Spring 2009 - Issue 5

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Top Ten Comics of the Decade

Brandon Figueiroa, Arts and Entertainment Co-Editor

 

This past decade they’re has been a resurgence in the comic industry. No longer are we seeing the overly buff, no-ankled saviors of the ’90s, replaced with gritty portrayals of comic book characters, both new and old. While it’s hard to judge what the best of the best are, Eisner Awards notwithstanding, it falls to what stories stick with you decades later.

#10: 30 Days of Night (Written by Steve Niles, Illustrated by Ben Templesmith)

At the number ten spot is a reminder of the good old days when vampires were creatures to be feared and not fawned over (it’s not Twilight!). The denizens of Barrow, Alaska are targeted by vampires during their town’s thirty-day period of darkness, open-hunting season for these nocturnal beasts. Resembling F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, these vampires are shown as ghastly creatures with elongated bodies and over-exaggerated features — a great pullback and relief from what today’s modern vampire has mutated into (pretty boys). This is an intense read that has you following the chilling affairs of the town’s residents as they try to survive the next sunrise.

#9: Hellboy: Conqueror Worm (Written and Illustrated by Mike Mignola)

A mini-series of the Hellboy comics, it follows the return of a Nazi space capsule, now returned to Earth, filled with spirits intent on recreating the world after destroying it, with the aid of the Ragna Rok organization (Nazi occultists). The plot follows the series titled Hellboy and B.P.R.D’s (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) Roger the Homunculus in their mission to prevent the world’s rebirth. Introductions of new characters and the revelation of old ones, combined with Mignola’s writing and distinct gothic style, leave the reader glued to the page.

#8: Invincible Iron Man Issues #1-6, The Five Nightmares (Written by Matt Fraction and Illustrated by Salvador Larroca)

A slight nod to both the Iron Man comics and movie, this mini-series is easily accessible to non-comic book readers. This would be a controversial choice for a spot in the top ten due to its simplicity and that it is such an obvious pull to the movie franchise. But the delivery is spot on. Across the world, various conglomerates and cities are being targeted by suicide bombers using technology found in previous Iron Man models. An interesting twist is the series merges the modern fear of terrorism into the Marvel Universe and brings up the question of how accessible are the designs and gear of these powerful superheroes.

#7: DC: The New Frontier (Written and Illustrated by Darwyn Cooke)

Taking notes from graphic novels like Kingdom Come, DC: The New Frontier, presents superheroes with real-life ramifications and what would be considered “real responses.” Frontier presents a world unaccustomed to the presence of superheroes, not in awe of them but instead distrustful. It trails the original members of the Justice League of America (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc) and their hindered attempts to be heroes during the Cold War era. Illustrated to resemble the original Jack Kirby, Golden Age-era comic style of squared fingers, muscles and jaws (the original superman style) and it delivers, giving a refreshed look to the DC universe.

#6: We3 (Written by Grant Morrison and Illustrated by Frank Quitely)

Drawn in “Western Manga” style, Morrison presents us with a story that will tug at the heartstrings of any pet owner or any soft-spotted individual. A simple mini-series (only three issues long) follows the escape of We3, a trio of mechanically enhanced animals, composed of a golden retriever, a cat and rabbit — weaponized prototypes designed to be replacement for American troops. Designed to leave a moral message while giving explosion-ey goodness, We3 is an original take on animal rights that isn’t preachy mixed with beautiful strokes of gore.

#5: The Boys (Written by Garth Ennis and Illustrated by Darick Robertson)

“But you know the thing about superpowers, Hughie? They can kick in at the worst goddamn time.” —MM

This is possibly one of the best continuous series one can encounter (sorry, Blackest Night, but you have too many side stories going right now). The best way to explain The Boys is that superheroes exist, are owned by corporations, and they, the heroes, are completely free to do what they want with no consequences. Let that sink in a moment. The only people that do choose to oppose these beings are The Boys, a guarded group of individuals that try to stop them through blackmail or any violent means necessary. And violent is an understatement. Anyone with a weak stomach or those opposed to seeing nudity or the pushing of sexual boundaries should leave this on the shelf. This is a place where everyone is trying to scrabble to the top and no one gets away clean.

#4: Y: The Last Man (By Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra)

“Feculence? You mean, the reason I’m the last man on earth is because I ate monkey shit?” —Yorick Brown

Worry not about the idea of thermonuclear war, or asteroids. Well, maybe the ladies will have to worry because we males are dead in this world. Y: The Last Man follows Yorick Brown, an amateur escape artist and his Capuchin monkey, Ampersand, the only surviving males of an unknown epidemic. It is a harrowing tale of a world where people are trying to make sense of events amid mass anarchy and feminism, and oh does it run rampant. The feminism, anyway. And lesbians. Jokes aside, it’s a gripping story of one man and his monkey trying to understand a world that’s gone upside down.

#3: Transmetropolitan (Written by Garth Ennis and Art by Darick Robertson)

“Y'see, they say journalism is the art of controlling your environment, but that's all wrong. I can't control anything with this typewriter. All this is, is a gun.” —Spider Jerusalem.

A favorite of this writers, Transmetropolitan is about journalist Spider Jerusalem and his struggle to bring out the truth in a politically corrupt city filled with the mindless, sex and advertisements swindling masses that crowd its streets. Based on journalist Hunter S. Thompson, Ennis and Robertson deliver a post-cyberpunk world where its inhabitants are too accustomed to its transient lifestyle to notice anything beyond their periphery. Beautiful artwork complements its heavy wit and vocabulary as the plot’s political intrigue unfolds and is telling that you don’t need superpowers to be a hero, just a person who’s unwilling tuck tail and run.

#2: Fables (Writer Bill Willingham)

“The next time you two try to stage a crime scene, you should actually knock things over — rather than carefully place them in positions you want them to end up in.” —Bigby Wolf

By DC Comic’s Vertigo, the series deals with legends and folk tales and its creatures (referred to as Fables) that have been displaced from their homelands and now currently reside in New York City (known as Fabletown). This is their tale as they try to blend into human society while fighting off the Adversary, the conqueror of their realm. All the classical characters are in this world, with a few additions to their personas. Prince Charming divorced from Snow White due to his infidelities, the Big Bad Wolf reformed and now a productive member of society, serving as Fabletown’s sheriff.

This is a series for readers who always wanted more than a simple, “And they lived happily ever after.”

#1: Singularity 7 (Created, written, and Illustrated by Ben Templesmith)

“They called it the Great Unravelling. A billion people disassembled on a molecular level by the very air, swarming with nanites they simply breathed in.” —Narrator

The perfect mix of apocalyptia, science fiction, with a dash of the first Matrix . Singularity 7 leaves us in a world ravaged by man-eating nanites (cell sized robots) created by the former alien-possessed savior of the world. In this universe, man lives underground in fear and hunted by the machine, the only heroes a group of seven people immune to the nanites. While seeming like a generic sci-fi fantasy, that is only the outer shell. No one is a white knight in shining armor, humanity’s saviors more than willing to sacrifice people or even their own so long as the ends justify the means. It’s a simple tale with an exotic backdrop that is reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.