of all ages for several years now and this looks to be no exception.

There's even more great debut books on the list, but I want to make sure this gets posted. Make sure you check out the complete list here and have an amazing time at SPX!

SPX Spotlights are Back!

2024-09-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

Long time Panel Patter readers will know one of the things we used to be known for was placing a huge spotlight on the Small Press Expo, held yearly in Bethesda, Maryland.

Well, as part of our return to periodically posting, we'll be doing a few features about SPX for the first time in six years! (Can't believe it's been that long. Wow.)

For those who aren't familiar, the Small Press Expo, for 30 years now (WOW), has spotlighted small presses and creators, from people with photocopied zines to the beautiful hardcovers of Drawn and Quarterly.

This year's show is this weekend, September 14th and 15th.

Going to SPX in 2008 changed my life and is part of how Panel Patter got started. Back then, I remember my wife exchanging a paper zine with Kate Beaton, long before Beaton became a best selling author celebrated by her entire country. I also remember going to a copy shop to print additional copies of comics Erica was making while reading Joey Wieser books published by ADhouse. Another year, I got to talk hockey with Jeffrey Brown, back when he was an autobio book guy and a decade or so before he'd hit it big with books about Darth Vader and Batman dealing with parenting issues. (And both sides of Brown's creative side are amazing and highly recommended!)

I could go on and on about the number of great moments and creators I discovered there before they got more prominent gigs, like a pre-Valiant Rafer Roberts, Raina Telgemeyer when she'd only been doing Babysitter's Club, Kelly Philips when she was co-editing a zine-style comics anthology prior to her "Weird Me" days, Spike before Iron Circus became one of the best ever to use crowd funding--I could go on and on and on about SPX and the opportunities it has provided for creators of all levels over the years.

But instead, I'll end here by saying that if you are able to make it to Maryland this weekend and love small press comics, do everything you can to get to the Small Press Expo. I can't guarantee how much coverage we'll do over the next few days, but I hope to get a few posts up by Friday, so keep your eyes peeled.

Panel Patter may be semi-retired but SPX is not. Go find your favorite new creator and make your own memories there!

Godzilla and Other Monsters: Single Minded for June 26, 2024

2024-07-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Time for more Single Minded! Today Rob's picking one comic from this week he'd like to talk to you about and convince you to pick up at your local comic shop or favorite digital device!

It goes without saying this wasn't the only book I read this week, but it IS the one I most wanted to talk about. So what registered on my radar? Let's find out...

FEATURE COMIC

Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons II: Sons of Giants

Written by Frank Tieri

Line Art by Inaki Miranda

Color Art by Eva de la Cruz

Letters by Steve Wands

Published by IDW

Godzilla is a figure of myth and legend whose story and that of his kaiju kin weave their way from ancient Japan to post-Colonial America in this first issue of the sequel to Tieri and Miranda's first series.

It's really interesting to see how far afield the comics published by IDW go with Godzilla. I've mentioned earlier this month that I was impressed by Toho's willingness to let IDW push the envelope, and even more impressed by how good the stories are. For example, Godzilla is forever tied in popular culture to post World War II Japan and the horrors of the nuclear bomb. That's obviously the shadow looming over his original creation and one that will forever be the source for his greatest stories (though not necessarily his most enjoyable ones). The success of Godzilla Minus One and its well-deserved praise is proof of this.

But like other mythical monsters from Frankenstein to Dracula to Medusa, while never fully separated from the current events that spawned their creation, Godzilla has the ability to be adapted to almost any story or setting. In the case of Sons of Giants, Tieri and Miranda wrap the killer kaiju into the midst of a historical conspiracy. I have to admit, I didn't see that one coming, but I'd have never predicted Godzilla in Hell, either, so what do I know?

The idea of men seeking power looking to an unstoppable force of nature for inspiration makes sense, though, if you stop and think about it. How often do we see this? Lions, bears, tigers, sharks - they're all powerful animals associated with leaders, both good and bad. So it makes sense that Godzilla and the other kaiju can be used this way. However, as we all know, trying to harness Godzilla doesn't tend to end well. It's not stated specifically if this secret society is good or evil, though fans of popular musicals are likely to be against them, at least early on, based on one notable member. Watching how this mystery plays out will be fascinating.

What isn't a mystery is the quality of Miranda's art. He's able to show off a variety of styles here and the previews focus (rightfully) on his aping woodblock work in the opening sequence, which featured a warrior needing to regain his honor by taking on Godzilla himself.

Big thank you to Tieri and Miranda for posting a few images that I could use, because just look at this!

Man oh man, that's fantastic work from Miranda. First of all, you can recognize immediately the style he's going for. I've seen other creators attempt to do this, and it comes off looking inauthentic, but Miranda is able to find a way to make it work on the comics page. He's clearly studied the form extensively and is able to make it work for the story he wishes to tell while also hewing close to the source material.

The key to this, I think, is in his detailing. I can't even begin to imagine how much time it took to draw the clothing in that first 2/3 of a page panel. The fallen master is in, by my count, at least 11 different patterns, each of which sporting its own distinctive look with intricate detailing - even if it's only shown in a brief glimpse, like the upper elbow. This would have been spectacular in black and white, but adding de la Cruz's colors really makes the contrasts stand out and pop to the reader's eye. I'm extremely impressed with what they've done with the palette here, too -- a lot of different shades of the same color and yet it doesn't feel drab or repeated.

Then there's the second page. Again, a 2/3 splash panel, this time looking at the larger level of devastation inflicted by Godzilla. In this instance, we get a more impressionistic take. Things are purposefully taken outside of normal size and perspective so that you can see clearly the death and destruction all around the one living figure. The background is a massive set of swirls that threaten to swallow everything around them. The dead are shown in different states of decomposition. It's a harrowing scene that captures the moment perfectly. Just amazing work here by Miranda.

I'm starting to read a lot of comics again, and it feels good. I can't write about all of them. Probably couldn't even if it was my full time job. The way to get onto my radar as a comic to write about at length is to do something really outstanding with the art that I can dig my teeth into alongside the plot, the characters, and the dialogue. Little touches like the above really appeal to me these days.

Now of course, this is a Godzilla comic, so what happens when you do a Godzilla Mock Woodblock?

This:

Even without the words, you can follow this action clearly from the art. I also love the use of perspective in these panels and Miranda's ability to give Godzilla some emotions without overdoing it and making him too human. But really, I'm just including this because it looks really cool, right?

After this amazing set piece, the rest of the issue pivots to the reveal of the society and a journalist who gets caught up within its claws, as journalists who poke too far often do. Miranda's art moves into a more typical one, but his ability to frame pages sets it apart. I really love what he does simply by focusing on an iconic coin. The construction of the panels gives Tieri room to expound on his conspiracy, providing exposition that, while a necessary info dump, doesn't slow the comic down too much because of Miranda's drawings surrounding them. It does mean that we don't get a ton of action following the wood block scene, other than a few flashbacks outlining the fact that Godzilla has had an impact on world events and the inevitable fate of the journalist.

Tieri takes a bit of a risk here in waiting to get back to the action but I think it was necessary for the reader to understand the rest of the series. He's hoping you buy into the mystery, which of course I certainly did, but not all readers might. I am trusting him to make the journey worth it and even if it lags a bit here and there, Miranda's art more than makes up for anything else.

Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons II: Sons of Giants is a bit of a mouthful to type out, but it's well worth biting into and digesting the art, page by page. IDW has yet again put together a great idea for a Godzilla comic, completely different from Godzilla Skate or Die!, also out now, and the two really show just how versatile Godzilla's concept can be. I'm enjoying them both, for different reasons, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this one goes as well as the big lizard romps his way through history.

Destro Supplies Another Great Joe Comic: Single Minded for June 19th, 2024

2024-06-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Time for more Single Minded! Today Rob's got a few comics from this week he'd like to talk to you about and convince you to pick up at your local comic shop or favorite digital device!

It goes without saying these aren't the only books I read this week, but they are the ones I most wanted to talk about. So what registered on my radar? Let's find out...

FEATURE COMIC

Destro #1

Written by Dan Watters

Line Art by Andrei Bressan

Color Art by Adriano Lucas

Letters by Rus Wooten

Published by Skybound/Image

Arms are his business and business is very good for Destro, the latest leader of his Scottish Clan. Fresh off an uneasy partnership with the Cobra Commander and manipulating global affairs, Destro is ready to take the next steps to ensure his place of power. But he's not the only game in town and the competition is deadly in this premiere issue that sets up my favorite Cobra character of all time perfectly.

Series writer Dan Watters, in his afterwards, refers to Destro as someone who "does it all dressed like a pro-wrestling vampire" and I absolutely love that description. While many of the characters in the GI Joe Universe have iconic looks, Destro's shiny face, which unlike Cobra Commander's, can emote at the same time it obscures, is just so much fun to look at, whether it's cartoons or comics.

Line artist Andrei Bressan gets that and ensures that at any given moment, we can know exactly what Destro is thinking, just by looking at him. While other characters may try to hide their emotions, Destro lives by them. Perhaps it's his Scottish blood? Either way, I came away from this issue really impressed with how well Bressan draws Destro's expressions to assist with the portrayal Watters is going for.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find an official preview image with Bressan drawing Destro, but the cover picture gives you a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about. Destro sits on a throne of weapons, grinning from ear to ear, feeling confident that he is the best there is at being a weapons dealer and that getting into bed with Cobra is only a way to ensure he remains the unquestioned master of the field, just as his ancestors (in an awesome set piece) would have wanted it.

But it's not just Destro that Bressan gives strong emotions to. Check out the looks on these soldiers' faces when they realize they're on the wrong side of the arms race, with what they're looking at as the second image:

This is some great storytelling work from the artists. We first get an introduction to the tech, which gets a schematic style coloring background from Adriano Lucas, then we see that it's going to be nearly impossible for them to take the android down.

That's about when they look up to see the second image, which is a seemingly limitless number of androids coming out of the sky, which is colored in such a peaceful sunrise/sunset pastel from Lucas, nicely contrasting with Brissan's endless figures of death.

Those men are screwed and they know it. (Oh and check out how the color backdrop really pushes your eyes towards those expressions!) What makes this comic really stand out, since "badass war machine" isn't exactly a new concept, is just how well the art is selling the plot and dialogue of Watters.

It doesn't hurt that this is a great plot and set up. Destro appears to be getting everything he wants, but it's already clear that in his arrogance, he may be overestimating his ability to control the situation. The Cobra Commander is not the leader of a third world country or one who operates within the international laws that Destro clearly excels at exploiting. There's a saying about governments fighting the previous war and it looks strongly to me like that may be Destro's problem. By the end of the issue, he looks to be relishing the challenge presented to him, but that might just be his own undoing.

Then again, knowing Destro, he'll find a way to give himself a shot at remaining on top. Finding out how he does - or perhaps doesn't! - do so is going to be a fun ride. As with Scarlett, I really love how Watters is working within what we know but still creating something new. These Skybound GI Joe books are off to an extremely strong start and I can't wait to see how they tie it all together.

Fight the War and the Racists: Bungleton Green and the Mystic Commandos

2024-06-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Bungleton Green and the Mystic Commandos

by Jay Jackson

Published by New York Review Books

Those who used to read the site regularly know that I have a particular fondness for older comics, partly because I enjoy old things and always have, and partly because in those earlier days there's a total sense of joy and freedom in the work. In some ways, it's a lot like zines and mini-comics in terms of the ethos.

Now it's fairly easy to get ahold of older Batman, of course, and even thinks like Krazy Kat remain accessible. Everyone loves the old EC comics, so much so that multiple publishers put the work out in different formats and collections. But there's such a huge swath of comics that aren't being seen and when I encounter a book like Bungleton Green and the Mystic Commandos, I'm in comics heaven.

Newspaper strips, believe it or not, were always considered a bigger deal than comics, because everyone read the newspaper. And even today, getting a daily strip is a lucrative proposition. So it's no surprise that there are hundreds, possibly even thousands of newspaper strip comics that haven't seen the light of day except when found used as wrapping for a precious antique. Many of them went on for decades, putting out strips that were, to be fair, not particularly notable.

That was likely the case for Bungleton Green, which was started in 1920 for the Chicago Defender by Leslie Rogers and had shuffled along multiple creators when Jackson, a staff artist for the Defender, took over in 1942. The concept was a comical goof who rose and fell in fortunes, effectively a sitcom character on the printed page. Basically, a character I probably would have skipped over back when we had a newspaper subscription or when my grandmother saved the comics pages for me to read because her paper was in color daily, not just Sundays(!).

Upon taking over, Jackson almost immediately pushes the reset button. As comics historian Jeet Heer notes in the introduction to this collection, Jackson, taking inspiration from the now far more popular adventure strips and probably comic books too (Heer specifically calls out Jack Kirby's work), opts to push the main character to the sidelines and bring us the Mystic Commandos. They're a group of kids on a mission, and that mission takes them places no other comics that I know of were trying in 1942. (Hell, it takes them places people today are reluctant to go, as we'll see.)

There's so much going on in these comics it's hard to keep up or try to list everything, and this collection is only a small sampling of the strip. The first arc in this collection is a wild trip. A young man Green knows is framed and to save him, we get the involvement of Prince Whipple, George Washington's oarsman when crossing the Delaware, who takes two punks on a trip to visit the first president in an attempt to help them learn honesty. When that doesn't work, in a Fletcher Hanks Special, Benedict Arnold, now a demon of Fireland(!), scoops them up and briefly tortures them into telling the truth.

(If half of you reading this aren't pausing at this point to go track this book down based on that last sentence alone, I am not doing my job and should re-retire.)

Jackson's imaginative ideas would be enough to carry this into must-read territory for me on the premises alone. But now let's take a moment to discuss the art. Here's the introduction to Prince Whipple's entry into the strip:

Look at how much is going on in those panels! It's an artistic clinic. What especially stands out is the stark difference between the inherited character of Green (check him out on the second page, 7th panel) and everything around Green. Jackson refuses to limit himself to what has come before and immediately puts this strip on a par with its better known white newspaper peers. In fact, if anything, he goes further. While many comic strips of this era are just as well drawn, but stiff, Jackson's characters move in a way that others don't. They looks as if they're always being caught in the act of doing something. It's what Stan Lee would call out alongside John Buscema in How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. There's a huge difference between drawing a scene and making it come to life. Jackson had that ability and it shows, page after page.

The panels above give a great example of what I'm referring to. First we get a punk discussing his plans. In a lot of comics, even those published today, this would be a straight-on look in a static pose. But instead, Jackson angles his cap to help offset the title of the strip. Then he uses the character's hands to give us an idea of his arrogance. He's pointing back at himself in a boast, then extending the other hand outward, leading the reader's eyes to the impending story (that doesn't go well for him!). His face has a perfect set of menacing eyebrows and a wide mouth, ready to tell you how awesome he is.

And that's just the first panel, folks!

Moving down the page, we follow the action, from the terrified punks who get a neat hat-raising moment to the Commandos who lean forward to grab items and can clearly be seen to be reacting to the appearance of Whipple. The second page sets up the mystical aspects of the strip and shows further how different the good kids are from the bad ones. Look at how as part of the exposition, we see Knifey pulling a poor girl's hair and stealing her candy while he disses the whole idea of the Commandos. We of course know from what's come before and in his speech what a bad person he is, but comics is a visual medium and Jackson recognizes this early and often. We're going to be able to see as well as read what's happening.

"That's great Rob, but what about Demon Benedict Arnold?"

Okay, okay, I'll show you that page, too, though I had to take a picture of it so the quality isn't as good:

If Hanks ever saw this page, which is sadly unlikely, he would have been grinning from ear to ear.

From this arc, the collection moves into Jackson's take on the war. He does an amazing job of linking Nazi views to racism and attempts to disunify America (and therefore hinder the war effort) by stoking the fires of racism and division. The more things change...

That arc is a fairly straightforward one, and then we start getting really strange. The Commandos find themselves in Germany, and the only way to escape is to let an old white guy "kill" them then go back into the past. Which of course means that Jackson gets to deal with the issue of slavery and its legacy head-on while using science fiction as his (very thin) cover to do so.

Here's the second page from that arc, again with apologies for the scan:

While this is set in 1778, it could easily portray events of any point in the twentieth century, and Jackson (along with his readers) would have easily recognized this. The depiction of the whipping is so striking and horrifying, and the look of the mob is nothing but vile hatred. I love how Jackson shows their intensity and you can almost see them moving because of the way he draws their hair rippling as they rush to attack the Commandos for saving one of their own. As with the earlier pages, the dynamic action of the figures shines, page in and page out.

By this point, Green himself is looking really out place. He shows up less and less as we move from the past to the future of 2043.

Check Green making a cameo in the fifth panel like he's Shermie in a Peanuts group shot in the 1970s. Also kinda interesting to see how Jackson was ahead of his time, predicting that Florida would be devasted by an ecological disaster! This arc introduces a race of green men dedicated to ruining the Utopia and gives Jackson a chance to further expand his worldbuilding. He never stops hammering on the evils of racism, either. During this part of the strip, the Commandos encounter a world in which white people are the hated minority and we get scenes about being unable to work, unable to talk to women of a different color, and other things being experienced by Jackson's readers at the time.

I type "at the time" but let's be frank. A lot of what Jackson is depicting can and still does happen here in the United States and elsewhere in 2024, less than 20 years from the Floridaless Utopia shown above. That's as plain as the ridiculous nose on Green's face. I cannot and will not know how the lived experience of Jackson, his readers at the time, or readers of color now impact on these comics. What I can state with certainty is these are amazing drawings from a creator who needs to be more widely known and do my best to make that happen by calling attention to Jackson and this collection.

That arc ends hopefully, and I'll share it here to remind us all there's a chance if we don't give up on the possibility of a better world:

I'll also quickly note that even on a talk-heavy page like this, by having characters playing, gesturing with their hands, leaning to see the action, and other little touches, Jackson keeps the reader's eyes engaged while providing an upbeat ending. I'd also like to spotlight how great his use of black ink and shadow is here. Again, not to be too harsh on modern artists, but I feel like a lot of this art has been lost. You can do so much to make a page come alive just by adding some extra ink.

The last panel is a great spotlight on poor Green, who loves the era but is feeling out of place. He's been shunted to the sidelines of his own comic strip, but the final story in the collection changes that. After a little bit of very modern meta commentary on how silly he is in terms of his depiction compared to everyone else in the strip, Bungleton Green literally gets remade into a super powered robot(!):

Brilliant! Just sheer genius on the part of Jackson to use his science fiction conceits to try and find a way to make Green less out of place, but with the added bonus of getting to do more commentary about how some who wanted to "improve" black people were just trying to find a new way to enslave them. It's a layering almost as complex as the artwork here, which further develops Jackson's experimentation with black ink and shadow. He's also working the angles (literally). On that first page, feast your eyes on just how many shifts there are in how the characters are viewing the action. We bob and weave as the reader right along with them. While there is yet again a lot of talking going on, there is plenty to focus on. Then on the second page, the action of the conflict is so vivid, I can almost trick my eye in making the third panel move and watch at the invigorated Green shakes the other man and shouts "I want to be FREE!"

Just perfect scripting here. That whole sequence gives me chills every time I read it.

That's the end of the collection, which ends with a series of historical one-panels that Jackson included, one of which you can see in the first set of images above. Green's transformation into a superhero (probably the first black one, to boot) takes him so far from the kindly man helping a set of kids that we see at the beginning. Jackson has made this strip, which would go on past his death and last until 1964, really and truly his own.

Bungleton Green and the Mystic Commandos hits on so many levels. It's a work of civil rights. It's a historical artifact. It's an artistic masterpiece in an era where a lot of the art - even from the key figures of the time like Simon, Kirby, Kane, and Falk - doesn't always hold up to a modern eye. But perhaps most importantly, the stories themselves feel just as fresh today as they did when they were published, and not just because some of the plot points are sadly all still too real today. A historical figure coming to the rescue of a wronged teen, stopping spies, time travel, utopian worlds rocked by those who would rule them - these are all timeless ideas and concepts which Jackson plots as deftly as anyone else who's tried.

Sometimes I read historical comics for the historical value. That's where I started with Bungleton Green, but it quickly because far more. You can hand this book to anyone who loves science fiction and fantasy and they'll have a blast. My only wish is that we get a run of Jackson's work, just as we have for his white peers. We need someone to reprint these in full (if they are available) in nice hardcovers, like they've done for Prince Valiant, Popeye, The Phantom, and so many others. To leave Jackson to semi-obscurity is an injustice. I'm so glad NYRC published this collection and I would highly recommend you track down a copy for yourselves. Let's get this series into the conversation about classic comic strips. It's well deserved and far overdue.

Lawful-ly Good: Single Minded for June 12, 2024

2024-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Time for more Single Minded! Today Rob's got a few comics from this week he'd like to talk to you about and convince you to pick up at your local comic shop or favorite digital device!

It goes without saying these aren't the only books I read this week, but they are the ones I most wanted to talk about. So what registered on my radar? Let's find out...

FEATURE COMIC:

Lawful #1

Written by Greg Pak

Line Art by Diego Galindo

Color Art by Irma Kniivila

Letters by Simon Bowland

Published by Boom! Studios

Some people call those who break the law monsters. What if that was literal? That's the question Greg Pak and company ask in this new fantasy series where the consequences of your actions lead to your eventual transformation into a horrible creature.

One of the things I like best about Pak's work, whether it's on an indie series like this that he's created or work for hire in the Marvel Universe is that he doesn't wait to get you into the meat of his stories. We can tell immediately that something's different, because of the two characters we immediately meet, the one trying to break the rules has a tail. After a brief scare sequence, it's dramatically revealed that in this world, if you act outside the rules of the strict society, you undergo physical change that is often easy for everyone to see. That tail isn't because Eris is a humanoid cat - it's because they've already started down the path of lawlessness.

The main focus is on Eris' friend, Sung. He's ready to join those who judge the rest of society, because he's been able to remain so clean cut. Sung is exactly what this world wants and will make a perfect member of the Champion's office. Except...it's a lot easier to pass judgement on strangers than friends as we race towards a dramatic hook that will set up the rest of the story arc.

I love the premise, which takes the old school idea of cutting off a thief's hand and ramps it up to eleven. Pak does an amazing job of giving us an understanding of the world Sung lives in without a ton of exposition, creates two interesting main characters with diametrically opposed approaches to life, and creates a problem with no easy solution for Sung. I also really like that we aren't sure yet if this society is bad or corrupt or just really strict and if that strictness is actually necessary or an outdated concept. There's so much to explore here and I really hope Lawful gets the right number of issues to do so.

Pak's typically blessed with strong artistic collaborators and that's no exception here. Diego Galindo has a lot of heavy lifting to do to ensure we get the feel of the world Sung lives in so that Pak doesn't have to outline all of the details. Take this page for example:

Here Sung is out for a walk. We know by now that any non-human attributes mean someone has broken the law, and we see just how common it is by the half-page panel that depicts just about everyone with something amiss in their features. The second and third panels give us an idea of a modern city that's returning to its original wildness, suggesting that the origin of the world is a regression, yet at the same time, the shops and windows don't look broken at all. It's a mystery we'll have to wait to solve. I also like how Kniivila uses a lot of a different colors here to keep the reader's eyes engaged on the details and clues provided by Galindo. These are unlettered, but Bowland, one of the best letterers working right now, really works hard to ensure the dialogue balloons and captions give the art space, too.

One more page for you to get a feel for Galindo's work:

This page explores Sung's home life. Even without words, you can tell they live simply, but relatively modern. Pictures hang on the walls. And the conversation clearly takes a sudden turn in that last panel! It's a great way for us to get to know the stakes for Sung and this page also shows you Galindo's strength with body language and facial features.

Even though we get so much in this first issue (and oh how I wish more first issues of fantasy/sci fi books moved this fast) Lawlful has a lot to tell us about itself. We've only scratched the surface and I can't wait to see where it goes. This is shaping up to be another classic from Pak's fertile imagination.

MORE RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Godzilla Skate or Die! #1

Written and Illustrated by Louie Joyce

Letters by Russ Wooten

Published by IDW

Godzilla is headed to the land down under, preparing for as big battle with Varan in Australia. But he's unknowingly chosen a spot sacred to a group of skaters who won't let the "Coin Toss" go without a fight in this fun opening to what looks to be yet another great IDW Godzilla book.

I've been amazed over the years with what IDW will convince license owners to allow (raise your hand if you remember Tom Scioli's brilliantly absurd Transformers vs GI Joe!) and this is no exception. Instead of the usual science/military based human characters, this time around we have kids who don't care about saving the world against giant monsters; they just want to ensure their treasured place isn't trashed in the battle. It's a nice change and one that Joyce sets up well. I really like how the story unfolds on three tracks: We get an intro to our heroes mixed with scenes of Varan trashing Aussie property and Godzilla's slow but steady march to meet his foe. That keeps the the visuals varied and ensures we don't get too bogged down in the human story, because let's face it, we want to see the kaiju doing their thing. That's true in the movies, too, but I think it's especially important in the comic versions.

Joyce's art immediately reminded me of Jim Mahfood, though perhaps a bit more structured. That works well for the outsider ethos of the main characters. He also makes uses of a wide variety of panel structure throughout the pages. Sometimes we get a lot of small, tight panels while other instances are larger views, which give us some great kaiju work. There's some great interplay with Wooten's lettering, too, which is also a bit angular, though thankfully in such a way that we can still read it easily. The whole thing feels a bit zine-like, and I say that as a complement. I also want to mention the electric coloring work by Joyce, who doesn't worry overly much about realistic color choices, preferring to go with vibrance over truth. (Sadly, I couldn't find a good preview image on either Joyce's website or IDW's.)

If you're already a fan of IDW's Godzilla books, you're probably already planning to grab this one, but in case you were put off by the premise, don't be. Godzilla Skate or Die! is shaping up to be yet another great addition to the comics canon.

Geiger's Art Meters Attention

2024-06-10T06:00:00.001-07:00

GEIGER

Written by Geoff Johns

Line Art by Gary Frank

Color Art by Brad Anderson

Letters by Rob Leigh

Published by Image Comics

A nuclear bomb hits and because of the nature of his cancer treatments, a man is able to survive the blast and gets powers he can barely keep in check that have deadly consequences for those around him. He's devoted to keeping his family safe but, well, this is a nuclear holocaust, so you know how that turns out. But a new found family gives him purpose in the launch of a new series of books from Johns, Frank, and others.

The biggest reason I pulled this one out to talk about is just how good Gary Frank is as an illustrator and the use of color by Brad Anderson. I'm a hard sell on post-apocalyptic books and unfortunately, nothing Johns does here colors outside the lines enough to wow me. The antagonists Geiger faces are straight out of central casting. (Could we maybe give Vegas Post-Apocalypse Quirky Ruler a rest?) They don't do anything really new or interesting here, just the usual "Brutal Absolute Monarch on one side, Restored but Morally Bankrupt Government on the other" styles with the typical motives and monologues. It's just been done to death, and unfortunately Johns can't get us out of the rut.

But my goodness, the emotions of the characters pop off the page thanks to Frank, even when shrouded behind masks and other safety equipment. This is a preview page from the first issue:

Here you'll see what I mean about how well Frank gets emotions across to the reader. First we see Geiger's pain as his muscles strain. Then anger as he works to force his family into safety, followed by the fear of his wife. Then in the first panel of the last row, we see a man resigned to his fate, saying goodbye to his family. The wrinkled brow, pained eyes, and face structured to look like he's trying to jump out of the panel to join his wife and child, who are behind the reader here in this angle, just tell us all so much. The coloring changes from Anderson help immensely with giving this moment all the weight it needs.

When Anderson colors things to show off Geiger's powers, it just really blows you away. Because he keeps most of the rest of the color art so standardized, the dramatic moments with Geiger are striking and make you linger over the page to just stare at the way it stands out against the bleak backgrounds.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a lot of good images from Image of Geiger himself, but this cover of issue three will give you a solid idea of what I mean by the dynamic use of color against the backdrop:

Look at how the surreal glow pops right out at the reader's eyes. Then take a little more time and notice that through the color, while other artists might have shown the impression or outline of his clothing, Frank gives us details down to the shoelaces and the folds of his pants at the knees and hips! That isn't necessary, but it makes the cover even more striking. We can also see the grains in the wooded bookcases and the fact that not all the books are the same. And of course, there's the strain and pain on Geiger's face, showing how much keeping those books safe means to him. All of this is because of how much effort the art team puts into the work here, an effort too often overlooked these days in my opinion.

Because of that level of detail and effort, I kept on going long past the time the story itself was holding my interest. If you're willing to deal with an okay plot that's pretty standard for the genre, you'll be rewarded by page after page of awesome art. That's what I opted for and I was glad I did. I understand this is getting or recently received a newer, glossier edition, and I can only imagine how good that looks. While this won't win any writing awards, it's an artistic tour de force that I wish others would take note of and emulate.

Promising Start for Scarlett: Single Minded for June 5, 2024

2024-06-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile, but welcome back to one of our oldest features, Single Minded! Today I'll have a few words for you on comics that came out on June 5, 2024. That seems like it was only yesterday! Oh wait, it was only yesterday!

It goes without saying these aren't the only books I read this week, but they are the ones I most wanted to talk about. So what registered on my radar? Let's find out...

FEATURE COMIC:

Scarlett #1

Written by Kelly Thompson

Line Art by Marco Ferrari

Color Art by Lee Loughridge

Letters by Russ Wooten

Published by Skybound/Image

Even when she has handlers, no one tell Scarlett what to do! After a mission goes off-book quickly due to circumstances on the ground, our heroine has an opportunity to reconnect with an old friend, but the cost might just be her life in this first issue re-imagining by Kelly Thompson and company.

As most of you interested enough to click on this know, Skybound got the rights to the Joe franchise and is slowly building up a new world for them while also continuing the work of the original Marvel line, just like IDW did. Thompson is tapped here for Scarlett, being asked to walk a fine line between something new and something recognizable. I've not read all the comics, so it's hard for me to judge the quality of that part of things, but on its own, this works quite well. Scarlett comes off like a James Bond type (in a good way) in terms of being willing to "break" the rules set for her to do the right thing. We also get a nice look at her private life, too, which was cool.

Ferrari's line art works best in the action sequences, doing a great job of keeping the reader's eye engaged and moving across the page and providing context and scene-setting, though I wish the backgrounds didn't alternate between being extremely detailed (awesome) and basically non-existent (not awesome). I really liked this set up page, as we quickly see the wide range of Scarlett's abilities:

This is a great sequence, one of several that I loved in the book. It's a great use of framing to get across a lot of information without either an info dump of text or taking up too many pages at once. And again, the details here (the shadow in the water, the craggy point, the small rocks in the cave) really make this page sing, all while Loughridge gives us a feeling of being in the water with his use of turquoise as the primary color for the entire sequence, right up to Scarlett's dress. Loughridge will do similar things on other pages, but it would give away too much - especially the final page reveal - to discuss that in too much depth here.

Scarlett is looking like a book where knowing the Joe history well will really make it sing, but being a casual fan is okay, too, because Thompson and company are putting together a spy story that uses the Joe universe to enhance an already cool plot, not as the sole purpose of the comic. I'm looking forward to seeing where this one goes.

OTHER INTERESTING BOOKS

Profane #1

Written by Peter Milligan

Line Art by Raul Fernandez

Color Art by Giada Marchisio

Letters by Jeff Eckleberry

Published by Boom! Studios

A hard-boiled detective talking in cliches investigates a murder that might just lead to his literal undoing in a really profoundly strange first issue.

I'm not sure what to make of this book yet, to be honest, but I included it here because the premise is either going to lead to an amazing, trippy, comic or Milligan is going to trip over his own ambitions and the comic is going to go down in flames. I don't know which yet, but the process of getting there will be fascinating to watch.

I've been reading Milligan's work for many years now, so I knew the hyper-cliche monologue and dialogue going on overtop of Fernandez' art had to be on purpose, and it definitely is. Will Profane, our hero, not only walks and talks like a stock pulp character, he uses pulp books to help him on his cases. But what Will doesn't know is that there's a reason he's the way he is, and neither does the reader until the final page reveal, so if you peruse this and are turned off by the dialogue, I'd encourage you to take it to the end and see if the premise is for you.

Fernandez's line art has a classic Vertigo feel to it, which makes sense for a Milligan book and especially this one. There's a lot of straight, angled lines and the characters are a little on the stiff side as a result, though he does like to pull them off-kilter, to fit the atmosphere.

If you like comics that play with narrative ideas and the nature of fiction, then this will intrigue you, as it did me. But if you want a straight-up PI book, Profane isn't going to do the trick. This is more in the vein of Grant Morrison than Ed Brubaker. I'm in to see where Milligan goes with the idea.

I'm back, baby! Catch It At The Comic Shop for June 5, 2024

2024-06-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything to Panel Patter. The last thing I shared was my favorite comics of 2023. And I miss it! Life's just been really busy and stressful on a consistent basis, and there hasn't been much time to write about comics. But just like Rob our fearless leader, I'm also going to try to start getting back into the swing of things. I'll start by highlighting some comics I'm excited to read, and hopefully start writing more in-depth reviews when I have a chance.

Anyway, here are some comics I'm excited about this week:

The Ultimates #1 by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri, published by Marvel Comics

The "Ultimates" title has a notable history, going back to the very early aughts, and the work of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. At that time, the Marvel Ultimate universe was this whole new thing offering readers a modern, updated, more accessible take on the Marvel universe. I wasn't reading comics at that time but even I remember hearing about it. And I loved those Ultimates books, even though they were VERY of their time and a lot of the humor has not aged that well. But the MCU that people have known and loved (maybe? still?) was very much based on that stripped-down, lean version of the Marvel U. Anyway, the Ultimate line has been dormant for a number of years, but my guy, Jonathan Hickman himself, came up with an idea to revive the Ultimate universe as a whole new thing, with a new reason for existing. I really enjoyed his intro miniseries, done with who else but Bryan Hitch. And I'm excited for this new take on heroes coming together to fight a powerful foe that's been operating from behind the shadows. Deniz Camp is a writer to watch, and

Falling in Love on the Path to Hell #1 by Gerry Duggan, Garry Brown, Chris O'Halloran and Joe Sabino, published by Image Comics

A samurai and a gunslinger battling warriors in some sort of purgatory? Written by Gerry Duggan and drawn by Garry Brown? And it's a double-sized issue? Sign me up. My very first Gerry Duggan comic was Infinite Horizon, his and Phil Noto's take on the Odyssey. I absolutely love it, so I'm thrilled to check out Duggan returning to the realm of the mystical and the mythic. And I've always really enjoyed Garry Brown's work, going back to The Massive, and Black Road, and on a bunch of other books. So this seems like it'll be a lot of fun.

Precious Metal #1 by Darcy Van Poelgeest, Ian Bertram, and Matt Hollingsworth, published by Image Comics

Precious Metal is apparently a prequel to the truly extraordinary Little Bird, which was published a while back, in 2019 or so. It was one of my favorite comics of 2019, here's what I had to say at the time:

I only read this book recently, but it made such a strong impression that I thought it had to be on my list. Little Bird is a dark story, but one that has some hope in it, even through some very hard times. This is the story of a futuristic United States, that is now a total Christian theocracy and also controls Canada and Mexico, such that it is now the United Nations of America. And it's a dark, scary, horrifying place. Any resistance is met with ultimate punishment, and many humans that have evolved or mutated live on the margins of society. There are robot/cyborg beings, but they're pretty terrifying. It's a story about the autocratic leader, and his connection to one of the rebel leaders and her daughter (the titular "Little Bird"). It's a story about holding out hope of independence in the face of oppression. And it's also a remarkably illustrated book, courtesy of the talented Ian Bertram. Bertram has a fantastic style all his own, but stylistically he is in the Geoff Darrow/Frank Quitely/Chris Burnham school of art, which is excellent company to be in. He's certainly a talented visual storyteller, but the art itself is just striking. Bertram puts a remarkable amount of painstaking detail on every page. His action is dynamic and so intense, and the book is brutal and visceral (like, literally, there are viscera all over the place sometimes). And there are some other just generally horrifying images in the story, which is not for the faint of heart. But if you're looking for a story of hope in a very dark place, I'd strongly recommend Little Bird.

Scarlett #1 by Kelly Thompson, Marco Ferrari, and Lee Loughridge, published by Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment

I have REALLY been enjoying the Skybound Energon Universe comics so far. Transformers has been delightful, as has Void Rivals. And the G.I. Joe side of things has been pretty great as well. Duke and Cobra Commander have both been really fun reads, and I enjoy the way that each book is its own thing but it is clearly building up to something big and exciting. Anyway, I'm thrilled to see Kelly Thompson join the fun. Thompson is one of my favorite comic writers - she's got great ideas and a terrific sense of humor, and a real knack for telling big stories that don't lose sight of the humanity. You need that skill, in a world of giant robots and villains seeking world domination. And while I'm not too familiar with artist Marco Ferrari, what I've seen of his work looks really fun and dynamic.

Not a Hoax! Not an Imaginary Story! Panel Patter is Back!

2024-06-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Not a hoax, but perhaps a bit of click bait
since I'm using the X-Men!

Almost 18 months ago, I posted that I was burnt out on reviewing comics and could barely even read a comic it had gotten so bad for me. Shortly thereafter, even though as most know I was not the sole contributor to the site, the site went dormant.

When I posted that piece, I figured I'd never want to go back to writing anything. I'd had my run, a really long one at that, and I felt like maybe it was time for others to pick up the baton. What more could I say about comics that I hadn't already said?

After taking the weight off my shoulders of needing to read "for the site" I finally got back to reading comics again. I started with the comfort food - my Marvel Unlimited subscription. I read some old favorites. I tried some new things. I finally finished Immortal Hulk, aka one of the best runs on a comic of all time. Heck, I even read the King in Black crossover because I wanted to keep an open mind. Then I started to pick other comics back up again.

I'd say a little bit about some of them on Goodreads, not a lot, just a few impressions. Occasionally, I'd think about how I really would like to say more, like the old days. But nah, that was behind me, right?

Well...turns out it wasn't. One book--and I won't tell you which, but the review will be coming up at some point soon--caused me to write more than I had been writing. And before I knew it, I realized that it wasn't a Goodreads sized review. It was the kind of thing I used to do here, back when I didn't feel the pressure to produce regular writing to keep an Eisner-nominated site from falling into irrelevance.

And while I didn't do much after that for a bit, I saved the review in draft here. Because I knew the itch had returned. Though I said before I wasn't sure there was a need or a place for me in comics discussion anymore, I suddenly had the urge to talk again. To share my thinking. To just "patter on" as it were.

So here we are. Starting over, in some ways. I thought for a bit about maybe creating an entire new site, but this is my home. This is where I go to talk about comics. So I guess this is a soft reboot, not a remake. I guess that's what all the cool kids like Dan Ackroyd, CBS, and Marvel are doing, right?

(Oh man, I could barely type that without my hands shaking with laughter.)

So....

What should you expect from the not-really-new Panel Patter?

The answer is: I'm not sure yet.

One of the things that I think hurt me along the way, and I'm being as honest as I can here, was the pressure of trying to be "worthy" of being an Eisner-nominated site. I tried to do too much. I'd hoped to have a site that could keep on growing, and in the process I lost sight of why I'd had so much fun doing it in the first place. It became a lot of pressure to try to dedicate the time to being A Major Player (whatever the hell that meant!). As that pressure mounted, I just kept failing to meet it. And that, I think, led to the burnout.

I'm just one guy who enjoys telling people what he liked about a comic. Sometimes others came along to share their love of comics, too. (One of them should be back tomorrow!) And hopefully, some of the others, and perhaps some new folks, too, will want to do this with me again.

This isn't my job. I love my job. And I love comics. And I want this to be fun again, not work.

So while I am aiming to keep to a regular posting schedule of at least 2 articles a week, that might not always happen. And while I want to do some recurring features again, they may be more sporadic than I'd planned. I don't know how often I'll cover stuff as it comes out, we'll have to see. I probably won't attend any big cons anymore, but who knows? I'd love to do smaller ones again, but I'm not on the East Coast anymore, so there just aren't as frequent here. Interviews? Maybe. I don't know if anyone will want to talk to me after being away for so long!

It's going to be a process of discovery, of stops and starts, and a lot of looking at really cool comics and why I pulled them out of my reading stack to talk about in detail versus a few sentences.

And maybe we'll have more dialogue, more back and forth, than we did before. I'd like that. There's nothing more fun than talking about comics. Comments on here didn't work great, but maybe we'll try again. Or if someone has a suggestion, I'm all ears. (Discord channel?) I'd love for Panel Patter to be a place where people can discuss comics and not feel like they have to wear a flak jacket.

I hope you'll join me along the way. Maybe I can still help a few people find their next favorite creator or series. It's why I started this back in the day and I'd love nothing more than for it to be true again.

See you out there in the internet.

Panel Patter Returns! James' Favorite Comics of 2023

2023-12-27T07:00:00.002-08:00

Don't call it a comeback! Or do, I don't know. I've kind of retired from comics review, but I couldn't let the end of a year go by without putting together a post of my favorites. My second favorite thing about comics, after reading them, is sharing what I love with others.

So here are my favorite comics of 2023. As always, these aren't the BEST comics, just my personal favorites that meant something to me during this year. I hope you find something you enjoy!

20th Century Men by Deniz Camp, Stipan Morian, and Aditya Bidikar, published by Image Comics

This miniseries is a fantastic realpolitik take on the idea of superheroes. What if America had a super-soldier? And he became President? And what if the Soviet counterpart was deeply enmeshed in the war in Afghanistan in the 1980's? This fantastic comic takes the Watchmen-esque approach that rather than be out there doing general vigilante activity, superheroes would be a pure extension of the state and really of the military-industrial complex. The art from Stipan Morian is just fantastic - emotive and dynamic and at points quite brutal. This is a clever, thoughtful, emotional series that will reward repeat readings.

Asadora Vol. 7 by Naoki Urasawa, published by Viz Media
Asadora is back with a new volume this year, which is great news for fans of this thrilling, action-packed story about a remarkable girl (now young woman) names Asa Asadora, who had a fateful encounter with a Kaiju during WWII and has made it her life's mission to fight them and to protect the people of Japan. This volume was all killer, no filler. Currently Asa is out dealing with a Kaiju in order to keep Tokyo safe and keep the Kaiju away from the 1964 Olympics. There's action and drama for Asa and her friends. This series is a great, fun read and as always the art and storytelling from Urasawa is top-notch.

Batman Superman World's Finest by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, and Tamra Bonvillain, published by DC Comics
This book is honestly the platonic idea of a superhero book. It's fun, action-packed, full of humor and heart, the stories are engaging and understandable, and the art and colors are absolutely gorgeous, with dynamic lines, great emotion and humor and action, and colors that pop off the page. Mark Waid (doing terrific work since his return to DC) and Dan Mora (who has a style that's quite modern and clean but also calls to mind classic Silver-age art) and Tamra Bonvillain (who always does great work, particularly with Mora) are putting together something special in this book. And this year the book has been even more exciting because it's tied back into the events of Kingdom Come! Which, you don't have to have read but you definitely should. Anyway, this book is absolute loads of fun, and highly recommended particularly if you haven't picked up a superhero comic in a while. But it's also full of stuff that rewards long-time superhero readers. It's just great.

Birds of Prey by Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero and Jordie Bellaire, published by DC Comics

Speaking of superhero books that are a delight, Birds of Prey is such a fun book. This book is about a motley crew of heroes that goes on a mission that unsurprisingly goes awry. Kelly Thompson is a fantastic writer generally and does great dialogue, and her style meshes perfectly with the neo-classic style of artist Leonardo Romero and the flat, fun, old-school colors of Jordie Bellaire. There have only been 4 issues so far, but I'll keep reading this one as long as it is published.

Black Cloak by Kelly Thompson, Meredith McClaren and Becca Carey, published by Image Comics

The first arc of Black Cloak was a really fun, strong story. It's a police procedural set in a world that has both fantasy and sci-fi elements. This is a world where there's one human city left, but there are also elves and mermaids (very scary, don't mess with them) and other fantastical humanoid creatures. There's a member of the royal family that's been murdered, and one of their own exiled members is now a police investigator (or "Black Cloak"). The art for this series is a lot of fun - the characters are exaggerated and "cartoonish" in an appealing way, but the action flows really well and some of the art is almost diagrammatic in its precision showing the world. The dialogue from Kelly Thompson is great and very naturalistic - no surprise, she's a fantastic writer of very realistic interactions, even those involving elves and mermaids. This story is up to more than it seems, and I can't wait for more.

Briar by Christopher Cantwell, Germán García and Matheus Lopes, published by Boom! Studios

I really enjoyed the first arc of Briar. It's a spin on the Sleeping Beauty story, where there's no prince that wakes up the sleeping princess, but she does wake up 100 years later and everything is different and terrible and her family and kingdom are all forgotten. It's a clever story from Christopher Cantwell, and an absolutely gorgeous one from the amazing team of German Garcia on line art and Mat Lopes on colors. Garcia has a varied art style throughout the series, and Lopes brings wonderfully imaginative, gorgeous colors throughout. If you enjoy clever takes on the traditional fairy tale stories, you'll absolutely love Briar.

Clementine Vol. 2 by Tillie Walden, published by Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment
I liked The Walking Dead comic but wasn't particularly a huge fan, nor did I ever watch the TV show. However, it is a measure of how much I love Tillie Walden's work that I was incredibly excited for vol. 1 of her series of graphic novels about the character of Clementine, who originated in The Walking Dead videogame, and I was thrilled that vol. 1 did not disappoint and and I can say that I think I liked vol. 2 even more than the first volume. Walden is a creator of incredible skill, talent, and compassion. Spinning is an incredible memoir of her years figure skating as a kid. Are You Listening is a remarkable story of a drive through a surreal very dark night. And On a Sunbeam is an absolute masterpiece - a story of young queer love in a heartbreakingly beautiful, sad, weird universe full of surprises. This is a really strong story. Zombies and scarcity of resources and a post-industrial world are all a fact of life for all of the characters, and so I'd definitely call this a horror story. But like the best stories in TWD, this isn't a story about zombies at all, it's a story of people and how they cope with tragedy and loss and adversity. Walden continues to do remarkable work here, bringing her compassion and drama and humor and fear to every single page. I'm excited for volume 3.

Danger Street by Tom King, Jorge Fornes and Dave Stewart, published by DC Comics
Danger Street is an incredibly fun, weird comic with a series of interconnected stories that follow a number of different oddball characters in the DC universe. There's a group of kids that are up to mischief and then things go terribly wrong. There's the lady cop who's following them. There are C and D-list heroes that decide that the way to level up is to bag a big-time villain. There's a vigilante who's also maybe getting a new job as a broadcaster/TV host. It's a motley crew of characters, but it somehow all adds up to a terrific series. I'm (as a general matter) along for the ride on whatever story Tom King wants to tell, and my loyalty was rewarded with a great story here. With the incredible Jorge Fornes on art and Dave Stewart on colors, the book couldn't look any better (and absolutely evokes classic comics from decades ago while still feeling fresh and modern). This book is a fun, smart, weird ride that you don't want to miss.

Eight Billion Genies by Charles Soule and Ryan Browne, published by Image Comics

Every single person on Earth gets a genie! And every single person gets a wish granted at the exact same time! If that sounds absurd and incredibly chaotic and fun, guess what. It is! Eight Billion Genies was a lot of fun which I knew it would be based on the creative team of writer Charles Soule and artist Ryan Browne (Curse Words). I knew it would be fun. But I was not prepared for how emotional and dark and poignant and dramatic it would be. This series was an incredible ride, and an explosion of creativity. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.

The Enfield Gang Massacre by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips, published by Image Comics

That Texas Blood has been one of my favorite comics the past few years. Writer Chris Condon and artist Jacob Phillips, co-creators of the series, have been building up a history and mythology of Ambrose County, Texas, and various crimes and stories over the course of time from the 1970's to the present day. It's a terrific, grimy series full of great drama and sometimes grisly crime. For The Enfield Gang Massacre, Condon and Phillips decided to go back 100+ years to explore a grisly massacre that was foundational in making the county what it is now. And they're doing more than that. They're exploring the link between history, mythology, and propaganda, and the specific ways in which, even in real time, history is written by the victors. There's a terrific concurrent "article" that explores the history and mythology of this tragic story, which is incredibly interesting and additive to the story. If you're looking for a terrific story that deconstructs the mythology of the Old West, you won't find a better comic than The Enfield Gang Massacre.

Fishflies by Jeff Lemire, published by Image Comics

Any story that's written and drawn by Jeff Lemire is going to get my attention. Lemire is one of my favorite storytellers in comics, whether illustrating his own story or working with talented artists. He's got a distinctive voice that often tells stories of loneliness or melancholy, and people making the most of weird or bad situations. Fishflies fits well into that tradition. Fishflies is an unlikely story of a lonely kid and a criminal on the run, and their unlikely bond. There are also lots of weird gross flies, but don't let that stop you. This is a heartfelt, fun, weird story.

The Forged by Greg Rucka, Eric Trautmann, and Mike Henderson, published by Image Comics

I love to be reading a great sci-fi/action book, and The Forged is a great read in that genre. Written by Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann, with art from the terrific Mike Henderson. This is big, epic science fiction in the vein of Star Wars or Dune. We are 11,000 years into the reign of the Eternal Empress, and her elite soldiers, The Forged (a group of very badass women), are out on a mission when they encounter very hostile alien life. From there, the story is full of action, romance, political intrigue, and more. This story is full of fantastic characters, and the Eternal Empress was not what I would expect. Henderson's art is full of life and personality, and he does incredible action as well as character design. Each issue is oversized, as is the collected edition. Do yourself a favor and pick this up, it's a blast.

Gotham City Year One by Tom King, Phil Hester, Eric Gapstur, and Jordie Bellaire, published by DC Comics

Gotham City: Year One is a crime series set in the Gotham City of the 1960's, when the city was still full of hope and promise and wasn't the home of all manner of insane costumed villains, and a vigilante that's as scary as the villains. This story is about the Wayne family and a kidnapping that took place two generations prior to Bruce Wayne and Batman being active in the city. It's a terrific crime/detective series, with wonderful art drawn by Phil Hester, inked by Eric Gapstur, and colored by Jordie Bellaire. The art has a terrific angular quality to it, and everyone is exaggerated but it suits the story perfectly and is never distracting. King has a great ear for the old-timey dialogue of the story, and it flows very well. This is a highly compelling read.

The He-Man Effect by Brian "Box" Brown, published by First Second

Brian "Box" Brown must be either the exact same age as me, or very close. Because the moments and events depicted in this book, I remember them more clearly than I remember most stuff that's far more recent. This is a story about the toy business and its connection with the television business, and the way they combined to create the ultimate synergy of toys and TV shows and advertising in the 1980's. It's an incredibly engaging and informative book, and Brown's art style continues to be very accessible even for those people that may not be particularly familiar with the visual language of comics. The book is insightful and a great trip down memory lane for those of us who came of age in the 1980's.

Heart Eyes by Dennis Hopeless, Victor Ibanez, Addison Duke and Simon Bowland, published by Vault Comics

Heart Eyes was a delightful surprise of a series. Monsters have arrived and pretty much destroyed civilization. Anyone who's left lives in heavily fortified locations and in constant fear of death. Well, everyone except for Lupe. She just wanders around, a happy, free spirit. She's not afraid and she really seems completely unworried about the monsters. We follow Lupe through the story, as she meets different people who encounter the different monsters, to whom Lupe may have a connection? This is a fun series with a good sense of wit and humor, but it definitely also has a sense of longing and sadness in it as well. Lupe wants to connect with people, but that's been difficult. Dennis Hopeless is an excellent writer and one who communicates a lot of heart and humor in his stories. And the art in this series from Victor Ibanez and color artist Addison Duke is really great. It's detailed, has a ton of personality, and really brings the world to life.

Hexagon Bridge by Richard Blake, published by Image Comics

In writing about Hexagon Bridge, I'm struggling to exactly describe Richard Blake's art style. This is a sign that something feels entirely original to me - the fact that I feel like I lack the vocabulary to describe what I'm looking at. Blake's art is a revelation, as is this comic. This story takes place several thousands of years in the future, as a husband and wife who are cartographers who have traveled into another dimension in order to map it, and have gone missing. Their daughter, along with her grandfather and a team of scientists, have spent years searching for a way to navigate into this other dimension. They're now doing so with the help of the help of a highly advanced robot built for this purpose and linked telepathically to the daughter. That's the plot of the story, but none of that serves to describe how original and weird and beautiful this story looks. Blake's art style feels vaguely evocative of Moebius, but only in the intricate and complex nature of the worlds, not so much in the specific linework. He uses delicate lines for his work, and the worlds he is building are remarkable. The story is often a blend of what look like old classical European cities, mixed with impossibly complicated futuristic geometric shapes and towers. Blake himself notes that his work is full of experimental, abstract elements. Maps and cartography are a great way to further understand this series, as so much of the art here feels very "designed" and "mapped". It feels a lot like puzzle pieces, as sometimes the art on the page feels like a selection of the pieces of a puzzle floating in nothingness. It's otherworldly. Blake's background is in fine art and film, and remarkably Hexagon Bridge is his very first published comic artwork. That's incredible but in some ways not surprising - having spent so much time doing something other than drawing comics, Blake's style is much less bound by traditional comic art norms, and is more influenced by images and by the language of film. This is a remarkable, special comic and I highly recommend you pick it up.

The Human Target by Tom King and Greg Smallwood, published by DC Comics

Human Target is a must-read and one of my favorite comics of the past few years. I knew very little about the character of the Human Target, and that wasn't a problem for me, and it won't be a problem for you either. People hire him to impersonate them if they think someone is trying to kill them. And then he catches them, in some cases by "dying". That's it. But now the Human Target actually is dying, and he has 12 days to figure out who is responsible. That's the premise, and it's a terrific one. But also, this is among the most gorgeous comics you'll read. Seriously, Greg Smallwood has outdone himself. He conjures a world that is ostensibly set in the modern day but evokes the stylish 1960's. It's bright, lively work, with incredible style and panache and skill as a storyteller. I was such a huge fan of his work in the Moon Knight series he did with Jeff Lemire and Jordie Bellaire. He has a clean line, and immaculate character work, and his panel payout is incredibly interesting and innovative. If you're looking for a fun, stylish, sexy (in an old-timey noir way) series, this is a perfect read.

The Immortal Thor by Al Ewing, Martin Coccolo and Matt Wilson, published by Marvel Comics

Al Ewing wrapped up a 50-issue run on The Immortal Hulk a few years ago, and it was an immense, incredibly rewarding, dense, wonderful, horrifying read. And one of my favorite superhero-related comics in the past decade. I'm thrilled that he's now bringing his "Immortal" mind over to Thor, to tell what is setting up to be an immense story full of drama, mystery, and epic forces. We're only 5 issues in, but Ewing is telling a huge story, and he has wonderful artistic partners in the extremely talented Martin Coccolo and the always-excellent Matt Wilson. I don't think I knew Coccolo's work at all, but it's wonderful. It's big and epic and classic all at once, and is well-suited for stories of gods and ultra-gods and universal forces. Ewing has a great handle on the voice of Thor and the other characters, and I'm thrilled to see where this goes.

The Incredible Hulk by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Nic Klein, Travel Foreman, and Matt Wilson, published by Marvel Comics
Speaking of The Immortal Hulk, I loved that series so much and felt a loss when it ended. The Hulk series that followed was not really for me. However, I'm thrilled to say that the current run of The Incredible Hulk is very much for me. This story is very rooted in Hulk's origins as a horrific creature, and explores Hulk's ties to some of the other "monsters" of the Marvel Universe. Hulk is a loner, and he and Banner are at odds, and they've picked up a sidekick in a troubled teen who sees the strength of the Hulk and wants to be strong like him. The art duties have been split between Nic Klein and Travel Foreman. They have very different styles from one another but both of them are incredibly skilled storytellers, and both of them excel at drawing some of the most HORRIFYING things you'll see in a mainstream superhero comic. Like when Banner turns into Hulk - yikes, it's pretty horrific. But that's awesome. I love seeing Hulk explored as a monster among monsters; it's an incredible read.

Indigo Children by Curt Pires, Rockwell White, Alex Diotto, Dee Cunniffe, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, published by Image Comics

I kind of missed Indigo Children when it was published as individual issues, but I'm so glad that I picked it up in a collected edition. This is engaging science fiction at its best. There's a group of children with remarkable abilities (sure, a common story) but and they were previously gathered and educated/trained together. But they've been separated, and most of them don't remember their true lives. They all have remarkable abilities, and they may or may not be reincarnated Martians. But there's mystery, action, political intrigue, and more. The art from Alex Diotto, with colors by Dee Cunniffe, is fantastic. Very analog (in the best way) with a pulpy crime vibe. I really enjoyed this comic, and fans of sci-fi mysteries will enjoy it as well.

Kaya by Wes Craig, Jason Wordie and Andworld Design, published by Image Comics
Kaya is a highly engaging adventure series from writer/artist Wes Craig, with colors by Jason Wordie and letters by Andworld. For those who only know Craig from Deadly Class, his art is as dynamic and fun as ever, but the subject matter is very different, and a lot more family-friendly. Kaya is a warrior girl and she is on a quest with her younger half-brother (who is human, and Kaya is not). They encounter obstacles, threats, and allies along the way. And along the journey they face tragedy and difficult decisions. But this isn't a sad story, it's just an incredibly compelling one. Craig is a masterful visual storyteller, conveying drama and humor and action and quiet reflection, all with great skill. The colors from Jason Wordie have been excellent and have complemented this fantastical story perfectly. This is a fun, dramatic, action-packed adventure story that you don't want to miss.

Love Everlasting by Tom King, Elsa Charretier, Matt Hollingsworth, and Clayton Cowles, published by Image Comics

Love Everlasting is an absolutely gorgeous comic book that feels simultaneously of the past and the present. It's a smart, self-aware story that's also dramatically over-the-top, and raises lots of interesting questions. I love when people swing for the fences creatively, and Love Everlasting feels like the creators are swinging for the fences. This comic is big and bombastic and full of hyperbolic emotion, consistent with the sorts of scenes and tropes you are likely familiar with from romance comics across the decades. My impression in reading this comic is that it's full of all sorts of nods and homages if you're really well-versed in romance comics. But even if you're not, this is an incredibly accessible read. Elsa Charretier does incredible work in this book. Charretier is one of my favorite artists working today. More specifically, she's one of my favorite artists with regard to a story that's fundamentally rooted in human relationships. I particularly feel this way after the conclusion of the November series. November is a series of 4 hardcover graphic novellas, and it tells the story of 3 different women and the ways in which their lives intersect on one terrible, dramatic night, and Charretier does stunning work there, in a style that she evolves for Love Everlasting. Charretier has an incredibly appealing style that's exaggerated in a "cartoonish" way, but never for the purpose of mocking the characters or just to be funny. Romance stories are full of heightened emotions, and Charretier's knack for showing so much in facial expressions really works perfectly. Even if this were a wordless comic, we could still get the gist because her storytelling is so strong. And Hollingsworth's colors are bright and evocative and entirely era-appropriate. This is a must-read.

Night Fever and Where the Body Was, both by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, colors by Jacob Phillips, published by Image Comics

This is my annual inclusion of whatever work artist Sean Phillips and writer Ed Brubaker have cooked up that year. The two have been working together for decades now and have created some of the most iconic, memorable comics of the 2000's. There appear to be no signs that they are slowing down! This year they released 2 different graphic novels, both of which I loved and thought were excellent. The first is called Night Fever and it's a fantastic story of a straight-laced guy on a business trip in Europe in the 70's who is frustrated with his boring everyday life and decides to take a trip on the wild side, and the terrifying, insane things that happen as a result. Is it a metaphor for midlife crises, or impostor syndrome? Possibly, but it's also just a hell of an entertaining fever dream of a trip for a guy into a weird, wild nightlife that's world's apart from his everyday existence (kind of an Eyes Wide Shut situation). Where the Body Was is very different but also excellent. It takes place over the course of a few weeks or months in one neighborhood in the summer of 1984, and there's a whole cast of characters. What's great is that we hear about various events in the story from the point of view of each of the characters (not a Rashomon situation, the narrator just switches from one voice to another from time to time). We see the interactions of these various people, and learn about their interconnected lives, and the secrets they are keeping from one another. There's a dead body, but the story is less about a murder mystery than about the weird, lonely, messed-up lives of all of the various people in this neighborhood. Both of these stories are exceptional and I highly recommend them both, along with anything else from Brubaker/Phillips that you decide to read.

Roaming by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki, published by Drawn & Quarterly

Roaming was such a delight of a graphic novel, I'm only sorry I waited as long as I did before reading the copy I picked up! Roaming tells the story of 2 Canadian friends who are now Freshman at different colleges, that meet up in NYC in 2009 to spend Spring Break together. One of them brings along her friend/roommate from college. So...that leads to all sorts of consequences, as this was going to just be a "2 best friends together" trip and it turns into something very different. There's all sorts of awkward dynamics and so many of them are incredibly awkward and true to life. I *know* some of these characters, they are so vividly brought to life. Mariko and Jillian work brilliantly together. Jillian's art is wonderful; the characters are done in an exaggerated style, but everything about their environment is brought to life in a very real way. Her attention to detail is unmatched, and I really *feel* the streets of NYC circa 2009. I absolutely adore this book, and would recommend it for anyone looking for a great story of relationships, and trips gone awry, and what it's like to be young and uncertain and make dumb mistakes.

Scarlet Witch by Steve Orlando, Sara Pichelli, Matt Wilson, and more, published by Marvel Comics
The Scarlet Witch has been through a lot in comics in recent years. I'm pretty sure she died, and people are still mad at her about that whole "no more mutants" thing years ago. Anyway, she seem to be better these days, and she's opened her door to help other people who don't have any other place to turn. I'm happy to say that this series (recently concluded) has been a delight. Wanda (the Scarlet Witch) is a character of tremendous compassion, wisdom, and perspective, having been through about as much as a character can go through. She helps people with problems, and has some great adventures along the way. Her sidekick is a woman named Darcy (like from the MCU) and she's an absolute delight as well. Writer Steve Orlando has a great voice for these characters, and Sara Pichelli and other artists do wonderful work.

Specs by David Booher, Chris Shehan, and Roman Stevens, published by Boom! Studios
Specs is a very fun story in the classic Twilight Zone "monkey's paw" tradition. It's the 1980's, and 2 teens send away for a pair of magic sunglasses, and those specs really do seem to have power to them, and seem to be a lot more than the kids bargained for. It a great setup, and the creative tream really delivers in an emotional and surprising story. The story from David Booher was tremendous fun, and it was brought to life in a very appealing way by Chris Shehan and Roman Stevens. This is an excellent quick read that you'll really enjoy.

Spy Superb by Matt and Sharlene Kindt, published by Dark Horse
I am here for any new content from Matt and Sharlene Kindt, particularly if it is drawn by Matt and colored by Sharlene. I love Matt Kindt as a comics writer, but I particularly am a huge fan of when he and Sharlene go full cartoonist. One of Kindt's earlier series, Super Spy, is a favorite of mine, as it has many different interconnected spy stories set in the same universe (and was rereleased by Dark Horse in a beautiful hardcover). Spy Superb is the new series from the Kindts and it seems to be set in the same universe as Super Spy. It concerns the delightful premise of a "non-traditional" spy. Honestly I don't want to say too much more about the premise, but it is a fun and delightful premise. The story has twists and turns and the art from the Kindts has never been better.

Subgenre by Matt Kindt and Wilfredo Torres, published by Dark Horse
There have only been 2 issues so far of this series so it's a little early to add to my list of favorites. Nevertheless, I love it and think it's worthy of special recognition. Matt Kindt is a person whose fiction ideas really resonate with me. He loves stories about secret societies, and conspiracies, and meta-fiction that crosses over from one world to another (Mind MGMT, Super Spy, etc.). In Subgenre he's bringing a number of those story elements to life with the talented Wilfredo Torres. Kindt and Torres previously collaborated on another meta-story called Bang! which was an espionage story but clearly also something much bigger and weirder than that. This is a story about either a barbarian who dreams that he's a futuristic private detective, or maybe vice versa, or maybe neither! It's a story that's bursting with big ideas and mystery and weirdness, so it's right up my alley. If any of this appeals to you, you should absolutely check this story out, and the other stories I've mentioned.

Superman Space Age by Mark Russell, and Mike and Laura Allred, published by DC Comics

Superman: Space Age was something I was highly anticipating, and it ended up being even more beautiful and poignant and fun than I thought it would be. Writer Mark Russell is one of my favorite writers in comics. He's written some of the smartest, funniest, and most poignant comics I've read in recent years. Mike and Laura Allred are (similarly) one of my favorite art teams in comics. I think that they capture the spirit and pop sensibility of the 60's, and Allred is a spiritual successor to Kirby in his style and spirit. So, this amazing team has combined together to create something really moving. It's grounded in a real-ish place in history, but also very much feels like the DC universe. It is fun and heartfelt but also takes some pretty dark turns. But like the best comics, this is a story that will really move you. And again, the art here is just stunning. The Allreds really make this book sing.

Ultimate Invasion by Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch, published by Marvel Comics
If you were designing a Marvel comic for me to want to read it, you could not do much better than "written by Jonathan Hickman" and "drawn by Bryan Hitch". Hickman is the ultimate architect; I've loved everything he's ever done in the Marvel Universe, and his versions of comics have become the favorite/definitive versions for me. Hitch was the guy who brought the modern vision of the Marvel Universe to life in the pages of The Ultimates. Think what you want about Mark Millar's story, but those comics looked INCREDIBLE and were basically the basis for the MCU. Hitch is still out there doing terrific work (his Hawkman run was a personal favorite of mine), and the combination of Hickman and Hitch is very much a peanut butter and chocolate situation. Hickman is bringing back the Ultimate universe, in a new way, and he's brought along one of my favorite villains, The Maker (i.e., evil Reed Richards). The Maker is building a new universe, and it's full of action and threats and secret political intrigue (a Hickman special) and complex science. This is a blast and Hickman is going to be masterminding the new Ultimate Universe. I'm thrilled to see what he does, and this series was a great start.

W0rldtr33 by James Tynion IV, Fernando Blanco, Jordie Bellaire, and Aditya Bidikar, published by Image Comics
James Tynion knows how to write comics that really tap into the zeitgiest, from Memetic to The Department of Truth to The Nice House on the Lake, Tynion puts our fears and anxieties and flaws on full display. That's present here as well in W0rldtr33, a story about how the dark web (the Underweb) is brainwashing people and is going to bring about the end of the world. This is an incredibly dark, gruesome, and troubling series, but it's also a fun, stylish read. Fernando Blanco is doing great work, from the terrifying naked tattooed lady who keeps killing people, to the action and interpersonal drama and the action and the total weirdness. Jordie Bellaire does wonderful work in bringing a lot of that weirdness to life in the use of strange, unsettling color. This is not a series for the faint of heart, but if you're looking for a wild series that feels very of the moment, this is a great read.

Wonder Woman by Tom King, Daniel Sampere, and Tomeu Morey, published by DC Comics

I've loved pretty much any comic that Tom King has written (as evidenced by the fact that there are 5 King comics on this list), but I particularly enjoy when King gets political. He's a sharp writer and not afraid to ruffle feathers. As he does here, in Wonder Woman. King is telling a story that is sure to anger dude-bros everywhere, as he goes right at the heart of male fragile masculinity. Wonder Woman and the Amazons come to represent a threat to that, and it makes for a glorious story. King's writing is as smart as ever, and he has a wonderful artistic partner in Daniel Sampere. The character work in this story is absolutely gorgeous, as the Amazons look appropriately goddess-like. The action is as good as the character work, and Sampere is as good at quiet moments as he is epic ones. This is a great read.

James' Picks for February 1, 2023

2023-01-31T08:00:00.001-08:00

Here are some comics I'm excited about this week.

Almighty #1 by Edward LaRoche and Brad Simpson, published by Image Comics

I'm excited to pick this one up. I was a big fan of The Warning, the prior comic from Edward LaRoche (also with excellent colors from Brad Simpson). LaRoche has a really great sense of place and pacing as a storyteller, and it looks like that continues in this new comic. Almighty is set in a third-world America where things have really gone to hell (yes, even more than now), and it's a story of a woman on the run, her unlikely savior, and the gang trying to catch her. So far it looks very intriguing, and it looks like LaRoche has changed up his art style some for this comic. His people have a somewhat more "cartoony" exaggerated look to them, and the linework has a more "analog" feel to it, which really suits the post-societal-collapse vibe of the story very well. Simpson's colors are still great, looking very atmospheric. This is shaping up to be a fun read.

Briar #3 by Christopher Cantwell, German Garcia, and Matheus Lopes, published by Boom! Studios

I've really enjoyed the first few issues of Briar. It's a spin on the Sleeping Beauty story, where there's no princess that wakes up the sleeping princess, but she does wake up 100 years later and everything is different and terrible and her family and kingdom are all forgotten. It's a clever story from Christopher Cantwell, and an absolutely gorgeous one from the amazing team of German Garcia on line art and Mat Lopes on colors. Garcia has a varied art style throughout the series, and Lopes brings wonderfully imaginative, gorgeous colors throughout.

Children of the Black Sun #2 by Dario Sicchio and Letizia Cadonici, published by Ablaze Comics

I really enjoyed the first issue of this comic! The first issue was something I picked up kind of on a whim. It's a story of a stellar event that has happened a few times before, where there was a "Black Sun" event where the sun literally turned black, and then it went back to normal. All of the children born on that day all look a particular way, and they've been subjected to cruelty and people ostracizing them. But there's also something slightly off about many of these children. And there's certainly a lot more that's going on than it publicly known. The kids appear to have the ability to do unusual things, and well, I'm assuming this is all going somewhere weird and terrifying.

And the Oscar Nomination goes to...Comics! Catch It at the Comic Shop January 25th, 2023

2023-01-24T08:00:00.154-08:00

Welcome to Catch it at the Comic Shop, where the Panel Patter team looks at what's coming out at your favorite store or digital device this week. Each one of us that participates picks up to five items due out this week, with a little bit about why we like them. (NOTE: We use solicitation material for this, so if we miss creators, please talk to your publisher!) Sometimes we might only have a few items to share, other weeks, keeping it to five will make for hard choices. Here's what the team wanted to highlight this week...

James' Picks:

Manifest Destiny TP vol. 8 by Chris Dingess, Matthew Roberts, and Owen Gieni, published by Image Comics

Manifest Destiny is one of the very first comics I wrote about when I first joined Panel Patter, almost 9 years ago. It's a "secret history" comic that imagines that the real reason Lewis & Clark went on their expedition in 1803 was to hunt and kill monsters living throughout the new American territory. They are joined by Sacagawea (who is invaluable for their quest) and Charbonneau (who is less so), and a group of soldiers, and they proceed to have all sorts of terrifying adventures in the undiscovered (for them) territory. The story certainly has something to say about colonialism and white American ideas of, well, manifest destiny. It's also just an incredibly entertaining story. I'm very curious to read the final arc and see how it all wraps up.

Fragmentation HC by Marc Guggenheim and Beni Lobel, published by Dark Horse

Pieces (or "fragmentations") of other time periods appear to be showing up in our present-day world. I don't know what happens after that, but that definitely has my attention. Veteran comic and TV writer Marc Guggenheim has a new graphic novel out, and it looks like a lot of fun. Time travel, past and present time colloding, it all sounds like a lot of fun. The book is drawn by artist Beni Lobel, whose work I wasn't familiar with but after a quick search he's definitely got a fun, appealing and accessible style that makes me want to give this one a look.

Bulls of Beacon Hill #1 by Steve Orlando and Andy MacDonald, published by AfterShock Comics

This is a crime drama set in Boston! You really don't have to do much else to get me to pick it up. But this is a strong creative team, as writer Steve Orlando has written a ton of comics I've really enjoyed, whether it's DC characters or his indie stories. And Andy MacDonald is a very skilled artist who's done excellent work on books like Wonder woman, Green Lantern and others. This should be a fun read.

Batman: One Bad Day - Catwoman by G. Willow Wilson and Jamie McKelvie, published by DC Comics

The One Bad Day comics have been a lot of fun. From different creative teams, very different sorts of stories. My favorite so far has been the Riddler from Tom King and Mitch Gerads, but I'm very excited for this Catwoman story and this creative team. Wilson is an excellent writer (she did co-create Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel and wrote the original epic run), but I'm mostly excited to see the return of Jamie McKelvie. He may have been woring on other comics, but I haven't really read sequential stories by him since the end of The Wicked + The Divine, so I'm thrilled to pick this up. McKelvie is an exceptional visual storiyteller. He also draws stunningly beautiful people. So I'm thrilled to see him draw Catwoman, and have him draw a fun story involving Catwoman and Batman at odds, and Catwoman stealing stuff. I'm sure this will be a fun read.

Human Target #11 by Tom King and Greg Smallwood, published by DC Comics/Black Label

I'm running out of ways to keep praising Human Target. But here goes. Human Target is fun, emotional, stylish, sexy, sad, and above all unbelievably gorgeous. King and Smallwood are doing something really special with this book. It's a story that feels timeless, and that will make it hold up extremely well over time. Smallwood has a style that is incredibly stylish and sexy, but also is just an incredibly effective sequential storyteller. This is a story that would work really well even for comic readers who don't really care for superhero stories. This story is nearing its conclusion, and you don't want to miss it.

Sins of Sinister #1 by Kieron Gillen and Lucas Werneck, published by Marvel Comics

The ongoing story in Immortal X-Men involving Mr. Sinister has been a lot of fun. Mr. Sinister (a/k/a Nathaniel Essex) is a several centuriues-old mutant who's extremely interested in genetics, cloning, and making mutant chimeras (i.e., hybrids). It's been recently discovered that he's up to some serious shenanigans, and the X-Men thought they had the problem solved. But not so fast, it turns out that Si nister has many tricks up his sleeve. In this series/sotry, we will see the weird and terrible world created by Sinister, and it should be a blast. Sinister's an arch, droll, fun, clever villain, and that's perfect for writer Kieron Gillen who does that sort of thing better than just about anyone. His Immortal X-Men partner Lucas Werneck is there to provide fantastic art. This should be great.

Mike's Pick:

Darkwing Duck 1 by Amanda Deibert and Carlo Lauro, published by Dynamite Entertainment
And so I emerge from my cave to herald the return of the Terror that Flaps in the Night. All praise to Dynamite Publishing, who, in their infinite wisdom, and with infinite covers, bring the Duck Knight back to print for the first time in almost seven years. When done right, Darkwing can achieve a near perfect balance between parody and authentic storytelling. There aren’t many single issues that are getting me excited anymore, but this one has been circled for a while.

New comics from the "I Kill Giants" Team, and more! Catch It at the Comic Shop January 18th, 2023

2023-01-17T08:00:00.141-08:00

Welcome to Catch it at the Comic Shop, where the Panel Patter team looks at what's coming out at your favorite store or digital device this week. Each one of us that participates picks up to five items due out this week, with a little bit about why we like them. (NOTE: We use solicitation material for this, so if we miss creators, please talk to your publisher!) Sometimes we might only have a few items to share, other weeks, keeping it to five will make for hard choices. Here's what the team wanted to highlight this week...

James' Picks:

Immortal Sergeant #1 by Joe Kelly and Ken Nimura, published by Image Comics

From the creative team that brought us I Kill Giants. That's basically all I need to know. I Kill Giants is an incredibly memorable, special, emotional comic (by Joe Kelly and Ken Nimura) of a girl's journey through - well, I don't want to spoil it. But it's incredibly drawn by Nimura, nd it's a powerful, very emotional story. And Immortal Sergeant promises to also hit you in the emotions. So, that's enough for me. I can't wait to check this out.

Public Domain TP vol. 1 by Chip Zdarsky, published by Image Comics

That Chip Zdarsky can do everything, can't he! He was the artist on Sex Criminals, but he's also the extremely talented, terrific current writer of Batman and Daredevil. He's the supremely talented cartoonist behind Public Domain, a story about family and connection and also about the completely unfair, corporate-controlled comic book industry. This is a fantastic, emotional read that you could give anyone in your life and they'd understand and enjoy it. Zdarsky (the artist) his an accessible, highly appealing style that makes any comic really fun to read. And Zdarsky (the writer) has a supreme grasp on great ideas, great dialogue, and Zdarsky (the everything) does an incredible job bringing those very human struggles to the page and making them come alive.

Punisher #9 by Jason Aaron, Paul Azaceta, and Jesus Saiz, published by Marvel Comics

Here's the thing: I'm typically not much of a fan of the Punisher. I really don't like the dark, gritty characters generally, and the Punisher is really a sociopathic murderer whose interests only occasionally seem to coincide with doing good and heroic things in the Marvel Universe. Not to mention I'm really not a fan of the way in which the Punisher's symbol has been co-opted by law enforcement in this country. It's shameful and terrifying. But, I heard good things about this comic and decided to pick it up. And it turns out, I'm really glad I did. Because writer Jason Aaron has fully embraced the fact that the Punisher is a terrible person and a villain, and doesn't really seek to redeem him. He provides a lot of background and explanation for the character, but what we learn reveals to us that he was a damaged sociopath of a person long before his family was killed. Also, he's currently the leader of the mystical ninja group The Hand, and is at war with Ares, the god of war. The current day story is drawn by Jesus Saiz and his work is fantastic. Similarly great are the flashback sequences, brough to life by the terrific Paul Azaceta. This is a Punisher run even for those of you who don't like the Punisher. It's a really good story.

What’s the Furthest Place From Here #10 by Matthew Rosenberg, Tyler Boss, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, published by Image Comics

The team of Tyler Boss, Matthew Rosenberg, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou have been putting together a really special story in the pages of What's the Furthest Place from Here (here's my review of issue #1). It's a story of found family, and loss of innocence, and the end of the world, and the way it feels to be a kid without parents, or a young adult without guidance in navigating a scary world. If you haven't been reading, you should catch up. The most recent few issues have been drawn by a few guest artists who have been showing some of the origins of the world. It's a sad story, but it's also funny and action-packed and dramatic and just weird. It somewhat defies description, which is a really good thing. I just love it, and you will too.

World's Finest #11 by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, and Tamra Bonvillain, published by DC Comics

We just learned a HUGE piece of information at the end of issue #10 of this series, that ties all the way back to a comic written by Mark Waid almost 3 decades ago. I don't want to say much more but I will say that this was a legit "HOLY $%^T" moment for me and for lots of other people. More broadly, this is just a terrific series and one of the best superhero books ring published. The story from Waid is fun and accessible, and the art from Dan Mora and colorist Tamra Bonvillain is absolutely top-notch. Mora has a style that feels both classic and modern, and Bonvillain's colors are bright and give the pages a ton of energy. This is a great, dramatic, emotional seris that's also full of fun and humor.

Cold Weather, Hot Comics! Catch It at the Comic Shop January 11th, 2023

2023-01-10T08:00:00.127-08:00

James' Picks:

Black Cloak #1 by Kelly Thompson, Meredith McClaren, and Becca Carey, published by Image Comics

Black Cloak was a really fun, strong debut. It's a police procedural set in a world that has both fantasy and sci-fi elements. This is a world where there's one human city left, but there are also elves and mermaids (very scary, don't mess with them). There's a member of the royal family that's been murdered, and one of their own exiled members is now a police investigator (or "Black Cloak"). The art for this series is a lot of fun - the characters are exaggerated and "cartoonish" in an appealing way, but the action flows really well and some of the art is almost diagrammatic in its precision showing the world. The dialogue from Kelly Thompson is great and very naturalistic - no surprise, she's a fantastic writer of very realistic interactions, even those involving elves and mermaids. This is a strong debut.

Dega HC by Dan McDaid, published by Oni Press

Dega is a really engaging sci-fi story from McDaid, which has been previously released in other forms (previously self-published) but is now being released by Oni in what sounds like a format which will contain additional materials not contained in the prior versions. I'm a big fan of McDaid's artwork (in books like Vandroid and Doctor Fang) and I think he does great work in this novella, showing the real danger and fear of a person marooned on a remote planet. McDaid has a rough and muscular style which has elements that both remind me of Kirby but also Frank Quitely, but is very much his own distinctive look. Dega is a fun read worth picking up.

Know Your Station #2 y Sarah Gailey, Liana Kangas, and Rebecca Nalty, published by Boom! Studios

The first issue of Know Your Station was a very strong debut that clearly established the world and stakes of the story. It's the future, and Earth is terrible, so the ultra-wealthy are fleeing Earth to go live on a space station. Our hero works on the station, and is now dealing with a series of grisly murders on the station. Things start stressful and only get more stressful! This is a smart, very socially conscious series with humor and wit. I really enjoyed the art from Liana Kangas and colorist Rebecca Nalty. Kangas has an accessible and appealing style. Fans of smart social satire and sci-fi should definitely pick this one up. Note that it does occasionally get a little grisly, but I bet you can handle it.

Danger Street #2 by Tom King, Jorge Fornes, and Dave Stewart, published by DC Comics/Black Label

Danger Street had a really fun, weird debut issue. It's following a number of different oddball characters in the DC universe. There's a group of kids that are up to mischief and then things go terribly wrong. There's the lady cop who's following them. There are c and D-list heroes that decide that the way to level up is to bag a big-time villain. There's a vigilante who's also maybe getting a new job as a broadcaster/TV host. It's a motley crew of characters, but it somehow all adds up to a terrific series. I'm along for the ride on whatever story Tom King wants to tell. And with the incredible Jorge Fornes on art and Dave Stewart on colors, the book couldn't look any better. This book is a fun, smart, weird ride that you don't want to miss.

Human Target #10 by Tom King and Greg Smallwood, published by DC Comics/Black Label

Human Target is a must-read and one of my favorite comics of the past few years. I knew very little about the character of the Human Target, and that wasn't a problem for me, and it won't be a problem for you either. People hire him to impersonate them if they think someone is trying to kill them. And then he catches them, in some cases by "dying". That's it. But now the Human Target actually is dying, and he has 12 days to figure out who is responsible. That's the premise, and it's a terrific one. But also, this is among the most gorgeous comics you'll read. Seriously, Greg Smallwood has outdone himself. He conjures a world that is ostensibly set in the modern day but evokes the stylish 1960's. It's bright, lively work, with incredible style and panache and skill as a storyteller. I was such a huge fan of his work in the Moon Knight series he did with Jeff Lemire and Jordie Bellaire (read me going on and on about it here). He has a clean line, and immaculate character work, and his panel payout is incredibly interesting and innovative. You should also read his work in this Marvel series of stories. That Marvel series feels like it might have been something of the inspiration for the new Human Target series. You should pick up the hardcover collection of the first 6 issues and then catch up with issues 7, 8 and 9. You're going to love it.

New Year, new great comics! Catch It at the Comic Shop January 4th, 2023

2023-01-03T07:00:00.112-08:00

Welcome to Catch it at the Comic Shop, where the Panel Patter team looks at what's coming out at your favorite store or digital device this week. Each one of us that participates picks up to five items due out this week, with a little bit about why we like them. (NOTE: We use solicitation material for this, so if we miss creators, please talk to your publisher!) Sometimes we might only have a few items to share, other weeks, keeping it to five will make for hard choices. Here's what the team wanted to highlight this week...

James' Picks:

Spy Superb #1 by Matt and Sharlene Kindt, published by Dark Horse/Flux House
I am here for any new content from Matt and Sharlene Kindt, particularly if it is drawn by Matt and colored by Sharlene. I love Matt Kindt as a comics writer, but I particularly am a huge fan of when he and Sharlene go full cartoonist. Mind MGMT is an all time favorite of mine, and Dept. H is another beloved series by the same team. One of Kindt's earlier series, Super Spy, is another favorite of mine, as it has many different interconnected spy stories set in the same universe (and was just rereleased by Dark Horse in a beautiful hardcover). Spy Superb is the new series from the Kindts, and is concerns the delightful premise of a spy that does not know he is a spy. Or maybe he thinks he is a spy but doesn't actually know what his real missions are. I'm not sure, but it sounds fun and delightful. I'm not sure if it relates to the world of Super Spy or if it is its own thing, but I'm excited either way.

Gotham City: Year One #4 by Tom King, Phil Hester, Eric Gapstur, and Jordie Bellaire, published by DC Comics

Gotham Ciyt: Year One is a crime series set in the Gotham City of the 1960's, when the city was still full of hope and promise and wasn't the home of all manner of insane costumed villains, and a vigilante that's as scary as the villains. This story is about the Wayne family and a kidnapping that took place two generations prior to Bruce Wayne and Batman being active in the city. It's a terrific crime/detective series, with wonderful art drawn by Phil Hester, inked by Eric Gapstur, and colored by Jordie Bellaire. The art has a terrific angular quality to it, and everone is exaggerated but it suits the story perfectly and is never distracting. King has a great ear for the old-timey dialogue of the story, and it flows very well. This is a highly compelling read.

Scarlet Witch #1 by Steve Orlando and Sara Pichelli, published by Marvel Comics

Scarlet Witch has been through a lot in comics recently. I'm pretty sure she died, and people are still mad at her about that whole "no more mutants" thing years ago. Anyway, she seem to be better these days, and she's opened her door to help other people who don't have any other place to turn. I'm excited to pick up this book - Orlando writes fun stories, so I'm sure he will bring a strong voice to the comic. And Pichelli does absolutely beautiful work on comics like Spider-Man and other books. This should be a lot of fun.

Kaya #4 by Wes Craig, Jason Wordie, and Andworld, published by Image Comics

Kaya has been a really fun, enjoyable adventure series so far, from writer/artist Wes Craig. For those who only know Craig from Deadly Class, his art is as dynamic and fun as ever, but the subject matter is so different, and a lot more family-friendly. He keeps getting better and better. The colors from Jason Wordie have been excellent. This is a fun, dramatic, action-packed adventure story that you don't want to miss.

Children of the Black Sun #1 by Dario Sicchio and Letizia Cadonici, published by Ablaze Comics

Ablaze has had a number of recent intriguing comics, like the Boogyman, Elle(s), and more. So I'm very intrigued to pick up Children of the Black Sun which sounds like an intriguing story. These are all children that were born during a very rare phenomenon known as the "black sun", and they all have a distinctive appearance, but they are hated and feared. I'm very curious to see where this will go - the preview of the art that I saw looks very promising.

Sean’s Favorite Comics of 2022

2022-12-31T12:00:00.025-08:00

Howdy, fellow comic enthusiasts! It’s been a bit since I’ve shone some light on the comics I’ve read. So I figured I’d muster up enough energy to share with you what I’ve been reading and where my favorites have landed.

As a reviewer, I’ve been performing less-than-par at best and I’d like to take a moment to reflect on a year where I’ve read and enjoyed an incredible amount of comics.

Briefly, I’d like to mention a few honorable mentions where I’d presume give a gesture of some sort if I were to be in the same room as the creators responsible.

Grim from BOOM! Studios and by Stephanie Phillips, Flaviano, Rico Renzi and Tom Napolitano has been a consistently fun read about something not often considered fun — death. Feature a scythe in your books and I’m sure to take notice!

Kingjira: Hungry Like A Monster from Scout and by Marco Fontaniji was hands down the best one-shot of the year! Phenomenal line art and top notch storytelling featuring— a hungry Kaiju!— was something that I ate up with no regret.

The Junction from Titan and by Norm Konyu had been an early surprise for me. The story and the artistic choices made were some of the most somber I’ve seen in some time. A true master at his craft, I hope to see more comics from Norm.

10: Past the Last Mountain from CEX and by Paul Allor, Louie Joyce, Gannon Beck and others.
A heartfelt story where three fugitive mythical creatures flee their containment in hopes to find Dragon Lake— the place where all mythical creatures are safe from human hands. It’s a story told generously giving light and attention to the human tendency to conquer and divide by definition of our differences.

9: Chicken Devil vol.1 from Aftershock and by Brian Buccellato, Hayden Sherman and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
I cannot tell you how much fun this comic is without spoiling the experience. Think Walter White, but instead of hiding behind a pork pie hat and a healthy dose of narcissism it’s a full-size chicken costume. Yup. It’s that goofy. Oh and— it features some of Hayden Sherman’s best sequential work to date.

8: Phenomena Book 1 from Abrams Books and by Brian Michael Bendis and André Lima Araújo
The black and white interior is what drew me to this book initially, but I stayed for the lovable characters and the thrill ride only Bendis and Araújo could envision. I truly am an Araújo enthusiast and I urge you all to pick up comics his name is on— this one included and at the tip top of that list.

7: The Pass from Graphic Mundi and by Espé (translated by J.T. Mahany)
After last year’s Parakeet, I knew that I was in for another tear jerker that pulls hard at the heartstrings. Not quite as endearing as it’s predecessor, but a genuine masterpiece in comics nonetheless. Espé books come with high recommendation from me.

6: My Bad vol.1 from Ahoy and by Mark Russell, Peter Krause, Kelly Fitzpatrick and others
A Batman-typed costumed hero with a chandelier for a cowl and a name fronts a cast of literal misfits, both good and bad, as Russell and company dig deep for page after page of satirical nonsense. And I love it.

5: Mazebook from Dark Horse and by Jeff Lemire
You had me at Lemire. This comic is how a comic is supposed to work. Lemire does what Lemire does sparing no expense telling a story of grief and trauma by utilizing the format of a maze in the most brilliant of ways. A gorgeous book.

4: What’s the Furthest Place From Here from Image and by Matthew Rosenberg, Tyler Boss and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
This comic is just a whole helluva lot of fun. T-Boss and Rosenberg deliver with this dystopian tale of teenagers and manage to make the pages come to life right before your eyes.

3: As A Cartoonist from Fantagraphics and by Noah Van Sciver
I need not say this, but Noah is a living legend and arguably the cartoonist’s cartoonist. This graphic novel is as profound and as silly and quirky as the rest of his library of works, and this is the one that should finally get him an Eisner. Not that that really matters— but the bragging rights would be cool.

2: Ghost Cage from Image and by Caleb Goellner and Nick Dragotta
Another black and white illustrated comic on my list. (I have a soft spot for these type). Instantly likable characters, and a hard-pressed battle of good versus climate change, this is probably the most inventive way to plead your case for rising sea levels that I’ve ever seen. Bravo, Goellner and Dragotta, bravo!

1: Newthink from AWA and by Gregg Hurwitz, Mike Deodato Jr, Ramon Rosanas, Keron Grant, Mike Choi and Will Conrad
Everyone needs to read this. And I mean ev-ree-one! This is a social commentary on our current society from a perspective not commonly spoken from and presented in anthology format with each issue illustrated by a separate artist. It’s an eerie and uncomfortable depiction of our current day-to-day habits— specifically with our relationship to our screens. Unlike other dystopian stories, this one ends on a morally significant high note giving readers something to chew on and mull over long after you are done reading.

2022: The Year I Burned Out on Comics

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I've been reviewing comics for a long time. Unofficially I did it a little around the turn of the century. Then I did more starting in 2006, and Panel Patter began in 2008, after a trip to the Small Press Expo. I've had an amazing time being a part of the comics world from the outside circle, and I could fill endless pages of cyberspace talking about how many good people I've met.

Our high was probably 2017 (the freak Eisner Nomination Year), and my personal high was being selected as an Ignatz Judge in 2019.

There's plenty of times, however, when I've really just felt blasted. Like I couldn't get myself to the computer to talk about a comic. So I would think about stepping back. Every time, I'd get right back on the horse. Until this year.

Well, I don't know exactly why, but 2022 was the year I called "uncle" and realized I was completely burnt out not just on reviewing comics, but reading them. I couldn't bring myself to read anything I had from the library anymore. (So I turned them in.) I couldn't flip open my tablet to Marvel Unlimited. My review copies sat unread (though others have kept the torch going here and I thank them for that). I have boxes of older comics I picked up over the years to read - and I just couldn't. (Some of which I've since marked for giving away, because I know I'll likely never read them.)

I love comics, I always will love comics. But this year, I just couldn't handle comics anymore. Couldn't handle the pressure of needing to talk about them. Felt as though I'd said all I could possibly say about comics over the past 15+ years. There's only so many times you can find a different way to say that a person uses innovative panels or that their precise lines kept me lingering over the page or that the structure of the plot only works because of the way in which the art provides a slight reoccurring theme.

I felt like I was repeating myself. Like I was a pale imitation of what I came to pride myself on. I felt like I was devolving into cliche and hype. It became harder and harder for me, because I'd always vowed I wouldn't keep going past when I thought I could do the job right.

The other issue is that I'm just not sure that this (writing a column) is the best way to get people involved in talking about comics, the way that it used to be. When I was first getting into online comics criticism as a reader, everyone had a website/blog. You wrote comments (remember those?), did shared theme weeks - all kinds of stuff as a community. Twitter happened around the time I got started here, and it definitely helped get us out there to a wider audience, but a lot was word of mouth, link sharing between similar sites (RIP Tom), and having a reputation (that I remain proud of) that we were a creator's site. A place where people would be excited to get a review because we'd dig into things. Sometimes by creators themselves, too.

But time goes on. Click-bait became more and more popular. I'm not a hypocrite; I read them, too. They're fun. But they weren't what we do. Video and podcasting started picking up, too. I just don't really dig podcasts, so my enthusiasm for starting one was never there. And who the hell wants to see some middle-aged man on camera holding up a tablet with a comic on it? Not me, though I did consider it because it would mean less writing.

The other issue with time is that Panel Patter is always 100 percent volunteer. So because of personal lives, we weren't always able to capitalize on some of our success the other other sites who started similarly have been able to do. I'm so happy for them, because they have the same spirit as what I used to do, but have managed to break into the "Big Time" with a minimum of clickbait.

And of course, there's the Rise of the TV/Movie connections. A lot of sites, even good ones, have given a place to TV/Movie items to help increase their clicks. I have had one hard line for the site: No covering anything but comics. That'll be true as long as I own the site, and I don't intend to give it away.

Were those mistakes? Should I have allowed hot takes, listicles, and Umbrella Academy updates? Should I have stopped doing any other hobbies but this site? Maybe. But I didn't. And even though it's caused us to fade back, I still stand by those decisions.

At the end of the day, I think the biggest issue falls into three categories:

1) With so many comics read (40 years and counting), it's much harder to really blow me away and give me something new to write about. This is not a knock on current comics at all! But after tens of thousands of pages read year in and year out, I've seen a lot of things. And I am still enjoying them (well, I was until I burned out). But I'm out of new words and new ways to say things and since I'm not getting paid to do it, I think my brain just doesn't want to sit here at the laptop anymore and trying to find variations on things I've literally said hundreds of times before.

2) Comics is ready for the next generation. I think about this a lot. I'm not the type to say "things were better when I was younger." People who do that about media are elitist jerks who are purposefully being controversial to keep themselves in the spotlight. But we all grow up with what we grew up with, and we're all familiar with what we're familiar with. We form preferences and attachments. Hell, the fact that I didn't want to move to podcasting or video blogging is a perfect example of this: It's not what I learned on! When I see people excited about new comics and new creators, I'm so happy for them! But it's becoming increasingly clear to me that my taste and the taste of the "kids" (i.e. teens and 20s) are different--and they should be. But it also means why in the world would those kids look to me to help them find new work? The kind of work I'm going to enjoy isn't going to be the same as theirs. And that's okay. But it also means I'm not sure I am the person who's up for discovering and promoting new creators anymore.

3) The website format is probably outdated, but I don't have a better plan. As I said above, I feel like we're a legacy format. I don't think people go to sites to read them anymore, so you're left with hoping people click off a link they see on another social media platform. That's honestly left us scuffling because we're often one little Tweet in a sea, and many of our long-time supporters left the platform ages ago, and we don't have the manpower or desire at this time to try and be everywhere on the internet. Plus again: If a Tik Tok generation person is looking for a new comic to read, are they going to come to a print site anyway? I'm just not sure there's a huge market for what we do, and while it's fun, it's also time consuming.

Put those things together, and it led to burnout. I was pressing too hard thinking about "oh god, what do I say about this comic? Will anyone look or care and then have I just wasted hours of my life trying to get this right?" and not just enjoying it as a way to relax and entertain myself.

So I stepped back. I stepped away.

I'm not ready to be back yet. I'd like to do a "favorites" list but I might not be able to this year. We'll see.

Why am I sharing this?

Because I think it's good for people to know how I feel. To not just have me disappear. We've seen that happen far too many times. I wanted to be honest, and to let those of you who still care about what I have to say know why I'm not saying it lately.

Is Panel Patter done?

No. The site's staying up, though obviously with less content. James has been amazing at ensuring we still have a presence out there. And we have others who are still contributing as they feel able. It's nice for people to have a home when they want it, since there's really not a lot of people doing the strange thing we do here. And maybe some folks who aren't happy with what's out there will want a place to write, and Panel Patter can always be that place.

Am I done?

I don't think so. I'm taking a break. I'll see how I feel. Maybe the issue is that I need to reboot myself like a Marvel Comics re-numbering and try to do what I want to do (share my love of comics) in a different way. Or maybe I just write a periodic longer piece when I'm inspired.

We'll see. The greatest part of owning your own site is you get to make the rules.

Have a great end of 2022, everyone. There's a ton of amazing comics out there. Go read them. Go find the people who are digging into COMICS online and follow them somehow. Maybe I'll join you in 2023. Maybe I'll be a part of that somehow. I'm just not sure yet.

What I'm sure of is that I'm proud of this site and my teammates over the years. And I hope that after regrouping, I'll be ready to do more again. Thanks for reading all these years!

Rob

Tis the season for Comics! Catch It at the Comic Shop December 28th, 2022

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James' Picks:

Wonder Woman Historia #3: The Amazons by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Nicola Scott, published by DC Comics/Black Label

The thing to say about this series is that each issue has been singularly beautiful, and I loved both of them. Each issue has been the sort of work of art where you want to linger on each page; those first 2 issues were by Phil Jimenez and Gene Ha. They were a fascinating look into the story of the Greek Gods and the Amazons. I’m sure the great art will continue with Nicola Scott on art. Scott drew some Wonder Woman stories a few years back and she really gets the character in a fundamental way. I’m thrilled to pick this up.

Book of Slaughter by James Tynion IV ,Werther Dell'Edera, and Dan Mora, published by Boom! Studios

I’ve not exactly kept up to date on House of Slaughter and Something is Killing the Children, but I really enjoy both books. Tynion and Dell’Edera and co. are telling a story that’s about a lot more than scary monsters. It’s a story where the people are a lot scarier than the monsters, and it’s also one that just does a great job tapping into the current zeitgeist of fear and anxiety. I’m excited to catch up and to see where the stories are going in the coming year.

Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #2 by Jason Aaron, Alexandre Tefenkgi, and Mike Del Mundo, published by Boom! Studios

I was pretty impressed with the first issue of this comic. This is not a story about the end of the world, it’s a story about two people that made each other after the world that was has already fallen. The first issue was pretty fun and introduced us to the two main characters. The art from Alexandre Tefenkgi was quite good, and it appears that different eras of the story will be illustrated by different artists. The last page is quite a shock, and it’s drawn by Nick Dragotta. I’m very intrigued to see where this one goes and I’m happy to see Jason Aaron on a new creator owned project.

Captain Marvel by Kelly Sue DeConnick Omnibus HC by Dexter Soy, Filipe Andrade, David Lopez, and many more, published by Marvel Comics

It’s been about 10 years since Marvel turned Carol Danvers into Captain Marvel and it’s a great time to reflect on how important that character has been. Kelly Sue DeConnick wrote, and basically created the character as we now understand her, even though of course, Carol Danvers has been around for decades. But there was so much excitement when Captain Marvel premiered as a comic, fans became known as the Carol corps. It was great to see a long-standing character like that get an upgrade as far as costume and rank and title and level of prominence in the Marvel universe. DeConnick, alongside a number of different very talented artists, established the modern template for the character as strong, kind of bullheaded, a little “shoot first, ask questions later”, but also kind and compassionate and an important focus in the Marvel universe. and the character has grown in prominence, including being the first woman-led superhero movie to gross over $1 billion. I’m a huge fan of that movie, in which DeConnick actually makes a cameo, and it all starts in the pages of that first series which I highly recommend.