The Best Comics of 2019
I do long for the days of Robert Venditti writing X-O Manowar. I also miss the ongoing Vader series dearly. Alas, all good things must come to an end, but fear not! Each year the comic book industry provides new surprises as well as continuity of greatness. In addition, it is important to mention the case of two landmark achievements in 2019. Both the series Detective Comics and Marvel Comics each reached their 1,000th issue this year and both were done very differently. The former was a collection of short Batman stories, while the latter was a massive collection of one-page stories ranging from Daredevil to Darth Vader. Personally, I found nothing to be gained by a story contained on a single page, but to each their own. Enough talk, onto the awards!
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Best Mini-Series – DCeased (DC)
I vividly recall disliking the art style in some of the early panels of the first issue, and yet that story kept driving me to continue. I soon realized, this was certainly not your average read. The diabolical overlord Darkseid has deadly virus implanted in Cyborg that is transmitted through viewing things like social media and the internet. While that may, in and of itself, not sound all that incredible, wait until you see the outcome. This six-issue series wastes no time and holds back no ink in this bloody downfall of humanity. While the common masses start tearing each other apart, what happens when the virus infects a meta-human? In a word, visceral. No one is safe here. NO one.
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Best New Series – Savage Avengers (Marvel)
What happens when you put Wolverine, Conan, Elektra, Venom and the Punisher in the same room? Well first off everything goes to hell. Secondly, it becomes one big unadulterated bash fest. If Beowulf were a role-playing game, then Savage Avengers is one of the most fun button-mashers I’ve ever laid my hands on. The writing behind this offers humor that I did not see coming, namely in how Conan interacts with everyone around him, ally or foe. Between his run-through-walls ignorance of diplomacy or his opinions on using guns over swords, the whole thing has been the best surprise of the year for me.
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Best One-Shot – Detective Comics #1000 (DC)
Not only was 2019 the 80th anniversary of Batman, it also produced the 1,000th issue of Detective Comics. The 96-page spectacular was filled with a multitude of stories written by various names of who’s who in the comic book industry with artists of that same caliber. One story stood out more than the rest, however, and that was ‘Manufacture for Use’ by Kevin Smith with the artwork courtesy of the amazing Jim Lee. No spoilers here. Go read it. While this wasn’t necessarily a one-shot in the sense that it falls into a numbered series, it very much was a self-contained issue. This gigantic effort was extremely well thought-out and delivered, not to mention the seemingly endless covers that were available for it.
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Best Graphic Novel – They Called Us Enemy (Top Shelf)
This title initially caught my eye because I noticed George Takei was associated with it as one of the three writers. Then I soon realized that not only did he help write it, it’s practically his biography! It delves deep into his youth when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States government established Executive Order 9066 in 1942. The new law created 10 internment camps within the U.S. which forced thousands of Japanese-Americans into them, including Takei and his family. How this order resulted was a poorly considered and highly racist collection of thinking. This book was both an eye-opener and informative and was one I had a very difficult time putting down.
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Best Ongoing Series – Gideon Falls (Image)
Arriving on last year’s list as the Best New Series, this title managed to maintain its horror-driven stamina all year long as the title’s characters begin to edge ever closer to the demonic Black Barn. I honestly did not think the writing was going to be able to sustain the creepy factor for as long as it has. Not one issue has made me feel adrift from the tone set in the very first issue last year. Gideon Falls continues to be expertly executed from panel to panel as the series reached issue #19 this month. I’m not sure if there’s a planned ending in sight, but whichever path this book is going down, I’ll be there…looking over my shoulder…wondering if that infernal Black Barn is near.
