Top Comics of 2022 (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 2022 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 2022 that touched me, thrilled me, and sucked me in like no others.
Due to size restrictions for these emails, we’ll be discussing the first half of this list today, and the remaining Thursday in Part 2.
The Flash (DC), Nightwing (DC), Radiant Black (Image)
A few years back I saw a creator complaining about how comics criticism and Best Of lists tended to focus on either new series or ones ending their runs with a grand finale, leaving consistently high quality, long-running series neglected. I understand both sides here: series that remain excellent year after year are rare and deserve all the praise, but as a critic, after a while it can be hard to find new ways to praise them, too. This is my extremely long-winded way of saying that Jeremy Adams and Fernando Pasarin’s The Flash, Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo’s Nightwing, and Kyle Higgins and Marcelo Costa’s Radiant Black — all of which made my Top Comics of 2021 lists — continued to be some of the very best comic books on the stands in 2022. They did everything that made me fall in love with them in 2021, only bigger and better: The Flash remains pure, unbridled fun, and dug even further into the West family dynamic in really satisfying ways (it’s so much fun to see Wally and Wallace interact); Nightwing continued to explore its central thesis statement, showing how Dick’s selfless nature elevates those around him, drawing his circle of friends and allies as well as the citizens of Blüdhaven closer; Radiant Black continued to innovate, including a short animated film based on the issue’s events in one issue, and peeling back even more layers to its big early twist that further complicates its central relationships in surprising ways. These series never fail to satisfy me, no matter how long they run.
One Piece (Shonen Jump/Viz)
Damn, what a year this has been for One Piece. 2022 opened with a new revelation about its main character that has redefined the series in fascinating ways, intrinsically tying Luffy’s abilities to the themes that drive the story and leading to one of the most straight-up bonkers fight scenes to ever grace the pages of Shonen Jump. If the subsequent aftermath of that battle and the four-years-long Wano storyline felt a bit rushed, Eiichiro Oda made up for it with the “Egghead Island” arc that’s closed out the year; the first storyline of the ‘Final Saga’ has moved at a breakneck pace uncharacteristic for One Piece, with just about every single chapter dropping a new revelation that’s left readers’ jaws on the floor. There’s never been a more exciting time to be reading One Piece weekly, and I can barely begin to imagine where things will go next, but I can’t wait to find out.
Arkham City: The Order of the World (DC)
Batman comics haven’t always been the most sensitive when it comes to the topic of mental health. Arkham City: The Order of the World certainly isn’t a case study or psychology textbook, but it treats the lesser-known patients of Arkham Asylum, their doctors, and the citizens of Gotham with empathy and understanding that can otherwise be hard to come across. Dan Watters and Dani have crafted a taut, twisty thriller with Order of the World, but what I’ll always remember about this series is its examination of the necessity of compassion, but how that compassion can be twisted and corrupted as well. The “villains” here are no psychopathic murderers, and their struggle to fit into a society they cannot understand — and that doesn’t even try to understand them, in turn — is as compelling as anything on the stands. Plus, Order of the World is often just weird as hell, something every comic should strive for.
The Closet (Substack/Image)
One of the best things about horror is the genre’s ability to turn just about any modern-day concern or anxiety into a visually arresting, disturbing creature out to eviscerate you both physically and psychologically. James Tynion IV and Gavin Fullerton’s The Closet builds this idea right into the text, making the monster living in young Jamie’s closet a physical embodiment of his parents’ dissolving marriage and his father Thom’s neglect and self-centeredness. But while The Closet is a chilling horror story, it’s an even more effective character study, diving into the mind of Thom, a man who knows he needs to change but just can’t — or won’t — leading readers to ask that all too familiar horror question: which one is the real monster? If that sounds a little played out in concept, it’s anything but in execution; Fullerton’s haunting art makes a lasting impression, and Tynion’s insightful storytelling and naturalistic dialogue transforms Thom into someone understandable even when he’s at his most stubborn and unlikable. Perhaps the most chilling thing about The Closet is that its monster is veiled behind such benign normality. You can find a Thom on every street corner. Unfortunately, there’s usually a Jamie with them.
Young Offenders (Kickstarter/Weekend Warrior)
I’m a well-known sucker for teen superhero teams. Sure, that’s what initially got me to check out Mike Becker and Mark O. Stack’s Young Offenders, but what kept me reading — and what catapulted it onto this list — were the characters themselves, five delightful teen heroes with fun designs, unique personalities, and a debut mission that delves deep into many of the beloved themes that make teen superheroes so much damn fun in the first place. Watching these heroes simultaneously embrace and chafe under their powers, while also simultaneously embracing and chafing under the responsibilities their legacies put upon them, is just classic comic book storytelling. Perhaps the greatest feat Young Offenders pulls off, though, is managing to be both a satisfying stand-alone story and a surprisingly intriguing entry-point to Stack’s continuously self-published Weekend Warrior imprint. It’s hard for me to embrace a new universe these days with all the media out there competing for my attention, but Young Offenders has me feeling like I did back when I first got into comics, diving down Wikipedia rabbit-holes until 3AM. That’s quite a feat, and I can’t wait to see where and how these characters pop up next.
Avengers/X-Men/Eternals: Judgment Day (Marvel)
“Event comics” tend to be mostly spectacle, overlong storylines that tie up the publisher’s line for months on end that primarily exist to shuffle pieces around; leave it to writer Kieron Gillen, then, to pen an event comic that’s actually about something. Sure, artist Valerio Schiti makes Judgment Day top-tier popcorn action storytelling, but the story’s concept — that an all-powerful Celestial is judging humanity once and for all, with their very existence in the balance — provides the opportunity to dive deep into the psyche of just about every hero in these three teams’ massive rosters. Not content to rest on his laurels, Gillen extends this lens to the civilians of the Marvel Universe and even a few new, unique faces, such as an Eternals-bred kaiju whose true passion is posting poetry on the internet. Judgment Day is a thoughtful, nuanced exploration of faith, heroism, connectiveness, war and its consequences, and the worth of humanity. It’s not typical “Event” fair, and all the better for it.
Do You Know What I Love the Most’s “Best Of 2022” series:
2022 In Review
2022: A Playlist
Top Comics of 2022 (Part 1)
Top Comics of 2022 (Part 2)
Top Television of 2022
Top Movies of 2022
Top Albums of 2022
And for more, check out last year‘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)
Top Albums of 2021
As well as our “Best of 2020”!:
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!