The Homies 2022
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except this one mouse who was rereading issues of Saga to see if it wanted to nominate the book for Best Continuing Series. That’s right, it’s time to put forward your nominations for the Homies, our annual awards!
As always, Paul and I will individually be choosing a winner for each category, but there’s the usual proviso – we want YOU to help, so you all name your picks in the comments, and Paul and I each choose our own, and we talk a bit about each of the three on our awards show.
We’re likely to be recording mid-January, so we’re giving you until midnight UK time (7pm Eastern, 4pm Pacific) on January 14 2023 to make your choice. When you list your picks, don’t just name names either, because we’ll be reading out the best comments on the show, so let us know your thinking!
BEST NEW SERIES
This one’s pretty self-explanatory – any comic whose first issue was published between 1 January and 31 December 2022 is eligible. What new series got your attention the most this year?
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES
This one’s a little less self-explanatory – what series, again first published during 2022, did you think was best, with the proviso that it has to be something where the property wasn’t in existence prior to the start of 2022. We’re counting re-use of titles as well as concepts, so Strange or Rogues wouldn’t be eligible, but (for example) Earthdivers or Know Your Station would.
BEST CONTINUING SERIES
The counterpart to the categories above, which covers books whose first issue was published in 2020 or before. They’ve been around the block, but they’ve still got what it takes.
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN
These are explaining themselves by this point, right? We’re looking for OGNs, one-shots and minis published in 2022 (or partially in 2022, in the case of minis).
FAVOURITE WRITER
FAVOURITE ARTIST
FAVOURITE COLOURIST
Each of these three is pretty self-explanatory – whose name on the cover or credits box of a book makes you want to pick it up? Whose work do you most look forward to seeing?
MOST WANTED
This is for the comic, series or graphic novel that saw print this year which you’d want to see more of, whether that be a book that was cancelled before its time, a one-shot or mini that just begs for a follow-up, or an OGN that you’d love to see a sequel to.
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE
It may have seemed unappealing when you read about it online, and those preview pages may have looked unremarkable, but when you finally got the winner of this category in your hands you were ready to eat your words. What comic, series or graphic novel did you find yourself enjoying much more than you thought you would?
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
This is exactly what it says – which creator, creative team, publisher or other contributor to the world of comics really knocked it out of the park this year?
Let us have your picks in the comments thread below, along with your thinking on each one – we’ll read out a range of the responses on our big end-of-year show. Happy nominating!
I continue to read less comics each year since 2020. I cut way back on my comic purchasing in 2022 compared to 2021, and intend to do the same in 2023. There aren’t a lot of comics that catch my attention anymore. So, having written this as my preamble, I’ll only give my nomination for a few catergories (I feel as if I am forgetting a comic which impressed me from this year though…).
Best New Series: Sabretooth-
Seeing that Victor LaValle was going to write a Sabretooth mini-series was one of the biggest surprises of 2021. Seeing as it was written by LaValle, I expected it would be well written. Still, it was a Sabretooth story…could even a writer the calibre of Victor LaVelle make Sabretooth a truly compelling protagonist? It turned out that LaValle far exceeded my expectations. Not only did he make me want to read a Sabretooth comic, but he wrote a Sabretooth story which ranks as one of my top five comics of the year, my top comic for this “new series” catergory, and one of the absolute highspots of the Krakoa-era (which, I don’t really have many after Powers of X #6).
Best Actually New Series: Monkey Meat-
A biting satire about late-Capitalism which was actually funny. Not much more needs to be said.
Best Continuing Series-Damn Them All-
The series is only on its third issue, but it’s the type of comic I greatly enjoy. Plus, I haven’t been reading that many ongoing monthly comics anymore.
I was upset by DC’s decision to cancel Spurrier’s Hellblazer. It was the most authentic John Constantine in a decade, and truthfully, was one of the most standout runs on the John Constantine character since the Paul Jenkins days, for mine. If only it was given more than twelve issues.
Well, I sort of get my wish, as Damn Them All is very much a continuation of Spurrier’s Hellblazer, only without worry about editorial interference. Even better, Spurrier’s new series is based in real-world occult lore (the Goetia).
Really, if you are a fan of the Hellblazer series and want to see where the title may have moved had John’s niece, Gemma, been allowed to take over for her uncle, this is a must-read series.
Best Mini-I’m leaning towards Mignola’s Frankenstein:New World. It will depend on what occurs in the final issue. I was enjoying an exploration of what happens after the “end of the world”, and this Frankenstein mini did deliver, but I wasn’t as impressed with where the third issue ended. Will the fourth issue redeem the series for me?
Favourite Writer: Si Spurrier-
Basically, just on the strength of Damn Them All and continuing to carrying over from my love of the last Hellblazer comic. I haven’t been very impressed with his work on the X-titles. It was either him or Gillen (who did manage to impress with Immortal X-Men, but my interest in the Krakoa-era continued to wane after Hickman). I would choose Damn Them All over anything being published by Marvel at the moment.
BEST NEW SERIES
Immortal X-Men, just knocking it out of the park with each issue. Gillen making Sinister fun is no surprise, but making some good use of Exodus of all characters requires skill.
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES
Drawing a blank on this one – this year I mostly stuck to Marvel/DC, and they didn’t exactly deluge us with new concepts, did they ?
BEST CONTINUING SERIES
Nightwing continues being a constant delight under Taylor, Redondo & friends.
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN
Gonna have to go with Sabretooth here.
FAVOURITE WRITER
Al Ewing, from X-Men Red to Ant-Man and including Defenders Beyond and half of Venom.
FAVOURITE ARTIST
Greg Smallwood on The Human Target ; Tom King’s hit-piece against the JLI just wouldn’t have the same warmth without him.
FAVOURITE COLOURIST
Sarah Stern on Batgirls #1-6 ; her dayglo palette did a lot to cement the title’s identity.
MOST WANTED
More of Chris Burnham writing and drawing the adventures of Alfred Pennyworth, as seen in Batman Urban Legends #19-20. Exactly the kind of little gems you’d hope to find in this anthology series.
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE
Tini Howard coming onto Catwoman and actually putting in some pretty engaging work ?
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Bryan Hitch somehow managing to hit his deadlines for more than a year running with Venom.
The only thing I’m reading these days is Saga, so I nominate it for any category for which it’s eligible.
Best New Series: X-Men Red
Best Actually New Series: Public Domain
Best Continuing Series: Moon Knight
Best Mini etc: The Many Deaths of Laila Starr
Favorite Writer: Kieron Gillen
Favorite Artist: Javier Rodríguez
Favorite Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain
Most Wanted: More Mary Marvel by the team doing New Champion of Shazam
Most Pleasant Surprise: Given King’s track record of wildly uneven series, I’m delighted that King & Smallwood’s Human Target has been consistently great so far, and that he actually seems to get the JLI
Outstanding achievement: Gillen again. Once & Future (which could have been a solid contender for “Most Wanted” given the open ending), all the passionate sapphic romance I crave in Immortal, actually making the Eternals compelling, AND overseeing a crossover that I loved (which is 5 of words I’ve never put together in that order before)
BEST NEW SERIES
My Sister Suprema by Chuck Dixon. A little boy dreams of becoming a superhero , finds a potion online to make him one…and then his big sister ends up with the powers. Hilarity ensues.
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES
Junkyard Joe – Geoff Johns / Gary Frank. A Vietnam era robot takes it to the Vietcong and shovels the snow for an old man. All that by issue #3!
BEST CONTINUING SERIES
Lady Mechanika – Joe Benitez. This is the only series I look forward to buying. Usually limited to one trades worth a year. Great Steampunk adventure with amazing art and an actual plot.
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN (OGN)
HUNTER / NINJA / BEAR by Chuck Dixon and Mel Rubi from Fenom Comics. It’s set in the 1800’s and has a American Hunter and Japanese Ninja joining forces to slaughter some crazy killer bears. If you miss Chuck Dixon’s Nightwing or Crossgen comics, you’ll love this. From the sound of it , many people here are pretty disenchanted with modern comics. Go with the master…go with Chuck.
FAVOURITE WRITER CHUCK DIXON!
Hunter/Ninja/ Bear and My Sister Suprema are both great reads.
FAVOURITE ARTIST Gary Frank – Junkyard Joe, Geiger and whatever else Geoff Johns is working on.
FAVOURITE COLOURIST
Laura Allred. If you’ve ever seen Mike’s work without his wife on color and inks, you’ll realize how important she is to his success.
MOST WANTED
I want more manga. My Hero Academia is far better a superhero book than anything the big two have released in years.
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE
How many comic book companies are going out of business, or are the verge of collapse. We need more of this. Purge the old guard. WE MUST BURN DOWN THE COMIC INDUSTRY IN ORDER TO SAVE THE COMIC INDUSTRY.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
ME, for writing these nominations.
BEST NEW SERIES
Immortal X-Men
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES
Damn Them All
BEST CONTINUING SERIES
In the age of constant relaunches, how many true ongoings even still exist? I still read a scant few, I guess, but nothing truly stands out as great.
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN
Defenders Beyond. Can’t beat that Ewing/Rodriguez combo.
FAVOURITE WRITER
Al Ewing.
I could never narrow favorite colorist or artist down to just one person.
MOST WANTED
Gillen’s Eternals. I don’t know if it was his choice to end it or not, but there was clearly so much of the world he was building that was doing still ripe for elaboration.
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE
I don’t have the time or money to try much that I don’t think I’d enjoy, so nothing comes to mind. I guess I’ll say Danger Street because Tom King can be hit or miss, so I’m very happy and relieved to see this is King firing on all cylinders.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Michael Keloisim, for so brazenly showing his ass in the above post.
“OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Bryan Hitch somehow managing to hit his deadlines for more than a year running with Venom.”
Not only this, but I think he also put out that Avengers Prime one-shot whatever recently? I don’t know how much lead time he’s had on all of this, but I honestly don’t know if Bryan Hitch has been this consistent or prolific in his entire career.
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN
I haven’t read Geof Darrow’s most recent Shaolin Cowboy series yet, but I bet I’ll like it when I get the collection.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
I haven’t watched Dr. Strange 2 yet, but I have to give Marvel credit for somehow releasing nothing but awful movies for the entirety of its Phase 4. Not a single good one, and one that is truly horrible.
Black Widow – boring beyond comprehension.
Shang-Chi – actually had potential in the first third and then ended up in CGI fantasy land garbage for the second half.
Eternals – mindblowing awful on every level.
Spider-man: No Way Home – how do you get so many A-list actors together for multiple scenes and make those scenes the dullest part of any Spider-man movie ever? How do you mess up that badly?
Thor: Love and Thunder – haha, cancer is funny!
Black Panther 2 – I was a big fan of the first one, and somehow this movie took the few bad things about the first movie and gave us much more of them. I feel like the plot was written for T’Challa as the protagonist, and I really wonder if it would’ve been much better if he’d been around for it.
Josie makes me very uncomfortable. I’m not accustomed to someone else being a harsher critic than me. Usually I’m the biggest fun-sucking, sour grapes poster on the board. This feels very out-of-body.
BEST NEW SERIES and BEST CONTINUING SERIES:
X-Men Red: Al Ewing combined compelling world-building, engaging character work, and stirring moments to create a series that I actually get excited for with every issue. Immortal X-Men is a very close second.
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES
I usually get around to the better non-Big 2 comics in trade, so I don’t have many nominations for this category. I’ll go with Public Domain, Chris Zdarsky’s commentary about Marvel and how it treats its creators.
BEST MINI, etc.
Sabretooth- Leonard Kirk’s art was an unexpected treat. I’ve always liked his work, but didn’t know just how adept he was at horror and raw violence until this comic. Victor LaValle’s exploration of the carceral state through the least sympathetic mutant was suitably harrowing. I look forward to the remainder of LaValle’ and Kirk’s trilogy.
BEST WRITER Al Ewing
BEST ARTIST and BEST COLO(U)RIST
Javier Rodriguez- The recent Defenders series are not only gorgeous but full of big artistic swings. Rodriguez depicted action and abstraction with equal aplomb. My second choice was Cliff Chiang, who accomplished similar feats on Catwoman: Lonely City.
MOST WANTED
Since Big Numbers and Tyrant weren’t released this year, let’s go with more Wait, What? I’ll miss that podcast.
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE
The Werewolf By Night special on Disney + was surprisingly delightful, and one of the best things from the MCU in the past few years.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Huh, I’m out of the loop on what’s going on in comics these days. I haven’t read it yet (I just ordered a copy) but Kate Beaton’s Ducks gets my vote. Beaton is best known as a humor cartoonist, so her transitioning to a serious subject and (more importantly) bringing an environmental issue to people’s attention is extremely impressive.
BEST NEW SERIES
She Hulk
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES
Do A Powerbomb by DWJ
BEST CONTINUING SERIES
Moon Knight
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN
It’s Lonely At The Centre Of The Earth by Zoe Thorogood
FAVOURITE WRITER
Al Ewing
FAVOURITE ARTIST & COLOURIST
Javier Rodríguez
MOST WANTED
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE
Marvel Snap being a good fun dudebasher card game on mobile‽
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Kieron Gillen for landing Once and Future, Judgement Day being phenomenal, and all whilst being a new parent.
BEST NEW SERIES: X-Men Red. Every issue makes me punch the air.
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES: Damn Them All. Si Spurrier’s habit of conceptual overload has never been better applied, and Charlie Adlard has, amazingly at this point in his career, leveled up again.
BEST CONTINUING SERIES: Love & Rockets. How can Los Bros possibly stay so amazing after 40 years?
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN: Who Will Make the Pancakes by Megan Kelso. Very big things seen through very small perspectives. Wonderful.
FAVOURITE WRITER: Al Ewing may once have been capable of writing a bad comic, but I’m pretty sure he no longer is.
FAVOURITE ARTIST: I.N.J. Culbard, whose work on “Brink” is extraordinary and deeply original.
FAVOURITE COLOURIST: Javier Rodriguez. (Which is how I sneak him in there, because he was neck-and-neck with Culbard for artist, but Defenders Beyond cinches it.)
MOST WANTED: I can tell Spurrier is dying to write more Black Knight, and I would totally read that series.
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE: “Norman Osborn tries to be a superhero” sounded like a terrible idea, but the first two issues of Gold Goblin have been surprisingly sharp.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Another pleasant surprise: Zoe Thorogood has barely started her career, and “It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth” shouldn’t have worked at all in theory, but WOW. I am already a permanent fan.
Thank you Rachel & Mike Loughlin!
I just read the first five issues of Public Domain because you folks recommended it. I already like Chip’s stuff but had no idea this book existed. I really enjoyed it, so thanks again!
Glad you liked it, Col_Fury!
Best Actually New Series: X-Men Red by Ewing and Caselli. Continually published at a high standard, even when interrupted by the latest crossover
Best Continuing Series: Action Comics. Johnson and the art team’s Warworld saga was excellent. Eagerly awaited every issue
Best Mini etc: Unsure if this would count however Brink book 5 by Abnett and Culbard. Outstanding as always (not sure how you categorise 2000AD series)
Favorite Writer: Kieron Gillen. Consistently great and full of ideas
Favorite Artist: Valerio Schiti. Great with group shots and individual moments
Favorite Colorist: Lee Loughbridge – Warworld never looked better
Most Wanted: Brubaker and Phillips to tackle the rest of the Parker books
Most Pleasant Surprise: Marvel Snap. Simple yet fiendishly addictive
Outstanding achievement: Graeme and Jeff (with the occasional guest appearance of Chloe) for Wait, What pod. Nice companion piece to H2A, with Drokk being a particular highlight
Obligatory “I have read so few comics this year” comment here. Nevertheless:
Best Actually New Series: PUBLIC DOMAIN.
Best Continuing Series: ONCE & FUTURE.
Best Mini etc: SABRETOOTH.
Favorite Writer: Kieron Gillen, yet again.
Maybe for those of us who read mostly old stuff, next year Paul could add a category for best old comic you discovered for the first time this year. For me, this year, it’s George Perez’ Teen Titans. I knew it had a devoted fan base, and those fans had always talked about it as DC’s answer Claremont/Cockrum/Byrne on X-Men (my childhood favorite), so when Perez died I decided it was past time to give it a look. Well worth it, IMO.
JD:
“Bryan Hitch somehow managing to hit his deadlines for more than a year running with Venom.”
Ewing called Hitch the single most professional artist he ever worked with, in terms of deadlines. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe he was on time with his Hawkman as well.
At some point, he seems to have really upped his deadline game.
On the other hand: https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/y3bwb6/bryan_hitchs_website_is_out_of_commission/
I’d love to see a Retro edition of the Homies for, say, 1986.
I’d love to see a Retro edition of the Homies for, say, 1986.
Love it. Maybe as a monthly or bi-monthly project/game to fill the time after The Incomplete Wolverine is, um, complete.
In addition to the usual “favorite” categories, it could include:
—Comic cancelled which deserved a longer run
—Comic started which nobody ever thought was going to achieve the success it did
—Comic which in hindsight is a lot better than we realized
—Comic which in hindsight probably should not have been published
—Most underappreciated creator at the time who has gone on to earn accolades
—Most overhyped created at the time who has gone on to earn derision
And so on.
“Most overhyped created at the time who has gone on to earn derision”
Can we call that the Rob Liefeld Award for Merit?
Can we call that the Rob Liefeld Award for Merit?
Bingo!
“Comic which in hindsight probably should not have been published”
How is this any different from “Comic which was published but wasn’t that good”?
“Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe he was on time with his Hawkman as well.”
I just checked, and apparently he did pencil the entire first 12 issues of Hawkman.
And after that, he did the 12-issue Batman’s Grave series.
In the roughly 4-year period from late 2018 to now, Hitch has drawn 12 consecutive issues of Hawkman, 12 consecutive issues of Batman’s Grave, 14 issues of consecutive Venom, and an Avengers one-shot. This isn’t just impressive for Hitch, this is impressive across the board. I can barely think of any other artists working today who go two entire arcs (an arc being 5 or 6 issues) with no fill-in.
I mean, sure, my outstanding achievement vote can extend to those last few years on lower-profile titles ; I merely singled-out VENOM to focus on 2022.
HAWKMAN was in particular quite a surprise, as it came after the train wreck that was his JUSTICE LEAGUE run. It was even quite good ! Well, it’s continuity-wank like all modern Hawkman stories, but as far as those go it was quite entertaining. (You can stop reading after Hitch left, as it’s clearly a case of a book getting its run extended past its initial planned storyline.)
I honestly can’t think of any other artist with such an output this year (11 issues of an ongoing series with zero fill-ins + an extra-size one-shot)… By my record even JRJr and Bagley put out fewer issues than that in 2022. Maybe Salvador Larroca, between ALIEN, X-TREME X-MEN, a THOR fill-in and a few other odds and ends ?
“HAWKMAN was in particular quite a surprise”
Robert Venditti, right? I’ve read pieces of his Green Lantern here and there, and . . . he’s really not bad. I wasn’t fond of every plot, but he had a fine command of narrative and dialogue. He did seem to be aping Geoff Johns’s approach to Green Lantern, but then he was also the first writer to follow Johns, and Johns left him such a vast pool of toys to play with, so why not?
Is he still writing for DC? I feel like people never talk/talked about his work. Even if it was merely competent and good enough, there’s something to be said for “good enough” in today’s market.
“Comic which in hindsight probably should not have been published”
How is this any different from “Comic which was published but wasn’t that good”?
In many cases it might not be the same.
But there may be some cases where a comic should not have been published for reasons other than the quality of story or art. It’s up to the voters to chose their own criteria for what, in hindsight, they feel should not have been published.
Oops, I mean to write either,
“In many cases it might not be different” or,
“In many cases it might {} be the same.”
I jumbled the two sentences and wrote the opposite of what I intended.
Maybe “Comic which in hindsight probably should not have been published” could become something more like “Comic that has aged the most poorly” or “Comic with the most deleterious future influence.”
Or am I missing what you’re going for with that category?
BEST NEW SERIES: Persona 5: Mementos Mission by Rokuro Saito; A Original story set in the world of one of the Best ATLUS RPG Games since… well, Since Sega took them over.
BEST CONTINUING SERIES: Yona of the Dawn by Mizuho Kusanagi ; A Korean Soap Opera on paper, with a Adorable Squirrel as the hero-er… “Mascot”…
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN: Hunter Ninja Bear by Chuck Dixion; Crazy ass Bears that need killing. ‘Nuff Said.
FAVOURITE WRITERS… TIE: Mizuho Kusanagi ; Queen of Manga & Chuck Dixion ; King of Comics.
FAVOURITE ARTIST: Mizuho Kusanagi.
FAVOURITE COLOURIST: REAL comics don’t NEED a Colorist!
MOST WANTED part 1: To see whatever idiots at Hasbro & IDW who made the call to Cancel the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic cartoon & comic series; lined up & fired upon!!!
MOST WANTED part 2: Transformers The Lost Light series to RISE AGAIN! Maybe they could even visit Ponyville…
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE: After 20 years of waiting… The Manga section at all the local book stores HUGELY EXPANDING MANGA, while sad DC/Marvel/Image crap is being reduced to 1 bookcase worth of shelves. About time!
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Michael Keloisim’s Post. The only thing worst then a random House to Astonish listener winning is Bryan Hitch winning for meeting his deadline? SERIOUSLY? Manga creators do that WEEKLY or else they can kiss their job goodbye, NO Failing upwards in Japan.
BEST NEW SERIES
Gotta shout out X-TERMINATORS by Leah Williams and Carlos Gomez. I miss X-FACTOR so, so much, and even though we didn’t get David Baldeon back for a complete all-star return, Carlos Gomez is clearly having a blast and draws the hell out of these ladies. I can’t think of a book that was more fun in 2022.
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES
I’m giving this one to BEHOLD, BEHEMOTH. I know we’ve only seen two issues so far (and correct me if I’m wrong, I don’t THINK it was announced as a mini-series, though the solicitation for issue 3 states “of 5”.) But man, this is the kind of beautifully illustrated, contemplative horror that we haven’t seen since…Pornsak Pichetshote’s INFIDEL, maybe? I fell in love with the first issue, and I’m excited to see where it goes.
BEST CONTINUING SERIES
Chip Zdarsky continues to murder it on DAREDEVIL, month after month, and he makes it look easy. I’m pretty sure I’m stealing this sentiment directly from Al himself here, but he’s in the midst of a character defining run on a book that’s KNOWN for character defining runs.
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN
I mean, it’s SABRETOOTH, right? We’re all going to pick SABRETOOTH, because holy crap, SABRETOOTH came out of nowhere. Victor Lavelle and Leonard Kirk had Something To Say, and they picked the least obvious character to say it. This may be The Book of the Krakoan era. (And yeah I know this is stepping on the toes of Most Pleasant Surprise, but it’s hard to talk about why this is the best mini of the year without mentioning how out of left field that is.)
FAVOURITE WRITER
Al Ewing. The only way he could have had a better year is if he’d announced a new ZOMBO prog.
FAVOURITE ARTIST
While overall being pretty lackluster as an event, the Trial of the Amazons reminded me that Joelle Jones is my favorite penciller working today.
FAVOURITE COLOURIST
Hey look, it’s another vote for Jordie Bellaire, shocking no one.
MOST WANTED
I’m not usually one for thinly veiled superhero pastiches, but man, Jordan Blum, Patton Oswalt, Scott Hepburn, Ian Herring, and Nate Piekos have made MINOR THREATS a book I’m excited to pick up every month. I hope we see more of it.
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE
I mean, it’s SABRETOOTH, right? We’re all going to pick SABRETOOTH, because holy crap, SABRETOOTH came out of nowhere. Again, cribbing from my BEST MINI pick, but that’s because this thing was just that big a deal, it deserves votes in multiple categories.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
I know I’m in the minority on this one, but man, Keiron Gillen and Al Ewing – and yeah, let’s throw some kudos at Gerry Duggan – have taken the baton passed off by Hickman and kept the Krakoan era of the X-Men intriguing, strange, and delightfully off-kilter. From Sinister’s machinations in IMMORTAL, the cosmic geo-political intrigue in RED, to high-minded philosophical moralism in the big AXE crossover, the uncanny X line has been a boundless well of new and exciting stories this year.
Maybe “Comic which in hindsight probably should not have been published” could become something more like “Comic that has aged the most poorly” or “Comic with the most deleterious future influence.”
All of the above.
Voters can have different reasons for arguing a comic should not have been published. Poor quality. Low sales. Offensive content. Started a terrible trend. Whatever.
Obligatory ‘I haven’t read as much this year’ introduction – my kid is 1,5 year old now and somehow I have even less free time now than when I worried about him possibly randomly suffocating in his bed every day.
Anyway, on to my nominees.
BEST NEW SERIES
X-Men Red. Ewing seemingly does it all – there’s great character interactions and good dialogue; he effortlessly writes these people in a way that acknowledges their long histories without pointless revelling in continuity. And it’s still a fist-pumping action book. Just great overall. I hope it will be continued after the Sins of Sinister replacement miniseries.
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES
I haven’t read many actually new things this year, but Step by Bloody Step is from 2022, right? And it was pretty good. Looked amazing if nothing else.
BEST CONTINUING SERIES
Moon Knight. For some reason I never checked out MacKay’s books until last year, when I went back to his many Black Cat series. They were great fun, and now I’m reading Moon Knight, a character I’ve never cared about apart from maybe those six Ellis/Shalvey issues.
And it’s just… great fun.
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN
Sabretooth. Easy. The only bad thing I have to say is that original mini makes the current one look rather lackluster in comparison, but maybe there are aces up LaValle’s sleeve.
FAVOURITE WRITER
Al Ewing. Not sure if I’ve ever read a book by him that I didn’t like.
FAVOURITE ARTIST
Similarly, Javier Rodriguez never disappoints. I’m not sure if what he did in Defenders: Beyond went, well, beyond what he already accomplished in the previous Defenders mini, but it was still miles ahead of most other artists I paid attention to last year.
FAVOURITE COLOURIST
Marte Gracia. I keep being mesmerized by his colors, whether in x-books or Judgment Day.
MOST WANTED
For X-Men Red to continue after Sins of Sinister.
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE
Never thought I’d write these words, but Jim Zub on Thunderbolts. His previous attempt with Jon Malin was atrocious (the 2016-2017 series spinning out of Avengers: Standoff) – well, the art was more atrocious than the writing, but that wasn’t good either.
And then Rosenberg got to play with a new version of T-Bolts and that was fun, and then there was the Villains for Hire tie-in to Devil’s Reign which was more boring but still okay, and then Zub got them again and I was prepared for the worst.
But his mini with Sean Izaakse was… it was alright! It wasn’t great, but it was fun, it looked very nice and, well, that was much better than I feared.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Marvel Snap is a great little card game, isn’t it? And in a land of predatory monetization, it’s pretty decent. Sure, you can spend 50$ on a Sera & Angela variant art pack, but it won’t help you win any games.
But also I agree with Josie – I have slightly differing opinions on individual movies, but the MCU Phase 4 is pretty crap overall.
somehow I have even less free time now than when I worried about him possibly randomly suffocating in his bed every day.
It gets better, and worse. Mine’s 2.5, and while he can entertain himself for fifteen minutes while I do the dishes, he won’t. I theoretically have more freedom, but as a practical matter it feels like I have less. Toddlers are tyrants.
I echo the many votes for Immortal X-Men and X-Men: Red. I was happy to see Saga return, of course, and continued to enjoy Brubaker and Phillips’ RECKLESS series, as well as many series I mentioned last year as well, including the NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE, TIME BEFORE TIME, NEWBURN, THAT TEXAS BLOOD, and FRIDAY. But I’ll try to spotlight some work that may have been more likely to have gone a bit under the radar. Or not, let’s see…
BEST NEW SERIES
Despite my above preamble, I think I have to mention Victor LaValle’s SABRETOOTH. It seems important that the Krakoan era wrestle with the implications of the pit more seriously. As an unrepentant psychopathic murderer who has spent much of his time in the X-books as a captive of the heroes, Sabretooth makes the perfect character to reflect on prison without reducing any position to a strawman. But he’s also best when he’s decentered, and LaValle’s supporting cast plays nicely off Creed.
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES
Few others have already mentioned PUBLIC DOMAIN, and I’ll add my vote. Perhaps my favorite thing Zdarsky has done. I’m a sucker for creative labor and meta narratives, and this book about an aging comic book artist and his sons does both, with lots of (relatively even-handed) commentary on the exploitative practices of the Big Two, while still telling a compelling story of its own.
BEST CONTINUING SERIES
We only got two issues of FRIDAY in 2022, but I kind of want to give it to that book anyway. The art is wonderful, and I’m looking forward to re-reading all six issues before the next arc.
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN
Kate Beaton’s DUCKS deserves the praise. Also Michael DeForge’s BIRDS OF MAINE deserves a nod. And STRAY DOGS – DOG DAYS was a fitting and touching two issue coda to that surprisingly good comic.
MOST WANTED
For Heavy Metal to finally print and mail the long overdue RANX omnibus.
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE
Getting new pages of BKV and Niko Henrichon’s SPECTATORS for Substack has been a highlight of my Mondays.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Watching 3W3M take shape has been interesting, and while I’m not completely sure that what we have so far coheres, I’m looking forward to see where they go year.
Speaking of made-up categories, and because Douglas mentioned Love & Rockets above, the “What Happened, Man?” award for genuinely brilliant/classic creators whose current output, is, shall we say, trying not to be too unkind, a little baffling? I genuinely loved Gilbert’s early Palomar stuff, but the characters in his current stories don’t resemble or act like real people at all… I am really loving Jaime’s current stuff, though. (And then there’s Dave Sim, who’s quietly releasing… things, the covers of which are glaring “Keep Away” signs…)
Onward. The thing about voting late is, you have a pretty good idea where the awards are going, so you can maybe buck the trends a little to mention things that have been overlooked.
BEST NEW SERIES: Having said that, Immortal X-Men anyway. Honorable Mention: X-Men Red.
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES: Soule and Browne’s Eight Billion Genies for taking a singularly clever high concept (everyone on Earth gets one wish), spinning it out into cartoonish consequences, then pulling back to show a plan with underlying coherence.
BEST CONTINUING SERIES: Strange, a Jed McKay comic that’s not Moon Knight, for its strong defining of Clea as a force to be reckoned with. In Dark Dimension, girlfriend fridges YOU!
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN: The Nice House on the Lake. Honorable Mention: Sabretooth.
FAVOURITE WRITER: Al Ewing. Honorable Mention: Kieron Gillen. And Si Spurrier.
FAVOURITE ARTIST: I hear good things about Javier Rodríguez.
MOST WANTED: Where’s Uber, Kieron? I gave you best new series, now where’s the rest of Uber?
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE: The return and resolution of Manifest Destiny, the Lewis-and-Clark as Mulder-and-Mulder explorers in a monster-infested Louisiana Purchase, that came back after several long breaks to wrap up in a neat, albeit not entirely happy, conclusion.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Connor Goldsmith’s Cerebro podcast, which I just discovered this year. Each episode is an hours-long version of that scene where the Peanuts characters wave their arms at Charlie Brown’s miserable Christmas tree and make it into a thing of beauty, but with X-Men characters instead of the tree. Should be required listening for any X-office writer before taking on a character. He made me sad about Candy Southern, like, really sad! Honorable mention: Kieron for maintaining such high quality of output while going through the new parent crucible (now where’s Uber?)
Oh yeah, I discovered Cerebro last year, too. I’m only up to about episode 40, but some of them are spectacular. Some of the creator interviews are great, too – the Nicieza one was a standout.
BEST NEW SERIES
Immortal X-Men (Marvel Comics)
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES
Public Domain (Image Comics)
BEST CONTINUING SERIES
Nightwing – during the Tom Taylor era (DC Comics)
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN
Superman: Space Age (DC Comics)
FAVOURITE WRITER
Chip Zdarsky, Batman (DC Comics); Daredevil (Marvel Comics); Devil’s Reign (Marvel Comics); Public Domain (Image Comics)
FAVOURITE ARTIST
Mike Allred, Superman: Space Age (DC Comics); The X-Cellent (Marvel Comics)
FAVOURITE COLOURIST
David Curiel, Immortal X-Men (Marvel Comics); Miles Morales: Spider-Man (Marvel Comics)
MOST WANTED
Jessica Jones series/mini-series written by Gail Simone and drawn by Phil Noto.
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE
Public Domain (Image Comics), hooked after issue 1 and genuinely looking forward to future arcs/installments. Hope this title goes as long as Sex Criminals.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Image Comics turning 30 in 2022 and are still a major force in comics publishing. Also, who would have thought DC and Todd McFarlane would ever collaborate on another Batman/Spawn crossover book.
BEST NEW SERIES
She-Hulk. I haven’t read that many new series, and this one was just nice.
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES
I’ll go with Starhenge, probably as I haven’t read Public Domain yet.
BEST CONTINUING SERIES
Nightwing – This is probably longest run on a regular DCU book I’ve kept reading ever.
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN
Defenders Beyond. I might have answered the previous Defenders mini last year, and it’s still great.
FAVOURITE WRITER
James Tynion IV continues to impress.
FAVOURITE ARTIST
Javier Rodríguez
FAVOURITE COLOURIST
Javier Rodríguez
MOST WANTED
Genis-Vell: Captain Marvel, or just more Peter David stuff in general. Get well soon, PAD!
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King was much better than I expected.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Did you know there’s new issues of Miracleman being published? Astonishing!
BEST NEW SERIES: Immortal X-Men. I love the character work Gillen’s put into these spotlights, particularly Mystique and Destiny’s relationship and a Mr. Sinister with the right level of ridiculousness.
BEST ACTUALLY NEW SERIES: Damn Them All is off to a promising start. It’s a shame Spurrier was booted off Hellblazer so quickly, but Constantine-with-serial-numbers-filed-off allows for the magical cosmology to be customized to the story, and Bloody El is a fantastic name.
BEST CONTINUING SERIES: Brink. Very few stories in 2000AD run to twenty consecutive issues, let alone the action-light, atmosphere-heavy Book 5 that came out this year, yet it’s still highly compelling. I.N.J. Culbard conjures up such vivid character emotions with so few lines. And with this, The Out and Feral & Foe, Dan Abnett’s been responsible for most of 2000AD’s strongest series of the past few years.
BEST MINI, ONE-SHOT OR OGN: Superman: Space Age. Allred is fantastic at this kind of story and it’s been a deft reinterpretation of the DC universe. Defenders (#5 came out in January, so it counts) is a very close second.
FAVOURITE WRITER: Kieron Gillen. For Immortal X-Men and also for sticking the landing with Once & Future.
FAVOURITE ARTIST: Javier Rodriguez
MOST WANTED: I’ll second Karl_H and ask for a conclusion to Uber. It’s one of the rare beware-the-superman stories where the wholesale devastation caused by superpowered fights actually feels impactful and earned rather than gratuitous. The issue where the Soviet Union tries to make its own ubers is hauntingly plausible.
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE: Charlie Jane Anders and Jason Loo on the X-books. I’d happily read more from both of them.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: I’m struggling to think of anything in comics publishing I could call outstanding, so I’ll risk being sycophantic and go with the obvious: House to Astonish. Wait, What? retiring is a reminder of how long the HtA podcast has persisted (and Al, I’m looking forward to your tenure on X-Plain the X-Men), and Paul’s maintained not just the detailed annotations of X-comics (sometimes seeming like he’s put more thought into the plotting than the creative teams did) but also the hilariously exhaustive dive into Wolverine’s history.
I’m revising my ‘Most Wanted’ vote after the deadline. Just consider this one of those mail in ballots that mysteriously appear days after the election.
Volume 2 of Raina Telgemeier’s X-Men Misfits manga . It was cancelled by Del Rey due to low sales/high license cost. It was work-for-hire, so either Del Rey, Marvel, or both are sitting on a unpublished Telgemeier script.