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This week’s Top 10 Most Anticipated Comics is a little extra special as it’s my birthday! What better present than comics? The answer to that is whatever my wife will be getting me. (Have to cover my bases)
Editor note: All Description portions come directly from their respected publishers
With that being said let’s go to this week’s countdown…
10. The Ministry of Compliance #1
Writer: John Ridley
Artist: Stefano Raffaele
Publisher: IDW PUBLISHING
Description: The Devolution has thirteen ministries, each responsible for manipulating a different aspect of human life. The Ministry of Compliance, the most feared of all the ministries, led by the fierce Avigail Senna, makes sure all the ministries stay in line and remain focused on the Devolution’s mission. As it appears the Ministry’s mission is on the verge of being completed and Earth will be assimilated, things begin to go terribly wrong, and a conspiracy among the ministries breaks out that Avigail must deal with head-on.
Why it Made the List: John Ridley’s transition from movies to comics has been an interesting one. Moving from writing movies like 12 Years of a Slave to DC comics can not be easy. Now he is moving to create his own characters and universe. Some creators do their best work with no constraints, while others do better having some sort of boundaries set. Where does Ridley fall? We shall see. He is also teaming up with artist Stefano Raffaele who he worked with previously on GCPD: The Blue Wall. Hopefully, that past experience works well for this book.
Writer: Kyle Higgins, Joe Clark
Artist: Ramón Pérez
Publisher: Image Comics
Description: New York City. 1956. Fresh out of prison, a gifted but troubled musician struggles to put his band-and his life-back together. The DEEP CUTS team is joined by Eisner Award-winning artist RAMON K PEREZ (STILLWATER, Tale of Sand) for a time-hopping tale of injustice, redemption, and bebop!
Why it Made the List: Deep Cuts is back! Exciting times. I have no idea how this comic exists. A historical fiction anthology series that focuses on jazz is not something that is capturing the zeitgeist. But good comics are good comics. This is also a series where you get your money’s worth as each issue is its own complete story. Something that is becoming more common with series like Silver Coin and Ice Cream Man, but unlike those this has nothing to do with horror. What is great about that is you can jump right into with issue without reading anything prior.
8. Star Wars: Visions – Peach Momoko #1
Writer/Artist: Peach Momoko
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Description: PEACH MOMOKO BRINGS HER UNIQUE STORYTELLING TO A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY! CENTURIES after the death of a GREAT DARK SITH LORD, a cult has grown worshipping this SITH LORD and the DARK SIDE. ANKOK believes she is the successor to the LEGACY of THE SITH with her DARK SIDE POWERS! But is she truly in tune with THE FORCE? Or is she just exploiting the people in her village? KAKO and GEL are about to come face-to-face with the truth…even if it kills them!
Why it Made the List: Any time we get Peach Momoko interiors I am a happy guy. I love her covers, but seeing that same style inside the comic as well is a much different experience. I was a big fan of the Star Wars: Visions TV series, and love that are repeating that concept for the comic book medium. I was a fan of what Peach Momoko did with the X-Men so excited to see what she can do with the Star Wars universe.
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Ramón Rosanas
Publisher: ARTISTS WRITERS & ARTISANS INC
Description: Can Erica lead the captives out of the Rumpus Room and back to freedom? Find out in the latest chapter of Eisner and Ringo Award-winning writer Mark Russell’s all-new satirical thriller!
Erica concocts a plan to escape billionaire Bob Schrunk’s nightmarish Rumpus Room…though it takes a lot of convincing to get the other prisoners to go along with it. Meanwhile, Schrunk takes his lawyer on a bizarre art shopping spree, all while dodging questions from the press concerning the strange rumors about his disappearing employees.
Why it Made the List: I feel like I just read Rumpus Room #3. Time flies when you are reading good comics I guess. I thought issue two really brought this concept full circle after the introduction with issue one. Definitely speaks to how people are so willing to accept the status quo no matter how horrible it is simply because of a defeatist mentality. One of those books that makes you angry in a good way because of how accurate it is about societal issues.
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Josh Hixson
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Description: As snow falls over Milwaukee in 1972, a blood-stained Santa Claus commits unimaginable atrocities against young men. Fifty years later, a troubled young writer interviews this so-called “Deviant Killer,” who still maintains his innocence from behind bars. And as Christmas approaches once again, the past returns, wielding a sharpened ax. Eisner-winning writer JAMES TYNION IV (W0RLDTR33, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH) and acclaimed artist JOSHUA HIXSON (The Plot, Children of the Woods) unite for a pitch-black holiday horror story.
Why it Made the List: It is James Tynion IV comic book world and we are just living in it. His books are consistently selling out and he is winning Eisner after Eisner. So when he has a new book come out it is a big deal. Great timing as well as this horror theme Christmas book is released right in between Halloween and Christmas. So fans of Spooky or the Holiday season can both be happy. Artist Josh Hixson has proven himself to be a great horror artist with the series The Plot that I adored. Curious to see how he does with this script.
Writer: Jordan Thomas
Artist: Shaky Kane
Publisher: Oni Press
Description: The wastelands are ablaze with cosmic peril! Beware! The hard, bad lands of the future are filled with danger even on the best of days! But how can even the toughest mutant rustlers compare to the terror of DINO-NAUTS hopped up on the trippy nega-mind substance that is . . . the Purple Claw?! The Man From Maybe rides hard, searching for revenge for his fallen comrades! Saving the wasteland from the machinations of malevolent billionaire Harvard Denny is just the cherry on top of this oil-slick sundae.
Why it Made the List: The Man From Maybe is a weird comic. I mean that in the best of ways. A big reason I love comics is due to the diversity in style and design they offer in a given week. I doubt I will read anything else this year quite like this series. Part western, part science fiction, part dystopian future all done in the unique style of Shaky Kane. It reminds me of something I would watch on the old Liquid TV series. A story that pushes away from convention and looks to carve its own path.
Writer: Darcy Van Poelgeest
Artist: Caio Filipe
Publisher: BOOM! STUDIOS
Description: In a Vancouver of the future painted with ultramodern decay, a groundbreaking advancement in technology promises an end to entropy itself.
But when an attack on this mysterious “Keeper Program” threatens the lives of everyone tied to it, retired Police Detective Bennie Strikman is called to investigate one last case.
Eisner-winning and Harvey-nominated writer and director Darcy Van Poelgeest (Little Bird) is joined by rising star artist Caio Filipe (Stranger Things: Tales From Hawkins) for this timely and thought-provoking look into the human condition, set in a dystopia that’s as grounded as it is metaphysical.
Why it Made the List: I thought Darcy Van Poelgeest’s last series Little Bird was one of the best series of that year so I have been eagerly anticipating a follow-up. Three years later we are getting Lotus Land. I can see some similarities between the concept of Lotus Land and his previous book which gives me a lot of hope. Artist Caio Filipe is not someone I am super familiar with so I hope he can make this story work. If all goes well this could easily be one of the best books of the week.
3. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #301
Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: Chris Mooneyham
Publisher: Skybound
Description: A new era for G.I. JOE starts here…but one Joe won’t survive THIS ISSUE! The legendary LARRY HAMA is joined by new series artist CHRIS MOONEYHAM (Five Ghosts) and cover artist ANDY KUBERT (Batman, X-Men) to continue one of the longest-running titles in comics history!
Why it Made the List: G.I. Joe was a major part of my childhood. I have so many fond memories of watching the cartoons and playing with the toys, and during the pandemic even introduced my oldest song to the 80’s cartoon. That was a special moment. Despite that connection, I never got into the G.I. Joe comics until the last few years, right in time for them to end. Luckily they are starting all over again! I assume despite the three hundred issues that came before this will still be new reader-friendly. Excited for a chance to be a kid again.
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Iban Coello
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Description: Two universes, human and dinosaur, are colliding—and if one universe isn’t sacrificed, then both will be destroyed! And making matters worse, an incursion point between universes has swapped the dinosaur and human versions of the Fantastic Four! But there is another incursion point elsewhere…in Latveria. And Doctor Doom has plans of his own—after teaming up with the only person in the universe he can trust…himself! The FF and the Avengers are brought to their knees, and only the Brothers Grimm can save the day! Plus: The Dinosaur Fantastic Four versus the Avengers!
Why it Made the List: Can we just take a moment and appreciate that cover? Doctor Doom riding a Doctor Doom T-Rex. Comics have peaked! This current run on Fantastic Four has been pure comic goodness. A comic that has a throwback style in both design and execution. There’s been a larger focus on one-issue stories rather than long arcs, which I have really appreciated. It’s easily the best comic Marvel is putting out currently.
1. Fishflies #3
Writer/Artist: Jeff Lemire
Publisher: Image Comics
Description: Officer Danny Laraque arrives at Fred Fox’s farm to pursue a lead on finding the man who shot Paul DuPuis. Young Francis Fox holds a major clue but isn’t going to betray her new friend. A special extra-length issue from JEFF LEMIRE (GIDEON FALLS, Sweet Tooth) deepens the mystery of this small-town surrealist horror.
Why it Made the List: I love Jeff Lemire as a writer, but love him even more as an artist. I feel his best stuff comes from when he is both writing and drawing. He does so much that it would be impossible for him to draw all of his stuff, and his style simply does not fit a lot of stories helps create. For Fishflies it is perfect. Lemire has this minimalist approach with his art where he gets so much emotion out of so little lines. Essex County is my all-time favorite comic and a big reason why is the empathy that is woven into the fabric of every page of that story. A similar level of empathy exists within this story. Although unlike Essex County there’s a large element of the surreal. Something Lemire has utilized a lot more in his work over the years. As a Lemire fan, Fishflies is like catnip that triggers all the key memories and reasons his work has meant so much to me over the years. With this being the penultimate issue I can only hope I am emotionally ready.
Other books I am looking forward to that did not make the list: Danger Street #11, Deadpool: Seven Slaughters #1, Deep Cuts #4, Hexagon Bridge #3, The Rocketeer: In the Den of Thieves #4, Junior Baker the Righteous Faker #3, Wesley Dodds: The Sandman #2, Alien #1, Green Lantern #5, Daredevil #3, Blade #5, Uncanny Avengers #4, Superior Spider-Man #1, The Rocketeer: In the Den of Thieves #4
