5 new comics to read in December, including the stunning return of The New Gods

We live in a culture driven by nostalgia, whether it’s Hollywood regurgitating beloved (and not-so-beloved) established properties or political movements that romanticize the past to distract from the present. One man learns the dangers of nostalgia in Backflash (Dark Horse Comics), a new Berger Books graphic novel about a debt-ridden, divorced father who discovers he can mentally travel back in time and relive memories by touching family heirlooms. Writer Mat Johnson’s Incognegro graphic novels are riveting works of historical fiction that speak to our current social discord, and Backflash’s supernatural twist allows him to explore how the past explicitly influences present and future behavior—often for the worse.  

Johnson has exceptional collaborators in artist Steve Lieber and colorist Lee Loughridge. Lieber is a master of grounding fantastic circumstances in a deeply relatable emotional reality (see: Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen and The Superior Foes Of Spider-Man), and his skills with facial expressions and body language deepen the relationships in Backflash and the ways they change over time. Loughridge understands how coloring reinforces a story’s emotional backbone, and the subtle changes in his palettes illuminate the characters’ inner lives. For even more Lieber/Loughride goodness, check out Metamorpho: The Changing Man #1 on December 25, the ongoing DC Comics debut of former Marvel-exclusive writer Al Ewing. It’s also a nostalgia trip, this time to the wackiness of the superhero Silver Age, but with a completely different vibe than Backflash that shows off this art team’s versatility.

In the throes of romance, the simplest words and actions can be imbued with a magical power that connects people in profound ways. Cartoonist Madeline Mouse captures these feelings on the page in Belly Full Of Heart (Silver Sprocket Press), a collection of illustrated vignettes spotlighting the tenderness of queer love through a visual perspective brimming with warmth and vitality. Mouse combines poetic writing with free-flowing artwork that blends natural imagery with more abstract shapes, finding ways to describe the indescribable with passionate immediacy. Deciding who gets to eat the last strawberry becomes an affectionate game in which the satisfaction of giving is as great as the satisfaction of eating. These lovers are curious, generous, silly, and sincere, and Mouse has a talent for turning potentially saccharine romantic moments into celebrations of the joy and wonder that come from having chemistry with another person.

It’s that time of year to bundle up inside and enjoy the company of others away from the cold, but that can be difficult when your companion is a murderer. Originally published in Japan in 1998 and recently adapted into a live-action film, Confession (Kodansha USA) follows two mountain climbers stranded in a snowstorm. Certain he is about to die, one confesses to an unsolved murder to unburden his soul, putting his partner in a tense position when they find safe harbor in an abandoned cabin. Writer Nobuyuki Fukumoto is best known for high-stakes gambling dramas, but with Confession, he delivers a stripped-down, intimate scenario that is hyperfocused on the connection between these two men and the dual psychological pressures of the threats outside and inside in the cabin. It’s a story that demands emotional nuance in the artwork, and Kaiji Kawaguchi’s characterizations depict the growing unease between the two men as paranoia takes over. It only takes a few words to change a relationship forever, and as the reality of the confession sinks in, it’s hard not to see their temporary sanctuary as a future crime scene.

What is it about animals in mech suits that sparks so much comic-book innovation? Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s WE3 was revolutionary in how it presented movement and the passage of time on the page, and that experimental spirit lives on in Pornsak Pichetshote and Jesse Lonergan’s Man’s Best (Boom! Studios). Instead of WE3’s animal assassins, Man’s Best spotlights a trio of emotional support animals separated from their human companions on a dangerous alien planet. The unpredictable landscape gives Lonergan the opportunity to think outside the box in depicting space and time, specifically in how he thinks about the shape and position of panels, how they relate to the panels around them, and how the gutters that separate them can be manipulated to enhance motion between them. The visuals get increasingly trippy as the story progresses, intensifying the obstacles that stand in the way of the animals finding their way back home. A twisty sci-fi narrative with a charming cast of characters learning valuable lessons about leadership and friendship, Man’s Best has an all-ages appeal that makes it a great holiday gift and a welcoming gateway into more formally inventive visual storytelling.

DC’s current All In initiative has successfully brought a huge burst of creative energy across the publisher’s output, whether it’s the exhilarating reimaginings of the Absolute titles or the plethora of compelling creator pairings on new and existing mainline series. The New God tyrant, Darkseid, was the catalyst for all of this change in the DC All In Special, and the cosmic shockwaves of Darkseid’s death are revealed in The New Gods #1 (DC Comics), reuniting the Dawnrunner creative team of writer Ram V, artist Evan Cagle, and colorist Francesco Segala. That previous miniseries (available in a collected edition on December 25) is a powerful fusion of personal, spiritual, and spectacular elements, and the ambition on display makes this team especially well-suited to take on Jack Kirby’s grand ideas.

Everything about The New Gods screams BIG. V’s story pits the titular characters against a wave of intergalactic threats making a play for domination after Darkseid’s demise, and Cagle and Segala’s artwork emphasizes the majesty of this world as well as the seismic power of its inhabitants. The action sequences blend Kirby’s raw energy with dynamic manga-influenced layouts, and the ornate detail put into the environments evokes classic fantasy illustrators like Prince Valiant’s Hal Foster and Flash Gordon’s Alex Raymond. Each issue of The New Gods also features a guest artist, starting with Jorge Fornés on #1 followed by Jesse Lonergan and Riccardo Federici on future chapters, embracing a wide array of styles to highlight how well Kirby’s creations can translate to different points of view.