THE BEST OF 2017 - The Best COMICS Of The Year

 
THE BEST COMICS OF 2017:

- 2017 was in many ways a great year for comics - although it was also, I think, a year of identity crisis. Thanks to the continued prevalence of superheroes in movies and on TV, more people are getting into comics than ever - and that has, justifiably, led to calls for more diversity in terms of both content and creators. But how the industry has handled its newly-diversified fanbase has exposed a lot of growing pains. Just recently, Marvel cancelled several fan-favorite books featuring female and/or diverse lead characters - and this comes a few months after Marvel execs warned that too much of a focus on diversity had hurt their sales. To me and many other fans, that sounds like an excuse to stick to the tried and true, instead of a real plan for growth and change. Personally, while I enjoyed several books from DC and Marvel this year, I also - especially by year's end - grew weary of the same handful of creator names popping up again and again and again. Creators who have done decent work at best keep getting put on the highest profile DC and Marvel books, while brand new names and faces are rare. It was nice to find those new, promising creators this year where possible. Take Kelly Thompson, who really wowed me with her Hawkeye series at Marvel, that focuses on female Hawkeye Kate Bishop. It's a more than worthy follow-up to Matt Fraction's seminal run. Thompson also did a really fun Captain Phasma miniseries that served as a nice prelude to The Last Jedi. With Hawkeye's unceremonious cancellation, I'm curious to see where Thompson goes next. That said, a lot of stuff I read and really enjoyed in 2017 was admittedly from longtime favorite creators - names like Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, and Jeff Lemire. These are guys whose writing I will never tire of - and the emergence over the last several years of Image, Dark Horse, and other publishers who stand aside and let creators do their thing has allowed these amazing writers to put out some career best work in recent years.

Comics also directly addressed the current political climate in 2017. I think there was a lot of unfair criticism of Nick Spencer's run on Captain America, and the spin-off crossover epic Secret Empire. For those unaware, Secret Empire presented a version of Cap from an alternate past that merged with and overwrote the main timeline. This Cap was raised and mentored by evil, Nazi-esque organization Hydra, and ended up taking over the world by force - until eventually being toppled by a heroic resistance (a big theme of 2017!) and the returned-from-cosmic-purgatory real-deal Cap. Secret Empire was a really dark, oftentimes disturbing story - and parts of it didn't quite work. And yet ... I liked it. It was big, bold, and interesting - and yes, its corrupted version of Cap was all too reminiscent of America in 2017: a dark, twisted version of the idealistic place it's supposed to be. Ultimately, the evil Cap was taken down (this is comics, after all) - and so hope remained even in the wake of a very dark moment. That same hope is what continued to power Marvel's best book, Ms. Marvel, in 2017. Kamala Khan has been the hero we needed over the last few years - and in 2017 writer G. Willow Wilson continued to address the issues facing our country with spirit, spunk, humor, and humanity. Marvel: don't even think about cancelling this book.

DC, meanwhile, wisely re-shaped some of its biggest heroes to be more inspirational for our dark times. Superman was perhaps the biggest and best change - going from young, alienated outsider in the now-ditched New 52 continuity, to noble father figure, family man, and elder statesman in the revised Rebirth version of the DC Universe. This was a much-needed change, and the Superman books have continued to be a lot better - and a lot more Superman-like - since the start of Rebirth last year. That said, many DC books seemed to collapse under the weight of a bi-weekly publishing schedule this year - a lot of pretty-good books, from The Flash to Green Arrow - just seemed to run out of steam as the year came to a close. I hope that DC re-thinks the frequency at which they publish their key books - because two issues per month is just too much and inevitably leads to both fan and creator burn-out. Still, DC often seems to find success with left-field content. Their Super-Sons book, which pairs Superman's son Jonathan Kent with Batman's son Damian Wayne, has been a lot of fun. So too has New Super-Man, a book about the superheroes of China. The new Mister Miracle book from Tom King is a trippy delight. DC even published a bunch of DC/Looney Tunes crossovers this year that produced one of the biggest surprises of the year - a Batman/Elmer Fudd story that was legitimately incredible (seriously!).

But as I alluded to above, what's made comics the best they've ever been over the last few years has been the rise of smaller publishers - who are taking chances and giving new and established creators room to do their thing. The amount of interesting, original, imaginative, boundary-pushing comics out there from Image and others is staggering - it's hard to keep up. And you can bet that many of these books are going to end up as tomorrow's next big TV or movie franchises.

 
DANNY'S BEST COMICS OF 2017:

1.) Kill Or Be Killed

- A lot of stories are easy to sum up: oh, this story, it's about X, Y, and Z - it falls into this genre, and the point of it is ... this. But when it comes to Ed Brubaker's superlative Kill Or Be Killed, well, I'm still not sure how to describe it, where it's all going, or what, exactly to take away from it. I just trust in Brubaker and go along for the ride. What I do know is that this comic contains the best writing of any comic currently being published, and great, atmospheric, moody art from Brubaker's frequent collaborator Sean Phillips. I do know that it's, on the surface, about a seemingly average (maybe a bit mentally unstable) guy, who has visions that compel him to don a red hood and go out into the streets and kill bad people. I do know that the comic presents all kinds of fascinating moral grey areas, some amazingly multilayered characters, and a story that's unpredictable as hell. I know that I can't wait for each new issue. And I'm not sure, but I am starting to sense that this might just be the best thing Brubaker's ever written in his storied career. This book is dark, twisted, and really, really compelling.

2.) Black Hammer

- Black Hammer continued to be amazing in 2017. You might think: haven't we seen enough superhero deconstructions at this point? And we have. But Jeff Lemire makes room for one more with Black Hammer - a brilliant superhero deconstruction that differentiates itself by both 100% embracing all the silly conventions of superhero storytelling, but also pulling back the curtain and adding unexpected layers of complexity to each of its very identifiable superhero archetypes. Black Hammer went on hiatus earlier this year - and I can't wait to see what happens when it resumes. But in the meantime, Lemire's been penning an equally great spin-off called Sherlock Frankenstein & The Legion of Evil, that fills in some of the world of the series. Lemire has been a favorite writer for several years now, but man, he had an absolutely killer 2017 - and Black Hammer is proof.

3.) Royal City

- And here's Lemire again. Royal City is written *and* drawn by Lemire, and Lemire's evocative, water-color-esque style is perfect for this book - giving the grounded, slice-of-life story an added layer of dreamlike nostalgia. Royal City is the story of a broken family living in a seen-better-days industrial town. The family is haunted - figuratively (and maybe literally!) by the ghost of one of their own - the family's youngest son who died tragically when he was a teenager. The book spans multiple decades and paints a moving portrait of a American life. It's still early, but when all is said and done, this may just be Lemire's masterpiece.

4.) Lazarus / Lazarus X+66

- Greg Rucka's sprawling dystopian epic Lazarus has been one of my favorite books for many years now, but in 2017, it really, disturbingly, felt like the near-future world of this series was reflecting back on our actual reality. In Trump's America, Lazarus' fractured world - ruled by corporations and the elite families that run them (all others are "waste") - seemed less like a far-fetched sci-fi vision and more like an all-too-real possibility. And what propped up Lazarus on my list this year was not just this new relevancy, but also the large amount of related material that came out in 2017. Rucka has put together uber-compelling Source Books that provide all sorts of interesting detail about the world of Lazarus. And he's also penned the "Lazarus X+66" spin-off, a look at various side characters and events in the Lazarus world. X+66 has been a fantastic read. Looking forward to the soon-to-arrive TV series, too.

5.) Paper Girls

- Brian K. Vaughan's charming sci-fi series - about a bunch of 1980's paper girls who get caught up in a time-hopping adventure - is consistently one of the best reads month in and month out. It's amazing, because when you look out there at the pop-culture landscape, Vaughan's trademark style of blending high-concept sci-fi with grounded characters, witty dialogue, and relatable human drama is now *everywhere.* But he really was the innovator, back when his seminal Y: The Last Man was the biggest thing going in comics. Paper Girls is Vaughan at his best - it's got awe and wonder-packed sci-fi on one hand, and great, grounded, impeccably-written characters on the other. It's got nostalgia, it's got social commentary, it's got adventure, it's got amazing art from Cliff Chiang. Read it.

6.) Ms. Marvel

- As I mentioned above, Ms. Marvel is, no question, the crown jewel in Marvel Comics' slate. It's fresh, funny, relevant - and it tackles everything from racism to religion to teenage awkwardness with equal parts humor, empathy, and optimism. Ms. Marvel has actively changed the way I think about certain things, and it's inspired me - made me think that even in these divisive times, we can rally around each other and support people trying to do right and help others. Kamala is a hero for right now and a hero for all of us. What a great, important, and most importantly fun comic book.

7.) Hawkeye

- Matt Fraction's celebrated run on Hawkeye is one of my favorite modern comics - so I was excited to get more adventures of Kate Bishop, presented in a similarly irreverent style. What I didn't expect was how much writer Kelly Thompson would both expand on the great character work that Fraction did with Bishop, but also how much she'd make the book and the character her own. The book is fun, innovative, often hilarious. The art is stylized and stylish. And Kate Bishop continues to be one of the most likable characters in the Marvel stable. Marvel is really missing the mark in cancelling this one.

8.) Saga

- After a bit of a slump last year, Brian K. Vaughan's now long-running Saga rebounded this year with some great story-arcs, and plenty of those big, issue-ending, holy-$&%# moments that Vaughan does so well. The book still occasionally feels like it's treading water, but at this point it's also simply a pleasure to open up a new issue, spend time with these characters, and of course to revel in Fiona Staples' amazingly unique and imaginative art. I'm hoping that Saga really kicks into high gear again in 2018, but there's also no question that 2017 re-affirmed just how great this book can be.

9.) Black Magick

- Another great Greg Rucka book. Black Magic wowed me with its debut last year, but then went on a long hiatus before finally resurfacing in 2017. And man, I'm happy it did. The book combines Rucka's penchant for gritty crime drama with the added element of magic and mysticism, and an intriguing backstory that delves into the history of witchcraft. With a more consistent publishing schedule in 2017, Black Magick affirmed itself as one of the most compelling books out there. And man, the Nicola Scott art is quite simply incredible - stunning black-and-white line work, with the occasional burst of color to emphasize the presence of magic. I can't wait to see where this one goes in 2017.

10.) Batman

- Where does a character go after writer Scott Snyder wrapped up an all-time classic run? Well, DC wisely brought in writer Tom King for what has quickly become another classic run in the making. Paired with a litany of all-star artists, King has kept fans guessing with his unique take on the Dark Knight. We've seen the introduction of new heroes like Gotham Girl, the long-awaited engagement of Batman and Catwoman, and an end-of-year arc that saw a memorable double date turned adventure that paired Batman/Catwoman with Superman/Lois Lane. Batman, with Tom King at the helm, remains DC's best book.

THE NEXT BEST:

11.) Silver Surfer

- The long run of writer Dan Slott and artist Mike Allred came to a close this year, and it will go down as one of my all-time favorite superhero runs in recent years. Slott gave the Surfer a whimsical flair, pairing him with plucky, polka-dot wearing love-interest Dawn Greenwood, and sending the two on all sorts of far-out cosmic adventures. The series was brought to life by the always-incredible, one-of-a-kind art of Mike Allred - whose pencils were a perfect match for the series' trippy, fantastical tone. I will miss this one now that it's over.

12.) Batman: White Knight

- This miniseries is still ongoing, but it's shaping up to be another classic from writer/artist Sean Murphy (who gave us the modern classic Punk Rock Jesus). In this "what-if?" story, a reformed and newly-sane Joker is tasked with bringing down an out-of-control Batman. It's an ingenious role reversal and I can't wait to see how it ends.

13.) Snotgirl

- Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O'Malley continues to make Snotgirl into a unique, one-of-a-kind comic that I still can't quite believe I like as much as I do. A satirical, hyper-stylized mystery centered around a vapid, image-conscious fashion blogger and her equally self-absorbed friends? Sounds miserable, right? And yet, O'Malley brilliantly finds the humanity within these seemingly repellent characters, and gives them just enough self-awareness to make us root for them even as we cringe at their terribleness. This one is a total trip, and I can't recommend it enough.

14.) Dark Knights: Metal (Tie-Ins)

- Scott Snyder's DC mega-event Dark Knights: Metal has been a mixed bag so far. It's going for cosmic insanity in the vein of Grant Morrison's acid-trip superhero epics, but for me has been sort of flat and messy. That said, this is the rare big superhero event in which the tie-ins are actually way better than the main story. Really! I've been positively loving the one-shots coming out in parallel to the main event, each detailing the origin story of one of Dark Knights: Metal's twisted, evil Batmen. Hailing from the "dark multiverse," each evil Batman origin story has proven to be a wonderfully dark "what-if?" about a Bruce Wayne who gets turned to the dark side.

15.) Southern Bastards

- Over the last few years, Jason Aaron's Southern Bastards has been at or near the top of my Best of the Year lists. It's one of the best comics of the last decade, bar none. So why further down in 2017? It's really just a matter of the book's publishing schedule, which has been ... sporadic, if I'm being kind. Jason Aaron has become one of the busiest and most in-demand writers in the biz, so it's no big mystery what's up. But man, I hope we get more Bastards in 2018. This dark, southern-noir tale of a town where high school football is everything - and players and coach's will literally kill in the name of victory - is always a must-read when there is new material. And in 2017, things started to get very intriguing as focus shifted to Berta Tubb, estranged daughter of original protagonist Earl - who's come back to Craw County to avenge her dad. More, please!

16.) Darth Vader

- I dropped almost all of Marvel's Star Wars books this year, after a noticeable dip in quality on some of the main titles. However, I picked up their latest Darth Vader series when I saw that it was written by Cullen Bunn - a man who knows how to write great villains. Bunn did a bang up job on DC's much-missed Sinestro book, and he's killing it on Vader. The book tackles an intriguing moment in the Star Wars timeline: Anakin's early days as Vader, just after the events of Episode III. Bunn is giving us the young, ultra-badass, ass-kicking Vader that we got a glimpse of in Rogue One - and I'm digging it.

17.) Superman

- Writer Peter Tomasi is really on a roll at DC. One of the company's go-to writers for many years now, Tomasi has helped re-invigorate Superman by making Superman a husband and a dad. Suddenly, the stakes feel higher for ol' Clark Kent, and the character has new life. Between Tomasi's work on Superman, and Super-book mainstay Dan Jurgens' solid storytelling on Action Comics, this is the most consistently good Superman has been in ages.

18.) Nightwing

- Nightwing is always a fan-favorite for the DC faithful, but his solo books have had their ups and downs over the years. So I give writer Tim Seeley credit for having such a great, sustained run with the character. Since the start of DC Rebirth, Seeley has both paid homage to the past (by bringing Nightwing back to Bludhaven, and bringing back updated versions of a lot of the side characters from Chuck Dixon's classic 90's run) and created a solid foundation for the future (creating a great new character / love interest in Shawn Tsang, aka The Defacer). Here's hoping the momentum continues, even with Seeley now off the book.

19.) Eternal Empire

- Don't be surprised if this one is much higher on the list next year. Eternal Empire is the latest book from one of my favorite creative teams in comics - Jonathan Luna and Sara Vaughn - who brought us my recent pick for Best Comic of the Year, Alex + Ada. This one is their take on Game of Thrones-style high fantasy, and it's really just getting started. It's still sort of in the world-building phase. But this story of two on-the-run former slaves with a magical connection to each other is poised to be one of 2018's best books. Stay tuned.

20.) Invincible

- Man, am I bummed that Robert Kirkman's long-running superhero epic is about to come to an end. As I type this, there's only one more issue left (releasing in January) of Invincible - and it's been bittersweet reading Kirkman's final run of stories on this one, which have helped ensure that the books goes out on a high note. Invincible's been one of my favorites for several years now, and if I'm being honest, Kirkman's unique melding of self-aware humor with high-adventure and fast-paced, high-concept sci-fi has been a notable influence on my own writing. I love the unique tone Kirkman gave this book, and I love that it was a superhero book (really the only one), that let its story evolve organically, free from the constraints of corporate overlords multimedia tie-ins. One of the all-time great superhero comics.

21.) Super-Sons

- Peter Tomasi has another great Super book on his hands with this one. A fun, lighthearted pairing of wide-eyed Jonathan Kent (now Superboy) and know-it-all Damian Wayne (now Robin), Tomasi's book is filled with fun banter and high adventure. Added bonus: a recent issue that focused on a team-up of various Super-Pets. This one doesn't mind getting crazy, and that's why I'm digging it.

22.) Descender

- So yeah, in addition to knocking it out of the park with Black Hammer and Royal City, Jeff Lemire's *also* still writing his sci-fi space epic Descender. How he does it, I don't know. But Descender - the saga of a diminutive robot who may be the key to saving the galaxy - is still a really solid read, with all kinds of Mass Effect-esque intrigue and super cool art from Dustin Nguyen.

23.) New Super-Man

- When you read a lot of comics, you start to see a lot of the same old, same old - especially as far as superhero books go. So it's cool just how different and refreshing Gene Luen Yang's characters, stories, and setting are - and how unique of a hero Keenan Kong really is. The book has let Keenan - aka The Super-Man of China - grow from obnoxious teen to battle-tested hero over the course of the last few years, and it's been a lot of fun to watch.

24.) Captain America

- As I talked about above, I think Nick Spencer's run on Captain America and Secret Empire was a bit unfairly maligned. Let's give Spencer credit - he penned one of the boldest, riskiest, and ambitious superhero stories of recent years. It wasn't just a random gimmick - Spencer really did a deep dive into exploring what made Hydra Cap tick, and did so in a way that held a mirror up to our own political reality. A lot of it worked for me, and I looked forward to each new chapter of the story throughout Spencer's run. Yes, the just-started Mark Waid run is a perhaps welcome return to classic superheroics. But that run wouldn't pop the way it had Nick Spencer not so thoroughly shook things up.

25.) The Walking Dead

- While the TV adaptation has really hit a creative low, Robert Kirkman's comic book continues to produce fun, interesting stories that are, as per usual, true page-turners. If only the show would learn from the book's pacing and storytelling. In any case, 2017 saw the conclusion of the Whisperers storyline, an evolution in the relationship between Rick and Negan, and the heartbreaking death of one of the series' longest-running, most beloved characters in Andrea. While the TV show could barely keep my attention, the comic continued to keep me on the edge of my seat.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

- Mr. Miracle
- Birds of Prey
- Green Lanterns
- Deathstroke
- Detective Comics
- Reborn
- The Flash
- Green Arrow
- The American Way
- War Stories

SPECIAL MENTIONS:

After Death

- What - more Jeff Lemire? Yep. In addition to everything else the guy did, he also collaborated with writer Scott Snyder on the graphic novel After Death - the third and final chapter of which came out in 2017. This one is a must-read. It's a high-concept look at a future where death has been eradicated for a select few. It blends prose pages and comic book pages to masterful effect. It's maybe the best thing Snyder's ever written and some of the best art Lemire's ever produced. It's one you won't soon forget.

Penny Dreadful

- Okay, this one is pretty niche, but if you're like me and loved the recent Showtime series Penny Dreadful - but were left wanting more by its somewhat abrupt ending ... well, this is the comic for you. Penned by some of the show's creative team, the new comic is the final season of Penny Dreadful we never got - a big adventure that picks up right where the series left off, and feels spot-on in terms of nailing the characters and tone of the series. Not to be confused with the not-so-great comic that came out while the show is on the air, this still-ongoing book is actually a must-read for the Dreadful faithful.

Batman / Elmer Fudd

- Yes. Seriously. A Batman / Elmer Fudd comic is one of the best things I read this year. It's by Tom King, so there's that. But it's legitimately amazing. I know, I was skeptical too. Just read it and trust me.

DC Holiday Special 2017

- Oftentimes DC will put out a big Holiday special compendium of short comic stories, and typically they are a mixed bag. But there are sometimes some real gems in these books, and this year's special produced one of the best DC Comics stories of the year - written by (no surprise) Tom King. King penned a World War II set, Hanukkah-themed story about classic DC character Sgt. Rock - and it's amazing. To say too much would be to spoil it, but seek out this story if you like good comics! A new holiday classic from Tom King and DC.

WRITERS OF THE YEAR:

1.) Jeff Lemire (Black Hammer, Royal City, Descender)
2.) Ed Brubaker (Kill or Be Killed)
3.) G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel)
4.) Kelly Thompson (Hawkeye, Captain Phasma)
5.) Peter Tomasi (Superman, Super-Sons)
6.) Brian K. Vaughan (Paper Girls, Saga)
7.) Greg Rucka (Lazarus, Black Magick)
8.) Dan Slott (Silver Surfer)
9.) Tom King (Batman, Mr. Miracle, Batman/Elmer Fudd)
10.) Tim Seeley (Nightwing)

ARTISTS OF THE YEAR:

1.) Nicola Scott (Black Magick)
2.) Sean Phillips (Kill Or Be Killed)
3.) Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls)
4.) Jeff Lemire (Royal City)
5.) Mike Allred (Silver Surfer, Bug)
6.) Sean Murphy (Kill Or Be Killed)
7.) Ryan Ottley (Invincible)
8.) Leonardo Romero (Hawkeye)
9.) Fiona Staples (Saga)
10.) Leslie Hung (Snot Girl)