by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan
Shortcut links:
• Best Comics
•• WATCHMEN = Creators Rights
• ★ All-Ages Comics!
• Best Graphic Novels
• Best Collections + Reissues
• Where We Come From, Dept.
• Best Magazines
• Best Movies + TV
• Best Webcomics
• Rest In Power
B E S T
C O M I C S :
I M A G E
• PAPER GIRLS, by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan _______ ⇧
One of the smartest, twistiest comics ever made comes to a close with issue #30.
• LITTLE BIRD, by Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram _______ ⇩
An hallucinatory 5-issue mini-series, like a post-apoc' dreamquest.
• UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, by Charles Soule and Scott Snyder (w), and Giuseppe Camuncoli and Daniele Orlandini (a) _______
A superduo of writers brings us a complex story of our world ravaged by a pandemic, and the lost country that was the United States.
• FAIRLADY, by Brian Schirmer, Claudia Balboni, and Marissa Louise _______ ⇩
Fantasy meets cop procedural, underlined with social critique.
• SKYWARD, by Joe Henderson and Lee Garbett _______
Class wars, science intrigue, and zero gravity.
• ASCENDER, by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen _______
The sequel to DESCENDER navigates Sci-Fi and Fantasy.
• BITTER ROOT, by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene _______ ⇧
The '20s Harlem Renaissance vs. arcane forces (and family quarrels).
• MONSTRESS, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda _______ ⇧
Best-selling author Marjorie Liu's Gothic Fantasy, with stunning art by Sana Takeda.
• THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE, by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie _______
Life and death and lifestyles of the rich and infamous.
M A R V E L
• VALKYRIE JANE FOSTER, by Jason Aaron and Al Ewing _______ ⇧
She was Thor, and now she is more.
• THE MAGNIFICENT MS. MARVEL, by Saladin Ahmed and Minkyu Jung _______
A relaunch title of everyone's favorite, Kamala Khan, with a new creative team.
• THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL, by Ryan North and Derek Charm _______
Comics' most hilarious hero closes out a long run of chestnuts with issue #50.
• THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP, by Jeremy Whitley and Gurihiru _______ ⇩
The new Wasp and her genius squad arrive to shake up the science hive.
• MARVEL RISING, by Nilah Magruder and Roberto Di Salvo _______ ⇩
Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, Ghost-Spider, America Chavez, and Captain Marvel. Nuff said.
• SILVER SURFER BLACK, by Donny Cates and Tradd Moore _______ ⇧
It's the trippy art, morphing somewhere between Steve Ditko and Oliver Hibert.
• BLACK PANTHER, by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Daniel Acuna _______
Bestselling author Coates continues to refine and redefine Wakanda's maonarch for the present day.
• SHURI, by Nnedi Okorafor and Leonardo Romero _______ ⇧
Bestselling author Okorafor puts the Panther's sister on center stage.
• MARVELS: Annotated, by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross _______
MARVELS rocked the industry in 1994, with its lushly painted deconstruction of the history of the Marvel universe, seen through the eyes of average people. This reissue reveals all the deep details within it.
Ever marvelous.
W A R S
Marvel is doing a splendid job making movies between the movies.
• STAR WARS, by Kieron Gillen and Angel Unzueta; Greg Pak and Phil Noto _______
For 75 issues, this series did excellent arcs filling in the mysteries between A NEW HOPE and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.
After this, a new relaunch of the title will explore between EMPIRE and RETURN OF THE JEDI.
• DARTH VADER: Dark Lord of the Sith*, by Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli _______
A second series, set in Vader's formative years in the aftermath of REVENGE OF THE SITH, which culminated with issue #25.
*(They don't include the subtitle on the cover, causing great confusion with the first 25-issue DARTH VADER series, which was set later.)
• DARTH VADER: Dark Visions, by Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum and varied artists _______
A five-issue mini, an anthology examining how Vader is perceived by different people across the galaxy.
• STAR WARS: Doctor Aphra, by Simon Spurrier and Caspar Wijngaard _______ ⇧
One of STAR WARS comics' most inspired breakthrough characters wraps up her illustrious run with issue #40.
D C
Fight The Real Enemy
DC Comics began when its mob-connected owners swindled two comics creators out of Superman.>
Siegel and Shuster only received proper credit and some compensation 35 years later when other brave creators like Neal Adams started championing creators rights and embarrassed the company through the press into giving it. In the '80s, as creator-owned indie comics ignited a mature comics renaissance, DC often paid lip service to now honoring creators rights. This was easier to say, now that their financial fortunes had just turned from near bankruptcy to critical darlings through the revolutionary works of one writer, Alan Moore. Living off his legacy ever since, they now repay him by consistently betraying him.
Let's be clear. DC has many great accomplishments in its tenure, all of which were achieved by smart creators and supportive editors. But, that creativity has often been overridden by the exploitative machinations of the larger corporations (the legal mafia) that have owned them.
Writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons were promised the permanent rights to WATCHMEN, after a first printing; in 1986, the new 'graphic novels' of the time had one printing and were done. Instead, WATCHMEN and THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and MAUS established graphic novels as a new literature in the mainstream. Exploiting the irony of its lucrative success, DC has withheld copyright ever since through endless printings. And now they franchise the stolen property through phony prequels and sequels by others to convince the public that they own it.
By all accounts, the new WATCHMEN TV series (Like DC, HBO is also owned by Warner Bros.) is excellent. But I'm boycotting it and here's why.
It doesn't matter about the quality of a swipe, because it's still a swipe. The only purpose for the "Before WATCHMEN" and "Doomsday Clock" comics and the TV series sequel is to deny copyright to the original creators. To support any of them is to support the criminal. Any denial of this is just a flimsy rationalization for Gimmes to consume without conscience.
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created WATCHMEN and it's theirs alone. They innovated everything that helps you enjoy all the titles on this Best Comics post. Be Woke by actually being aware. Stand up for real justice and support creators rights.
V E R T I G O
Forget the corporation, support the creators.
• GODDESS MODE, by Zoe Quinn and Robbi Rodriguez _______
Femme underground vs. the god machine.
D A R K
H O R S E
• BLACK HAMMER: Age Of Doom, by Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, and Dave Steward _______ ⇧
The 12-issue maxi ends; Lemire's BH titles are a parallel to such alt-Comics-history classics as KINGDOM COME, ASTRO CITY, and PLANETARY.
• BLACK HAMMER ’45, by Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes _______ ⇧
A 4-issue mini; like the Tuskegee Airmen retold as the Blackhawks.
• THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: HOTEL OBLIVION, by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá _______
After a long break (and the breakout success of the Netflix show), the creators return for a sequel.
• AMERICAN GODS: The Moment of the Storm, by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell, and Scott Hampton _______
The third and concluding arc in their adaptation of Gaiman's book, a separate version than the TV series adaption.
In a just universe, Karen Berger would be the one running DC Comics instead of the Corps and the Ballcaps. She helmed the original/actual Vertigo Comics, the standard which all current Indie companies are imitating, and now she has her own imprint of creator-owned titles.
• INVISIBLE KINGDOM, by G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward _______ ⇧
Put together Wilson (the creator of the new Ms. Marvel) and Ward (psychedelic artist of THE ODY-C), and you get a female Dune unlike anything you've seen.
• SHE COULD FLY: The Lost Pilot, by Christopher Cantwell, Martin Morazzo, and Miroslav Mrva _______ ⇧
Written by the showrunner of the Halt And Catch Fire TV show, a mini-series sequel opening up mysteries within and without.
• EVERYTHING, by Christopher Cantwell and I. N. J. Culbard _______ ⇧
The mega-mall promises consumer paradise, so why is everything going wrong outside?
(Metaphor.)
• RUBY FALLS, by Ann Nocenti and Flavia Biondi _______ ⇧
A generational murder mystery.
I D W
You're welcome.
• STAR TREK: The Q Conflict, by Scott Tipton, David Tipton, and David Messina (IDW) _______ ⇧
A mini-series team-up of multiple series -Star Trek, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager- against the omnipotent being, Q.
B O O M
• FIREFLY: The Unification War, by Greg Pak and Dan McDaid _______ ⇧
8 issues (or two trades) telling the secret civil war history that led to the TV series.
• FIREFLY: Bad Company, by Josh Lee Gordon and Francesco Mortarino _______
A one-shot spotlighting the life story of the rapscallion, Saffron (played on the series by Christina Hendricks).
• FIREFLY: Sting, by Delilah S Dawson, with Pius Bak, Serg Acuna, Richard Ortiz, Hyeonjin Kim, and Rodrigo Lorenzo _______ ⇧
An original Graphic Novel, showing Saffron's heist caper from the POV of all the Firefly women involved.
• STRANGE SKIES OVER EAST BERLIN, by Jeff Loveness and Lisandro Estherren _______
A Cold War espionage thriller meets sci-fi horror.
T I T A N
• BLADE RUNNER 2019, by Michael Green, Mike Johnson, and Andres Guinaldo _______ ⇧
The first canon comic sequel, by Michael Green (the co-writer of the film sequel BLADE RUNNER 2049), opens up new vistas in the raining city.
V A U L T
• SERA AND THE ROYAL STARS, by Jon Tsuei and Audrey Mok _______ ⇧
A Fantasy of a monarch trying to stave off civil war while seeking divine deliverance.
V A L I A N T
• LIVEWIRE, by Vita Ayala, Raul Allen, and Patricia Martin _______ ⇧
Going from superhero to wanted felon over a noble choice, Livewire circuits a world of pain.
★ A L L - A G E S
C O M I C S
From the '30s to the '80s, comics unified all of the kids in the world.
Comics spinner racks were omnipresent in every grocery, newsstand, and drugstore, a world of dreams in color for small change. But after 50 years, this changed.
As the fans grew older, comics grew more mature (and gradually more expensive). In the early '80s, comics disappeared from common spaces to be sold only in individual comic stores. This was the best and worst thing that could have happened: the select stores became a lab for the medium to grow up with adult fans, but this Comics Renaissance left all the kids behind with no entry point. Now that three decades have passed, the young have moved on to games and streaming, seeing superheroes nowadays only in films that are meant for those longtime adult readers.
Roy Thomas once said, "The Golden Age of Comics is 8."
Comics should still be a fun spark for kids. Now, with the spectacular success of Raina Telgemeier's books, various publishers are finally figuring this out. A wide movement to provide more all-ages comics has risen. From single comics to trade paperbacks, there are many new entry points for young readers to join in and open up their imaginations.
• POWERS IN ACTION, by Art Baltazar (Action Lab) _______
The always delightful Baltazar brings another loving spoof of all things hero in this 4-issue mini.
• STEVEN UNIVERSE, by Taylor Robin and S.M. Mara (Boom) _______
The acclaimed show has finished, but the adventures continue on the page.
• ADVENTURE TIME, Season 11, by Sonny Liew and Marina Julia (Boom) _______ ⇧
Season 10 was the last onscreen, but keep the merriment rolling with this print sequel.
• SABRINA, The Teenage Witch, by Kelly Thompson and Veronica Fish (Archie) _______ ⇧
Known for her TV shows, Sabrina is just as bewitching in her latest comic series by noted writer Kelly Thompson.
• MARVEL ACTION: SPIDER-MAN, by Delilah S Dawson and Fico Ossio (Marvel/IDW) _______ ⇧
Young teen versions of Peter, Miles, and Gwen goof around.
• STAR WARS ADVENTURES, by various creators (IDW) _______ ⇧
All-ages adventures of the film and TV animated characters in new stories.
Rey!
• CASPER, by various creators (American Mythology) _______ ⇧
The timeless '50s-'70s stories reprinted.
• UNDERGOG, by various creators (American Mythology) _______ ⇧
New and classic stories.
• BULLWINKLE AND ROCKY, by various creators (American Mythology) _______ ⇧
The classic '70s comics reprinted.
• PEANUTS: LUCY SPEAKS OUT!, by Charles Schultz (Amp) _______ ⇧
Reprints of the Peanuts comic strip in serial form.
N O V E L S
• SPACE BOY #1-6, by Stephen McCranie (Dark Horse) _______ ⇩
An ongoing series of books, following a young teen adapting to moving around our solar system and the friends she makes.
• BEN 10, by various creators (Boom) _______
The TV series hero in original tales.
• SUPER SONS, by Peter J. Tomasi, Carlo Barberi, and Art Thibert (DC) _______
The adventures of Damian Wayne (Robin) and Jon Kent (Superboy), a 12-issue maxi compiled into two trade paperbacks.
• DC SUPERHERO GIRLS At Metropolis High, by Amy Wolfram and Yancy Labat (DC) _______ ⇩
An original Graphic Novel starring young teen versions of Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Green Lantern, Bumblebee, and Zatanna.
• TOY STORY ADVENTURES, by various creators (Disney) _______
Short stories spread across the span of the films.
• CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED, by various creators (Jack Lake Productions) _______
From the '40s to the '70s, Classics Illustrated adapted the classic books into comics form, becoming classics themselves.
Recently each issue has been reprinted as a single-volume trade paperback.
• GUTS, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic/Graphix) _______ ⇧
Raina Telgemeier is the JK Rowling of comics, bringing more young readers in with her wildly popular and fun confessional books than anyone in the industry.
• CLEOPATRA IN SPACE #1-5, by Mike Maihack (Scholastic) _______
Annual books of the Egyptian teen queen having fun in the far future.
• SANITY AND TALLULAH #1-2, by Molly Brooks (Disney/Hyperion) _______
Two young girls, a feisty cat, a space station. What could go wrong?
• HILDA And... #1-7, by Luke Pearson (Flying Eye Books) _______ ⇧
Refreshing kid adventures with a contemporary Fantasy bent, now made world-famous by the Netflix cartoon series.
Resources:
• Kidscomics.com
• School Library Journal: Good Comics For Kids
• 50 Best Comics + Graphic Novels For Kids
• The Big Blog Of Kids' Comics!
• European Comics For Children
• 13 Great Webcomics For Kids and Teens
B E S T
G R A P H I C
N O V E L S :
• THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN:
Vol. 4, The Tempest, by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill (Top Shelf) _______ ⇧
The finale to the LOEG books, and to the careers of its esteemed creators.
What if all literature was a true, inter-related reality? The Extraordinary Gentlemen books are actually the complex history of one extraordinary woman, threading the entire Canon of speculative fictions together.
Deep as Oxford, eclectic as the Smithsonian, fun as Comic-Con.
• NOVEMBER Vol. 1, by Matt Fraction and Elsa Charretier (Dark Horse) _______
Beginning a trilogy: three women, a crooked city, and intricate enigmas.
• THE MIDWINTER WITCH, by Molly Knox Ostertag (Scholastic) _______ ⇩
The finale of the Fantasy trilogy, by hailed creator Ostertag (Strong Female Protagonist).
• CLYDE FANS, by Seth (Drawn and Quarterly) _______
A long form meditation how all things must pass, focusing on a fans factory, a series made across twenty years and collected together for the first time.
• GIRL ON FILM, by Cecil Castellucci; Art by Vicky Leta, Jon Berg, V. Gagnon, and Melissa Duffy (Boom) _______
A wild memoir by Castellucci (Shade The Changing Girl).
• GENDER QUEER: A Memoir , by Maia Kobabe (Lion Forge) _______ ⇩
Only you can define who you are.
(Tip: It's a work in progress the whole way.)
• THE RIVER AT NIGHT, by Kevin Huizenga (Drawn And Quarterly) _______ ⇧
Insomnia gives you plenty of time to think think think...
• LAURA DEAN KEEPS BREAKING UP WITH ME, by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero O Connell (First Second Books) _______
Love is revelation, destroyer, and catalyst. A nuanced teen opera.
• SKIP, by Molly Mendoza (Nobrow Press) _______ ⇧
Two new friends explore cosmic landscapes and their psyches. Beautifully painted surrealism.
• CATS OF THE LOUVRE, by Taiyo Matsumoto (NBM) _______
The secret world of night cats in the art palace.
• IRON
Or, The War After, by Shane-Michael Vidaurri (Archaia Studios Press) _______ ⇩
Like Animal Farm meets 1984.
• JAMES BROWN:
Black And Proud, by Xavier Fauthoux (IDW) _______ ⇩
"Say it loud!".
• REMBRANDT, by Typex (SelfMadeHero) _______
SelfMadeHero is publishing great biographies of famous artists told in their visual styles; previous volumes highlighted Van Gogh, Picasso, Munch, Dali, and Magritte.
> SelfMadeHero.com
• PHILIP K. DICK, by Laurent Queyssi and Mauro Marchesi (NBM) _______
Speculative Fiction's most eccentric and original thinker is finally getting his due, with film and tv adaptions, documentaries, and bios like this.
• BASQUIAT, by Paolo Paris (SelfMadeHero) _______ ⇧
The downtown renaissance man who mapped the future from the primordial past.
• BLANK CANVAS:
My So-Called Artist's Journey, Vol. 1-5, by Akiko Higashimura (Seven Seas) _______ ⇧
The autobiography of the famed Manga artist and her struggles.
• I KNOW WHAT I AM:
The Life and Times of Artemisia Gentileschi, by Gina Siciliano (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧
Artemisia was a 16th Century painter abused and neglected at every turn, but her brilliant work has become undeniable.
• AMAZONS, ABOLITIONISTS, AND ACTIVISTS:
A Graphic History of Women's Fight for Their Rights, by Mikki Kendall (Ten Speed Press) _______ ⇧
"What do we want? Freedom!
When do we want it? Now!".
• THIS WOMAN'S WORK, by Julie Delporte (Drawn & Quarterly) _______ ⇧
Autobiography as feminist deconstruction of identity.
• THE HARD TOMORROW, by Eleanor Davis (Drawn & Quarterly) _______ ⇧
Love and the intersection of anxiety and responsibility.
• THE LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS:
A Graphic Narrative, by David Walker, Damon Smyth, and Marissa Louise (Ten Speed Press) _______ ⇧
Douglass was the Gandhi and King of the 19th Century, who rose up from illiterate slave to revolutionary scholar.
• I, RENE TARDI, PRISONER OF WAR IN STALAG IIB:
Vol. 2, My Return Home, by Rene Tardi (Drawn And Quarterly) _______
The aftermath of the French cartoonist's internment in a German WWII prison camp.
• THEY CALLED US ENEMY, by George Takei, with Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker (Top Shelf) _______ ⇧
George Takei is famous for forging the future on Star Trek.
But as a child he was interned in a California prison camp, despite being a citizen. This timely autobiography reminds us that bigotry must be fought at all times in all places.
• GRASS, by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (Drawn & Quarterly) _______ ⇧
A memoir of Korean girls exploited as sexual slaves in Japanese internment camps.
• THE BLUE ROAD:
A Fable of Migration, by Wayde Compton (w) and April dela Noche Milne (a) (Arsenal Pulp Press) _______ ⇧
A symbolic parable about the value of immigrants, across land and soul.
• The Sons of EL TOPO:
Vol. 2, Abel, by Alejandro Jodorowsky and José Ladrönn (Dark Horse) _______ ⇧
Jodorowsky made his startling debut with the symbolist western film EL TOPO (1970).
After years of developing a sequel, he is releasing it in graphix form, with Ladrönn's stunning art depicting the best unmade film around.
• DIOSAMANTE, by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Jean-Claude Gal (Humanoids) _______ ⇧
Having worked with Moebius, Jodorowsky has created many Metal Hurlant-style alternate histories.
B E S T
C O L L E C T I O N S
+ R E I S S U E S :
• EC ARCHIVES:
Weird Fantasy, Vol. 4
Two-Fisted Tales, Vol. 4
Crime SuspenStories, Vol. 4
Frontline Combat
Modern Love
Piracy, by Multiple Creators (Dark Horse) _______ ⇧
EC Comics invented comics for adults in the early '50s, and were crucified for it.>
Catch up to the original revolution.
Stories by Gaines, Feldstein, Frazetta, Wood, Kamen, Orlando, Williamson, and more.
• Druillet's THE NIGHT (1976), by Philippe Druillet (Titan) _______ ⇧
Out of unbearable personal tragedy, Druillet crafted this stark catharsis tale.
• Druillet's SALAMMBO, Vol.1 (1980-'81), by Philippe Druillet (Titan) _______ ⇧
Druillet adapted a trilogy out of Flaubert's controversial historical war saga.
• ANGEL CLAWS (1994), by Jodorowsky and Moebius (Humanoids Publishing) _______ ⇧
Two iconoclasts push sensual surrealism beyond all boundaries.
• 40 DAYS- Dans Le Désert B (1999), by Moebius (Book Palace) _______ ⇧
A sketchbook compilation. Look and learn.
• LE FAUNE DE MARS- Martian Wildlife (2011), by Moebius (Book Palace) _______
Another sketchbook collection, as usual a basic master class.
• WONDER WOMAN:
The Golden Age, Vol. 3 (1944), by Charles Moulton and H.G. Peter (DC) _______ ⇧
Moulton's forward feminism and Peter's art-nouveau cartooning are only now getting the appreciation they're due.
• ADAM STRANGE:
The Silver Age, Vol. 1 (1958-'64), by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky, Murphy Anderson, Gil Kane, and Carmine Infantino + (DC) _______ ⇧
DC's Flash Gordon surrogate was a canny series which brought SciFi into the Silver Age, with stellar writers and artists.
• BATMAN
By Neal Adams, Book 2 (1969-'70), by Dennis O'Neil, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and Neal Adams + (DC) _______ ⇧
The modern Batman exists because of Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams.
They ushered in the Age Of Relevancy, when mainstream comics grew up. Dig the revolution.
• SHAZAM!
The World's Mightiest Mortal, Vol. 1 (1973-'75), by Dennis O'Neil, C.C. Beck, and Bob Oksner (DC) _______ ⇧
Captain Marvel was the biggest selling superhero on Earth in the '40s, until jealous DC sued him out of existence.
In 1973, they began to atone for this by bringing him back for a new generation, and this bouyant tome collects the first 18 fun issues.
• Absolute SWAMP THING
by Alan Moore, Vol. 1 (1983-'85), by Alan Moore, Stephen R, Bissette, and John Totleben, + (DC) _______ ⇧
Alan Moore seeded the Comics Renaissance in Britain with MarvelMan (1982).
But it wildflowered to the world with his US work on Swamp Thing.
This is a remastered omnibus of the beginning, with new (dull airbrush) coloring.
• CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS,
35th Anniversary (1985-'86), by Marv Wolfman and George Perez (DC) _______ ⇧
DC invented the Multiverse.
After thirty years of complex continuity, they streamlined it all with this epic-to-end-all-epics.
Still the best.
• THE KILLING JOKE (1988), by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland (DC) _______ ⇧
The core inspiration for both THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) and JOKER (2019).
Read the real thing.
• KINGDOM COME (1996), by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross (DC) _______ ⇧
Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman took superheroes to an unmatchable pinnacle with Miracleman (1987-'90).
But it spawned worthy scion like this beautifully painted contemplation about lost hope and luminous futures.
• VAMPS:
The Complete Collection (1996), by Elaine Lee and William Simpson (Vertigo) _______ ⇧
Elaine Lee (Starstruck) and Will Simpson (Game Of Thrones artist) bring you female vampire bikers; all three mini-series collected in one volume at last.
• STARDUST (1996), by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess (Vertigo) _______ ⇧
The original illustrated story, before the novel or the film.
• MASTER OF KUNG FU:
Fight Without Pity (1975-'77), by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy (Marvel) _______ ⇩
This comic series is the lost treasure of the '70s, finally seeing print again after rights issues.
Moench wrote three crucial runs across the decade, each with a singular artist. This collects the first with Gulacy, a stylist blending the best of Bruce Lee and Steranko.
• NEW MUTANTS:
The Demon Bear Saga (1984-'85), by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz (Marvel) _______ ⇩
After his stunning run on Moon Knight, Sienkiewicz unleashed all inhibitions with his work here: like Neal Adams knife-fighting with Ralph Steadman.
This specifically inspired the radical TV series Legion and the NEW MUTANTS film (2021).
• THE PRISONER:
Shattered Visage (1988), by Dean Motter and Mark Askwith (Titan) _______ ⇧
This authorized sequel to The Prisoner show returns to print, as strong an extension as any made.
• PROMETHEA,
20th Anniversary Vol. 1 (1999), by Alan Moore and J.H. Williams III (America's Best Comics) _______ ⇧
Like Wonder Woman with all the brakes off.
Moore and Williams' magnum opus is a cosmic cathedral of infinite riches.
A work of fine art.
• PETER CANNON THUNDERBOLT, by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard (Dynamite) _______
WATCHMEN influenced everything, but was matched by none.
Here's one of the few heirs that do well by it.
• NANCY:
A Comic Collection , by Olivia Jaimes (Amp Comics) _______
The terrific webcomic reboot gets a print book.
• HEY KIDS! COMICS!, by Howard Chaykin (Image) _______ ⇩
Howard Chaykin's loving (while unvarnished) homage to the history of the comics industry.
• ALIEN 3, by William Gibson (Dark Horse) _______ ⇧
In 1987, the suits squandered a chance for ALIEN 3 and 4, written by Cyberpunk author William Gibson and to be directed by returning original Ridley Scott.
Let that sink in.
This compiled mini-series adapts the unused script for ALIEN 3 to comics.
WHERE WE
COME FROM,
Dept.
Explore the past to map the future.
Get with, get going.
• American Comic Book Chronicles:
1940-1944, by Kurt F. Mitchell (TwoMorrows) _______
The deep story of the Golden Age of Comics.
• EC COMICS:
Race, Shock, and Social Protest, by Qiana Whitted (Rutgers University Press) _______ ⇩
As time passes, EC Comics only gains more social stature, even as all its assassins have dissolved to dust.
• BRAIN BATS OF VENUS:
The Life and Comics of Basil Wolverton, Vol. 2 (1942-1952), by Greg Sadowski (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧
Wolverton was the punk rock of extreme cartooning, so severe he could hardly have a career.
• Forgotten All-Star:
A Biography of GARDNER FOX, by Jennifer DeRoss (Pulp Hero Press) _______
Pivotal writer Gardner Fox created the JSA, and then the JLA, and the Multiverse between them.
• MAC RABOY:
Master of the Comics, by Roger Hill (TwoMorrows) _______
In contrast to the clean-line cartooning of C.C. Beck's Captain Marvel, Raboy's Captain Marvel Jr was like a streamlined Hal Foster, naturalistic and elegant.
• Timely's Greatest:
The Golden Age Of SIMON AND KIRBY (1940-'42), by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (Marvel) _______
The original power duo, who co-created Captain America, dynamic panels, hyperbolic storytelling, kid squads, love comics, and double-page spreads.
• EC COMICS LIBRARY:
Atom Bomb and Other Stories, by Harvey Kurtzman and Wallace Wood (Fantagraphics) _______
The message stories of EC's golden boys.
• EC COMICS LIBRARY:
The Woman Who Loved Life And Other Stories, by Johnny Craig (Fantagraphics) _______
Johnny Craig is infamous for his blunt, scandalous work for Vault Of Horror and Crime SuspenStories.
• ROY G. KRENKEL:
Father of Heroic Fantasy, by Andrewsteven Damsits and Barry Klugerman (IDW) _______ ⇧
A consummate illustrator, whose influence on succeeding artists is immeasurable.
• Telling Stories:
The Classic Comic Art Of FRANK FRAZETTA, Edited by Edward Mason (Bud's Art Books) _______ ⇧
A reissue of the 2008 book, collecting Frazetta's less-known early comics work.
• Marvel Masters of Suspense:
STAN LEE AND STEVE DITKO (1960s), by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (Marvel) _______
There were two dynamic duos at Marvel and Stan was in both. Ditko's best art period.
• KIRBY IS FANTASTIC (The 1960s), by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (Marvel) _______ ⇧
An overview of the cutting edge Fantastic Four comic, for which Lee and Kirby did the first 101 issues.
• KIRBY IS MIGHTY (The 1960s), by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (Marvel) _______ ⇧
It was in The Mighty Thor where Kirby went galactic and epic, with double-spreads that blueprinted everything in the THOR films.
• DC Universe:
The Bronze Age Omnibus of JACK KIRBY (The 1970s-'80s), by Jack Kirby (DC) _______ ⇧
From '70 to '75, Kirby jumped ship to the Distinguished Competion, hitting his pinnacle with the New Gods titles and Kamandi.
• KIRBY RETURNS (1976-'78), by Jack Kirby (Marvel) _______ ⇧
An omnibus of Kirby's return to Marvel Comics; his continually influencial work then on Captain America, Black Panther, The Eternals, 2001, Machine Man, and Devil Dinosaur is still being mined in comics and onscreen today.
• The Complete CREPAX,
Vol. 4: Private Life (1960s), by Guido Crepax (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧
Mod pageantry, Hitchcock panels, and erotic decadence.
• JAMES WARREN, Empire Of Monsters:
The Man Behind Creepy, Vampirella, And Famous Monsters, by Bill Schelly (Fantagraphics) _______
Warren magazines like Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella were the adult comics of the '60s and '70s.
And The Spirit reprints rediscovered and helped canonize Will Eisner.
• BERNIE WRIGHTSON Artifact Edition, by Bernie Wrightson (IDW) _______ ⇧
EC produced future children like Jeff Jones, Michael Kaluta, and Berni Wrightson, whose fine illustration work on Swamp Thing is essential.
• The Collected TOPPI,
Vol. 2: North America, by Sergio Toppi (Lion Forge) _______ ⇧
Every page by Toppi is a master class in illustration, in the use of line, contrast, design, and negative space.
• The Book Of WEIRDO:
A Retrospective of R. Crumb's Legendary Humor Comics Anthology (1994), by Jon B. Cooke (Last Gasp) _______
Crumb's cheeky response to the arty RAW magazine was the hinge from underground comix to today's indie comics and graphic novels.
Culprits who slung ink there included Peter Bagge, Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes, Kim Deitch, Julie Doucet, Drew Friedman, Phoebe Gloeckner, Justin Green, Bill Griffith, Gilbert Hernandez, Carol Lay, Harvey Pekar, Joe Sacco, Dori Seda, Art Spiegelman, and Robert Williams.
• FREE S#!T, by Charles Burns (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧
Drawings that Burns gave away free to friends now grace a coffee table book.
MAGAZINES
• ALTER EGO (TwoMorrows) _______ ⇧
The original '60s comics fanzine that pioneered all of modern fandom, with deep stories on the Golden and Silver Age creators, is an ongoing mag still edited by Roy Thomas.
> Alter Ego
• BACK ISSUE! (TwoMorrows) _______
Dedicated to the '70s and '80s renaissance.
> Back Issue
• ILLUSTRATION (The Illustrated Press) _______ ⇧
The best illustrators celebrated by the smartest illustration mag.
> Illustration
B E S T
M O V I E S
+ T V :
I write and illustrate reviews of all comics-sourced films at the Four Color Films site.
• CAPTAIN MARVEL
That's her boot upside your ass.
My review and original art.
• AVENGERS: Endgame ⇧
10 years of quality superhero films coming to stunning fruition, and hinging into the new future.
My review and original art.
• SPIDER-MAN: Far From Home
Pushing the envelope into origami.
• JOKER ⇧
Art film and character study, in New Hollywood style.
My review and original art.
See Also:
> Four Color Films,
THE Comic Movies Review Site!
• LEGION, season 3
The highest level of fine art craft on Television.
• JESSICA JONES, season 3
Jessica bows out, as snarky and haunted as ever.
• RAISING DION, season 1
A smart, funny, and moving series about an 8-year-old superhero and his amazing mom.
See also:
> BEST MOVIES And TV: 2019
B E S T
W E B C O M I C S :
• NANCY, by Olympia Jaimes _______
Under a pseudonym, someone is upgrading the classic strip's mindtricks for the digital age.
"Sluggo is lit" and you should get literate, too.
• PRINCE VALIANT, by Mark Schultz and Thomas Yeates _______ ⇧
Schultz (Xenozoic Tales) and Yeates (Timespirits) are doing excellent work continuing Hal Foster's masterwork into the 21st century.
• The Nib _______
RESIST!
R E S T
I N
P O W E R
From you, we exist.
Because of you, we persist.
• Everett Raymond Kinstler
• Pedro Bell ⇧
• Gahan Wilson
• Howard Cruse
art by Frank Kelly Freas.
• MAD Magazine ⇧
After the dumbass politicians killed EC Comics>, MAD Magazine rose like a phoenix blowing a smartass raspberry at all culture.
Its satiric mayhem directly inspired Lenny Bruce, underground comix, National Lampoon, Saturday Night Live, In Living Color, MAD TV, The Daily Show, and all snarky teens ever since.
Now the usual gang of idiots -the dumbass digital era- has ended it.
Stay irate, stay crazed, stay MAD.
© Tym Stevens
See also:
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2025
• BEST MUSIC: 2025
• BEST COMICS: 2025
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2024
• BEST MUSIC: 2024
• BEST COMICS: 2024
· BEST MOVIES + TV: 2023
• BEST MUSIC: 2023
• BEST COMICS: 2023
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2022
• BEST MUSIC: 2022
• BEST COMICS: 2022
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2021
• BEST MUSIC: 2021
• BEST COMICS: 2021
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2020
• BEST MUSIC: 2020
• BEST COMICS: 2020
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2019
• BEST MUSIC: 2019
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2018
• BEST MUSIC: 2018
• BEST COMICS: 2018
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2017
• BEST MUSIC: 2017
• BEST COMICS: 2017
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2016
• BEST MUSIC: 2016
• BEST COMICS: 2016
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2015
• BEST MUSIC: 2015
• BEST COMICS: 2015
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2014
• BEST MUSIC: 2014
• BEST COMICS: 2014
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2013
• BEST MUSIC: 2013
• BEST COMICS: 2013
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2012
• BEST MUSIC: 2012
• BEST COMICS: 2012
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2011
• BEST MUSIC: 2011
• BEST COMICS: 2011
• BEST MOVIES + TV: 2000-2010
• BEST MUSIC: 2000-2010
• BEST COMICS: 2000-2010
• How STAR WARS Is Changing Everything!
• 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Its Transcendent Influence on all Pop Culture, with Music Player!
• How SPAGHETTI WESTERNS Revolutionized Rock Music!, with 3 Music Players!
• TWIN PEAKS: Its Influence on 30 Years of Film, TV, and Music!, with 5 Music Players!
• The Real History of ROCK AND SOUL!: The Music Player Checklist
• THE CANON 1: 50 Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player
• THE CANON 2: 50 More Books That Created Modern Pop Culture, with Music Player
• THE CANON 3: 50 Recent Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player
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