The Top 10 comic books for 2017
By Alex Widen
Image by So What? Press
8. Tales of the Night Watchman #7
The flagship series of Brooklyn based publisher So What? Press is the definition of an indie comic. As a result of real-life realities, usually only one or two issues ship a year. Yet I’d be lying if I didn’t eagerly look forward to each issue. I’ve done top ten lists for some time and this series was always on the cusp; this year it finally makes it! It’s a done-in-one double-sized issue which embodies everything great about the franchise, as co-created and written by Dave Kelly.
Nora and Charlie, and their formerly homeless zany pal Serena, all work at a coffee shop. Nora is a journalism major who is overqualified for her job. And Charlie is possessed, in the nicest way possible, by the spirit of a dead detective which gives him super powers. A golem which rises from the muck of the Gowanus canal returns, and this time is on a different murder spree than before. As the holiday season looms, the Night Watchman has a mystery to solve and a golem to stop!
Art for the issue is provided by Brett Hobson with colors by Clare DeZutti. It’s a simple story which mingles horror with some elements of comedy. Themes of vengeance are explored, as well as the flexible definitions of miracles. Above all, the premise of the Night Watchman and his friends battling unique supernatural menaces within Brooklyn while trying to eke out a living in retail is great. This is a series that deserves much more exposure.