Top 5 Fridays: Top 5 Comics I'm Thankful For

Welcome to a very special edition of Top 5 Fridays! In less than a week, many of us will be gathering around the table with friends and family to shovel food into our mouths. Despite this tradition, we must always remember why the holiday is called Thanksgiving and not National Food Coma Day. It is a day of thanks, and to remember what we are thankful for. Before you scroll past this post, no I'm not going to do something cheesy and spew emotional moments in my time here as a writer. What I am going to talk about though is comics that came out this year that I'm thankful for just existing. As always, this is an opinion-based list, so if you don't see a series/issue you like on this list, I apologize.

With the usual talk out of the way, let's dive in!

5: New Super-Man

When it comes to a new character's first run, comic writers add other famous characters into their first arc. Others try to use name recognition to pull in new readers, and rely on the quality of the book. This is the case of New Super-Man. This could have just been a lot of flash and no substance, especially with the only references to the main Superman being a few plot points from The Final Days arc which some of us found questionable. Thankfully the quality of the book has proved time and time again that while it may not involve the original Man of Steel, it soars as an equal rather than a spin-off. The characters are relatable and compelling, the art is top-notch, and the story has been fun. Kenan Kong is here to stay, and if you haven't started reading, you really should start.

4: Future Quest

I'm going to be brutally honest here.  I think the Hanna-Barbera 'rebirth' was only half successful. Scooby Apocalypse doesn't capture the love I had for mystery inc, and the less said about Wacky Raceland, the better. Flintstones returned to satirical form and then there's this epic adventure that I assume many viewers of the original cartoons wanted to see for the longest time. This series may sound like a mess, with dozens of Hanna Barbera's greatest action heroes uniting to fight an inter-dimensional menace, but it's probably one of the most fun books currently on shelves. The action is fun. The characters are fun. The Art is fun! I mean look at the cover above! This team makes this comic look friggin amazing and maintains the feel of the cartoons of yesteryear. Out of all the Hanna-Barbera comics, I say this one has gone above and beyond with each issue.

3: Superman: American Alien

Next, we have up is what I consider a contender for mini-series of the year. I want you to take a step back and look at all the Superman Stories of the New 52. While some were entertaining, I don't think there was a single arc that focused on the man behind the shield, rather than the shield itself. Max Landis fixed that. Rather than it being an Arc that focuses on just one aspect, we got many stories. Each of these stories focusing on a different aspect that made Clark into Superman, wow it in in the background lies the biggest element that he had to cope with: his alien heritage. It's an absorbing take on the origins of Clark Kent, and one I'll be recommending to my friends for years to come.

2: Omega Men

I remember how I stepped into the preview expecting a "Guardians of the Galaxy" style space adventure. Crack a few jokes here, have some heart to heart moments there, and wrap it up with a fun climax. It's actually the opposite, and I love the run because of it. It takes us and Kyle Rayner on a thought-provoking journey that will have us question the grayness of morality, corruption of church and state, etc. some have even compared it to terrorism in the Middle East and truthfully they aren't wrong. So for those keeping track at home, we have a topical, thought to provoke, dark sci-fi comic, which was adored enough for it to come back from being canceled and finished the run. If you are one of the many who didn't get a chance to read this masterpiece as it was being put out, I HIGHLY recommend picking up the complete edition.

Marvel Mention: Spidey

Look up any of my reviews to Spidey, and you will see me gush over how amazing(HA!) this series is. It returns the web-slinger back to his best-known form: The witty teenager trying to balance his life as a high schooler and as a superhero. Each issue is full of laughs, action, and heart that came with the very first comics made by Stan Lee. It's something that I feel is best experienced rather than being told about. The series, unfortunately, ended a few weeks ago, but I recommend picking up the collected addition when they do come out.

1: DC Universe Rebirth

I wanted to put Batman Rebirth on here...I also wanted to put Superman Rebirth, Wonder Woman Rebirth, Titans, Detective and Action comics, Green Arrow Rebirth, the list goes on. For a while, DC lost its path, sending characters down paths that felt foreign and unfamiliar. It affected sales and more importantly began to lose fans. It felt as if DC was going to be stuck in a pit trying to claw its way out with new ideas that do not fit the characters and the world we know and love. We needed something to bring our love back to life. We NEEDED Rebirth. When this issue came out, nearly everyone fell in love with it, and what it implied: Our heroes were returning to their glory, and so far, it seems like this new wave has been successful. And we have to thank it all to this first step into our current world.

That's it for this week's Top 5 Friday! What comic have you been thankful for this year? Leave a comment, and I'll see you next time!