After a brief explosion during the pandemic, the comics industry is undergoing an existential crisis. It faces tumultuous sales at local comic shops, and the creative malaise audiences felt this year in the superhero movie genre is well-reflected on the publishing side of Marvel and DC, the industry’s two biggest publishers. To say that most of the output from these companies lacks spark is to put it mildly.
Still, there were plenty of bright spots this year for the medium. While Mattel’s Barbie was a hit on the big screen, it was Hasbro’s Transformers comic that ruled the toy-inspired genre in print. And though Marvel’s actual comic books struggled creatively this year, a number of creators managed to craft moving and innovative stories inspired by Marvel (see: I Am Stan, a graphic novel biography of Stan Lee and The Super Hero’s Journey).
It’s a near-impossible task to sift through the countless waves of comics that come in weekly from the traditional publishers, not to mention the graphic novels that come in all forms and for all ages from various book divisions. But here is short list of what we’ve loved in 2023.
The Best Superhero Book Right Now
Birds of Prey
Writer: Kelly Thompson, Artist: Leonardo Romero: Publisher: DC
Birds of Prey has had many incarnations over the decades since the title first appeared in the 1990s, tethered to Black Canary and other Gotham City characters. It even became a failed Harley Quinn-led movie a few years ago. Forget all that. This is a superhero team book done right.
Yes, the kickoff plot is in the style of Magnificent Seven, something that’s even seen in Zack Snyder’s new feature, Rebel Moon. It’s a gathering of disparate heroes and anti-heroes on a potential suicide mission. But in Thompson’s hands it becomes like watching a great Grammy performance, where the team-up and mix of characters, old and new, brings something wonderful.
Canary is back but this time she leads Big Barda of the New Gods, Batgirl Cassandra Cain, fan favorite Quinn, and Zealot, a character from the Wildstorm imprint continuing her DC integration. The team comes together and plans a daunting mission to rescue Canary’s adopted sister from the heavily-fortified and Amazon-filled Paradise Island.
The dialogue is snappy, mixing comedy and heart. All the characters pop and actually feel cool. Zealot’s inclusion is one of the few times that a Wildstorm character works in the larger context of the DC universe. And Quinn, for the rare time, is not dreadful annoyance to us as readers.
None of this would work as well as it does if it wasn’t for the art by Romero, which has an Alex Toth-1970s vibe to it filtered through a modern lens (check out the double-page spreads capturing a cascade of action, a Thompson staple). It’s classic storytelling but not steeped nostalgia. The same can be said for the coloring by Jordie Bellaire, whose muted and off-line shadings give it a classic but also modern feel.
This is currently DC’s best ongoing monthly book and will remind why you love superhero comics.
The “I Can’t Believe This is On the List” Comic
Transformers
Writer/Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson; Publisher: Skybound/Image
A comic based on a Habsro toy ending up being one of the best things we’ve read is the last thing we expected. But in a year that also has a movie based on a Mattel toy as one of the best movies of the year, well, maybe it’s not that crazy.
In the hands of Daniel Warren Johnson Transformers buzzes with excitement and a love for the medium.
The writer-artist also created our favorite book of 2022, the emotional and visceral supernatural wrestling book Do A Powerbomb. Here, he opts for a back to basics approach that re-introduces the Transformers as two warring factions — Autobots and Decepticons. Each issue is accessible for newcomers but still a deep delight for long-time fans, never an easy task. Johnson also never loses sight of the core human story because most of the giant robot action would be meaningless without a strong emotional connection.
