all 100(ish) comics i read in january, ranked
A super-comprehensive list by Morgan Ward
Okay, so the title is a little disingenuous, as right now, I have not read one hundred comics, but I have read seventy-three and my plan for tonight, as it is most nights, is to read comics until I fall asleep, so I feel like come February 1st, I will have read one hundred comics, which is a rather impressive statistic, in my opinion. In December my friend shared with me her spreadsheet that she had used to track all of the comics she read, and I (someone who compulsively tracks the movies they watch and books they read) decided I would give it a shot in 2023. At times, I wish I hadn’t, because this spreadsheet has forced me to confront a problem I didn’t know that I had, namely, I think I read too many comics.
Maybe there’s no such thing, but still, one hundred in a month feels like a lot.
Also, as much as I would like to rate all seventy-three issues like a Buzzfeed article circa 2014, I don’t think anyone would enjoy reading that. I certainly wouldn’t enjoy writing that. Maybe I should think about retitling this piece.
Anyway, here are some of the highlights from January.
“Amazing Fantasy #1000”
I started off my year on a strong foot, and by that I mean I finally read a comic I had wanted to read since it hit stands last August, but since it was an anniversary edition, I had to curse the gods above (Marvel Corporate) and wait patiently, because there was no way I was going to spend $10 on one issue. The issue in question was “Amazing Fantasy 1000”, which celebrated the 1000 issue of Amazing Fantasy and more specifically, Spider-Man.
I’m what I like to call a Spider-Man Fan (derogatory), he is my first and without question, my favorite superhero, but in some weird paradox, I am cursed to never receive a good Spider-Man ongoing in my lifetime. It will never happen unless something really drastic happens in the great Disney palace in the sky. Since I have grown to be wary of Spider-Man comics, I approached “Amazing Fantasy” with great caution (and great responsibility), but I came out of that issue with a new theory on what should be done to Spider-Man. “Amazing Fantasy 1000” was a series of mini-stories, similar to a Pride Anthology, all told by different artist and writer teams. Now this will never happen, because Spider-Man, and Peter Parker specifically, is Marvel’s biggest-selling series, but after “Amazing Fantasy,” I am convinced that Peter Parker should no longer have an ongoing series.
Due to limitations made by Marvel corporate, Peter Parker cannot grow as a character, which becomes really frustrating for new writers who try to write the character. There’s only so much that you can do with him without having him go through major character growth. These narrow stories aren’t suited for an ongoing comics run, where the point is that the stories keep going and that they matter. If Peter Parker can’t grow, why are we reading his stories? So we’re left with a stalemate, Peter can’t grow, and his stories get boring. What do we do? Exactly what “Amazing Fantasy 1000” does tells single stories by authors who really want to write the character, without needing to have a longer story in mind or getting bogged down by corporate. Peter thrived in “Amazing Fantasy” in ways he hasn’t in years, and that’s because the issue was about Peter Parker as an icon, not as a character. Which, at this point, if he can’t grow up, it’s where he should stay. Let him retire and become an icon. At this point Marvel has so many Spider-People, I can’t say I’d miss him that much. Miles Morales has proven to be a more interesting character in recent memory and he isn’t limited by being an “iconic” one. From there, with Peter gone, “The Amazing Spider-Man” title can become Miles and Miles’ alone. After the runaway success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), many children see Miles as the only “Amazing Spider-Man,” so why shouldn’t the series title be his?
Obviously, this will never happen, and I will continue to see wonderful comic writers and artists get wasted on the Amazing Spider-Man title (seriously, you got Zeb Wells and JRJr and the book was boring? For shame.) But I can dream, and maybe eventually shell out $10 to have a physical copy of Amazing Spider-Man 1000.
MOVING ON!
“Scarlet Witch (2023) #1”
Released this month was issue one of Steve Orlando and Sara Pichelli’s Scarlet Witch (2023) ongoing series (and as I write this, issue two is out today!)
This comic has everything. Covers by Russel Dauterman, Wanda atoning for the hurt she’s caused others, Wanda bonding with her family, Pietro Maximoff, mentions of Pietro’s daughter Luna, Wanda not as the step-mom but as the mom who was forced to step up, because her ex-husband decided to do something foolish; businesses that are not registered with local governments, The Maximoffs actually colored correctly, Darcy Lewis.
What more could you want? Seriously though, if you have never read a comic (which, how did you end up on my substack) and are looking to get into comics, or if you’re a huge fan of Wanda from the MCU, this is a great comic to pick up, because it was green-lit because of Wanda’s success in the MCU and designed to be an entry point for new readers.
(For more on that, listen to Steve Orlando and Russel Dauterman’s interview on Greymalkin Lane: The Podcast, here).
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead
One of my goals this year is to read more Indie comics (ie: non-big two), so the way I started this was by re-upping my Comixology subscription, asking the guys at my comic shop, and reading the work from big two authors that I already loved. This method led me to Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo’s We Only Find Them When They’re Dead
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead follows the crew of the Vihaan II, a space autopsy crew who travels the universe harvesting the remains of dead gods. When the opportunity finally presents itself, Captain Malik and his crew break from protocol and try to do the unthinkable — find a live god.
Let me tell you, from page one I was HOOKED. Sci-fi is a hard genre for me to get into, so I was a little hesitant, but after X-Men Red and S.W.O.R.D., I’ve decided that I would follow Al Ewing wherever he goes, and I’m glad I followed him here. I read the entirety of volume one in one setting, which I immediately regretted because I didn’t have volume two and needed to go get it (keep your eyes out for my February wrap-up, where it will certainly be appearing). I haven’t needed to keep reading a non-superhero comic with this much fervor since I read Paper Girls back in 2020. More people need to read this comic, just so I can talk to more people about it.
“Giant Size X-Men: Thunderbird (2022)”
Realistically this spot could go to any of the X-Men comics I read (which totalled 57, in case you were wondering), but in terms of the ones I wanted to single out I had to first talk about “Giant Size X-Men: Thunderbird” from last year.
John Proudstar, a.k.a. Thunderbird, because most people probably don’t know who he is, was part of what’s known as the “Second Genesis Team,” that was apart of the 1975 relaunch of the Uncanny X-Men, this is the team that brought legends like Storm and Wolverine to comic book stands. Thunderbird is easily the least known character from that team because, well, four issues after he’s introduced, he dies. For real. John Proudstar is the first X-Men to die, ever. And until the end of The Trial of Magneto (2021), he stayed dead! Which is crazy, because as Kitty Pryde is fond of saying, X-Men don’t stay dead for long. But Proudstar did!
This issue features the triumphant return of John Proudstar, as he wholy rejected Krakoa as “just another reservation” and returned home to reunite with his grandmother and his brother (New Mutant Jimmy Proudstar, a.k.a. Warpath).
“Giant Size” is also a revolutionary issue, because for the first time Thunderbird was written by a Native American writer, AEW Superstar Nyla Rose, who is from the Oneida Tribe, and he got a new costume designed by David Cutler, who is also a first-nations artist, from the Qalipu Mi'kmaq Nation. Proudstar’s new costume was designed to reflect his Apache heritage, using colors and designs from the Apache people.
On top of the impact of the representation behind the page, this issue was also really fun, and I enjoyed it! Glad I read it!
Love Unlimited (2022) “Karma in Love”
For my final issue (or issues) in my January wrap up, I want to talk about this amazing mini-series exclusive to Marvel Unlimited called “Karma in Love.”
Oh there’s so much good in this comic it’s unreal. As I write this, it’s almost done, which I am devastated by. Recently some Infinity Comics have found their way to physical copies, and I’m desperately hoping this one does too, because I have enjoyed every second of it.
I think the best way to sing the praises of this book are to just list my favorite things about it along with some panels and leave it at that because oh my god what an amazing joyous comic.
Trung Le Nguyen is the first Viatnamese writer to ever write Karma which is huge!
Trung Le Nguyen fixed Karma’s name! Since her debut Karma’s name was "Xi’an Coy Mahn” which is not a Vietnamese name, and not even close to the correct structure for Vietnamese. Nguyen fixed it! So meet Manh Cao Xuân, a.k.a. Karma. <3
3. This series paid homage to Xuân’s (limited) publishing history, including her dating life! The comic is titled “Karma in Love,” so obviously, it’s about Karma in love, but that in itself was a breath of fresh air as despite being one of the few textual Lesbians at Marvel Xuân hadn’t even kissed a girl on panel until 2021. This series expands on Karma’s dating history exponentially! Karam deals with a surprise break-up by talking to Rogue (who was raised by lesbians, so she gets it). It appears that her girlfriend Ellie has rebounded with Dani Moonstar (which if true, would confirm Dani’s queerness as well). Karma also has a nice gay panic moment when she sees Captain Kate Pryde, which alludes to the mini-series Mecanix (2002), where it’s heavily implied that Kate and Xuân are dating.
4. This little moment between Karma and Psylocke. Granted this happens in one issue, and isn’t super long, but both Karma and Psylocke (Kwannon) have a long history of misrepresentation and poor storylines. The most notable of which was the thirty years of publication where Kwannon’s body was occupied by a white woman. (For more on that….uh…well…come back later, maybe i’ll write about it). Anyway! This moment was lovely, one because Xuân jokingly calls Psylocke the name that Kwannon is based on, the bodhisattva Quan Âm, who’s most famous statue is in Ho Chi Minh City, where Xuân is from.
See, it’s things like this, connections to culture and heritage that you only get from writers with authentic, diverse experiences, writing diverse characters. Plus, it’s always fun to watch Psylocke fight with other telepaths (and other Asian women!)
That brings me to the end of my January wrap up! Check back in next February, where I will probably read less comics, but I will have equally as exciting commentary!