Welcome to the Multiversity Year in Review for 2021! To call this a weird year is a Hulk-sized understatement, but one thing that was a pleasant surprise was the sheer number of interesting and excellent comics that came out this year. We’ve got over 25 categories to get through, so make sure you’re checking out all of the articles by using our 2021 Year in Review tag.
10 (tie). The Dragon Path
Ethan Young’s “The Dragon Path” is a stunning and beautiful children’s fantasy graphic novel, a refreshing mix of western and eastern aesthetics and sensibilities, that’s at once a slice of royal wish fulfilment for young Asian readers, and a fable about the weight and responsbility of having an imperial legacy.
It tells the story of the exiled Prince Sing, who is traveling to the fabled Old Land with his clan, only to be separated after an attack from the vengeful Dragon Tribe. As he tries to find a way back and prevent further conflict, he uncovers the dark history of his ancestors after encountering the old mystic Ming, and the great beast Midnight.
Midnight embodies everything I adored about the book; it’s an expressive, disarmingly cute character straight out of a Ghibli film, resembling a large black-and-white cat more than a typical feline monster. It’s a reminder nothing is as it seems, just as Sing learns there’s far more to his enemies than their reptilian natures, and that just because your ancestors came before you, does not mean they were less prone to mistakes and smarter than you.
Young’s thoughtful story (which I remarked only a Chinese American could’ve written), coupled with his wondrous artwork, which always appears as if it were carved and lettered out of wood, is a truly worthy entry on our list of the best OGNs of the year, and I’m onboard for whatever Young chooses to do next. – Christopher Chiu-Tabet
10 (tie). IN.
Why yes. That is the title of this Graphic Novel. I didn’t make a typo.
“IN.” comes to us from “New Yorker” cartoonist Will McPhail and had this come out in 2019, I would have simply enjoyed this book tremendously. In 2021, however, I have fallen in love with “IN.” The book explores a very particular aspect of humanity that, I think, we’ve all been feeling to one extent or another these last two years: how to make human connections, and conversations, with family, friends, and most importantly, total strangers. I see myself in these characters as someone who struggles with this and similar feelings, who over-analyzes every minor conversation and runs, reruns, edits, reedits, and rereruns every major one ahead of time.
Nick, the main character, tries throughout the book to strike up a conversation with his mother, with the baristas, with the woman he meets on the train, with the plumber who’s unclogging his toilet, in a way that doesn’t feel, deep within his gut, as superficial and fleeting. It does not minimize the superficial but rather elevates the deep, literally expanding past the limitations of the “real world” by breaking the panel borders, appearing in lush, painted colors, and telling its story entirely visually.
McPhail portrays all this with the clarity and simplicity of someone with years of single panel experience and a mind for visual metaphor. It’s poignant, meaningful, beautifully told and did I mention hilarious? It helps that every character has eyes that are perfect circles with tiny dots for pupils, which makes everything funnier. The sex scene and its lead up told entirely as if it were an interpretive dance and a play is one of the funniest pages I’ve read all year. This book is a treasure and it is truly a testament to how many amazing OGNs came out this year that it sits as low as it does. – Elias Rosner
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9. Run Book One
Now is the time for “Run.” And we better not stop paying attention.
The first book of this follow-up to the “March” trilogy came out from Abrams in August of this year. That same month, democracy advocates and U.S. lawmakers held rallies to guard hard-won voting rights under Republican assault in states like Georgia, while the House-passed “John Lewis Voting Rights Amendment Act” encountered the American Right’s battery of opposition tactics. Anyone wondering if we still needed to fight voter suppression— or racist disenfranchisement— could just turn on any news source. (Well, not those “news” sources.)
“Run” landed in this timely moment. Co-writer/adapter Andrew Aydin and artist L. Fury carry much of the load here, but obviously the story belongs to John Lewis in this posthumous sequel series to the award-winning and groundbreaking “March.” Artist Nate Powell, whose stark and moving art style brought the “March” series such dynamism, retains a presence in some pages of art, in the lettering, in the visual idiom of the book. But L. Fury combines that spiritual artistic core with a technical care that makes this book sing as a historical manual for changemakers. Aydin continues blending the requisite specificity and accuracy with the sweep of the story that’s needed to do justice to this part of the history. And we as learners are in good hands as we move from the oft-told and -televised parts of the Civil Rights story to where the rubber meets the road. – Paul Lai
8. Save it for Later: Promises, Parenthood, and the Urgency of Protest
I grew up not far from where cartoonist Nate Powell now lives and where most of the seven essays that comprise the graphic novel “Save It For Later” take place. Nate Powell and I are also roughly the same age, and have similar upbringings, but perhaps the most connected I feel to the artist is the shock, anger, sadness, and resentment we share about the last four (now five) years the United States has experienced. As the artist on one of the most important pieces of literature in the last 20 years (working alongside writer Andrew Aydin and Congressman John Lewis to recount Lewis’ contribution to the U.S. Civil Rights activities of the 1960’s and beyond in the landmark series of graphic novels “March”), Powell is no stranger to the permanent struggle of all who seek equality and desire progressive policies. Here again, with this group of essays that – while thoroughly researched – are, in fact, enriched by Powell’s honesty and subjectivity, the struggle yet continues. Told almost exclusively through the lens of being a parent, Powell, with spectacular cartooning on full display, puts an iron grip on capital H “Hope.”
Emboldened by his time with Lewis and gaining a deeper understanding of the value of “Necessary Trouble,” Powell teaches his children that Hope is not enough, and that only through civic engagement and consistent pressure and advocacy can we see our values upheld, even and especially in the face of fascistic evil. Included in this graphic novel is also the previously published piece “About Face,” an essay that achieved viral success a couple times since it’s publication – a timely commentary on the rise of American fascism and the appropriation of Marvel’s Punisher skull logo by those in the military, law enforcement, and right wing militias. With a limited palette of colors, Powell’s line has never looked more assured, and his skill at graphic storytelling never so disarmingly natural. Though the subject matter is rooted in issues that cannot be easily untangled, Powell allows himself the grace to not have all the answers – but to nevertheless continue the necessary struggle, for this generation and those to come. – Johnny Hall
7. Avatar: The Last Airbender—Suki, Alone
Avatar: The Last Airbender fans have been very lucky with the comics. Thanks to writers Gene Luen Yang and Faith Erin Hicks, artists Chifuyu Sasaki & Naoko Kawano (Gurihiru) and Peter Wartman, and the involvement of series’ creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, the spirit of the show is very much alive and well on the comics page. Even still, ‘Suki, Alone’ stands out as a milestone achievement. It’s a story without Aang or Team Avatar. So many aspects of the show—the element bending, the hybrid animals, the world travel—are extremely subdued or entirely absent. Suki, who was almost always a supporting character in the show, steps into the lead role, while other familiar characters existing only in the extreme periphery. This isn’t a story about the good guys winning; it’s about being beaten down till breaking point and then finding the strength to get back up. This is a licensed comic series too, so stripping all these marketable elements back is a big deal—Hicks, Wartman, and the editors at Dark Horse probably had to fight for this one—and it pays off in a big way.
Continued below‘Suki, Alone’ is a bold statement for the direction of this series, focusing on a side character’s personal journey—not doing it as a short story, but on a grand scale of eighty pages so that readers know this is important, this matters. Not every Avatar comic has to be about large-scale conflicts; they don’t even need to be about the Avatar anymore. After ‘Suki, Alone,’ the comics truly feel boundless. ― Mark Tweedale
6. November Vol. 4
“November” is a different kind of crime comic, where “100 Bullets,” “Criminal” and “Sin City” revel in their own high fidelity, “November” tries something different. It’s a little unstuck, more poetic, more freewheeling, climbing up and down the thread of history, scattered between moments, narratives and intimacies. “November” Volume 4 took those wisps and threads, crammed them together, and set the whole story alight, leaving readers to look at which ashes remained, to the delight of all those who got to witness it.
This book was always posed to be the best of the series. It’s the collision point, the best part of a non-linear story is alway when those pieces come together, when characters collide and you get to complete the full timeline unconsciously growing in the back of your mind. This is a major strength of writer Matt Fraction, the formation of winding stories that intrigue through structure alone, but never beg for your attention. He rewards investment.
That said, I have to confess that I stopped reading these books for the writing about 4 pages into that first volume. It’s unfair of me, because it is unabashedly stellar writing, but no prose can really compete when put next to the art of Elsa Charretier. Her grasp on silhouette and boldly defined design comes to a head here as she embraces her Darwyn Cooke connection perfectly in a crime comic all her own, as the noir city-slum textures of “Parker” mix with a human frailty all her own. It’s been so uplifting seeing the growth of a new generation of artists who have been inspired by Cooke and have reinterpreted their influence in the most irreverent manner possible, whether it’s in Cliff Chiang’s “Catwoman: Lonely City,” Brubaker and Phillips’ “Reckless,” or the swirling crime saga of “November” and its violent night. – James Dowling
5. Djeliya
Whether you’re the type to roam independent bookstores for the top half of this list, or the graphic novel fan whose interests crossed over from direct market geniuses like the bottom half, Juni Ba’s “Djeliya” (TKO) captured something ineffably cool that sat right in the middle of these sectors. Yet “Djeliya” had a vibe all its own. Juni Ba’s playful, “Powerpuff”-like style has been gracing variant covers that jump off comic book shelves in that Darwyn way, like that Michael Cho flow, for a little while now. It’s no accident that the tastemakers at TKO were a welcome home for this pamphlet-sized picaresque that weaves West African style, story, and myth with Genndy Tartakovsky-type bigfoot pop art. The result is a brilliant chemistry of renegade revelry and soulful search for the freedom brought on by story and song. Ba’s deft diagonals and cartoonly exaggerations produce a set of characterizations— Awa Kouyaté, the destined Djeli; Mansour Keita, the tragic prince— nested in a world throbbing with life of its own. Many good books this year presented a pulpy (and dissolute, disillusioned) past. “Djeliya” is our future. – Paul Lai
4. Reckless
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have been together for so long, their names are like a brand. They’ve bounced around to different companies, different characters, and different stories for so long, when a new book comes out from them its their names, not the title, that really sells the book. They’re the new Lee & Kirby, the new Simon & Kirby. The only recent team that comes close to their accomplishment, maybe, is Loeb & Sale, but even they were still working with characters that were pre-established with a built in audience to some degree. No one should be shocked that the “Reckless” graphic novel series was a successful experiment, nor that the series appears on our best-in-class list. But, on the off chance you aren’t familiar with the creators or this book, let me sell you on it.
Continued belowLike all great mysteries, “Reckless” is set in the wonderfully romantic era of the 1970s, where characters had enough modern conveniences to feel contemporary, but not with plot-wrecking cell phones or advanced technology that turns investigations into a computer algorithms. The characters are also all afflicted with the deep cynicism that followed the 60s, putting them in a familiar frame of mind for readers in the 2020s. The main character is Ethan Reckless, who comes in the classic mystery model of tough, clever, and in way over his head. Like Fleming’s James Bond, or Chandler’s Philip Marlowe, or any of Elmore Lenard’s stars, Ethan starts with a breadcrumb and ends up tearing down the whole bakery.
If nothing in the previous paragraph means anything to you (and I hate to tell you this), then you’ve never really experienced the mystery genre. That’s the bad news. The good news is that “Reckless” is still readily available and you can rectify this oversight on your next trip to the comic shop. You’ll be glad you did. – Drew Bradley
3. Reckless: Friend of the Devil
“Friend of the Devil” is another solid entry for what has to be one of, if not the most prolific writer/illustrator team working today. Yes, ladies and gentleman, writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips are back at it with another installment of “Reckless.” Ethan Reckless has become one of the most interesting comic creations of the last decade. Because of the time-jumping element, Reckless as a series provides insight into historical elements that have shaped our country.
Ethan is a more morally sturdy character than we are usually treated to by Brubaker and Phillips, and that is what allows him to become the lens into which we understand our true nature as a country. Because while he is a killer, he isn’t fully cold blooded. He is the unchanging man who has to respond to the changing world around him. It’s the man without a name archetype but through what feels like a time machine. This is reflected in the way that he takes it upon himself to hunt down every owner of a particular snuff film that is the macguffin of the whole story. He does it not for the money or the fame, but to set things right in a dark and dirty world.
“Friend of the Devil” is our creator’s reflection of humanity with a depth and urgency that the historical element provides to the story. They use the extra pages in this single-shot graphic novel format to bring characters to life with deeper backstories than what you normally would get in a pulp. Linh, a Vietnamese immigrant is our lens into the American dream versus the American tragedy. Far from a standard damsel in distress or a femme fatale, she is a complex character with her own set of unspoken demons that will have to be resolved off page, as she disappears into the sunset a tragic memory for Ethan Reckless. By the end of the book, you realize it’s Ethan who might be the friend of the devil.. because he is the one tasked to send sinners to hell, and he does it so well. – Henry Finnz
2. Reckless: Destroy All Monsters
We are now three books deep into Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’s “Reckless” series and they simply keep getting better with each new story. “Destroy All Monsters” jumps ahead three years from the last story to give us a look at a slightly older, but not much wiser Ethan Reckless. A case involving a corrupt real estate mogul gets our heroes entrenched in nasty secrets while the past informs the present to create a story that puts everything Ethan cares about in harm’s way.
Brubaker and Phillips continue to gift us with an exquisitely told crime thriller saga with the perfect amount of real character and heart at the center. “Destroy All Monsters” is the perfect example of this kind of story. It gives us new material to move the series forward while going back to fill in the gaps as to why we have so easily fallen in love with these characters. The new information doesn’t force our fandom, but rather enriches it. This book is exactly the reason why people have enjoyed this genre for decades. It is the embodiment of grit and grime, violence and danger; all while giving us plenty of emotional power to bring it all home. It is elevated pulp without sacrificing what makes pulp fiction and noir stories so fun. It is whole-heartedly clever, without playing it too smart and talking down to the reader. It never shies away from the peril or brutality. It still basks in the darkness all while set in sunny southern California. “Reckless” works best when read in order, so while you can jump right to this HIGHLY recommended chapter, reading it as the most recent culmination will make the journey through it all the better. The emotional beats of this book are some of the best in the series; and while some readers may see certain reveals coming before they reach the final page, not one detail falls flat or feels false.
Continued belowThis is easily one of the best original graphic novels of the year as it put me through the emotional ringer. It pushed all my buttons without over-doing it. It is scary, exciting, heartbreaking, and fun as hell. This is my second time writing about a Brubaker and Phillips OGN for our Year in Review, and it probably won’t be the last. One of the best creative teams working today continuously craft some of the best books every year. “Reckless: Destroy All Monsters” is a near-masterpiece. – Chris Egan
1. Monsters
Some said writer/artist Barry Windsor-Smith’s long-awaited graphic novel “Monsters” would never see the light of day. Smith had let his over-ambition and perfectionist tendencies paralyze him like a cartoonist Howard Hughes, they said. But this year saw the book finally published by Fantagraphics some 20+ years after first announcing it. What Smith & publisher delivered is not only worth the wait and the best graphic novel of the year, but it turns out the guy who made all those comics you loved as a kid finally got to make one of them you can love as an adult.
Starting off as a one-off “Incredible Hulk” pitch almost 40 years ago, this story about horrors both human and superhuman has grown as much in those decades, if not more, than the green goliath that inspired it. That submitted-but-unpublished pitch, with its premise of the Hulk reliving an earlier instance of child abuse from his alcoholic father, ‘inspired’ (or was ripped off) a similar story during Bill Mantlo’s run. Even the watered down version was powerful enough for Peter David to build his take on Bruce Banner and alter ego around it, and THAT run of comics has been integral to every take on the character in the last 30 years.
But to look at “Monsters” as Smith simply puffing up his Hulk story with the serial numbers filed off, or “Weapon X” redux, is flat-out criminal. Even if that were the case, the master cartooning at work here alone would still make this a year’s best book. But Smith’s maturation as a storyteller has let this project grow into its own beast; starting adjacent to Kirby’s atomic age monster concept, but melding it with the horror & atmosphere of a Stephen King rather than Stan Lee.
Barry Windsor-Smith is one of the best storytellers American comics has ever seen, and we should all be thankful he ultimately got the chance to remind us of that with “Monsters.” – Greg Matiasevich
