2019 introduced us to zombified Justice Leaguers, a brutal game of Jumanji, and a new shounen series that has taken the anime world by storm. Not to mention a cyborg with a gun for his head… ! As such, picking the best of the year is not easy when there have been so many genuinely good series’ to choose from, among them include titles from new creators, which will surely give us something to look forward to in the new year. Out of all the comics to have released this year, these are some of the ones I personally enjoyed the most…
Coffin Bound
Published by: Image Comics
Written by: Dan Watters
Art by: Dani
With an unstoppable killer, self-destructive protagonist and a Mad Max desert setting, Dan Watters’ Coffin Bound is a must read from Image comics, delving into the grungy side of witchcraft with a grindhouse pulp feel that may seem reminiscent of earlier Vertigo titles. Dan Watters’ creative script plays with a poetic dialogue style with a creative cast of characters that happens to include a guy with a bird cage head containing a dead vulture (because of course), while Dani’s art brings pulpy colours and a gritty maturity to the series making it one of the best magic-based comics to have come out in 2019. It manages to stand out from the crowd, where other magic books have a tendency to look towards Rowling and Tolkien influences, rather than the lurid and sensational worlds of Mad Max and Tarantino.
Die
Published by: Image Comics
Written by: Kieron Gillen
Art by: Stephanie Hans
When D&D meets Jumanji with a more mature twist, you get Die – a fantasy RPG world that sees a group of teenage friends vanish in the real world only to reemerge broken and one member down…! Years later, now middle-aged and still dealing with the trauma of their last experience in Die, they are summoned back to find their missing party member, Sol, still wants to play.
Kieron Gillen spins a unique fantasy tale that creatively references its influences to impress the darker nature of Die, with stylish art from Stephanie Hans that evokes an old school D&D dark fantasy edge about it. It’s easily one my personal favourite series of 2019 and one that manages to put most typical, rather monotonous and repetitive, isekai manga and anime to shame!
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Published by: Viz
Written and illustrated by: Koyoharu Gotouge
Demon Slayer has been peaking the top of the Shounen rankings as a manga, even before its massively popular anime adaptation! The story focuses on Tanjiro, who returns home from selling coal to find his family massacred by a demon. While his sister Nezuko survived, she has been transformed into a demon herself, setting the two on a journey to find a cure, all the while training to become part of the Demon Slayer Corps. Set during Taishō era Japan, Demon Slayer‘s story crafts a revenge story that keeps you invested, while Tanjiro’s quest to cure his sister of her new demonic form makes it more personal. It also happens to boast a unique and instantly recognisable art style that translates perfectly to its animated counterpart.
Invisible Kingdom
Published by: Dark Horse
Written by: G. Willow Wilson
Art by: Christian Ward
Invisible Kingdom, from G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward, follows a young religious acolyte and a savvy freighter pilot who’s journeys become intertwined in a conspiracy that leads them to take down a corrupt intergalactic mega-corporation and it’s unsavoury ties to an all-powerful religious sect. It features Star Wars space-opera fantasy, kick-ass heroines, and hallucinogenic Christian Ward art that made ODY-C visually stimulating, with plenty of contemporary political overtones at play. Not only that but it was also one of the early adoptees of Dark Horse’s new Berger Books imprint – a line of creator-owned books overseen by Karen Berger, founder of DC’s influential Vertigo imprint.
The Way of the Househusband
Published by: Viz
Written and illustrated by: Oono Kousuke
The legendary Yakuza once known as the “Immortal Tatsu” turns househusband in The Way of the Househusband, a satyrical manga by Oono Kousuke that plays on the comical role reversal of a dangerous Yakuza mobster taking on a more tranquil home-bound existence. While he may be well-intentioned, Tatsu still has to deal with prejudices against his previous life as a Yakuza, all the while fighting his own battles in the aisles of supermarkets and cleaning up messes in the kitchen. In fairness, being an ex-Yakuza has given him plenty of transferable skills: he’s handy with a knife in the kitchen, knows how to clean up red stains from white shirts after a ketchup spillage, and can dispose of unwanted carcasses. From dinner, of course…
If you’re looking for a manga series to break away from the usual Shounen action oriented titles that tend to attract most of the attention, The Way of the Househusband might offer a change of pace. The art blends a more realistic style with expressive characters that elevates the humour of certain panels – such as Tatsu’s creepy rendition of “Happy Birthday” with his paradoxically psycho-killer facial expression…
Berserker Unbound
Published by: Dark Horse
Written by: Jeff Lemire
Art by: Mike Deodato Jr.
A little like a time travelling Conan the Barbarian, the Mongrel King finds himself transported from a world of swords and sorcery, to a modern metropolis of cars and fumes after chasing an evil sorcerer – responsible for the destruction of his village and the deaths of his wife and child – through a mystic portal. In this familiar world, he comes across Joe Cobb, a homeless man who doesn’t understand barbarian talk and also comes under the protection of his new “Buddy.” This is yet another great Jeff Lemire series with art by Mike Deodato Jr., who manages to create inventive panel layouts and gritty textures, complimenting Lemire’s writing. Though besides the art, it is the strange bond between two characters who are somehow able to overcome a language barrier by their general understanding of each other that will keep you invested.
Last Stop on the Red Line
Published by: Dark Horse
Written by: Paul Maybury
Art by: Sam Lotfi
Last Stop on the Red Line opens with a gruesome supernatural murder on a dingy Boston subway, whereby an innocent commuter is brutally murdered by a repugnant creature that would make Lovecraft blush. Detective Torres’ investigation will lead her to cross paths with a vagrant named Yusef, and together will be lead on a Lovecraftian supernatural murder mystery.
While it has been labelled as a horror title, it’s hardly scary – rather the horror element comes from its supernatural themes and gritty visuals. Sam Lofti’s art is certainly a highlight of the series, heightening the supernatural crime themes of Paul Maybury’s writing, and while the cartoonish style detracts from any potentially scary visual cues, it does manage to stand out with grotesque panels. Maybury’s dialogue is also well written and natural, with each character managing to come across as both memorable and largely likeable, creatively weaving Lovecraftian horror themes and visuals into a murder mystery plot that might make you think again about using the subway service at night…
No Guns Life
Published by: Viz
Written and illustrated by: Tasuku Karasuma
If the fact that the main character has a revolver for a head isn’t enough to warrant picking up this manga, thankfully the writing is genuinely entertaining. Then again you might expect as much given the premise for the characters design…
No Guns Life is set in the near future and follows Kuzo Unui, an “Extended” (a cyborg) who works as a “Resolver” – a kind of private detective who takes on cases relating to Extended. However when a renegade Extended breaks into his office, he is introduced to a young boy in need of protection, Tetsurō Arahabaki, and a powerful corporate conglomerate intent on taking him back. It is revealed that Tetsurō Arahabaki is a victim of the Berühren Corps experiments, who planted a device in him known as “Harmony” which gives him the ability to control other Extended bodies from a distance. Sounds like a neat ability, though as the series progresses you get the impression that there is more than likely a sinister reason behind this…
Tasuku Karasuma’s writing strikes a balance between humour and crime narrative, with a genuinely compelling cast of characters. There is a degree of world building that manages to keep the series interesting, which might appeal to fans of the cyberpunk genre, while the art somehow makes the concept of a humanoid character with a revolver for a head seem… natural?
DCeased
Published by: DC Comics
Written by: Tom Taylor
Art by: Trevor Hairsine
The Marvel universe was plagued by a zombie outbreak in 2005, transforming our favourite web-slingers and mutants into flesh-eating hordes of undead. 2019 happened to be the year the virus spread to the DC universe, all thanks to Darkseid’s meddling with the anti-life equation and our very own phone screens, which spread a digitised zombie plague throughout the Justice League, other favourite super teams, and the rest of the populace.
Tom Taylor’s DCeased offers an entertaining spin-off from the usual DC events, though while it is admittedly flawed by pacing issues and could have benefitted from being a longer series, the dialogue and art are entertaining enough and it’s almost surprising a zombie outbreak of this magnitude hadn’t already been explored! Sure we had Blackest Night, but they weren’t zombies in the George A. Romero style. If there’s one thing that should come of this series, however, it’s an animated adaptation!
