Yes, it’s time to examine the Comic Book Resources list of Best Comics of the Year, which Our Former Dread Lord and Master has composed and posted. I want to do my own Top Whatever List (probably 25?), but let’s take a look at this one, and I! Will! Have! Some! Thoughts!
Before we begin, here are the lists:
#100-76.
75-51.
50-26.
25-11.
10-1.
100. The Great British Bump-Off. I just reviewed this for December, and it’s fine. I’m not sure if it’s the 100th best comic, but down here, I don’t have too many problems with entries unless they’re garbage, which this is definitely not.
99. Fear the Funhouse – Toybox of Terror. This is an Archie comics horror thing, and I’m sure it’s perfectly fine, it just doesn’t appeal to me all that much.
98. Superior Spider-Man. I liked the original conceit, and Slott’s a perfectly decent writer, but this does feel like milking a cash cow a bit.
97. Danger Street. DC hasn’t released a nice 12-issue collection yet, so I haven’t read this, but I very much want to. The art looks great, and as long as it doesn’t have Batman, Tom King probably does a good job with it!
96. Void Rivals. Eh. Kirkman is overrated, in my humblest of opinions, so I’m probably not going to read this. It sounds fine.
95. Peacemaker Tries Hard! I like Kyle Starks and Steve Pugh, so I’m looking forward to this trade!
94. Choujin X. I have a very narrow window for manga, and this isn’t in it.
93. Batman. I mean, issue #900 was hot garbage, and Zdarsky is VERY hit-and-miss for me, but I have heard some good things about this run. So, I guess this is fine here.
92. Hack/Slash: Back to School. I haven’t seen a trade of this (that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist yet, just that I didn’t see it offered), and I might have to track it down if there is one, because Zoe Thorogood is really, really good at comics.
91. Phantom Road. This is a perfectly fine comic. I don’t have any problem with it being here.
90. My Hero Academia. More manga I don’t read!
89. Monstrous. This sounded … fine, I guess, but not really anything I was interested in.
88. Doctor Strange. I mean, I guess. MacKay is a decent enough writer, so maybe this is good?
87. Action Comics. I mean, I guess. It’s a Superman comic.
86. Avengers, Inc. I’m waiting for the trade for this, because it sounds like an intriguing comic and Al Ewing is a good writer and Leonard Kirk is a good artist. So I can’t comment, but I am looking forward to reading this.
85. Parasocial. I enjoyed this, but I don’t think it’s as good as Bad Karma, de Campi’s other book from this year, which doesn’t show up on this list. So sad!
84. Ghost Rider. Sure, why not?
83. W0rldtr33. This is a pretty keen series, and I’m actually a bit surprised it’s not higher on the list. It seems like catnip to critics, so it’s strange it’s so low.
82. Kneel Before Me. Yep, another manga. Sorry!
81. The Incredible Hulk. Eh, sounds decent enough. I didn’t love the first follow-up to Al Ewing’s run, but this sounds a bit more interesting.
80. The Devil That Wears My Face. I’m not sure if this is out in trade yet, because I tend to buy Alex Cormack’s stuff, so I’m sure I would have picked this up. I’ll have to investigate!
79. Barnstormers. The trade has been solicited but isn’t out yet, so I’ll read it when I read it!
78. Fire Power. I love Samnee, but the story just sounded kind of dull, so I’ve never read this. Every time a new volume shows up, I think, “I should check this out” … and then I don’t. Sorry, Chris Samnee!
77. Star Wars: Dark Droids. I have never been a big Star Wars comics guy (I own some, but not many), and this doesn’t sound all that interesting.
76. Kaya. Wes Craig art? Good! Wes Craig writing? Ehhh …
75. Spine-Tingling Spider-Man. I’m getting the trade of this because Juan Ferreyra, and the first horror-ish collaboration he and Saladin Ahmed did was pretty good, so I don’t have a problem with this being here.
74. Local Man. This is a decent series, and this spot feels about right for it.
73. Batman: City of Madness. I will get this trade because I dig Christian Ward’s art and his work here is nifty, but man, the Court of Owls rears its stupid head again. Damn you, Scott Snyder!!!!
72. Katie the Catsitter: Secrets and Sidekicks. I am not a 12-year-old girl, so I think I will skip this. It does sound pretty keen, though.
71. All Against All. Casper Wijngaard is an excellent artist, and this book looks great. It’s fine here, although I might even put it a bit higher up.
70. Don’t Call It a Mystery. This sounds like a fun manga series.
69. Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville. As usual, I’m annoyed that people vote for things that aren’t done – I think this was less than halfway finished when the voting took place, so who knows if it will suck when it’s all said and done. I will get the trade, although I’m not as enamored of the art as Cronin is – it’s fine, but not great. I love Beatriz, though, so I always like checking out comics she’s in.
68. The Super Hero’s Journey. I never heard of this – it’s by the creator of Mutts, and it’s about his experience with Marvel comics. Sounds all right, but I’m not super interested.
67. Mosely. This is a pretty good series, and its placement here is fine. I just wish Guillory would finish Farmhand, dang it!
66. Chilling Adventures Presents … Strange Science. Eh, this is one of those Archie books that’s more “adult,” and it sounds fine, but nothing too special.
65. Avengers. Eh, it’s the Avengers. Moving on!
64. Hairball. I might get this in trade (a nice hardcover just came out, but I’m not spending 30 bucks for 4 issues), but I might not. It sounds fine, and it’s Matt Kindt (writing, not drawing, although Tyler Jenkins is good), but I haven’t made up my mind yet.
63. X-Men Blue: Origins. Really? A Nightcrawler “origin” story? Sigh. (I hate “origin” stories of mutants, because they’re mutants! The origin: They were born, they hit puberty, they had powers. Let’s move on!)
62. She-Hulk. I bought the entire first series by Rainbow Rowell and kept wondering why I was reading a Jack of Hearts story when the title is, ostensibly, “She-Hulk,” and then it switched titles to Sensational She-Hulk and I’m jumping ship. It’s not a bad comic, it’s just kind of dull, and while I like the idea of Rowell exploring Jen’s personal life more, she doesn’t really do that good a job of it.
61. The Second Fake Death of Eddie Campbell. This looks very neat, but I just didn’t get around to reading it. Sorry!
60. Distressed Beeping. It’s Andi Watson, so it’s probably worth reading. I just haven’t.
59. Superman. Eh, it’s Superman. Let’s move on!
58. Monstress. I got the first trade of this back in the day and wasn’t too impressed (although the art is wonderful). Good for them for doing it for so long, though!
57. Miles Davis and the Search for Sound. Ugh, jazz.
56. Shazam! I’ll probably get the trade of this, because I like Mark Waid and I like Dan Mora.
55. Alan Scott: Green Lantern. I guess. I have no interest in this.
54. Swan Songs. I don’t think this is out in trade yet, because I would have gotten it. W. Maxwell Prince is a fascinating writer, and the artists on this series are very good. We shall see!
53. Moon Knight. I’m the world’s biggest Moon Knight fan, but I still try to be objective, and MacKay’s run has been pretty darned good. I haven’t read the final story yet, but I’ll get around to it!
52. Pet Peeves. This sounds kind of fun, but who knows if I’ll ever read it?
51. G.O.D.S. I liked this Hickman comic a lot better when it was called S.H.I.E.L.D. I only read the first issue, but that was enough!
50. Clobberin’ Time. I’m getting the trade of this, and sure, Steve Skroce drawing the Thing and other tough guys of the Marvel Universe beating on each other sounds fun, but top 50 fun?
49. Clementine Book Two. Tillie Walden got sucked into Kirkman’s Zombie-verse, which probably pays pretty well, and I’m just waiting for her to come back out!
48. Thing: Inside the Struggle for Animal Personhood. I’ve never heard of this, and it doesn’t sound interesting, although it’s not a bad cause.
47. Why Don’t You Love Me? Beats me – maybe because you’re such a whiny asshole? Actually, this sounds kind of neat.
46. Traveling to Mars. I don’t think this is out in trade yet, because I usually get Mark Russell’s books, and I have seen these issues solicited, so it’s not like I didn’t know this existed.
45. Night Fever. I guess – this wasn’t my favorite Brubillips collaboration, but it was, as all of their stuff is, pretty good. I’ll have a bit more to say about this because of what wasn’t on this list!
44. Weird Work. I like Shaky Kane, so I’m getting the trade of this when it shows up!
43. Rare Flavours. I like Ram V and Filipe Andrada, so I’m getting the trade of this when it shows up!
42. The Summer Hikaru Died. I mean, it sounds all right, but I have don’t have a ton of interest in it.
41. Birds of Prey. I mean, the first arc hasn’t even ended, so, sure, Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero (although I noticed that Romero needed a break after four whole issues) are a good team, and I’m looking forward to the trade, but … the first arc hasn’t even ended!
40. Night Eaters volume 2: Her Little Reapers. I own both volumes … but I haven’t read them yet. I have things to do, people!
39. Superman: The Space Age. DC’s ridiculously slow collection schedule means that this isn’t out yet, so I haven’t read it. I will, though!
38. The Cull. Not finished, but a pretty keen book.
37. Detective Comics. Ram V’s weird, epic story is quite good (I just re-read the entire thing when issue #1080 came out), but I do dislike a few things: we don’t need yet another group tied back into Gotham’s beginnings; Batman took way too long to figure out who the bad guys were; I wish the art was more consistent. DC has gotten really good artists on the book, but no one has stayed for long, and it’s frustrating. It would be nice if an artist could do an entire arc, but for some reason, they’re not able to. Still, this is a pretty good comic, and I’m actually buying it in single issues!
36. The Talk. I’ve never heard of this, but that’s because I’m a square white dude, I guess.
35. Riddler: Year One. DC continues to wreck a very good character – I haven’t read this and I might get the trade, but I don’t have a ton of confidence that it won’t suck, especially as Scott Snyder’s and Tom King’s version of the Riddler – you know, the terrible version – seems to be the default one these days. (Even the blurb in the post – Brian writes most of them, but some come from CBR people – doesn’t make me feel good, as the person praising it calls Eddie a “horrifying villain.” The Riddler is not horrifying, ya idjits!!!!)
34. Love Everlasting. I mean, I like it, even if Fraser doesn’t. We all have to suspect Fraser’s taste, though, don’t we?
33. Four Gathered on Christmas Eve. I should get this. It sounds neat.
32. Scarlet Witch. The first trade was just kind of blah – not terrible, just blah – so I’m not moving on with it.
31. Your Wish Is My Command. Never heard of it. Sounds all right.
30. Dwellings. Horror drawn like kids’ comics? Sure, why not?
29. Fantastic Four. I know Ryan North is writing this, which means it’s probably nifty, but I’ve never been a big fan of the FF, so I haven’t gotten it yet. Maybe some day. Once again, the promoter of this book claims that Hickman’s run is among the “best” runs on the title, so I’m suspicious, as that run is hot garbage.
28. Damn Them All. Chick Constantine by Spurrier and Adlard? You bet! This is a really good series.
27. Chainsaw Man. Doesn’t sound terribly interesting.
26. Universal Monsters: Dracula. Another book that is, I don’t think, anywhere near being done. Has the second issue come out? I think so, but that’s it, right? Anyway, Tynion and Simmonds should get the hell back to doing Department of Truth, damn it!
25. Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham. Another book that I don’t think is finished, but of course I’m getting the trade – it’s Rafael Grampá doing Batman!
24. Blood of the Virgin. Sounds all right, although I know nothing about the creator. Oh well!
23. Newburn. I liked the first trade well enough, so I’m patiently waiting for the next one!
22. Green Lantern. Eh, it’s Green Lantern … basically in the Silver Age? Way to move forward, DC!
21. Human Target. I don’t know when DC will solicit a nice, 12-issue hardcover (because they’re so slow about these things!), but I will get it then!
20. Spider-Man/Spider-Boy. I read a bit of Spider-Boy’s first appearance, and dang if I didn’t want to punch him. So top 20? I’m not so sure.
19. The Hunger and the Dusk. I might read this, because I like G. Willow Wilson and Chris Wildgoose, but man, fantasy epics wear me out.
18. X-Men Red. I mean, I like Al Ewing, but X-Men on Mars? Just … no.
17. Ultimate Invasion. I like how as we get higher on the list, we get more Big! Superhero! Comics! Are they the best comics of the year? Of course not – they’re just the ones that more people who vote in these kinds of things read!
16. Saga. One of these days I’ll re-read my 18 issues of Saga and remind myself how very terrible this comic is. SOME DAY!!!!
15. March Comes in Like a Lion. Sounds fine, but not my thing.
14. The Enfield Gang Massacre. I’m not sure why this isn’t That Texas Blood volume 4, but I’m still looking forward to the trade.
13. Daredevil. Hey, remember when Daredevil fought street criminals? Now he’s going to Hell (wait, where’s Ann Nocenti?) and being reborn as a priest? What the heck is going on there in Hell’s Kitchen?
12. A Guest in the House. As you might recall (I mean, everyone reads all of my reviews, right?), I liked this book a lot, except for the final few pages, where I literally could not tell what exactly happened. I suppose I don’t mind it being here, but I’d knock it down a bit for confusing my poor, simplistic brain!
11. One Piece. Yes, yes, everyone loves this. Let’s move on!
10. Immortal X-Men. Given that the first issue of this series was a lot of parliamentary procedure (exciting!), did anything ever actually, you know, happen in it?
9. Batman/Superman: World’s Finest. DC is finally getting around to releasing a trade of the first arc, so I can finally read this thing!
8. Immortal Thor. I guess. Maybe I’ll read this at some point.
7. Spy X Family. Yep, not my thing.
6. Wonder Woman. I always appreciate how Brian writes up each one of these series as if they’re the greatest thing ever, but man, this doesn’t sound good at all. How is it #6?
5. Nightwing. Taylor’s Nightwing gets a lot of love, so I might have to read it one day.
4. Akane-banashi. You’ll be shocked to hear I’ve never heard of this. I can’t keep up with so much manga!
3. Monica. Everyone loves Daniel Clowes!
2. Transformers. Look, I dig Daniel Warren Johnson and will probably read this in trade, but #2? Really?
1. Roaming. I rarely agree with the #1 comic on this list, and I don’t here, but that’s ok. Roaming is quite good – I gave it 8 out of 10 stars – but it’s the slightest bit annoying, and I noted in my review that the reason I found it annoying is the reason others would love it, and it looks like I was at least a little bit right. I’m certainly glad that a standalone graphic novel published by Drawn & Quarterly is #1 and not, you know, a DC or Marvel superhero book!
So that’s the list. As always, some of it annoyed me – not the books on it (I mean, I doubt if some of those superhero books were as good as Brian makes them sound, but whatever), but the fact that people tend to vote for things that aren’t finished, and that amazes me. It’s like leaving in the middle of a movie and still voting for it for Best of the Year. Who does that? Sticking the landing is one of the hardest things a creator can do (just ask the Game of Thrones guys!), and comics nerds in particular and pop culture lovers in general do this all the time – they get blown away by the set-up of something and then come crashing down when it’s over (just ask the Lost guys!). As good as … let’s say Birds of Prey is, if Kelly doesn’t nail the ending, are the earlier issues going to be remembered as well? I doubt it. Maybe I’m wrong. My retailer friend loved A Nice House on the Lake … until the ending, which colored his entire perception of the earlier issues (and, to be clear, I think it should). I don’t mind a vote for Detective Comics, even though Ram V is telling a massive epic, because each arc does have a beginning and an end (it’s a bit of a fudge, but I get it with long-running, ongoing series), but for mini-series? Anyway, that’s my rant.
I know I’m getting old and out of touch, but this year I read only 18 of these entries (and with some of them, I didn’t even read all of the issues, like with She-Hulk), while in years past I was usually well over 20 or even 30. Oh well. Everyone is wrong but me! One thing that always annoys me about these lists is that they come out before the year ends. Yes, going back to the CSBG days, I was made fun of because I refused to do a year-end list until the year had, you know, actually ended. Usually that wasn’t a big deal, but this year, Where the Body Was by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips came out on 20 December, and it’s phenomenal. I can’t believe it wouldn’t be high on this list had it come out even a few weeks earlier, but it’s nowhere here. That’s fine, but it probably won’t be on a list next year, either, and that’s a shame. It’s a LOT better than Night Fever, their other collaboration this year (although, as I noted above, their baseline is “pretty danged good,” so it’s not like Night Fever is bad), and it’s frustrating that Brian and their ilk have to get their lists out before the calendar flips. Oh well. As I noted, I’m probably going to do my own list (I’m planning to, but things do get in the way), and it will definitely have Where the Body Was pretty high up!
Sound off on this list in the comments! Did you read more than 18 of them? Are any on here that you absolutely hated? You know you have opinions!!!
Space Age and the first two World’s Finest trades are already out in hardcover!
I’d also add this has been a particularly great year for One Piece and that I’m sure you’d love Spy X Family, because everyone loves Spy X Family!
It’s the comics equivalent of warm cookies or the cool side of the pillow.
Finally, just want to reiterate that Nightwing is the best Big Two ongoing I’ve read in the last 5 years, if not the last 10.
The current direction of DC leadership seems to be a love letter to everyone who started seriously following comics between 1995 and 2009…and I welcome our new overlords!
Yeah, I know the hardcovers are out. I might start getting the DC hardcovers, because I learned that occasionally, they don’t even do a softcover trade! What’s up with that?!?!?
I don’t doubt your opinion about One Piece and Spy X Family, but man, there’s not enough hours in the day!
DC was in the middle of their Golden Age in 1995, so that’s ok, but after about 2004, the quality went way down, so … I welcome some of our new overlords?
2002-2010 might be the single greatest era the Batbooks have ever had!
Brubaker Catwoman
Gotham Central
Gail Simone Birds of Prey
Secret Six
Morrison’s Batrun
BQM Batgirl
Snyder Detective Comics
Dini Streets of Gotham
Not to mention Checkmate, the Rucka and Simone Wonder Woman runs, or the Johns JSA!
Hell, the Johns Green Lantern doesn’t go off the rails until 2008!
(Is the our difference of opinion on this almost entirely driven by the fact that I’m ~30 and you’re ~50? Yes. One million percent.)
There’s also
That’s a good point about the Batbooks of the time. I just tend to date the downward spiral of DC from Identity Crisis, which was 2004. It might have been a slow downward spiral, but it definitely was one! 🙂
I actually think the downward spiral started with the ending of Infinite Crisis and Dan Didio basically having all the editorial control he had.
Glad I refreshed!
Didio getting the job and hiring Meltzer in ‘04 is a valid demarcation point…but I agree with DarkKnight that the real demarcation point came in 2007, after the writers he’d described as DC’s “architects” after collectively told him that they weren’t killing Dick Grayson in Infinite Crisis.
The immediate aftermath consisted of Johns having to kill Superboy (his favorite character) instead, then Mark Waid getting blacklisted by DC.
Rucka and Brubaker left shortly thereafter…and Gail kept on writing great fucking books as Rome burned around her.
Also, Green Lantern: Rebirth was late 2004 into 2005, and that’s a direct repudiation of DC’s “Golden Age,” when they allowed some of their characters to age and be replaced. Yes, “Emerald Twilight” was a shitshow, but Rebirth was not the solution!
At least Johns had a decent story to tell after the nonsense of GL Rebirth?
Yeah 1995 to 2010 is definitely one of my favorite eras at DC especially when you add Vertigo and Wildstorm to the mix.
Where The Body Was is a great read, I read it a couple of days ago and enjoyed the hell out of it.
I’ve also read the Reckless series over the last couple of days, totally recommended.
Yeah, the Reckless books are terrific … but none came out last year! 🙂 I do hope Brubaker and Phillips do some more of them – I don’t know if they’re planning to, but it would be neat!
I don’t get Wonder Woman and Transformers in the top 10, I mean there’s probably only half a dozen issues between them. How can you rate anything on so few issues?
I would have placed Moon Knight way higher than both of those titles, at least you get a full story.
On this list, I read:
– Chip’s Batman – incredibly disappointing
– Avengers, Inc. – good, but I’m behind an issue or two so I can’t say it’s a “best of.”
– Why Don’t You Love Me? – very strong, curious how much re-read value it will have, but definitely one of the 100 best comics of the year.
– Birds of Prey – very good, only a short bit into the run, but it’s definitely appointment reading for me.
– Love Everlasting – I have liked this a lot so far, though I don’t think the single issue unit is satisfying.
– Dwellings – definitely deserving of a spot on this list. Creepy and well-packaged.
– Fantastic Four – kinda meh. I like the spirit of telling mostly 1-issue or 2-issue stories but not really standing out for me. Still decent, though.
– Chainsaw Man – I haven’t read any of the stuff that would have been released in 2023, but the first long arc was goofy fun.
– A Guest in the House – very atmospheric, great art and use of color, a bit of an unsatisfactory ending.
– World’s Finest – pretty delightful.
– Immortal Thor – also pretty delightful. There is some stuff I have kind of liked about 21st century runs on Thor, but the treatment of the titular character is not one of them. It is just so exciting to read a Thor book where Thor acts confidently and heroically without any rehashing of questions of “worthiness” or whatever that were settled in 1968. Also great to see Thor win some fights by actually using his brain instead of just hitting something even harder. Not sure where this is really going, but I’m very enthusiastic about the characterization so far.
– Monica – yes, this was very good and an interesting puzzle to put together. I liked this a lot more than Patience or Wilson (I guess more than anything Clowes has done since Eightball). I slightly lament the evolution Clowes’s style has taken (perhaps more his solidification of 1 drawing style when he used to vary his style a lot from short story to short story) but this is a good book.
I actually just got “The Super Hero’s Journey” from the library and will be reading that; I might have to pick up Blood of the Virgin and Eddie Campbell’s latest; I will also get all lf the mentioned Shaky Kane, Tom King, and Kyle Starks projects from this year when they’re available in paperback.
The biggest omissions from this list in my opinion:
– Friday by Ed Brubaker and Marcos Martin – I thought this was great; a very unique take on the “Nancy Drew/Encyclopedia Brown grows up” microgenre (see also: Joe Meno’s “The Boy Detective Fails,” Adam Brody in “The Kid Detective”, etc.). It’s so easy to make a story like this cynical but Brubaker avoided that and took the plot in a totally different direction than I suspected. Excited to read more as it comes out.
– 20th Century Men – story-wise, a very solid “superheroes in the cold war” tale with complex geopolitics handled with aplomb. Art-wise: unbelievably good, one of the most tour-de-force debut comics I’ve seen.
– Batman ’89 – I think this wrapped up in 2023? Or did I just read the last issue late? Anyhow, the best bat-book of the year for me. I think this tackled the complex social themes that Chip Zdarsky and Ram V seem to want to get at in their runs with greater facility and in far fewer issues.
– Boy Maximortal #4 – Rick Veitch’s return to Slum City after 30 years started around the same time as Gaiman & Buckingham finally got back to Miracleman, and contrary to my expectations, Boy Maximortal has been way, way stronger between the two long-delayed superhero deconstruction sequel series.
– I Am Stan by Tom Scioli – ok, I’m still waiting for my hold request at the library to come in for this one, but I just don’t see a world where two decent Green Lantern books deserve a best-of spot and new Tom Scioli doesn’t.
I’m pretty sure the second volume of Friday came out at the end of 2022, so it wasn’t eligible for this list. I do wish that more would show up!
20th Century Men is definitely a huge omission!
I like your confidence about Scioli! 🙂
ve read a grand total of 8 books on the list, though there are 4-5 more I’ll get to eventually. As I’m not a reader of DC or Marvel books (other than a couple of the latter’s licensed titles), this total didn’t come as much of a surprise.
I have your reviews to thank for a healthy number of the books I read in 2023, among them the two Brubaker titles and the two de Campi titles you mentioned (I agree that, in both cases, the wrong books ended up on the CBR list).
A “few” of last year’s books that I enjoyed (again, in many cases after discovering them here) were Cosmic Detective, Noir Burlesque, A Calculated Man, Bulls of Beacon Hill, John Tiffany, Old Dog, Far South, Klik Klik Boom, Red Zone, Blue Book, Past Tense and Stringer.
Beyond those, there were titles such as Hitomi, Cain, Gun Honey: Blood for Blood, Arca, Space Job, Eight Limbs, Alice Ever After, War Birds, Resident Alien Vol 7… almost to the finish line…Dark Spaces: Wildfire, Billionaire Island: Cult of Dogs, Dogs of London, Sacrament and Absolution (the last three are, of course, all by Peter Milligan, whose books – for better or worse – I’m predisposed to like, though others’ results may vary).
On the non-fiction side, I highly recommend Phillipe Squarzoni’s two-volume Homicide adaptation (based on David Simon’s book), Valentin Gendrot’s Flic, Ronald Wimberly’s Now Let Me Fly, Adrian Matejka’s Last on His Feet, Michael Cherkas’s Red Harvest, Peter Dunlap-Shohl’s Nuking Alaska, Stephane Lemardele’s Storyboarding for Wim Wenders, Alcante’s The Bomb and Marcelino Truong’s apparently at least partly fact-based 40 Men & 12 Rifles.
I’m certainly glad I was able to steer you toward some good books – I always worry that my tastes just won’t align with anyone else’s! 🙂
Some of the stuff you mention I will definitely have on my list, and you’ve given me some other things to hunt down, so thanks!
Also! Spy X Family has a wonderful dub that will make you smile after an awful day.
New Reacher episodes only come out on Friday – you can spare the time!
Regarding 63. X-Men Blue: Origins.
I’ll point out that it’s not about the origins of Nightcrawler’s powers but his parentage (mutants do have parents).
It retcons the Chuck Austen version of Nightcrawler’s parentage and replaces it with Chris Claremont’s intended version
…at least until the next retcon….
I mean, I figured it was something like that, I just wanted to make my lame joke, sir!!!! And come on – who doesn’t love the Chuck Austen version of his parents? In a long run of terrible Austen X-Men stories, it might be the worst!!!!!
Wow, not only was this list filled with stuff I haven’t read, but it’s filled with stuff I haven’t heard of. Guess I should have been Flippin’ through something this past year.
Not only is Avengers Inc. so new overall (I think the 4th issue just came out, and probably only 3 had come out by the time the voting for this took place), but it’s already gotten cancelled. WTF? I’ll probably read the trade at some point, but poor Al Ewing. (Didn’t one of his Defenders minis go into this year? How did that not make the list?)
Danger Street is decent.
The first volume of Kaya is good. I’ve bought a number of these vaguely apocalyptic fantasy comics lately, but they’ve all been solid.
Gotta get on that Phillip Kennedy Johnson train, Greg! His Action has been good. And I’m excited to read his Hulk.
Fire Power is a fun series. Very breezy and fast-paced, probably Kirkman’s pitch for Iron Fist with the serial numbers filed off, but it’s good and has beautiful Samnee art.
Also looking forward to reading Peacemaker, Avengers Inc, Fire & Ice, Shazam, Clobberin’ Time, Traveling to Mars, Rare Flavours, Birds of Prey, Detective Comics, Gargoyle of Gotham, more Newburn, more Nightwing, World’s Finest, and Immortal Thor.
Maybe I should give Monica a try.
I have read some books by Johnson, sir, but I’m very much not interested in Superman-related stuff, as a general rule. I’ve made exceptions in the past, but I don’t know if I will here.
Yeah, I like Samnee very much, but “Kirkman’s Iron Fist” just doesn’t sound like something I want to read.
Fair enough. Though if it helps, I don’t consider myself a Kirkman or Iron Fist fan, but– I dug it! So you never know.