What should I read next? Comic edition

Hey everybody!  It’s been weeks since I last posted, sorry about that.  Lots of exciting things happening at work (moving things around, new displays, new programs, new committees) and I’ve been distracted.

Anyway, I thought I’d share a list, in no particular order, of comics that I think are fun and would recommend to anyone who asks.  Some of these are currently printing, most of them should have at least one trade collection by now.

1. Matt Fraction’s run of “Hawkeye”.  This series follows Clint Barton around during his non-avenger time.  What’s life like for the purple archer?  How do his neighbors in Bed-Stuy (Brooklyn neighborhood) feel about him?  How does he handle his personal relationships?  What fallout did he and Kate Bishop (the other Hawkeye) have to deal with in the wake of Hurricane Sandy?  The art was kind of Art Deco-y to me.  Simple, but fantastic.  Fraction’s writing was stellar.  You can get this in trades.

2. Ms. Marvel.  The new teen superhero from Jersey City, Kamala Khan  is a Pakistani-American who is obsessed with superheroes (she writes Avengers fanfic).  We get to see her dealing with all the normal teen angst: who am I?  How do I deal with my family and their expectations?  OMG, how do I talk to my crush? Peer Pressure.  The desire to fit in.  And on top of that, she gets exposed to Terrigen Mists and becomes an Inhuman with polymorphic and fast-healing powers.  Her first nemesis is “the Inventor”, a clone of a historic New Jersey denizen (some may call his historical counter-part a villain).  This series is currently running new issues and has a trade collection available of the first story arc.

3. Loki: Agent of Asgard.  This series follows the Marvel version of Loki (fitting, as it is a Marvel comic).  Old Loki, the nefarious villain has died and been replaced by a new, benevolent, well-loved kid-Loki.  Something happened to that Loki and we are now following a chic young teen(ish) Loki, with a swanky apartment and a new agenda: he wants to erase his villainous past and become a Hero.  To do so, he makes arrangements with the All-Mother triumverate of Asgardia (Odin is MIA at the start of this series), he will do missions for them, and for each one, they will erase the story of one of his misdeeds from existence.  Loki is hilarious, and makes friends with Verity Willis, a mortal Midgardian capable of seeing through any lie.  He also gets into shenanigans with Thor, Dr. Doom, Sigurd, Lorelai, and the Enchantress.  This series is currently running and has a trade collection of the first story arc.  Also, there is a fairly important side story for this is the Thor and Loki storyline following the Original Sin event.

4. Harley Quinn by Palmiotti and Connor.  The fan-favorite clown of Gotham leaves her old life behind and moves to Coney Island.  Our beloved Harley sees herself as a bit of a do-gooder.  She’s back to practicing Mental Health, she’s saving all of the pets, putting kidnappers in their place, being a landlord and friend to a crew sideshow carnies.  Of course, she’s still kind of psychotic and goes to her Roller Derby match with an oversized mallet, launches pet poo at her enemies from the roof of her building, and generally follows her violent urges.  We get the occasional visit from Poison Ivy, and one arc with Power Girl, but mostly Harls is off doing her own thing, and it’s fantastic.  There are lots of hilarious special issues to go along with the standard run, which is currently printing.  There is also a trade collection of the first arc.

5.  Lazarus by Greg Rucka.  Rucka creates a brand-new dystopic future in this series.  We mostly follow Forever, the Lazarus of House Carlyle.  The world’s governments have more or less collapsed, to be replaced by a handful of ruling families.  Those with the money, power, and influence rule their territories with an iron fist.  Carlyle made their mark with Biotechnology, and Forever defends their holdings and their right to rule against any who would stand against them.  Full of interesting characters and plenty of cautionary tales about our possible future.  This series is currently running new issues and has a trade collection available as well.  I recommend the single issues over the trade, until the special edition is released, because Rucka’s back matter is fantastic and illuminates more of the world the story is set in, as well as sheds light on where he gets some of his ideas, and how we might be in danger of ending up in a world like Forever’s.