S T A R S T R U C K : Old Proldiers Never Die Shortcut links: > Best Graphic Novel > Best Comics > Best Graphic Novels > Best Collections > Best Movies And TV > Best Websites > Rest In Power B E S T G R A P H I C N O V E L : -S T A R S T R U C K : Old Proldiers Never Die, by Elaine Lee, Michael Wm Kaluta, and Lee Moyer ⇧ The long-awaited second volume, reprinting a classic story now exorbinantly expanded with 50% new story and artwork, and newly painted color. Quality is always timeless, and now it's lightyears ahead. Learn More: STARSTRUCK Strikes Back!: A History STARSTRUCK: The Roots and Branches of Elaine Lee & Michael Kaluta's space opera Starstruck website B E S T C O M I C S : I D W -S T A R S T R U C K : Old Proldiers Never Die #1-6, by Elaine Lee, Michael Wm Kaluta, and Lee Moyer ⇧ The serialized mini-series, more sophisticated than any other title going by leagues and bounds, and a gift that just keeps giving. A hardboiled mystery, a galactic history, a cyberpunk noir, a war memoir, a transgressive romance, a second chance. Smart art for sharp hearts. > IDW I M A G E Art by Fiona Staples; Cliff Chiang -SAGA, by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan _______ ⇧ So vital, so brutal. The best continues to best itself. -PAPER GIRLS, by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang _______ ⇧ Lazy comparisons to Stranger Things wither; this is far too wide, deep, and complex, an epic cryptogram of its own. -ROCKET GIRL, by Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare _______ Three sightings this year! -SOLID STATE, by Matt Fraction, Jonathan Coulton, and Albert Monteys _______ Concept album turned sci-fi opus. -BLACK CLOUD, by Jason Latour, Ivan Brandon, and Greg Hinkle _______ What dreams may come. -SPY SEAL, by Rich Tomasso _______ Clean-line spy adventure fun in the best Tintin tradition. -MONSTRESS, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda _______ Best-selling author Marjorie Liu's Gothic Fantasy, with stunning art by Sana Takeda. -THE AUTUMNLANDS, by Kurt Busiek, Benjamin Dewey, and Jordie Bellaire _______ Sociopolitical character-driven Fantasy. -THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE, by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie _______ Live, die, replete. -SEX CRIMINALS, by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky _______ ⇧ Deeper, faster, harder. > -DESCENDER, by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen _______ Indiana Croft. -BLACK SCIENCE, by Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera, and Dean White _______ Dare all pretensions in parallel dimensions. -INVISIBLE REPUBLIC, by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman _______ ⇧ The king is dead, long live the dream. -SOUTHERN CROSS, by Becky Cloonan and Andy Belanger _______ Mystery. Eternity. -COPPERHEAD, by Jay Faerber and Scott Godlewski _______ HIGH NOON in the backwater worlds. -LAZARUS, by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark _______ The ties that blind. M A R V E L Art by Cliff Chiang -AMERICA, by Gabby Rivera, Joe Quinones, and Ramon Villalobos _______ ⇧ America Chavez to the rescue! Fascists, beware! -THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL, by Ryan North and Erica Henderson _______ Too funny by far! -MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR, by Amy Reeder, Brandon Montclare, and Natacha Bustos _______ Inspiring all-ages book. Science, dinosaurs, action! -PATSY WALKER, a.k.a., Hellcat!, by Kate Leth and Brittney L. Williams _______ Great fun while it lasted. Art by Russell Dauterman -THE MIGHTY THOR, by Jason Aaron And Russell Dauterman _______ ⇧ Malekith, the Shi'ar, and The Phoenix take her on. Even odds. -MS. MARVEL, by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, and Adrian Alphona _______ Embiggen your mind. -SPIDER-GWEN, by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez _______ Does whatever a spider can. -Invincible Iron Man: IRONHEART, by Brian Michael Bendis and Stefano Caselli _______ She's 15, a genius, and a mecha. Step off. BLACK PANTHER, by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze/Chris Sprouse _______ Bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates' brave experiment in bringing T'Challa forward to his fullest potential. -ALIAS, by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos _______ The return of Jessica Jones (and her creators). Worth it for her snarky dialogue alone. JEAN GREY, by Dennis Hopless with Victor Ibanez, + _______ When Phoenix died in 1980, it was as seismic an event in comics as if it had actually happened. And then Marvel has devalued that endlessly ever since. This do-over series does precisely what it should, fixing all of that in a bid to give her a better fate. -SCARLET WITCH, by James Robinson and Various Artists _______ James Robinson (Starman) helmed this artful and character-driven modern Sorcery series to its end. -SILVER SURFER, by Dan Slott, Michael Allred, and Laura Allred _______ Soaring down into a fine landing on their last ride. _______________ S T A R W A R S Marvel is still nailing it making movies between the movies. -STAR WARS, by Jason Aaron and Stuart Immonen, + _______ The flagship title covers the Rebel side of events during the period between A NEW HOPE and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. -DARTH VADER: Dark Lord of the Sith, by Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli _______ This new, second VADER series covers his emergence immediately after REVENGE OF THE SITH. -STAR WARS: Screaming Citadel, by a cast of dozens _______ A crossover event between titles featuring the Rebels 'teaming up' with Doctor Aphra. -STAR WARS: Doctor Aphra, by Kieron Gillen and Kev Walker _______ ⇧ Everyone's favorite anti-Indiana Jones gets her own series. Scams, chaos, and sarcasm ensue. -STAR WARS: Poe Dameron, by Charles Soule and Angel Unzueta _______ Though he was a blip in THE FORCE AWAKENS, he's become a fully realized adventurer in this fun series. D C -MISTER MIRACLE, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads _______ Tom King, lauded last year for the psychological dread of THE VISION, helps the great escape artist elude his inner demons. -WONDER WOMAN '77 MEETS THE BIONIC WOMAN, by Andy Mandels and Judit Tondora (DC/Dynamite) _______ Because sentimental. Timely Reminder, Dept. WATCHMEN (1986) is a graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, with color by John Higgins. They are the sole creators of this original saga, despite a copyright swindle by the publisher. This is a self-contained story, period. Any other "before" or "after" supplements, or "crossover integrations", are a complete fraud perpetrated by the greedy and supported by the foolish. V E R T I G O -ASTRO CITY, by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson, + Alex Ross _______ Avert catastrophe, support Astro City. Y O U N G A N I M A L Art by Tula Lotay -SHADE THE CHANGING GIRL, by Cecil Castellucci and Marley Zarcone _______ ⇧ Everything great about the 1978 Ditko original and the Milligan/McCarthy/Bacchalo '90s Vertigo run, made new and vital again. Psychotropic clean-line graphics and shaded emotional nuance. -DOOM PATROL, by Gerard Way and Nick Derington _______ Gerard Way tranmutes everything great about Grant Morrison's '90s run into new gold. D A R K H O R S E Art by Gene Ha -MAE, by Gene Ha _______ ⇧ An all-ages cross-dimensional adventure series by the acclaimed artist of Alan Moore' TOP 10. B E S T G R A P H I C N O V E L S : -PROVIDENCE, Act 1, -PROVIDENCE, Act 2, -PROVIDENCE, Act 3, by Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows (Avatar) _______ ⇧ Three volumes collecting Alan Moore's 12-issue maxi-series prequel to NEONOMICON, a terrifying rethink of Lovecraft. -LOVE IS LOVE, by Various Creators (IDW/DC) _______ ⇧ A benifit anthology responding to the Orlando shooting tragedy, championing all aspects of the human love spectrum. > Art by Emil Ferris -MY FAVORITE THING IS MONSTERS, by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧ An ink-pen diary and montage on notebook paper, tracing a mystery on many levels. -CRAWL SPACE, by Jesse Jacobs (Koyama Press) _______ Mindwarping graphics and soul-searching prose. -MAGRITTE: This Is Not a Biography, by Vincent Zabus and Thomas Campi (SelfMadeHero) _______ Fall into Magritte's world, and become it. This is not a pipe (dream). -EVERYTHING IS FLAMMABLE, by Gabrielle Bell (Uncivilized Books) _______ Memoir, diary, confession, dissertation. Family issues and rebuilding. -YOU & A BIKE & A ROAD, by Eleanor Davis (Koyama Press) _______ Putting yourself back together again, one sketch and sketchy moment at a time. -NOTHING LASTS FOREVER, by Sina Grace (Image) _______ Existentialism amid the freedom and fatuousness of the digital age. -BOUNDLESS, by Jillian Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly) _______ Surreal short stories that challenge the boundaries of self and nature. -SAIGON CALLING: London 1963-75, by Marcelino Truong (Arsenal Pulp Press) _______ ⇧ This sequel to Such a Lovely Little War brings the Vietnamese expat through the Counter-Cultural Revolution. -THE BEST WE COULD DO, by Thi Bui (Abrams) _______ Immigration is both escaping and finding continuously. -POPPIES OF IRAQ, by Brigitte Findakly and Lewis Trondheim (Abrams) _______ Breezy cartooning belies a nuanced work coming to grips with dangerous social upheaval. -SPINNING, by Tillie Walden (First Second) _______ Competitive skating across emotional thin ice. Finding your own glide. -SHATTERED WARRIOR, by Sharon Shinn and Molly Knox Ostertag (First Second) _______ ⇧ Fighting galactic repression, with graphics by the artist of Strong Female Protagonist. -KIM & KIM, Vol. 1: This Glamorous, High-Flying Rock Star Life, by Magdalene Visaggio, Matt Pizzolo, Katy Rex, Eva Cabrera, and Claudia Aguirre (Black Mask) _______ Here. Queer. Kickin' your rear. -THE SMELL OF STARVING BOYS, by Loo Hui Phang and Frederik Peeters (SelfMadeHero) _______ A western where frontiers open up and boundaries dissolve. B E S T C O L L E C T I O N S / R E I S S U E S : -KIRBY 100, by Jack Kirby, + (TwoMorrows) _______ ⇧ A centennial celebration of the King of Comics. -THE EC ARCHIVES: The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror, Shock SuspenStories, Tales from the Crypt, Weird Fantasy, Weird Science, Two-Fisted Tales, Panic, Valor, Aces High, by various (Dark Horse) _______ EC Comics was, and is, the revolution. -BERNIE WRIGHTSON Artifact Edition Cover, by Bernie Wrightson (IDW) _______ Bernie Wrightson was one of the greatest modern heirs to the Golden Age of Illustration. Art by Gene Day Larger here -Hands of Shang Chi, MASTER OF KUNG FU: Omnibus, Volume 4, by Doug Moench and Gene Day, + (Marvel) _______ ⇧ MOKF was a pivotal work of the '70s shamefully kept out of print ever since by legal problems. Moench's complex and meditative hero forecast the mature comics of the '80s, and Gene Day's astonishing art at the end is the hinge from Will Eisner to J.H. Williams III. -MICHAEL WM KALUTA'S STARSTRUCK Artist's Edition, by Elaine Lee and Michael Wm Kaluta (IDW) _______ ⇧ The original art pages of the 1984 graphic novel of STARSTRUCK, photographed at actual size. > IDW -DAVE STEVENS' THE ROCKETEER Artisan Edition, by Dave Stevens (IDW) _______ The page art of the classic adventurer, photographed at actual size. -BATWOMAN, by Greg Rucka and JH Williams III (DC) _______ ⇧ An always timely reprinting of the stunning series, unequaled by any other still. -STREAK OF CHALK, by Miguelanxo Prado (NBM) _______ A 1994 prism for interpretation, anchored around the beautiful watercolor art. _______________ WHERE WE COME FROM, Dept. Explore the past to map the future. Get with, get going. -LAST GIRL STANDING, by Trina Robbins (Fantagraphics) _______ ⇧ The autobiography of Trina Robbins, whose imprint spans from Vampirella's costume and Wimmen's Comix to Wonder Woman and acclaimed histories of female comics creators. -HOW TO READ NANCY: The Elements of Comics in Three Easy Panels, by Paul Karasik And Mark Newgarden (Fantagraphics) _______ Using the (deceptively) formal clarity of Ernie Bushmiller's Nancy comic strip as a gateway to the medium. B E S T M O V I E S a n d T V: I write and illustrate reviews of all comics-sourced films at the Four Color Films site. Art by Tym Stevens -LOGAN -GHOST IN THE SHELL -WONDER WOMAN -SPIDER-MAN: Homecoming -GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, Vol. 2 -THOR: Raganarok -JUSTICE LEAGUE -LEGION, season 1 -THE DEFENDERS, season 1 See also: > BEST MOVIES & TV: 2017 B E S T W E B C O M I C S -The Nib -Strong Female Protagonist R E S T I N P O W E R SWAMP THING, by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson Bernie Wrightson Len Wein From you, we exist. Because of you, we persist. Nuff said, pilgrim. Excelsior! © Tym Stevens See also: -FourColorFilms: THE Comics Film Review Site! · BEST MOVIES + TV: 2023 • BEST MUSIC: 2023 • BEST COMICS: 2023 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2022 • BEST MUSIC: 2022 • BEST COMICS: 2022 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2021 • BEST MUSIC: 2021 • BEST COMICS: 2021 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2020 • BEST MUSIC: 2020 • BEST COMICS: 2020 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2019 • BEST MUSIC: 2019 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2018 • BEST MUSIC: 2018 • BEST COMICS: 2018 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2017 • BEST MUSIC: 2017 • BEST COMICS: 2017 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2016 • BEST MUSIC: 2016 • BEST COMICS: 2016 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2015 • BEST MUSIC: 2015 • BEST COMICS: 2015 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2014 • BEST MUSIC: 2014 • BEST COMICS: 2014 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2013 • BEST MUSIC: 2013 • BEST COMICS: 2013 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2012 • BEST MUSIC: 2012 • BEST COMICS: 2012 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2011 • BEST MUSIC: 2011 • BEST COMICS: 2011 • BEST MOVIES + TV: 2000-2010 • BEST MUSIC: 2000-2010 • BEST COMICS: 2000-2010 _______________ • How STAR WARS Is Changing Everything! • 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Its Transcendent Influence on all Pop Culture, with Music Player! • How SPAGHETTI WESTERNS Revolutionized Rock Music!, with 3 Music Players! • TWIN PEAKS: Its Influence on 30 Years of Film, TV, and Music!, with 5 Music Players! • The Real History of ROCK AND SOUL!: The Music Player Checklist _______________ • THE CANON 1: 50 Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player • THE CANON 2: 50 More Books That Created Modern Pop Culture, with Music Player • THE CANON 3: 50 Recent Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player