Crema is a Comixology Original OGN written by Johnnie Christmas, art by Dante Luiz, and Ryan Ferrier lettering. I picked it up having heard an interview with Christmas about the book last year and that it was available for no cost as part of Comixology Unlimited didn't hurt.
The Sandman: Overture is a comic book that might as well have been tailor-made for me. Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors, JH Williams III is one of my favorite artists, and Dave Stewart is one of my favorite colorists. It's a true personal dream team.
Now that I've already made lists covering my picks for the best books and comics that were released in 2020, I figured I'd put together a list of my favorite reads from the year regardless of release year. I decided to exclude things in my other two lists (if only to make it easier to fit more things!). Check out my favorite books, comics, and manga reads below.
I'm not really a "DC should never touch the Watchmen" person but I do think they should endeavor to make good comics when they use them. Doomsday Clock is not that. My perception might be a bit altered by having read this in single issues as they were released on DC Universe. The series is long and it had a very lengthy release schedule.
It's the end of the year, which means it's time for top ten lists! It was a bad year, but it was a good year for comics. It took me forever to whittle down my list of favorites, but below you can find my top ten (in no particular order) comics/graphic novels/manga that were released in 2020 and plenty of honorable mentions!
Teen Titans: Beast Boy is the second book in the Teen Titans series from writer Kami Garcia, artist Gabriel Picolo, and colorist David Calderon. Although Beast Boy naturally centers on Beast Boy himself, it's a direct follow up to Teen Titans: Raven, the first book in the series that was released in 2019. The series is part of DC's YA line of original graphic novels that launched a few years ago. The line has been pumping out a pretty high volume of OGN's target at the YA demo and I've found most, including Raven, to be fairly successful.
Green Lantern: Earth One Vol. 2 is the follow up to the first volume that came out in 2018. While the Earth One line from DC has been mostly up and down, I thought that Hardman and Bechko's take on Green Lantern as more of a hard sci-fi story was really entertaining. The same team is back for volume 2, with Bechko and Hardman co-writing and Hardman illustrating (with Jordan Boyd providing colors). I was excited to sit back down with the world that the first volume created.
The Dollhouse Family is one of the initial entries in the new Hill House Comics line of horror comics from DC. The line comes from the head of accomplished horror author Joe Hill, who comics fans will know from co-creating the fantastic series Locke & Key. The Dollhouse Family comes from writer M.R. Carey (Mike Carey), artists Peter Gross and Vince Locke, and colorist Chris Peter. All members of the team are veterans of Vertigo's Sandman universe, with Carey notably writing the Lucifer spin-off. They've also teamed up previously with The Unwritten, also from Vertigo. This group seems like a pretty natural fit to help launch a new horror line at DC. The collected volume is slated for release in early Fall. I received an advanced copy from NetGalley.
After the Rain is the graphic novel adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor's story "On the Road". The story is adapted by John Jennings and illustrated by David Brame. After the Rain is slated to come out in January of 2021. I received an advanced copy through NetGalley. The story follows Chioma, a Nigerian-American detective from Chicago, who is on a trip to a Nigerian village to visit some of her relatives. After the beginning of her visit is plagued by a fierce rainstorm lasting days on end, Chioma finds herself in trouble when she answers the door to a boy with a serious head injury. His touch burns Chioma and things begin to spiral out of control.
Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed is one of the latest entries in DC's recent effort at targeting original graphic novels at the YA audience. I've found the campaign to be largely successful, including some great entries like Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass and Shadow of the Batgirl. DC recruited NY Times bestselling YA author Laurie Halse Anderson to pen Tempest Tossed and got one of my favorite artists, in Leila del Duca, to illustrate. Any book with art by del Duca is about as close as you'll get to an auto-read for me. The book's creative team is notably comprised of only women. Colorist Kelly Fitzgerald and letter Siena Temosonte round out the team.
