by Wayne Markley

For a change of pace, I am going to look at a number of ongoing monthly books that I enjoy instead of my traditional look at collections or trades. I am going to just point out some random titles with short commentary about each title without going into depth, but I will try and point out if there are collections available of the storylines I am writing about. I have found in the modern era of comic storytelling, a book may turn from rubbish to great on a dime with a new creator or a new direction. When this is the case, I will try and guide you towards the “better” material vs. the bad material. Away we go!

Jonah Hex #62

First off, let me start with Jonah Hex. I have raved about this book many times in the past, and please do not let the movie put you off the book. From month to month it tells standalone stories (with few exceptions) about the human condition. The bad guys are not super powered deranged characters, they are the kind of people you see on the nightly news, except it is set in the 1800. The art changes from month to month but it is always top notch and has featured such greats as Jordi Bernet, Darwyn Cooke, Tony DeZuniga and more. There are nine collections of the current material and a color collection of the classic Jonah material from the 1970s and a Showcase collecting the earliest stories in sequence.

Northlanders #35

Northlanders is Brian Wood’s telling of the early days of the Viking expansions. What I like about this book is each story arc is about a different group of people or a single person’s story. There are no ongoing characters, although some may reappear, and the location changes from story to story. This enables Wood to change the type of story he’s telling without having to resort to gimmicks. And best of all, these are well written stories. I would recommend reading these in trade vs. single comic though as they are written as an overall story, not an episodic adventure. There are four collections so far.

Superman #706

The current Superman storyline by J. Michael Straczynski which started in Superman #700 has been excellent. I cannot say a great deal about it yet as only three issues have come out and the book is already delayed, but it is worth checking out. If it continues its current pace of storytelling, it could become one of the best Superman arcs in many, many years. Also by Straczynski is the standalone graphic novel Superman: Earth One. This is a retelling of the Superman origin which actually adds to the original myth and makes for a brilliant story. I highly recommended this book.

Action Comics #896

Speaking of Superman, another good book is the current run of Action Comics featuring Lex Luthor. When I first read that they were going to make Lex the star of Action instead of the Man of Steel, I thought it was a dumb idea. I must apologize as it has actually has been a lot of fun with beautiful art. Recentl,y they started a back up feature with Jimmy Olson as the Man of Action. I only mention this because in the 1970s in the back of Action Comics, DC ran a great strip starring Jimmy Olson as the Man of Action, and now would be a great time to collect all those classic short stories. And while I am at it, DC should also collect the entire original Human Target stories from the back pages of Action Comics. Both of these would be nice (albeit small) collections of great material.

Kurt Busiek's Astro City

A title that has been around from some time now, and I am unsure of its future with the closing of WildStorm, is Kurt Busiek’s Astro City. There are eight collections of Astro City as well miniseries that start and stop over the past 10 years. This is a unique series in that Busiek has been able to create a whole world filled with heroes and villains that are human and full of emotions and foibles. Any collection tells a complete story, but the more you read the more the whole world of Astro City becomes fuller and fuller. Plus, the art by Brent Anderson is top notch. I would highly recommend these books to fans of Alan Moore’s Top Ten.

Tom Strong

Speaking of Alan Moore, another title I would suggest you give a try is Tom Strong. There are six collections of the original Alan Moore stories and there is a current mini-series by Steve Moore (no relation) that is as good as anything Alan wrote with Tom and his family. The basic story behind Tom Strong is a modern telling of the Doc Savage story if Doc were a married man. It is a full story with unique villains and a great sense of fun. Plus, you have beautiful, clean art by Chris Sprouse. It is well worth your time.

Thor #618

Finally, I want to recommend a Marvel title since I have seemed to slight them so far. Currently, I enjoy a lot of Marvel’s books much more than DC, which is odd since I have been a life-long fan of DC’s books. One title I have truly enjoyed over the last few years is Thor. J. Michael Straczynski brought back the character a few years ago and his run on the title made it one of the best books each month. He brought a fresh vision and re-introduced the whole Asgardian myth to the Marvel Universe and made it fun. Each issue was full of surprises. There are three collections of Straczynski’s Thor material all with stunning art by Olivier Coipel. The post-Straczynski stories I did not care for, as it was a convoluted story with Thor in Hell. Recently, Matt Fraction took over the title and based on the first issue he wrote, it looks like the book may be back on track.

Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit

I will be back at a later date with more reviews, but in the meantime please feel free to e-mail me with your suggestions of what to read and what you are enjoying. I would also highly recommend you check out Darwyn Cooke’s two Parker graphic novel adaptations. The second volume, Parker: The Outfit, just came out, and his first volume, Parker: The Hunter, is currently available. These are tight, gripping crime stories. You will not read a better book than these. As always, these are my opinions and do not reflect the thought of Westfield Comics and I welcome comments at MFBWAY@AOL.COM. Or you can post comments below!

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