Why So Blu?

Best Comic Books of 2017

This past year saw some big events in the comic book world. The Suicide Squad went toe to toe with the Justice League. Image saw the last words written for one of its strongest series in Invincible. The Joker and the Riddler went fisticuffs on a catastrophic level in the pages of Batman (that read comes highly recommended from me by the way). Let us not forget the brilliance of small indie publisher Sabotage Industries and their title Shed. That came awfully close to making this list as its Alien Nation-vibe story brought civil rights to the forefront in a new light. It pitted the skin vs. skinless amidst an apocalyptic overtone with some magnificent writing and great artwork to boot. As with any ‘best of the year’ list, however, there can only be one champ in each category. So, while the aforementioned titles didn’t make this list, rest assured they are all enjoyable reads. Now onto the list…

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Best Mini-Series

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Valiant has made my list in one form or another for a few years now.  For the first time in three years, however, X-O Manowar is not the title that gets the mighty publisher onboard.  This time it is because of a four-issue series simply called Savage.  There is a very strong Turok: Dinosaur Hunter feel here which I’m sure was no mistake.  That title, which thrived under Valiant in the 90’s, is no longer their property, which brings us to Savage, written by B. Clay Moore with artwork by Clayton Henry and Lewis Larosa.  A European football star, his wife and young son crash-land on an uncharted island.  Shredded bodies litter the landscape and eventually it’s the young boy versus the terrors of the island which come in both reptilian and human form.  Enjoy.  This series was absolute smash-mouth reading from the get go.

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Best New Series

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A couple of years ago, Marvel had an ongoing Darth Vader series that eventually came to a close.  I was never sold on it.  I thought the Sith Lord just spoke too much in that series and said things that I just couldn’t imagine Vader saying onscreen.  This year, Darth Vader once again gets his own ongoing series and oh did Marvel ever knock it out of the park with this one.  As I write this, we’re up to issue #9 in the series and it just doesn’t let up.  The story arcs are riveting and the action is engaging.  Vader continues down his ‘execute Order 66’ path, seeks to construct his own Sith saber and comes in contact with the Grand Inquisitor.  I can’t get enough of this book as the 30 or so days between issues feels like an eternity.  The last time I was this over-the-moon (that’s no moon!) with a title was when Robert Venditti wrote X-O Manowar.

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Best Graphic Novel

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I was not impressed with a lot of the graphic novels that graced store shelves this year.  It was bust after bust for me in this category until I came across a little under the radar title called Purgatory.  This trial and tribulation tale is something many of us have faced, yours truly included.  There were no super villains, no super heroes or plans for world domination here; just an unknown high school kid who’s trying to figure out himself and the world while navigating a sea of jocks, bullies, girls that are out of reach and public transportation.  It’s up front with its autobiographical delivery that is penned (and drawn) by author Cassanova Frankenstein.  While his identity may be a secret, his work shouldn’t be.  The Fantagraphics Books Inc. publication is a hidden treasure that is certainly worthy of much greater exposure, and one that ultimately left the competition in the dust.

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Longest Title

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Yeah I got bored one day and found a new category for this year.  You may not see this one return in years to come, but for now, I’ll challenge anyone to come up with a 2017 comic to take this mantle.  Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire.  Yup.  That’s the actual title of this Neil Gaiman-written work.  All 22 syllables of it.  Gaiman, as you likely know, is the mastermind behind such brilliant works as Sandman and The Graveyard Book.  This title, however, was definitely not one of his greater examples of fascinating literature.  The story itself was just okay at best, but the art, oh my, the artwork was just headache-inducing at times with its jagged edges and black/white/gray images that merged into their surrounding environments.  It was not an uncommon experience for me to feel like I was staring at a hidden picture puzzle from the newspaper.  What was I looking at?  Is that her arm or a stairwell railing?  Was that a bat or part of an awning?  Feel free to pass on this work.

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Best One-Shot

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Sadly, this category had no one staking claim for it in 2017.  There were okay-reads out there for single-issue comic stories, but nothing that knocked me off my feet.  I don’t reward mediocrity so here’s hoping next year brings us better one-shot stories.

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Best Story Arc

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Since one-shots didn’t light any fires this year, I’m adding another new category to the mix.  When Geoff Johns helmed Aquaman in The New 52 series back in 2011, I didn’t think I would come across a better written story for everyone’s favorite sea king.  It’s six years later and I’ve been proven wrong.  For this category, I looked for elements of depth, drama, fun and length of the story arc.  To the victor go the spoils and the victor here is ‘Underworld’.  Writer Dan Abnett continues to give us great character development and story twists in this tale of Aquaman which has been going on for nearly half of 2017.  Presumed dead but fighting for the man…err…Atlantean, Arthur Curry struggles to regain his rightful position from a political zealot who has taken rule of Atlantis by force and fear.  While a brilliant story on its own, it does correlate to occurrences in the Aquaman series from earlier in the year.  ‘Underworld’ will make for a great TPB in 2018.

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Best Ongoing Series

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For the first time I’ve ever compiled one of these lists (I think), one title lands in two spots.  Yes, I am a Star Wars fan.  No, this is not biased.  This series is really that good.  It’s aggressive, fluid, violently graceful and dark.  Not Jedi nor clones nor stormtroopers are safe from the unconfined rage of Lord Vader.  What else can I say that I didn’t say earlier here?  There hasn’t been one issue that was just ho-hum or anti-climactic. For all the active Star Wars titles out there right now (mini-series, one-shot or ongoing), this is by far the best.  Writer Charles Soule and artist Giuseppe Camuncoli continue to work their magic in this creative super tandem that has churned out some serious wow’s, oooh’s and ah’s without hesitation.  I have a sneaky suspicion Marvel will run this to about issue 20 or 25 and call it a day before moving onto something else.  While that’s just a guess from me, I would be bummed, but alas, all good things must come to an end.  For now, this title is a great ride.