New year, new comics thread. Here's reviews for all the comics I read in 2020.

The Frank Book by Jim Woodring - I love this book even if I can't always tell what it means. It's weird and trippy and so so fun to read.

Daredevil: Yellow by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale - it's enjoyable but it was all just kind of melodramatic. Love Sale's art and Loeb's writing is fun, but I like Spiderman: Blue a lot better.

Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi - This is one of those books I blasted through during high school, which is a shame because it's genuinely really good. The story is light and tragic at the same time, and really gripping. I also love what Satrapi does visually. Very good.

I Am A Hero Omnibus Volume 1 by Kengo Hanazawa - This book is great because it thoroughly gets you to understand and empathize with it’s main character before throwing him in a world of shit. It’s both funny and terrifying, and all weird.

Orion by Walter Simonson - One big love letter to the original Fourth World while also being completely original. Love that Orion actually get character development and isn't stuck in some weird continuity loop. Simonson was the second coming of Kirby in my opinion.

You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation by Fletcher Hanks - The charm has worn off slightly, but not a lot of people have made weirder comics than Hanks. For some reason his comics give me the same vibe as "Grinch's Ultimatum" but I can't even begin to explain why.

Doom Patrol: Book One by Grant Morrison and Richard Case - Never was a real fan of Morrison's writing but this book absolutely blew me away. Maybe the best 90's superhero book I've read, reading it felt like cutting through butter. Need book two ASAP.

Hedra by Jesse Lonergan ( @jesselonergans) - A lot of experimenting crammed into very few pages. I'm an absolute sucker for comics that play with the form so I'm probably going to be revisiting this a bit!

Essential Spider-Man Volume 1 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko - I surprisingly enjoyed this a lot. All the other Marvel comics of the time have been a slog to read through, but every time I finished a story in here I was excited to see what happened in the next issue. Loved it!

Creepshow by Stephen King and Bernie Wrightson - I don't know what happened but the writing in here is really lackluster. Everything that made the movie great just falls flat in here because of the poor writing. Wrightson's art is amazing though.

The Multiversity by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Doug Mahnke, and more - Basically a short story collection that also has an overarching narrative. Definitely peaks with the Quitely and Mahnke stories. A glorious hot mess of a comic, it was a really fun read!

Silver Surfer: Black by Donny Cates, Tradd Moore, and Dave Stewart - Oh boy, it really feels like I just read the best comic I'll read all year. Just one big cosmic punch from Cates and Moore. No idea why comics twitter isn't constantly talking about this. All hail these kings.

Essential Spider-Man Volume 2 by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and John Romita Sr. - This has the best Spider-Man story in it of all time. Kind of bittersweet though, considering this is also the collection that has Ditko’s departure in it. Still, very iconic stuff in here.

Doom Patrol Book Two by Grant Morrison, Richard Case, Kelley Jones and more - Keeps up the exact same momentum as the last book, and full of the same type of weird hippie philosophical metaphysical shit that I love to eat up. I love this comic.

Doom Patrol Book Three by Grant Morrison, Richard Case, Sean Phillips, and more - A beautiful ending to this series. Gave me the feeling of not wanting to leave this world, but understanding that it had to go. I love love love this comic.

How To Be Happy by Eleanor Davis ( @squinkyelo)- This is just a great exploration of depression and human turmoil. All of these little stories hit so hard. This one will stick with me.

Ghost World by Daniel Clowes - One of those books I read quickly in high school and didn't really absorb. All these characters are assholes but they're more like me than I'm comfortable with. That ending is still kind of haunting.

One! Hundred! Demons! by Lynda Barry - So honest and blunt and playful. I wish I had read this earlier, it makes me think about the shit happening in my own childhood. Need to read more Barry.

Passing For Human by Liana Finck - I like the art in this one, it's very honest. The story is great too, it has this lyrical pacing to it that makes it so enjoyable to read.

Upgrade Soul by Ezra Clayton Daniels - This book takes a concept and milks it for all it's worth. It was a blast to read, and it's a really good piece of science fiction. I don't know why I haven't heard of it before.

Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross - I'm a sucker for superhero revisionist stuff.

The Greatest of Marlys by Lynda Barry - Half nostalgia, half anti-nostalgia. A very bittersweet comic that I very much enjoyed.

Love That Bunch by Aline Kominsky-Crumb - What can I say? I love that Bunch.

Killing and Dying Adrien Tomine - Tomine's pacing is so good, and these stories are so haunting. They remained in my head years after I first read it and I'm glad I decided to reread it. Please check it out it's great.

Sabrina by Nick Drnaso - I very much did not like this. At best it feels like watered-down Tomine, at worst it makes me want to hit my head against the wall. So devoid of personality. It made my head hurt.

Deathlok: The Souls of Cyber-Folk by Dwayne McDuffie, Gregory Wright, Denys Cowan, and Mike Manley - Very entertaining with some great writing and art. First time I've read anything by McDuffie or Cowan, and it makes me want to read more.

Soft City by Pushwagner - Pushwagner's vision of a dystopian city whose residents have no control over their lives is absolutely terrifying. Even more terrifying is that this book is still relevant to the present. This book is stunning, and I'm happy it's no longer lost media.

Essential Tomb of Dracula: Volume 1 by Gerry Conway, Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan, and Tom Palmer - I expected this to be a hokey horror comic, which it kind of started out as, but towards the end of this book it started to feel like it had more passion behind it. I really liked it.

To The Heart Of The Storm by Will Eisner - An exploration of prejudice and how inevitable it seems. Eisner soars with this one.

The City by Frans Masereel-The time of day definitely changes in this book, so I count it as a comic. A lot of the images in here are haunting, and they all have a sinister feeling. After hearing about his influence on graphic novels, it's good to have finally read some Masereel.

Passionate Journey by Frans Masereel - It won't stick with me as much as The City, but it's still a great book. Blows my mind that someone was making comics all the way back in 1919. Gotta get some more of his work ASAP.

Gods' Man by Lynd Ward - Ok so this is one of the best things I've read so far this year. The pacing, the art, the story, all excellent. I'm so fucking excited to dig into Ward's other five books.

Madman's Drum by Lynd Ward - Hmmmm. I like the art more than Gods' Man, but honestly this one was kind of hard to follow. Still, Ward is phenomenal.

Wild Pilgrimage by Lynd Ward - RISE UP.

Prelude To A Million Years by Lynd Ward - Super short but jesus is it bleak. Ward just gets better with each book. Where have these been all my life?

A Song Without Words by Lynd Ward - Another super short one, but equally as bleak with some more expressive storytelling. I can't keep having my mind blown like this. Vertigo is gonna destroy me.

Vertigo by Lynd Ward - God damn I want more! I NEED more! Every moment in this is a masterpiece! IT'S SERIOUSLY SO GOOD!

Maggie the Mechanic by Jaime Hernandez - Super invested in these characters, Jaime really makes them feel like family. I want to know what happens next so bad.

Potluck Pogo by Walt Kelly - I love these little guys.

The Building by Will Eisner - Not his best work, but still super gripping. Visually the storytelling is beautiful, and the climactic scene rocks. Eisner giving it his all as usual.

Black Paths by David B. - Not as gripping or visually stimulating as Epileptic, but still pretty damn good.

Breakdowns by Art Spiegelman - THE gold standard for experimental comics. Full of humor, innovation, pornography, fourth wall breaking, cubism, murder, satire, and other fun stuff!

Brave Dan by Osamu Tezuka - Nothing really outstanding about it compared to Tezuka's other stuff, but the ending did get me. Overall, pretty fun.

X'ed Out by Charles Burns - Gonna have to get the next book, didn't know it was the first in a series and now I'm hooked. The storytelling in this is as strong as Black Hole.

Pogo’s Bats and the Belles Free by Walt Kelly - Pogo remains super cute while also having some surprisingly scathing political commentary in it. It’s also really funny.

Beau Pogo by Walt Kelly - I don’t know if this was particularly good or if it’s just growing on me, but I’m now getting a new appreciation for Pogo. It’s super cute and super funny.

The Collected Works of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century by Philip Nowlan and Dick Calkins - it gets enjoyable at points, but there is way too much racism for me to say I liked it. Pretty much a slog for 350 pages.

Pogo Re-Runs by Walt Kelly - Kelly was at his best when he was lampooning politics, and thankfully here’s three storylines where he mocks the bid for the presidency. It’s easy to get lost in the comedic chaos of this strip, but I still find myself enjoying the hell out of it.

Pogo: Romances Recaptured by Walt Kelly - Still steadily going through my collection. This one has some good moments in it, not as strong as the ones in Pogo Re-Runs but still good.

Pogo’s Will Be That Was by Walt Kelly - Running our of things to say about these books. They’re all pretty enjoyable and I love the dumb wordplay that makes up a lot of the jokes. Just some comfy stuff.

Pogo Revisited by Walt Kelly - This one didn’t gel with me too much, but I appreciate the comics that show Kelly spreading his wings. Politically confusing, but pretty enjoyable still.

Pogo’s Double Sundae by Walt Kelly - Sorry this thread is just turning into Pogo. Still like these characters a lot.

A Pogo Panorama by Walt Kelly - I like these type of Pogo books a lot cause it allows Kelly to stretch his legs out of the usual four panel comic strip format.

Ping Pong Volume 1 by Taiyo Matsumoto - An instant fave. Heard about Matsumoto for years, glad my first read of his absolutely lives up to the hype. Some of the greatest pages of action comics - hell, comics in general - live in here.

Piero by Edmond Baudoin - I knew absolutely nothing about this book going in and it amazed me. A very personal and authentic look into childhood fears and dreams, and how those evolve growing up. The art is fucking amazing.

Dead End by Thomas Ott - Two great bite-sized bits of horror noire. Ott has such a master control of his style that it makes me want to cry. I really need to read more of his comics.

Age of Bronze: A Thousand Ships by Eric Shanower- It very much toes the line of being too complicated to understand, but it still remains fun to read for the most part. This book makes me care much more about the Trojan War than any high school English class did.

Age of Bronze: Sacrifice by Eric Shanower - I like this volume much better than the last. I haven’t really been interested in this story until now. Everything is so grounded and well paced. Even Shanower’s art has grown on me, it’s fitting for this perfectionist passion project.

Sabre by Don McGregor and Paul Gulacy - It’s not perfect, but it’s god damn idealistic and rebellious so I still love it. Super interested in checking out not only the other Sabre comics but more McGregor in general.

Mail Order Bride by Mark Kalesniko - A pretty scathing and horrifying look at objectification and fetishization. I’ll probably check out more of Kalesnikos stuff when I can, he’s pretty good. It makes me want to punch a wall, but in a good way you know?

Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer by Van Jensen and Dusty Higgins - Exactly what you expect reading the title. A lot of tongue-in-cheek action with very little heart. Wouldn’t really recommend it.

Lowriders in Space by Cathy Camper and Raúl The Third - Super fun and packed with a lot of energy. It's obviously meant for kids, but not in the cynical way a lot of stuff is. More in the way that the creators were making something they would have loved as kids. I enjoyed it!

Valiant High by Dan Kibblesmith, Derek Charm, David Baron, and Simon Bowland - Not big into Valiant so the inside jokes flew over my head, but very cute and fun.

Bingo Love by Tee Franklin, Jenn St-Onge, and Joy San - It's cute but it's gonna leave close to no impact on me. Kinda feels to streamlined for it's own good, would have liked it better if it were more intimate and personal.

Picture This: The Near-Sighted Monkey Book by Lynda Barry - No one has examined the art making process as manically as Barry. Philosophically this book is becoming super important to me. I love it and, so far, it’s my favorite Barry.

Stagger Lee by Derek McCulloch and Shepard Hendrix - Very solid, very entertaining, and very thorough. I’d never heard of Stagger Lee before, so reading this was a blast.

The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger - I'm kind of underwhelmed by the execution but I really like the central concept. Otherwise, kind of meh.

The Zabime Sisters by Aristophane - A solid slice-of-life comic. It’s incredibly good at capturing the thoughts and intentions of children, and how those thoughts might change them growing up. Wanna see more of Aristophane’s work now.

The Freddie Stories by Lynda Barry - I didn’t realize reading it four years ago just how dark this is. It’s pretty fantastic.

Ice Haven by Daniel Clowes - My memory of reading this back in high school was that it was too ironic for me, but now I see it’s actually pretty genuine. Some really good stuff and Clowes never loses the thread of all these different stories.

The Borden Tragedy by Rick Geary - A great introduction to this case, I’d always heard about the Borden murders but never read up on them. Geary’s art is an extra treat.