40. Unfollow
Author: Rob Williams
Artist: Michael Dowling
Publisher: Vertigo
Unfollow is the forgotten book by Vertigo this year. All the love for the Young Animal line and other books from Vertigo that may come up on this countdown have all overshadowed Unfollow. Maybe it is the name, how closely tied it is to social networking, or perhaps because the premise sounds like a trope that has be done to death. Whatever the case, more attention needs to be paid to this very trippy story that subverts expectations over and over again.
39. Deadly Class
Author: Rick Remender
Artist: Wesley Craig
Publisher: Image Comics
A big part of me thought this was the beginning of the end for Deadly Class. After some major events took place this year I wondered how this comic could go on with the new status quo. Everything the book was working towards was up ended in one key issue. Somehow not only has the book continued it has gotten better. I have loved this comic since it starts, but at times the over melancholic tone does become a bit much. With a fresh bash of characters added that has been replaced with a much more entertaining dark sense of humor.
38. Terminal Lance: The White Donkey
By: Maximilian Uriarte
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Over the last decade or so there has been a great deal of fiction that covers the Iraq war in one shape or another. So in order to standout from that ever increasing crowd you need to do something different or unique. For Terminal Lance: The White Donkey what makes it work is that is messy and does not provide easy answer to complex problems. Maximilian Uriarte’s personal experience is evident in the way his portrays his charters in all their faults and doesn’t let them off easy. This is a treacherous journey for all, especially when many are not even sure what they are looking for.
37. Harrow County
Author: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Tyler Crook
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
A lot has been said regarding the horror renaissance that has been occurring with movies like It Follows and The Witch. What should be talked about on equal footing is the same type of renaissance that is occurring in horror comics, and what is leading the influx of great horror stories is Harrow County. Terrifying in the best of ways Harrow County is Cullen Bunn’s inspired story of the terrifying effects of guilt. When reading I may throw on a couple extra lights just to be safe.
36. Doctor Strange
Author: Jason Aaron
Artist: Chris Bachalo
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Doctor Strange marks the second Jason Aaron book on this list. This does share some common qualities with The Mighty Thor. With both Aaron has taken characters that can be challenging to get into and made them more palpable for general audiences. Aaron took what is usually an abstract concept with magic and gave it real world stakes and consequences. Now Dr. Strange is not just a random guy with funny sounding incantations he is an actual warrior. It takes a special kind of writer with a special set of skills to redefine a character in the way Aaron has with this series. I never thought a Dr. Strange series could work beyond a short mini, but leave it to Jason Aaron to prove me wrong.
35. Giant Days
Author: John Allison
Artist: Max Sarin
Publisher: Boom! Studios
As a 31 year old male Giant Days is not a comic written for the likes of me, yet despite that I find myself enjoying it a great deal. Great writing is great writing and that is what Giant Days is full of in each issue. John Allison has created a comic full of fully realized diverse characters that all provide something very different. If you are like me and think this comic is not for you I implore you to give it a shot. It at the very least will give you insight to a world outside of your own.
34. Tetris: The Games People Play
By: Box Brown
Publisher: First Second
Tetris: The Games People Play reads like a fascinating court room drama with all the insane twist and turns, heroes and villain, and just play crazy legalease it makes you wonder just how in the world does anything ever get done when something as simple as a video game could cause so much complexity. Reading this I could not help but think this has all the makings of a great documentary. Outside of the legal story was an mind binding investigation into what exactly makes Tetris just so darn appealing to so many. It was like finding the answer to a lifelong mystery you did not ever existed. There has long been a debate over the legitimacy of video games as an artform and this spins a compelling case. By looking into all aspect of game play whether it is the way our mind interrupts gameplay in fractions of a second to how game designers can manipulate players with mind bending tricks, all show there is much more to creating games then just having fun.
33. The Omega Men
Author: Tom King
Artist: Barnaby Bagenda
Publisher: DC Comics
We forget that at their core superheores are telling a Science Fiction story. The Omega Men is a reminder of that. King and Bagenda are masters at the classic nine panel story telling method. People will be using this as a teaching example of how to properly pace a comic for years to come. This if course is not the first nor will it be the last time Tom King’s name shows up on this countdown. I give DC credit for allowing King and Barnaby Bagenda to finish this series despite the low sales. If you have not read it change that now as you can get the entire thing in one solidly packed trade.
32. Southern Bastards
Author: Jason Aaron
Artist: Jason Latour
Publisher: Image Comics
Southern Bastards was my number one comic of last year so you may see its placement here and think the quality has declined over the past twelve months. In no way is that the case. With only three issues coming out this year it was difficult for me to rank it much higher than this. Output does matter to some extent Those three issues were expediently great as we are getting to storylines that have been teased since the forth issue. Anytime this book is out I can pretty much guarantee it would be the best book of that week.
31. Spider-Woman
Author: Dennis Hopeless
Artist: Javier Rodriguez,, Joelle Jones, Tigh Walker, Veronica Fish
Publisher: Marvel Comics
You know when a comic book is working when it can make you actually care about the death of a character. This year some of the biggest characters in comic book history were killed and none of them affected me the same as the death a D list character in Spider-Woman did. Javier Rodriguez deserves a special award for some of the inventiveness he showed in this series. I don’t think I saw better artwork than what he did in issue number four this year. Spider-Woman was never a character I cared much for and now after this series she is one of my favorite Marvel characters. This book needs so much more love than it is getting.
30. Dark Night: A True Batman Story
Author: Paul Dini
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Publisher: Vertigo Comics
Paul Dini is a name that any Batman fan is well aware of, but this isn’t just another tale about the caped crusader. Here Dini depicts a real life incident that occured to him that forever changed his life and nearly drove him out of the business for good. What works here is Dini’s brutal honestly and wiliness to open up some of his deepest and darkest secrets and fears. It is a story of redemption, but also in some instances complete redemption is a fallacy. For thsose who wonder why character like Batman are important a story like this demonstrates how comics and cartoons can be vehicles for more than simple entertainment. If you have ever enjoyed any of Dini’s work you owe it to yourself and him to read this book.
29. Paper Girls
Author: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Cliff Change
Publisher: Image Comics
If you are someone who liked Stranger Things but thought it relied too heavily on nostalgia pick up Paper Girls. Do it now. I will wait. Great, now you will see that Paper Girls has that throwback adventure without feeling derivative of other famous properties. For everyone one question it answers it may ask three more, but never it an annoying sense. Brian K Vaughan lets you comprehend without completely understanding everything going on allowing the mystery to remain exciting.
28. Irmina
By: Barbara Yelin
Publisher: Reprodukt
Released for the first time this year in English Irmina tells the tale of a young German woman looking to start her adult life in London in the Mid 1930’s. Author Barbara Yelin indicated this book was inspired by the diary and writings of her own grandmother, which explains the personal touch the entire narrative holds. This story works as a cautionary tale of how personal determination can easily become halted by factors we never considered happening. How dreams are forgotten as we settle into what is comfortable. There are an endless amount of stories about WWII but none I can think of follow this trajectory. We see a person who not only accepts the disfranchised but will fight for them morph into follower of the Nazi regime. What was perhaps most shocking was the little amount of effort that went into that change. Fear is a powerful tool. That is part of what makes Irmina such a compelling character. Yes there elements to her story that you will surely feel sympathy towards, but mostly her life was set off course due to her own decisions.
27. Black Science
Author: Rick Remender
Artist: Matteo Scalera
Publisher: Image Comics
Last year Black Science did not make my list and that was criminal. I was rightfully called out for that and spent a lot of time this year catching up with it, and a big part of me was glad I waiting to read this series because I could easily become lost if I read this by month by month. The lazy thing would be describe this as the comic book version of Sliders, but that does not begin to describe it. Tragic does not begin to describe the group of characters. Remender seems to enjoy finding new ways to tear down these characters only to slowly build them back up.
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!!