New books, returning favorites and indie darlings round out our list of the best comics of the year.
Lets face it: 2017 was a bowl of sloshing garbage water.
Fortunately for those of us looking to escape, comics provided plenty of opportunities.
Some comics are just stupid amounts of fun.
This is not complicated, but it is lovely.
Aubrey Sitterson gets how to write these characters.
The art, fromProphetvet Giannis Milonogiannis, is weird and jarring at first you come toG.I.
Joelooking for pictures of your old toys, and Milonogianniss art is really manga-heavy and sketchy.
But after two or three pages, it doesnt matter: the action is top rate.
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Read GI Joe Vol.
Admittedly, this is a bit of a niche book.
Kazuto Tatsutas manga memoir about life working at the Fukushima Daiichi plant can be bone dry at times.
That said, its also a fascinating look at the really technical recovery effort.
Repairing the power plant at Fukushima is an engineering and organizing feat.
Read Ichi-F on Amazon
19.
BLACK
Its almost a little too on-the-nose to point out thatBLACKis an extraordinarily timely superhero book.
ButBLACKisexactlythe kind of story you want to see emerge when the world isnt everything you want it to be.
As you might expect, it doesnt make things any easier.
BLACKwrapped its initial six issue run in 2017, which makes it eligible for inclusion here.
Theres more to the story, though, with standalone tales set in the world ofBLACKon the way.
Were looking forward to all of them.
The only surprise was that I waited for the trade.
Kyle Starks is a deceptively good worldbuilder.
But Cecil Castellucci and Marley ZarconesShade the Changing Girlstuck with me every issue.
Loma then learns how to be a teen in modern America.
It was a small press darling for a bit, until the economics of the businessmoved the book online.
There have been some incredible talents on this book, and it shows in the final product.
Do yourself a favor and get all of these in trade if you dont already have them.
Start with Deathstroke Rebirth Vol.
And he helps make the art so much fun to look at.
Jonathan Hickmans story is intense, too.
But this is a cut above much of his previous work.
Start with East of West Vol.
He thoroughly researched the war and the players, and any deviations from history were carefully explained.
Now, a third of the way into the second volume, he gets to unload.
All three sides have the technology, and theres combat everywhere.
Start with The Wild Storm Vol.
Heisserer sets the bar pretty high for himself with the story.
Its a lot of fun, with earnest, distinct characters and good action.
And while the story was terrific, Shaws art was a revelation.
Its weirdly melancholy and human, with some moments of pure joy and some character beats that are heartbreaking.
But sinceSchism, the X-Men books havent really been doing it for me.
So I approached the Resurrxion relaunch with a ton of hope.
Sina Grace, Alessandro Vitti and Robert Gill have absolutely knockedIcemanout of the park.
Start with Iceman Vol.
1: Thawing Out
7.Aliens: Dead Orbit (Dark Horse Comics)
James Stokoe drawing xenomorphs.
I shouldnt really need more to justify why this is on a best comics of the year list.
Stokoe draws so much detail into every panel that it takes an hour to read one issue.
He does grime and crappy, run down future tech better than literally everyone working in comics right now.
Everything he touches is amazing because of his incredibly detailed, gorgeous art.
In fact, thats almost preferable I want him to put all that work into every panel.
This comic was incredible.
Read it hereanddonate to Beckys Rally Against Cancer here!
5.Mech Cadet Yu(BOOM!
Studios)
It takes a lot to cause a visible reaction from me when Im reading a comic.
A smile, a chuckle, those are uncommon, but not unheard of.
But I almost never outright cheer a book on.
Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa are two of the consistently best creators working in comics.
Start with Mech Cadet Yu Vol.
Wilson is so good at coloring he should get paid writer page rates and royalties.
Start with Thor: God of Thunder Vol.
1 and go from there!
The story is about a ten-year-old girl, Karen Reyes, growing up in late 60s Chicago.
This is played to great effect late in the book in a really emotional sequence.
Ferriss art is just absurdly good.
If you havent read this comic, just go find it.
I promise you wont regret it.
Mitch Gerads is the perfect artist to pair with him.
The two madeSheriff of Babylonone of the most engrossing comics of the last decade.
Gerads is a brilliant storyteller, someone who excels at emotionally charged small group talking head moments.
The two have done a lot of work together this year.
First, they had an interstitial arc onBatmanthat had Batman working out daddy issues with Swamp Thing.
