The Homies Awards 2023
It’s December, and that can only mean one thing – it’s time for endless Hallmark Christmas movies!
But if it could mean two things, and we’re not saying it could, but just imagine… it would also mean it was time for the 2023 Homies awards!
As always, we want to hear from you about what floated your boat this year. But this time round, there’s a twist – rather than give you a long list of categories, we’re concentrating on the comics we read that really did it for us. We simply want you to tell us:
What was the best comic you read all year, and why?
It could be a new release, it could be a relaunch, it could be another great year for a reliable ongoing. It could be a majestic miniseries or a great graphic novel, an incredible indie or a brilliant Big Two book. We’ll be reading them out on the show, so let us know what you dug and what about it made it so special for you.
Annnnnd… GO!
Please God, tell me Frank Cho isn’t coming back
Something Is Killing The Children (and House of Slaughter) are the first books I read on weeks they’re released. They scratch the same itch that BPRD did during Hell on Earth. I really dig the character work mixed into these stories about threats that are much bigger than these people should be capable of handling. Erica Slaughter is a compelling protagonist and I’m really enjoying the world-building. Hopefully they do more of the one-shots — Book of Slaughter was great.
The Homies Awards 2023
Posted on Wednesday, December 13, 2023 by Al in Podcast
It’s December, and that can only mean one thing – it’s time for endless Hallmark Christmas movies!
Untrue. As someone that’s subjected to them year round by my mother, I can vouch that it’s ALWAYS time for endless Hallmark Christmas Movies… complete with their two standard plots.
I didn’t buy many new comics in 2023, and have instead been focusing on going back and buying things in collected formats.
But I did just finish re-reading the J. Michael Straczynski run of Amazing Spider-Man, and, despite the last two years of it being caught up in crossovers (The Other, Civil War, Back in Black, that story about Mephisto), the run as a whole is incredibly solid. That’s probably the best thing I’ve read this year.
As someone who mainly reads older material these days, the new book I’ve actually been looking forward to is Avengers Inc. it’s friend of HTA Al Ewing doing more continuity mining, again with the Wasp and maybe Hank and some wonderfully obscure baddies.
I’d be tempted to say Batman/Scooby Doo, but while great fun, I really don’t remember anything about any individual issue from the past year, unlike how Scooby Doo Team Up did a couple years ago.
The best new comic I read in 2023 was Danger Street by Tom King and Jorge Fornes. Did it change my life? No. Was it a good read and sometimes fun? Yes.
The actual best comic I read in 2023 was Al Ewing’s first year on Guardians of the Galaxy, especially his rehabilitation of Moondragon. She’s been a favorite of mine since New Defenders, and it was satisfying to see her continuity streamlined while strengthening her character. It doesn’t hurt that Juann Cabal’s layouts and linework are phenomenal. But you already know this because it came out three years ago.
I was just beginning to hear buzz about Ewing’s Avengers, Inc., but now it’s cancelled. I’ll pick up the first arc from the $1 bin at some point, I guess.
I’d love to say that the return of Miracleman in Miracleman: The Silver Age was this year’s best book, but it technically started last year and still hasn’t been completed. And on top of the delays, we’re getting a bunch of reprints instead of new material. Maybe it’ll read better altogether, but the big return has been kind of a dud so far.
That’s a lot more than you wanted, I’m sure, but I couldn’t stop myself. Happy holidays!
Damn Them All by Si Spurrier is my pick. There haven’t been many other comics I looked forward to reading this year, but this is not damning this series with faint praise. I also had it listed for my selections in 2022, when the book had only recently started. It has only improved since that first story-arc.
Hellblazer was one of my favourite comics, but even that series had begun to lose my interest quite a few years before Vertigo would cancel it. Spurrier’s Hellblazer would bring back the feel of the classic John Constantine, but DC decided to cancel it far too quickly. Then, Spurrier would create a new series which is very much Hellblazer if John’s niece, Gemma, replaced John Constantine. Much to my surprise, Damn Them All has managed to supplant Spurrier’s Hellblazer in my mind.
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I agree that Avengers Inc. was one of the most fun books Marvel has published in quite a while. So, of course they would quickly cancel it.
This year I continued to basically only read things on Marvel Unlimited, vainly hoping for a Comixology replacement to come along. Which I guess is a way to avoid recency bias.
At some point during the year, a man on a podcast said that the current Moon Knight book is one of Marvel’s best. I was incredulous, but you know what, he was right.
@Psycho Andy – I spent the summer reading every Spider-Man comic that was published between 1985 and 2008 (on Unlimited, so there’s a lot of e.g. Web missing). And the JMS run felt like reaching the promised land. The Other was awful, but I have come to the view that Civil War, whatever its relative merits as a crossover, is a great Spider-Man story.
I’m liking JMS’ “The Madness”, published by AWA. It is unusual for his work, and a good read so far. Here is hoping that the final issue addresses what appears to be a minor inconsistency.
The best comic I read this year was It’s Lonely at the Center of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood. It was an ambitious slice-of-life/ autobio comic that was visually arresting. Thorogood used a multitude of techniques and styles to communicate her struggles with mental illness. The writing was similarly engaging, and I’m eager to read the rest of her work.
This past year I read single issues, mostly, and quite enjoyed:
Immortal X-Men, X-Men Red, Dark X-Men, Children of the Vault, Sabretooth & the Exiles, Uncanny Spider-Man, Immortal Thor, Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, Avengers Inc., Black Panther, Detective Comics, Birds of Prey, Waller vs. Wildstorm, World’s Finest, World’s Finest: Teen Titans, Shazam, Green Arrow, Transformers, Phantom Road, and What’s the Furthest Place from Here? Of those comics, Transformers has been the most enjoyable, simply because Daniel Warren Johnson’s action cartooning is so much fun. The story isn’t bad, either.
I’m probably forgetting a few. Less trades/OGNs, as I still enjoy the Wednesday ritual of going through a stack of comics. I also like reading print copies way more than digital. When the X-Men end the current era, I might cut down on weekly comics reading. I’ll see how things shake out next year.
I’m behind on a lot of new stuff, but for best comics that came out in 2023 I’ll split my vote between:
-The Great British Bump Off. So much fun and so much character and emotions conveyed through the art.
-The Sins of Sinister crossover. The Sinisters’ aspirations felt genuinely cosmic (and a satisfying enough payoff to the House/Powers of X foreshadowing), and I think it succeeded at remixing Marvel concepts together much more effectively than things like Jason Aaron’s Avengers run.
For best comics I read in 2023 that didn’t come out that year, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. So inventive, so dense with jokes, and it’s amazing how something can be so badass and heartwarming at the same time. I can’t quite believe the comic lasted as many issues as it did but I’m glad it did so.
For 4 colour superheroics, Tom Taylor Nightwing has been my pick of the year. Great writing, bold artwork from Bruno Redondo, and the colours are bold and brash. Zippy light, and above all else , fun comics
My favorite thing this year was Second Coming: Trinity, though in general all of stuff Mark Russell is doing with Ahoy (Billionaire Island, My Bad) is really strong. I’ve also recently been reading a bunch of Alan Moore’s early stuff from 2000 AD, etc. (DR & Quinch, Future Shocks), and it’s interesting to see so much similarity between Russell’s style and Moore’s brief satire mode.
“Something Is Killing The Children (and House of Slaughter) are the first books I read on weeks they’re released. They scratch the same itch that BPRD did during Hell on Earth.”
These books are on my list of titles to get around to eventually (maybe when they wrap up), but I find it both intriguing and maybe slightly offputting you compare them to BPRD Hell on Earth, specifically. I love BPRD, but mostly the Guy Davis Frogs era. Maybe I was put off by the rotating artists and fractured team during Hell on Earth. Anyway, would love for you to elaborate slightly.
“The best new comic I read in 2023 was Danger Street by Tom King and Jorge Fornes. Did it change my life? No. Was it a good read and sometimes fun? Yes.”
I am not a Tom King hater. I really like the stuff of his I like, which is why I’m always willing to try out new stuff he does, but I also recognize he has a ton of misses, and boy was Danger Street a miss. It feels like he’s really taking the 12-issue length for granted lately, and Danger Street felt like 3 issues’ worth of story stretched across 12. Also, I’ve never been a fan of Fornes, so that made the read even more of a chore.
The best thing I’ve read this year might’ve been the first year of Steve Gerber’s Howard the Duck.
I wouldn’t say it’s the best comic I’ve read, but – I’ve never cared about Moon Knight, I’ve read very little of his books, but due to Jed MacKay it’s the first thing I read when a new issue drops on Unlimited. The current ongoing doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it is firing on all cylinders.
And the ‘you are a fist of Khonshu. But even a man has two fists’ bit was on the level of ‘Weapon X means Weapon Ten’ for me. Though that probably happened last year?
Over at DC, also not reinventing the genre, just being really very good indeed, the new Birds of Prey by Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero. Good cast, great writing, amazing art. Only a few issues out so far, but it’s fantastic.
And the current run of Detective Comics written by Ram V, which I think does reinvent the genre a bit. Or at the very least – it injects the Batman ongoing with weirdness and a lyrical style I’d sooner expect from a limited series or an elseworld mini. And the current story arc, which revolves around Batman but is largely happening without him, might be the best yet. (Though that doesn’t surprise me, I’m often drawn more to Gotham and its assorted characters than to the big Bat himself).
And the backups written by Dan Watters and, who was it, Si Spurrier before him? They are great too. Just an amazing book overall.
“And the current run of Detective Comics written by Ram V”
I haven’t been reading it, but THOSE COVERS, they’re really swinging for the fences. Every time I see one of those covers, I think, “They really want me to think this might be good,” which is the amount of effort I wish more people put into designing their books.
DAMN THEM ALL has been my favorite read this year, too.
SAGA still has a firm hold on me, too. It’s easy to overlook when making lists like this because it’s been running so long without changing and it’s always on hiatus for half the year or more, but it’s a high-quality book.
Capes-wise, IMMORTAL X-MEN is the only book that’s kept me buying every issue. I haven’t been particularly enchanted with the current “Fall” storyline, but I loved “Sins of Sinister.”
I’ve had a ball with everything I’ve read by Mark Waid this year, Scooby-Doo/Batman Mysteries continues to delight, but for quality, consistency and that warm tickle of nostalgia, it’s Avengers: War Across Time by Paul Levitz, Alan Davis and Rachelle Rosenberg. If this really is Alan’s swansong, it’s a great one to go out on.
In terms of super-hero books…. Uncanny Spider-Man was really much more fun and weighty than I had been expecting, of course there’s still an issue to go. It felt like a natural detour from Ways of X / Legion of X, rather than a diversion. The relaunches and rebrands rather than just another ‘new season, new #1′ approach has had mixed results, it certainly seemed to derail Ewing, who has yet to make the Sins of Sinister diversion pay off. Perhaps in Resurrection.
Over at Image, Time Before Time ended strongly and Newburn continues to intrigue, but I’ve been less invested in Image’s offerings lately. That said, I did really enjoy It’s Lonely At The Centre of the Earth, Thorogood’s creative use of a variety of styles suits her auto-bio graphic novel style in a way that feels fresh and contemporary. Granted that book came out in late 22, but I didn’t read it until this year.
Otherwise, Spectator’s from BKV and Niko Henrichon every Monday in my mailbox has been an interesting counterpoint to real world sex and violence, and while a page or two isn’t much, I enjoy watching the story develop serially and being able to go back and re-read in larger segments brings something different out of the experience.
After so many Reckless installments, it was a treat to have Brubaker and Phillips’ give us something a bit different with Night Fever, but I enjoyed the recent Where The Body Was even more. Perhaps because I read it after Daniel Clowes’ excellent Monica, but I couldn’t help but notice fascinating parallels between the two works, which I think speaks to generational concerns more than direct influence.
But if I had to choose one story that stands as the best I read this year, it would have to be Monica. Perfectly paced, stands up to multiple readings, and does things narratively that can only be done in this medium.
I’m having a bit of trouble with this one… Maybe I’m losing some enthusiasm. There’s a small handful of writers I really like (Gillen, Al Ewing, Spurrier, Tynion) and some that are generally pretty good (Orlando, Zub, Mackay, Hickman, Soule, Zdarsky), but a lot of the newer writers I see on Marvel’s books just leave me cold. (And I’ve all but given up following DC continuity.) Most of the big franchises feel like they’ve run out of new things to do.
I did a big re-read of Lazarus recently, and really enjoyed the last handful of issues. Other than that, I can’t think of much beyond obvious things like Sins of Sinister. Oh — Soule’s Hell to Pay and Tyler Crook’s The Lonesome Hunters were both very good.
The best new book I read all year was Daniel Warren Johnson’s Transformers relaunch.
It had the toughest possible act to follow (okay, I skipped IDW’s second go round) with IDW phase 2, especially James Robert’s and Alex Milne’s MTMTE, and it pulled if off by somehow balancing doing a take on the classic original story while making it feel remarkably fresh. Johnson’s art is as stunning as ever, and you can tell it’s a labour of love for him as much as IDW phase 2 was for its creators.
I was braced for the worst when I first heard where the license was going – great creators on that imprint but they didn’t immediately strike as being a good fit. I expected something a bit grim, and instead it has a real sense of wonder to it and Johnson captures the voices of the characters superbly. And the action sequences are top drawer.
It’s the first comic I’ve had single physical issues of on a pull-list in a good few years – I now go into a comic shop and buy other things while I’m there. I think that’s a big success!
Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant. The story telling Foster did 86 years ago surpasses anything out at the time or even today. His artwork is actually ART. Amazing stuff.
Also, Jeff Grubb’s Forgotten Realms series from DC 1989.
Anyone recently diagnosed with ‘superhero fatigue’ would do well checking out either of these works.
My unexpected favorite for the year? The return of Wild’s End, courtesy of Dan Abnett and I.N.J. Culbard.
I had enjoyed the previous trilogy which came out a few years back and hadn’t really expected to see anymore. When I heard about the new series my expectations were low…what more could be said about anthropomorphic animals dealing with an apparent alien invasion? Quite a bit, as it turned out.
The series gave us a new group of characters to grow attached to as they struggled to come to terms with a radically changed environment. Want to tug at my heartstrings? Turns out all you need to do is dress up some cats & dogs (amongst other furry friends) and threaten them with a few death rays.
Best new series: Local Man (Image Comics) – Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley (writers/artists), colorists aBrad Simpson, Felipe Sobreiro, and Brian Reber. Gotta love a comic that deconstructs Image titles from the 1990s.
Unexpected surprise of 2023 – World’s Finest: Teen Titans (DC Comics) by Mark Waid (writer), Emanuela Lupacchino (artist), and Jordie Bellaire (colorist). Not only did this title feel independent from the Batman/Superman: World’ s Finest, but you tell both books are part of the same timeline.
I don’t know if it’s the absolute best comic I read this year, but I was floored by Mira Jacob’s “Things I Thought Made Sense Just Don’t Anymore”, which was published in the New York Times’s “Week in Review” section on December 31. It had me from the second caption, “Most days I feel as if I woke up from a nap I didn’t mean to take into a world I don’t quite recognize.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/28/opinion/love-rage-evolution-pandemic.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Jk0.4tRx.gOyqUBN2WjbB&smid=url-share