Comics are never lacking when it comes to new content. Every year there are tons and tons of new titles to explore and old titles to continue. We meet new creators and continue to follow others we already liked. It’s a process through the year of sifting through new stuff, continuing stuff, stuff that isn’t good anymore, stuff that is just terrible, and stuff that is ok enough that we want to keep reading a little longer to give it a chance. Well, if you can’t tell by our Comic Review page, we read and review a lot of stuff here. It wasn’t what I’d say was an easy decision, but we narrowed it down and made a list of some of the best titles given to us by 2018.
-Rachel Freeman
Transformers: Lost Light
I picked Transformers: Lost Light as 2018’s best comic of the year. Partly as the title just ended in a natural way, not by abrupt unexplained cancellation (I’m looking over at you DC and Marvel), but mostly as the series kept its consistent flow of serious plot and humor through its entire run since starting about two years ago, which was a continuation of the story which began in More Than Meets the Eye.
My reasons for why I consider it to be the best comic of the year, will likely sound as an echo from some of my past reviews. The title took a step away from the darker, ominous tone of the other Transformers titles as these characters became so far removed from that story. Away from Cybertron, far away, and off on their own quest. By admission, they didn’t even accomplish! It ended in defeat! Not loss per se, but their original mission went unfulfilled. Acknowledging weakness, building strength, the organic relationships and the side-stories which undeniably linked together in the most brilliant way imaginable were the highlights for me.
The real crew of Lost Light get some amazing props. James Roberts, the scribe extraordinaire, and his crew of talents artists, Jack Lawrence, Andrew Griffith, Nick Roche, Joana Lafuente, Priscilla Tramontano, and many more. I was thrilled when Geoff Senior came in with some contributions, certainly a throwback to my Marvel G1 and G2 series.
Lost Light was the fun ride of IDW’s Transformers series. Largely untouched by the crisis-style crossovers and epic events, it was as though they had their own free will to roam the universe and expand their knowledge, and by proxy, our knowledge of some forgotten Transformers lore.
It was a fun ride, I enjoyed every issue.
-Michael Dworkis
X-Men: Red
X-Men: Red is written by Tom Taylor with art by Mahmud Asrar
X-Men have been in something of the slump for the past few years. Sure, there are good stories peppered in, but something about the books felt very same-old, same-old. One of the bright spots in that time was All-New Wolverine by Tom Taylor and featuring Laura Kinney, at one time Wolverine, and now X-23 again. It was a book that balanced humor, heroics and hope with blood and claws, but felt like a new direction for the character of Laura Kinney and the X-Men as a whole. At the same time, Jean Grey, dead for fifteen years, had been resurrected and had taken the opportunity to shake off much of her past direction. Combining Taylor’s writing with Jean’s need for a new direction was a smart choice and produced what has been my favorite X-Book in decades.
Jean Grey is not taking the slow path to reestablishing her life post-resurrection. She begins by constructing a team that can respond to threats to the mutant race. Not just a team of mutant superheroes trying to do good for a world that fears and hates them. This is a team with the write to do the most good and to do it to save mutants. The interplay of the characters tends to shine above the rest: the commanding but compassionate Jean who still has twinge of power or darkness about her, the warrior X-23, the cavalier Nightcrawler, the comic painless ball of destructive energy Honey Badger, the aloof sea prince Namor and new characters Trinary and Gentle.
While still feeling inline with the rest of the X-Men slice of Marvel, the book feels fresh. The foes feel sharper, more deadly and attacking in ways that are much harder to find and face. As a metaphor, it plays right into our “fake news” and “algorithm of hate” era with the telepathic implanting of thoughts and nano-machines that make people hate mutants without even realizing it. It feels like our heroes are fighting 21st century problems and not the echoes of villains from the 1980s. It’s a bold, nuanced book that balances what we love about these characters against telling good stories that not only advance the X-Men, but the characters.
-Brian McNamara
Unnatural
Unnatural is written and illustrated by Mirka Andolfo
I had to pick Unnatural as my top comic for 2018. This series touched on so many different subjects. In case you have no knowledge of the comic here’s a little back story. Essentially all the people within it are humanoids in a very odd society.
People in Unnatural are humanoid animal hybrids. The series follows Les, a pig and human hybrid with some interesting genetic mutations and her search for a life partner. The catch here? She must match with another pig humanoid.
So what happens to people that don’t find matches within their species? And, what happens to people that are in live with someone of the same sex? They’re deemed unnatural and can face execution. Now, if you match within your species the Government will give you a full ride. A house, money, good employment, and if you have kids? The benefits get even better. Obviously the series focuses on a lot of touchy subject matter that can be translated into our world. And, we get to meet all kinds of characters that could be deemed unnatural.
-Sheena Fisher
Skyward
Skyward is written by Joe Henderson with art by Lee Garbett and Antonio Fabela.
Lately, I’ve been reading less and less Marvel and DC but more and more independent titles. I feel like the big two have both hit a lull and while they still have a couple titles going strong, many have ceased to hold my interest. Thus, I began looking for more and more new things to read, which is how I found Skyward. Initially, I knew nothing about Skyward except that Issue #1 had a gorgeous cover and I know you aren’t “supposed” to judge a book by its cover, but art is an important aspect of a comic and I’m going to judge it’s cover. So major props to you, Lee Garbett, because those are some spectacular covers that someone just can’t ignore.
Skyward takes place in an alternate reality where one day, the Earth’s gravity greatly decreased, sending many people up, up, up, never to return (basically they all kept going up all the way in to space and then died because there’s no air in space). Twenty years have passed since that day, and humanity seems to have adapted and are continuing their lives relatively normally.
Especially those like Willa Fowler, who was just a baby when “G-Day” happened. All she has ever known is this world with low gravity. It’s free, it’s normal, it’s even fun! Well, it was fun until her dad figured out a potential way to get gravity back and the man who made a lot of money off of low-g tech knows about it. Then things quickly spiral from fun to dangerous for Willa and her family and friends.
I’ve never read anything like this series. I feel like a lot of people say that about a lot of things, but I really can’t think of a specific comic or book or show or game or well, anything, that I can say “it’s just like this!” Skyward is its own entity. Willa is an all-around awesome and interesting character, and all of the side characters are great too. It has a solid bad guy too, and despite it being on Earth with lower gravity, a lot of stuff has changed and adapted, not just humans, making it a familiar and yet still unexplored and slightly terrifying world.
-Rachel Freeman
2018 had a lot of good titles, these just happened to stick out to us the most. If you aren’t reading them, you need to be. Maybe you’ll even like them as much as we did and be caught up before 2018 is even over with! Either way, continue to support your local comic shops and keep reading! Oh, and always be on the look out for new titles. You never know what might end up being your new favorite thing.
