Sometimes you just want to know if something is going to be good. You don’t want your time wasted. 2016 was fraught with such urgency, particularly in the comic book world. As readers, we know our history. And when it comes to characters like Doctor Strange or Bloodshot there is a strong sense of canon. There is only so much you can deviate for the sake of storytelling. For comic book fans, there were a plethora of stories that could be considered the best of 2016.
10 – Generation Zero from Valiant comics has a cast of morally ambiguous teens and children who are psionically powerful. Kidnapped and raised by Project Rising Spirit this cast of characters claimed their independence and are now taking on cases they deem worthy. But if you ask their clients, their methods may not be worth the trouble. This current series forces you to pay attention. When Cronus (the leader of this team) has a conversation with the person they kidnapped and have tied to a chair on the philosophy of Nietzsche you know that it is unapologetically intelligent.
9 – One of the main titles for Valiant is Bloodshot. And this comic has been evolving into a series of story arcs that are simultaneously action-packed and introspective. The highlight of this series in 2016 has been the discovery that Bloodshot had been recaptured by Project Rising Spirit (yes this group again, and even though the reader knows what they are, their agenda and who leads the cooperation are still in question). Instead of living out the past 30 years with his girlfriend, Ray Garrison has been a guinea pig for a new pet project. Apparently, they reanimated a dead geomancer and have been using several bloodshots from previous wars for their own nefarious purposes. What made ‘Bloodshot Island’ so captivating was the use of hope. For Ray the only thing he has to cling to, to maintain some sense of humanity is to stay alive long enough to find his girlfriend. In doing that he and the other bloodshots get off the island. The twists and turns of this series have led to ‘Bloodshot USA’ which is turning into another fast paced, smart adventure story. Equally captivating are the hanging storylines that remain. You want to find out about Cold War Bloodshot. Equally intriguing is the reason why they would create a bloodshot dog. As a reader, your curiosity is peaked for a variety of reasons. Answers will come eventually, but it will be when you least expect it, in the most suspenseful way possible.
8 – ‘Divinity III: Stalinverse’ will make you rethink your reality. Imagine Captain America saying ‘Hail Hydra.’ Alright, Marvel did that with predictable results, but what if it came out of Tony Stark’s mouth and the Hulk’s and Spiderman’s? Now, your world has been completely turned the wrong side. Writer Matt Kindt has taken nearly everyone in the first issue of the Valiant universe and placed them in a world where the bad guys won. There’s no explanation, just a complete rewriting of history. Even more startling is the artwork of Trevor Hairsine et al. The coupling of art and narrative will have you feeling Colin King’s (Ninjak) desperation. How did the world get this way and why is he the only one who remembers the old one? The paranoia is along the lines of a George Orwell novel. Pigs walking on hind legs and big brother perpetually watching seem to be happening all at the same time in this comic. The only thing that is certain is that you’ll be going into 2017 with the assurance of more good stories about this dangerous world.
7- Yes, ‘Mystery Girl’ began at the end of 2015 but this limited series by Paul Tobin was one of the best reads leading into 2016. You had a smart, black woman who knew everything. As to why she can speak any language, fly a plane or solve any mystery is something that the reader doesn’t figure out. You see how she got her abilities. However, you don’t know if she was multilingual before or after she gets them. Also, Trine Hampstead “Street Detective†and her friends have backstories that are only hinted at. This comic is just screaming to be a regular series. Dark Horse as a company dropped the ball by not continuing with such a smart cast of characters. Tobin wrote with a dry wit, which kept the reader invested in Trine’s life. Equally as compelling was the artwork. The characters were drawn so realistically that they looked as if you would bump into them in real life. They leaped off the page. Such smart writing coupled with great art should still be continuing.
6- The webcomic series ‘Theatrics’ has been a good read for 2016. Writer Neil Gibson has created a period piece set in the 1920s with elements of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ alongside the art of reinvention. Broadway actor Rudy Burns gets his face mangled coming out of a club. His career and life in tatters are just the beginning of the story. With each panel, you see a cast of characters that create a new narrative for their lives. They use all the tools and skills they’ve learned to not only make a living but thrive. Essentially they use every aspect of the acting business and it makes for compelling storytelling.
5- As storylines go sometimes you don’t need to have your protagonists have superpowers or be freaks of nature. That’s what makes the graphic novel ‘Cash and Carrie’ refreshing. In a series of chapters, you see the titled characters, who are two young people of color trying to survive middle school. In the meantime, these normal kids use their intelligence and analytical skills to solve a series of happenings in their community. Overall each story is grounded in their ability to reason and their friendship. It’s also one of the few comics that doesn’t talk down to its target audience. Being smartly written will do that.
4- ‘Sparks and the Fallen Star’ will delight you. The narrative is told mostly through the actions of the characters. There is very little dialogue. Every aspect of this graphic novel helps tells the story of what it means to drive away the darkness. Reading this story will give you hope in achieving what may seem impossible. As both writer and artist, Lyndon White has created a world where a robot and an otter save the world. Still, you don’t know if the two heroes will survive. What’s more, you become emotionally invested in things you don’t usually think about. An otter is rarely seen as heroic and the usual route in a narrative is to make technology the bad guy. White turns these assumptions on its head and makes you enjoy the suspenseful journey.
3- ‘Black Panther’ has been a Marvel Universe staple for decades. He’s been an avenger and a member of the Fantastic Four. At one point he was married to X-Man Ororo Munroe. And then he dissolves the marriage. That’s T’Challa otherwise known as Black Panther. He’s crafty, unpredictable and utilizes everything at his disposal to protect his country. As the monarch of the fictional African nation Wakanda, T’Challa has met several challenges. Recently in the Ta-Nehisi Coates run, Wakanda is a country at a multitude of crossroads. The royal family is in disarray, there is treachery everywhere and T’Challa at times seems to have forgotten who he is. There is complexity in this narrative as Coates takes his time with each comic to show not only the story of a man but of a country in crisis. There’s also appearances of Luke Cage, Misty Knight and Storm herself. A man who can call on his ex-wife says a lot about his character. A former wife who shows up speaks volumes about his integrity.
2- ‘Rebirth: Green Lantern’ had the potential to be a complete disaster. After all the new 52 titles’ reboot was going well. There were still a considerable amount of stories to be told. Also, several reincarnations of the characters have been introduced in recent animations. You can’t just get rid of everything, start from scratch again and have it be successful. The thing about the Rebirth comics from the DC Universe is that they tweaked just enough to keep the new, interesting characters from the 52’s. The old mythos is officially out the window. For the Green Lanterns and how they are chosen leads to a quagmire of a selection process. Jessica would never have been given any ring. She cannot induce fear, she’s not exactly a raging queen. In fact, she’s spent three years in an agoraphobic state. Yet, she not only has a ring she’s sharing a power battery with Baz. This brings a whole set of problems, namely working together. Baz in his arrogance and Jessica in her emotional unstable state are rife with problems. But this partnership gives way to great storytelling. Stay for the ride and see if Jessica finds her inner warrior or Baz learns some humility.
1- It’s just damned hard to find a good western these days. All you seem to have are remakes of classical movies from back in the day or reissues of Louis L’Amour novels. In comic book form, it’s nearly impossible. However, Greg Pak has found an imaginative way to breathe fresh life into an old standby motif. It’s not the typical old west that gets a paragraph in history books. Instead, it has a man, Kingsway Law who is scarred by the civil war that has occurred between the Mexicans and the Chinese in the 19th century. But wait, it gets better. They’re dragons, firefighting and dubious characters ripe with backstory. Each issue slowly unfolds Law’s past while simultaneously leading to more questions. Ripe with narrative potential ‘Kingsway West’ will entertain you. You will get invested and you will care. That’s what good storytelling does.
2017 will no doubt have many new comics coming out. But 2016 should be known as the year of the comic book, for all the inventiveness this medium had to offer.
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