Postcards From the Ledge (No. 8)

By Robert Murray

Hi, boys and girls! Are you ready to learn today? Well, you've come to the wrong place. This week, as we do every week at Postcards from the Ledge, we’re gonna shoot the bull about Vertigo comics. Wait, you're asking, "What's this we business?" Don't you know? It's our monthly Vertigo Power Rankings, which are influenced by YOU. That’s right: Your e-mails have special powers. Granted, these are not the walk through walls kind of powers, but you get the idea. If you don't know already, e-mail me at murber74@cox.net with your personal rankings or rants and I will personally power them up. Having a portable nuclear power generator has its perks…

In the news this week we have the April solicitations, which includes the second season of Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor! Once again, one of the great writers in comics history teams up with some of the most talented artists in the business to create a wonderfully mundane masterpiece. Check out Season Two #1 in early April.

Also in the news is the absolute explosion of all things Jason Aaron! Oh, in case you haven’t heard, Scalped’s Jason Aaron has just signed an exclusive contract, and starting next month he will be writing Ghost Rider and Wolverine. This is great news for Jason (who definitely deserves the wider recognition) and for Vertigo, who will retain his powerful pen on Scalped for the foreseeable future. Hey, maybe Scalped’s sales will go up with the new buzz. You know, those super-hero comic readers have a little more pull than us Vertigo guys! Congratulations, Jason! Now, if I can make it to Y: The Last Party in L.A. on the 8th, my February will be complete…

Enough of my stalling! Here are the Vertigo Power Rankings for January 28, 2008. No peeking!

1. Fables (Last Month: 1)(High/Low: 1/1) - There was no new issue of Fables in the last thirty days (How could they!), so Fables retains the top spot due to the amount of mojo this series always has in the hearts and minds of Vertigo fans. But here's a warning, Mr. Willingham: Look out for Scalped if you don't produce a new issue every month. That’s right, put that coffee down and get back to that keyboard!

2. Y: The Last Man (Last Month: 2)(High/Low: 2/2) - Okay, this is another series with no new installment in the last month, but man is the hype ever HUGE for issue #60! This is the Vertigo event of the year (though a tearful one for most), and we're only in January! Don't miss Wednesday’s double-sized finale under threat of snubbing from your good friend Rob!

3. Scalped (Last Month: 3)(High/Low: 3/3) - Finally! A series with a January issue! And what an issue it was, starting off the "Dead Mothers" arc that will surely turn everything on its head at the ol' Rez. The final three pages of issue #13 moved me more than any silent three pages have done in a very long time. It's good to know that Jason Aaron will be producing Scalped for the foreseeable future, since this is the best written Vertigo comic on the stands right now. Oh, and if RM Guera continues to illustrate Dash's various testicle-based attacks the way he does, he gets my vote as the Nutcracker of the Year!

4. DMZ(Last Month: 5)(High/Low: 4/5) - A great issue this month from the flagship Brian Wood Vertigo title is enough to vault it past Jack of Fables! Issue #27 is about Random Fire, a DJ who plays his tracks to the desperate denizens of Manhattan who are still looking to boogie down. If it was me, I'd skip the club and head to the firing range instead! Anyway, Nathan Fox does a nice job of filling in for Riccardo Burchielli, displaying Wood's world in a fashion similar to Geoff Darrow. "Random Fire" is civic pride at its deadliest!

5. Jack of Fables (Last Month: 4)(High/Low: 4/5) - There can only be one...#4, that is. Sorry, Jack of Fables! DMZ was too good this month, while Willingham and Sturges held the status quo. That being said, this was still a typically entertaining issue of Jack, with a special appearance by Hawkeye from the Leatherstocking Tales. Okay, save your comments about Cooper's crappy writing until the end of the column, please! Oh, and don't forget about the zombies in the town of Idyll. No, wait, that was the crowd at the local Walmart...

6. Northlanders (Last Month: 6)(High/Low: 6/6) - So, Sven, you liking the place all right? Vertigo is a nice place to live and all...plenty of freedom to do what you want. Oh, you want to put a head on a pike? Sure, I don't think Karen will have a problem with that. Oh, a little sex before you hit the hay? Again, that's your own business. Do as you will. Can you set a nose that you’ve just broken with a shield? Okay, we’ve gotta draw the line somewhere! By the way, did anyone else wonder where the guy who attacked Sven midway through Issue #2 came from?

7. Hellblazer (Last Month: 9)(High/Low: 7/9) - Well, well, well, look who's turned it up a notch! Hellblazer had two issues in the last thirty days (Take that, Fables!), and both of them turned out to be very good reads, which is refreshing after the last few months of lackluster tales. "The Laughing Magician" arc is underway, and Diggle and Manco are truly delivering the goods with a plot that asks questions about Constantine’s origins and artwork that displays the true ferocity of Mako and his goons. Oh, and now he’s in Great Britain...

8. Exterminators (Last Month: 8)(High/Low: 8/8) - Why, oh why, is this series coming to an end? There are only five issues left, and I don't see how you can't have the adventures of Henry James and the rest of the Bug-Bee-Gone folks. Oh well, I won't harp on it...until next month. Let's stick to the last issue, #25, which was another rollicking chapter in Simon Oliver's insane world. Favorite moments: AJ's method of sticking it to the "Chocolate Starfish" (isn't that the name of a Cat Stevens album?) and King Tut's impression of a Roman senator on ecstasy. Hah!

9. Crossing Midnight (Last Month: 7)(High/Low: 7/9) - Hellblazer and Exterminators were so good this month that Crossing Midnight kind of got left in the dust. Still, issue #14 was an action-packed installment that ended with Toshi finally catching up with Kai, sword held firmly in hand. I think we can all agree that Toshi won't kill Kai in the next episode. Also, I think we can all agree that there are way too many butch women in this issue, making me long for the lovely presence of Loretta. Man, why did Toshi mess her up?

10. 100 Bullets (Last Month: 11)(High/Low: 10/11) - 100 Bullets jumps up in the rankings with a solid tale called "The Blister," the best 22 pager this series has seen in many months. The issue concerns Mr. Slaughter, a retired "problem solver" who the Trust hires to take out someone close to Graves with extreme prejudice. Azzarello examines the two sides of Mr. Slaughter, as every man has this similarity to the common coin. Dad to killer: Call it in the air.

11. Un-Men (Last Month: 10)(High/Low: 10/11) - Again, this is another comic that dropped in the rankings not because of inferior quality, but that a better story leapfrogged it. Man, that's great news if you follow Vertigo! This month in Un-Men, we learn more about what makes Agent Kilcrop tick, particularly in regard to his family. By the way, if you're wondering if the cover to Issue #6 legitimately takes place inside the covers, you would be correct. It's a UFC chainsaw match!

12. Vinyl Underground (Last Month: 12)(High/Low: 12/12) - Still no escape from the cool! Man, am I just not hip enough for this comic book or is it really that dull? I guess I can't answer that question for myself, so all of you out there in Comics Bulletin land need to set me straight. The series is still selling decently, so there are some fans out there. Still, when you have heroes who have to snort some blow to prepare for the bad guys, something's just not right. Whatever happened to Shane or Joe DiMaggio?

13. Faker (Last Month: 14)(High/Low: 13/14) - The last issue of Faker was pretty good, with a Rocky Horror-esque cover that definitely turned a few heads at the LCS. While Mike Carey brings his normal excellence to this mini-series, it was Jock who really made the whole thing fly. To see Nick "dissolve" on a full page in Issue #6 was an awesome display of talent, a talent that Jock has displayed throughout his various works with Vertigo. Bring him back for more!


14. Loveless (Last Month: 13)(High/Low: 13/14) - No issue, no commentary. Any questions? Badda-bing, badda-boom!


15. Army @ Love (Last Month: 17)(High/Low: 15/17) - Bring it on, Rick Veitch! Issue #11 was probably the best issue of the series I have read so far, though many of the tendencies that have weakened the series in the past remain (Too many directions!). Loman finally catches up to Allie, Pomona’s ass looks like "mutated mac and cheese," and Magoon provides the ring tone to end all ring tones. Where’s I-Tunes when you need it?


16. Testament (Last Month: 16)(High/Low: 16/16)- Sad to say, this will be Testament's last appearance on the Power Rankings (sniff). Exodus is over, and life will go on both for Douglas Rushkoff's characters and us, the readers of this fine series. What will I miss? The fine allegorical references to the Bible, the intelligent dialogue and captions that fills each and every page, and the perfect body of Dinah. Whoops, that one just slipped in there...

17. American Virgin (Last Month: 15)(High/Low: 15/17) - Jeez, American Virgin is driving me up a wall. Last issue, the plot was moving at about five million miles per hour. Now, with issue #22, everything slows down so much that you're calling out, "Get on with it, man!" Still, this issue had its funny moments and some more mysteries upcoming for Adam in the final installment. Dang, another finale...


There you go. Now, you can burn me in effigy if you like, or you could do the civilized thing and e-mail me at the above address (it’s way up there). See you all here next week for previews!