 |
Was there ever any doubt?
Today, we’re going to look at the best comic book of 2024 AND the comic book creators who have brought us so much comic book goodness.
Absolute Batman: The Best Comic Book Of 2024
What more could we say about Absolute Batman?
We can definitely see Frank Miller’s influence at work in Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta’s Batman. The Dark Knight is physically imposing, agile, tactically brilliant, and not afraid of making a ruckus.
 |
| Absolute Batman #2 |
Absolute Batman is a reconstruction of the Dark Knight for longtime fan and new. I also enjoyed seeing how Scott Snyder has progressed as a comic book writer. When he first wrote Batman for DC’s The New 52, Snyder’s pages were chock full of exposition.
 |
|
| Batman #1 (November 2011) Scott Snyder writer | Greg Capullo artist | Jonathan Glapion inker |
FCO Plansciena colourist | Jimmy Betancourt letterer |
Today, Snyder has a much tighter style. Absolute Batman has very natural, sharp dialogue, great pacing. DC Comics is going to expand the Absolute line with The Flash and The Martian Manhunter.
I’ve got my all-time (old-time?) favourite artists such as Frank Miller, John Byrne, and George Perez. Discovering new artists is one the joys of comic book collecting.
Daniel Sampere isn’t new, but I put Wonder Woman on my subscription list. The realism, clean line work, and the fluidity are incredible. Wonder Woman #6 (February 2024) has one of the most kinetic duker-roos I’ve ever seen in comic books.
Sampere‘s Wonder Woman is a statue-esque, gorgeous, and looks like a woman who has trained for combat all her life: lean, broad-shouldered, and impressively muscular
Titan Comics’ revival of The Savage Sword Of Conan introduced us to French artist Max Von Fafner.
Even in black-and-white, Von Fafner‘s work has a kinetic realism.
Max Von Fafner has been producing comic books for 30 years according to his bio, but not in North America, sadly. Hopefully this will change in the very near future because it’s phenomenal.
In the meantime, go online to Max Von Fafner’s homepage to see more of his work (which is available on Amazon).
Neal Adams left this world in April 2022, but had created five decades of artwork that continues to astound fans around the world. When I was a lad, DC released a Superman vs Muhammad in 1978. I asked my pops to get me a copy, but he scoffed the idea of paying two bucks for a big comic book.
Decades later, it had shot up in value and scarcity. I had resigned myself to never owning a copy. Thankfully, the good people at DC Comics released a fascimilie edition for 15$.
I’ve got other Neal Adams comic books but the tabloid format is the best for his cinematic pages. The reader is transported to boisterous city streets, Earth orbit, and space arenas.
Denny O’Neill captures Ali’s voice and Adams flawlessly conveys the Champ’s physicality and spirit.
We first discovered Eduardo Risso‘s noir stylings in Vertigo Comics’ 100 Bullets with writer Brian Azzarello. Risso is known for his clean line work and heavy use of black ink to create shadow, density, and and contrast. It was talented specialists such as Trish Mulvihill who did the colours.
The Blood Brothers’ Mother (DSTLRY, May 2024) marks the first time Risso has coloured his own work. The black ink has been replaced by earthy, warm and liquidy colours.
Check out May 2016’s #1 Comic Books Blog: Amazing Pages , our review for The Blood Brothers’ Mother and Moonshine. If you’re into dystopian sci-fi, read Spaceman (Vertigo Comics, December 2011) also written by Azzarello.
Bilquis Evely
I first heard about Bilquis Evely back in 2021 when the Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow mini-series was announced.
My comic book budget is limited, but I managed to get the tradepaper back a year later. Evely natural smooth line work and detailed pages immerse the readers into the worlds she creates, and gives colourist Matt Lopes a ton of work.
Naturally, I picked up the first issue of Helen Of Wyndhorn written by Tom King (read summary here). Evely is deft illustrator and comic book artist.
A Comic We’re Looking Forward To In 2025
That’s it for our look back at 2024. We may have missed a few comic books, but we only review comic books we’ve bought or have had in the past.
Our comic book sources are Myths, Legends, And Heroes, The Comic Book Shoppe, and Capitaine Québec. If you’re looking for a comic book store in your area, go to Comic Shop Locator.
