Our FAVORITE COMICS in 2023!
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- čas přidán 25. 08. 2024
- Let's talk about some of the best/worst comics in 2023! Make sure to subscribe today! / @comicpopreturns
ComicPop is a few friends talking about comic books. The ComicPop team brings a bunch of unique points of view to every single discussion about a comic book, graphic novel, character or story arc. You can find full conversations about your favorite titles from Marvel and DC Comics, plus a few pretty key independent comics. If you're looking for a long, funny conversation about Batman or a deep dive into why Spider-Man is so neurotic, check out the hours and hours of amusing, insightful and downright stupid conversations about some of your favorite comic books over the years. If you're a longtime comic book reader or just starting out, make sure to subscribe for more!
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Missed these guys together!
My favorite two dorky white guys lol
I have watched Comic tube for years Sal describing human target as a perfect book, week after week is why I picked it as my 1st comic ever or my local libraries' reading challenge this year which required a visual novel. Every issue was its own premise but still tied in I loved it. I read about a trade a month now its been a great 1st year in comics for me.
I think a really good book from this year was Unstoppable Doom Patrol.
My Top 5 comics for 2023 were:
1. The Immortal Thor by Al Ewing
2. Gargoyles by Greg Weisman
3. Static: Shadows of Dakota
4. Mark Millar’s Big Game
5. Doctor Who: Once Upon a Time Lord by Dan Slott
All of those stories were amazing this year. Honorable mentions for X-Men: Red, Uncanny Spider-Man, and Static: Up All Night.
Happy to give ya guys a fun last topic to close the show on
This was a year that really kept up my love for Boom and Image.
Magic the Gathering, Radiant Black, and Power Rangers all knocked it out of the park just as they have in years past. I also loved Banner of War and what I've read of Ultimate Invasion and Dark Knights of Steel.
Not Sal having D dubs on his podcast, but Joel gets the free copy of the comic😂😂😂
Had a chuckle when sal said ges a dick rider for king respect the realness
Gail Simone’s The Variants was amazing
I swear if ASM's "Fridging Of Kamala Khan" issue doesn't end up on the Worst list...
Tenement by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino has been phenomenal.
Great video! This year I started buying individual issues from my LCS thanks to this channel. Have been on Batman and Robin, wonder woman, and birds of prey.
Top 5 (currently, always subject to change):
1. Monica by Daniel Clowes
2. Night Fever by Brubaker/Phillips
3. The Human Target
4. Daredevil by Chip Zdarsky
5. G.O.D.S.
Also, it only had its final issue come out this year but Superman: Space Age is one of the best superhero comics in recent memory
Human Target was lovely
Thank you for doing this! Need more videos like this out there that focus on the positives and talks about the good books coming out!
Not too surprising that Ultimate Invasion wasn't Sal's cup of tea, but I found it to be good setup and world building and am glad that they kept the action to a minimum so they could focus on setting the groundwork for things that will no doubt interest me.
Main things I'm looking forward to though are 6160 Hulk being diabolical, and whatever's going on with the 6160 Rasputins.
I'm not sure how I feel about it when looking from the lenses of is it a good comic rather than if I liked it personally, though. It feels like practically everything interesting about it is or was something that's going to be paid off later, so it's difficult to judge on its own for me, seeing as Hickman likes to play the long game.
The Buce Campbell written Sgt. Rock zombie book was good fun the hardcover recently released. My LCS owner promoted it pretty heavily...I think the last book he was really behind was Dead Eyes by Gerry Duggan which then became dead rabbit and ended after 4 issues i think.
Top 5 Runs this year in no order:
(Action Comics) by PKJ, still a little sad it's ending this year.
(Detective Comics) by Ram V, the best batman comic since scott snyder's run and the beginning of tom king's run.
(Wonder Woman) by Tom King, within three issues I love this story.
(Incredible Hulk) by PKJ, if you want a spiritual sequel to immortal hulk read this run.
(FF) by Ryan North, he get's the family aspects of the of the FF and love the sci-fi adventures that the FF go on. Highlight of the year for this book is Doom and Dino Doom team up: the cover game by alex ross is soo great.
Honorable mentions: (runs)
DC: Poison Ivy by G Willow Wilson, Birds of Prey by Kelly Thompson, Penguin by Tom King, and Batman and Robin by Williamson
Marvel: Ghost Rider by Ben Bercy (glad that he get's another ghost rider run coming next year), Daredevil by Saladin Ahmed (love the new status quo of matt as a priest), Sensational She-Hulk by Rainbow Rowell (glad she got to continue her great run)
Scarlet Witch was great this year!!! Also liked Green Lantern a lot 😊
Completely agree with Zdarsky's Bat-Man of Gotham multiverse arc. It was the best Batman thing he wrote, I wish the rest of his run was that good.
His first arc with Failsafe was much better and his Urban Legends story was also great where they stand head and shoulders above anything else Batman related that he has written.
Never got the people mad at Beyond for staring Ben Reilly, like it didn't even do the thing superior did of trying to convince you he was dead, it was blatantly a temporary thing.
Merry Popmas is the best thing I've heard in years!
Merry Popmas to you all
Good show for me as I haven’t seen reading comics this year, so I can get some good recommendations from these guys
Started picking up poison ivy based on the awesome covers and now its top of the reading list for me when it comes out.
this might be a hot take but poison ivy by g willow wilson is better than, Williamson's superman for me.
@@johnthai6188 I think I'd agree but to be fair I'm not the biggest Superman fan and Williamson's is the first ongoing I've read. I'm enjoying it. I think expectations are always high for Superman though and with Ivy, just having a series is a pleasant surprise. Hopefully it keeps going lol
@@ryanferriera1785 i feel i like too many fans overhyped williamson's superman to be like this masterpiece of storytelling. when in reality it's just a good superman run, that one day could be great: but for now it's still just a good superman story. the hype around poison ivy, within the comic book fandom, is more deserved than williamson's superman: imo.
@@johnthai6188 Im with you. I mean when is the last time Poison Ivy has had more than 6 issues solo?
@@ryanferriera1785 i just found out this recently but, did u know that this poison ivy run won a GLAAD award for Outstanding Comic Book. so not only is this run deserving of the hype, but it's an award wining run.
Great episode! Nightwing was great this year. The Sacrificers is another with only a few issues but was great.
Also where do you guys get sales figures data? Curious since comichron doesn't publish specific numbers anymore
Comichron used Diamond's info which is less helpful now that DC and Marvel dropped them. ICv2 releases what they have, though.
The Hand vs The Fist wrote its. Summer blockbuster..but someone dropped the ball
The Predator 2023 so far has been amazing. Also the run on wolverine has been absolutely fantastic
The one where he fights Wolverine is, yeah!
Let me talk to ya! YEAH! @@comicpopreturns
Rekrap actually rules! I wish McGinnis would stay
No I really don't like ReKRAP
sal is invited to da cookout
I could not keep up with Off the Rack this year so I was really waiting for this video
Best:
X-Men Hellfire Gala 2023-I think this is easily one of the biggest books of this year. It got people talking and even some interest in jumping back in because of it. Honesty, most of the X-Men line has been pretty solid and kind of a treat. Really interesting stories and a unique premise. The Krakoa era has been a fun ride full of some really memorable moments for the X-Men. But, this is really a stand out and got people talking about the X-Men again. Sins of Sinister was ALSO really good, as was the stuff with Beast over in Wolverine, but I don’t want to load up my list with JUST X-Men books. So, if I had to pick just ONE book, this is probably it.
Eight Billion Genies-What if everyone in the world got ONE wish? A simple question that leads to a really interesting story.
Rogue Sun: This is a book I don’t hear people talk about a lot. But, personally, I think it’s the best thing to come out of the Radiant Black universe. It’s just a really solidly done teen superhero book about following in a family legacy of heroes, even if the main character REALLY doesn’t want to, because they’re all jerks.
Void Rivals 1/Transformers 1-I’m calling this a tie. Because while stealth-dropping a entire expanded universe on us is a REALLY memorable gimmick, Void Rivals itself doesn’t do much for me. Transformers, on the other hand, at least has some great art and memorable action from Daniel Warren Johnson. There’s not much in the way of story, but the action is carrying this book pretty well.
Mary Jane/Black Cat-Most of the Black Cat books lately have actually been REALLY good. And this was just a fun little miniseries with these two having a journey into Limbo.
Al Ewing’s Venom 18-Pick this issue up if you like Ewing’s more cosmic stuff. He goes completely galaxy-brained with the Symbiotes and it’s interesting to see. He hasn’t been on this book, lately, but I’ve actually been enjoying this time-bending paradox-fueled tale.
Fantastic Four: It’s been kind of fun to see the Fantastic Four on a cross country journey while solving crimes from small town to small town. It’s changed up the formula, but in a interesting way. Kind of a underrated run, I think.
Summoner’s War Awakening-The second miniseries in this little series. It’s got GREAT art and a story that reminds me a lot of Avatar The Last Airbender. More people should check this out. Forget that it’s based on a mobile game, this book is just a lot of fun.
It’s Jeff-I know these are reprints of online comics. But, they’re REALLY cute and REALLY nice. It’s just something fun to enjoy for a few minutes.
Guardians of the Galaxy-The Grootfall epic has actually been kind of entertaining. And recent issues have even had a weird twist which just makes it more interesting for me.
Spirit World-I think of all of DC’s attempts at “Eastern” heroes, I think this was my favorite. There’s magic, there’s world building. There’s stuff to build from in the future. Also, a skeleton warrior! I think if ANY of these series continue, I’m hoping it’ll be this one.
Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s Shazam-This is a lot like World’s Finest, but I think the crazy anything goes energy really helps with these particular characters more. It’s just a fun book.
Spine-Tingling Spider-Man-It’s a gimmick book. Just Peter stuck in a nightmare (or something). But the artwork really IS great. Worth checking out if you’re into horror or just appreciate REALLY good art.
Superman vs Meshi-This is just SO WEIRD that I can’t help but love it. Superman just going ga-ga over Japanese food. It’s an experience. It’s goofy. And sometimes that’s okay.
Star Wars Dark Droids- The Star Wars gang deals with a robotic hivemind uprising. It’s just given a focus to the line that kind of needed it. This has probably been the best event that Star Wars comics have tried to do in the last few years. Simple premise, but effective, I think.
Arcade Kings-A love letter to old school 90s fighting arcades. It was just a fun, action-packed little book about two brothers trying to reconcile and then punch their father in the face.
Usagi Yojimbo-It’s great. But, it’s so consistently great that it just doesn’t really stand out. Still, check it out, it’s good stuff.
Jay Garrick The Flash-I know people like Si Spurrier’s Flash, and that’s good too, but I think I might like this better? It’s just nice seeing Jay adjust to being a dad. It’s sweet. And it’s probably the best thing to spin out of JSA/Golden Age.
Elvira in Monsterland-It’s just good fun seeing Elvira meet up with “legally distinct” Movie monsters while jumping through the multiverse. If you have ANY fondness for goofy old monster movies, it’s worth checking out.
MIddlest/Solid but not quite GREAT:
Batman Superman World’s Finest: It’s fun seeing Mark Waid use a bunch of slightly more obscure characters. And EVERYTHING about Boy Thunder/Magog brings things up a notch. But, it’s a little unfocused and it just kind of feels like it’s there just to be there? It’s missing a little something, but I’m not sure what.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers-Just a really solid book. I just have a hard time recommending it to people if they aren’t familiar with those original 3 seasons of the show, though. It relies HEAVILY on nostalgia, but it’s got good ideas of it’s own too. It’s a really good expansion of the source material, but you DO need to know the source material.
Gargoyles-SIGH! Oh, Greg Weisman. He’s good at what he does, but he REFUSES to compromise on anything, for good AND for bad. This series is really slow. I’m pretty sure Greg doesn’t really understand how to write for individual comic issues and isn’t interested in changing things to fit the different medium. And this is a continuation of the SLG run from almost 20 years ago, but they still haven’t reprinted those books so you can get caught up. I like it. I like Gargoyles. But, it’s kind of easy to undertand why this isn’t a bigger hit.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-The TMNT have had a solid run this year, but not quite great. Armageddon Game was kind of a dud, but a dud with a few good ideas. The book is interesting, but kind of feels like it’s spinning it’s wheels a little. It’s just in a weird place right now. A lot of good, but also a lot of bad to mediocre.
Sonic the Hedgehog-It’s a perfectly solid book that I just enjoy!
Superboy The Man of Tomorrow-Connor in space with copius amounts of Dragon Ball Z references. It was a fun miniseries.
Big Game-Mark Millar doing a crossover with all of his own characters. And it’s more interesting than it should be. I think you NEED to know at least some of these characters to get much out of it, and they are pretty obscure, but it’s kind of interesting to see how Millar weaves all this different worlds he’s created together.
Battlechasers-I feel like this SHOULD get a mention. This famous series FINALLY returned after DECADES of not having any new issues. And it’s fine, I guess. I just feel like this should at least get a nod, just for finally coming back after all these years.
Fire Power-Kirkman’s martial art’s book about punching dragons with flaming fists. It’s just a solid book about family.
Monstress-Great art. VERY complex story.
Giant Robot Hellboy-It’s dumb, but fun!
Unstoppable Doom Patrol-I always like what I read of the Doom Patrol. They just have a fun hook. Maybe this isn’t the best run ever, but it’s definitely solid.
Survival Street-A dark, edgy, political version of Sesame Street. It’s a parody, and VERY crass, but it’s kind of fun. It’d be probably be in some people’s “worst” category, but I’m just amused by the audacity of it all.
Worst:
Knight Terrors : I know Joshua Williamson is a friend of this channel, but I’m calling it as I see it. This was a event that no one asked for and derailed the ENTIRE line for two months. All to tell a story that we’ve seen before and introduce a villain that’s just a palatte swap of a hero that isn't even in any books anymore. The only good thing I can say about it is that some of the designs were neat, like a young Bruce Wayne regurgitating a Man-Bat with a gun for a head. But, it was still boring, overly long, and caused most people to just outright skip DC for two months.
Amazing Spider-Man 26-Getting rid of Kamala Khan just so they can resurrect her as a mutant to better line up with the movies has GOT to be one of the most cynical things I’ve seen comics do in a while. Combine that with the weird Mary Jane and Paul stuff and I think you’ve got one of the more notable stinkers of this year.
Lazarus Planet: I know I’m being really harsh on DC events, but I personally think they’ve been having a string of really bad events, lately. This just…didn’t do anything for me. And I didn’t even like the artwork. Just a forgettable sludge of story that I didn’t care about with a event that didn’t really accomplish anything. BUT…We did get City Boy and Spirit World spinning out of this event, both of which I DID enjoy. So the event itself was bad. But, at least we got a few good spinoffs out of it.
Ultimate Invasion-Hey, it’s not just DC putting out bland events! This just felt weird. It’s kind of a re-skin of Hickman’s East of West series, just with Marvel characters thrown in. It’s not “my” Ultimate Universe. And it really doesn’t succeed at being interesting on it’s own. It’s basically just interesting because I want to know why they went this direction with this at all.
how you feel about batman/superman world's finest, is how i feel about williamson's superman run. where that run feels like it's missing something, but i don't know what it is.
Always a banger episode of elseworlds with y'all 2
Honestly, reading/being a fan of the main Batman/Spider-Man books sounds EXHAUSTING
The only things I ever hear about them are negative
I'd say that Icon vs Hardware is a good contender for one of the worst books of 2023. It has massive delays, wildly inconsistent art, shallow writing, the protagonists are unlikable jerks, and it turns Vandal Savage into an utter idiot who could've won if he did nothing.
But even if the writing was good, the massive delays probably killed the sales real hard. Gargoyles and World's Finest have been fire, tho.
10 favorite Series with no particular Order: Ghost Rider, Invincible Iron-Man, Miles Morales Spider-Man, Uncanny Avengers, X-Men, Green Arrow, Titans, Unstoppable Doom Patrol, Batman/Superman-Worlds Finest, The Sacrificers!
I love the Blue and Grey Batman. It
He's the one I grew up with ❤
Murder World War really good. Reading order was sh!t because I was confused, but looking back, I like and appreciate that they did it the way they did. The read order thing was different and new and I like it.
The fake outs were NICE!
I’m excited that this video is nearly 2 and half hours
i wanna personally highlight Spirt World and Birds of Prey Its hard to think of any new good books all the books i was pulling were hold overs from 2022. Gunslinger Spawn is GREAT
NOOOOOO I MISSED THIS LIVEEEE
This is the episode I’ve been waiting for!!
Top 5 comics for this this year were: Unstoppable Doom Patrol, Shazam, Gargoyles, Immortal Thor, and Batman: The Audio Adventures.
Wolverine Vs Predator is my favorite book of the year. I know it's not done but still.
Great video. You guys should definitely check out Radiant Black!
Sal..this story went too long. I think it is still going on as you speak
Superman Space Age was also pretty great.
didnt even notice the artist change on nightwing
By design
The super books and ff have been great also world’s finest
28:00 wanna know the quickest way to ruin the X-men? Make them more like the avengers and have them tripping over themselves to glaze the avengers.
You are aware Uncanny Avengers is an established series that started almost 12 years ago, right?
He just made me want donuts lol @@comicpopreturns
@@comicpopreturns I am, and it has always been terrible. I called it a crap idea and title then, and I feel the same way now
Have either of you read Gargoyle of Gotham? It's only two issues in out of 4 but it has been amazing and I can't wait to see how it ends.
The art's great
“Don’t blame Conan.”
How was Wolverine vs Predator?
G.O.D.S was actually a reworked New Gods pitch