Who Is Charles Webb?
A frequent contributor to Comics Bulletin, Twitchfilm, and his own blog, Monster In Your Veins, I do more than write about comics, movies, and games – I make my own. I was the lead writer on the horror-mystery mobile game “Exile,” and contributing writer to several other titles for both classic mobile and home platforms. Most recently I’ve taken on the Lead Game Designer position for the North American arm of Advanced Mobile Applications where I hope to have some interesting projects to tell you all about soon.
Postcards from the Ledge (No. 13)
Hi everybody! Welcome to another installment of the Vertigo Power Rankings. Before we begin, let's have a heart to heart, shall we? Don't worry; it won't take a lot of your time. This past week, I've been a little depressed about the current state of Vertigo comics. As you'll see by this month's rankings, we are down two series, and next month we'll lose two more (not counting Army@Love's hiatus). Then, as I will detail later in this column, I discovered that Crossing Midnight will end at Issue #19. Well, that tore it! Exterminators, 100 Bullets, and now Crossing Midnight. I'll just say right now, if Vertigo decides to cancel Scalped, I'm done. The main reason I read these comics is because of the unique visions that are on these pages, visions and storylines I can hardly find anywhere else. Plus (and this is important), Vertigo is convenient. I don't have to search and search for the diamond in the rough. All I have to do is pick up my monthly quotient of Vertigo titles, and I'm usually good to go. So, with four of my favorite titles going down in the last few months, I can truly say I’m pissed off.
This morning, things changed. I received an e-mail from a true Vertigo fanatic, Jennifer Vincent, who reads my column every week from gay Paris. She wrote about the Power Rankings, saying that Crossing Midnight should have received more acclaim than it did, and that the decision to end the series was the wrong one. The melancholy started to creep up my throat again... Then, she informed me about a Vertigo series coming up near the end of the year called Becoming Kali, a comic by Ashok Banker. Wow! Besides Virgin Comics’ The Sadhu (which I've read an issue of), Jennifer informed me that Banker has also written a retelling of the Ramayana and is working on another of the Indian epics, the Mahabharata. Who knows what kind of imaginative storytelling he'll bring to Becoming Kali. This revelation caused a lightbulb to light up in my brain. Demo is coming back later this year, as well as next month's Young Liars, April's American Splendor Season Two, and May's House of Mystery (with Madame Xanadu somewhere in the mix). There's a lot of excitement coming up in 2008, and I can't wait to see what Vertigo produces next. Merci, Jennifer, for reinvigorating my passion for these comics!
Now, let's drop the Dr. Phil and get to this month's rankings! We have a new Number One!
- Y: The Last Man (Last Month: 2)(High/Low: 1/2): Yes, I know that Issue #60 was last month, but it does occur in the thirty day cycle of this column, so this is fair game. Plus, since Y went out on its own terms (on top, I might add), I thought it only appropriate that it have the number one slot before the series rides off into the sunset. What more can anyone say about Brian K. Vaughan’s masterpiece that hasn't been said already over the last month? On a local note, my comic shop sold out of the $5 last issue before the end of the day Wednesday, and that's with ordering 25 additional copies! From the first few pages to the last symbolic image, I was enthralled, hoping to find answers to some of the mysteries of the series. I laughed with the cynical aged Yorick, I cried for the final fate of Ampersand, and I cheered as a great series completed a run that I will always remember and cherish. Vaya con dios...
Fables (Last Month: 1)(High/Low: 1/2): Sorry, Fables, but someone had to knock you off the perch eventually. Don't worry, you'll be right back in it next month! And, by the... Oh, hi there, King Ambrose! Can I call you Flycatcher? No? Okay, what can I help you with? Yes, I really did enjoy the ending to the "Good Prince" arc. I thought the Christ imagery and the reunion with Red were perfect for this conclusion. What? Yes, I think it did exceed my expectations, as your creator always does. Wait, you don't know Bill Will- Oh, never mind! I meant God, by the way... No, I'm not being blasphemous, I don't think. I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I should never have spoken out of turn like that. How can I amend my indiscretions? Uh, no, I don't mop floors. I thought that was your... Hey, what's with the sword? I thought you were non-violent! No! Noooo!- Scalped (Last Month: 3)(High/Low: 3/3): Scalped continues to keep it real, as Jason Aaron and the gang gave us another great issue this month. Issue #14 has Dash dealing with his mother's death as he tries to investigate the murder of another woman named Pamela Bittan. But, here's where it gets interesting, as his role as an undercover FBI agent collides with his desire to help out a kid who is very similar to him in many ways. This is the kind of multi-layered storytelling that has made this series one of Vertigo's best. Also, don't forget RM Guera's masterful strokes of realism and intensity that make every page burst with drama.
- DMZ (Last Month: 4)(High/Low: 4/5): "Soames" was a strange issue of DMZ, but I think it was intriguing enough to keep it ahead of this month's scattershot issue of Jack of Fables. You know, if I was gonna take a dip in the Hudson River, I'd at least put on some gloves and a long sleeve shirt. Not that it would do any good... Anyway, there were some great images produced by Riccardo Burchielli in this issue, in particular Soames lying in the middle of a field of bones and his encounter with a bunch of stags. In Manhattan?
Northlanders (Last Month: 6)(High/Low: 5/6): Northlanders is getting better and better, particularly with the amount of all-out action that isn't too common in Vertigo titles. Don't believe me? Check out the pages in Issue #3 when Sven dons the recently killed body of a deer and proceeds to slaughter Gorm's men. It is one of the coolest set of pages you'll see in a comic book this year. (By the way, what's up with Brian Wood and deer this month!?) Sven is playing on Gorm's superstitions in this issue, and we'll have to wait and see what comes of it in the coming months.- Jack of Fables (Last Month: 5)(High/Low: 4/6): As I said in a previous ranking, Jack of Fables #19 was kinda all over the place, but that doesn't mean it was a bad issue. This is one of the craziest series' on the shelves, after all! Jack, Gary and the gang travel all over Americana in this issue, trying to lose the persistent Natty Bumppo and his zombie cops. My favorite parts are Jack calling Natty by many different names (Natty Bumps, Snappy Lumpo) and the scenes when he goes bootlegger, pulling out the Tommy gun like Edward G. Robinson. Is this the end of Jack? Don’t think so!
Crossing Midnight (Last Month: 9)(High/Low: 7/9): Here comes bittersweet breakdown, part one. Crossing Midnight #15 was the last part of the "Time of Circles" arc, and it ended things in exciting fashion. Toshi finally has Kai right where she wants him, ready to give the killing stroke. However, Kai won't have any part in fighting her, which is what she expects. Needless to say, the events that occur regarding this confrontation are fast, furious, and definitely shocking. Sadly, this is a series with a lot of steam that won't see the light of day.- Exterminators (Last Month: 8)(High/Low: 8/8): Bittersweet breakdown, part deux. Exterminators #26 focuses on Henry's ex, Laura, who is a sexy little number on full display. Book-ended by passages from John Milton's Paradise Lost, this issue presents the downfall of Laura at the hands of AJ's band of orange suited fanatics. This is definitely not the goofy kind of story we have seen over the last few months, but there is plenty of suspense and horror to keep things interesting. By the end, Laura is seen as another cog in the Mayan Hisser regime. Damn, this series is another one that I will desperately miss.
- Hellblazer (Last Month: 7)(High/Low: 7/9): No new issue of Hellblazer in the last thirty, so no witty insights. Sorry! However, now that we know who the Laughing Magician is (Pop quiz, hot shot!), I see very good things for the next two issues. Mako is certainly going to make a mess out of London, believe you me!
100 Bullets (Last Month: 10)(High/Low: 10/11): Issue #88 was a good, old-fashioned 100 Bullets tale, featuring the final fate of Mr. Branch. Yeah, I know, anytime you say final fate it means that someone dies, and I won't deny that this is the case in this issue. Still, if you've followed the series for the duration, you can't miss this issue and the revelations that will carry us into the final story arc. On an kinda unrelated note, I can't wait to see Risso's work on the Logan mini-series for Marvel.- Un-Men (Last Month: 11)(High/Low: 10/11): Wow, is the cover for the first issue of the "Children of Paradox" arc disgusting! I mean, it's almost enough to put you off your lunch! Well, this is a comic book concerning genetic freaks, so I guess there's always gonna be some disturbing imagery, which Mike Hawthorne handles with skill. Anyway, there are some interesting developments in Issue #7, not the least of which are Aberrance's Red Light District and a certain male member of the cast revealing that... he's pregnant!?
- Loveless (Last Month: 14)(High/Low: 12/14): Loveless still drives me nuts, but it is a heck of a sight better than Vinyl Underground has been. There's a lot of underlying storyline that goes on in each and every issue of Loveless, and Issue #22 is no exception. The narrator of "Deep Rivers" is unclear, which drives me up the wall considering the recent bi-monthly nature of the title. If this issue is taken at face value, it's a nice little 1920s tale of two prisoners (one black, one white) stuck together in similar straights during an escape. Plus, Danijel Zezelj's art is terrific!
- Vinyl Underground (Last Month: 12)(High/Low: 11/13): You know, figuring that this issue presented some more insights into Morrison's missing mother, I thought there would be some "A Ha" moments. Unfortunately, it was more of the same for Vinyl Underground in Issue #5, as everything runs at the same cool, inconsistent pace as every other issue. One bright spot for the issue is the appearance of Morrison's youthful manifestation, who curses like a sailor with Tourette's. Mozz has some issues!
- Army @ Love (Last Month: 15)(High/Low: 14/17): Nothing new on the Army @ Love front in the last thirty days, but check out Issue #12 this Wednesday. Hopefully, it will end the first season with a bang.
- American Virgin (Last Month: 17)(High/Low: 15/17): Well, this is the last we’ll see of American Virgin, and what can I say? The way this series went out was a damn shame, considering the potential that was inherent in Steven T. Seagle's series from the beginning. Basically, Issue #23 consists of Adam having conversations with God and Satan, weighing his life after encountering his final fate. Remember what I said earlier? Anyway, the last three issues have felt so rushed that the original energy that made this series special is completely gone. If you want to experience the magic that most people ignored, pick up the first three trades and leave it at that. One silver lining: Becky Cloonan will be back with Vertigo and Brian Wood on Demo. Sweet!
So, February’s Vertigo comics have been weighed and measured. However, are the scales off? Let me know at rmurray@comicsbulletin.com. Next week, we look ahead toward the thrills of March, including preview art from Exterminators #27, so stay tuned!
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