The Wake was a 10 issue limited series published by Vertigo between 2013 and 2014, and the 2014 Eisner Awards winner for Best Limited Series.



Created by Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy, The Wake is an ambitious, multi-layered story that starts off as a sci-fi horror thriller before fast forwarding to a post-apocalyptic future where the story continues. I've only read the first half of the story, but I can understand why it was popular as it's not only cinematic in tone but stretches the imagination of the reader by mashing together genres and breaking all the rules. The art is a bit sketchy for my liking, but if there's one thing I've learned from reading newer comics it's that there's more emphasis on the collaboration between writer and artist than every before, and for that reason the art feels vitally important to the series as a whole. I'm curious to see how Snyder finishes the series and whether he can pull it all together in a way that floors me, as I often find that authors have a hard time concluding high concept stories in a satisfying fashion. 

Trillium is Jeff Lemire's inter-dimensional, time traveling love story between a 1920s explorer and a 3790s botanist that threatens to destroy the fabric of the universe.

 

My understanding is that Lemire is a modern comic book auteur. I haven't read any of his other works, but I found the artwork kind of ugly. The story's not bad, but despite the entire universe being at risk, I'm still not hooked yet. I've come to realize I'm a bit picky about sci-fi and require a brilliant premise to hold my interest, so, as always, YMMV. 

Lastly, we have Colder, a horror series about a creature named Nimble Jack who feeds on the minds of insane people, and one of his playthings, Declan, a mental patient whose body temperature keeps dropping.




Jack appears to be heavily inspired by The Joker, but I also found similarities with books like Locke & Key. The art is by Argentine artist, Juan Ferreyra, who I believe has gone on to do mainstream work for Marvel and DC. It has by far the best art of the nominees with some fantastic horror images and gorgeous character designs. The story doesn't 100% work, but the art is strong enough to carry the book. If you like horror, it's worth a dabble. 

I wasn't enamored with any of the Eisners picks for Best Limited Series. I get why the voters chose The Wake as it was the most ambitious of the nominees, however I thought the art was better on Colder and The Black Beetle. I don't know if High Crimes was presented as a limited series from the beginning, but that would be my choice, as it legitimately got me interested in reading more about Everest, a place that many Kiwis feel an affinity for given that Sir Edmund Hillary is one of our national heroes. 

Next is Best Continuing Series. I've already read Saga and Sex Criminals, so that leaves Hawkeye, East of West and Nowhere Men. 

Hawkeye is weirder than I expected. It helped that I read Sex Criminals first and was able to recognize some of Fraction's tics, but it's completely unlike any Marvel book I've ever read. It even makes Peter Milligan and Mike Allred's X-Force look normal. 

East of West and Nowhere Men are sci-fi series, and I have to ask, what was up with the amount of sci-fi being produced in comics in 2013? Either the Eisner judges really like sci-fi or that was the predominant genre in comics. I don't know if that was something that was popular in film and television at the time as I was off the grid at this point, but it feels like every Tom, Dick and Harry is trying their hand at it. I've been enjoying both series. Nowhere Men, perhaps a little bit more. I like how they recreate those old 70s magazine ads as part of the backstory, and I also dig the entire concept of the Fab Four of Scientists. There's some great little touches like having them appear on the Dick Cavett show. I've never read anything else by Hickerman, and IIRC, Eric Stephenson is the Image publisher. I've heard the names, but don't have any preconceived notions about their work. They seem like solid draftsmen so far. Faction gets a bit too hip for his own good at times, but he generally means well. I don't really like it when he goes full-meta, but I can understand creators wanting to break the rules. So far, the ongoing series have been more enjoyable than the limited series. 

The Fifth Beatle did extremely well, making the New York Times Best Sellers list, and winning two Harveys, and Eisner, and Reuben.




I'm not a huge Beatles fan, and biographical content isn't really my cup of tea, but I found The Fifth Beatle to be an enjoyable read. I don't know how historically accurate it is. The author appeared to use a fair bit of poetic license, which I suppose you should expect from a graphic novel. The author did do a ton of research and earned the trust and confidence of people close to Epstein. Much like The Crown, the historical aspect interested me enough to watch some AP footage of Epstein and The Beatles and a few television interviews. A large part of the novel deals with Epstein's sexuality, and I must admit, I had no idea how severe Britain's laws were at the time. The art was excellent. It was done in the cartoony style that was popular at the time, and perhaps still is, and has Kyle Baker on inks.

I finished Sex Criminals. In the end, it went in a direction that I didn't particularly care for, and I could have absolutely done without the coda which did nothing for me. It was a fun ride, even if it did feel like they were changing things as they went along, but fell short of being one of the best series of the Eisners era. Some nice character moments, but I gotta have that tightly woven plot. 

I made it to issue #34 of Age of Bronze. I don't know if Shanower will finish the series, but even if he doesn't, it stands as a monumental work. One of the best series I've read since I returned to comics. It's a cliche, but every panel is a work of art. I wish there was more of an audience for these types of comics, however putting them out so irregularly doesn't help with sales. Still, what an incredible labour of love. Hats off to you, Eric Shanower.