Okay - finally got around to doing my own list. I went back through all of the Weekly Reader threads for 2017 to jar my memory and I'm glad I did. It's amazing how many things I read that I cannot remember what happened. Those automatically did not make my list.
What was most amazing to me was the lack of Marvel that was making my list. Granted I'm always six months behind because I read on Unlimited, but this year in Marvel for me was a lot of Civil War II, Inhumans vs X-Men, and Secret Empire. Not a great year for the House of Ideas.
That said, I did gather up a list of 24 comics/series that I read this year that I wanted to consider for my top 10. That's when it got hard. Some of the things that didn't make the top 10 but almost could have were things like Bloodshot, Harbinger Renegades, Divinity III, Infamous Iron Man, Rai, Unworthy Thor, Nailbiter, Darth Vader, Deathstroke, Motor Girl, New Superman, Hawkeye, and Redneck. I even wanted to give Batman/Elmer Fudd an honorable mention because it was so much fun.
What I finally decided to do was narrow it down to what I had the most fun reading. The comics that I couldn't put down or most highly anticipated the next issue coming out.
So here's My Top 10 Reading list from 2017:
10. The Ultimates/Ultimates 2 - What this comic did for Galactus was mind bending. The cosmic scope of this series was phenomenal and Al Ewing did a great job with the characters. Ultimates 2 has suffered a setback because of the art and will likely drop from my list in 2018 but those first issues really kept me wanting to see what was going to happen next.
9. Kill or Be Killed - Another good Brubaker series. It's more Crime with a demonic twist. It's not as good as his last series, the Fade Out, but still worthy of a being a top 10 contender.
8. Lazarus - Greg Rucka. That's really all I should have to say.
I picked up the first trade and was immediately hooked. So much so that I read through all of the trades and got completely caught up to the current releases. Rucka really knows how to write a female lead. And the side characters are just as interesting. A world where the country has been divided up by warring "families" makes this dystopian future a Sci Fi Godfather series that is fun to read each month.
7. The Woods - this 36 issue series from BOOM! Studios is written by James Tynion IV with art by Michael Dialynas. It's a complete tale in the 36 issues and I found it to be a lot of fun. Tynion takes a high school and literally transports it, its's faculty, and it's students to another world. Then all hell breaks loose as the students and faculty take on each other for leadership as they try to find out how to get home. 513 people find themselves in the middle of an ancient, primordial wilderness and the secrets it holds is stranger then they could ever imagine.
6. Detective Comics - the Return of Tim Drake arc. I loved watching Tim escape from Doctor Oz with the help of his future self - Batman. The conversations between these two as they start as allies and turn to enemies was fun to read. Is this what Tim is to become? Or can he change the future by killing Batwoman? Great great read.
5. Alex + Alda - This one caught me off guard. It's a three trade and done series and like most Luna books, reads pretty fast. But there's a lot of emotion in there along with the drama. It's about bringing a robot to sentience against the fears of a public scared of being attacked by robots that look like us. But really its about so much more.
4. Letter 44 - No way this didn't make my top 10. Loved the idea of a newly inaugurated president finding out for the first time that there is alien life out there and we already have a crew that's been flying out to meet them for years and is almost at the location. And we have no idea if they are friendly or a danger. Add in that during the years the crew has been doing what we humans do and the captain is 9 months pregnant and you get a wild tale both in space and on earth as we prepare for an unexpected future.
3. Locke & Key - Yeah, I know this is an old series but I only just discovered it this year. And read every single issue! Just could not put this book down. Definitely a highlight to my year and I wish there would be more!
2. Black Hammer - How could this NOT be my #1? Man it was close. Really close. This is one of the best series out right now. This and it's companion Sherlock Frankenstein are two of the best reads one could have. Jeff Lemire at his absolute best. Perry is absolutely correct that this should be on your pull list.
1. Vision - This came out on Marvel Unlimited this year and it was a book I could not put down. Tom King takes the Vision on an amazing journey - family man. But it's a family of his own creation and what happens to this family is a dark journey with many a twist and turn. Truly one of the best comics out there.
And if that's not enough fun for ya - go pick up Batman/Elmer Fudd. You won't regret it.