80. Aleister & Adolf
Author: Douglas Rushkoff
Artist: Michael Avon Oeming
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
I give this comic points for finding a new approach to a World War II story. I figured at this point that would nearly be impossible. The story overall is quite creative as well. It is like this mythical look into how to use propaganda and iconography to win a war. It has some fantastic art with a great use of black and white that leads to some truly troubling imagery. I am uncertain if there is any desires to take this idea any further but I hope so because this concept still has a lot of life in it.
79. Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps
Author: Robert Venditti
Artist: Rafael Sandoval, Ethan Van Sciver
Publisher: DC Comics
If I was going to give an award for most improve writer I would have to give it to Robert Venditti. Maybe it is Geoff Johns’s influence or the chance to start over with Hal Jordan, whatever the case may be Venditti took a title that was plainly awful and made it into one of the best books DC has out on the shelves today. Hal Jordan feels like Hal Jordan again, and the recent issues the use of some classic DC villains has given it the space adventure atmosphere it was previously lacking.
78. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Author: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Hendry Prasetya
Publisher: Boom! Studios
As a child who grew up in the 90’s the Power Rangers were a bigger part of my life than I would like to admit. With that I had to check out what Kyle Higgins was going to do with them in this series. His greatest achievement was finding the exact right tone to write. In sheds the ridiculously cheesiness of the 90’s show without becoming too overly dark. It has progressively gotten better and better and with the shocking conclusion of the most recent issue I am excited to see where it goes next.
77. Turning Japanese
By: MariNaomi
Publisher: 2dcloud
Turning Japanese is this deep dive into the complexity of culture and how a person can become disconnected from their own heritage. It maintains a steady sense of humor about itself, despite the fact it enters into some serious topics as one would expect from a memoir. It’s honestly and slice of life mentality make it a easy read full of interesting stories about a world and a life many of us know nothing about.
76. Black Widow
Author: Mark Waid, Chris Samnee
Artist:Chris Samnee
Publisher: Marvel Comics
You can not get a comic series like Black Widow unless you have an artist and writer that completely trust one another. With the constant rotation of artists in today’s Marvel world it rarely occurs anymore. Waid knows when his words are not needed as Samnee’s art often expresses everything that needs to be said. The first issue burst out of the gates as this insane extended action sequence and as it has continued that visual flair to tell deeper stories.
75. Descender
Author: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Dustin Nguyen
Publisher: Image Coimcs
When reading Descender I find myself just sitting back and absorbing Dustin Nyguyen’s beautiful water color artwork. There is really no other book that looks quite like it out today. When you match that with Jeff Lemire story telling talents you get one solid science fiction story. Imagine if A.I. Artificial Intelligence followed through with its promise and you have this book.
74. Generation Zero
Author: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Francis Portela
Publisher: Valiant
Generation Zero had one of my favorite first issues in 2016. I have read Valiant for some time but had little knowledge of this team in general. Fred Van Lente’s made a bold choice by not even including any of the title characters in the opening issue. He instead focused on other characters allowing the legend and importance of the team to build. Since then he has continued that momentum with the first arc building a fascinating team.
73. The Attack Graphic Novel
By: Loïc Dauvillier, Glen Chapron, Yasmina Khadra
Publisher: Firefly Books
With the Israeli-Palestinian at the core of its narrative The Attack immediately offers a lot to digest. This is not a story of taking sides or one that seeks to claim a victor, but rather a showcase to the sheer chaos this conflict has erupted and how impossible it is to fully grasp. It showcases the dangerous of separating ourselves from the ones we love, and how we can become victims of our own ignorance. There is so much emotion in this story as we watch this man go through absolute hell to find answers.
72. James Bond
Author: Warren Ellis
Artist: Jason Masters
Publisher: Dynamite
When you have a character like James Bond that has had over twenty big budget movies and tons of classic novels it is nearly impossible to create a version of the character that has yet to be seen or read. What Warren Elssis does with Vargr is take the ruff and tough seriousness of the Daniel Craig era, but brings in some of the classic charm of Connery. Ellis Bond’s is also a thinking man who does more than punch and shoot his way out of a situation, not that he does not find joy in that as well. If you are at all a Bond fan this is the type of adaption you can easily get behind.
71. Eclipse
Author: Zack Kaplan
Artist: Giovanni Timpano
Publisher: Top Cow
You would think by now we would have run out of ways for the world to end or to frame a dystopian future, but Eclipse provides something new. I would explain it like the opposite of Danny Boye’s Sunshine. Instead of a space adventure to save a dying star it takes place on Earth where the Sun’s strength has made living above ground during the day impossible. At its heart its a crime story centered on mysterious murders that are occurring. What is most impressive about this series is that its Zack Kaplan’s first. Both him and artist Giovanni Timpano could be a team remember in the future.
70. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Universe
Author: Tom Waltz, Paul Allor (Universe)
Artist: Dave Wachter, Damian Couceiro (Universe)
Publisher: IDW Publishing
We here at GCRN are rather big fans of the IDW TMNT series. Personally it helped me change my mind on licensed properties. Before I would tend to immediately dismiss them as nothing more than cheap cash ins. What the IDW series had done was build upon the lore of the turtles in some fascinating ways. This year also some the release of a second series with the Universe title. So far Universe, although not as strong as the main title, has etched its own style and tone that makes me think both series can exist quite easily at the same time.
69. Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus
By: Chester Brown
Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly
Chester Brown uses this book to drive deep into his interpretations of some of the best known Old Testament stories. He has written a great deal recent regarding prostitution and the rights of sex workers. Here he uses the bible as justification for their proper treatment and deconstructs the taboo way sex is treated in the traditional conservative mindset.
68. Reborn
Author: Mark Millar
Artist: Greg Capullo
Publisher: Image Comics
I struggled with where to place Reborn the most on this list. This is a series I could easily see as a top ten contender for next year, but with only three issues out currently I did not feel comfortable listing it any higher. Mostly due to how there are still a great deal of questions that remain with this series. That is also what has made this such a compelling story so far. There is a lot of potential with this concept with the super team of Mark Millar and Greg Capullo behind it and I have faith that potential will be realized.
Man this must have been daunting to pull off. Great job. So happy Ferrier’s work made it a few times. you really should read his D4VE series’ stuff, very awesome!!
Man this must have been daunting to pull off. Great job. So happy Ferrier’s work made it a few times. you really should read his D4VE series’ stuff, very awesome!!