Comic Review 2012
The number of comics I read is insane. On one hand, there's a solid percent of comics I read in 2012 that were completed series, or series I started that I stopped. But still. I read 451 individual comics last year. That's insane. It is to me, anyway, given that I'm primarily a reader of novels. But what I ended up doing last year is letting a small pile accumulate on the dresser, and then on the weekend, I'd have a comic marathon and tear through them. My husband accuses me of reading too fast, but I say we all have our own speeds. :)
I'm not going to talk about each and every single series I read. I'll list them all behind a cut and let you peruse them at your leisure, and if you're curious about any of them, especially if you want to know why I quit reading them, just let me know and I'll be happy to chat. You'll notice that quite a lot of DC's New 52 have been axed. There are a few I'd like to highlight now, because I think they're worth discussing.
First of all, Saga by Brian K. Vaughn & Fiona Staples is easily, hands-down, my favorite on-going comic series. This space opera has everything AND the kitchen sink in its world-building, but it's a beautiful, beautiful story that has so much heart that it's easy to accept the bizarre. If people don't nominate Saga for "Best Graphic Story" for the Hugos, I have no shame in saying there's something utterly wrong with them.
Then there's Batgirl by Gail Simone, which is easily my favorite New 52 title from DC, but also the title that sent me into a fangirl pique of rage when it was announced late last year that writer Gail Simone had been removed from the title, only to learn two weeks later that Simone had been rehired to the very title she was fired from. WTF? I won't complain, because I'm glad she's back (there will be some other guy doing a few issues and then Simone's back), but dang, talk about a really crushing disappointment for a few weeks!
Also worth discussing in the New 52 line is Batwoman by J.H. Williams III. I'm torn on this one: I love his art (when he actually does the art for his own title), but the story is hit-and-miss. Sometimes, the supernatural elements to the tale really bug me, because I like Gotham City to be grounded in the real world, a desire that DC is intent on squashing completely with these mythical or superpowered villains. Yet, on the other hand, when the arc is good, it's really good. I'm especially loving the current Wonder Woman crossover, and frankly, Batwoman has a lot of heart. I'm also thrilled the title has been kept out of the increasingly frustrating Gotham City crossover arcs (Night of the Owls & Death in the Family). Still reading. I'm getting over my aversion to the supernatural in Gotham.
I'd be remiss if I didn't discuss Before Watchmen. I'm warn readers that I didn't read Watchmen until a few years ago, before the movie adaptation came out, so I don't have some deep, undying, eternal devotion to the source material. I think it's a fantastic comic, but I wasn't freaked out or offended when Before Watchmen was announced. Different writers are doing different characters, and I'll go ahead and give you my one complaint: nearly every issue as a two page installment of "The Curse of the Crimson Corsair," and I'll be honest: I absolutely hate it. I'll finish an issue, be nice and relaxed over its resolution or cliffhanger, then turn the page and OMG THERE'S THE CRIMSON CORSAIR and I'm struggling to remember what happened in the previous installment, even though I'd read it the week before. Frankly, that story would be better serviced if it'd been given its own volume, but what do I know?
What is worth reading in this line is, first and foremost: Before Watchmen: Doctor Manhattan. It is utterly fantastic, and rich for geeks like me who love the exploration of multiple timelines. Dr. Manhattan is the perfect vehicle for this story, and issue #2 of this mini-series was one of the best, smartest, most thought-provoking comic books I've read in a long time.
Also of note is the two-issue mini of Before Watchmen: Moloch & Before Watchmen: Rorschach. The others have been enjoyable on various levels, and I'm glad I'm reading along.
All right, let's wrap up with two science fiction titles that have really caught my eye: the first is The Manhattan Projects, and it's batshit crazy. No, really. It takes the idea of what we THINK we know about our history and Dr. Oppenheimer, Einstein, and so many others, and completely turns that history on its head. Done by Jonathan Hickman, it's guaranteed to make you pay attention and wonder. Hickman's been a great discovery in our household (we've been reading his work since Nightly News), and anything you can get by him will be worth reading, even if it makes your brain hurt. The Manhattan Projects is, to date, his longest original title, and I have no idea where it's going. But it's fascinating and weird all the same.
Lastly, there's The Massive by Brian Wood. I'm not sure how to describe this: it's near-future, apocalyptic, but it's about a group of eco-terrorists who aren't really terrorists trying to protect the world while searching for their sister ship (not space ship, it's an ocean freighter), The Massive. I think this is my second-favorite original comic ongoing series to date, and it's so rich and well-thought out. Well worth the read for anyone who wants something different from the apocalypse, or something that actually has something to say about our world, our future, and what we're really doing to it.
There are so many series and issues I can talk about. Like how Locke & Key: Clockwork was its best arc since the beginning, and the one-shots were spectacular. Or I could clue you into No Place Like Home, a modern twist (har-har) on The Wizard of Oz. The Sixth Gun, which I'm woefully behind on, is a mash up of The Lord of the Rings and a western. Fans of the Night of the Owls story arc across the Batman titles would be remiss if they didn't pick up Talon. Then there's Thief of Thieves, a new title from Robert Kirkman of the Walking Dead fame, but about a professional thief who can't steal back the one thing he misses most.
And now, the full, crazy-insane LIST of all the comics I read last year (bound collections aside, as I've been reviewing those as I go). I'm happy to discuss any of these titles with you, though I've read so many that for some of these, I might not have much to say. ;)
*** = ongoing series, still reading
I'll mark which ones I've dropped and which are mini-series, but if you see a #1 by itself, it's probably a good assumption I'm not continuing the series.
All Star Western issues 3-5 (dropped)
American Vampire issues 13-33 ***
American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares issues 1-5 (mini-series)
American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest issues 1-5 (mini-series)
Animal Man issues 4-9 (dropped)
Aquaman issues 4-9 (dropped)
Batgirl issues 3-15, including #0 ***
Batgirl Annual #1
Batman & Robin issues 3-10 (dropped)
Batman issues 4-15, including #0 ***
Batman Annual #1
Batman Detective Comics issues 3-7 (dropped)
Batman The Dark Knight issues 3-6 (dropped)
Batwing issues 3-7 (dropped)
Batwoman issues 4-15, including #0 ***
Before Watchmen: Comedian issues 1-4 (mini-series)
Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan issues 1-3 (mini-series)
Before Watchmen: Minutemen issues 1-5 (mini-series)
Before Watchmen: Moloch issues 1-2 (mini-series)
Before Watchmen: Nite Owl issues 1-3 (mini-series)
Before Watchmen: Ozymandias issues 1-4 (mini-series)
Before Watchmen: Rorschach issues 1-3 (mini-series)
Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre issues 1-4 (mini-series)
Beyond the Fringe issues 1-4 (mini-series, including all B issues)
Birds of Prey issues 3-10 (dropped)
Catwoman issues 3-7 (dropped)
Colder issues 1-2 (mini-series)
Conan the Barbarian #1
Daytripper issues 1-10 (mini-series)
DC Universe Presents issues 3-6 (dropped)
Dial H for Hero #1
Fairest issues 1-10 ***
Fantastic Four #605.1
Fatale issues 1-10 ***
Frankenstein Agent of SHADE issues 3-4 (dropped)
Green Arrow issues 3-4 (dropped)
Green Lantern issues 3-5 (dropped)
Green Lantern New Guardians issues 4-5 (dropped)
Happy! issues 1-3 (mini-series)
Hawkeye issues 1-2 (dropped)
Higher Earth #1
Hit Girl issues 1-4 (mini-series)
I, Vampire issues 3-14, including #0 ***
Incognito issues 1-6 (mini-series)
Justice League issues 3-4 (dropped)
Justice League Dark issues 4-14, including #0 ***
Justice League Dark Annual #1
Kick Ass 2 issues 5-7 (mini-series)
Lady Mechanika #0
Locke & Key: Clockwork issues 1-6 (mini-series)
Locke & Key: Grindhouse
Locke & Key: Guide to the Known Keys
Lucifer: Nirvana
Nightwing issues 4-15, including #0 ***
No Place Like Home issues 1-5 ***
Penguin: Pain and Prejudice issues 1-5 (mini-series)
Peter Panzerfaust #1
Red Lanterns issues 3-6 (dropped)
Resident Alien #0
Resurrection Man issues 3-4 (dropped)
Saga Chapters 1-8 ***
Sandman Presents: The Corinthian: Death in Venice issues 1-3 (mini-series)
Saucer Country issues 1-5 (dropped)
Secret issues 1-2 ***
Spaceman issues 1-9 (mini-series)
Suicide Squad issues 3-7 (dropped)
Superboy issues 3-6 (dropped)
Supergirl issues 4-10 (dropped)
Superman issues 3-7 (dropped)
Superman Action Comics issues 3-4 (dropped)
Swamp Thing issues 4-9 (dropped)
Talon issues 0-2 ***
The Batman Adventures: Mad Love
The Flash issues 3-10 (dropped)
The Manhattan Projects issues 1-7 ***
The Massive issues 1-7 ***
The Ray issues 1-2 (dropped)
The Secret Service #1
The Sixth Gun issues 1-3 ***
The Unwritten issues 25-44, including 31.5, 32.5, 33.5, 34.5, and 35.5 ***
The Walking Dead issues 93-105 ***
The Walking Dead: Michonne Special #1
Thief of Thieves issues 1-11 ***
Voodoo issues 3-6 (dropped)
Wonder Woman issues 4-15, including #0 ***
That's it for me! Did you read any comics in 2012, and if so, what did you read? What were your favorites? What were you disappointed by? Lay it on me! :)