Looking Back at 2024: The Year in Comics
By Dan Brown It’s time to go over the last 12 months in comics to pick out the highlights. These categories are arbitrary, the choices are mine alone, and I invite you to chime in with your own selections! Best graphic novel of year: This goes to Walter Scott’s The Wendy Award, the latest chapter in the story of everyone’s favourite anxiety-ridden, coke-snorting young artist. It ends with Wendy, an MFA graduate from the University of Hell (i.e. Guelph), possibly turning her back on the world of art. Say it ain’t so! Best debut graphic novel of the year: I give this one to Maurice Vellekoop’s I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together, his memoir of growing up gay in Toronto as the son of strict Dutch immigrants. His lines are lively, and they evoke Seth’s work for me. Best local graphic novel: You gotta love the Curly Head Ballet from Doug Rogers, the only comic I know that was inspired by London’s Original Kids Theatre. It’s a trip! Barbenheimer of my summer: Montreal cartoonist (and Western Gazette alum) Gabrielle Drolet’s rat character went on vacation in Europe in the warmer months, as Drolet herself went on a parallel journey. Daily deadlines were no obstacle for the artist, and I hope she assembles these strips into an anthology. If the folks at Montreal’s Drawn & Quarterly are as smart as I think they are, they’ll be the ones to publish it! Anniversary of the year: Goes not to a superhero, but to a giant lizard with the ability to breath nuclear fire! I’m talking about Godzilla, the kaiju who in November marked 70 years since his first movie appearance. Oh, no! They say he’s got to go! Go, go, Godzila! Comic villain of the year: I’m giving this one to a flesh-and-blood person, not a comic baddie. A big boo to sometime footballer Colin Kaeprnick for his idea to create a company, Lumi, that aims to replace the talented humans who make comics with AI-created work. Way to cheese off an entire industry! It’s about time: The winner in this category is Canada Post, which issued a series of stamps this year to recognize homegrown graphic novelists such as Chester Brown and the Tamaki cousins. Finally! Better never than late: Marvel Comics might have had a better year if they hadn’t belatedly given Roy Thomas a credit as one of the character Wolverine’s creators, a move which antagonized fans and likely made no one happy apart from the former Marvel editor himself. Least surprising plot twist of the year: Speaking of Marvel, I understand that the Krakoa phase of the X-Men’s history has ended, with our favourite band of mutants returning to mainstream society – thus confirming that as long as a comic sells, any change is temporary. Burgeoning trend of the year: Actor Elliott Page used a pop-culture con, the Calgary Expo, to speak out about the Alberta government’s policies on trans youth. Are we seeing cons become platforms for celebrities to speak out on issues? Something I’ll be watching for in 2025. Say what? of the year: Easily won by Marvel Studios, who used San Diego’s Comic-Con International to announce Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a suit of specialized armour, only this time he won’t be playing Iron Man, he’ll be . . . Doctor Doom? “New mask, same task,” the popular actor enigmatically pronounced from the con’s stage. Non-news event of the year; At the same event, Marvel competitor DC had an announcement of its own: The company is changing its logo back to the one it used to slap on comics in the 1980s. Yay? Cause for concern: In snippets of footage from the upcoming Fantastic Four film, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards still has that damn moustache. Not a good sign. Dearly departed: John Cassaday, Trina Robbins, Greg Hildebrandt and Ed Piskor are among the talented individuals who left us this year. Comic journalist of the year: Eisner Award nominee Rob Salkowitz, who writes about comics for publications like Forbes and Publishers Weekly, was a must-read in 2024. I also finally got around this year to reading Salkowitz’s book Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture, which I greatly enjoyed. Person of the year in comics: It’s a tie between Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, who with their $1.3 billion-grossing Deadpool & Wolverine stopped superhero movies from their downward slide with a huge dose of fan service. We’ll find out in 2025 whether it’s a temporary pause or not. And now I wanna hear from you! What were the year’s comic highlights for you? Let me know in the comment box below. Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
Dan Brown's Graphic-novel Gift Guide
By Dan BrownThe holidays are looming, and you’ve been racking your brains for ideas of what gifts to get your family and friends, but coming up short.Well, you’ve come to the right place.We are now at the point where there is a graphic novel for everyone on your list, so please consider the following suggestions as you do your Christmas shopping.For your husband/boyfriend: Any Tintin adventure by HergeFor your wife/girlfriend: Jillian Tamaki’s Super Mutant Magic AcademyFor your dad: Giant by MikaelFor your mom: Any collection of Peanuts comic strips by Charles SchulzFor your brother: Essex County by Jeff LemireFor your sister: Jonathan Dyck’s ShelterbeltsFor your young son: Any Geronimo Stilton graphic novel by Elisabetta DamiFor your young daughter: The Bad Guys Book 1 by Aaron BlabeyFor your best friend: Petals by Gustavo BorgesFor the Marvel fan in your life: Origins of Marvel Comics (the 2024 Deluxe Edition)For the DC fan: Irredeemable by Mark Waid, Peter Krause and Diego BarretoFor the person in your life who loves superhero movies: Robot Dreams by Sara VaronFor the person who hates superhero movies: Ghost World by Daniel ClowesFor the music fan in your life: Leonard Cohen: On a Wire by Philippe Girard For the history buff in your life: Fax From Sarajevo by Joe KubertFor the hockey fan in your life: Essex County by Jeff LemireFor the journalist in your life: Ten Days in a Mad-House: A Graphic Adaptation by Brad RiccaFor the photographer in your life: Weegee from Wauter Mannaert and Max de Radigues For the comics historian in your life: Brian Doherty’s Dirty Pictures (it’s prose)For the lover of newspaper cartoons: Joe Ollmann’s Fictional FatherFor the fan of CanCon: Are You Willing to Die for the Cause? by Chris Oliveros For the grad student in your life: Any of the Wendy titles from Walter ScottFor the theatre lover: Kill Shakespeare by Conor McCreery, Anthony Del Col and Andy Belanger For the lover of literature: Slaughterhouse-Five: The Graphic Novel adapted by Ryan North and Albert MonteysFor the fan of the 1970s: Mimi Pond’s Over EasyFor the fan of the 1980s: Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos and Me by Lorina MapaFor the fan of AI: The Wild Robot by Peter BrownFor the deep thinker in your life: Leslie Stein’s I Know You RiderFor the Muppet fan in your life: A Tale of Sand from Jim Henson and Ramon PerezFor the comics newbie: Either The Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller) Watchmen (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons) or The Complete Maus (Art Spiegelman)For just about everyone: Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. SeussIf you have any of your own gift suggestions, I’d love to hear them in the comment box below! Alternatively, what titles are you asking Santa Claus to leave under your tree? Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
Is There Product Placement in Comics?
By Dan BrownMaybe it’s because I’m a naive fool, but I don’t ever remember seeing an instance of flagrant product placement in a comic book.I’m talking about the classic kind of product placement, the same type you see in movies or on TV where products are written into the plot of the show in return for brand exposure.(I’ll get to advertising partnerships in comics in a minute. They are a different animal.)For example, in an old episode of Big Bang Theory Raj gets a new iPhone. We know it’s an iPhone because after he and Howard unwrap the device, Raj has a conversation with Siri, Apple’s digital assistant. Not very subtle.Product placement like this would in theory be easy to do in comics. The reference could be written into a comic’s script and then the brand’s product would be drawn by the penciller.We all know Wolverine – being Canadian – loves beer, right? So in a scene in which the deadly mutant walks into a bar, he could order a Budweiser or other brand, and the artist could reproduce the label on the bottle or can in Logan’s hand. Easy-peasy, providing you can get the creative team on board with the idea.As straightforward as the process would be, it doesn’t seem to happen much. Maybe I’ve got feeble eyes, but I don’t recall much along those lines taking place in Marvel or DC Comics. There are opportunities aplenty, it’s true.Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne, might prefer a certain make of sports car. Ben Grimm could make his preferences known for a specific type of cigar. Photographers love to talk about the equipment they favour, so why would Peter Parker be any different?The argument in favour of product placement in comics might go something like this: “We live in a world of brands, so superheroes having brand preferences would make them and their milieu seem more realistic. If advertisers want the exposure, publishers could use the extra revenue.”I’m talking solely about comics here. I know there’s plenty of product placement in motion pictures that feature the same superheroes. That’s a whole other column.Nor am I talking about the advertising partnerships comic publishers occasionally embark on, which are embarrassing because they’re so blatant.For example, Marvel characters such as the Hulk and Spidey were loaned out to Hostess in the 1970s to go on adventures in which the villains were all defeated or distracted the same way: By being fed Twinkies. These appeared as clearly marked ads, not part of a comic's storyline.Likewise, about a decade ago, motorcycle maker Harley Davidson signed a deal with Marvel to feature their fine wares in a series of one-shot issues. This led to odd situations in which the Avengers, instead of using the full range of their powers, including that of flight, would ride Hogs to do battle with evildoers.I did once read a Hawkeye storyline set in Madripoor in which a specific brand of credit card was name-dropped, but I can’t recall having seen anything like it since. And I can't say for sure it was the result of a deal.Perhaps the reason for the dearth of product placement in comics is publishers might have to share the fee with creators. Or maybe comic creators who consider themselves "artists" feel they’re above crass product placement.Or maybe it goes back to the traditional perception of comics being stuff for children, and therefore product placement being viewed as unfairly taking advantage of kids. Of course, both you and I know the average comic reader today is in their 40s or 50s so that argument no longer holds water.Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
Alien: Romulus Comic Short, but Intriguing
How the Alien: Romulus comic fills in Alien franchise story gaps and more reasons to read the comic explained in columnist's Dan Brown's comic book review.
Read The Story
Recommended Remembrance Day Reading
By Dan BrownIf you ask me, Remembrance Day should be a statutory holiday – I believe this country ought to grind to a halt out of respect for those who gave their lives so the rest of us could live in peace.And in no way do I think reading a comic or graphic novel can come anywhere close to recreating the brutality of combat. So I mean no disrespect by offering these ideas for Remembrance Day reading. Please consider these suggestions a starting point, and nothing more.Two Generals: Created by Southwestern Ontario’s own Scott Chantler, this moving book gives a grunt’s-eye-view of the D-Day landings. It’s based on Chantler’s own family history and his crisp lines don’t diminish the horrors of war. Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics: Not only did Jack Kirby draw many war comics, but he was also an actual U.S. soldier who landed at Normandy (in a subsequent wave). I recommend Tom Scioli’s biography because it helped me visualize Kirby’s contribution to the war effort. All Quiet on the Western Front: Wayne Vansant’s graphic adaptation of the classic Erich Maria Remarque novel pulls no punches with its detailed account of trench warfare and forays into No Man’s Land as told from the German side. Vansant is himself a veteran of the Vietnam War.The Canadian Whites: These were the wartime comics that flourished in Canada during the Second World War due to restrictions the government put on imports. Hard to believe, but our dominion had a thriving homegrown comic industry in those years. I would suggest you start with Nelvana of the Northern Lights, a collection about a female goddess who fought Nazis and also beat Wonder Woman to market.Berlin: This expansive volume by Jason Lutes depicts what was going on in the German city between the wars. The cast combines historical figures like Hitler with fictional characters and was years in the making. It opened my eyes.They Called Us Enemy: Inspired by the true story of Star Trek actor George Takei’s family, this tale of the homefront describes how Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps during the Second World War. This, after their possessions were confiscated and their businesses liquidated. There are echoes of this experience in the short comic Junban by Toronto creator Jillian Tamaki. It first appeared in the New Yorker and describes her grandfather’s parallel experience in British Columbia.Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos: Long before he was an agent of SHIELD, Fury – the comic one, not the one played by Samuel L. Jackson – was fighting Nazis in the pages of Marvel Comics. Any introductory collection will do, and yes, I know these comics were meant more as entertainment for boys than a serious record of how World War Two unfolded. Captain America’s earliest adventures are likewise worth a read – Cap was punching Hitler in the face before the U.S. had even been drawn into the war.Sgt. Rock: A DC anthology like Archives Volume One will give you the idea. The highlight here is Joe Kubert’s gorgeous art, which was also featured in another World War Two title from DC, the Unknown Soldier.Please consider these recommendations in the spirit they're offered. Every one of us has to begin learning about war somewhere, and for me it was in the pages of comics like these.Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
Scary Halloween Graphic Novels
By Dan BrownIn time for Halloween, here’s a rundown of graphic novels that range from unsettling to creepy to scary to horrifying. Read them at your peril, boys and girls!Vision: The Complete Collection: Imagine you live in suburbia and your new neighbours turn out to be emotionless androids. Literally. This Tom King-written story ends with the Vision taking on pretty much the entire Marvel universe.Monsters Volume 1 and 2: These omnibuses, dubbed “monsterbuses,” collect classic tales by Jack Kirby from the 1950s and 1960s, when evil creatures came with names like Fin Fang Foom. Find out what the world was like before superheroes! Before Marvel was even Marvel!The Simon and Kirby Library: Horror!: See some utterly creep characters the King came up with before he switched to inventing the Marvel universe pretty much on his own. In addition to EC’s many gruesome titles, this is the kind of comic that got denounced by U.S. politicians for causing juvenile delinquency!Any EC collection: From the publisher that brought you the Crypt Keeper! It doesn’t matter which EC horror anthology you read (they have titles like Tales From the Crypt and Crypt of Terror), they are all great examples of EC’s thoughtful suspense and horror!Monsters: Originally envisioned as a story about the Hulk, this thick tome from Conan the Barbarian artist Barry Windsor Smith is as gorgeous as it is horrifying! A military experiment goes wrong and unsuspecting civilians pay the price! Nicely marries horror with a touch of magic realism.Something is Killing the Children Book One: You can file this series under the heading of “the title is the premise.” Something evil has been leaving a trail of lifeless tots in its wake in the sleepy small town of Archer’s Peak. Will a heroine rise to stop the slaughter of innocents? Written by James Tynion IV.Wild’s End: Your basic alien invasion story set between the wars. The twist: The characters who populate the British countryside are anthropomorphized animals. The alien invaders look kind of like Victorian-era street lamps and remind me a bit of Triffids. This ain’t no Watership Down!H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness Volumes 1 and 2: This manga adaptation of Lovecraft’s story about a doomed Antarctic expedition is made even more unworldly by the fact it’s a manga. Japanese creator Gou Tanabe takes his time to recount this encounter between humankind and the previous alien inhabitants of this planet.The Nobody: This Jeff Lemire joint, which made nary a splash when it came out in 2009, asks the question, What if the Invisible Man came to Essex County? Yes, I know Lemire never specifically says the story takes place in Southwestern Ontario, but it’s easy to imagine it does.Snotgirl Volume One: Green Hair Don’t Care: Written by Londoner Bryan Lee O’Malley (yes, he does stuff other than Scott Pilgrim!) this is a psychological drama featuring an influencer named Lottie Person. The fun comes from trying to guess how much of her adventures are really happening and how much of the action is in Lottie’s head. Vampirella Archives Volume One: My favourite version of Vampirella is the one featured in these stories from 1970s Warren Publishing magazines that were drawn by Jose Gonzalez. Giving the character a science-fiction twist – in this continuity, vampires are from the planet Drakulon – infused her stories with that X factor I was looking for as a kid.Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands: What does Kate Beaton’s account of her time in the oil patch have to do with Halloween? If you’ve ever wondered how an entirely male society would work, Ducks explores that theme in horrifying detail. Ducks is all the scarier for the fact it really happened. The old standbys: There’s also the Walking Dead for zombie fans, 30 Days of Night for vampire enthusiasts, and Hellboy books like Conqueror Worm for fans of the paranormal.Your suggestions: What are YOU reading this spooky season? I want to hear it in the comment box below!Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 31 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
