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IGN's Most Wanted Comics of 2012
2012 is set to deliver a deluge of great new comics.
January 10, 2012 January 11, 2012 January 10, 2012
When we began 2011, we had no idea what were in for. We knew it would be a huge year of events like Flashpoint and Fear Itself, but had no inkling that those events were only the beginning. After a year of line-wide relaunches, gods of fear and spider-infested cities, what could 2012 possibly do to top it?
From where we're sitting, 2012 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for the comics medium, with some huge events in and of itself. More importantly, this is looking to be a year heavy on brand new stories, some by fresh faces and others by established favorites. Any way you slice it, we're pumped for the year in comics.
Animal Man/Swamp Thing
Publisher: DC | Release: Ongoing
Already favorites amongst critics and fans alike, Swamp Thing (by Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette) and Animal Man (by Jeff Lemire and Travel Foreman) are converging in ways we could never have imagined a few months ago. The battle with the infestation known as the Rot is well on its way, and it looks like the only way for either the Green or the Red to survive is to help one another.
While we're unsure if this story arc will result in an "official" crossover, it's clear that Snyder and Lemire are building to something huge that will have implications in both books.
Athos in America
Publisher: Fantagraphics | Release: March 2012
If you don't know of the Norwegian cartoonist known only as Jason, that needs to change immediately. With a huge catalog of work under his belt, the artist returns with his latest from Fantagraphics, called Athos in America. Similar to the collection Low Moon, this hardcover book is a collection of graphic novels that span a variety of unique, quirky, heartfelt tales in the way that only Jason's anthropomorphic characters could tell.
Including a mash-up of The Brain That Wouldn't Die and Who's Afraid of Virigina Woolf called, fittingly, "The Brain That Wouldn't Virginia Woolf," as well as a precursor story to his graphic novel The Last Musketeer, Athos in America is primed to be one of the must-read works of the year. And if you haven't heard of Jason, do yourself a favor and check out his book, I Killed Adolf Hitler, in preparation for this release. You're welcome.
Publisher: Marvel | Release: April 2012
It's pretty simple, really. Marvel's two biggest teams are facing off. There will be drama, explosions, tears, and quite possibly death. All roads are leading to quite the epic clash, and the fact that the hands of all of Marvel's "architects" (Brian Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman and Jason Aaron) have a role in the scripting is all the more enticing. Nevermind the fact that some of Marvel's best artists are involved as well. It's like an amalgam of the biggest talents of the last decade.
We expect this event to have huge ramifications on both franchises. More exciting is the fact that though it's a 12-issue series, it will be shipping on a bi-weekly schedule. That leaves plenty of room for the aftermath of these events to play out in Marvel books later in 2012. By all accounts, it looks like it's going to be a huge year at the House of Ideas.
Batman: Death By Design
Publisher: DC | Release: May 2012
It's not like Batman stories are in short supply. With nearly a dozen of DC's New 52 being Batman-related books and a bevy of Batman mini-series and OGNs released annually, it's not hard to find a Dark Knight story to get excited for every year. However, Chip Kidd and Dave Taylor's Batman: Death By Design takes the cake for our most anticipated Batman release of the year.
Approaching the Dark Knight from the angle of a period piece framed around Gotham City's construction boom, Death By Design incorporates a mystery of epic proportions that includes the Joker and the very architecture of Gotham City itself. The approach is heavy on research, design, and atmosphere, and we can't wait to see the twists and turns that a book like this can provide.
Cow Boy
Publisher: Archaia | Release: March 2012
If there is one thing that comics aren't seeing nearly enough of these days, it's all-ages comics. That's not to say stories that are enjoyable only to children, but comics that are truly all-ages, agreeable to kids and adults alike. Archaia's Cow Boy from Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos is prepped and ready to change that.
The storytellers take the extremely simple concept of a young bounty hunter hunting down his family of outlaws, and tell it with a simple cartooning style but a more mature narrative approach. Cow Boy doesn't "look down" at its younger readers but instead gives them a challenging, engaging story to follow. Better yet, the book will include some short stories by the likes of Roger Langridge (Thor: The Mighty Avenger) and the team behind Atomic Robo.
Publisher: Image | Release: January 2012
Having just launched last week, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' latest is already receiving rave reviews from an all-too-rabid fanbase eager for the duo's latest crime noir saga. While we're just as excited as the next person to have more solid Brubaker/Phillips storytelling, Fatale offers up a little something different than what we're used to.
Drawing from Lovecraftian horror as much as it does the hardboiled detective genre, Fatale is a must-read for fans of either. With a debut issue that sold out almost immediately, it's a safe bet that this series will be sticking around with lots more to come.
Justice Society of America
Publisher: DC | Release: TBD 2012
One of the biggest fan outcries in the aftermath of the DC relaunch announcement was the realization that there would be no Justice Society of America in the new continuity. How could they?! Before we had enough time to really contemplate giving up reading comics entirely forever, DC offered us a very simple fix: a new JSA book, set on Earth-2, by James Robinson and drawn by Nicola Scott. Well played, DC, well played.
Aside from the caliber of the creators involved, it will be interesting to see the New 52 incorporate the idea of the Multiverse. Will it make the New 52 less accessible for new readers? Will it blow the gates open for giant cosmos-spanning story arcs? Will it not make a difference? Though our excitement for the book is high enough, thinking about the implications it has on DC's new direction is even more appealing.
The Massive
Publisher: Dark Horse | Release: June 2012
2011 closed a lot of chapters for Brian Wood, ushering in the conclusion of DMZ and the beginning of the end of Northlanders. In addition, Wood's exclusive relationship with DC Comics came to an end, leading him to exciting new opportunities at Marvel (Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha and Omega) and the comic at hand, Dark Horse's The Massive.
Beginning with some prelude chapters in Dark Horse Presents #8, The Massive is a post-apocalyptic look at a group of environmental activists searching for their role in life after they've essentially failed. After all, what's left for them to do after the world they fought for is over? With art by Kristian Donaldson, The Massive should fill the gap in our hearts left by the conclusion of DMZ last year. Plus, with the Doomsday Clock having just ticked forward a notch, this kind of story is more relevant than ever.
Publisher: Image | Release: February 2012
Recently, we had Green Wake writer Kurtis J. Wiebe on the IGN Comics podcast, IGN Assemble, to talk about all of his upcoming 2012 projects. The one we're most excited for is Peter Panzerfaust, a re-imagining of the Peter Pan legend that transplants new takes on J.M. Barrie's classic characters into the heart of World War II with the help of artist Tyler Jenkins.
The book doesn't hit until February, but we've already read the first issue and can guarantee that it'll resonate with fans of Peter Pan, World War II-era stories, and of course, lush artwork. With Wiebe's own Green Wake starting as a mini-series and being upgraded to ongoing status after its strong critical and consumer reception, here's hoping that Panzerfaust catches on and delivers on its full potential.
Saga
Publisher: Image | Release: March 2012
While we could end this little blurb at "Brian K. Vaughan's new comic," we'll make the effort to continue. In addition to being BKV's first comic book work since Ex Machina ended a couple of years back, this new Image Comics series features the always-welcome artistic stylings of Fiona Staples and a premise that sounds epic enough to live up to BKV's previous works. It's the story of a family trying to stay together through the adversity of an intergalactic war, and with a name like Saga, how can it not be epic?
For the last decade, BKV has provided some of the most consistent work in comics, from Y: The Last Man to Ex Machina and all his work in between. It's not hyperbole to say that this is quite possibly our most anticipated new series of the year, and should prove to be another surefire success for Image Comics.
Publisher: Marvel | Release: January 2012
We really enjoyed Warren Ellis' all-too-brief stint on Secret Avengers, which provided high octane done-in-one stories of espionage and adventure perfectly suited to the book's title. However, 2012 ushers in the red-hot new creative team of Rick Remender and Gabriel Hardman to take over the series. Remender, still riding the wave of awesomeness from his acclaimed Uncanny X-Force, is set to overhaul the team and project them into an all-new story with the size and scope of his aforementioned work on X-Force.
Even better, Secret Avengers features IGN's Best Art Team of 2011: Gabriel Hardman and colorist Bettie Breitweiser. Their talents helped to make Hulk the prettiest book of last year, and all signs point to the same being true for Secret Avengers in 2012.
Saucer Country
Publisher: Vertigo | Release: March 2012
We've been waiting for Paul Cornell to tackle a creator-owned project at Vertigo for quite some time, and at last our wish comes true in 2012. For Saucer Country, Cornell is joined by New York Five and Local artist Ryan Kelly for a mash-up of political intrigue and, as the name would suggest, UFOs and aliens.
Following the governor of New Mexico as she begins her campaign for the presidency, we'll see her get abducted by aliens and subsequently use her campaign as a vessel to get answers for what happened to her. Vertigo has touted the series as X-Files meets West Wing, which is honestly enough for us. In addition, Cornell will be including true accounts of real-life abductees, serving as one-shot issues between arcs.
Publisher: Marvel | Release: February 2012
Whatever your thoughts on Fear Itself and Bucky's immediate "death" and return, the prospect of an espionage-style series written by Ed Brubaker with a character that he's been the primary force behind for nearly a decade is too exciting to pass up. With the Marvel Universe – aside from Cap and Black Widow – unaware of Bucky's existence, this series should play into the shadowy, black-ops side of the Marvel U while pushing the ongoing saga of Bucky Barnes forward in a new direction.
It says something that when Brubaker resurrected Bucky, fans cried foul and went into a rage. Yet, cut to years later, those same fans (us included) being upset that he was killed so off-handedly in Fear Itself. Luckily, it was all setup for the next chapter of Bucky's life, and we can't wait to take that ride in 2012.
What comics are you looking forward to in 2012? Sound off the comments below!
Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on MyIGN. You may or may not discover a profound number of cat pictures.
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