The Big Two Books of the Decade

Ian: My pick for best comic of the decade is (dramatic pause) NORTHLANDERS! To be specific, the Sven the Returned/Immortal story arc from issues #1-8 and also #20. Let’s see, where to begin?

Well, on the covers I suppose! From its December 2007 debut to the present, Northlanders has been gorgeously decorated by Italian artist Massimo Carnevale (with Adam Kubert in tow). It’s wonderful stuff and rather than drastically differing from – or outright overshadowing – the art inside, Carnevale’s work compliments the interior while at the same time showcasing the artist’s unique bold style.

How Brian Wood even found the man is unclear, but one thing is for sure: Davide Gianfelice can draw like nobody’s business. Each panel, from start to finish, is filled with detail but never appears overcrowded or messy. But what is a comic book without a good layout? Well, Gianfelice has that covered too. More important than all of these things, though, is the fact that Gianfelice’s characters are compelling to look at. Each face is unique and clearly distinguishable from the next, and the emotional range he captures makes the book better than the sum of all its parts.

It should also be pointed out that while flipping through the issues I was once again struck by the vibrancy of the colours chosen by the artist. Dave McCaig’s colour palette is so perfect that, by virtue of this series alone, he officially replaces Dave Stewart as my favourite colourist of all time (sorry Stew!)

So that leaves Brian Wood, mastermind of the entire project. “Pitch me a monthly series, my editor Will Dennis told me. But something different, break out of your box.” Well goddamn! Did he ever! Now, keep in mind that I’m not one of those die-hard Brian Wood worshippers. I’m currently bored to death with his long-running title DMZ, but Northlanders remains the highlight of my pull-list every month. The writing is solid and the story is compelling from the get-go.

When the story begins, Sven returns from military service in Constantinople to find that his jerky-faced uncle has murdered his father and taken his birthright as Lord of Orkney. What follows is a wrath so severe, it has to be seen to be believed. Also, Brian Wood is a cat that does his homework: everything about this story, from subject matter to artistic rendering feels authentic.

In summation, that’s why these nine-issues comprise as perfect an arc as I can possibly imagine, and for that reason the Sven the Returned/Immortal story arc from Northlanders #1-8 and #20 is my pick for “Book of the Decade.”

Stay tuned for Nuv, who’s pick (SPOILER ALERT!) is Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane.

[Ian’s Runner Ups: The Bendis and Maleev run on Daredevil, while close to my heart, was simply too obvious a choice. I love it, sure, but so does everyone else. Likewise Darwyn Cooke’s masterpiece DC: The New Frontier. To date, it’s the only slipcase boxed set I own and I love it more than a man should love an inanimate object.]

Nuv: Keep your sex life to yourself Ian. My pick is ALL STAR SUPERMAN.

Doomed planet. Desperate Scientists. Last Son. Kindly couple.

With those eight words, writer Grant Morrison accomplishes what takes everybody else who tackles Superman 4 issues to do (or in the case of the movies, the first third of the film) and effectively distills everything we need to know going in down to one page. Then artist Frank Quitely makes his presence known by throwing us feet-first into the action with an epic double-page spread of Superman in the process of trying to rescue the first manned expedition into the sun(!), which of course is right where archenemy Lex Luthor wants him.

That’s only the first few pages, and the pace never lets up. By the end of this issue, Superman gains new powers, learns he is dying, and realizes he has eleven more issues to right all the wrongs he can.

Morrison explores every corner of the Superman universe, and ultimately delivers this generation’s Twelve Tasks of Hercules. Wide-eyed without being naive, trippy without being grimy; a heady science fiction fable with a heart so big you can feel it beating through every page.

All of that would fall apart quickly if the art were not up to the same standards. Luckily, much as Krypton gave us Supes, Scotland rockets us their very own Frank Quitely. He sits alone above all other artists when it comes to story-telling and staging a scene. The way he shows Superman’s transformation to Clark, you believe that it would fool everyone around him. The De Niro of superheroes, he uses physicality and wardrobe to pull the wool. It’s not just the glasses. He slouches his shoulders, wears his clothes over-sized and frumpy, sucks in his chin and pushes out his gut to appear pudgier. Also, pay close attention whenever Frank has Clark doing his bumbling, clumsy oaf routine. It’s all a smokescreen. When you piece together what Clark is actually doing…well, you can thank Quitely for that too.

I’m rambling like that d-wad Ian, but I can’t help it. This belongs on every comic fan’s bookshelf, right in between Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns; a ray of light poking out of the darkness.

All-Star Superman. Will the greatest Superman story ever told also be the last? My lips are sealed, but your wallets aren’t. Go directly to the comic shop, top speed, and buy the book of the decade. You, too, will believe a man can fly.

[Mo’ Betta Superman - Kingdom Come, Red Son, Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow? Deluxe Edition, Superman and The Legion of Superheroes, Brainiac, Secret Origin, The Death and Return of Superman, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Action Comics #775.
More Morrison/Quitely - New X-Men: E Is For Extinction; JLA: Earth 2, We3, Batman & Robin #1-3.]

Put two in the air…

– The Big Two