The unofficial San Francisco Comic Con after party for comic book collectors to buy, sell and trade.
Join us for the 1st annual Shortboxed Comic Book Swap â the unofficial San Francisco Comic Con after party for comic book collectors to buy, sell and trade.
$20 ticket gets you:
â Admission to private VIP lounge
â Opportunity to bring up to 1 short box of comics to buy, sell, and trade with other collectors
â 1 Shortboxed enamel pin (choose from 5 different designs)
â Appetizers (with vegetarian and vegan options)
â 1 raffle ticket for prizes throughout the evening
â Free-to-play pool table
Shortboxed is hosting a private party after San Francisco Comic Con on Saturday, September 2 from 6:00-9:00pm. To participate, bring up to 1 short box of comics to sell and trade with other collectors. This event is limited to only 25 people, so purchase your tickets and lock up your spot â there has been a lot of interest from local Bay Area collectors, CGC forum members and the Instagram community, so we expect tickets to sell out.
We have our own private VIP lounge at Jillianâs, a sports bar & restaurant right across the street from San Francisco Comic Con. Appetizers will be served, and additional food and drinks can be purchased (yes, they have a full bar). We even have our own free-to-play pool table in the VIP lounge.
We want to create a fun, relaxed atmosphere for collectors to hang out after the con, show off their hauls and talk comics. Weâll have some tunes playing while you eat, drink, shoot some pool, and of course â buy, sell and trade with other collectors.
This event is limited to the first 25 people, so grab a ticket now, pack up some comics, and join us for the Shortboxed Comic Book Swap after San Francisco Comic Con!
Stan Leeâs Comikaze Los Angeles Comic Con remains the premiere comic con for mid-sized conventions on the west coast. Reporting a record 91,000 fans in attendance, itâs come a long way since itâs inception in 2011.
Comikaze
Weâre not quite sure why the convention was renamed to Stan Leeâs Los Angeles Comic Con. Perhaps Comikaze was too vague name to be recognizable by passersby. Or its owners would like to brand future conventions as Stan Leeâs <insert city here> Comic Con. Or maybe, Comikaze was just a little racist. Either way, the core and heart of the convention remained all the same. Nothing else matters.
As Iâve mentioned in other posts before, this convention is quite possibly the best show outside of San Diego Comic Con in the west coast. The only other show that may surpass it is Emerald City Comic Con in Washington. ECCC does tend to bring in big publishers such as Marvel, Image and IDW. But a Stan Lee branded convention definitely allows it to stand out from the rest. Even from SDCC.
Thereâs no such thing as too much Stan Lee
Stan Lee isnât just the brand that gets tagged in LACC, heâs the heart of the show. I donât believe thereâs any other show in the country that Stan Lee is more physically and heavily involved in. Sure Stan may be signing a couple hours a day. Or maybe he attends 1-2 panels. But in LACC, Stan is both the guest of honor and also the pleasant surprise that randomly pops in and out of several panels. Stan hijacking your panel is the best possible outcome for anyone. Both for guests and attendees.
Publishers? We donât need no stinking publishers
One of the main differences between ECCC and LACC is that LACC lacks all the large publishers. Even Marvel. The biggest publisher is probably Top Cow Productions, founded by Marc Silvestri. Even then, it had at most a 2 table booth. But thatâs a good thing. LACC filled the main floor with indie and professional creators and artists. I would say at least a third of the main floor is just that. Another third dedicated to sellers of toys and comics. And the final third to the main stage and signing booths. I felt this was a healthy mix. Even with a record 91,000 attendees, the show felt crowded, but not SDCC crowded. You could always find a place to sit and take a break.
If you attended last years Comikaze, youâd know that they moved the main stage to one of the side halls. Along with the signing booths and several creator booths. It felt weird and disconnected. In 2014, the main stage was in the center of the main floor. It was very convenient to be able to walk around and check out booths, and at any moment, easily join the main stage when you hear Stan Leeâs voice. This year, they moved the main stage back on the main floor. However it was on one of the ends of the main floor. It still made it very easy to join any panel at a moments notice. Iâm glad they brought it back. Of course, taking main floor real estate, all panels there had to be standing room only. But honestly, with such good content, I found it hard to complain. It made moving in and out of panels very fluid.
Special Guests
Outside of Stan Lee, there were quite a few special guests. The biggest being Mike Colter, the star of Netflixâs Luke Cage. Other headliners being the legendary Neal Adams and Rob Liefeld, creator of Deadpool. LA Comic Con also had several smaller B and C list special guests. From Austin St.John (Red Ranger) to Veronica Taylor (original American voice of Ash Ketchum). From Walter Koenig (Chekov of Star Trek) to the Comic Book Men.  The great thing is that thereâs something for every fan person. Theyâre all signing and taking pictures. And the signing booths were busy but not crazy. So if you finally wanted to take a picture with Candince Patton (Iris West of The Flash), you donât have to waste half your day.
The mystery box phenomenon
Ok, not really a phenomenon. Iâm just floored by how numerous and popular theyâve become. I believe it has a lot to do with the Lootcrate craze. Others decided it would be profitable to piggyback on their success. I honestly think itâs reached a tipping point. All they mystery boxes are the same. The thing with mystery boxes is that attendees donât usually buy multiple of them. And as a mystery box seller, youâd have to be extremely popular to be successful. I canât imagine margins per box being very high. However, Lootcrate does do this well.
Cosplay
LACC holds the National âChampionshipsâ of cosplay. To enter, you have to sign up. Thatâs basically it. But itâs all in good fun. The judges are all experienced cosplayers and some of the entries are truly bad-ass. Weâll be putting up a cosplay round up real soon to highlight the best cosplay weâve encountered. Outside of the contest, the cosplay showing was extremely strong. Lots of Deadpool, Harley Quinn, Storm Troopers, etc. Very predictable. One of the new cosplays I noticed were Overwatch characters. It didnât hurt that the League of Legends World Championships were held in Staples center across the street. There were probably several overlapping attendees. Hereâs a small preview.
Conclusion
I love this convention. The high production value while staying true to itâs indie roots is one of the unique characteristics of the show. I would hate to start seeing large publishers invade the space. There are several other shows in the area that are perfect for them. Also, itâs nice to have a Stan Lee themed comic con. If you havenât heard, heâll be attending less and less shows due to his advanced age. If you want to see Stan Lee, youâll probably only have a handful of options. So go out and catch him while you can! I give this show my highest rating. 7 thumbs up.
Black Panther #14 (1979). First appearance of Omoro, King T'Challa's (Black Panther) Butler. A very minor first appearance. Still, I'd say he has a good chance of appearing in the Black Panther movie. written by #edhannigan art by #BillSienkiewicz #JoeRubinstein #DannyCrespi and #JerryBingham #comicbooks #comics #marvel #marvelcomics #blackpanther #kingtchalla #tchalla #omoro #igcomicfamily #firstappearance #bronzeage #bronzeagecomics #marvelcinematicuniverse #mcu
Battlestar Galactica #1 (1979). This comicbook series was short lived like it's TV show at the time and was based on the same story line. Today, Battlestar Galactica has a cult like following for both the classic and modern shows. The modern reboot being one of the greatest sci fi shows ever created. written by #RogerMcKenzie art by #DaveCockrum #BobMcLeod and #ErnieColon #comicbooks #comics #marvel #battlestar #battlestargalactica #scifi #marvelcomics #starbuck #bronzeage #bronzeagecomics #igcomicfamily
Batman #241 (1972). Another classic DC cover by the legendary Neal Adams. Picked this up in a dollar bin at Emerald City Comic Con 2015. It's pretty beat up. Probably a GD. But just happy to have it in my collection. Written by #dennisoneil Art by #nealadams #irvnovick #dickgiordano #rickbuckler #comicbooks #comics #dc #dccomics #batman #emcc #emcc2015 #dollarbin #igcomicfamily #bronzeage #bronceagecomics #collectibles #collection
The Defenders #10 (1973). A classic Hulk vs Those cover. A personal favorite. Written by #steveenglehart Cover by #johnromita Art by #salbuscema #comics #comicbooks #marvel #marvelcomics #hulk #thor #defenders #thedefenders #igcomicfamily #avengers #broneage #bronzeagecomics
Kung-Fu Fighter #1 (1975). First appearance of Ben Turner, the Bronze Tiger. Will he make an appearance in the upcoming Suicide Movie? written by #dennisoneil and #jimberry art by #leopoldoduranona and cover by #dickgiordano #dccomics #dc #comicbooks #comics #bronzeage #bronzeagecomics #kungfu #bronzetiger #suicidesquad #firstappearance #firstappearancefriday #igcomicfamily
Silicon Valley Comic Con was a raging success. If you read our preview, youâd have seen we were already optimistic. Weâll discuss the weekend in dept. The good, the bad, the different. And recommendations about the future.
The Good.
Production value
Just so much better this time around. After Silicon Valley Comic Con took over for Big Wow, they put so much more resources into making it feel like a high quality comic con. The website looks professionally made and updated. They also had a native IOS and Android App to organize all the scheduled events. The registration room was large and organized well. There was a line outside to get into registration, but Iâd like to think that was due to the unprecedented demand of the event. They knocked it up a notch by implementing a modern RFID badging system. Yet it wasnât without its flaws.
The show floor also enjoyed a bump in production value. From decor to floor arrangement, you can tell a lot of thought went into how the event coordinators wanted attendees to travel the show floor. There was a large section just for celebrity autographs and photographs. Also, I feel like there was a significant increase in staff both paid and volunteered. Great job by them all. The panel rooms were also high quality. Nice stage, great lighting and large and clear video screens. There wasnât a bad seat on the house. Except for itâs size, the quality of the panels were just as good as San Diego Comic Con panels.
lobby
registration
celebrity row
panel 1
main floor entrance
Panels
The panel content was also high quality. Their main events were the Back to the Future cast (including Michael J. Fox), Jeremy Renner, Stan Lee, William Shatner, Tim Miller (Deadpool), Nichelle Nichols and Nathon Fillion. This is a great line up considering C2E2 (Chicagoâs Comic Con) was taking place the same weekend. Local Adam Savage also made several appearances. Some of the new types of guests included Kara Swisher, Steve Wozniak and Palmer Lucky. They and other technologists had a significant presence on the show. Theyâre definitely one of the best and unique aspects of the Silicon Valley show.
An Evening with William Shatner
 Gaming Center
I was surprised on how organized and busy the gaming center was. They had several retro arcade games, rooms for tabletop and video games. It wasnât fancy or anything, but I love how they catered to this community. Also, it was really full. So thereâs definitely demand. Itâs just a small gesture I can appreciate.
tabletop games
arcade fun
retro video games
gaming center
 Cosplay
Cosplay was big this time around. Cosplayers from all around the area showed up by the hundreds. Itâs not a true comic con unless you have cosplay. It helped that there was a big cosplay contest on Saturday evening.
Artist Alley
Artist Alley was actually split up into two sections, each at the end of the main convention floor. It seemed they split up the small press and professional artists from the indie artists. Always nice to browse around looking at all the neat creations. Even though there were 2 sections, I could see expanding artist alley a bit more.
Classic artist alley
 Comics
Last but not least, the comics. It seems there are plenty more comicbook booths on the show floor than last yearâs Big Wow. It is a âcomicâ con after all. Itâs nice to see that the emphasis on comicbooks in this show is still strong. My fear is that with its growing success, these booths may not be able to afford future spots. Iâm sure the organizers know they need to stay true to the spirit of comic con.
The Not So Good.
First, Iâd just like to say that this is the best comic con in Northern California hands down. The issues I mention below isnât so much to criticize the event, but rather to hopefully allow event planners to improve on future iterations. And possibly make this show one of the best comic cons in California. Luckily this is Silicon Valley so iterating and improving is in our life blood.
Registration
Letâs talk about registration. As an attendee, you must first register to receive your RFID bracelet. As large as the registration floor was, there was still quite a line outside. Iâm not sure if there were any technical difficulties or otherwise, but when I went to lunch around 1:00pm, the line to get into registration was probably at least 2 blocks long. And thatâs to get into the building. At this point, thereâs about 4-5 hours left in the day to enjoy the show. Perhaps attendees of previous Big Wow events never encountered such long lines and werenât prepared for it. Hopefully there were lessons learned on both sides of the event.
Line outside to registration is at least 2 blocks long
Long but moving inside registration line
 RFID Bracelets
In theory it should work great. Everyone badges in, everyone badges out. No badge swap hacking. Unfortunately, the 5 seconds it takes to badge in multiplied by the 1000 guests trying to get in at the same time results in massive lines. Also, everyone must badge out. The line to badge out wasnât as terrible as it was to get in, but folks still ended up bunching up making it that more difficult to leave the venue. Towards the end of the day, I noticed you no longer had to badge out. Good on them.
I donât mind the event coordinators implementing the RFID badging system. They have a right to protect their event from badge swapping or otherwise. It also allows them to hire less people to check badges. Though Iâm not sure by how much more because each Growtix terminal had one person manning it. If they continue to implement the RFID badging system, Iâd recommend removing badging out. It seems like too much trouble for both the attendees and the event coordinators. What if someone forgot to badge out? Are they really not going to let him back in? The RFID chips are already permanently attached to our wrists. It seems removing them and giving them to others without breaking the bracelet is a lot of work.
Friendly Growtix staff before the rush
Long lines to badge in
Autographs and photographs
I didnât personally get an autograph or photograph. But from what Iâve heard, there were massive waits. For big tickets such as Stan Lee and Jeremy Renner, you were put into groups. Then the groups would have set times to get in line. Seems to work in theory, but it ultimately ended up being a long wait anyways. What should have been a 30 minute to an hour wait ended up being doubled at least. I think the issues had more to due with the unprecedented demand organizers werenât prepared for.
Celebrity row
 The Refreshments
Or lack thereof. From my observation, there was only one refreshments area inside. I know there are a few food booths outside the convention floor. But the single refreshments area inside had an insanely long line. At one point the line was the entire width of the main floor. Iâve seen other shows tackle this problem by implementing several eating options. Food trucks, hot dog carts or more food booths outside. Perhaps completely removing the existing refreshments area on the main floor is a good idea. Not only will it not block traffic, there would also be more room to add more event tables. For attendees, itâs probably quicker to grab some grub a few blocks from the convention center outside than to wait in that massive single line.
Yes, this is the line for refreshments.
Extremely limited seating
 Back to the Future
This is the first time Iâve heard of requiring attendees to pay extra for a panel. Tickets are already $50 per day (excluding preview night). Iâm sure the Back to the Future panel was very entertaining and fun but Iâm not sure itâs worth the extra cost. Letâs just say at San Diego Comic Con, I paid $55 for a Saturday pass which included everything. This includes the Star Wars panel with all the Force Awakenâs cast and director. Oh, also they had a free Star Wars concert and light sabers for all the panel attendees. Just sayingâŠ
The Different (and good).
App Alley
They had about 2-3 rows dedicated for âappsâ. They ranged from battery charging services to the Pancake Bot. Silicon Valley is not stranger to app type conferences, but I like that the show added this section that makes it uniquely a Silicon Valley thing. Some of the apps were also catered to artists and writers, so they werenât completely random. Iâd love to see new apps every year for developers to showcase their work. Iâm just hoping the apps are relevant in one way or another to pop culture, comics, writing or the arts.
App Alley
Pancake Bot rules!
VRÂ Zone
They also dedicated a large area on the main convention floor for Virtual Reality. It was mostly software companies showing off their application, but there were about 4 booths in which you can try out a VR headset. The demand for this was insane. The line was too long for me to wait in. However I love the concept. And it seems several attendees did as well.
SVCC line simulator
VR zone uber busy
 Focus on Science and Technology
Perhaps other shows had some sort of science fiction or technology related panels and exhibits. But the Silicon Valley show made it a big area of emphasis. Several panels were dedicated to science and technology. With big names coming out from everywhere. NASA and Google engineers came out. Adam Savage hosted several panels. Of course Steve Wozniak participated in a few panels himself. Even Kara Swisher came out. Thatâs how you know how serious they were to cover technology.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned before, this is the best comic con in Northern California. I believe it has the potential to be the best midsize comic con in all of California. For those wondering, I believe Long Beach Comic Con, Comikaze and Wondercon have both higher quality and production value. Itâs not really a competition. Us attendees both local and remote benefit either way. But itâs been a while since Northern California has had a great comic con. Since Wondercon sold out and moved to Anaheim, us bay area natives have been waiting for its replacement. I believe itâs arrived this past weekend. And I canât wait for next year.
Silicon Valley Comic Con is on March 18th â 20th at the San Jose Convention Center, around the same time last year when Big Wow Comicfest was held and thatâs no coincidence. In true Valley fashion, the Silicon Valley Comic Con acquired Big Wow Comicfest, partly for their history of running and planning comic conventions and because they needed to secure a date and venue for the 3 day event. Even though Apple co-founder Steve Wozniack is only lightly involved in the planning, you can bet that his sphere of influence will resonate throughout the entire event. From special guests to technology themed panels, SVCC wants to differentiate itself from every other comic con in the world. The big question is whether or not con-goers will buy into it.
 Having been to several cons the last few years, Iâve always felt Big Wow Comicfest lacked high production value. Donât get me wrong, itâs a perfectly fine show, but smaller conventions in and around California seem to put more marketing promotion behind shows and put higher design quality of the convention floor. From the registration booths, to the floor design and presentation, it always looked bare to me. The fluorescent lights and low ceilings also tend to dull the colors and atmosphere.  For perspective, I believe Stan Leeâs Comikaze to be the highest production value convention for a mid size con in California. Stockton Con, East Bay Comic Con and Sac Con are relatively small time events, but I never felt their size to be detrimental to the experience. They are always very lively, fun and run really well.
Big Wow Comicfest is supposed to be the big Comic Con in the Bay Area (note to CCI: bring WonderCon back to San Francisco!). Size wise, I feel it falls somewhere between Stockton Con and Comikaze down in LA. Maybe itâs a symptom of the size of the San Jose Convention Center, but the last time I attended, the con never felt full. For popular shows, Iâm use to attendees waiting in huge lines outside to get in. Or tons of cosplayers doing their thing all weekend long. I never felt that vibe with Big Wow Comicfest. Hopefully Steve Wozniak and the Silicon Valley Comic Con team generated enough hype this past year to surpass all my expectations.
What makes Silicon Valley Comic Con different from every other con in the world is its emphasis on science and technology. There will actually be an App Alley where software developers will be able to showcase their apps, and itâs my understanding that all apps approved have some sort of pop culture connection. The current number of apps being showcased stands at 7 (as of this writing). Hopefully the next few weeks will bring in other developers. I expect App Alley to remain small for the first few years while the show tests its viability in a Comic Con. All thatâs missing is the Startup Battlefield and Michael Arrington.
There will also be several technology and science emphasized panels. They have some local big names coming out â from Alphabetâs Astro Teller to NASA engineer Bobak Ferdowski. Mythbusterâs Adam Savage will also be participating which will certainly liven up any panel. Theyâll touch on topics such as space exploration, gravitational waves and superbabies versus A.I. Check out the full official list http://svcomiccon.com/the-show/the-panels/.
All the traditional comic con activities will also be present. I suspect cosplay will be bigger than previous years due to the official contest on Saturday. Pop culture panels presented by creators, writers and artists should be familiar to all con-goers. A big pull this year is the appearance of the cast of Back to the Future and Stan Lee! Stan Lee autographs are first come, first serve and are $100 a pop. Theyâll be working with Anastasiaâs Collectibles. More infomation on the cgc board.
In my imagination, the show floor would look like a hybrid between Big Wow Comicfest and Techcrunch Disrupt. Obviously the production value should be significantly higher than any previous Big Wow Comicfests. I feel this is a big test on whether a big sized comic con can thrive in Silicon Valley. Will SVCC be the new SDCC? No. But if it can emulate Comikaze or WonderCon in Southern California, Iâll be a happy attendee for years to come. Visit the official site here: Silicon Valley Comic Con. Weâll also follow up this post with a cosplay round-up and thorough review after the con.
If this is your first time visiting Shortboxed, thanks for stopping by! We want to provide a place online where people new to comics can come and learn about the culture and be introduced to some amazing stories without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. Weâre always adding new content, so please come back soon! You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr at @shortboxed.
2015 has been a great year for comics â we got two reboots from Marvel and DC, Image kept pumping out winners, and some of the best series from 2014 kept going strong.
Itâs also been a great year for Shortboxed! We managed to hit lots of cons up and down the California coast, made it up to Seattle for Emerald City Comic Con, visited some comic book shops overseas, and we got to attend the mecca for comic book geeks, San Diego Comic-Con. We also added another member to the Shortboxed crew this year, Jeremy, whoâs been crushing it with his reviews and opinion pieces! All this on top of reading some amazing stories from our favorite creators this year! So thank you to all of our readers and followers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for allowing us to geek out with you and connect over this passion of ours.
We put our heads together and each listed our favorite comic books of the year. As expected, some overlapped and some were unique to each of us. This list is not a top 10 best comic books of the year, but a comprehensive list of our favorite comics books of the year, and we think it represents us fairly well.
Some interesting facts about our Top 10:
6 of our Top 10 are returning from our Top 10 2014 list!
7 of the 10 books are from Image Comics (same number as 2014)
Rick Remender and Brian K. Vaughan each made the list twice, respectively.
Only 2 books released their first issue in 2015, the rest were ongoing series.
On to the list!
10. Star Wars
Canât have a Top 10 of 2015 without mentioning Star Wars! We were busy all year reading every Star Wars series and we even reviewed a few of them! Check out our Star Wars coverage:
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS: NON-SPOILER REVIEW
RECOMMENDED READING: JOURNEY TO STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS #1 REVIEW
STAR WARS UNIVERSE: COMICS & BEYOND
THE INTERNET REACTS TO STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Birthright drops to #9 on our list from #5 in 2014. Great series with an amazing fantasy world that really draws you in. We reviewed Birthright and highly recommend it for anyone whoâs a fan of fantasy and magic and mystery and adventure.
8. We Stand On Guard
The long-awaited mini-series from Brian K. Vaughan! â100 years from now, a heroic band of Canadian civilians must defend their homeland from invasionâŠby the United States of America [with] hyper-detailed combat between badass freedom fighters and giant f***ing robots.â Definitely worth a read!
7. Copperhead
Three out of our four editors read Copperhead, and for good reason! We wrote a review on Copperhead volume 1, saying, âIf thereâs one thing Iâm a sucker for, itâs space westerns. From Firefly to Star Wars to Guardians of the Galaxy, nothing beats a good old fashion anything goes in the old wild wild west.â
6. Thor
Thor claimed our top spot in 2014, but still manages to stay in our Top 10. Thor ended after only a few issues, then got restarted with a new #1 issue post-Secret Wars. Itâs still a great series, and the new Thor is just as badass as ever! Check out our review of the all-important first issue of Thor.
5. Wytches
Wytches actually jumped up one spot on our list to #5 from #6 in 2014. The main reason being that Scott Snyder and Jock managed to wrap up volume 1 and kept the story gripping and creepy. Last year I wrote, âItâs very rare for a comic book to actually be scary, but Scott Snyder and Jock have done just that. I can sum up this book in one word â creepy. Donât read this book alone in the dark. Youâve been warned.â I still feel the same way a year later, even more so.
4. Black Science
Black Science is an ongoing series that started in 2014, but volumes 2 & 3 came out in 2015 and really pushed the story forward. Itâs an incredibly fast-paced, action-packed, mind-bending, dimension-warping, time traveling sci-fi thriller written by Rick Remender and illustrated by Matteo Scalera, featuring some of the most beautiful artwork youâll see in a comic book. If you want to learn more, I wrote a review on Black Science volumes 1 & 2.
3. Ms. Marvel
A book that needs no introduction, Ms. Marvel is one of the most important comic books to come out in the modern era, period. I reviewed Ms. Marvel volume 1 and said, âMs. Marvel is bigger than the book itself â it represents a shift in the landscape of superhero comics, and will usher in a new generation of comic book readers, many of whom will be young girls who look up to Kamala Khan. Sheâs here and sheâs not going anywhere.â Last year it also landed in the #3 spot!
2. Deadly Class
Another one from Rick Remender on the list! Deadly Class made the biggest splash in our 2015 list, jumping up from #10 in 2014 all the way up to #2! The main reason? Every editor here at Shortboxed reads Deadly Class and loves it, simple as that. If you still arenât convinced, read our review of Deadly Class, where we say, âDeadly Class is Kill Bill meets Dazed and Confused meets Saved By The Bell. Did you hear that? Highly-trained, deadly teens attending an assassin high school get into wacky hi-jinks. But instead of ruining a dance off at The Max⊠well, you know⊠what assassins do. With a Remender story and Wes Craigâs beautiful art Deadly Class is one of my favorite titles of the year.â
1. Saga
Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples have been blessing the comic book world with Saga since 2012, and they are showing no signs of slowing down. Itâs one of the best comic books series to be written â ever. We had Saga at #2 in 2014, but this year it takes the top spot. Each one of us is a hardcore Saga fan, and Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples took the story in a different direction this year, forcing readers to examine the family dynamic and truly care about the fates of our favorite characters.
Thatâs it for 2015! There were so many great books that came out this year, so it was hard to narrow the list down to just 10! Each of us has our own unique tastes and preferences, so coming up with a comprehensive list that represents Shortboxed as a whole is tough. There are so many amazing books not in the Top 10, simply because only 1 or 2 of us may have had it on our list, but consensus doesnât necessarily mean it isnât a good book. Read what you enjoy!
Just for fun, here are the other books we had on our lists that didnât make the cut:
Wicked + The Divine
Low
DC Bombshells
Papergirls
Tokyo Ghost
Hawkeye
Batman
Amazing Spider-Man
Batgirl
Spider-Gwen
Gotham Academy
Life After
Ody-C
Hellboy and the BPRD
Birthright
Letter 44
Copra
The Rise of Aurora West
The Force Awakens â Shattered Empire
What are you favorite books from 2015! Let us know â sound off in the comments or reach out to us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook!
If this is your first time visiting Shortboxed, thanks for stopping by! We want to provide a place online where people new to comics can come and learn about the culture and be introduced to some amazing stories without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. Weâre always adding new content, so please come back soon! You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr at @shortboxed.
