FANTASTIC FOUR #587

Wizard magazine comes poly bagged these days, as do some of the video game magazines out there, so kids these days probably do know what a poly bag is, but I doubt they remember when the craze in comics was the “special” cover. They had die-cut covers, foil covers, embossed covers, and hologram covers. Those were the days, right? Eventually comics stopped that and went to the variant cover craze, which is realistically ludicrous for the regular fan, but this week's issue of Fantastic Four brought back memories. This issue, released on a Tuesday, came poly bagged so that you couldn't flip through the book at a comic store to see which member died in it. Does it matter that the AP broke the story of who died on Monday night before the book even hit stands? I guess we'll see. I picked up the book Wednesday afternoon and there were about ten copies left. Comic books aren't really worth money anymore. Superman #75, which was bagged and featured the “death” of Superman, now goes for around $20 on Ebay. That book came out in 1992 and was sold out when I attempted to buy it. Nineteen years later it's only worth $20. What will Fantastic Four #597 be worth in nineteen years? Probably around the same if not a little bit more. In 1992 more copies were printed and comics were more popular, so there are a ton of copies of Superman #75 out there. You can also the fact that Superman didn't really die. If you forget about all of that, the real question is: is this book any good? I will say that the art by Steve Epting is exceptional, especially the moving final page. The story, though, by Jonathan Hickman, isn't as good as it should be for such a monumental issue. The idea behind this five part storyline is to have every member of the Fantastic Four team in peril. Reed Richards is dealing with Galactus and Nu-World, Sue Richards is dealing with Namor in an underwater kingdom and The Thing and Johnny Storm are facing an onslaught of bug creatures from the Negative Zone. In a perfect world, a major character's death wouldn't be spoiled before it happens, but going into this storyline, titled “Three,” Marvel admitted that someone was going to die. The death might be heartbreaking if I was a super big fan of this book or if Hickman had been writing it for years. What happens is not unlike the death of Charlie in the TV show Lost. Personally, I'd rather have seen Galactus or Dr. Doom be the one killing someone, not an armada of bugs that was just introduced an issue or two ago. Was I surprised about who they killed off? No, but I will be surprised if he stays dead. If you're sad, well, he's still alive and quite amusing in Ultimate Spider-Man. ***

T.h.u.n.d.e.r. Agents #3

We're amidst a recession, apparently the worst since The Great Depression (so great that each word gets capitalized). What has the comic book industry done in the last few years? Yep, raise prices. Most books are $3.99 now. DC Comics decided to launch a new campaign this year. It's called “Drawing the Line at $2.99.” All DC books are a buck cheaper now. What they aren't telling you is that all their books have been cut from 22 pages to 20. It's good and bad I suppose. I read most comics in a matter of minutes, so even three bucks seems an outrage, but you have to factor in that it takes most artists one day to draw a single page (the average number of weekdays in a month is 22...so that's where the page count came from). Plus most books have a writer, an inker, a colorist, a letterer, and a few editors and sometimes a cover artist. It's not cheap to create a book and comics aren't as popular or profitable as they used to be. I do hope that the $2.99 price cut gets a few people to check out this book, the newest incarnation of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. It was created in the 60's and has a long history at various companies, but I'm new to it and I think that it's a terrific book. Superstar writer Nick Spencer (Morning Glories) is on board and artist Cafu (yes, his name is Cafu) is doing some great, clean, exciting work. The premise is that the U.S. Government gives regular people super powers to pull off jobs that nobody else wants to do. The catch is that these super powers will eventually kill them. Would you be a superhero if you knew you'd only be a star for a few years? That concept is lurking in the background at the moment while two crack agents are setting up the new team. Spencer has done a phenomenal job with the dialogue and the pacing so far. It's definitely an intriguing and unusual book but it's also weird, fresh, and entertaining. The one problem I had with this issue is that the character NoMan is way too similar to Alan Moore's Dr. Manhattan. Once I learned that he actually pre-dates Watchmen I was pretty shocked. I've never heard of this book and even the great Alan Moore copied from it. That tells you right there that's it pretty damn special. ***

SPAWN #200

Go find somebody that has never heard of Spawn, make them read #1 and then ask them to predict how long the series ran for. I bet some will say six, twelve, twenty-five, maybe fifty issues. I really doubt anyone would think that it would still be running at issue #200. Why? The premise doesn't lend itself to longevity. And really: who wants to read a book about a tortured soul and Hell and demons for almost twenty years? I enjoyed the book early on because Todd McFarlane, my all-time favorite artist drew it. He quit early and never came back. I read a few issues recently when they killed off the main character and Whilce Portatio started drawing it, but I've never been a big fan and I still have no idea what happened between #25 and #185 except that Spawn killed The Devil in #100 but he comes back in this issue. This book has 53 pages of art at $3.99, which is a steal, but it's also an unreadable mess, one of the worst written comic books I have ever read. The problem is perhaps that five people drew it and three people wrote it, making it an all-over-the-map disaster. The plot is basically a fight between Freak, Spawn, Clown, The Violator, Malebolgia, and an Omega-Spawn. There's also a conversation between the old Spawn and the new Spawn that doesn't make any comprehensible sense. The saddest thing in all of this is that McFarlane draws a handful of pages here and it looks as fresh, as exciting, and as detailed as ever. If I only ask for one thing in life it's for Todd McFarlane to come back and draw a monthly book. He's the best ever and it's a shame that he's still working in comics and not drawing anymore. I feel sorry for the kids out there that missed out on his work. *

THE WALKING DEAD #80

The new AMC series of this comic book is a big hit. It got bigger ratings than Mad Men, AMC's perennial favorite. The show is good not great, and lately that's how the book has been. It started out good and then got exceptional with The Governor storyline then fell to just being a good, readable book. Will it ever be as raw and exciting as it was during that ten to twenty issue arc? Honestly, I doubt it. The book has settled into the “Community” storyline, which has Rick and the gang living behind walls in an idyllic neighborhood. The problem is that a herd of zombies has shown up at the gate. When the gate comes crashing down then all hell will break loose, right? The gate is still intact, and the soap opera storylines burst and bloom here. Rick gets kissed by Jessie at the end of this issue. If you forget, Jessie's husband was beating her, Rick stepped in, and eventually Jessie's husband was shot and killed. A lot of people complained about the TV show because of its soap opera plots, but that's been the heart of the series since its inception. Certainly, the best parts of the comic and the show have been the zombie action, but the human element pays off when someone dies and you actually feel remorse. The art, by Charlie Adlard, is as good and efficient as ever. This isn't a great book, but it's definitely a good read. **1/2

Best Comic Book: Locke & Key

You really need to be reading this. It's dark but it's also fun. It's mysterious, weird, but fresh and thrilling. Kinsey, the hippie daughter, takes away her sadness and fear thanks to one of the numerous magic keys found at their mansion. She puts Sadness and Fear, which are two small creatures, into a jar. Sadness cries so much that it drowns Fear. Kinsey can't put Fear back into her head. Fear is dead. She ponders this. She'll never feel fear again. That emotion is now gone for her. How strange, how deeply philosophical is that? Add those grand ideas to massive battles against shadow creatures mixed in with kids trying to get laid and you have the craziest, most enjoyable and sublime book on the market. Like I said: you really need to be reading this.

Best Writer: Joe Hill

If you're one of those people that argue that Stephen King isn't as good as he used to be, start reading his son's comic book, Locke & Key. Joe Hill has created what is the best comic book out there. It has everything. The dialogue, especially the “teen speak,” is hilarious, realistic, and oh-so fun to read. The characters are all three-dimensional and all struggling with real world issues as well as the dark things that well up and burst around Key House. The reason that the best writing is done in this book is that Hill keeps surprising us. Each new issue brings forth more bizarre adventures, more painful and serene emotions, and twists that move the story forward while enveloping it in mystery and awe.

Best Artist: Simon Bisley, Hellblazer

The best art out there, anywhere, was on the cover of Hellblazer every month. Simon Bisley is a master. His covers are not only perfectly drawn, but they're alive and kinetic. These covers should be in a museum.

Best Issue: Locke and Key: Keys to the Kingdom #3

This issue is a cliché, sure, but it worked. It showcased one month and focused on the pieces without getting the whole story. The kicker is that the final page finished the story that the first page started even though the issue is just moments in a wild, fantasy world. The dialogue is pitch-perfect and the emotions came right off the page. The art is terrifically appealing and these characters are fully fleshed out, realistic, and fun to be around. This book truly has it all, and this issue was a tour de force of storytelling.

THE BEST OF 2010

It's hard even remembering everything that went down in the comic book world this past year. There were the big events of course. DC had Brightest Day and The Return of Bruce Wayne, not to mention the year ending with multiple Batmen running amok across the globe. Marvel had Siege, which ended with the arrest of Norman Osbourne. Daredevil was evil in Shadowland and Cable died during a big X-Men event titled “Second Coming.” There were three new Avengers titles this year, all of them mediocre. As for the good comics? Chew was consistently fun and weird. Rasl was bizarre and wonderful. Sweet Tooth packed an emotional wallop every month while showcasing the end of the world. Mark Millar put three creator-owned books out and stole all of Marvel's good artists to get them done. Scott Pilgrim said goodbye. Jason Aaron made a name for himself with a ton of books this year including Wolverine and Punisher Max, yet his best was still Scalped. The Amazing Spider-Man finally stuck with one writer and got better. Choker was sadistic but also great. J.M. Straczynski started writing both Superman and Wonder Woman...then quit. As for my personal favorites? Erik Larsen once again shook up Savage Dragon by killing Earth's population. & John Constantine is getting married. Crazy, right?