The Bum’s Rush #36

The Best In Comics 2005 (in my humble opinion) - Part III

Quick, hide the children and batten down the hatches! It’s the final installment three-part series highlighting the best in comics from the year 2005! This week includes a whole buttload (classy) of Favorites, including New and Continuing Series, Trades and my Favorite Moment of 2005!
And awaaaay we go!

Favorite New Series of 2005 - Young Avengers

Of all the things to come out of 2004’s "Avengers Disassembled" story arc, from House of M to the word “New” being tacked on to just about every single comic in the Marvel Universe,
Young Avengers is, without a doubt, the best. I am a big fan of teen heroes and “legacy” comics. “Legacy” comics are basically books where the premise involves a hero or heroes who are either directly or at least somewhat inspired by a hero or group of heroes who have come before. I just love the sense of history and inspiration that surrounds this type of book.

It’s also really cool to see some teenage versions of some of the most important Marvel heroes. For the longest time DC Comics was pretty much had the market cornered on the teenage-sidekick-versions-of-popular-heroes game. Marvel had one or two sidekick characters (like the infamous Bucky) but never an entire group to rival the diversity and popularity of DC’s Teen Titans. So it was actually quite a thrill to see Marvel jump in at the deep end of the pool with an entirely new team of teenage superheroes patterned after the Avengers. Even more thrilling was the fact that it wasn't just good - it was great! I haven’t read a teen superteam book that was this good in ages. It reminds me of the good old days (lo these many years past when I was but a lad) when my absolute favorite book ever was the New Warriors.

The characters are instantly likeable, especially Wiccan (formerly the Asgardian) and Hulkling, and though they butt heads occasionally it’s more from frustration than any real dislike of one another. Even the team’s brash know-it-all leader, Patriot, becomes a quick favorite once you understand what it is that motivates him. The kids are adaptable, quick to laugh (especially at themselves), tougher than hell and have an optimism and a desire to do what they do that would put most of the so-called superheroes of today to shame.

The book is written by comic book newcomer and TV veteran Allan Heinberg who skillfully balances the teen drama aspect of the book with great action and tremendous set pieces, thanks to his experience writing several TV shows including Fox’s The O.C. He also puts the team through quite a number of obstacles, the biggest being that Captain America is absolutely dead set against “children” publicly operating as superheroes. On the other side of the creative team we have Jim Cheung (my Close Second pick for favorite artist) who is doing the best work of his career on this book. From the amazing, detailed costume designs, some of the best I’ve seen in ages, to the blow out fight scenes, to the more subtle moments of character interaction, this is probably one of the best drawn books coming out of Marvel at the moment.

Just before the books debut, when it was revealed that the lineup would be teenage characters patterned after the original Avengers, many people assumed it would be Marvel’s version of the Teen Titans, nothing more that a cheap imitation, a poorly written rip-off. That kind of talk has quickly fallen by the wayside as the book has met with some critical acclaim and consistently sells neck and neck with Teen Titans. Personally, while I am a fan of the Teen Titans, I think Young Avengers is by far the better book. But don’t take my word for it. Go buy it and see for yourself.

Unfortunately in order to allow Jim Cheung to catch up on the book there will be a slight delay in shipping with the next regular issue of the series, Young Avengers #10, set to ship in February of 2006. In the meantime the secret history of the team and how they were gathered will be revealed in the Young Avengers Special #1, due for release this week. Heinberg writes the Special which features art by a number of big names including Neal Adams, Pasqual Ferry, Jae Lee and Gene Ha!

A Close Second - Fell

Fell, an experiment in awesomeness! Warren Ellis’ Fell is about Richard Fell, a successful young homicide detective who, for reasons as yet unrevealed, finds himself transferred out of the big city and across the bridge into the hellhole called Snowtown. The city is, also known as Feral City, is on the decline, a dark and twisted collapsing urban area full of horrible crimes and horrible people. Even the town’s police department, consisting of three and a half detectives (one has no legs), has given up on Snowtown, content to merely pass the time getting drunk and pretending to be busy.

While the story and characters in this book are great and completely engaging, it’s the format of the book that most impresses me. Each issue is 24 pages long, 16 pages of full color story plus several pages of supplements like sketches, script pages, etc. Each issue is self-contained, much like an episode of your favorite TV drama. And each issue is only $1.99. Better than the cheap price (due to the low page count) is the fact that you’d never know each story was only 16 pages long. Ellis and Ben Templesmith, the books artist, have adapted a style of super-compressed storytelling, fitting around seven to nine panels of art on each page.

This is absolutely one of the coolest, and without a doubt the cheapest, comics on the shelf right now. It’s a quirky, dark and twisted cop drama the way only Ellis could write with some damn fine, and equally dark and twisted, artwork by Templesmith. And at just $1.99 how could you pass it up?

Fell is a monthly comic published by Image Comics. Warren Ellis writes lots of great comics.
Ben Templesmith is a pretty damn busy artist by the looks of it.

Favorite Continuing Series of 2005 - Y: The Last Man

Since my introduction to Garth Ennis' Preacher when I was just sixteen, there has always been at least one ongoing Vertigo title that tops my list of favorite series every year. First, as I said before, was Preacher, followed closely by Transmetropolitan, Hellblazer, Swamp Thing Vol. 3 and now, Y: The Last Man. One of the best things about most ongoing Vertigo series is that they are finite. There is a definite beginning, middle and end, usually over the span of about 5 years. You don’t have to worry about the series dragging on for years and years, meandering through stupid pointless filler in order to keep the series alive.

Unfortunately even some of my favorite Vertigo series have had low points, times where it seemed that the book would never be as good as it was. Preacher hit this point somewhere in the middle but came roaring back in the end. Transmetropolitan sort of fell apart towards the end, but still managed to finish strong. Hellblazer, the longest running Vertigo title, has had its ups and down and the quality of the book depends upon who is writing it. Paul Jenkins still holds his place as my favorite writer on that particular book, though Garth Ennis’ run is a close second. Swamp Thing Vol. 3, written by
Brian K. Vaughan and starring Tefe, the daughter of the original Swamp Thing, never even had a chance to hit a low point as it was cancelled after only 20 issues.

Wait, what was the point of all that? Oh yeah! Y: The Last Man seems like the exception to the rule. Over its 40 plus issue run the series has seen its ups and downs but has yet to hit anything that I would call a slump. Y: The Last Man tells the story of one Yorick Brown, the last man on earth, as he treks across the United States and the world in search of his fiancée and, if he has time, the answer as to why all the men on earth died. One would think that after a few story-arcs, Brian K. Vaughan (of the aforementioned Swamp Thing Vol. 3) would run out of interesting stories to tell about the last man on earth and the women he encounters along the way.

But no, he continues to write a surprising, unique and amazingly honest portrayal of how the world would be affected by this devastating event. This book continually shocks me with its cliffhanger endings and curve-ball beginnings. It makes me smile with its humor in the face of the most serious situations. And it makes me think about what it means to be a man. There aren’t many comics that reach this level of quality month after month and I honestly hope that the series keeps it up all the way to the end.

Currently the first 36 issues of Y: The Last Man are available in trade paperback collections. Brian K. Vaughan has confirmed that the series will end with issue 60 which should hit shelves sometime in 2007, five years after its premiere. New Line Cinema has optioned the movie rights for the book. Meanwhile Vaughan writes numerous titles for both DC and Marvel Comics including Ex Machina, Runaways and Ultimate X-Men.

A Close Second – The Walking Dead/Invincible (tie)

Yes, Robert Kirkman writes both series. They’re also both published by Image Comics. That’s pretty much where the similarities end, aside from the fact that they’re both crazy awesome comics.

Invincible stars Mark Grayson, son of the world’s greatest superhero Omni-man. Upon discovering that, like his father, he has incredible powers Mark takes to the skies as Invincible. Yeah, it’s pretty standard stuff so far, but there’s nothing wrong with that as it’s probably one of the best-written, straight-up superhero stories on the stands. But WHAM… just like a punch to the face Kirkman pulls the rug out from under you (no, I won’t give away the surprise just in case there’s still a few of you who don’t know) leaving you reeling from shock after shock, with the sneaking suspicion that nothing in this book is ever as it seems and things can change in an instant. This book has the advantage of not having a status quo or market share to live up to, instantly separating it from most standard superhero books because anything can happen to anyone at anytime and you’ll never see it coming.

On the other end of the spectrum is Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, an action/drama/soap opera revolving around a group of survivors in a world where zombies outnumber the living. Being a fan of zombie movies I can’t help but love this book. It blends all the best elements that make zombie movies great into one continuous dramatic story that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride month after month. Mixed in with the utter brutality of just trying to stay alive are moments of real humanity and tenderness, which is usually followed by another mind-blowing moment of hysteria, violence and bloodshed. No one is safe in this book and as characters come and go and situations go from bad to worse only one thing is certain – these people are all well and truly screwed.

Both Invincible and Walking Dead have been collected into numerous trade paperbacks. Invincible has been optioned as a movie by Paramount, with Kirkman writing the screenplay. Kirkman also writes for Marvel Comics on Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Zombies. He will take over as the regular writer on Ultimate X-Men starting with issue 66.

Favorite Collection of 2005 -
Street Angel Volume One: The Princess of Poverty

Street Angel is one of the best independent comics I’ve ever read. When it was collected into a single edition earlier this year it became one of the best collections I’ve ever seen. The book comes complete with a great intro by Evan Dorkin, awesome chapter illustrations featuring the Angel fighting a deadly squid in a variety of settings, all five-issues of the brilliant comic, 18 pages of extra stories, a cover gallery featuring published and unpublished covers, a beautiful sketchbook section, a huge gallery of pin-ups by tons of great independent artists, hilarious character bios, all wrapped in a an eye-catching wraparound cover. I could pour through this collection for hours and never get bored. And I have. And I’ll continue to do so until the cover falls off and I have to buy a new one.

Both Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca, creators of the series, have said that Street Angel will return. Until then they will keep themselves busy on a variety of projects both inside and outside the industry.

A Close Second – None… at least none I can think of. Most collections I read this year didn’t come close to having the amount of kick-ass extra material that Street Angel Volume One had. Of course the 500-page Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Absolute Edition looked pretty damn cool, but I didn’t buy that one so… there you go.

Favorite Moment of 2005 -
The Return of Earth-2 Superman in Infinite Crisis #1

It’s a moment I’ve been dreaming of since I was just a boy. I read the entire run of Crisis on Infinite Earths, a Christmas gift from my parents, in one sitting, a Beatles CD playing over and over in the background. And it was the entire run, not a collection mind you, but the actual individual issues. I poured over those books, marveling at the impossibly detailed artwork of George Perez, the amazing feats of heroism, the sacrifices, the tremendous acts of impossible willpower and some of the most mind bendingly cosmic science fiction ideas I’ve ever witnessed. That book was the one that opened my eyes to how truly epic comic books could be and how you could do anything, absolutely anything you wanted to, no matter how big or small the idea. It was also the first time I started plotting out my own stories, one that spun from the ending of Crisis on Infinite Earths, a story I called Crisis 2 that featured the return of Superboy and the Earth-2 Superman who disappeared into another dimension with Alexander Luthor and Lois Lane in issue 12.

So when, on the very last page of Infinite Crisis #1, the Superman from Earth-2 came smashing through the dimensional barriers and straight towards me, with Superboy from Earth-Prime, Alexander Luthor from Earth-3 and the Earth-2 Superman’s wife, Lois Lane all gathered behind him I felt my heart skip a beat. For anyone who went gaga over the announcement that George Lucas was going to shoot three prequels to the original Star Wars trilogy you should know how I felt seeing these characters return. Perhaps it sounds stupid but it’s like a chapter in my life as a comic book fan has finally come to an end.

We’ll see if, over the four remaining issues of the series, Infinite Crisis will live up to the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. It certainly has the potential, with epic overtones, a cosmic battlefield and plenty of twists and turns. But when all is said and done, as powerful and influential as I think this series will be, I don’t it’s possible that it will ever be as cool or influential as the original Crisis on Infinite Earths was to me. But with that one moment at the end of the first issue, Geoff Johns was certainly able to stir those feelings of wonder and inspiration once again.

Infinite Crisis is probably the biggest event to hit DC Comics since the original Crisis On Infinite Earths was published twenty years ago. Whether the Multiverse, and concepts like Earth-1, Earth-2, etc., will reemerge by the end of the series has yet to be seen but there are definitely some big changes in store for the DC Universe. At the end of the series all of the DC Universe titles will jump ahead one year in an event called, appropriately, One Year Later. DC has promised that the DC Universe, its characters and situations, will be substantially different as a result of the one-year jump.

A Close Second – Uh, I don’t know… that one time that dude in tights punched that other dude? Oh, wait I got one! Superman’s Origin in All-Star Superman #1!!

Think I’ve just about talked this book to death but the one-page, four-panel, eight-word recap of Superman’s oft-repeated origin is probably as close to a perfect and definitive origin of the Man of Steel you ever will see. It sets the tone for what I’m betting will be one of my favorite books next year. I guarantee.

All-Star Superman… wheee! It’s good stuff, go buy it!


Well, that’s it. Hope everyone enjoyed the last few installments of The Bum’s Rush. I took quite a bit of soul-searching, not to mention the drinking, to figure out my various favorite things about comics this year. And looking back in a few months I’ll probably remember one or two things that shoulda been included but weren’t. It’s a little hard to recall all the best comics from an entire year, especially when you’ve got a memory that’s as unreliable as mine. I can’t even remember what I had for dinner last night. But, like most things in my life, I managed to muddle through and fake like I know what the hell I’m doing, well enough to fool a couple people at least. But seriously, hit me back and let me know what you thought of my little list. Agree? Disagree? Violently disagree? Just remember, I let Dana open any and all packages that tick.

Quick Bits

Warning! Nothing you read here in Quick Bits should be considered FACT until it actually happens. Which it might not. How do you know I’m not just making all this crap up? I could, you know. You’ve been warned

1. It’s been announced that best-selling author and writer of Identity Crisis, Brad Meltzer will be the writer of a brand new Justice League of America series. He will be joined by artist Ed Benes and will stay on the book for at least a year. The current series, JLA, will wrap up in February with issue 125.
2. The official site for the movie adaptation of Frank Miller’s 300 is up. Look’s pretty promising.
3. Although I’m not really interested in Marvel’s upcoming Annihilation event, which brings together some of the company’s most famous cosmic characters, I am kinda jazzed about the Nova one-shot that’s being released as part of the event. I’ve been a fan of Nova since I first read New Warriors years and years ago. Plus Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are writing the issue with art by the brilliant Kev Walker.
4. DC’s weekly series 52 will debut one week after the conclusion of Infinite Crisis and will feature several cool surprises including John Henry Irons returning as Steel. Throughout the 52 issues of the series there will be six main storylines, each of which will crossover at various points. Each issue of the book will also include backup stories starting with the ten-part History of the DC Universe.
5. There will also be a couple of Infinite Crisis Aftermath mini-series. One will be Battle for Bludhaven and the other will be The Spectre: Dead Again. Both series will wrap up the few loose ends remaining after Infinite Crisis.
6. Frank Miller has said that he is hoping to do at least five Sin City movies which will cover all of his graphic novels.
7. Neal Adams will be drawing a six-issues of a Batman series!
8. Brian K. Vaughan will write a Runaways/X-Men one-shot for Free Comic Book Day, with art by Seth Fisher.
9. Catwoman’s pregnant.
10. I almost completely forgot about this one but Punisher: The Tyger is supposed to ship this week! Not only do I really love what Ennis has done with the Punisher since the title was moved to Marvel’s MAX (mature readers) imprint but this one-shot is drawn by the might John Severin! Severin is a complete badass who has been drawing comics since the late 40’s and can still draw circles around 90% of the artists in the industry today. Unfortunately, though I’ve read in several places that it’s supposed to ship on Dec. 29th, I can no longer find any reference to the book on either Marvel’s website or on Diamond Comic Distributors shipping lists. Man, I really hope this book comes out. I love me some John Severin. Whoa, UPDATE! I just read a list of shipping changes and the book is now scheduled for the end of January. Damn… well at least it’s still coming out. Did I mention my love of Johnny “Badass” Severin?
11. I need to pay more attention to those shipping changes lists.

NEXT WEEK: It’s the dawn of a brand new year and I… won’t be here. Starting next week, and continuing throughout the month of January, we’ll be switching things up a little here at Ye Olde Stumblebum Studios. Most of the crew will be rotating around the site, tackling another crewmate’s article each week. So next week I will be doing my level best to destroy the fine work that Dave Sherrill has done with his
Sucker Punch Spotlight article while The Weigh In’s Dana Place will be right here, probably badmouthing me and spilling all my dirty little secrets. It should be a fine and glorious mess.


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