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comfortfoodcontent · 4 months

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Comfort Food Comics - Best Comics of 2023

Man this year, like every year lately, was an extreme blur. Time is a hyperkinetic illusion. While 2023 may have been the best year of the hellish era of the 2020's personally, it was one of the worst comics wise. I used to read or at least check out just about every book I could weekly, especially the Big 2, but ever since I left the comics "journalism" websphere, I just cannot. Art is mostly dead these days as soulless corporate billionaires just want a nice bottom line and positive PR. The actual creators languish in minimum wage, benefit free hellholes. ESG scores and Twitter pleasing directives force annoying cookie cutter product that is anything but progressive, respectful or fun. Nothing seems to be made solely for art or creative vision, and even if it starts that way the end product sure doesnt resemble that. Everything is positive diversity memeable aesthetics with no thought for substance. It's depressing. Comics kinda sucks right now. That being said I still found some comics I enjoy this year, so here we go:

Santos Sisters - 2023 gave us Santos Sisters #3-5 and the Halloween Special. Santos Sisters is one of my favorite "ongoing" comics these days. I originally was piqued by the Archie like art and thought it may be some weird hipster modern version of Archie but it's actually much more than that in the weirdest way. A bunch of silly stupid stories are in each issue starring the relatably cynical Santos sisters as they go about their every day life which only sometimes has them using their powers to help. There are no stakes, no deep continuity, it is a stupid slice of life comic that is always making me chuckle. It feels like a cross between Seinfeld, 90's Nickelodeon shows and the best of Adult Swim all in an art style that can be described as the best Archie comic you've ever seen. I also love that the characters never use contractions when speaking. I don't know why but I love it and it adds to the bizarre charm of these great books.

X-Men Red: Man you can find some really cringey writing from me around the internet about how the HoxPox era of X-Men is the greatest thing to ever happen in comics basically. I wish that even a spark of that potential remained in the line. I went from thinking that we were experiencing one of the best times to read X-Men to one of the worst currently. They botched just about everything Hickman set up and I find myself more often than not hating what I read. The only X-writer that hasn't disappointed for me is Al Ewing. X-Men Red is about the only ongoing Marvel book I truly love and get excited for each issue. I feel like Ewing really has done some excellent Marvel Cosmic work with SWORD, Guardians and now this book. Giving Storm her dues, developing the Arrako mutants and history and lore, bringing Nova in, having the best cameos, amazing tie-ins, awesome fights- the book has it all. But the best thing in this book is just raw, pure character development. Character and story arcs feel planned, earned and satisfying. The Arrako mutants we meet in this book are ones you actually become invested in and want to stick around. They arent just plot devices or persecuted self inserts or meme characters to screenshot on social media. Ewing doesnt always hit but he feels like one of the last real Writers in superhero comics. Not just a pop culture fan who wants to plug himself into his action figure fight. I may now truly hate the X-Men line but I love this one underrated gem.

Girl Juice - Probably the funniest comic I read this year. I've always been a fan of Benji Nate's surrealist pov of modern culture and this perfectly encapsulates that viewpoint into a book full of humor, charm, bizarre crushing realism and artistic skill. I think I was grinning like an idiot nonstop whenever I read this one. Just so damn enjoyable. A masterpiece on comedy and developing separate character personalities and having them play off of each other organically. I'm also always impressed by how much story and development Nate can pack into so little panel space. Such an underrated and important talent in the comic medium.

Magneto #1-4: I used to hate these nostalgia minis where they brought back older creators to play around in a specific slice of continuity, but quickly realized I just got sick of Peter David and hate Greg Land art. Now that they've expanded the amount of these I've come around to a bunch of them. They allow some really great stories to be told by some Legends of the industry. The best of these are the minis done by J.M. DeMatteis. DeMatteis is my favorite writer in comics. Period. I would kill for him to have an ongoing title at Marvel right now. But I'll take this consolation prize. Magneto was the usual exemplary work by DeMatteis, digging into the psyche of all the characters featured in this book, not just Mags. I adore the era when Magneto was Headmaster at the Xavier institute and feel his mentoring of the New Mutants is a SEVERELY underdeveloped relationship that is rarely ever brought up. It was a delight to see it really dug into here. I also loved the newer continuity of Mags' background being blended with the old here as we take so many trips (literally) into his mind. Just fantastic character work all around within an extremely entertaining story. Also what a treat to see such great art from Todd Nauck. He has always been a huge favorite of mine and I've really enjoyed his refined art as of late on recent DC and Marvel books.

I should also add DeMatteis' other mini Spider-Man: Lost Hunt finished in 2023 and was a delightful little tale of a specific time of powerless Peter Parker married to a pregnant Mary Jane that I love more than life itself. That being said the book was hampered by some art that wasn't visually appealing to me and the story never breaking from quite good to alltimer like the Mags one. Still TOTALLY worth getting and another of the few bright spots this year for me. Also one of the few quality Spidey things in one of his worst years in media.

Everything Sucks: We got three issues of Everything Sucks from creator Michael Sweater this year. The last one - "Friends Forever" - has made my CFC alltimer short boxes. I love these comics. They are crabby and messy and aggressive and funny and gross and wholesome and so fucking dumb and I just love them. Repeat what I said about Santos Sisters above. They have very similar vibes. These books are like Curb Your Enthusiasm mixed with Tiny Toons....maybe. Or maybe not. Maybe I just think of Plucky Duck every time I see main character Noah, a green duck. Actually no, that's an apt comparison. If you want to experience that buy these from Silver Sprocket. They rule. Also, Sweater experiments more with composition and panel layout each consecutive issue in an artistic battle with himself where he just keeps winning. It's awesome to see and a feast for the eyes.

Copra: Copra has been on my best of the year list every year it's been published and 2023 is no different. Michel Fiffe pushes the boundaries of what a comic can be every single damn issue. I really enjoyed this year's stories. They were less mega epics and more character driven loose ends and I eat that shit up. I don't think I've ever seen a piece of media that is so blatantly riffing on other media but does it so well that it becomes it's own thing and you just do not care, in fact you ACTIVELY ENCOURAGE IT!! I don't know what it is man. I usually despise shit like that. I can't stand the influenced by Earthbound or Pokemon games that litter Steam. Copra transcends that hack shit. You enjoy looking for what artist Fiffe was studying when he created that issue, what movie he was watching, what random 90's music he was listening to. You search that shit out in every page of Copra and it is so fun and satisfying. No comic in the past decade has contained more sould than Copra. It's all Fiffe and each line, each color, each word contains so much thought and creativity and pure wholesome love of the medium. I love and respect every issue of Copra we get. (Oh also my dog was in #45 - hell yes!)

Beautiful Duck Comics by Brian McCray: Brian McCray is one of my fave artists out there. I've posted some of his work here before. I love his barbarian Krania comics and I love all the random little stuff he does with his weird sexy duck women. So I was delighted to see him make a collection of just that. More surreal, bizarre, dumb shit that I can't get enough of. Pure fun made by a sole creator just because he wanted to for him. That's that good shit man. McCray feels like an artist that Eros Comix would be publishing a bunch of his shit in the late 90's, early oughts. And I mean that in the highest complimentary way.

Polar Bear Cafe: Seven Seas dropped the English translations of these starting in January 2023 and I bought them based solely on the cover and title. I was not disappointed. Silly, irreverent every day lazy life with various cute animals as they make dumb Japanese humor puns. I tended to enjoy it more when they stopped doing as much pun routines and just did longer cute tales. It's just so easygoing and nice reading these, like a nice breeze on a warm day.

ARCHIE & FRIENDS: ALL ACTION: A fun little oneshot where Archie parodies giant mecha anime, most notably Neon Genesis Evangelion. That's pretty much all that needs to be said. It's funny and it rules. The only negative is the story is WAY too short. Ryan Jampole does the spectacular art for the story and I am a massive fan of his. I can't wait for his Taka comic in 2024. I hope to see more Archie from him too.

Witch Watch: I only discovered Kenta Shinohara's work this year but I lost myself in all of Sket Dance, Astra Lost In Space and my favorite, Witch Watch. A teenage "chosen one" witch trains with her ogre bodyguard and an ever expanding cast of deeply memorable characters. This is one of the most fun and enjoyable manga I have ever experienced. I don't tend to actually laugh out loud when reading but this one had me cracking up so many times over the year. I'm a bit skeptical of the new direction they've taken to close out the year but they are quickly proving it will be just as great. I JUST WISH WE COULD PHYSICAL COPIES OF THIS GEM ALREADY!!

Batman - Wayne Family Adventures: I was extremely skeptical of this whole series when it was first announced. Miraculously this has turned out to be the best Batman related comic there is for the past few years. It's essentially longer early 2010s tumblr comics of the assorted Batfam members. Surprisingly, it's not just meme after meme, some of them have some incredible range of depth and emotion. There's also a real understanding of each character and who they are and how they should speak and act that has maybe never actually been done right in the main Batbooks and certainly not currently. Sometimes they do go for the low hanging fruit of a meme panel or some overly saccharine tale, but thankfully that's in the minority. Check it out to get a DC Universe that feels right that you are actually allowed to have fun with and enjoy. This is the good shit Tom Taylor always thinks he is writing but isnt.

Martial Master Asumi: There's nothing particularly unique or amazing in this manga to talk about as it's hook or selling point, it's just a really solid charming shonen comic about MMA and human relationships. Family ties, nature vs nurture, teen romance, friendship, dreams and careers, all kinds of ethical issues - all of these normal everyday issues are entertainingly blended with an MMA fight comic that is bursting with fanboy passion for the sport. It's super cute and funny and also a brutal, dynamic fight comic.

Grog the Frog: The Book of Taurus: I absolutely fell in love with David Orellana's art this year on his Instagram. Thankfully that led me to him and Alba BG's Grog. A whimsical grumpy ride with such a fun main frog wizard character and such oddball side characters that shouldn't work but just do. Another super weird fantastical book mixed with the mundane. That's certainly a pattern on my list. Orellana is just supremely talented and I can't picture a more aesthetically gorgeous brand of artstyle. So much magical detail in the art here.

Batman/Superman World's Finest: This is about the only ongoing DC Comic I actively look forward to reading. I enjoyed Shazam, Fire & Ice and JSA(when it actually comes out), but for the most part DC is an absolute joke currently. I can't say this book has had any alltimer arcs or anything like that, but it just fills that Comfort Food niche for me. Waid and Mora combine to make you feel like you're flipping through the legendary Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez DC Comics Style Guide but it has some stories to it now. Fun, simple, bright and colorful superhero stories spread throughout and highlighting all of the DC Universe. I'll take that anyday.

Sewer Boyz: 31 different RADICAL creators who do some of the most unique and subversive art out there right now come together to get sloppy and silly doing their own homage version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This is an absolute art JAM that any Turtles fan or comic fan would love. Such a wide swathe of awesome artstyles in here.

One Piece: C'mon, it's One Piece. It's the GOAT. It will always be in my best of list. Who wouldve thought that big weird dumbass Kuma would be making me cry?

Batman - Pygmalion from Batman The Brave and The Bold #6-8: Guillem March, one of comic's most underrated masters is let loose to do it all and really cook. This is a short, sweet fascinating little story that has a charming tropey hook and an even better late twist. March's art is on another level and he does a fine job here with writing chores as well with such a wild and fun story. Very quickly became an alltimer story for me.

Godzilla Rivals: Space Godzilla: Space Godzilla is my favorite of all the various Kaiju of the Godzilla franchise. I can't even begin to describe my lifelong fascination with the crystal shouldered space faring dickhead. He is just the absolute best. The Godzilla Rivals series of oneshots rarely disappoint and that was the case again here. I tend to usually roll my eyes at Matt Frank's attempts at story or his own Kaiju OC's over the years and prefer him as just an artist, but I enjoyed his unique alien viewpoint story here. It is the perfect Reverse-Godzilla story complete with the absurdly dickish bully behavior Space Godzilla should always have. The final moments are a grotesque delight.

Anyways that's about all the ones I can think of off the top of my head that came out this year that I really truly enjoyed. Comics mostly suck but you can still find some great shit out of there. If I think of any more, which I'm sure will happen, I'll add them to the list.

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