We survived 2023! Take a moment and thank your Maker.
In addition to you and I surviving last year, the Comic Book industry also made it through to another year. Though how much longer they are going to be able to exist as they do now, I cannot say. But just because I don't deal with New Comic Book subscriptions as a seller doesn't mean I don't still buy them as a collector. And while my monthly subscription list keeps getting smaller and smaller, I still bought a good amount of new comic books in 2023. And I thought I would share my personal Top 5 Best and Worst Comics of 2023. People like lists like that. Right?
Let's start off with the Stuff that I was not a fan of.
5. Batman: The Adventures Continue Season Three 
I love Batman: The Animated Series. LOVE IT! And when they came out with Season One of The Adventures Continue, I was super excited for it. But it was just ok. And Season Two was less ok. And Season Three just felt like a book pretending to be the Batman Adventures. It has been said that you can't recreate the magic. And for a lot of things, that's very true. It is definitely true for The Batman Adventures. Luckily, DC Comics released the Batman Adventures Omnibus for us in 2023 to make up for this lackluster series.
4. Daredevil & Echo
If you've been following Marvel Comics for the last 15 or so years, then you should know by now that they try really hard to capitalize off of their movies and TV shows by having titles that viewers would recognize. Sadly, I've yet to read one of those titles that was actually good. And Daredevil & Echo was no exception. It was written by Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas. Because apparently Marvel just lets anybody write comics nowadays. But I still gave it a shot. The first issue was not terrible. But by the fourth issue, I was just ready for it to be over with. The story was poor and the art by Phil Noto gave me Flashbacks of Ed Brisson's last story arc on his Daredevil run. And this book was just not a good time for me. And it is a shame because Echo is such a great character. Or she was when she was created by David Mack in Daredevil volume 2. Echo, as she was originally intended to be, is a great character.
3. Silver Surfer: Ghost Light
Normally, I will read a series as it comes out, but with Silver Surfer: Ghost Light, I had started to put off my trips to my LCS to monthly instead of weekly and I had built up a few issues of it, so I decided not to read it until I had all of the issues of the story. BIG MISTAKE! Why? Because Marvel freakin' duped us, man! This is not a story about the Silver Surfer, as the Title suggests. No, that would be too great! It's a story about some other dude whose name I don't care to go and look up because I did not like this story at all. The surfer was in maybe 10% of it. And, I don't know about you, but if I am buying a title, I expect the character named in the title to actually be who the book is about. I was pretty irritated at this move by Marvel and it has actually made me reconsider blindly buying anymore mini-series from them.
2. Boris Karloff Gold Key Mysteries
When I learned that some dudes had acquired the rights to Gold Key and were going to be bringing this title out, I got pretty stoked. I love the macabre and I jumped at the chance to get this book. I didn't jump at the chance to get it via their crowdfunding, though. Why do that when I could get it from my LCS for $5? Kind of weird, right? Well, I feel really bad for the people who did pay more for the crowdfunded copies because this book was absolutely atrocious. I couldn't even finish reading it. Bye bye, Gold Key. Your memory will live on in your glorious back issues and we'll try to forget this nightmare of a book.
1. BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness
I'll be the first to admit that I was disappointed with BRZRKR. I, like most other customers, only bought it because it was written by Earth's Finest Angel, Keanu Reeves. But I was willing to give it one more shot with Poetry of Madness. At the register, I looked at the price tag and said, "TEN DOLLARS?! DANG IT, KEANU!" And the manager of my LCS just laughed. It was funny as it was meant to be. But what was not funny is when I got home and cracked open the book only to find that our precious Keanu Reeves had nothing to do whatsoever with this book. He was credited as the creator and the writer was some other dude. But Boom sure made it a point to put his name first on the credits of the cover so they could get their money from the Keanu fans. But that's not why this book is #1 on my worst of 2023 list. It was awful. And it cost $10. AND Keanu was not involved. Duped again!
It is interesting that 2 of the 5 books on this list are on here because of dishonest practices by the publisher to get people to buy the books. I'm not a fan of that. You want my money? You have to EARN it. And more and more my money stays in my wallet these days and goes to other things. Like these next 5 comics!!!
1. The Sacrificers
Rick Remender launched a new book called the Sacrificers and it made this list because while it could turn out to be something I am not interested in, as of right now it has really interested the heck out of me. It made the Best of list at number 5 because up to this point, it has been a very intriguing read and very different and fresh. And let's face it, we need more of that in comics.
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin: Lost Years
The Last Ronin was such an amazing book and did so well that of course IDW is trying to milk that cow for all it is worth. We've got a video game coming, a sequel series, and of course this prequal series, Lost Years, which follows the Last Ronin as he ceases to be the Ninja Turtle we know and love and becomes the Ronin. I heard a lot of people didn't like this book, but I was not one of those people. I liked this book a lot and while the book wasn't a necessary thing to have, I'm all for jumping on this Last Ronin train and riding it until it jumps the shark. 
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: Wherewhen
Stan Sakai wrote and drew this very fun mini-series where the Ninja Turtles get flung back in time and wind up in Feudal Japan back in Usagi Yojimbo's time. And for 5 issues, we get a kid-friendly entertaining time with what feels like classic Ninja Turtle action. I loved every second of this series and am on the hunt for the first crossover between the Turtles and Usagi Yojimbo now because of it.
2. Void Rivals
I don't know what it is about Robert Kirkman, but that dude can create comics, man. This series was a "Surprise" introduction of Transformers and G.I. Joe at Image Comics, but it stands alone separately from those properties and is a very interesting space soap opera that keeps me coming back to see what happens next.
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Saturday Morning Adventures Continued
2023 was a great year to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles fan. I mean, 3 out of my 5 favorite comics are TMNT books. That's wild! Saturday Morning Adventures was I guess originally a mini-series and instead of just keeping it going like Marvel and DC did all the time back in the good old days, they restarted the series and added a "Continued" to the titile...but not on the cover. Man, Manga is so much easier to follow and keep track of. But nevertheless, this series is so fun. It's cheesy. It's hokey. But it is wholesome. And in a world full of a lot of terrible, awful stuff, I'm a fan of fun, wholesome comics that one day my kids will be able to read. And this series is that.
So there you have it! My Best and Worst comics of 2023. Here's hoping that 2024 has just as many if not more fun comics for all of us to enjoy.
Take it Easy!
The Dude Without Fear