Every comic you've read in 2016

[Donomark]

This is true

[Professor]

The wonders of buying boxes of comics at yard sales.

X-Men: Colossus: Bloodline - Story was bad but that art is something...  horrible.  Just horrible.

Insane Clown Posse - They were in the box.  Yep.

Insane Clown Posse: Hallowicked - A bad 90s comic, to be sure, but so much better those other books.

Insane Clown Posse: Halls Of Illusion - The song of the same name in comic form.  And surprisingly, it works really well.

Other random Chaos! books (Pandemonium, Homicide - Tears of the Dead, Static X, The Mummy - Valley of the Gods, The Undead, Vigilante 8 - 2nd Offense) - Bad times.

Bedlam - An undead/immortal? cowboy fighting demons.  I can dig.  This thing went thru like four issues worth of plot in a single issue.  Best of the Chaos books in this box.

Black Canary (07 Mini) - I liked this more than I thought I would having zero context.  Solid.

Henchgirl - Lighthearted and cartoony. I like it.

The Cat - Yeesh. Spent two issues being sexist and two issues doing nothing.

Hellcat - Average

Patsy Walker: Hellcat - Trying way too hard.  I really did not like this at all.

Pilgrim's Progress - Hey a religion book.  Nope.

Spider-Man vs. Vampires - More or less an issue of classic MTU with Blade. Good times.

The Times and Life of Lucas Bishop - The retconning of Bishop's past to explain his heel turn.  And that is exactly what it felt like.  A retcon.  Just waiting for the next one when something else needs to be explained.

X-Force - Sex and Violence - So pretty.  So very pretty.

Bomb Queen - All of it. 

 

Comics: 127 (17)
Graphic Novels: 6
Trade Paperbacks: 7 (36)

[Professor]

Lady Killer - Standard assassin/spy story but with some excellent art.  And what I appreciated the most were the bright and vibrant colors.

The Motherless Oven - To quote the back of the book "The weather clock said knife o'clock.  So I chained dad up in the shed."  I don't get this book.  It took 70 or so pages before I kinda understood the world this takes place in.  And it took another 70 or so pages to get to a very unsatisfying/confusing ending. 

Comics: 127 (17)
Graphic Novels: 7
Trade Paperbacks: 8 (41)

[Davedevil]

Betty and Veronica #1 - Good issue, might be following in trade.

Nightwing Rebirth - Decent issue getting the Grayson stuff out of the way. 

Wonder Woman #2 - I liked this a little more than the present day stuff.

A-Force #7 - Decent. Art's the best thing about this.

Black Widow #5 - Really fun chase.

Daredevil #9 - Most I've enjoyed an issue of this run. Soule's got a great handle on Spider-Man.

Han Solo #2 - Good issue with some really nice art.

Poe Dameron #4 - Decent downtime story setting up the next arc. 

The Ultimates #9 - Finally back to the main premise of the series, while still being a Civil War II tie-in.

Web Warriors #9  - Really fun.

[Donomark]

Green Arrow #4 (2016): Decent. The art's less sharp than last issue. This series is a bit up and down for me, but I'm still liking the "classic" Ollie characterization.

New Super-Man #2: I'm digging this. Between the government organization and the other heroes giving Kenan a hard time, this has a very 90s Superboy feel to it.

Nightwing #2 (2016): I'm done.

Black Panther #5 (2016): Pretty good

Totally Awesome Hulk #8: Loving this book. Cannot beat that Alan Davis artwork, but the writing is top-notch.

Totally Awesome Hulk #9: Terrific follow-up to Civil War II. Is Carold Danvers usually this evil, or is it the bad-guy curse that afflicted Tony Stark ten years ago?

Spider-Man #6 (Miles Morales): This was very good. Well balanced between civilian life and the Civil War II tie-in. Book is solid.

 

[Koete]

From the run of Captain Marvel I read, Carol is a very caring person, so it seems like they just spun a wheel and picked her. 

[Donomark]

Power Man and Iron Fist #6: Read it for the Civil War tie-in. The artwork affects Cage's characterization to come off like a goofy giant sort of. He doesn't have that Cage Cool most other books give him. But I still liked this quite a bit. The central conflict of Civil War is more resonant in 2016 so I'm really digging seeing all the heroes react to it.

Civil War II #4: It's still not great but man this is compelling, and the characterizations are better than last time. Carol's still being a dick tho

Detective Comics #938: A fairly quick read. Well written with a glorious near-splash page of the best character in all of comics.

All Star Batman #1: Fun issue. Enjoyable. I've never read a Scott Snyder Batman issue I ever totally disliked, so this was pretty reliable to be good. He has the best voice for Bruce around, with a Denny O'Neil flare to him that hints towards a sly type of ego. Romita Jr's been past his prime but I like his take on Batman. The currently new suit looks good with him drawing it.

Action Comics #960-#961: Still good stuff. Plot's still moving slow but there's a great panel in #961 of Superman flying away with tears in his eyes that was quite effective.

Superwoman #1: Immaculately drawn and deftly written by Phil Jiminez with one of the greatest twists I've ever read at the end of the issue.

Superman #2 (2016): Terrific

Superman #3 (2016): Great anime-ish artwork by Jorge Jiminez

Superman #4 (2016): Good stuff. At this point I'm digging Superman more'n Action.

Wonder Woman #4 (2016): Perfect in every way, from storytelling to artwork.

[Venneh]

X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back: A random Immonen/Pichelli mini from around the time of Utopia. Pixie finds out who her REAL dad is and there's a lot of stuff going on that I don't understand but it's pretty and fun.

Wonder Woman 4: again, you can tell this was a dream project for Rucka and Scott. Love the twists they're giving an origin that's still evergreen, and tbh, I'm fine with just following this part and not getting the present story until it's released.

Black Monday Murders 1: Oh, this is gonna be some good shit (tm). Lots of world building, money as magic and power, and just a world of yes. This has my attention.

Single Issues: 272
TPBs/Collections: 86
Digital First Issues: 11

[Missy]

Action Comics #960: Looks and reads like a mid-level comics from the 1990s. Theres no depth to anyone, and the dialog (especially Jon's) is cringeworthy. Also, both this issue and Superman #4 have Lois and Jon on the run from a super-threat, which draws Superman's attention away from the bigger picture. While I understand they're setting the new status quo in these issues -- that being, Superman having a family -- I hope this doesn't become commonplace.

Action Comics #961: The art is a step up, but the writing is more of the same. After the initial hype and excitement, I find my interest waining.

All-New, All-Different Avengers Annual #1: So much fun!

Red Hood & the Outlaws: Rebirth #1: Jason undercover in the underworld as a mole for Batman? I'm in.

Detective Comics #938: Solid action-heavy issue.

Vision #10: Shit is getting real.

[Missy]

Daredevil Annual #1 (2016): It's nice to have Echo back and Klaw, but the issue itself was only so-so.

Daredevil #10: There's a fair amount of work-drama in this one, which puts Matt on the back foot and his job at risk. I also like the mystery / cliffhanger.

Comics: 394

[Dread]

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Rebirth #1: nope. I'm out.

House of Penance #4: it's so meandering this series.

Weird Detective #1: fuck yeah! This is great. What a character.

Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #8: this is easily the best EW arc to date, but it may also be the best Valiant arc to date.

Action Comics #959: oof...this is rough.

All-New X-Men #11: I think this means Apocalypse Wars is over, thankfully.

Archangel #2: ok. I think I'm out though.

Bloodshot Reborn #15: the art on this is fuckdiculously good.

Civil War II Amazing Spider-Man #2: pretty good. 

Civil War II Choosing Sides #2: ok, this is garbage. I'm out.

Civil War II Gods of War #2: the abolsute best thing they could have done with Hercules was keep him out of the Civil War, and they basically did. This is still great. Neil Gaiman's American Gods in the Marvel Universe continues.

Civil War II #3: did not see that coming. Kind of fucking crazy.

Conan The Slayer #1: this is just ok. Bummer.

Detective Comics #936: so fucking good.

Kong of Skull Island #1: a King Kong prequel. It's a solid idea, especially with the movie coming out.

Comics: 788
Trades: 33

Graphic Novels: 26

Omnibuses: 10

 

[Missy]

Weird Detective #1: fuck yeah! This is great. What a character.

 

Weird Detective #1: Loved this! Des, give it a go.

[Dread]

Yeah, totally. I was planning on checking this out for sure, but I'm always like a month behind on comics. But I've been so disappointed in horror comics lately, that I honestly didn't have that high of hopes for it. But not only is it one of those "fuck, I wish I'd thought of this" ideas, it's also amazingly well-executed.

[Professor]

Tart - A kickstarted comic from what I can gather from the google.  At five issues it stands incomplete, as it seems they wanted to make an ongoing.  As a three issue mini (in which nothing is really explained), it would have worked well.

One Month To Live - Death of Captain Marvel, but without heart and shit art.  Started off strong and then nosedived fast.

Grimm Fairy Tales Presents The Little Mermaid - The issues felt short and it felt lacking overall.

Comics: 142 (17)
Graphic Novels: 7
Trade Paperbacks: 8 (41)

[Dread]

New Superman #1: hrrm...need another issue.

Nightwing Rebirth #1: I like the angle. I'll be around for another issues or two.

Ninjak #17: good ending. Did not like the backup of this issue, though.

Old Man Logan #8: pretty solid.

Rough Riders #4: crazy fun.

The Paybacks #1: this reboot from Heavy Metal comics is instantly better in the first issue than the entire first miniseries was.

The X-Files #4: holy fuck this is good.

Vision #9: Holy fuck, this is also good. THIS IS HOW YOU TIE IN TO A CROSSOVER. THIS ISN'T EVEN A TIE-IN. IT'S THE ACTUAL LEAD-UP TO THE TIE-IN. WRITERS TAKE NOTE.

Weavers #3: how is this the third issue of this 6 issue mini? Oof. I'm out.

Wonder Woman #2: way more of a fan of the first issue than this one. Not sure I care about "Year One."

Comics: 798
Trades: 33

Graphic Novels: 26

Omnibuses: 10

[Missy]

Superman #5: Family bonding. Good fun.

Comics: 395

[Dread]

Baby, You're Really Something!: a portfolio, more than a graphic novel of Frank Frazetta's "Good Girl" art. Basically cheesecake form the 60s. Good shit.

All-New Wolverine #10: so fucking good. When the burglars show up, it's fucking gold.

Avatarex Destroyer of the Darkness #1: pure garbage. How the mighty have fallen. When's the last time Grant Morrison wrote something worth reading?

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Rebirth #1: Nope. I'm out.

Batman #3: solid.

Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #9: so fucking good.

Comics: 803
Trades: 33

Graphic Novels: 27

Omnibuses: 10

[Donomark]

Outsiders #1-#4: The original Judd Winnick series borne from the fallout of Young Justice/Titans: Graduation Day. Got the first three trades cheap at SDCC. It's an enjoyable book so far. Winnick's not one of my favorite writers. His style reeks of trying too hard to be edgy and shocking, whether it adds nuance to the characters or not. That said I like the team assembled here led by Nightwing and Arsenal. His voices for Dick and Roy are spot-on. The plot's are whatever, but it's a solid team book thus far and I look forward to diving further in.

[Missy]

The final page of #3, with Nightwing going up the stairs as Batman asks him what he's going to name the team, always gets me. It's the best Batman / Robin (Nightwing) page I've ever seen. Dick knows saying "Outsiders" will make Batman smile (which it does), but neither man needs to confirm it. It's a brilliant father / son page.

[Venneh]

What Did You Eat Yesterday 10: the formula for this manga is starting to show: some kind of minor conflict/situation, cooking, and being cute, rinse and repeat. There's only one volume of this a year now though, so that makes it fairly bearable. Still quality fun reading, and absogoddamnlutely adorable. 

Underwater Welder: Jeff Lemire does a Twilight Zone esque story about a man confronting his past and his issues with his father just as he's about to become one himself. The art is very sketchy, and has some absolutely amazing layouts. Worth a read if you find it.

Underground: A short Lieber/Parker mini about some drama that happens around a cave that is being considered to open to the public, and how one mans maneuvering makes it all go tits up. Neat switching between color outside the cave and only black and white inside. Fun read.

Animosity 1: hell of a premise, and executed beautifully and horrifically across this opening issue gambit. Let's see where this spins. Some great art stuff, especially the three double page grid art shows the awakening. 

WicDiv 22: Oh man, the end of issue arcs are always great one two punches. Matt Wilson is clearly having the time of his life on colors, and Jamie gets to do some incredible stuff. Interested to see how this actually plays out in the long run. (Also, Kevin Wada next issue oh god yessssss.)

Single Issues: 274
TPBs/Collections: 89
Digital First Issues: 11

Edited August 18, 2016 by Venneh

[Dread]

Filthy Rich: finally reading through the rest of the Vertigo Crime GNs that I've got. This one is Azzarello and Santos. The art is like a cross between Frank Miller and Bruce Timm. Kind of cool. Legitimate noir story and vibe. Really good.

A Sickness in the Family: another Vertigo Crime by Denise Mina. Kind of a riff on The Fall of the House of Usher. Fun and decent. Not great. 

Area 10: Christos Gage and Chris Samnee do a crime story sort of similar to the first one I ever wrote. They do it better, of course. Really amazing art. Story's pretty solid too.

Starkweather: an Arcana Comics tpb I got for free at a con years ago that is very inconsistent art-wise, and just not great story-wise.

Kade: like above, but terrible story-wise.

Spawn: Satan Saga Wars: this contains the beginning of Erik Larsen's run on the series. His first issue has Spawn walking into Hell and killing 3000-odd demons. Pretty badass. Fun story. First Spawn I've read in 20-something years.

Comics: 803
Trades: 36

Graphic Novels: 30

Omnibuses: 10

[Professor]

Strike! - Late 80s comic from Eclipse.  First issue was awesome, told mostly in flashback to WWII and good old Nazi shootin' and flag wavin'.  Then you go to present day and the main character is horrible.  Then it goes into space.  Then it just kinda ended.  Really disappointing.

Comics: 148 (17)
Graphic Novels: 7
Trade Paperbacks: 8 (41

[Dread]

Betty & Veronica #1: Really solid. I enjoyed it.

Black Hammer #1: Fucking crazy how much this is like the stuff I write. I'm into it bigtime though.

Captain Kid #1: Solid. I'm interested for more.

Clean Room #10: This was a transitionary issue. It was alright.

Faith #1: Really good re-establishment of the character's story and a good start on a new one.

Guardians of Infinity #8: Oof...got this for the Soska Twins story in it and I didn't like either story.

Heartthrob #4: I didn't like this much either.

Horizon #1: Oh yeah, I fucking hate sci fi comics, apparently.

Invincible Iron Man #11: This was pretty solid.

Comics: 812
Trades: 36

Graphic Novels: 30

Omnibuses: 10

 

[Dread]

Jupiter's Circle vol 1: pretty solid 60s superhero pastiche. VERY Watchmen-y, but still fresh and fun.

Jupiter's Circle vol 2 #1-6: more of the same. This has two of the most killer one-liners I've read in a superhero comic.

Comics: 818
Trades: 37

Graphic Novels: 30

Omnibuses: 10

[Dan]

JSA Strange Adventures: A six-issue miniseries from 2004 where the JSA fights an energy monster vampire guy while Johnny Thunder hero worships pulp writer Jack Williamson and is generally terrible at everything he touches. The story itself is lightweight and generally fun enough, and Barry Kitson's art is nice to look at. The covers, colored directly from pencils to resemble 40s pulp painted covers, are hang-on-your-wall gorgeous. However, the dialogue by author Kevin J. Anderson, someone who fills out Star Wars novels by inserting multipage descriptions of scenes from The Empire Strikes Back as flashbacks so as to pad his page count, is godawful. The focus on Johnny Thunder, a spectacularly unfunny vortex of unbelievable dipshittery, is also unfortunate.