by Roger Ash

It’s November, month of thankfulness. Well, there’s a day of it at least. There’s been a lot of pissing and moaning recently about the state of comics, the state of the union, and the state of the world, and not without reason. However, I think it’s time to shift our focus. There are so many good things out there that are too often overlooked. Taking a cue from the song referenced in the title of this column, I’m going to write about three things I’m cheerful about in comics.

Thanos Imperative: Devastation

Marvel’s Cosmic Books

These are the books that really brought me back to Marvel. Not that I ever entirely went away. When I started collecting comics, I was a Marvel Zombie and still have a fondness for the Marvel Universe and the characters who populate it. But I had kind of drifted away over the years and the number of Marvel comics I was reading was very small. But then I started hearing about how much fun Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy were. On a whim, I decided to give them a try. Hot damn, am I glad I did.

I’ve always had an affinity for the cosmic end of Marvel with characters like Adam Warlock, Gamora, Thanos, Star Lord, and others, but they’ve never quite broken into the same stratus as Spider-Man, Dr. Doom, the Hulk, and Iron Man. Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning obviously love the cosmic character too as they’re treated with respect. Under their watch, Nova has become one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe. They’ve made a team that has consisted of such characters as Star Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Mantis, Groot, Adam Warlock, Bug, Moondragon, and Quasar into one of Marvel’s best fighting forces. They may not have the raw power of the Avengers, but they’ve got smarts and they don’t always fight fair.

The only cosmic book at the moment is The Thanos Imperative, with both of the main titles on hiatus during this event. And when the dust clears after The Thanos Imperative, who know what books will come out of it as no one is guaranteed to survive. These are fun books with engaging characters and they remind me why I love comics so much. There is just no other storytelling format where these stories would work as well. And the fun I had reading these led to me trying the new adventures of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and others. I’m reading more Marvel Comics now than I have in a long time, because they’re just that good, and I owe it to Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Usagi Yojimbo

Usagi Yojimbo

I first encountered Usagi in Fantagraphics’ Critters #1 in 1986, which wasn’t his first appearance (that was in Albedo), but it was close. The adventures of Usagi, a rabbit ronin, quickly grew on me, but that’s no surprise as creator Stan Sakai is a consummate storyteller. And the cast of characters continued to grow with such favorites as Tomoe Ame, Gen, Kitsune, and the evil Inazuma. It’s also been a please to watch Sakai develop over the years. His art and storytelling abilities have improved by leaps and bounds over those early days. And the stories are such fun! You not only get martial arts action, but mysteries, history, and romance as well. Sakai’s equally adept at telling both short stories and long, rambling epics. He is also smart enough to know that a new reader probably won’t join in during the middle of a long story, so he always follows a big story with several smaller ones, making for perfect places for new readers to join the adventure.

Even more amazing is that Usagi has been published by five different companies (currently Dark Horse) and is still going strong with a very loyal fanbase. I can’t think of any other comic to have done that. For my money, there is no better comic, month in and month out, than Usagi Yojimbo.

Fantastic Four

The writing of Jonathan Hickman

I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Mr. Hickman (not that I’ve read it all). As I was getting back into reading more Marvel books, I heard a lot of buzz around Hickman’s work on Fantastic Four and decided to give it a try. What I found was a writer who got that the FF are more than just a team, they’re first and foremost a family. You’d be surprised at the number of creators over the years who didn’t get that. He could also tell exciting multi-part stories and single issue tales with equal ease. And he has a big plan for the book that he’s never lost sight of. I’m excited and slightly dreading how this big picture will play out in the current Three story.

SHIELD

From there I moved on to SHIELD (I also had the opportunity to interview him about this). SHIELD is not the easiest book to describe, but I’ll try. Imagine a story set in the Marvel Universe with all the strong characterization and mysteries (and confusion) of the TV show Lost. That gives you a good starting point, but you need to read it to get the full experience. It also features Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, and Nostradamus as major players in Marvel history. Plus, the art by Dustin Weaver is freaking gorgeous. Recently, I read his first issue of Ultimate Comics Thor and it delivered in spades. It’s a great start to the miniseries.

So, those are three reasons that I’m cheerful about comics. What are yours (not that you need three)? Comment below and let me know.

Now, go read a comic!

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