Broken Frontier

It’s our fourth annual New Year’s Resolution column. Worthy comics are in need of readers! Will you make it your resolution to help them?

We here at Guiding Lines, for the fourth year in a row, are making choosing your new year’s resolutions easier. Instead of suggesting things for you to give up, we are suggesting things you should pick up. We have ten, low-selling books that we think you would enjoy. These are the titles you should add to your pull list now!

The deal is the same as the last three years. Each of these titles charted either just outside the Diamond 100 on a regular basis or are in danger of dropping there. This is the danger zone when it comes to sales and might mean these titles are in danger of cancellation. They also share the fact that I believe they are some of the best comics on the market. After each title, I will list the chart position and sales figures for the last several issues of each title.

If you clicked those links above, you will see a few repeat entries on this year’s list. True, eight books on last year’s list are still in the danger zone, but we are shaking some things up this year because there are newer books that need more of a helping hand than last year’s entries. 

So, with no further ado, the ten, up from nine in previous years, books you should make it your New Year’s Resolution to start reading!

Jonah Hex (#47=#152, 12,231; #48=#159, 11,281; #49=#159, 11,146 ):

I almost didn’t include this title on the list, because, let’s face it, this series is probably not going to get cancelled. It has been losing sales since it was introduced, there have been many comics that sold better that were cancelled, and yet this series still remains. But the list really wouldn’t be the same without it on it so I included it.

What I have been saying about this series for four years hasn’t changed. It still is one of the best comics on the market, even though it is a western, which many of you don’t seem to like. It has gone away from the “done in one” format, having just ended a multi-part epic, but it is still easy for new readers to jump on. And don’t forget, there is a major motion picture featuring the character coming out next year. You might want to read up a bit on the character before it arrives.

Agents of Atlas (#9=#103, 20,806; #10=#135, 17,862; #11=#136, 17,514):
 
A comic about obscure Marvel characters from the 1950s might scare you away if you only think that they have to be obscure for a reason. But working on characters not many people have heard of could be liberating to the right writer. And Jeff Parker is the right writer in this case.

He has taken these characters from the dustbin of history and created something great out of them. The plot involves a group of good guys pretending to be part of this multinational criminal organization in order to do good. Each issue is filled with suspense and humor and is an enjoyable read.

The team is currently going through a series of miniseries where they face off against the big players in the Marvel Universe such as X-Men and the Avengers. But if this ongoing ever starts back up again, be sure to pick it up.

Terry Moore’s Echo (#14=#179, 10,652; #15=#196, 10,520; #16=#172,10,234):
 
If this series was published by Marvel, featured an alien symbiote instead of a nuclear powered metal shell, and the lead character was in danger of turning into a lady Venom, this series wouldn’t be as low as it is on the charts. But it wouldn’t be half as good because odds are that Terry Moore wouldn’t be writing and drawing it.

This is an exciting superhero story treated as a “Bourne-like” conspiracy thriller. There are so many twists and turns that you are kept guessing from issue to issue. Everyone has their own motives and allegiances and our main character doesn’t know who to trust. It is a masterwork of the genre and Moore has everything working like clockwork. This is arguably the best independent book on the stands. If you are passing this by, you should be ashamed of yourself.   

Criminal: Sinners: (#1=#104, 20,568; #2=#130, 15,628 ):

The decision to go from an ongoing to a series of reoccurring miniseries seems to be working, as this new edition has experienced a boost in sales. But that boost, as big as it is, is not enough. Because this book would be consistently in the Top 10 if sales figures were based on quality.

This series is a favorite with critics for a reason—because it is one of the best books on the market. Just because the protagonists aren’t wearing costumes doesn’t mean that it is not any good. The title might read “Criminal” but there are no purely evil characters here. There is only well-defined and well-written shades of gray. And the union of Ed Brubaker’s writing and Sean Phillips’ art is one of the best partnerships in history. The only crime concerning this comic is that more people aren’t reading it.

Madame Xanadu (#15=#207, 9,725; #16=#192, 9,277; #17=#184, 8,856):
 
The highest compliment I could give this comic is that reading it reminds me of the first time I read Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. Madame Xanadu was a B-level concept, usually presented as a cipher. Matt Wagner has done an excellent job fleshing out the character, giving her a backstory and a very long history and made her one of the most interesting characters under the Vertigo imprint.

What’s more, in the process of giving us a centuries-long backstory for the character, he has given us glimpses of other members of the DC Universe such as the Phantom Stranger, the Golden Age Sandman, and Martian Manhunter which portrays them in a new light yet staying true to their character.

Wagner composes his stories with an epic feel and the tone he sets is captured excellently by relative newbie Amy Reeder Hadley. This series is Vertigo at its best. You should check it out

Secret Six (#13=#105, 23,899; #14=#88, 23,331; #15=#91, 23,190):

Forget Captain America or Green Lantern, this series is the best superhero comic on the stands. Only thing is, it features supervillains.

This is Gail Simone’s tour de force. It is a series and set of characters that she was born to write. And her excellence shows in every plot point, every piece of dialogue, and every shocking twist and turn. If you need proof that Simone is one of the best writers in comics, read an issue of this series.

She takes D-list characters and makes them kick-butt. She takes kick-butt characters and makes them totally awesome. These are bad people, but she makes you care for them, which is a great accomplishment.

This series is usually on the positive side of 100 on the Diamond charts, but its sales are in decline. That is wrong on so many levels. If you like great stories featuring costumed characters, add this one to your list.

Scalped (#30=#240, 7,054; #31=#212, 6,909; #32=#232, 6,901):
 
Jason Aaron is getting a lot of critical praise for his work on Wolverine: Weapon X and Ghost Rider but those aren’t his best writing. His best writing doesn’t feature shotgun-toting nuns or mercenaries with laser claws. It features an undercover FBI agent investigating criminal activity on the Indian reservation he used to call home.

Scalped is a great book, one of the best Vertigo has ever published. I have been saying this year in and year out but it still remains true. The book is a tangled mess of history and skeletons in closets coming back to life. It features characters that are multidimensional and realistic. It is consistently good. It appears that Vertigo will let the book, low-selling even by its standards, run out its natural course. I certainly hope so. Because anything less will be a shame.

Batman Confidential (#35=#121, 16,714; #36=#125, 16,664; #37=#126, 16,355):
 
I like trying new things in restaurants. I like grab bags. And I like anthologies. I like never knowing what you are going to get. Yes, there is not consistent quality in most anthologies, but I like that, too. Because when something good comes around, then you feel like you’ve stumbled onto something special.

Batman’s “Confidential” anthology has outlasted Superman’s by several years, but that doesn’t mean that it is one of DC’s best sellers. It is where you’d find up-and-comers like Royal McGraw and Andrew Kreisburg getting their shot at the Caped Crusader, and also industry vets such as Andy Diggle, Whilce Portacio, and Peter Milligan also taking their turns at the Bat.

Not every storyline is the best, but there have been enough good stories in here that I’d like this anthology to stick around. Give this series a change if you are so inclined.  

Comic Book Comics (#1=#285, 2,703;#4=#322, less than 2,699):
 
Yes, this series not only ranks outside the Diamond 100, it also ranks outside the Diamond 300! Granted, part of that fact might have to do with the fact that only four issues have been published since it started in March of 2008, but it’s still a shame. This series deserves a larger audience.

Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey have applied the same irreverent attitude they showed philosophy in Action Philosophers! to comic book history. And the result is hilarious and educational.

Each issue gives you a satisfying chunk of the history of comics. The most recent issue covered the crime comic craze of the 1950s, the rise of Marvel Comics, and the growth of underground comics. Even someone who is up on comic book history learned something while reading this series. If you love comics and want to know more about them, this series is for you. 

Booster Gold (#24=#116, 21,713; #25=#98, 21,584; #26=#19, 57,122):

Pay no attention to the figures for issue #26. That was the issue that came with one of those free plastic rings used to promote Blackest Night, which caused the numbers to be higher than they normally would be. Unless all those collectors decide to stick around, this series is in trouble.

This is a shame, because Dan Jurgens is doing some of the best writing of his career. He had big shoes to fill replacing Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz, but he has acquitted himself nicely. He writes complex time travel stories with a real sense of danger. He holds the continuity together excellently and provides entertaining tales in the history of the DC Universe.

And as good as the main story is, you get an excellent Blue Beetle back up as well. This is what is called a win-win situation!

So, once again, there you have it—ten books in need of love and you in need of a New Year’s Resolution. That seems to be a marriage made in heaven. You might save a comic from extinction and find a new favorite book at the same time. Wouldn’t that make your new year great?

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William Gatevackes is a professional writer living in Mamaroneck, NY with his wife Jennifer and his newborn baby Vanessa. He also writes periodic comic reviews for PopMatters, is a contributor to Film Buff Online. Links to his writing can be found at his website, www.williamgatevackes.com.