While its true that new comic titles are constantly coming out, each year there are those comics that you’ve been waiting for, for what seems like ages. Comics are announced, kick starters are launched, and we readers just wait…and wait…and wait. But now that it’s 2018, comics that were announced last year are finally within reach and many highly anticipated ones have already come out or are just a couple months away. We made it. Yay!
In celebration of this new year of comics, some of us here at The Pop Break, made a list of our the seven-mist-read comic books of 2018.
Bloodborne, Titan Comics
Just as their silver screen counterparts, video games are one of the hardest mediums to adapt into comics.
Many have certainly tried, from Mortal Kombat to Silent Hill. Only a handful of video games turned print have made their way into my collection, even fewer non-ironically.
To pre-order Bloodborne, click here.
There is no definitive answer as to why that is, perhaps video games just have too niche of a fan basis to entice a new audience or they’re an experience too individualistic to fully translate.
However, Lovecraft, vampires, werewolves, and Gothic aesthetics are commonplace in horror comics, that is why I’m hopeful for Titan’s take on Bloodborne. FromSoftware is notorious for giving us lush and full worlds with just enough ambiguity for players to ignore the underlying story if they please, or dig deeper if they dare.
Although there has been a Dark Souls comic series, Bloodborne has such a tragic story in a self-contained world, yet so many mysterious, iconic characters, it’s a perfect blueprint for a spinoff. Not to mention dripping in themes and designs readers have seen before in the likes of titles such as Hellboy or John Constantine.
-Alisha Weinberger
Hungry Ghosts, Dark Horse
Release Date: January 31
It’s no secret Anthony Bourdain is a huge enthusiast for Japanese culture and cuisine.
Anyone who has read his action-packed sushi chef crime thriller Get Jiro! can tell you that, or just watch any of his several TV shows. When I learned of Hungry Ghosts, I couldn’t think of a better genre to compliment Bourdain’s cynical, dry wit than horror.
To pre-order Hungry Ghosts, click here.
Bourdain’s newest foray into comics will be a four-issue anthology series featuring a different artist for each, one of which is the acclaimed Vanesa R. Del Rey of horror titles such as Redlands.
Hungry Ghosts is said to take inspiration from Japanese Edo-period folklore (specifically the Edo-period game Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai, or One Hundred Candles) and horror manga, this sounds perfectly bite-sized for your inner Junji Ito fan.
-Alisha Weinberger
Phoenix Resurrection, Marvel Comics
Release Date: Ongoing
I remember Jean Grey as the Phoenix. I also remember when she became the Dark Phoenix, and ultimately her tragic death.
Of course writers found a way to bring Jean Grey back, but she’s not the same and she’s certainly not a part of the phoenix force. With all that being said I am so excited that Phoenix Resurrection exists.
To order any of the Phoenix Resurrection titles, click here.
The first issue came out on December 27, but I feel like I’m still allowed to talk about it with excitement for 2018 upcoming comics.
Jean Grey was always one of my favorite X-Men and her ending as Dark Phoenix was tragic. Don’t get me wrong, I love that she’s alive and well, but I can’t wait to see what unfolds with this new tale. The first issue didn’t give away too much. It just gave away enough to know that something is awakening.
So, for now I only have high hopes for Jean Grey’s future. And, I can’t wait to see what unfolds once she confronts the phoenix force once again.
-Sheena Fisher
Bingo Love, Image Comics
Release Date: February 14, 2018
I wasn’t sure if Bingo Love was actually going to happen. But, thanks to a successful kickstarter it is set to come out in 2018 and will be published by Image comics.
Why am I excited?
Because the comic focuses on two elderly women that are clearly in love. I can’t wait to see what happens because I couldn’t imagine coming out of the closet later in life.
To pre-order Bingo Love, click here.
Honestly I don’t think it’s easy to come out at any stage of life. But, I feel like this comic will help a lot of people in the LGBTQ community to be more understood, and to feel more confident about themselves.
Plus, I can tell just by art and little information we know that the love story itself will be adorable as hell. I can’t wait to read about these ladies, their lives, and what brings them together. I look forward to seeing their relationship develop and grow.
-Sheena Fisher
Lucy Dreaming, BOOM! Studios
Release Date: March 2018
I’m not going to lie, I actually just found out about this comic like a week ago, but my hype is still at max level for it.
The story of a girl who has dreams of being the amazing hero in all of her favorite stories and going on fantastic adventures. Who hasn’t dreamed of those things? I mean, I STILL daydream about if I was a superhero or if I was a character from a book or video game I love. I’m not even slightly ashamed about it.
To pre-order Lucy Dreaming, click here.
Not only does the story already sound solid, the creative team is going to be top notch. It includes: Max Bemis, lead singer of Say Anything and current writer of Moon Knight, and Michael Dialynas, artist of The Woods.
I love Say Anything. I started listening to them in high school and never stopped, so pretty much if its something that has Max Bemis’s name on it, I’m going to read it. Plus his work on Moon Knight so far has been fabulous, so I know that man can write a comic. As for Michael Dialynas, just, have you read The Woods? Have you just seen the covers of the single issue and collected volumes? His art is amazing.
-Rachel Freeman
Billionaire Killers, Black Mask Studios
Release Date: March 28, 2018
2017 was a great year for Black Mask Studios.
I really hadn’t read anything from them until Black started to come out, and then I was immediately on board and tried out pretty much every comic they published. I’ve subscribed to several of their titles now and one of the biggest constants I’ve noticed is how relevant they are to current issues. The story of an older generation with power gained through crime and murder (and more), and the younger generation that now sees the parents they loved for what they are and reject their legacy.
To pre-order Billionaire Killers, click here.
While I have to say, Matteo Pizzolo, writer of Godkiller, Tomorrow’s Ashes, Young Terrorists, and Calexit, all of which are published by Black Mask Studios and are also all awesome, is clearly an incredibly talented writer, his name was not the one that initially grabbed my attention for this book (it did increase the anticipation once I found that out though).
The name that struck me was Soo Lee’s. I haven’t read Strange Attractors, but I LOVED her art in Fight Like a Girl (also, you should read that comic), and I have loved her art for Fantomah as well. So when she first posted a picture of this comic on instagram, I was IMMEDIATELY pumped for it. I know how talented both of these individuals are and my hopes for this series is only growing as the official release day gets closer.
-Rachel Freeman
Doomsday Clock, DC Comics
Release Date: Currently ongoing.
Over the last two decades, Geoff Johns has reshaped the DC Comics Universe. He was responsible for resurrecting Barry Allen and Hal Jordan, creating the color spectrum of Green Lanterns, and relaunched the DC Universe twice.
As the President & CCO of DC Comics, Johns has been too busy with television and film to write as many titles as he used to, but that hasn’t stopped him from tackling his most ambitious project to date.
To order any of the Doomsday Clock titles, click here.
In the 2016’s Johns and artist Gary Frank released DC Universe: Rebirth Special #1, which not only helped relaunch all the DC titles but also integrate the Watchmen characters into the DC Universe. This all leads to Doomsday Clock, a sort of sequel to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal work Watchmen. Two issues in and Doomsday Clock is already one of the most intriguing and memorable comics DC has released in years. Revisiting iconic characters like Rorschach and Ozymandias and seeing them potentially interact with Batman and Superman could easily be seen as a cash grab. But between Johns’ impeccable writing and Frank’s beautiful artwork, Doomsday Clock is the sequel you didn’t know you wanted and a must-read for any comic fan.
-Al Mannarino
These are just some of the comics we are excited to be reading in 2018. Be sure to be on the look-out for them, and if any really grab your interest, make sure to stop by your local comic store and subscribe to the series! Happy future reading!
