The Best Comics of 2020

The books that shined brightest in an unsure year. 

As long ago as it feels like it was, casting my memory back to late March reminds me how unsure we were about the industry in those early days. As creators were told to put pencils down, the bigger companies slowed their output and Diamond stopped the presses. The change that came from the current times might not be as unprecedented as first anticipated, but strides are being made to find alternate methods of distribution. It’s an ongoing process not a single flashpoint, and because of that I don’t want to speak too long on something that is still early days in the grand scheme. Instead, this post is here to celebrate the titles that I enjoyed the most this year, a mixture of titles in various formats, from multiple publishers and numerous, ridiculously talented creators. A combination of factors which shows that, especially this year, comics will survive one way or another, even if we’ve no idea what form they end up taking going forward.

First of all, some very good books that unfortunately didn’t publish enough issues for me to put them on the numbered list, but that I still wanted to shout-out: Crowded #11-#12 (Image), Friday #1-#2 (Panel Syndicate), Other History of the DC Universe #1 (DC), Superman Smashes the Klan #3 (DC) and the various White Noise Launches of the past few months, A Dark Interlude (Vault), Giga (Vault), Home Sick Pilots (Image) and The Picture of Everything Else (Vault).

Next, some Honourable Mentions: Doctor Strange: The End (Marvel), John Allison’s Wicked Things (Boom!) in addition to his webcomics Destroy History and a triple threat of Steeple stories, Ludocrats (Image), the Kyle Starks-Kickstarted Old Head, We Only Find Them When They’re Dead (Boom!) and X-Men: Snapshots (Marvel).

And now, the list:

25. Dead End Jobs for Ghosts (Shortbox)

Should be praised as much as Mark Russell’s satiric works are. Aminder Dhaliwal asks what if workforce automation was actually the result of dead people and mines the premise for all the humour, societal observation and human drama they can.

24. Heartthrob Season 3 (Oni Press)

Christopher Sebela ends the series with an afterword that talks about how much the direction of this book surprised him; how lead character Callie’s experiences and seeing the world through her eyes led to talking about things that he couldn’t have predicted when he was thinking about this 70’s-set crime story in its early moments of genesis. That there is the thrill of reading Heartthrob, it leads you down roads you don’t see coming and you’re more than happy to be along for the ride.

23. Pulp (Image)

Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips and now Jacob Phillips can create books like this on autopilot. As a result, they may not wow as much as they used to, but the work ethic is to be nevertheless commended — a factor which extends to their intentions to produce another two Reckless volumes this year. Pulp is about reality and fiction informing each other, a book that’s always moving forward, to the next thing of import (much like its creative team), the past bleeding onto the pages as if they were tea-stained. The team take the structure of a revisionist western and shift the timeline just a few decades further, taking what we usually think of as belonging to the 19th Century and using elements of the 20th Century to reinforce how much things can change and how hard it can be to leave the old world behind.

22. Alienated (Boom! Studios)

One of Spurrier’s more emotionally wrought tales and one that lands frequent gut-punches over the course of its story because of how well Chris Wildgoose and André May define the characters upon their first appearances.

21. Whedonverse (Boom! Studios)

The line was firing on all cylinders in 2020. Firefly saw Greg Pak continue to deepen his contributions to the ‘Verse, culminating in Blue Sun Rising which caps off these opening two years. (#25 will be taking a jump to further along in the timeline.) Hellmouth concluded at the start of the year and led to Buffy expanding its cast further — and it did so while still allowing Mariko Tamaki the space within the universe to pen a Willow miniseries that looks absolutely beautiful as a result of Natacha Bustos and Eleonora Bruni’s soft artwork — in order to blaze its own trail, one that has already become very distinct to the source material. Angel & Spike appears to have concluded, yet did so by ending its strongest succession of issues courtesy of Zac Thompson and Hayden Sherman. One of the better examples of how to do licensed comics, one where audiences know what to expect in terms of characterisation, but where this is used as the foundation for something new over rehashing what’s already been.

20. Night Train (TKO Studios)

A wonderful and eerie (one-)shot of horror from Steve Foxe, Lisandro Estherren, Patricio Delpeche and Steve Wands. This was the year I finally decided to check out some of TKO’s output and as much as their larger series get press — one of which we’ll get to in a bit — these shorts could easily fall by the wayside.

19. Nancy by Olivia James

Still the first thing I check every morning.

18. Bad Karma (Panel Syndicate)

A Shane Black buddy-cop attempt at redemption for past sins by way of Alex Di Campi, Ryan Howe and Dee Cunniffe.

17. Aquaman (DC)

Never been a big Aquaman guy, even as the past decade has seen people hold up runs from Johns, Parker and Abnett as “why he’s cool now/doesn’t just talk to fish/etc.” Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run however has captivated me from the start, starting as a story of someone who needs to find themselves and expanding to encompass his relationship with Mera — like remember how the Rebirth one-shot all the way back in 2016 made it seem like their marriage was imminent — and the political quagmire going under the sea. She was on the book longer than she anticipated, but the extra time allowed her to flesh these elements and their connections out further and stick the landing in a superb way.

16. The X-Line (Marvel)

Fallen Angels aside, the line continued to grow from strength to strength. Each additional book adds to the overall portrait of the Krakoa era and further reinforces just how bold the reinvention of a franchise should actually be. Personal favourites have been X-Men, Marauders and Hellions. This year’s storytelling all culminated in X of Swords — I reviewed it here — which is a remarkable accomplishment of collaboration, an event which manages to feel big without losing sight of its smaller moments as well as ensuring that it presents new dynamics for where the various series can go in 2021.

15. No One’s Rose (Vault)

Wrote a review of the series’ first issue when it seemed like it might be the last chance to do so for a single issue. Of course the industry survived, but in the moment where it seemed like it wouldn’t, this was a book that gave me hope. Not something I feel all that often anymore. The fact the rest of the series managed to do that as well despite things getting even worse is a testament to its quality.

14. She Would Feel the Same (Shortbox)

“It’s still a love story. Just maybe not a “good” love story.”

Based on this tender and considered depiction of a relationship that just happened to fizzle out, Emma Hunsinger is a talent to keep an eye on.

13. Sex Criminals (Image)

I remember finding out about this series just as those early issues were becoming a phenomenon. It was ridiculously funny — see: brimping — but that wasn’t going to be enough to sustain a full series considering the rate and velocity of which jokes were being thrown out. A factor that Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky quickly realised. The transition from being focused on humour to delving delving into what made Suzie, Jon and all the other characters into who they are became the heart of the series. Admittedly, it turned some people off, but it arguably became a better series. Or at least, that’s what I’d argue. And as someone who became deeply invested in that dynamic, this concluding arc handles that and everything else it accomplishes in a meaningful fashion.

12. Far Sector (DC)

Jamal Campbell is a superstar. Which would be enough for this series to be of interest in and of itself, though thankfully N.K. Jemisin is also crafting a Lantern story that interrogates the Space Cop and militarised angles that the franchise has become so entrenched in.

11. Daredevil (Marvel)

Watching Zdarsky’s trajectory as a writer over the past few years has been a great thing to see as he’s proven to be capable of challenging himself, whether it’s the serious fracturing of wartime camaraderie as seen in Invaders or the Twilight Zone-style sci-fi of Stillwater. What makes Daredevil the cream of the crop however is how stunning it looks thanks to artists like Marco Checchetto and Jorge Fornés. The series has long been considered one of Marvel’s most consistently strong titles and this run is certain to further support that claim as it heads into its third year.

10. Die (Image)

A book that hurts to read due to its rueful tone and precise emotions as rendered by Stephanie Hans.

9. Immortal Hulk (Marvel)

To be frank, this is a book that intimidates me. The sheer scope of what Al Ewing and Joe Bennett are doing only expands with each passing arc. Even after 40+ issues it manages to surprise and shock just as much as those early body horror elements first did. If you care enough about comics to be reading someone’s list of the best of any given year, you’re likely already reading it in some capacity. But if you’re not, let me add to the chorus and tell you to just pull the trigger on the collected editions or starting it on Marvel Unlimited and get to work catching up.

8. Blue In Green (Image)

Visual jazz. A remarkable collaborative experience to behold. Was blown away just reading it and then I found out that it was partly improvised during the process and was impressed even more. Ram V was already having quite a year by making waves at DC by way of his Catwoman and Justice League Dark scripting, but what he does here alongside Anand RK, Aditya Bidikar, Josh Pearson and Tom Muller is on an entirely different level. It can be tricky enough just finding a way of translating music into an non-aural medium, but to accomplish this alongside creating a great horror experience where the reader ultimately decides the pace just means they deserve to be commended even more.

7. Redfork (TKO Studios)

Of course, it’s been a pretty great year for all involved in the White Noise collective. Alex Paknadel, Nil Vendrell, Giulia Brusco and Ryan Ferrier teamed together for a tale about the all too human cost of capitalism. There’s a page in here where two characters talk while circling a sinkhole, the structure very much like that famous Sienkiewicz Moon Knight page, which manages to capture how much modern life can feel like skirting the abyss while still being somewhat tempted to gaze into it, just to see if there’s anything in there.

6. November: The Gun in the Puddle & The Voice at the End of the Phone (Image)

Wrote a review of the second volume of which every bit of the praise, as well as the minor lettering critique, is also applicable to the third, and presumably the soon-to-be fourth which will conclude the series. The culmination of Fraction’s formal preoccupations.

5. Superman’s Pal: Jimmy Olsen (DC)

A perfect pairing of creative team to character. A series with genuine love for the DC Universe’s storied history and oddity. Fraction, Steve Lieber, Nathan Fairbairn and Clayton Cowles look back on all the wacky stuff that’s preceded their contribution and owns this lineage without ever feeling the need to tone it down. Instead, they see it as a level of madcap energy to aspire to. Should be an evergreen title for the company if they have the good sense to recognise its long-lasting potential.

4. Don’t Go Without Me (Shortbox)

Won’t say too much about these three tales from Rosemary Valero-O’Connell. If you read Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, then you know how vivid her craft as an artist is. And after all, what use would my prose be to describe visual poetry such as her’s?

3. John Constantine: Hellblazer (DC)

Came to this late due to not having read any solo Constantine books prior and the Sandman Universe branding had me thinking it might be entangled in additional material I hadn’t yet gotten to. As such that meant I came to it after it had already been cancelled, so consider this a lament that we’re not getting any more of what has been DC’s most cutting and political book in quite some time. Spurrier, artists Aaron Campbell and Matias Bergara plus the always dutiful Jordie Bellaire and Aditya Bidikar capture the mood of current Britain, how easy it is to feel adrift and lost in a country verging closer to the brink of disaster. On top of all that, they manage to tell a character-driven story, building up John and his supporting cast in a way that leaves me (and everyone who has read it) wishing there were more. Still, with the issues we did get and considering how erratic the publisher has been in the past few years, this isn’t a book that the creative team made, more one that they got away with. And for that we should be grateful we got this much of it.

2. The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott (Avery Hill)

An absolute barnburner of a debut. It’s about coming face to face with a personal apocalypse and what it takes to make it through. You don’t have to do it alone, with the way that it comes to supporting that thesis being even more impactful considering… you know, *gestures at the current world*. Zoe Thorogood has such a talent for character and detail already, with each new vignette and interaction weaving together to flesh out the texture of the overall piece. I have a page of it on my wall. It’s a book that came to me at the exact right time as its handling of what it means to create amidst chaos was the impetus I needed to get around to writing a script that had been taking up residence in my head for months. And for anything I write going forward, if I ever start to falter, I can look over to that page and let it inspire me again.

(If you haven’t read it yet, there’s a second printing on the way with more appropriately sized text, I’d hold off until that happens).

1. Dragon Hoops (First Second)

There’s a motif that Gene Luen Yang sets up on the very first page of this graphic novel. The narrative is structured into a series of chapters that each focus on a particular character with the prologue starting with himself. He doesn’t understand sports and the in-story version of himself steps off the basketball court, Yang taking a panel to depict the step. A few pages later, he’s at the school he works at and on his way to talk to Couch Lou, a man he doesn’t expect to have much in common. Again, Yang focuses in on his avatar’s feet as he takes the first step towards the gym, this time forward. Into the unknown. Dragon Hoops is about first steps, as well as so much more, but it is primarily about following through. It is about every step that comes after, all in the name of progress and what it means to try, regardless of the possibility of eventual achievement.

Yang’s cartooning is so full of life in its depiction of Bishop O’Dowd High School and the ecosystem of students and teachers that congregate there most days of the year. I had a feeling that it would be my book of the year since I read it back in April, when the state of comics distribution amidst a pandemic was up in the air — at least, more than it is now — and as much as this list stands as testament that were many great books released this year, none of them managed to topple this from the top spot.

The Best Comics of 2018

When even the shortlist for this feature was long.

Being a critic requires mass consumption, regardless of the industry, but it’s even more true of being one for comics; there’s new series starting every week on top of everything else you’re already reading. It can be difficult to locate the cream of the crop from the run of the mill creator-owned pitches looking to secure an option before the first arc is in readers’ hands and because of the publishing schedule most books adhere to, there’s rarely a quiet period, unlike film or television where you might get a couple month’s worth of downtime over a year to try to catch up with what’s passed you by.

I’d be willing to wager that no-one else shares this list, though that’s probably a good thing. We all have different ways in which we highlight the comics we like, and find what interests us. The title of this post may sound assertive of course, but it’s just as subjective, and valid, as anyone else’s list. We all have different blindspots, different genres or creators whose work does nothing for us or that are like catnip for our brains, weird archaic guidelines for what we read. Case in point: there’s a lot of well-regarded Image books like Monstress or Saga which I’m nowhere near caught up with and haven’t wanted to race through in order to be so, just for the sake of being current.

The reason for making this list is threefold. One; to have it on record. Two; to celebrate those that deserve it. Three; in the hopes that taken with all the other lists created that some degree of consensus may be formed, but also that it will further contribute to showing a diverse portrait of the comics industry in 2018.

To that end, here are some other lists put together by other critics worth reading:

https://aux.avclub.com/the-best-comics-of-2018-1830657952

https://www.vulture.com/2018/12/best-comics-2018.html

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/12/the-25-best-comic-books-of-2018.html

https://ew.com/books/best-comics-2018/#best-revamp-runaways-marvel

http://www.danielelkin.com/2018/12/books-we-liked-2018-rob-clough-kim.html

(A week’s worth of small print praise can be found on the above site.)

Multiversity Comics’ Year in Review content, including this piece on Breakout Artist: http://www.multiversitycomics.com/news-columns/2018-breakout-artist/

 

 

Now, some Honourable Mentions, including some series which wrapped up early in the year, and conversely started at the tail-end, that while couldn’t go unnoticed, also couldn’t warrant placing on the list when there’s a high chance of them placing on next year’s:

Abbott – A tad rushed in the end, this criticism isn’t enough to undo all the goodwill bought in the first four issues by Saladin Ahmed’s character-rich writing, particularly when it comes to his lead, Sami Kivela, Jason Wordie and Jim Campbell’s dynamic layouts to guide its readership through the mysticism or the period detailing of 1970’s Detroit by all involved. Not Ahmed’s best work, that honour still lies with Black Bolt, but all the proof required that he’s a versatile writer and worth following in his future endeavours away from Marvel.

 

 

Action Comics after Brian Michael Bendis took over writing responsibilities, particularly #1004 (with art by Ryan Sook, Wade Von Grawbadger, Brad Anderson and lettered by Josh Reed) – Bendis transfers his street-level approach, which worked so well on books like Alias and Daredevil, across to the Distinguished Competition and finds a perfect home for it within Metropolis. The better of the two Superman books right now, for how well he’s managing to play the long game, and this issue in particular is swoon-worthy with how sweepingly tender and romantic it is with regards to Lois and Clark.

Cable: Past Fears – the best Cable story, available in a single trade.

Crowded – What I said earlier about Image series doesn’t apply to this, a series that leads with its characters rather than its concept. Though that’s not to say that Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Triona Farrell and Cardinal Ray haven’t created a world, where the grueling conditions of the gig economy are taken to the extreme, worth exploring, only that they’ve centered their story around a pair of characters, Charlie and Vita, that justify spending time in it. Gradually expanding its scope over the first arc has proven it to be a rewarding, thought-out, intelligent series.

Days of Hate – Ales Kot, Danijel Zezelj, Jordie Bellaire and Aditya Bidikar’s series is one of the few pop-culture works of the era to understand the feeling of living in Hellworld. Also check out The New World to see how Tradd Moore turns another of Kot’s dystopias into an cacophony of colour.

Defenders: Best Defense – A small crossover to close out the year, that can be read in any order; alternatively, a collection of four one-shots that truly get to the heart of the character at their core. Also features the best example of turning a hall-of-fame tweet into Marvel canon courtesy of Al Ewing.

 

 

Die #1 –  wrote this review about the issue, one of the best debuts of the year, and something which is both classic Gillen and seemingly something wholly new: https://www.newsarama.com/43061-best-shots-reviews-the-wicked-+-the-divine-40-die-1.html

Generation X #86 and #87 – Oh how I wish Christina Strain, Amilcar Pinna, Felipe Sobriero and Clayton Cowles’ series had been able to run forever. Never would’ve expected prior to this series that Eye-Boy and Nature Girl would become characters I deeply care about. One of the most stylistic books to grace the House of Ideas in recent years.

Rock Candy Mountain #7 and #8 – Kyle Starks is one of the great cartoonists, has never met a plot he couldn’t turn into a laughfest and whose work looks divine as coloured by Chris Schwiezer. A brisk read, as much of Starks’ work is, though that just makes it easier to come back to.

Superwoman #18 – Much like Generation X, it was a genuine shame to see this series come to an end, especially when Perkins had shown such promise. Lana Lang forever.

 

 

The Green Lantern #1 and #2 – Grant Morrison, Liam Sharp and Steve Oliff and Tom Orzechowski transport their readership back to the 1980’s, as this seems like a forgotten relic that owes more to 2000AD than it does present-day superhero comics. Wholly exciting, the first time since Johns’ run has concluded that the main Lantern series has been intriguing.

The Seeds #1 and #2 – from Ann Nocenti and David Aja, would’ve ranked high on the list had all four issues released this year. Stark, stylistic and haunting.

Twisted Romance – put together by Alex De Campi, proof that anthologies can work in the modern era, as can romance comics. Had all too brief a run, would happily read a further volume or a different genre project if she opted to orchestrate that.

Wonder Woman by Steve Orlando et al – A tonic for the soul after James Robinson’s runaway freight-train crash of a run. Who knew ACO’s art could look even better than it already has in the past, but of course it would be Romulo Fajardo Jr.’s work which ended up making that possible.

X-Men: Red – Look, everyone’s recommending this, there’s a reason for that. Yet another big-two book gone too soon, get on it.

 

And now on with the list:

 

 

18. Deathstroke (+ Justice League)

To try to explain everything that’s going on in Deathstroke in a brief blurb would be futile. Christopher Priest’s run, which started in mid-2016 is the kind of layered narrative that continually builds on itself, with the level of serialisation propelling multiple threads through revelation after revelation, all in service of a larger point – Slade Wilson is an awful father. That’s never been a secret, but it’s also never been as so thoroughly dug into as Priest has, in his inimitable style. Wilson has never been that interesting of a character to me previously, but this run had me hooked from the beginning and it’s been a treat to see the series progress and unfold in the way that it has. Most interesting about the series this year is how it’s made use of individual arcs being structured like miniseries –– Deathstroke vs. Batman as drawn by Carlo Pagulayan & Jason Paz and Arkham by Fernando Passarin –– in order to keep the series feeling fresh without diverting away from everything built over the first thirty issues. The Rebirth initiative may be over, but this is one of its few titles that will stand the test of time for how rewarding it continually proves to be.

Also, Priest’s Justice League was overshadowed by the news of Scott Snyder coming aboard to helm the flagship, but it’s some of the most exciting, conceptually dense and structurally sound work to involve the Justice League since Morrison’s run. This will also stand the test of time, but I sadly expect it to be forgotten due to the grandiose quality of Snyder’s run. Would highly recommend picking this up as the two trades already available or the oversized hardcover out in April.

 

17. Jessica Jones: Blindspot

Kelly Thompson’s work is one of my picks for Newsarama’s Best of Best Shots, but I didn’t get to chance to properly rave about her work with this hardened PI. For Marvel, it marks a digital experiment of sorts, one where they release double-sized chapters for three months, then release the trade, then start another arc. There are others, like Cloak and Dagger, though none are as strong as this explicitly feminist tale illustrated by Mattia De Iluis –– whose artwork is a revelation and Marquez-esque when it comes to the cleanliness of the linework. As the story progresses, one that sees Jessica trying to atone for a case she couldn’t previously help with, Thompson finds herself getting more at home in the street-level setting, moving away from just doing something similar to her Hawkeye run, and still finding the space for Elsa Bloodstone. Yet another worthy addition to her bibliography, one with a distinct voice running through it, despite the variedness of the titles contained within.

 

 

16. Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man

Much was written about #6 last year, and the issues that followed this year showed a new side to Chip Zdarsky’s writing. To speak at length about them would spoil how well the run comes together as a cohesive unit, but looking back, it’s truly impressive how well he manages to wrangle a time-travel story with everything character-based going on with Peter and a supporting cast which includes J. Jonah Jameson and Teresa Palmer. This first year story culminates is a final three issues that are sure to put readers through the ringer as Chris Bachalo draws a Sandman story and Zdarsky himself draws his own coda. The best Spider-Man work since Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca’s Sensational Spider-Man Annual, it’s a genuine shame that Zdarsky wasn’t allowed more time on the title, though 2019’s Life Story seems to be a continuation of sorts.

 

 

15. Bish and Jubez

That thing about blindspots earlier? A big one for me is webcomics, and aside from the occasional Nancy strip that passes along my Twitter timeline, this is the only one I actively keep up with. (Disclosure: Adam is a friend). A must for any X-fan. Its latest story, Attack on the Mansion will conclude early next year, but is super easy to catch up on, as are the previous three issues. All are available here: http://adamreck.tumblr.com/post/144832063327/bish-jubez-cover-by-adam-reck

 

 

14. The X-Comics by Leah Williams

Was only able to write about Williams’ X-Men Black issue centered around Emma Frost –– and if you only have chance to read one, make it that –– but her X-Men: Gold annual that deals with the Excalibur team, as well as her What If? one-shot about Magik and Doctor Strange also illustrate a maturity to her writing that deals with characters she evidently loves, but without coddling/protecting/preserving them in a time bubble where nothing has ever changed for them. She’s writing Next-Gen for the upcoming Age of X, and will hopefully end up with an ongoing sooner rather than later.

 

 

13. Green Almonds: Letters from Palestine

One of the biggest issues with trying to keep on top with what I already read is that both original graphic novels and smaller publishers fall by the wayside, especially if I’m not on their mailing lists. There are plenty of Lion Forge titles that I know I should get around to trying –– especially knowing that I liked their Free Comic Book Day offering –– but this is the only one I was able to get around to. Thankfully, it was one of the richest reads this year. From Anaele and Delphine Hermans, it’s a retelling of letters exchanged between the sisters when Anaele spent ten months in Palestine for work. It delves into the complexities of the Israel/Palestine conflict without resorting to ‘both sides’ language, illustrating the hardships faced and the spots of warmth and joy that occasionally surface regardless. It’s not a book my words can do justice do, please read it.

 

 

12. The Wild Storm (+ Michael Cray)

Warren Ellis has opted for the slow-burn approach when it comes to the main title of the imprint, teasing characters and organisations that old-school Wildstorm readers can pick up on and go crazy about. Yet, it’s not pure fan service nor does the series drag them along because it knows they’ll carry on reading for when the teasing finally ceases. The timer on the cover shows this to be a deliberately plotted experience, one where all interactions are essential in maneuvering everyone towards the endgame. It helps that Jon Davis-Hunt is as much a match for Ellis as John Cassaday was, delivering stunning sequences that circumvent being labelled as decompression, or writing for the trade. Together, they give beats the space to both breathe and stick in your mind for how they are translated from brain to script to page.

And on top of that Brian Edward Hill, N. Steven Harris and Dexter Vines’ Michael Cray offers an alternative look at the world, reinventing many beloved DC characters that truly invests in its concept; and while not as immediately stunning as Davis-Hunt’s work, knows when it needs to pack a punch.

 

 

11. Coda

The extreme quality of Mad Max by way of fantasy rather than apocalypse, married to a story about how marriage can be affected for worse if you try to change qualities about your spouse. Si Spurrier is a writer with a particular style that can be difficult to warm to, though if you’re into his previous work be it his work with the character of Legion or The Spire with which he collaborated on with Jeff Stokely, this is an easy recommendation. If you’re not, then this is one of the most bombastic places to start, courtesy of Matias Bergara’s unique rendering of this world, that explodes off the page in order to submerge you in it.

 

 

10. Runaways

Shouldn’t work, considering near-everything published involving the title between Brian K. Vaughn’s and now, but Rainbow Rowell understands the ensemble so well, right down to how much they’ve changed in the time since they first banded together, and the art team of Kris Anka and Matt Wilson have rendered some of the most expressive ‘acting’ in comics each time an issue comes out. The panel to panel pacing is perfect, a feat worth adulation considering how many other prose writers have struggled with that in their transition to comics, and it could easily runaway with the title of Best Runaways run as this point, so imagine how worthy it’ll be of that honour later into the run.

 

 

9. By Night (Boom Studios)

Wrote about the second issue at time of release, feelings haven’t changed, only gotten stronger.

https://www.newsarama.com/41459-best-shots-review-by-night-3-is-a-full-issue-pack-with-instance-9-10.html

Any conversation about the best current writer that doesn’t include John Allison is a misguided one.

 

 

8. X-Men: Grand Design

A major undertaking, and serious challenge by Ed Piskor continues to prove worthwhile with each installment. Much more rewarding than just reading a Wikipedia article summarizing the history of the X-Men, as it manages to capture the spirit of Claremont’s run (of which I assuredly need to read more of) all the while delivering the goings-on in Piskor’s distinct way, the most important thing off all for a retelling. As a bonus: the format chosen for the collected editions is gorgeous, and I would that it’s the way the book should be read.

 

 

7. Avengers/Quicksilver: No Surrender

Blurbed the weekly series as part of Newsarama’s Best of 2018 coverage, but want to take a moment to spotlight Saladin Ahmed, Eric Nguyen and Rico Renzi’s five-issue miniseries that cuts to the heart of Pietro’s character as well as that famous X-Factor page about the speed of the world as compared to the potential of his own speed. Together, they manage to follow-up on how he plays into Avengers without sacrificing its emotional potency, plus it features Wanda in a supporting role which is always a plus in book

 

 

6. Batman/Catwoman

So… Batman #50… yeah. That was a hell of a week to be online, from the outcome being revealed via the New York Times before the issue’s release, to the reaction, to the issue’s actual release, which in turn revealed that the NYT had not spoiled the final page, to the reaction about that. While I won’t actually discuss the contents of that issue –– out of respect for those who somehow don’t know –– what I will say is that I was okay with happened within it, because it went to show that Tom King was playing the long game with his run and he’d managed to completely blind-side us about where it was actually going. The excitement that comes from that reinvigorated the book as it moved into its third quarter, starting with a Lee Weeks-drawn, Mr. Freeze/12 Angry Men mash-up. King’s use of shorter arcs in order to tell the macro-story, coupled with how many artists have gotten the chance to show off their chops, keeps it feeling fresh and means the occasional rough issue can be easily brushed off. This is operatic and melodramatic all at once, big in the way that only superhero comics can be. Sure, I’ve been on-board with the run since the beginning, but I wouldn’t still be going along for the ride if I didn’t think it was worth it.

Wrote about Catwoman #2 at the time of release –– https://www.newsarama.com/41294-best-shots-reviews-amazing-spider-man-3-hot-lunch-special-1-catwoman-2.html –– stand by the actual content, wish it would’ve been possible to give it a 7.5 when it comes to the score. A gorgeous book, even more so when read in a physical format. #6 has multiple two-page spreads that are proof of exactly how good Jones can be, love the fact that there’s a Big-2 book like this on the stands.

 

 

5. Eternity Girl

One of the most unfortunate things to happen in comics this year was how Young Animal essentially fizzled out despite the brilliant absurdity of Milk Wars ringing in the New Year. That quasi-crossover/event featured back-ups which established this miniseries by Mags Visaggio and Sonny Liew, an existential tale about the value of a life, where the lead character Caroline Sharp cannot die despite attempting to, thus putting her at odds with her own body. As a result of how well Visaggio threads the needle, the tale works as an allegory for both depression and dysphoria and the abstract quality of dissociation that runs through the narrative is capitalised on fully thanks to Liew’s artwork, who with Chris Chuckry’s colours aiding him, presents multiple worlds running up against one another through his page structure. The approach gives the book an ethereal sense of flow from one realm to the other. At least Young Animal got to end its current iteration with a high.

 

 

4. Mister Miracle

Blurbed as part of Newsarama’s best of 2018 coverage

 

 

3. Immortal Hulk

Briefly mentioned in my Avengers: No Surrender write-up for Newsarama, as that provided the lead-in to Al Ewing and Joe Bennett’s series. It’s one of the best reinventions and takes on a character in quite some time. Banner by day, Hulk by night, if you kill the former, the latter will come back with a grudge when the sun goes down. Hulk as horror is a take that could’ve fallen flat on its face, or only proved sustainable as a miniseries, a brief interlude that couldn’t threaten the fabric of the Marvel Universe. Stemming from Ewing’s pen however, it’s gradually involved the larger world of 616, most importantly the Avengers team –– with such a strong portrayal of it that you’ll wish Ewing was writing their actual title, something which is usually true when he includes other characters as cameos in his series –– without breaking it, only further proving how terrifying the Hulk is under this edict. Each issue has a distinct narrative purpose, and their own stand-out qualities, meaning they all avoid being shapeless fragments of an ongoing narrative, occasionally bringing in other artists to help underline the approach. Still, this is both Ewing and Bennett’s time in the spotlight, and it is highly rewarding to see them earn it for a book as strong as this.

 

 

2. The Wicked + The Divine

As this year concludes, the final arc of the best ongoing Image series begins. Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Matt Wilson and Clayton Cowles started this series by dropping us into a mythology and asking us to make sense of it issue-by-issue, with the team keeping their cards very close to their collective chest. As it has progressed, they’ve since dropped bombshell after bombshell albeit not for the sole sake of shock factor, the story has never needed to contort itself in order to head into a new direction. Instead it has shifted focus rather organically over the course of its publication. And the best part of all is seeing how well it’s executed, for how many of the reveals were long-seeded and only now being revealed. This is a creative team at the top of their game, delivering what will hopefully be recognised as their master work. Time is running out for the gods, but it will likely be kind to the series at large.

Most recently wrote about the series when issue #36 came out, one of its more conceptual issues, thrilling for how it recontextualises what came before while still sticking to the series’ formalist roots: https://www.newsarama.com/39966-best-shots-reviews-avengers-2-new-challengers-1-wicked-+-divine-36-more.html

 

 

1. Giant Days

What can be said about John Alison, Max Sarin, Whitney Cogar and Jim Campbell’s series that isn’t said about each and every issue released? The first issue atop the digital stack, so to speak, every time it comes out, and a series that I want to yell about from the rooftops near-constantly. Yet that quality makes it so difficult to review, each installment is so well crafted and expressive that to try to review such a title month in, month out risks repetition and self-plagiarism. Heck, calling it expressive here, might justify as that in itself. The core trio of Daisy, Esther and Susan are now in their third year at uni –– the closeness in their age to mine as always been something which has helped bolster such a strong connection to them and the series at large –– and the growth consistently demonstrated by them is all the proof required of how well-executed an ongoing series this is. But that’s also proven by the way it manages to keep momentum on all the plots that gradually rise to the surface of the book’s attention, something which perhaps warrants comparison to the extent of Claremont’s plotting at the height of his X-power. It’s a delight, always has been, and that it manages to keep that up over forty issues in is why its the best comic being released month-to-month.

There’s a strong chance that Giant Days will come to an end at some point in the next year, assuming that this third year also takes place over 18 issues and that there won’t be any Community-esque shenanigans pulled to keep the cast at uni. It’ll be a sad day for sure, but it also means at least one more chance for it to top this list, and I’d bet it probably will.