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This is easily the most staked Top 10 Most Anticipated COmics list I have done so far. Any of the top five this week would have been number one any week prior. Not to mention how hard it was to narrow down to ten. Never would have thought Usagi Yojimbo or Midlife would not make the cut, but alas hard choices where made. So let’s get to those hard choices with this week’s countdown…Â
Editor note: All Description portions come directly from their respected publishers
Writer: Katana Collins
Artist: Kewber Baal
Publisher: Dynamite
Description: When last we saw the Legenderry world’s Red Sonja, she was living the pirate’s life aboard her ship, The Nautilus. But times have changed! In this special 40-page one-shot adventure – created exclusively for Red Sonja’s 50th Anniversary – fan-favorite writer KATANA COLLINS weaves a tale of thievery, deception, and a mysterious painting with a decidedly handsome and unaging owner – all set against the steam-powered backdrop of the Legenderry world!
Why It Made the List: I am always up or a good Red Sonja comic. With this being a special it is even more enticing because you do not need to worry about anything that is happening in Red Sonja’s current ongoing. We have gotten past Legenderry Red Sonja comics in the past, but I am pretty confident that this one will be welcoming to new readers. I enjoyed what Katana Collins did with the Batman: White Knight Presents – Harley Quinn series, and now she gets to take on another iconic comic book character. Hoping for similar success.
9. Stuff of Nightmares: Slay Ride #1
Writer: R. L. Stine
Artist: Pius Bak
Publisher: Boom Studios
Description: If you dare, get into the sinister spirit of the season and join The Nightmare Keeper for a demented Saint Nick story… one who decks the halls with holiday horror, crafting a very merry macabre Christmas unlike any other!
As malls continue to die, a down-and-out former mall Santa named Heinrick Fiddler’s rage turns to madness, and he’s dead-set on making sure department store shopping isn’t the only thing that’s deceased.
Treasured Fear Street and Goosebumps author R.L. Stine is joined by Bram Stoker Award-nominated artist Pius Bak (Eat the Rich) for another tale straight from your nightmares!
Why It Made the List: When I hear the name R.L. Stine a shiver runs up the spine of my ten year old self. Like many from my generation the Goosebumps books hold a very special place with me. Now he is trying his hand at comics once again. I was not the biggest fan of his run on Man-Thing, but the previous installment of this series in September I thought was enjoyable. Also love Christmas Themed horror as well so plenty to be excited about.
Writer: John Lees
Artist: Adam Cahoon
Publisher: Vault Comics
Description: Step into the world of a forbidden video nasty! A group of college kids have plans for renovating the old, abandoned Flesch House. But they will soon discover that their new home contains hidden terrors. Who is the menacing figure that haunts Cindy’s dreams? What danger lurks in the basement? Will anyone survive… the House of Creeping Flesh?
Why It Made the List: I started doing this list around October and there was plenty of horror books to be had. A few months later that has not changed. It’s always spooky season in the world of comics. When I look back at this series it has changed so much from what I thought it was going to be and I love everything about that. It keeps taking classic clichés and finding new ways to approach them. Vault has a pretty extensive list of great horror titles and this is among one of my favorites.
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Max Fiumara
Publisher: Image Comics
Description: The dark tower and the bright castle. The princess and the pauper. The future written by the past. Some things are eternal. Some things must be changed.
Why It Made the List: When you read the description it sounds like the ramblings of an sidewalk Apocalyptic preacher that somehow has the loudest megaphone known to mankind. Considering the context of this comic that actually makes sense. With Holy Roller last week and The Sacrificers this week Remender is flexing how varied his story telling style can be. Not to take anything away from Max Fiumara as his character design has been quite admirable. He has been able to create a world unlike any I have seen.
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Christian Wildgoose
Publisher: IDW
Description: The human-orc alliance is tested for the first time as an underwhelming harvest causes the orcs to look toward the fertile farmland of humankind. Will Troth be able to persuade his brethren to stand strong alongside their new allies? Or will the truce break before it really begins? Whether these warring nations are able to work out their problems or not, one thing remains: the Vangol are more organized than anyone could have imagined… and they are on their way.
Why It Made the List: This book is such a joy. This has been a great year for fantasy in both film and comics and this has been leading the way. I make this point every time I mention this book but I love how it does not get lost in its own lore. That lore has depended as this series has gone on to be fair. Why it still works though is because they have paced it out well so it never becomes overwhelming. The danger has been gradually increasing and after the events of last issue this should be a good one.
Writer/Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Publisher: Skybound
Description: Outnumbered and overpowered, it’s time for the Autobots to stand their ground, as Optimus Prime goes toe to toe with Skywarp!
Why It Made the List: You know this is a great week when this is number five. If I was going to make list based solely on comic book community excitement this would be number one. It is rare when you see near universal praise for any comic but that seems to be the case for this one. The sales have been traffic and the product that has been put out is very worthy of those sales. I am not even the biggest Transformers fan but I got caught up in it as well. Anytime Daniel Warren Johnson does I book I am there, and everything that makes his work great is found here. You have giant robots doing suplexes. GIANT. ROBOTS. DOING SUPLEXES. God I love comics.
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist: Joshua Cassara
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Description: DOOM’S X-MEN! That’s right – Doctor Doom has his very own team of Latverian mutants, loyal to the benevolent leader that keeps their country safe, and they make their spectacular debut in this issue! The X-Men may be in the midst of a fall… but they’re not letting Doom’s personal squad take their title without a fight!
Why It Made the List: Despite not including it a lot on these lists I think the X-Men line has been firing on all cylinders since the Hellfire Gala earlier this year. It did exactly what this line needed and gave it a shot in the arm to shake up the status quo. The Krakoa has been special, but I believe it is time to move on and hopefully have a simplified X-Men line. This title has consistently been one of the best and now you are adding Doctor Doom to the world of the X-Men. Love when characters that do not typically associate show up in a book together. Doctor Doom going head to head with the X-Men should be fun.
Writer: Rob Williams
Artist: Pye Parr
Publisher: Image Comics
Description: START YOUR ROBO-ENGINES! THE CHASE IS ON! Petrol Head and Lupa gun it for the SmogZone border with half the O-Zones security drones and robo cops on their trail. Can one old racing robot outdrive the best new tech the city can build? And will Lupa’s father survive the experience?
Why It Made the List: Some might think I am crazy for having this book with talking robots ahead of Transformers. Do not get me wrong I greatly enjoy that book, but I thought Petrol Head #1 was one of the best first issues of all of 2023. I knew very little regarding the work of Pye Parr prior to the first issue. Now anytime I see his name on a book it is an instant read for me. Transformer designs are iconic of course. Here though I love the originality and personality he placed with these characters. I didn’t know I needed a giant robot smoking a cigar in my life but I am happy to have it. Plus with it being an original idea there is more mystery regarding what we are going to get, and mystery and anticipation go hand in hand. Ultimately both comics are great and having two in one week makes all of us winners.
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Leonardo Romero
Publisher: DC Comics
Description: THE BIRDS VS. THE AMAZON WARRIORS! Chaos reigns as the first mission for the Birds of Prey has (unsurprisingly) gone sideways. Even with the collective battle prowess of her hand-picked team, did Black Canary bring enough firepower to fight their way off Themyscira?!
Why It Made the List: Birds of Prey and World’s Finest are battling it out for my personal favorite ongoing DC book. Usually the winner is the last one I read. The first three issues of this series have been everything I hoped for and more. I am not going into this being a huge fan of this property. Cannot think of the last run of this series I got into. I do love the work of Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, and Jordie Bellaire. This is 100% hitting what I expect from them. Jordie Bellaire may even be exceeding my expectations which I did not think was possible. Just look at her colors (I assume) on that cover. She is trying a lot of new things and setting the tone for this book.
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Ivan Fiorelli
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Description: A year ago, Reed Richards sent a whole city block the Baxter Building stands on—along with his own children and the children of his best friends Ben and Alicia—a year ahead in time. It was a desperate measure, but it saved them. And now, it’s time for them all to come back. But when the Fantastic Four arrive in NYC, they find something is being built in the pit where the block once stood—and worse, nobody seems to know exactly what it is or why they’re building it. With the clock ticking, they investigate this mystery—and discover a mysterious new threat that may have been pulling the strings this entire time…!
Why It Made the List: So why in this extremely strong week is Fantastic Four #14 number one on this list? That is because this is an issue that has actually been building for over a year now. When this series started we had a mystery regarding what happened to the Fantastic Four that drove them apart. That mystery was solved, but the ramifications of that answer would not fully come into play for an entire year. I did not think they would wait a literal year. Comics have a magic time line and a year could easily be a month or a decade. By doing that though they allowed fences to be mended and the anticipation to build. This should be a moment of celebration as a family is reunited, however knowing comics I expect a more challenges to arise. With this being Marvel’s current best book and this being such a key moment in this series it was easy to place it on top of this week’s list.
Honorable Mentions: Shazam! #6, The Sacrificers #5, Thunderbolts #1, Kill Your Darlings #3, The Sentry #1, Fire and Ice #2, Usagi Yojimbo: Ice and Snow #3, Midlife (or How to Hero at Fifty!) #3, Our Bones Dust #1, Dark Spaces: The Hollywood Special #4, Bloodrik #1, Invasive #1
