Comic Book of the Month Awards for April 2016

I picked up 13 comics this past April including my regulars, the second issue for International Iron Man, Sam Wilson: Captain America #8, Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Omega #1 – the conclusion to the event – and Moon Knight #1 by Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood, an impulsive buy originating with sheer interest on my part. I barely know anything about the character, and this would truthfully be my first Moon Knight comic book. The first issue of the new Moon Knight series was unexpectedly the best comic book of the month on all fronts, with the runner-ups Doctor Strange #7, The Astonishing Ant-Man #7, and International Iron Man #2 trailing close behind in differing categories. I’m not sure if I’ll continue with this new title (money is money, after all), but it’s off to a very good start and I would recommend giving it a try. The extra-sized Flash #50 released this month, but I found it, as well as Nick Spencer’s final Standoff issue, to be disappointing. I’m liking Dan Abnett’s Aquaman so far, and the last issue of the latest Uncanny Inhumans story arc ended on a more satisfying note than how it began.

But out of these and the other four remaining nominees, why did Moon Knight #1 sweep the Comic Book Awards for April?

Cover of the Month Award: Moon Knight #1 

Cover By: Greg Smallwood

The most obvious visual trait to Greg Smallwood’s cover for Moon Knight #1 is how much the color white overwhelms the image. Some may say this lack of color variety or artistic detail detracts from hypothetically “more interesting” cover art, but, on the contrary, these traits are exactly what furnish a stunning piece of artwork. Marc Spector gazes intensely at the reader, garbed with a straightjacket in a place that faintly resembles a solitary confinement room found in metal hospitals. Spector’s eyes and shadow, plus the brown straps of the jacket, help balance the visual impact of the cover. There is a serene creepiness to this image, and the big and bold simplicity of it is a success.

Art of the Month Award: Moon Knight #1

Artist: Greg Smallwood

Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire

Whether it be the tremendous Bill Sienkiewicz-inspired first four pages, the intelligent artistic storytelling properties of the sophisticated layouts and colors, or a number of other interesting art qualities present within this book, Moon Knight #1 can rest assured as one of the visually deepest comics of the year as of yet. I’m not that familiar with artist Greg Smallwood’s previous work, but if this issue doesn’t put him on the map, then I don’t know what will. He has a down-to-earth, realistic style in how he draws the characters’ facial expressions and gestures that make them, and the book as a whole, feel grounded and alive. Smallwood also has an intriguing balance between overly simple and overly detailed. One small panel may just offer a bit of art to convey a scene and then the next panel or page is an explosion of crisp pencils and lines. The attention to detail in some of these pages, such as pages 1-4, 22, and 24-26, is very much praiseworthy in so many respects. It’s not everyday that you see a comic book with a 15 panel page (page 26). How colorist Jordie Bellaire accents these pages to consistently carry the reader through the issue’s story is also a great, noteworthy accomplishment. White being the central color to Moon Knight’s persona, its arresting visual presence in the comic, and the decision to emphasize it to separate panels with no outline borders, is without fault. Moon Knight #1 is a stroke of artistic genius in many areas, and how it accomplishes to tell such a captivatingly psychological first chapter in the five-part story with the art is just exquisite.

Story of the Month Award: Moon Knight #1 (“Welcome To New Egypt: Part 1 of 5”)

Writer: Jeff Lemire 

The first issue of any comic book series is always exciting. They have the power to welcome in new readers, and, if the reader likes what he or she sees, produce a monthly subscriber to that series for a time being. I really liked what I read and saw in Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood’s Moon Knight #1. The issue begins with our protagonist experiencing a dream, and in this eerie vision/dream Marc Spector (Moon Knight) communes with the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, the source of his powers. Khonshu asks, “Mark? Mark, can you hear me? Mark, is that you?” to which he replies, “I-I’m not sure.” These first few lines of the first page set ablaze the theme of this entire issue as Marc Spector searches out his true identity. Waking up in a mental asylum, Mark is told the Moon Knight figure is a figment of his imagination and a side-effect of his mental disorder. He eventually tries to escape, not willing to believe his entire life to be a lie, and what he stumbles upon as he reaches the building’s rooftop shocks him. An Egyptian invasion force has took over New York; however, it appears to be unseen to the naked eye. The mysterious story of Moon Knight #1 keeps you guessing and you feel for Marc Spector’s confused predicament. At the end of the issue, I had to ask myself, “What is really going on here?” and I love that invested feeling a great comic book can give a reader.

Issue of the Month Award: Moon Knight #1 (“Welcome To New Egypt: Part 1 of 5”)

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Greg Smallwood

Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire

The more I tell you how much I enjoyed Moon Knight #1, the more I want to continue reading what is in store for this character (sorry, wallet). By winning Cover of the Month, Art of the Month, and Story of the Month, this issue automatically places itself as Issue of the Month for April 2016. There’s not much else to say except that I strongly hope this series can continue on with this much talented care and quality. It’s commonplace for comic book series’ to start off a critical hit and then descend into the herd of subpar comics you see on the stands, but I think as long as Lemire and Smallwood continue to keep on keeping on, it won’t fall into this.

With all that said, go out and pick up Moon Knight #1! Like, right now!

Thank you all for checking out my awards for April and be sure to check back sometime next month for May’s Comic Book Awards. Until then, hopefully you and I will continue to be reading comics!

Comic Book Awards of the Month for March

Hello there to the followers of my blog, to the new readers who are checking it out for the first time, and to those of you who clicked on this link by accident and immediately retreat to the previous webpage (why don’t you stay awhile). I apologize for delaying March’s Comic Book Awards. Life has been happening, as it always does, but I have finally found the precious time available to me to post March’s awards, and I will post April’s awards as soon as possible. I always hate these posts being late since it defeats the purpose of telling someone why he or she should pick up a comic two-three months old, and for a bit there I was thinking of discontinuing these series of blogs entirely. However, I just couldn’t make myself stop, and while it’s difficult to make a deadline of value to you, the reader, I enjoy analyzing and writing about comic books too much to flat out quit. So I’m not going to, and I hope you stick around and continue to read my Comic Book of the Month Awards for as long as I can write them. Stay tuned…

Honestly, March was a nice month in the comic book department. Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Alpha #1, the start of Marvel’s Spring comic book crossover event, hit shelves along with Sam Wilson: Captain America #7, a continuing chapter of the event and a 65 page, 75th anniversary special featuring additional stories from Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, Tim Sale, and Greg Rucka with Mike Perkins. Both Avengers Standoff chapters were written by Nick Spencer, with Sam Wilson: Captain America #7’s storyline being the better out of the two, in my opinion. In this issue, we at last see Steve Rogers given back his super soldier abilities and youth. No more old, grouchy Steve; we now have our true Captain America back. The sister title debut to Invincible Iron Man, International Iron Man #1 written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Alex Maleev, released this month. This series aims to explore Tony Stark’s past, and the mystery behind his real parents. This idea that Tony is not the actual child of his parents was addressed in Kieron Gillen’s Iron Man run a few years back (The Secret Origin of Tony Stark), which I never liked as a plot device to somehow make Tony Stark a more mysterious figure. It was sorely underdeveloped, even awkwardly strange, in Gillen’s run, but here’s hoping Bendis can turn it into a great facet to Tony’s character and origins. Aquaman’s 50th issue was double-sized, for some reason The Flash #50 didn’t release, the Eighth Doctor’s first limited-series comic book adventure concluded with issue five (thankfully, because I did not like this book), the third issue of Star Wars: Obi-Wan & Anakin hit shelves, and many others made it into my monthly batch.

Out of these and other nominees, which comics received the Comic Book Awards for March?

Cover of the Month Award: Captain America: Sam Wilson #7

Cover: Alex Ross

Marvel has kept the great Alex Ross busy in recent months. Ross has been providing the cover art for All-New, All-Different Avengers on a consistent basis and a few variant covers for other comic book series’. To celebrate the 75th Anniversary history of Captain America, there’s only a small handful of artists – Alex Ross included in this group – that deserve such an honor. The cover Captain America: Sam Wilson #7 portrays the current Captain America, Sam Wilson (formerly the Falcon), diving in to administer a right punch to the original Cap, Steve Rogers, as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents fire away. The cover also spotlights the Winter Soldier in the bottom left corner. It’s not just the excellence of Ross’ work for this cover, but the throwback format it adopts that makes it stand out. The classic title font, propaganda-like image (Sam Wilson never confronts Steve Rogers in the issue), and lettering on the page present a fitting anniversary and nostalgic touch to commemorate one of the most iconic comic book characters of all-time.

Art of the Month Award: Captain America: Sam Wilson #7 

Artists: Daniel Acuna (Steve), Angel Unzueta & Matt Yackey (Sam), John Cassaday (“Presentation”), Tim Sale (“Catch Me If You Can”), and Mike Perkins (“Pas De Deux”) 

Color Artists: Laura Martin (“Presentation”), Dave Stewart (“Catch Me If You Can”), Andy Troy with Frank D’Armata (“Pas De Deux”)

Double-sized, anniversary issues such as this can be a real treat to the reader. It’s true that this type of comic book costs more, but the short stories by guest writers and artists usually (not all the time, unfortunately) make spending the extra cash worthwhile. Captain America: Sam Wilson #7 is divided into five separate sections: the first eight pages tell of Sam Wilson and Winter Soldier’s meet up in Pleasant Hill written by Nick Spencer with art by Angel Unzueta & Matt Yackey, the following chunk of the issue observes a gruesome fight between Crossbones and Steve Rogers, who is renewed back to his super-soldier, younger self also written by Spencer with art by Daniel Acuna, and the last three sections feature stories by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, Tim Sale, and Greg Rucka with Mike Perkins. The variety and quality of artwork found in Captain America: Sam Wilson #7 is really the underlying allure of the book, and the one double-page spread by Daniel Acuna which traces the life and memories of Steve Rogers on the verge of his supposed last breath is the selling point from an artistic perspective. There is a bulk of talent in this 60 or so pages; no doubt about it.

Story of the Month Award: Doctor Strange #6 (“The Last Days of Magic, Chapter One”) 

Writer: Jason Aaron 

I have to say, Jason Aaron’s Doctor Strange is doing well for itself. The book is heading in the right direction with its dark and interesting tone, and the writing for the good Doctor is almost entirely spot-on. Doctor Strange #6 boasts the start of a new storyline – and it is to a certain extent – however, I find that to be misleading since the issue is completely a continuation of the events in previous five issues. Despite this minor irritation on behalf of the plot, this issue is terrifically wicked (pardon the pun). The Empiriku are sucking the last vestiges of magic in the world (as well as other alternate worlds and universes), and Doctor Strange makes a stand against the leader of the invading perpetrators, known as the Imperator. This battle between magic and science does not end in Strange’s favor as he is left on the ground, beaten and damned by his foe, and the last remaining ounces of magic are drawn from the earth. There is theme of desperation in Doctor Strange #6 that certainly keeps the reader on edge for its entirety.

Issue of the Month Award: Sam Wilson: Captain America #7 

Writers: Nick Spencer (Steve & Sam), Joss Whedon (“Presentation”), Tim Sale (“Catch Me If You Can”), and Greg Rucka (“Pas De Deux”) 

Artists: Daniel Acuna (Steve), Angel Unzueta & Matt Yackey (Sam), John Cassaday (“Presentation”), Tim Sale (“Catch Me If You Can”), and Mike Perkins (“Pas De Deux”) 

Color Artists: Laura Martin (“Presentation”), Dave Stewart (“Catch Me If You Can”), Andy Troy with Frank D’Armata (“Pas De Deux”)

More doesn’t necessarily always mean better when it comes to creative content, but that isn’t the case concerning the amount of quality work present in Captain America: Sam Wilson #7. Marvel did the right thing in returning Steve Rogers back to his super-soldier self and how Nick Spencer brilliantly does so in this story is commendable. The three extra storylines to close out the issue are also great, albeit brief, reads as well. “Presentation” by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday is a nine page potent tale of Captain America during the war in the 1940s, Tim Sale’s “Catch Me If You Can” is a simple scenario of Cap infiltrating a Hydra base in the present day to retrieve a sentimental item, and Greg Rucka’s “Pas De Deux” reminded me of the good ol’ Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting years with its espionage, James Bond-style of storytelling (Mike Perkins’ art conveys this, especially). Overall, this is a excellent read for both present and past Captain America comic book fans with its respect for the history of the character and its strides forwards regarding the character’s future.