Nemesis’ Top 10 Comic Series of 2019

It’s that time of year again.  Time to evaluate the year that was 2019 and, if you’re interested, for me to give you my favorite comic series of the year.  There have been a lot of great comics this year and, as always, I like to keep my eye on not just the big two, but also smaller publishers, indie comics and crowdfunded comics  So with that in mind, I’ll set down a few guidelines I followed and we’ll get right into it.

First off, these are my personal favorites for the year.  They are all favorites of mine for a variety of reasons, reasons I will give you down below, and this list is by no means definitive for the industry.  I wouldn’t dream of trying to speak for the industry lol.  Additionally, all of these are neck and neck in my eyes.  Though I did my best to put them in some sort of order, I think they are all incredible works of art.  Okay, we’ve got that out of the way so lets go.

Honorable Mentions
Morgan’s Organs – Self published through Kickstarter
Hellboy – Dark Horse Comics
Spawn – Image Comics
Excalibur – Marvel Comics
James Bond – Dynamite Comics
The Flash – DC Comics
Captain America – Marvel Comics

#10 – Elvira
Publisher – Dynamite Comics
Writer – David Avallone
Art – Dave Acosta

I’m a big Elvira fan and have been for decades.  Her wit, sinister charm, black humor and sexy chic are traits that hooked me long ago and have kept me entranced to this day.  This comic series has all those elements with some innovative and witty writing to boot.  This year, Elvira has traveled through time after being exiled by a malevolent force.  As she travels through time we find out that she has an outsized influence on most of the horror writers of the past and has shaped the genre for our current generation.  Then, she is banished to hell and undertakes a journey straight out of Dante’s Inferno in order to return to our current time.  This is the first of two series on my list who tackled this seminal work of literature and both were successful.  Elvira is the horror version of Deadpool and I love it.  However, where the Deadpool title can be too intent on pointing out the joke to its reader, Elvira just throws it all out there and trusts that its readers are clued in to the joke and are along for the ride.

#9 – Freedom Fighters
Publisher – DC Comics
Writer – Robert Venditti
Art – Eddy Barrows

Surprisingly, to me, I only had one entrant from both Marvel and DC respectively on my Top 10 list.  The DC entrant, Freedom Fighters, is an incredible 12 issue maxi-series that both entertained and amazed me over the year.  I’ve long been a fan of Freedom Fighters and Earth X as a concept and this title did not disappoint me.  Seeing Uncle Sam, Phantom Lady, Plastic Man, Black Condor, The Human Bomb and others again was a treat.  Additionally, Venditti delivers some very good writing in telling the story of Uncle Sam’s return from near death to tackle “The Ratzis” and Adolph Hitler III.  I must say that issue #11 of this series stood out in particular.  The writing is incredibly powerful, but, the artwork is simply fantastic.  There is one panel in particular which shows the aftermath of an encounter between plasticmen and Phantom Lady that is breathtaking.

#8 – Lazarus Risen
Publisher – Image Comics
Writer – Greg Rucka
Art – Michael Lark, Tyler Boss

Once upon a time there was a video game called Syndicate.  It was a game that was ahead of it’s time and it presented a future where multi-national corporations employed para-military agents to war against each other as they vie’ed for control of the world.  Fast forward twenty plus years and the power of corporations has increased significantly.  In response, Image Comics presents Lazarus Risen which follows the exploits of Lazarus agents who act as assassins and spies for corporate conglomerates who control nations and regions.  Politicians, while ostensibly still holding power, answer to their corporate overlords.  These corporations use Lazarus agents to settle disputes and advance their goals; bypassing the nation-state and the messy wars which follow.  This is a comic that is ahead of it’s time and entertaining to boot.

#7 – House of X
Publisher – Marvel Comics
Writer – Johnathan Hickman
Art – Pepe Larraz

It is quite possible that House of X would be on my list, regardless of it’s quality, simply because it reintroduced The X-Men into the Marvel title line-up.  In my opinion, X-Men are one of the pillars of Marvel Comics and I rejoiced when I heard they were making their return.  When I then learned that Hickman was going to be writing two mini-series to bring them back into the fold I was certain that I was in for something special.  I was not wrong.  I could have chosen both House of X and Powers of X but decided to choose one over the other as, for me, the story and concepts introduced in House of X resonated more with me.  Additionally, as Hickman is so wont to do, each issue of this series is replete with inserts and asides that build on the mutant mythology and refresh new readers on old concepts while introducing new elements to the story for those who have followed the plight of mutants for decades.

#6 – These Savage Shores
Publisher – Vault Comics
Writer – Ram V
Art – Sumit Kumar

Okay, we are in deep waters here now.  Honestly, any of the top 6 could have been number 1 and These Savage Shores is no exception.  A five issue mini-series which concluded in 2019, this series is phenomenal in its concept and execution.  Set in colonial India, These Savage Shores follows the political machinations and supernatural retribution that follows in this turbulent time.  One of the things I appreciated most is the introduction of the Rakshasa, a mythological being of Hindu origin which I knew from playing Dungeons and Dragons as a child.  The graphic and haunting depiction of the Rakshasa in this book is incredible.  The artwork is similarly outstanding and absolutely nothing in this book is anything but exemplary.

#5 – Bob Non-Union Psychic
Publisher – Warehouse 9
Writer – Lance Lucero, Adam Volle
Artist – Francisco Resindez

Equal parts supernatural mystery, situational comedy and paranormal drama; Bob Non-Union Psychic is a delight to read and enjoy.  Full disclosure, I work with Lance Lucero here at Comic Crusaders.  With that said, I tend to be harder on works by people I know and Bob would merit a place on this list no matter what standard I held.  The titular character of this story is a successful hairdresser who is distressed by the fact that being a hairdresser is probably his second best skill.  Constantly hounded by the spirit of his deceased grandfather, Bob is forced to wield the psychic acumen he has inherited in pursuit of truth and justice; or what passes for truth and justice when dealing with the paranormal and the politics of the psychic elite.  The writing in this gem of series keeps an edge of the sinister and unknown while lightening the mood with sarcasm and self-referential humor.  Similarly, the artwork in this book is a step above.  The dynamic nature of the various panels as well as the unconventional and interesting camera angles make for a book that captures the imagination and is visually pleasing.

#4 – The Wrath of Fantomas
Publisher – Titan Comics
Writer ”“ Oliver Bocquet
Art ”“ Julie Rochelau
Translation ”“ Edward Gauvin

This book is a departure from the usual fare that is super-heroes or super-villains.  However, it is no less entertaining and much more insidious than your standard comic book content.  Oliver Bocquet has done an incredible job of adapting material from the original novels while adding new material.  The Wrath of Fantomas is a page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat and caused me several times to exclaim ”˜Holy Shit!“.  The art by Julie Rochelau (Tommy l“enfant-loup) is a simplistic European style that conveys the menace and action well. I understand why she has chosen this style as a more realistic depiction of Fantomas“ crimes might see the book lapse into grotesqueness, so horrible are his crimes.  The art is fantastic but not a style I“m particularly fond of thus the 4 rating.  That rating should take nothing away from the book or how good it is as it is merely my evaluation of the style itself.  All in all, this is a fantastic book, one that is shocking and entertaining.  It left me wanting and dreading more Fantomas and I encourage you to experience it for yourself.

#3 – Die
Publisher – Image Comics
Writer – Kieron Gillen
Artist – Stephanie Hans

Gillen“s writing on this series continues to impress.  On the surface, this is an escapist, adventure, fantasy story with a horror twist.  However, Gillen has masterfully woven in any number of sub-plots and commentaries.  On the one hand, his writing holds up a mirror to industry and militarization while at the same time commenting on the new age of cyber warfare.  At the same time, he has crafted a complex tale where the social interactions of the group are nuanced and their competing interests and points of view are always well represented.  Each character has a class which describes them.  However, instead of defining them and boxing in the writer, the class is a template that allows for character growth while being guided by a defining characteristic that is true for each character in this role-playing world as well as the ”˜real“ one.  Not to be outdone, Han“s visuals are outstanding.  Each issue has been beautifully rendered and the use of color in the book is amazing as it sets the tone for the disparate areas of this fantasy realm.  Showing true versatility, Han“s has not only  had to draw moments of fantasy or high adventure but also moments of true horror.  As the series has progressed, both Hans and Gillen have gone from strength to strength.  The unfolding plot line continues to engross and the quality of writing and art has yet to let up.

#2 – Her Infernal Descent
Publisher -Aftershock Comics
Writer – Lonnie Nadler, Zac Thompson
Artist – Kyle Chandler

There are a few works of literature that transcend time.  Works that are so intertwined in this thing we call culture that those works, or parts thereof, are familiar even to those have not read them.  The Divine Comedy by Italian poet Dante Alighieri is one of those works.   Unless one has had the benefits of a classical education or had a desire to steep oneself in remarkably deep waters, one might be excused for not being overly familiar with this work.  However, the imagery and iconography present in this piece of literature have been the foundation for many of our, western society“s, perceptions of good and evil since that time. With that in mind, you can imagine the Herculean task any writer would undertake if they chose to modernize this work.  Enter then Nadler and Thompson.  If all they had done was modernize this work they would have been successful.  The duo’s ambitions were even greater though and they have also given us a compelling protagonist with a heartfelt and genuine story that unfolds over the course of her adventure.  Additionally, they have provided some incredible prose that provides real moments of introspection and self discovery.  The amount of research and attention to detail that has gone into this work is evident from first to last.  This is a work of love and the commitment of its creators shines through.  This is an important piece of art and a treasured one in my collection.  It is the kind of work that can be read over and over again and each time you will take something different from it, much like Dante“s Inferno itself.

#1 – Battlepug
Publisher – Image Comics
Writer – Mike Norton
Artist – Mike Norton

Battlepug.  Talk about a title that grabs you and makes you go “What the hell?!”“  As I am quickly learning in this business, I NEVER take anything on face value.  I don“t judge a book by its cover, or title as it were, and I ALWAYS have to go into each book with an open mind.  When I first got this book, I wish you could have seen the look on my face.  I was not familiar with this title by Mike Norton nor the fact that it is a web comic.   So I went into this wondering what kind of experience I was about to have and hoping that it would be entertaining.  What I found was a tale that was equal parts high fantasy, in the tenor of Conan The Cimmerian, and no holds barred sarcasm and pop culture references.  That Nortan was able to seamlessly blend George and Weezie Jefferson into a high fantasy epic adventure is a feat in and of itself.  (You must read the first volume of Battlepug for this epic encounter)  From first to last, Battlepug is a quirky adventure that is absolutely beautiful to look at.  One could be forgiven for wondering how a property like this was a web comic instead of published work.  (I should note that Battlepug is now indeed being published by Image).

Author Profile

Nemesis

Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.

He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.

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