DC’s Suicide Squad and Teen Titans were re-launched. Vertigo published Bodies (I'm trade waiting on it). While Joshua Hale Fialkov (I, Vampire) penned 2 new critically hailed supernatural series: The Life After (Oni Press) and the Devilers (Dynamite).
Marvel is in Event mode: Original Sin continues, while the 100th Anniversary Specials began.
Usually I have comics that skip months, but with 5 Wednesdays in July, that didn’t happen. Just about everything on my pulls list was published. Making it an expensive month, as well as a bitch to rank. How do you squeeze 25 favorites into 15 slots? You can’t, even when you cheat by calling a tie at #1 (I honestly couldn’t chose)
Written by Brian Azzarello
Art by Cliff Chiang * Colors by Matthew Wilson
The debate between Diana and First Born defines her and establishes her core ethic… and his lack of one. There’s a lot going on here and it really raises the stakes. Chiang continues to draw the ideal Diana, and her piercing blue eyes stand out as an oasis in Wilson’s burnt and blood red color scheme.
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Michael Lark * Colors by Santi Arcas
The somber emotional journey that was “The Lift” comes to its conclusion. Lark and Rucka have patently spun their tale, built up this complex socio-political situation and have given each character a distinct point of view. At 24 pages, there was time enough to give each plot point its due and to tie it all up with an exciting, poetic finish.
Written by Fred Van Lente
Art by Roberto Castro (#0) Cory Smith & Joseph Cooper (#5) * Colors by Luigi Anderson, Maruircio Wallace
July gave us a double helping of this wiz bang sci-fi adventure. I love this comic for its heart, smarts and humor. The zero issue takes us behind the scenes in the robot run world while issue 5 continues with Magnus entering the realm of the Gophs and coming face to face with his wife (who has no memory of him)
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Declan Shalvey * Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Marc is breaking bones and busting chops on his mission to rescue a kidnap victim. Shalvey choreographs the action like a master film director; staging violence that is both terrible and funny. Ellis keeps the dialog to a minimum, but what is said, packs a wallop.
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Toni Fejzula * Colors by Aljoša Tomić with Fejzula
While ostensibly a horror story, it’s actually a metaphor on identity and an exploration of male/female roles. Here, domineering men seek to subjugate, own and use the women who intoxicate them (the female sex is a drug). Thankfully there is one pure hearted man to be found. Dante has genuine kindness within him, and he can see through the B.S. (as when he perceptively tells the rat (Veils “boss”) that he’s just another pimp). This is scary, smart stuff.
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick
Art by David Lopez * Colors by Lee Loughridge
With this issue, the intelligently told mystery is unraveled and we now know that J’Son is an even bigger ass than we could have imagined. It angered me, broke my heart… DeConnick & Lopez got me emotionally invested in these people. And those final 3 pages had me pumping my fist and cheering
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Stuart Immonen & Wade von Grawbadger * Colors by Marte Gracia (w/ Jason Keith)
Bendis has his X-trains rolling at full speed right now. Jean is even cooler than ever: A bad ass, with a personality I’m drawn too. Baby Xavier is loathsome and I loved seeing her bring him low.
Written by Kurtis J. Wiebe
Art and Colors by Roc Upchurch
It’s the characters that make this comic sing this month. We learn more about Dee, and how a certain contradiction in her, might not be a contradiction at all. We also got more shading on Hannah, a hint to her past, and how her bitchiness is probably a protective shield. Roc Upchurch’s art has improved greatly, and he’s aided much by letterer Ed Brisson… that fight in the middle for example: you could almost feel the blows and hear the crack of bone.
Written by Jason Aaron
Art and Colors by Augustin Alessio (2 pages by Ribic & Svorcina)
Solemn but emotionally rewarding epilogue that explores the relationship dynamic between Thor and the women in his life, as well as between Asgard and Broxton. Augustin’s painted art skillfully captures the pain and loss, and the scope of a city in ruin. Ribic does the final King Thor segment. It is hopeful but closes on a “HOLY SPIT!” moment.
Written by Johnathan Hickman
Art by Nick Dragotta * Colors by Frank Martin
This is Hickman at his slickest and smartest and Archibald Chamberlain might be his slickest and smartest creation yet. The man is a silver-tongued devil and he could prove more dangerous than the 4 Horsemen combined. Speaking of which, they each get some face time and an end scene that promises a bloody confrontation.
Written by G. Willow Wilson
Art by Jacob Wyatt * Colors by Ian Herring
Kamala is adorable in this one; the scenes with Logan were so damn cute and disarming. And I found myself laughing out loud frequently. Villain Thomas Edison is like something pulled from Steve Gerber’s Defenders (he’s “Headmen” weird). And the scene with Sheikh Abdullah was sweet and wise and surprising (in the support he gave). I liked the fill in art from Jacob Wyatt. He has a stronger eye for contrasts and is not as much a caricaturist like Alphona (there are none of those over-sized heads that annoy me).
Written by Tim Seeley
Art by Mike Norton and * Colors by Mark Englert
This was an intense game changer: There’s a lot of raw emotion, some sick stuff and more mysteries added to the mysteries we already had. Dana really comes to the fore as a complex personality and determined investigator.
Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Jamie McKelvie * Colors by Matthew Wilson
Keiron “gets” what music means to certain people, he understands the relationship between fan and artist and how that can be wonderful, but also how it can consume you. McKelvie’s art is cool, a little remote, but in a good way. Wilson’s colors are indispensable. You can see how much thought he puts into the pallet, how he uses shading, lighting and gradation to the art, and stories benefit.
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art and Colors by Gabo
It starts off like it's going to be about a sad guy stuck in a rut, we see the mundane every day things he does... and that's interesting. But then he decides to make a change and the book suddenly shifts into something different. He helps bring peace to a woman (in a truly beautiful scene) and later meets Ernest Hemingway, who informs him that he's in purgatory for suicides. One of my all time favorite movies is "Wrist Cutters: A Love Story" and this has a bit of the quirky, scary, humorous, dangerous feel of that. Great start, I loved this book to death.
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Steve Epting * Colors by Elizabeth Breitweiser
The spy-plot thickens as Velvet narrows down her suspects and comes to realize that time is not her friend. I love the twisty plot and Brubaker’s vivid characterizations. Epting’s contributions can’t be slighted, he makes Velvet Templeton live and breathe and smolder. And Breitweisers colors add much tonally: the sick neon’s of the cities seedy district, the deep shadows hiding deeper secrets and more.
Written by Warren Ellis
Art and Colors by Tula Lotay
This is about a down on her luck reporter given a job of hunting down the title character by a Lex Luthor analogue. But that straightforward description doesn’t do the comic justice (it’s anything but straightforward). Blue Rose is an avant-garde mind blower.
Tula Lotay's art is otherworldly, a bit like Mike Allred but without the whimsy. There are these blue lines seen throughout the page, as if reality is unraveling. Ellis's dialog is literary, dreamy... the way he phrases things impressed the hell out of me. The Enigma/Princess of Saturn dream sequence in particular was haunting and strange and melancholic and a bit frightening. It’s the kind of book you read again and catch something new.
Honorable Mentions:
Marvel: Elektra #4 * Storm #1 * Uncanny X-Men #24 * Cyclops #3
Image: East of West #13 * Spread #1 * Trees #3 * Manhattan Projects #22
DC: Supergirl #33 * Coffin Hill #9 * Teen Titans #1
Monkeybrain: Strange Nation #6 * Edison Rex #16
Others: RoboCop #1 (Boom) * Motorcycle Samurai: Variable (Top Shelf) * And Then Emily Was Gone #1 (Comixtribe) * Ragnarök #1 (IDW)
All-Star Art Team of the Month
I nearly gave this to Declan Shalvey for his brilliant choreography on Moon Knight or Walter Simonson for that the gorgeous work on Ragnarök -- but I adore Epting, he has such style. And Breitweiser showed why she’s one of the industries most respected colorists in the biz. They were an unbeatable pair.
All-Star Writer of the Month
Won the Triple Crown in July with standouts Moon Knight #5, Trees #3 and the first issue of Supreme: Blue Rose. The man is a certifiable genius who is scripting some of the most unique and exciting comics on the stands. Hon Mention to Greg Rucka who also hit it out of the park on his 3 at bats… Veil, Lazarus and Cyclops.
To Aug 2014
Back to June 2014
Head Writer, wide awake nightmare... bids you salutations citizens of Earth!
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