Just like every year, there are a
lot of comic book titles I enjoyed in 2016.
But here are my ten most favorites.
(First, some honorable mentions: Green
Valley, Detective Comics, DC Universe: Rebirth, Web Warriors, Future Quest)
10.) CHAMPIONS
After the tragic events of Civil War II, the teenage Avengers
became disappointed of the actions and decisions of the adult Avengers, and decided to form their own superhero team.
In 2016, I enjoyed this comic more
than I did any of the Avengers
titles, since it’s more energetic and upbeat.
I also like the layer brought by this new generation of heroes becoming disillusioned
of their superhero predecessors, whom they looked up to for a long time, and
deciding to do some back-to-basics superheroism.
9.) DARTH VADER
This awesome series ended this
year. During its run, Darth Vader effectively added more to
the lore and essence of its already celebrated titular character.
8.) SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS
It had been years before I was
last this interested on Superman’s ongoing comics. Indeed, there was some extremely interesting stuff going
for the character in 2016.
The year started
off seeing the death of the New 52 Superman, who just got his full powers back, and
the pre-New 52 Superman, who was secretly living in the New 52 universe after
the events of 2015’s Convergence, deciding
to take his place. Lex Luthor, who got
some serious upgrades from his stint in Apokalypse after the events of The Darkseid War, also decided to take
the role of Superman for himself, while a Clark Kent (not the New 52 one, nor
the pre-New 52 one) mysteriously surfaced claiming to be the real deal. Pre-New 52 Superman’s young son, Jonathan
Samuel Kent, decided he wanted to go superheroing, too, becoming the new
Superboy (and has recently showed an amusing dynamic with Damien Wayne a.k.a.
Robin). New 52 Lana Lang and Lois Lane
gained powers and became Superwomen, but Lois died, leaving Lana as the sole
Superwoman. New 52 Lois Lane’s demise
allowed pre-New 52 Lois Lane to take her place.
Pretty confusing? Maybe, but all
of these really made Superman, Action Comics (hence, let me give one spot for these two titles), and other
Superman-related titles very interesting reads in 2016. And the new multiversal Supermen storyline
that recently kicked off is a sure indication that it’ll only get more
interesting for Supes in 2017.
7.) BATMAN/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA
TURTLES
After making my list last year
just for the merit of its first issue, its continuation in 2016 legitimized it as
the best comic book crossover in recent memory.
After its initial six-issue run, a spin-off called
Batman/TMNT Adventures is made, this
time featuring the animated incarnations of the characters.
6.) SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL
The Spider-Man/Deadpool series exactly went as you would expect from
such a premise: plenty of smartass bantering and goofy antics from Marvel’s
best wisecracking characters. As a huge Spidey fan, I find this more delightful than Amazing Spider-Man in 2016.
5.) BATMAN
2016 saw the return of Bruce
Wayne as Batman, after Commissioner Gordon in an Iron Man-y power armor assumed
the role for a stretch. The manner of which
Bruce returned to the persona of Batman through a sort of brain washing
machine was done in a powerful manner.
The
fantastic, emotional “I Am Suicide” storyline also ran in 2016, which saw
Batman assembling his own Suicide Squad; attacking Bane’s lair; getting his
back broken by Bane once again, but this time around, he had already devised a painful
makeshift procedure to set it back; and the poignant revelation that Batman once had
attempted suicide.
4.) SUPERMAN: AMERICAN ALIEN
Superman’s origin has been told and
retold a million of times already. But
Max Landis still managed to create a fresh, worthwhile way to do it once more. While giving a new spin to Superman’s early years, the mini-series did a masterful
deconstruction of Superman while bringing a rich sense of humanity to the
character, a feat that hasn’t been done since Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman.
3.) PAPER GIRLS
Brian K. Vaughan is already doing
great comic book work on Saga, but in
2016, he also began delivering another great science fiction adventure in the
form of Paper Girls. It’s packed with fun, delightful weirdness, intriguing
sense of unpredictability, and fast-paced action. It works best when one goes in it without
knowing what’s it all about, so I’ll avoid writing any story detail here. Let me just say that it has the kind of charm
that Stranger Things has, but instead of boys, its
ensemble is made up of girls.
2.) THE FLINTSTONES
In 2016, DC Comics started
several series based on some beloved Hanna-Barbera cartoons that put some respective twists in them. Among them, I had fun with Future Quest – which features an
eclectic teamup between Johnny Quest and other Hanna-Barbera action heroes like
Space Ghost, Birdman, and the Herculoids – and The Flintstones the most. Of the two, the latter is clearly superior.
This brilliant reimagining of the
iconic “modern Stone Age family” not only added a layer of weighty complexity to
its mythology (especially to the origin of Bamm-Bamm, and the torment that the
universe’s “appliances” undergo), but also delivered hilarious but
thought-provoking commentary on a variety of meaningful topics, including faith,
commercialism, war, and politics.
1.) SAGA
For the third straight year.
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