Comic books are pretty cool, yeah? Feels pretty safe saying that. If everyone can agree that said comics are, in fact, 'cool', we should probably just go ahead and discuss some of the best of 2023, right? Mostly because this was one of the better years in recent memory to be a dedicated comic book reader.
That said, it's not awfully original to say that 2023 was a fantastic year to read comics (most would agree), but if this list proves anything, it's that there just wasn't enough space to list all the excellent titles released during these last twelve months. You'll notice that some darlings of this year are glaringly absent -- favorites like Do A Powerbomb and Monica, but please refrain from calling your local congressmen, because there will still be plenty to love on this list.
What now feels like a lifetime ago, the effects the pandemic had on the medium were both scary and fascinating. Fortunately, the wheels of time seem to finally be righting the ship of the industry. We could argue all day on the newest interpretation of 'normal,' especially within the context of the comics industry. However, 2023 marked a pivotal moment, resembling the first semblance of a 'somewhat normal' year since the peak of the pandemic.
Personally, 2023 was a turning point for me as a self-appointed Wednesday Warrior™. Most of what I consumed were other than 'Big Two', creator-owned comics (spoilers: there are NO Marvel titles on this list). That was not preconceived, it's just how the year panned out -- and in retrospect, it's quite refreshing celebrating stories outside of the 616-universe (we do visit Gotham and Metropolis, though).
When discussing the best (notice how 'best' is italic?), it should be said that this list of comic titles is just, my opinion man. If you don't see your favorite series here, don't take it as a personal attack -- chalk it up as I either haven't gotten to it yet or felt another title deserved to be highlighted instead.
Enough preamble! Let's kick things off with a couple of honorable mentions:
*Honorable Mention* Danger Street #9 (DC Comics)
All of Danger Street rocks, but specifically #9 is in a league of its own.
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Jorge Fornes
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
*Honorable Mention* Jack Kirby's Starr Warriors: The Adventures of Adam Starr and the Solar Legion #1 (Image Comics)
More Kirby-remastered comics? Pretty please?
Writer/Artist: Jack Kirby
Artist: Tom Scioli
*Honorable Mention* The Deviant #1 (Image Comics)
At the time of this article, only one issue has been released. That said, the first issue is VERY good. Typical Tynion IV.
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist/Colorist: Josh Hixson
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
*Honorable Mention* Transformers (Skybound Entertainment)
When Grandma knows who is working on the Transformers ongoing title, that feels pretty significant.
Writer/Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Russ Wooten
Listen to our conversation with Daniel Warren Johnson from the week before the release of Transformers #1 | LISTEN HERE 🎧
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Local Man (Image Comics)
"I don't know why I can't talk about what you did. Everyone already knows. The whole town knows."
Writer: Tim Seely
Artist: Tony Fleecs
Colorist(s): Felipe Sobreiro & Brad Simpson
One of the more useful compliments I can give Local Man is that it knows exactly what it is. It attempts to have an interesting conversation with the early-90s Image era of x-treme superheroing, while also being a reflective character study. We follow former superhero Crossjack (Jack Xaver) as he is ostracized back to his midwestern town to recalibrate his life, but is quickly tossed into a cadre of murders centered around his past.
Even without being privy to the inside baseball at play or constant winking at the meta that Seely and Fleecs emulate throughout this story, Local Man is still an innovative and satisfying read.
A special shoutout is deserved for Greg from First Issue Club for convincing me to read this series. What a guy!
Batman: City of Madness (DC Comics Black Label)
"...Gotham Below waits."
Writer/Artist/Colorist: Christian Ward
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Now feels like as good time as ever to admit that I knew about Batman: City of Madness WAY before you did.
[Shameless plug] When we first had Christian on the show back in July of 2022, we briefly spoke about this image he would often post on X (formerly Twitter), and my intrigue on whether there was an actual story behind it or not. After playing somewhat coy during the recording, Christian indulged me on the promise that I swore to secrecy -- because this had the potential to become a real thing.
Flash-forward to October of this year and there it was, live and in color. All biases aside, when I tell you that this is not only the best-looking DC Black Label book of 2023, but also one of the more interesting takes on the Caped Crusader ever, I mean that wholeheartedly. What Christian does with the lore and history of Gotham, while introducing fresh, compelling takes on classic characters (and new), City of Madness brews a perfect mixture of what I want out of a Batman story in 2023. We had Christian on the show again (yeah, we have him on a lot... we know) to talk FULL SPOILERS about issue one back in July of this year.
We won't get the final issue until February 2024, but I feel pretty confident that this miniseries will create even bigger waves once it's collected in that beautiful prestige hardcover.
Batman: City of Madness #1 was also the winner of our "Best Single of 2023" during our end-of-year Last Call Awards \ LISTEN HERE 🎧
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees (IDW Publishing)
"There was a brief moment before anyone else had noticed... and then we all crossed into a dark and strange land."
Writer/Artist/Colorist: Patrick Horvath
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
What else can we say about Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees that hasn't already been said better elsewhere? Anthromorphic bear (Samantha) is the Dexter of this charming town ripped right out of a Richard Scarry book? Yes, please. Everyone and their friend loves this book, and for good reason.
What Patrick Horvath accomplishes with just the first two issues should be studied by aspiring writers who want to make a splash in comics. Truly fired up about the rest of this series -- expect this to headline many 'Best of 2024' lists next year.
Zawa + The Belly of the Beast (BOOM! Studios)
"The Guardian was finally free from her prison. Her mind was telling her one thing but her gut another. Conflicted, she let her belly take the initiative this time."
Writer/Artist/Colorist/Letterer: Michael Dialynas
We recently appeared on The Comic Book Couples Counseling's end-of-year 'Stampies' episode and when they asked us to recommend a comic for the entire year, Aaron and I wanted to pick a series that we could give to anyone. Any age, any level of expertise within the medium, just a fun, beautiful book. We ultimately decided (easily) on Zawa + The Belly of the Beast. Here is a synopsis:
Trapped inside her mountain by pollution-spewing factories, the guardian spirit Zawa only has industrial waste to eat, leading her to a bitter existence of paranoia and destruction. But when two siblings from a nearby village help her escape, they'll quickly learn that the way to calming Zawa's heart is through a well-nourished stomach!
Just like with Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, what Michael is able to accomplish in just the first two issues of ZAWA should be the blueprint for all comic creators. You may already be familiar with Michael's work with Wynd or The Woods (both with James Tynion IV), but what's even most impressive is that not only is this Michael's first published writing work, but he is doing literally every single job with this book. Writing, illustrating, coloring, lettering, EVERYTHING -- that is truly astounding.
We had Michael on the show to discuss Zawa + The Belly of the Beast leading up to the release of issue one \ LISTEN HERE 🎧
Where The Body Was (Image Comics)
"And that is where it all began, everything that happened that summer... the break-ins, the private eye, the murder... and all the other secrets and heartbreaks."
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips
Colorist: Jacob Phillips
How do they keep doing it? Over and over again, Brubaker and Phillips continue to put out banger after banger. They have essentially manufactured and now co-operate a noir/thriller factory in the comics medium.
Criminal, Incognito, Fatale, The Fade Out, Pulp, Reckless, My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, Kill or Be Killed, and The Night Fever (which also came out in 2023 and was fantastic). I mean, c'mon! Creating one of those would skyrocket any creative team into stardom with comic readers.
And yet, here we are with Where The Body Was -- which on one hand, doesn't really do anything extraordinary or different from the many titles we listed before that Brubaker/Phillips have knocked out of the park. Shifting perspectives, one defined plot point at the end that causes everything to make sense, but also stop worrying about that because we are character-building here. Oh... and there's a dead body. They have mastered this structure, and relish off asking the reader, "Wanna see us put these characters through some shit?"
Yes, we do. We really do.
Minor Threats (Dark Horse Comics)
"The only constant at this job is that it can always get worse."
Writer: Patton Oswalt & Jordan Blum
Artist: Scott Hepburn
Colorist: Ian Herring
Letterer: Nate Piekos
I'm from the era that remembers Patton Oswalt as the angsty geek Spence Olchin from 'King of Queens'. Even back then (in the distant past of 1998), Oswalt represented a rare voice for us comic nerds. With the MCU recently taking over popular culture and forcing everyone to know who Iron Man and Rocket Raccoon are, it sounds silly to think back to when it was 'weird' to like comic books -- but, it wasn't that long ago that we needed people like Oswalt or Kevin Smith to be that guiding light for young geeks like myself to show the rest of the world that liking comic books ARE cool.
Now, we are in the lord's year of 2023, and Patton Oswalt, along with co-writer Jordan Blum and artist Scott Hepburn, are still carrying that geek flag and are also the creative team behind Minor Threats. What was originally pitched as a story for Batman's rogues gallery at DC Comics, Minor Threats centers around a rag-tag team of supervillains who, begrudgingly, are the only ones left to save their city.
What initially made me fall in love with this series was that Oswalt and Blum purposely give every single one of these characters, minor or otherwise, a moment to breathe throughout the first arc. You can sympathize with every single person and understand that "one bad day" can turn anyone to desperation. It also helps that Scott Hepburn's interiors are insane and give life to this world like no one else could.
Believe the hype with Minor Threats. Both Patton and Jordan (and Scott) understand the medium, know what comic fans will recognize and enjoy, and play with the meta in a sharp/entertaining way.
We had both Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum on the show to discuss the first arc of Minor Threats \ LISTEN HERE 🎧
Kill Your Darlings (Image Comics)
"How DELIGHTFUL to see you again."
Writer: Ethan Parker & Griffin Sheridan
Artist/Colorist: Bob Quinn
Letterer: John J. Hill
Kill Your Darlings #1 was, for most of this year, my favorite single issue of 2023. That's a pretty wild statement when you consider that this is the first work ever published by the writing duo, Ethan Parker and Griffin Sheridan. Both creators expose their underbellies willingly and conjure up a vulnerable and fierce debut story that blurs the line between fantasy and reality, while also highlighting the power that imagination truly has for us all.
What makes Bob Quinn's interiors so great in Kill Your Darlings is that he is handling both penciling and coloring, and it shows with each gorgeous panel. I feel like it would be a giant mistake to not give him a lot of credit for his work on this book. We were gifted with only three issues this year, so be ready to hear more about Kill Your Darlings and the surging writing team of Parker/Sheridan as we get into 2024.
We had the entire creative team of Ethan Parker, Griffin Sheridan, and Bob Quinn on the show to discuss Kill Your Darlings leading up to the first issue \ LISTEN HERE 🎧
Superman (DC Comics)
"We hoped that would catch your attention."
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist/Colorist: Jamal Campbell
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Phew! Attention all Superman fans: if you haven't already, please go read the first issue of this new series and tell me this isn't EXACTLY what you wanted out of a Superman book.
I'll be honest, I've never really connected with Williamson's work before this series. I've also always felt wrong for this stance -- a lot of DC fans seem to covet his extensive Flash run and Dark Crisis seemed to have set things up quite well for the brand-new 'Dawn of DC' initiative, but the beginning of what I can assume will be a long-term run on Superman has converted me into a true believer. Here is the set-up for this new run on the Boy Scout in Blue:
Clark Kent resumes his routine as Superman, only to face both familiar foes and fresh adversaries emerging from the darkness to challenge the Man of Steel! Surprisingly, a brand new industry named "Supercorp" stands ready to support Superman when needed. What mysterious task has Lex Luthor entrusted to the superhero?
What must be highlighted is Jamal Campbell and his interiors in this book. What he brings to this book is what undeniably sets this series apart from recent (great) Superman runs. Everything feels so bright and.... dare I say, 'hopeful'. Give this book to any Superman naysayer and witness that ludicrous stance on the Man of Steel change in real-time.
Hitomi (Image Comics)
"The bastard will want something in return..."
Writer: H.S. Tak
Artist/Colorist: Isabella Mazzanti
Rounding out our list is a book I don't think enough people talked about in 2023. Hitomi is set in feudal-era Japan, where a young girl with a quest for vengeance begins training under Yasuke, a once-famous, displaced/disgraced samuari as she struggles to find her place in a society entrenched in discrimination and violence.
You probably see a trend here with this list, but this book is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful of 2023. This also seems to be Mazzanti's first work in comics (from what I could find) and just her work here has me intrigued to see what she does next in comics. There is a very obvious Kurosawa influence in Hitomi, but don't expect a carbon copy of what you've already seen before. Fans of the recent Netflix hit Blue Eye Samurai will find that this book was tailor-made for them.
