Every comic you've read in 2017

[Donomark]

Evangelion has so many spin-off alt.universe manga that it's kind of fascinating. None are as dark as the original in any way shape or form.

[Venneh]

I know there's the one explicitly based off of the episode 25 AU, the chibi one, and I think there's somehow another two or three? 

[Donomark]

Superman: A Nation Divided: By Roger Stern and Eduardo Barreto

An Elseworlds story taking place in 1863 in which Atticus Kent fights for the Union, gets his by a canonball and discovers he has superpowers. Yes, you heard me. CIVIL WAR ERA SUPERMAN. He prevents Lincoln's death and has adventures with him and Frederick Douglass. Reads like a fun Silver Age adventure with solid writing and art, a fun recommendation.

The Phantom #1 (1989): By Mark Verheiden and Luke McDonnell

First issue of the 80s/90s series produced by DC. This was really cool. Like the movie, the origin is quickly recapped in a single page. The 21st Phantom is a stalwart, somewhat stoic continuer of his family's legacy and fights injustice in all its forms. The writer really makes this pulp concept work and I'm down to see where it goes.

[Dread]

Clara After Dark 7: maybe the best of the bunch so far. Bernet is incredible and the stories are funny.

Rowdy Roddy Piper Monster Hunter: this trade is from an idea Piper gave to the creative team. It's goofy and dumb and not any different than any other monster hunter style comic.

Prowler #1: Not good.

Raven #2,3: this is also not good. I'm done with it.

Reborn #2: ok, I'm in. I really like this. It's a little goofy, but the art is incredible and the premise is strong.

Red Hood & The Outlaws #4: consistently the under the radar pick of the best DC has got.

Renato Jones The One Percent #5: why did I continue to read this when I knew the trade was coming? It's good. That's why. Beautiful shit.

Rough Riders #7: fucking great end. Looking forward to the follow-up.

Seven to Eternity #2: holy shit, this was beautiful. I don't have a fucking clue what this book actually is, but I'm liking it. I might read another and then grab the trade.

Shade the Changing Girl #2: this was ok.

Sheriff of Babylon #12: still so great.

Skybourne #2: solid.

Shipwreck #2: fucking beautiful. Again, not a huge clue what's going on, but I'll watch Hester's art all day.

Solo #2: this is pure fucking garbage.

Sombra #4: so good.

Spawn #263-266: the Larsen-drawn crossover with Dragon and Ant. Fun.

Spell on Wheels #1,2: something about this SCREAMS a failed screenplay, but it was fun. I'm not the target audience but I enjoyed it enough.

Spider-Man #9: cool.

Spirit Hunters #1: terrible.

Spook House #1: kind of fun.

Squadron Supreme #13: ehhhh, not my favorite issue of the series.

Suicide Squad #5,6: really fucking good. I hope there's more of the Russian Suicide Squad, because that is what the world needs right now.

Comics: 50
Trades: 2

Graphic Novels: 2

Omnibuses: 0

[Venneh]

Finder: Third World: My first experience with Finder. Gives you a nice taste of the world, with a dash here and there of the strangeness (yet familiarity) of it all. Gorgeous color work, the story is wonderfully weird and intriguing,  and Carla's art is straight up gorgeous. Definitely worth your time.

Single Issues: 2
Trades: 13
Omnibuses: 1

[Dread]

Suicide Squad's Most Wanted El Diablo & Killer Croc #3,4: I could take or leave the Croc story but the El Diablo series is still amazing.

Superman #9-11: the team-up with Captain Storm of the Losers is fucking amazing (also, bonus Mahnke!) and then the 2 part crossover with Batman and Damian is...alright.

Supernaut #1,2: this is great (even though it's a title I have on the go) and very reminiscent of Grant Morrison back when his ideas were interesting. Great art. Bhagavad Gita mixed with Terence McKenna and some truly fucked sci fi.

Superwoman #4: pretty good.

Betty and Veronica #2: erm...not a fan of this.

Foolkiller #1: two minds on this. Another issue to make sure.

Invincible Iron Man #1: the Riri Williams shit. Got to say I'm not impressed with her "origin." Are we not done with easy tragedy for heroic beginnings? Snooze. Like her character though.

Ninjak #20: not the greatest issue of this run.

The Violent: TPB collecting the miniseries I already read.. So good. Vancouver Noir but very accessible. The main character is very unlikeable, but still very easy to empathize with. This is so perfect in that I knew these people. Literally I hung out with these guys and very easily could have gone their route (in some cases did, and never got caught) and Brisson is my age and from the same place so this makes sense. I kind of wonder if I knew him back in the day and didn't know it.

The Discipline vol 1: I loved this. Very much like an erotic Euro comic drawn by Tom Fowler, only it's Leandro Fernandez. It's hot, weird and gory and I really hope that there's a second volume.

The Flash by Mark Waid Book One: ok, I'm behind on reading through my DCBS shipments but I bumped this one up to the top of my reading list when it arrived as book two is on this month's spreadsheet. I didn't want to order the second book if the first didn't live up to what was in my head. I opened it up and it begins with Flash Special #1 which is easily in my top ten favorite single issues of all time. Off to a good start. A little hinky and nineties here and there, but it also includes the Year One story that had me fucking bawling. Bring on book two!

Nailbiter Vol 5: fuck this is good and I'm going to miss it so hard when it's gone.

Comics: 62
Trades: 6

Graphic Novels: 2

Omnibuses: 0

[Donomark]

The Clone Saga Conspiracy #4 and Amazing Spider-Man (CSC tie-in): This story isn't well written strictly speaking, but for someone who came into Spider-Man in the 90s during the Clone Saga it's captured my attention. Christos Gage is a better writer than Dan Slott, so the conversation between Peter and "Gwen" is really very good. Ben's still insane but hafta wait until the story is over to judge.

Spider-Man #12 (2016): Competently written but Bendis is beginning to make this book bland. Too much talking and IDGAF about his father's problems.

[Venneh]

Saga 41: I continue to read this because the boyfriend buys it. Neat bit with Sophie and Lying Cat this issue. Not too much to say beyond that. 

Deadly Class 25: This series just continues to impress. Wonderful panel layout work this issue in particular, and the writing just keeps getting better. On its way to becoming one of my favorite series. 

Mayday 1: DeCampi and Parker get to do an awesome spy miniseries, with a heavy dose of trippiness/Parker getting to go all JH Williams III on us. Might pick up the next two issues when I work downtown tomorrow. 

No Mercy 12: Fun check in with two of our side characters (and by fun I mean translating and negotiating a drug/gun deal). Speed McNeil continues to do amazing work on the art. 

WicDiv 25: Intriguing interlude and the wind up for this arc. Great use of negative space by Jamie and Matt. Alright then. Let's see where this goes next.

The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia: Mary Talbot does a graphic biography of Louise Michel, and her husband Bryan (who you might've heard of) does the illustrations in black, white, and just a bit of red. Awkwardly scripted at times, but beautifully done regardless. Also appears to have got q lot of arts money from Britain to fund it.

Single Issues: 7
Trades/Graphic Novels: 14
Omnibuses: 1

Edited January 19, 2017 by Venneh

[Venneh]

Mayday 2 + 3: Brutally gorgeous spy thriller. Like a lot of the little things DeCampi is doing with sound effects and the way ambient lyrics are woven in to the panel landscape. Can't wait to see how this goes.

Black Panther: World of Wakanda 1: Ta-Nehisi Coates plus Roxane Gay plus Yona Harvey, Afua Richardson, and a bunch of minority artists? Oh hell yes. It's a classy touch of world building, and the main bit focuses on the lesbian Dora Milanje I was interested in from the main book. A+, keep on keeping on. Will probably collect on the trade.

Motor Crush 2: Picked this up because I wanted some pretty. Right choice. (I will say that the mains here feel super influenced by Steven Universe designs.) Story continues to deepen and be fun. Will probably stick to the trade on this. 

Single Issues: 11
Trades/Graphic Novels: 14
Omnibuses: 1

Edited January 20, 2017 by Venneh

[Donomark]

Motor Crush #2: DAMN, Babs Tarr's artwork is pretty. It's a finely written book, but she's really why I go to it. I can't remember the last time I followed a team or a book so hard mainly for the artwork. But it helps because I genuinely like the characters and the world.

 

Motor Crush 2: Picked this up because I wanted some pretty. Right choice. (I will say that the mains here feel super influenced by Steven Universe designs.) Story continues to deepen and be fun. Will probably stick to the trade on this. 

 

Oh yeah, with the Rose Quartz hair? She snuck Garnet and Pearl into an issue of Batgirl once before.

[Venneh]

Domino also looks like a fro-less Garnet in terms of her color schemes/outfit designs.

[Donomark]

Hahaha! Sweet

[Dread]

Tarzan on the Planet of the Apes #2: this went to shit really quickly. I'm out.

Teen Titans #1: this is not good. It is passable. I will give it one more issue.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #3: good, but so weird that they seem to almost solely focus on the turtles in this series when they've made this universe so rich and flush with tons of different characters.

Thanos #1: good.

The Astonishing Ant-Man #13: ok. The art faltered a lot here.

The Black Hood #1: this did not impress. More of the same. I'm out.

The Dark #2: Not great. I'm out if there's ever any more.

The Flintstones #5: weirdly, still, one of the best comics out there today. A satire of the election and a sobering view of war, and also a wonderful origin for Bam Bam all in one issue. Fuck me. This is good.

The Forevers #2: this was terrible. I'm out.

The Hangman #4: when you take a year to publish four issues, it better be fucking good. This is not.

The Hellblazer #3: I'm out. This was terrible.

The Lost Boys #2: somehow I knew that they'd get around to making shirtless sax player the main character of this book.

The Mighty Thor #12: good.

Comics: 75
Trades: 6

Graphic Novels: 2

Omnibuses: 0

[Dread]

The Mummy #1: this is not good.

The Skeptics #1: funny, I had the same thought to do something like this right after watching AN HONEST LIAR too.

The Unworthy Thor #1: ok, I'm in for a few more.

The X-Files Origins #3: fun and stupid.

Comics: 79
Trades: 6

Graphic Novels: 2

Omnibuses: 0

[Missy]

Justice League / Power Rangers #1: Lots of fun, wonderfully illustrated, and darker than expected.

Batman #15: The flashbacks to Year One and Golden Age Batman were a nice touch. Good issue.

Daredevil #15-16: This series has crawled its way to the top of my must-read list.

Spider-Woman #14-15: Well, damn! Looks like I'm digging into the recent back issues for the rest of this series.

Comics: 6

[Donomark]

Detective Comics #949: Still good but I've more than had my fill of military-style Batman stories. I miss the days when they would just swing around the city looking for dopes in costumes.

Hulk #2 (2016): Still very well written despite taking an unbelievable amount of time with its story.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Batman Adventures #3: Still fun. Batgirl raps the Vanilla Ice song from Turtles II.

Totally Awesome Hulk #15: Fun, slightly uneventful character-driven issue that I'm glad is out there. This has to be the first Marvel Comic that focuses solely on the company's Asian heroes, and written by an Asian writer. I love the cover to death, and look forward to issue #16.

[Missy]

The Totally Awesome Hulk #15: I echo Donovan.

Comics: 7

[Donomark]

Batgirl #7 (2016): I liked the last third of the issue, but most of it reads like a very cynically pandering shot at millennials. Not to say that a writer can't do that, but the Burnside Batgirl run treated the hipsters like people, whereas Hope Larson seems to look at them from outside-in. The artist also gives everybody big noses for some reason.

[Dread]

The X-Files #7: solid. Really good.

Triggerman #2: Pretty good. Nowhere near as good as Peepland.

Trinity #2, 3: okey doke. Not sure what the fuck is going on here.

Uncanny X-Men #15, Annual #1: 15 was more of the same and I'm getting a little bored of its static nature. The annual was fucking amazing though. Story and art. 

Unfollow #13: So, so crazy good.

Vigilante Southland #1: Ehhh...feels a little like Nighthawk, but I'll read another.

Vision #12: Alright ending to a series that deserved a little better.

Wolfcop #1: Okey doke. I'll do one more.

Wonder Woman #9: Ugh. NOTHING IS HAPPENING AND THE BACK AND FORTH STORYTELLING ISN"T WORKING! I'm out.

Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special: Better than anything the monthly has delivered.

Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #13: Solid.

WWE Then, Now Forever: Ehhh...the backstory behind Seth Rollins' attack on The Shield and then a bunch of shorter stories. A prelude issue. I'll check out the regular monthly.

Comics: 93
Trades: 6

Graphic Novels: 2

Omnibuses: 0

[Missy]

Star Trek: Waypoint #3: Mixed bag, this one. The first half is a fun bedtime story set aboard Voyager, and the second half if a Bajoran story about mothers and daughters. Sadly, Bajoran stories about traditions and customs never hold my interest, and this one is no different. It's not bad; if you like those episodes of DS9, this will be for you. It's just not for me.

Comics: 8

[Dread]

Son of Satan Classic: This is difficult to read in a 500 page setting, but monthly it must have been fucking grand. It gets a little repetitive, but the art is fantastic, and the early Gerber issues are fantastic. Sonny Trinidad is a wholly underrated horror comic artist.

Man-Thing by Steve Gerber: Complete Collection vol 2: Fantastic. All 400+ pages written by Gerber save for the last 20-ish (by Wein and Wolfman, respectively). One of modern comics' most unique characters. 

Zachariah Thorn #1: this is not good.

A Year of Marvels November: a decent Punisher story.

Action Comics #968-9: I see now where they're going with this. Luthor is now a hero (wearing his own armored Superman suit to boot) and is kidnapped by aliens who claim to have foreseen his genocide of a planet and Superman has to go and save him. This is 90s Superman. If there ever was a comic that peaked in the 90s and never matched its coolness it's Superman and the related titles. Good stuff.

All-New Wolverine #15: Good. 

All-New X-Men #16, Annual 1: The annual was the better of the two stories. Decent.

Avengers #2: ehhh...not feeling this so much. With the kids gone, the vibe isn't as good.

Comics: 101
Trades: 6

Graphic Novels: 2

Omnibuses: 2

[Dread]

Batman #12, Annual #1: The single issue was ok. I know what they were going for, but perhaps that didn't need to be the second issue of a story arc. Annual was part good, part bad. A collection of stories. Liked a few of them.

Batman Beyond #2: I always roll my eyes when the Beyond stories go right to Joker. It's so fucking played out and it was played out the first time. I hope there's a swerve here.

Black Eyed Kids #8,9: Creepy and fucked up.

Bloodshot USA #2: Really good.

Comics: 107
Trades: 6

Graphic Novels: 2

Omnibuses: 2

[jim]

Catching up:

-Bloodshot USA 1-4: Another year, another good event from Jeff Lemire and Doug Braithwaite. If you need superhero comics that're reliably good, this is your jam.
-Vampirella 0: Too long by a couple pages, but I'll take a 17 page comic for 25c where Jimmy Broxton goes full EC/Warren. For 25c, go buy it and see Broxton change his style. If he's doing Vampirella like this I might have to pay closer attention.
-Divinity stuff, most of it by Matt Kindt and Trevor Harsine, with Juan Jose Ryp in spots: I'm pro. Fun event arc, which allows for cool tie ins, especially the Jeff Lemire/Clayton Crain Bloodshot issue, which was gorgeous.
-That One Issue Of Archer And Armstrong (I Think?) Where Javier Pulido Draws In Tezuka's Style: I'm here for this, yes.
-Deadly Class (recent): ...but the past ain't through with Saya. Damn. Remender and Craig are low key killing it, every damned issue. Remender plots mercilessly.
-Bizarro. What a pure joy of a comic. Wonder, slapstick and kindness. Go buy it.
 

Edited February 2, 2017 by jim
I should write about Bizarro.

[Venneh]

Hon that was actually Generation Zero.  (Issue 6, that should tell you about how memorable the issue was except for that one bit with Javier Pulido going Tezuka.) 

Divinity 3 2: Yeah, alright, this is pretty metal. Interested to see how this unfolds. Neat process stuff with Harsine in the back, too. 

Aric: Son of the Revolution: Lemire and Cafu team up, it's pretty neat and a fun Elseworlds type thing. Was honestly way more interested in the Kindt/Ryp backup that is a take on Koschei the Deathless. 

Kommandar Bloodshot: Lemire and Crain do Soviet Bloodshot. Hell the fuck yeah. (Not sure if I got this on this year's or last year's. Still bears repeating.)

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Arc vol 1: Not sure if I should count this or not because I only understood less than half of it (but thank fucking Christ for manga for young kids having hiragana because I am utter fucking shit for kanji comprehension). Either way, first collection of the new CCS manga that CLAMP is doing, real return to form for them after Tsubasa. Also, real fucking gorgeous, but that's par for CLAMP. 

Animal Man vol 1: The Hunt: The new 52 reboot. Interesting premise on Lemire's part, starts to bring in the larger mythos (Swamp Thing) towards the end of this volume. The art is... kinda rough at best. Though they randomly get John Paul Leon for the better part of an issue, which weirdly reads as a fill in.

Vampirella 0: Very pretty. Feels like it dragged quite a bit, which, not a good feeling for an introductory issue. But apparently this isn't the first issue proper? 

(Also technically read the CCS bit that was in the February issue of Nakayoshi, but again, not sure how that would count due to the installment thing.)

I don't think I'm missing anything else? I mostly skimmed the Bloodshot USA stuff, so I'm not gonna count that tbh. 

Single Issues: 16
Trades/Graphic Novels: 16
Omnibuses: 1

Edited February 6, 2017 by Venneh
Read Animal Man vol 1 and Vampirella 0, didn't want to add another double post

[Dread]

Brigands #2: Pretty fun.

Britannia #4: this series floundered a little but it ended really strong.

Cannibal #3: solid.

Captain Kid #3: This went fucking bonkers and I kind of love it.

Champions #3: Fun. Good.

Cinderella Serial Killer Princess #1: TEEEEEERRRRRIBLE.

Civil War II #7: This is shipping up to be a solid ending.

Clean Room #14: this series is starting to bore me.

Cryptocracy #6: Nope. I'm out. Why did I last this fucking long?

Death of X #4: ok.

Deathstroke #7, 8: This is also ok.

Detective #945, 946: Fucking great. Loving this series.

Eclipse #4: Solid.

Evil Ernie Godeater #4: another fucking weirdo psychout. Good stuff.

Flash Gordon King's Cross #2: This isn't good.

Foolkiller #2: This is pretty good.

Frostbite #3: Also pretty good.

Generation Zero #4: I hope they do something soon. It's kind of spinning its wheels.

Ghost Rider #1: Garbage

Godzilla Rage Across Time #5: Dumb fun.

Grand Passion #1: I'll give it another.

Great Lakes Avengers #2: Funny.

Green Valley #3: Really good.

Hellboy and the BPRD 1954 Black Sun #1: This was ok.

Hellboy and the BPRD 1954:The Unreasoning Beast: This was excellent.

Hero Killer #2: Pretty good.

Inhumans Vs X-Men #0, 1: This is promising

Josie & The Pussycats #3: Some of the panels are constructed to be Tumblr memes. I know this. However, it doesn't bother me as much as this stuff always does. I love this series.

Lake of Fire #4: AMAZING.

MASK #1: More garbage.

Midnighter and Apollo #3: Really great.

Eros Gone Wild 2, 3, 4: anthology graphic novels from Eros Comics. Very Euro. Modern though. Mostly names unknown to me. Good storytelling. Some funny, some sad, some sexy. Good stuff.

Lord: graphic novel in the vein of Wicker Man. Pretty good. Ending was a little meh.

Motor Crush #1: terrible.

Comics: 142
Trades: 6

Graphic Novels: 6

Omnibuses: 2