Ongoing Comics:
Last year I read about 450 comics, and this year I read about 400.
Out of my Best New series from last year, six of them lost my interest, one was actually a miniseries, and one was canceled with issue #5. Which did not leave a lot of ongoing series in my favorites list, but thankfully there are a lot of new series for me this year. Last year I had 9 ongoing series, this year it was down to 8.
On the other hand, last year I had 10 best new series, and this year I've got 15. And just like last year, it was easy to put together a top 20 miniseries.
Note: I'm gonna talk a lot about writers, more than artists here, because especially with the Marvel/DC books, the artists tend to fluctuate a bit. And since I'm not reviewing comics, I don't tend to focus in on the art as much as I used to, because to be honest, I'm much more of a writer-driven reader, even as I recognize that without good art, those books are unreadable. Fortunately, most of the writers I like work with good to great artists. A lot of the great artists work with writers I don't much like (*cough* Tom King *cough*) and it bums me out because they're art is attached to books I cannot find any interest in or actively dislike because of what they're doing to beloved characters.
Note: I'm gonna talk a lot about writers, more than artists here, because especially with the Marvel/DC books, the artists tend to fluctuate a bit. And since I'm not reviewing comics, I don't tend to focus in on the art as much as I used to, because to be honest, I'm much more of a writer-driven reader, even as I recognize that without good art, those books are unreadable. Fortunately, most of the writers I like work with good to great artists. A lot of the great artists work with writers I don't much like (*cough* Tom King *cough*) and it bums me out because they're art is attached to books I cannot find any interest in or actively dislike because of what they're doing to beloved characters.
Best Ongoing Series:
1. Fantastic Four #15-27 (#2 Last Year)
This was another good year for this weird science take on the FF, which is honestly my favorite run, even moreso than Waid, Byrne, or Hickman. North is doing a lot of one-offs, so we got stories of a hivemind taking over and rewriting consciousness, Valeria and Franklin trying to invent something they probably shouldn't, a really cool use of Sue's powers to solve an archaeological mystery, a noir riff on Sue, and the Human Torch and the Thing being rival grocers. And then we got a really great Blood Hunt two-parter, a couple more one-shots, and a killer 25th issue that was a sweet alien romance. The exploration of different parts of these characters' powers and personalities, along with inventive ideas and plots, make this a consistent favorite of mine.
2. Vengeance of Moon Knight #1-9, Fist of Khonshu #1-3 (#3 Last Year & 2022)
We're on series three of what is essentially one long book, and while I wish they'd stop relaunching the damn thing, I don't care what they call it as long as Marvel keeps publishing it. Jed MacKay has supplanted Tom Taylor as my favorite writer of the moment, and while it started with his Black Cat, he secured my loyalty with his great take on one of my favorites, Moon Knight. The revelation of who the new Moon Knight was is perfect, with ties to the West Coast Avengers, the way he chose to have Marc Spector return via Blood Hunt made a ton of sense, and the first couple issues of the new series have pitted Moon Knight against a fascinating new adversary.
3. Nightwing #110-119 (#1 Last Year)
The finale of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo's run on this character. I'll be honest, I think Taylor took his eye off the ball after establishing the Titans, and I thought his take on the Titans was so bad I stopped reading it. But this book continued to be enjoyable to me, and the finale hit all the notes I wanted to, being the final showdown between Nightwing and Heartless, a villain Taylor designed and who worked as a perfect foil to billionaire helper Dick Grayson. I'm going to miss Dick and Babs, and especially Haley/Bitewing, but it seemed clear that as much as I loved these characters, it was the way Taylor wrote them that I really loved, and while I can appreciate the work of both Dan Watters and Stephanie Phillips, neither of them has the magic touch that Taylor has for me.
4. Transformers #4-15 (#1 New Last Year)
Speaking of books that fell from "must read" to "still good," we have Transformers, which couldn't help but lose a step when Daniel Warren Johnson stopped doing the writer/artist thing and just became the writer. It is extremely rare that I like a writer/artist, I usually prefer that as two separate jobs, but Johnson was the rare exception. The new artist, Jorge Corona (for most of these issues) is excellent, and I love his work on Middlewest, Ain't No Grave, and especially Me You Love in the Dark with Skottie Young. But he's not DWJ, and he can't quite bring the book DWJ is writing to life the same way, and it lost a step as a result. It's still very good, and I'm still more engaged than I expected, because my Transformers interest runs a lot more shallow than my G.I. Joe interest, but it's not as amazing as that first story arc was.
5. Avengers #10-21
This wasn't even on my list last year, it took me a little while to warm up to it. But #11 was a focus on Jarvis, and that's a good start for me. And then #14-16 was a Blood Hunt tie-in with a team featuring a new riff on Cap's Kooky Quartet and including Hercules, a favorite of mine, and then MacKay brought Storm into the Avengers and finished off the year with a note perfect baseball game issue between the X-Men and Avengers. His take on the team still isn't anywhere near my favorite, I would like an almost completely different roster and a lot of better villains, but there were a lot more issues I liked than didn't this year, and I'm hopeful he'll continue to provide, if not my perfect Avengers, one I enjoy reading, which is a baseline Marvel hasn't hit for close to 20 years.
6. W0rldtr33 #7-11 (#8 New Last Year)
James Tynion's Internet ghost story got even weirder, darker, and bloodier this year. As with all Tynion projects, it reads better in trade paperback sized chunks, but I keep up with this one in single issues because it's always a satisfying and creepy read issue-by-issue, even if I lose track of the larger stories.
7. Doctor Strange #11-18 (#4 Last Year)
MacKay is one of my favorite writers of the moment and his Doctor Strange went out on a high note. A two-part D&D-themed heist with Black Cat and Hunters Moon guesting from his other books was particularly good, but Doctor Strange's vampiric transformation in Blood Hunt lead to a really solid finale as well.
8. G.I. Joe Real American Hero #303-311
This book is weird. There's just no getting around it. 300+ issues into Larry Hama's take on the G.I. Joe, it is about a zombie Cobra lead by Serpentor (also a zombie) allied with some kind of A.I. robot faction versus a Cobra Commander-led faction, and the Joes are there too, but mostly for ninja things. It's undeniably entertaining, and has some of the best art the series has ever done, and I enjoy every issue, but I also put down every issue saying "Well, that was weird."
Best New Series:
1. X-Men #1-9
Like MacKay's Avengers, it's been a while since I've been enamored of this book despite loving these characters, and as with Avengers, it's not quite the book (or the roster) I want. But this book, which feels a bit more like the militant X-Men of Grant Morrison and House of X, is mostly working for me despite its weird cast, and in no small part because of the great artwork.
2. Namor #1-5
I am not what you call a Namor fan. I don't dislike him, but to me, he was at his most interesting in Roger Stern's Avengers. But Jason Aaron is doing some incredible world-building of Marvel's Atlantis, and Paul Davidson and Alex Lins are bringing it to life beautifully.
3. Justice League Unlimited #1-2
There are only two issues out, but I really like the re-aligment of the DCU around this new Justice League Unlimited, which is basically taking the Dwayne McDuffie version (a.k.a. the best version) and making it canon. Waid offers some fun tweaks too, including having sub-bases for other DC teams, some scientific projects, and having the Question as more or less Odo from Deep Space 9, playing Sheriff to the Watchtower satellite. It doesn't hurt to have Dan Mora in there killing it on art. Looking forward to seeing more of this in 2025.
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1-5
Another "not usually a big thing for me" but Jason Aaron is doing such good work here, and that's not a lot but it's weird that it happened twice. Anyway, each issue focuses on a different turtle (or Casey Jones, essentially the human fifth turtle) with stunning artwork from A-listers. I don't know what the ongoing is going to look like, but the setup was great.
5. Absolute Superman #1-2
Jason Aaron makes the list a third time, this time with Rafa Sandoval on art and a new take on Superman that is much more focused on class warfare, ala the promising but ultimately disappointing Grant Morrison Action Comics. It's not really what I want from Superman, but as an alternate take, I'm intrigued.
6. Absolute Wonder Woman #1-3
I feel similarly about Absolute Wonder Woman, except to note that artist Hayden Sherman is spectacular, and I like Kelly Thompson's darker mythological take, which reminds me a bit of the Azzarello/Chiang New 52 version.
7. Avengers Assemble #1-4
To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Steve Orlando's writing, and the moment-to-moment here doesn't change that, but I love the bigger roster, the inclusion of B- and C-listers, including some favorites like Wonder Man, Hercules, Hawkeye, and Monica Rambeau. With two Avengers books that aren't entirely what I want but both of them serving up some of what I want, the Avengers is stronger than its been for me in a couple decades.
8. Ultimate Spider-Man #1-12
I really like some of this book. I like the idea of an older Peter, married with kids, getting the spider-powers. I like that he has a stable relationship with MJ, and his relationship with Harry Osborn is interesting. Ben Urich and JJ Jameson as rogue newsmen is a lot of fun. It's just... 12 issues this year, and very little actually happened. It feels a lot like the pace of Bendis's Ultimate Spider-Man. It's a good book, but as with so many of my favorites this year, it comes with an asterisk of "nobody is getting these quite right."
9. Power Fantasy #1-5
Similar to WorldTree, this is a book that I really enjoy but can't always make heads or tails of. But Kieron Gillen's super-powered beings as nations and superpowers is a really interesting premise, and I enjoy reading each issue, even though I'm sure I'll like it more when I can read it collected and follow it better.
10. Exceptional X-Men #1-4
I dream of a world with only 1-2 Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men books. But that world is gone. Since it is, I'll try to enjoy these over-extended X-Men universes. Kitty Pryde in Chicago trying *not* to be a mutant superhero but having to get dragged in so Emma Frost doesn't influence the next generation is a solid premise, and it's working in large part for me.
11. NYX #1-5
This book has two of my favorite newer characters, Laura Kinney a.k.a. Wolverine and Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel, and unfortunately neither of them seem quite right. Laura is much more her edgy self that has been the characterization everywhere except Tom Taylor's run, which was where I liked her, and Ms. Marvel has not benefited from her death-to-mutant transition or the loss of her original creator G. Willow Wilson. Still, a book about mutants in their twenties living in New York City is one that has a solid premise, and I like more than I dislike.
12. Uncanny X-Men #1-7
Gail Simone has the X-Men roster I want for the most part in this book although I'd ditch Jubillee for Kitty Pryde and add in Colossus. I want to like it more, but it's not quite working for me, although I of course wish her well and I'm glad it's working for a lot of fans. I can't quite plug in to the new kid mutants she's created, who are getting a lot of attention, and the way Wolverine, Gambit, and Rogue talk to each other just feels a little bit off.
13. G.I. Joe #1-2
We're only two issues into the Energon universe version of G.I. Joe, and to be honest, it's slowly losing me, but it's still solid reading and I'm hoping it will hook me back in. But I'm comparing it to one of my favorite comics of all time and I'm still reading it, so that's probably a good sign. It's clear that Joshua Williamson (and Robert Kirkman) were bigger on the cartoons than the comics, but I like the new characters, and I'm interested in this unusual roster they're using.
14. Detective Comics #1090-1092
Tom Taylor has been writing a lot of my favorite books for a long time, but... well, Batman is kinda boring. He's been done a lot, and I'm not sure what what Taylor has to say with here is that interesting to me. It is, however, solid enough, with stunning artwork from Mikel Janin, and I have less than zero interest in Batman Hush 2, so this is likely the Batman I'll be reading in 2025.
15. Star Trek Lower Decks #1-2
With the series coming to a (too early but satisfying) end, I'm glad that the characters will continue on in this Ryan North series, which has the characters and the sense of humor down perfect, and seems to have the same level of fondness for obscure Trek as well.
Miniseries:
1. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees
This was easily, far and away, the best thing published in comics this year. A brand new talent, Patrick Horvath, wrote and drew this brilliant cross between Dexter and Richard Scarrey, and everyone should buy the trade paperback collection.
2. Dark Knights of Steel Allwinter
I was skeptical of a Dark Knights of Steel follow-up that was mostly not written by Tom Taylor (he wrote a backup about the Aquaman and the Kents of this world), and definitely skeptical when most of the first issue was in black and white, but Jay Kristoff and Tirso really nailed this story of a cold kingdom (one guess which Batman villain caused that) and the quest to undo it from embattled mercenary Slade Wilson and his young charge, a boy who is the only one in color for most of the run. A really great follow-up in DC's Elseworlds line.
3. Duke
My favorite of the Energon universe miniseries so far, Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly gave us a fun action-conspiracy thriller with Duke a disgraced soldier who saw Transformers and can't convince his superiors, leading to a run-in with a really entertaining version of Clutch and the new version of Destro.
4. What If? Aliens
Also skeptical of a miniseries about the survival of Aliens' ultimate weasel Carter Burke co-written by the actor who played him and his son. Would it just be a dumb vanity project? In fact, no, it was a really solid story set in the Aliens universe that was delightfully funny but also had some heart and deepened a character I didn't think could sustain depth.
5. Deviant
James Tynion IV and Joshua Hixson continue their twisted tale of a murderous Santa serial killer and a journalist who seems too invested in the case, and it is creepy and effective and such a good mystery. We won't get the final issue until 2025, but the second half is so great.
6. If You Find This, I'm Already Dead
A science-fiction survival story by Matt Kindt and Dan McDaid about a journalist who goes with a military team into a hostile pocket universe, and how she survives when things go sideways for her military escort almost immediately.
7. Cobra Commander
My second favorite Energon miniseries this year, this was a weird one that fully embraced the strangeness of Cobra-La, and presented a ruthless Cobra Commander and a new take on the Dreadnoks, the punk motorcycle gang who are among my favorite elements of G.I. Joe.
8. Scarlett
And my third favorite Energon miniseries, an unusual story of Scarlett undercover in the Arashikage ninja clan. Part of me admires them for steering clear of Snake Eyes and some of the standard tropes of G.I. Joe, but a bigger part of me is wondering why, and if there's a bigger reason than "we just wanted to do something different" because this was a solid actioner but it's not much stronger than that.
9. Batman Gotham by Gaslight The Kryptonian Age
The return of the DC Elseworlds line has, unsurprisingly, been right up my alley. And tying in the steampunk vibe of Gotham by Gaslight with a sort of Cthulhu-esque take on Krypton has let Andy Diggle bring in a ton of alternate version of DC characters in a really interesting way, and Leandro Fernandez does his usual fantastic job on the art.
10. Blood Hunt
Jed MacKay's "vampires invade the Marvel universe" was a super fun ride, using the Darkforce, a very classic old vampire villain, and a misdirect involving Blade to tell a really entertaining summer superhero crossover story. I've got some gripes about the continuations (there was no reason to make Miles Morales a vampire), but it was a solid setup and the ending sets up the next crossover, which also looks interesting and fun.
11. Big Burn
We're two issues into this DSTLRY story about a heist to seal souls back from the devil, and I'm enjoying it. Genre wise it's perfect for me, and it's by the creative team of Skyward and Shadecraft, both of which I loved)
12. Grendel Devil's Crucible Defiance
I started reading with Grendel Prime in the '90s, and even though I've since gone back for more, that is still my favorite Grendel. This new take on the post-apocalyptic returned from space Grendel returning to a vampire autocracy being battled by a Grendel resistance was really fun.
13. Avengers Twilight
I wasn't sure about this "Kingdom Come for the Avengers" by Chip Zdarsky and Daniel Acuna at first, but it paid off nicely by the end.
14. Weapon X-Men
A Phoenix needs to take down a Jean Grey merged with Onslaught and so she gathers a team of multidimensional Wolverines, including zombie Wolverine, Age of Apocalypse Wolverine, and Old Man Logan. Great fun by Christos Gage, Greg Land, and Yildiray Cinar.
15. Batman The Dark Age
A not-insignificant number of my miniseries picks start with "this was weird" and this is another one, by Mark Russell and Mike Allred, mixing together a '60s counterculture Batman with Black Mask, Pariah from Crisis, and a bunch of other weird stuff. But while not all of it worked for me, a lot of it did.
16. Destro
My least favorite of the Energon series, in part because its pretty plain that writer Dan Watters wasn't a fan of the original series, and while his take is interesting, when you're working on a nostalgia property like that, that kind of thing tends to make it feel off for me. Still a good read, though, and good setup for G.I. Joe.
17. Batman-Santa Claus Silent Knight Returns
I wasn't sure about a return to this surprisingly fun Batman-Santa Claus series again, but writer Jeff Parker does it again, bringing in a lot of DC supernatural supporting cast. I missed the consistency of the Dan Mora covers, but I thought the new artist did a good job on the interiors. If they do this every year, I won't be sad.
18. Sons of Star Trek
Another weird concept, a multiverse story (always a safe bet with me) starring Jake Sisko, Nog, Alexander Worf, and Q's kid that gets into a bunch of fun Voyager and Deep Space Nine continuity. While the shows have mostly avoided that (aside from Lower Decks), the comics have embraced and used them well.
19. Batgirl
We're only two issues into this story of Cassandra Cain and her mom, Lady Shiva, being hunted by immortal ninja assassins, with art by Takeshi Miyazawa. I'm digging it so far.
20. Aliens vs. Avengers
This was not remotely what I wanted, a much drier, post apocalyptic, and more science-fiction take on the concept, but I'm glad to see Marvel doing it, and there are some interesting elements in it, I'll be curious to see how it unfolds in 2025.
Best One-Shots:
There were not a lot of great one-shots this year.
1. Energon Universe
2. X-Men The Wedding Special
3. Poison Ivy Swamp Thing Feral Trees
Best First Issues:
Several issues that I thought were good but ultimately didn't finish up the series, usually so I can wait for a trade paperback to read the story in that format.
- Pine & Merrimac #1
- Ain't No Grave #1
- Nice House by the Sea #1
- Flash Gordon #1
- Cruel Universe #1
- Minor Arcana #1
- Question All Along the Watchtower #1
