iFanboy’s Best of 2011: The Ten Most FUN Comics of 2011

The top ten most rock ’em, sock ’em, not scared to have a good time, throw their hands up in the air like they just don’t care, wild, crazy, and fun comics of 2011.

 

10. Suicide Squad

I know this is a controversial book and after the first issue many dropped it but Adam Glass knows what he’s doing. The cliffhanger he throws at the end of each issue makes it top of the stack reading and I dig the way he writes Harley Quinn, Deadshot and El Diablo. The only thing that keeps this book from being higher on this list is the art but the last page of each issue keeps me coming back for more just like a Dickensian orphan.

9. Deathstroke

This book almost didn’t make the list only because I just read it last week. I had heard some of our buddies over at 11 O’Clock Comics raving about how fun this book was. I initially avoided it because Deathstroke isn’t somebody I have ever been interested in. I flipped through it and really liked the art so I thought I would try it out. After the second issue I was hooked. This is a great story about an aged mercenary that is reinventing himself despite everyone thinking he is too over the hill for the job. It’s like a pulpy crime novel set in the DC universe; something that I wasn’t expecting at all from a book about a Teen Titans villain.

8.  Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.

I think monsters go better with comic books than even superheroes do. The imagination that artists have when creating monsters for comics can be limitless and Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. is no exception. Frankenstein was my favorite character in Grant Morrison’s Seven Soldiers series and I have been hoping that he would land an ongoing ever since I read that series. Ponticilli’s art is so visually interesting that after I finish reading the book I find myself flipping back through the pages.

7. Wolverine and the X-Men

I don’t read a lot of X titles. There is something about mutants living in Utopia fighting other mutants that just doesn’t interest me. This title reads and feels unlike any of those other X books that I have always disliked. I love the soap opera elements that can come out of a high school setting . Whatever it is this is the first X-men book that has worked for me in a long time  ever.

6. Xenoholics

The art in this is unlike any other book on the shelf. The story is out there and weird but it’s still a blast. A recovery group for people that have been abducted by extraterrestrials is already a crazy idea but that’s just the spring board. If you find that you’ve been bored with comics lately go ahead and grab this. It scratches an itch that no other comic seems to be able to reach. You know the one. It’s right under your left shoulder blade.

5. Comic Book Comics

Educational? Check. Funny? Check. Enjoyable to anyone who likes history or comics? Check. I thought I knew a lot about comics already and this still sheds light on topics I wasn’t very familiar with. Van Lente knows his stuff and knows how to explain it so that anyone can understand it. Dunlavey then adds another amazing element to the book. His cartooning instantly makes the stories unforgettable. If my college text books had been like this I would never graduate because this book is that good! I can’t wait to see what this team tackles next. I am hoping for “String Theory”.

4. Gladstones School for World Conquerors

At first glance this book just seems like a fun all ages book that has a nice spin on the whole superhero idea. A school for future super villains. Super fun right? Each issue however expands more of this world. The deeper you go into it the more you realize how complex and thought out this comic really is. Don’t just pass it off as a kid’s comic. Kid Nefarious, one of the best new characters of the year, has a lot of Calvin in him. If you liked Calvin and Hobbes, give this one a shot. If you hate Calvin and Hobbes, see me after class.

3. Thunderbolts

This book has been  consistently good ever since Jeff Parker stepped in as a writer. Just when you think it’s going to get a little stale Parker throws a curve ball at you. The roster has almost changed completely since this book was relaunched yet it hasn’t slowed down its momentum at all. The tag team of Kev Walker and Declan Shalvey has been superb. Both are great artists and I am always excited to see what they are going to bring to each issue. Also, time traveling. Who doesn’t like time traveling?

2. O.M.A.C.

O.M.A.C. does everything that we complain about DC not doing. It’s a new character and pays homage to one of the greatest creators of all time. Each issue can stand alone or be read together. You don’t need to know anything about prior continuity before reading this. You could run and grab issue three and still have a great time. It’s the most fun book DC is putting out. This feels old and new at the same time and each issue gets better then the last. Go pick this up. It will omactivate your life.

1. Reed Gunther

You know when you start watching a new comedy on television and three or four episodes in you realize you’re watching something that is more than your average sitcom. That this particular show, whether it was The Simpsons, The Office, or Arrested Development,  has something really special about it. That’s how I felt after I read Reed Gunther #6. This is more than an all-ages comic that’s for kids but adults can enjoy a joke or two. This is truly, as Jim Henson would say, “entertainment for everyone”. The universe in Reed Gunther is full of imagination and it’s legitimately funny. The sincerity that is in this book, especially between Gunther and Sterling, his bear, is strong and makes it stand out especially when things can be so cynical in today’s climate. I highly encourage you to grab the first trade, as Reed Gunther is hands down the most fun book of 2011.


Timmy Wood had so much fun ignoring his in-laws to write this piece. You can read about his exploits over on twitter

Comments

  1. Super Dinosaur and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were the most fun comics for me this year!

  2. Gotta agree with you about Deathstroke and Suicide Squad. They might have made a bad first impression with those 1st issues, but really are a great time and feel like one shots. I really need to give Reed Gunther a try.

  3. Batman Incorporated was a blast, especially that issue with the Golden Age Batwoman.

  4. Frankenstein Agend of S.H.A.D.E. and O.M.A.C. are the comics I was the most “meh” about when they were announced but now, I’m hooked and they’re the first comics I read the week they come out. Frankenstein is so good that if it were cancelled tomorrow I’d slit my wrist in front of DC’s office for them to change their mind about it! 😉

    • Agreed! I think Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. is the book I look forward to most each month. I love the high-concept sci-fi stuff, I love all the monsters, and most of all I love Frankenstein’s dialogue! Everything he says is just so wonderfully over-the-top and dramatic. I find myself reading Frankenstein with a big silly grin on my face every month!

    • If you enjoy Frankenstein so much, I suggest you check out some bizarro books, mostly Carlton Mellick III’s books. Over the top, funny as hell concepts.

      Stuff like: The Haunted Vagina, Warrior Wolf Women of the Wasteland and the Xmas short stories anthology, Christmas on Crack.

  5. Glad to see Thunderbolts on the list.

    Also, the new Daredevil and Captain America titles are great fun.

    • I would have loved to make Daredevil a part of this list but the powers that be have caused it so that I have not been able to read anything past issue one. Now I am just waiting for the collected edition.

  6. Reed Gunther reminds me of the Captain Underpants books by Dav Pilkey that I used to read in elementary school.

  7. This is a great list. I love Gladstone’s and Omac. I have also been itching to buy Deathstroke and this article just sealed the deal.

  8. I love Suicide Squad and Deathstroke.

  9. I think Justice League deserves a spot, it’s big dumb fun and each issue has made me literally laugh out loud. Damn, I don’t read a single book on this list. I guess I hate fun.

  10. Wow, most of my favourite “fun” comics never made your list. The Flash, Chew and pre-New52 Batgirl are probably my favourites.

  11. Both batgirl and the flash are great. Batgirl would have made my list of top 15.

  12. Good list.

    Although I would put Daredevil and Chew on the list too. Maybe Chew comes out too infrequently now a days but it’s still some of the most fun I have reading a comic book.

  13. Great List esp Deathstroke and Suicide Squad both are over the top action mixed with violence. Shame they don’t get more love.

  14. I would have definitely included Daredevil on this list. I think it’s the most fun book out there. Although heroes for hire was a lot of fun for the first few arcs.

  15. Oh shit, I just realized that I don’t like fun 🙁

  16. Zatanna and chew were fun as well.

  17. I haven’t been reading Reed Gunther, but if Timmy says it’s the funnest book of the year I’ll start.

  18. Surprised to see Atomic Robo missing from this list. It’s been a great year for that book.

  19. Deathstroke has been awesome.
    I’ll second Atomic Robo!

  20. Suicide Squad is for me, the only book that was a complete shock how good it was in issue 1, and has kept that quality up since. In fact it’s been improving.

    Deathstroke and OMAC were much the same with issue 1, but neither has maintained that level. OMAC is awesome but I almost feel like it’s the exact same beats every month…I’d totally recommend you read one issue but I can’t promise a second would give you anything further.

  21. No Chew? consistently, a rollicking good time!
    The Cal Ripken of comics

  22. As someone who reads about everything, Tiny Titans is well deserving of its Eisner.

    It’s Rebecca Flack fun fun fun FUN!

  23. Great to see Gladstone’s get some publicity! The first volume was great, and the second one is gearing up to be a whole lot more awesome!

    Wolverine and the X-Men is at the top of my list; forgot how much I liked Bachalo since Generation X