Panel Patter: The Newsletter, New Year Hullabalooza edition
{placeholder for requisite joke about 2020 being the worst}
Happy New Year to all of Paneldom. We hope you’re recovering well from your New Year’s Eve debauchery.
Fun fact - the Panel Patter Newsletter was used by ancient cultures as a hangover cure following sacrificial ceremonies.
It’s the high percentage of charcoal.
Today, we’ll wrap up the year by chronicling some of our year end posts while also providing a selection of some of our favorite pieces from 2020.
Welcome Aboard CJ!
We’re gonna need a bigger yacht, because the Panel Patter team has grown again. CJ Pendragon joins the team, bringing her experience as a writer and critic to Pandeldom. CJ owns, runs, edits, and contributes to Sirens of Sequentials and has also written for But Why Tho?, Quirktastic, Geekery Magazine and DO YOU EVEN COMIC? She has an impending podcast centered around making fun of bad smut and the tropes that lie within adult lit. She is about to finish her first novel and has several comic projects in the works. She homeschools two kids and attends college.
So, basically, she has too much free time.
Recent Patterings - Year in Review
Mike's Favorite Comics of 2020
Kicking off year in review season, Mike picked twenty of his favorite comics and graphic novels of the past year, including a diverse selection of genre and format.
*Two (maybe three) selections are series that entered their second arc. I think that's notable considering how hard sophomore efforts are.
*Three books are translations, from three different languages no less. (Additional translations appear on my honorable mentions list).
*Three (perhaps four) are young adult, depending on how you view a few of them. (I say closer to two, but it's not particularly important).
*Two are self-published.
*At least nine are set outside of the United States, more if you consider somewhat ambiguous settings.
*Fifteen different publishers are represented, with Image just edging out Avery Hill for the most.
James' Favorite Comics for 2020
James offers our second list of the season with twenty-five excellent choices ranging from ongoing superhero series to translated editions to small press OGNs.
The list includes 11 different comics publishers (with Image leading the way (9 books), followed by Boom!/Archaia (4 books))
My favorite genre continues to be sci-fi (7 books), followed by superhero (5 books), horror and action (4 books each)
8 of my selections were individual books/volumes, and the rest were ongoing series/miniseries
Sean's Favorite Comics of 2020: The Long & Short Box
Sean approached his year end list from a clever angle, reworking the idea of the long and short list into the more comic friendly long and short box, and producing a list of great titles from a junky year.
This year I went with the short-box/long-box theme rather than a top ten/runner-up as I typically do. I probably read about 100 titles in at least a partial capacity while also “sampling” others to see if I missed anything from before. After all was settled I probably read at least a few issues of nearly 150 titles or so. That’s quite a bit for me, and probably a personal reading record brought on (unfortunately) by living life in quarantine. From these that I read I picked fifteen to pack away in the long-box of favorites (the runners-up), while ten were filed in the short-box (my favorites).
Be sure to check back to Panel Patter Dot Com over the next week for a few more iterations of the year end lists, including EiC Rob McMonigal’s long and short lists. Will Scott publish his list and answer the age old question of whether he hates jazz? You’ll have to stay tuned.
That’s good marketing there, what with the subscribe button and whatnot.
Thank you. You’re usually not very complimentary.
It’s my New Year’s resolution to be more helpful.
Thanks, man, that’s so kind of you. You know, I never really know if I’m reaching people with what . . .
Shut up already. Always with this incessant inferiority, I swear.
Catch It at the Comic Shop December 30th, 2020
Hey, it’s not all year in review. There are some new books that came out this week, and we have you covered if you’re heading to your shop for the weekend or perhaps a New Year’s Day sale.
From the Archives
We have a new twist on our descent into the Panel Patter vaults. A few of us picked some of our favorite writings from this year that we’d like to share again. While cruising the riviera with Captain McMonigal is certainly a perk of Pandeldom, we all get the most joy from highlighting what resonates with us.
James’ Favorite Writings
Offering a personal reflection and honest assessment via Zero Revisited
What Kot does (I think) in the first three arcs of Zero is essentially make a case for the world as it is. Cynical and dark and violent. But what he does in the final arc is make the case that we are not powerless to change this world. He seems to be saying it’s never too late to change oneself, and by changing oneself one can change the entire world.
A thorough analysis of of the contemporary relevance of Department of Truth Issues 1-3 by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds
All of that comes across perfectly in every page. The scratchy lines and the occasionally blotchy or imperfect coloring works seamlessly in this story. This is a weird world, and we are (as readers) going down an insane rabbit hole. So, if Simmonds were to use the clean style he used in Friendo (as colored there by the talented Dee Cunniffe) the art would feel completely wrong. This is a world of walls covered with articles and blurry photos. This is a world full of exaggerated and distorted facial features, because that's how someone might remember them.
Appreciating the beautiful chaos in The Weatherman (Series Review)
As I mentioned above, The Weatherman is a series that's operating at a fairly high degree of chaos at all times. That it is totally bonkers is very much a central part of The Weatherman's appeal. But there's much more going on in the story than just a weird, madcap, sci-fi adventure. There's a lot of sadness and mourning and trauma on an individual and collective level.
Sean’s Favorite Writings
Dissecting the message behind the incredible Dracula Motherf**ker
Only with a creative team of women could such a seductively machismo Halloween fairy tale be transformed into a formative statement as such. Alex de Campi does an incredible job integrating the timelessness of the prose to a modern and atypical backdrop of 1970s Los Angeles. It is here in this modern, yet equally retro era that she encapsulates the persona that is the monster but without giving that monster it’s irresistible face.
Exploring the power of the superhero metaphor in CANKOR: Matthew Allison's Bizarre Trip Through Consciousness
Achieving such similar state of existence with a comic book is a level of storytelling that is not explored often enough. Give me more stories that rely heavily on the obscure and strange. Show me a world that takes life and turns it sideways. Bring me inside your head and when I come out I’ll tell everyone who passed on the story that they were wrong, missing out on something truly unique and moving.
Scott’s Favorite Writings
Exploring more than just the Fantastic Four in This Comic, This Legend— a look at Tom Scioli’s Fantastic Four: Grand Design
Playing the role of both Kirby and Lee, Scioli conveys the fun, adventure, drama and scope of the stories without having the room of 10 issues, let alone 101 issues (plus annuals) to give these stories room to breathe. He also has to act as editor over Kirby and Lee, finding the moments that are most elemental to every FF story. He only has the room to show the moments that define Galactus, Alicia Masters, Wyatt Wingfoot, and even Diablo. These are the moments that define the heart of the comics that he’s drawing inspiration from.
Best Shots advance review: A Quick & Easy Guide to Consent "takes the fear and uncertainty out of this aspect of sex"
The best books are often the ones that challenge us to find not only our window into the book as a reader, but a way out as a writer. Scott reflects, “this was actually a really challenging book to read and write about. So many times during it, I kept on thinking "I'm not the audience for this book" but that probably meant that that I'm exactly the audience for this book.”
These are difficult discussions to have but Rotman has an enjoyable, light touch to her cartooning that gives weight to the subject but never becomes pedantic or even accusatory. She recognizes that like in all things, asking for and giving consent is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced. Her artwork is attractive and sexy in ways that enhance the subject without exploiting it. This isn't a sex guide but just one small yet vitally important part of it. Her guide is inclusive, welcoming, and totally non-judgmental as long as you learn and take the lessons of it to heart.
Mike’s Favorite Writings
Musing on the creative process in Why Do Humans Need Stories? A Conversation about Genius Animals? with Vali Chandrasekaran and Jun-Pierre Shiozawa
Jun: I really felt that with many of the jokes I had to do my best to just make sure the characters felt natural whenever they were delivering their punchline. In a way I was trying to just “get out of the way” of the joke, by making their body language and expressions echo or amplify the joke that’s written in the word balloon. Sometimes very subtle gestures like a nod or an eyeroll are tricky in comics and Vali and I would discuss back and forth, should we add an extra panel to get that nod? Should we just write “nod, nod”? To convey a nod? Usually we opted for the simplest, more direct approach in those situations.
Reckoning with hyper-relevance in "I Don't Know Who's Going to Read This. I Know it Doesn't Matter." Diving into Michael DeForge's Familiar Face
There is an idea of order, or perhaps orderliness, but there isn't necessarily one of cohesion. DeForge takes the commentary about the individual's place in society further by diving into the way work defines the individual. There is a biting critique of the neo-feudal nature of late capitalism at play as DeForge creates a hierarchical work structure where the apparent motivation is a seething bullpen of potential workers waiting to take your job. In many ways, the inhabitants of Familiar Face are living to work.
Extra-Patterings
What publisher truly impressed you this year?
James
Image Comics, because they published a number of my favorite comics, in some new and different formats (like November, Blue in Green, Pulp).
Sean
Ahoy— a lot of their titles didn’t catch my radar until late. But I’m really.. how do the kids say... picking up what they are putting on the ground.
Mike
Everything Avery Hill produced this year resonated with me in a palpable way.
Who was an artist you discovered this year?
James
This has to be a tie between Anand RK and Martin Simmonds. I knew of both but both jumped up a huge level this year and produced some career-defining work
Sean
Myself... (joking aside, that is an honest answer cuz quarantine forced me back into old habits & I rediscovered a lost passion [see panel patter tober]. Otherwise, I’d probably say Jesse Lonergan— he really utilizes the comic format to its full potential with his artwork.)
Scott
Owen Pomery's art on Victory Point really stood out to me. His clean line style and vivid colors made this story about the unsteadiness of returning to a childhood home such a mesmerizing meditation on how we identify were we should be.
Mike
I hope to see more from Jun-Pierre Shiozawa soon. His work on Genius Animals? and his portfolio as a whole show incredible range as an artist. Laura Lee Gulledge is another artist whose debut graphic novel The Dark Matter of Mona Starr demonstrated not only exceptional story telling ability, but also a remarkable level of refined yet straightforward art.
What writer really clicked with you this year?
James
Al Ewing and Jonathan Hickman continued to create big, interesting comics full of heady ideas.
Sean
Mark Russell— Second Coming & Billionaire Island we’re both on brand and loud and clear for me.
Scott
I feel like this year, particularly the last couple of months, have been a Hellblazer year for me. I reread most of Jamie Delano's original run on the book and was amazed at how strong it still is. It doesn't feel like a 30 year old, pre-Vertigo comic. And looking at a more recent vintage, Simon Spurrier's latest run on the book was such a great way to take the character back to his roots but firmly plant him in a contemporary setting.
Mike
As much as this was Ram’s year, and as much as the work of Dan Watters clicks with me in a meaningful way, I’m going to highlight the work of their White Noise stablemate, Alex Paknadel. In the past few years, we’ve seen Alex navigate from books like Friendo to various other genres in Giga and Redfork, and he does it all without missing a beat. His genre range is impressive indeed.
What other creator produced work of note for you this year?
James
Tamra Bonvillian did incredible color work in Once & Future
Sean
Gonna have to go with the Ice Cream Man team. That Quarantine Comix Special was not what anyone deserved but we got it anyway. W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo & Chris O’Hallahan really do know how to make a horror comic feel like a bedtime blanket.
Scott
More Hellblazer love, but Aditya Bidikar's work on the latest series wasn't celebrated nearly enough. He found a great way to show Constantine and other characters mumbling or speaking in asides that conveyed a far more natural patter for a character like Constantine than anyone has shown before.
Mike
I’m going to double down on Scott’s praise of Aditya Bidikar, who has easily become my favorite letterer in comics. I guess there is some idea that letterers should be like sports officials - the less you notice them, the better. But the opposite is true for Bidikar. There are certainly some letterers who can overwhelm a page. But Bidikar consistently enhances every project he’s on, from the aforementioned Hellblazer, to Coffin Bound, to Department of Truth. He brings an artfulness to the page, none better than when he hand lettered Blue in Green.