Over the last year, Tom King and Mitch Gerads have delivered a mix of espionage story, crime epic, and war comic in The Sheriff of Babylon (Vertigo), based in part on King’s time in Iraq working for the CIA. But lingering over the book the whole time is the secret behind an ugly act of violence unraveled was the question of how a book about a conflict we’re still fighting could end. And the answer is one that will stick with readers.
What’s welcome about the book — and its sure-to-be-controversial ending — is the way King and Gerads don’t try to put a bow on the Iraq conflict. There are no terrorists with AK-47s, just gangsters, morally conflicted politicians, mothers without children, bureaucrats afraid for their own necks, and a panoply of other people stuck in a mess somebody else made for them.
Gerads in particular closes the book with a stark few pages that sum up the futility that pervades the book. The Sheriff Of Babylon is arguably about why “nation-building” from the outside fails. It might be the most haunting, and important, comic you read this year.
Myopia #1, Dynamite
Richard Dent and Patrick Berkenkotter’s comic, which originally appeared on Kickstarter and was snapped up for publishing by Dynamite, pulls off a neat trick of having a two-fisted pulp sensibility and Art Deco design carefully mixed with cyberpunk and cutting edge technology. Based on Dent’s story, Myopia takes place in a world where everyone wears Lenses, contacts that connect to the internet and do everything from pay cab fare to, we learn, erase government agents from your field of vision. While Mohan’s colors are a bit pale for the tone of the book, Berkenkotter’s stunning design and Dent’s smart plotting and characterization make this the perfect #1 to pick up if you’re looking for a new title.
The Unworthy Thor #1, Marvel
Odinson, the former Thor, is not having a good life of it. With a single whisper, he lost Mjolnir, because he was no longer worthy to carry it. He lost an arm, which is now black uru metal. Asgard is going to Hel, figuratively and possibly literally. Jane Foster, the heir to his godhood, is dying of cancer. So Thor, according to Jason Aaron and Oliver Copiel, does what all good gods do when faced with adversity, namely resort to alcoholism and self-loathing.
But, this being a Thor comic, there’s another Mjolnir handy, there for the taking. But needless to say, it’ll be harder, both in terms of fighting, and in terms of the moral issues Thor faces, than he thinks. It’s a fairly interesting start to a curious concept, and Marvel might have a Thor book almost as good as the main one on the stands if this keeps up.
Josie And The Pussycats #2, Archie
Marguerite Bennett, Cameron DeOrdio, and Audrey Mok follow up a subtly raunchy first issue with a densely wacky second, as Josie, Valerie, and Melody hit the road to build careers and make very meta jokes about the absurd predicaments they find themselves in. Bennett and DeOrio pack the script with jokes, including a fairly classic Archie plot about sneaky biker gangs who, of course, need to be defeated at a big race, and Mok’s clean, detailed art both amps up the comedy and gives the book an extra comedic sheen.
Mayday #1, Image Comics
Alex DiCampi and Tony Parker team up to deliver an espionage book more reminiscent of James Ellroy than John le Carré. In 1971, a Soviet general defects with a list of all the agents the motherland has embedded in America to Los Angeles. He’s promptly abducted, and the chase is on, one that involves creepy FBI agents, angry CIA analysts, naked hippies, and Russian hitmen who quickly discover they’re way out of their depth in the Land Of The Free.
Parker’s art is vivid, albeit going to a few expected places with the obligatory acid trip, and DiCampi packs in the twists, which is what you’d expect from the author of brutal stories like No Mercy. Still, it makes for a fascinating thriller, and the unexpected ending makes us curious as to what comes next, which is the best thing you can say about any comic.
Faith #5, Valiant: Louise Simonson and Pere Perez take on Faith meeting Hillary, while Jody Houser and Megan Hetrick continue her adventures, in a reminder that Faith is one of the best superheroes in comics.
Giant Days #20, BOOM! Studios: Our second-year English college coeds move into a new apartment and must stare down the greatest foe a novice apartment dweller will ever face: IKEA and its cheap furnishings. John Allison and Max Sarin are consistently hilarious in this book, but this issue stands out in particular for how painfully relatable it is.
Occupy Avengers #1, Marvel: David F. Walker and Carlos Pacheco have the unenviable job of reviving Clint Barton’s fortunes after Civil War II, and they largely do it with a classic, and surprisingly fun, Marvel Team-Up.
The Flintstones #5, DC Comics: Mark Russell and Steve Pugh’s dark comedy satirizing modern life finally tackles the question of Fred’s PTSD head-on in an issue about elections that balances cynicism about our current election with some hope for the future that our kids will be better than us.
Big Trouble In Little China/Escape From New York #2, BOOM! Studios: Greg Pak and Daniel Bayliss manage to keep the spirit of both movies coursing through this book, which, considering how different they are, is no mean feat.
This Week’s Best Collected Editions
Battlepug Vol. 5: The Paws Of War, Dark Horse (Hardcover, $15): Mike Norton’s goofy webcomic, featuring a bunch of fantasy tropes and a giant snarfling pug a barbarian rides into battle, wraps up with a touching final volume.
Jim Henson’s Labryrinth Artist’s Tribute, BOOM! Studios (Hardcover, $25): A beloved ’80s fantasy gets an absolutely gorgeous hardback tribute.
Aleister And Adolf, Dark Horse (Hardcover, $20): Media theorist Douglas Rushkoff explores how notorious occultist Aleister Crowley may have used magic to try and change the course of World War II, with art by Michael Avon Oeming.
