Everybody does a Top Ten "Best of" list at the end of the year and here's my requisite list of comics that I read that were especially memorable. Art is obviously subjective and what I read may not line up with your choices and that's okay. Hopefully, you'll discover a title you may have missed. I surely couldn't read all the great comics that came out this year. So you'll probably notice some not on the this list that made others. The comic book industry is more popular than ever and while not perfect it is still one of the greatest creative outlets to get lost in. Check out this list (in no particular order) and let me know what you think in the comments or share your favorites. Happy New Year!
by Mia Goodwin
"No Crime Goes Unpunished. No Criminal Walks Away." The death of a friend catches sixteen year-old Addison off guard, but a chance encounter with his killers on the subway forever changes her life. Crime cover-ups, dirty cops, and magical dead boyfriends consume her life as she's thrust into the vigilante lifestyle and murder becomes her after school activity. Collects Tomboy 1-4.
Story: Rick Remender
Art / Cover: Matt Hollingsworth, Sean Gordon Murphy
Published: March 9, 2016
Diamond ID: JAN160652
SPECIAL LOW INTRODUCTORY PRICE OF $9.99 The Isles of Los Angeles 2089: humanity is addicted to technology. Getting a virtual buzz is the only thing left to live for, and gangsters run it all. Who do these gangsters turn to when they need their rule enforced? Constables Led Dent and Debbie Decay are about to be given a job that will force them out of the familiar squalor of LA and into the last tech-less country on Earth: The Garden Nation of Tokyo. Collects TOKYO GHOST #1-5.
by Jody Houser, Pere Perez, Marguerite Sauvage
BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT…THE HIGH-FLYING HERO THAT CAPTURED THE IMAGINATION OF THE WORLD IS BACK WITH A COLOSSAL NEW COMICS MILESTONE!
In a city under siege by robots, aliens, monsters, and even worse... celebrities, there is only one woman the people of Los Angeles can count on: the stratospheric superhero called Faith! Aspiring reporter by day and dedicated crime-fighter by night, Faith has tackled every obstacle in her path with confidence – like those crushing deadlines at work, the long-distance boyfriend half a world away, and the missing back issues that plague her comics collection! But, unbeknownst to her, Faith is about to collide with the one force she never saw coming: an up-and-coming super-villain bent on snuffing her out once and for all! But who is lurking behind the mask of her new foe…and could they just be the one person capable of rendering Faith powerless?
Faith’s headline-grabbing adventures continue here as breakout writer Jody Houser (Orphan Black) and sensational artists Pere Pérez (ARCHER & ARMSTRONG) and Marguerite Sauvage (DC Comics Bombshells) deliver the next high-flying chapter to the all-new ongoing series read ‘round the world!
Collecting FAITH (ONGOING SERIES) #1–4.
Story: Marjorie Liu
Art / Cover: Sana Takeda
Published: July 13, 2016
Diamond ID: APR160803
Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steampunk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both. Entertainment Weekly praised MONSTRESS as “one of Image Comics’ most imaginative and daring new series” and dubbed it the “Best New Original Series” in their year-end “Best Comics of 2015” list. Collects MONSTRESS #1-6.
by John Allison, Max Sarin
Continuing their first semester at university, fast friends Susan, Esther, and Daisy want to find their footing in life. The girls, along with their male hall-mates, Ed and McGraw find that college is more than academics and bad microwavable meals. Add some pub hopping, hookups, breakups and political scandal this might just be the most eventful first semester ever.
Giant Days, the comedic slice-of-life series from creator John Allison (Bad Machinery, Scary Go Round), and fantastic newcomer, Max Sarin has graduated to a third volume, collecting issues 9-12 of the critically acclaimed series.
by Bryan Hill, Isaac Goodhart, K. Michael Russell
Does everyone deserve redemption? As the FBI tightens its noose around Eden, Mark and his mother Laura must either choose to let one of their own suffer at the hands of revenge, or help him take a stand against his enemies...the Aryan Brotherhood.
Collects issues 13 through 16.
by Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon
THE BEGINNING OF A LEGEND!
On the hidden island of Themyscira, the Amazons, led by Queen Hippolyta, live in a kingdom of peace, protected by the gods. But the balance is upset when Hippolyta is granted what no immortal may have: a child, given life from the clay of the island. She is the princess Diana, who alone can sense the evil that is infesting the Amazon’s home.
But when a man from the outside world is brought to Themyscira as part of a conspiracy to overthrow its queen, Diana will risk everything to save his innocent life…and lose everything in the process. Soon, the Amazon princess finds herself in a world she never knew existed—America, a land of untold wonders that also finds itself threatened by a great war abroad.
In order to get back home, Diana and her new friends Steve Trevor and Etta Candy must head into the war zone and find the Nazi agent known as the Duke of Deception, who wields a powerful artifact that belongs to Hippolyta. And in order to defeat this powerful enemy, the princess of peace must become the hero she was meant to be. She must become Wonder Woman!
With gorgeous art, a period setting and contemporary flair, writer/artist Renae De Liz (The Last Unicorn), with help from artist Ray Dillon (Noble Causes), stunningly retells the origin of the greatest superheroine the world has ever known! Collects THE LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN #1-9.
by Mark Waid, Veronica Fish, et al
The all-new ARCHIE adventure continues! Superstar writer Mark Waid teams up with the best and brightest artists in comics to bring a modern take to the legendary Riverdale cast of characters. The book will captures the bite and hilarious edge of Archie's original tales in a modern, forward-looking manner, while still retaining the character's all-ages appeal. If classic Archie is a Saturday morning cartoon, this new series is prime time!
Various Talent
This selection is my way of copping out of choosing just one DC title from their relaunch line of comics. "Rebirth" provided some of the best character-driven stories from DC we had seen in a long time and both fans and critics took notice. Its success helped wash away the bad taste left from the previous reboot known as the New 52. With a team of exceptional writers, artists, and editors, Rebirth reminded fans why they loved these characters in the first place.
by Brian K Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, and Matt Wilson
The smash-hit series from BRIAN K. VAUGHAN and CLIFF CHIANG continues with a bold new direction, as intrepid young newspaper deliverers Erin, Mac, and Tiffany find themselves launched from 1988 to a distant and terrifying future...the year 2016. Collects PAPER GIRLS #6-10
