Sub-stacks of the unread ...
I have some sorting to do …
I used to have this weekend routine - which in my mind exists in the more recent past than it does in reality’s - where I would finish breakfast usually on a Sunday morning, sit down on the couch with my coffee and read all the comics I’d picked up that week. I don’t remember when or how this practice fell by the wayside exactly. No doubt the priorities of time demanded redirection of my attention span. But the current pattern in which I’ve been set lately tends to be that I read some comics consistently every month and others in bursts. Essentially trade-waiting by way of stacks of single issues.
(You’ll notice the comics in that crate at the bottom-left corner of the picture. You might as well consider those part of the stack of the unread.)
And this is just in what I pick up from my local comics shop, which is to say nothing of what I read digitally. (Currently breezing through what’s available of the current run of Fantastic Four on Comixology Unlimited.)
But every month, I make time to read a few titles so I don’t fall so far behind on everything. So here are the (embarrassingly few) titles I’m actually reading …
THE ETERNALS by Kieron Gillen, Esad Ribic and Matthew Wilson.
This is a fantastic series by an amazing creative team. Never enough good things to say about Esad Ribic’s art. Matt Wilson’s colors are always incredible. Kieron Gillen is one of my favorite writers. I particularly like the voice he’s crafted for The Machine (Earth) as it narrates the story.
BLACK WIDOW by Kelly Thompson, Elena Casagrande, Elisabetta D’amico and Jordie Bellaire, with covers by Adam Hughes.
This series is all wrapped up at 15 issues. It was short but it was brilliant. And Eisner Award-winning. Kelly Thompson speaks at length in a Substack post about the double-page spreads which were prevalent during the run of the series and which the artistic teams executed beautifully.
ONCE & FUTURE by Kieron Gillen (again), Dan Mora and Tamra Bonvillain.
Okay, I admit I’m slightly behind on this one, but I’m catching up. I tried to quit this book early on, but I just enjoyed it too much. Very sharp and often hilarious character dynamics. Dan Mora’s art combined with Tamra Bonvillian’s colors makes for a beautifully epic comic series.
SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN by James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera, and Miquel Muerto.
I am neither much of a fan nor aficionado of horror, but I really enjoy this book. Werther Dell’Edera’s art blows me away every issue. (I met him at a con recently. He signed a bunch of SIKTC issues as well as their first hardcover collection and he was just the nicest dude.)
That stack at the top of the newsletter contains a lot more than just those four series. I’ll go through other series I’m reading another time.
It’s actually not so bad that I read some series in batches. My memory is so bad that I can’t often recall how a series arc began months ago, so I practically have to re-read the issues when it comes time for an arc to reach its completion.
Oh, and I’ll tell you one more miniseries that I read, which I loved, then read again recently …
THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR by Ram V, Filipe Andrade, Ines Amaro and AndWorld Design.
I’m not great at articulating what I love about the compositional elements of comics. In some ways, I’d like to use this platform to expand and improve upon how I talk about comics. I feel like what I would say about this series would pale in comparison to the actual work, so I’ll simply leave it at: this series is beautiful. Ram V writes the character of Death compassionately and relatably. Filipe Andrade is an incredible artist. I found every panel completely immersive. (Maybe I’ll do a newsletter at a later time to expand on what I love about it.)
Every issue of Laila Starr is available on Comixology Unlimited to borrow so give it a read sometime. It’s wonderful.
That’s where I am in my comics reading. If anybody wants to comment on what comics you’re reading, why you love them and why I should be reading them too (dammit!), drop some recommendations in the comments. I’m always happy to add more to the stack. I won’t stop until I reach the ceiling!
… or until the stack topples over killing me under a neck-breaking weight of omnibi and single issues. It’s only a matter of time. And since tomorrow is New Comic Book Day, it might be here soon. Been nice knowing you.
Please subscribe, share, comment, recommend as you like. I’m excited to be writing in a longer form and will look forward to crafting and sharing more newsletters. The next couple will be about movies I’ve recently seen and one of my earliest inspirations toward being a writer.
Thanks for reading. See you next time.
Scott
And a brief sub-note as long as I’m talking about things I’m reading which remain unread …
This is a fascinating exploration into the caste structure that pervades the foundation and history of United States, how caste provides the pillars of structural racism within the U.S. and what similarities our caste system shares with India’s and Nazi Germany’s. I say read and unread because I’ve borrowed from the library like six times but I don’t read incredibly fast nor do I dedicate huge swaths of my time to reading, so the progress is slow. But it’s great and revelatory.