My Top 10 Comic Books For 2017

For the inaugural post of this blog, I’d like to break down my top 10 comic book series of 2017. Listed in reverse order, to build suspense:

Honorable mention: Doomsday Clock – Watchmen is unquestionably one of the finest literary works in sequential art. But DC can only make so much money on reprinting Watchmen every year. What’s the solution? Bring the Watchmen characters into the main DC continuity and let Dr. Manhattan fistfight with Superman! Or…something. While I think it’s right to be cautiously optimistic about extending the Watchmen story (really, it’s a perfect 12 issues and doesn’t need any prologues or epilogues), DC does appear to be making an honest effort to put out a story that will at least attempt to rival the original. I was thoroughly impressed by the first issue (the kick-ass lenticular Rorschach cover certainly helped), but I feel like I can’t fairly include it in my top ten because there’s only been one issue so far. I’m interested to see where this series is going. Watchmen was a landmark work in comics, but it also ushered in about 30 years of grim ‘n gritty storytelling that has probably played itself out as a trend. Can Dr. Manhattan’s omnipotent cynicism conquer the very paragon of optimism that is Superman? I hope to find out in 2018.

10. Ultimates2 – If Marvel is not going to give me an ongoing Fantastic Four series, I at least need an outlet to get some crazy-as-hell conceptual cosmic stories in my subscription list. In 2017, Ultimates2 by Al Ewing was the cosmic methadone to my Fantastic Four heroin addiction. Ewing really built up some interesting concepts and storylines, but the series was unfortunately sidelined by two “tie-in” issues for Marvel’s tepid Secret Empire event. Just as Ewing’s first Ultimates series lost momentum due to an unnecessary Civil War II tie-in last year, Ultimates2 got slightly derailed this year and Ewing seemed a bit rushed to wrap up his narrative. Still, we got to see Galactus adjust to a new cosmic role in service of life instead of death, Ego the Living Planet growing a giant body, and the heaviest hitters in the Marvel cosmic pantheon slugging it out for dominion over the very ideas that structure reality.

9. Seven To Eternity – Rick Remender has proven to be an adept scribe when it comes to interweaving narratives that play with the theme of family, duty, and revenge. I’ve noticed that he sticks to these themes pretty consistently, but loves to vary the setting. In this one, a group of disgraced, superpowered knights apprehend one of their own who has enslaved a world. They transport him away from his stronghold and then things get…interesting. Spoilers abound, so I’ll keep it vague. The real highlight of this one is Jerome Opena’s and Matt Hollingsworths’ absolutely stunning artwork. Together with Remender’s script, they create an intricately detailed high fantasy/sci fi world that surrounds the characters like a lush landscape.

8. God Country – Donny Cates has hit the comics world this year like a Texan thunderbolt. This is the series that put him on the map. In this story, an ailing, aging patriarch of a West Texas family acquires a magic sword from a fallen thunder god. The sword grants him power, and more importantly, clears his mind of the fog of dementia as long as he holds it. Just as he starts to enjoy the clarity and reconnect with his family, an alien pantheon comes to Earth to reclaim their weapon. His response is “come and take it.” This series is so quintessentially Texan that I’ve often wondered how much I would like it if I wasn’t from Texas myself. You could ponder that, or you could just read a fun story about a badass old guy with a magic sword.

7. Moon Knight – Moon Knight is one of my favorite Marvel characters – think Batman with multiple personality disorder. This intensely flawed character is a really interesting springboard for creative stories, but I feel like too many writers have hammered on the “lol, he’s crazy” angle to the point where those stories just aren’t interesting anymore (looking at you, Jeff Lemire). Enter Max Bemis, who somehow managed to go from the lead singer of Say Anything and the writer of a few lesser-known miniseries to writing the best series in Marvel’s new Legacy initiative. Moon Knight #188 is probably one of the best one-shot issues I’ve ever read. Seriously. The beauty of it is that Moon Knight is barely even in the issue. Instead, it focuses on the origin of the Sun King, a new nemesis that Bemis is creating for our protagonist. We get a deep dive into the psyche of the man who will become the Sun King, as well as Dr. Emmet, the psychiatrist who is trying to understand his madness while being unhealthily obsessed with the titular Moon Knight. In issue #189, we meet The Truth, another new baddie who is terrorizing New York with a unique brand of psychic warfare. So we’re still playing with themes of mental illness, but external of Marc Spector’s personal affliction. The series is only two issues in, but it’s already my favorite Marvel ongoing at the moment.

6. Batman – Tom King is on fire right now. His series The Vision is probably the only 12 issues from the last few years that I would consider worthy of entering that pantheon of graphic novel essentials, sitting on the shelf alongside Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, The Invisibles, and the like. Somehow, Marvel let King slip through their grasp and DC just handed him the keys to the kingdom. He’s been writing one of DC’s main bat-titles for a while now, but this year was the first time I paid attention. One long Thanksgiving weekend and a binge-read of four collected volumes later, I was hooked. His work does suffer a bit when thrust into the open-ended narrative of an ongoing series of indefinite length, playing steward to a high-profile character that can’t deviate too far from the norm. I much prefer his stories with a c-list character and 12 issues, where he has both the creative freedom to explore the character in uncharted directions, as well as a tight story arc to take care of business. Even so, he finds a way to make it work with Batman. King’s Bruce Wayne has heart in a way that the brooding, grimacing creature of the night doesn’t always get to show. Some of the story arcs are a little weaker than others (especially I Am Gotham and Night of The Monster Men), but he really hits his stride with The War of Jokes and Riddles arc. Will you end up caring about Kite Man in the end? Hell yeah!

5. Black Hammer – Okay, now that I’ve talked shit about Jeff Lemire in the Moon Knight section, let me put his series at #5 on my list. I usually find his work good but not great (although most comic readers would probably be pissed at my declaration that he’s overrated). This is one of the great ones though. There have been dozens of conceptual superhero deconstruction stories in the wake of Watchmen, and most of them have been pretty forgettable. Where Lemire’s tale excels is the very small, human stories of the superhuman team trapped in a bizarre, too-perfect small town. It’s a mystery story, a superhero story, and a human story, all rolled into one.

4. Extremity – The comic book auteur is a dying breed. Most books these days have an entire creative team, with writers, inkers, colorists, and letterers working in concert to create sequential art. Daniel Warren Johnson is bucking this trend, writing and illustrating (although he gets an assist on colors by the talented Mike Spicer) this epic post-apocalyptic adventure. Think Mad Max with jetbikes, floating continents, robots, and griffins. If you’re not already hooked by that description, then allow me to entice you with a deep story about finding your place in the world even when your very identity is taken from you. The main protagonist, Thea, has a will-she-or-won’t-she journey between revenge and forgiveness will keep you captivated as much as the fantastical landscapes that she navigates through.

3. Black Monday Murders – Full disclosure: I am tremendously biased toward Jonathan Hickman because he’s one of my favorite comic writers. I admit that his work is getting pretty formulaic. This is yet another story about a global conspiracy, a pale, white-haired person of dubious moral quality, and the tough-as-nails men that try to stop them. Am I talking about Avengers: Time Runs Out, East of West, The Dying and the Dead, or Black Monday Murders? You decide. Anyway, I think Hickman has a few more great stories in him before he descends into madness and self-parody. In this one, the global conspiracy is a financial cabal who have controlled the world’s markets through black magic and human sacrifice for centuries. The pale antagonist is a silent enforcer sent by the dark god Mammon, and the tough as nails dudes are played by a gritty streetwise detective and an economics professor. Do you like crazy concepts, florid language, bold graphic design, and just a little bit of sex and violence? This is the series for you.

2. Doom Patrol – Whenever I pick up a new comic book series, I expect it to be good, weird, or preferably both. Gerard Way (yes, that Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance) has led the flagship title of DC’s Young Animal imprint to some really bizarre and excellent heights this year. In this story, we follow a young paramedic (Casey Brinke) who gets sucked into the gravity well of Grant Morrison-era gonzo Doom Patrol, and joins their number after a truly convoluted existential crisis involving a race of corporate aliens plotting to grind up a sentient city into fast food burger meat. And it only gets weirder from there. This series has been unfortunately delayed several times due to scheduling conflicts (Way is producing one of his earlier comic series for NetFlix, editing the Young Animal imprint, and creating at least 20% of the merchandise at Hot Topic), but it’s definitely been worth waiting for.

1. Mister Miracle – Oh look, it’s Tom King again. See, I told you he was on fire. Remember what I said about taking a C-list character on a 12-issue journey, navigating through some heavy concepts along the way? Here is Exhibit A. In this series, we follow Scott Free, the greatest escape artist of two worlds, as he tries to escape the most diabolical trap of all – life itself. After he fails a suicide attempt (or does he?), Scott is conscripted into returning home to New Genesis to wage war against the evil forces of Apokalips (fite fite). Despite this seemingly epic synopsis, this conflict is just a backdrop for the real story of Scott navigating through his personal feelings of self-doubt and dread as he questions the reality of his existence. Small moments between Scott and his wife Barda, or Scott and his rigid, bullying stepbrother Orion really make this story. Tom King is a master at pacing each issue just right to build up suspense and dread. I have never read another story so capable of creating an atmosphere of peril. You don’t just read this book – it envelops you like a fog of uncertainty and despair. You hang on each page, and when you get to the end of an issue you fiend for another hit one month later. I also have to give props to King collaborator Mitch Gerads, whose art and covers are bringing this story to heights that King could not achieve alone. I love seeing great creative teams come together, and I think this duo is one for the ages.