On COMICS!

So I was talking to my dear friend Sarah about comics the other night, and it got me thinking about all the comics I've read over the last several years. And that inspired me to make a post about some of my favourites, showing some art and giving my thoughts, namely why I liked them so much. So what I've done is found a cover and a single page from each series, just to give you an idea of what the art looks like inside (though I did this quickly in paint, so sorry if some of the images look stretched/pixelated). The art style, at least for me, can have a huge impact on my enjoyment of the book. Anyway, let's dive in!

So I'll start out by talking about how I got into comics in the first place. It was in university, might have even been fourth year. My friends (and roommates at the time) Matt and Pat were into comics already, and I found a Marvel preview magazine thing on the living room table. So I looked through, and found a cover that I thought looked neat. It had Venom, one of my favourite Marvel characters, on it as well as a few other guys that looked pretty cool. So the next time Matt and Pat went down to the local comic book store, I went with them and picked up the trade. It turned out to be...

Warren Ellis' Run on Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts! Written of course by Warren Ellis, with art by Mike Deodato Jr. I'd never heard of the Thunderbolts before, but it turns out the concept is pretty neat. Basically it's a program that takes villains that want to be rehabilitated (for one reason or another...) and puts them in a team that goes on missions to fight crime. Obviously, the team is kept on a very tight leash, but even so, as you can imagine, things don't always go terribly smoothly. Adding to the chaos is the fact that the team is being lead by Norman Osborn, formerly the Green Goblin. I'm not sure whose idea that was, but...well, I won't spoil anything, but shizzle goes DOWN.

My favourite thing about this book is the writing. If you're not familiar with Ellis' work, I think you'll just have to read something by him to truly understand - I don't think I can do him justice by trying to explain how good he is. The first volume is really good, but then in the second volume it seems like Marvel gave Ellis free reign to do whatever he wanted, because he really turns up the crazy (and awesome). I'm a really big fan of Deodato's art, too. I just absolutely love his style, which almost seems like kind of a mix between sketchy and painty. I know some people aren't as enthusiastic about it as I am, but there's a sample above, and you can do some more research into him if you're not sure.

So anyway, by the time I finished Ellis' Thunderbolts run, I'd been thoroughly bitten by the comics bug. That being the case, one day Pat just walked into my room, plopped a book on my bed, and said "Read this." Then he just left. I looked down at what he had brought me, and saw...

Watchmen

By Alan Moore with art by Dave Gibbons. OBVIOUSLY. Do I even have to talk about this one? I started reading and was immediately hooked. Gibbons' art along with Moore's trademark moody and thought-provoking writing created one of the most beloved classic comic books of all time. I really just love everything about this book; I think it's safe to say that it became my favourite piece of media (books, movies, games, etc.) ever. With all the twists and turns and the way it brilliantly handles its mature themes, it is an experience that, in my opinion, shouldn't be missed by ANYONE.

Nextwave: Agents of HATE

Written by Warren Ellis with art by Stuart Immonen. So it turned out that me loving Ellis' run on Thunderbolts was a bit of a coincidence, because my buddy Matt was a big fan of his too. As a result he gave me a couple of other series by him to read, the first being Nextwave. This is basically Ellis' take on the superhero genre, and while I don't remember a whole lot about it (I read it once like 4 or 5 years ago), I do remember that it was hilarious and insane. I'm actually planning to look for it the next time I head out to a comic store. The art is actually a bit more cartoony than I usually might enjoy, but it really does fit the book perfectly. Even if you're not too into superhero comics, you might enjoy this one just because of the sharp writing.

Planetary

By Warren Ellis with art by John Cassaday. I actually wasn't totally sure if I wanted to put planetary on this list, for two reasons. First, I remember even LESS about it than Nextwave, and second, when I DID read it, the last volume wasn't finished yet, so I haven't actually finished the series. BUT, it's by Warren Ellis, so I don't have a problem recommending it. From what I do remember, it's another series that's in the superhero genre, but it's a bit different from Nextwave. In Planetary, Ellis turned down the crazy in the comedy department (though I believe there are still some funny bits), but turned it WAY up in the sci-fi area. The group of heroes in this book are trying to uncover the secrets of the world, and the things they find tend to be rather...mind-bending. This is another one that I need to pick up for myself and re-read, and finally finish.

Well, by this point I was thoroughly into comics. I started collecting lots of different series, all of which I enjoyed, but some were better than others. To keep things organized, I'll start out by listing my favourite Marvel series from the last several years.

Carnage

Written by Zeb Wells with art by Clayton Crain. Well Carnage has always been one of my favourite Marvel characters along with Venom, so when Marvel announced a new Carnage mini-series, I was THERE. The original series (when it was being released it was just called Carnage, but the trade is called Family Feud) spawned a couple more mini-series, Carnage USA and Minimum Carnage, which were both pretty good, but in my opinion the original was definitely the best. I don't actually want to talk about the story so as to not spoil anything, but I will say as a Carnage fan, I was not disappointed - REALLY liked Wells' writing. I also really love Crain's painted art style, he's especially amazing at drawing symbiotes. If you like his art style, Venom vs. Carnage (which he also drew) is pretty great as well in my opinion.

Dark Avengers

I looked for a better page, honest. Pickings were slim!

Written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Mike Deodato Jr. This story is pretty much a continuation of Ellis' Thunderbolts run, so it was a no-brainer for me. Turns out that, the government thinks that Osborn did such a good job with the Thunderbolts that they put him in charge of the Avengers! That goes...about as well as you'd expect. I really liked the characters in this story - it was neat seeing them put together a team of villains that mirrored the regular avengers team.

I liked Bendis' writing well enough, my main problem with it was that the Dark Avengers kind of seemed to get their butts beat a lot. I know they're still technically villains, but come on man, it's their own book! The highlight for me was definitely Sentry, who's kind of like Superman in terms of powers, but he almost has the mind of a child. That results in some interesting dynamics and situations. Once again, I am a fan of Deodato, so I liked the art, though it seemed like some of the issues were rushed. Still, overall a great series in my opinion.

Dark Reign: The Hood

Written by Jeff Parker with art by Kyle Hotz. This mini-series starring the little-known villain The Hood took place during Marvel's Dark Reign event. The Hood used to be just a normal guy involved in organized crime, until he found a big red cloak with a hood. Which wouldn't have been a huge deal, were it not for the fact that the hood was 'inhabited' by a massively powerful demon, Dormammu. Dormammu basically gives Hood supernatural powers, including the ability to transform into a demon, which makes him kind of a big deal. He becomes the leader of a huge gang of super-powered villains, which is where we find him in this book. However, we also find out that he has a family, and struggles to keep both worlds secret from the other, which is one of the most interesting parts of the book. The art style isn't my absolute favourite, but it's not enough to ruin the book for me.

Ms Marvel: War of the Marvels

Written by Brian Reed with art by Sana Takeda. Okay, I'll be honest, this one is kind of style over substance for me. The story is okay, but I just really love Takeda's art style. It's just so PRETTY! And actually, when I say the story is okay, I mean it's actually kind of incomprehensible. But! If you wanna look at really nice art and see Moonstone and Ms Marve beat the living snot out of each other, look no further!

Secret War

Written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Gabriele Dell'Otto. So the cover and page above might give you an idea of what this book is about. I guess it's kind of a pre-cursor to the Secret Avengers series that's running right now (though it's not on this list, I read the first 30 or so issues. It's pretty good!). Basically, Nick Fury needs some secret stuff done, and so he gathers a group of the best superheroes around to get take care of it. It's Bendis, so the writing is pretty solid, But Dell'Otto's painted art style is what steals the show. Just look at it, it's gorgeous! Definitely recommend this one for superhero buffs.

Secret Warriors

Written by Jonathan Hickman (and Brian Michael Bendis) with various artists. So this is kind of in the same vein as Secret War, except this time Nick Fury puts together a team of lesser-known superpowered heroes. In fact, You could probably say most of them are completely unknown (I'm not sure if some of them were created for this book, but I wouldn't be surprised). The missions they go one and the situations they get into are really cool, and there are lots of interesting twists and turns. With Hickman at the helm, the writing is rock solid. I really liked the art in volume 1, but wasn't as much of a fan when the artists changed in subsequent volumes. Similarly, I felt like the story fell off a bit at the end, but I wasn't overly disappointed. Still think this is a solid read for those interested in superhero comics looking for something a bit different.

S.H.I.E.L.D

Written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Dustin Weaver. Well this series is in an unfortunate position. The first volume is complete, but the second volume got stalled at issue four and is in hiatus. But, let me just say, if Secret Warriors is a bit different, this series is ALL THE WAY DIFFERENT. It's a story about SHIELD, not the one we know from usual Marvel stories, but a bit of a secret society of great people from history that are sworn to protect the world. I'll leave it at that, because the story is really best experienced by one's self. The writing is absolutely incredible, and the art is gorgeous and abstract. The one issue that I might point out is that I sometimes had to read parts over multiple times to actually understand what the heck was going on (not always being successful). But if you like deep, complicated stories, this is a great one. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in comics - it's definitely not normal superhero fare.

Venom

Written by Rick Remender and Cullen Bunn, various artists. So initially I was turned off by this series, because I saw that Venom looked like a standard soldier with guns. I was like reeeeallllly??? But then I saw that the series was getting great reviews, so I thought I might give it a try. Turns out, I'm glad that I did, because it really is a great series. Remender's writing is really great, and Flash Thompson is a really flawed character that makes him perfect to be Venom's host. Remender goes off the project later on in the series, but I enjoyed Bunn's work too. The art changes throughout the series, but it ranges from great to perfectly acceptable. And while I'm still not a fan of the soldier design, classic-style Venom shows up enough to keep me happy. Definitely recommend this one for Venom fans.

So I think I'll stop here for today. Tomorrow I'll go over the rest of my list, which includes one series that actually rivals Watchmen in terms of my favourite book! What could it be?! Find out next time!