It was a year of good reading. There were some really surprising reboots, some excellent dark fantasy, plus some great LGBT characters and creators. I even threw a few non-SFF books into the mix. This list was originally posted to my old Tumblr.

 

10. Midnight Taxi Tango
by Daniel Jose Older

Daniel Jose Older has a talent for writing characters. While I enjoyed the other books in the Bone Street Rumba series, this one was by far my favorite. I wish Reza and Kia had been a larger part of the other books.

 

9. Wilde Life
by Pascalle Lepas

Wilde Life is a beautifully illustrated story that can be both creepy and moving. I really want them to print volume two so I can keep up with it.

 

8. Hero
by Perry Moore

This was a queer YA novel from a time when there weren’t all that many of them. While I didn’t love the not-Superman and not-Batman superhero stuff, the narrative and characters kept me going. What can I say, I love a good gay story.

 

7. Trillium
by Jeff Lemire

If you’re a fan of weird-as-fuck Sci-Fi/Horror with beautiful art and a short contained graphic novel, then you might also enjoy Trillium. Easily my favorite comic that is both written and illustrated by Jeff Lemire.

 

6. Letters for Lucardo
by Noora Heikkila

Letters for Lucardo is a beautiful queer love story with some truly unique character dynamics. It could be classified as smut/erotica, but it goes so much deeper than that.

 

5. Locke & Key
by Joe Hill & Gabrielle Rodriguez

I loved this weird and terrifying epic tale. I breezed right through all six volumes and will probably read it again at some point. Might need to check out more of Joe Hill’s stuff.

 

4. The Art of Asking
by Amanda Palmer

I read this while I was running a Kickstarter campaign, and I wish I had read it a month earlier. I don’t have a strong opinion on Amanda Palmer one way or the other, but there is a lot to learn from this book. Parts of it have really stuck with me.

 

3. What Belongs to You
by Garth Greenwell

This book is painfully beautiful in ways that I wasn’t expecting. Garth Greenwell really has a way with words. This book is no light read and probably not for everyone, but some of its passages really blew me away.

 

2. Monstress
by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda

I love this terrifying world that Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda have created. I love the detail in the art and lessons between issues and the unreliable protagonist. Seriously one of the best series going right now.

 

1. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
by Kyle Higgins, Hendry Prasetya, Thony Silas,
Jonathan Lam & Daniel Bayless.

This is going in my top spot because it reminded me just how much fun reading can be. The Boom Comics run of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is the exact right way to do a reboot. It strikes a perfect balance between the campy elements of the original show and just the right amount of grit to give it depth. It’s a blast from the past with a fresh feel.

 

Honorable Mentions:

As always, there are a few books that just missed the cut.

 

The Creators
by Michael S. Bracco

Star by Star
by Troy Denning

Apollo & Midnighter
by Steve Orlando & Fernando Blanco, & Romulo Fajardo Jr

I’snana the Were-Spider
by Greg Anderson-Elysee, Walter Ostlie, Lee Milewski, & Joshua Cozine

 

Kick-Ass Ongoing Series:

There are also new volumes of several ongoing series that have graced my favorites lists in years past. It wouldn’t be right to leave them off.

 

Saga
Brian K. Vaughn & Fiona Staples

Descender
Jeff Lemire & Dustin Nguyen

Atomic Robo
Brian Clevinger & Scott Wegner

Sex Criminals
Matt Fraction & Chip Zdarsky

 

 

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