Letters for Lucardo

The cover for Letters for Lucardo

The only letter we see is in the very beginning, and quickly crumpled up. Our first impressions are formed through intimate words and trembling hands. It isn’t until the second panel of the seventh page that we are introduced to Lucardo, and from the perspective of the so-far anonymous letter writer. That person is Ed Fiedler, a scribe for a family of vampires. Anne Rice is typically credited with making vampires sexy, but writer and artist Noora Heikkilä builds on a foundation going back to Bram Stoker’s original epistolary format.

Single Issue Showcase: America #1 – “Pa’ Fuera, Pa’ La Calle”

Joe Quinones's cover for America #1

The first issue of any series can face an uphill battle to entertain its readers, especially if it’s for a character with a complicated history in an established universe. It must introduce the character well enough that new readers don’t feel alienated but old readers don’t feel patronized or bored, accomplish this same task with the book’s premise and supporting cast, but bring enough superhero action and drama to satisfy all readers, and it must provide enough hints for future stories to compel future issues. Fortunately, America #1, released this past March, accomplishes each of these tasks with a vibrancy and deftness not typically seen in a mainstream comic. There’s a reason this book is still going strong.

7 Miles a Second

The cover of the 2013 Fantagraphics version

The medium of comics has many masterpieces, books that exemplify what comics is capable of as an artform and transcend their respective genres to make universal statements about life and the human condition. These are debatable criteria for defining art, as all such criteria are, but what is not debatable is that 7 Miles a Second is a comics masterpiece. An autobiographical story of artist and activist David Wojnarowicz with art by James Romberger and colors by Marguerite Van Cook, the title comes from the escape velocity for Earth’s gravitational pull, but also describes the propulsion through time and space that the reader experiences in a narrative that takes less than seventy pages but encompasses so much.

Aaron and Ahmed

The cover of Aaron and Ahmed

A time when George W. Bush can appear presidential in hindsight and the medium of comics is forced to deal with appalling images masquerading as conversation starters may be a good time to revisit an old Vertigo graphic novel, one that directly tackled such weighty concepts as Islamophobia, 9/11, and America’s complicity in terrorism. I’m writing about Aaron and Ahmed by Jay Cantor and James Romberger, which I picked up at FlameCon last year. Published in 2011, it’s an intense read, far more than certain comics that attempt to be challenging when covering such important, relevant topics.

Single Issue Showcase: Justice League of America: The Ray Rebirth #1

The cover by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado & Marcelo Maiolo

I’ve always had an affinity for the Golden Age superhero teams like the Justice Society of America and the All-Star Squadron. From Mister Terrific to Liberty Belle, there’s an analog sensibility that gives them a certain charm, even when Hourman is rebooted as a robot from the future. When the Ray got his own book in the 90s, I subscribed to it. And when Steve Orlando announced that the Ray would be part of his new Justice League lineup, and would be a young gay man, I made sure to buy his debut! Thankfully, this issue is an excellent setup for a new version of a classic character.

Transposes

The cover of Transposes

Upon opening the cover of Dylan “NDR” Edwards’s Transposes, one is met with a dictionary definition of the verb that gives the book its title. This would appear to set an academic tone, or one of dry exposition, but jumping to conclusions is the worst thing one can do about this book and its subject. Instead, this definition establishes the tone of variety: of meaning, of form, and of expression. The six different possible interpretations of the word transpose correspond nicely to the six stories presented in this slim volume. Any lingering sense of trepidation one might have from anticipating dusty explanations is completely upended by the playful and frank introduction by the author.

The Pride Volume 1: I Need a Hero

Wraparound cover art by Ricardo Bessa

Anyone could be forgiven for suffering from “superhero fatigue” these days. This genre has long dominated the comics medium, not to mention film and television, seemingly to the exclusion of any other kind of story. It is therefore too easy to dismiss any comic with a cover featuring a man with a cape. Fortunately, there are ways to tell a fresh superhero tale. One of the best approaches is to deconstruct the themes of such a setup and how it relates to the demographic it represents. This is exactly what The Pride does, not just with superheroes, but with the gay community.