2014 is very quickly coming to a close, and it’s crazy to look back at what an iconic year its been for movies, music, gaming, books, and, of course, comics. But there’s just so much stuff to see, play, listen to, and read, that it’s impossible for some superb media to fall through the cracks. That’s why Jonathan and Karson, Geekscape’s biggest comic geeks, have teamed up to tell you the top comic book series that you should have been reading this year.
Did they miss any? Read through, and be sure to give us your suggestions in the comments below.
Jonathan London
2014 was a big year for me as far as comics go. Not only was it filled with some of the best reading I can remember, but my first written series saw publication. Lionforge Comics published Miami Vice from March through November and the 8 issues mini-series (to be followed soon by a second) helped me stick my big toe into comic book writing in a big way! You should all be reading some of the awesome Lionforge books (may I suggest Night Trap by Cullen Bunn?) and hopefully this time next year we’ll be talking about more Super Action Man and Miami Vice comics and who knows what else!
So now that my bias towards putting Miami Vice on this list has been avoided, here’s what I loved reading this year (with many books left off for the sake of keeping this to a manageable length)!
Birthright by Joshua Williamson, Andrei Bressan
Looking at it, there is a lot of fantasy on my list… and a lot of Image Comics! Why not? I mean, the publisher is putting out quality stories at an all time high and should be known for more than just The Walking Dead and Saga. Take Birthright for instance, the story of a missing child who returns a year later as a full grown barbarian warrior claiming to have spent his childhood being raised on an alternate fantasy world. If that doesn’t hook you, Bressan’s art definitely will. Only 3 issues have come out so you can still jump on the bandwagon!
The Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw by Kurt Busiek, Ben Dewey and Jordie Bellaire
Yet another Image published fantasy series… but this one has anthropomorphized animals performing magic incantations in the hopes of fixing their broken world! And within just the first 2 issues, things appear to be getting a LOT more broken before they’ll ever start turning around (if they do). It goes without saying that you should read anything Kurt Busiek writes and this is Busiek at his best.
Manifest Destiny by Chris Dingess and Matthew Roberts
Another Image book, this one from The Walking Dead publisher Skybound. Anyone who’s been to grade school in the US knows the story of Louis and Clark and their mapping of the Western territories ahead of Westward Expansion… but what if the stories you read in school were only part of the truth? What if the Western United States in the early 1800s were teaming with things like tribes of violent Buffalo Centaurs and hungry men eating fungi? This book is one of the most fun titles I read all year and is a completely insane take on actual historic events. I’m pretty sure after reading it you’ll accept this more exciting version as fact!
The Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Verse by Dan Slott and Oliver Coipel
In 2014, the best comic book event from the Big 2 comic book publishers wasn’t Axis, Time Runs Out, Multiversity or Future’s End! Heck, it didn’t even span more than ONE title (so you can’t really call it a crossover unless you really want to read the spin-off books)! It all went down (and is still going down) in The Amazing Spider-Man, as part of the months long Spider-Verse storyline. The story stretches across the Marvel multiverse but does it in a way that is easy to follow, exciting and has long reaching repercussions for the future of the Marvel U. Major characters die, others are introduced and the stakes can’t be higher for the #1 hero in the Marvel Universe. If you’re worried about taking the plunge, read our handy guide to the Spider-Verse and give this story a try.
Batgirl by Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart and Babs Tarr
I’ll admit, when I first flipped through this book at NYCC I thought there was no way I was going to start reading it. And no, not because it’s Batgirl. And not because of its cuter, more teen girl look. I just couldn’t wrap my head around reading a story that played out like multiple IM windows jumping in your face at once. How could this A.D.D.-riddled collection of pop up balloons, fonts and panels result in an engaging (or even cohesive) story? It looked more like a manic Youtube video than a comic book. Well, I have to tell you that it DOES and it WORKS. Batgirl brings a level of freshness and dynamic storytelling that is much needed in the current New-52 landscape of the DCU.
The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
If you’re going to be reading comics, you need to be reading anything that Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips put out. The duo, who have been kicking ass on books like Criminal, Incognito, Fatale and Sleeper for almost two decades have long since hit their stride as the best in comics. Nowhere is this more apparent than the first few issues of The Fade Out, a story of murder and cover up set against the backdrop of the early days of Hollywood.
Punisher by Nathan Edmondson
Black Widow by Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto
I’m going to put these together because they both make up Nathan Edmondson’s coming out party at Marvel. Granted, I picked up Black Widow because I’m a fan of Phil Noto’s beautiful artwork, and Punisher because he’s one of my favorite characters and has a solid track list of writers for years, but Edmondson and company are put out issues in both series that should not be ignored. Sure, there are bigger writers at Marvel who are putting out more popular work, but these two titles are right up there with the best quality you’ll find. Frank Castle’s story bring him to Los Angeles where he goes head to head with gangs and villains like Electro and Crossbones… all while being tracked down by the modern day Howling Commandos. And Natasha Romanov is in search of redemption (and answers) after years of playing both sides of the Cold War. Her cast of characters and resources have been stripped down and she’s spent most of the series on the run. By taking both characters out of their safety zones and away from the same recurring rogues that have been defined them for years, Edmondson has gotten to the bottom of what make both of these characters work.
Outcast by Robert Kirkman and Paul Azaceta
Just when you start thinking of Robert Kirkman as “the zombie guy” he proves it wrong with Invincible. And when Invincible proves that he’s got a firm grasp on superheroes, here comes East of West. And to really drive home the fact that Kirkman is one of the most dynamic storytellers in comics today, this year saw the release of Outcast, a story about a mysterious young man who deals with possessions. I’ve been a fan of Paul Azaceta’s artwork since Grounded and his moody, chiseled depictions characters’ expressions and their real world settings are the perfect canvas for this haunting storyline. Sure, a TV show is in development. But you don’t want to wait that long to start reading a story that’s only getting deeper (and darker).
Trillium by Jeff Lemire
Jeff Lemire can do no wrong… even when he gets really weird on you, as he does in Trillium, his science fiction story that spans from the distant future and space colonization of man to the building of the Aztec ruins. The story is told against a huge backdrop but is told in such a personal way that you won’t lose site of its strong emotional core. When faced with the threat of extinction, out among the stars and far from home, is humanity’s salvation found in our distant past? And how do we bridge that gap both as a species and as individuals? It’s heady and emotional stuff but told in a very accessible way. And Lemire’s ephemeral artwork will lead you through the story with just enough clues to guide your way but not so many that you lose your will to discover it for yourself.
Stray Bullets by Dave Lapham
2014 needs to be remembered as the year that Stray Bullets returned to comic store shelves. After going missing for a decade, Dave Lapham’s spider-web of a modern crime classic came back with a bang as both a new ongoing set of miniseries (starting with this year’s Killers) and a mega omnibus collection of everything Stray Bullets that came before. I rarely seek out signatures from professionals but one of two that I made sure to get this year was from Dave Lapham, a true writing inspiration to me (the other was from Zander Cannon, who I write about in the Bonus section). I’ve been a fan of Stray Bullets since the first issue came out (when I was in High School!) and it’s just as good as it ever was. The story is a collection of disparate and unique characters who criss cross each other’s lives against a backdrop of low level crime that stretches from the big cities to suburbia and growing up in the 70s to the modern day. It’s a pretty intricate canvas and after spending years as an effective creator for hire for the bigger comic publishers, it’s great to see Lapham back to doing what he does best.
BONUS!
Heck by Zander Cannon
This was the best Graphic Novel that I read this year. Even though it was released in 2013, I picked it up at SDCC 2014 and was completely blown away by this quirky, emotional (and sometimes hilarious) tale about venturing into the underworld in order to make peace with the afterlife… as a job! I can’t recommend this one enough.
Karson Braaten
Afterlife with Archie by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla
As the title suggests, this is the story of a zombie apocalypse in the Archie universe. I’ve never read an Archie comic in my life so I was surprised by how accessible it was. There were a few times I felt that I didn’t know the significance of certain person or place but it was never a detriment to the story. In fact, it made me want more Archie! (and I’ll finally be getting my fix in the New Year with the Waid and Staples helmed Archie Relaunch). Francavilla’s masterful use of color helps create panel after panel of haunting imagery. This title is as good as any zombie story on the market.
Black Science by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera
This is science fiction at it’s best. Heck, for me, this is comics at its best. The story follows a team led by anarchist scientist Grant McKay as they travel between dimensions trying to stay alive and get back home. It gets a little bonkers, reading month to month I tend to re-read the last issue before going onto the new one in an attempt to keep everything straight in my head. While his work on the more well-known Captain America and Uncanny Avengers has been great, this is the title of his to be reading.
Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
Another series from Image that continued to pick up steam in 2014. This is science fiction at it’s… weirdest? Sex Criminals is the story of Suzie and Jon, a couple who meet at a party and after sleeping together realize they share the ability to freeze time when they orgasm. They use their shared power to attempt to rob a bank but not all goes as planned. Fraction’s writing is hilarious and the concepts are fresh. Zdarksy’s artwork is unique and memorable, I especially enjoy how he handles when time is stopped. I can almost guarantee you’ve never read anything like this!
Superior Spider-Man by Dan Slott, Ryan Stegman, Humberto Ramos, Giuseppe Camuncoli
I’m sure by now you’ve heard about Doctor Octopus running around in Peter Parker’s body. Seeing how Otto handled both internal and external conflict of trying to be a hero was both extremely gratifying and thought provoking. The finale was one of my favourite moments in comics this year. There was a lot of doubt and hate casted at Dan Slott by fans when this series began but issue by issue he proved it could work. Peter Parker is back now, and in more danger than ever, in Amazing Spider-Man (a title you should be reading!). It is a great time to be a Spidey fan!
Silver Surfer by Dan Slott and Mike Allred
Another book being written by Slott. This is a fun read that doesn’t require a whole lot of thinking. If you can’t get enough Doctor Who, this might be the series for you as they share a similar structure. Dawn, a quirky Earth girl, accompanies the Surfer as they adventure across the universe and get mixed up in conflicts along the way. The dialogue between the characters will often having you giggling. I’ll admit, I’ve never been a big fan of Allred’s art style but he does a great job here creating looney, colourful worlds. I can’t wait to see where this series goes next!
BONUS
Oz: The Emerald City of Oz
I couldn’t talk about my favourite comics without mentioning Skottie Young. I love his artwork. If he painted a wall, I’d probably enjoy watching it dry. This book is absolutely gorgeous. The story itself feels more direct and focused than the previous Oz books but like I said, this is all about the artwork for me. If The Wizard of Oz isn’t your thing, I’d recommend checking out Rocket Raccoon, another fun, easier read with Young in the artist seat.