Every comic you've read in 2016

[Dread]

Godzilla Rage Against Time #1: Ok. Godzilla saves feudal Japan. I get it. Ancient Greece is next apparently.

Heartthrob #5: solid end. Second volume looks to be more interesting, actually.

Hillbilly #2: Ok, this series sucks. I'm out.

Hot Damn #5: I might grab this in trade for future readings. I really enjoyed this weirdness.

Hyperion #6: bummer that this is the last issue. Wasn't allowed to meet its potential.

International lron Man #6: really fun.

Invincible Iron Man #13: really solid. Laying the groundwork for Doom as Iron Man here.

Comics: 942
Trades: 40

Graphic Novels: 34

Omnibuses: 12

[Koete]

In that reality, people would champion even harder for him because he was more obscure. 

Hrrrm...I guess that alternate reality is one where I would lose this argument.

[Venneh]

The Vision 11: Again, taking the origin story and twisting it while bringing it to the present day... oh man. This clearly has nothing to do with what's going on in Civil War II (thank god), and I'm really looking forward to seeing how this all wraps. God bless you Tom King. And woe to Marvel for not jumping on an exclusive contract sooner. Jordie kicks it out of the park with colors again. 

The Mighty Thor 11: Yeah, Russell Dauterman + Matt Wilson teaming up just continues to be godfuck gorgeous. Like the wrapup here, and the sheer insanity of how everything ends up going down. Also apparently next issue they get Frazer goddamn Irving to tell a story about Mjolnir's origin??

WicDiv 1831: I rarely get to see Hans do a full issue these days, so to see her on the romantic poets god cycle doing a take on the infamous party that led to the creation of Frankenstein's Monster is just great and has some jaw dropping moments. Potentially interesting implications for the main story, if I understand exactly what happened correctly. You can tell this was Gillen just having a ton of fun with the entire setup, too, taking Byron, Shelley et al and the facts of their lives and putting it into the god cycle. This won't be collected any time soon, so go find it and get it.

Civil War II 5: Paged through this, as I paged through the other four issues about a month ago. I didn't think this could get dumber. It did. It really did. Bendis, please stop trying to tell socially edgy stories, you're failing hard. Art's pretty though. 

Single Issues: 302
TPBs/Collections: 95
Digital First Issues: 11

[Donomark]

Batman-The Joker: Devil's Advocate: After years of yearning I finally got my hands on this story by the masters Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan. This is a terrific story of the Joker being put on death row and only Batman believes he's innocent. Killer ending and beautiful artwork with some of the coolest Joker faces ever done. Cannot recommend this enough.

[Donomark]

Captain America: Sam Wilson #13: A good issue with solid artwork, but the metaphors are screamingly blatant to the point where it's almost detrimental to the reading experience. Sam's obviously a stand-in for Obama, the Americorps the Cops, everyone else are white politicians. I mean it's certainly relevant, but it's such a transparent story that you can't help but think about the writer, and that's not good.

Detective Comics #941: An okay issue but I'm not digging this Monster Men storyline. It's taken this very character driven Batman comic and turned into any dime-a-dozen monster comic with mediocre artwork. Can't wait til it's over.

Ms. Marvel #11 (2016): I can't remember the last time I was so emotionally wrapped up in a character. Every panel I read with baited breath. I feel sooo bad for Kamala. A+ comic

Action Comics #964 (2016): Another solid layer into the Clark Kent mystery. Solid read

[Donomark]

Teen Titans: REBIRTH #1: Very fun first issue. Solid read

Batman Beyond: REBIRTH #1: Good issue. I've missed a few things so I don't know what happened to Bruce, but Ryan Sook's artwork severely elevated this decent comic into being a fun one.

[Donomark]

Totally Awesome Hulk #22: Good Read. Nice art. Amedeus Cho's my personal favorite Hulk

Batgirl #3 (2016): Not as messy as the last issue, but Hope Larson doesn't make Babs' detective skills comes across well to the reader. It's more like random guessing that conveniently works out. It's still not awful but not that great either. I do generally like the art except for Babs' face.

[Dread]

Jackboot & Ironheel #1: WWII horror stuff. One more issue to decide.

Kill or Be Killed #2: I think I'm going to wait on the trade for this.

King's Quest #4: this is a pale imitation of the Jeff Parker stuff from last year. That said, it's still ok.

Kingsway West #1: interesting weird western.

Kong of Skull Island #2,3: this is alright.

Lake of Fire #1: Crusades era horror/fantasy. Interesting.

Lone Ranger/Green Hornet #2: this is the best pulp stuff Dynamite's done in 2 years.

Lucas Stand #3: pretty easy to see where this goes. May continue, may not.

Lucifer #9: pretty good.

Mosaic Prelude: garbage/

Mr. Crypt #1: definitely not for me.

New Superman #2,3: kind of fun actually. Hope the Great Ten shows up soon.

Night's Dominion #1: not as promising as the cover.

Nighthawk #4: fucking cool.

Nightwing #3: this is really good.

NVRLND #1: yay, a Peter Pan redux. Soooo what we need right now. /sarcasm

Comics: 960
Trades: 40

Graphic Novels: 34

Omnibuses: 12

[Missy]

Animosity #1-2: Anyone else reading this? It's bonkers and full of heart. I love it.

Comics: 430

[Venneh]

(Yo. Still haven't read 2 yet, but 1 was intriguing and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out.)

Deadly Class 22: Prom issue, with the fallout of last arc among the survivors and the introduction of the new freshman class. Basically, an introduction for the new normal, and an according shift in the focus of the book. Apparently we're finally going to get Saya's backstory in a few issues, which, after how this last arc played out, I'm incredibly interested to see. The music commentary's pretty hilarious too. Read this half in a fever haze last night, probably gonna reread it again tonight. 

Single Issues: 303
TPBs/Collections: 95
Digital First Issues: 11

[Dread]

I read #1 and wasn't a fan.

[Davedevil]

Coffin Hill Vol. 3 - Probably not a classic Vertigo series, but a solid one. Might have to reread the whole thing soon.

Aliens: Defiance #1 - Found this in a 50 cent bin. As a huge fan of the game Alien: Isolation, I found this to be a great spiritual successor, especially with the various references. I like Hendricks a lot, and the artwork, while ugly at times, to be really effective.

All-Star Batman #2 - There's some clunky dialogue but it's still enjoyable. Romita Jr's doing a fantastic job, and so's Shalvey on the backups. 

Doom Patrol #1 - Despite being confusing, I found some things to like about it, namely the art and the characterization of Casey Brinke. Might just wait for the trade on this though.

Raven #1 - Solid issue. Liked the art and the dialogue was good.

Supergirl #1 - Despite missing the Rebirth issue, I still found this a good setup. Oh sure, it has the tinge of TV tie-in, but it still works on its own. I love the writing of Kara as a foreigner. I haven't read much Supergirl aside from the Gates-Igle run, so I don't know if the emphasis on it is new or what. The art was weird but still very nice.

Superwoman #2 - Not as good as the first issue in terms of writing and art, but still a great read.

Trinity #1 - All hail Manapul. Not the most action-packed, but the art is lovely as usual, and the characters really shine.

A-Force #9 - I forgot I read it, so that says something. Still enjoy the art though.

Black Panther #6 - Solid enough.

Daredevil #10 - Not bad, art's still carrying it. One funny moment in it. The grimdark tone doesn't seem all that earnest to me, honestly.

[Dread]

Nightwing #4: still great

Ninjak #18,19: huh...i think this may be heading in a very weird direction. interesting

Nova #10: solid.

Old Man Logan #10,11: also solid.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1,2: decent start

 

Comics: 968
Trades: 40

Graphic Novels: 34

Omnibuses: 12

[Missy]

Doctor Crowe #1: This doesn't come out until December, but I thought I'd write some thoughts down now. Set in a time and world where witches and werewolves exist, it's up to one man and his assistants to put down the macabre beasts. With a heavy dose of BPRD (the monsters), along with hints of Atomic Robo (clockwork machinery) and Doctor Who (rotating companions), this is a fun anthology series crafted by one writer and three artists. Of the four stories, only one felt rush, and all that needed was a few extra pages. Otherwise, each tale gives just enough information to fill-in the gaps of what led up to the moment Doctor Crowe arrived on the scene. And though there are three artists, there's enough of a similarity between their styles to link the stories to one dark, haunted world.

Doctor Crowe is in the October Previews, and is well worth the $3.99 cover price.

Tarzan on the Planet of the Apes #1 (of 5): Holy shit, this is so much fun!

Comics: 432

[Dan]

Luke Cage, Hero for Hire (1972) #1-16: Yeah, this was pretty fun. Amazon has a huge price break on various Luke Cage trades for the Kindle at $4 a pop, so I grabbed this. Things start off as a pretty straight-up take on blaxploitation with some superheroics sprinkled in, as written by young white guys who've watched a lot of movies. Archie Goodwin handles the first four issues, and they manage to get some of that 70s grindhouse grittiness across without sacrificing the fun, although there are definitely points where his desire to write in a manner similar to those movies comes across as... clunky, shall we say. (Naming his new friend after D.W. Griffith was also a curious choice.) Steve Englehart takes over after that, and while he's an excellent writer (and steers the book into straight-up superheroics by the time the volume ends), things start off very badly with issue 5, which introduces Black Mariah in a manner that cannot be called anything but flat-out, unequivocally, egregiously racist. She speaks like Mammy Two-Shoes, and that wasn't even kind of okay in 1972, let alone now. Also, as a bonus, HA! She's fat. George Tuska turns in some excellent artwork for the bulk of the volume (a lot better than most of the work he was doing in the same period), and Billy Graham goes from his inker to the sole artist about three-quarters in; his style is very cartoony, but he draws the hell out of some faces.

A very, very bad issue aside, this is a truly entertaining book. Right out of the gate, Luke comes across as a less cuddly Ben Grimm - easily angered with no time whatsoever for your bullshit, with a strong moral center; the seeds for the role he would wind up playing in Power Man and Iron Fist, that of the sane center of a whirlwind of ridiculous nonsense, are already present. The fact that he rarely seems to actually get paid for his services not only reinforce the character (if someone needs help and cant afford to pay him, he's still gonna help them), but set up one of the greatest stories I've ever read, where Doctor Doom hires him and then stiffs him on the bill, and in a storm of frustration, Luke stages a one-man invasion of Latveria because he wants his $200. (Luke to Reed Richards: "I need to borrow a rocket so I can walk into Doom's castle and kick his ass." Reed: "... That sounds hilarious. Yes, you can borrow a rocket.")

[Donomark]

A lot of things can be said about the original Luke Cage comics, but that Doctor Doom story will always be badass. I don't care what anybody says.

Speaking of whom...

Cage MAX #1-#5: I too was interested in reading some Cage, so I checked out this five issue mini from Brian Azzarello, who's quickly become one of the most infuriating writers ever. It's awful. If the 70s stuff was definitely of its time and infrequently offensive, this shit is straight up blackface comics as I've ever seen it. Cage isn't likeable, virtually every other black character is an evil stereotype, the only woman in the book exists just so Cage can fuck her (she's also Korean so Cage can make a racist joke), and the artwork by Richard Corben is hateful in how caricatured it is. This thing lives and dies off of the worst perceptions white people have of black folks, and with it I've zero patience for Azzarello. Between that unforgivable Wonder Woman run and taking a problematic story in the Killing Joke and making it  ten times worse, this guy is everything wrong with comic writers. It's a shame because his story from Batman: Gotham Knight the animated movie was my favorite of all the shorts, but goddamn.

[Dan]

Oof. Yeah, Cage MAX was all kinds of terrible, unreadable garbage.

What makes the Doom story so awesome is Luke's focus on what is really a very small sum of money. Doom can't wrap his head around the idea that all this is happening over $200, and while there's a robot uprising happening at the same time, with both sides trying to convince Cage to help, he simply does not care. As soon as he punches Doom over and over again until he makes with the money, he's gone, walking out of a battle basically because both sides are assholes.

[Dread]

Between that unforgivable Wonder Woman run 

You mean the best Wonder Woman story ever published?

[Donomark]

The one that was the very antithesis of what her creator wanted to say about her character and femininity in general? I highly doubt it.

Superman #8 (2016): Decent story with some good artwork.

Champions #1: This is much more up my alley for a Waid team book with these characters. New/Different Avengers bored me fast, so this looks to be a more promising, character driven series. As for the art, I like Humberto Ramos and I thought he did a great job in this issue. I wonder of his style is the proper fit though. He often goes off script and the characters' faces won't match the dialogue, plus there's a lot of overt energy in some of the smaller scenes. But so far this is a book I'm looking forward to.

Cyborg #2 (vol.2): A very decent issue. It's not particularly great but it's well structured and keeps the mysteries coming.

 

[Donomark]

The Amazing Spider-Man #18 (vol.4): This was actually a very well written, classic Spider-Man-y type of story. Slott has historically made a farce of the traditional Spider-Man elements like the Parker luck and such, but this this he made it work very well for the drama of the story. Best issue of his run I've read in years. The backup with the Kingpin was great too.

[Dread]

Right, you mean that Marston wanted WW to be  "tender, submissive, peaceloving as good women are." Marston was a bit of a feminist who wanted women to be in charge, but he was also a bondage aficionado who created the character as a sense of sexual gratification.

I'm not the biggest Azzarello fan, but his grasp of and integration of mythology into the DC universe was amazing. Diana was a fully rounded character which we haven't seen much since the character's creation.

[Missy]

Superman #8: AWESOME! And that ending, yeah, I gasped.

Comics: 433

[Dread]

Renato Jones The One Percent #4: Best issue yet. Solid storytelling, beautiful art, gut punch story. Fantastic.

Revolution Prelude: I'm not sure I'm going to like this.

Rise of the Black Flame #1: I do not like this. Too much Witchfinder for my liking.

Rough Riders #5: So fucking fun. Teddy Roosevelt in a turn of the century Iron Man suit. badass.

Satan's Hollow #5,6: Under the radar, solid horror comics.

Scavenger #1: Terrible. More bad sci fi

Sheriff of Babylon #9,10: Fucking fantastic.

Skybourne #1: Also fun. Very much along the lines of the stuff I write. Beautiful art.

Sombra #2: Ok, this was awesome. Was not sure after the first issue. This was cool.

Spider-Man #7.8: Liking the CWII tie-ins. Especially the talk with Jessica Jones and Luke Cage and the kids reactions to the death of that huge Marvel staple character a while ago.

Squadron Supreme #11: Solid.

Suicide Squad #1,2: Fucking fun. Loving this.

SS's Most Wanted: El Diablo and Boomerang #1: Pretty solid. Liking both of these stories.

Suicide Squad Special War Crimes: Fun to see Ostrander get a spin with this new team.

Supergirl Rebirth #1: Ehhhh...

Supergirl #1: Better. May give it one more.

Superman #5,6: So. Fucking. Good.

Superwoman #1: This was weird. I am missing out what happened when New 52 Superman "died" so this provided some catch-up for me.

Hands of Shang-Chi The Master of Kung Fu Omnibus 1: The Gulacy art on this is phenomenal. Great take on the Rohmer characters and a sensitive approach to Yellow Peril-style intrigue. Art gets better and better. Going to sell this as I don't imagine buying the other volumes at these prices, and having this on my shelf would make me want to do that.

Comics: 991
Trades: 40

Graphic Novels: 34

Omnibuses: 13

[Missy]

Rough Riders #5: So fucking fun. Teddy Roosevelt in a turn of the century Iron Man suit. badass.

Rough Riders #1: This feels like one of our old drafts but with historical figures. Lots of fun.

Triggerman #1: A very quiet book, but the mystery is building and I love the art.

Comics: 435

[Dread]

Superwoman #2: weird. I'm interested for another.

Tales form the Darkside #3: so good.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #61: ok.

TMNT UNiverse #1: Good start, but I'm looking forward to delving into the supporting characters and random guest stars more.

The Accused #1: Solid. Good portrayal of Murdock as he's going after Hawkeye.

The Astonishing Ant-Man #11: Ok. Kind of in a lull, this series.

The Backstagers #1:Gave this a shot because of Tynion, but nope. Garbage.

The Fallen #1: The funeral/will-reading issue. Decent.

The Flintstones #2,3: Solid satire of religions in this series as well as just damn good fun and great art. I'm totally shocked actually.

The Forevers #1: Totally something that I would write. It's ok, here. I'll try another.

The Great Divide #1: Really cool idea for the post-apocalypse, and totally resonant with the current day.

The Hellblazer #1: Ok.

The X-Files Origins #1: This is a compendium of the other digital issues they've done. Fun and dumb. Ties into the regular series a little bit too.

Comics: 1005
Trades: 40

Graphic Novels: 34

Omnibuses: 13