Comics With A Smile...

Heidi Meeley over at Comics Fairplay put up the following challenge: Fans seem a bit burned out and irritated in general. I feel the same at times, and find myself grasping at straws trying to justify continuing in the hobby. To help put a bit of a salve- a different twist on things, I am putting out a challenge to my fellow bloggers and site reporters and owners. Take one day next week from Sunday, July 29 to Saturday, August 4 and do a post that reflects on an event in the past year that is comic book related and has made you smile. Maybe it was one issue of a comic book you were happily surprised about. It could be a shared moment at a show meeting a creator or a fellow fan. It can be anything positive that can give your fellow fans something to think about on a positive tip. It is up to you. Well, there’s the challenge. Thinking…thinking… Ok, for a smile from a comic, I would definitely have to say getting into the Preacher series has been a trip. I haven’t read the whole series yet (only 3 trades in, so no spoilers please!), but Garth Ennis is writing some great stuff here. I’m quietly reading along, and I don’t know how many times I’ve just laughed right out loud at some of this stuff. Cassidy in particular – hilarious. The same goes for Ennis’ recent The Boys – again, laugh out loud stuff, and even The Punisher has it’s funny moments, though I’m smiling at that for different reasons. Ennis has the ability to write over the top, outlandish scenes and dialogue, and then bring a moment that makes you think right in the same story. Then, for a different kind of smile, reading Ed Brubaker’s Criminal series and his Scene of the Crime graphic novel. These are noir and PI stories that I love, and had me smiling at the modern way of telling classic noir tales. These had me reading well into the late/early hours of the night to see how the story ends. Great Stuff. And gotta throw a spandex superhero comic in here too as it’s the spandex set of crossover events that are burning out the industry – so let’s go with Cable & Deadpool. I picked up issue 39 and not having read what came before, I pretty much got it and laughed all the way through it. How can you not laugh at Deadpool’s quips and antics? He’s a crazy, messed up, non-stop talking assassin. Cable’s an over powered superhero from the future (I think) that wants to save the world. It’s a perfect match! Writer Fabian Nicieza brings the funny with quick quips, pop culture references, and fourth wall breakage. If you’re a superhero fan that’s tired of the mega crossover epic events from DC and Marvel, try Cable and Deadpool or X-Factor. You won’t be disappointed. There are others as well, but these are off the top of my head. While I’ve never come across an industry that makes it so hard for the customers to get the product like comics makers do, these are worth the time, effort, and money and are the titles that make me smile and have me reading well into the night while the TV stays off. Speaking of which, I have to cancel part of the cable package – and somebody tell Deadpool I didn’t mean I was going to kill Cable again.