The Best Comics & Graphic Novels of March 2017
There’s a lot to be anxious about these days. There’s a lot worth celebrating, too, and one of them is the fact that each month sees a new and diverse range of comics and graphic novels hitting shelves, books that tell all kinds of stories: a sci-fi saga of future Japan, a superhero punch-em-up, moving portraits of the residents of a New York tenement. Here’s what we’re most looking forward to in March.
A Contract with God: And Other Tenement Stories, by Will Eisner
Will Eisner returned to comics in the ‘70s after taking a long hiatus after completing his work on the seminal masked vigilante The Spirit. Eisner felt not that the artistic possibilities of the medium were limited, but that there hadn’t been much of a market for boundary-pushing work. That seemed to be changing by 1978, and A Contract with God was so well-received that it popularized the standalone graphic novel. As in Eisner’s own life, the main character in the title story loses a daughter. Devout Jew Frimme Froush breaks the contract that he’d made with God as a result. Froush’s story, and those of the other largely Jewish residents of Dropsie Avenue in New York, make up a work that is both human and as timely as ever, featuring some of the best art of Eisner’s long career. This new edition restores the original work and features an introduction from Scott McCloud.
Batgirl, Vol. 1: Beyond Burnside (Rebirth), by Hope Larson and Rafael Albuquerque
Batgirl’s reinvention as a younger, hipper hero began prior to DC’s latest reboot, and writer Hope Larson continues that here in a volume that’s simultaneously a good starting point for new readers and a continuation of the things that have been working so well for the character over the last few years. As the title implies, she’s stepping out of Gotham’s trendy Burnside neighborhood to train with some of the world’s greatest fighters in the far east. Of course, she finds enemies all along the way.
Glitterbomb, Vol. 1: Red Carpet, by Jim Zub and Djibril Morissette-Phan
Jim Zub and newcomer Djibril Morissette-Phan’s Glitterbomb is a horror story for our times: it’s set in modern-day Hollywood, where washed-up actress Farrah Durante is trying to get by despite being one of the worst things you can be in the entertainment industry: a middle-aged woman. Worse: someone who’d been a little too vocal in rejecting the advances of a popular co-star. Then, a dark power finds her and feeds on her repressed rage in order to enact brutal revenge. Hollywood really is murder.
4001 A.D. Deluxe Edition, by Matt Kindt and Clayton Crain
Valiant has a pretty good track record with big crossover events, favoring stories that hew toward science fiction rather than more straightforward superhero action. In the latest, the entirety of which is collected here, the future of Japan is in the stars—the entire nation has been launched into space, thriving in isolation. In the year 4001, the latest Rai is made aware of the truth behind the sentient AI that runs New Japan, and of a plan to save Japan at the cost of Earth.
The Walking Dead, Vol. 27: The Whisperer War, by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard
Still going strong with this 27th volume, the latest chapter of The Walking Dead finds Rick and the Hilltop community at war with the creepy Whisperers. Manipulated by Negan into conflict with each other, the antagonists (who wear scent-disguising flesh in order to live with zombies in something approaching harmony) are prepared to unleash their hordes of undead on Rick and company following the death of one of their own. It’s going to get bloody.
The Complete Tales From the Con, by Brad Guigar, Chris Giarusso, and Scoot McMahon
Originally created especially for attendees of Emerald City Comic Con, this collabo between Brad Guigar, Chris Giarusso, and Scoot McMahon has for years been producing a cute and clever comic strip about convention life from the point of view of fans, cosplayers, artists, writers, retailers, etc. This collection includes every strip ever published, as well as a few that have never been.
The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains: Oddball Criminals from Comic Book History, by Jon Morris
Following up the successful The League of Regrettable Superheroes: Half-Baked Heroes from Comic Book History, Morris moves into even more fertile territory with this encyclopedia of the weirdest and most pointless villains in comic book history. There’s the Gorilla Witch, who is both a gorilla and a witch. There’s also Brickbat, who throws bricks, and Swarm, a villain made entirely of Nazi bees. It’s a true history of some of the most bizarre comic characters to ever fail miserably at crime.
Rick and Morty: Lil’ Poopy Superstar, by Sarah Graley and Mildred Louis
Less Rick and Morty, more Summer and Poopy. We all wept at the tragic tale of Mr. Poopy Butthole, the best friend that the Smith family never knew they had until it was too late. It’s about time that he got his own story. In this book, he seeks out the help of Summer Smith and the two embark on an adventure that takes them through space.
Cannibal, Vol. 1, by Brian Buccelato, Jennifer Young, and Matias Bergara
A small town in the Everglades is faced with a cannibal pandemic: seemingly normal people are finding themselves with the overwhelming urge to eat old friends and neighbors. The people of the community are just trying to get on with life, but the outbreak is bringing up secrets, and old grudges. The book is as much about life in rural Florida as it is about flesh-eating humans.
Daredevil: Back in Black, Vol. 3: Dark Art, by Charles Soule and Ron Garney
Soule and Garney’s turn on DD has been something of a soft reboot after Mark Waid’s very successful run, which saw Matt Murdoch move to the West Coast and take on a lighter tone. In the current series, Murdoch is back in New York with his secret identity once again secure, and with a renewed focus on his job as an assistant DA. As this arc begins, Murdoch is dealing with a major defeat in the courtroom while Blindspot finds himself caught up in a horrific crime.
Suicide Squad, Vol. 1: The Black Vault (Rebirth), by Rob Williams, Carlos D’Anda, Jason Fabok, Gary Frank, Jim Lee, Ivan Reis, Philip Tan, and Scott Williams
Harley Quinn takes center stage for the team’s Rebirth debut as the SS is caught in the grip of madness following the acquisition of a powerful cosmic artifact called the Black Vault. The current lineup consists of favorites Deadshot, Killer Croc, Enchantress, Captain Boomerang, and Katana, alongside the ruthless Amanda Waller and Rick Flagg.
Harley Quinn, Vol. 1: Die Laughing (Rebirth), by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti
Speaking of Harley, the first volume of her current solo book is also out this month, and it’s a zanier take on the sometimes-villain. She’s still running Coney Island, but now she’s faced with the threat of hordes of zombies coming to trample everything she’s built. Luckily, her old pal Poison Ivy is on hand to help out.
Batman: Night of the Monster Men (Rebirth), by Tom King and Steve Orlando
Rebirth’s first big crossover finds the Bat-family squaring off against old-school monsters when Dr. Hugo Strange unleashes hordes of his vicious creations on the city. The team-up centers on Batman and Nightwing, and the book collects the entire story from Batman, Detective Comics, and Nightwing.
East of West: The Apocalypse, Year Two, by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta
The second year of Hickman and Dragotta’s epic tale of an alternate America in which the Civil War never really ended finds the Apocalypse well and truly nigh. If you’re not yet on board with the series that has elements of westerns, science fiction, along with the literal Horsemen of the Apocalypse, these oversized collections are a great way to catch up.
Giant Days, Vol. 4, by John Allison and Max Sarin
Allison and Sarin’s critically acclaimed slice-of-life series about college life at Sheffield University continues with this latest volume. It’s springtime, and love should be in the air, except that Susan is dealing with the fallout of her bad break with McGraw, Esther is thinking about dropping out, and Daisy is trying to stop everything from falling apart.. Freshman year is coming to an end, if the girls can just keep it together.
Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy, by Chynna Clugston-Flores, Jenna Ayoub, Maddi Gonzalez, Kelly Matthews, Nichole Matthews, and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
Two of the best all-ages series on the stands combine for a unique crossover between the kids of Gotham Academy and the girls of Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types. A search for a teacher gone missing from Gotham leads Olive, Maps, Colton, Pom, and Kyle deep into the woods where they encounter the Lumberjanes, who are similarly hunting for their lost director.
Over the Garden Wall, Vol. 2, by Jim Campbell, Amalia Levari, and Cara McGee
The Cartoon Network miniseries followed two brothers, carefree Greg and anxiety-prone Wirt, into a forest called the Unknown. The two traversed the magical land before eventually making their way home, but this series tells new tales of the Unknown, including a story of Anna learning to survive on her own and of Greg and his frog, Jason Funderburker, making new friends.
Bill & Ted Go to Hell, by Brian Joines and Bachan
Finally, Bill and Ted are also back this month in a new adventure with old pals like Rufus, Billy the Kid, Joan of Arc, and Abraham Lincoln as they get back together to help out their friend, Death. Bill & Ted, now parents, are off to Hell to save the Grim Reaper with the help of the Wyld Stallions. Bodacious.
What’s on your pull list?