BEST COMICS from 2013

By Harrison Rawdin on Tuesday, December 31st, 2013

Another year is done, and that leaves us all gazing at a huge pile of comics. But what was the best?

There were a lot of contenders, like our own…

…but at the end of the day who stood on top?

That’s the questions I posed to our REVIEW TEAM, and here are some of their responses!

The uncannily amazing DANIEL ALVAREZ:

GODZILLA: RULERS OF EARTH. As a longtime Godzilla fan, this series was a dream come true. Honestly speaking, the two previous ongoings lacked greatly. This one finally started to deliver the fantastic monster action you’d expect from a series with ‘Godzilla‘ in the title. It’s also just plain fun, excellent for longtime fans and new readers. Every issue is packed with great content. So if you haven’t been reading, give it a shot. Volume 1 just came out, so that’s a solid way to start. Plus with the new film coming, it wouldn’t hurt to have some prior knowledge beforehand, and what better way than a comic?!

Honorable Mentions: MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700.1 to 700.6

The always astonishing RUSSELL JOHNSON:

My top spot for 2013 in comics is LAZARUS from Greg Rucka and Michael Lark. Rucka’s latest creation has simply one of the best new female leads comics has seen in some time and set in the dystopian near-future. Rucka’s characterization of a world controled by a minority of mob-styled families with a superhuman chosen protector is full of grit, action and soapy dramatic tension and intrigue. The pace quick and dynamic with great art making each issue a must read and a hit right out of the gate.

Honorable Mentions: EAST OF WEST and X-O MANOWAR

The exceptionally sensational MAX DELGADO:

Best: BREATH OF BONES: A TALE OF THE GOLEM by Steve Niles, Matt Santoro and Dave Watcher.

Steve Niles has been penning horror stories for so long that he’s graduated well past competent and into very good. But with Breath of Bones, a three-part story published in 2013 by Dark Horse Comics, he might have actually achieved narrative greatness. Set in a small Jewish village in the days preceding WWII, we meet Noah, a boy who watches in dismay as his father and all the other able-bodied men go off to fight the Nazis. This move, ironically, leaves the town hyper-vulnerable to the Nazis, and ultimately creates the need for a supernatural protector. What makes Breath of Bones so great isn’t the emotionally satisfying plot that Steve Niles and collaborator Matt Santoro put together, but the savvy acknowledgment that the real monster in this supernatural tale isn’t the Golem at all. But the the Nazis.

Honorable Mentions: SEX CRIMINALS and THE AUTHORITY

The forever spectacular CHARLES JOY:

More than a comic, MIND MGMT is a movement. Reading it changes you. It changes the way you think comics should be created, how creators should interact with the community, and what is truly possible within and around this entertainment medium. Never before have I eagerly awaited a month’s passing to read the next issue of a comic. Not like this. The story is captivating, intelligent and created with the utmost care for the final product. Matt Kindt is a wonderful genius. Every month he manages to produce some of the highest quality work in the industry today – not just for Dark Horse, but for three other publishers as well (Marvel, DC, Valiant). All this, and he is one of the nicest people I have ever met. So, keep an eye out for Matt in the years to come, though based on his track record, he will be hard to miss!

Honorable Mentions:SAGA and CHEW.

And finally me:

It may have come to an end but THE DARKNESS is my top comic for 2013. Jackie Estacado and his family issue have successfully kept me glued to my seat month in and month out. David Hine took on the franchise with ease, as he pushed horror elements and drama to a point that any normal scribe would attempt to sidestep. Beyond that the moody art by the exceptional Jeremy Haun encapsulated the best qualities of this title. The end result was an endlessly engrossing narrative that turned out to be different that what the franchise had been. To put it simply: go pick up Artifacts #1 to 13 then dive headfirst into The Darkness #101 to 116, you won’t regret!