Comics felt… just ok this year. There was great stuff (see below), but the middle felt super thin. I have a friend who more or less hit a wall with the medium this year. I’m not quite there, but mainstream superheroes in particular left me wanting. Feels a bit like the early 90s. Hopefully, we are about to enter a similarly delightful era as the mid to late 90s.

Comics

15. Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League by Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott- The Rucka back at DC and under much happier circumstances is nearly enough for me all on its own. Toss in Scott’s exceptional art, and now you really have my attention. Make the whole thing a heist book? Welcome to the best of the year list.

14. Captain America by Chip Zdarsky and Valerio Schiti- Zdarsky is in his imperial era. Let that man run wild.

13. Transformers by Daniel Warren Johnson, Jorge Corona, and Mike Spicer- Such a consistent delivery system of better than it has any right to be robot mayhem.

12. Impostor Syndicate by Matt D. Wilson and Rodrigo Vargas- An impossible to resist concept for me, a lover of b and below level villains. In this world, the clothes literally make the villain, as the act of being a run-of-the-mill baddie is just this side of a five-and-under in show business terms. Vargas’ art balances impressive action with a work-a-day blue-collar vibe.

11. Batman by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez- Jimenez is one of those artists who I’m always happy to see working on a book.

10. Immortal/Mortal Thor by Al Ewing, Jan Bazaldua, Pasqual Ferry, and Justin Greenwood- Rising Star Al Ewing kills it all year again. And how great is it to have Pasqual Ferry on an ongoing?

9. The Power Fantasy by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard

8. Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu by Jed MacKay, Devmalya Pramanik, and Domenico Carbone- Yes, it has happened over the course of like four different volumes and five different titles, but this is the most consistently well-treated Moon Knight has ever been. Truly an incredible era to be a fan of the Lunar Lunatic.

7. The Ultimate Universe by so very many people

6. Those Not Afraid by Kyle Starks and Patrick Piazzalunga- Still in the Kyle Starks business.

5. Spectators by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon- A complete work from the Pride of Baghdad team. A friendly reminder of why Vaughan was my favorite comics writer for a not inconsiderable amount of time.

4. Assorted Crisis Events by Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadzki

3. We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us by Matthew Rosenberg, Stefano Landini, and Jason Wordie- Looks incredible cover to cover. The plot, a teen girl and her late mad scientist father’s robot bodyguard seek vengeance, is sublime.

2. Fantastic Four by Ryan North and Humberto Ramos- Far and away the best traditional mainstream universe superhero comic on shelves. Issue #5 is a particular standout.

1. The Absolute Universe by so many- I don’t want this to be the mainstream DCU. As its own separate entity, though, it is an absolute (haHA) kick. Absolute Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman are standout titles, but I’m down for the entire line. I might be the weirdo who places Absolute Batman towards the bottom of the list, but I still wouldn’t kick that giant ax-wielding man out of my reading pile for eating crackers.

Worst

Hush 2 by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee- Hush was not devoid of its “look at every villain!” kid’s first big Batman comic charms. Hush 2 is. And so late to boot.

Most Anticipated

Daredevil by Stephanie Phillips and Lee Garbett- It’s the blind lawyer from Hell’s Kitchen. Of course, I’m there Day 1.

The End of (this) Ultimate Universe- Better to wrap up the party when everyone is still having a blast than force it to go on when it is just fumes.