Comic Book Herald

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The Best DC Comics of 2021 (So Far!)

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2021 is a recovery year for DC Comics, emerging from the final fumes of DC Rebirth, Death Metal, and the Dan Didio editorial reign, with a unique opportunity to carve out a new vision for the publisher. The year began with the two month “Future State” timeline, before segueing into a wide variety of series relaunches and creative turnover in DC’s Infinite Frontier.

The sheer amount of change makes this year a little more difficult than previous years in determining best ofs and entrance points, but honestly, it also makes for one of the most interesting lineups DC’s had in a few years.

Below you’ll find the best DC Comics of 2021, updated throughout the year as new comics are released and I read new favorites! [Read more…] about The Best DC Comics of 2021 (So Far!)

The Best of Batgirl Comics!

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The title of Batgirl has been held by several characters in DC’s history. Betty Kane, Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain, and Stephanie Brown: all have made their mark on the mantle, whether they were the first or the one most often identified by the role. We have taken into account all of the Batgirls when compiling this list, and while some are going to be favoured over others, every Batgirl deserves her chance to shine.

This list is presented in chronological order, rather than a definitive ranking. Despite its infamy, The Killing Joke will not be included here. While it is important to Barbara Gordon’s story, as it resulted in Barbara being paralysed, it is not a Batgirl story and does not focus on Barbara. The Killing Joke also has questionable canonicity, as there are conflicting statements as to weather it is an Elseworlds entry or fully canon (though Three Jokers may have changed this). [Read more…] about The Best of Batgirl Comics!

The Best of WEBTOON Comics!

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Originally launched as a platform exclusively for hosting Korean manhwa in 2004, Naver Webtoon, LINE Webtoon, or (more frequently) just Webtoon has become a monolith in webcomic circles for good reason since its expansion into Western comics hosting and translation in the mid-2010s.

Providing an intuitive, accessible, and highly functional digital-first desktop and mobile platform for both international and local readers and creators—including a female readership and creatorship in excess of 60%—Webtoon has ushered in an indisputable but often critically overlooked revolution in comics publishing with its dramatic take on comic democratization, narrative and visual formats, and finely tuned publishing practices. It’s also irrefutably (at times impenetrably) dense, hosting a wide array of romance, action, supernatural, sports, and horror comics updated weekly.

Yes, Webtoon’s annual readership in excess of 100 billion is deserved, but also daunting. Where does one start with the 500+ weekly comics, most (if not all) of which are worthy of your time? With our list of the best of both ongoing and completed offerings on the platform below, of course! [Read more…] about The Best of WEBTOON Comics!

Best 5 Hawkeye (Marvel) Comics & Graphic Novels!

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Hawkeye, the resourceful sharpshooting marksman of the Avengers, has always stood out amongst the other members of the team’s core roster, mainly due to his particular skill set and its lack of a real “wow” factor. Because of this, Hawkeye’s history has been a bit of a mixed bag, causing him to be a fan favorite that doesn’t sell well—an interesting conundrum. When compared to the other world-shattering powers/capabilities of his superhero teammates and counterparts, it’s hard to define the precise role that Hawkeye appears to serve in the heat of battle, and hard to ignore how damaging that has been to the perception of the character.

In addition to his time as an Avenger, Clint was also a member (and frequently a leader) of other superhero teams such as the West Coast Avengers, the Secret Avengers, and the Thunderbolts, just to name a few. With that being said, since his debut into the Marvel Comics foray, Hawkeye has been given a number of solo series, each tasked with creating a persona for Hawkeye outside of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Luckily, there exists a handful of storylines that do our bowman justice, and around the mid-2000s readers were treated with a revamping of sorts that reinvigorated Hawkeye’s lore/mythos and finally carved out a lane for him to no longer lurk in the shadows of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. With the mononymous MCU show coming to Disney+ soon, it would make sense to discuss the most incredible storylines that the mantle has had so far. So, let’s look at the five best Hawkeye storylines from the character’s entire existence. [Read more…] about Best 5 Hawkeye (Marvel) Comics & Graphic Novels!

This List is the Law: The Best Judge Dredd Comics

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Since his debut in 1977’s 2000 AD #2 over forty years ago, the grim, fit, and unapologetic Judge Dredd has become both one of comics’ most emblematic figures, but also one of its most enigmatic. A “Street Judge”—officer, judge, jury, and executioner in the monolithically dystopic Mega-City One—Dredd is, by all outward appearances, a one-dimensional satire of fascism in his original conception by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. Indeed, many purists and diehard fans will tell you that Dredd functions best when he is unflinching and morally reprehensible. A reflection of our own struggles with law and justice, living and dying.

But that idea essentially lacks nuance, dismissing the flexibility of Dredd as a figure and the function of his stories. As time progresses in both Mega-City One (literally—the series started in 2079 and as of now takes place in 2143) and the real world, so, too, does Dredd. A legacy character from a vast array of the most recognizable creators in comics, (including Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Mark Millar, John Wagner, Dan Abnett, and Pat Mills), Dredd is a vessel for stories with overwhelmingly sardonic takes on law, justice, and the often wholesale inability of politics to synthesize the two. Once lauded, over time these stories were also found to be all too prescient, overlapping with our own grim reality in both telling and narratively trying ways.

So, out of gross necessity, Dredd changed. Law and justice incarnate, saint and sinner, he’s better for it. A complex, enigmatic figure, in any given series Dredd can be seen as an uncompromising villain, but also, when needed, a legitimate hero. Violent, unhinged, resolute, kind, caring, contradictory and complex all in one, Dredd is a genuine icon, and one that has been central to some of the best comics stories of all time included below. [Read more…] about This List is the Law: The Best Judge Dredd Comics