10 must-read comics
Since beginning of 2017 I was making a small brake of politics & economics. Mostly, via enjoying comic strips. And, like every reading fanatic I have read (or start reading) probably above 50 comics from various genres, although horrors, fantasy, SF are my favorites …
So, let me share with you my top 10 most enjoyable comics:
1. Wytches
Great comic book for horror fans written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Mark Jock Simpson. The first issue of the series released on 8 October, 2014. I have read Wytches immediately after I saw The Witch. Seems that I have some fascination with these powerful, individualistic lady-creatures who are exploiting the deepest fears of the common people.
The conclusion from the review at HowToLoveComics:
…Wytches … has all the right elements working in tandem to make one hell of a scary horror comic. By taking away the readers exceptions as early as possible in conjunction with characters you care about, mystery and haunting art, Snyder and Jock have been able to create their own horrors both on the page and in the readers mind. If you’re a fan of horror done right, without the cheap thrills, then Wytches is a must read.
Amazon reviews: 4.3/5
2. Ufology
CREATORS
Writer:James Tynion IV & Noah J. Yuenkel
Artist: Matthew Fox
Colorist:Dave Stewart
Genre: SF-drama
Publication Date: April 01, 2015
From the excerpt at Comixology:
What’s to Love: James Tynion IV has already blown us away with The Woods and Memetic, and now he’s teaming up with Thrillbent co-writer Noah J. Yuenkel (The House in the Wall) and artist Matthew Fox (Long Walk to Valhalla) to bring us a story about aliens in the Midwest. Ideal for fans of Paper Girls and The X-Files.
What It Is: Becky Finch never wanted to be special. Malcolm Chamber wanted something more. A destiny. When Becky is marked by an alien’s touch, she’ll stumble into a mystery she never wanted. A mystery that almost ripped apart both their parents’ lives 12 years ago. She’ll need the help of her eccentric young classmate, Malcolm, as she finds the power within herself to uncover the truth.
3. Space Riders
CREATORS
Writer: Fabian Rangel Jr.
Artist: Alexis Ziritt
Genre: SF; space-pirate action
Publication Date: April 01, 2015
From the galactic core to the outer quadrants, one name strikes terror in the hearts of evil beings everywhere: THE SPACE RIDERS! Sailing the cosmos in the Skullship Santa Muerte, Capitan Peligro and his fearless crew deal harsh justice to the scum of the galaxy while searching for the hidden truths of the universe!
Amazon rating: 4.7/5
4. Nameless
CREATORS
Writer: Grant Morisson
Artist: Chris Burnham & Nathan Fairbairn
Genre: SF; occult mystery
Publication Date: February 04, 2015
Inverse has called Nameless “the scariest comic book of 2015”:
…Nameless is not a horror comic in the same vein as The Walking Dead or Outcast. It’s a non-linear, trippy comic fully indebted to its form, frightening because of the way comics are: silent, private, and full of small spaces between panels in which anything could happen.
The story follows a nameless occult hustler brought on to analyze a huge asteroid, Xibalba, hurtling toward the earth. As it approaches, Xibalba demonstrates a psychic hold over those on earth and over the astronauts who explore it. The nameless protagonist, like the reader, is never able to tell nightmare from reality, and the comic’s effect is disorienting, even bordering on uncomfortable.
Amazon rating: 3.9/5
5. House of Penance
CREATORS
Writer:Peter Tomasi
Artist:Ian Bertram
Colorist:Dave Stewart
Cover Artist:Ian Bertram
Genre: Horror
Publication Date:April 13, 2016
Blending horror, history and fiction, House of Penance stands as a singular triumph. Tomasi and Bertram have crafted something truly special with this book.” — Scott Snyder (Wytches)
“House of Penance is Peter Tomasi’s finest work to date, a haunting, macabre experience that will stay with any thoughtful reader long after its conclusion. A fine tale well told, and highly recommended.” — Garth Ennis (Preacher)
Amazon reviews: 4.1/5
6. Halogen
CREATORS
Writer: Josh Tierney
Artist: Afu Chan
Cover Artist: Afu Chan, Giannis Milonogiannis, & Ramon K. Perez
Genre: SF
Publication Date: March 04, 2015
From the plot explanation at FantomComics:
WHY WE LOVE IT: We’ve published four books thus far in Josh Tierney’s Spera series because we simply love his characters and storytelling. Now, he teams up with fellow webcomic creators Afu Chan (Spera) and Giannis Milonogiannis (Old City Blues, Prophet) for a new creator-owned, sci-fi adventure.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: Having first collaborated on the Eisner Award-nominated Spera series, the creative team behind HaloGen is no stranger to kickbutt ladies, epic world-building, and sweeping adventures. This time they’re strapping on their sci-fi boots for a series perfect for fans of Prophet, Rocket Girl, and The Fifth Element.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: There’s a rumor on Cityship Q that the gigantic body of a dead god was found floating in space. Rell, an agent woking for the HaloGen organization, is tasked with finding the location of the god and retrieving it by any means necessary. Using her ability to form hyperrealistic holograms, Rell is about to take on the first mission she might not be able to finish.
7. Fight Club 2
I believe there is no need for special introduction here. If you are fan of Fight Club, then you should not hesitate to read Fight Club 2. I bet you are wondering what is happening with Tyler.
Amazon reviews: 4.4/5
8. Descender
CREATORS
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Dustin Nguyen
Genre: SF
Publication Date: March 04, 2015
One young robot’s struggle to stay alive in a universe where all androids have been outlawed and bounty hunters lurk on every planet. A rip-roaring and heart-felt cosmic odyssey that pits humanity against machine, and world against world, to create a sprawling space opera from the creators of Trillium, Sweet Tooth, and Little Gotham.
Amazon reviews: 4.4/5
9. Rai
CREATORS
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Clayton Crain
Genre: SF
Publication Date: April, 2014 (although the first Rai series are from 1992)
The year is 4001 A.D. Led by the artificial intelligence called “Father,” the island nation of Japan has expanded out of the Pacific and into geosynchronous orbit with the ravaged Earth below. With billions to feed and protect, it has fallen to one solitary guardian to enforce the law of Father’s empire — the mysterious folk hero known as Rai. They say he can appear out of nowhere. They say he is a spirit…the ghost of Japan. But when the first murder in a thousand years threatens to topple Father’s benevolent reign, Rai will be forced to confront the true face of a nation transformed…and his own long-lost humanity.
Amazon reviews: 4.8/5
10. Sweet Tooth
CREATORS
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Jose Villarubia
Genre: SF; post-apocalyptic drama
Publication Date: September 2009 — January 2013
Following on the heels of THE NOBODY, his Vertigo graphic novel debut, writer/artist Jeff Lemire pens his very first ongoing series SWEET TOOTH. A cross between Bambi and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, SWEET TOOTH tells the story of Gus, a rare new breed of human/animal hybrid children, has been raised in isolation following an inexplicable pandemic that struck a decade earlier. Now, with the death of his father he’s left to fend for himself . . . until he meets a hulking drifter named Jepperd who promises to help him. Jepperd and Gus set out on a post-apocalyptic journey into the devastated American landscape to find ‘The Preserve’ a refuge for hybrids.
