The best thing about 2017 being over and done with is that we can talk about it in the past tense. Just because the time of arbitrary year end lists is over doesn’t mean we can’t still pump a few out. As always, at Absolute Geeks we’re all about celebrating pop culture rather than trying to hand out accolades dividing communities. With that in mind, here’s an unranked list of our favourite comics from the recently wrapped year.
Batman #23
Script: Tom King
Pencils, Inks, Colours: Mitch Gerard
Since taking over the series with DC’s Rebirth relaunch, Tom King has worked to tell Batman stories that cut deep to Batman’s most human aspects, picking apart at the most important threads to Batman’s essential narrative. In a story hilariously entitled “The Brave and the Mold,” Batman teams up with the Swamp Thing to investigate the murder of the Swamp Thing’s father. It is a simple story, filled with many silent panels, quiet moments. The art takes the lead here, doing the bulk of the storytelling, and selling the gravitas. Mitch Gerard sells the monstrousness of the Swamp Thing, the sinister feel of the Batman, the darkness of a Gotham night and the casual daylight comfort of tea in Bruce Wayne’s sitting room. The reader is drawn into a gritty detective story, which makes its moments of humour all the more surprising – and the humour itself giving the more serious moments that much more depth by contrast.
The Swamp Thing’s grief brings out a side of Batman we don’t always see – the difficulty Batman still has in dealing with his own grief, and his hope that they’re in a better place. The murderer is found by the story’s end, but as for grief…that’s left hanging. It’s a powerful issue that serves as a precursor to the kind of storytelling King and Gerard do later in the critically acclaimed Mister Miracle.
The Mighty Thor #17
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Russell Dauterman
Colour Artist: Mattew Wilson
When Jason Aaron took over Thor, he began weaving an intricate, epic saga that would bring all the Ten Realms of existence into war. It’s been a long journey, and seeds planted years ago are just about starting to bear fruit.
Here, he takes a break from that, and sends the all-new female Thor and the Asgardians to war against alien space gods. It is exactly as fun as it sounds.
It’s another issue where the writing, brilliant as it is, takes a backseat to the artwork. Dauterman and Wilson bring a sense of power, scale, and spectable to the pages worthy of a battle between gods in space. The traditional panel grid is abandoned, adding an extra layer of dynamics to the action – some pages are simply breathtaking. The Asgard/Shi’ar War may not be the most memorable Thor storyline(sThoryline?), but it is certainly one of the best looking.
Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme #6
Writer: Robbie Thompson
Penciler: Javier Rodriguez
Inker: Alvaro Lopez
Colourist: Jordie Bellaire
Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme was an odd little under-the-radar gem of a series. The great wizard Merlin faces a threat too powerful for one magician alone, so he gathers the greatest sorcerers together from all of time. It’s the series that gave us a cowboy magician with guns, Sir Isaac Newton and a Mindful Golem, and boyhood version of The Ancient One. Issue by issue, we learn more about these various sorcerers, their motivations and their secrets – it’s a large cast, but you’re given time to get to know each one.
Javier Rodriguez’s art style has that charming, cartoonish style that will be popular with anyone who misses the fun of the Tintin comics from their childhood. The book is not afraid to experiment, though, as page structures and artwork can get rather trippy. This issue takes things to a new level – a conceptually brilliant choose-your-own-adventure comic, as Strange is stuck in a time-loop trying to save himself and his fellow sorcerers. It’s a comic you can read again, and again – and until you can figure out how to save the day, you doubtless will.
Deadpool #31
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist: Matteo Lolli
Inker: Christian Dalla Vecchia
Colourist: Ruth Redmond
2017 is the year that Marvel’s contreversial Secret Empire happened. Captain America’s history was warped by a reality warping child to be evil and he conquered America. It was not a good event series. However, like all big crossover events in comics, whether or not the main series is any good, there are always tie-in issues that make the whole thing almost worth it.
Deadpool #31 highlights the tragedy of Secret Empire’s concept in the way the main series never did. Nobody looks up to Captain America more than Deadpool does – and when Cap brought Deadpool into the Avengers, legitimizing Deadpool as a hero, “it was one of the weirdest and best days of my life.” Wade Wilson has not had a lot of good days.
Deadpool follows Captain America’s word unquestioningly. Wade trusts Cap, believes Cap, and that is what Secret Empire was meant to be about – what happens when someone you trust completely and follow without question turns out to be evil? In Deadpool’s case, what happens is that you do evil things.
Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD, a friend of Deadpool’s, is another man who grew up idolizing Captain America. But unlike Deadpool, Coulson questioned authority, finding out that Cap’s plans for the country were taking a sinister turn. Which is why this issue is about how Deadpool kills Agent Coulson.
It’s a heartbreaking issue, and it’s one Deadpool still hasn’t quite recovered from. This is the issue that ends Deadpool’s brief era as a true hero. Like most people on Cap’s side of this event, he was just following orders.
U.S.Avengers #8
Writer: Al Ewing
Penciller: Paco Medina
Inker: Juan Vlasco
Colourist: Jesus Aburtov
Everyone remembers Uncle Ben, and how instrumental he was in Peter Parker’s origin. Jor-El, sending his infant son off to space, and the Waynes have died on screen at least five times at this point. When it comes to Iron Man, however, everyone forgets Ho Yinsen. Ho Yinsen was the man who saved Tony Stark from the shrapnel inching towards the millionaire’s heart. He was also the man who died keeping Iron Man’s captors distracted so Stark could escape, inspiring Stark to become a hero.
In this Secret Empire tie-in, Ho Yinsen’s daughter, Dr. Toni Ho, finds herself in a similar situation. Captured by Hydra, and trapped with a dying man, her teammate Robert da Costa. It falls on her shoulders to save his life, and in doing so, save the day.
It is a touching story of one woman’s ingenuity and hope in the face of a dark, exhausting event. It is also a powerful callback to one of Marvel’s earliest and most overlooked origin stories, highlighting just why it is such an inspiration that is still relevant today. It almost makes Secret Empire worth it.
Silver Surfer #13
Storytellers: Dan Slott & Michael Allred
Colour Artist: Laura Allred
Dan Slott and Michael Allred’s run on Silver Surfer was a long, quirky, sentimental run. There were many times it felt like a children’s storybook, and Allred’s artwork certainly makes it feel like one. It was the story of the Silver Surfer and Earth girl Dawn Greenwood, two people just exploring everything the cosmos had to offer.
Throughout the series, however, there has also been a mysterious figure, Nor-Vill, watching the couple invisibly, and alluding to a certain doom the pair was heading to. In this penultimate issue, we finally find out what that doom is. Dawn, wishing to see her father one final time, asks the Surfer to use his powers to travel back in time to before her father’s death. Unfortunately, the Surfer overshoots – by a lot. The couple finds themselves travelling back to before the Big Bang, to the universe that came before.
They are trapped in the past, in a universe fated to die. However, the Surfer notes that that cosmos still has a few decades left. So the Surfer and Dawn Greenwood live out the rest of their days there, exploring a new cosmos, getting married, and growing old together. The thing is, the Silver Surfer is essentially an immortal being. He has been using his powers to fake aging, but on her deathbed, an aged Dawn asks her husband to shed the illusion before she dies.
It is a heartbreaking farewell to a joyful character, and a farewell to the series itself. The issue includes a beautiful splash page of every character featured in the series’ entire run, as Dawn remembers the times she’s had. Then she passes, and the Silver Surfer gathers her cosmic energy, flying headfirst with her into the death of a universe.
The next and final issue wraps things up nicely, and answers a lot of questions the series had been filled with, but it is this issue that really gives Dawn Greenwood the happy ending she deserved.
Spider-Woman #17
Writer: Dennis Hopeless
Artist: Veronica Fish
Colour Artist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Another series that was brought to a close this year was Dennis Hopless’ Spider-Woman. Spider-Woman went through an interesting arc through the series – the first volume began with her quitting the Avengers and becoming a more street-level hero. The second volume took a sharp turn with Marvel’s eight month timeskip following the events of Secret Wars, showing Jessica Drew to be eight months pregnant. Through the course of the series, Spider-Woman retired from crimefighting to be a mom, trained and then then fell in love with D-list supervillian The Hedgehog, and made a rather comfortable life for herself overall.
Drew throws a rooftop party for her superhero friends to celebrate. Some of them, Black Widow in particular, have some reservations about Spider-Woman’s lifestyle choices. There are those who are happy for her, and those who feel that she could be doing much, much better. In the meanwhile, however, Drew’s son manifests his superpowers for the first time, and the Hedgehog’s exemplary babysitting skills are really put to the test.
It’s a fun, casual send off to what has been a charming, fun-filled series. It really shows why the life Jessica Drew chose for herself is the best thing that’s happened to her in a while. The series wraps up with the rare happy ending of a superhero who’s figured out how to balance her personal and professional life. Most importantly, however, it is the issue where Black Widow gets kicked in the face by a falling baby, and none of us must ever forget that 2017 is the year that happened.
Peter Parker – The Spectacular Spider-Man #6
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Michael Walsh
Colour Artist: Ian Herring
Jonah Jameson and Spider-Man have always had a complicated relationship, a relationship that has only gotten more complicated as the years have gone by. Jameson has taken on many roles, from being Parker’s boss, mentor, friend, and brother-in-law, to being Spider-Man’s harshest critic, political ally, and even attempted murderer. Sometimes all in one issue. So when Jameson makes a deal with Spider-Man for one exclusive interview in exchange for information that Spider-Man needs, you know that the two are going to have a lot to talk about.
It starts simply enough, with all the banter readers have come to expect from the Jameson-Spidey relationship. We get a look into Jameson’s journalistic mind, piecing together pieces of the puzzle in Spider-Man’s current case. The issue takes a deeper turn, however, as Spider-Man turns the interview back on Jameson, trying to understand why Jameson hates the webslinger so persistently.
It is here we start seeing repeated flashes of Jameson’s late wife, building up to her final words to him – “Don’t waste any more of your life on hate.” Jameson breaks down to admit he’s lost everyone, everything, and all he has left is his hatred, and his need to hold Spider-Man accountable.
There, in Jameson’s most vulnerable moment, Spider-Man does the unthinkable – he takes off his mask, and lets Jameson know he’s not alone.
“My Dinner With Jameson” is almost a highlight reel for Jameson and Spider-Man’s most memorable moments. While Spider-Man’s unmasking is certainly going to lead to a new status quo, it’s just another bump on a long, complicated, but important Parker-Jameson road.
The Unstoppable Wasp # 7
Writer: Jeremy Whitely
Artist: Veronica Fish
Colour Artist: Megan Wilson
The original Wasp, Janet van Dyne, is an easily forgettable hero. She may have been a founding Avenger, but is often overlooked. Even the Ant-Man movie decided it was a better idea to have her die offscreen. While The Unstoppable Wasp largely follows the story of the newer, younger Wasp, Nadia Pym, this issue takes the time to remind everyone why Janet van Dyne was one of the Avengers’ greatest assets.
The issue shows us a day in the life of Janet, from socializing with friends, getting a little superheroing in, and taking the time to relax. She’s drawn into the events of Nadia Pym’s life, and from there it’s shown just how efficient the older Wasp can be. From handling Nadia’s traumatic outbursts as the latter worries about her friend at the hospital, to speeding up Nadia’s immigration process, to organizing a state-sponsored research lab for Nadia’s team, and finally defeating a few visiting supervillians for good measure, Janet van Dyne brings home the point that her superpower isn’t getting really tiny blasting villians in the ear. Her superpower is getting things done. The ass-kicking’s just extra.
Critical Role #1
Story: Matthew Colville and Matthew Mercer
Script: Matthew Colville
Art: Olivia Samson
Colours and Lettering: Chris Northrop
This comic has a rather unique origin story. Several years ago, voice actor Matthew Mercer gathered a group of voice actor friends for a game of Dungeons and Dragons. The game was so fun, this group started a longer campaign as a team known as Vox Machina, and eventually started broadcasting their adventures on the Geek and Sundry website. For three to four hours a week, fans could watch their show, Critical Role, and follow the stories of their characters in an adventure that’s lasted years. The show brought about a resurgence in tabletop roleplaying games, and Critical Role itself has earned itself a massive fan following. Every episode brings in new fanart, every con has at least a few Critical Role cosplayer, and the odd video game will even slip in a Critical Role easter egg for those in the know.
It garnered enough popularity to be able to publish its own campaign guide, an art book, tons of merchandise and, most recently, its own comic book. The comic book shows how the team came together, and details the adventures of the team from before Critical Role went live. The comic is taking its time, introducing only a few members of Vox Machina at a time, letting new readers get used to the new characters. Even without the years’ worth of sentimental attachment to the characters, the comic does a fantastic job of selling each character’s unique voice. As a longtime fan of the show, it is amazing to see how well the story brings out the personalities as they’ve been portrayed on-screen for years.
It is a delightful comic in its own right – the writing is clever, quick, and lively, and the art matches, selling signature character moments with all the energy of a good animated series.
It’s a strong first issue, and now that the adventures of Vox Machina on the show have ended, it’s good to know that there is a place filled with the potential for many more years of their stories.
