Comicon’s Best Writers 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 5 Best Comic Series of 2023.

5. James Tynion IV

When you’re hot, you’re hot. Tynion picked up yet another Eisner Award for Best Writer back in July for his work on House of Slaughter, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd, The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country, and The Department of Truth, among others. He added to that impressive list later in the year with the top-notch W0rldtr33 and Universal Monster: Dracula. Is there anything this guy can’t write well?

— Tom Smithyman

4. Ram V

There is no doubt, Ram V is one of the best writers working in comics today. Whether it’s with IP giants or creator owned tales, Ram has a vision that plays out, often in a way truly showing what comics are capable of being and doing. Each title he writes is chock full of amazing character depth, off the wall ideas, deep human moments, x-ray level glances at the internal workings of society as a whole, hilarious fun, weighty action, and so much more. Walking away from any Ram V issue feels like consuming an unbelievable five course meal, every single time. Want to support someone that clearly has love for the medium, but also storytelling in general, this is your guy.

— Scott Redmond

3. Mark Waid

When just about every critic and reader has collectively turned up their nose at the superhero genre, along comes a storyteller who reminds us why these characters and genre are so beloved. Waid writes DC’s classic cast of characters in a way few others can — authentic to the characters’ roots and their cultural symbolism while also being creative, surprising, and emotionally engaging.

Waid doesn’t indulge in trends, fads, or flashy redesigns, but instead dives into what makes Batman, Superman, and Shazam amazing. And they are writ large on the page. His writing may be a love letter to Golden Age comics but as the years pass, Waid’s time on the characters will be considered a classic age of its own.

— Tito James

2. Kelly Thompson

If Thompson’s only accomplishment this year was wrapping up her (fifty issue!) run on Captain Marvel, that would be enough. Why stop there, though, when you can add launching two creator-owned series (Black Cloak and The Cull) and Birds of Prey to the list? And then there’s, of course, Thompson’s greatest gift to comic-dom: Jeff the Land Shark, whose digital series – It’s Jeff! – was collected in two special print issues (never has an exclamation point been more necessary). The tone of these series couldn’t be more different. That the same person who’s so good at writing for teams can also write the most fun, silent exploits for a land shark shouldn’t be possible, yet that’s Thompson to a T. She’s a superwriter.

— Rachel Bellwoar

1. Al Ewing

Ewing had a hell of a year. Starting the year as one of the architects of Marvel’s flagship X-Men line, he orchestrated an X-Men event, continued to set apart X-Men Red as the best title in that expansive line, and launching two new Marvel titles with Avengers Inc and Immortal Thor. It was a prolific year. Even better: each issue of every one of his series maintained the high standard that he set for himself. There’s nothing in comics right now like a Ewing page turn, and that’s something every other writer should aspire to.

— Tony Thornley