Every comic you've read in 2017

[Missy]

Batman #37: This was a bit confusing, but that's on me; it was difficult to remember Clark was dressed as Batman and Bruce was dressed as Superman. Upon a reread I'm sure the confusion will dissipate. Also: Lois / Selina ongoing, please! Also also: Clark wearing his glasses over the Batman mask makes no sense but is a funny visual.

Comics: 492
Manga: 2

[Donomark]

Batman #37 (2016): Fun issue. I liked the tunnel of love gag and the ending scene the best.

Superman #37 (2016): An issue comprised of two fight scenes, but they're well done with enough character and solid artwork to earn the price of admission.

Supersons #11: Damian bossing the Titans around still isn't funny or fun to read, so that dampens any enjoyment the issue might've had.

Nightwing #35 (2016): Not great, not bad either. These writers have to learn how to tell a Nightwing story without going back to his whiny feelings about being Robin. Chuck Dixon and Devin Grayson did that over fifteen years ago, it's not the only story you can do with Dick Grayson.

Champions #15: This was a heckuva read. Great ending. I'm gonna really miss this book.

Incredible Hulk #711: This was much more of an engaging issue than the last couple have been, and the ending is a nice swerve on the current trend of the comics kowtowing to the movies.

America #10: I'll give the issue this, the joke about cloning being "So 1996" was funny.

Peter Parker: Spectacular Spider-Man #298: Solid

[Missy]

Tales of Suspense #100: I'm in.

Comics: 493
Manga: 2

[Dread]

Regression vol 1 Way Down Deep: fuck this is good. It has made my end of year list, for sure.

Nocturnals Black Planet: Brereton's work is gorgeous, but his storytelling is pretty uneven. Some of it is silly. But again, very pretty.

Detective Comics #963: Not great.

Generation Gone #2: pretty fun.

Iceman #4: Bobby meets the sexy gay guy who was around before he was out: Daken. It's ok. Probably the worst of the series thus far, but it's a pretty excellent series, so that isn't too bad.

Incidentals #1: terrible.

Manhunter Special #1: solid. Always kind of wished I could write this character.

Nightwing the New Order #1: I'm very intrigued.

Plastic #5: fucking excellent.

Secret Empire #9: this was alright.

Shipwreck #5: five issues of this I've read and I couldn't come up with a basic premise for you at gunpoint. Hester is doing some of the best work of his career here, but Ellis can't turn in a script if it killed him.

Ringside #6-11: loving this.

Comics: 1260

Trades: 41

Graphic Novels: 29

Omnibuses: 21

[Donomark]

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 1: Decided to read this in full after re-watching the film last night. This first volume is not as impenetrable and dense for me as a 28 year old as it was for me at age 16, but I skipped over the Quartermain text story at the end. Moore's unending references to literature are vast and satirical the whole way through. It's one of the most gleefully indulgent, almost fan-fiction things I've read from him, not ever read Lost Girls...yet. The Rosa Coote stuff was unreal, it was so audacious. He plays so close to period sensibilities, that you worry how much of it is indulgence and how much is deconstruction. There's enough rape in here to turn people off, and I know it's only the beginning with his volume. It was engaging, and I particularly liked Nemo quite a bit. I didn't fall in love with it, but it was overally a fun reading experience.

[Donomark]

Detective Comics #971: Solid comic book reading experience. Miguel Mendoca's artwork was nice as well.

Batman - Creature of the Night #2: Interesting follow-up. The first issue was so good, it stood on its own fine. This is a good issue too, but not as investing. But still, an enjoyable read.

Doomsday Clock #2: I liked this a lot better. Johns' writing is still slow going, but some fun stuff happens in this and Gary Frank's artwork is at its best.

Action Comics #994: Good! Jurgens really has an old school feel to this book, helped again by his pencil art, that doesn't feel too out of style.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #35: UGH! This is an A+ comic. Great art, fun writing. Everything I'd ideally want in a Green Lantern comic.

Motor Crush #9: Solid

Savage Dragon #230: "Next Issue: THE SINISTER SEX DOLLS!"

I never know what to think about this book each issue. I don't not enjoy it, I've always enjoyed Larsen's style and the world of Savage Dragon he's kept going for over 25 years is really cool. This issue doesn't have any fist-to-face graphic sex scenes the last two did. It still includes three of its main female heroes completely naked and captured and forced into sexual slavery by another version of an established character who's also completely naked, making this book the most American doujin ever. Going through the Letters Pages, Larsen just refuses to see any of this as a big deal, which I can almost get because it's his creative work. But he states he draws the line at depicting the Dragon himself naked to "keep the mystery going." That's bullshit. Fuck that. Either you commit to this sex-crazy world with equality or you don't. That shit is irritating, and keeps this whole sex-volution trend in the comic just as juvenile as it initially comes off. 

Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #12: Decent read, but while I like the artwork, Scarlet's web-shooters go inexplicably missing for panels at a time. Come on, editors...

Amazing Spider-Man #793: S'alright. The Daily Bugle scene was fun.

[Koete]

1 hour ago, Donomark said:

But he states he draws the line at depicting the Dragon himself naked to "keep the mystery going." That's bullshit. Fuck that. Either you commit to this sex-crazy world with equality or you don't. That shit is irritating, and keeps this whole sex-volution trend in the comic just as juvenile as it initially comes off. 

Reminds me of Adam Hughes saying he had to get drunk to draw Doctor Manhattan's dick.  

[Donomark]

That's so stupid, if these guys are professional artists then drawing penises should be as natural as anything else. I was an art major for 2.5 years and after a few semesters we spent three hours a day drawing nude models, most of the time men. 

[Koete]

Look, if you want to draw one-handed, own up to it. You just look ridiculous going on about creators' rights while still thinking drawing a dick is going to make you gay or some shit. 

[Missy]

Jessica Jones #15: Halfway through there's a "YES!" moment, which quickly turns into an "Oh no!" moment, and I cannot wait to see how this turns out.

Thanos #14: Damn this book is good!

Doomsday Clock #2: Whereas Watchmen deconstructed the superhero comic book, Doomsday Clock is living up to the modern stereotype of superhero comic books. Specifically I'm thinking about the cliffhanger and bank scene, one of which is for pure shock value and the other is trying too hard to be timely and edgy. It's not bad, but tonally everything is off; it doesn't feel like a sequel to Watchmen, but rather more like close approximations of the characters and universe are being used as toys by someone who doesn't quite get the source material as well as he thinks he does.

Also: Did Veidt imply he and Doctor Manhattan were lovers? To Rorschach he said, "I know Jon intimately well, physically and emotionally." (Emphasis by Geoff Johns.)

Also also: How is Bruce Wayne publicly known as one of the two smartest people on Earth? Earlier in this very issue he acted the fool in front of a psychologist and Lucius Fox worries the board of directors sees him that way too, so its safe to assume he's presenting the distracted playboy thing to the rest of the world. He can't be both on-par with Lex Luthor mentally and a joke no one takes seriously.

Also also also: It's suggested Doctor Manhattan traveled to the DC Universe to try again -- to save the world as another hero. Later in the issue, Luthor walks past three distinct warning signs: the atomic symbol, the radioactive sign, and a skull and crossbones. Some have taken this to mean Captain Atom is actually Doctor Manhattan. I'm not so sure it's that simple. I read it as Doctor Manhattan is three different people: Captain Atom, Firestorm, and The Spectre. Atomic power is everything Doctor Manhattan is about, nuclear power threatened his world, and we've seen he can demonstrate the wrath of God.

Marvel Two-in-One #1: They're really playing up Ben's affection for Sue in here. Not sure I like that. Overall, a great start. There are a few points where Jim Cheung's art looks a little John Romita Jr., specifically the recording of Reed in the orb, Johnny falling back to Earth, and Johnny walking away from the car wreck.

The Defenders #8: Did Bendis drop a hint that he'll be writing Teen Titans and / or The Flash for DC? Besides that, a lot's going on here. Between flashbacks, explanations, and reveals, a new player enters, someone becomes indebted to said player, and there even seems to be an homage to the Iron Man / Doctor Strange "facial hair bros" scene. As always, great art by David Marquez (I love his Fixer), and Michael Avon Oeming handles a few flashback scenes to great effect.

Comics: 497
Manga: 2

[Donomark]

7 hours ago, The Master said:

Doomsday Clock #2: Whereas Watchmen deconstructed the superhero comic book, Doomsday Clock is living up to the modern stereotype of superhero comic books. Specifically I'm thinking about the cliffhanger and bank scene, one of which is for pure shock value and the other is trying too hard to be timely and edgy. It's not bad, but tonally everything is off; it doesn't feel like a sequel to Watchmen, but rather more like close approximations of the characters and universe are being used as toys by someone who doesn't quite get the source material as well as he thinks he does.

Also: Did Veidt imply he and Doctor Manhattan were lovers? To Rorschach he said, "I know Jon intimately well, physically and emotionally." (Emphasis by Geoff Johns.)

Also also: How is Bruce Wayne publicly known as one of the two smartest people on Earth? Earlier in this very issue he acted the fool in front of a psychologist and Lucius Fox worries the board of directors sees him that way too, so its safe to assume he's presenting the distracted playboy thing to the rest of the world. He can't be both on-par with Lex Luthor mentally and a joke no one takes seriously.

 

Agree with all of this. I enjoyed it as a reading experience more'n issue #1, but this whole story can't escape they whole selling out nature of dragging Watchmen into the DCU and trying to make both worlds fit. It can't be done, and Johns is WAY too much of a Silver Age fanboy to make it believable. 

[Missy]

X-Men: Grand Design #1: This is a rather good summation of the first 30 years of X-Men lore. Hell, it even goes back to show how Namor's fight with the original Human Torch had a lasting negative effect on Human / Mutant relations. Interestingly, the original timeline is kept in place; the formation of the X-Men clearly takes place less than two decades after World War II. While they don't outright state it's 1963, Magneto's history is front and center. As I read the book, I did wonder how much was added in by writer / artist Ed Piskor, and, surprisingly, it looks like very little, as there are two "additional reading" pages at the back explaining every reference and connection. In a way, it's the From Hell for X-Men fans -- or those interested in the long, twisted history of the X-Men.

Artistically this is a gem. While Ed Piskor's style doesn't scream superhero comics, it works on the human level; each character is presented as a living, breathing person thanks to expressive faces, perfect angles, and solid-but-muted action. The scene where Cyclops emerges from the dark to free Bobby from jail, who then transforms into his classic frosty form, is a perfect use of colors, angles, and vantage points. (Before that, we see Magneto destroy Master Man, and all four panels are from Magneto's helmeted POV. This isn't something I've ever seen before.)

This will take you a good 25-30 minutes to read, but it's well worth it.

Comics: 498
Manga: 2

[Missy]

Generations: All-New Wolverine & Wolverine: I’ve read this one at least five times now, and the returns do not diminish. It’s so damn good. If not for the Batman / Elmer Fudd Special, this might be my comic of the year.

There’s a very subtle touch which I only just noticed this time around. When Logan hands Laura a sword, he does it the correct way: sharp edge pointed towards himself, blunt side toward the receiver. It’s a little thing that will not change the story if it goes unnoticed, but it adds so much to Logan’s character that he knows this.

Generations: Banner Hulk & The Totally Awesome Hulk: Amadeus meets Banner during a typical military-chases-Hulk scene, and he tries to convince Banner of something, though I’m not quite sure what. It seems to be that anger is okay and that he shouldn’t dumpster-dive for lunch, but it’s a little unfocused because so many pages are dedicated to the fights.

While I’m not crazy about this issue, I do love that the second the sea-beast rises, Banner just accepts it. In Marvel lore, before superheroes, there were monsters, and people just accept that occasionally they run free.

The art is very expressive and does a brilliant job differentiating the two Hulks. Even when we can’t see Amadeus’ trunks or Banner’s shredded pants, you can tell who’s who based on hair, eyebrows, and even the shade of green. There’s a hint of Lee Weeks in Matteo Buffagni’s pencils, which, for my money, is always a plus.

Generations: Captain Marvel & Captain Mar-Vell: Didn’t dig this one. Carol keeps making weak Wizard of Oz jokes, and her dialogue is forced all the way through. Mar-Vell is written fine, though, if you accept him as a product of his time. The art is an odd mix of Jim Starlin and Mike Allred, which doesn’t quite work here.

Generations: Hawkeye & Hawkeye: This was fun, and I hope some aspects payoff down the line since every character in the story had time-traveled. So it’s easy to imagine Clint-eye v Taskmaster and Kate-eye v Bullseye stories in the near future.

Generations: Iron Man & Ironheart: Very interesting take on the time-tossed hero story these Generation books are using. In this one, Riri is sent to a future where Tony Stark is Sorcerer Supreme, and everything is nearly perfect. Instead of brooding on past mistakes or seeing a younger Tony in a new light, the creative team chose to show what the future could hold for Ironheart and the world. Granted, these futures rarely (if ever) play out, but, in this case, it isn’t about setting up that future; it’s about setting Riri on a path to greatness. Fun issue.

Generations: Miles Morales Spider-Man & Peter Parker Spider-Man: Taking place hours after Amazing Spider-Man #33, Miles (literally) runs into Peter twice, and what Miles sees surprises the hell out of him: Peter is pissed at the world -- and himself. He only knows him as the man who’s been Spider-Man for 12-15 years, not the angry kid who wants to lash out at the world but cannot. It’s a beautifully told tale that could easily slip into continuity, or with the Untold Tales of Spider-Man series.

Generations: Ms. Marvel & Ms. Marvel: This was not for me. Kamala goes back in time and helps Carol stop a takeover of her magazine by a Shi’ar exile. What? That’s the plot. A Shi’ar outsider wants to buy a magazine as a “spoil of war” to prove her might to the empire. I say again: what? Okay, superhero comics are crazy and this is far from the craziest and worst plot I’ve ever seen, but it’s so random. It looks good, though. A nitpick: how far back in time did Kamala go that there are no computers? If the Marvel timeline is still on a 12-15-year scale, she’s gone back no further than 2002.

Generations: Phoenix & Jean Grey: RB Silva is getting his Stuart Immonen on here, and that’s a good thing. It’s not so close to Immonen that it’s a distraction or ripoff; it’s a great style he’s making his own. The story ties a little too closely to the Jean Grey ongoing, which I’ve not been reading since the second or third issue. So while Cullen Bunn does a good job telling me young Jean’s fears and motivations, I’m not connected to them.

Generations: Sam Wilson Captain America & Steve Rogers Captain America: The reading order of these doesn’t seem to matter, but this one is meant to be read last. It explains how they time traveled but insists it’s not time travel, which is weird. Anyway, this one sees Sam live an entire alternate life between 1941 and 2016. It’s very much akin to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Inner Light.” Nitpick, though: Sam spends 75 years living this other life, but he lands in New York at his present age -- which one can guess is at least 35. So by the end of the story, before he’s pulled back to the present, he’d be about about 110. It’s a very minor thing.

Generations: The Unworthy Thor & The Mighty Thor: Mostly an all-action issue in which two Thors fight Apocalypse in Egypt, with a bit of an epilogue tying into the current (?) Avengers comic. There’s some fun to be had.

Comics: 508
Manga: 2

[Missy]

I'll be closing this thread in a few days, so please get your final 2017 thoughts in soon.

[Dread]

 

This will be my final tally

Batman/Shadow #5: alright, I guess.

Bettie Page #2: fun.

Darkseid Special #1: it's not great, but it isn't terrible.

Faith and The Future Force #2: kind of lame.

Jean Grey #6: terrible.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #14, and Annual 1: pretty good. Jumbled though. Not great storytelling.

Red Sonja #8: solid.

Redneck #5: not good. I'm done.

Secret Empire #10: solid. 

Shirtless Bear-Fighter #3: dumb fun

Sisters of Sorrow #2: ok, weird, but I'm along for the ride.

Suicide Squad #24: good.

The Black Racer and Shilo Norman Special #1: some spotlight on the more obscure black characters of Kirby's Fourth World. Some of it was good, others of it was less good. 

2 Hot Girls: terrible erotic graphic novel

Comics: 1274

Trades: 41

Graphic Novels: 30

Omnibuses: 21

[Venneh]

Wrap up for the year. I don't think I missed anything, but if I did I'm pretty sure Jim will nudge me. 

WicDiv Christmas Special: A bunch of sweet shorts, some romantic, some not, about stuff before and during the comic. The guest artists they got for this were perfect (and man, leading with Anka drawing dicks is a hard act to top, but the other artists do it). Good way to unwind after last month's arc. 

Batman 36-37: Cute little two issue double date arc, cheesy as shit, but it doesn't need to be anything more than that.

Bingo Love: A sweet story of how two black girls fall in love in the 50s, are forbidden from seeing each other, and meet again as adults with husbands, and how they refind themselves. The fact that it's a black woman telling the story does make a difference. This got picked up by Image, so I'm interested to see how it goes in the direct market. 

Zines: 15

Single Issues: 326

Trades/Graphic Novels/Anthologies: 105

Omnibuses: 4

[Donomark]

I recall the kickstarter for Bingo Love well over a year ago

[Missy]

I officially finished the year having read 508 comics and two manga. Unofficially (RE: I forgot to list them) it's probably closer to 600. Of those are most of the Amalgam books, which I started reading this time last year but never recorded my thoughts. I also attempted a complete chronological 2099 read-through, but only got maybe 11 issues in; by the time I got to Ravage 2099 I ran out of energy.

Writer of the Year has to be Tom King. Between writing two Issues of the Year (Batman / Elmer Fudd Special and Batman Annual #2), the start of his Mister Miracle maxi-series, and the collected editions of Sheriff of Babylon and Vision, King is making a major name for himself.

Artist of the Year I'd give to Mitch Gerads for his touching and often brutal work on Mister Miracle.

Keep an eye on: Donny Cates. Thanks to the opening issues of his Doctor Strange and Thanos runs, I think we're going to see major things from him within a few years.