THE BEST OF 2023 - The Best COMICS Of The Year

 

THE BEST COMICS OF 2023:

- 2023 saw me "finish the story" of what I started in 2022: I officially went from comic book fan to comic book writer! This year, the final two issues of my comic book HALLOWEEN TEAM released (drawn by the talented Matt Shults), as well as The Complete Collection (cheap plug, available here: https://t.co/P9hsejxtHG). It was a lot of work to get the book out there via digital self-publishing, and it was also a lot of work to try to promote it via social media as well as a myriad of interviews, podcasts, etc (especially while continuing to deal with Long COVID that made things like Zoom calls especially challenging). Still, it was a thrill to get the book out there, and to get a chance to talk about Halloween Team - as well as comics in general - with so many cool publications, podcasts, etc. For so long growing up, comics felt like such a taboo subject to talk about with friends. So nowadays, it never gets out to get the chance to openly geek out about one of my favorite mediums with like-minded fans. In any case, it was an amazing feeling to finally get the complete Halloween Team story out there. At the same time, I feel like this is - and has to be! - only the beginning. I'm determined to take steps in 2024 to ensure that this is merely Phase 1 of my journey as a comic book creator. 

Now, as for what else happened in comics this past year ...

There's undoubtedly been a lot of, shall we say ... heated discussion in recent weeks about the state of the comics industry. I don't think there's any point in trying to sugarcoat - by which I mean: yes, there are a ton of amazing comics out there, both from DC and Marvel and Image, as well as from smaller publishers ... but the industry also seems to be facing mounting problems. Younger people don't seem to be getting into traditional comics, which is sad if you love traditional comics as I do. Enthusiasm for DC and Marvel feels like it's at a recent low - the big events are not creating much buzz, and only a handful of books seem to be really sticking with fans. Image and other publishers like Dark Horse and Boom! haven't had those sort of Walking Dead-esque breakout hits of late - and tentpole books like Saga have been plagued by frequent delays and long periods of hiatus. IDW had a big original comics push last year that was shuttered in 2023, and now they're back to mostly publishing licensed properties. Meanwhile, the main digital comics retailer Comixology, owned for the last several years by Amazon, was shut down - a huge blow for the digital comics market. Amazon made it so their Kindle app is now the sole way to read one's Comixology library, and the Comixology storefront is now just another Amazon storefront ... meaning there's nothing about it that is particularly catered towards the comic buyer/collector. Comixology used to be pleasant to browse for sales and back-issues. Now, it's nearly impossible to navigate. And it does nothing to promote indie or self-published comics. It's a sad state of affairs. 

Still, there is hope. And one important thing to note here is that while these issues are real and they are concerning, placing the blame for all this on the perceived "wokeness" of the comics industry is ridiculous. Comics always thrive when chances are being taken and bold storytelling takes center stage. And the very DNA of the American superhero comics industry is built on a foundation of tackling social justice issues. 

So I say again: there is hope. Comics will find a way. There are companies out there like GlobalComix (on whose platform Halloween Team is available!) pushing for better distribution and functionality in the digital space. There are any number of great creators pushing the industry forward. And there are so many great comics out there that deserve to be read, talked about, and shared by fans. So that's why this Best Of feels extra important. I'd urge current, new, and lapsed comic book fans to check out these great books in the new year.

 

DANNY'S BEST COMICS OF 2023:


1.) The Human Target

- 2023 was the year of Tom King. I'm a longtime fan of King's writing, but in 2023, seemingly everything I read by him completely hit the mark. He was and is on a roll like we've rarely ever seen in comics. The highlight for me was The Human Target. Continuing from 2022 (it also ranked as one of my top picks of last year), the ending of this maxiseries solidified it for me as an all-time classic. A pulp noir tale that saw the classic DC Comics character desperately trying to solve the mystery of who poisoned him - as the clock runs out - was perhaps the best thing that King has written to date. Combining classic DC characters and lore with a unique mystery filled with twists, turns, and noir atmosphere so thick you could cut it with a knife - The Human Target is an absolute must-read and the best book I read in 2023.

2.) Fantastic Four

- It was only last year that I was sad to see the celebrated run of writer Dan Slott on the FF end. What could top it? Well, it turns out that new writer Ryan North could. His run on Fantastic Four has been an instant classic - giving us weekly Twilight Zone-esque sci-fi mysteries that are incredibly imaginative and brilliantly thought out. Somehow, the book is both incredibly smart - leaning hard into the science of its science fiction, and yet still, also, incredibly fun - capturing the lovable personalities of this team and their villains. If Marvel was ever to make an FF TV series - well, here's your template. So good.

3.) Where The Body Was / Night Fever

- Slightly cheating here, as I'm including two separate graphic novels from one of the best comic book creative teams ever: writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips. The pair took a break in 2023 from their ongoing graphic novel series Reckless to give us two one-and-done books. And, to absolutely no one's surprise - both of them were awesome. Night Fever felt like a bit of a departure - a nightmarish, at times surreal read with some almost Lynch-ian overtones. Where The Body Was, meanwhile, was very much in the vein of the duo's iconic Criminal series - a pulp noir story about a murder in a small town. But yeah, just read everything by this team. You can 100% count on the quality being there, as they're the absolute best in the biz.

4.) Nightwing

- We're now on Year 3 of this celebrated run on Nightwing by writer Tom Taylor and artist Bruno Redondo - and it continues to be the crown jewel in DC Comics' monthly slate. Taylor just seems to inherently get how to do great serialized superhero comics. His stories are impeccably paced, perfectly plotted, and filled with great character moments. And he writes to artist Redondo, letting him soar with innovate layouts and design and smooth-as-silk action. Nightwing will always be a fan-favorite character, but this run is definitely something special.

5.) Wonder Woman

- This run by Tom King (yep, him again) is only just now heating up - but holy lord, it's a barn-burner. It's Wonder Woman and her fellow Amazons vs. an angry and militant US government, told in epic, intense fashion. King isn't afraid to get gritty and political, and the result is a story that feels urgent and timely and important. Only a few issues in, it's already a strong candidate for the best Wonder Woman story ever told. And I'm sure James Gunn and company at Warner Bros are taking note.

6.) Poison Ivy

- G. Willow Wilson's Poison Ivy is now an ongoing series, and it's been an incredibly well done character study and psych-exam of a villainous character trying to do some good. Wilson has unlocked the full potential of one of DC's iconic evildoers, crafting a trippy, psychedelic road-trip saga that goes deep into the screwed-up heart of America. It's a complete 180 from the teen-pop-bubblegum of Wilson's celebrated run on Ms. Marvel, but it's just as strong of a work.

 
7.) The Penguin

- And another one by Tom King (and not the last!). I told you, he's having a banner year. King's still-going Penguin series is an incredibly gripping and entertaining comeback story - telling of the Gotham villain's return to the city after a forced exile. Seeing The Penguin scheme and manipulate his way from the bottom of the food chain to try to reclaim his spot as criminal kingpin makes for one of the year's best reads. And King keeps introducing new supporting cast members and antagonists who have become instant favorites - like, for instance, The Help - essentially the anti-Alfred, a demented butler who is the ultimate minion of evil.

8.) Love Everlasting

- Tom King again. One of my favorite series from last year continued to be a superb read in 2023. For those not in the know, Love Everlasting is a surreal homage to and parody of old golden age romance comics - with a devious twist. Its main character Elsa is continually flung from one romance plot to another, even as she desperately searches for the meta-villain responsible for damning her to this strange purgatory. It's great stuff, and the evocative art by Elsa Charretier only adds to the vibe. 

 

 

9.) Ultimate Invasion

- Few writers can kick off a story like Jonathan Hickman. The first chapter of Ultimate Invasion - his game-changing Marvel series featuring a reality-altering, evil version of Mr. Fantastic - was one hell of a page turner. Hickman thinks on such a grand, cosmic level that his stories seem to expand your mind in real time - leaving you obsessed with the possibilities of what it all means and where things might go from here. Ultimate Invasion was Hickman at this strongest - and while the ending didn't quite live up to the beginning ... man, what a crazy, enjoyable journey this one proved to be.

10.) W0rldTr33

- James Tynion has written some of the best comics of the last several years - from The Department of Truth to The Nice House On The Lake. And while W0rldTr33 still needs some time before we can really get a sense of its full potential, it's undoubtedly off to one heck of a start. I mean, what a premise: back in the 90's, a group of young internet pioneers discovered a dark "undernet" that contained deadly, world-ending secrets. Now, years later, those secrets are finally revealed - in the form of a killer, hypnotic virus that turns ordinary people into vicious murderers. This one is compelling, disturbing, and original. Excited for more in 2024.

 

THE NEXT BEST

 

 

11.) Batman

 

- Writer Chip Zdarsky continued his run on Batman in epic fashion this year. Heavy on epic action and psychological depth, Zdarsky has spent a lot of time focused on the darker elements within Bruce Wayne's tortured psyche. Each story arc has been great thus far, so I hope this ends up being a long run.

 

 

12.) Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville

 

- This book was an awesome surprise - a return to the 80's-era "bwa-ha-ha" Justice League, but with a modern spin. Writer Joanne Farrer imbues her leads - DC comics stalwarts Fire and Ice - with personality to spare. There's humor and fun, but also a sense of lived-in authenticity, as the longtime friends take up residence in Smallville and try to give their stuck-in-a-rut lives a fresh coat of paint.

 

 

13.) Saga

 

- Saga once again had only a limited number of new issues released in 2023 before leaving for yet another hiatus. But it's hard to be too upset, because the book, when it releases, is still one of the best. Brian K. Vaughan's writing is as sharp as ever, and Fiona Staples' distinct art is still a bar-raiser. If you've not yet sampled Saga, it's one of the best comics of the last ten years - a witty, twisty space opera from one of the best creative teams ever assembled.

 

 

14.) Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent

 

- Tom Taylor brought the same sort of great superhero storytelling to Superman's son, Jon Kent, as he did to Nightwing. Taylor used the opportunity of a relatively fresh slate with Jon to tell the kinds of stories you can't exactly tell with his father. Jon is still learning the ropes, figuring out right from wrong, and learning to navigate tricky moral grey areas. Which made his adventures - like a foray into the dark alternate universe of the Injustice videogames - all the more compelling. 

15.) Danger Street

- Okay, one more book by Tom King to close out my Top 15. And I'll be honest, I was a little iffy on Danger Street in 2022 when it began. But it really picked up in 2023, and produced maybe my single favorite issue of a comic book this year: Issue #9's epic battle between two unstoppable assassins - a deadly, high stakes chess-match for the ages. For those not in the know, Danger Street was King's attempt to take a bunch of more obscure DC Comics characters and put them in a strange, quirky adventure that celebrates all of their collective weirdness. Characters like Warlord, The Creeper, and the very-outdatedly-named Lady Cop join forces and find themselves at odds as they attempt to solve a strange mystery. It took a while to coalesce, but ultimately, I kind of loved this one. Great art by Jorge Fornés. And what a year for Tom King.

OTHER FAVORITES FROM 2023

Fire Power
Dark Ride
Birds of Prey
Junkyard Joe
Captain America

Miracleman: The Silver Age
Wesley Dodds: The Sandman
Alan Scott: The Green Lantern
Peacemaker: Tries Hard!
Batman - One Bad Day: Ra's Al Ghul
Stargirl: Lost Children
Phantom Road
Fishflies
Batman/Superman: World's Finest
Universal Monsters: Dracula
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles / Stranger Things
Green Arrow
Batman White Knight Presents: Generation Joker
Titans
Justice Society of America

 

WRITERS OF THE YEAR:

1.) Tom King (The Human Target, Wonder Woman, The Penguin, Danger Street, Love Everlasting)
2.) Ed Brubaker (Night Fever, Where The Body Was)

3.) Ryan North (Fantastic Four)
4.) Tom Taylor (Nightwing, The Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent, Titans)
5.) G. Willow Wilson (Poison Ivy)

6.) Jonathan Hickman (Ultimate Invasion)
7.) James Tynion IV (W0rldTr33, Universal Monsters: Dracula)
8.) Chip Zdarsky (Batman, Batman: Knight)

9.) Brian K. Vaughan (Saga)

10.) Joanne Starer (Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville)

 

ARTISTS OF THE YEAR:

1.) Greg Smallwood (The Human Target)
2.) Sean Phillips (Night Fever, Where The Body Was)
3.) Jorge Fornés (Danger Street)

4.) Fernando Blanco (W0rldTr33)
5.) Bruno Redondo (Nightwing)

6.) Daniel Sampere (Wonder Woman)
7.) Fiona Staples (Saga)

8.) Bryan Hitch (Ultimate Invasion)

9.) Natacha Bustos (Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville)

10.) Elsa Charretier (Love Everlasting)

THE BEST OF 2022 - The Best COMICS Of The Year

 

 

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. 

 

THE NEXT BEST

 

- Okay, there were a few more comics from 2022 that I just couldn't leave off the list, so ...

 

 

11.) Nightwing

 

- For the second consecutive year, writer Tom Taylor has helped to make Nightwing, arguably, the best and most consistent ongoing book in the DC Comics stable. He's aided greatly by the incredible artwork of Bruno Redondo, which is pure poetry-in-motion.

 

 

12.) Batman (Chip Zdarsky run)

 

- It's still fairly early in the run, but ever since taking over writing duties on the mainline Batman book, writer Chip Zdarsky has been absolutely crushing it. His initial story arc - about a fail-safe anti-Batman android (created, of course, by Batman) determined to kill its creator at any cost - has been an epic instant classic.

 

 

13.) Saga

 

- Saga returned in 2022, only to then begin another long hiatus after a several month run. And that's a shame, because Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staple's humanistic space-opera epic came back as good as ever. I'm eagerly awaiting the book's eventual return, because it's unquestionably one of the best comics of the last ten years.

 

 

14.) True Kvlt

 

- I mentioned above that True Kvlt was one of my favorite new-comic-discoveries of the year. I mean, how can you not sort of love a quirky crime comic about fast food employees gone rogue? The book's obsession with the inner workings of the fast food service industry prove just as fascinating as its crazy Satanic cult storyline. 

15.) Lazarus: Risen

- Okay, Lazarus: Risen only had one new issue in 2022 (granted, it was a huge, oversized issue) - but still, I can't help but include it here because, hey, Lazarus is one of the best comic book series ever - and in 2022 we got closure on a number of key storylines that have been building for years. Writer Greg Rucka is one of the best, and his future saga about a world ruled by warring corporations proves all-the-more-plausible (sadly) with each passing year.

OTHER FAVORITES FROM 2022

- GCPD: The Blue Wall

- Dark Ride

- Stargirl: The Lost Children

- The Nice House on the Lake

- Junkyard Joe

- Batman: Beyond the White Knight

- Batman: The Knight

- Flashpoint Beyond

- I Am Batman

- Detective Comics (Mariko Tamaki run)

- Batman - One Bad Day: Two Face

- The Closet

- The New Champion of Shazam!

- Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty

- The Joker

- Dark Spaces: Wildfire

- Fables

- Firepower

- Batgirls

- Captain Marvel

- Canary

- Superman: Son of Kal-El

 

WRITERS OF THE YEAR:

1.) Tom King (The Human Target, Love Everlasting, Gotham City: Year One)
2.) Ed Brubaker (Reckless)

3.) Tom Taylor (Nightwing, Superman: Son of Kal-El)
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)

9.) Joshua Williamson (Rogues, Dark Ride)

10.) Geoff Johns (Flashpoint Beyond, Stargirl: The Lost Children, Junkyard Joe)

 

ARTISTS OF THE YEAR:

1.) Bruno Redondo (Nightwing)
2.) Greg Smallwood (The Human Target)
3.) Sean Phillips (Reckless)

4.) Fiona Staples (Saga)
5.) Jorge Jiménez (Batman)
6.) Elsa Charretier (Love Everlasting)
7.) Phil Hester (Gotham City: Year One)

8.) Leomacs (Rogues)
9.) Sean Murphy (Batman: Beyond the White Knight)

10.) Martin Simmonds (The Department of Truth)

THE BEST OF 2021 - The Best COMICS Of The Year

THE BEST COMICS OF 2021:

- As with 2020, comic books were, for me, one of the great comforts of this crazy, mixed-up pandemic year. Perusing the Comixology website to buy my weekly digital books became an important ritual - a guarantee that, no matter how insane or dire things out in the real world got, I'd still be able to look forward to some quality time curled up with my iPad and some comic books - because really, what's better than that?

While comic distribution stuck to a pretty regular schedule this year, the market still felt like it was missing some of its heavy hitters. Brian K. Vaughn, for example, was mostly MIA - his fan-favorite sci-fi adventure Saga now slated for a 2022 return. But nature abhors a vacuum, and this meant that I discovered a lot of new favorite creative talent this year. Writer Mariko Tamaki is a prime example - until recently, I wasn't at all familiar with her work - but she wowed me this year with her versatile writing on DC's flagship Batman book Detective Comics and on their banter-filled father-daughter team-up book Crush & Lobo. Additionally, rising stars really found their groove this year - James Tynion IV went from "one of my new favorites" to "maybe the best in the biz right now," with his stellar, cerebral, page-turning work on everything from DC's Batman and related spinoffs to Image books like The Department of Truth and The Nice House on the Lake. 

Speaking of DC, they had a pretty good year. Their Batman books enjoyed one of the more engaging big-event stories in a while in the Tynion and Tamaki-penned Fear State saga, about an authoritarian regime known as The Magistrate taking over Gotham (with the help of the villainous Scarecrow). The mainline story, as well as its various spin-off one-shots, were excellent. DC also continued to use its recent status-quo changes (thanks to events like Infinite Frontier) to bring back long-missing pieces of its continuity from limbo, like fan-favorite characters Connor Hawke (who popped up in the Robin comic) or the original members of the JSA (also featured on the TV series Stargirl). Now that the pieces are in place, I hope that DC can really deliver on some can't-miss big event storytelling next year. 

As for Marvel, I tend to be more into their standalone stories as opposed to their big events. This year saw acclaimed writer Jonathan Hickman wind down his celebrated run on X-Men, which was one of my favorite books of 2020 and continued to entertain me so long as Hickman and his unique, mind-bending storytelling were driving things. I also continue to be a huge fan of writer Kelly Thompson and the fun, witty, action-packed vibe she brings to her Marvel books like Captain Marvel and Black Widow.

Of course, so much of what's great about comics is the cool stuff that can be found on the fringes. There's always more to discover - new books to find, new writers and artists to become a fan of. So I hope you enjoy my picks below, and maybe even find a new favorite comic book.

Oh, and one more thing! After years of thinking about it, this coming year I'm actually doing it - I'm writing and publishing my own comic book! Yep, keep an eye out for HALLOWEEN TEAM - coming in 2022 - written by me, with art by the uber-talented Matt Shults. It's going to be awesome.

 

DANNY'S BEST COMICS OF 2021:


1.) The Department of Truth

- James Tynion's ongoing book from Image has, gradually, became my favorite comic going today. It's a dark, thought-provoking X-Files for the current era, with a brilliant twist on the classic conspiracy theory genre: that conspiracy theories are only true when enough people believe them to be so. This metaphysical spin allows Tynion to really dig into modern American history, and explore exactly why and how certain ideas developed from fiction into supposed fact - from the Kennedy assassination to the "Satanic Panic" of the 80's to urban legends about aliens, Bigfoot, and more. If you want to really go down the rabbit hole, you've got to read this one.

2.) Reckless

- For the second year in a row, Ed Brubaker's graphic novel series Reckless is near the top of my list. With two new Reckless books out this year, Brubaker again shows why he's absolutely one of the best to ever write comics and one of the true masters of pulp crime-fiction. Set in the seedy Los Angeles of the 1980's, these brutal, page-turning pulp-fictions are filled with compelling mysteries and memorable characters. Brubaker at his best (and fantastic art from his partner in crime Sean Phillips as well).

3.) The Nice House On The Lake

- And here's James Tynion again - with another book with a banger of a premise: a group of people whose only connection is a mysterious mutual friend end up in an isolated vacation home together, only to discover that the world has ended and they - thanks to the supernatural influence of their friend - are the earth's last survivors. Killer premise aside, Tynion makes each chapter pack a punch - with well-drawn characters and cliffhangers a plenty.

4.) The Other History of the DC Universe

- This one made my Top 10 list last year despite being only one issue in - and so of course it's back again for 2021, now that award-winning screenwriter John Ridley has completed his sprawling profiles of some of DC Comics most underutilized heroes of color. Ridley deftly mixes the DC Universe's most seismic storylines with the real-world politics and news stories of of the era in which each issue takes place. In doing so, Ridley not only gives new depth to characters like Katana and Renee Montoya, but also succeeds in giving a broader historical and socio-political context to the DC comics of various decades. A masterwork.


5.) Rorschach

- Many understandably rolled their eyes at the idea of writer Tom King doing a Watchmen pseudo-sequel series. DC had made rather prolific use of the once-untouchable characters from Alan Moore's classic in recent years, and it was easy to wonder if this was a bridge best not crossed. But Tom King truly brought his A-game to this one - and crafted a wonderfully intriguing mystery that blends the impending-doom deconstruction of Watchmen with the style and aesthetic of classic 70's paranoid conspiracy thriller films. The result is a surprisingly fantastic maxiseries that really wowed me, featuring an unexpected spin on one of Watchmen's iconic characters.

6.) Batman: Fear State - Secret Files Specials (Miracle Molly, Peacekeeper-01, The Gardner)

- As I mentioned above, the big Batman event of 2021, Fear State, was pretty excellent. The story detailed Gotham on the brink of a full-fledged dystopia, with Batman having to rely on new allies and new tactics to not just stop the badguys, but win over the people of Gotham to his side. While the main story that ran through monthly books like Batman and Detective Comics was very good, the true highlights of the event were the series of "Secret Files" specials, each written by James Tynion (there's that name again!), and each spotlighting one of the new characters introduced as part of this event. The standout, to me, was Miracle Molly - the leader of an underground revolutionary group who Batman forms a reluctant partnership with. The story of how Molly mind-wipes herself in order to cleanse herself of mental baggage - consequences be damned - was both harrowing and affecting.

 
7.) Crush & Lobo

- Lobo is an iconic DC character - an over-the-top riff on antiheroes like Wolverine, Lobo quickly developed his own fanboy following throughout the 90's. But what to do in 2021 with a character whose central joke is perhaps slightly played out? Easy - give him a badass but still self-doubting LGBTQ teenaged daughter named Crush. Crush, introduced a few years ago over in the Teen Titans comics, has become one of DC's breakout characters, and it was great to see her get the spotlight here. Written by new fave Mariko Tamaki, this was a fun, banter-filled outer space adventure with humor and heart a-plenty.


8.) The Joker

- Okay, fine - one more book from James Tynion on my Top 10 (yep, the guy was everywhere this year). But The Joker is more than deserving of placement on this list. And it's funny, because I don't know that almost anyone was sold that The Joker needed his own series. But the genius here is that this isn't *really* a Joker series - it's a James Gordon series. And it's a series that dives deep into the long, messy history between Gordon and the Joker, and takes a hard look at the moral difficulties of being a purveyor of justice in an unjust world that would allow an insane killer like The Joker to continually cause havoc. A great read month in and month out.


9.) Nightwing

- Yes, it was a good year for the Bat-family books. Nightwing has had a lot of strong runs over the last couple of decades, but the character is currently enjoying another renaissance thanks to the fantastic creative team of writer Tom Taylor and artist Bruno Redondo. From great relationship-y stuff (Taylor addresses the will-they/won't-they Dick Grayson/Barbara Gordon romance head-on, with a lot of nuance and heart) to really interesting social justice questions (Dick uses his fortune in interesting ways to help the people of his adopted hometown Bludhaven) - Taylor gives a little bit of everything here. And Redondo's smooth, cinematic art makes the action scenes sing.


10.) Mazebook

- Jeff Lemire had another prolific year in 2021 (not to mention his seminal Sweet Tooth series getting adapted for Netflix). I'm a big fan of almost all of his work, and in 2021 I enjoyed everything from his Black Hammer franchise books to a weird pets-in-space sci-fi story called Primordial. But my favorite of his 2021 output was Mazebook from Dark Horse Comics - a very intimate story that's also a real page-turner. Written and drawn by Lemire, it's the story of a middle-aged man convinced that his long-dead daughter might still, somehow, be alive - and that solving a strange, all-encompassing maze might be the key to finding her. This is the kind of story that Lemire always nails, and I hope we get more like this from him in 2022.


OTHER FAVORITES FROM 2021:

Batman (James Tynion run)
Detective Comics (Mariko Tamaki run)
Captain Marvel by Kelly Thompson
Robin by Joshua Williamson
Black Hammer: Reborn
Catwoman by Ram V
Fantastic Four: Life Story
Life Is Strange
The Human Target
X-Men: Inferno
Fantastic Four by Dan Slott
Task Force Z
Superman and the Authority
The United States of Captain America
Batman: Urban Legends
Lazarus: Risen
Shadecraft
Batman: The Adventure Continues
The Next Batman
Dark Knights of Steel
Firepower
One-Star Squadron
Deathstroke Inc.
Stranger Things: The Tomb of Ybwen
Swamp Thing by Ram V
Made in Korea
Home
Barbalien: Red Planet
Superman '78
Action Comics by Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Superman: Son of Kal-El
Far Sector 

WRITERS OF THE YEAR:

1.) James Tynion IV (The Department of Truth, The Joker, Batman, The Nice House On The Lake)
2.) Mariko Tamaki (Detective Comics, Crush & Lobo)
3.) John Ridley (The Other History of the DC Universe, The Next Batman)
4.) Ed Brubaker (Reckless)
5.) Tom Taylor (Nightwing, Dark Knights of Steel)
6.) Jeff Lemire (Mazebook, Black Hammer: Reborn)
7.) Tom King (Rorschach, The Human Target)
8.) Matthew Rosenberg (Batman: Urban Legends, Task Force Z)
9.) Joshua Williamson (Robin, Deathstroke Inc.)
10.) Mark Russell (Fantastic Four: Life Story, One-Star Squadron)


ARTISTS OF THE YEAR:

1.) Bruno Redondo (Nightwing)
2.) Sean Phillips (Reckless)
3.) Dan Mora (Detective Comics)
4.) Jorge Fornes (Rorschach)
5.) Martin Simmonds (The Department of Truth)
6.) Alvaro Martinez (The Nice House on the Lake)
7.) Mike Perkins (Swamp Thing)
8.) Jorge Fornés (Rorschach)
9.) Amancay Nahuelpan (Crush & Lobo)
10.) Jeff Lemire (Mazebook)

 

THE BEST OF 2020 - The Best COMICS Of The Year

THE BEST COMICS OF 2020:

- 2020 was a trying year for the comics industry. The pandemic put even more strain on already-challenged comic book stores. Major conventions like WonderCon and Comic-Con were cancelled - as were smaller cons around the country and around the world. And the early months of lockdown saw publishing schedules in disarray, as, for weeks on end, books were delayed or just plain MIA. 

But, man - was I ever thankful for comics this year. As we all struggled to cope with the new normal of the pandemic, logging on to Comixology each week (now on Tuesdays!) was a much-needed and always-exciting ritual and event. Eventually, publishing got back on track, and having that weekly dosage of escapism and storytelling was crucial. This was a year where we needed heroes - we needed inspiration, we needed imagination, and we needed art. And comics provided that in spades - from new takes on classic superheroes to mind-bending sci-fi to gritty crime stories - there was a great diversity of great stories this year. And in the absence of big superhero blockbusters on the big-screen, comics gave us the brightly-colored superhero epics we craved. We got heroes that were just plain fun and badass and awesome (Kelly Thompson's runs on Marvel's Captain Marvel and Black Widow), and heroes that dealt with current-day issues like bigotry and racism head-on (John Ridley's DC Comics magnum opus The Other History of the DC Universe, Gene Luen Yang's Superman Smashes the Klan). We got more riveting work from some of today's best writers - like Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, Robert Kirkman, and Jeff Lemire. We even got movie and game tie-in comics - like Blade Runner 2019 and Life Is Strange - that were unexpectedly excellent. 

So like I said last year: read comics. We need them now more than ever. 

Here are some of my favorites from this past year.


DANNY'S BEST COMICS OF 2020:


1.) Pulp

This year, writer Ed Brubaker - aka arguably the best comics writer working today (or, arguably, the best writer - period ...) decided to eschew weekly comics for standalone graphic novels. The results, predictably, were pretty spectacular. His first, Pulp, was a flat-out masterpiece - an incredibly-crafted story about a former Wild West outlaw turned small-time thief. Now an aging, past-his-prime relic in the late 1930's, the man once known as The Red River Kid must pull one last score, with an unexpected target. Pulp is, as the title suggests, pulp fiction of the highest order. It's a masterclass in pulp-noir writing - with stunning and atmospheric art from Brubaker's frequent collaborator Sean Phillips to boot. This was the comic of the year, and further evidence that Brubaker and Phillips are the best in the game.


2.) Reckless

- And here we have Exhibit B of Brubaker and Phillips' undisputed greatness - their second graphic novel of 2020, Reckless. I mean, look - I wanted this list to be diverse - but when you have a creative team putting out two stone-cold classics in one year, you've got to give them their due. Reckless is classic Brubaker/Phillips - hard-boiled crime-noir storytelling about a broken man in a hard-edged world seeking justice. The difference here vs. Pulp is that Reckless is designed to be the first in a series of stories about the book's star - former FBI agent and former undercover Weather Underground member Ethan Reckless. It's gloriously pulpy - with its 80's LA noir setting, colorful cast of characters, and twisty mystery story. And man is it good. I can't wait for more.


3.) The Other History of the DC Universe

- As 2020 comes to a close, we're only one issue into screenwriter John Ridley's multi-part DC Comics epic - but already, it has the makings of a new classic. Ridley's conceit is that he's mixing real-world and DC Comics history to tell a story about America and about superheroes, from the perspective of characters who are of color, who are LGBTQ, who have often been relegated to the fringes of the DC Universe. The first issue gives us a biographical story of Jefferson Pierce - aka Black Lightning - and takes us through the decades as he comes up as black superhero in a world where such a thing is rare. Ridley pulls no punches here, taking aim at everyone from Ronald Reagan to Superman - and the result is an ultra-compelling, thought-provoking read. Bring on the next chapters.


4.) Black Magick

- After long gaps and delays between issues, in 2020, we finally got a sustained run of writer Greg Rucka and artist Nicola Scott's amazing supernatural series Black Magick. The story of modern-day witch Rowan Black, the comic combines real-feeling characters with a sprawling mythology that spans centuries. And the art by Nicola Scott is incredible - stunning black and white, peppered with the occasional burst of color. While it looks like, sadly, we're headed for another hiatus for the series in 2021 ... I'm so glad we got more of this book this year. 


5.) Superman Smashes The Klan

- Writer Gene Luen Yang gave us a deceptively powerful Superman story for the ages with this one, which concluded its multi-part tale at the beginning of 2020. The story, based on a classic episode of the old Superman radio show, sees Superman take on the KKK in the 1940's. This felt like the Superman we needed in 2020 - even if the book is set decades ago. It's a Superman who stands up for the oppressed, who speaks out, and who attacks hatred and bigotry head-on. 


6.) Black Widow

-  Kelly Thompson continues to be one of my favorite writers. I was a big fan of her work writing Hawkeye, and this year she's been killin' it on two of Marvel's best ongoing books - Captain Marvel and Black Widow. Black Widow got a reboot this year, in theory timed to the ultimately-delayed movie. But who needs a movie when you've got an incredible BW comic coming out every month? What Thompson has done here is brilliant - giving Black Widow a husband, a kid, a regular job, and ... no memory of her life as a super-spy/superhero. The ongoing mystery of what the heck is going on has been a joy to watch unfold, made all the better by Thompson's knack for quippy dialogue and fast-paced action.


7.) Dark Knights - Death Metal: The Secret Origin

- DC's sprawling Dark Knights - Death Metal saga is finally reaching its long-time-coming conclusion in January. The epic story chronicles the final battle between DC's biggest heroes and their evil, mirror-universe counterparts from a sinister "dark multiverse," led by the all-powerful Batman Who Laughs - a nightmarish mash-up of Batman and The Joker. Along the way, there have been numerous side stories and spin-offs - the strongest of which has, easily, been The Secret Origin. Written by Geoff Johns - the DC writer who quickly rose to fame (and an executive position within Warner Bros) over the last two decades - The Secret Origin actually marks one of the only comics written by the once-prolific Johns over the last several months (I'll cut him some slack - he's been writing movie scripts and showrunning the fantastic series Stargirl). But The Secret Origin lets Johns provide a final chapter for one of his most memorable characters - the once-innocent, now-evil villain known as Superboy Prime. In this awesome story, Prime gets one final shot at redemption - and Johns makes the character's final fate both moving and epic.


8.) Lazarus: Risen

- Another year, another spot reserved for Greg Rucka's long-running masterpiece Lazarus on my Top 10 list. Lazarus started out as a monthly comic book - a grimly bleak near-future dystopian tale about a world ruled by ruthless corporations locked in Game of Thrones-style perpetual conflict. A few years ago, the book evolved to become Lazarus: Risen - releasing oversized quarterly issues that feature extra pages of prose stories to compliment the main comic. And man, with each passing year, our own reality seems to inch closer to that of the one in Lazarus. Rucka even writes mini-articles in the back pages that discuss how our real world and his fictional one seem to be converging. But Lazarus remains top-tier comics. A must-read.


9.) Blade Runner 2019

- A comic that hit my radar in 2019 became one of my full-fledged faves in 2020. This new entry in the Blade Runner canon is damn good, giving us an entirely new story in the world of the films - one that gives us a great new lead character in the form of a blade runner (and, eventually, ex-blade runner) named Aahna "Ash" Ashina. Ash is a great new protagonist - a morally-conflicted, hard-boiled badass in the grand Blade Runner tradition. And the comic does a great job of throwing her into the deep end, in a story that mixes the familiar with the new in pretty brilliant fashion If you're a fan of the franchise, this one is essential.


10.) Fire Power

- Robert Kirkman, the maestro behind The Walking Dead, hit it out of the park with the oversized #0 issue of his latest series, Fire Power. That first issue gave us a mini martial arts epic - the story of a young man who travels to a distant mountain monastery, to train with a secretive clan of kung-fu warriors who've mastered the use of fire as a weapon. Awesome, right? Well - twist! (Kirkman is pretty good at those ...) It turns out that was just a prelude - the series then flashed forward decades, and our hero now lives a quiet suburban life with a wife and kids ... until his past comes calling. It's great, page-turning stuff - made even better by the ultra-fluid, cinematic art of Chris Samnee. 


Other Favorites from 2020:

• Rorshach
• The Department of Truth
• Captain Marvel by Kelly Thompson
• Hawkman by Robert Venditti
• The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage
• The Boys: Dear Becky
• Justice League Dark by Ram V
• Batgirl by Cecil Castellucci
• Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy
• Lois Lane
• Batman and the Outsiders
• Basketfull of Heads
• X-Men by Jonathan Hickman
• Sweet Tooth: The Return
• Ascender
• Oblivion Song
• Nightwing by Dan Jurgens
• Teen Titans by Robbie Thompson
• Detective Comics by Peter Tomasi
• Ms. Marvel
• Captain America by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Gideon Falls
• Fantastic Four by Dan Slott
• Doctor Doom
• Life Is Strange

WRITERS OF THE YEAR:

1.) Ed Brubaker (Pulp, Reckless)
2.) Greg Rucka (Black Magick, Lazarus, Lois Lane)

3.) Kelly Thompson (Black Widow, Captain Marvel)
4.) Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth: The Return, Ascender, Gideon Falls, The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage)
5.) Robert Kirkman (Fire Power, Oblivion Song)
6.) John Ridley (The Other History of the DC Universe)
7.) Gene Luen Yang (Superman Smashes the Klan)
8.) Mike Johnson and Michael Green (Blade Runner 2019)
9.) Peter Tomasi (Detective Comics)
10.) Ram V (Justice League Dark, Catwoman)


ARTISTS OF THE YEAR:

1.) Sean Phillips (Pulp, Reckless)
2.) Nicola Scott (Black Magick)
3.) Chris Samnee (Fire Power)
4.) Fernando Pasarin (Hawkman)

5.) Russ Braun (The Boys: Dear Becky)
6.) Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth: The Return)
7.) Elena Casagrande (Black Widow)
8.) Jorge Fornés (Rorschach)
9.) Andrea Sorrentino (Gideon Falls)
10.) Carlo Pagulayan (Batman)

The Best of the 10's - Danny's Best Comic Books of the Decade!

THE BEST COMICS OF THE 2010's:


1. Saga

- In  the oo's, writer Brian K. Vaughan gave us one of the best-ever comic book series in Y: The Last Man. In the 10's, BKV returned with an incredible follow-up that is already a classic - and it's still going. Saga is a sci-fi space epic- beautifully illustrated by Fiona Staples - that mixes family drama with wry social commentary and an incredible sense of imagination and sense of wonder. Read it!


2. The Walking Dead

- The Walking Dead's long run spanned well over a decade, but man, it was still going strong in the '10's. Early in the decade, writer Robert Kirkman shook up his zombie-apocalypse epic with the introduction of iconic psycho-villain Negan. At the end of the decade, Kirkman shocked fans by surprise-ending the book with a powerfully emotional, full-circle ending. A page-turner to the end.


3. Locke & Key

- Joe Hill's masterpiece, Locke & Key put Hill on the map as a gifted writer with a similar knack for mixing chilling horror with grounded characters as his sorta-famous dad (Stephen King!). The book started in 2008, but ultimately reached its incredible conclusion in 2013. In the end, it was one of the great comic books of the decade, if not ever.


4. Lazarus

-Greg Rucka's near-future, post-apocalyptic masterwork is still running (see one of 2019's top comics, Lazarus: Risen) - but it is, easily, one of the best books of the decade. The series imagines a scenario where mega-corporations rule all - and it feels like an all-too-plausible scenario given the world we live in.


5. Sweet Tooth

- Sweet Tooth made me a fan for life of writer/artist Jeff Lemire - multiple works of whom are on this list. But Sweet Tooth - a sprawling, coming-of-age sci-fi epic - is, I think, his magnum opus. It introduced us to Gus - an unassuming boy who's half human, half deer. Gus' strange journey of self-discover leads to an unlikely adventure that's an all-time comic book classic.


6. Ms. Marvel

- The best and most vital superhero fiction of the decade, G. Willow Wilson gave us the Marvel superhero we needed in the 2010's. Kamala Khan was and is awesome - a geeky teen girl, who also happens to be Muslim, who also happens to have stretching powers as a result of an encounter with Terrigan Mist. Kamala is completely ordinary, yet also unlike any superhero we've ever seen before. And her message of hope and unity is so important.


7. Alex + Ada

- Over the last ten years, I became a huge fan of the collected works of the Luna Brothers. I went back and read through their entire back-catalog (Girls, The Sword, Ultra, etc.), and excitedly picked up each issue of Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn's Alex + Ada as they came out. The series was a thought-provoking sci-fi story that covered similar ground to TV series like Westworld and Humans - but with that humanistic touch that the Lunas are so good at.


8. Hawkeye (Matt Fraction / Alex Aja)

- Even if you have no real interest in superheroes or Marvel, I'd still highly recommend this series. Matt Fraction took the least-powerful Avenger and recast him as a down-on-his-luck protector of a shabby New York neighborhood. The series was funny, innovative, and just incredibly well-written.


9. Southern Bastards

- Jason Aaron's southern-gothic crime comic is one of my all-time favorites. It skewers Southern culture while also paying tribute to it. The overarching story - about a folk hero who returns to his backwoods town to clean things up once and for all (targeting a gang led by the town's villainous high school football coach!).


10. Kill or Be Killed

-Ed Brubaker has been one of my favorite writers for the last 20 years or so. And he continues to be at the top of his game, putting out maybe his best work yet in the form of Kill Or Be Killed. This hard-boiled crime comic - with a possibly-supernatural twist - tells the twisted tale of a mentally-unbalanced man convinced he has to kill people, or else fall victim to a vengeful demon who controls his fate. It's weird, crazy, and something that only Brubaker could make work.


THE NEXT BEST:


11. Punk Rock Jesus

- This politically-charged series put writer/artist Sean Murphy on my radar - and he's since gone on to become one of my favorites.


12. Animal Man (Jeff Lemire / Travel Foreman)

- When DC rebooted itself early in the decade with the New 52, the early standout was Lemire's haunting, strange take on Animal Man. 


13. Batman (Scott Snyder / Greg Capullo)

- Speaking of the New 52, writer Scott Snyder gave us one of the definitive runs on Batman following the DC reboot - introducing such instant-classic villains as The Court of Owls.


14. Jonah Hex / All-Star Western

- Writer Jimmy Palmiotti began writing the adventures of DC's classic Western hero Jonah Hex some 15 years ago, but his extended run continued into this decade with many additional years' worth of classic stories.


15. Batgirl (Brian Q. Miller / Lee Garbett)

- I will always have a soft spot for this sadly short-lived run on Batgirl. It took the fan favorite, girl-next-door character of Stephanie Brown - also known as The Spoiler - and promoted her to Batgirl in a run that was a constant delight (and with awesome Lee Garbett artwork to boot).


16. Paper Girls

- Brian K. Vaughan's *other* great work of the decade was Paper Girls. This time-travel adventure took a page from 80's classics like The Goonies, transporting a group of street-smart paper-delivery girls on a time-spanning journey that looked back across the decades to tell us who we were then, who we are now, and who me maybe, just might, be in the decades to come.


17. Invincible

- As for Robert Kirkman's other long-running comic book epic, Invincible began well before 2010, but finished up its long, celebrated run in 2018. In that time, Kirkman used the creative freedom of writing an independent superhero book to age his characters - telling the story of how super-powered Mark Grayson went from awkward teenager to dedicated husband and father. 


18. Silver Surfer (Dan Slott / Mike Allred)

- Dan Slott's take on the Silver Surfer was a whimsical, inspirational cosmic odyssey and an unlikely love story. Mike Allred's one-of-a-kind artwork made the book that much cooler.


19. Multiversity

- In one fell swoop, Grant Morrison re-invented the DC Universe and left it forever changed. Only Morrison could introduce DC's 52-world multiverse with so much imagination, awe, and wonder.


20. Injustice

- One of the most unlikely awesome comics of the decade, to be sure. What could have been a cash-in videogame tie-in instead became one of the best DC Universe epics of the decade, thanks to the great writing of Tom Taylor. 


21. Black Hammer

- Jeff Lemire does it again. Lemire's superhero deconstruction led to an entire universe of stories that played with and subverted decade's worth of comic book tropes and cliches. Lemire's work was both homage and satire, and it was brilliant.


22. Fatale

- Another of the decade's many great Ed Brubaker books, Fatale was a supernatural noir that mixed a classic femme fatale story with Lovecraftian cosmic horror.


23. The Wake

- Scott Snyder writes. Sean Murphy draws. A comic book dream team if ever there was one. This underwater thriller combined Lost-like mystery with crazy monster-horror. 


24. Royal City

- One more from Lemire. This more grounded, personal comic tells the story of a family torn apart, and then reunited under difficult circumstances. Lemire tells a moving, haunting story that is among his best.


25. Mister Miracle

- Writer Tom King and artist Mitch Gerads take Jack Kirby's classic New Gods characters and reinvent them as ... regular people? Well, actually - what's brilliant about this series is how it deftly, sometimes hilariously, mixes everyday issues with the cosmic drama of Kirby's Fourth World.


JUST MISSED THE CUT:

- Superman (Peter Tomasi)
- Batman Inc.
- House of X / Powers of X
- Criminal
- The Fade Out
- Trillium
- Sex Criminals
- Black Magick
- Jupiter's Circle
- Darth Vader (Kieron Gillen)

The Best of the 10's - Danny's Best Videogames of the Decade!

THE BEST GAMES OF THE 2010's:

(in my very subjective opinion ...)

Okay ... let me actually preface this with a disclaimer. This is really my list of "favorite" games from the past decade. Some are higher on the list by virtue of the sheer amount of time I spent on them. Some are lower because, while amazing, I never quite saw them through to completion and there was something that held me back from going the distance. But these are the games that, over the last ten years, I enjoyed the most.


1. The Last of Us

- Games have always been about visceral experience. But The Last of Us is one of the best games ever at combining intense gameplay with a genuinely emotional narrative experience. The narrative fed back into the gameplay and vice versa. It was seamless. It was unforgettable. It was art. The Last Of Us is the greatest game of the decade, in my humble opinion.


2. Super Mario Odyssey

- Before I got a Switch, I had been without a Nintendo console since the day of Super Nintendo. And Super Mario Odyssey reminded me of how much I had missed the sorts of incredibly imaginative, ingenious adventures that only Nintendo can deliver. A masterpiece.


3. Horizon: Zero Dawn

- I often find myself struggling to fully commit to the big, epic, open-world games of this generation. But I made an exception for Horizon: Zero Dawn and I'm glad I did. A gorgeously-rendered game, the adventure had thrilling action but also a compelling post-post-apocalyptic narrative.


4. The Walking Dead

- A milestone for great narratives in games, Telltale's The Walking Dead was a throwback to the golden age of point and click adventure games. It started a wave of narrative-based games, and it showed just how good of a story a videogame could tell. This game was a horror game, a zombie game - but ultimately it was an emotional game.


5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

- Another bit of Nintendo magic, this one combines classic Zelda tropes with a Skyrim-like open world. The sense of discovery in this game is unparalleled. It's just fun and awe-inspiring to wander around the world and find new places and quests and dungeons.


6. Batman: Arkham City

- Batman: Arkham Asylum gave us one hell of a Batman game, but its open-world sequel gave us a true Batman epic. This game really made you feel like the Dark Knight, and had some great writing and voice-acting to boot. Its sequel, Arkham Knight, was cool too - but it couldn't quite match the brilliance of this one.


7. Life Is Strange

- I love the world of Life is Strange (can you tell I love great videogame narratives?). This game has its own, unique style that I think is super-cool. The characters are awesome. The time-travel conceit is great. The narrative is affecting and intense and will make you feel all of the emotions. One of my favorite gaming experiences ever.


8. God of War

- A bold reinvention of a modern-classic franchise, God of War for PS4 crafted a more story-based game that was surprisingly awesome. You still had the kind of epic action that the series was known for, but the new GoW had a previously-unseen level of narrative depth. "Boy!"


9. Inside

- This past decade saw an amazing boom of cool indie games, and one of my favorites was Inside. A creepy, mysterious 2-D action/puzzle game, Inside led you down a strange rabbit hole. It was one of the most engaging games I've played.


10. Skyrim

- Skyrim created a feeling like no other game to that point. You were in an open world of magic and adventure, and the sky was truly the limit. My experience with this one was a little weird. I bought it on PS3, a system on which it really struggled. I eventually re-bought it on PS4, and gained a new appreciation for how good the game is and how cool its world is. Truly a standard-setter.



THE NEXT BEST:


11. Rocket League

- The best 2-player game of the decade, Rocket League was addictive, competitive fun.


12. Nier: Automata

- A fantastic action game that's weird and unpredictable and just aesthetically amazing.


13. The Wolf Among Us

- Another of Telltale's best, this adventure took the world of the Fables comic book and brought it to life.


14. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

- The Uncharted series is one of my favorite videogame franchises ever, and it came to a satisfying end with the fourth and final (?) installment. Naughty Dog are the masters of narrative-driven action/adventure games, and it's amazing how often the aesthetics of Uncharted pop-up both in other games and in movies and TV.


15. Bioshock Infinite

- The original Bioshock was a groundbreaking game, and its long-awaited successor was also pretty amazing in its own right. With a super cool steampunk aesthetic and a whole new dystopian world to explore, this game ruled.


16. Injustice: Gods Among Us

- The original Injustice game was a can't-miss combo of Mortal Kombat gameplay with DC Comics superheroes and villains. My brother and I engaged in endless battles in this game - it was always a great time.


17. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

- This should probably be higher on the list - it's an all-time great game. I just moved it down several notches because I still don't feel like I've spent enough time with the game to properly rate it. I want to go back! Suffice it to say, one of the most engaging and well-made RPG's ever.


18. Spider-Man

- Combine the superlative development prowess of Insomniac with Spider-Man and you have a can't-miss proposition. An incredible cool, fun game that combines smooth-as-silk gameplay with excelsior-worthy storytelling.


19. Hollow Knight

- Another of the best indie gems from this decade, Hollow Knight provides classic (if at times super challenging!) Metroidvania gameplay with an absolutely amazing cartoon art-style.


20. Control

- My favorite game of 2019, Control is a unique action game that had an ultra-compelling, Lynch-ian aesthetic and super fun psychic-power shooter gameplay.

THE BEST OF 2019 - The Best COMICS Of The Year

THE BEST COMICS OF 2019:

- One great thing about comics is: they can always surprise you. Some of my go-to, comfort-food books/characters went through some creative slumps this year - kind of a bummer, sure ... but it let me to expand my horizons a bit and try some things I may not have normally tried. Some new comics that I had no real expectations for blew me away, and some that I figured were overhyped more than lived up to that hype. Comics are certainly guilty of recycling - plots, characters, deaths/resurrections, new continuity/old continuity. But they are also an endless source of the new. Want to find the next cool thing before it becomes a movie or TV show that everyone is talking about? Read comics. Want to see an idea that you've *never* seen before, that's truly original? Read comics.

Message being: read comics. Here are some of my favorites from this past year.


DANNY'S BEST COMICS OF 2019:


1.) Criminal

I know, I know - it's becoming cliche for me to have whatever's new from writer Ed Brubaker at or near the top of my annual list. But Brubaker is just that good. He has a knack for writing dark, moody noir and crime comics - but he somehow manages to squeeze in amazing characters and perfectly-plotted story arcs into his books too. Criminal is a new ongoing series that picks up threads and characters from the writer's popular series of "Criminal" graphic novels. You don't have to have read those to read the new book, but there are some cool/interesting tie-ins. Basically though, Criminal is a book about ... criminals, doing crimes. That sounds simple, and it is, but the book is also an incredibly-written series of mini-arcs about the hows and whys of these lifer criminals. How did they fall into a life of vice and crime? Why can't they escape it? If you want a quick primer on Criminal, read the Bad Weekend graphic novel that collects issues #2 and #3 of the series. It's a fantastic self-contained story about an aging, down-on-his-luck comic book artist who tries to steal some of his own original art to pay back some debts.


2.) Paper Girls

- Paper Girls wrapped up in 2019, and Brian K. Vaughan's time-travel adventure will go down as an all-time classic. Vaughan rarely disappoints, but Paper Girls had a unique combination of nostalgia, great characters, and a twisty plot that makes it among the author's best works to date. Imagine Stranger Things meets Back to the Future meets the wit and storytelling greatness of BKV. A must-read. Luckily, there is more BKV on the way soon - his long-running cosmic epic Saga returns from hiatus in 2020.


3.) The Walking Dead

- After well over a decade, The Walking Dead unexpectedly ended in 2019, and it really felt like the end of an era. Robert Kirkman's zombie apocalypse epic found new momentum has it headed towards the finish line - ultimately dropping a surprise, flash-forward ending that wrapped up the series in undeniably moving fashion. At its best, TWD was the ultimate page-turner - with Kirkman delivering one jaw-dropping cliffhanger after another - and some of the shockers leading up the big ending were up there as among the series' most holy-$#&% moments. Thank you Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard for one of the all-time best-ever ongoing comic series.


4.) House of X / Powers of X

- I was never a huge reader of X-Men comics, but over the years I have become a big fan of writer Jonathan Hickman. Hickman has a way of creating hyper-imaginative, mind-bending narratives that have the driving intensity of a Christopher Nolan movie mixed with the unbridled weirdness of a Grant Morrison comic. But man, Hickman really knocked it out of the park with his 2019 X-Men reboot for Marvel - crafting a sprawling, epic story that sees Professor Xavier join with Magneto to form the new island nation of Krakoa - a home for all mutants good and evil. Plot-wise, Hickman created a new status quo that can and will give birth to endless cool stories. Stylistically, he created a crazy, time-spanning narrative that kept me eagerly anticipating each new installment.


5.) Lois Lane

- Writer Greg Rucka gave us the Lois Lane we needed in 2019 - a brilliant, tough-as-nails reporter who fights for truth and freedom of the press, all while butting heads with corrupt politicians who try to write her off as "fake news." Rucka gives us spot-on, no-BS political commentary mixed in with intriguing DC Comics mystery. It makes you appreciate the real life Lois Lanes who are out there fighting for truth to power. This is not your grandma's Lois Lane, and thank god for that.


6.) Harleen

-  This one shocked me. DC's Black Label - its new mature-readers imprint - has predictably been churning out a lot of Joker-related content timed with the new film. It felt like a new Joker or Harley Quinn book was coming out nearly every week. But on a whim, I picked up Harleen, and couldn't put it down. Writer/artist Stjepan Šejić gives us a deep dive into the psyche of a young Dr. Harleen Quinzel - re-imagining her origin story as a dark and twisted tumble down the rabbit hole of insanity.


7.) Female Furies

- Another unexpected gem from DC, this book, written by Cecil Castellucci, was a look at Jack Kirby's classic New Gods through a modern, 2019 lens. I've always loved Kirby's weird and colorful Fourth World characters. I love the cheesy names, the gaudy costumes, and the epic, Shakespearean mythology. But to see the usually fun-but-one-note Furies given a story that looks at misogyny on Apokolips and the fight for gender equality among Darkseid's elite female guard? That's no easy feat to pull off - but Castelluci does it with resonance, humor, and panache.


8.) Lazarus: Risen

- One of the best comics of the decade returned in 2019, with a new quarterly schedule and a new 64-page-per-issue format. I'd still prefer that this one came out monthly, but I'll take what I can get - as Lazarus remains one of the best and most chillingly relevant books going today. If you don't know, imagine a near-future, post-apocalyptic Game of Thrones type scenario. The world is run by mega-corporations and the families that own them. A few lucky serfs get to serve the families. All others are "waste." And, oh yeah, each family has a genetically-modified super warrior called a Lazarus that leads its combat forces. And in Lazarus: Risen, we're now seeing what happens when Forever - the Lazarus of North America's Carlyle family - realizes the true nature of what she is. Slight spoiler: she's not happy.


9.) Black Hammer: Age of Doom

- Black Hammer is another of the best books of the decade, that came to an (at least temporary) end in 2019. Jeff Lemire's long-running Black Hammer universe provides a fun, witty deconstruction of superheroes - telling the story of a group of heroes stranded in a pocket dimension, trying to figure out the mystery of how they got there and how they can get back. Imagine Lost, but for superheroes? Anyways, Lemire is one of the best writers in the biz, and in Age of Doom he skillfully brought the main Black Hammer story to a meta, mind-bending conclusion. If you've not yet sampled Black Hammer - you've got some good reading ahead of you.


10.) Wonder Twins

- Here's one more surprising gem from DC - a re-imagining of the Wonder Twins (of Superfriends cartoon fame) as the teen interns for the Justice League. What could have been lame is in fact one of the best comics of the year - as writer Mark Russell brings an Adult Swim-esque sense of random wackiness to the book, making it a genuinely hilarious read. It brings the bwa-ha-ha to DC Comics like nothing else has since the old 80's Justice League book, and mixes in some wry satire with absurdist hijinks. I'm glad that the powers that be at DC "activated" this new Wonder Twins book - it's good!


Other Favorites from 2019:

• Life is Strange
• Batman: Curse of the White Knight
• Batman by Ton King
• Fantastic Four by Dan Slott
• Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson
• The Magnificent Ms. Marvel by Saladin Ahmed
• DCeased
• Captain Marvel by Kelly Thompson
• American Carnage
• Batman: Last Knight on Earth
• Blade Runner
• Skyward
• Oblivion Song
• The Batman Who Laughs
• Silencer
• Snotgirl
• Ascender
• Teen Titans by Adam Glass
• Superman Smashes The Klan
• Green Lantern by Grant Morrison
• Captain America by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Gideon Falls

WRITERS OF THE YEAR:

1.) Jonathan Hickman (House of X / Powers of X)
2.) Ed Brubaker (Criminal)
3.) Jeff Lemire (Black Hammer: Age of Doom, Ascender, Gideon Falls)
4.) Brian K. Vaughan (Paper Girls, Saga)
5.) Greg Rucka (Lois Lane, Lazarus: Risen)
6.) Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Oblivion Song)
7.) Stjepan Šejić (Harleen)
8.) Cecil Castellucci (Female Furies, Batgirl)
9.) Scott Snyder (The Batman Who Laughs, Batman: Last Knight on Earth, Justice League)
10.) Mark Russell (Wonder Twins)


ARTISTS OF THE YEAR:

1.) Stjepan Šejić (Harleen)
2.) Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls)
3.) Sean Phillips (Criminal)
4.) Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead)
5.) Gary Frank (Doomsday Clock)
6.) Pepe Larraz (House of X)
7.) Mike Perkins (Lois Lane)
8.) Liam Sharp (Green Lantern)
9.) Sean Murphy (Batman: Curse of the White Knight)
10.) Stephen Byrne (Wonder Twins)