The top 10 has seen a lot of change for one year. No Brian
Bendis. No Avengers. No Batman. In fact, the only conventional superheroes on
the list are Jason Aaron’s Thor (maybe a stretch) and a new, old version of the
man who is the best at what he does. Marvel’s Secret Wars schedule delays and
revamping have altered the status quo and, well, it’s not all good news. The
problem isn’t so much the characters, but major changes in the writing teams on
key books have shaken up the quality of some of the most powerful products in
the industry.
10. Thor: Thor is a better book than its rank, but this year
the main title was disrupted for the Secret Wars mini Thors, which was, in my
opinion, the weakest entry into Jason Aaron’s character defining run on the title.
This book should be in the top five,
but that disruption and its far inferior quality bumped it way down. Dauterman
is illustrating this book beautifully, Aaron writes it with love and attention
to detail, and Loki is now back to form. I expect great things going forward.
Keep up.
9. Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl: I missed out on the beginning
of this series and regretted it as soon as I read the first of the new series.
All caught up now, it’s one of my favorites of the year. I’m not going to try
and explain it, but it’s a girl with squirrel powers, and a squirrel friend,
and a cast of ne’er-do-wells engaged in zany adventures. It’s not high concept.
It’s not really a superhero book. It’s just a lot of fun. One of the things I
love about this book is the sub-panel editorializing which is often better than
the featured dialogue. And the Deadpool cards are a nice piece of comic relief
from the comic content. In fact, this book is Deadpool for people that are
actually funny.
8. Old Man Logan: Two word: Andrea Sorrentino. Two more
words: Rising star. I enjoyed this Italian artist on Green Arrow, one of the
only readable books DC published in the new 52. Naturally, they stopped that.
He’s since moved on to Marvel to great effect. His X-annuals last year are
instant classics. This book is classic Bendis: brilliant, brooding character
examination. A lot of Secret Wars doesn’t work. It feels like a vehicle for
unnecessary change. As an effort to move Logan forward, however, this story
really both works and has a solid impact. I look forward to seeing a more
limited, less-Snikty version of the Canuck interact with the X-world in the
next year. Jeff Lemire takes over when the on-going book launches next month.
7. Ms. Marvel: If you haven’t already picked this book up,
please exit your cave, head to the comic book store, and buy all of them. It’s
not every day that Marvel invents a truly new character that anyone cares about
at all. It’s definitely not every day that a new teen superhero comes along and
makes sense, has heart, and is surrounded by an interesting and vibrant world.
Ms. Marvel has it all. G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alfonso are both creating at
an extraordinarily high level and they continue to produce a book that has
great superhero beats and wonderful heartfelt personal moments at the same
time. This book isn’t getting worse; it’s improving. We’re not far from being
able to wonder out loud if this book is the best of its type since the early
days of Spider-Man. There, I said it.
6. Mind MGMT: This is so bittersweet. Mind MGMT is a title
that would not have been published just 15 years ago. It’s a testament to how
enormously diverse the comic book market is today that not only was it created,
but by a large publisher, with deep support, and for a 50 issue run. Matt Kindt
has never written something you shouldn’t read. This is something everyone can
appreciate. From the painted art, to the boundary shattering use of the entire
layout, to the touching, inspiring, mind-bending story, Mind MGMT has been a
treat. Now that it’s over, I can’t wait to see what Kindt does next.
5. East of West: #22 is the single best issue of the year
and one of the best comics I’ve ever read. I won’t say much more about this
series except that Nick Dragotta is getting better with every issue he pencils.
Not Hickman’s best year – Secret Wars has really sidelined his best work – but he
still managed to do something incredibly special with this title.
4. Descender: Jeff Lemire is an elite writer. Dustin Nguyen
is a veteran artistic talent, perfectly suited for a galaxy-spanning space
opera. In a universe over-run with tech, where once-human roles have been
filled by robots, and those robots eventually turn on not just humans, but all
intergalactic life, robots are targeted for elimination. This story follows a
companion robot, designed to be an effective friend replacement (sort of like a
person that’s also a pet), through political intrigue, social crises, and a
human/artificial life caste system that defines the post-war era. Lemire writes
touching books with such a fine hand that you don’t feel overwhelmed by the
softer moments in a spanning sci-fi conflict. It’s hard to overstate his aficionado
handling of huge stories with a soul. This is the book Saga wishes it was.
3. Star Wars: Darth Vader: The biggest surprise of the year,
hands down. The main Star Wars book is good; don’t get me wrong. Jason Aaron
and John Cassady, though, feels a little bit like an all-star team: they’re
talented but it doesn’t seem like they love playing together. Vader, on the
other hand, is two creators that I think are relatively medium level talents
getting more out of one another than they would otherwise. Gillen, now
well-known due to the massive popularity of the Wicked + Divine, and Sal
Larocca, most recently on Iron Man, are Marvel journeymen tasked with writing
the most evil man in a galaxy far, far away. They pointed at the fence and
knocked it out of the park. Forming an anti-party of a lovable rogue, a murder protocol
droid, and a shoot first, burn second astromech droid, gives Vader a supporting
cast that provides for comic relief, a bit of sense of fragility, and a real
treat for the readers. Both arcs are well-designed and feel like Star Wars: action, anticipation, and a lot of fun. I
loved this series. Honestly, the Star Wars properties have supplanted the
Avengers titles as Marvel’s premier material today.
2. Velvet: Brubaker and Epting are a dream team. Either of
them alone on a book would likely be in my top ten; together, they are second to
one. Bru really knows how to plot a twisty book and is the best storyteller in
comics today. He loves to put his characters through the ringer and the protagonist
here is no exception. Pulp has been his focus for a decade now and Velvet is
his version of the pulpy British post-war spy novel. It reminds me of Tinker
Tailor, decidedly “in genre” while also pressing the weakness or failure of the
conventions as well. Velvet is the answer to the portrayal of female characters
in those well-known yarns, the logical culmination of what a badass any woman
long-suffering enough to deal with the insipid man-children of the fictional
spy-world would be. Epting has the most precise penciling of anyone in the business.
Everything is in its right place and therefore the reader is also. One of my favorite
books of the decade, not just the year. I wish it came out more often.
1. Lazarus: How does it keep getting better? Rucka has
crafted a world, taken us through its social and political intrigue, and, now,
taken us to war. Lazarus is my favorite piece of sci-fi in thirty years. If
this book was a traditional novel, it would be on the NYT best-seller list. I’ve
shouted from the rooftops about this book for long enough that I suspect most
of my readers and friends have already picked it up, so I won’t repeat the
hook, but suffice it to say that this book has it all. The world is compelling
and full. The characters are wide-ranging, complete, and gripping. The action
is tasteful but hard-hitting. I love that Rucka doesn’t make his universe an
unknowable mystery, but also goes to no great lengths to hold our hands in
making sense of it either. It’s such a balanced handling by an enormously
patient story-teller. I love the current arc, following on the heels of the
masterpiece Conclave storyline by taking even more risks and showing that this
book doesn’t just have gas left in the tank, but is intending to dominate the
industry for as long as it’s being published. Long live Lazarus!
Honorable mention:
It’s a weird year where so many great series premiered super
late in the annual cycle and therefore don’t quite have enough material to
consider, but have shown signs of really great material. Image, in particular,
cranked out four titles that could be among the very best books out there. My
favorite of this bunch is I Hate Fairyland!, which I’ll bet now will make this
list next year.
Star Wars: Lando: I know it strains credulity to imagine
that there are two different Star Wars books I’d consider to be among the top
comics being published, but the wealth of talent that Marvel/Disney has dedicated
to the publishing side of Star Wars really makes you wonder what Dark Horse, a
company not known for bad publishing decisions, was doing with these properties
for the last 20 years. At any rate, Lando is Charles Soule, one of the bright
spots of Marvel’s rough year, writing over Alex Maleev’s genius level art. That’s
a team that would turn heads on any title. It’s an interesting story about the
dirty underground of the Star Wars universe and includes some Jedi lore for the
deeper fans. If this wasn’t a mini-series, I’d have included it. Comic fans and
Star Wars geeks alike should really like this book.
I Hate Fairyland!: Could be my favorite book being published
right now. Skottie Young is brilliant. I buy everything Skottie Young does. This
is his best book ever. The story concept is brilliant: Gert stumbles into
Fairyland as a child, fails at her quest to escape, and lives there for 20
years without aging physically, but is driven to become an maladjusted
psychopath. It’s gorgeous and hilarious. I can’t think of anyone that wouldn’t
be entertained by this book. If it was farther along, I’d have included it as
one of the top 5 at least.
Paper Girls: Looks like it could be my favorite Brian K.
Vaughn book since Runaways. Only three issues in, this book is something really
special and there’s nothing else on the shelves like it. I can see Saga fans
coming after me with pitchforks, but this book has everything Saga does without
the sort of pandering sense of over-the-top graphicness that I think weighs
Saga down. Basically a Spielberg tribute, Papergirls follows a group of girls
who find themselves in the heart of a mystery while on their delivery routes in
the 1980’s. Fans of 80’s movies like Stand By Me and anyone looking for a
fantasy book without capes and cowls should really love this one.
The Goddamned: Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera. I don’t know that
I should have to say much more than that the team behind Scalped is producing
new work. The Goddamned is an ultra-violent take on early biblical history.
Taking place sometime shortly after the fall from Eden, the book follows Cain
through the brutally violent world new to sin. It’s Conan with the gloves off
and it’s gory, gross, and glorious. Only two issues in, I already enjoy this
book more than Southern Bastards, a critical tour de force. I think the
Goddamned is set to be something special.
Black Magick: Truthfully, I am waiting to read Black Magick,
Rucka’s new creator owned book for Image, but I expect it to be, well, magical.
Rucka is for sure one of the top talents in comics right now, publishing the
very best comic book on the Shelves for two consecutive years. That alone has
my attention and probably should yours. Try to find the magazine sized version
of issue number one (he also released a magazine-sized one-shot of Criminal
this year that’s one of the year’s best single issues.
