Glasgow is a good place to be if you’re a comic fan – that coming from a totally unbiased Glaswegian comics fan of course. Not only is it home to an exceptionally large number of writers and artists, it’s got an amazing community of fans, eager to meet anywhere from their local comic shop to marts and events. One of those gatherings however, encourages budding comic book writers to come along, share their work with others and join in on discussions. Comics Anonymous popped along to one of the Glasgow League of Writers (or GLoW for short) fortnightly meetings to see what was going on.

Meeting at the heart of the Glasgow comic scene, Hope Street Studios, there’s 3 important things that make up a GLoW meeting: the people, the chat and the refreshments (a large pack of beer and crisps). There’s certainly more members than there is space, but this only helps the friendly atmosphere where it’s socially acceptable to sit cross-legged on the floor with a can while you chat all things comics. It’s not all idle banter though – leader Gordon Robertson makes sure that things stay on-topic (mostly) with an aim of updating the group on current ventures before delving into the week’s submitted scripts.

For those looking to step into the world of comic book writing, this is an excellent place to start. As someone who has dabbled with a script or two in the past, I know that one of the hardest parts is getting someone else to read it and give you meaningful feedback.  Your Mum and non-comic fan friends are likely to give you the usual “it’s good” – which is encouraging, but they’re unlikely to pick on how you’re blatantly ripping off Watchmen. What GLoW offers though is a friendly environment that’ll give you the honest viewpoint of those that know their Green Lantern from their Green Arrow. But it’s not only a deep knowledge of comics’ past that its members have as its arsenal – there’s a lot of experience in the room too, which lends itself well to the nature of the group.

It’s not just helpful when someone who reads a lot of comics can tell you where you’re going right and wrong, but to learn from the experience of those who have ‘been there and done that’ is pretty invaluable too. Which is why we suggest not only attending one of the meetings, but also checking out some of the outputs from its members. We’ve compiled a short list of some of the members and their work below that we think is worth a look:

Gordon Robertson

Founder of the group, Gordon is the creator of the online web-comic Arse Cancer. It’s weirdly saddening and hilarious at the same time, made up from Gordon’s own experiences with bowel cancer. The art is pretty decent too – provided by Newcastle based cartoonist Cuttlefish. Gordon also writes for the website Geek Chocolate.

Gillian Hatcher

Gillian is the creator of the all-girl small press anthology Team Girl Comic – a must read for boys and girls alike! The book, now onto its 4^th issue, does a great job of pushing the boundaries of what a comic can be. Written and drawn by girls of all ages (even as young as 11) you can usually pick up copies at local comic shops, marts and cons – however they’re also available to buy online too! Gillian’s own Go Wildlife also comes highly recommended.

John Lees

As a young aspiring writer, John is one of the few lucky ones to have published a comic he’s written – The Standard. And we at Comics Anonymous think it’s excellent – Gary reviewed issue #1 and #2 late last year, and we’re all excited to see issue #3. John’s great love of comics aides him well in both his comic writing and his reviewing over at his (rival!) website.

Colin Bell

Colin sure does get around the internet, writing for Comic Booked, Newsarama and his own blog It’s Bloggerin’ Time – however it’s his web-comic Jonbot Vs Martha that you really need to check out. Updated every Monday, JBvM tells the tale of a couple in the middle of divorce, however Jon has a heart attack and is brought back to life as a robot. Hilarity then ensues.

Luke Halsall

Luke has taken his love of all things superhero and written two novels, Hoodie 1 & 2 – described as a “hero with an ASBO”, Hoodie tells the tale of the young vigilante’s bid to clean up the streets. You can buy these books for Kindle from the Amazon store now.

The Glasgow League of Writers meet fortnightly on the 3^rd floor of Hope Street Studios at 7pm. You can get in touch with them through their blog or Twitter.

Craig @hastiecraig

Back in 1992 (20 years ago – SCARY STUFF!!), Peter David took our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man from his humble origins and set him down in New York in the year 2099.  I don’t remember reading the single issues until much later….maybe 97 or 98…..but back in 92, Marvel UK had its “Exploits of Spider-Man” hit the stands with a mix of Amazing Spider-Man, Web of Spider-man and Spectacular Spider-man reprints; as well as some Spidey Classics and in issue #6 in 1993 the inclusion of the 2099 tales.

Exploits only every ran for 40-odd issues ending in 95 and only later would I find out that Spider-Man 2099 would run to only 46 issues.  In fact, this volume 1 TPB collecting the first 10-issues was only released a few years ago in 2009.  Why it took this long??…Who knows?; because for me, it’s one of the few Spider-man arcs that can be picked up now and read as fresh as it did when it first came out.  The main success in that is down to the writing of Peter David, strong characters that you can instantly relate to and even with that futuristic edge, it’s the in-built flaws of every character that make them more real.

This is unlike the usual Spider-Man titles with little more than a passing mention and few fanboy nods to link it to what has gone before.  Our main character is Miguel O’Hara, scientific genius working on genetic experiments for Alchemax, one of the largest companies in 2099 which pretty much owns a bit of everything on the planet.  Miguel decides to leave his current employer when his recent experiment goes wrong killing a volunteer “picked” from the local prison.  A decision that doesn’t go down too well with the Boss, Tyler Stone and he spikes Miguel’s drink with the highly addictive ‘Rapture’ in an attempt to make him stay with the company that could help feed his new habit.  Queue genetic experiment for Miguel to try and release the grip the addiction has on him and his company rival messes the whole thing up……well….blows the lab up by screwing around with the equipment.

From this, we get a transformed Miguel, proportionate spider strength, talons to help him cling to walls and the gradual development of web spinners – thankfully from his forearms and not his ass.

Miguel makes a hasty escape with help from a Thorite – a follower in Thor who believes that he will return to save them all from the sins the future has brought to the world (a theme that crops up through the 1^st 10-issues and beyond).  We’re now onto a chase as Alchemax want there hands on this new mystery figure that has crawled out of their very own experiments.  A chase/origin that lasts the first 3-issues and eases us into the mix of new, futuristic ideas with a hint of the recognizable from the Amazing Spider-Man tales that have gone before.

We can’t go further without mentioning the art though, Rick Leonardi and issue #9 guest artist, Kelley Jones.  Updating the costume for Spidey to one of the coolest I’ve seen to this day.  Beyond the amazing costume work there’s the heights of the polished, futuristic New York with its steel sky-scrapers and it’s highways full of hover-cars through to the grubby underbelly of the city where the dregs of society scrape a living, away from the high-flying rich folks up top.

It’s here in downtown that we some of the most interesting parts of the Miguel/Spider-Man story with The Vulture making an appearance – only this time he’s the head of one of the many gangs involved in wars for turf and food.  The Vulture and his gang, The Freakers, are also cannibals – so a turf war can get them some supplies too.

Panels combine to emphasize Spider-Man’s agility and the type of movements that have you tilting the book and asking “What the F£*%?”  In fact, the fight scenes in this are pretty amazing too all the while maintaining a subtle heart to the story as Miguel gradually accepts becoming Spider-man and decides to make the most of things as they are until such time as he finds a way to rid him of his genetic changes and return him to normal (whatever that is?).   Along the way Miguel has a run in with a Cyborg Bounty hunter hired by Alchemax to find him and within a few more issues we see him run in with a Ninja Assassin named The Specialist, again on the payroll of Alchemax – all adding to the high-paced feel of the action sequences.  There’s also the added bonus of some fanboy nods – The Vulture as mentioned before, Thor mentioned in the form of a worshiped god, a 2099 version of Doom makes a brief one-page appearance and there’s evena glimpse of Aunt May in hologram form.

If there’s one complaint I have on this title…..it’s that there’s no plans to release any further volumes of the title in TPB format…..let alone an omnibus or hardback edition collecting the whole lot (which I would’ve preferred).  Not a perfect title but then that somehow makes it more real…..at least for me….plus I still can’t get over how AMAZING that new costume is

Marvel actually ran a number of 2099 titles with the X-Men, The Punisher, Hulk and the Fantastic Four making a futuristic appearance – among some other well-known characters.  Check the link for more info:

wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_2099

G-Man

Is your monthly pull list breaking the bank? Then we’ve just the thing for you – in conjunction with Comics Anonymous, Red Hot Comics is offering our readers a fantastic 10% discount! Read on for more details..

Situated high on the hills of Castlemilk, Glasgow, Red Hot Comics is a walk in warehouse with more comic related goodies than you can imagine. Nowhere near Glasgow? No problem. Not in the UK? No issues there either – Red Hot is an international operation, shipping round the globe from Brazil to Italy.

Red Hot supply everything from weekly new releases & back issues to graphic novels & merchandise. If you’re like us at CA-HQ, you’ll want to pre-order your comics in advance to avoid disappointment – sign up to the store’s monthly and weekly pre-order alerts (email orders@redhotcomics.demon.co.uk). Not only is the warehouse extensive, there’s also a pretty impressive eBay store that you can order from too.

All you need to do is mention Comic Anonymous on your first order and you’ll get 10% off each purchase – simple as!

Now don’t say we’re not good to you.

You can visit the store’s web site here, and be sure to check out Twitter and Facebook for updates also

Craig @hastiecraig

Way back in November….all those months ago…..the Comics Anonymous Team hit the road……and even with a few “minor” car probs along the way we reached our 1st destination – Legacy Comics in Halifax.  We got the chance to meet and interview Kieron Gillen (check it out here) on his recent foray into the Uncanny X-Men (reviewed here)…..and as a result of that visit we have a signed copy of issue #1 up for grabs…..

All you have to do is head over to the Comics Anonymous Facebook page via the link on the left and get liking….spread the word…..to your friends…….long lost family….or that weird guy at work who’s added you as a “friend”.  Drop us a comment on the recent message about this competition and next Wednesday, 15th Feb….we’ll choose a lucky winner from the list of people who have dropped us a hello.

What could be simpler??….It’s free a free comic…..and it’s signed…..you were going to be mucking about on Facebook anyway….why not get something in return

G-Man

I have seen it heralded as the Ultimate-Comic-Book-Fan-Fear, where a favourite book is cancelled or treasured personnel shifted around to work on other titles. I’ve also seen it heralded as the Ultimate-Comic-Book-Company-Marketing-Tactic and in light of recent high profile cancellations from Marvel (Generation Hope, Daken etc) I think DC fans got off lightly by comparison. This somewhat sweeping statement makes reference to DC’s recent switching around of writers on JLDark, Stormwatch and Frankenstein, which was so unexpected we had to get in touch with Lemire, Milligan and Janin to ascertain exactly had had gone on and what we could expect from the changes.

Comics Anonymous last spoke to Milligan and Lemire at the Thought Bubble festival in November of last year. Milligan, at that time, was bubbling over with story ideas and excitement for the characters of JLDark. He’ll finish up his run on this book with issue number 8 which is considerably sooner than we would have thought, or hoped for a book of this quality. Here’s what he told us:

Peter Milligan: ‘There were more stories I was planning to tell – but there was pressure to change the direction of the book, to make it less ‘Dark’ and more ‘JL’ so it would have been increasingly difficult to tell the darker and more twisted stories I was planning to tell anyway.’

This notion of the ‘balancing act’, of writing an intentionally dark book for a mainstream publisher, is not new to Milligan. His replacement Jeff Lemire has very different ideas for the book, ‘I intend to write JLDark much more like a super hero book with an occult twist’, and has hinted elsewhere on the internet that a cross over with the somewhat disappointing flagship title Justice League is likely. This signals a fundamental shift in the title as Lemire moves to focus on the Justice League, the traditional super hero elements which took a back seat under Milligan.

Jeff Lemire: ‘I will tweak the line-up a bit. Certain characters will leave the team, but maybe not the book. On a whole I want to do it a bit more upbeat, more action and a bit more humor as well. And at the end of the day I really want to make this John Constantine’s team and his book.’

Milligan will also be leaving behind Mindwarp, his own creation, and hints at lineup changes in JLDark and future reappearances elsewhere:

PM: ‘Mindwarp was a pretty personal character. But that’s the nature of comic books. You create a character knowing that somewhere down the line someone else will be doing their own thing with them. One of the characters in JLDark will be bowing out, and I’ll probably run into him in the future’

One constant of Justice League Dark is the art team of Mikel Janin and Ulises Areola. Lemire insists they are staying with the book: ‘Mikel and Ulises are incredible and I couldn’t ask for a better collaborator. Mikel has these characters down and I’m really excited to be working with him!’. Janin is currently working on new character designs and whilst he admits he is disappointed to see Milligan leave the book, insists that Lemire will bring something all of his own.

Mikel Janin: ‘Jeff will bring more action, dynamism and adventure, as well as defining clear roles for each member of the team. The horror elements and overall craziness will remain integral to JLDark.’

With Milligan taking over as writer of Stormwatch we’ll see this troubled title pick up its third writer in under a year. The aim of attaching a name like Milligan to what should be the flagship book of DCs ‘Edge’ line of comics may be to help sales in this area, but what we’re concerned with at Comics Anonymous is the production of great comic books. Milligan thinks Stormwatch and its associated characters are ripe for exploitation by his own inimitable style of writing.

PM: ‘I think the darkness of Apollo and some of the other characters will really suit my style. Its ironic, I’ve come off a title with ‘dark’ in its title….so now I can get dark’

With Lemire talking over JLDark he has now left Frankenstein, but continues with Animal Man:

JL: ‘I will stay with Animal Man for as long as DC will let me. There is literally nothing they could ever offer me that I would choose to write over Animal Man. But as announced yesterday I will be leaving Frankenstein. I had to pick my battles and I really felt I had taken Frank just about as far as I could. Matt Kindt, a good friend of mine and a very talented guy is taking that book over. Matt had actually been helping me with Frank from the start, so fans should really like what he has planned.’

JLDark has been of a consistently high quality since its initial release and so I am disappointed that DC has felt it appropriate to change key personnel at this stage. I can appreciate their reasons, although I may not agree with them. I was really into the idea of a ‘Dark’ section of the DC stable, bridging that territory between Vertigo and the mainstream, and thought that this was being achieved. The Justice League itself is a big property, possibly worth more than any associated ‘darkness’, so I can see why it would be desirable for them to pursue this path. Lemire is both a great writer and artist so I’m hugely interested to see how he takes this book forward. I think we’ll also see Stormwatch become much more interesting.

In associated news Milligan described things with the Red Lanterns and Hellblazer as ‘Business as unusual’:

PM: ‘I’m writing a huge storyline in Red Lanterns that changes the Red Lantern corps forever, one where we’ll see how Rankorr the human Red Lantern, gets on. With Hellblazer I’m just starting a storyline called ‘Curse of the Constantines’; this deals, unsurprisingly, with the curse that seems to run through the Constantine bloodline and has John Constantine going in search of a long lost family member. And reading poetry.’

You can read Milligan’s work in Hellblazer, Red Lanterns and now Stormwatch.

Jeff Lemire’s new creator owned book that deals with his experience of becoming a new father is called  The Underwater Welder and it will be published this July from Top Shelf.

Linsay @softlyspokenlas

What could be better than Mike Mignola writing a 1930’s pulp tale?……got me…..I can’t think of anything better.  I’m a Mignola fan and I love old school characters like The Shadow, The Rocketeer and The Phantom – surely I was onto a winner?

That’s exactly what I got with this one – starting off with a guy and his girl leaving the picture house for the walk home…..only to discover a man tied to a lamp-post having been scalped by a group of ghost-like Indians.  THAT’S how to open with a “what the F—??”

That’s the magic of the “Mignolaverse” – you can jump on with these stories at ANY point and be captivated by them.  A task we see attempted on other titles from other publishers….but somehow ……..Mignola seem able to pull that off with a greater sense of ease than most.  The Indians head a charge for the innocent couple and in steps our main man, Lobster Johnson himself…..and lets face it, who else but our hero could pull of a line like? “Taste JUSTICE Imposters!”

An action-packed start for us which eases us into the ground-work of finding out what the hell is going on with this mystery.  Our roving-reporter Cindy Tynan from the Herald Tribune helps us along the way as she helps/annoys the local detectives with her questions and theories.  Her questions go unanswered in the local area too as everyone keeps themselves to themselves….at least until she finds 1 member of the community, Harry McTell (Great name), willing to spill the beans on the area and why everyone else is keeping tight-lipped.

Cutting to the local hoods we see them arrange to try and quieten the nosy reporter and we fade out with two local thugs trying to carry out their orders.  Needless to see we get a glimpse of Lobster appear from the shadows, ready to prevent any attack happening.  This may not have been non-stop action but that doesn’t stop this title drawing you in – from the strength of Mignola’s writing through to the noir-fest of art supplied by John Arcudi.  Special mention has to go to Dave Johnson for that amazing 1^st cover.

The art itself seems steeped in that old Hollywood vibe with scripting to match……and there’s something involving in that type of storytelling.  Maybe that’s because I’m an old-fashioned movie fan…..or maybe I just like a good solid story.  An old-fashioned tale set in the 30’s with a female reporter lead character….somehow seems to fit…….and I’m keen to see how the rest of this 5-part mini progresses.

G-Man

Calling all Brighton based comic fans – this one’s for you!

Fan of the blog, Joseph Stannard has got in touch with us to tell us about his next “Outer Church” event he’s putting on Feb. He’ll be screening a double bill of Patrick Meaney’s documentaries Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods and Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts over at Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar from 7:30pm – 2:00am on the 17th Feb. Not only that, but there will be live music too, provided by Old Apparatus, Pye Corner Audio and Kemper Norton!

Joe explains the thinking behind his monthly events as

My attempt at bringing together various weird and magical strands of culture with an emphasis on films and music – and a heavy influence from comics. Obviously, the name of the event is derived from Morrison’s The Invisibles which is a big inspiration for me in general.

Unfortunately it’s a little out of the way for us Glasgow-based Comics Anon-ers, however those closer to Brighton should give it a shot and send us your thoughts so we can convince Joseph to hold a comics event up here.

Tickets are £5 and available from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/152811.

An appearance by Sean Phillips in Glasgow’s Forbidden Planet on the 25^th January gave the Comics Anonymous crew the chance to speak to a top UK artist from the comic book world – his first appearance in Glasgow in over 10 years. Promoting his new book, Fatale (reviewed here), with regular collaborator Ed Brubaker.

Fatale is making big waves and there’s a good buzz around it, is that taking up a lot of your time?

That’s pretty much taking up all my time.  We’re going to try and get it out every month this year, that’s something we always aim for every month but because it’s all self-created stuff, things come up and we might slip a bit over the year.   I’ve got to keep drawing it all the time, so to help that, I’ve taken no more work on over the year which I find really hard.  I’ve got a couple of other things that I still need to finish off from last year, a sci-fi book that I’m working on.

Are there any other recent projects you’ve worked on?

I’ve got a Conan story coming out in the next issue of Robert E. Howard’s Savage Sword anthology, which I finished towards the end of last year.  Originally I was going to paint a six issue mini-series for them and we both realized that would take years and years… so I ended up doing an eight page story.  But I still painted it and I thought this was the only chance I was ever going to get to do Conan, I’ve got to make it look as good as I can and it took me absolutely ages to do it.

That was why I didn’t finish the sci-fi book because I spent two months painting eight pages, which is a stupid amount of time but it came out really good.  I didn’t write it myself, I got a childhood friend called Pete Doree – who does small-press stuff and bit of illustrations but not that bothered about making a career out of it.  I just said, write me a Conan story – eight pages, no horses, a giant snake and a woman in it and either in a dessert or snow as I don’t want to draw any cities or things.  So he wrote me a real nice story with a giant snake, a woman, set in the snow.  So he’s chuffed at getting to write Conan as a massive Robert E. Howard fan and I’m pleased to get to draw it at last.

You’ve done a lot of work with Ed Brubaker on Criminal, Incognito and now Fatale – but are there any other characters you’d like to do?

Yeah it’s been over 10 years I’ve worked with Ed and I’m quite happy at doing the creator-owned stuff.  Conan was the last character on my list that I’d wanted to do since I was a kid – I’ve done Spider-Man, I’ve done Batman, I’ve done Judge Dredd – so I’ve got no desire to aim for any particular corporate character.

So are you more content with doing the creator owned stuff?

I think people are giving it more of a chance – there are a lot of people getting bored with the same old stuff coming out of Marvel/DC.  Even though DC relaunched everything, it’s still exactly the same as it was before.  I think that the people that write and draw these things also realize that they’re not the important part any more it’s the character.  When they ask you to do these titles you think that they must really like what you do but it’s really just to plug a gap and they do what they like with it.  If you do creator-owned stuff you can do anything you like.  People still have to buy it, but it’s up to you whether you stop or just do it for the fun.  I’m lucky because I’m quite quick and can draw 15/16 comics a year so I can do 6 creator owned comics for the fun of it, and then I can make up the money doing the other 10.

As mentioned earlier you’ve worked with Ed Brubaker quite a bit but do you look out for any particular writers?

I can’t think of any off the top of my head as I don’t read too many current releases.  Whatever comics I do buy, are only ever for the art.  I’d never buy a comic that is well written and had terrible drawings but I’d buy any terribly written comic if it had nice drawings.

So in that sense do you keep track of any other artists or characters?

One I have just caught up on was Northlanders, I’ve had a stack of 40-odd issues waiting for me since they came out – read the first book and really liked it.  Brian Wood DID ask me to draw the last few issues of Northlanders but I couldn’t do it, I didn’t have time to do it, so told him to ask me again in a year. When that came round again I’d forgotten about it and had other stuff to do. I really like his stuff. I’d like to something in the Hellboy universe but I like what Ed writes and the way we do it is, he’ll say for something like Fatale that he’s got an idea for this crime story but it’s got lots of different stuff. I’ll say great, fine, I’ll do that and then he’ll send me the script.  I’ve got no idea what’s going to happen in the story other than what he’s got to so far.

You did Marvel Zombies, was that a bit more of a break away from what the usual characters look like?

Yeah we could do what we like.  All the Marvel Zombies characters all had their 1960’s outfits on and I could draw them off the top of my head.  I don’t want to draw modern Iron Man I’d rather draw pointy eared Iron Man that I can draw without thinking about it and it was quite nice doing something that had no impact on the rest of Marvel.  Going into it we had no idea it was going to work or be a hit and it was the biggest selling graphic novel that year.  We didn’t know that.  I did it because I didn’t have any other work on, I wasn’t first on the list, I was down like 20^th and Robert was the samw, he wasn’t first choice.  I’ve heard from so many people saying “I was offered that, I wish I’d done it” – because the royalties made out of that paid for the 1^st year of Criminal, so if I didn’t have the money or the exposure, I couldn’t have afforded to do Criminal.

Fatale has become a firm favourite with the CA-Team after just 1 issue and I hope you take the chance to read it soon.  Remember to try and catch some of their other collaborative work – Sleeper, Incognito and Criminal.  Also keep checking the Forbidden Planet Store in Glasgow, who seem to have a knack for getting some big name artists/writers north of the border.

Competition time coming soon from Comics Anon with some Sean Phillips signed issues of Fatale and Marvel Zombies.  So keep an eye out on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

G-Man

Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips collaborate on one of the hottest titles of 2012 so far…..and we’re still only in January.  An opening line like “So here’s how my life went off the tracks one day,” sets us up for a typical noir tale that we’ve seen in the likes of Criminal. Sleeper and Incognito from the pairing previously….although reading on, there’s clearly different elements involved here too.

Opening with our main character, Nicholas Lash, attending his godfather’s funeral and meeting the mysterious Jo, whose grandmother was involved with the deceased….but that’s where this noir crime thriller with a difference starts to draw us in.  From here we’re switching from gritty narration and flowing into moments of action and intrigue with ease…..and if anything, that’s the magic of this title.  How involving it is, as much by the mastery in Ed Brubaker’s writing as the artwork by Sean Phillips, which contributes just as much to the story.

We’re thrust into Nicholas looking through his godfather’s belongings discovering one of his first novels….a previously unpublished works and an insight into some more mysteries we’re stumbling across.  A big distraction from this discovery is the hired thugs descending on the place and forcing Nicholas to consider the “RUN THE FUCK AWAY” option.  Only to discover the mysterious Jo in the house and armed ready to help him escape.

A few choice shots later and the pair are making good their escape……..only the fact that a plane is chasing them in kamikaze fashion stops them and 5-days later Nicholas wakes up in a hospital bed….missing a leg.  A hefty start for a comic book for sure….and we’re not even half way in.

We get to flashback to San Francisco in 1956 and we see a fresh-faced Jo meeting with Nicholas’ godfather in his job as a reporter.  From here it gets even more complex as Jo is involved with a local detective….whose war-record holds secrets of Nazi’s and magic.  He’s working a case which also has deep connections to his previously experienced dealings with the occult and we get to the end of the 1^st issue with more questions than answers.  If anything, that’s the only flaw in this 1^st issue……we’re just getting involved when it ends…..leaving us with more questions than answers and an inner NEED to get hold of issue #2.  If you’ve read Phillips & Brubakers work before….you’re still in for a welcome break from their usual style.  A quick search online will let you know that this is a tale that Brubaker has tried to write before and only feels he’s got it down for releasing now and I for one am glad that he has.

There’s ALOT to be said for the art on show here too……at first glance it could be viewed as subtle and simple….but taking a closer look, you’ll see the details that Phillips has managed to inject, the kind of detail that lets you know the art is much a key part of telling the story as the narrative/speech is.

Having sold out and gone to a 2^nd print….I’d URGE you to get hold of this title….and get into it from the very beginning.  It’s a noir thriller with a hint of magic and the occult…..some unexpected twists and turns along the way…..and all wrapped up in the 1^st gritty, glowing issue.  Brubaker and Phillips have started us on a journey here……and I’m in for the duration after just the first issue.

G-Man

Like probably many of the readers of this blog, I pre-order my comics two months in advance. It has it’s pros and cons. Pro – it means you’re more likely to get hold of that issue that ends up selling out and going to second print, but con – sometimes you’re taking a gamble and have to anticipate what’s going to be good and what’s not based on very little information. Granted the same risk is taken when you’re just buying from a shop, but it’s more likely you’ll have read or heard good / bad things from places like your faithful Comics blogs (hint – us). For me, this month was a particularly hard one – there appears to be a lot of new books coming out in March that I like the look of, but to add this to my already extensive pull list would be fatal on both my wallet and storage space. So I figured it was about time I had a look at my regular order to see what could be chopped – and since the biggest chunk is made up of DC’s New 52, I figured I’d share my thought process here as a way of micro-reviewing the current line-up. It’s timely also since DC themselves have seen it necessary to cut 6 of the original line up and replace with “second wave” titles…

The DCNew52 had a big impact on my monthly pull list – granted I was already up to my eyeballs in Batman, but here was a chance for me to jump on in places I’d always wanted to but never had the time. To be fair, month one was an easy choice – I’m sure a lot of you did the same as us at CA-HQ – get them all! There’s a good chance something like this won’t happen again in our lifetime…well, there’s probably a good 50/50 chance it won’t happen again, so why not just go all out? It was month two where the difficulty struck – remember you’re pre-ordering two months in advance, so picking a list of issue #2s that I want without having read issue #1? Owch. But this inevitably lead to:

“Those that didn’t make the first cut”

I could tell straight away there were those books that weren’t meant for me – Static Shock I’m looking at you. Actually I’m not sure Static Shock was meant for anyone. In all this time, this is the largest cull to my pull list – roughly 25% of the 52 got dropped at this stage before having read a single page, just purely based on my preconceptions of what the books will be like. Titles like Mister Terrific and O.M.A.C were a no brainer – I know I’m not going to like them.

Admittedly thought, there were a few I held out hope for, knowing I still had a safety net of picking up at release if I was really wowed by the first issue. I really wanted to like Men of War and Green Arrow, but it’s just as well I didn’t hold onto them, both lacking any real great fix. I was quite surprised with Blackhawks and I,Vampire, and may go back and read some of these when I get a chance, but there was simply no room for these on an already larger than normal order.

There were two books that the safety net was used on – Wonder Woman and Aquaman – my decision to exclude them originally was lack of interest for the characters, but was very surprised by both first issues – which was silly really when I knew that Azzarello was on WW. I’m starting to regret saving Aquaman though – yes the first issue was possibly the funniest comic of the 52, but Geoff Johns must have fallen asleep at his keyboard after writing the first script – the following issues have been pretty big stinkers and I’ve been holding out hope that it’ll return to that first issue glory – but it’s been in vain.

Between then and now there’s been time to read a few issues of each of the remaining titles, but here and there there’s been drop offs in my pull list – the ones I like to call:

“Those that I got bored of reading”

Some of these decisions will have been made after only reading issue #1 – and although this might be a little harsh, I had to remember that I was spending money on these, so I’ve got to weigh up if reading this book is giving me as much gratification as I’d have if I spent my £2 elsewhere – like on 4 packets of crisps, or a single fare on one of Glasgow’s finest buses or a couple of shots at the pub quiz machine. If Noel Edmunds popped up on one of these quiz machines and asked “Justice League International – Deal or No Deal?” – I’d have told the banker to sod his offer and send the JLI packing. Deathstroke and Suicide Squad should have been right up my street – a darker edgier side of DC that can literally get away with murder – but instead they spend their time either fighting Cars or a stadium full of zombies – lame-o!

There were a few I held out some hope for, and kept on a little longer than just 2 issues – Fury of Firestorm and Savage Hawkman both had characters I wanted to be interested in, and can see where they might have interesting stories – it was just a shame that they weren’t being told in these issues. To make some room on this month’s order I moved another two from my pull list to my kill list – Grifter and Red Hood, both of which I’m really sorry to see go, because I had these fairly high on my list of “new things to try”. I know Red Hood got slated from the get-go because of some idiotic choice of direction for Starfire, but I love Jason Todd’s character and am always interested to see what he does next – unfortunately though he wasn’t doing very much of interest. Again, I might come back to these ones if I find time.

Which left me with exactly half of the original 52. Pressure is now mounting from my want to read some of the new comics in March, as well the fact that probably 3 out of the 6 “Second wave” DC titles are going to end up on my pull list – I needed to make more room, and there has to be room to make – I need a:

“Final cut of only the cream of the crop titles”

My criteria needed to be strict on this – I had too many titles I was reading because I have too much affection for the main character(s), regardless of quality. So I needed to come up with a scale to measure the books by. I asked myself 3 questions for each title:

• Can you remember everything that happened in the last 5 issues?
• Would you class yourself a “fan” of any member of the creative team working on the title?
• Do you actually care what happens next in this character(s) story?

So long as I could answer yes to all three of these questions, the book could stay. Which left me with a nice round 10. Want to know which ones?

The Flash: It was only briefly before Flashpoint started that I delved into the world of The Flash for the very first time, specifically the renumbered series that followed Rebirth and put Barry Allen back in the red suit – and I instantly fell in love with Francis Manapul’s artwork. I had my reservations about the New52 version, was Geoff Johns the secret ingredient to this comic? Could such an amazing artist make the jump and be just as good at writing? The fact that this is still probably in my top 2 books of the 52 gives you some hint to the answers!

Action Comics: Simple choice really when you’ve got Grant Morrison at the head of something – and although there have been a few minor things I’ve questioned, overall I think he’s working the same black magic he used on Batman – I only hope that he stays long enough to make this series just as epic.

Batman: I’ll refer you to my recent review of issue #5 for the reasons for keeping this in (p.s. It’s the book just above The Flash in my top 10)

Batgirl: There’s only 3 Bat-books now on my list (I can feel the withdrawal symptoms already) so there’s no room for messing about – and Gail Simone doesn’t mess about with characters. It’s the perfect match of Writer to Character, Gail is practically as close as you’ll get to a real life Barbara Gordon, she knows this girl inside out.

Batwoman: Like The Flash, this is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read – most issues jump between 3 or 4 different art style, sometimes in the one panel! If that’s not reason enough, it’s a bloody good story too.

Red Lanterns: I’m a little sad that this is the only Lantern book on my list, but in a way, it’s not really a Lantern book – it’s been so much more. While the other GL books have been zapping each other with lots of fancy colours, Peter Milligan has made this a book about the emotion these rings symbolise rather than the cool powers they might have.

Justice League Dark: Milligan does it again – dark, edgy and wonderful to look at (thanks to Mikel Janin), I feel these last few issues have only been an introduction to what’s about to come.

Swamp Thing: I’ve surprised myself with how much I’ve fallen in love with this book and it’s characters. I may not have much knowledge of Swampy’s roots (see what I did there?) but Scott Snyder does a great job of not excluding people who’ve never read this title before.

Animal Man: What I class as the other half of Swamp Thing, these two books work great as a double feature when their week rolls round – and knowing that Scott and Jeff have big plans for these books is even more reason to keep going.

Frankenstein – Agent of S.H.A.D.E: If you’re thinking to yourself – “What is this doing here?” you’ve obviously not read it, or given it enough time. This might appear as a B-Movie mess on the face of it (I was expecting that too) but there’s so much more to this book than meets the eye.

So there you go – I managed it. Granted this won’t take effect for another couple of months since I’ve already placed those orders, but I’ll be trying my best not to let myself become complaisant with my decisions.

Of course, like everything on this blog, it’s just one person’s opinion – my choices are all built on personal taste. I know that my fellow CA team members won’t agree with everything I’ve discarded and will try to talk some sense into me, which is what makes things all the more interesting – if someone feels so passionately about a comic, then maybe I’m missing something? It’s one of the main reasons we started the site, to share that passion and hear the opinions of like-minded people – so by all means, tell me what you think of my choices and how you deal with the eternal struggle of compiling a monthly pull list – we’re not called Comics Anonymous for no reason you know…

Craig @hastiecraig