I Read Comic Books discussion

This group always has such great recommendations for books and runs that I need to add to my pull list. Because of this, I want to extend the question to everyone:

What are some series/GN/TPB that you would consider the best of the year?

I look forward to seeing what everyone recommends :)

I was just thinking about this very thing yesterday. Here are my favorite 20 graphic novels I've read this year in no particular order. Some of these may have come out before 2021 but that's when I read them.

Seven Secrets Vol. 1
This is about a secret society that guards the Seven Secrets. There's another sect that is trying to obtain the secrets. Each secret is contained in a briefcase and protected by a Holder and a Keeper.

Katusha: Girl Soldier of the Great Patriotic War
The story of a young Ukranian girl coming of age during World War II. She's 16 as Germany invades Russia. She and her family must flee their home, becoming partisans living in the woods while fighting Germans guerilla style. Eventually, she enlists in the Russian army becoming part of a tank crew with her sister. I was fully enveloped with her story.

Shadow Service Vol. 1
Spycraft meets witchcraft.

Dungeons & Dragons: Infernal Tides
After a few years, Jim Zub and Max Dunbar return to their heroes of Baldur's Gate. This series is just so much damn fun. It's full of high stakes adventure and Minsc as the hilariously dumb, berserker, comedy relief.

Luisa: Now and Then
A 33-year old single woman meets her 15-year old self and they are both disgusted with one another. The younger by how she turned out, the older by how she used to dress and act. The story turns into one of self-acceptance as it progresses.

Friend of the Devil: A Reckless Book
Brubaker and Phillips tackle the Satanic Panic of the 70's and 80's.

G.I. Joe: World on Fire
This was a brand new Elseworlds type take on G.I. Joe. The series starts off with a bang and with that opening you know this isn't your typical G.I. Joe story. Cobra has taken over the U.S. and G.I. Joe is playing the role of insurgents. It had a Red Dawn feeling to it.

Dreaming Eagles
From the premier writer of today's war comics comes the story of a black veteran who flew fighter planes as part of the Red Tails in World War II. This line sums the book up best, "I went to war with the Nazis and for twenty-five years all I've been scared of is Americans."

Punderworld, Volume 1
I really enjoyed this. It's the tale of Hades and Persephone reimagined as a sweet romance. Retelling this story seems to be a trend for some reason as many versions have popped up recently.

Canto II: The Hollow Men
I enjoy this series about the little clockwork knight, Canto, so much. I see elements of Labyrinth and Middle Earth in the storytelling while this could be set in an undiscovered corner of Oz.

Wynd, Book One: Flight of the Prince
It's about a teenager growing up in a city where magic is outlawed because it's contagious and can cause many adverse affects to humans. He is an unknown magical being with pointed ears who hides them beneath long hair.

In: A Graphic Novel
Will is detached from most everyone, finding it very difficult to make a connection. When he does, the book changes to full color as Will starts to daydream about what it all means. Will's writing is witty and wry, his cartoon skills top notch conveying emotion and meaning with a look.

The Last God: Book I of the Fellspyre Chronicles
Imagine if John Carpenter's The Thing crashed in a heavy metal version of Middle-Earth.

We Served the People: My Mother's Stories
The story of one woman's perseverance as she navigates the "rustification" of China during the Cultural Revolution of the late 60's and 70's.

White Ash
It's about a mining town in Pennsylvania where a mysterious threat from the town's past returns. I'd love to say more but Stickney has created a unique world that I think you should experience for yourself.

The Old Geezers: Volume 2
Three septuagenarians raising Hell in the French countryside. Kudos to Ablaze for publishing this French title in the US.

Scout's Honor
After a nuclear war, the survivors who emerge from a bunker are Boy Scouts. Now 260 years in the future, the Boy Scouts are badass warriors living by their code of honor protecting those left in the badlands filled with mutated animals and Mad Max types. David Pepose has quickly become one of my favorite new writers.

Trese Vol 3: Mass Murders
Trese is basically a Filipino Constantine and that's really all that's needed to make the concept work. I'm looking really forward to checking out the Netflix anime after reading these.

Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory
For those of you not familiar with Beasts of Burden, you should be. It's about a group of dogs who protect humanity from the supernatural. Dorkin and Dyer take a serious approach to the stories with just enough humor to put a smile on your face.

The Dreaming: Waking Hours
Finally, a worthy successor to Neil Gaiman's Sandman. I love how Wilson incorporates pieces of the Sandman mythos while crafting a new story.

Honorable mentions for ongoing series that continue to be great:
Once & Future
Something Is Killing the Children
Daredevil (Chip Zdarsky's current run)

You have proven my point already lol. Besides Wynd and your three honorable mentions, I haven't heard of these. I will be taking in the new year with a few fresh finds for sure, thank you!

I need to organize a list of my own picks as well.

For things published in 2021, here are my picks:

White all around by Wilfrid Lupano. About a school for women, including Black women, in 1832 Connecticut.

Cyclopedia Exotica by Aminder Dhaliwal. Funny little stories about how cyclopses are treated by two-eyed people. (Clearly a metaphor for other prejudices.)

And published near the end of 2020, The Book Tour by Andi Watson. "A page-turning, Kafkaesque dark comedy in brilliant retro style, this graphic novel watches one man try to keep it together while everything falls apart."