Top of the Pile: September 2014
Welcome back to Top of the Pile! Every month, the staff of Comic Vine picks out their top 5 books for the month and we present it to you in this super-rad package. A lot happened in the past month, including a whole bunch of books from the future from DC. Let's get right down to business!
Tony's Picks
Spider-Gwen. What is it about this alternate version of Gwen that has won over so many? The death of Gwen Stacy was a tragic event in Spider-Man’s life. For those that read it along with the other comics from that period, it left a mark. Seeing her back and alive is wonderful and a little strange. There are those that say having her in this role negates the impact of her death as she’s one of the few that have remained dead in comics. Since this is an alternate universe version, plus the fact that Jackal has created clones of Gwen over the years, this is a way to see another version of a character we loved. Jason LaTour did a great job setting up this ‘new’ character and her world. Robbi Rodriguez’s designs are…amazing. This is a character that we can’t help but want to see more of.
Even though this is a comic about a group of kids being trained to be assassins and they’ve all done some pretty bad things, it still has a certain charm. Rick Remender and Wes Craig are giving us a teenage, coming of age, story set in the 80s but with a dark twist.
A lot happened in the first arc and it’s neat to see a series show the passing of real time and have the affects and consequences of events seen in the continued story. It’s not a bright and cheerful story. It’s a little far fetched at times but it still has a slightly real feeling to it. Mostly because of the characters and how they react to the normal little things. This is a series I really look forward to each month.
The FUTURES END one-shots weren’t exactly my thing. There were some fun and interesting stories that allowed us to see possible futures but many of them were pretty much all dark and dreary. They didn’t give much hope to the future of the characters or the DC Universe as a whole. The BATGIRL one-shot was a different story. As Gail Simone’s final issue of the series, it allowed her to show us everything that could happen and who Barbara Gordon could become. Seeing her evolution, downfall, and transformation was a fantastic story. The addition of seeing certain future Batgirls was the icing on the cake. It was a rare instance in all the FUTURES END books where you actually want to see the future elements incorporated into the modern day stories.
Like many, I’ve been bummed over the delays. As much as I’ve always dug Kate Bishop from when she was first introduced, I’ve always preferred the Clint Barton stories more in this series. With Kate getting the focus in this issue, I was a little lukewarm to it. Then I read it.
Silly me for doubting the series I’ve been enjoying. Matt Fraction and Annie Wu did a wonderful job with Kate in the center of the action. It might have been a little too cutesy at times but it was a firm reminder why we keep wanting more with each issue.
There was a lot of fear and trepidation over this issue. We’ve been loving what Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey were doing but they had always set out to only do the first six issues. With a new creative team coming on, what could we expect?
This issue shows Marvel thought about things carefully. Brian Wood and Greg Smallwood jump in and made a seamless transition. Having Jordie Bellaire stay on with colors was a big help as well to allow the book to maintain the same feel it had before. The story was exactly what we would expect from this current rendition of Moon Knight and having a tie to the previous issue cranked up the interest factor as well.
Mat's Picks
GHOSTED is currently my favorite on-going series and it's been that way for a bit. It's just a really fun book with a lot of elements that I'd normally love like ghost stories and heist films. Both the art and writing art fantastic and overall, it never lets me down. This newer story line has Jackson chasing after Trick's son, who is granting people death wishes Once said people die, they get to haunt someone. It's a really cool idea but this issue in particular does something pretty cool. Writer Joshua Williamson builds on the occult underground, while also tying things back to issue #11. The world of the occult opens up here and there's still a ton of mystery about the world and Jackson to keep readers invested. However, you can't just jump on all willy-nilly. This is a series you have to read from the start.
While this was a great issue, it was completely bitter-sweet. This was the last issue of CLONE, a series I grew extremely fond of since the beginning. It was ended in a bit of a rush, since the last issue here opens up a new story line, but overall, it was one hell of a read. Jose Juan Ryp's art is fantastic throughout the issue and I'll still never understand how he got all those issues out on time with the amount of detail he packs into each panel. The worst part about all of this is that I'm really excited for the next issue, which will never come around. Oh well. I miss you already, CLONE.
BATGIRL: FUTURES END
Futures End month was a mixed bag of both good and bad issue. The Futures End issue of BATGIRL really stuck out for me though. It was an issue that really didn't tie too much into the weekly series, but it offered a cool glimpse into what the future would look like for Batgirl and more importantly, it was an incredibly fun issue. It's easy to say that this was the best of the month long event, and nothing is cooler than the outfit Batgirl wears which was a mixture of Bane and Batgirl. It's a wonderful end to Gail Simone's time with the character. And while a new creative team is on the horizon, Simone is my Batgirl writer.
ARMOR HUNTERS #4/X-O MANOWAR #29
As far as summer events go, I've been let down way too many times. They always start strong, but end incredibly week. Well, not always, but you get the picture. Valiant had another venture into the world of summer events with ARMOR HUNTERS, and it was all based around my favorite Valiant character: X-O Manowar. The final issue of Armor Hunters, along with X-O MANOWAR #29, offers a fantastic closing to this story that is filled with thrills and questions. What happens next is at the front of my mind. On their own, both of these issues are good, but read back-to-back, it's downright amazing. Robert Venditti has done a spectacular job with this character and I can't wait to see where it goes next.
THE LIFE AFTER has this special place in my heart and this issue was my favorite. Jude has been trapped in what he thinks is Purgatory for suicides and only he and Ernest Hemingway a free-willed, but a ton of info is released in this issue, including who Jude actually is. Joshua Hale Fialkov has this brilliant way of taking some dark material and making it light-hearted and a bit "feel good." Plus, God is a floating blob, which I got a kick out of. Gabo does some awesome art in this book that lightens up the book but gives it a distinctive feel. The more I think about this book and series, the more I love it. Like I said, it has a special place in my heart, and I'm a huge sucker for books about the afterlife written by people named Joshua.
Honorable Mention: NAILBITER #5, EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE #2
Gregg's Picks
Co-writers Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn continue to do great stuff with Deadpool (okay, maybe the last story was a little weak), but this issue? It really is something special. The two have created a reading experience that's both hilarious and heartbreaking; action-packed and character-driven. The balancing job they did with this script is stunningly impressive and it's without question the most entertaining comic I read all month. Oh, and then there's Mike Hawthorne's astonishingly fitting artwork. His character work will make you burst into laughter one minute and then make you feel sympathy for Wade the very next minute. I pity the fool who's not reading Deadpool. But seriously, it's a can't miss for Wade Wilson fans.
And so ends Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino's excellent Green Arrow story. Even if you have no idea what's going on with Futures End, this is still a totally satisfying comic. As expected, it's gripping, embraces the mythos they've established, and has shockingly good artwork (like you expected anything less from Sorrentino, right?). It feels like the creative team's way of saying goodbye to Oliver and the supporting cast they've given him. I can't forget to mention that DC's coolest mercenary (that's a fact, not an opinion) finally appears in the series! Thanks for the great ride, Lemire and Sorrentino!
All good things must come to an end. Unfortunately, it feels like Ghostbusters came to an end far too soon, but at least it left us after such an exceptional story! Mass Hysteria! is basically a love letter to the franchise and feels like what the third movie could have been. It's hilarious, exciting, full of spectacular visuals, and did a great job reeling us into the Ghostbusters' crazy world. The ending may feel a tad rushed, but it's touching and includes several pages that explain what happens next for the cast. And the story's final page? Pure fan service! You need to buy Mass Hysteria! if you've liked the Ghostbusters at any point in your life.
Justin Jordan and Kyle Strahm's SPREAD is easily one of my favorite new titles. The horror's disturbingly effective and every issue explores this twisted world while moving both the characters and plot forward. All three chapters have had me completely immersed, but this third chapter is debatably the strongest yet. It meshes together so many genres so well and the end result is a chapter that's fascinating, frightening, and even funny. I could continue to call this "The Thing meets The Last of Us," but I'd much rather say it's a totally gripping horror-adventure that you should really check out.
Many of Wolverine's modern stories haven't been very memorable. SAVAGE WOLVERINE had some fun stuff and OLD MAN LOGAN was brilliant, but nothing else immediately jumps to mind and the latest run went overboard with trying to humanize Wolverine. DEATH OF WOLVERINE, however, is doing an amazing job staying true to the character while also crafting an engaging story. Charles Soule really has impressed me with how well he's handling Wolverine. He shows Logan's not just a drooling and stupid beast. His version of the character is wise, honorable and caring, but vicious when he needs to be. Soule writes both sides superbly and this first chapter really won me over. And, if you've read OLD MAN LOGAN, then you know Steve McNiven's a ridiculously good artist and it should come as no surprise that he once again does great work with everything that Soule packs into the script.
Honorable Mentions: The PUNISHER 10
Corey's Picks
After last issue's jaw-dropping finale, I could scarcely think of a follow-up I was more highly anticipating than this one and Jonathan Hickman somehow managed to meet that expectation. Not only do we get an explanation of what Dr. Doom has been up to since Namor decided to go ENTIRELY off the ranch and recruit his own world-killers, we get to see just what that deranged group has been up to. Including an actually, incredibly disturbing scene of Thanos getting a whole new enjoyment out of death. All of this being brought to the page by Valerio Schiti, particularly with Namor, makes this the can't-miss issue for both Marvel fans and fans of weird, dark sci-fi.
The kinds of things that Purple Man does has experienced a rightful renaissance of discussion in comic books, and I'm not JUST talking about what he in particular does. This issue directly deals with the consequences of those actions, but since we've got Mark Waid writing, we get a lot of fun from Daredevil's side of things. His trip to the zoo with Kirsten MacDuffie is some of the best storytelling that old Hornhead's gotten in recent years. We get Chris Samnee's take on the events, and while there's plenty of whimsy to be had with Murdock, the potential that's set up is equal parts intriguing and absolutely horrifying.
Not just because it's the return of one of my favorite Batman villains, and not just because his return is under an incredible cast of talented creators, but because those creators have found a way to make a weekly title WORK. And work well with compelling storylines that, while they occasionally falter, are generally, fantastically entertaining. This issue, in particular, fills in a couple of the biggest gaps in what did or did not happen in Batman's New-52 and they're not pulling any punches. I suppose all I really need to say to sell this is: Scott Snyder's Hush. If that doesn't get you excited about this series in general, then I have no idea what will.
This issue's an interesting conundrum because, while it ties into a much larger event comic, it's actually a totally workable entry in the universe of Spider-Man: Noir. An entry that I honestly hope we get some follow-up on as we're introduced to Mysterio before, of course, things go sideways. The fact that we had the original series writers return likely was a huge part of that, and if it wasn't then artist Richard Isanove, who has some experience in alternate-universe tales, sealed the deal. I'm not going to say that I'm disappointed that this led into a larger event, I'll just say that it's the perfect beginning for a revival of the Noir series, at least where Spider-Man's involved.
MULTIVERSITY: THE SOCIETY OF SUPER-HEROES: THE CONQUERORS OF THE COUNTER-WORLD #1
How can any title with THAT many subtitles and colons be anything but amazing?! I was never a huge fan of pulp comics in actuality, but I wind up loving a great many of the modern interpretations of them, so leave it to Grant Morrison to interpret one of them in the most entertaining way possible. The fact that Doctor Fate is called, quite literally "Doc Fate" tells you everything you need to know about this smash-mouth, swashbuckling adventure comic showing us another facet of the multiverse. Much like my #4 entry, I'd love to see more out of this world, but this is an incredibly solid foundation and an amazing one-shot from a universe we likely won't, but I secretly hope we haven't, see more of.
There you have it! Those are the books from September we loved the best. Let us know what your top five books of September were in the comment section below and we'll see you guys next month!
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