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Last Active 02-16-11 5:19 am
Joined 09-02-06
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| Favorite Ongoing Comic Series
Inspired by recently filling out a Must-Read-themed March Madness bracket for my local comic shop—please, please, hold your applause and stop all that swooning—this is pretty self-explanatory, with a few runners-up rounding things out alongside my top ten ongoing comic series at the moment. Also, meanwhile, albums are what I’ve got on-deck to listen to soon. | | 15 |  | Typhoon (USA-OR)
Offerings
Runner-Up #5: Farmhand by Rob Guillory. Artist and de facto cocreator of Chew Guillory finally fully takes the reins on a series, announcing this project at the recent Image Expo. Obviously can’t cast legitimate judgement on it yet, but if it’s half as clever and visually inventive as its pedigree would indicate, this should be one to watch, and will probably end up on the proper list shortly after it debuts this Summer. | | 14 |  | Household (MN)
Time Spent
Runner-Up #4: Batman: The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder. Obviously not included since this actually came out years ago, but I’m currently working my way through it after seeing it listed on the aforementioned Must-Read bracket and being surprised I’d never heard of it. So far, so good, a very detective-work-oriented take on Gotham (fitting, since it anthologizes a run from Detective Comics), and in that way reminiscent of past greats like the Long Halloween and Year One. It also doesn’t hurt that Gordon takes center stage for several issues, another parallel to the latter. | | 13 |  | Lucy Dacus
No Burden
Runner-Up #3: Star Wars: Thrawn by Jody Houser: Only one issue deep, but it was a doozy. Marvel’s relaunch of Star Wars has been a mixed bag at best, but there have been some definite standouts like Kieron Gillen’s inaugural run on Darth Vader that prove there are still interesting and underexplored corners of this seemingly done-to-death universe. Here’s hoping this tale of Imperial Intrigue follows suit on that earlier success, in which case, it should end up climbing the ranks in a way befitting its subject. | | 12 |  | The Out Circuit
Pierce The Empire With A Sound
Monstress by Marjorie Liu: So I haven’t actually read a single word of this, but my girlfriend has threatened bodily harm if I don’t get with the program, so here we are. (Confusingly, she’s also loaned out the first two trades to a friend, so at least I have a temporary stay of corporal punishment, hence Black Mirror sneaking in there.) But in all seriousness, this is one I’m definitely looking forward to, since the cover art alone is gorgeous, and what synopses I’ve seen all seem pretty engrossing. | | 11 |  | Darlingside
Extralife
Southern Bastards by Jasons Aaron & Latour: Only misses my top ten on a technicality, since I’ve just read this in its tpb form—and given its spotty, sporadic publishing schedule, I won’t shoulder all the blame for that. Still, those first three volumes are across the board fantastic, and surprisingly empathetic, taking a pretty shopworn skeleton of a returning-to-hometown story and adding poetry aplenty right from the outset, then expanding further and further outwards to flesh out a town and cast that feels authentic and lived-in, all in a way only true personal experience can inform. Needless to say, looking forward to volume four, which I believe drops in May. | | 10 |  | maudlin of the Well
Part the Second
Seven to Eternity by Rick Remender: The first of many Remender entries, so consider yourself forewarned. This mainly falls as low as it does because it’s still so relatively new. With that said, even across its nine issues so far, the series has already pivoted pretty dramatically, spinning a yarn that has swiftly evolved from a fantasy-hybrid riff on 3:10 to Yuma into a much more complex character study that serves up Remender’s trademark onslaught of shifting sympathies and tip-of-the-iceberg worldbuilding. Not sure when it’s due back from hiatus, but it can’t come soon enough. | | 9 |  | Johann Johannsson
The Miners' Hymns
The Fix by Nick Spencer: Nicely, snugly filling the Chew-sized hole in my monthly subscription box, Spencer’s crime series is a more lighthearted work than many on this list, but still pretty dark and sharp around the edges. Informed tonally by the likes of Shane Black’s self-aware neo-noirs (as well as Spencer’s own dearly departed but tidily self-contained arc on Superior Foes of Spider-Man, for that matter), this half-silly, half-sick set of crooked cops, capers, and canines is a nice antidote to some of the more dour, dismal procedurals out there, all while still setting up genuine stakes and emotional investment in its conflicts and weirdly endearing-yet-craven characters, almost like if the Gang from It’s Always Sunny actively rather than passively decided to commit crimes. | | 8 |  | Between the Buried and Me
Automata I
The Dying and the Dead by Jonathan Hickman: The medium’s patron saint of delayed release dates, Hickman finally seems to be on course for finishing up this limited series, which debuted back in 2015(!) and has by this point genuinely spent more time on hiatus than in production. Still, time management issues aside, the Dying and the Dead has thus far been a compelling blend of dark fantasy, war story, and philosophical musing on mortality; all this, coupled with the fact that Hickman seems to know where it’s all heading over the few remaining installments, means this could very well end up standing shoulder-to-shoulder with some of his strongest short-run works like Secret and Pax Romana. | | 7 |  | Quicksand
Interiors
Low by Rick Remender: He’s back! Already! This sci-fi odyssey is set in a far future where humanity has retreated into subaqueous city-states, where the air is running out and the only hope is…optimism? On paper, that sounds a little reductive, but in Remender’s capable hands, it becomes a compelling exploration of depression, family, and survival. Enhanced again in no small part due to his dual (never dueling) knacks for developing distinctive character voices/viewpoints and immersive (or is that submersive?) worldbuilding, the story coalesces in a visually stunning, at time borderline abstract way courtesy of the painterly Greg Tocchini. If the first issue alone doesn’t stun you (“Wait, this is a book about optimism?”), you may not have a pulse. | | 6 |  | Nils Frahm
Solo
Mister Miracle by Tom King: Everything Tom King touches is gold. In fact, the one and only reason his current run on Batman isn’t on this list is that I don’t want to jump in midstream, and I’ve got so much catching up to do now that it’s intimidating. This 12-issue miniseries may not be as lengthy, but even halfway through, I can firmly attest that it suffers no shortage of density. Even those unfamiliar with the title character’s New Gods framework (::sheepishly raises hand::) should be able to appreciate the complex network of themes tackled in these pages, ranging from grief to celebrity to relationships romantic, familial, and political alike to attempted suicide (in the first issue, no less!). Then again, what else to expect from the author who turned the Omega Men, of all things, into the most incisive meditation on modern-day imperialism and insurgency this side of the Quiet American? I have every confidence the back-half will fully deliver on the promise of the first. | | 5 |  | Ezra Furman
Transangelic Exodus
Kill or Be Killed by Ed Brubaker: The reigning king of crime fiction, at least in my opinion, Brubaker is the one to beat when it comes to following flawed, believable characters through worlds of mordant humor and jarring bursts of brutal violence. Kill or Be Killed tends towards the more high-concept end of his body of work’s spectrum, what with its protagonist being hounded by a literal demon (cue: or is it?!), but Brubaker’s way with subverting crime clichés and putting believable voice to his creations (yes, even said demon) transcends these trappings and keeps everything truly relatable and realistically untidy. It may not be his strongest work—I’m personally still partial to his formative spy-story-with-superpowers Sleeper, or the Lovecraft-meets-noir of Fatale—but even slightly lesser Brubaker still beats the hell out of a lot of what’s on the shelves out there. At least until Criminal comes back again to reclaim the throne, that is. | | 4 |  | Latterman
Turn Up The Punk, We'll Be Singing
Deadly Class by Rick Remender: Surprise! I did warn you. On its surface, this is the most straightforward of Remender’s series; there are no aliens or wizards, basically just a school for teenaged assassins from a myriad of socioeconomic and ethnographic backgrounds. From this superficially simplistic launchpad, though, he manages not only to avoid easy stereotyping, but also to craft a story that is, at its core, an intensely personal and relatable illustration of the cutthroat cliques and ever-shifting social currencies (not to mention manipulative authority figures) of high school—although, really, almost any social ecosystem—here just made literal with Kalashnikovs and katanas. The plot is intricately twisty—sometimes, frankly, more recently maybe a bit too much for its own good, especially as it relates to one character (although I can see arguments either way, there)—but the cast is truly the main draw here, an ensemble of misfits and miscreants, sympathetic all. | | 3 |  | Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Luciferian Towers
East of West by Jonathan Hickman: Knock on wood, but this appears to be the rare exception to Hickman’s career-wide penchant for delaying issues and rejiggering release dates, and I’d like to think it’s because his heart is truly in this epic, expansive masterwork. It takes some getting your bearings—I personally didn’t climb fully aboard until midway through the second arc—but that’s wholly befitting this richly woven tapestry of alternate history, complete with secret cabals of parasites both political and decidedly, disgustingly literal (and deeply indebted to Cronenberg), warring nation-states, murderous AIs, Dredd-like Texas rangers, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse recast as petulant children, and Death as our ostensible hero, a stoic gunslinger with surprisingly deep wells of emotion stirring black miles beneath the surface. My hope, strange as it may sound, as that this ends sooner rather than later; I’ll be sad as hell to see it go, but would love for it to stick the landing. | | 2 |  | King Krule
The OOZ
Black Science by Rick Remender: Last one, I promise! I’m probably a bit biased here, since this is the first Remender series I tried, but damn if it didn’t get its hooks into me (clearly; things may have snowballed a bit ever since). A pulpy story of anarchist scientists butterfly-effecting the shit out of whole planets, interdimensional cataclysms, intellect-robbing evil witches, centipede death-cults, cycles of abuse, arrogance, and hardened cynicism and self-loathing calcifying and then mutating into accountability and self-actualization. Grant McKay is a protagonist for the ages, a deeply human, often tragic figure hamstrung by his own hubris and failings as a father and husband--and yet all the more relatable because of them. Scuttlebutt has it this series is wrapping soon and, as I touched on with #3, that’s bittersweet, but likely for the best; if it maintains the quality of its run so far up through that conclusion, this should end up firmly entrenched atop the comic canon. | | 1 |  | Amen Dunes
Love
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan: Big shock, this *other* space opera takes the top slot. Predictable, I know (which, sidebar: this just barely lost out in my bracket, coming second only to Watchmen; yes, I’m a cliché), but there’s a damn good reason Saga reinvigorated so many people’s interest in long-form comics, mine included. Thing is, I’m not even all that much of a BKV fanboy; I certainly liked Y: The Last Man well enough, and think the short-&-sour Pride of Baghdad deserves every bit of praise thrown its way. But I never got into any of his work for Marvel, and a lot of his other recent stuff has fallen flat for me (looking at you, We Stand on Guard; I’m mostly agnostic on Paper Girls). But something about Saga’s far-flung yet frank depictions of family, wartime, politics, generational conflict, culture clash, and literal star-crossed love won me over—and that’s just arc one. The chief strength of this universe resplendent with disparate characters, locales, and competing agendas is... | |
thecheatisnotdead
03.14.18 | [continued from above]…exactly that: its universality, the emotional resonance I can feel in near equal measure for a magical moon-dweller, or a royal-blooded robot, or an overweight homicidal bounty hunter hung up on his ex, or an animal companion with a one-word vocabulary, or…I could go on, but you hopefully get the idea. Each new nook and cranny is packed with impactful moments, and I feel no shame sharing that this series has brought me to tears multiple times (issue #42 still stings). As it crests #50, Saga shows no signs of dwindling anytime soon, truly living up to its title. A worthy bandwagon to climb aboard, if you haven’t already; just great, great stuff.
Anyway, feel free to chime in and share any thoughts, fawning compliments, bitter disagreements, and/or picks of your own, fellow nerds. | Buccaneer
03.14.18 | Kill or Be Killed is a fantastic read. It's definitely one of my faves ongoing atm. Monstress has sublime art as well and I really love the world. The only problem is, the wait between issues is so long that it's hard to keep up with the story as the world is pretty dense. I also agree with The Fix, absolutely hilarious. Probably the only comic to actually make me laugh out loud. I had to give up on Southern Bastards, wasn't feeling the story and lost interest after #5.
My fave series so far may actually be Black Monday Murders and would definitely recommend picking up the trade. It's eerie as fuck with gorgeous but disturbing art and the story is just fucking insane. I'm digging the DC Metal event, but the delays are making me lose interest. It's a shame because it started off so great. Everything legitimately looked so bleak for the cast but the delays just fizzled out the buzz.
Paper Girls is another good one, pretty nostalgic, 80's time travel romp. Redneck is pretty rad too, but that's to be expected with the awesome Donny Cates. His take on Doctor Strange and Thanos is worth a look into as well. I missed out on the first issue for Mister Miracle so I'm waiting for the trade for that. Heard it's the best comic out at the moment | Sinternet
03.14.18 | 1 is probably the best series I've ever read although i'm about two years behind - with reading comics I ten to wait a couple of years and then go through a couple of years worth of content in one binge so I'll have to get on that soon - how's it been recently? | thecheatisnotdead
03.14.18 | Haha I actually read Black Monday Murders on the regular. I dig it so far--it's Hickman, after all, so the baseline is going to be at least quite good--but I'll confess it's one that I'd consider more of a curiosity than a page-turner, at least for me (and so far). That said, I completely agree about the eerie atmosphere, and it's probably got the best artwork of all his ongoing series. I just think sometimes it's a little too dense/scattered for its own good, which can slow the momentum a bit.
I do need to get back into Paper Girls, I sort of fell off that somewhere around the third arc. Again, it was all intriguing and well-crafted, but didn't really "grab" me, if that makes sense. That said, I'm definitely about to be hypocritical here and suggest you give the second Southern Bastards collection, Gridiron a(nother?) shot, since I think that's where that book truly took flight for me. That goes double for Mister Miracle, that gets better and better with each new issue.
Also, I definitely do need to scope Redneck. I just finished God Country and loved the hell out of that book, and a friend actually recently recommended that Doctor Strange arc, too, so stars are aligning (or he paid you off, one or the other). | thecheatisnotdead
03.14.18 | @Sin: It's been remarkably consistent. A few skids here and there, but most are short-lived, and I feel like that's gonna be par for the course for any series that starts moving closer to the 100-issue mark. But so far, the ample jaw-dropping and emotionally gripping moments have vastly outweighed the odd occasional false note. | Devastator
03.14.18 | I love the current Darth Vader serious Marvel has going on. It's set in between III and IV and is basically his first steps into becoming the Vader we all know. They include some panels where they show what's going on inside his mind when he meditates and it's spectacular. | thecheatisnotdead
03.14.18 | That sounds pretty interesting. I didn't stick with Vader after Gillen left, but sounds like that's probsly worth a look. | thecheatisnotdead
03.15.18 | I also just started Days of Hate. Only two issues deep, but it's been pretty good so far. Haven't read much Ales Kot, but what I have has been a mixed bag, since it can be both a little didactic and self-...eh, not aggrandizing, exactly, but definitely self-absorbed. And the premise of Days of Hate seem perilously close to indulging the worst of those impulses. So far, though, it's been thankfully devoid of overdoing it; the story certainly isn't subtle, but then, neither is its historical context. May very well end up on my pull list. | Buccaneer
03.15.18 | I get what you're saying about Black Monday Murders. I just find it so captivating, the way it's formatted with the weird symbols and imagery. It just feels like I'm reading something monumental and that big evil things are about to kick off. I'll give the second Southern Bastards arc a go, once the trade comes out. I've heard good stuff so I'll give it another attempt.
Definitely check out Doctor Strange. This and Mighty Thor are the only ones worth getting from Marvel at the moment. Maybe Thanos as well, but we'll have to see.
Have you read any of the Young Animal stuff? They're pretty wild. Shade the Changing Girl and Doom Patrol are a fucking trip | thecheatisnotdead
03.15.18 | Fair points on Black Monday for sure. It's definitely one that I can see myself re-reading multiple times and taking something new away from each visit.
And I've heard good things about Thanos, as well, one of the staffers at my comic shop consistently recommends that, as well. But in all honest, the amount of Events-with-a-capital-E and that sort of thing has largely put me off on the Big Two, which I realize is a bit closed-minded, since I'm also willing to bet that even within those frameworks, there are some quality titles happening, like Shade and Doom Patrol; I know the latter at the very least has covers that catch my eye almost every time I'm scanning the shelves month-to-month, so I should probably just cave and take a shot on it. | Buccaneer
03.15.18 | You're right though, Marvel has lost a lot of favour with their numerous events and relaunches. I started getting into comics with their 'All-New' lineup a couple of years ago and my pull list had like 8-10 marvel issues a week. But even as a newbie, all the events and all the bloody tie-ins just killed it for me and I only pick a couple from Marvel now. DC on the other hand, have been killing it with Rebirth in my opinion.
It's worth noting with the Young Animal imprint, it's not really connected to the DC universe, well, up until now that is. They're doing a crossover with the Young Animal characters and classic DC heroes called Milk Wars at the moment, which actually is shaping up to be pretty good. But again, it's another semi-event! The issues before this crossover are standalone though and well worth picking up. | thecheatisnotdead
03.15.18 | I've heard more good than not about Rebirth, and at the very least want to double-back and try to catch up on Tom King's Batman, which I'm sure is fantastic, what with it being Tom King. I also made the mistake(?) of getting the Wild Hunt offshoot from Metal, mainly on the basis of it coming from the minds of both Scott Snyder and Grant Morrison (and being a one-shot, at least allegedly). I'm sure I'll end up confused as all hell, but it might also inspire me to explore a bit outwards from there.
That is good to know about Young Animal, though, I definitely hadn't realized that. More fuel for the fire, there. Is Gerard Way still heading up Doom Patrol? | Buccaneer
03.15.18 | Tom King's Batman is stellar. There's some hiccups, mainly the shorter filler arcs between the main angles. But overall you can't go wrong. He's on a right run lately, Sheriff of Babylon, Vision, Mister Miracle and Batman are all god-tier. Can't wait to pick up the Miracle trades.
Wild Hunt will confuse the fuck out of you but you'll be able to pick up the vibe they're going for. Not gonna lie, it may not be for everyone. It's overwhelmingly bleak at times, where it's borderline cheesy but I dig it. The whole arc seems thoughtfully planned out, as it ties in with the New52. It's been delayed again though, so I'd wait for the trades. It can lose it's momentum if you're waiting for the issues and you can easily lose interest.
Gerard Way is still heading up Doom Patrol and also Cave Carson, which is another psychedelic read. Cave Carson got too convoluted for me towards the end but it's worth a read. If you liked Mister Miracle or if you're a fan of the New Gods, you might like Bug: The Forager. It's very silly but I've been loving it. | thecheatisnotdead
03.15.18 | Yeah, I feel like most lengthier series are bound to have a couple of stall-outs every now and again, but it's good to hear the whole outweighs the sum of its parts. Incidentally, Vision was actually the first one I stumbled upon from him, completely by chance, since I dug the variant cover art; I've devoured almost everything since. Sheriff of Babylon I just finished up recently, definitely a gut-punch. Did you read Omega Men? Know that's an older one, at this point, but still extremely well-done and tightly plotted.
Also, thanks for the heads-up about Metal, will probably hold out for the tpbs. I feel like that's another downside with those Events, is even if they're good, they usually benefit from anthologizing, since it avoids the pitfall of losing steam due to delays. And Bug: The Forager sounds worth a look, as well. I think silly can be a great antidote to the pervasive self-seriousness/solemnity of so many comics out there (here Image is as guilty as the Big Two, and very probably even more so). | Buccaneer
03.16.18 | I forgot he did Omega Men, will need to pick that up at some point. I'm at a weird point where I considering dropping buying singles. I'm getting like 5-10 singles a week and they take up so much room. Considering moving solely to trades so I can at least display them on my bookshelf.
There's always room for silly comics in my list. The Fix is definitely up there as the best of them. I agree with your point about the focus on serious issues, especially with Marvel with the SJW bullshit they force in their stories. Image does a good job of balancing out their catalogue with a variety of genres.
I completely forgot about Black Hammer! That's another contender for best ongoing series atm. | thecheatisnotdead
03.19.18 | Yeah, singles are great for cliffhangers like Saga and folks who include extra essays and goodies like Brubaker and Matt Fraction, but they can quite literally start to pile up.
Have to check out Black Hammer; I know it's unrelated, but sharing half of a title reminded me, I just recently picked up the Black Road, and that one's pretty entertaining so far (granted, I'm only a couple of issues deep). |
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