This was a bittersweet week in comics because there were a lot of great books, but a lot of those great books are ending. It is part of the life cycle of comics but still hurts especially when a great book ends before its time. Books like Aquaman #45, Uncanny X-Men #12, Guardians of the Galaxy #2, Middlewest #4, and X-O Manowar #24 were close to making the list, however, with a Top 10, you can only pick ten books. Who knew? As always this list is solely based on my humble opinion so it may differ from other reviews found on the site.Â
Writer: Zac Thompson
Artist: Andy Clarke
Publisher: Aftershock
Description: In the future, the galaxy is united under a monolith known as the Galactic Relay. Although the towering monument is meant to inspire conformity of ideas, technology and progress, it is not without its enemies, and many have begun to resent the foreign structure. Bow, Jad Carter, a Relay employee, has found the Relay“s mythological creator. Jad is lost in deep space searching for the farmer and the first world. Are the legends of Hank Donaldson merely fiction? Too bad he may never find out. Legions of derelict space pirates and the entirety of the Relay“s forces will stop at nothing to keep Jad from the truth.
Why it Made the List: This was the first issue of Relay since September and it came back as strong as it left. Zac Thompson is a writer who is not shy about approaching grand ideas such as humanity“s forever long search for meaning. This issue had its fair share of action, but it“s bigger purpose was to further deconstruct the belief system this future has been built around. There are a lot of allegories here to American and European colonialism that utilized similar tactics to legitimize horrific acts like genocide for the purpose of greed and expansion. For those who prefer their Science Fiction with a bold purpose, this series offers a lot to dissect.
Writer: Andy Diggle, Alex Paknadel
Artist: Doug Braithwaite
Publisher: Valiant
Description: Beyond the margins of human reason lies a realm known as the Deadside, where the souls of the dearly departed linger – and where demons wait for us in the dark. For countless ages, Earth’s chosen protectors have guarded the veil between both worlds – but there are other doors to the Deadside, through which gruesome terrors from galaxies untold can trespass… With the planet’s freedom at stake, can the reigning Geomancer and her steadfast Eternal Warrior stand together against an invasion unlike any they’ve ever witnessed?
Why it Made the List: We have now entered a new phase of Valiant comics with a number of new titles getting released. Recently Livewire got her own solo book and now Incursion #1 see“s its release. This series centers on the Eternal Warrior who is one of the publishers longest standing characters. Despite that fact, this is a great place to jump in if you are new to the Valiant universe. You get enough context to understand who the major players are including a key relationship between the Eternal Warrior and the new Geomancer. The biggest reason this made this list was due to the artwork of Doug Braithwaite, Jose Villarrubia and Diego Rodriguez. Braithwaite“s pencils have so much life to them and the Jose Villarrubia and Diego Rodriguez add a great deal of depth. The choice to use a multitude of Earthy tones was key in establishing the series atmosphere. This is exactly how you should start a new series: give you characters to care about, a clear direction and purpose, and artwork that begs you to come back for more.
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: David Marquez
Publisher: Marvel
Description: Dracula forges unholy alliances from his prison cell. Â Ghost Rider goes berserk. The Shadow Colonel and his new Legion of the Unliving raise bloody hell all over the globe. Â It“s a good thing the Avengers just added a startling new member to the team.
Why it Made the List: Who would have thought The Avengers fighting Vampires would be this much fun? One of the best choices Marvel ever made was to incorporate characters from all over literature and mythology, which is why we can have one Avengers series currently centered on the gods of Olympus and another Avengers book dealing with the might of Dracula, who is the greatest villain ever created. It allows this book to have the feel of a major publishing crossover without really being a major cross over between different publishers. Tony Stark interrogating Dracula is basically fan-fiction done right and sets up Dracula to be an opposing force moving forward.
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Ryan Stegman, Joshua Cassara
Publisher: Marvel
Description: The sinister symbiote skulks the streets of San Francisco! With the symbiote silenced and Eddie finding parts of his memory missing, will he be able to find the answers he“s looking for in the Golden City? Or will the return to his old stomping grounds reveal secrets better left buried?
Why it Made the List: It seems like some of the steam has cooled off Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman“s Venom“s run, which is a shame because, in my opinion, this is the best the book has been since he took it over. While the opening arc has some massive ideas that forever changed the Marvel universe, these past issues did much more for the character of Eddie Brock and his relationship with the symbiote. This issue, in particular, had a lot of allegorical implications to things like addiction and depression which made it a much more affecting story. With ‘Thanos Wins’ and the early arc of this book Cates proved he could write some massive epics full of major ideas, but what he is doing now is more impressive. He is making Eddie Brock into a more compelling character than he has ever been before.
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Tyler Jenkins
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Description: The Badge of Champions reaches its bloody conclusion””which troop will reign supreme, and what terrible secrets will be revealed?
Why it Made the List: Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins make one heck of a creative team. Not too long ago they worked on the criminally underappreciated Grass Kings series, and now their series Black Badge is proving to be just as good. One major difference between the books is the inclusion of Hilary Jenkins as her colors bring a very different atmosphere and give Tyler’s pencils a more distinct look. Here she is able to utilize specific tones within flashback sequences to differentiate them from the present day, which causes the present day moments to really pop and come to life. For a series that centers on a group of kids this has entered into some dark territory. Here it is revealed the dangerous depths these special ops boy scouts have traveled. Like a good war story, it is about the lasting damage these types of conflicts can have especially on those who inherit the misdeeds of others. This just makes that line more direct.
Writer: Chuck Brown, Chuck Brown
Artist: Sanford Greene
Publisher: Image
Description: The Sangerye family has fought evil for decades, but they“ve never faced anything like this. And while two family members have returned home, one may be lost forever as Hell comes to Harlem.
Why it Made the List: I have to assume that Sanford Greene is having the time of his life with this comic. He is taking the 1920“s Harlem setting and this massive influx of mythological beings and making this comic his own. This is the type of book that should make him into a massive star. I am amazed at how this book has refused to slow down since the first issue. Despite the frantic pace, it has been able to juggle a cavalcade of characters in a very short time. This issue was just as much fun as the previous as the chaos just continues to grow. It is simply unlike any other comic out currently, while there are plenty of other science fiction and fantasy stories none have this mixture of place, personality, and story.
4. Mars Attacks #5
Writer: Kyle Starks
Artist: Chris Schweizer
Publisher: Dynamite
Description: When things may be at their lowest, Spencer Carbutt may just become the man that his father has been trying to make him amidst all of the explosions and meltings and giant insects making a mess of all types of infrastructure. Make sure you grab yourself a copy of the conclusion to the rootinest, tootinest, Martian-shootin’est comic book you did ever dang see!
Why it Made the List: Kudos to Dynamite for putting some interesting choices for comic creators on a number of their current titles. With Mars Attacks Kyle Starks and Chris Schweizer put together and emotionally impacting father in son story based on a property that became famous for making goofy trading cards. You can forget how simple character development can go such a long way. There are plenty of goofs and laughs to be had like monstrous mayhem in the background while our character slowly walk to their destination, but when this series ended there is a real sense of accomplishment. It may be the best thing to ever happen to the Mars Attacks franchise.
Writer: Eliot Rahal
Artist: Jorge Fornés
Publisher: Aftershock
Description: The murderous meal that the Moran Mafia have been serving is finally coming to an end. The plates are cleared. And now it’s time for their just desserts. Both sides have blood on their hands. Both families have lost more than they can bare. The remaining Khoury’s flee back to the safety of Minnesota as the Irish Mafia chases them across state lines to finish what they started. There can only be one victor, but in war, anyone can die.
Why it Made the List: The finale for Hot Lunch Special took a few months to come out, and to the credit of Eliot Rahal and Jorge Fornés they both made it worth the wait. It was a dramatic and explosive finale that closed this family crime rivalry that was going on for generations. Rahal and Fornés have put together one fantastic series that takes a lot from the best of the crime genre and adds their own unique flair. One that takes a finger found in a pre-packaged sandwich and bases one hell of a story about it. Since issue one Fornés comes up with some truly creative panel designs that made this much more than your normal crime story. This feels like this would be the Cohen brothers favorite comic in how it is able to mesh dark humor and gripping tension. I truly hope Rahal and Fornés team up sooner rather than later.Â
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Bob Q
Publisher: Dynamite
Description: The Lone Ranger and Tonto miraculously come back from the dead to force a final showdown with the ranchers for the future of the Texas Panhandle.
Why it Made the List: Sadly this is another series ending with this issue. As mentioned previously with Mars Attacks Dynamite is putting some great people on their properties including The Lone Ranger which is written by Mark Russell and drawn by Bob Q. I have never cared much at all about The Lone Ranger previously but they both made me extremely sad to see this series end. It was this great western adventure meshed with Mark Russell’s sense of humor and ability to inject some impactful social commentary. Bob Q is an artist that continues to impress with each passing issue. He is great at the small things like giving you a great sense of space and location, which makes the action scenes effective and fun. Even the lettering from Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou is done with extreme care. One of his best skills is weaving sound effects into a scene to make come alive. Every single person attached to this book is giving their all and the end product has been downright phenomenal. It was a fitting end to a great book, and I have no doubt this series will only gain fans as more people spread the word about its quality. If you enjoy things that are good I highly advise you pick up the trade once it becomes available.Â
Writer: Bryan Hill
Artist: Leandro Fernandez
Publisher: Vertigo
Description: Wynn Morgan isn“t just a wealthy Los Angeles industrialist, he“s the unofficial king of a vast white nationalist movement and the prime suspect in the murder of an FBI agent. But a dead fed may prove to be the least of Morgan“s problems when dissension in the ranks signals what could be the start of a secret civil war, with white-passing undercover agent Richard Wright caught right in the middle.
Why it Made the List: American Carnage is shaping up to be the best Vertigo series since Scalped. What makes it such a strong book so far is that every scene matters and even characters that have a short page time have nuance and layers. A prime example is the opening scene of this issue involving a police interrogation. It would have been easy to make the police officer a glorified trope just there to move the plot, instead, we see he too is more than one assume to further the themes of the narrative. The use of shadow alone is something to marvel at. There is this constant cloud hanging over everything as if the sun is unable to fully shine. I do not know if the ending in this issue will stick but I have not been shocked by a comic like this in ages. Bryan Hill has indicated he may not be writing comics for much longer and if that ends up being true comics will miss him as this series along with Killmonger are two of my early favorites of the year thus far.
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- A fan of all things comics. Growing up on a healthy diet of 90's Batman and X-Men cartoon series ignited a love for the medium that remains strong today.
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