Project 365: One Comic Every Day, Week 26

The premise is simple: read one comic every day for the entire year. It seems like a simple task but there is no way that I read 365 comics last year, even if you count the individual issues in collections. So, this year, I am committing myself to this reading challenge, in the hope that I can broaden my reading habits and fully engage with my favorite hobby again.

This week I thought I would catch up on some new (or, at least, fairly new) comics. Issues that may still even be on the shelf of any good comic shop. As you’ll discover this did not really go to plan.

I have no real excuse; I can’t even blame the new series of The Witcher, because that was not out until Thursday. I suppose, it is what it is. Funny how this always happens when I try to read new comics, almost like my brain has an aversion to new and shiny.

Comic Number 175: Ultimate Invasion #1

On paper, this should be a surefire success, and (judging from the reviews on the internet) it seems to have hit all the right spots for most people. But it just didn’t do it for me. Jonathan Hickman has written a very Hickman-like script with an overload of information, and Bryan Hitch’s artwork is the epitome of modern superhero comics. However, that is the problem with this comic: it’s just another superhero comic with nothing that is really outstanding. It may have something to do with my lack of knowledge (or interest) in the Ultimate Universe. For me, this comic is about a group of people breaking out an evil version of Reed Richards (it took a while for that to become apparent), who then goes home much to the chagrin of the other superheroes.

Insert shrugging emoji here.

It is clear this comic is not for me. I am a massive fan of Hickman and love most of his independent comics. Decorum was one of the best comics to come out in the last five years. It was innovative, challenging, and entertaining. The writing and artwork weren’t compromised by the physical nature of the monthly comic; instead, it was a visual spectacle that engaged and delighted on every page. Ultimate Invasion in comparison lacks innovation and experimentation. It is a wonderful superhero comic that will appeal to people who follow Marvel, and the Ultimate Universe, closely. To anyone else, there is little on offer.

Comic Number 176: Dead Romans #4

I don’t have much to say about this. I am still loving it. The combination of gritty writing and outstanding artwork makes it a compelling read, issue after issue. See previous posts for what I have said about this comic in the past: nothing has changed.

I’ve really only added it here to highlight its existence and recommend people go buy it.

Go buy it!

Comic Number 177: Quantum #2

The second issue of this new sci-fi anthology is as good as the first. Some of the stories are blossoming like magnificent flowers, opening up to display depth and complexity with fascinating characters and engaging narratives. Westernoir by Dave West and Gary Crutchley, and Whatever Happened to the World’s Fastest Man?, also by West with Marleen Starkesfield Lowe, are the best of the bunch. They both have strong narratives with a clear purpose and artwork that suits the tone of the story.

The new edition to the line up, Death & Taxes by Katie Cunningham, Tim Newell, John Charles, and Rob Jones is an interesting murder mystery story involving the search for immortality and artificial people. With only six pages to play with, it contains a surprisingly solid introduction to the central character and the world she inhibits. This is achieved through a fair amount of exposition hidden within the caption boxes and speech balloons. The world building is layered into the narrative seamlessly with the strong, noir artwork distracting for an overload of information. It has a gothic horror feel to it with its dark atmospheric rooms, scientific paraphernalia, and brooding mansion house. There’s a butler, a dead scientist, and a knife in a brain. I am looking forward to more from this story, and the creators behind it.

I am not a fan of everything in this comic, however. For example, the two comic strips The Further Adventures of Schrodinger’s Cat and Norton the Dragon have basically the same punchline, but there is more than enough to keep me interested. And the stories I’m not a fan of are still well written and illustrated comics that will definitely appeal to other people.

Comic Number 178: Brynmore #1

Steve Niles’ new comic for IDW Publishing is a slow-burning, gothic horror with gorgeous artwork by Damien Worm. Each page has a rustic and nostalgic feel to it, but is tainted either by the narrative, with occasions of unexpected violence, or more subtly with encroaching color washes of red or black. As the protagonist begins to build himself a new life, there is an approaching black cloud, threatening the peacefulness of his new start.

I am a fan of Steve Niles. As a writer, he gets to grips with the characters in his stories, making the narrative about them and not the horrors that often engulf the world around them. This first issue of Brynmore is a perfect example of Niles’ work because, with the exception of the final page, this comic is entirely about Mark Turner and his mission to start again, rebuild his life, and reintegrate into his hometown. All of the interactions he has tell the reader something about him, who he is and what he stands for. The artwork focuses on Mark and is shaped by his moods and situations.

This is a character focused comic and because of that, it is a very compelling read. As a reader you become attached to the central character and discover his world as he moves through it. Tensions are built by Mark’s reactions to his surroundings and the opposite is also true. We, as readers, become relaxed when Mark is relaxed.

This comic is not full of gore, violence, or outlandish creatures, yet, but when we get there, we will be so attached to Mark that the journey will be an emotional roller-coaster. How do I know this? Because that’s how Steve Niles works.

Comic Number 179, 180, and 181: The River At Night by Kevin Huizenga

Yesterday was New Comic Book Day and I bought nothing. I read Brynmore digitally because I know that, unless I order it, I will not be able to pick up every issue. So I am trade waiting on it, something I’ve never really done before. If we were to look at all of the new comics that I have bought so far this year, it won’t take long. Gone are the days where I’d walk into a comic shop and leave with armfuls of paper pamphlets and hardback books. There is more putting me off buying new comics now than ever before: cost, availability, continuity, an air of blandness, personal disinterest in the mainstream publishers… the list goes on. I look at my local comic shops and realize they are not for me anymore. They’re for new, younger readers getting into the hobby, or for the old stalwarts who are reading the same comics they have read for 40 plus years, moaning at every change to the characters or stories but still picking up each issue.

My taste in new comics has swung away from monthly superhero or science fiction titles towards high end books like The River At Night. Published by Drawn & Quarterly, the hardback book is over 200 pages of exquisite artwork and involved storytelling. Huizenga tells the tale of Glenn Ganges, who suffers from insomnia and, after a night of reading and drinking coffee, the world in which he lives begins to unravel. The character, and the writer, begin to explore consciousness and our perception of reality. It is also a magnificent exploration of what comics are able to do.

The opening chapter is a prime example of Huizenga’s ability to manipulate the comic page in order to discuss abstract topics. Ganges is rushing to the library before it closes, and he becomes lost in thought, questioning his actions as he experiences a moment of deja vu. Huizenga uses the language of comics to represent this uneasy feeling. Captions inform the reader of the time period but they start to become muddled as they form part of Ganges’ thought process, slipping from the caption boxes into thought balloons. The panel frames begin to overlap and Ganges himself is able to walk freely from one time period to another by stepping from one panel to the next. The whole sequence is magical to read as the constrictions of the comics form are used to create an intense, and often uncomfortable, feeling.

The beauty is that this happens again and again throughout this book. Every chapter focuses on something different, time hopping to examine the personal history of Wendy and Glenn Ganges, and each time the format is used in such a way as to enhance the emotional and narrative context. This is a book that embraces the fact it is a comic and celebrates that. Many modern monthly titles are geared towards creating a sense of realism, almost trying to make the reader forget they are reading a comic, but Huizenga leans into the format and makes it an instrumental part of the narrative process. This is a comic and look at what it can do!!

I can’t recommend this book enough.

And that’s half way through the year. 26 weeks of reading comics and, if we count individual issues, I’m actually well ahead of the game. I have some great comics lined up to read in the second half of the year, and there are a few new titles that I’m hoping to get to. I am also looking for recommendations, so, please comment below with some of your favorite comics.