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 New Series

 

 

There’s nothing like getting in on the ground floor of a new comic book series, and 2013 was flush with exciting new characters to get to know, and stories which defied our expectations while inspiring us. Here are a couple of our favorites.

 

 

Best New Series

When I first learned about a new Image series written by J. Michael Straczynski, with art by Ben Templesmith, I was instantly intrigued. To say I had high hopes for Ten Grand would be an understatement. After having the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Templesmith for Bleeding Cool at ECCC, I was even more excited about the series.

The premise is as follows: A mob hitman, Joe Fitzgerald, and his wife, Laura, are killed as a result of Joe’s final job. An “angel” appears and offers Joe a deal: Burn in Hell, or work for them and be brought back to life. Every time he dies righteously, he can spend five minutes with the departed love of his life whom he would never see otherwise. Of course Joe takes the deal, but things might not be as they seem.

Ten Grand was everything I hoped for and more! J. Michael Straczynski weaves a dark tale that filled the hole in my heart left by the cancellation of Hellblazer, with Ben Templesmith’s ethereal, wickedly expressive art elevating the entire endeavor to my pick for “Best New Series.” Eventually the series faced a delay as Ben moved on to a personal creator-owned project (The Squidder!) and a new artist was brought in, but that doesn’t diminish the excellence that was achieved in the six issues before that. Ten Grand is a stunning comic on every level, and hopefully will continue to be with a new artist taking over the reins. If you missed it, be sure to look for the TPB in January.

Honorable Mentions: COPRA, Pretty Deadly, The Wake, Ballistic.

My partner in crime, David Gillette, has another excellent selection (which happens to be one of my favorites too).

I’ve said this many times, and I’ll say it again. Adam Egypt Mortimer and Darick Robertson‘s Ballistic is easily the best new series of the year. Mortimer has been working a groove with his hyper narrative style. In lesser hands, his story might turn out to be a mess, but Robertson’s amazing sense of visual weaving takes the many threads Mortimer works with and turns them into an amazing canvas examining humanity’s path in an irreverent and sardonic way. Ballistic is one of those stories that’s a bit ahead of its time, but I believe it will find a larger audience as it heads to a collected trade next year. Kudos to Black Mask Studio for publishing this.

Honorable mention: The Private Eye by Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin

Best Comics of 2013: Best Publisher

 

 

Our “Best Comics of 2013” picks continue with a very important category: Best Publisher. The past year saw nearly every publisher step up their game in a big way, and in the end comic book readers were the real winners. Which publishers were our favorites? Keep reading to find out.

 

 

Best Publisher

Image Comics continues to astound me with the number of must-read titles they publish, so for a second year in a row they are my pick for “Best Publisher.” It feels like creators choose to publish their finest, most original work with Image. 2013 saw even more of the most popular creators publish work with Image, and given the company’s mission to treat creators fairly, it’s no wonder why. Image is a driving force in the creator-owned revolution, and as a result has some of the most exciting and innovative titles on the shelves. I feel like Image has really grown into the company they originally set out to be. With titles like: Saga, The Walking Dead, Ten Grand, Multiple Warheads, Prophet, Pretty Deadly, Jupiter’s Legacy, Lazarus, Satellite Sam, BlackAcre, Velvet, East of West, The Mice Templar, Savage Dragon, and SO many more than I can list here, Image is the place to go for creator-owned comic book goodness.

Honorable Mentions: Black Mask Studios and Dark Horse Comics.

My colleague, David Gillette, had a worthy favorite of his own:

I’m going to look at this in the traditional sense of publishing. For my money,Valiant Comics has done the best job of putting out a consistent set of titles across the board in terms of imaginative storytelling and strong craft. They are the embodiment of the quality over quantity argument with the way they have re-imagined their company and weaved their universe together seamlessly. With compelling characters and a stable of amazing artists and writers, they should continue to put out amazing stories for many years.

Honorable Mention: Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics

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.