Welcome to our end of the year list! Unlike other sites, we give all of our writers the opportunity to make their own picks. What you'll read below and on the rest of the site is a list of each individual writer's picks. As much as we like making our choices, we love hearing yours so let us know what you'd pick for the "Best Ongoing Series" below in the comments.
DUSTIN: Mind MGMT (Dark Horse Comics)
Yes this series has come to a close, but up until that close it was the best monthly comic book on the market. Not just the best monthly, but the best comic written and illustrated by one man. There will never be another series like Mind MGMT and it's effects on the medium are yet to be seen, but there will be effects. It's that damn good and I would be a fool not to send it out with our top honor.
AUSTIN: My Hero Academia (Viz Media)
One-Punch Man has gotten the most love out of all the Shonen Jump titles this year. A lot of that love is deserved, especially given the stellar anime adaptation. But My Hero Academia is building a weekly series that looks to be one of the flagships of the next generation of great Shonen series. Horikoshi is building a tremendously smart, character-driven series, with art that can go toe-to-toe with almost any other mangaka working right now. This series puts most western superhero stories to shame.
STEVE: Midnighter (DC Comics)
Not only is this one of the hardest hitting, most brutal books on the stands - let alone in the Big 2 - it is also the only love story in comics I can actually tolerate, and in fact, enjoy. It also shows how to do diversity on a mainstream level well, where so many other books fail.
ASA: Lazarus (Image Comics)
It is at this point a given that Image books start off a little slowly. Unfortunately, Lazarus took this a bit further than normal and only really started picking up momentum at the end of 2014. Thankfully, this led to the best year yet of Greg Rucka's dystopian thriller. Michael Lark continued to do exceptional work, and in fact Lazarus remains one of only comics out there that lets some of its most important beat be conveyed by wordless art. Greg Rucka's world building and characterization have begun to tie into each other in a way that has made Lazarus a near perfect book.
JAMES: Southern Bastards (Image Comics)
As hardened as three day old grits and yet as tasty as a deep fried Oreo cookie (which is a real thing in the south), The "Jasons" (Aaron and Latour) have created the quintessential piece of southern gothic literature for the digital age. Being a life long resident of the south, I appreciate the attentioin to detail and development of the characters that feel like they were plucked right out of my back yard, which also kind of scares me a little bit. But the richness of story, the brutal art sequences, and the overall "feel" of the comic is as good as you will ever find anywhere. "Keep Bringin Em Son" is all I can say.
CHRIS: Low (Image Comics)
Rick Remender had an awesome year, with four on-going series being published by Image, all of which are well worth reading. Low stole the show for me though, with its underwater world showcasing a humanity that knows the end is near. The deep ocean is a perfect place to explore, and Remender and Tocchini make future Earth seem otherworldly. A story of hope against all odds, this is not only a fun sci-fi comic but also a truly life affirming read.