On Bendis's departure for DC

Brian Michael Bendis has been one of Marvel's central creators for 15 years. His departure today for DC comics represents a massive shift in creative talent to DC. Locking up Tom King to an exclusive and putting him on Batman while simultaneously moving Marvel's most consistent writer of the last 20 years to the competition is nothing short of a coup. While Bendis's books no longer perform like they did when he was taking on Avengers, he's still writing top books, like Defenders (with David Marquez), Jessica Jones (a personal favorite), two Iron-Man books (including the new Ironheart character, RiRi Williams) and the Miles Morales Spider-Man book. His books have driven the Marvel U. for an entire generation and he's irreplaceable.

That said, who will replace him? LOL. Donny Cates is a nice little splash, and his new Doctor Strange and Thanos arcs have been well-received, but Marvel will need a big name to come back and grab headlines. DC has dominated the virtuous news cycle this year with the Bendis hiring and the success of Metal and the Wonder Woman films overshadowing poor performance by the JLA film and family of books. I have 3 ideas:

1) Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely return to the X-Men: The current X-Men books are horrible. I'm not sure I buy the conspiracy that Marvel is tanking to hurt Fox or whatever, but that's all over as soon as federal regulators approve the sale of Fox to Disney. Expect big news in the X-family soon. Morrison is the kind of guy that brings a stable of fans. His X-Men run was the last well-received core X-book, and I'm sure that the offices at Marvel are contacting him to see if he'll come back. I love the idea. If accompanied by Quitely art, this book will be number one for as long as it wants to be.

2) Jonathan Hickman returns to Fantastic Four: The FF will be back. We know that the plans are in the works since Marvel 2-in-1 featuring Ben and Johnny just came out in December. It's only a matter of time before the first family of Marvel returns. I suspect Hickman, who continually says he isn't working on superhero books, will be their target. He wrote the best Fantastic Four since Stan and Kirby. It only makes sense that he'd be the person to breathe new life into this product for the inevitable Marvel film relaunch. One other FF idea: Warren Ellis. He wrote the Ultimate FF (and Planetary, an all-world FF tribute book), creating the incredible villainous Reed Richards now haunting the Marvel U. Ellis and start artist could be splashy.

3) Brian K. Vaughn on anything, Runaways: He has a huge name that transcends the medium. His best Marvel book is currently a hit show on Hulu but being written by a total schmuck in the current Marvel U. Getting Vaughn to create a new property for Marvel would be tough, but allowing him to write a year or two of a premium property could be attention grabbing. He'd do well on Miles or Iron Man, I think, both books being abandoned by Bendis.

That leads into another question. Who can take over some of the Bendis books? Defenders I assume is just over and done. He'll wrap it and it'll never be heard from in this incarnation again. Too bad, it's a solid product. But other things like Jessica Jones and Miles Morales, not to mention Iron Man, aren't just books Marvel can easily walk away from. Jones is back by demand because of the success of the Netflix property, Miles is in cartoons and about to be in a feature length cartoon film, meaning they need to keep the books in production. Iron Man is a core Marvel character that isn't that easy to write but is sufficiently high profile that leaving it out of the lineup would be a mistake. I'm not sure there are great answers to some of these, especially JJ who has literally never been written by anyone but Bendis, but it'll be a core question for Marvel to grapple with moving forward.

Finally, what will Bendis be doing for DC? I've seen a lot of speculation on this ranging from the obviously wrong (Batman) to the truly insane (it's a secret Marvel/DC crossover and he's bringing some of Marvel's properties with him, like Jessica Jones and Luke Cage), but others seem highly plausible. I think the most obvious is Teen Titans. Bendis has shown a real penchant for writing teen characters and giving gravitas to their drama while telling big, high-octane stories. That's Teen Titans. He's a perfect fit. From a market standpoint, JLA might be the best idea. It's performing terribly for DC, only getting worse because of the bad movie, and should be their flagship. Bendis has written the core team book for a company more than once with Avengers, Guardians, and X-Men all under his belt. JLA would be in his wheelhouse. If DC is playing to their strengths, there's a lot of interest in Wonder Woman at the moment and Greg Rucka's run on that book just ended to be replaced by no one of note. Having a high-profile writer on the book that represents your best film in 10 years is a good idea and would make sense. He's demonstrated a penchant for writing badass women, but Jessica Jones is also as far from Diana Prince as a woman could be.

If I'm writing a wishlist, I'd say Catwoman. I loved the Brubaker and Cooke (RIP) run on this book 10 years ago, but it's been a dumpster fire since. Bendis would be a solid fit for a too-clever-by-half Selina Kyle. Legion would be pretty high up there, maybe including a reborn Connor Kent as a Superboy and the Legion title. It's a lot like Teen Titans, but not as trite because there have been like 20 good Legion comics written in the last 40 years. It's a big sandbox for Bendis to play in. One downside: his cosmic stuff at Marvel was not his best. He's a bit better on the ground. A revival of Gotham Central would be my last wishlist book. I loved the Brubaker and Rucka book and Bendis could do similarly intricate, gritty stories of the insides of Gotham politics and the shield. If anyone could follow up that run, it'd be him. Probably not a big enough seller to get him on it though.

Keep in mind that DC is doing this push for new stories and new characters right now. It's entirely possible Bendis is just doing something totally new for them and we have no idea what we're speculating on at all. At any rate, it's going to be a wild ride. How Marvel adjusts to his departure and how DC uses him going forward are all interesting questions to ponder and debate today.

Top 10 comics of 2017

I haven’t blogged comics in a long time. Sorry about the two-year break, but life interferes sometimes. A lot has changed in comics, from diversity backlash to Bendis switching teams, but the creators in my top ten will look very similar. Of course, there are some new faces and a bit of rearranging, but a lot of the folks that were making great comics in 2015 are making great books now too.

A quick note on some books that didn’t make the cut, and some of the rationale for why:

A.D.: After Death: This is an excellent book, surely one of the best works to come out of the previous year, but I left it off because it feels like a graphic novel more than a comic book, so I feel like it fits that category better. If I had included it, it would be top 5. Honestly, this is the best book Scott Snyder has ever written, and his collaboration with Jeff Lemire (who’s nothing like Greg Capullo or Raphael Albuquerque, his typical co-creators) feels natural and well-executed. It’s an interesting ditty on the downsides to immortality and what makes the finitude of humanity an essential aspect of us. It’s good. You should definitely read it.

Royal City: Another Lemire book (both written and illustrated). This is more traditional Lemire telling heartfelt stories of personal loss and growth with a mildly out-of-body twist. It feels like the books that got him noticed (Essex County, for instance). It’s set in the early 90’s, so the music (a huge element of the book; it’s accompanied by a playlist for each issue) really hit home with me. The book tells the story of a family, their secrets, and the lies that tore them apart. Lemire’s ability to go back and forth from superhero fare to these incredibly personal, moving stories is what sets him apart from the competition in comic today.

Thanos: Jeff Lemire started this book and his run on the comic ended this year with some great moments. But the story today is about Old King Thanos, Cosmic Ghost Rider, and the new kid on the block, writer Donny Cates. This won’t be the last time you hear about Cates on this post; he wrote a top 10 indie yarn that’s one for the ages. But Thanos (and Doctor Strange which he took over from elite Marvel architect Jason Aaron) is probably the book that requires the highest level of creativity to execute well. Villain-led books aren’t often world beaters in story quality, but Donnie found the one character with enough gravitas to hold the page with Death’s scion: an older, wiser, Thanos, full of regret and ready to right the wrongs of his youth. Only a few issues in, it’s the talk of the industry and internet.

Some near misses. Some books worthy of note that didn’t make the cut for one reason or another. But not, without further ado, the list:

10. Saga: Anyone that tells you they just don’t like Saga is a hipster. The expansive space opera of Brian K. Vaughn (Runaways, Y: The Last Man) is a bit of a Rorschach test: there’s something in it for everyone. Tons of characters, well-developed, with personality and life, give every reader something to grab on to and enjoy and they do it without pandering. When they introduce an adorable walrus alien with a spear, he doesn’t sit around doing adorable walrus things (*cough* porg *cough*), he has to confront existential dilemmas and resolve core questions about friendship. Fiona Staples has only gotten better as the book has gone on, never falling prey to the “phoning it in” problem that some artists do after spending years on one book. In my estimation, the book languished a bit the last couple of years and had a breakout year in 2017. It’s on the rise.

9. God Country: The next person up at Marvel, Donny Cates, started the year off with what felt like a personal story of sword of sorcery, set in the American Southwest. An elderly man dying of Alzheimer’s is bestowed great power, and a new lease on life and family, by a god’s weapon, the essence of all swords. The story navigates themes of heroism, sacrifice, and what it means to let go while telling an enchanting story featuring great battles and hideous monsters. Much like The Preacher, I regret that this book takes place in Texas, but it probably couldn’t happen anywhere else. Cates book was such a hit he was quickly signed to a contract with Marvel, took over two moderately successful books from top creators, and will be conducting what I believe is the company’s first ever Doctor Strange-oriented cross-over in the Spring. He’s a creator to watch.

8. Black Monday Murders: Jonathan Hickman has taken a breather. He deserves it. The primary architect of the Marvel universe for around five years, Hickman pulled back after Secret Wars and has “retired” from superhero books. His first new indie project at Image, Black Monday Murders, mixes financial intrigue and the occult in a way that is simultaneously disconcerting and entrancing. Expertly illustrated by Tomm Coker, the book is moody, getting under your skin with unspeakable atrocities and shadowy figures. The narrative isn’t central, but the pulp gumshoe element of the story harkens to Cthulhu stories past while simultaneously saying something about the fiction and horror of modern capitalism. The interrogation scene (issue 3? 4?) was my favorite single comic book of the year. A true masterpiece.

7. The Old Guard: Greg Rucka. Leandro Fernandez. Dream team. This book starts off a bit slow but by the time you realize there’s a double-cross, there’s two more triple-crosses and the story is already blowing your mind. A story of intrigue, betrayal, and timeless kinship told in a high-octane yenvironment, this book begs to be made into a summer blockbuster. Fernandez art is next level, really demonstrating both energy and movement and retaining human emotion at once, his best work to date. Rucka is, as always, telling an intricate story but never forgetting the moments that really humanize characters. The Lazarus hiatus is regrettable, but if you’re looking for a substitute, pick this one up.

6. Mighty Thor: Thor comes down from its loftiest heights at the top of this list, but retains an elite position through staying true to itself but continually finding new angles to define the world of Asgard. To start, Jane Foster is an incredible Thor. She’s nothing like the Odinson in many ways, but she is every bit the hero he has been, and her fresh-faced approach to interacting with Asgard, the rest of the Realms, and even the Odinson himself has breathed new life into a book that desperately needed it. I love mythology, but will admit that but for a few Simonson books I’d picked up here and there, Thor was universally boring outside of the Avengers. Foster’s Thor provides a perspective shift that makes the book not just idiosyncratic, but must-read material. Jason Aaron’s Thor will be considered the defining run on a character that has been around 50 years in comics. That’s quite an impressive feat. This year featured the god challenges, more of the War of the Realms with Loki and Malekith continuing their assault on elves and dwarves, and the War Thor – a compelling take on a long-time Thor side character that should be read, not spoiled.

5. Deadly Class: I’m going to come clean that I’ve maybe slept on this book for too long. I’ve never blogged about it, although the writer, Rick Remender (Fear Agent, Uncanny X-Force, Tokyo Ghost), is no stranger to my praise. I don’t want to come off like some follower because I know the pilot has been shot and the shot will be on the air in the Fall. I’ve liked Deadly Class – a lot – for a long time. This book is basically about a reform school for criminals’ kids. No, not that kind of reform school. They’re reforming them to make them better at carrying on the family business. There’s an evil Mr. Miyagi-type that runs the place. There’s Breakfast Club-style cliques and archetypes (buff Russian meathead, black gangsta from LA, Jewish white-collar criminal, redneck moonshiners, Japanese yakuza ninja-type, etc.). There’s an 80’s new wave soundtrack. And there’s murders. Lots and lot of murders. This year the book follows the kids in the aftermath of their first-year final exam (“survive”) and it’s been excellent at resetting the status quo without losing the heart that made it so good in the first place.

4. Squirrel Girl: I was so resistant to this book at first. I was so wrong and I’m not afraid to admit that. Ryan North and Erica Henderson are the only two people in the world that could write and illustrate this book month-to-month and make it even ok. The concept is just…something else. But Ryan writes the book in earnest, diving headlong into its over-the-top do-goodery and tells stories that are at once hilarious, fun, and just really good comic material. I’d never have guessed the many return appearances of Kraven and Doctor Doom (or Doom Bots) would have the payoffs that they have. Deadpool’s history of the Marvel U. cards are always a favorite. The stand out issue of this year was definitely the Zine Issue, a no-filler filler between two longer arcs. In many previous years, this would be a number one book. That’s how good the top 3 titles are. You should read every single issue of Squirrel Girl as soon as you can.

3. Batman: So, I haven’t blogged about Tom King yet. That’s what happens when you’re away for two years I guess. The best recent comic book (but not in 2017) I’ve read is Marvel’s The Vision. Before its final issue came out, Tom King was signed to an exclusive with DC, given the job at their flagship title taking over the reins from legendary (but overrated) Batman creator Scott Snyder. He was also writing an incredible Vertigo book entitled the Sheriff of Babylon for Vertigo at the time, so it’s not like DC was just poaching him. But, they clearly had no idea what level of talent they had on their hands. They do now. A lot of folks would say, “Russell, what about Mister Miracle? That’s so much more heady like you typically like and it’s got the brilliant Mitch Gerads from Sheriff on art? How is Batman better?” The War of Jokes and Riddles is my favorite Batman story in a long time. It’s what was missing from the Snyder run in my estimation: a cleverly told detective story. You never see it coming. And, after that, King followed it up with the idea to get Bruce hitched to Selina, an idea so terrible it’s great. (As an aside, I have a lot of theories on where this is going, but my favorite is that Bruce, as he’s prone to doing, let’s her down in some terrible way, she becomes his worst enemy, and a new era of greatness is begun for Catwoman, one of my favorite characters since watching the 60’s show on Nick-at-Nite.) The second best single issue of the year is the most recent issue of Batman (37? 36) where Bruce and Selina double-date at the fair with Lois and Clark. It’s the top Batman issue in 20 years.

2. Kill or Be Killed: Am I crazy or did I make a deal with a demon to kill dudes? That’s the question Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips ask in their newest work. These two have now made so many top books dating back to their days on Sleeper that I’ve actually lost count. Everything they do demands attention and typically high praise. Kill or Be Killed is no exception. As usual, their book revolves around an average person forced to tough choices in extraordinary circumstances. But there are no right answers for the characters in the Bru/Phillips universe; characters fail and they fail in epic, mind-boggling ways. The central element of this book is the growing realization that the character who believes they made a deal with a demon that requires them to perform murders to satiate a curse might just be imagining the whole thing based off some childhood memories and some daddy issues. But is he doing the right thing anyway? Would he change anything if he realized he was crazy? It’s an exploration into the depth of the human psyche and what folks do when pushed to their breaking point by life’s betrayals and banality.

1. Black Hammer (& Sherlock Frankenstein): This book was the easiest number one I’ve ever settled on. It’s been many years since I’ve so anxiously awaited new issues of a comic and Lemire’s pulp superhero exploration never fails to exceed expectations. Superhero deconstructions are a dime a dozen in the era since The Watchmen and The Dark Knight, but Black Hammer feels like the next level in the evolution of that deconstruction. It takes character archetypes folks know and adjusts them not to be realistic, but to be fantastic in a new way. It’s actually hard to put a finger on what works so well about this book without knowing Jeff Lemire’s work. The characters are vibrant, life-like, but not stale regurgitations of Superman or Martian Manhunter (although those characters are there). The world-building he does in under 150 pages should be required reading for anyone writing superhero comics in the world. It’s incredible, ornate yet still mysterious. The book doesn’t read like an issue of Who’s Who, but still tells you interesting facts that establish a wider universe around the characters. The great mysteries of “What happened to Black Hammer?” And “Why are all of the superheroes trapped in a Truman Show-world?” drive a narrative that burns the pages. I won’t say I’ve never read anything like it, but I’ve hardly ever read anything better than it. It’s the best book of 2017 by far.

That’s it for the top 10 of 2017. Only 3 books by Marvel and DC combined. The balance of power in comics is shifting. I’ll be blogging about that very issue and many others in the coming month as I get caught up on lots of topics over here. Stay tuned.