MANILA, PHILIPPINES — This was a challenging list to come up with as publishers churned out so many quality titles from the previous year. Specific superhero books had me emotionally invested with exciting storytelling, while Image had me hooked with exemplary crime and fantasy stories:
Daredevil (Writer: Chip Zdarsky. Artist: Marco Checchetto) – Thanks to the Devil’s Reign event and its relaunch, this critically acclaimed DD run hit a high mark with game-changing character developments and gripping suspense.
Amazing Spider-Man (W: Zeb Wells. A: John Romita Jr.) – ASM veteran Wells and Romita impressively inject surprising freshness into this longtime title without having to resort to retcons or new characters.
Batman/Superman World’s Finest (W: Mark Waid. A: Dan Mora.) – Set in DC’s Silver Age through a contemporary lens, World’s Finest reminds readers why these heroes are icons.
Do A Power Bomb! (W/A: Daniel Warren Johnson.) – Amidst the spectacular fantastical death matches, Johnson crafts a poignant story of grief and redemption.
Newburn (W: Zdarsky. A: Jacob Phillips.) – Morality has never been more grayer in this crime noir about a brilliant private detective who works for the criminal underworld.
Batman (W: Zdarsky. A: Jorge Jimenez.) – The new creative team hits the ground running putting Batman on the run against relentless new foe Failsafe (think Batman meets the Terminator) that amplifies the tension with every chapter!
Miracleman The Silver Age (W: Neil Gaiman. W: Mark Buckingham.) – After 30 years, Gaiman and Buckingham continue this groundbreaking tale of the rise (and fall?) of a Utopian Earth built by superheroes.
Echolands (W: J.H. Williams III/W. Haden Blackman. A: Williams III.) – Every single page of this crossgen fantasy adventure is so gorgeous that they should be enlarged, framed, and put in the Louvre!
X-Men Red (W: Al Ewing. A: Stefano Caselli.) – It’s X-Men, Game of Thrones style! Ewing and Caselli chronicle a fast-paced epic of several amoral mutant factions plotting and scheming for control of Mars.
A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance (W: Rick Remender. A: Andre Lima Araujo.) – This anime-like crime thriller is a master class in “Show. Don’t Tell” 101. The finale is a killer (literally)!
Honorable mentions: Reckless, Lazarus, Batman The Knight, Immortal X-Men, Thor, Venom, Spider-Man. Batman vs Robin, Captain America Sentinel of Liberty, Iron Cat, Public Domain, Nightwing, The Punisher, All-Out Avengers, The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing, Black Adam, Alien, King Conan, and Saga.
