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The Comic Guy's top five list

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By Michael D. Bates

The Comic Guy

Published: November 6, 2009

During the 19 months I've been doing this column, I've written about everything from Harry Potter and Peter Parker to Archie Andrews and Uncle Scrooge.

I've written about comic book and movie trends and the future of super-heroes.

So this time around, in response to hundreds of requests (would you believe a couple?) I figured I would tell you what comic books I collect and enjoy.

So here, by popular demand, are the top five reads of the Comic Guy:

Ultimate Spider-Man

Writer Brian Michael Bendis' super-realistic dialogue in his comics has a habit of alienating some fans who object to the words he puts in his super-heroes mouth.

But in this book, Bendis' writing has the right amount of humor and action. The first three pages alone will have readers hooked with a hilarious exchange between fast food worker Peter Parker and an elderly female customer.

Yes, you heard that right. In this book, set in an alternate reality, Parker works as a hamburger slinger at the Burger Frog. His Aunt May, who was perpetually hovering near death in the mainstream Spider-man titles, is now sprightly and she knows her nephew's secret identity.

And lo and behold, Gwen Stacy is back as Peter's girlfriend who also is privy to his secret.

The artwork by Davis Lafuente is a mix of anime and manga. But don't be put off. There is a dynamism to the pictures and he is equally adept at the serious scenes as he is with the funny ones.

The title is up to its third issue. Make sure you pick up #1 to get in on the ground floor.

Fantastic Four

Finally, Marvel hired a creative team to bring this book back to its roots, emphasizing family connections and cosmic adventures.

I returned to this book after a lengthy hiatus and found the foursome doing what they do best: Reed Richards embarked on yet another scientific breakthrough; Sue Richards frustrated because she's kept in the dark by Reed; Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm again involved in friendly fisticuffs.

Fantastic Four is one of the foundations of the Marvel Universe. Indeed, along with Spider-man, the FF cemented Marvel in the early 60s as being the anti-DC: characters who experienced the same troubles as other normal people.

DC, meanwhile, still relied on the infallible super-hero who could do no wrong.

For some reason, writers through the years have tried to give the FF a more edgy look and it never seems to work.

Thank Goodness, writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Dale Eaglesham understand what makes this book great. The latest storyline has Reed Richards trying to solve all the world's problems.

A daunting task indeed. But well worth reading about.

Supergirl

This book has done a complete 180 from previous writers' interpretation of the character.

Writer Sterling Gates and artist Jamal Igle portray Kara as younger, more innocent and dealing with the emotional roller coaster of merging her Kryptonian heritage and her life on earth.

Instead of being a female carbon copy of her big cousin Superman, Kara is still in the learning process but with a firm head on her shoulder.

She may be young but she has been through a lot and will take no guff from villains or unpleasant people.

Her interaction with her mother Alura, especially after the recent death of her father, was a stunning bit of writing by Gates.

I wish DC would replace artist Igle, who tends to be too cartoonish for my tastes. But I can live with that as long as the writing stays top-notch.

Brave and the Bold

I wouldn't have recommended this book a few months ago.

But now that fan-favorite J. Michael Straczynski is the writer, it's a must-read for me. Straczynski excels in character-driven plots, a talent he honed during his long stint on Spider-man.

Brave and the Bold is the ideal vehicle for him because, being a team-up book, Straczynski will be able to write stories about every major and minor DC character. The latest issue, for example, pairs the Flash and that old World War II group The Blackhawks.

Artist Jesus Saiz also brings a clean, uncluttered look to the comic and eliminates the merry-go-round of pencillers DC had been employing.

All this, combined with a thicker, glossier cover at no extra charge, propels Brave and the Bold into my top five list.

World of New Krypton

If you are a Superman fan, you really need to collect this 12-issue mini-series, which is little more than half done already.

Kal-el has left Earth and taken residence on New Krypton, a planet that revolves around our sun and is home to a long-lost race of fellow Kryptonians.

Kal joins the military guild on the planet, which happens to be led by Superman's old nemesis General Zod.

But there is unease on New Krypton because the inhabitants (all with super powers under the yellow sun) believe Earth sees them as a threat and are out to get them.

They could be right because there are forces on Earth planning some devious things.

Be sure to hunt up the first issue and follow this year-long saga from the beginning. It is leading up to some changes in the Superman line of books.

One last thing:

The Tampa Comic-Con is Saturday, Nov. 7 at Minnreg Convention Hall in Largo. For more details, visit www.tampacomiccon.com

See you next month.

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be contacted at 352-544-5290, or e-mailed at mbates@hernandotoday.com.

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