Here we are; the last Pull-List of 2015. If 2015 taught us anything, its that DC and Marvel superhero contributions to the Pull-List have dwindled while other books like Saga, Captain Canuck and He-Man have picked up the slack.
Third Place (by way of late delivery from last week):
Saga #32
I'd love to get into a deeper Saga conversation on the podcast, but Matt hasn't read one issue. There's so much to cover in these last thirty-two issues, not all of it positive. The story has taken such a dark turn, and that's saying something since it's always been fairly dark. But these later issues see our characters changed from the characters we fell in love with, into images of their former selves.
That's no indictment on Brian K. Vaughan's writing. He's able to navigate the real changes in people and situations that happen though an insane life like the one Marko and Alana are living. This certainly isn't a superhero book where Superman is always Superman.
I'd love to see Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples bring it back around again before the series wraps. This is still a very enjoyable book, but it's now lacking the magic that made it an absolute must-read in its early life.
Second Place:
Chewbacca #5
Phil Noto and Gerry Duggan wrap their run on Chewbacca with issue #5. Truth be told, of all the enjoyable Star Wars books Marvel has published since they got the license, this one falls a little short.
There are things to love. Like how Duggan and Noto never gave Chewbacca thought bubbles or actual speech in any way. Just like the movies, we're left to guess what he's saying by the characters around him. A challenge, sure, but one Duggan and Noto navigated deftly.
And Phil Noto's art? Loved every panel of it. Noto is one of those artist who's books I'll buy just because he's drawing it. His sharp linework plus his color palette are exactly the kind of art I love. If not for Noto, I may not have made it to this issue.
The big flaw in this miniseries was that it was kind of boring. Its the perfect fill-in story in that it doesn't contradict anything from the movies, but it also didn't offer a whole lot to chew on. The heart of the story (Chewbacca returning a fallen Wookie's bandolier to his [the fallen Wookie's] son on Kashyyyk) is an incredibly sweet, heartfelt story, but its relegated to the last five pages of the series.
Unfortunately, as much as I love Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto, Chewbacca isn't one of Marvel's strongest Star Wars offerings.
First Place:
Justice League #47
One of few DC superhero universe books than I'm getting and still enjoying. But my enjoyment is wearing a tad thin. Why? Because the book is called Justice League, but the story has been focusing more on Mister Miracle, Grail, and Jessica Cruz among others than the REAL Justice League.
Maybe we're in the second act where our heroes are in trouble, only to save the day in a couple issues. Well, I hope so because I don't give too much of a fuck about the Crime Syndicate and I definitely don't give a fuck about Mister Miracle and Big Barda. I've said it before and I'll say it again: if I was Publisher at DC I'd put a moratorium on every New God character except Darkseid. In fact, I'd probably go out of my way to write a story where Darkseid kills them all just to make sure they don't get used.
Basically, I'd really like to see the normal, not godded-up versions of the Justice League back in action, over matched against an opponent they really have to work to defeat. There's plenty of time for that, but Geoff Johns seems to have dedicated a LOT of story to other potential heroes at this point.
Page of the Week:
Phil Noto's final page of Chewbacca is a beaut. Gorgeous.
-Gint
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