Top Comics of 2021 (Part 2)
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 discussed the first six series on my list in yesterday’s Part 1.
The Joker (DC)
The smartest decision James Tynion IV made when writing The Joker was not having it actually star the Joker. While his few physical appearances in the series are as chaotic and darkly humorous as one could hope for, Joker becomes a far more terrifying figure by lurking in the background, motives and location unknown, capable of popping out at any moment. Still, the Clown Prince of Crime’s presence looms heavily over every page of this book, with Tynion and artist Guillem March exploring the ways the Joker terrorizes Gotham City even when he’s not actually physically present, the scars he’s left on the city and on the life of Jim Gordon, a protagonist as complex and flawed as they come. There’s a really interesting mystery, a tale of cruelty and corruption, at the center of The Joker, but again, this is a book that’s great, not just for the story it’s telling, but for how well that specific story is being told.
[I wrote more about The Joker in the second half of this newsletter]
Home Sick Pilots (Image)
Home Sick Pilots comes with the best concept of 2021: “A bunch of 80s punks pilot haunted houses like mechas to fight other haunted house mechas.” How could I not buy that book?! Creators Dan Watters and Caspar Wijngaard certainly provide the action they promised, yet Home Sick Pilots isn’t the gonzo, tongue-in-cheek slugfest I expected. Instead, Watters and Wijngaard remember that ghosts are beings of horror and despair, and use their haunted houses to tackle ideas of isolation and trauma, to explore how people become outsiders and how pain, if not addressed, only lingers and festers. And then, yes, there are moments of sheer bad-assery, but they land so much better thanks to the richly developed emotional world providing their foundation. It’s a perfectly constructed comic, from top to bottom.
Beta Ray Bill (Marvel)
Any comic illustrated by Daniel Warren Johnson is worth seeking out because, I mean, damn, Johnson is just one of the best there is. His pages are visual feasts of dynamic action and intricately, endlessly detailed backgrounds. Nobody else is doing it the way Johnson is right now, and Beta Ray Bill is no exception. I wasn’t shocked at all that this book was so much fun to look at, but I was maybe just a bit surprised by how quickly I fell in love with the story. I had zero experience with Beta Ray Bill — Thor’s horse-faced counterpart — going into this book, but Johnson’s exploration into Bill’s insecurities and his quest to regain his lost dignity sold me on the character almost immediately. Beta Ray Bill is a delight.
The Many Deaths of Laila Starr (BOOM!)
The Many Deaths of Laila Starr is unlike any other comic book on the stands. Writer Ram V’s choice to set the story in his homeland of India and immerse it in Hindu traditions alone sets it apart from any other American comic. Artist Filipe Andrade’s lush landscapes and angular, intricate character designs create a one-of-a-kind dreamy, haunting atmosphere that perfectly establishes the surreal, yet grounded, feel of this book. V spins a story of a God of Death who is fired due to mankind’s impending discovery of immortality, and who seeks out the man who will eventually discover it; it’s a story that, like life itself, is full of both whimsy and heartbreak, roadblocks and revelations, small moments that go on to snowball into significant ones and small moments that matter because they’re fleeting. It’s the kind of balancing act that can only be achieved by the most talented of storytellers.
The Department of Truth (Image)
We currently live in a world where beliefs are no longer based in fact. The Department of Truth takes that terrifying reality one step further, creating a world where belief dictates reality, and the Department of Truth are only people stopping conspiracy theorists from reshaping the world to their own nefarious ends. James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (whose art makes every issue feel like a 20 page panic attack, which is exactly the vibe this book should have) have created a tale with a deep and heady lore and countless twists, an absorbing and engrossing read — I devoured the first year’s worth of issues in one sitting and was left desperately wanting more — yet Department of Truth is often at its best in its standalone issues, such as the story of a woman who’s son was killed in a school shooting who starts to believe the deniers who claim the shooting was faked, or the saga of the father who devoted his life to chasing Bigfoot trying to explain his actions to his son. Stories like these help Department of Truth retain its humanity no matter how far down the rabbit hole it dives.
Nightwing (DC)
Every issue of Nightwing just makes my heart so happy. Writer Tom Taylor and artist Bruno Redondo — whose collaboration on Suicide Squad also made last year’s Best Comic list — have spun magic into the pages of this series, taking a character who’d been criminally neglected over the past few years and returning him to greatness simply by highlighting the many qualities that made readers fall in love with Dick Grayson in the first place: his heart, his good humor, and his connections to other beloved characters throughout the DC Universe. Taylor and Redondo have pulled off a few jaw-dropping feats throughout their run — including an entire issue told in one, continuous image and a major retcon to Dick’s backstory that actually adds to his character rather than tearing it down — yet their success ultimately comes from the small and simple fact that they respect who Nightwing is as a character. This is the book that’s reminded us all that Nightwing is the light of the DC Universe, and it’s my comic of the year, hands down.
[I wrote more about Nightwing in this newsletter]
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!