Top Comics of 2021 (Part 1)
It’s January here at Do You Know What I Love The Most?, and that means it’s time to sum up the last 12 months with Year End Lists! I’ll be devoting the rest of this month to rounding up and discussing the various media released in 2021 that meant the most to me — just like every other website on the internet! Isn’t that special?
Today we’ll be diving into probably my favorite medium of all, comic books! These are the comics — be they monthly periodicals, graphic novels, manga, or webcomics — released in 2021 that touched me, thrilled me, and sucked me in like no others.
Due to space limitations, we’ll be discussing six issues today, and six issues tomorrow in Part 2.
The Flash (DC)
When writer Jeremy Adams took over The Flash (alongside artist Fernando Pasarin) he stated that his #1 goal for the book was to have fun, and he’s accomplished that goal with flying colors. Wally West has had a rough…fifteen years or so, but even when they address the trauma of Wally’s recent past Adams and Pasarin never lose the sense of fun, adventure, and playfulness at the core of their take on The Flash. This book just puts a big grin on my face every month, whether it be via a clever action beat or a smart bit of characterization or through more elaborate concepts, like a story where Wally and his daughter fight monsters designed by Adams’ real-life daughter or an “interactive tale” where the reader guides the Flash and Dr. Fate to victory. This is exactly the Flash book I wanted — not a grim slog, not an attempt to tell the biggest stories ever or tie into the event of the week, just fun, exciting adventures with my favorite character in comics.
The Nice House on the Lake (DC Black Label)
This horror tale from James Tynion IV (who shows up on this list several times — I don’t know if any other writer had a bigger 2021) and Álvaro Martínez Bueno follows a group of friends and acquaintances who find themselves riding out the apocalypse together in an isolated vacation home. Tynion and Bueno weave numerous intriguing threads of lore here, making the history of the various members of the house and the connections between them just as fascinating as the more big-picture story behind the apocalypse (and these characters’ roles in it). There’s gruesome moments of shocking gore, yet the greatest horrors Nice House on the Lake uncovers have more to do with loss, loneliness, isolation, and the unknown. It’s gripping, compelling storytelling, propelled by probably the best first issue of the year. I can’t wait for the second half of this story to drop in a few months.
Runaways (Marvel)
Rainbow Rowell and Andrés Genolet’s tenure on Runaways is the longest run the title has ever sustained, yet it still left us far too soon. Their take on the ongoing saga of six children (and a dinosaur!) who escaped their supervillain parents trying to make it on their own was an always compelling soap opera, driven by intense teenage emotions treated with the utmost respect and nuance, that only got better with time. Rowell and Genolet just know these characters like the back of their hands, and their mastery of the cast was never more evident than it was in their penultimate issue, a silent issue that needed no dialogue to be full of twists, heartbreak, laughs, and growth. This series will be deeply, deeply missed.
Radiant Black (Image)
Kyle Higgins and Marcelo Costa’s new take on the Super Sentai genre is, at its worst, a consistently fun and exciting superhero adventure, but Radiant Black is never content to rest on its laurels, instead striving every month to do something novel, unexpected, and big, to continually push the envelope of its genre and storytelling conventions. Issue 10 is a crowning achievement, a psychedelic trip through an alternate dimension (that, in limited editions, is actually printed in special ink that glows under a blacklight!) that also serves as a profound character study, a rich exploration of grief and self-loathing. And I won’t even spoil the big twist from early in the series, but rest assured it was legitimately shocking, a daring move that will forever define this series as one always taking big moves, big moves that almost always pay off.
The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton (Image)
The comics of Kyle Starks have always walked a really interesting tightrope, both interrogating and celebrating the trappings of traditional masculinity, and The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton is no exception. This action/comedy/mystery about six actors trying to solve the murder of their former co-star — martial artist/actor/raging, abusive asshole Trigger Keaton — is full of profane, gut-busting comedy and thrilling action and car chase sequences courtesy of artist Chris Schweizer, but also examines how Keaton’s proficiency in those very skills kept him above the law even as he terrorized every single person he ever met. This book is fun and intelligent throughout, but especially wowed me in its finale, which not only managed to craft a satisfying resolution for every character, but also drop the perfect moral: sometimes, you gotta do the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do. Keaton would have hated that lesson, so of course, I adore it.
Mazebook (Dark Horse)
I’ve often said that Jeff Lemire’s greatest skill as a writer is being able to tailor his approach to each artist he works with, knowing what sort of subjects and themes they excel at portraying and knowing when to get out of the way and let their art tell the bulk of the story. This stands true even when Lemire himself is the artist, illustrating his own stories, as is the case in Mazebook. The story of Mazebook — about a man who thinks his dead daughter has been found trapped in the center of a massive urban maze — is a somber and touching look at grief and at the process of acceptance. Its final moments legitimately made me cry. But it’s also a story where I kind of had an idea what its message was and where it would end up from the very beginning. What makes it such an effective and memorable journey nonetheless is Lemire’s art, which takes full advantage the series’ oversized issues to give every moment — big or small — the space it deserves to land, playing with color, layout, and pacing in brilliant ways. Mazebook is a really good story, told perfectly.
Do You Know What I Love the Most’s “Best Of 2021” series:
2021: A Playlist
Top 10 Newsletters of 2021
Top Television of 2021
Top Comics of 2021 (Part 1)
Top Comics of 2021 (Part 2)
My Books of 2021
My Movies of 2021
Top Albums of 2021
And for more, check out last year’s “Best of 2020” series!:
Top 10 Newsletters of 2020
Top Television, Podcasts, and Movies of 2020
Top Books and Comics of 2020
Let’s Talk About Substack
2020: A Playlist
Top Albums of 2020
ABOUT
“Do You Know What I Love the Most?” is a newsletter from Spencer Irwin about his relationship with the stories he loves. Spencer is an enthusiast and writer from Newark, Delaware, who likes punk rock, comic books, working out, breakfast, and most of all, stories. His previous work appeared on Retcon Punch, One Week One Band, and Crisis on Infinite Chords, and he can be found on Twitter at @ThatSpenceGuy. If you like this newsletter, please subscribe and share with your friends!