I am still woefully behind on comics. I haven’t read Death of the Family. I haven’t even read Night of the Owls. I don’t know what’s going on in pretty much
any major mainstream comic besides Spider-Man.
Nevertheless, thanks to the digital landscape of comics, I’ve managed to
read a few of 2012’s series. Here’s my
favorites.
5. Revival:
Revival’s zombie-comic-without-zombies got me hooked by concept alone, but
it’s the execution that makes it work.
It’s thoughtful and character-focused, as much about how the event affects
the people of the town as it is about the event itself. But it still has several central mysteries
that I am excited to find out more about in the coming volumes.
4. Ame-Comi
Girls: The digital-first Ame-Comi Girls is meant to sell collectible
figures. Now that we’ve got that out of
the way, Ame-Comi Girls is also absolutely awesome. It’s a version of the DC Universe where both
heroes and villains are all female.
Getting to see the new takes on the characters (Duella Dent is
particularly great) is fun, it doesn’t indulge in too much cheesecake, and it
still has a great plot that is as good as its print cousins. Considering how under-represented female
heroes are in comics, getting a series that’s nothing but is worth the price of
admission.
3. Star
Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison: I already raved about Ghost Prison
fairly recently, but here it is again. Great art.
Interesting characters. A plot
that peels back new layers on the state of the Empire before A New Hope. And a great use of Darth Vader that reveals
pieces, but still leaves him as the imposing mystery that we loved from the
original trilogy. If you’re a Star Wars
fan, this has to be part of your collection.
2. X-O
Manowar: Apparently Valiant Comics were a big deal back in the day. Honestly, before their reboot this year, all
I knew was that they had Turok and they went out of business after an awful
crossover with Image. After reading this
reboot, I get the excitement. A Visigoth
soldier gets captured by aliens, ends up in the possession of a super-suit that
the aliens worship, and then returns to Earth…only it’s modern day. It’s interesting, exciting, has plenty of
super-heroic action, and well worth your time.
Valiant seems to constantly be making their series on sale on
Comixology.com, so keep an eye for when their next sale is and pick this one
up.
1. Batman: Li’l Gotham: I thought the
cancellation of Batman: The Brave and the Bold was DC’s sign that the fun side
of Batman was over. Indeed, with the
comics featuring Joker wearing his own face, the movies showing one of the most
realistic images of Batman, and the new animated series featuring a gun-toting Alfred,
is there really a place for the Batman the whole family can enjoy? Yes.
That place is in the digital series Li’l Gotham. Adorable art welcomes you in to a version of
Gotham that’s distilled fun. Reading it
just makes me smile at its fun portrayals of characters while still keeping
them in-character. The stories are equal
combinations of funny and sweet, along with keeping a good deal of action. Its one crime is that it’s only releasing on
holidays. February’s got two issues
coming up. Put $2 aside now for
something that will just make you feel good.
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