Beyond The Panels #25- Big Year Ender!!!!
So, earlier in the month, I listed my top ten comics of 2017. In this issue, I'm gonna tell you my top writer, artist, and publisher of the year, but first, I'm gonna highlight a book that just barely missed being in my top ten. I like to call this book....
2017's Best Kept Secret-
Titans
Titans is the best team book DC is putting out right now and it's probably one of the team books on the market. It's written by Andy Lanning, a guy who spent over twenty years writing some of the best team books for Marvel and DC, often with Dan Abnett. Lanning has been working solo at DC since Rebirth, and has made Titans a must read. This year has been a wild one, as the team has had to deal with a traitor in their midst, the memory wipe of an old friend, the return of old foes, and a conspiracy with a surprising boss. Through it all, Lanning has delivered an action packed thrill ride of a book, balancing humor, action, and character masterfully. These characters have a long history together and you can tell in the writing, but Lanning also goes a little further and subverts your expectations for them, tweaking each character and their usual role into something a shade different. The book is drawn by Brett Booth and I think that his flashy, Jim Lee-esque pencils work for the series. His pencils are detailed and slick, his characters and acting expressive. He's not everyone's cup of tea, but I've been a fan of his for a long time, so it works for me.
Every month, Titans brings everything you could want out of a team book, especially one with as much history between the characters as this one has. It's a very low key book- it doesn't often get involved in the big events and they aren't saving the universe every issue, and that works for it. The Titans aren't the Justice League. As a team, the Titans have always been more about a group of friends teaming up to fight bad guys and hang out, and this book gets that to a tee. Everyone who I've talked to who has read it loves it. Now is a perfect time to join the book- the last story arc just ended and the next issue begins a whole new one. Give it a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Now, on to my picks for best writer and artist.....
Best Writer
Tom King
So, for those of you who have been paying attention, especially to the last two posts, you'll know I really enjoy Tom King's work- Mister Miracle is my favorite comic of 2017 and his Batman is usually near the top of my read pile. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that I picked him as the best writer of 2017. For those of you who haven't read the last two posts (for fucking shame), here's a little bit about why:
As I've gotten older, I like for my comics to have some kind of emotional resonance to them. Sure, I still want some kind of action in every issue, but give me some good character work and I'm just as happy as I would be by a massive multi page fight. Hell, happier. It not only helps me care more about the character, but it also lets me see a bit of myself in the character. It allows me to empathize with them as human beings. It gives me a glimpse into the lives of beings who I would otherwise be unable to understand.
Tom King is a master of this.
I think I said this while I was doing my write-up for it, but Mister Miracle reads like depression feels. Now, sure, a lot of that is Mitch Gerards' pencils, but King's dialogue and direction cement the whole thing. I don't know what it's like to be the son of a god who was raised in what amounts to a torture pit by sadists as part of a peace deal, but I do know what it's like to be depressed. I know what it's like to want to kill myself. I've never fought a war against the forces of evil gods, but I know what it's like to push myself through another day, to survive it all. So, right there, Scott Free and I have something in common. I can understand how he feels, because I've felt that way and it helps me understand his reactions to what's happening in the story. I've read a lot of things with characters who were depressed for various reasons, but I never believed it, not really. With King's Mister Miracle, I believe it.
Over in Batman, King balances ass kicking and super heroing and showing us Batman's vulnerability, humanizing the character. Batman may be the most bad ass motherfucker around, but he's still human, and King never lets us forget that. Everyone of his stories has used all the action and Bat-swagger to show Batman for that one thing we rarely get to see him as- a human being. Whether it be talking to his father from another world, asking Catwoman to marry him, or not wanting to tell Superman about marrying Catwoman because he thinks he already knows, King's Batman is the most relatable and human to me the character has ever been. Morrison and Snyder gave us BatGod (more Snyder than Morrison, really- Morrison's Batman was still beatable and fallible, while Snyder... well, Snyder is writing a whole event right now about the literal Bat God that has helped Batman triumph so much), but King has been making Batman more and more human. As I said last issue, I don't like the way War of Jokes and Riddles told its story, but I love its last issue, where we see the thing that Batman feels the worst about. It shows Batman as a fallible being who can be goaded into doing shit he didn't plan on doing. Everything King is doing is making the character a better, more well rounded person and that's a hard thing to do with Batman.
Tom King is my favorite writer this year because he took two characters, one god and one perfect man, and brought them down to my level. He allowed me to understand them and see them in ways I never have before. I can't wait to see what next year holds for him, but I know one thing- what ever it is, I'll be picking it up.
Best Artist
Andrea Sorrentino
Just look at that shit right there. Detailed. Gorgeous. Perfectly choreographed. Masterfully laid out. Everything about it flows.
That's Andrea Sorrentino in a nut shell. His style sometimes reminds me of a less stylized Jae Lee- gritty, heavy line work that still flows perfectly and the best page layouts in the business. This year, he worked on Old Man Logan and Secret Empire- his pencils in Old Man Logan are easily my favorite of the year. His work for Secret Empire isn't as good, but it has nothing to do with him stylistically- unlike in Old Man Logan, he was rarely allowed to indulge in his interesting page layout game, which is what makes his work stand out so much. That said, his work on Secret Empire was still pretty great and up to his regular par, but he wasn't utilized to his full potential and this was one of the myriad reasons Secret Empire was so mediocre.
Sorrentino is a master of the comic page. I've found that he works best with a writer who understands his ability, like Jeff Lemire- someone who will structure their story so he can pull off several of his innovative layouts every issue. I'm not going to say he's the first artist I've seen experiment with a non traditional page layout, but he's probably the best at it and that more than anything else makes his work standout- the man draws things we've seen a million times before in ways they've never been drawn and it works so very well. I'm pretty sure he's still Marvel exclusive, so we'll see what next year brings him, but for my money, he was easily the best artist of 2017.
And now, for the one you've all been waiting for, my favorite publisher of the year.....
DC Comics
Is there any doubt it would be DC? I mean, be real- is there any objective reason why you would pick Marvel as the best publisher of 2017? If so, leave it in the comments, because I'd like to know how you could possibly come to that conclusion.
Anyway, DC came into 2017 with all of that DC Rebirth momentum behind it and just pulled waaaay ahead. Now, yes, they haven't been perfect, but on the whole, DC is putting better comics on a monthly basis. The Superman titles are the best they've been in years. Batman's books are going strong and the Batman-centric event Dark Nights: Metal is knocking it out of the park. Justice League struggled, but Justice League of America brought a new approach to the team and gets better every month. Doomsday Clock has been the talk of the industry and the Internet since it was announced after the Batman/Flash crossover The Button ended. The Young Animal line is taking indie sensibilities and marrying them to the weirdest DC concepts, re-creating that late 80s, early 90s pre-Vertigo vibe. Hell, DC has even taken old Hanna-Barbara cartoons and turned them into some of the most talked about comics of the year.
When it comes right down to it, DC realized something that Marvel hasn't, or maybe can't, realize- that you can give your fans exactly what they want and still tell great stories. Honestly, with a lot of Marvel stuff I've read this year, I wasn't exactly happy to be reading it. I was interested, but I wasn't exactly thrilled by most of it. With DC, it was exactly the opposite- I was always excited for what was coming next. I couldn't wait for Metal or Doomsday Clock to start. I got pissed when the final issue of The Button got pushed back a week. Compare that to what happened when Secret Empire got delayed- I was pissed, but not because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next: It was mostly because I was sick of Secret Empire and I wanted it to be over sooner.
On top of all that, DC did something that Marvel didn't do: honoring Jack Kirby in a real way. They put out Mister Miracle, Bug: The Adventures of Forager, and The Kamandi Challenge, as well as one shots featuring all new stories about his DC creations along with reprints of back up stuff he did for DC for his hundredth birthday. It was classy and on top of all of that, the comics were good, too. They pulled out all the stops to honor The King of Comics, whereas Marvel, a place that Kirby basically created, barely did anything to honor the man who is probably the greatest creative mind our industry has ever seen.
DC won for me because it felt like they were making comics for me, comics I wanted to read. It felt like they had heard all the things that their fans had been saying for years, took it to heart, and started over. It felt like they respected their fans enough to make them happy, to give them what they wanted, not what they thought their fans wanted. In creative endeavors, you shouldn't play to your audience too much.... but you also shouldn't actively try and push that audience away in a vain attempt to tempt people who are familiar with your stories from another medium, especially since that audience has never shown any interest in reading your stories ever before. DC played for their fans, not to their fans- they heard the complaints and worked to smooth those away, while also letting the creators create. It's paid dividends for them.
Without any question in my mind, DC is easily the best publisher of comics in 2017. The only competition they really have right now is Image- the two companies have all the best writers and most of the best artists in the industry. I was really close to picking Image, but then I figured no one would want to read about me talking about how much I love The Wicked and The Divine again, because that what I would have wrote here- a couple of more paragraphs about WicDiv.
So, what does 2018 hold for comics? Will DC keep chugging along, keeping it's fans happy and breathless with anticipation for what they're gonna do next? Will Marvel get its groove back and get fan goodwill firmly back behind it, or will it continue its downward spiral (did you ever find it weird that the more popular and liked the MCU gets, the less popular and liked Marvel's comics get?)? Will Image continue putting out some of the best stuff out there? Will I order a WicDiv shirt and other merch? (Fuck yes, I will)
We'll all find out together and since I know you'll want to know my opinions on all of that stuff, join me here next year at....
Beyond The Panels!!!!!!!!!
Next Issue: So, I definitely won't be writing another post this week, seeing as how this is my only day off. However, next week, I'm gonna talk about some of Jonathan Hickman's early work. I hope you all have a happy and safe holiday season. Thank you so much for reading this blog.
2017's Best Kept Secret-
Titans
Titans is the best team book DC is putting out right now and it's probably one of the team books on the market. It's written by Andy Lanning, a guy who spent over twenty years writing some of the best team books for Marvel and DC, often with Dan Abnett. Lanning has been working solo at DC since Rebirth, and has made Titans a must read. This year has been a wild one, as the team has had to deal with a traitor in their midst, the memory wipe of an old friend, the return of old foes, and a conspiracy with a surprising boss. Through it all, Lanning has delivered an action packed thrill ride of a book, balancing humor, action, and character masterfully. These characters have a long history together and you can tell in the writing, but Lanning also goes a little further and subverts your expectations for them, tweaking each character and their usual role into something a shade different. The book is drawn by Brett Booth and I think that his flashy, Jim Lee-esque pencils work for the series. His pencils are detailed and slick, his characters and acting expressive. He's not everyone's cup of tea, but I've been a fan of his for a long time, so it works for me.
Every month, Titans brings everything you could want out of a team book, especially one with as much history between the characters as this one has. It's a very low key book- it doesn't often get involved in the big events and they aren't saving the universe every issue, and that works for it. The Titans aren't the Justice League. As a team, the Titans have always been more about a group of friends teaming up to fight bad guys and hang out, and this book gets that to a tee. Everyone who I've talked to who has read it loves it. Now is a perfect time to join the book- the last story arc just ended and the next issue begins a whole new one. Give it a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Now, on to my picks for best writer and artist.....
Best Writer
Tom King
So, for those of you who have been paying attention, especially to the last two posts, you'll know I really enjoy Tom King's work- Mister Miracle is my favorite comic of 2017 and his Batman is usually near the top of my read pile. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that I picked him as the best writer of 2017. For those of you who haven't read the last two posts (for fucking shame), here's a little bit about why:
As I've gotten older, I like for my comics to have some kind of emotional resonance to them. Sure, I still want some kind of action in every issue, but give me some good character work and I'm just as happy as I would be by a massive multi page fight. Hell, happier. It not only helps me care more about the character, but it also lets me see a bit of myself in the character. It allows me to empathize with them as human beings. It gives me a glimpse into the lives of beings who I would otherwise be unable to understand.
Tom King is a master of this.
I think I said this while I was doing my write-up for it, but Mister Miracle reads like depression feels. Now, sure, a lot of that is Mitch Gerards' pencils, but King's dialogue and direction cement the whole thing. I don't know what it's like to be the son of a god who was raised in what amounts to a torture pit by sadists as part of a peace deal, but I do know what it's like to be depressed. I know what it's like to want to kill myself. I've never fought a war against the forces of evil gods, but I know what it's like to push myself through another day, to survive it all. So, right there, Scott Free and I have something in common. I can understand how he feels, because I've felt that way and it helps me understand his reactions to what's happening in the story. I've read a lot of things with characters who were depressed for various reasons, but I never believed it, not really. With King's Mister Miracle, I believe it.
Over in Batman, King balances ass kicking and super heroing and showing us Batman's vulnerability, humanizing the character. Batman may be the most bad ass motherfucker around, but he's still human, and King never lets us forget that. Everyone of his stories has used all the action and Bat-swagger to show Batman for that one thing we rarely get to see him as- a human being. Whether it be talking to his father from another world, asking Catwoman to marry him, or not wanting to tell Superman about marrying Catwoman because he thinks he already knows, King's Batman is the most relatable and human to me the character has ever been. Morrison and Snyder gave us BatGod (more Snyder than Morrison, really- Morrison's Batman was still beatable and fallible, while Snyder... well, Snyder is writing a whole event right now about the literal Bat God that has helped Batman triumph so much), but King has been making Batman more and more human. As I said last issue, I don't like the way War of Jokes and Riddles told its story, but I love its last issue, where we see the thing that Batman feels the worst about. It shows Batman as a fallible being who can be goaded into doing shit he didn't plan on doing. Everything King is doing is making the character a better, more well rounded person and that's a hard thing to do with Batman.
Tom King is my favorite writer this year because he took two characters, one god and one perfect man, and brought them down to my level. He allowed me to understand them and see them in ways I never have before. I can't wait to see what next year holds for him, but I know one thing- what ever it is, I'll be picking it up.
Best Artist
Andrea Sorrentino
Just look at that shit right there. Detailed. Gorgeous. Perfectly choreographed. Masterfully laid out. Everything about it flows.
That's Andrea Sorrentino in a nut shell. His style sometimes reminds me of a less stylized Jae Lee- gritty, heavy line work that still flows perfectly and the best page layouts in the business. This year, he worked on Old Man Logan and Secret Empire- his pencils in Old Man Logan are easily my favorite of the year. His work for Secret Empire isn't as good, but it has nothing to do with him stylistically- unlike in Old Man Logan, he was rarely allowed to indulge in his interesting page layout game, which is what makes his work stand out so much. That said, his work on Secret Empire was still pretty great and up to his regular par, but he wasn't utilized to his full potential and this was one of the myriad reasons Secret Empire was so mediocre.
Sorrentino is a master of the comic page. I've found that he works best with a writer who understands his ability, like Jeff Lemire- someone who will structure their story so he can pull off several of his innovative layouts every issue. I'm not going to say he's the first artist I've seen experiment with a non traditional page layout, but he's probably the best at it and that more than anything else makes his work standout- the man draws things we've seen a million times before in ways they've never been drawn and it works so very well. I'm pretty sure he's still Marvel exclusive, so we'll see what next year brings him, but for my money, he was easily the best artist of 2017.
And now, for the one you've all been waiting for, my favorite publisher of the year.....
DC Comics
Is there any doubt it would be DC? I mean, be real- is there any objective reason why you would pick Marvel as the best publisher of 2017? If so, leave it in the comments, because I'd like to know how you could possibly come to that conclusion.
Anyway, DC came into 2017 with all of that DC Rebirth momentum behind it and just pulled waaaay ahead. Now, yes, they haven't been perfect, but on the whole, DC is putting better comics on a monthly basis. The Superman titles are the best they've been in years. Batman's books are going strong and the Batman-centric event Dark Nights: Metal is knocking it out of the park. Justice League struggled, but Justice League of America brought a new approach to the team and gets better every month. Doomsday Clock has been the talk of the industry and the Internet since it was announced after the Batman/Flash crossover The Button ended. The Young Animal line is taking indie sensibilities and marrying them to the weirdest DC concepts, re-creating that late 80s, early 90s pre-Vertigo vibe. Hell, DC has even taken old Hanna-Barbara cartoons and turned them into some of the most talked about comics of the year.
When it comes right down to it, DC realized something that Marvel hasn't, or maybe can't, realize- that you can give your fans exactly what they want and still tell great stories. Honestly, with a lot of Marvel stuff I've read this year, I wasn't exactly happy to be reading it. I was interested, but I wasn't exactly thrilled by most of it. With DC, it was exactly the opposite- I was always excited for what was coming next. I couldn't wait for Metal or Doomsday Clock to start. I got pissed when the final issue of The Button got pushed back a week. Compare that to what happened when Secret Empire got delayed- I was pissed, but not because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next: It was mostly because I was sick of Secret Empire and I wanted it to be over sooner.
On top of all that, DC did something that Marvel didn't do: honoring Jack Kirby in a real way. They put out Mister Miracle, Bug: The Adventures of Forager, and The Kamandi Challenge, as well as one shots featuring all new stories about his DC creations along with reprints of back up stuff he did for DC for his hundredth birthday. It was classy and on top of all of that, the comics were good, too. They pulled out all the stops to honor The King of Comics, whereas Marvel, a place that Kirby basically created, barely did anything to honor the man who is probably the greatest creative mind our industry has ever seen.
DC won for me because it felt like they were making comics for me, comics I wanted to read. It felt like they had heard all the things that their fans had been saying for years, took it to heart, and started over. It felt like they respected their fans enough to make them happy, to give them what they wanted, not what they thought their fans wanted. In creative endeavors, you shouldn't play to your audience too much.... but you also shouldn't actively try and push that audience away in a vain attempt to tempt people who are familiar with your stories from another medium, especially since that audience has never shown any interest in reading your stories ever before. DC played for their fans, not to their fans- they heard the complaints and worked to smooth those away, while also letting the creators create. It's paid dividends for them.
Without any question in my mind, DC is easily the best publisher of comics in 2017. The only competition they really have right now is Image- the two companies have all the best writers and most of the best artists in the industry. I was really close to picking Image, but then I figured no one would want to read about me talking about how much I love The Wicked and The Divine again, because that what I would have wrote here- a couple of more paragraphs about WicDiv.
So, what does 2018 hold for comics? Will DC keep chugging along, keeping it's fans happy and breathless with anticipation for what they're gonna do next? Will Marvel get its groove back and get fan goodwill firmly back behind it, or will it continue its downward spiral (did you ever find it weird that the more popular and liked the MCU gets, the less popular and liked Marvel's comics get?)? Will Image continue putting out some of the best stuff out there? Will I order a WicDiv shirt and other merch? (Fuck yes, I will)
We'll all find out together and since I know you'll want to know my opinions on all of that stuff, join me here next year at....
Beyond The Panels!!!!!!!!!
Next Issue: So, I definitely won't be writing another post this week, seeing as how this is my only day off. However, next week, I'm gonna talk about some of Jonathan Hickman's early work. I hope you all have a happy and safe holiday season. Thank you so much for reading this blog.
Can't believe I haven't seen Andrea Sorrentino's stuff before, that page looks awesome! I can definitely see some Jae Lee in there, and the page composition is very reminiscent of J.H. Williams and Emma Rios, particularly the way the panels are "framed". The plant life growing off the outside of the panels, the claws jutting out, and the way the panels "slither" around each other makes the page feel more like a living, breathing thing. Wish more comic book artists tried tricks like this.
ReplyDeleteVery nice retrospective, dude. Happy Holidays to you and yours!
I know he did Green Arrow with Jeff Lemire before, but I haven't checked it out. I've heard good things, though. His work on Old Man Logan is next level, though. I would say definitely check it out, even if you're not a huge fan of Logan. It's pretty amazing and his art is very much a part of that- it fits the tone of the piece, his action scenes are amazing, and his page layouts are out of this world.
DeleteThank you very much. You're my only commenter, so thank you for that. Happy Holidays to you as well!