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)