THE BEST COMICS OF 2022:
- Well, 2022 was an awesome year for comics. Okay, I'm clearly biased - I'll admit. Because 2022 was the year that my first ever comic book - HALLOWEEN TEAM - released its first two issues. Finally, after years of thinking about creating my own comic - this year, that dream became a reality. I teamed up with the talented artist Matt Shults, and we worked to create, release, and promote our very own self-published comic book. Easily one of my most exciting moments of 2022 - the release of Halloween Team #1 allowed me to finally transition from comic fan to comic creator. A lot of work went into it (obviously, a *ton* of work on Matt's part - especially given that he's penciling, inking, coloring, and lettering each issue!). But there were so many fun and rewarding moments leading up to and after the release. From giving away free physical copies of our first issue for Free Comic Book Day (at the legendary House of Secrets comic book shop in Burbank), to getting press coverage from top sites like Newsarama and Daily Dead, to doing interviews with outlets like Comic Crusaders, to getting awesome T-shirts made via Design By Humans ... it's been one heck of a ride. And it's not over yet! 2023 will see the long-awaited release of Issues #3 and #4, and hopefully even more cool news about the future of the book. So yeah, we did it - we made a comic book! In a year of so many ups and downs and so much craziness, this was my proudest (and coolest!) accomplishment.
Halloween Team aside, I read a lot of really great comic books in 2022. More than that, this was another year where the craziness of the ongoing pandemic - as well as several months (and counting) of Long COVID-related health issues - meant that my weekly comics haul again took on a special meaning for me. No matter how bleak things got - even if I couldn't get out of bed - I always had new books to look forward to each and every week. Clearly, I'm a huge fan of movies, TV, games, etc. - but there's something about cozy-ing up with a new comic book that is sort of, for me at least, the ultimate pop culture comfort food.
I'll admit, there were some much-hyped comic book events and storylines this past year that sort of landed with a thud. But I still managed to find a lot of exciting new stories in, at times, unexpected places. I also continued my recent practice of finding an older comic to binge-read through (okay, binge might be the wrong word, as I tend to do this at a pretty slow pace). In 2022, I read through DC's classic The Question series from the late 80's, written by the late great Denny O'Neil and with art from the talented Denys Cowan. What an interesting, thought-provoking, and unique series that was.
As always, one of the things I love about comics is the way that, on one hand, I can always turn to old reliable favorites - creators and characters who I've followed for years ... but, on the other hand, there are always new discoveries to be made. In 2022, some of my favorite comics were from longtime favorite writers like Ed Brubaker and G. Willow Wilson. But then there were series like True Kvlt - a completely original concept from a writer, Scott Bryan Wilson, with whom I had zero previous familiarity. I hope that some people will take a chance on my name and on Halloween Team this year in that same way.
So without further ado, here are my top comics of the year.
DANNY'S BEST COMICS OF 2022:
1.) Reckless
- Reckless has been near the top of my list in previous years, but in 2022 I can't help but give it the top spot. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are simply the best in the biz, and reading each new Reckless graphic novel (of which we got two this year: The Ghost in You and Follow Me Down) is a complete joy. These books - gritty, hard-boiled pulp-noir adventures - tell top-tier, self contained mystery stories even as each volume dives deeper into the psyche of protagonist Ethan Reckless. "Your trouble is his business, for the right price" states the tagline. That said, this year's first new Reckless book, The Ghost In You, shifts its focus to Ethan's erstwhile partner-in-crime Anna - delivering a unique but no-less-compelling adventure. Then, Follow Me Down returned the spotlight to Ethan, taking his story through the end of the 80's and providing some tantalizing hints about his future. To sum up: the Reckless books are the best comics going today - brilliantly written, fantastically realized via Sean Phillips' art, and just the absolute gold standard for great crime fiction, period. Read them asap.
2.) Superman: Space Age
- Mark Russell has been one of my favorite new comic writers of the last several years, but I think he may have created his magnum opus with the superlative Superman: Space Age. The book follows a version of Superman who emerges as a hero in the 1960's, and proceeds to tell a complex, emotion-filled, and downright inspiring story that seamlessly mixes classic DC Comics lore with real-world history.
3.) The Human Target
-Tom King has been one of the biggest "name" writers in comics in recent years, but 2022 may have been his best year yet, pound for pound, as a writer. His stylized noir take on the DC Universe - The Human Target - might be my favorite thing he's written to date. It follows classic DC adventurer Christopher Chance (aka The Human Target) as he seeks to unravel the mystery surrounding his own impending death (after he consumes a poisoned drink intended for Lex Luthor). Somehow, King makes the bwa-ha-ha Justice League of the 80's into the perfect noir supporting cast (and list of suspects). What a cool series.
4.) Love Everlasting
- And here is Tom King again, with this crazy series for Image that's one part tribute to old romance comics and one part meta, mind-bending mystery with a decidedly Lynch-ian flair. The book follows a woman named Joan as she finds herself flung into all manner of melodramatic romance stories that evoke old comics from the 50's and 60's. But as Joan becomes more self-aware of her status as a romance story protagonist, she realizes she's trapped in some strange, hellish nightmare from which she can't escape. What's really going on here? I have no idea, but I'm eagerly reading each new issue to find out.
5.) The Department of Truth
- While it released a little more sporadically in 2022, The Department of Truth was once again one of the best ongoing comics going. Writer James Tynion just keeps getting deeper and deeper into the book's various mysteries and conspiracies - and I consistently can't wait for each new issue's latest twists and turns. And he continues to tantalizingly mix real-world politics with a far-out premise - one that posits that public belief in ideas is what actually manifests them into reality. In the age of conspiracy theory that we live in, it's a disturbing and fascinating train of thought.
6.) Eight Billion Genies
- I've read a lot of writer Charles Soule's work for DC Comics over the years, but I've been loving his latest original series. The premise is insane - one day, every person on earth suddenly gets their own magic genie that will grant exactly one wish. Somehow, Soule milks this premise for humor, horror, and real human drama - and it all works. Bursting with creativity and constantly going in unexpected directions, this is one of my favorite new comic book discoveries of 2022.
7.) Regarding the Matter of Oswald's Body
- This gripping miniseries is an action-packed, character driven conspiracy thriller, written by the talented Christopher Cantwell. It presents a fascinating story about a team of misfits, assembled by the US government, to cover up what "really" happened during the JFK assassination. The book's version of what happened is pretty fascinating, but the writing really shines thanks to its memorable characters. Ultimately, the potential fates of these outcasts proves just as compelling as the shocking truth behind the assassination.
8.) Rogues
- Speaking of stories about great characters in a tightly-written thriller, see also Joshua Williamson's crime-caper story Rogues - which presents aging versions of The Flash's classic rogues gallery who've reassembled to pull off one final score. Williamson combines his obvious love for the DC Comics pantheon with a real knack for writing a gripping, heist-movie-esque narrative. The Rogues have long been fan favorites, but this book gives them, perhaps, their most memorable misadventure yet.
9.) Poison Ivy
- After her long run writing Ms. Marvel, I guess I began to associate writer G. Willow Wilson with inspiring stories of true-blue heroism. This year, however, Wilson showed her dark side by penning a series about Batman villain turned antihero Poison Ivy - and I'm glad she did. Her Ivy series is a wickedly awesome character study about a woman filled with righteous anger, hellbent on doing things her way. It's arguably the best-ever story for this long-tenured character.
10.) Gotham City: Year One
- And one more great 2022 series from writer Tom King. What can I say, the guy's been on an absolute roll of late. His new Gotham City: Year One series sees King return to the world of Batman, but in a story set a few generations before Bruce Wayne ever donned the pointy ears. Here, the now aged and extra-grizzled private eye Slam Bradley relates to Bruce how he once helped the Waynes solve the mystery of their kidnapped baby. Slam's story is classic crime-noir fiction, and it's King at the height of his powers.
OTHER FAVORITES FROM 2022
1.) Tom King (The Human Target, Love Everlasting, Gotham City: Year One)
2.) Ed Brubaker (Reckless)
4.) James Tynion IV (The Department of Truth, The Nice House On The Lake)
5.) Mark Russell (Superman: Space Age)
6.) G. Willow Wilson (Poison Ivy)
7.) Chip Zdarsky (Batman, Batman: Knight)
8.) John Ridley (I Am Batman, GCPD: The Blue Wall)
1.) Bruno Redondo (Nightwing)
2.) Greg Smallwood (The Human Target)
3.) Sean Phillips (Reckless)
5.) Jorge Jiménez (Batman)
6.) Elsa Charretier (Love Everlasting)
7.) Phil Hester (Gotham City: Year One)
9.) Sean Murphy (Batman: Beyond the White Knight)
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