It has been an extremely busy year, especially juggling work, health, and study. However, I have managed to keep up with a few titles this year. It has been a fantastic year for comics, and while those who know my well will not be surprised by my picks, I do just want to highlight the books I enjoyed the most this year. These are not in any particular order other than the order I feel like talking about them.
There have been some really heavy hitters this year, but the following titles are ones I will not be talking about, simply because I didn’t get a chance to read them. These include, Batman/Catwoman (Just got the Hardcover, I will read it), Do a Power Bomb (I’ve heard amazing things, I just haven’t picked it up), Daredevil by Chip Zdarsky (I’ve started the trades, but I’m not far in), A.X.E. Judgement Day (I just keep forgetting about it, but I will read it), and Fantastic Four: Full Circle (I have it, it’s lovely, I just haven’t had the time).
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths:
Yeah, of course I’m going to talk about Dark Crisis. I’ve seen a lot of hate being thrown at Dark Crisis throughout its publication, the biggest problem people seem to have, isn’t even true. Namely that ‘this is the 7th sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths’. No, it’s not. There has only been one direct sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, that being Infinite Crisis. But Dark Crisis is interesting in one core way. It is a love letter to the original Crisis and continuing the threads left over by that original event. In many ways, that is what drew me to reading the series in the first place. The character of Pariah from the original series, is fascinating. Being forced to watch universe after universe fall because of his mistake. This is highlighted brilliantly in the Road to Dark Crisis issue, with a short story by Philip Kennedy Johnson and Leila del Duca, which highlights the guilt Pariah feels for everything. The guilt and despair Pariah feels is the perfect catalyst for the Great Darkness to infect him. Granted, the eventual reveal regarding Pariah’s original machine and the Great Darkness also works well here.
However, I would argue that Dark Crisis is not a Crisis in itself, but instead, the aftermath. The group of villains led by Deathstroke are out to start a Crisis, and Pariah’s ultimate goal is to return the previous multiverse and undo the damage he caused. Essentially, Pariah has the same goal as Superboy Prime did in Infinite Crisis. However, Superboy knew what he was getting into when helping the other heroes in Crisis on Infinite Earths. The way he is written in Infinite Crisis gives us a look at a child who just wants things back the way they were. Think a small child who wants to both have and eat the cake. But with Pariah, his motivation is not driven by childish desire, but instead extreme grief. Pariah caused the destruction of countless worlds across the multiverse, something he had to watch as the punishment for his mistake. He now wants to put things right, and importantly, see his family again.
In Justice League #75: Death of the Justice League, Pariah ‘kills’ the Justice League, trapping them in worlds constructed to keep them happy, sedated, and most importantly, out of the way. These worlds found themselves being told in five stand alone issues, each with a back up story. The strongest of these being the first two, World Without a Justice League: Superman and World Without a Justice League: Green Lantern. The Superman story, written by Tom King with art by Chris Burnham, sees Superman living out his deepest wish, getting to watch Jon grow up. It’s very telling that the only major difference between the ‘real world’ and Superman’s imaginary universe is that Jon got to grow up with his parents. It is truly one of Clark’s biggest regrets, and one that the fandom largely echoes. King plays on this and allows us to see a teenage Jon questioning the purpose of Superman and wanting to make a real difference in the world. With the Green Lantern story, written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art by Fernando Blanco,we see a world where John Stewart has managed to save the world and now gets to live his life with his mother and ‘sister’. It’s a strong reinforcement of who John is, a protector but above all, an architect. It’s comforting coming out of this issue knowing that PKJ will be taking on a John Stewart centred Green Lantern series.
The only part of the series that feels somewhat out of place is Dark Crisis: Young Justice. This is not to say that the series is bad, it certainly has its place, but in terms of the grand scheme of things, it felt like those issues could have been done better in terms of adding to Dark Crisis.
If I had to pick main characters for this series, it’s Jon Kent and Dick Grayson. Both characters embody the idea of living up to a legacy but reflect on what it means to be themselves. With Dick/Nightwing, his real-world legacy of being the first sidekick, and one that others have had to live up to, lead to him being the focal point for hope. The idea that even in the darkness, even when it feels all consuming, there is still hope if you chose to look for it.
The Swamp Thing:
When a new Swamp Thing series starts up, it’s incredibly easy to start comparing it to Alan Moore’s run in the 80s. How do you get around this? By doing something completely new. With Ram V and Mike Perkins’s Swamp Thing, we find a very different avatar for the green. Enter, Levi Kamei a young Indian man currently in New York. Unlike Alec Holland, Levi isn’t involved in an explosive swamp experiment, instead, it’s a lifelong connection to the green and the actions of his brother Jacob that pushes the green to Levi.
It’s very tempting to recount the entire story as the whole work is worthy of discussion, however, I do want people to go out and read it. For that, I don’t want to spoil too many of the surprises. What I will discuss is the books reverence for the past, while making something entirely new. If you have a familiarity with previous Swamp Thing stories, particularly the work of Alan Moore, you will find plenty of touching, respectful, and beautiful call backs in just the first few issues. While, in the hands of a lesser writer, this could be used to signal to the audience that Ram V had done his homework, it acts instead as an acknowledgement of the past, and a declaration as to what the series will not be. A repeat.
Levi’s journey to understanding his new role as the Swamp Thing is intertwined with Levi’s own complex feelings regarding his family. This becomes a driving force particularly in the second half, but it also reflects his relationship with his own identity. We find not only the Parliament of Trees, but the rise of the Parliament of Gears, the rise of nature vs industrialism. What makes this even more interesting is the frankly stunning artwork of Mike Perkins, an artist who works so well with the book that it is unthinkable to have any other artist tell this story with Ram V.
The book was extended twice due to popular demand, and just with the first few issues, you can see why. It is possibly one of the most unique books coming out of the big two all year. If you have any interest in Swamp Thing, I implore you to pick up this series.
Action Comics:
When it comes to Action Comics, I want to limit my discussion and give it the cut off issues of Action Comics #1046 and Superman: Warworld Apocalypse. My reasoning for this? The day I started writing this, is the day Action Comics #1050 comes out, which is part of the Kal-El Returns storyline. I don’t have it yet, and it might not even arrive until the New Year. As such, I don’t want to misrepresent the latest arc. This is something I will repeat when discussing Superman: Son of Kal-El.
I can not gush enough about the Warworld Saga and Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s handling of the Superman character. While I’ve seen some complaints from others, they are not ones I share. Clark, along with the Authority, have set out to Warworld in order to liberate the Phaelosians, a race of Kryptonians that had long been thought lost. The easy way of writing this would have been a short, maybe 6-issue, story that sees Superman land, beat Mongul, come up against some oppositions since the Phaelosians don’t trust him, but ultimately winning them over through some show of strength. This is far from the reality of the Warworld Saga. Superman and The Authority are brutally taken down by the Mongul-Who-Is within moments of landing on the planet. Superman’s powers are stripped from him due to the red sun at the heart of the planet, and to add insult to injury, even the ‘remaining’ Authority members are convinced that Superman has gone mad, valuing the lives of Kryptonians who do not trust him, above their own. This one conversation between a bloody and beaten Clark and Midnighter sums up everything you need to know about Superman. They are not worth more, but neither are they worth less. It’s Clark’s unwavering belief in this fact that eventually sees others beginning to listen to him, most notably the loveable twins, Osul-Ra and Otho-Ra. The inclusion of these twins also allows Clark an opportunity to reflect on the things he has lost with his own son. The fact that he never got to see Jon grow up. Osul-Ra and Otho-Ra are not replacements for Jon, but they are a chance to extend the joy and peace that Jon knew on Earth, rather than the constant fear these two have known.
The saga sees Clark attempting to understand these lost Kryptonian people, while being viewed as the lowest of the low due to Clark’s utter refusal to take a life. The world and mythology of Warworld and even the Phaelosians is built up beautifully, the culture feels real, and it becomes completely understandable as to why the Phaelosians view Superman the way they do. The 2022 Annual, co-written with Si Spurrier, provides a beautiful comparison between the upbringing of Clark Kent and the Mongul-Who-Is. It’s important to note that this Mongul is not the one we have seen before, rather, this is his son and the one who now rules Warworld. The similarities and differences provide a compelling contrast to their mentalities, particularly in how they deal with opposition.
The arc wraps up with Superman: Warworld Apocalypse, an extended length issue that delivers on everything promised throughout the arc. Without spoiling the issue, as I do think people should read it, the story is touching, triumphant, and with a final three pages that brought tears to my eyes. Admittedly, I am openly biased towards this issue. My original copy was late to arrive, but I happened to be in London WITH Phillip Kennedy Johnson when I picked up a variant cover simply because I was dying to read it. Johnson was kind enough to sign it for me, which now sits in my office framed. I got to talk with Johnson about this issue a few days late, which remains a fun memory of the past year. I will also admit, a lot of my issues from this arc have now been signed, so yes, I am biased. That doesn’t stop a damn good story from being good.
Superman: Son of Kal-El:
Surprisingly, I don’t have a lot to say about Superman: Son of Kal-El. It’s a good series and was good enough to look forward to each month, but I don’t think it truly found its footing. Of course, the book did make the news due to Jon Kent coming out as bi-sexual, but that was most likely due to noncomic book readers seeing the words ‘Superman comes out as gay’, and not reading any more than that. Speaking of, I do have a problem with this relationship. It’s not the relationship itself, it’s Jay. Through issues 6 to 13, there is a lot of focus on how Jay can’t be trusted, only for Jay to clear up the points very shortly after. The problem is, Tom Taylor sets up the distrust of Jay too well. Despite Jay clearing up the misunderstandings, I still don’t trust Jay and it feels like he is still hiding something. I like how Jon plays off of him, but there is something about Jay that still feels off. I’m hoping that in the future we will see more of Jay, and any problems I’ve had with him will be cleared up.
There is an element I do want to highlight. The series is called Son of Kal-El, making a clear connection between Jon and an alien race. However, the book makes it equally clear that Jon is, yes, the son of Superman, but also the son of Lois Lane. For how important she is, it can be easy for some writers to overlook Lois, but Taylor gives her plenty of moments to shine.
Starhenge:
READ STARHENGE! I don’t want to talk too much about Starhenge as I’ve already done so in the past, and it has only just ended. At 6 issues, it shouldn’t take anyone long to get through, and I’m fairly certain it’s available digitally. Starhenge is a creator owned book by the amazing Liam Sharp (or Dr Liam Sharp, as he got his honorary doctorate this year!), which mixes science fiction, fantasy, mythology, and psychedelics in a beautiful package. It’s clear that this is a story Sharp has been thinking of for a very long time, and one that is not ready to end. Sharp’s signature style emphasises the out there nature of the plot and creates something that I don’t think could have come from anyone else. Previous post on Starhenge can be seen here.
Miracleman: The Silver Age:
We are only two issues into Miracleman: The Silver Age, and there is so much to talk about. We have been waiting for this series for multiple decades, a continuation to The Golden Age and finally answering what happened to Young Miracleman. So far, it is living up to expectations, with Young Miracleman, Dickie Dauntless, trying to comprehend just what has happened to the world, as well as the fate of his former friend Johnny Bates. It’s hard not to feel sorry for Dickie, but at the same time, there is a clear mystery building up around the motives of Miraclewoman. While I want to encourage people to pick this up, you do need to have read the Alan Moore run on Miracleman, as well as The Golden Age by Neil Gaiman. It’s amazing to see this in print, and I’m hopefully that the Dark Age will also be published later on to complete the story.
Mikayla J. Laird 