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jkcarrierYou can read everyone else's choices for "12 favorite single issues" at
http://classiccomics.boards.net/board/21/days-classic-comics-christmas-2014
And see my top 3 picks under the cut:
10) Cerebus #63 (1984)
Dave Sim operates at a level few other cartoonists can touch. The amount of sheer visual innovation he brought to Cerebus month after month is amazing to behold. Never mind the pure ballsiness of his narrative choices as he zoomed in to examine the nuances of a character, or zoomed out to try and map the history of the universe. This issue is mostly a long, rambling monologue by Cerebus as he slowly drinks himself into a stupor. Panel after panel of him sitting in the same easy chair, pouring himself drinks as he bemoans how hard it is to be Prime Minister, getting more and more incoherent. Who else would even attempt a story like that, let alone make it so funny and riveting? It's a real tour de force, and Sim isn't even done yet: the panels featuring Cerebus are interspersed with seemingly-abstract patches of black and grey. As with the other "Mind Game" issues, those images can be assembled to form a bigger picture, an image that represents the outside forces that are conspiring to manuver Cerebus into the role of Eastern Pontiff. I remember standing in the college library, photocopying the entire issue so I could cut out and assemble the puzzle pieces. Crazy stuff. But amazing.
11) Promethea #12 (2001)
The rap against Promethea is that the narrative often takes a back seat to Alan Moore lecturing the reader about his mystic philosophy. This issue certainly qualifies, as Promethea gets a lesson on the symbolism of the Tarot deck, conflating it with the Jewish Qabbalah to illustrate the history (and future) of mankind. As a counterpoint, running along the bottom of the pages is a mini-biography of Aleister Crowley, the occultist whose writings influenced Moore's beliefs. It's all done as a series of two-page spreads, each flowing into the next, until the whole thing loops back onto itself at the end. And yes, it's didactic as all get-out, but composed so brilliantly, and served up with enough touches of humor, that it's a thrill to read. Moore's love of language is evident throughout, from the rhyming narration to the rearranged Scrabble tiles that sum up each section. And I haven't even mentioned J.H. Williams' pitch-perfect artwork, rich with symbolism. What a trip!
12) Eightball #22 - 2001
This issue is a collection of short vignettes, focusing on various characters in the town of "Ice Haven". Each one stands alone, but together they form a bigger tapestry. There's a nominal plot, involving the kidnapping of a young boy, but ultimately that's just another element of stress and uncertainty pressing down on the quietly desperate townspeople. It's not all grim and serious; there are a couple of surreal sequences involving a flashback to 100,000 BC, and another where a child's toy bunny comes to life and goes on a shooting spree. Even the obligatory advertisement in the back is narrated "in character" by one of the townspeople. Although it feels like things are going to boil over at any second, they never really do. The missing child turns up alive. Some characters come to important decisions about their lives, while other remain stuck in their unhappy ruts. And that seems to be the ultimate message of "Ice Haven" -- life might be sad, and frustrating, and ridiculous, but the one thing you can say about life is that it keeps going on, regardless. Whether that's a hopeful message or a depressing one is a matter of perspective.
http://classiccomics.boards.net/board/21/days-classic-comics-christmas-2014
And see my top 3 picks under the cut:
10) Cerebus #63 (1984)
Dave Sim operates at a level few other cartoonists can touch. The amount of sheer visual innovation he brought to Cerebus month after month is amazing to behold. Never mind the pure ballsiness of his narrative choices as he zoomed in to examine the nuances of a character, or zoomed out to try and map the history of the universe. This issue is mostly a long, rambling monologue by Cerebus as he slowly drinks himself into a stupor. Panel after panel of him sitting in the same easy chair, pouring himself drinks as he bemoans how hard it is to be Prime Minister, getting more and more incoherent. Who else would even attempt a story like that, let alone make it so funny and riveting? It's a real tour de force, and Sim isn't even done yet: the panels featuring Cerebus are interspersed with seemingly-abstract patches of black and grey. As with the other "Mind Game" issues, those images can be assembled to form a bigger picture, an image that represents the outside forces that are conspiring to manuver Cerebus into the role of Eastern Pontiff. I remember standing in the college library, photocopying the entire issue so I could cut out and assemble the puzzle pieces. Crazy stuff. But amazing.
11) Promethea #12 (2001)
The rap against Promethea is that the narrative often takes a back seat to Alan Moore lecturing the reader about his mystic philosophy. This issue certainly qualifies, as Promethea gets a lesson on the symbolism of the Tarot deck, conflating it with the Jewish Qabbalah to illustrate the history (and future) of mankind. As a counterpoint, running along the bottom of the pages is a mini-biography of Aleister Crowley, the occultist whose writings influenced Moore's beliefs. It's all done as a series of two-page spreads, each flowing into the next, until the whole thing loops back onto itself at the end. And yes, it's didactic as all get-out, but composed so brilliantly, and served up with enough touches of humor, that it's a thrill to read. Moore's love of language is evident throughout, from the rhyming narration to the rearranged Scrabble tiles that sum up each section. And I haven't even mentioned J.H. Williams' pitch-perfect artwork, rich with symbolism. What a trip!
12) Eightball #22 - 2001
This issue is a collection of short vignettes, focusing on various characters in the town of "Ice Haven". Each one stands alone, but together they form a bigger tapestry. There's a nominal plot, involving the kidnapping of a young boy, but ultimately that's just another element of stress and uncertainty pressing down on the quietly desperate townspeople. It's not all grim and serious; there are a couple of surreal sequences involving a flashback to 100,000 BC, and another where a child's toy bunny comes to life and goes on a shooting spree. Even the obligatory advertisement in the back is narrated "in character" by one of the townspeople. Although it feels like things are going to boil over at any second, they never really do. The missing child turns up alive. Some characters come to important decisions about their lives, while other remain stuck in their unhappy ruts. And that seems to be the ultimate message of "Ice Haven" -- life might be sad, and frustrating, and ridiculous, but the one thing you can say about life is that it keeps going on, regardless. Whether that's a hopeful message or a depressing one is a matter of perspective.
