Comicon’s Best Single Issues Of 2023

Welcome to Comicon.com’s Best of the Year Awards, gathering the best comics and comics talent of the strange year that was 2021. This year we will be awarding in the following categories: Best Original Graphic Novels, Best Comic Series, Best Single Comic Issues, Best Writers, Best Artists, Best Cover Artists, Best Colorists, Best Letterers, Best Digital/Webcomics, and Most Progressive Comics.

Contributors to Comicon’s Best of the Year Awards this year include: Rachel Bellwoar, Richard Bruton, Scott Redmond, Tito James, Tom Smithyman, and Tony Thornley.

The following are Comicon’s Best Single Comic Issuess of 2023.

5. Rare Flavours #1, published by BOOM! Studios; written by Ram V, drawn and colored by Filipe Andrade, and lettered by Andworld Design

A first issue has so much work to do. It has to introduce the characters and, often, the world they inhabit. It must also set up the thrust of the story, whatever the obstacles might be, and do all that while being supremely engaging so readers come back for more. Seems like a tall ask, unless it’s a first issue from Ram V and Filipe Andrade. They do all of that and more with such ease; there is never a question whether someone will come back for the rest of the meal they are offering. And a true painstakingly crafted multi-course meal is what this creative team is presenting with this series. It firmly establishes itself and its main characters, tantalizing the reader with places and cuisine that might not be regular for them. One of the best comics that any fan of the medium will ever read, hands down.

— Scott Redmond

4. Midlife (Or How To Be A Hero At Fifty) #1, published by Image Comics; written by Brian Buccellato, drawn and colored by Stefano Simeone, and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

A person having a midlife crisis on their fiftieth birthday is to be expected. What happens to Ruben in Midlife on his fiftieth birthday is a little more out of the ordinary. It’s the ordinary, recognizable conversations that Ruben has with the people in his life, though, that make this first issue resonate. From family curve balls, to a job where getting yelled at comes with the territory, Ruben’s daily routine feels real and — with the help of Otsmane-Elhaou (who uses different fonts in the same speech bubble sometimes, to get at the nuances of how people talk and go from saying things under their breath to being audible) — full of emotion. Simeone does a great job establishing Ruben’s normal so Buccellato can disrupt it. Keep an eye out for Simeone’s triptychs, which masterfully trick the eye into seeing movement instead of a continuous image.

— Rachel Bellwoar

3. Immortal Thor #1, published by Marvel Comics; written by Al Ewing & Jonathan Hickman, drawn by Martin Coccolo, colored by Matthew Wilson, and lettered by Joe Sabino

The idea of a Big Two relaunch has reached the point that it’s practically eye-rolling. That means a new #1 really has to make a mark to set itself apart. To get a relaunch of one of Marvel’s biggest heroes in the same vein of the character-redefining Immortal Hulk from that series’ writer was one of the most thrilling things we could have received. The first issue immediately showed readers that this Thor series wouldn’t just be the spiritual successor to Hulk, but that it would stand out as something that would make the Thunder God a prime member of Marvel’s pantheon once again.

— Tony Thornley

2. Detective Comics #1075, published by DC Comics; lead story written by Ram V, drawn and colored by Francesco Francavilla, and lettered by Ariana Maher

Picking just one issue from the current run of this title is a difficult prospect. Yet, it was also an easy call. So many creators have visited or redone the origins of Batman over the character’s 80 years of existence. This creative team, though, found a unique and genuinely interesting way to approach it. From the artwork of Francavilla that captures the fear aspect needed for Batman’s demon induced trip down memory lane, to the precise, inspired writing of Ram V, and lastly, the intricate tone-setting lettering that Ariana Maher always delivers. Every aspect just works, and takes an issue in the middle of an arc and turns it into a deep, introspective, engaging character-focused one-shot. Yet, it never loses the overall series momentum. That takes some levels of skill that are off the charts.

— Scott Redmond

1. The Devil’s Cut, published by DSTLRY; written, drawn, colored, and lettered by various

It’s probably not fair to the finalists to include The Devil’s Cut in this list. After all, the premiere offering from upstart publisher DSTLRY boasts a who’s who of the comic book world, including Mirka Andolfo, Brian Azzarello, Jock, Joelle Jones, Tula Lotay, Scott Snyder, and James Tynion IV. These creators, and more, offer 11 short stories ranging from horror to science fiction and western to erotic folk horror. There’s a hilarious spy story from PK Colinet and Elsa Charretier. Jones and Stephanie Philips team up for a chilling story about a woman who has fallen in love with a man she is autopsying. And Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso deliver a Old West contemplation of love. This one has everything, and will serve as a jumping off point for several new series.

— Tom Smithyman