To celebrate the end of the year, the staff of Sequential Planet will be listing their favorite things from 2018! Below are some of Pashtrik’s favorite picks of the year. Click here to see the rest of our picks!

Comic Books

Series of the Year: Saga

I know, I know, Saga is already kinda old and there were only six issues this year. But I believe that just proves how good the book is.

The arc started slowly, calmly, with a neat august blues feel to it. It’s all so nice and peaceful, but you can feel the end is near. And sure enough, things escalate, with the group finally coming face-to-face with The Will. This confrontation takes a huge toll on the group and you can be sure things will never be the same.

The arc is a fitting metaphor for life – you have to work long and hard for the good things in life, but all it takes is a single moment for everything to fall to pieces. It’s a heartbreaking ending, and it will take us at least eight more months for us to find out what happens next. The book has gone on a hiatus for a minimum of one year, after all.

Honorable mentions: Immortal Hulk, The Mighty Thor, Gideon Falls

Best Writer: Jeff Lemire

Gideon Falls is reason enough to consider Lemire the best writer of 2018. Then you remember The Sentry and The Terrifics. Then there’s Descender. And then you have the numerous Black Hammer projects he’s running, all of which are great books in their own right. it’s pretty obvious why it’s so easy for me to proclaim him the best writer of the year.

Honorable mentions: Brian K. Vaughan, Donny Cates, Al Ewing

Best Artist: Lee Garbett

There were a lot of great looking books this year, but Skyward is probably one of the best ones. Lee Garbett is the person responsible for making this zero-gravity post-apocalyptic book so beautiful. Whether it’s human faces, city skyline, giant dragonflies, or just some good-old storms manifesting as giant balls of thunder and water – Lee Garbett’s got it covered.

Oh and he also did a really cool job on Immortal Hulk #6

Honorable mentions: Fiona Staples, Joe Benett, Gary Frank

Best Colorist: Matthew Wilson

I’m a huge fan of Russell Dauterman’s work on The Mighty Thor. Despite his paneling getting really wacky and messy at times, the guy is a helluva great artist. But let’s be real, the thing that really made his art pop the way it did is the coloring. This is where Matthew Wilson takes the stage and steals the show. Look no further than The Mighty Thor #705 to see just how much the coloring matters. Some truly wonderful work.

Honorable mentions: Antonio Fabela (Skyward)

Best Issue: Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #310

Well, this one was tough. It was really hard to decide between this one, Thor #7 and Batman Annual #3. All three are somewhat of a character study, with Thor #7 finally showing us what really made the titular hero worthy, and Batman Annual offering us a glimpse into the best batmember – Alfred Pennyworth. In the end, The Spectacular Spider-Man ended up besting both of those books.

The issue, written and drawn by fan-favorite creator Chip Zdarsky, is presented as a series of interviews with random people, all talking about our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. These people offer different takes on the hero, with the most prominent one being that of a grieving mother. It’s a book that shows us all the ups and the hard-hitting downs of being a costumed superhero, and the many tough situations Peter Parker has to deal with. It’s also a rather inspirational book as it portrays a man that never quits, despite all the crazy $#%& life throws his way.

Honorable mentions: Thor #7, Batman Annual #3, Immortal Hulk #3

Best Publisher: Marvel Comics

2018 is the year Yours truly went from not really reading Marvel books to reading a LOT of Marvel books. The Fresh Start re-launch did wonders for the publisher. Not just financially, but also creatively. Immortal Hulk, Cosmic Ghost Rider, Venom, West Coast Avengers – these are just some of the many great books we got, and there are a lot of new great ones coming in early 2019.

Best New Series: Immortal Hulk

No surprise here. Immortal Hulk is so freakin’ good. Al Ewing got me hooked with the first issue and I’ve been enjoying the ride ever since. The series is firmly rooted in horror, and it fits the character perfectly. By giving the Hulk a somewhat animalistic intelligence, and relying on the body horror genre, Al Ewing has brought us one of the most interesting takes on the character in years. Fingers crossed it doesn’t get canceled so soon.

Honorable mentions: Gideon Falls, Venom, Skyward

Best Miniseries: Doctor Star and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows

A little over a month ago, I would have given you a completely different answer. But a couple of days later, life happened and everything changed. I dived into comic books even deeper than I had up until that point – I needed to occupy my mind even more – and ended up devouring all of Lemire’s Black Hammer project in two evenings. All of them are extraordinary books in their own right, but Doctor Star is by far the best of the bunch.

Despite being a part of the Black Hammer universe, the book is straightforward and can be easily read as a standalone. It’s a dual-narrative story about the titular hero who is desperately trying to reconcile with his dying son, while also telling us his origin story. It’s a gut-wrenching story about fathers and sons, and one of the worst experiences in life – accepting the death of a loved one.

Honorable mentions: Cosmic Ghost Rider, Infidel