February’s Top Picks in Graphic Novels

Big Kids, by Michael DeForge
DeForge is probably best known for his work designing for, and lending his visual panache to, Adventure Time, but he’s a prolific indie-comic creator as well. With that same sense of artistic style, but a much more serious sensibility, he tells a personal story of adolescence: a troubled teenager’s existence is transformed by the arrival of a college student named April, and he finds himself facing the decisions that we all have to make about growing up and fitting in. It’s put out by Drawn & Quarterly, the great Canadian comics’ publisher.

Batgirl, Vol. 2, by Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher, and Babs Tarr
We loved the first volume of Stewart, Fletcher, and Tarr’s vibrant update on Barbara Gordon’s adventures, and volume two carries on in the same spirit. The story begins with a confrontation between Barbara and the new Batman, who just happens to be her father, Jim Gordon. There’s also a battle with Livewire, a budding romance with former Batwing Luke Fox, and a wedding that tears guest-star Dick Grayson away from his super-spy job at Spyral.

Doom Patrol, by Grant Morrison and Richard Case
One of Grant Morrison’s earliest American works is also one of his best: just as Alan Moore did with Swamp Thing a few years prior, Morrison took an older property—a book on the verge of cancellation—and breathed new life into it. While he retains Robotman, the race-car driver whose brain was implanted into a robot body following an accident, he also populates the book with unique (meaning bizarre) outsider characters, and adds a heart in the form of ape-faced young girl Dorothy Spinner. In this first volume, the team comes together and faces their first major threat: the reality-destroying Brotherhood of Dada.

JLA: Gods and Monsters, by J.M. Dematteis and Bruce Timm
Even if it’s not same animated universe that began with Batman: The Animated Series in the ’90s, it’s great to have Bruce Timm back on DC’s biggest characters. The stories collected here are the prequels to his dark, alternate take on Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman from the Justice League: Gods and Monsters movie (and ongoing web series) that came out a few months ago. In that universe, the league’s members are the brutal overseers of planet Earth, led by Superman (the son of Zod), Batman (a vampire), and Wonder Woman (Darkseid’s former daughter-in-law). Timm and J.M. DeMatteis tell their origin stories here.

Harley and Ivy: The Deluxe Edition, by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm
Speaking of Bruce Timm, he’s joined here by another mastermind behind the DC animated universe, Paul Dini, as they return to one of the great comedic duos in comics: Harley Quinn, the sociopathic former counselor; and Poison Ivy, the plant-loving eco-terrorist. This new, fancy edition of the classic series features three tales of the ladies in love and crime, with Harley’s air-headedness running up against Ivy’s sanctimony. There’s nothing too serious about any of the stories, but their cartoony adventures are a whole lot of fun.

Midnight Society: The Black Lake, by Drew Edward Johnson
Reluctant monster-fighter Matilda Finn is drawn into a battle with something deep under Loch Ness in this creator-owned series from writer/artist Johnson. There’s a bit more depth to the characters and mysteries than the quick description implies, and the art is impeccable.

Invader Zim, Vol. 1, by Jhonen Vasquez, and Eric Trueheart
Cult favorite Invader Zim is back, and the title character is still intent on conquering the Earth with his malfunctioning robot sidekick GIR. Creator Jhonen Vasquez is on hand, making this a legit continuation of the show that left television in 2006. Paranormal researcher Dib has been hiding out in the meantime, waiting for Zim’s return. I’m guessing that he won’t be disappointed.

Catwoman, Vol. 7: Inheritance, by Genevieve Valentine, Dave Messina
Genevieve Valentine’s first stories in Catwoman were pretty great (find them in Vol. 6: Keeper of the Castle); this is the conclusion of her run (at least for now). Selina’s new status quo is a perfect way to show off what the cat can do: having inherited one of Gotham’s major crime families, she’s tasked with running the show while facing threats from within and without. Her gambits have paid off, and she’s now ruling Gotham’s underworld, trying to protect the innocent while keeping the money flowing. The first volume had relatively little costumed action, but it was hardly missed.

Cursed Pirate Girl, by Jeremy A. Bastian
In 1728 Jamaica, a pirate (specifically, a cursed pirate girl) begins a quest to track down her missing father, himself a great pirate captain. Traveling to the Omerta seas, a wonderland-esque dimension where five pirate crews rule the waves, Cursed Pirate Girl plans to infiltrate each crew, one by one, until she finds the ship captained by her missing dad. The art here looks to be the real star: his intricate and incredibly detailed pencils evoke an almost old-timey sense of adventure.

New Suicide Squad, Vol. 2, by Sean Ryan
With the new movie on the way, here’s another chance to get caught up with the graphic novel adventures of Task Force X. Harley Quinn is still bringing her unique style to the team, but they’ve got a whole bunch of new recruits. They’ll need them: they’re infiltrating the deadly League of Assassins.

Prez, Vol. 1, by Mark Russell and Ben Caldwell
Political satire is a bit rare in mainstream superhero comics, but not here. Reviving the teen president character from the 1970s, the new President of the United States is teenager Beth Ross, elected by a Twitter vote in the year 2036. Doesn’t really sound that far-fetched, actually.

Spider-Woman, Vol. 2: New Duds, by Dennis Hopeless and Javier Rodriguez
The earliest issues of Spider-Woman had Jessica Drew knee-deep in the big Spider-Verse crossover; this collection has the character striking out and developing her own status quo. She’s looking for a fresh start and a new life, and the book sets itself apart from the other Spider-books by giving Jessica a bit more of a street-level view. Newspaper-guy Ben Urich is along for the ride, and the run’s centerpiece is a story of domestic violence.

Midnighter, Vol. 1: Out, by Steve Orlando and ACO
Spinning out of Grayson, Midnighter isn’t only action-packed (a little on the bloody side of violent, actually), it’s also a unique take on a gay superhero. There’s no camp, nor tragedy, about Midnighter, but being gay isn’t incidental, either: he’s got an active dating and sex life in addition to his life fighting crime (and sometimes he does it all at once). The set-up has a raid on the God Garden, a repository for incredibly powerful artifacts that are quickly put to bad use. It’s a fun new book that’s heavy on the action.

Doctor Who: Four Doctors, by Paul Cornell and Neil Edwards
It could pretty much only happen in the comics: the Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, and War Doctors face a time-and-space-spanning crisis that no one Doctor could tackle alone. There are even cameo appearances from Rose and Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor, who we will definitely never see onscreen again. It’s written by Who’s long-time TV, comics, and novel writer Paul Cornell, so there’s a definite sense of occasion in this gathering of Time Lords.

The Fade Out, Vol. 3, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
This volume marks the conclusion of Brusker and Phillips epic ode to ’40s-era noir. The series follows screenwriter Charlie Parish, and began with a mystery involving a dead woman and one heckuva hangover. Old Hollywood itself is the backdrop, and the series has played with the conventions of filmmaking and hardbitten murder mystery from the beginning. The conclusion should be as booze-and-blood soaked as the rest of it has been.
What’s on your pull list?