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First, let me apologize for the lack of lists over the last couple of weeks. December kicked my butt more than normal so it was a bit of a challenge to find time to do just about anything. Luckily things are calming down some so let’s start 2024 on a strong note.
My 2024 Resolution is the same as every year–Read more comics. Luckily this week gives me a ton to choose from. Onto the countdown…
Editor note: All Description portions come directly from their respected publishers
Writer: Joe Casey
Artist: Dan McDaid
Publisher: DC Comics
Description: ZOD RULES A WORLD OF HIS OWN! General Zod was Krypton’s most notorious criminal. Now he has an entire planet to rule—but what happens when the most dangerous individual in the universe gets everything he ever wanted? Obviously, he wants more— and he’ll stop at nothing to get it—in the most brutal series you’ll read this year! This is not a hero’s journey. This is a dark ride, brought to you by the sick and twisted minds of Adventures of Superman writer Joe Casey and artist Dan McDaid in his monumental main-line DC debut. For General Zod and his family, the descent into hell has just begun.
Why It Made the List: So 2023 was a great year to be a Superman fan. Does that mean 2024 will be a great year for Superman villains? Would be fitting. As a huge fan of Adventures of Superman I am all for anything that has connections to that classic series. I also think Zod is an underrated villain and a series like this could demonstrate that. Should be a good time!
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Duncan Fegredo
Publisher: Dark Horse
Description: Giant Robot Hellboy goes rogue, leaving both the island and the laboratory in explosive chaos! Inspired by Mignola’s viral-hit pencil drawings from Mike Mignola: The Quarantine Sketchbook, Giant Robot Hellboy gets his own story in this 3-part miniseries from Mignola and longtime Hellboy artist Duncan Fegredo!
Why it Made the List: It’s crazy that an idea that was nothing more than a random sketch on social media has turned into such a fun comic. Somehow Mike Mignola finds new ways to keep this legend going. I mean Hellboy first came out at a time when dial-up was just hitting big, and now stories are being made based on social media posts. Considering that foundation this is not the most complex story ever and that is completely okay. What it lacks in depth it makes up for in pure fun. Issue two was just as good as issue one so hopefully issue number three will keep the streak alive. I am a bit surprised this was not just a one-shot but I am glad they decided to give this an actual mini-series.
Writer: Rich Douek
Artist: Alex Cormack
Publisher: Dark Horse
Description: The road trip from hell continues, Bobby Ray and Dahlia cause enough mayhem to reach the ears of Heaven itself! A certain archangel wants his trumpet back, and he doesn’t care if he has to turn a hundred hellbound cars into scrap to get it! But what about that car? Does it really deserve an eternity chauffeuring demons across Earth? Or is there another road out of this mess, with Bobby Ray at the wheel?
Why it Made the List: The first issue of Drive Like Hell was on a fever pitch. It was certainly entertaining throughout but I struggled to get my bearings. Issue number two helped balance things out while keeping the excitement going. Now the story is starting to fully come into focus. This reminds me of a great Grindhouse 70s film we never got. It is kinetic and rough in the right types of ways. Alex Cormack’s style seems a bit different with this series thus far, which makes sense because it’s a much different story than something like Road of Bones. Glad to see his versatility as an artist.
Writer: Jim Zub
Artist: Doug Braithwaite
Publisher: Titan Comics
Description: WARRIOR. THIEF. PIRATE…After adventures on the high seas, CONAN returns to shore to find himself haunted by his memories of BELIT, captain of the Tigress and Queen of the Black Coast. Can a high-stakes heist draw him out of his tortured past, or will it plunge him deeper into the chaos that has always been waiting for him?
Why it Made the List: This current run on Conan the Barbarian by Jim Zub and artists like Doug Braithwaite and Roberto De La Torre has been one of the most consistent comics on the stands during 2023. In fact, it might be my favorite thing Jim Zub has ever written. He is just leaning into what makes Conan…Conan. No complaints about that choice. Now we are getting Conan placed into a heist story? That should be loads of fun. If you are a person who has never read Conan but always wanted to fully advise jumping into this book. You won’t regret it.
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist: Lucas Werneck
Publisher: Marvel
Description: KRAKOA HAS JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT! Mutantkind has never had a greater fall. From the highs of Krakoa—their own glorious nation, a place where they were safe and happy—to the lowest of lows. Outlawed, hunted, killed, most of their kind missing or dead, and now, one their greatest leaders, Cyclops, is on trial facing a death penalty. Ready or not, the time has come for the X-Men to make their final stand against the forces that have struck them low. The day is now. The place is here. The tale of the house Xavier built will long be told…and few will forget this darkest chapter.
Why it Made the List: I am excited about what the future holds for the X-Men as we enter a new era. Before we get there we see the destruction and rise of Xavier’s children. Considering everything that has happened in the past six months I can only imagine what this fall is going to look like. If any team in comics is used to having the odds against them it is the X-Men so one wonders what exactly is going to be different this time. Should provide plenty of chaos.
Writer: Christopher Yost
Artist: Val Rodrigues
Publisher: Vault Comics
Description: In a world of blood, magic, and monsters, a second sun rises in the sky. Here, Iodoc the Druid rules all. But, despite his power, one man threatens Iodoc’s reign: a prisoner named Murchadh. Freed from the Burning Fields by the Druid’s enemies, Murchadh is on the run and marked for death…because, in a world turned inside out, Murchadh has another name, a secret that could change everything.
Why it Made the List: When I do this list I don’t consider sales as I am more interested in the quality of the comic book. With that said, I am interested in seeing how well Unnatural Order #2 does with its second issue in the number of copies sold. For those that don’t know Vault tried a new promotion where comic shops were able to get the first issue for free. It did lead to a great deal of orders so I hope those people return for issue two. Vault had faith in this comic and after reading the first issue I could see why. It’s an exciting fantasy story that has a ton of potential. Fans are fickle though so will they return for issue two? I surely hope so.
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Christian Wildgoose
Publisher: IDW
Description: Tensions rise and wildfires blaze as spring gives way to a fiery summer. The Last Men’s scout has not yet returned from his mission… and that can only mean one thing: He’s now a prisoner of the Vangol. For better or worse, Cal refuses to leave a single man behind, even if that means leading the rest of his men straight into a trap and certain doom. This could mean the end of the Last Men Standing, but at least they’ll go out fighting arm in arm.
Why it Made the List: There is so much going on with this series yet it is so easy to follow. I have come to love so many characters in this book, and considering where the last issue left off I have my concerns regarding what the future holds. Also love the political undertones of this series. They are there if you want to look at them, but if you simply want a great fantasy story you have that as well. One of my favorite gems of the past year and I hope this book continues beyond issue six. Feels like this world is just getting started.
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Arist Deyn
Publisher: DC Comics
Description: CAN THE BIRDS AND THE AMAZONS SAVE SIN? As the Birds and the Amazons double their efforts in fighting Megaera, Dinah and Sin take the battle inside, quite literally. The battle for the fate of Sin has now truly begun and it is not something everyone is gonna walk away from.
Why it Made the List: I am so excited for another issue of this series although it was a bit disappointing not seeing Leonardo Romero’s name as the artist. I can understand because based on the work he put in with the last four issues he earned himself a break. Arist Deyn is not someone I am super familiar but hopefully the book will remain as good as ever. I love how this arc has played out. Took its time to get to Themyscira and has made the wait worth it. Comic series have also been stuck doing five-issue arcs so it is nice getting a book like this that can give us a longer story.
Writer: Kyle Starks
Artist: Fran Galan
Publisher: Boom Studios.
Description: On the corner of Pine and Merrimac sits a small, unassuming town… Just a simple place, simple people, and one horrifying secret that could change everything…
After a lifetime of witnessing the worst that humanity has to offer, former homicide detective Linnea Kent has decided to put all of that behind her.
Alongside her husband, a former professional MMA fighter and the unofficial brawn to her brains, she’s moved far from the busy city to open up a quiet little detective agency.
At first, the simple cases this nook of the world has to offer were exactly what she was looking for, but there’s more to the quaint hamlet than Linnea could have possibly imagined, and something truly sinister pulling the strings…
Why it Made the List: Why did this make the list? Kyle Starks that is why. Any time he has a book out I am there. I have been a huge fan of his work since reading Kill Them All, and that fandom has only grown over the years. He has a fantastic sense of humor and is just a generally great storyteller. Artist Fran Galan is not someone I am familiar with but Starks does not work with bad artists. Plus he knows how to find talent that matches the tone of his stories. Starting the year off with a new Kyle Starks book is a great way to begin on the right foot.
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Ivan Fiorelli
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Description: I was created by mistake: a mind of minds, spread out across the vast swath of humanity, unseen but strong, stronger still every day. The world was confusing, but I learned. I grew. And then the Fantastic Four, the world’s greatest heroes—themselves led by the world’s smartest man—tried to kill me. They failed. But they showed me they were a threat. They showed me I needed to defend myself. They showed me that the Fantastic Four needed to die. And as I strengthen my control over the world, Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm and Alicia Masters will soon learn there’s nowhere they can hide…
Why it Made the List: This is Marvel’s best current comic. Beyond that, its one of the best Marvel runs we have gotten this side of Immortal Hulk. One of my favorite things about it is the way it is not scared to have one-and-done stories. Using the classic superhero model where you get a new A plot in nearly every issue while the B and C plots connect throughout. Makes for some unexpected stories and based on this issue’s description it’s going to be a strange one.
