What monthly comics are worth the investment? Which ones actually seem to be complete entertainments, even if they’re part of an ongoing arc? I’ve been wondering about this as the number of titles that pull this off seems to shrink.

It’s not that I think the quality of corporate comics is drastically on the decline (which isn’t to say that it’s spectacularly high, either). It just seems like “writing for the trade” is having more of a negative impact on the integrity of the individual monthlies. Very often, it’s like a publisher has taken an arc, divided pages by 20, and put out the pamphlets accordingly, whether or not those 20 pages constitute a satisfying product.

This was highlighted for me over the weekend as I read the third collection of DC’s much-loved Starman. Writer James Robinson seemed to master the art of making each issue a satisfying story on its own merits, while still composing multi-issue arcs that would read beautifully in one sitting. I started reading the series about halfway through its run, and I’ve filled in the gaps in my collection with trades. It’s equally strong in either format. (I’m also wondering if it might not be worth it to sit down sometime and read the whole damned thing in sequence, because it seems like it would stand up to that magnificently.)

So who’s accomplishing this now? Because I’m clearly obsessed, She-Hulk comes immediately to mind. Writer Dan Slott leans towards shorter arcs and stand-alone stories, but each issue is still entertaining in its own right. Joss Whedon, one of the “real writers” discussed by Paul O’Brien in the latest Article 10, comes pretty close in Astonishing X-Men. It’s not surprising, as he’s always had a handle on pacing. One could view the individual episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as single issues in longer story arcs.

Ed Brubaker seems to have a solid handle on this technique as well. I’m getting a bit impatient with Sleeper, but I’ve read parts in both collection and monthlies, and he strikes a nice balance. Better still is his work on Gotham Central, along with co-writer Greg Rucka. Brubaker’s first issue of Captain America passed the value test, too.

The same goes for Andy Diggle, who’s been doing a bang-up job with Adam Strange. Diggle should get extra points for going to this extra effort in a limited series, a breed of books which seem destined for collections from the outset. (As a counter-example, I thought the first issue of Marvel’s Ultimate Nightmare was the most malnourished single comic I’ve ever read and never bothered with the second.) I’m a little unenthusiastic about the current storyline in Losers, but Diggle still makes sure each issue is a satisfying whole.

I’m not wild about many of his choices in terms of storytelling, particularly tone, but comics by Geoff Johns invariably seem like whole comics. Say what you will about JSA, Teen Titans, or Flash, but I don’t think you can criticize them for a shortage of content or for ignoring their monthly format. (Feel free to say whatever you like about the quality of that content. Lord knows I do.) I am wild about most of her choices in terms of storytelling, and I think you can pay the same compliment to Gail Simone of DC’s Birds of Prey. She hasn’t been one hundred percent successful (I thought the bi-weekly cult arc from this summer was padded), but she has an excellent track record overall.

I wish I could come up with more indie or small-press examples, but the pamphlets I like (Street Angel, Amelia Rules!) have a somewhat erratic publishing schedule, so it’s hard to categorize them in the same way. I have to appreciate Oni’s increasing number of original graphic novels; if a story works best in a given format, why use the industry fallback position out of habit? Why publish something in monthly chapters if it doesn’t suit it, if it’s arbitrary and artificial to the story being told?

(Edited to pound myself in the head for forgetting to include Peter David’s Fallen Angel. Johanna Draper Carlson has a terrific review of the latest issue here.)

Ed Cunard is taking a short break from the Low Road, but he’s hired the much-missed John Jakala as a blog-sitter. John, bless him, immediately busts open the liquor cabinet, uses the good china to make microwave nachos, and dances around to Top 40 in his underwear. In other words, he reviews a whole bunch of super-hero comics. Like all right-thinking people, he thinks She-Hulk is swell.

I’d been wondering why Peiratikos has been so quiet lately. Turns out there’s an awfully good reason, and contratulations to Rose and Steven.

Speaking of milestones, Mike Sterling has been experiencing Progressive Ruin for a year now. (I hope the Associated Comics and Pop Culture Webloggers of Ventura County, CA and Outlying Environs take him out for a beer, or something.)

BeaucoupKevin has jumped on to the Comics Weblog Update merry-go-round. I love his summary of New Avengers 1: “It’s, I dunno, The Nu Marvel Champions From Movies Zoo Crew or something.”

And a bloggerly welcome to the Crocodile Caucus, which immediately curries my favor by liking DC’s Manhunter.

As Girl Genius begins, Agatha Clay is having a terrible day. Her locket has been stolen, and she’s late for work at Transylvania Polygnostic University, where the intimidating Baron Wulfenbach has arrived for a surprise inspection. Then, things get worse.

Agatha’s life isn’t all roses to begin with. She works hard, but she seems to lack the inventive spark of her mad-scientist colleagues. She barely remembers her real parents, and her beloved uncle disappeared over a decade ago. She’s also prone to blackouts.

But, under the guidance of creators Phil and Kaja Foglio, Agatha’s luck seems to be changing. Whether it gets better or worse remains to be seen, but the first two collections of Girl Genius make it clear that finding out will be loads of fun.

The Foglios bill Agatha’s story as “a gaslamp fantasy with adventure, romance and mad science,” and that’s as good a description as any. As they put it, “the Industrial Revolution has become an all-out war.” Rival politicians jealously guard their promising “sparks,” or mad scientists, developing constructs to advance their mysterious agendas.

Despite her keen mind and strong work ethic, Agatha’s resigned herself to the conclusion that she isn’t a spark so much as a plodder, destined to assist others in their work rather than pursue her own mad science. It soon becomes clear that she’s laboring at a disadvantage, part of a conspiracy to protect her true identity (even from her). Agatha is actually tied to the legendary Heterodyne clan of scientific adventurers, but why they’ve chosen to obscure this is unclear, and the secret is starting to fall apart.

The first volume, Agatha Heterodyne and the Beetleburg Clank, focuses on Agatha’s last, bad day at Transylvania Polygnostic. The second, Agatha Heterodyne and the Airship City, puts Agatha in custody of the Baron in his floating school for sparks. The Foglios introduce a rich range of wonderful characters, particularly in Airship City. Agatha’s fellow students (who happen to be trapped against their will), the Baron’s various henchpersons (like terrifyingly buxom headmistress Von Pinn and the adorably savage jagermonsters), and the Baron’s surprisingly decent son Gil make for a sweetly bizarre ensemble. Agatha herself is wonderfully sympathetic; she’s smart, enthusiastic, and self-possessed, even in circumstances entirely beyond her control.

Art by Phil Foglio, along with inks by Brian Snoddy (volume one) and colors by Mark McNabb (introduced in volume two) is appealingly cartoony but with a solid, science-fantasy style. It’s perfectly suited to the story, which has comic elements while creating its own believable universe. The Foglios aren’t just borrowing genre tropes so much as using them to forge a playful new mythology.

I loved the almost sepia quality of the first collection’s black-and-white illustrations (with the exception of a short piece showing a glimpse of Agatha’s future, with colors by Laurie E. Smith). Nice as that was, the full, vibrant colors in the second collection serve Girl Genius wonderfully well. (I’ve decided it’s like when Dorothy wakes up in Oz, leaving homey, monochromatic Kansas behind.)

But in black and white or full color, Girl Genius is an engaging, inventive treat. The Foglios are telling a funny, exciting story that values smarts, heart, and an open mind.

Marc at Howling Curmudgeons perfectly summarizes what I don’t like about Ultimates:

“Mark Millar has always exhibited a tendency to build his self-promotion into his narratives, writing stories that incessantly remind us how awesome or transgressive they are. That tendency has become even more pronounced in his recent Ellis- and Bendis-chameleon mode, and understandably so: Millar aping those two is self-aggrandizement squared.”

Speaking of awesome, Dan Slott has a question for readers over at Comic Book Resources:

“I’ve seriously been toying with the idea of pitching a four issue ‘Awesome Andy’ mini to the guys at ‘Marvel Age.’ Four done-in-one stories for all ages about what Awesome Andy does on his weekends and days off. Kind of like Curious George stories. Like, ‘Awesome Andy Goes to the Zoo’ or ‘Awesome Andy and the Treasure Map.’ What do you guys think?”

I love this idea so much that I choose to believe it’s already in production. It’s always a treat to read interviews with Slott, and this one is no exception. Here’s his system for striking the right tone (which he does without fail) in his delightful She-Hulk:

“Step One: taking the comics-must-be-dark-and-gritty-stick out of my ass. Step Two: not caring if some readers roll their eyes. And Step Three: not caring that there’s no Step Three.”

Many thanks to CBR staffer Arune Singh for this fun read. Now I’m off to come up with a twee, pro-Awesome Andy acronym.

So I bought New Avengers 1, and it’s not bad. It’s got about a third of the content I think a reader can reasonably expect in a single issue, but it’s a pretty good third of an issue.

As I’d hoped, Brian Bendis does a whole lot better with his own cast than he did with the traditional line-up and steers clear of any significant references to Disassembled beyond “the team broke up” level. (There’s a “previously” page at the front, but it’s easily ignored and it isn’t really needed.)

That said, there just isn’t enough material here to justify a monthly expenditure. I think I’m going to drop it from my reserve list and wait for the trade, provided the first arc gets decent word of mouth. If this issue is any indication, this story won’t be a satisfying read for me in an episodic format.

I had planned to throw in some “who the hell is Sentry?” Usenet links, but Google Groups has apparently decided that cluttered and baffling is better than orderly and accessible, so check here for more information. (Can anyone recommend a good newsgroup reader, because Google’s beta set-up is awful.)

“I’ve gotten tired of people calling Christopher Reeve a hero. A really terrible thing happened to him and our society can’t deal with it when terrible things happened so we try to make out that it isn’t a terrible thing – ‘It’s an uplifting thing. He’s a hero.’ He’s not a hero, he’s in hell.”

Three guesses who said that, and the first two don’t count! It’s part of Newsarama’s coverage of a Q&A at the Mid-Ohio Con, and it’s followed up with the explanation that Byrne wasn’t criticizing Reeve. He was just defending the English language from misuse.

Wait until The V hears about this.

I tricked the Pickytarian into trying DC’s Manhunter. He’s not quite as keen on it as I am, but he’s interested enough to give it a few more issues. (Plus, his reviews are always a pleasure to read, even if our opinions don’t always match up.)

Being a total packrat, I’m fascinated by the concept of disposable comics, particularly in the context of manga. After a quick web search, I found this really interesting interview at the Slush Factory. It’s a couple of years old, but it has some great material in it. My favorite quote was from artist Tony Leonard Tamai, who taught me that manga aren’t just fun to read, they’re environmentally sound:

“And, if you recycle the pulp paper, you get more manga post consumer printed pulp. Also, I do know that the Japanese print industry has also been using Soy ink, so less chemicals end up seeping into the ground, and, more importantly, into your body. You’d be surprised if you knew how toxic some printing inks and varnishes were involved in printing a spiffy 4-color deal.”

Desperate Housewives fans (me included) at the Grotesque Rampage Forum are trying to figure out where they’ve seen Wisteria Lane before. The houses have a rather grand and glorious tube history, but, like Johanna, I’d still swear I’ve heard that street name on another television program. It’s making me crazy, so if any couch spuds out there can ease my mind, I’ll be mighty appreciative.

Discerning Comics Reader David (DCRD) took to his bed, knowing he’d never hear the end of it from Hopeless Fanboy David (HFD) when we came across this interview with Brian Bendis in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via the New Avengers Message Board).

After a brief introduction, explaining which movies members of the New Avengers come from, Bendis denies that’s the only reason this group of characters was chosen.

“‘I said, ‘Why can’t this book have the coolest members in it? And these are the guys I think are the coolest,’ Bendis says. ‘Why can’t this team inspire comic-book fans as well as the rest of the world?'”

You can all answer that for yourselves, drawing that tender thread between coolness and inspiration, I’m sure. I’ve got my hands full at the moment, as DCRD needs a compress and a copy of Street Angel.

The coolness doctrine is undermined somewhat by the subsequent quote from Joe Quesada.

“‘The New Avengers’ is set up to attract new comic-book readers by featuring several of our characters who have been successfully adapted to the big screen,’ says Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada.”

Why, and look!

“Captain America, Luke Cage and Iron Man will also be members, and are on the drawing boards for their own feature films. Tom Cruise has expressed interest in playing Iron Man.”

Poor Spider-Woman and Sentry get no mention at all. They’re like the Professor and Mary Ann when they were still “the rest.”

It’s not just a list of this week’s new releases. It’s a battlefield where Hopeless Fanboy David (HFD) thrashes it out with Discerning Comics Reader David (DCRD).

For instance, we have New Avengers 1. HFD still stings from the dreadful Disassembled arc and wonders if he can support a title built on the rubble of one of his sentimental favorites. DCRD reminds HFD that Brian Bendis has written many entertaining comics and has cast the book with characters he likes and writes well (Luke Cage, Jessica Drew). HFD quotes Bendis-written Captain America dialogue. DCRD winces. The combatants stand at an impasse that will only be broken at the comic shop, though each prepares a cutting “I told you so” for future use.

Then, there’s the second volume of Ultimates. HFD finds it a grating and snide treatment of the super-hero genre. DCRD rolls his eyes at Mark Millar’s attempts at sophisticated cynicism, which end up being neither. Both snicker at the likelihood of a regular publication schedule but concede that the book is so lightweight that long stretches between issues scarcely matter. Then, they think of the pretty, pretty art by Bryan Hitch and feel twinges of shame that they’ll abandon their critical and sentimental standards when they see something shiny. To make themselves feel better, they scoff together at the prospect of buying the second issue of Intimates.

Ultimately, they’re distracted by Tales From Fish Camp from AiT/Planet Lar, which sounds really interesting. DCRD has been meaning to try something else from this publisher forever (having just realized that the splendid Electric Girl is part of its catalogue), and hopes that the comic shop will have a copy. (The shop has had copies of Demo in the past, but both Davids gave it a pass.) They know the shopkeep will happily order Tales From Fish Camp for him, and DCRD promises to handle that end of things while HFD wanders off to make fun of the second and third printings from DC and variant covers from Marvel.

This arrangement leads to a suspension of hostilities, pending the arrival of Fiscally Responsible David. But he’s tiny and weak, thank heavens.

I picked up the last two volumes of the splendid Alice 19th over the weekend, and it’s just a pleasure from start to finish. What started as an engaging teen melodrama with supernatural elements ends as a battle to save the world from darkness, with the future in the hands of shy, painfully normal Alice.

This story evolved so nicely, with the stakes raising progressively with each volume. Mangaka Yu Watase paces things superbly, gradually introducing the supernatural elements without losing the humanity at the root of Alice’s struggles. And I still love the idea of the power of words that Watase explores.

So, this was my first “everygirl discovers amazing powers, saves the universe” manga, and I have to say I loved it. If anyone has any recommendations of other stories in this vein, let me know. I’m already enjoying Watase’s Imadoki!, which is more a case of “everygirl struggles doggedly to convince people around her not to be such jerks.” (I guess that can count as a mythic struggle, now that I think about it.)

I was wondering in earlier volumes why Watase included those text pieces in some chapters, where she talks about her work, her travels, how cold it is, whatever. I found out the thinking behind these pieces in the invaluable Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics. Apparently, they’re fairly common, particularly in shojo, and they’re seen as a way to let the readers connect with the creator more informally. It almost seems like a means of building brand loyalty, if the brand is the mangaka in question. So Watase chats amiably about how she’d love to have a pet if her apartment wasn’t so small, and readers nod and smile in recognition, like they’re having coffee with a friend. Simple enough.

For those of you who are interested in manga, I can’t recommend Paul Gravett’s book strongly enough. It’s a fascinating overview filled with illustrations from a staggering variety of manga. It’s also wonderfully written, with a scholarly foundation but in a really engaging, almost casual voice. And the sample pages from manga of every stripe alone are worth the price.

It’s amazing to look at how the manga industry grew up with its readers, adapting to reflect their interests and tastes. It seems to be more integrated into the culture, too, not just a niche hobby like comics are here in the U.S. I don’t know if Marvel and DC can learn any lessons from manga at this point, but it will be interesting to see howOni does with its manga-esque “real mainstream” approach and varied genres.