James' Picks:
Super Spy HC by Matt Kindt, published by Dark Horse
Super Spy is one of those comics that I wish I could forget so that I could have the experience of reading it again for the first time. It's such a great, weird, intricate read (my review of the world of Super Spy is here). As I noted previously:
Super Spy is tells a complex, interconnected story. 52 of them, in fact. Each one is numbered as a “Dossier” and they’re included in the book out of sequence. Thus, the story being told is not a chronological one. If you want, you can choose to read the Dossiers in numerical order in order to read the story in chronological sequence. I’ve never done this, as I prefer to read the story as a series of puzzle pieces that come together over time as I read the story. The out of order sequencing of the Dossiers gives each character additional poignancy, sort of like how we see John Travolta's character in Pulp Fiction as the movie ends on a positive note until you remember, “oh yeah, he gets shot to death”. The book is full of characters and stories like this. People who are bit players in one story become the main focus in another. Or even after we know someone's ultimate fate, we get to see them again, at an earlier time.
I'm thrilled that Super Spy is getting the deluxe hardcover treatment, as this edition will collect Super Spy and also Super Spy: The Lost Dossiers, along with many other items to keep you busy diving deep into this intricate world:
This deluxe edition also collects Super Spy: The Lost Dossiers: a "secret spy activity book for grown-ups", deleted scenes, standalone spy stories, sketchbook pages, 3-D comics, spy gadget diagrams, keys to unlock secret codes hidden throughout the original book, toys and stories for you to cut out and assemble, and tons of extras from Matt Kindt.
Christopher Cantwell has become one of my must-read comic creators over the last few years. His indie comics She Could Fly and Everything we weird, idiosyncratic, fascinating stories about deep emotions and big ideas, which is equally true for the terrific The Blue Flame, a superhero-adjacent story at Vault. He's done a few superhero stories as well (Iron Man, Doctor Doom) and it always feels like he's telling an interesting, layered story. So I'm fascinated to pick up this fantasy story about a princess who wakes up from a very long sleep, and things are not as she thought they would be. I'm not much for fantasy stories, but if someone is doing a twist on the genre, I'll definitely check it out. Here the twist is that when Sleeping Beauty wakes up, the world is very different than the one she remembers. Magic is gone, and it is a much more mundane, grim world. I read the first issue and I really enjoyed it. One of the biggest selling points is German Garcia's art; Garcia has a number of different styles and modes of storytelling, just in the first issue. And they are all gorgeous. I'm also a huge fan of colorist Mat Lopes' work, particularly in the recent Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow story where the colors were just transcendent. So I think this is a great pickup for fantasy fans and non-fans alike.
I am very much enjoying 20th Century Men, and I'm excited to read more. This book is big and ambitious in its scope in a way that not too many comics are these days, and I absolutely love to see it. I think this is a book that will read even better once collected (though I enjoy the individual issues) - that's not meant to be a knock, I've sometimes read books in individual issues and thought they were *good* and then I read them collected and was like "holy crap this is amazing!". Anyway, this is a story about American history, only there were super-powered individuals involved as well. But it's very much not your typical superhero stories. It's more like, an alternate history of 20th century America where some of the key players have super powers (like the American president). I have loved the art from S. Morian and Aditya Bidikar. It has felt like Morian and Bidikar were channeling a number of different styles (often in the same issue), and the book at turns felt beautiful, tense, majestic, and dramatic, all thanks to the terrific art. This is a terrific read.
I absolutely LOVE Planet Hulk, it's one of my favorite comics of all time, in any genre (definitely in my top 10). It's a story that was told in the pages of Incredible Hulk, but it's also very much self-contained story. You do not need to know much about the Marvel Universe and the Hulk to appreciate the story, though your enjoyment will only increase if you do. Planet Hulk is a story where a secret group of superheroes (The Illuminati - including folks like Reed Richards, Black Bolt, Doctor Strange) exiled the Hulk away from Earth because of the damage he did in an incident. He was supposed to be sent to a lush, peaceful planet, but instead ended up on Sakaar, a harsh world ruled over by a tyrannical monarch, who makes various beings fight for sport. Hulk becomes a gladiator and assembles a group of fellow enslaved beings, and all sorts of incredible adventures ensue. It's really an extraordinary story. Anyway, this is a sequel to Planet Hulk, but the catch is that it takes place 1,000 years in the future. I would be skeptical. However, this new miniseries is being written by Greg Pak, the writer of Planet Hulk. So, he has my complete trust, as no one knows these versions of the characters better than he does. I'm excited to see the ways in which the events of the first story become myth, and who from the past shows up. Check this out, but also do yourself a favor and read Planet Hulk, a truly special comic.
