THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN T H E T E M P E S T Shortcut links: > Best Comics > Best Graphic Novels > Best Collections > Best Movies And TV > Best Websites > Rest In Power B E S T C O M I C S : I D W -THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN: The Tempest, by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill (Top Shelf/IDW) _______ ⇧ Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's swan song... for the series, and for their comics careers. The wink in the cover design to Classics Illustrated should give a clue. This six-issue series is as complex as Pynchon, as subversive as Joyce, as interlaced as Farmer. Gradually, the saga of the League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen has become the story of one extraordinary woman, the indomitable Mina Murray. And, through the concept that all literature was a true interconnected history, it has woven together the sources of everything we enjoy into a new way of seeing them. Read, Think, Create. Handy checklist: LOEG 1 LOEG 2 LOEG: The Black Dossier LOEG 3: Century LOEG: The Nemo Trilogy LOEG 4: The Tempest > THE CANON 1: 50 Books That Created Modern Pop Culture -GHOSTBUSTERS: Answer The Call, by Kelly Thompson and Corin Howell _______ Along with their crossover comics series in which all versions of Ghostbusters (from live to cartoon) met, IDW also did this series starring the women from the 2016 film. I M A G E -SAGA, by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan _______ ⇧ Contemporary comics' consistently finest series went on a year hiatus after issue #54. -PAPER GIRLS, by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang _______ ⇧ Contemporary comics' consistently most complex series only enriches with time. -SLEEPLESS, by Sarah Vaughn and Leila Del Duca _______ A rethinking of Fantasy and Romance idioms. -BITTER ROOT, by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown and Sanford Greene _______ The '20s Harlem Renaissance vs. arcane forces (and family quarrels). -INFIDEL, by Pornsak Pichetshote and Aaron Campbell _______ A horror allegory where a building feeding off of bigotry plagues the immigrants who live there. -PRISM STALKER, by Sloane Leong _______ Like Octavia Butler writing 'Sailor Moon' . -THE NEW WORLD, by Aleš Kot and Tradd Moore _______ After the USA's Second Civil War, two opponents screw up the program by falling in love. -BLACKBIRD, by Sam Humphries and Jen Bartel _______ A neon-noir L.A. Occult mystery. -SKYWARD, by Joe Henderson and Lee Garbett _______ Class wars, science intrigue, and zero gravity. -HEY KIDS! COMICS!, by Howard Chaykin _______ Howard Chaykin's loving (while unvarnished) homage to the history of the comics industry. -MONSTRESS, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda _______ Best-selling author Marjorie Liu's Gothic Fantasy, with stunning art by Sana Takeda. -THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE, by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie _______ Life and death and lifestyles of the rich and infamous. "All Good Things...", dept.: Creator-owned series have the benefit of taking their stories to a definite endpoint. These stalwarts bowed out this year. -SEX CRIMINALS, by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky _______ ⇧ The climactic five issues. > -DESCENDER, by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen _______ The concluding seven issues. Indiana Croft. The sequel series Ascender follows. -BLACK SCIENCE, by Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera, and Dean White _______ The concluding eight issues. Dare all pretensions in parallel dimensions. -BLACK CLOUD, by Jason Latour, Ivan Brandon, and Greg Hinkle _______ 10-issue series concludes. M A R V E L -AMERICA, by Gabby Rivera, Joe Quinones, and Ramon Villalobos _______ ⇧ Latter end of 10-issue maxi-series. America Chavez, amazon luchadora immigrating from another dimension, represents the best ideals of the country she's named for! Fascists and bigots, begone! Art by Russell Dauterman -THE MIGHTY THOR, by Jason Aaron And Russell Dauterman _______ ⇧ Jane. The death of the mighty Thor. -MS. MARVEL, by G. Willow Wilson and Nico Leon _______ Embiggen your mind. -THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL, by Ryan North, Erica Henderson, and Derek Charm _______ Fight the sour! Un-glower to the People! Go, nuts! -SPIDER-GWEN, by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez _______ Does whatever a spider can. -RISE OF THE BLACK PANTHER, by Evan Narcisse and Paul Renaud _______ A skillful streamlining of his Origin. -BLACK PANTHER, by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Daniel Acuna _______ Bestselling author Coates relaunches the title from #1, continuing his golden run. -SHURI, by Nnedi Okorafor and Leonardo Romero _______ T'Challa's sister, who once wore the mantle of Black Panther, breaks free into her own series. -JESSICA JONES, by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos _______ It's the dialogue. During 2018, after nearly two decades of course-correcting Marvel Comics and blueprinting all of the Netflix shows, Bendis moved to DC. -DOCTOR STRANGE, by Mark Waid and Jesus Saiz _______ "And Doctor Strange is always changing size." -BLACK BOLT, by Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward _______ Any excuse to enjoy Christian Ward's psychedelic art is a valid one. -LEGION, by Peter Milligan and Wilfredo Torres _______ With the radical TV series attaining new levels of quality, this 5-issue mini-series returns the troubled psionic to the page. _______________ S T A R W A R S Marvel is doing a splendid job making movies between the movies. -STAR WARS, by Jason Aaron and Stuart Immonen, + _______ The flagship title covers the Rebel side of events during the period between A NEW HOPE and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. -DARTH VADER: Dark Lord of the Sith*, by Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli _______ This second VADER series covers his emergence immediately after REVENGE OF THE SITH. *(They don't include the subtitle on the cover, causing great confusion with the previous 25-issue DARTH VADER series, set later.) -STAR WARS: Doctor Aphra, by Kieron Gillen, Emilio Laiso, and Kev Walker _______ ⇧ The inverse Indiana Jones, the bizarro Han Solo, continues to crash the party and take your lover. -STAR WARS: Poe Dameron, by Charles Soule and Angel Unzueta _______ This fun series continually brought depth to the pilot and his squadron, fleshing out the events leading up to THE FORCE AWAKENS until its conclusion with issue #31. -STAR WARS: Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi— CAPTAIN PHASMA, by Kelly Thompson and Marco Checchetto A one-shot which explains events for her between THE FORCE AWAKENS and THE LAST JEDI. D C Timely Reminder, Dept. WATCHMEN (1986) is a graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, with color by John Higgins. They are the sole creators of this original saga, despite a copyright swindle by the publisher. This is a self-contained story, period. Any other "before" or "after" supplements, "crossover integrations", or "screen extensions" are a complete fraud perpetrated by the greedy and supported by the foolish. This also applies to all ABC Comics characters misappropriated and franchised. The Corporation didn't create it, they don't ethically "own" it, and their appropriation is just irrelevant exploitation. (See also: Siegel and Shuster; Bill Finger; Fawcett Comics,...) V E R T I G O Forget the corporation, support the creators. -ASTRO CITY, by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson, + Alex Ross _______ Only two issues and a hiatus, but hey, it's Astro City! -DEATHBED, by Joshua Williams and Riley Rossmo _______ Hallucinogenic six-issue series about a mysterious adventurer reaching zenith. Y O U N G A N I M A L Forget the corporation, support the creators. Art by Paulina Ganucheau. Gerard (My Chemical Romance) Way's imprint, rechanneling the spirit of early '90s Vertigo Comics. -SHADE, THE CHANGING WOMAN, by Cecil Castellucci and Marley Zarcone _______ The twelve issue Girl book was followed by this six-issue mini-series. Meta-Zone, Mensa-mad, mega-rad! -DOOM PATROL, by Gerard Way and Nick Derington _______ Like the other shoe dropping for Grant Morrison's '90s storied run. -ETERNITY GIRL, by Magdalene Vissagio and Sonny Liew _______ ⇧ What if your best solution is the worst outcome for all? -CAVE CARSON HAS AN INTERSTELLAR EYE, by Jon Rivera and Michael Avon Oeming _______ The 12-issue Cybernetic Eye book was followed by this six-issue series for the cosmic explorer. D A R K H O R S E -BLACK HAMMER: Age Of Doom, by Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston _______ Black Hammer, Lemire's alt-universe parallel to Kingdom Come, ran 13 issues, and was followed up after their 'Crisis' event with this sequel book. -BLACK HAMMER: The Quantum Age, by Jeff Lemire and Wilfredo Torres _______ A six-issue spin-off of the Black Hammer series. -ETHER: The Copper Golems, by Matt Kindt and David Rubín _______ A five-issue sequel to Ether, continuing the adventurer caught betwixt science and fantasy. -AMERICAN GODS: My Ainsel, by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell, and Scott Hampton _______ The second arc in their adaptation of Gaiman's book, concurrent with an excellent TV series version. I never metaphor I didn't like.> Art by Martin Morazzo. ----- Berger Books ----- In a just universe, Karen Berger would be the one running DC Comics instead of the Corps and the Ballcaps. Berger edited Alan Moore's Swamp Thing (1984-'87) as he completely upended the comics industry. When that maturity reached an adult level well past the mainstream DC hero books, she ushered in their 'New Format' titles that would morph into Vertigo Comics (1993). Her adult imprint, thriving in the Direct Sales comics shops, brought us Gaiman's Sandman and The Books of Magic (well before Harry Potter); Morrison's Doom Patrol, Animal Man, and The Invisibles; Delano's Hellblazer; and Milligan's Shade, The Changing Man. This grew across 20 years to include Preacher, Lucifer, A History of Violence, 100 Bullets, Fables, Vamps, Y: The Last Man, and The Unwritten. While the '90s mainstream lost much of what made the '80s Revolution so mature, she created a legacy that is beyond compare, still influencing the best work on the page and the screen. She's back now to show you how it's done right with the imprint Berger Books, distrubuted by Dark Horse. -LAGUARDIA, by Nnendi Okorafor and Tana Ford _______ Acclaimed Afrofuturist writer Nnendi Okorafor (BINTI, AKATA WITCH) challenges xenophobia with this allegory of interstellar immigrants facing discrimination in NYC. -THE SEEDS, by Ann Nocenti and David Aja _______ Childhood's End from another angle in a four-issue series. -SHE COULD FLY, by Christopher Cantwell and Martin Morazzo _______ ⇧ A four-issue series about the mystery left in the wake of a Flying Woman. -MATA HARI, by Emma Beeby and Ariela Kristantina _______ A layered reevalution of the controversial WWI spy in this five-issue series. L I O N F O R G E -MAE, Volume 2 by Gene Ha _______ ⇧ The next chapter in the all-ages cross-dimensional adventure series by the acclaimed artist of Alan Moore's TOP 10. B O O M -CODA, by Si Spurrier and Matías Bergara _______ Like Mad Max goes to Mordor. -JUDAS, by Jeff Loveness and Jakub Rebelka _______ ⇧ A deconstruction of Judus Iscariot as fate's puppet. -ABBOTT, by Saladin Ahmed, Sami Kivela, and Jason Wordie _______ This hard '70s detective will solve this arcane noir, if she can get past everyone's biases. Five issues. -FIREFLY, by Greg Pak and Dan McDaid _______ ⇧ Jumping from Dark Horse, the adventures of everyone's favorite cult TV Space Western continue. B E S T G R A P H I C N O V E L S : -STRONG FEMALE PROTAGONIST, Vol. 2, by Brennan Lee Mulligan and Molly Ostertag (IDW) _______ ⇧ Mulligan and Ostertag wrestle with the complexities of being a postmodern feminist superhero. -THE HIDDEN WITCH, by Molly Knox Ostertag (Scholastic) _______ Ostertag's hailed sequel to THE WITCH BOY. -The Beatles' YELLOW SUBMARINE, by Bill Morrison (Titan) _______ ⇧ "It's all in the mind, y' know." A labor of L-O-V-E by the co-founder of Bongo Comics and current editor of MAD Magazine, distilling the film into thoughtful graphic tableauxs. -FAB4 MANIA: A Beatles Obsession and the Concert of a Lifetime, by Carol Tyler (Fantagraphics) _______ Tyler's diary entries and illustrations lovingly recreate the thrill of Beatlemania taking hold of the new youth through 1965, with a you-are-there sweetness. -The Provocative COLETTE, by Annie Goetzinger (NBM) _______ ⇧ Lateral to the film bio COLETTE (2018) starring Keira Knightley, Annie Goetzinger tells her version of the notorious life of the great French literarary rebel. -McCAY, by Thierry Smolderen and Jean-Philippe Bramanti (Titan Comics) _______ ⇧ A comics bio of the life of Winsor McCay, creator of the esteemed "Little Nemo In Slumberland" comic strip and modern animation, told in the style of his work. [See also: "The Adventures of Hergé" (Drawn & Quarterly), and the Art Masters graphic novel bios of fine artists.] -THE JOE SHUSTER STORY: The Artist Behind Superman, by Julian Voloj and Thomas Campi (Papercutz’s Super Genius) _______ ⇧ A lovely biography of the co-creator of Superman, the character that established the entire comics industry. And how that industry then established the legally-upheld pattern of bilking massive corporate profits at the expense of disposed creators. [See also: 1938-Now] -MEMORABILIA, by Sergio Ponchione (Fantagraphics) _______ Bios in comix form of Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Wallace Wood, Will Eisner, and Richard Corben, referencing their styles in each. -MONK!: Thelonious, Pannonica, and the Friendship Behind a Musical Revolution, by Youssef Daoudi (First Second Books) _______ ⇧ BeBop or be dead. The symbiotic relationship of Jazz prophet Thelonious Monk and his patron, Kathleen Annie Pannonica de Koenigswarter. -ALL THE ANSWERS: A Graphic Memoir, by Michael Kupperman (Simon & Schuster) _______ A nuanced memoir about his father, a Quiz Kid champion of the '40s, and the toll of celebrity on soul and family. -BERLIN 3: City Of Light, by Jason Lutes (Drawn & Quarterly) _______ ⇧ Across 20 years, Lutes has woven an ongoing examination of how the rebellious Wiemar Republic was (ahem) trumped by repressive Nazism, which he has now finished in this timely third collection. -I, René Tardi, Prisoner of War in Stalag IIB, by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧ The French comics legend gives account of his father's time surviving that Hell. -BRAZEN: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World, by Pénélope Bagieu (First Second) _______ ⇧ Revolution Grrrl Style Then! A herstory of international hellions. -I MOVED TO LOS ANGELES TO WORK IN ANIMATION, by Natalie Nourigat (Boom) _______ ⇧ In which she does exactly what she set out to do, and maybe you can, too. -WHY ART?, by Eleanor Davis (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧ Eleanor Davis peels away layers of assumption in a quest of better understanding about the practice of creation. -THE LIE AND HOW WE TOLD IT, by Tommi Parrish (Fantagraphics) _______ A contemplation of how the anxieties in mundane relationships can lead to their undoing. -GRAFITY'S WALL, by Ram V and Anand RK (Unbound) _______ A wall in Mumbai, the pivot point for the futures of young friends. -THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER, by Jen Wang (First Second Books) _______ 'Princess fairy tales' are getting thankfully challenged and liberated at every turn nowadays, and this welcome volume about friendship, secrets, and personal expression is another push forward. -COYOTE DOGGIRL, by Lisa Hanawalt (Drawn & Quarterly) _______ The designer of the 'Bojack Horseman' show decides to indulge any fun fantasy she wants. -UPGRADE SOUL, by Ezra Claytan Daniels (Lion Forge) _______ ⇧ Can you attain perpetual youth? Should you? -ON A SUNBEAM, by Tillie Walden (First Second) _______ A collection of the webcomic series, a poignant tale about outer space exploration and inner space revelation. -TAEMONS, by Kim Salt (ShortBox) _______ Any deal with a devil is more than you bargained for. -HOMUNCULUS, by Joe Sparrow (ShortBox) _______ ⇧ A character story about artificial intellence and the turning of time. -CASSANDRA DARKE, by Posy Simmonds (Fantagraphics) _______ The evergreen Posy Simmonds (GEMMA BOVERY, TAMARA DREWE) returns. No one combines literate text, narrative illustration, caustic barbs, and sublime moments in their work like her. -HASIB AND THE QUEEN OF SERPENTS, by David B. (NBM) _______ Who can resist a Thousand And One Nights tale, told in kaleiscopic design? -BARRIER, by Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin (Martin Panel Syndicate) _______ A self-published indie comic by one of the most important writers of the medium, which you can name your price to buy. (Be generous.) -LIKELY STORIES, by Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham (Dark Horse) _______ A new horror anthology by the two luminaries. Now let's wrap up Miracleman after 25 years, guys. -The Sons of EL TOPO, Vol. 1: Cain, by Alejandro Jodorowsky and José Ladrönn (Dark Horse) _______ ⇧ Alejandro Jodorowsky spoke for decades of doing a sequel to his epochal symbolist Western film, EL TOPO (1970). At last, he gives us a version of it, beautifully panarama-ed by the cinematic art of José Ladrönn. -WONDER WOMAN: Earth One, Vol. 2, by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette (DC) _______ ⇧ Morrison and Paquette continue their alternate take on the origins and arrival of the eternal Diana. -MARVEL RISING: Unbeatable Squirrel Girl meets Ms. Marvel, by Devin K. Grayson, Ryan North, G. Willow Wilson, and Marco Failla (Marvel) _______ Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel meet for the first time. Well? Throw money at it! B E S T C O L L E C T I O N S / R E I S S U E S : Quality is timeless. -PRINCE VALIANT: Volumes 4-6 (1943-1948), by Hal Foster (Fantagraphics) _______ Hal Foster -and his peers Alex Raymond and Milton Caniff- turned comic strips from kids stuff to a literate art form, inspiring every comic book artist who followed. -EC ARCHIVES: Weird Fantasy, Vol. 3, by Multiple Creators (Dark Horse) _______ EC Comics invented adult comics in the early '50s, and were crucified for it.> Catch up to the original revolution. Stories by Gaines, Feldstein, Frazetta, Wood, Kamen, Orlando, and Williamson. -EC ARCHIVES: Haunt Of Fear, Vol. 5, by Multiple Creators (Dark Horse) _______ Stories by Gaines, Feldstein, Binder, Kamen, Davis, and Crandall. -THE UNKNOWN ANTI-WAR COMICS, by Multiple Creators (IDW) _______ A trove of previously overlooked anti-war stories across the years, featuring work by Steve Ditko and others. -YRAGAËL AND URM: The Madman, by Michel Demuth and Philippe Druillet (Titan) _______ Philippe Druillet intersected Kirby cosmicness with Moorcock experimentalism, changing the comics industry after co-founding Metal Hurlant/Heavy Metal magazine with Moebius. This is a remastering of the 1974 Science Fantasy classic. -LONE SLOANE: Gail, by Philippe Druillet (Titan) _______ ⇧ This third volume in the ongoing remasters of the Lone Sloane series reprints the 1978 book. -INSIDE MOEBIUS: Vol.1, 2, and 3, by Jean Giraud (Dark Horse) _______ In 2001, Jean Girard/Moebius/Gir sought to reinvent himself again in a doodle diary, which instead became a sprawling discourse of an author inverting his ouvre with perverse glee while questioning himself. Looser, funnier, odder, crazier. -THE PRISONER, by Jack Kirby and Gil Kane (Titan) _______ ⇧ In the mid-'70s, Marvel Comics supported the return of Jack Kirby by letting him adapt two projects dear to his heart: the film 2001 and the symbolist TV series, 'The Prisoner'. But they felt the cerebral tale lacked action, and had Gil Kane take another go at it. Neither version was ever released, a grievous error set right by this deluxe book scanning the original art of each. BCNU. -WONDER WOMAN: The Golden Age Omnibus, Vol. 3 (1946-'47), by William Moulton Marston, Joyce Murchison, H.G. Peter, and Robert Kanigher (DC) _______ The final stories written by original creator Marston and his ghost partner Murchison, illustrated by co-creator Peter. After Marston's death in '47, the feminist firebrand was systematically neutered over the next 20 years by Robber Conniver. -GREEN LANTERN: The Silver Age Omnibus, Vol. 2 (1965-'70), by John Broome, Gardner Fox, and Gil Kane (DC) _______ Editor Julius Schwartz kicked off the Silver Age rebirth of comic books in 1956, in the wake of the attempt to extinguish them. He did it by streamlining them for the Space Age, with sharp writers, sleek artists, and always always always smart Science. This Cosmic Cop series inspired all of the imitations that followed: Captain Mar-Vell, Nova, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Men In Black, etc. -GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW: Hard Traveling Heroes (1970-'74), by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams (DC) _______ ⇧ This is the precise turning point when comics grew up and were first acknowledged by the mainstream media. O'Neil and Adams were the peers of the New Hollywood, bringing a level of literacy and illustration and sociopolitical realism that the New York Times Review Of Books termed "the Age of Relevancy". Every mature innovation since in the medium branches from right here. Essential. -JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: The Bronze Age Omnibus, Vol. 2 (1974-'77), by (DC) _______ The classic line-up of the most influential super-team in history. -BATMAN By Neal Adams, Book 1 (1968-'69), by Bob Haney, Dennis O'Neil, and Neal Adams + (DC) _______ The first stories, when Neal Adams' naturalistic illustration began propelling the medium forward. -ALL-STAR SUPERMAN (2005-'08), by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC) _______ One of the most majesterial celebrations of the Last Son Of Krypton gets remastered. -MISTER MIRACLE (2018), by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (DC) _______ The recent, highly acclaimed 12-issue maxi-series compiled. How does the escape artist escape himself? -FANTASTIC FOUR, The Coming Of Galactus: The Epic Collection (1964–'66), by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (Marvel) _______ Fantastic Four had been a brainy adventure series, but this is the moment when Marvel Comics first got biblical on a cosmic scale. -DOCTOR STRANGE, Master of the Mystic Arts: The Epic Collection (1963-'66), by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (Marvel) _______ The creators of Spider-Man go unexpectedly mad with glorious visions of the beyond. -SPIDER-MAN, No More: The Epic Collection (1966-'67), by Stan Lee, John Romita Sr., Larry Leiber, and Marie Severin (Marvel) _______ Every story where a superhero chucked it all and walked away comes from right here. -Jim Starlin's MARVEL COSMIC ARTIFACT EDITION (1972-'77), by Jim Starlin + (IDW) _______ ⇧ Inspired by Kirby's New Gods, Jim Starlin invented Thanos and the struggle for galactic power, blocked by Captain Marvel, The Avengers, and Warlock. He set off the entire Marvel '70s SciFi wave, as well as the throughline of the Marvel Films which culminates in AVENGERS: Infinity War (2018) and AVENGERS: Endgame (2019). -MASTER OF KUNG FU, Weapon of the Soul: The Epic Collection (1974-'75), by Jim Starlin, Doug Moench, and Paul Gulacy + (Marvel) _______ After four decades of backstage legalities, Marvel is finally free to reprint this vital series. Initiated by Jim Starlin during the Martial Arts craze, it would evolve under writer Doug Moench and artist Paul Gulacy into an interrogation of previous Asian stereotypes with profound philosophical introspection, amid radical Steranko-esque page arrangements. And it would only get better, as subsequent volumes will prove... -Marvel Masterworks: KILLRAVEN (1973-'76, 1982), by Don McGregror and P. Craig Russell, + Adams, Chaykin (Marvel) _______ While writer Don McGregor was revitaling Black Panther, his modern sequel to WAR OF THE WORLDSs took full flight with artist P. Craig Russell. As Russell found his unique graphic Art Nouveau style, the series became fine art, culminating in a stunning 1982 graphic novel reunion finale. -MOON KNIGHT, Final Rest: The Epic Collection (1982-'84), by Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz, + (Marvel) _______ ⇧ Moon Knight during this period was the exact equivilent of the GL/GA O'Neil and Adams stories a decade before. The title was one of the first to go off newstands to the new Direct Market of comic stores, allowing writer Moench and artist Sienkiewicz to bring an adult intensity and stylistic innovation unseen before. This volume contains their final three issues, plus some other worthy work by creators that followed. [For a fuller span of their run, get the essential previous volume, MOON KNIGHT, Shadows of the Moon: The Epic Collection.] -The Ballad Of HALO JONES, Vol. 1, 2, and 3, by Alan Moore and Ian Gibson (2000 AD) _______ One of Moore's first series, and his first with a dynamic female lead. -THE ONE, by Rick Veitch (IDW) _______ A rare six-issue series for Epic Comics (1985), in which Veitch paralleled Moore in deconstructing modern superhero tropes. After this, he began an ill-starred arc following his friend Moore as writer/penciller for Swamp Thing. -VIOLENT CASES, by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean (Titan) _______ Gaiman and McKean made their comics debut in 1987 with this experimental Noir story. -V FOR VENDETTA 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, by Alan Moore and David Lloyd (DC) _______ ⇧ Because you need to be told, at all times, to pay attention, to fight back, to never give up. -LOST GIRLS: Expanded Edition, by Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie (IDW) _______ Comics' royal couple treats coupling royally. -RONIN, by Frank Miller (DC) _______ After his early-'80s Daredevil run brought hardboiled maturity to mainstream American comics, Miller had more clout than anyone in 1983. So he made a cutting-edge Lone Wolf And Cub/cyberpunk epic that shocked or divided everyone, and which across time has come clear as one of the best things he ever did. -Bill Sienkiewicz's MUTANTS AND MOON KNIGHTS Artifact Edition, by Bill Sienkiewicz (IDW) _______ The experiments from "Moon Knight" led Sienkiewicz to expand his Adams realism into Steadman frenzy, coming to the fore in his bracing 1984 work on The New Mutants, the first X-Men spin-off team. His experimental work on the character Legion therein is why Noah Hawley's TV show LEGION is so artfully stylized. -DAVE McKEAN: The Short Films, by Dave McKean (Dark Horse) _______ ⇧ A blu-ray of McKean's short films in a book with production photos and art. -DC Comics: The Art of DARWYN COOKE, by Darwyn Cooke (DC) _______ Cooke left the Bruce Timm animation shows to become one of the luminaries of modern comics, until his untimely passing. -DIRTY PLOTTE: The Complete Julie Doucet, by Julie Doucet (Drawn and Quarterly) _______ Another lost soul, this one a pioneer for confessionals in indie comix, with a bent and sad edge. -STAR WARS: Forces Of Destiny, by Multiple Creators (IDW) _______ ⇧ All-ages comics with new adventures spotlighting Leia, Rey, Hera, Ahsoka, Padme, and Rose with her sister Paige. Watch the Forces Of Destiny cartoon shorts for free here: Season 1, Season 2 -SPECTACLE, Vol. 1, by Megan Rose Gedris (Oni Press) _______ A paranormal circus murder mystery. -MILK WARS, by multiple creators (DC/Young Animal) _______ A crossover event between DC and its punk imprint Young Animal, including: JLA/Doom Patrol; Mother Panic/Batman; Shade, the Changing Girl/Wonder Woman; Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye/Swamp Thing. _______________ WHERE WE COME FROM, Dept. Explore the past to map the future. Get with, get going. -Comic Book History of Comics: Comics for All, by Fred Van Lente, Ryan Dunlavey, and Adam Guzowski (IDW) _______ ⇧ The sequel to "Comic Book History of Comics", which told the history in graphic form, goes international in scope. -NEW HOLLYWOOD, by Jean-Baptiste Thoret and Bruno (IDW) _______ ⇧ A graphic overview of how the counterculture saved Hollywood and advanced filmmaking between 1967 and 1980. B E S T M O V I E S a n d T V: I write and illustrate reviews of all comics-sourced films at the Four Color Films site. Art by Tym Stevens -AVENGERS: Infinity War ⇧ 10 years of quality superhero films coming to fruition, and hinging into the new future. -BLACK PANTHER The best aspects of Kirby, McGregor, Priest, and Coates' comics now innovating on the screen. -ANT-MAN AND THE WASP Underrated fun, led by the formidible Wasp. -SPIDER-MAN: Into the Spider-Verse A quantum leap forward in animation, with a smart plot, laughs, and heart. -THE DEATH OF STALIN The satirical graphic novel expanded by a fine ensemble cast. See Also: > Four Color Films, THE Comic Movies Review Site! -LEGION, season 2 The highest level of fine art craft on Television. -DAREDEVIL, season 3 "Born Again" reborn. -CLOAK AND DAGGER, season 1 Black and White are social delusions, only human empathy matters.> See also: > BEST MOVIES & TV: 2018 B E S T W E B C O M I C S -NANCY, by Olympia Jaimes Under a pseudonym, someone is upgrading the classic strip's mindtricks for the digital age. "Sluggo is lit" and you should get literate, too. -ON A SUNBEAM, by Tillie Walden -The Nib RESIST! R E S T I N P O W E R Stan Lee Steve Ditko Marie Severin From you, we exist. Because of you, we persist. Nuff said, pilgrim. Excelsior! © Tym Stevens See also: · BEST MOVIES + TV: 2023 • BEST MUSIC: 2023 • BEST COMICS: 2023 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2022 • BEST MUSIC: 2022 • BEST COMICS: 2022 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2021 • BEST MUSIC: 2021 • BEST COMICS: 2021 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2020 • BEST MUSIC: 2020 • BEST COMICS: 2020 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2019 • BEST MUSIC: 2019 • BEST COMICS: 2019 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2018 • BEST MUSIC: 2018 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2017 • BEST MUSIC: 2017 • BEST COMICS: 2017 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2016 • BEST MUSIC: 2016 • BEST COMICS: 2016 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2015 • BEST MUSIC: 2015 • BEST COMICS: 2015 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2014 • BEST MUSIC: 2014 • BEST COMICS: 2014 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2013 • BEST MUSIC: 2013 • BEST COMICS: 2013 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2012 • BEST MUSIC: 2012 • BEST COMICS: 2012 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2011 • BEST MUSIC: 2011 • BEST COMICS: 2011 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2000-2010 • BEST MUSIC: 2000-2010 • BEST COMICS: 2000-2010 _______________ • How STAR WARS Is Changing Everything! • 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Its Transcendent Influence on all Pop Culture, with Music Player! • How SPAGHETTI WESTERNS Revolutionized Rock Music!, with 3 Music Players! • TWIN PEAKS: Its Influence on 30 Years of Film, TV, and Music!, with 5 Music Players! • The Real History of ROCK AND SOUL!: The Music Player Checklist _______________ • THE CANON 1: 50 Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player • THE CANON 2: 50 More Books That Created Modern Pop Culture, with Music Player • THE CANON 3: 50 Recent Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player

BLACK HOLE, by Charles Burns It's always best to count the good things in the tough times: here's my favorite graphix from the last decade! Shortcut links: • Best Comic • Best Comics Company + • Graphic Novels • Best Collections/ Reissues • How To • • Our Creators • • MVPs • "Burn, Hollywood, Burn!" • Movies And TV • Rest In Power B E S T C O M I C S : Newly expanded for another generation to catch up to real greatness. • STARSTRUCK, by Elaine Lee, Michael Wm. Kaluta, and Lee Moyer ⇧ _______ STARSTRUCK was one of the greatest comics of the Renaissance '80s. It was better than anything out then, and it still is. Smart art for hip people. Get the Deluxe Edition collection in March, 2011! B E S T C O M I C S C O M P A N Y : America's Best Comics An entire comics line created and written by the Shakespeare of the form, the unassailable ALAN MOORE. Quietly, with mesmerizing grace, Moore created his second revolution, dedicated to putting wonder and fun back into the medium. Everyone has yet to even attempt catching up. • THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill ⇧ _______ Which ultimately is the story of one extraordinary woman: Mina Harker, and the teams of classic literary heroes she led across a century's span. It takes the conceit of weaving together all literature as if it were all co-existent and true, and pulls it off. If you heard there is a film, it isn't true. Ignore it. • PROMETHEA, by Alan Moore, J.H. Williams III, and Mick Gray ⇧ _______ A fully-realized Wonder Woman without any of the restraints. Promethea is the goddess embodiment of human creativity, fluid and endless, the core of our survival. Moore is more ambitious in scope here than can be comprehended, and artist J.H. WILLIAMS III (Batwoman) perfected his craft here re-inventing comic composition to keep up. • TOP 10, by Alan Moore, Zander Cannon, and Gene Ha ⇧ _______ There will probably never be a more complex and loving homage to the entire history of Comic Strips and Comic Books than this. With layout artist ZANDER CANNON and the astounding ink finishes of GENE HA, this farcical police procedural investigates every last inch of the genres. • TOP 10, Season 2 (2008), by Zander Cannon and Gene Ha _______ The artists continued the series on in fine form, but were cancelled halfway through their projected 8 issues by publisher treachery. • TOM STRONG, by Alan Moore, Chris Sprouse, Alan Gordon, and Karl Story ⇧ _______ Tom Strong is every 20th Century hero archetype distilled into one: Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Doc Savage, Superman, Capt. Marvel. Better still, he is the sense of wonder that comics lost in recent decades confusing violence with maturity. Clean, clear, smart, startling, classic stories honed to a shining gleam by penciller CHRIS SPROUSE. • TOM STRONG And The Robots Of Doom, by Peter Hogan, Chris Sprouse, and Karl Story _______ A solid attempt to continue the series in this 6-issue arc. D C • BATWOMAN, by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III ⇧⇧ _______ The best ongoing series being made. She will kick your ass without a blink, on every level. J.H. WILLIAMS III took the mainstream by storm with his astounding art, in service to crack stories by GREG RUCKA. (Fans of Williams should go back and explore all of PROMETHEA, as well as the early-'80s art of Gene Day on MASTER OF KUNG FU #101-120.) • THE NEW FRONTIER, by Darwyn Cooke _______ Darwyn recaptures the early-'60s sense of hope and possibility in his retelling of the birth of The Silver Age heroes. Retro art and postmodern smarts. • BATMAN DEATHBLOW, by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo _______ That art! LEE BERMEJO is one of the best illustrators to ever grace comics. His fully-functional costume designs for Batman and Superman put Hollywood to shame. A marvel of brutal excellence. WEDNESDAY Comics: SUPERMAN, by Lee Bermejo • WEDNESDAY Comics, Various Artists ⇧ _______ The most valuable person at DC is editor MARK CHIARELLO, an excellent artist who dreams up progressive projects regularly. Here he resurrects the large Sunday Comics strip pages with 15 strips by top creators, who all use this broad new canvas to the hilt. • IDENTITY CRISIS, by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales _______ Amid all the aggro-lescent blowouts that pass for 'big event' comics series anymore, here instead is a sharp and heartbreaking story by best-selling Mystery writer BRAD MELTZER, brought to life with deft humanity by artist RAGS MORALES. • SHAZAM: Power Of Hope, by Paul Dini and Alex Ross _______ • WONDER WOMAN: Spirit Of Truth, by Paul Dini and Alex Ross ⇧ _______ ALEX ROSS, the finest illustrator in modern comics, is also a fleet storyteller with a kid's wonderful reverence and nostalgia. His huge, handpainted tribute volumes to the essence of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the real Captain Marvel are gems that act as 'how-to' lessons for the current generation. • THE SPECTRE #1-13, by J.M. Dematteis and Ryan Sook _______ The most lyrical and elegant stylist since P. Craig Russell and Mike Mignola, RYAN SOOK's art is breathtaking in this beautiful run. ____________ And last, an unintentional 'trilogy' of how to do the Man Of Tomorrow correctly... • SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT, by Mark Waid & Leinil Francis Yu _______ The best and most surprising revamping of his origin and emergence one could imagine, one that SMALLVILLE and SUPERMAN RETURNS yearn to match. • LUTHOR, by Brian Azzarello & Lee Bermejo _______ LEE BERMEJO returns with this revelatory retooling of Lex Luthor that works inadvertently as a perfect bookend to "Birthright". • ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely _______ Alan Moore summed up the absolute essence of Superman in his two DC finale stories and with the entire SUPREME series. But GRANT MORRISON gives Alan a terrific run for his money with this wonderfully inspired 'last Superman story'. ...plus a bonus rethink of a Clark Kent for our own world. • SUPERMAN: Secret Identity, by Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen _______ M A R V E L • DAREDEVIL, by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev ⇧ _______ Adult comics have been better than most any Hollywood film for over two decades. Haunted by Tarantino and Coppola in the best senses, this stunner plays like an illustrated movie of realistic heroism and character depth. ALEX MALEEV's dark and cinematic art is ever amazing for their three year run. • ALIAS, by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos _______ This series is a parallel companion in tone, style, and sometimes story to the DAREDEVIL run mentioned above. Gritty, sarcastic noir tales of private investigator Jessica Jones, a world-weary smart-ass who brooks no fools but who can't seem to escape her shadowy former-superhero past. Irreverent as it is relevant. (Released at the same time as the ALIAS TV series, there is no relation. In 2015, the JESSICA JONES series debuted on Netflix.) • 1602, by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert _______ Perhaps as close to a THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN as Marvel will ever get, courtesy of maestro Gaiman. • THE ETERNALS, by Neil Gaiman and John Romita, Jr. _______ Neil Gaiman does Jack Kirby. Nuff said. • X-FORCE/ X-STATIX, by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred _______ Imagine the classic Lee-Kirby Silver Age comics done as a scathing satire of the 21st century multi-media machine. Timeless retro art, surreal fun, and an unsparing critique of poison glamour and slick greed. You'll laugh, you'll think, you'll cringe at your world! • EARTH X, by Alex Ross and Jean Paul Leon _______ In the wake of the magisterial KINGDOM COME for DC, Alex Ross proved his writing chops by pulling off the impossible stunt of making a cohesive cosmic history of Marvel's past while charting its best future. JEAN PAUL LEON couldn't be a more opposite artist in terms of style, but the zen essence of his bold brushwork is letter perfect. W I L D S T O R M • PLANETARY, by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday ⇧ _______ While Alan Moore reinterpreted all the wonders of 20th pop culture through TOM STRONG, WARREN ELLIS does an alternate take through an askew lens with stark clarity and nuanced sophistication. • EX MACHINA, by Brian K. Vaughn and Tony Harris _______ A tour-de-force of realistic heroes and the sociopolitical ramifications of their acts. V E R T I G O • Y: THE LAST MAN, by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra _______ Everyone loves this series. For me this was Good to Very Good, with some great moments. Wanted more from it, but still worth the journey. • THE UNWRITTEN, by Mike Carey and Peter Gross _______ An adult reimagining of the same English tradition of British magic fantasy that Harry Potter springs from, this canny series plays with those expectations and subverts them at every turn. A M E R I C A N M U L E Entertainment • PUBLIC ENEMY, by Chuck D and Adam Wallenta _______ 'The Only RAP Band That Matters'* become a different variant of heroes in this fun and pointed 12 issue series. A sorely needed infusion of African-American consciousness into a medium long short of it. *That's a Clash in-joke, for any of you hotheads out there. G R A P H I C N O V E L S : ____________ H E R O I C S : • TOP 10: The Forty-Niners, by Alan Moore and Gene Ha ⇧ • BATWOMAN: Elegy, by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III ____________ S M A R T A R T : • THE PLOT: The Secret Story of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, by Will Eisner • BERLIN: City Of Stone, by Jason Lutes • BERLIN: City Of Smoke, by Jason Lutes • PERSEPOLIS, by Marjane Satrapi • BLACK HOLE, by Charles Burns • ASTERIOS POLYP, by David Mazzucchelli • GEMMA BOVERY, by Posy Simmonds, (1999) • TAMARA DREWE, by Posy Simmonds • THE QUITTER, by Harvey Pekar and Dean Haspiel • BLANKETS, by Craig Thompson • FUN HOME: A Family Tragicomic, by Alison Bechdel • THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL: An Account in Words and Pictures, by Phoebe Gloeckner ⇧ • SHORTCOMINGS, by Adrian Tomine • BLACKSAD, by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido • SCOTT PILGRIM, by Bryan Lee O'Malley • LA PERDIDA, by Jessica Abel • SMILE, by Raina Telgemeier • AMERICAN BORN CHINESE, by Gene Luen Yang • SECRET IDENTITIES: The Asian American Superhero Anthology, by Various Creators ____________ D R E A M S : • SERENITY: The Shepard's Tale, by Zach Whedon and Chris Samnee • VIMANARAMA, by Grant Morrison and Philip Bond • CORALINE, by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell • THE SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS, by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell • SUPERMAN: Earth One, by J. Michael Straczynski, Shane Davis, and Sandra Hope • Michael Chabon's THE ESCAPISTS, by Brian K. Vaughan, Philip Bond, and Jason Shawn Alexander B E S T C O L L E C T I O N S / R E I S S U E S : 1: Gil Kane 2: Jack Kirby ____________ T H E T R U E S C H O O L : • SHOWCASE • ESSENTIAL MARVEL ⇧⇧ _______ To learn directly from the great masters, buy the affordable Showcase (DC) and Essential Marvel (MARVEL) trade paperbacks. These 500 page archives of classic comics printed in the original black-and-white line are a treasure trove for teaching aspiring artists. • "KRAZY & IGNATZ in 'Tiger Tea'", by George Herriman _______ The most surreal and loopy storyline that GEORGE HERRIMAN ever did. • WONDER WOMAN Chronicles, vol.1, by Wm. Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter _______ Over the years the 'clean line' style of greats like Carl Barks, Herge, and C.C. Beck have earned the respect they always deserved. This volume should turn similar respect to H.G. PETER, the original Wonder Woman artist for her first two decades. His spiraling art nouveau cartoon style is one of comicdom's neglected secret treasures. • HARVEY COMICS Classics, Vol. 1-5, by various artists _______ The timeless and fun stories are enlivened by the rounded and happy house style of WARREN KREMER, a master class in pop economy. • FLASH GORDON: A Lifelong Vision of the Heroic, by Al Williamson _______ Carrying on the fine tradition of Alex Raymond, here is EC Comics artisan AL WILLIAMSON showing you how it's done. • MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER 4000 A.D., Vol. 1-3, by Russ Manning _______ RUSS MANNING's ultrasleek style and snappy action adventures are timeless, and a direct influence on Dave Cockrum, Dave Stevens, Steve Rude, and Mike Allred. • The Complete PEANUTS 1967-1970, Vol. 9-10 , by Charles Schultz • The Complete PEANUTS 1971-1974, Vol. 11-12 , by Charles Schultz _______ In responding to the counterculture with empathy, CHARLES SCHULTZ's popular newspaper strip inherited the mantle from POGO as a social bellwether while becoming a pop phenomenon. • Jack Kirby's FOURTH WORLD OMNIBUS, 1-4, by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer _______ The New Gods books have more great ideas in five pages than most series do in decades. JACK KIRBY did virtually everything first and better than anyone. • SUPERMAN vs. MUHAMMED ALI giant size facsimile edition, by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams _______ The most improbable comic story of all time is also one of The Greatest Of All Time. DENNY O'NEIL's story carries you from intimate urban streets to galactic warfare without a sweat, and NEAL ADAM's art is the best of his career (which is saying a lot). • THE ROCKETEER: The Complete Adventures, by Dave Stevens _______ DAVE STEVENS was a terrific artist and storyteller, and a great guy. Here's everything you need to know why. • XENOZOIC TALES, Vol. 1 and 2, by Mark Schultz _______ Inspired by Frank Frazetta's '50s comics work, MARK SCHULTZ is a fine illustrator in his own right at full throttle here with dinosaurs and cadillacs. • CAGES, by Dave McKean ⇧ _______ We never got Moore and Sienkiewicz's BIG NUMBERS in finished form, but we did get this complex, chameleonic epic from premiere illustrator DAVE McKEAN. • AMERICAN SPLENDOR, by Harvey Pekar with R. Crumb, etc. _______ Puts together the two trade paperbacks of the '80s that ignited public appreciation of HARVEY PEKAR, back in print in time for the excellent movie. • THE ESSENTIAL DYKES TO WATCH OUT FOR, by Alison Bechdel _______ ALISON BECHDEL's graphic novel FUN HOME was Time's Book Of The Year 2006. Here's 20 years of her epic and intimate comic strip to school us in how she learned her craft so well. • X-ED OUT, by Charles Burns _______ A postpunk Tintin, by CHARLES BURNS. How can you lose? • A CHILD'S LIFE and Other Stories, by Phoebe Gloeckner _______ Brutal truth, sensitive stories, sharp illustration...PHOEBE GLOECKNER does it all. ____________ H I G H E R L E A R N I N G : Alan Moore • FROM HELL, by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell _______ The most complex, all-inclusive, well-researched, and quietly subversive account of Jack The Ripper ever created. • LOST GIRLS, by Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie _______ Alan turns literature and erotica inside out, while MELINDA GEBBBIE -his life partner and feminist underground comix pioneer- pays homage to Von Bayros, Mucha, Schiele, and Beardsley along the torrid way. • SUPREME: The Return, by Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse _______ The greatest Superman stories never told. • SUPREME: Story of the Year, by Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse _______ Still more of the greatest Superman stories never told. H O W T O : We're blessed in this age to have the most well-trained artists and writers in comics history, thanks to progressive colleges and republished archives. If you want to know how to do this, there's never been a better time to learn how the right way: • COMICS AND SEQUENTIAL ART: Principles and Practices, by Will Eisner • UNDERSTANDING COMICS, by Scott McCloud _______ I went to the oldest art school on the West Coast. Turns out this had a better grasp on the fundamentals of artmaking than anything I ever read there. • REINVENTING COMICS, by Scott McCloud • MAKING COMICS, by Scott McCloud ⇧ • The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics, by Dennis O'Neil • The DC Comics Guide to Pencilling Comics, by Klaus Janson • The DC Comics Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics, by Freddie E. Williams II • The DC Comics Guide to Inking Comics, by Klaus Janson • The DC Comics Guide to Coloring and Lettering Comics, by Mark Chiarello and Todd Klein ⇧ • DRAWING WORDS AND WRITING PICTURES: Making Comics: Manga, Graphic Novels, and Beyond, by Jessica Abel and Matt Madden O U R C R E A T O R S : There are a wealth of retrospective books about the great artists out nowadays. Here are a few terrific ones. C O M I C S : • WILL EISNER: A Dreamer's Life in Comics, by Michael Schumacher • WILL EISNER: A Spirited Life, by Bob Andelman • WILL EISNER: Portrait of a Sequential Artist (DVD), by Andrew D. Cooke ⇧ _______ It's easy to single someone as The One when they're so great. WILL EISNER was part of a pantheon of great creators who triggered and defined the graphix arts, but his singular innovations leave him without peer. • KRIGSTEIN, vol. 1, by Greg Sadowski • KIRBY: King Of Comics, by Mark Evanier • ALAN MOORE: Portrait Of An Extraordinary Gentleman, tribute by 145 creators • MYTHOLOGY, by Alex Ross • Modern Masters, v.12: MICHAEL GOLDEN • COMIC BOOK ARTIST #6: Will Eisner, a trade paperback tributing the late WILL EISNER by the entire industry. ____________ I L L U S T R A T I O N : • JOSEPH CLEMENT COLL: A Legacy in Line, edited by John Fleskes • FRANKLIN BOOTH: American Illustrator, by Manuel Auad ⇧ _______ One folly of youth is to think that the here and now is the ultimate fruition. Only in a relay handoff tied by respect. But, without that respect, good traditions are lost and things devolve. Just look at classical illustrators like COLL, BOOTH, and CLARA ELSENE PECK, and you're reminded quite handily what timeless quality really is. • The Brinkley Girls: The Best of NELL BRINKLEY's Cartoons from 1913-1940, by Trina Robbins _______ TRINA ROBBINS has done more to rediscover and canonize the women of comics than everyone else combined. All of her books will lead you to a wider dimension of appreciation. • RGK: The Art Of ROY G. KRENKEL _______ The works of the fine illustrator, from EC Comics to his paperback covers. • Wings of Twilight: The Art of MICHAEL KALUTA • The Art Of JEFFREY JONES, by Arnie Fenner and Cathy Fenner _______ JONES and KALUTA are among the modern masters who have continued the finest tradition of the great illustrators. ____________ M A G A Z I N E S : • BLACK AND WHITE IMAGES, edited by Jim Vadeboncoeur ⇧ • ALTER EGO, edited by Roy Thomas ⇧ _______ While there should be retrospective books about him, it was this magazine (issue #47) that finally gave us the most detailed overview of the career and work of MATT BAKER (Phantom Lady), one of the few African American artists permitted into the Golden Age Of Comics. • ILLUSTRATION Magazine • COMIC BOOK ARTIST, vol. 1 (Two Morrows) and vol. 2 (Top Shelf) • DODGEM LOGIC, edited by Alan Moore _______ An underground grab-bag of conceptual curios and mayhemic mentalities, from ringmaster MOORE and his colourful cadre of calamitous creatives. ____________ H I S T O R Y : O U R H I S T O R Y : • THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY, by Michael Chabon _______ CHABON won the Pulitzer Prize for his epic reimagining of the Golden Age Of Comics, and brought a generation of new eyes to deities like WILL EISNER, LOU FINE, JACK KIRBY, and JIM STERANKO who inspired the book. • MEN OF TOMORROW: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book, by Gerard Jones _______ Exhaustively researched overview of the entirety of how comic books came to be, from the sacred to the sordid. • THE 10-CENT PLAGUE: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America, by David Hajdu _______ The story of EC Comics, the most redical innovator in '50s comics... and how the government destroyed it. ____________ O U R P R O G R E S S : • REBEL VISIONS: The Underground Comix Revolution 1963-1975, by Patrick Rosenkranz • EROTIC COMICS: A Graphic History from Tijuana Bibles to Underground Comix, by Tim Pilcher • EROTIC COMICS 2: A Graphic History from the Liberated '70s to the Internet, by Tim Pilcher OUR FAMILY: • GREAT WOMEN CARTOONISTS, by Trina Robbins • JACKIE ORMES: The First African American Woman Cartoonist, by Nancy Goldstein ⇧ _______ Although MATT BAKER hasn't gotten the book he deserves yet, luckily JACKIE ORMES has. Learn about her struggles and triumphs as a comic artist, writer, and designer in the turbulent '50s. • BLACK COMIX: African American Independent Comics, Art and Culture, by Damian Duffy ____________ O L Y M P U S : • SUPERMAN: The Complete History, by Les Daniels • BATMAN: The Complete History, by Les Daniels • WONDER WOMAN: The Complete History, by Les Daniels • SHAZAM! The Golden Age Of The World's Mightiest Mortal, by Chip Kidd • KIMOTA: The Miracleman Companion, by George Khoury ⇧ _______ Learn the whole crazy history of one of comics' most revolutionary and essential characters; how he went from Marvelman to Miracleman, and the legal labyrinth therein. With the talents of ALAN MOORE, NEIL GAIMAN, JOHN TOTLEBEN, MARK BUCKINGHAM, and ALAN DAVIS, what more do you want? B E S T W E B S I T E S: • Golden Age Comic Book Stories • Bud Plant's Art Books • Robot 6 • Newsarama • Girls Read Comics Too • AfriComics M O S T V A L U A B L E P L A Y E R S : D A R W Y N C O O K E L: Darwyn Cooke; R: My painted acrylic homage to Darwyn Cooke > A former animator on the quintessential '90s BATMAN cartoons by Bruce Timm, Cooke proved himself 'the man with the golden pen' throughout the decade. • CATWOMAN ⇧ _______ Cooke retooled Selina Kyle as a reformed and complex woman in Mod DIY biker's leathers. Ed Brubaker's no-frills realistic noir stories belied the simple grace of the art with a gritty depth that built and built. Sadly, Hollywood destroyed it all making a clueless movie for clueless people instead. • SELINA'S BIG SCORE _______ After only four issues, Darwyn made a prequel graphic novel with the heist that led Selina to this new resurrection. • THE NEW FRONTIER _______ The dawn of the Justice League in the Kennedy era of hope, with a Wonder Woman you do not cross. • THE SPIRIT _______ Leery of taking on the loaded course of reviving the most innovative series in comics history, he did just fine balancing the past with the modern. His final act was the best, retelling the ultimate Spirit story about Sand Sarif, but in a lovingly exact capturing of Will Eisner's modern graphic novel style. Pitch perfect and heartwarming. G R A N T M O R R I S O N Morrison proved to be 'the man with the golden keyboard' this decade. • THE INVISIBLES _______ The millennium started with Morrison killing it and rebooting it in the grand finale of his subversive conceptual molotov series. This book from the late 90's probably jumpstarted Alan Moore into his brilliant ABC Comics years, and most definitely inspired THE MATRIX trilogy. • WE 3 _______ Three animals and a story that effortlessly balances soulful empathy against brutal bureaucracy. This is what would convince a new reader that comics are Art. • ALL-STAR SUPERMAN _______ An elegant and majestic summation of everything touching and wondrous about the greatest hero of them all. • SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY _______ If 1971 Jack Kirby and 1985 Alan Moore had a jam session, it would probably be as cool and inspired as this. A collage epic of seven different series, four issues each, that redefine Kirby for the post-Vertigo era, and bring Silver Age wonder back in to redeem all that darkness. Alive with inspiration. The art is often staggering. J.H Williams III does line-perfect homages to the art styles of Jean (Moebius) Giraud's "Lt. Blueberry", Jack Kirby's "New Gods", and Winsor McCay's "Little Nemo". And then homages all seven artists from the other Soldier titles all side-by-side in one story: including disparate styles like Simone Bianchi, Ryan Sook, and Doug Mahnke. Whoa. • FINAL CRISIS _______ Moore makes collage puzzles that have an underlying symmetry, Morrison makes kaleidoscope headgames based on chaos theory. The concepts are so fast and furious that relishing the details matters more than any cohesive whole. Morrison manages to payoff his Seven Soldiers set-ups, give Jack Kirby one of the best epilogues possible, and make an epic bookend for "Crisis On Infinite Earths" (1986). Wow! • BATMAN titles _______ Morrison took his 'Death of Batman' story as a chance to rebuild him for the future. In connected Bat-family titles he has expanded the Batman concept into a global task force, while perfecting his particular blend of Silver Age fun, Vertigo edge, and freestyle freakiness. Time will look back at this as one of the pivotal, crucial arcs in the character's advancement. THINGS I HAVEN'T READ YET, Dept.: Coz, hey, who has all the money in the world? (Greedy corporations who aren't real people.) HEROICS: • FABLES, by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Steve Laialoha • ASTRO CITY, by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson INDIE: • THE BEATS: A Graphic History, by Harvey Pekar • LOVE AND ROCKETS: New Stories", by Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez CONFESSIONALS: • ONE HUNDRED DEMONS, by Lynda Barry • NEED MORE LOVE: A graphic Memoir, by Aline Kominsky-Crumb • ALEC, by Eddie Campbell This has been all about the good things to enjoy out of the decade. But here's some bad nonsense that should end. THINGS I WILL NEVER, EVER READ, Dept.: ✖ immature Mutant comics ✖ Mercenary Killer comics ✖ cosmic Events with rambling plots and no heart ✖ violent Cheap Shock comics ✖ Cheesecake for chuckleheads comics ✖ macho wanker Crime comics by Tarantino wanna-bes ✖ stunt Hero Death comics ✖ cynical rebootings of Once Great Characters by ad-hoc committees ✖ anything that smells of R&D from the Corporate Mafias who have bought up the comics companies ✖ Also, Bad Movie adaptations by stupid studios... (Cue) B U R N , H O L L Y W O O D , B U R N !a.k.a., Suits Are Stupid, Dept.: (V enters) "Some observations, by someone who cares. Let's begin." Art by David Lloyd ✔ Reflect the Format ✔ Serial is serial. You can’t adapt beloved serial comics into a 2-hour film. Cult favorites like “The Sandman” and “Y: The Last Man” should be adapted as 5-season shows with 13-episodes per season. The example has already been paved by the success of “The Walking Dead”. Update: Sanity prevailed, and both were adapted as ongoing Cable TV series, as of 2021. ✔ Don’t Be Dumb ✔ Quit Frothing Franchise. Execs ran SPIDER-MAN 3 into ruin trying to overstuff it with useless clutter for spin-offs. Worldbuild with some sense, all in service to a strong central story. ✔ Don’t muddle the medium. For example, the phrase "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark" is a non-sequitur that makes the medium look that much stupider in the public eye. Update: The expensive Broadway show closed at a huge financial loss. ✔ Don't sabotage success. SUPERMAN RETURNS did everything right. And it made more money than BATMAN BEGINS. Execs undertowed its quality success with the financial debt of their Bad-'90s-Development, which simply indicts their continuous failure of vision. ✔ Stop jackhammering us. Don't show us an entire film in the trailer six months before it comes out. We've seen it all and lose anticipation. Art by Alex Ross ✔ Honor The Character ✔ Stay true to the character, always. Superman is not meant to be 'dark'. His villains need to be more powerful and darker to let him shine. Update: MAN OF STEEL (2013) literally paid the cost for not understanding this. ✔ Come correct. Execs don't know what to do with Wonder Woman because they think she's just a hottie in a bikini. If you make a faithful movie about the compassionate gladiator instead, it will be a worldwide smash. Update: WONDER WOMAN (2017), about the compassionate gladiator, was a worldwide smash. ✔ Adapt the best material. If the studio had adapted Brubaker's and Cooke's ”Catwoman” comic to the screen instead, it would have been a smart character noir with Riot Grrrl appeal and cost no money beyond leathers and a cycle. Where's your ever-impatient ReBoot Dept. for that one? Update: The smart translation of Catwoman was a central success of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012). ✔ Know the material. Mind your ignorance, and your cinematic incest. CAPTAIN MARVEL is a man, Billy Batson is a separate kid. Don't get foolish by conflating them just to give us BIG (1988) in a cape. Update: SHAZAM! (2019) did it anyway. Pretty well actually, and it was a hit. But it's still wrong. ✔ Quality Brings Success ✔ Golden Rule: One Villain, One Great Story. Period. Example proven, SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004). Or... Two Villains, One Central Story. Two villains whose stories directly complement the dilemma of the hero. Example proven, THE DARK KNIGHT (2008). ✔ Adapt Graphic Novels. GHOST WORLD, AMERICAN SPLENDOR, THE ROAD TO PERDITION, and PERSEPOLIS are the right way to go. Make smart, thrifty Indie films out of adult works like "Love And ROckets", "Cages", and "The Diary Of A Teenage Girl". Update: Indie graphic novels like BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR (2013), GEMMA BOVERY (2014), and THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL (2015) were adapted into critically acclaimed and successful films. ✔ Capture the visual style. It's possible to do animated films now that retain an artist's line style using computer programming. Wake up: make animated films in the actual line styles of Jack Kirby ("New Gods"), Herge ("Tintin"), and Milton Caniff ("Terry And The Pirates"). ✔ Adapt quality sources. Elaine Lee's VAMPS series for Vertigo Comics would've made a smarter choice for a Cable vampire series than any of the bad Whitebread-Romance-Novel flicks which glut the market. Art by Brian Bolland ✔ Respect The Audience ✔ Respect breeds respect. The producers who greenlight these films should know and understand the medium they are drawing them from. Update: The rise of Kevin Feige. ✔ Respect the creators. We revere the writers and artists who created the storylines you use as fodder for films. They should be credited, paid, and their works artistically respected by your money machine. ✔ Respect the crafters. Great movies are made by creative people, like Christopher Nolan. Marketers and cronies should step back, and let them do the smart work that leads to success. ✔ Respect the audience. We will support Quality. We will destroy Junk. Do right by us and earn the profits. Art by David Lloyd "Good evening." (Exits) > FourColorFilms: THE Comics Film Review Site! B E S T M O V I E S A N D T V : I write and illustrate reviews of all comics-sourced films at the Four Color Films site. So I guess I should put my money where my mouthiness was... V FOR VENDETTA, Art by Tym Stevens, directly after David Lloyd ____________ ____________ - - - - - - - - G R E A T - - - - - - - - AMERICAN SPLENDOR, Art by Tym Stevens 2 0 0 0 ★ UNBREAKABLE (2000) _______ The right way to do it, as an engaging human story with some mystery and nobility. 2 0 0 2 ★ ROAD TO PERDITION (2002) _______ > Four Color Films review ★ HERO (2002) Zhang Yimou can do no wrong. A good story is a good story. 2 0 0 3 ★ AMERICAN SPLENDOR (2003) _______ > Four Color Films review The other right way to do it: indie character films made from indie character books. ★ X2: X-Men United (2003) _______ > Four Color Films review Takes it all on, pulls it all off. ★ MATRIX RELOADED (2003) _______ The best Catwoman movie not made. ★ MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (2003) _______ The best Superman movie not made. 2 0 0 4 ★ SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW (2004) _______ We exist because of the Pulps. Never forget. ★ SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004) _______ > Four Color Films review One villain. One great story. ★ GHOST IN THE SHELL II: Innocence (2004) _______ Another way to do it right; Art And Text becomes Art And Sound. ★ THE INCREDIBLES (2004) _______ Arguably the purest superhero movie ever made in reverence and spirit. Definitely the only Fantastic Four movie yet made. ★ KILL BILL, 1 and 2 (2004) _______ There are not enough strong, well-rounded women portrayed in any media. 2 0 0 5 ★ MIRRORMASK (2005) _______ The undersung indie film by NEIL GAIMAN and DAVE McKEAN. ★ BATMAN BEGINS (2005) _______ > Four Color Films review Perfect, and only the warm-up. 2 0 0 6 ★ HOLLYWOODLAND (2006) _______ The real death of Superman. ★ V FOR VENDETTA (2006) _______ > Four Color Films review A film that 100% respects the work it came from, even in its changes. ★ CASINO ROYALE (2006) _______ A James Bond you care about. Brilliant! ★ RENAISSANCE (2006) _______ Cult hit French animation in future noir black'n'white, voiced by Daniel Craig. 2 0 0 7 ★ SUPERMAN RETURNS (2007) _______ > Four Color Films review Not only completes the first two Christopher Reeve films as a perfect trilogy, but lifts our Man into Alex Ross' compassionate savior. ★ PERSEPOLIS (2007) _______ There are not enough strong, well-rounded women portrayed in any media. 2 0 0 8 ★ HELLBOY II (2008) _______ > Four Color Films review Huge and poetic and funny. ★ THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) _______ > Four Color Films review The epitome. The GODFATHER II of graphix films. ★ DR. HORRIBLE'S SINGALONG BLOG (2008) _______ Smart, fun, affectionate. 2 0 0 9 ★ WATCHMEN (2009) _______ > Four Color Films review It's all there, done with total respect and smart embellishment. 2 0 1 0 ★ TAMARA DREWE (2010) _______ > Four Color Films review A smart, good film of a much deeper, brilliant graphic novel by Posy Simmonds. ★ SCOTT PILGRIM vs. THE WORLD (2010) _______ > Four Color Films review Plug in, Tune Up, Blast off! ____________ T V : ★ Misfits (UK) _______ If "Heroes" was Marvel, then MISFITS is Vertigo. Rich, tough, shocking, hilarious. ★ Alias, season 2 _______ Lena Olin. ★ The Tick _______ Too funny, too little support. ★ Spaced (UK) _______ Find out where Simon Pegg and his director Edgar Wright got their start. A smack perfect love letter to 'geek' fandom. ★ The Middleman _______ Goofy fun, crack lines, pop culture in-jokes galore, created by writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach (LOST). ★ Smallville, season 10 _______ Once the real mythos kicked in, it now roars on all cylinders. ____________ A N I M A T E D : ★ Samurai Jack ★ Powerpuff Girls _______ There are not enough strong, well-rounded girls portrayed in any media. ★ Animatrix ★ Batman: Gotham Knight ★ The New Frontier ____________ D O C U M E N T A R Y : ★ The Mindscape Of Alan Moore ★ Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked ____________ ____________ SIN CITY, Art by Tym Stevens - - - - - - - - G O O D - - - - - - - - ✦ X-MEN (2000) _______ The modern superhero film renaissance seeds in BLADE (1998) and flourishes with this film. ✦ FROM HELL (2001) _______ > Four Color Films review If you're going to do 2/5 of the story, this is a pretty apt way to compress it. But read the book for epic depth. ✦ GHOST WORLD (2001) _______ > Four Color Films review There are not enough strong, well-rounded grrrls portrayed in any media. Note how 90% of this blog's lists are male and pale. ✦ SPIDER-MAN (2002) _______ > Four Color Films review ✦ HELLBOY (2004) _______ > Four Color Films review ✦ HULK (2003) and INCREDIBLE HULK (2008) _______ > Four Color Films review > Four Color Films review ✦ CONSTANTINE (2005) _______ > Four Color Films review Is it different being American? Yeah. But the essence is there and it works as its own Elseworlds take. ✦ SIN CITY (2005) _______ > Four Color Films review ✦ A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005) _______ > Four Color Films review ✦ ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL (2006) _______ > Four Color Films review ✦ IRON MAN (2008) and IRON MAN II (2010) _______ > Four Color Films review > Four Color Films review ✦ HANCOCK (2008) _______ While IRON MAN was really BATMAN BEGINS-Lite with some laughs, this odd film seemed like it was missing its third act. It was that lack of formula that charmed me. When fun is enough. ✦ PUSH (2009) _______ If this had been an adaption of an existing Vertigo series, maybe it would've gotten more credit. Great texture, fun action, just enough heart. ____________ ELEKTRA, Art by Tym Stevens G U I L T Y P L E A S U R E S : Hey. You like what you like. • DAREDEVIL (2003) _______ > Four Color Films review Sure, they compressed his finest storyline too much: Elektra. But in general, for tone and details, it did everything pretty right. • ELEKTRA (2005) _______ > Four Color Films review Forgetting our baggage and expectations, this is actually a fine Hong Kong action film on its own merits. • MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND (2006) _______ Can't watch Superman/Lois flying scenes the same way again after this. • WHITEOUT (2009) _______ > Four Color Films review A decent alternate take of the graphic novel, with most of its essence. Not brilliant but not bad. ____________ T V : • Heroes _______ The tired line: "I liked it in the beginning, then it lost it." Not true; they got better at cohesive arcs and actual character exponentially up to the fine ending. • Smallville, seasons 1-10 _______ Started fresh but fell into formula and stalemate. Lois and Green Arrow lifted it toward its refreshed second half. • Dollhouse _______ Half-baked and half-brilliant. The bookend finales about the future drug it up to its highest potential in the end. ____________ ____________ THE SPIRIT, Art by Tym Stevens - - - - - - - - F A I L - - - - - - - - ✖ CATWOMAN (2004) _______ How to insult the character, the fans, women, and the popcorn crowd in one disposable go. ✖ THE PUNISHERs (2004, 2008) _______ ✖ 300 (2007) _______ A circle jerk for jerks. ✖ WANTED (2008) _______ After seeing this for free, I wanted full price back. ✖ TRANSFORMERS (ad infinitum) ✖ G.I. JOE (2009) ✖ KICK-ASS (2010) ✖ JONAH HEX (2010) ✖ THE SPIRIT (2008) _______ This movie broke my heart. The 'Citizen Kane of Comics' reduced to an episode of the '60s Batman show, by a director who should know better both ways. A capitol crime. "The Spirit", for real, by Will Eisner R E S T I N P O W E R 2000 ▪ Don Martin ▪ Gil Kane ▪ Charles M. Schulz ▪ Edward Gorey ▪ Dick Sprang ▪ Carl Barks ▪ Dorothy Woolfolk 2001 ▪ Johnny Craig ▪ Gray Morrow ▪ Dan DeCarlo 2002 ▪ John Buscema ▪ Kurt Schaffenberger 2003 ▪ Warren Kremer ▪ Guido Crepax 2004 ▪ Julius Schwartz ▪ Kate Worley 2005 ▪ Will Eisner ▪ Dale Messick 2006 ▪ Alex Toth ▪ Dave Cockrum ▪ Martin Nodell 2007 ▪ Arnold Drake 2008 ▪ Steve Gerber ▪ Dave Stevens ▪ Will Elder ▪ Creig Flessel 2009 ▪ Heinz Edelmann From you, we exist. Because of you, we persist. Nuff said, pilgrim. Excelsior! © Tym Stevens See Also: · BEST MOVIES + TV: 2023 • BEST MUSIC: 2023 • BEST COMICS: 2023 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2022 • BEST MUSIC: 2022 • BEST COMICS: 2022 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2021 • BEST MUSIC: 2021 • BEST COMICS: 2021 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2020 • BEST MUSIC: 2020 • BEST COMICS: 2020 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2019 • BEST MUSIC: 2019 • BEST COMICS: 2019 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2018 • BEST MUSIC: 2018 • BEST COMICS: 2018 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2017 • BEST MUSIC: 2017 • BEST COMICS: 2017 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2016 • BEST MUSIC: 2016 • BEST COMICS: 2016 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2015 • BEST MUSIC: 2015 • BEST COMICS: 2015 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2014 • BEST MUSIC: 2014 • BEST COMICS: 2014 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2013 • BEST MUSIC: 2013 • BEST COMICS: 2013 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2012 • BEST MUSIC: 2012 • BEST COMICS: 2012 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2011 • BEST MUSIC: 2011 • BEST COMICS: 2011 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2000-2010 • BEST MUSIC: 2000-2010 _______________ • How STAR WARS Is Changing Everything! • 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Its Transcendent Influence on all Pop Culture, with Music Player! • How SPAGHETTI WESTERNS Revolutionized Rock Music!, with 3 Music Players! • TWIN PEAKS: Its Influence on 30 Years of Film, TV, and Music!, with 5 Music Players! • The Real History of ROCK AND SOUL!: The Music Player Checklist _______________ • THE CANON 1: 50 Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player • THE CANON 2: 50 More Books That Created Modern Pop Culture, with Music Player • THE CANON 3: 50 Recent Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player

bossa: PROPER V FOR VENDETTA WITHOUT THAT #$@&*! COLORING by Alan Moore and David Lloyd (via: mogadonia: hipsterdad)

Remember, remember the Fifth of November, The Gunpowder Treason and Plot, I know of no reason Why the Gunpowder Treason Should ever be forgot. Originally written by Alan Moore, the film version of V for Vendetta (albeit different from the comic version) was still incredibly powerful and very poignant to this day.I've been wanting to create this piece for years now and luckily found a pocket of time to do so. Depicting the dark alley seen in the beginning of the film, the poster has several nods to the film and stays consistent to the look and feel to the Norsefire propaganda look that is depicted. This poster is printed on 100 lb. Light Cardstock paper with a satin coating to help pop the colors. Please let me know if you have questions and thank you for your patronage! --- A NOTE ON PERSONALIZATION: This is if you want a name (including yours), message & artist signature on the back of the art print. If you don't want any of this, just type None in the personalization box. A NOTE ON SHIPPING: Because the Etsy Calculated Shipping System does not give us the option to offer discounted shipping for additional items, we will refund any additional shipping costs you are charged and you will only need to pay for shipping the first print. But if you purchase $50 or more, domestic shipping is free!!

Below is a fan art piece of “V for Vendetta.” I’ve always wanted to do an illustration of V. This image is not endorsed by DC Comics or Vertigo. It’s just some fan art. Above is also a detail of the original ink drawing. V for Vendetta is a trademark of DC Comics Inc., DC Entertainment Inc. I attempted this as a test to see if I would enjoy illustrating someone else’s character because I plan on opening myself up to commissions. It was super fun. If anyone is interested, you can direct inquiries to [email protected]. More work can be found at http://www.mendedarrow.com On a side note, I’ve always wondered if V’s character makes reference to the Anarchist, Johann Most and Eve to Emma Goldman. Johann Most had scars he hid with facial hair similar to V’s hiding of their burns with a mask. Johann Most introduced Anarchism to Emma Goldman - like what V did for Eve. When in a fake prison, Eve mentions that the name “Emma” is scrawled on the cot. Since that piece of information seemed out of place, I’ve been convinced it’s a little nugget that’s part of an indirect reference to these two Anarchists.