Someone said to me recently “hey, remember when no one knew any of Wolverine’s back story and he was the coolest character in comics?” Ah, the good old days. Long before we had Joe Q’s “official” origin story (bone claws… pfft!) all we had were little glimpses into Logan’s past, and Barry Windsor-Smith’s Weapon X was the most tantalizing. By the time this came out in 1991 we’d already seen Claremont and Miller’s take on Logan’s exploits in Japan, the story of Mac and Heather Hudson finding Logan reduced to a feral state in the wilderness from the original Alpha Flight series, and even tales of Logan’s WWII exploits with Captain America and Natasha Romanoff. But until the 1991 release of Weapon X (in the pages of Marvel Comics Presents) there had been nothing like this.

Barry Windsor-Smith was no stranger to the world of the X-Men, having notably co-written and illustrated Uncanny X-Men #198 and #205 (a Storm feature and a Wolverine feature, respectively), and Weapon X is entirely his baby. Script, pencils, inks, colors, hell, a lot of the lettering- all his. It’s a great, signature piece of work. The detail in Windsor-Smith’s linework is incredible, and his coloring is incredibly subtle and complimentary.

This is no picnic. the depictions of Logan’s handling (torture) at the hands of the Weapon X program are pretty brutal, by 1991 standards. Not because they’re particularly graphic, but because they’re so manipulative. You feel every poke and prod right along with your hero, and are just as twisted up by the end as poor Logan. You know he’s going to turn out okay, but this is certainly his trial, his passion, as it were.

So yeah. They just don’t make Wolverine stories like this anymore. Check this one out!

Frank Miller’s first work post- Dark Knight Returns is this thrilling retelling of the classic Batman origin story, with all of the hits and bits that are hallmarks of Miller’s writing (strong characterizations of Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon, great internal monologues, etc). The story has always seemed a bit underdone to me, though possibly this is because unlike The Dark Knight Returns Miller knew he was writing this for the main DC continuity. I don’t know. What makes this an essential volume though is the art- David Mazzucchelli’s pencil and ink work and Richmond Lewis’s colors (watercolors, they look like to me) are just marvelous. Reading this again recently I note that there are a lot of ideas here that made it onto the screen in The Dark Knight film, like the sonar bat call and, well, a whole hell of a lot about Jim Gordon. Definitely a keeper!

I just love love love Darwyn Cooke, and he really gets to show off his chops here as a writer as well as an artist. The feature Batman story “Ego” is one of Cooke’s first works in comics, and it’s okay but not great, definitely an early work. The GOLD here though is the longest piece in the book, “Selina’s Big Score”. It’s just a solid heist story featuring Selina Kyle and a character named Stark (clearly based on Lee Marvin in Point Blank), and there’s nary a cape in sight. It reads like a practice run for Cooke’s adaptation of Parker The Hunter (excellent, in case you haven’t heard), and you guys KNOW it’s awesome if I’m recommending it, seeing as I have no great familiarity with the DC Universe and virtually no prior interest in Catwoman as a character. A-1 stuff here.

This is the series spun out of Point Blank (which itself is spun out of Alan Moore’s run on Wildcats, but no matter), brought to you by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, the same creative team behind Criminal and Incognito. Here’s where the team comes together, in this fantastic story of a superpowered secret agent desperate to be brought in from the cold. I’m hesitant to say much more though, because the twists and turns are so wild I don’t want to spoil anything. Suffice it to say I COULD NOT put this down! Great on so many levels. Do be aware that this is for “mature audiences”, full of language, sex and violence, and a fair degree of superhero hate (which I usually don’t go for, but it’s used wonderfully here).

Here’s one for fans of all ages. Writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach is best known for his television work, but his comic series The Middleman is so much goofy fun. The series (also adapted for a television series on ABC Family) follows the adventures of a young woman named Wendy Watson, who gets recruited to join the Jolly Fats Wehawkin temp agency, secretly a front for “O2STK” (the Organization Too Secret To Know), by The Middleman, to aid in his mission to “fight evil so you don’t have to”. It’s kinda like Men In Black for kids. Along the way the Middleman and Wendy go up against gangster gorillas, luchadores, and their archenemy, the evil genius Manservant Neville.

Sound silly? Sure it is, but Grillo-Marxuach pulls it all off with some great writing, and lots of little nods and winks to genre films/books/TV shows of yore (just look at the title of this collection). I spotted references to Star Wars, James Bond, Dune, Doctor Who, Planet Of The Apes, Blake’s 7, Back To The Future, Buckaroo Banzai, and more (and that’s just off the top of my head), and of course, tons of comic books. The art by Les McClaine is nice, very classic cartoon-looking, bold outlines and zipatone shading (check out the preview here).

Derek gave me a copy of this for my birthday two years ago, and it was a great gift. Perfect for (knowing, slightly older) kids, and anyone who loves cool comics!

Alan Moore may not be the greatest comics writer ever (and he’d probably tell you so himself), but he’s just so good at combining myriad influences into a unique new creation, one that feels familiar but original all the same. These tales of the “science-hero” Tom Strong draw from all the classic pulp influences, including Tarzan, Doc Savage, John Carter Of Mars, Superman, etc. It’s a relatively recent work, written for Moore’s America’s Best brand on the Wildstorm imprint. And the cavalcade of artists Moore enlists is incredible- Chris Sprouse (credited as co-creator), Art Adams, Jerry Ordway, and Dave Gibbons all on point here, and Moore gets great work out of them. A fun read, and a real change of pace from Moore’s darker Watchmen/V For Vendetta/From Hell material. I totally love this book. Check it out!

David Mazzucchelli is well-known for his collaborations with Frank Miller, having illustrated Daredevil: Born Again and Batman: Year One. And if that were all he’d done he’d still be a comics legend.

Thankfully, it’s not.

Asterios Polyp is a rare work indeed, a book that took Mazzucchelli the better part of a decade to create, and it’s one of the richest, most rewarding reads in the entire medium. It’s the story of a middle-aged university professor who has built an insular, joyless life for himself, and who is given a second chance one night by a freak accident. Asterios leaves his familiar surroundings and begins a journey that is physical, spiritual, and ultimately transformative.

The presentation of this story is striking- the book itself is a gem of modern design. Mazzucchelli’s cartoon style is iconic in the best of ways, and his use of color tints is simply genius (be sure to check out the previews). Best of all though is the fact that the book has an internal logic you simply don’t see much in graphic storytelling- it’s uniquely what it is. Mazzucchelli uses the comics medium to tell a story that only comics could tell (if comics were generally this good, that is).

I’m trying to think of stories this book reminds me of- there’s a generous helping of The Odyssey retold here (in one memorable sequence), and the (brilliant) Takeshi Kitano film Sonatine comes to mind as well.

Okay, I think I’ve gushed enough. Don’t just take my word for it- this book won the 2009 LA Times Book Prize for Graphic Novels, and is nominated for four Eisners this year. Asterios Polyp is a thoroughly transcendent work, and gets my highest possible recommendation.

Here’s an old favorite, great, groundbreaking stuff which redefined an old character, or at the very least casts a VERY long shadow…

Frank Miller was a comics rookie in 1979 when he was paired up with Roger McKenzie on Daredevil (a lesser Marvel title at the time), and things do start out a little rocky here, what with the Spectacular Spider-Man issues which don’t pertain to the main run at all, and the first chunk of issues written by or co-written with McKenzie (featuring B-listers like Death-Stalker and Mauler, as well as characters like Doctor Octopus and Gladiator), but once we get into the Kingpin/Elektra/Bullseye stuff it’s pretty much gold. Miller took over sole writing duties (in addition to pencils) with issue #168, and the stories immediately become more intense. The relationships between the main characters are very intricate and well-played, and really speaks to Miller’s budding talents as writer. Klaus Janson’s inks are bold and a little jagged-looking, the perfect match for Miller’s horizontal-vertical pencil work, his incredible realistic New York backgrounds, and his love of silhouette. Get in on the ground floor here guys, this is the run that put Frank Miller on the map. Essential stuff.