Welcome back to our end of the year round-up! The categories haven't changed, but we are giving out something a little different this year to our winners... cuts. That's right, we're jumping you into the Comic Bastards winner circle! You can also listen to the "Best of 2014" podcast episode which is posted at the bottom to hear the entire list, otherwise check back for the next category. Now let's get going with our next category: Best Ongoing Series.
Neil - Rat Queens
This series is such a blast. It’s fun, it’s funny, and it’s got some great art. The beauty about the series is that you have five strong independent women as the stars of the book.
Allen - Rat Queens
I wanted to pick a new ongoing series from 2014, and this wins, although The Wicked + The Divine put up an amazing fight. It technically started last year, but its first trade was out in March so it counts. Rat Queens wins because it is a great, fun, fantasy series with bad ass female characters. Also it has been read by and loved by many of my friends who typically don't read comics.
James - The Woods
There are a lot of comic books that I like. It takes a hell of a lot to make me hate one. But there are few that capture my total attention month after month, after month. With The Woods, I anxiously await for this one to come out and I devour it each time like a ravenous dog. From story to art this hybrid John Hughes teen angst movie meets Lost has captured my imagination and thoroughly entertained. These Woods are deep in texture and characterization.
Andre - Saga
I wanted to choose something else initially just because Saga doesn't need further praise, but I couldn't deny that month by month this series continues being the one I look forward to the most. Consistently impressive in its character development, and art, with an approach to space opera that's not seen elsewhere, it's always a dark period whenever Vaughan and Staples go on hiatus.
Nina - Saga
I mean honestly, I can't choose anything else.
Jeff - Saga
Boring answer but true.
Carl - The Goon
I can't extol the greatness of the book any further. People will call me a mark for the book; those who read it will say that I am not giving it enough praise.
Samantha - TMNT
I am the most invested in this comic.
Dustin - Mind MGMT
There were so many options that I struggled with this one. The thing I've always hated about lists like this is they tend to focus on the new, but you know what... Mind MGMT feels new and fresh still. In fact it’s improving and that's saying something about a series that's heading into its final year. So that and the fact that it's one of the most incredible works in all of comics, is why it's getting my pick.
David - Lazarus
There were lots of amazing ongoing series' this year that deserved a place in this category, but ultimately Lazarus' consistently thought-provoking social commentary had to take the title. I am blown away by how excellent this series has been. I can't pick out a bad, or even slightly weak issue. The writing is some of the smartest you'll find in comics at the moment, and the artwork by Michael Lark is flawless. Not to mention all the extra content at the back of each issue, which means you're getting plenty of bang for your buck. If you're not reading Lazarus, you need to fix that right now.
Nick - Southern Bastards
Much as I love Sex Criminals and Hawkeye or Saga or any number of other titles, this is the one that has kept my interest consistently for the last 7 months, and not lost me at any point, with a sharp plot, fully realized characters and twists that punch you in the gut.
Steve - Southern Bastards
Gristly as hell in both art and narrative, with a first arc that shocks, while at the same time setting up an interesting track for its next one - incredible stuff.
Austin - Deadly Class
I grabbed Deadly Class for the hell of it during a sale on Image trades, but as soon as I opened it, I couldn't put it down. From story to lines to colors, this was the series that made it hardest to wait for a trade.
Kevin - Injustice: Gods Among Us
Listen to the Best of 2014 podcast to find out why!