Best Comics of 2013: Best Anthology

 

 

Anthologies bring together the work of a variety of creators into a single publication. A good anthology manages to become more than the sum of its individual parts. Great anthologies expose us to new stories and creators that might have otherwise flown under our radars. My pick for “Best Anthology” does all this and more, while managing to spotlight some of the finest creators working in the industry today.

Best Anthology

 One of the best anthologies out there, and my pick for “Best Anthology” of 2013, is definitely Dark Horse Presents. DHP serves as a test lab for titles that often go on to become standalone series, great backup stories, and wonderful random single stories. You never know just what to expect, and that’s the beauty of it. Don’t let the $7.99 printed edition cover price scare you off—you get WAY more than two single-issues worth of content here. Even if you are unfamiliar with the featured creators and stories, if you love comics (and let’s be honest, you probably wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t), I guarantee you’ll find something new to love in the pages of Dark Horse Presents!

Honorable Mention: Occupy Comics

David Gillette’s pick was almost mine as well (he clearly has impeccable taste, which is why we are collaborating on this year’s selections). Be sure to check it out here.

Best Comics of 2013: Best Horror/Supernatural Comic

Horror is easily one of my favorite genres, and not just in comics, but literature and film as well. There’s just so much diversity and room to improvise in the horror genre, that creators can do almost anything they want. Behind its cloak of vampirism, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is actually a love story. Is Frankenstein’s monster the true horror in that story, or is the fear and ignorance which leads to mob mentality? Many of the best horror stories make us consider the monsters hiding inside the dark places of humanity in general, and our eternal struggle as a species to overcome that. Or sometimes horror just likes to remind us of our survival instincts which still linger from our evolution–the same ones that make us instantly snap to an alert state when we hear strange noises in the night. For these reasons and more, horror continues to remain fertile ground for thrilling new stories, and this year’s superb horror comic book offerings prove that.

Best Horror/Supernatural Comic

“Because sometimes it takes monsters to stop monsters.” My pick for this category is listed in the horror genre of Dark Horse Comics’ online catalog, but it isn’t horror in the traditional sense. There is a monster, but this isn’t a scary story by any means. Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem is an absolutely brilliant three-issue story from Steve Niles and Matt Santory, with lush art from Dave Watcher. Breath of Bones displays Steve Niles’ signature empathy for monsters who strike fear into the hearts of those who don’t understand, while begging the question of “Who are the real monsters?” This is not only one of the best horror/supernatural comics of the year, but one of the best comics period.

Breath of Bones is the tale of a young man named Noah, fighting to save his town (with some unlikely help) from the advancing German invaders during WWII. It is a deep story that deals with the human capacity to show strength and kindness if the face of overwhelming adversity and loss. By no means can I begin to do this story justice here in a few short paragraphs, nor will I spoil the story for those who may have missed it. It’s just one of those things you have to experience for yourself.

Dave Watcher’s black and gray illustrations perfectly compliment the story and pacing, darkening and filling the pages to lend a frenetic feeling during battle and action scenes, becoming lighter and more open during periods of conversation and contemplation. The characters’ facial expressions and body language are depicted perfectly. You can almost smell the earthly, clay scent of the golem wafting off the page.

Comics have the capacity to move us and make us think about bigger issues, and this one most certainly accomplishes that. If there’s any justice in the world, Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem should definitely win some awards (cough, EISNER, cough), but for now I’m pleased to pick it as the Best Comic of 2013 in this category.
Honorable Mentions: Locke and Key: Omega/Alpha, Rachel Rising, Transfusion, Hellboy in Hell, and BPRD.

Check out my friend, David Gillette’s pick from Madefire (whose titles I clearly need to be reading more of).

Best Comics of 2013: Best Ongoing Series

Creating a compelling comic series is tough enough in its own right. Being able to keep that magic going over an extended period of time can be a downright Sysiphean task. Order numbers can fall off. People might just start waiting for the trades, which can hurt single-issue sales and put the entire project in jeopardy. Creators might come and go, or get busy with other projects. It’s a constant challenge to keep a series fresh and keep readers hooked. Here are our picks for our favorite titles that, not only overcome all those potential pitfalls, but they make it look easy.

 

Best Ongoing Series

This is tough choice, but I’m going to have to pick Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ superb Saga from Image Comics. Saga will likely be on every critic’s “Best of the Year” list, and for good reason: It’s just that damn good. Now in its second year of publication, Saga is still just as strong and compelling as ever.

BKV’s imaginative writing, organic dialogue, and pacing always leave readers clamoring for the next installment. Fiona Staples’ elegant art is absolutely beautiful and unlike anything else out there (and she handles every aspect of it, including covers, backgrounds, colours, and some lettering).

Saga has made people who had never previously picked up a comic book into fans of the medium. This is just an incredible title which seamlessly blends a love story, with science fiction and elements of fantasy, into one perfect creation that touches the heart and inspires the imagination. But you already know that, because everyone reads this masterpiece faithfully. Saga is everything I love about comics and more.

Honorable Mentions: Hawkeye, BPRD, Hellboy in Hell.

My friend, David Gillette, picked a series that I need to catch up on for sure.

Like the movie Highlander, there can be only one. Having said that, I agonized over this between Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga, Matt Kindt‘s Mind MGMT, and Joshua Dysart‘s Harbinger. Each respective creative is doing the finest work of their career while making me gladly show up with money in hand at my LCS each Wednesday. With my back pushed up against the wall, it’s Harbinger by a nose because it feels like the most dynamic of the three. I never know what I’m going to get each month with the way Dysart works his madness, and I like that. I’ve yet to be disappointed. In fact, each issue has been a white knuckle ride with the perfect blend of action, social commentary, and meditation. This is how a superhero comic book is done.

Honorable mention: Saga by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples and Mind MGMT by Matt Kindt.

Best Comics of 2013: Best Development in Comics

The end of the year is upon us, so that means it’s time to take a look back at another wonderful year of comic books. 2013 was an amazing year for readers of comics! Over the next few days I’ll be posting my picks for various “Best Comics of 2013” categories. This is just a fun way to acknowledge some of the comics, creators, and publishers that really rocked my world and put out exemplary work this year.

As a bonus, this year I have collaborated with my friend, writer, and fellow comic book aficionado, David Gillette, who will be sharing his picks as well. We’ll be cross-posting our various selections between our respective blogs, so be sure to check them out and feel free to comment with your favorites as well.

Best Development in Comics

While this is by no means a new issue, 2013 was the year when open discussions about sexism and sexual harassment in the industry and at conventions finally became widespread on comic book news sites and through social media. It was often ugly, with some creators and fans lashing out at the accusers and the accused alike, but is an important conversation that needs to happen if comic culture is to move forward and become a place where everyone can feel safe and welcome. The discussion was sparked by a variety of women bravely speaking out, including: cosplayers, convention goers, creators, bloggers, journalists, and many others. Other creators and fans followed suit, and long-overdue, often meaningful conversations started taking place. We still have a long way to go, but I sincerely hope that any progress which was made can carry over into the New Year.

David weighs in with some of his favorite developments:

This is a tough call, but Madefire and deviantART‘s announcement to partner up seems like the biggest game changer for the industry because of the way it supports creation on an independent level. Together, they’re creating a platform for writers and artists to more fully develop their stories in a way that can bring more eyes to their work, allow freedom to promote and diversify across mediums, and find more collaboration. Their recent announcement with DC for the Batman: Arkham Origins venture only reinforces this with the format for the story being a first in comics.

Black Mask Studio also deserves to be mentioned in the conversation for best development in comics with their push for independent creators to tell stories outside of the traditional boundaries of comics that speak to reader on a socio-political level, especially with titles likeOccupy Comics and Liberator. They’re also spearheading the transmedia approach to comic books by diversifying across various platforms and communities, especially with the collaboration between Matt Miner‘s Liberator comic book and the band Earth Crisis.

Last but not least, Chicago collective 44Flood has pioneered the art of crowdfunding their niche oriented approach that combines fine art and comic books. This could have a lasting impact on how creators bring art and stories to their respective audience while taking their fine art approach to comics out of the niche market to the mainstream. Consider the success of their LUST and TOME campaigns as well as Ben Templesmith‘s The Squidder graphic novel.

Welcome to ‘Comics, and Stuff, and Things’

It has been far too long since I had my very own place to write about comic books and nerdy stuff. If you stumbled your way onto this blog, then chances are you probably already know me as that person who is always posting stuff about comics on social networks. Maybe you know me from my time as a contributing editor at Comic Booked, or writer for Comics Forge, Crisp Comics, or even Bleeding Cool on rare occasions. I’ve written hundreds of articles, reviews, interviews, and news items about comic books and the industry throughout the years. Maybe we’ve even met at a Pacific NW convention (I live here in Seattle, WA).

I fucking love everything about comics: the medium itself, the stories, the art, the creators, the history, the community… But current circumstances have made it so I don’t really have a venue to continue writing about them. I have another blog called pilesofdeadhipsters, but I really want to use that venue for writing about other topics. Still, the desire to continue writing about comics has continued to smolder relentlessly. So now I have set up this blog which is completely dedicated to that cause!

I love all comic books, but I prefer stuff slightly off the beaten path to the more mainstream stuff. Give me indie and creator-owned titles–crowdfunded comics, stuff from Image, Dark Horse, Black Mask Studios, Titan, Fantagraphics… And SO many more–and I’m a very happy individual. That is the type of stuff I like writing about. So many people cover Marvel and DC comics exclusively, and that’s amazing. There are still plenty of “Big 2” titles and creators I love dearly. I usually follow creators more than I follow certain titles or characters. I just feel my energy is better spent covering projects that could slip through the cracks or might not get as much press. If that’s something you are interested in, then hopefully you’ll dig some of the stuff I post here.

At any rate, THANK YOU so much for stopping by. There will be much more content soon. I hope you enjoy it. Always feel free to hit me up on Twitter @RobbOrr, or email me if you have something you’d like reviewed. I want to hear about YOUR projects. It’s good to be back.