June was basically dominated by DC’s Rebirth and Marvel’s biggest heroes fighting each other again in “Civil War”. Summer tends to be when people try and catch up on their reading thanks to vacations and day trips to the beach so thankfully there was a whole lot going on with comic books. What I wanted to do with this month’s edition of this column is focus a bit more on the non superhero side of comic books. I think it’s important to highlight the stuff that we might overlook when we’re being bombarded by corporate marketing and as much as I love DC and Marvel, publishers exist outside of them. With that said, let’s look at the best comic books of June 2016.
Best Issue: “Hellboy in Hell” #10
The first day of June also gave us the best issue of the month. Without a doubt, “Hellboy in Hell” #10 was the best single issue that came out in June. It’s also one of the most memorable endings in comic book history. I won’t spoil how it all ends but know that it’s perfect and I couldn’t imagine anything better.
Best Debut Issue: “She Wolf” #1
Rich Tommaso’s “She Wolf” #1 kind of divided reviewers but to be honest, I thought it was a breath of fresh air. Image publishes creator owned series but so many of those are written by big name creators with movie deals and pasts at Marvel and DC. There’s nothing wrong with this but what I’ve wanted to see the publisher do is take chances on books that actually feel like indie books. I want to see Image publishing subversive and very unique looking comic books. “She Wolf” is that. It’s a werewolf story that feels like a fever dream and I loved every bit of it.
Best DC Rebirth Launch: “Green Arrow”
Of all the DC Rebirth titles that were announced, “Green Arrow” wasn’t super high on my list of titles I wanted to check out. What a surprise this one turned out to be! The first full issue of the series brought back the chemistry between Oliver and Black Canary that I desperately missed. It was action packed, paced nicely and was actually kind of sexy.
Best Artist: Rich Tommaso
Tommaso gets the win here because he had two big releases this month. I really didn’t know of his work until this month when both “She Wolf” and “Dark Corridor” came out so yes, right now I’m a tad bit obsessed with his aesthetic. His art is sort of playful but can get very dark and mysterious when it needs to be. “Dark Corridor” specifically is visually unlike any other crime noir that I’ve ever seen. He’s not new to the game but I’m so glad that I’ve gotten to experience his work for the first time this month.
Best Writer: Matt Kindt
Between “Dept. H”, “Poppy and The Lost Lagoon” and “Divinity”, Matt Kindt had a great month. He’s consistently one of the most reliable writers in comics and a personal favorite of mine. “Dept. H” is an amazing slow burn of a mystery that feels like a true spiritual successor to “Mind MGMT” and “Divinity” is another Valiant book that successfully sets them apart from anyone else.
Most Pleasant Surprise: “Weird Detective” #1
I read a lot of comics between both sites I review for. A lot of #1’s specifically. With no intent to be shady, not everything sticks with me. I can only mentally keep track of so many comics and with work and life, there’s just not enough time to read so many monthlies. This month, I read “Weird Detective” #1 solely to review for Multiversity and it was so much fun with such a biting sense of humor. It was one of my favorite single issues this year and I can honestly say that I’m hooked.
Best Collected Trade Paperback: “Clean Room” Volume 1
Gail Simone has a big personality and you can always see that in her writing. For much of her career, she’s written established characters for DC, Marvel and Dynamite. “Clean Room” is her first Vertigo series and it definitely doesn’t disappoint. It’s incredibly creepy and that’s in large part due to Jon Davis Hunt’s art. It’s a crazy, crazy book that shows Simone still has a lot of tricks up her sleeve.
Best Manga: “Assassination Classroom” Volume 10
There is a lot of manga coming out in the United States each month and it just makes my reading list grow and grow. One of the few I’m actually caught up on (at least in volume form) is “Assassination Classroom” by Yusei Matsui. This is one of the most fun young adult starring manga series going right now and I’m so sad to let it go soon (it’s already wrapped). Without saying too much about this volume’s events, the students of 3-E continue to find new ways to try and kill their teacher but once again they realize they may not be able to do this after all. Ten volumes in, this is still one of my favorite books to read because the quality has remained high.
What were your favorite comics in June? Let me know in the comments below!
