November is here, but first, let's take a look back at October. Every month, the staff of Comic Vine takes a look at their favorite issues from the past month and tells you what was so awesome about them. Last month, we saw the start of DC's crossover Godhead, Axis flipped everything upside-down, and Image put out a string of new series that were a hit. Let's get this party started.
Tony's Top Issues
This is the issue I’d been waiting for. Perhaps it’s the issue many of us have been waiting for. We know Batman is a man that likes to be prepared for just about any occasion. We know he obviously has contingency plans for the entire Justice League. What does that mean in the New 52? We’ve never seen Bruce really go up against the entire Justice League in the current continuity. That’s what Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have given us.
I know some complained over the ease in which Batman succeeded in each encounter but, hey, he’s Batman, right? And he was left with one pretty big target to deal with. All of that plus the fact of who is behind the entire Justice League attacking Batman. How many days until issue #36?
Yes, it’s another Scott Snyder comic. This one, with art by Jock, was all sorts of creepy. First issues can often be tricky. Snyder and Jock introduced us to a new family of characters and immediately made us care about them. There is clearly danger headed their way and the take Snyder is taking on the concept of witches is pretty disturbing.
We’ve been asked before who would we want to right a comic or story based on our lives. As great of a writer Snyder is, I don’t know if I’d want him to write my story. Things would get too freaky and flat out scary.
Oh yeah. I love the Hobgoblin. Why? It’s hard to pinpoint the exact nature of the character that appeals to me. Part of it is his origin and the fact it took well over a decade to finally discover his true identity. We’ve been on the fence with the Axis storyline but because of what’s going on with after the Inversion Spell, we now have villains with the urge to be heroes. Of course with Roderick Kingsley being the businessman he is, he’s taking the concept of the Hobgoblin to a new level.
This was a bit of a wacky issue. It actually caught me off guard a little. As much as I dig the Hobgoblin, I didn’t think I’d quite like this as much as I did. How often can you say that about a comic?
Good news and bad news. Joshua Williamson has another new great series. The bad news is it’s one more issue to add to your pull list. Williamson is already killing it with NAILBITER (which often makes this list and deserves at least an honorable mention) and GHOSTED.
Starting out as a story about a missing child and some of the aftermath in the search, the issue soon takes a huge left turn and gives us a completely unexpected story. As if that wasn’t enough, there is then yet another twist thrown at you when you least expect it. Great story and great art. Keep ‘em coming, I say.
I like Thor but definitely wouldn’t say I’m the biggest most hardcore Thor fan around. I have a deep respect for the character and have enjoyed many great stories with him over the years. This issue caught me a little off guard. We all know a big change is coming. To me, that change will give the opportunity to explore a new angle and new stories. Reading it reaffirmed just how fascinating it can all be.
Jason Aaron has been doing a great job in the GOD OF THUNDER volume. It makes sense he’s going to continue to bring the action in this new one. Thor may have become unworthy but his story is far from over. Seeing what happens to him here and the mystery of what will happen next and who the new lead character will be is what will ensure I’ll read the next issue ASAP. Russell Dauterman on art is another plus. He’s an artist who has captured my attention and I can’t wait to see more from him.
Honorable Mention: NAILBITER #6
Mat's Top Issues
It's a bitter-sweet moment for one of my favorite on-going books. Brian Azzarello's and Cliff Chiang's run on WONDER WOMAN has come to an end. While the finale is pretty epic, the final issue of their run is incredibly satisfying and has a few pretty amazing revelations. As always, the art was fantastic, and it's hard to call the final issue of a story perfect, especially stories that ran for over 30 issues, but this is about as close as you can get. Hopefully, DC will release this run in a two volume or three volume omnibus because this is easily the best Wonder Woman story I've ever read and one of the best books to come out of the New 52. This run is a must read for super-hero fans.
I've been really digging on historical fiction recently. MANIFEST DESTINY has a formula that works, and since Rasputin is one of my favorite characters in history, I thought I'd give this a try and was not disappointed. The first issue moves extremely fast, but it was the perfect way to set-up this new series from Alexander Grecian, Riley Rossmo, and Ivan Plascencia. The team that brought us PROOF has brought us something that shows a lot of promise. I love the fact this team mixes the legends of Rasputin with who he was. This was a big month for number one issues that blew me away, and all of them just happened to be from Image. Anyway, if you're at all a fan of the idea of the mad monk Rasputin, then you really need to check this book out.
There was a time where this was my top pick every month. Sadly, it's been a while since this book has blown me away, especially since there's a lot of other comics (Mainly Image) that have blown me away. I feel like I connected to issue #24 of SAGA a lot more than I have to previous issues. We're learning more and more about the Brand and the search for her brother, The Will. This issue also had some big revelations about what's going on with The Will is future issues. Brian K Vaughan never lost me as a fan, but he really got me hooked back into this book, along with the completely wonderful art of Fiona Staples. As always, this is one epic story that is worthy of its readership.
BIRTHRIGHT #1
As a child, growing up in the 80s, fantasy adventure films and stories were everywhere. Sure, they were everywhere during that decade but there's one aspect of these stories that were never covered: the aftermath. That's the story of BIRTHRIGHT: a child goes off to a magical land to fight a battle and returns back to Earth as an adult, but only a few years later in Earth time. Conceptually, it's one of my favorite ideas to come out of image and to come out of writer Joshua Williamson's mind. He took a well-known idea and expanded upon it. This is a series you need to add to your pull list. It's a ton of fun and the ending of this issue was fantastic.
WYTCHES #1
Scott Snyder and Jock are working together on a horror book at Image. This is a marriage that just prints money. As far as the actual issue goes, it's brilliant. It's pretty startling and a bit disturbing, but that's exactly what this comic is going for. Once again, we have a well-known concept with a twist. As I stated earlier, there's a lot of number one issues on this list, but October was a great month for new series. If horror and suspense is more of your game, WYTCHES is for you. Jock and Matt Hollingsworth provide a disturbing tone to the book but Hollingsworth's colors make the book pop off the page. All-in-all, I'm very excited where to see this book is headed.
Honorable Mention: GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #35
Gregg's Top Issues
My two favorite childhood franchises in a crossover comic? Is this real life? Thankfully, the first chapter of IDW's limited series was pure fun. Yeah, the reasoning behind their crossover is a tad silly, but the fact it's so fun and looks great counters that by a ton and then some. Erik Burnham and Tom Waltz have done excellent work with these two teams and the merging of their worlds did not disappoint one bit. There's plenty of banter and spectacle, Schoening's visuals are a delight, and the cliffhanger left me anxious to read more. TMNT/GHOSTBUSTERS is finally here and it was well worth the wait.
Yeah, there's going to be some spoilers here. If you haven't read this one yet, just skip to the next pick, okay?
Hopefully they're gone. If not, whatever. Prepare to be spoiled. Charles Soule and Steve McNiven gave Wolverine a meaningful death. We all expected Logan to face impossible odds and go down after a bloody and savage fight. Instead, he sacrifices his own life just to save a few from becoming experimental weapons -- an experience he can obviously related to. Logan's life has been filled with darkness and tragedy, but in his final moments, he doesn't focus on those depressing incidents. Instead, he thinks about all of the good that happened in his life and McNiven has him accept his end in a beautiful scene. I still think he couldn't actually see the view since adamantium was covering his eyes, but it's still a gorgeous moment and it made us realize he's earned his rest. We all know he'll be back for more in due time, but it was a surprisingly peaceful and optimistic end for Wolverine. Can't say you saw that coming, can you?
THOR #1
"That's not my Thor!"
Fine, don't read it. Me? I'll continue to read Jason Aaron's Thor story. The guy did hugely impressive work over in THOR: GOD OF THUNDER and this is a continuation of that story and all of its worldbuilding. We still have no idea who the new Thor is (okay, there's a possible hint, but I don't think it's her), but this was a terrific debut that gave love to both new readers and pre-existing fans of T:GoT. The handling of the Frost Giants was awesomely cinematic and it's exciting to see Malekith is finally making his move. Now we just have to wait and see if Aaron will continue the future storyline with Galactus.
Batman is going all Liam Neeson on Apokolips and it's a blast. The gloves are off and it's time for a no-nonsense and heavily armed Batman to battle everything in his way until he gets Damian back. It's lame we already know whether his son will return, but Tomasi and Gleason have been doing a phenomenal job on this book. Seeing as more Bat-family characters (and Cyborg!) have entered the picture, I'm really thrilled to read the next chapter. Immersive artwork, non-stop action, and packed with emotion. BATMAN AND ROBIN really is a must read for any fan of the Dark Knight.
Do you want to see Elektra kicking all kinds of booty? Do you want to see why so many people think she's one of the deadliest assassins in the Marvel universe? Yeah, you need to read this issue. From the opening conflict (which is a little short but still awesome) to the final page, writer W. Haden Blackman reminds us why Elektra's such a tough and compelling character. It shows she's far from heartless but has no problem stabbing a dude in the spine and obliterating anyone or anything that dares to come after her. It's character-driven and hits you with ridiculously entertaining action. The tease for what comes next is sure to make you stick around, too.
Honorable Mentions: WYTCHES #1, PREDATOR: FIRE AND STONE #1
That's it for this month! Let us know what you're top five books were for October in the comment section below!