Nextwave

I've been complaining a lot about Marvel comics recently and how they seem to have really gone downhill since I started reading them. When I got in to comic collecting I pretty much exclusively collected Marvel but more and more I started to find myself reading comics either by independent companies or by DC.

That said, I do go back to Marvel comics every now and then if certain writers are producing something for them. One author in particular is Warren Ellis.
Apparently he hates writing superhero comics which is ironic as he is probably the best superhero comicbook writer around at the moment. His latest ongoing series for Marvel is 'Nextwave' which is probably the strangest Marvel comic you will ever read.
The basic premise is that this supposed superhero team consists of some of the little used (read 'crap') D-List characters who have been brought together by a group called H.A.T.E. After learning that H.A.T.E is actually a front for a terrorist organisation they go on the run to try and put a stop to their plans for world domination.
So far so cliche you might think but 'Nextwave' is simply the funniest comicbook out there. It parodies Marvel so well it's a wonder Ellis has been allowed to get away with continually writing it. I'll put some quotes up at some point to give you an idea of just how offbeat it can be. Established Marvel heroes are sent up brilliantly and some of the gags are so unexpected you find yourself reading the issue again just to make sure you really did just see that.
Unlike most of Marvels recent output it refuses to wallow in the so-called 'gritty realism' that has made their comics some of the most miserable ever produced. 'Nextwave' is just sheer, stupid fun and I hope it continues to be so for a long time to come.