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The theme of comics this week seems to be beginnings and endings. We have a ton of new major series beginning along with some of today’s best books coming to an end. It made doing the Top 10 Most Atntipcated Comics lists quite hard. Had to search deep into my soul and decide what part of storytelling do I anticipated more. Based on the list below you will find my answer.
Onto the countdown…
(Editor’s Note: Solicitations noted below are provided by the Respected Publishers)
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Daniel Acuña
Publisher: Marvel
Solicitation: In a gleaming new world of prosperity, Captain America is no more. But Steve Rogers still exists, floating through an America where freedom is an illusion, where THE AVENGERS are strangers and his friends are long dead. But is the Dream? How do you assemble Avengers in a world that doesn’t want them? PLUS: A behind-the-scenes look at the making of this issue!
Why it Made the List: Captain America and Cable are two of my favorite Marvel characters and this week we are getting new series for both. I picked this one over Cable since I have more faith in the creative team and I love myself a great alternate dimension story. I know now they have become the norm with the multiverse but when done right they can be a great way to explore classic characters. I have not loved a Captain America comic in some time and hope this could change that.
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Jesus Hervas
Publisher: ONI PRESS
Solicitation: From horror masters Cullen Bunn (Basilisk) and Jes s Hervás (The Empty Man), the new year is here . . . but 2024’s most devastating experiment in terror is just getting started!
Dr. Carrie Reynolds and detective Vic Hudgens cut closer to the heart of the mystery behind the “murder surgeons” and the gruesome surgical attacks plaguing their city. While meeting the newest victim, they come face to face with the deranged society of killers stalking their trail . . . and learn just how far Carrie will go to the find the people who hurt her daughter.
Why it Made the List: I was a major fan of The Empty Man series so seeing Cullen Bunn and Jesus Hervas team up again has been a treat. So far Invasive is a much different series but has a similar chaotic energy. It has that feeling like something bad is about to happen at any time which keeps the tension high. Cullen Bunn is on the short list of best horror writers working today no matter the medium. He finds new ways to approach classic ideas or in the case of Invasive using influences from all over to yield something new. Jesus Hervas can draw just about anything and the way this series is going that is a very good skill to have.
Writer: Amit Tishler
Artist: Bruno Frenda
Publisher: MAD CAVE STUDIOS
Solicitation: After a pogrom chases them out of their home, Alex and Yuli flee to a forest in the Ukrainian countryside, where the opposing forces of the Russian Civil War are poised to clash. Desperately seeking shelter from the cold, the siblings take refuge in a lonely hunting cabin only to realize that their new host may be just as dangerous as the threats that await them out in the wild.
Why it Made the List: If you read my review of the first issue of Edenfrost you saw how big of a fan of it I was. I had my issues and concerns but there was a lot of promise. Bruno Frenda perhaps impressed me the most especially with his clean line work. I look forward to seeing what direction this story goes. One of my favorite things about comics is finding new creative teams to get excited about. If issue two can properly follow up on the debut issue I’ll be adding this crew to that list.
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Rapha Lobosco
Publisher: DYNAMITE
Solicitation: Codename: STALVODA
Translation (from Russian): STEEL WATER
A relic of the Cold War, the deadly compound Stalvoda has a long-buried connection with MI6. So when it mysteriously reappears in disturbing circumstances, the agency naturally assigns its best operative to get to the bottom of things – 007 himself, James Bond.
But Bond isn’t the only one to have carried the double-0 rank, and with it MI6’s secrets. Former agent Archibald Tyron is another, and he’s also carrying a grudge – one that’s aimed squarely at the heart of His Majesty’s Secret Service!
Why it Made the List: Garth Ennis is a creator a lot of comic fans try to put into a box he does not belong. They look at comics like Crossed, Preacher, and The Boys and think all he can do are shock value stories. For one I think that is minimizing some of those comics, but my favorite work by tends to be his war comics like Sara or Tankies. That’s why I am excited about this, and he already did his tongue-in-cheek version of James Bond with Jimmy’s Bastards. I assume this will be much more straightforward as Ennis has mentioned he wants to be more like the original novels than the movies. As a Bond fan, I appreciate that direction.
6. Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #23
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Dan Mora
Publisher: DC Comics
Solicitation: SUPERMAN AND BATMAN MUST STOP BOY THUNDER FROM BECOMING MAGOG! The walls are closing in on the World’s Finest duo as Boy Thunder falls fully under the thrall of Gog in the universe of Kingdom Come! Superman and Batman race against the clock not only to keep Boy Thunder from becoming Magog—but to save the Multiverse itself!
Why it Made the List: You know there are a lot of comics to look forward to in a week when this is at number six! My favorite DC comic from last year remains a great read for any superhero fan. Also, it is great having Dan Mora on art duties once again. The other artists have been good but this is at its best when we get the team of Mora and Mark Waid. I did not expect the Kingdom Come storyline to last this long but I am in favor of that choice. If you are going to return to that world you might as well make the best of it.
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Andrea Milana
Publisher: Skybound
Solicitation: The Rise of Cobra begins here. In a world where the Cobra organization hasn’t formed, one man’s sinister plans to utilize the mysterious alien substance known as Energon sends shockwaves across the globe. Who is Cobra Commander? Where does he come from? And what horrors is he planning to unleash that will rock the world-and maybe the universe-to its core? Red-Hot writer Joshua Williamson (Superman, Duke) and artist Andrea Milana (Impact Winter: Rook) kick off the second of four action-packed miniseries that will introduce the best and worst humanity has to offer in the Energon Universe.
Why it Made the List: Cobra Commander is such a great character. Mainly because he is such an awful leader. The guy was just born to lose. I have a feeling though this comic will show why he is someone you should take seriously. Joshua Williamson has already shown he can write a good G.I. Joe comic with Duke so let’s see what he can do with the bad guys. Well…maybe they aren’t bad guys. Maybe they are just misunderstood. Na, scratch that. They are straight-up terrorists.
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Francesco Mortarino
Publisher: Marvel
Solicitation: When a teacher shares a list of inventions a scientist from the 1600s hoped future generations would one day make, Valeria and Franklin Richards decide to go for bonus points…by ticking off some of those unfinished items and inventing the impossible. Enlisting the aid of Jo-Venn and N’Kalla Grimm, the four of them engage in a little amateur mad science that quickly spirals out of hand! Do they go to their parents and ask for help? Of course not! A couple of kids can easily fix this, right? According to the couple of kids involved in this series of bad decisions: yes! Absolutely! Nothing will possibly go wrong. Also featured in this issue: several things going wrong!
Why it Made the List: This week just keeps getting better. My current favorite current DC book and my favorite current Marvel book all in one week. With the return of the Fantastic Four’s family, we are entering a new era for this series. To be fair I was enjoying it just being the main four this past year. It made things a lot simpler, however, I am wondering how Ryan North and Francesco Mortarino will handle this different dynamic. Plus a new Valeria and Franklin Richards adventure sounds like a good time.
3. John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #1
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Aaron Campbell
Publisher: DC Comics
Solicitation: At last, as you demanded: The celebrated creative team of Si Spurrier and Aaron Campbell have returned to Hellblazer! John Constantine has cheated death once again—but his heart’s not beating, his body is decaying, and he, his friend Nat, and his son Noah are on the run in America, wanted for murder. Naturally, it’s all John’s fault—it always is. But as it turns out, Dream himself needs John’s help. Something terrible has taken root in America, and it’s using the sand from Dream’s pouch to impose its will. If John can put a stop to it, he might be able to parlay that favor into a chance to save all their lives—but he’s going to need help from someone he hasn’t spoken to in years. Someone he wasn’t always…all that kind to. Someone…or some…Thing? Si Spurrier and Aaron Campbell’s first run on Hellblazer was the best-reviewed comic of 2020, reintroducing the character to a new generation, and their second act, told in extra-length 28-page issues, is ambitious and unmissable!
Why it Made the List: I very much struggled with the placement of these next three books. Simon Spurrier and Aaron Campbell’s run on Hellblazer was my favorite comic the year it came out. It ended far too soon so it is great DC is giving them another chance at the character. The concept sounds intriguing as well with John Constantine on a road trip in the US. What could go wrong? Hopefully everything. I have a strong feeling this will be showing up on my most anticipated lists for every issue that it is out.
2. The Enfield Gang Massacre #6
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Jacob Phillips
Publisher: Image Comics
Solicitation: THE ENFIELD GANG MASSACRE ENDS HERE! With nowhere left to go, Montgomery Enfield must face off against the law—alone—in this chilling Western conclusion.
Why it Made the List: So this week has my favorite Marvel book, my favorite DC Book, and now my favorite Image book from last year. I promise I have no control over when books come out. Just happened that way. A big reason I adored this book so much is the artwork of Jacob Phillips. His work has always been great but his coloring design in particular has been spectacular. When you have a book that is called The Enfield Gang Massacre one is to assume things will not end on a happy note. Rarely do Westerns leave you with ‘Happily Ever After’. Still, I think there is some type of swerve coming. When a story is leaning so heavily one way you think it has to be misleading you, but maybe they know that so then the ending you expect becomes the unexpected ending. Excuse me for a moment while I unscramble my brain. However it ends I am sure it will be great.
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Charlie Adlard
Publisher: Boom Studios
Solicitation: In a final showdown between the devils and the angels attached to Theo’s strings, Ellie is seemingly alone against their deranged, infernal and celestial screaming.
But allies may be ready to fly in at any moment… revealing that The Rules can in fact be broken, and El’s flesh and blood will play a fateful part in the destiny of hell.
Why it Made the List: To continue the trend this week has my favorite DC Book, favorite Marvel Book, favorite Image book, and of course my favorite Boom Studios book. Sadly two of those are ending this week! So when it came down to deciding the placement of all these books I had to decide what is more important an ending or a beginning. I favored endings for one big reason. A comic series can recover from a bad opening. Not all great TV shows had great pilots, and now all great comic series have great first issues. Bad endings though can ruin a book. To be fair even if Damn Them All #12 ends on a lackluster note I will still appreciate everything I read up to this point. However, it will make me far less likely to revisit. Currency though Damn Them All has been a series that has given me everything I want in a John Constantine book and then some. Comics are going to be a little less exciting after this week after two of today’s best books come to an end.
Honorable Mentions: Nightwing #110, X-Men #30, Superman #10, Wonder Woman #5, Cable #1, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #303, Our Bones Dust #2, The Nasty #6, Space Usagi: Death and Honor #2
