1. Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man (Marvel)
Chip Zdarsky signed off from his run on this title with three excellent stories, “Amazing Fantasy”, “No More” and my Books of the Year, “Cracked Hourglass”. It all culminated in the Brilliant issue 310 “Finale”, written and illustrated by Zdarsky. Joe Quinones and Adam Kubert’s art in “Amazing Fantasy” and “No More” paired perfectly with the storytelling. Chris Bachalo’s work in “Hourglass” pushed this title to the top. Sean Ryan and Juan Frigeri maintain the high standard with their Spider-Geddon stories at years end. Great stuff!
2. Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel)
Similarly to PP:TSM, longtime writer Dan Slott ended his run on Amazing Spider-Man with the brilliant “Go Down Swinging” storyline, and the “There For You” coda. Stuart Immonen’s artwork is always a pleasure, and it worked beautifully in this story. The title relaunched after issue 800 with the new team of Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley. After a shaky first issue they found the right tone and the title took off with “Back to Basics”. Beginning with issue 6, Humberto Ramos supplied the art for “Trivial Pursuit” and “Heist” taking the title to even greater heights (I may be biased, with Ramos being my favorite current artist). Ottley returned at the end of the year for “Lifetime Achievement”, and while I’ll miss Ramos, if Spencer continues the great stories, I’ll be fine with that.
3. Extermination (Marvel)
This five issue Limited Series sought to realign the X-Men universe by returning the original 5 X-Men back to their own time. Writer Ed Brisson and artist Pepe Larraz made the book so much more than that with some of the best action in any title all year.
4. Daredevil (Marvel)
Beginning with the “Mayor Fisk” storyline and continuing through “The Death of Daredevil” this book was pure political thriller, with some heroics thrown in. Charles Soule’s stories were grim, tension filled adventures filled with ninjas, supernatural beings and… Mike Murdock. Soule’s ‘everything but the kitchen’ sink approach made for a title that continually kept me guessing issue after issue. The parade of artists Stefano Landini, Ron Garney, Mike Henderson and Phil Noto throughout the year was a bit jarring at times, but each of them brought something unique which kept the story fresh.
5. Batman (DC)
Coming in this title mid-year for the Wedding event that wasn’t, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got was a gritty gripping narrative by Tom King in the “Cold Days”, “Beasts of Burden” and “Tyrant Wing” stories. The standouts being issue 54, “The Better Man”, along with issue #55, both among my books of the year. The musical chairs of artists Mikel Janin, Lee Weeks, Matt Wagner, Tony S. Daniel and Travis Moore throughout the run was a bit frustrating, but you can’t have everything, and at least they didn’t change mid-story.
6. Fighting American (Titan)
This second Limited Series, “The Ties That Bind” featuring Jack Kirby & Joe Simon’s Golden Age hero picked up where the first series left off, with our heroes the Fighting American and Speed Boy adjusting to life in the 21st century. Some wonderfully funny moments including the elder Fighting American admonishing the younger Speed Boy not to be taken in by the sins of the modern world, a satirical look at sensationalist media and comically golden age bad guys, make this book a delight. Writer Gordon Rennie and artist Andie Tong do a masterful job of combining golden age camp and modern comic storytelling. Four issues isn’t enough.
7. Fence (Boom Box)
Writer C.S.Pacat and artist Joanna the Mad bring us this story of the students of Kings Row, a private high school, and their tryouts for a place on the school’s fencing team. The series focuses on two students, Seiji, a champion, and the other, Nicholas, on scholarship. The series does take the time to highlight each of the prospective team members. The art is a western anime style and works rather well in the context of this story. There were a few cheat issues, which felt like they were there just to pad out the story, but overall this has been a very enjoyable read.
8. Marvel 2-In-One (Marvel)
The return of Marvel 2-In-One was one of the highlights of 2018. Writer Chip Zdarsky brought out all the feels in the early “Fate of the Four” issues, as Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm dealt with the loss of the Richards family. Artists Jim Cheung and Valero Schiti provided beautiful and moving artwork that really sold the emotional side of the story. Along the way we got Doom, a trip through the Multiverse, and the eventual, if a bit drawn out, reunion of the First Family. Artist Ramon K. Perez handled the post “Fate” stories, and provided the series with some truly spectacular visuals.
9. Adventures of the Super Sons (DC)
This 12 Issue “Maxi-Series” follows the adventures of Jon Kent and Damian Wayne as they attempt to return to Earth after being abducted by alien versions of Lex Luthor, Joker, etc. As silly as it sounds, this is a great read. Writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Carlo Barberi provide an entertainingly funny adventure. The interplay between Jon and Damian is spot on, and the art is consistently outstanding.
10. Fantastic Four (Marvel)
Perhaps a bit of a cheat, considering there were only five issues published in 2018, but the FF are my favorite heroes and I waited a long time for their return. Despite Marvel
bungling the debut release, overlapping the end of 2-In-One, thus lessening the impact of the overall story, I thoroughly enjoyed these 5 issues (6 if you include the Wedding issue). Writer Dan Slott has a great feel for the characters, and the stories bringing us through the reunion and wedding have been very enjoyable reads, with plenty of feels thrown in. The art by Sara Pichelli, while not mind blowing, has been quite good. Later issues by Stefano Caselli (#4), Aaron Kuder (#5) and Laura Braga (Wedding Special) have me a bit concerned that they won’t have a consistent team going forward. We shall see.