Kicking off November's Top Five is Adam:

5 - The Fifth Beatle

Basically if you like The Beatles (and if you don’t, you should question your musical taste), you need to check out this graphic novel.  It’s a journey throughout Brian Epstein’s life (He was said to be the “Fifth Beatle” by Paul McCartney).  It’s a story that depicts a perfect balance of the grandeur and success he received while enduring hardships which would ultimately claim his life.  These included extreme loneliness, which seems odd to many people since he was surrounded by people who loved him and by a band that preached love and peace in their music.  However, you’ll learn that Brian faced adversity while being gay at a time and place where it was illegal to be so.  He was also a workaholic which didn’t help his anxiety and depression.  The journey through this book is remarkable, and it’s clear a lot of passion and research went into it.  The art is just breathtaking as well.  This is one of those books to show to people who think they don’t like comics.

4 - The Walking Dead

Man, this story arc is going to be crazy.  We finally see some bloodshed.  Rick figuratively fires the first shot by out-smarting Negan with tactics rather than brute force and wins this first battle.  That’s a huge step in the right direction since up to this point, it seemed that Negan was going to be the death of Rick’s people.  He seemed crazy enough to have them in the palm of his hand, especially when he killed Glenn and now kills Gregory.  The fact that Negan saved Holly’s life and now is in control of her is almost hard to think about.  I also want to see how Dwight reacts to Negan’s commands.  I can’t wait to see how this unfolds further.

3 - Alex+Ada

I know not everyone agreed with me, but I loved this issue.  I can see where Dustin and Kevin were coming from when they discussed this book on the CBMFP.  Personally, I hadn’t experienced what they were talking about during the episode, so to me this idea is fresh and extremely interesting.  I love when books can convey emotion well, and this book does that incredibly well.  I feel Alex is a relatable character-everyone at some point just feels like they’re just going through the motions and might just think of life as ‘what’s the point?’  Whether or not this robot that he thinks is weird to have will help him be happier in life is the big question.

2 - Umbral

I totally took a shot in the dark by picking up this comic at the store.  The fact that it was a ‘dark fantasy’ didn’t do anything for me.  But I felt I might as well open my mind to different types of comics, so why not check it out?  I’m really glad I did.  The world that is just introduced in this first issue is enthralling in itself (with a map to boot!).  The main character Rascal is awesome, go check out Dustin’s My Top Rack on her to get some more insight on that.  She’s scared of what’s going on in her world with the Oculus (nightmare-like monsters) returning and the death of her friend the prince, but she’s also wise beyond her years and handles the events with ease.  This includes kicking an old man in the nether regions.  Quite an adventure out of the gate, I can’t wait to see where this one goes.

1 - Coffin Hill

I know it’s early, but if Coffin Hill can keep the pace it’s at right now, it could rival Revival as my favorite ongoing series.  This issue was perfect in my eyes-it set the tone for what’s to come next while ironing out some of the creases that occurred in the debut issue.  The mystery surrounding Coffin Hill with more disappearances in the woods is going to be quite a ride to solve, and Nate needs Eve to do so.  I’m also eager to see if they find Dani, their friend who went missing in 2003 due to Eve’s dark magic, along the way.  The art is some of my favorite out there today as well.  Issue #3 is my most anticipated book of December.