An ancient alligator god. A living building. A doomed architect. The subjects of the best comics released in 2019 so far are an eclectic mix, and these stories highlight the stylistic range of the medium with drastically different visual and narrative perspectives. From poignant graphic memoirs to sensational genre tales, these comic-book series and graphic novels find exciting ways to explore the dynamic between images and text. Whether they are spotlighting forgotten sports stars, pitting assassins against each other, or recounting the pain of adolescent heartbreak, these creators take readers on engrossing journeys with their remarkable craft and passionate artistic visions.
Assassin Nation (Skybound/Image)
With four of five issues out so far this year, Kyle Starks and Erica Henderson’s Assassin Nation has been a hilarious team adventure comic. Both creators have serious comedic chops: Henderson might be best known for her work on Jughead and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and Starks has written dozens of Rick And Morty comics, as well as Mars Attacks books. Assassin Nation is a surreal character-driven story populated almost completely by mercenaries and hit men who have been hired to protect one of their own. Comparisons to Deadpool are justified, but there’s also elements movies like Smokin’ Aces—if it were in on the joke. As the name implies, there is a lot of assassinating going on. The gunplay is bombastic and overblown, but there is a very real threat of character death for a gene that often waves away concerns about permanent harm. What drives the book forward are the layers of backstory and history that are revealed slowly, skills and idiosyncrasies coming up after it seems characters have revealed all their secrets. It’s fascinating to experience a large group of two-dimensional characters narrowed down and given depth and weight, and this creative team is knocking it out of the park. [Caitlin Rosberg]
Baseball Epic (Coffee House Press)
The dead-ball era, which spanned from around 1900 to around the 1919 season, when Babe Ruth showed everyone he could really slug, is perhaps the least written about period of baseball’s history. Jason Novak, with Baseball Epic, sought to begin the process of correcting this oversight. The book is made up of more than 100 one-paragraph, handwritten biographies of the players who defined the era, each accompanied by a simple, wobbly black-and-white drawing of the player. The stories he tells of their lives are often whimsical, tragic, and unrelated to their playing careers. He notes that Jim Shaw, for example, “married a nurse he met in the hospital after accidentally shooting himself while hunting rabbits.” The real work of the book is drawing attention to the black, Cuban, and Native American players who played baseball despite horrible racism. This includes Jimmy Claxton, who, in 1916, became the first Black man to play in a white baseball league “by registering as an ‘American Indian’ with the Oakland Oaks, but was booted when a spectator in the bleachers recognized him as a Black man.” Novak’s handles their stories with care and Baseball Epic is a wonderful entrant because of it. [Bradley Babendir]
BTTM FDRS (Fantagraphics)
Buildings are architectural organisms, full of complex systems that work in tandem to provide shelter, air, water, and waste disposal for tenants. Ezra Claytan Daniels and Ben Passmore’s BTTM FDRS takes this idea and mutates it through a grotesque horror lens, creating a haunted house story that speaks to pressing issues of gentrification and the exploitation and ejection of marginalized people in the development process. Set in a giant, windowless concrete cube in the Bottomyards—a fictional neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side that has recently become a haven to hip young artists—BTTM FDRS addresses the history of racist practices in urban housing while delivering a steady stream of weird, unsettling situations that eventually turn deadly. Passmore’s animated art style evokes the look of ’90s cartoons like Doug and Hey Arnold!, bringing an undercurrent of humor to the visuals even when they depict some very dark material. A high-intensity color palette adds an extra pop to the linework, and Passmore composes some very striking images, like a splash page of a toilet overflowing with bright red viscera. The book only gets weirder from there, and the creative team aims to disturb by bringing an inorganic structure to life. [Oliver Sava]
Die (Image)
As teenagers, a group of friends were mystically pulled into a table-top RPG, where they endured life-altering trauma before eventually escaping. Nearly 30 years later, they’re pulled back into this deadly world to stop an old friend gone mad. Written by Kieron Gillen with art by Stephanie Hans and letterer Clayton Cowles, Die is concisely described as “goth Jumanji,” with Hans’ moody digital painting taking center stage as she builds an immersive fantasy world. Gillen, Hans, and Cowles previously worked together on books like Journey Into Mystery and The Wicked + The Divine, and the tight execution of every aspect of Die indicates a high level of collaboration among the team. Gillen gives Hans a story that pushes her design skills and character acting, and she does stunning work with colors to heighten the dreamlike atmosphere, which can turn into a nightmare at any given moment. The J.R.R. Tolkien-centric Die #3 marks an important shift for the series, breaking from the larger narrative to tell a standalone story about the terror of war and how it shaped Tolkien’s fantasy writing. It establishes the creative team’s eagerness to explore tangents that illuminate larger themes, and both the fantasy genre and table-top gaming provide a wealth of storytelling opportunities for the future. [Oliver Sava]
Kid Gloves (First Second)
Lucy Knisley has a well-earned reputation for emotionally evocative, introspective, and intimate autobiographical work. She made her name making comics that sometimes read more like journals than novels. With both Kid Gloves and the previous Something New, she’s begun incorporating background information and science lessons into her books, interspersing things she learned while going through a major life event along with the details of her direct experience. In Kid Gloves, which tells the story of giving birth to her first child, Knisley has carefully included information about maternal mortality rates, tracing industry-wide trends and peeling back layers of uncomfortable history to remind people of the larger context in which her child was born. Her art has become more refined and ambitious, eliciting specific feelings and reactions alongside telling a true story. As with a lot of her previous work, Kid Gloves provides insight not only for people who are about to embark on the same journey, but a sense of belonging for those who have already walked that path, and important points of reference for those who never will. Motherhood and childbirth are far from a universal experience, but Knisley’s book is an important and particularly timely reminder that they are vital. [Caitlin Rosberg]
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me (First Second)
Writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Rosemary Valero-O’Connell have crafted something masterful in Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, a YA story as sweet and brutal as teenagers can be. It’s not quite a romance and not just a coming-of-age story told from the perspective of protagonist Freddy, who is sometimes sort of dating Laura Dean. The relationships in Laura Dean are layered and complicated and sometimes painful, and the whole book is rooted in the reality of just how difficult it can be to be a teenager, in love or not. Tamaki is no stranger to this kind of storytelling, and it’s easy to trace the parallels between her award-winning This One Summer and Laura Dean. Valero-O’Connell brings an incredible sense of place and personality to Laura Dean; the characters are designed so distinctly and completely that their personalities are clear from the jump, and her skill with using panel size and crowded spaces make Laura Dean that much more emotive and visceral. The limited color palette in grayscale with a soft shade of pink help to highlight Valero-O’Connell’s deft, gentle hand and the bittersweetness of teenage love. [Caitlin Rosberg]
Middlewest (Image)
Written by SKottie Young with art by Jorge Corona, Middlewest is the story of boy driven away from home by his father’s anger and his family’s legacy, struggling to understand his role in both. It follows in the tradition of His Dark Materials and The Wizard Of Oz, as a young person goes on an adventure with fantastical elements and a cast of characters with varying levels of trustworthiness. Corona’s art brings Middlewest to life; set in the wide expanse of a place that’s flat and full of equal parts tall grass, poverty, and boredom, the book evokes a very particular sense of place even though the time is a bit less firm. The pages are filled with painterly, detailed panels that push at the edges of what is cartoony and what is human anatomy. The dirt and the rust and the dry dust of a tornado alley state nearly jump of the page. The way Corona draws the protagonist’s father is astonishing, translating childhood fears of parental rage into a massive difference in scale and power that will feel familiar to a lot of readers. [Caitlin Rosberg]
Sobek (ShortBox)
It takes real skill to make a comic that eschews most text. Set in ancient Egypt, James Stokoe’s Sobek stars the titular god, who takes the form of an enormous alligator. In other hands, this book would feel inaccessible to a lot of readers who aren’t familiar with the pantheon of ancient Egypt, but Stokoe’s astonishingly detailed art and sense of humor help plant the book on solid ground. There’s very little dialog, which certainly helps the story feel more universal than if he were to focus on the minutiae of the lives that he’s depicting. Sobek is forced to abandon his relaxation and feasting when a priest arrives to tell him that an external threat has arrived and his followers are being killed. The pacing is perfect, a short and sweet story that is entirely self-contained and deeply funny. It has a lot in common with the best kinds of picture books in terms of structure, which will probably be a pleasant surprise to readers who are used to convoluted timelines or emotionally heavy comics. Sobek is a feast for the eyes, and the print quality of the book captures just how much work went into every page of the comic. People and animals are drawn true to form, but so are boats and buildings and weapons, so detailed that you can see individual reeds. Gold foil on the cover signals just how special this book is. [Caitlin Rosberg]
The Immortal Hulk (Marvel)
Nothing can stop The Immortal Hulk. The first year of this series has been an unforgettable ride through a never-ending hall of gamma horrors, and in 2019, the creative team hits new highs by positioning Hulk as the Earth’s greatest threat. Written by Al Ewing with pencils by Joe Bennett, inks by Ruy Jose, colors by Paul Mounts, and letters by Cory Petit, The Immortal Hulk drops bombshells in every single issue, with no other comic replicating the impact of its page-turn reveals. Ewing dives deep into Hulk continuity to weaponize Bruce Banner’s history, unleashing a barrage of increasingly personal attacks from Bruce’s father, best friend, and ex-wife. Bennett has never had the opportunity to explore the horror genre this intensely, and it’s unleashed his superstar potential as he composes pages that are creepy, suspenseful, and build to moments of devastating power. The deaths in this book are gruesomely spectacular, and the creative team makes these new gamma mutates more frightening than any Hulks that came before. Jose’s meticulous inks capture every disturbing detail of Bennett’s monster designs, and Mounts adds a fleshy texture to the saturated green, blue, and red of gamma characters to boost the body horror. The book is a superhero master class, and it shows the value of assembling a passionate creative team and keeping it together for the long haul. [Oliver Sava]
The Structure Is Rotten, Comrade (Fantagraphics)
The main character of The Structure Is Rotten, Comrade is Frunz, an architect who, alongside his father, seeks to level the historic buildings of Yerevan, Armenia’s capital city, and replace them with high-rise buildings of their design. The people of the city, not so taken with the top-down approach to city planning, respond by successfully executing a revolution. It’s a madcap, fast-paced story about a person whose myopic fascination with a single type of building causes him to lose track of what his goal as an architect should be. The book balances its interest in high-minded exploration about how society should be with bizarre, sudden violence, sometimes from literal wrecking balls. Viken Berberian’s writing is propelled by artist Yann Kebbi’s color pencil art, which embraces the chaotic narrative fully. Most pages are busy with streaks and smudges of color with the motion of everyday life in a city layered underneath. Particularly delightful is the way that Kebbi manages to draw Frunz into the world without making him feel a part of it. Even as his plans for the city come crashing down around him, his obliviousness is apparent and something about it makes him quite likable, too, even as he gets his comeuppance. Smart and wild in equal measure, The Structure Is Rotten, Comrade is excellent reading. [Bradley Babendir]
The Wild Storm (DC)
Warren Ellis and Jon Davis-Hunt’s The Wild Storm has often been a slow burn, but when the fuse runs out, the explosions have been oh-so-satisfying. Ellis and Davis-Hunt, along with colorist Steve Buccellato and letter Simon Bowland, have crafted a story that reinterprets Wildstorm characters and concepts with an understated point-of-view that grounds them in a compelling new way. The stakes have been steadily rising over the series’ 24 issues, and while a war has broken out between covert organizations I.O. and Skywatch, a third party emerges as The Authority finally assembles to completely change the battlefield. These final issues have been a thrilling action extravaganza, with the members of The Authority unleashing their power to reclaim the Earth from its secret rulers. These action sequences have an incredible sense of scale, and Davis-Hunt often zooms way out to show the might of these superhuman characters in relation to their much larger surroundings. The interactions between team members are cheeky and fun, and maintaining a sense of humor keeps the book light on its toes as it approaches its conclusion. Ellis’ masterful plotting on this series builds a lot of anticipation for The Authority’s debut, and the pay-off doesn’t disappoint. [Oliver Sava]
This Woman’s Work (Drawn & Quarterly)
Julie Delporte’s graphic memoir (translated from French by Helge Dascher and Aleshia Jensen) explores the often difficult relationship between her creative work and her gender, the latter idea constantly caught between how Delporte herself wishes to understand and enact her gender and how those around her wish her to act and be. She comes to the subject of her own life via an abandoned attempt to write a biography of Finnish author and painter Tove Jansson. Instead, she writes about why that book failed and how she ended up writing this one instead, searching through the traumas of her childhood and the hardships of her adulthood in the process. She follows a narrative and thematic thread as opposed to a chronological one, at all times buoyed by the bright color pencil art that fills the pages of This Woman’s Work. When describing her imagination and ambition, the brightness is an excellent companion and when she dives into heavier territory it is both guardrail and ironic contrast. The final product is a beautiful memoir with a distinct, personal feel. This style, combined with the handwritten, cursive text and Delporte’s beautiful, sparse prose make for an unforgettable book. [Bradley Babendir]
When I Arrived At The Castle (Koyama Press)
Emily Carroll is one of the queens of modern comics horror, and When I Arrived At The Castle came along just in time to remind readers of why. As both a writer and an artist, Carroll excels at slow, creeping horror stories that build dread and sometimes never let the tension break. When I Arrived At The Castle has more of the outward trappings of a horror story than some of her previous work, and a lot of it is on the cover. A cat-woman and a vampire, both with bloody fangs, embrace one another, and even as readers open to the first pages it’s not clear who exactly they are supposed to be rooting for. The book is in a very limited palette of black, white, and red, something of a signature style for Carroll, but she’s far from limited by it. Even with the monstrous nature of the two main characters, it’s the anticipation and dread that make When I Arrived At The Castle frightening. Motivations aren’t entirely clear, and a lot is left to the interpretation of the reader. Filling in those gaps, waiting for what is going to happen next, and wondering why, all fuels the tension that Carroll has masterfully crafted out of a perfectly pared down, spare story. It’s gothic horror at its best, and perfect for readers who can’t wait for October. [Caitlin Rosberg]
Witch Hat Atelier (Kodansha Comics)
When it comes to enchanting all-ages comics, it doesn’t get much better than Kamome Shirahama’s Witch Hat Atelier. Following a girl desperate to learn the ways of magic, the manga is a charming coming-of-age tale built around realizing your creative potential. The book’s clearly defined magic system makes the fantasy elements feel more real, but it also is essential to the theme of artistic expression. There are firm rules for casting spells, but by thinking outside the box, Coco is able to use old tools in brilliant new ways. The vitality of Shirahama’s characters is matched by the intricacy of her linework, and there’s a sweeping energy to this book that whisks the reader away on a wonderful adventure. Each new locale and character design offers something beautiful to pore over, but it’s hard to slow down when the story moves so swiftly. Readers that do will find plenty of treasures, and Shirahama has put in an astounding amount of work to realize every little element of this magical environment. The ending of the first volume is a cliffhanger that makes the next book irresistible, and thankfully Kodansha isn’t waiting long to release the second volume, which goes on sale this month. [Oliver Sava]
100 Comments
I’ve been really enjoying The Wildstorm. Its new take on I.O. and Stormwatch and eventually The Authority is very interesting and i love that DC have allowed the use of their characters as kinda rogues, flawed broken versions of themselves.
Witch Hat Atelier is so cool. If there’s one manga that deserves a Kyoto Animation adaptation in the style of Violent Evergarden, it’s Witch Hat Atelier.Also, one manga I hope to get published in the West is Sheriff Evan’s Lies. It’s literally a manga set in The American Wild West about a sheriff who just sucks at finding love. It’s a funny manga in the era where Gintama just ended last week. RIP Gintama.
The only thing on the list I’ve read is Witch Hat Atelier. The art is gorgeous; Shirahama is a master. The story is a little sad and a little funny, pitched just right. It’s maybe my favourite thing I’ve read all year, despite being an inveterate super hero guy and wildly outside the target audience. I am eagerly anticipating the next volume (which I think is coming today!).
The image used for Witch Hat Atelier evokes memories for me of the anime Little Witch Academia
The posts AVC has had about Witch Hat just makes me think LWA. (One of my favs, see username)
I’d also like to once again gush about how good the Unstoppable Wasp relaunch is, especially issues 4 and 5 which deal with Nadia’s bipolar disorder.There’s also the issue where she meets the extended Pym Family. Like her half-brother William Grant Nelson, the child of Tigra and a Skrull who was impersonating Hank Pym but William is not half Skrull for reasons.And Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd, her great-nephews by way of reincarnation, Chaos Magic, and demon soul shards.
that art is brutal though.
It’s fine?
looks like that style of webcomic art that tries to rip off anime in a tone-deaf american way. With all the characters overacting in cutesy ways and paired with completely boring compositions. Reminds me of the kind of stuff you’d see printed on a cereal box or in a ad. Best I can say of it is that it’s competent.
Gurihiru (the artists) are actually Japanese.
well, that doesn’t make it good
Does make them authentically Japanese anime/manga type artists though, rather than an American ripoff. Just so you know.
Other than that, it’s a matter of taste IMO. I don’t mind their work – they’ve done a lot of stuff with Marvel now, including Gwenpool. But if someone prefers cross hatched to hell Bryan Hitch stuff, then yeah, obviously it won’t be your cup of tea.
This book is pretty much everything that’s wrong with Marvel Comics, including it’s sales numbers. In Marvel’s push for more female characters they’ve manage to write nearly all of them exactly the same, featuring friendship and hugs and lots of smiling. They’re all best buds and inter-changeable.
Dealing with Bipolar, it chooses a very literal tell-don’t-show philosophy until the end when Nadia becomes a cartoon-after-school special portrait of the disease. This absurd choice pretty much negates any good they could have done. Even for the most manic, real bipolar is not easily detected by giant bags under the eyes.
Unless this book has some kind of special deal in TPB it’s toast. The comichron sales are abysmal.
Can’t wait to get back into it – I’ve read the 2 pre-relaunch Unstoppable Wasp tpbs & the 2nd one made me tear up during the heart-felt convos between the 2 Wasps (not to be confused with scary WASPs)
goth JumanjiYeah, Die probably isn’t for me.
Eh. It’s Kieron Gillen, though. Pretty safe bet to be extraordinarily well done.
TBH I can… kinda take or leave Kieron Gillen.
In all honesty, I like 90% of Gillen’s stuff, but holy crap this was an abysmal run.
I read the first two issues and I really enjoyed the setting and how the characters reacted to their experience in goth Jumanji, but I kinda lost interest when I realized I didn’t care for any of the characters. I might try it again, but even the best plot and story ideas can’t sustain a story if you don’t have even one character you’re cheering for. Reminded me kinda like “It” only all if all the kids are edgelords.
I only made it one issue in, though in my case I found the art not to my taste, but your comment reminds me that I was pretty deep into WicDiv for a while and lent it out, and my friend just commented how the characters were pretty thin and I just sort of couldn’t unsee it. It’s not the center of the appeal of Gillen’s work, but it took some of the shine off my enthusiasm that the wheel-spinning that was going on when I stopped reading finished off.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, I’d read the Magicians books (by Lev Grossman). Feels to me a MUCH better version of what Gillen was going for (I thought Die was hard to get into as well, and not all that interesting.) There’s the TV version of The Magicians too, which is really fun at times, but I like the books better.
The first arc (6 issues) is interesting. There isn’t a whole lot of character work to be honest. You’ve got these 5 people, who are all a little fucked up because of something they can’t talk about (actually can’t, not just emotionally). So all you know is that something bad has happened. The next 5 issues really spend more time building the world of the game, and the stakes of the game, and barely touches on the characters (other than slight hints given by the narrator).I want more character stuff so I can figure out if any of these people are worth cheering for. That being said, I’ve got it set aside to read again, and I enjoyed the first read through.
Based on the description, Sobek sounds a lot like Gon. And I love Gon.
great picks – happy to see ‘Sobek’ included in particular, it really is good fun and an artistic achievement.
Assassination Nation resembles my own comic so much, its hard for me not to despise it, but it seems fun I suppose. I almost gave up when I saw that it was coming out. I mean, the name of our letters page is Assassination Nation, for crying out loud. Can’t win em all. Immortal Hulk is an absolute standout. A fresh take on a marvel hero is tough to come by, but this one fits so perfect its amazing it hasn’t been done yet. And randomly Alex Ross putting in some of his best work on those covers? Weird but true.
Wildstorm has been fantastic, I’ve been on it since issue 1, though I wonder what its like to read it as a non-hero book reader. I bet it seems very confusing and stupid. For those who like the world and characters though, it’s been fantastic. It’s so important to me to have a single artist on a book, and I’ve been happy to endure breaks in publishing to see them complete their vision. Marvel should take notes.
Giant Days is my #1 this year, it seems like it’s wrapping up really nicely (although I am really sad it’s ending).
I love Giant Days! Though I missed like five issues somewhere around #30 and can’t find them anywhere and there is a huge gap in my knowledge so I had to stop reading. Though it is such a damn good comic and I really care about what happens to most of the characters in it. At least the main 3, the secondary guy characters are kind of iffy to me.
How dare you besmirch Ed Gemmell!
I hate him so much. Easily my least favorite character and that includes Daisy’s awful girlfriend. McGraw was ok, I went back and forth on liking/disliking him.
I love Giant Days! Though I missed like five issues somewhere around #30 and can’t find them anywhere and there is a huge gap in my knowledge so I had to stop reading. Though it is such a damn good comic and I really care about what happens to most of the characters in it. At least the main 3, the secondary guy characters are kind of iffy to me.
You could fill that gap by grabbing the trade paperback? – Book Depository has them at reasonable prices with 0 charges for shipping (national or international) & I’ve used them a LOT so i know they’re a reliable source for tpbs from the last 5 years.
Thanks, I definitely love TPBs because you can just binge on them. And with such a good storyline that Giant Days has, it can become addictive. The closest comic stores to me only carry the first couple trades, so I’ve been trying to look up Giant Days on this (legal) website I use to read comics, but they are missing a big chunk in the middle.
FYI in this case the tpbs work out slightly cheaper for Giant days than the hardcovers (which collect 2 tpb volumes per book but only cover the first 6 tpbs & they’re up to 11-ish i think?)
If you have a library membership, check to see if they offer access to Hoopla digital. All the issues of Giant Days are available to me there through my library card.
Fingers crossed he gets back to Scary Go round or something.
I started reading Giant days digitally (got about 3 issues in), then splurged by grabbing a bunch of the tpbs – the series was solid enough to warrant a physical media buy.
The Immortal Hulk (Marvel)It is every bit as good as people say it is. The two most recent issues (18 & 19) are fucking INTENSE.
Absolutely, I constantly surprised that Marvel have made such a weird, dark comic but I’m so glad they have, and that it’s selling so well too.
I deeply regret not getting a first printing of #1. Longtime Hulk fan, but I did not trust Marvel to not fuck it up.
Likewise, and I have to confess I wasn’t a huge fan of Ewing’s 2000AD work, but I’m really pleased he’s managed to create something so special.
I know nothing of Ewing, other than that he truly gets the character in a way I haven’t seen since Peter David re-imagined the character.
Yep, just caught up on 18 & 19 last night, and 20 can’t get here soon enough!
It’s fucking terrifying seeing the “savage” Hulk persona come out during times of profound weakness.
A few people I know are starting to call this the Cronenberg Hulk. I have to admit, it was nice seeing Joe Fixit take a turn, even if he was in scrawny Banner’s body.
Oh my lord I just read #19 yesterday, AND THAT ENDING.This book is INSANE and absolutely STOMACH CHURNING but I fucking love it. It’s a work of art. Twisted, dark, disturbing art, but art nonetheless.
Um … If I may? …A little while ago this guy asks on Quora why the MCU fused Bruce Banner and the Hulk into Professor Hulk. I answered, basically, it was the only good way Bruce’s story could end, and I’m glad for him. The guy retorts, LIKE HELL! THIS IS NOT MY HULK! MY HULK IS SAVAGE SAVAGE SAVAGE END OF STORY! BAH! HUMBUG!Okay, I get that a non-rampaging Hulk is kind of a contradiction in terms and may even ruin the thing people find most compelling about the Hulk — the idea of limitless power fueled by unbridled rage. Thing is, having gone a bit that way myself I can honestly say I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy, and — I say it again — I’m glad the MCU had the guts to give poor Bruce his peace of mind.That said, there’s still a way to make Professor Hulk as compelling as the Savage Hulk.Think a guy throwing a tantrum is scary? Think again. Think of all that rage — but turned ice cold, not hot. And then think of it looking at you through the scope of a sniper rifle. Or worse, think of it not looking at you at all — but pointing the guns and missiles of a badass fighter plane at where you live. For, as it is well said:“The Angel of Death is less callous and aloof than a fighting pilot when he dives.”
Are you reading the current series? If not, “Devil” Hulk is pretty much what you’re describing.
Could be, could be — though TBH I had something more like Liam Neeson from “Taken” in mind. Y’know: Don’t start none, there won’t be none. But if’n you want some, boy you gonna GET SOME …
I’ll second that. I never been a regular Hulk comic collector until this one came out. Both characters and story are truly compelling.
My kids loved Witch Hat Atelier–first time I bought something because the AV Club recommended it!
I picked up Witch Hat Atelier for my little girl (she’s totally into anime/manga), she loved it, but consumed it in under 30 minutes (she’s done several re-reads). I decided to read it myself, and it’s just terrific – very highly recommended (note: the original recommendation came from AVC, thanks!)BTW, Volume 2 releases today so ordering it for her when I finish posting :)Schedule for Vol 3 and 4!Little G anime side story: we had a convention come through the area, and J. Michael Tatum was a guest – she met him, dressed up as Alois Trancy – it was a pretty amazing moment (I thought she was going to pass out :D)
If she needs more magic school manga have her check out the Little Witch Academia books, I think there’s 3 in the main series (and of course the excellent Netflix series too)!
Outstanding, thanks!
This was a great article, thanks so much for it, I’ve added a good few titles to my pull list due to it.
Neat titles.But I think Kaijumax remains the coolest thing out there.
“Gold foil on the cover signals just how special this book is.”That has always been true about covers and there’s no reason to doubt this ever.
That had to be a joke right? I sure as hell hope so.
All worthy choices. One that I would have added: Little Bird. It’s not quite wrapped up yet, so I suppose there’s a chance it could end badly, but thus far it’s one of the most memorable books I’ve come across in quite some time.
I just read issue #1. It’s amazing!!
I just read issue #1. It’s amazing!!
Art is so good on that series. Ian Bertram rules. Gross too, though!
Right?!? It’s genuinely disturbing. But, you know, in a good way.
A Walk Through Hell has been incredible, this year.
Surprised it didn’t make the list this time since it was a previous aggregator post on AV Club that helped me find it, but Coda was absolutely incredible! A post-post-apocalypse tale of a bard with no more stories left in him. The world-building is smart and efficient, the high-fantasy writing isn’t grating (!) and the pacing is impeccable. It’s also a full story told in twelve issues, and nothing more, which is a nice reprieve from the endless second-acts of most comics.
“Motherhood and childbirth are far from a universal experience“I love the inclusiveness of the AVClub, but sometimes it’s just stupid. We were all born. We get the concept. Do we have to birth it from our loins to conceive of it? I was born. How many readers here weren’t? That said, thanks for the comics coverage! The A.V. Club is the only ‘mainstream’ site I use with comics coverage, so I suppose I should just keep it to myself when stuff as inane as this is written.(I get the writer is saying that not everyone births children, and therefore may not relate, but it’s still dumb. If you’re a non-birthing human who can’t grasp the emotions of having a child, you’re merely broken, not offense-worthy.)
I reject your reality & create my own – I believe i was grown in a cloning vat therefore I was grown in a cloning vat. A clone of what exactly? – scientists haven’t figured that one out yet.
Power to you brother
What’s the best way to check out Sobek? It doesn’t seem to be on Amazon, and my library doesn’t have it.
It’s from a relatively small press publisher that’s based in the UK, so it can be a bit hard to get your hands on. Short Box has it on their website: https://www.shortbox.co.uk/product/sobek-by-james-stokoe
That was the first hit when I searched. Nice site. Includes a preview, too, which convinced me to buy this book.
For some reason, comics books are so hard to find good recommendations for. The multitudes of choices are overwhelming. I love lists like these because they give me a smaller list to focus on and provide a gateway for artists I may have missed. Thank you writers.
I just wish my local comic store would stock Koyama Press.
hulk and wildstorm are on comixology unlimited
Since we’re sharing manga, I’ve been currently reading quite a bit of Radiant after the anime ended which I highly recommend. Behind the humor and typical shonen formula, there is a surprising amount of emphasis on character relationships and deeper themes of discrimination and racism that stand out compared to similar titles in the genre.
Volume 4, in particular, is a standout example on how to build up a climax and completely subvert expectations if you’ve ever dabbled in even a bit of battle action shonen. I’ve already started the next arc after the conclusion of the anime and eagerly await the next volume in July.
Witch Hat Atelier is so good! Definitely a lot more serious than I initially expected. Glad the next volume is coming out soon.
Great list! I had completely missed “Die” and “Sobek”! Personally I am very surprised that there isn’t more buzz about Isola. So far I have loved it and the art is fantastic.
Just read the first TPB at the weekend and though the artwork kinda jumps around a bit its a very good read.
Isola is a weird case for me. I like the art very much and the story, but something about the entire series is completely forgettable so far. Everytime I pick it up, I’m like, “ok so what the hell is going on?”
I think it hasn’t yet found a way to eclipse the tropes that fuel its engines.
Any idea where to find any of these? Especially Sobek and Ass. Nation?They don’t show up on my usual (digital) haunts.
Man I love Lucy Knisley. Her faces have so much life in them!
Me just want to throw out two more recommendations: Tillie Walden’s remarkable On A Sunbeam came out in paperback this year (after being previously available as webcomic), and Colleen AF Venable’s Kiss Number Eight is great queer YA coming-of-age graphic novel.
Loved The Wild Storm. It’s been my highlight of comics in recent years. Just excellent writing and art.This year I’ve also really enjoyed Mark Millar’s latest efford, Prodigy. It was good fun.
I feel like I need to do something with my life. I have read most of the above comics. (Except for Assassin Nation. I was disappointed it got nothing to do with the fun movie.) Some of them are my favs and Die I’m just slowly digesting. Five pages a day. Just to think about it some more before convincing friends to read it so I can play the roleplaying game.
Daniel Warren Johnson’s Murder Falcon was an amazing limited series as well. A more humorous follow-up to his Extremity mini-series (from ‘17/’18?), the story is centered around the personal struggles of a metal guitarist who is enlisted by an extra-dimensional bird-man named Murder Falcon to defeat a plague of monsters set upon our earth by unknown force with the power of, you guessed it, METAL. Sounds silly, but like Assassin Nation the book isn’t trying to be self-serious and it has an emotional core that left me in tears. Not to mention Johnson’s art style conveys action and movement like no other!
From the big two, some of their best books are currently in the horror genre. “Immortal Hulk” got recognized here, but I also highly recommend Tynion’s current “Justice League Dark” run. Not as fucked up as Immortal Hulk but it definitely gets creepy and features Tynion’s A+ storytelling and characterizations.
No Maneaters, a gory, timely, and utterly savage satire of institutionalized sexism? With full commitment to playing with what comics as a medium offer (like an issue that’s done entirely like a religious / PSA pamphlet, with a card game lesson included)?
Y’all crazy.
Grant Morrison’s present Green Lantern run is the best take on the character so far.
Seems like a lot of really biased titles relating to women which still remain a massive minority in the comic fan demographic.But hey you threw in a Hulk so it looks like you actually read the normal shit people generally pay for, Sobek looks cool though
Moonstruck (recently made the jump from first release single issues to trade paperbacks exclusively) & Skyward get my votes. I like a bit of light-heartedness to my comics (though both especially Skyward do come with their *ahem* heavier moments *pun intended*) as long as accompanied with decent artwork & exceptional inking (a well-inked book always sucks me in from Spider-Gwen to smaller books like these). Giant Days seems to be drawing me in too.
i am still in awe at how good Immortal Hulk is.
The dead-ball era, which spanned from around 1900 to around the 1919 season, when Babe Ruth showed everyone he could really slug, is perhaps the least written about period of baseball’s history.Coincidentally I was re-watching Ken Burn’s Baseball and these episodes in particular. Calling it the dead-ball era was no exaggeration. Players did everything to ball that in today’s game would be considered illegal: scuffed it up, spat on it, dirtied it up, pounded out of shape, until it became impossible to throw a straight pitch. And the umpire kept it in play as long as possible. If the 1919 Black Sox scandal didn’t happen, there would not have been a reason to juice the baseball to bring the crowds back and game wouldn’t have been as popular because Babe Ruth probably would have stayed a pitcher, albeit a really good one,
I really love The Wild Storm, it’s great to see Warren Ellis do a new take on the whole Wildstorm mythos as he always did it best. Plus he makes the Authority damn likeable, something I wouldn’t have thought possible.
The Wild Storm hit me with nostalgia pretty hard and I’ve been looking forward to each new issue intently. So bummed it’s ending now when things just seemed to be getting started. I known there’s a new WildCATS book coming but will there be a new Authority? And more Jon Davis-Hunt please!!
yeah gotta keep Davis-Hunt, though I imagine he feels he’s earned a break…
I LOVED ‘The Structure is Rotten, Comrade!’ It’s such an intense, violent, and hilarious read – have not seen anything like this. How on earth do you do it, Fantagraphics?
I’m kinda digging the new Green Lantern.
Crowded rapidly became my fave comic / least fave comic of the year in the space of this year’s run. I hope it can pull itself back to the first few issues where it felt sparkling, original and fun. Later issues were just a fricking chore.
I’m really enjoying Middlewest. I think it makes a nice pairing with another recent-ish story about poverty, magic, and the Midwest, Rock Candy Mountain.
The cover art for BTTM FDRS is terrible.
I read literally 40 comics a week, so roughly 160 a month, and I’ve never heard for over half of these. So, like, what?
“Set in ancient Egypt, James Stokoe’s… Blah blah blah”. Finish Orc Stain God Damn It!
Why are so many comics with horrible art displayed here? Some appear to have interesting stories, but the art is largely poor quality.