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 2022 - The Best ROCK Of The Year

 

- When I look back at 2022, it will in many ways be a tale of two halves of a year. Going into 2022, it felt like, after multiple years of pandemic-induced precautions, things might finally be getting back to some degree of normalcy. There were so many things I was looking forward to finally doing again this year - and of course, a big part of that included concert-going.

I had seen some great shows in 2021, but I started 2022 out with a bang by seeing my first ever Sparks concert. I had become an instant fan after seeing Edgar Wright's Sparks Brothers documentary, and I could not wait to see them in person. The February show - at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA -  did not disappoint. The legendary Mael brothers who comprise the band were as amazing as ever, putting on an amazing, career-spanning show. Later, in April, I once again saw one of my all-time favorites, Alice Cooper, in concert at the Greek theater in LA. The concert would prove historic - as it was one of the final Alice shows featuring guitar virtuoso Nita Strauss, who I'd also become a huge fan of over the years. Nita would leave the band that summer to pursue solo efforts, but man, I'm glad I got to see her play with Alice Cooper one more time. In May, I saw the memorable musical Hadestown - featuring songs that evoked classic folk and blues music. In June, I was seemingly recovered from a rough bout with COVID and feeling ready to rock (literally and metaphorically) once again. I saw an incredible "Weird" Al Yankovic show that once again saw Al forego playing his parody hits in favor of original songs and rarities. It was great to see the legendary Al in concert again, and after some major bumps in the road with COVID, things were looking up.

Until they weren't. In early July some of my nagging, lingering COVID symptoms erupted into full-on Long COVID. I suffered debilitating vertigo attacks that then morphed into persistent dizziness, and then into lightheadedness. My blood pressure spiked, I got weird rashes and muscle/joint pains, and had strange bouts of blurry vision. And that, unfortunately, has been the crazy reality that's characterized the second half of my 2022. I wasn't able to go into the office, congregate with friends, or even drive. Through the ups and downs of my ongoing symptoms, I tried my best to still go out when I could. In September, I somehow made it to a live production of Jagged Little Pill - based on the Alanis Morissette album of the same name - at the Pantages theater. And it was fantastic. But overall, I've been very limited these last several months. And I struggled at times to keep my spirits up when so much seemed to be working against me. 

And that, as always, is where music played a huge role for me. I remember the moment I got the latest Interrupters album and gave it a listen. During the height of my Long COVID issues, I heard their song "Jailbird" - and the punk rock anthem felt like the perfect song for that moment. "Strung out adrenaline junkie / My heart pounds, but I look like a zombie / There's wires crossed inside my brain / And broken tracks lead to runaway trains." It's amazing how the right music can take a melancholy feeling and turn it into a rebellious rallying cry. There's some kind of alchemy there that works magic - that lifts us up, inspires us, and energizes us to scream, scratch, claw, and fight no matter how tired we may be. This past year we lost the rock icon Meat Loaf (following last year's loss of his legendary collaborator, Jim Steinman). I always joked that Meat Loaf's songs were so epic that they could make even doing laundry feel like an adventure. Such is the power of a great song. So yeah - long live the spirit of rock n' roll. And as always, for those about to rock: I salute you.

DANNY'S TOP ROCK SONGS OF 2022:


1.) The Interrupters - "Jailbird"

- I've been a huge fan of The Interrupters for years now, and I'm eternally grateful that they help to keep 90's/00's-style punk rock alive and well, while still experimenting and evolving. Their latest album In the Wild was another strong entry in their canon, but "Jailbird," to me, was the standout song. As I mention above, it's a simple fist-pumping punk anthem that nevertheless contains some affecting lyrics that speak to the moment we're in. Dealing with our own health and wellbeing. Trying to get our minds and bodies to function properly. It can all be a lot, but this song turns the despair into a rallying cry.

2.) The Interrupters - "Raised By Wolves"

- One more from The Interrupters. "Raised By Wolves" is a bit less uptempo than a typical Interrupters song, and that speaks to the continued evolution of the band that I mention above. But yeah, this song is one of the band's best - a clearly personal reflection on coming up in hard times and having to fend for yourself and find your own pack. Singer Aimee Allen's soulful wolf-cries are the icing on the cake.

 

3.) Billy Idol - "Cage"

- Yes, seriously. 80's legend Billy Idol had a new album this year, and it contained some genuinely incredible songs - chief among them "Cage," an absolutely banging rocker that will have you pumping your fist in the air like it's 1985. Idol's more grizzled sound - an inevitability of age - only adds to the primal power of this one.

4.) Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs - "Electric Gypsy"

- The 2017 death of the great Tom Petty still haunts me ... but this year I took comfort that key members of The Heartbreakers are still out there, making great classic rock music just like old times. Petty's legendary guitarist Mike Campbell has his own band now, and they put out one heck of an album this year. Check out "Electric Gypsy" for some down n' dirty, blues-y rock that just never goes out of style.

5.) Paramore - "This Is Why"

- Yes, part of me still laments the fact that Paramore moved so far away from their harder-edged hard rock roots. But there's no denying that "This Is Why" is a fantastic alt-rock/dance-rock tune that would get any bar or club (or personal at-home dance party) hopping. Hayley Williams belts out the uber-catchy chorus with aplomb - it's a party anthem for the stay-at-home era.

6.) The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Burning"

- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs released their first new album in several years in 2022, and there appears to be no ring-rust, so to speak. Their music is as atmospheric and immersive as ever, ready-made for epic movie trailer montages and the like. "Burning" is one of those new songs that feels like it's already existed for decades.

7.) Scorpions - "Rock Believer"

- Somehow, Scorpions just keep on truckin', delivering awesome new arena-ready rock anthems year after year, decade after decade. While some may dismiss the band as 80's relics, the fact is that they never really stopped putting out great new rock music. In 2022, we got yet another new Scorpions album - and while not, as a whole, a classic - it does contain at least one certified new classic in "Rock Believer." A bit cheesy? Sure. But in these dark times I'll gladly take a bit of cheese with my crazy-burger.

8.) Ghost - "Darkness at the Heart of My Love"

- Ghost has really emerged as one of my favorite modern rock bands - a weird but potent mix of Smashing Pumpkins goth-metal and 80's-style over-the-top arena rock. "Darkness at the Heart of My Love" has that goth-horror tinge for sure, but at its heart it's a good, old-fashioned, slow-building 80's-style power ballad. So get ready to pump your fist and play some air guitar along with this one.

9.) Falling in Reverse - "Zombified"

- This year, the WWE wrestler formerly known as Paige - now going by her given name of Saraya - made her long-awaited return to the wrestling ring for ring for rival AEW. Her grand entrance was made all the more epic by the kickass rock song that accompanied it, and I was immediately curious about this new entrance theme. Turns out, it's a new song from band Falling in Reverse - and it rules. All you need is that opening growl of "zombified!" to know you're about to get rocked.


10.) Avril Lavigne - "Love Sux"

- It's no secret that I've long had a soft spot for Avril Lavigne's brand of brash, bratty pop-punk - and this year she came out with a legitimately great new album that was a return to 2000's-era Avril that was sure to give Millennials everywhere a rush of nostalgia. "Love Sux" is maybe my favorite from the new album, a ridiculously shameless rock song with lyrics like "let's play a game of tic-tac-toe /
I'ma go and make all my exes say 'Oh." If that kind of stuff is your jam, then yeah, Avril came through for you in a big way in 2022.