Artist: Roberto de la Torre | 6' 7" & Green Comics

Yes, the time has come to say goodbye to (aka light on fire) 2016 and ring in 2017. Here’s a look back at the Best and the Worst of 2016* Comic Books.

I reviewed 265 pieces of individual media on this blog this year. Giant Days, Jem and the Holograms, and Lumberjanes had the most individual issue reviews at 12 issues each. Technically, I reviewed 16 Wonder Woman comics; but the New 52 and Rebirth comics are vastly different stories and one was close to the top 5 and the other at the bottom rating-wise.

I changed the format a bit as some stories start off or end strong, which might be my only reviews. But for series where I reviewed many issues, I can be tough even on series that I love, and I wanted this list to reflect consistency in storytelling.

The Best Series (reviewing 6+ issues)

26 different series eligible in this category.

1. Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
Average rating: 5/5

This book is gorgeous with its fantasy, art deco, and manga influences in Takeda’s pencils. It’s horrifying with plots of a post-war world and a land of broken people. Mostly women, it’s full of women and their stories. It’s a challenge read for the soul. But also for the mind, as Liu’s world building and plots build bit-by-bit. You are immersed in them. Your hand isn’t held. You figure out how to use your feet while running just like the characters.

Read all my reviews for Monstress. Continue reading “The Best and the Worst of 2016 Comic Books”

Erica Gives This Comic Four Stars The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage Vol 1 by Jen Van Meter
Art: Roberto de la Torre

This book was very much hit or miss for me. There were aspects of Shan Fong’s story that I greatly appreciate and other parts that were muddled and seemingly without direction. This was the first Valiant title I’ve ever read so I’m completely unfamiliar with the universe and its rules. However, from what I’ve seen, they’ve been relaunching it and the stories are supposed to build the world for readers.

Van Meter did a wonderful job at showing the story between Shan and Hwen. About explaining how they met and how he died. I bought their epic love story which continued beyond Hwen’s death. I felt Shan’s pain over losing him and her depression and self-imposed isolation and how she locked herself away in the house they built together.

Torre’s art was somewhat of a miss for me. The scratchy and sketchy nature of it sometimes complimented the story and in other cases made it more muddled. With the otherworldly creatures, I wanted more definition. Torre’s art also didn’t lend itself to a wide variety of facial expressions. I would’ve loved to see more emotion from Shan’s face, especially since so much of this book’s narrative rode on emotions. Continue reading “The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage Vol 1 Graphic Novel Review”