My Top 12 Comics For October 2014

Happy Halloween everyone – I want us all to don our Wonder Woman masks and take to the streets (It’ll look like a scene from “V For Vendetta”) because truly she was the woman of the hour (or rather Month)

While Marvel had their Axis event and introduced a new Thor, October excitement belonged to DC - In the Bat Family we were given the first issues for Gotham Academy and Arkham Manor, as well as new creative teams for Catwoman and Batgirl (who also got a costume and personality makeover).

There were new series launches for Lobo, Klarion, Deathstroke and Trinity of Sin. and the Godhead crossover began in Green Lantern land.

Above all of this was the closing chapters for Azzarello and Chiang’s stellar run on Wonder Woman. (Which also included a cute story in Secret Origins)

As for new Halloween chills? In addition from what I’ve listed above, they were found in first issues from Image (Wytches), Archie Comics, (Sabrina) and Boom Studios (Memetic)

Digital Wait Favorites: Phantom Stranger, Ghosted, Suicide Risk, Flash Gordon, Letter 44 and The Life After

12. Uncanny X-Men #27 (Marvel)

Written by Brian Michael Bendis

Art by Chris Bachalo * Colors by Joe Villarrubia & Rain Beredo

Art wise: Bachalo’s one of my favorites, but why 5 inkers and 2 colorists? They give the book an uneven look. Other than that I really liked this issue. I enjoyed the character work -- seeing Rachel do her best to stop an unstoppable force and watching Cyclops make a play that could tilt the balance of power in his favor.

11. Magnus: Robot Fighter #7 (Dynamite)

Written by Fred Van Lente

Art by Cory Smith & Sandy Jarrell * Colors by Mauricio Wallace

One of two titles from Dynamite to make the list this month: The issue takes a slight plot detour with an arena staged Battle-Royale, but the dialog is sharp and it was very cool to see Leeja and Magnus working together (and the scene where he explains how baby’s are made is a hoot). Only knock is in the oil and water mix of twin artists.

10. Alice Cooper #2 (Dynamite)

Written by Joe Harris

Art by Eman Casallos * Colors by Aikau Oliva

Halloween and Alice Cooper go together like a horse and carriage, (or a knife and Norman Bates). While the comic will probably mean more to a longtime Coop fan like myself, there’s enough good here for even a non-believer to enjoy. There’s humor, theatrical chills, in addition to a story that takes knowing shots at the Biz, and classic AC music to act as the soundtrack. Art? While the inks are too heavy, the pencils are solid in scarier, moodier scenes.

9. Wytches #1 (Image)
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Jock * Colors by Matt Hollingsworth
Terrifying and intense, this story gave me nightmares. And while there’s a lot of info to convey in setting up this series -- surprise, surprise, Scotty boy is economical with his dialog. He says what he needs to and not a sentence more. While I might not dig his Batman, Snyder does horror well (see Vampires for more proof of that assertion)

8. Gotham Academy #1 (DC)

Written by Becky Cloonan & Brenden Fletcher

Art by Karl Kerschl * Colors by Geyser with Dave McCaig

Halloween also needs a grim old School filled with secrets. So here it is. While the story covers familiar territory, it doesn’t read like a tired retread. I’ve taken an instant liking to Olive, whose lost her moorings a bit, and her pal, the chatterbox Maps. And I like seeing the Bat signal from this perspective -- this ever-present Gotham thing that’s out there… while life goes on elsewhere. Art is animated, cartoonish, but still gives a sense of foreboding.

7. The Fade Out #2 (Image)

Written by Ed Brubaker

Art by Sean Phillips * Colors by Elizabeth Breitweiser

While it doesn’t make many strides on the murder mystery -- film freak that I am, I’m really enjoying that side of the series, as I'm familiar with the people and stories it is referencing. Great character work across the board, this one focused mostly on Charlie and Gil's relationship.

6. Captain Marvel #8 (Marvel)

Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick

Art by Marcio Takara * Colors by Lee Loughridge

Cap kept things light in this spooky season, and had me rocking with laughter. Guest artist Takara has good comedic timing; the 4-panel sequence where Chewie reveals a new talent and Rocket gets hearts in his eyes had me in stitches. Chewie’s expression -that little smile and ‘burp’- was priceless. Sure this is light fluff, but I don’t care, I gave it a high five for fun.

5. Catwoman #35 (DC)

Written by Genevieve Valentine

Art by Gary Brown * Colors by Lee Loughridge

Could I be a happier Selinafan? Catwoman is out of costume and leading the crime families in Gotham. It’s more “Godfather”, than “To Catch a Thief” but it works, from the dialog to the tough pulp art, it all works beautifully.

4. The Wicked + The Divine #5 (Image)

Written by Kieron Gillen

Art by Jaime McKelvie * Colors by Matthew Wilson

I’d be upset that my favorite character was killed, if this didn’t happen to be the best issue of the series. The coloring was astounding (I went back through the book just to marvel over that) and Gillen continues to explore the relationship between artist and fan, and fans that aspire to take the stage themselves.

3.  Grayson #3 (DC)

Written by Tim Seeley & Tom King

Art by Mikel Janin * Colors by Jeremy Cox

I thought the first 2 issues were good - I wasn't so fond of Futures End. But issue 3 just went in to a whole new level of great, that was an incredibly powerful story. I like how it contrasts how Dick was trained and brought up -the thoughtful person and crime fighter he is- with the 'shoot first' mentality of those he is associated with in Spyral. There was some lightness, 60s Bond-style sexual innuendo and a funny quip about "fun", but by the end things sobered up. That ending shocked the hell out of me.

2. Supreme: Blue Rose #4 (Image)

Written by Warren Ellis

Art and Colors by Tula Lotay

Lauren Bacall doppelganger, Zayla, explains herself with the kind of fringe techno-science-speak that’s exhilarating and baffling. This book makes my mind explode… and I like it.

1. Wonder Woman #34 and #35 (DC)

Written by Brian Azzarello

Art by Cliff Chiang * Colors by Matthew Wilson

It could be nothing else. It earns the top spot not only for the amazing work put forth by this creative team on these issues, but for their run as a whole. Which was, IMHO, the greatest WW story ever told.

My heart was pounding throughout... that's how deeply this comic affected me, how deeply it got under my skin.. It was a modern take, it's Azzarello -- but it pays respect to the groundwork laid by Marston and those who came after him.

Throughout this run we’ve seen others try and define her. We’ve seen her called “Clay” and given titles from Princess to God of War to Queen -- and there are expectations that came with those titles.  This issue was about how Diana defined herself. And how she reconciled and accepted her various roles and mantles.

This was about her leadership, her mercy and love and the overall quality of mercy and love (it can be hard as well as tender) and of course, that thorny term… submission (which is shown here to be more than allowing yourself to be held by a physical bond. For example, Athena out of love and respect, submits to Diana’s wish that she allow Zola to live her life). Thank you Brian, Cliff, Matthew and everyone who lent their talent to this run. It was something special.

Honorable Mentions

Marvel:  Edge of Spider-Verse #5 * Magneto #11 * She-Hulk #9 * Elektra #7

Image:  Lazarus #12 * Revival #24 , Wytches #1

DC:  Coffin Hill #12 * Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman #11 & 12 * Batman ’66 #46

My All-Star Writer and Artists of the Month

Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang and Matthew Wilson (Wonder Woman) – Were like Gods this October. 'Nuff said!!

Art Panel of the Month

Synergy, according to wiki, is the creation of a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. And that’s what you have in this beautiful scene from the pages of the Fade Out. Brubaker wrote it, Sean Phillips drew it, and Bertie Breitweiser added the colors, replace one piece of that talent pool and this doesn’t work as well. It’s such a simple, but powerful scene: We see a movie producer lost in grief, touching the screen where his murdered startlet’s image is projected. 

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