Best Comics of 2013
It has been a great year for comics. So great that this article was extremely hard for me to write and I’m still not all that satisfied with it, but I could work on it until it was no longer relevant.
The most important thing to know going in: this is an article of love, not of hate. It is going to feature only positive moments of 2013.
Because I love these books, I cannot help but talk about them. This first list is not an order of best but an order of love. The positioning of the book in the list is not a reflection of my preference or ranking…these are merely the nominees for my favorite comics of 2013
Captain Marvel by Kelly Sue DeConnick: Captain Marvel is a book that caught me off guard. Beginning the year with a stellar issue involving Spider Woman and Dinosaurs and ending with a single line that cuts right to the heart of the situation with Carols brain lesion, “You cannot fly.” and thus begins a high paced and incredible journey of a superhero who shows us how to be a hero and what it means to love people more than one’s self. Spilling over with emotion and character and action, this book is magnificent.
Hawkeye by Matt Fraction: Matt Fraction began the year with Hawkeye and Hawkeye taking on hurricane Sandy and it didn’t slow down from that issue. Even though there was some time of waiting for the next issue, the comings and goings of Clint Barton and Kate Bishop are fun, emotional, and adventurous in ways that you cannot find in any other book. David Aja’s art and layouts stand above the rest.
Daredevil by Mark Waid: Too often these days books are full of dark moments for characters with no relief or moments of fun. Daredevil is not one of those books. Mark Waid successfully mixes the horrifyingly dark situations with perfectly timed relief moments that gives the reader both a thrill ride and the satisfaction of watching a hero down for the count smile (and drive Silver Surfer’s board, I mean c'mon). This is possibly the best superhero book I have ever read.
The Rocketeer/Spirit: Pulp Friction by Mark Waid: I have a thing for the Rocketeer. Dave Stevens created a hero that I love to read. He’s adventurous and must always do the right thing and he always has girl problems. Mark Waid captures the essence and voice of The Rocketeer perfectly, and from what I understand, he does justice to the Spirit as well. This story is so much fun and it’s a blast to watch unfold.
Pretty Deadly by Kelly Sue DeConnick: Honestly, I have no clue what is going on in this story, but it doesn’t matter. As I’m reading, all I can think about it how positively beautiful the story and art is. With each issue I can see the story slowly unfolding itself. Each time I finish an issue, I am left wondering what it all means and excited about where the story is going.
Manifest Destiny by Chris Dingess: I must be honest, I bought the first issue of this story because I liked the cover and I love history. I wasn’t expecting much but as I dug into the pages I found much more than I ever could have thought. Somehow mixing the adventurous nature of exploring savage America, the awful elitism aspects of manifest destiny and the terrors of the best horror fiction, Manifest Destiny scratches and itch I didn’t know I have.
Alex + Ada by Jonathan Luna: Okay, this book is weird, and absolutely stunning. It is a beautiful book with many pages of art that I have yet to see in any book before. Luna expertly displays the protagonist as a lonely man without ever having to tell the reader he is lonely, and even with as little time that has been spent with Ada, you cannot help but love her. The concept of Alex falling in love with Ada, an android, is both strangely beautiful and terribly tragic.
Quantum and Woody by James Asmus: Humor is hard. I would say humor is more difficult than drama. At least, when it comes to making me laugh, it is a harder job for a writer than to make me cry. James Asmus makes me laugh with this book. I was hooked after the first issue. Though they would never admit it Eric and Woody Henderson are brothers who love each other even though they drive each other insane. With laugh out loud humor and swashbuckling action, this is a book for all who can read.
Velvet by Ed Brubaker: I am a sucker for great spy stories. In comes a spy story about a retired field agent who is not only the baddest person around but an awesome female protagonist desperately needed in the genre. With action scenes that rival summer blockbusters, this is a book that will get your blood pumping and your adrenaline going.
Zero by Ales Kot: This is a confusing book, but something tells me it isn’t going to end well. It’s structure in telling the story of how an old assassin came to where he is breaks your heart. With an issue about Zero’s first mission as a child and his unsuccessful assassination to the loss of a girl partner he cares for, it is clear that this man’s life is not full of great moments. The story is a slow burn, but it burns smooth and it burns well.
Batman by Scott Snyder: Batman’s greatest ally is darkness and Scott Snyder’s take on the character is as dark as ever. With an incredible arc on the return of the Joker in the New 52 and the stellar new origin story with Zero Year, Snyder has brought about a unique run of a character that is 75 years old.
Daredevil: Dark Nights: Angels Unaware by Lee Weeks: This book is a form of Anthology type series, with different writers taking a few issue arcs. The first arc is Angels Unaware and it is quite possibly the greatest hero story I have read this year and possibly ever. A simple story about a great man trying to save a young girl in an impossible situation, this author inspires hope in his readers through narrative and his own stellar art.
Black Science by Rick Remender: Immediately at the beginning of this books first issue, I knew two things: I cared for the characters for whatever reason and the art is possibly the coolest thing I’ve seen all year. I don’t really know what is going on in this book, but it doesn’t matter. In two short issues, the reader is introduced to characters they can love and presented a story and situation that is both intriguing and tragic.
Fantastic Four/FF by Matt Fraction: Though he was incapable of finishing these two wonderful books, Fraction developed and mostly released a story that is both wonderfully emotional and family oriented that takes the reader on possibly the greatest adventure in comics.
The following lists are reflective of my rankings and preferences. These are my lists of the best in comics 2013… (Short comments in parenthesis)
Best Writer
Mark Waid (Daredevil, Rocketeer/Spirit)
Kelly Sue DeConnick (Captain Marvel, Pretty Deadly)
Matt Fraction (Hawkeye, FF)
Lee Weeks (Daredevil: Dark Nights)
Scott Snyder (Batman, The Wake)
Best Artist
David Aja (Hawkeye)
Chris Samnee (Daredevil)
Michael Allred (FF)
Filipe Andrade (Captain Marvel)
Matthew Roberts (Manifest Destiny)
Best New Series
Manifest Destiny by Chris Dingess (For tapping into my inner adventurous side, appealing to my alternate history side and horrifying me and keeping me up at night)
Alex + Ada by Jonathan Luna (For making me ask questions about loneliness and love)
Quantum and Woody by James Asmus (For causing me to laugh full and loud and have a great time)
Velvet by Ed Brubaker (For being a great female lead book set in a spy world I want to be a part of)
Zero by Ales Kot (For being a book that causes me to feel for a stone cold killer)
The Wake by Scott Snyder (For making me terrified of mermaids)
Best Story Arc
Daredevil: Dark Nights: Angels Unaware by Lee Weeks (For giving me a story that is simple and touching that has stuck with me all year)
Captain Marvel: Enemy Within by Kelly Sue DeConnick (For breaking my heart and then mending it tenderly)
Batman: Zero Year by Scott Snyder (For bringing me a fresh and yet nostalgic story about a hero I love)
Best Mini-Series
The Rocketeer/Spirit: Pulp Friction by Mark Waid (For reminding me how adventurous stories can be, even if they are about characters older than I am)
The Wake by Scott Snyder
Best Graphic Novel/One Shot/Single Issue
Captain Marvel #17 (For mending the broken heart #14 gave me)
Batman and Robin #18 (For breaking my heart even more after Batman Inc. #8)
Hawkeye #8 (For giving great moments with Clint and his girlfriends and Kate and then destroying my heart with a shock ending)
Fantastic Four #4 (For showing me the love between Reed and Sue)
FF #4 (For She-Hulk’s date night)
Quantum and Woody #1 (For a story that combats tragedy with incredible humor and makes me laugh)
Zero #3 (For an ending that left me disturbed and emotional)
Best Breakthrough Writer
Ales Kot (Zero)
Best Breakthrough Artist
Filipe Andrade (Captain Marvel)
Best Cover
Captain Marvel #10 (For it’s perfectly simple display of the state of Carol and her inability to fly. Her longing is felt, and I almost feel I can relate to her when I see this picture)
Daredevil #26 (For it’s beautiful sunset and amazing acrobatics)
Manifest Destiny #1 (For it’s sense of adventure and horrible unknown dangers)
Pretty Deadly #3 (For it’s sheer beauty)
Zero #2 (For it’s retro look that speaks to a nostalgia I can’t explain)
Okay, here it is…
Best Comics of 2013
Daredevil
Captain Marvel
Hawkeye
Batman
Fantastic Four/FF
Pretty Deadly
Manifest Destiny
Alex + Ada
Quantum and Woody
Velvet
Zero
Black Science
