Celebrate the 25th anniversary of Image with full series of acclaimed creator owned comics in comiXology Unlimited!

WORST PAIN POSSIBLE

Wytches Vol. 1 by Scott Snyder and Jock (on sale now)

A comiXologist Recommends (their favorite moments of 2015)

Tia’s Nine Most Memorable Comics Moments of 2015

It was supposed to be one.  One favorite comic in 2015.  But how? How could there be only one?  This isn’t Highlander, I work at ComiXology! I get to read all the comics! And this year has been far too awesome to pick only one.  What criteria would I even use to narrow it down to one?  Best art or storytelling? Most critically acclaimed? In the end, I decided on my own most memorable moments. It’s an unconventional best-of list, to be sure. You’ll probably notice I have some favorite creators and characters, as they’re on the list more than once. Thanks for making it such a great year, you guys!  And so, here is an agonizingly curated selection of some of my favorite moments in comics from 2015…

Best use of critical theory in a Rambo moment:

Secret Avengers #13

Ales Kot, Michael Walsh, Matt Wilson

Secret Avengers was wild from start to finish.  It’s a superhero book that doesn’t take itself too seriously by taking on some rather serious ideas.  Just buckle in and enjoy the ride.  It’s epic.

Favorite line (that I have probably said in real life because I am The Worst):

Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #3

Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Matt Wilson

“Black coffee and complete and utter self-destruction.  That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

It’s vaguely unsettling that I so closely relate to Emily Aster’s evil half, Claire.  We both have remarkably excellent taste in clothes and beverages, obviously, but it goes deeper than that.  Perhaps this should serve as a cautionary tale, that the cut-out and discarded pieces of yourself always find their way back to you in the end?  And they’re probably kind of mad.  Dark stuff, you guys.  AS DARK AS MY EYELINER.  AND MY COFFEE.  (I really am The Worst…)

Most delightful cameo:

1602: Witch Hunter Angela #1

Marguerite Bennett, Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, Marguerite Sauvage

Renaissance Bucky Barnes?  Be still my heart…  Also, can we please talk about how positively dreamy Stephanie Hans’s artwork is?  She is so amazing. 

Best middle finger to the patriarchy:

Bitch Planet #3

Kelly Sue DeConnick, Robert Wilson IV

In a world where being a non-compliant woman could get you persecuted, incarcerated, or worse, (wait am I talking about Bitch Planet or real life?) Penny Rolle is here to remind you that defining yourself on your own terms is an important act of rebellion. 

Most cathartic ugly-cry in a public place:

Wytches #5

Scott Snyder, Jock, Matt Hollingsworth

I read this issue on an airplane from New York to Seattle, tears streaming down my face and the flight attendants asking me if I’m okay every few minutes. The wytches may be make believe (right? RIGHT?) but Sailor trying to describe to her dad what her depression feels like is raw and real and in a lot of ways just as terrifying.  I highly recommend reading Wytches in ComiXology’s Guided View for maximum scary.

Most satisfying ending:

Loki: Agent of Asgard #17

Al Ewing, Lee Garbett

My Tumblr tag for Kid and Young Loki since Gillen’s run of Journey Into Mystery is “crying forever.”  It seemed like Loki would never be all right, no matter what he did or how hard he tried. But in the end all it took was self-forgiveness.  Important life lessons, you guys!

The “I have no idea what I just read but gosh darn it I want to read more” Award:

Kaptara

Chip Zdarsky, Kagan McLeod

Cat tanks, you guys.  Cat. Tanks.  Why is their drool so majestic?  Like a rhythmic gymnast’s ribbon!  Also, ILU Motivational Orb!

Most Beautiful:

Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier

Ales Kot, Marco Rudy

Everything about this book is simply beautiful – the artwork, the story, the ending. Spoiler alert, you guys: Bucky Barnes gets to be happy.  He gets to be an old man and live with his beloved space girlfriend under a space sea and push their pet space aardvark on a swing.  I could not make that up if I tried, because I’m pretty sure something like that could only come from the brain of Ales Kot.  He and Marco Rudy are a match made in swirling, surrealist heaven and it just makes me so happy because it’s all so beautiful.

Pretty much my favorite thing:

The Wicked + The Divine

Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Matt Wilson

To be fair, they did warn us.  The entire premise of this book is that everyone is awful and they all die within two years.  But somehow we still love them.  Kind of like life, I guess.  Well played, Team WicDiv.  Well played. In any case, a lot of tears have been shed over WicDiv in 2015.  The Fandemonium arc ended with quite a bang in June with issue 11, and I’m pretty sure we’re all striving to be a little kinder to one another since issue 13 (with gorgeous art by Tula Lotay).  The Commercial Suicide arc just ended this month, so I guess I’ll just sit around crying in my Tara costume until WicDiv comes back from hiatus in the spring. 

Tia Vasiliou is a digital editor and one of everybody’s favorite 2015 additions to the comiXology team.

A comiXologist recommends:
Wytches Vol. 1

by: Matthew Burbridge

Hi everyone, my name is Matt and I’m a new Digital Editor at ComiXology. I’m a big fan of horror, which is why I just read “Wytches, Vol 1.”

When the Rook family decides to move to the village of Litchfield, NH, they are looking to escape the pain of their old lives. The silence and solitude give Mom, Dad, and daughter Sailor hope for the future…until Sailor starts seeing things lurking deep in the trees.

Author Scott Snyder and illustrator Jock have come together once again in what is my new favorite horror story– surpassing Snyder’s “The Black Mirror,” which previously held the number one spot in my heart. As I’ve come to expect with Snyder’s books, once I started “Wytches” I was completely unable to pull myself away from the eerie, macabre narrative.

From the opening sequence I was left unsettled, uneasy, and downright spooked by Jock’s visuals, but not without being distracted from the plot. Jock’s evocative pacing, characters, and textures got under my skin in the best way.  Simply put, he is just fantastic. In fact, since reading this book I have become terrified of a knothole in a tree near my house. If you read this book, you’ll understand why I don’t want to stand too close to it– despite my masochistic curiosity.

If you missed out on purchasing the issues individually, worry no more. If you can stomach some of the more visceral details in this series, you will be glad you have the whole thing– just get ready for some nightmares.

[Read Wytches Vol. 1 on comiXology]

A comiXologist recommends:
Wytches #6

by: Jen Keith

Have you ever turned the lights off as you go upstairs? You’re at safe at home, but that doesn’t stop you from sprinting up those stairs. Maybe you look over your shoulder just to be sure nothing is waiting at the bottom. Of course you’re not afraid of the dark, you tell yourself.

It’s what could be IN the dark that you’re not sure of.

Wytches is Scott Snyder’s answer to what’s lurking there.

It follows the story of the Rooks family, forced by hard times into a new home that was meant to be their relief. It’s not. Creatures are in the woods, and they can give you your heart’s desire if you’re willing to pledge someone to get it. Beyond the monsters (human and creature alike), it’s about the love a father has for his daughter, Sailor, despite her anxiety and his fear. It’s horror with a lot of heart.

Wytches doesn’t just try to scare you. Snyder refers to it as a very personal project, filled with concepts close to his own life – things like the question of what wouldn’t a parent do for their child. At the end of every issue is an essay from Snyder; sometimes it’s a story, personal musings, or fan letters. I didn’t make it a habit of reading back matter until I started reading Wytches, but the book is made so much better by Synder’s insight and motivations.

Jock’s art brings the nightmare to life, able to swing the mood from sweet family scene to bloodcurdlingly terrifying. Shout out to colorist Matt Hollingsworth who perfectly matches the thick ink work. There’s this great effect laid over the pages that reminds me of when you rub your eyes really hard and you see all of those colored spots floating around in the darkness. It fits the atmosphere so well.

If you like horror and Scott Snyder writing it, I recommend The Wake. Snyder’s ability to take what could just be a good monster story and inject it with meaning shines in both of these series.

Issue #6 is the finale of this arc, the culmination of Charlie Rooks’ attempts to save his daughter, but there is more yet to come. Until then, I pledge you to start reading Wytches if you haven’t already. Pledged is pledged.

[Check out Wytches #6 on comiXology]

Jen Keith is a Digital Editor at comiXology, comic artist, music addict, and thinks that ‘chit chit’ might be the scariest sound effect ever now because of this series.