My Top 10 Comics [Storylines edition] -- # 1-5

WHO WILL WIN?

 

So, I had a twitter discussion with Brad Gullickson (@MouthDork, co-host of the In the Mouth of Dorkness podcast: @ITMODcast) a few weeks back about “The Best Comics Ever” and how it’s always Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns at the top—kind of like Citizen Kane almost always topping the list of greatest films ever.  It’s hard to argue with not only the artistry and formalistic approach to both of these books but also the impact and influence these two books had, something that still hangs over the comic book landscape thirty years out.  It seems these two books, along with Art Spiegelman’s MAUS, are baked into the top 3 spots, all-time, for comic storytelling.  But do they need to be?  Might there be other works that have transcended the bounds of the field since then (or even prior to 1986)?  Possibly.  I think it would depend upon your criteria, since these lists are always subjective, in spite of any arguments to the contrary. 

Using this discussion as a jumping off point, I decided to come up with my personal top 10 comics.  Some of the guidelines I set for myself were to consider works other than those perennial top 3 (certainly, that introduced a bias against these books, but so be it; I doubt anyone’s going to forget about Watchmen & Dark Knight if I don’t list them here), to attempt not to repeat creators within these ten titles (otherwise, I could easily see Alan Moore flooding my list), and to weigh, heavily, how many times I have re-read these stories.  Also, for the most part, I worked to only include individual collections—whether an original graphic novel or a single storyline from a larger work—but you will notice I failed at that, in a couple of spots. 

You can check out the first post, covering numbers 6-10 +11, here.  The top 5 follow this rambling preamble.  And, hey, feel free to disagree with me and drop a note in the comments with your own top 10.  I’d be interested to see what others feel are the best of the best.  Thanks.

#5:
Pompeii, by Frank Santoro  

I was introduced to Santoro’s work at the 2007 MoCCA Festival in New York, with the initial four issues of the series he created with Ben Jones, Cold Heat.  (check out a spotlight & interview with Santoro, for that series, here).  A student of fine art as well as comics, Santoro utilizes a scaled back, contour line approach to his art that appears simple, on its surface, but is one that can more strongly engage an audience in the hands of a master, which, I feel, Santoro is.  As a writer/artist, he tends to craft quiet, emotional narratives that eschew over-rendering and over-writing, in order to get at the heart of the matter, and he does it magnificently.  Pompeii tells the story of an artist’s apprentice, Marcus, in this ancient city, during the couple of days leading up to the eruption of Vesuvius.  Weaving threads of his master’s romantic entanglements with Marcus’s questioning of his own relationship, this book works on numerous levels and rewards subsequent readings.  Not only do we have the mirroring of the master’s and apprentice’s story, but Santoro similarly crafts pages to accentuate this theme of mirroring, with facing pages often subtly inverting one another, through their layout and subject.  It’s a merging of art and story that is distinct and rare, in comics.  If you’ve never read anything by Santoro, then check this book out.  It’s amazing.

#4:
The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch, by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean

Gaiman & McKean have crafted memorably elegant stories together, but Mr. Punch is, in my opinion, their most ambitious collaboration.  Weaving a story of childhood memories, lost in the fog of time, punctuated by the very British tale of Mr. Punch, these two artists created a book that is not only engaging and heartfelt, but also one that does not talk down to readers.  This is a book that does not tie every plot thread with a bow, and, in fact, revels in the murkiness of human memory, postulating various ideas of what “really happened,” as far as the main character’s recollection goes.  There are answers, buried deep within the narrative, but they may not be the right ones, and they probably aren’t the same ones your friend would take away from this book.  And that is worth your time, at the very least.  Plus, McKean is doing the art, so the pages are beautiful to look at while also adding to the mystery and emotion of the narrative.  This book is so damn good.   

#3:
MAUS, by Art Spiegelman  

This book is a masterpiece.  The only comic to win a Pulitzer, an accolade that is well deserved.  Spiegelman interweaves the tale of his relationship with his difficult father, with that of his father’s odyssey as a young Jewish man in Germany, at the time of Hitler, and his subsequent toils in concentration camps, where much of his family was murdered.  It is a poignant, heart-wrenching, complex story that is expertly delineated by Spiegelman, delving into uncomfortable, and tragically horrific, depths of his and his father’s life, in ways I expect most people would balk at.  This is an important story told without artifice, through a medium that—when done as well as Spiegelman does here—can engage its audience, while also enveloping them within the narrative as well as, or better, than almost any other.  I read this book every couple of years, and it never fails to cut me to the quick.  Brilliant.

 #2:
Love & Rockets [all of it!], by Los Bros Hernandez

Fantagraphics started publishing this seminal comic, from brothers Xaime, Gilbert, and Mario Hernandez, in 1982.  The brilliance of this comic is not only in the beautiful artwork of the Brothers Hernandez, but also in the intelligence of the writing.  Over the course of nearly 35 years, they have crafted long-running narratives that are as complex and fraught and ecstatic and real as any life, and they have done this for myriad characters.  From the magical-realist fantasies of Beto to the poignant Locas tales featuring Maggie & Hopey, Los Bros Hernandez have infused their comics with love and sadness, and all emotions between, along with elements from all genres of literature—with female wrestling, weird aliens, a man with devil’s horns on his head, ghosts (that are very real), super heroes, and most anything else you could imagine, making their way into these stories.  And yet, these aspects never pull you out of the story, and they never undermine the very real truths being revealed through these comics.  The characters found in Love and Rockets are some of the most real people you will ever meet.  And that gets to the heart of what has made this comic such an amazing piece of art—the fact that these artists have allowed their characters to age, and to grow, with relationships changing over time, to great dramatic and emotional effect.  It’s not just the brilliance of Los Bros Hernandez as storytellers that elevates Love and Rockets, but their ability to call back to earlier stories and wring the emotional weight from that with a contemporary narrative that puts the entire lives of characters, and the previous decades’ worth of comics, into a different light.  This may be the best long-form comic series, ever, and you need to read it all.  Now.

#1:
From Hell, by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell  

Alan Moore, early in his career, said in an interview—and I paraphrase—that he didn’t wish to work with artists whom he felt were better writers than himself, because he wanted them to be creating their own new comics, and he was speaking of Eddie Campbell.  When these two finally decided to collaborate, they tackled the murders of Jack the Ripper, laying out a conspiracy that reached as high as Queen Victoria, while examining how these horrific murders echoed up through the twentieth century, all while Moore annotated every bit of it (except for one scene, forcing readers to go back and re-read the 500+ pages to find the clues for that piece of the puzzle).  A fictionalized recreation of these murders, and the man behind them, Moore & Campbell were the perfect team to bring this story to life.  From Moore’s formalism as a writer, and his use of theme, symbolism, and foreshadowing, among other literary techniques, to Campbell’s dark etchings, they manage to completely capture the feeling of this era, and the fear that surrounded these few months of 1888, in London, this is a master class in comic storytelling, while also breaking away from some outdated conventions of the medium (most notably, the opportunity for them to craft chapters as long as they wanted, and was needed, as with prose novels).  If you’ve only seen the film, you have no idea how powerful From Hell is.  Ever since I first read it, this one has been at the top of my list, and I don’t see it ever falling from its peak. 

So, what are your top 10 comic storylines?  Drop them in the comments section and let’s start arguing talking.  Thanks for reading, and take care.

-chris

Love & Rockets, by Los Bros Hernandez

Spurred by the recent Previews episode from CGS, here are some thoughts on one of my all-time favorite comic series:  Love & Rockets.

Los Bros Hernandez--Jaime, Gilbert, along with Mario, at times--have crafted some of the most poignant, affecting, brilliant, and beautiful comics over their thirty-plus year careers. I didn't finally read L&R until the first giant omnibus came out, roughly ten years ago, collecting (to that point) Gilbert's Palomar stories. They. Are. Awesome. And, I would argue, the best way to introduce yourself to L&R. More soap operatic, telling the stories of myriad characters in the small, Mexican town of Palomar, Gilbert's early work in this series is more assured than his brother, Jaime's, whose earliest issues suffer a bit from strange anachronisms and a tendency to be wordy with his dialogue.

Which isn't to say the early Locas stories from Jaime are not enjoyable. He quickly finds his footing and launches into one of the most real friendships in all of comics, and, it could be argued, one of the best in all of literature. Hopey and Maggie fall in and out of love, struggle through hardships together, and apart, while continually moving forward, seeking answers about life and what it all means. (and if that sounds like hyperbole, there certainly is a pinch of that included, but, for the most part, I'd argue my description stands up)

The real strength of this series comes from its longevity. Jaime and Gilbert have taken each of their collections of characters and allowed them to grow old, to have families, to lose friends and loved ones, discover new friends, have adventures, feel pain and sorrow, and love and joy, and experience lives that feel genuine, feel real, feel lived in. And their age has not diluted their storytelling abilities on bit. One of the most heartfelt and heartbreaking moments came a few years ago, in Jaime's "Browntown," which was built on the stories that had come before. It was an amazing piece of comic storytelling and comic art, that could not have been done without the accumulation of stories, over the prior decades, that came before. It was an exclamation point, driven into readers' (or, at least, my own) heart(s), and it's one of those handful of comics stories that has stuck with me, since I read it.

But it's not just their storytelling. Jaime & Gilbert are two of the best cartoonists working today, and two of the best ever, in my opinion. Their ability to evoke emotion and replicate body language utilizing an economy of line is beyond impressive. This, to me, is some of the most beautiful artwork I've seen in comics. Really incredible.

Now, I know it can be daunting to start a book that has this much history (see: Cerebus). But Fantagraphics has a page that can help you find where to start reading, here.

And the collections they've done for Gilbert & Jaime's work are great--a good size, with a healthy collection of stories, at a good price. Well worth picking up, here. Or on Amazon or at In Stock Trades. Or, if you want, see if your local library can request them for you through their Interlibrary Loan department, which allows libraries to borrow items from other libraries, across the country.

These are, seriously, some of the best comics ever made. Do yourself the favor of seeking them out and reading them. Now.

-chris

NEW COMICS: Love & Rockets (New Stories) #4

I came late to the party where Love & Rockets is concerned. But, thanks to my wonderful wife, I got introduced to the amazing cartooning of Los Bros Hernandez the right way when she bought me the omnibus editions of Palomar and then Locas a few years back. From page one of Beto's Palomar stories (which came out a year before Jaime's Locas collection), I was hooked.


At that point, Fantagraphics was producing volume II of L&R, in a smaller comic-sized format. I got all 20 of those issues and have continued on with volume III, which offers new stories from these master cartoonists in annual 100-page chunks, with Jaime and Gilbert each taking roughly half of each book.



If you have never read Love & Rockets, and you are a fan of great comics or just great storytelling, you need to remedy that situation. There are few cartoonists working today of this caliber. Their stories are poignant or fanciful or cute or heartbreaking or involve any number of emotions along one's mental spectrum. And their simple, yet elegant art (with Beto having a softer, more rounded look to Jaime's very precise, sharper lines) illuminate these stories so perfectly.


The Hernandez Brothers (including, from time to time, Mario) are also pioneers in graphic storytelling, utilizing the page and its inherent rhythms and boundaries to evoke these emotions and tell their stories in new and inventive ways, despite having done this for nearly three decades. It is a testament to their mastery of the medium that, with this latest iteration of Love & Rockets, one still finds something new within their work to be amazed at.

For example, take a look at this double-page spread encapsulating the relationship between Maggie and Ray through the years. Simply brilliant:



And, if you want, here are those two pages at a larger size, for a better comparison:






In particular, the work of Jaime in these last two installments of the "New Love & Rockets" has been breathtaking. In issue #3, he ripped my heart out with the understated narrative he offered, illuminating facets of the Chascarrillo family (Maggie's family of Hopey & Maggie) that put many of his previous stories into a whole new light. It was an amazing, heartbreaking story full of very authentic emotions, but handled so deftly that it resonated more.


And Jaime followed that up with equally heartfelt and emotional chapters of Maggie's story in this latest issue. The way he continues to tell these characters' stories - while also allowing them to actually grow old and evolve into similar, yet new, characters - and add more to what has come before without it growing stale is a joy to experience.



Gilbert's offerings in this volume are equally enjoyable, if less "earth-shattering." In recent years, Beto has been enjoying recounting the B-movies of his character Rosalba "Fritz" Martinez. They are fun, over-the-top, stories that allow Beto to show a fanciful side, which has always been present in his work. But I don't want to downplay his contributions. The beauty of these stories has been the little bits of humanity lurking beneath the slick veneer of the main narrative. The moments when we see Fritz away from the movie set, able to be human and relate her own feelings and dreams. These are the gems that elevate his recent narratives.



The humanity and the artistry found between the covers of any Love & Rockets book is a wonder to behold. Every new edition jumps to the top of my to-read pile, even trumping the novels I may be reading at the time. And this newest iteration of Love & Rockets is a nice hefty package that affords Los Bros Hernandez to produce longer works that keep them invested in the material, which was part of the reason for the change in format. The subtle differences in art style, along with the different stories each brother wants to tell (and did I mention that Jaime was producing a superhero story with his characters in the initial two issues of the "New Love & Rockets"?) provides a nice balance within each issue.


You cannot go wrong with Los Bros Hernandez and Love & Rockets. Seek it out. Now. You won't regret it.

chris

FYC Replay: Chance in Hell by Gilbert Hernandez

Another of my columns from late 2007. This one was a big deal for me because I am such a fan of Love & Rockets. Though I came to the book late (not until the oversized omnibi of Jaime's & Beto's work were published by Fantagraphics), I quickly became a huge fan, especially of Beto's Palomar stories. The way he and his brother use the comic page to tell a story - it's really like no one else - and their cartooning is second to none. Pared down, beautiful drawings with poignant and moving narratives. Los Bros Hernandez are deservedly revered, and they exemplify the best of what is possible in the comics medium.

FRONT PAGE: Since 1982, Gilbert Hernandez – along with brothers Jaime and Mario – has been creating beautifully human stories with a wide cast of characters in the comic Love & Rockets. His latest book, Chance in Hell, is his second long-form graphic novel, and the first to be published by Fantagraphics, the publishing home of L & R. A challenging book replete with the distinctive characters and lush brushwork that are Hernandez’s trademarks, this book is an important step in the evolution of one of the seminal cartoonists working today.

The 411:

Chance in Hell

Art & Story by Gilbert Hernandez

120 pages, black and white

HC: $16.95

Fantagraphics Books

What It Is (with apologies to Dave the Thune):

Empress is a little girl living in the wastes outside of the city. A place where the refuse of society are left to make their way the best they can, most everyone inhabiting this cesspool were orphaned years ago, left by parents who didn’t care enough to keep them, and Empress is no exception. Scavenging for food in the mountains of trash that spot the barren landscape, the young girl is also a target as the older boys and men prey upon her innocence, raping her as payment for temporary shelter.

Eventually, Empress finds someone she can trust. Both Soldier, a roving vigilante with a semi-automatic weapon, as well as the leader of one of the many packs of boys running around take it upon themselves to watch over her. They do this not for their own selfish gains, but out of an inherent morality and sensitivity to her helplessness.

This is a unique attitude. For the most part, the people consigned to these wastes care little for anyone outside their own spheres. Meanwhile, those in the city complain of the stench emanating from this sad piece of geography. It is an unpleasant existence, full of pain and hunger and bloodshed. Despite all this, Empress still retains a sense of hope, proclaiming to any man within earshot the two words, “my daddy,” searching for that which she has been denied.

In a cruel twist of fate, when Empress walks off from the boy who pledged to protect her, he panics. Running back to their makeshift shelter, he crosses paths with Soldier, who joins him. Arriving upon a scene they misinterpret – believing the boy standing over Empress was forcing himself upon her – Soldier raises his gun and pulls the trigger, leading to a bloodbath that not only sees the death of this boy, but also of Soldier and three more including the one who was looking out for Empress.

Empress is the only one left unharmed, and she is snatched up by a man that had been wandering around and spoken to her earlier. A literature professor from the city, he grew up close to where the carnage ensued and is one of the few that actually survived the wastes and made something of himself. His reason for taking Empress is to offer her the opportunities he has been afforded. And so, the young girl takes up residence with the professor where she learns more than could have ever been expected out in the wastes. But some of the lessons acquired will lead to tragedy later in her life, something to which Empress has become readily accustomed.

Gilbert Hernandez is a master storyteller, and within the comics medium, his work – along with that of his brothers, Jaime and Mario – has paved the way for more adventurous writers and artists to bring their own visions to the printed page. Eschewing any accepted “rules” of writing, his work feels organic in a manner that very few artists’ do. Like life, his tales are sprinkled with random bits of kindness or pain punctuating generally quiet narratives. Hernandez’s stories wend their way through the pages of his comics with scenes ending in the middle of a page and transitions that are unexpected, but these detours from convention are always in service to the story, allowing it to progress naturally toward its end.

As with any good writer, Hernandez understands that the best drama comes from interesting characters. He does not try to force any tensions into his narratives, but instead exults in the very human moments that all of us experience on a daily basis. Eschewing the over-the-top plotting that hampers so many comics, his stories come alive with a vibrancy and honesty that is all too often lacking in much of today’s fiction – whether it be prose or comics.

Hernandez’s writing is matched equally by his artwork. With a pared-down style that is smooth and lush, he has perfected an ideal that allows him to convey his stories to a wide audience. His clean, unfettered artwork allows readers to project themselves onto the characters, affording them an opportunity to fall into his stories in a manner that a more rigid and photo-realistic style could not. In this way, he engages his audience early, and holds their attention with the subtle artistry of his writing. Hernandez’s fluid storytelling is aided greatly by his elegant art style, which evokes more emotion through a single sweep of his brush than a thousand cross-hatchings on the most rendered image.

Chance in Hell is a visually stunning book that challenges its readers with a story that does not fit neatly into any genre. A book that forces readers to think and ask questions, this is a disturbingly tragic story that is still able to engage its readers. It is a book that dares to walk over the edge of what is expected, and with an able guide such as Gilbert Hernandez, one can be sure of landing softly as the ground swiftly approaches.

An Interview with Gilbert Hernandez:

Chris Beckett: Why comics? What was it that attracted you to this storytelling medium and has kept you motivated for the last twenty-five years?

Gilbert Hernandez: I was born with a comic book in my hand. My older brother Mario collected comics since I could remember. Our mother collected comics when she was a kid, so she thought it was ok for us to read them. I can't imagine life without comics. That's the first reason I do them myself, the other reason is the medium lends to self expression like no other for me.

Beckett: Where did the inspiration for Chance in Hell come from?

Hernandez: I'd been wanting to do graphic novels for years, but the intense workload of serializing stories in Love and Rockets didn't allow me much time for outside projects. I've ended the serials in L&R, giving me room to experiment more. Chance in Hell is the first long, self contained story I've been left alone to do. Being the first in a series of books, I wanted it to grab the readers and have them wanting more. The jury's still out on that one.

The story itself was something I wanted to do for years, but I never felt I was ready for it. A story where almost nothing good happens yet the reader is still engaged. An anti-feel good story, but where you can still care.

Beckett: The way in which you tell a story seems so effortless, sometimes flowing along in what feels like a random manner – just like life. When working on a story, particularly a longer work like Chance in Hell, what is your creative process like?

Hernandez: I work almost entirely intuitively, feeling the story out as I'm writing and sketching it at the same time. I rarely have an ending for any story I do, but one always comes by the time I need it. It's murder with proposals, though.

Beckett: The storytelling for Chance in Hell is decidedly different from the stories typically found within Love & Rockets. You allow the imagery to move the narrative along, and that final page seems to come out of nowhere, leaving it open for more than one interpretation. Were you conscious of this as you worked on the book, and what did you hope to accomplish with Chance in Hell?

Hernandez: My goal as an artist is always to entertain the adult reader, hopefully to stimulate and amuse and satisfy him with a work that is worth his time and money.

Beckett: What other projects are you working on that you would like to tell readers about?

Hernandez: The 2nd book in the series is called The Troublemakers, a tale of low trash grifters that are their own worst enemies.

The new format of L&R will be a 100 page annual. This way the reader can enjoy a more satisfying read without having to remember what happened last issue.

Speak of the Devil is a 6 issue mini series from Dark Horse that is about a girl peeping tom and how her escapades evolve into some pretty serious violence. This will be my first real horror story and will test the readers' tolerance.