Hopefully comic readers had the chance to whittle down the reading pile over the holiday break. A new year has arrived, and that means a whole new wave of great comic books is on the way. This year, you can look forward to two different, epic confrontations between Batman and Joker, a new cosmic crossover event from Marvel and a new creator-owned series from superstars Robert Kirkman and Chris Samnee.
To help you make sense of what to follow in 2020, we’ve put together a list of 20 new projects that should be on your radar. This list includes ongoing series, miniseries and graphic novels. Check out our slideshow below or scroll down to see what comics are hot in 2020.
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Outlawed
Marvel’s first major crossover event of 2020 is little different from the norm. Outlawed is less a specific story than it is the start of a dark new status quo for Marvel’s teen heroes. Echoing 2006’s Civil War, the conflict begins as new legislation is passed outlawing underage superheroes. That impacts everyone from Ms. Marvel to the Miles Morales Spider-Man to the New Warriors. After the opening story in March’s Outlawed #1, Marvel will launch three new books aimed at exploring the fallout of this new law – Ryan North and Nico Leon’s Power Pack, Daniel Kibblesmith and Luciano Vecchio’s New Warriors and a relaunch of Champions from Eve L. Ewing and Simone Di Meo.
We’ve often felt Marvel made a mistake in not exploring the long-term effects of Civil War and the Superhuman Registration Act, but hopefully Outlawed and the new books that spring out of this issue will be able to pick up where that crossover left off.
Batman vs. Joker
Joker is and always will be Batman’s greatest nemesis, and two of the biggest comic book storylines of 2020 directly revolve around their rivalry. First, new Batman writer James Tynion IV is laying the groundwork for Joker War, a story that could serve as the final showdown between Batman and Joker. Joker knows Batman’s secret identity, and he seems intent on finally using that knowledge to make his archenemy’s life a living hell. With the series rapidly moving toward the issue #100 mark, we have to assume Tynion has something huge in store for the summer.
As if that weren’t enough, 2020 looks to be the year we finally get Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok’s Three Jokers miniseries. Way back in 2016’s Justice League #50, Batman learned the horrible truth – there are actually three Jokers who have tormented Gotham City over the years. Presented as a three-issue Black Label book, Three Jokers will pit Batman, Batgirl and Red Hood against these three killer clowns and perhaps reveal more than we ever bargained about Joker’s true background in the process. DC hasn’t solicited the first issue yet, but Fabok recently revealed he’s hard at work on the third and final chapter, so we’re hopeful it won’t be much longer.
The Fire Never Goes Out: A Memoir In Pictures
These days, Noelle Stevenson may be best known as the creator of and showrunner for Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, but we’ve been big fans of her work dating back to comics like Nimona and Lumberjanes. This graphic novel serves as a personal memoir of Stevenson’s career so far, through both essays and short, autobiographical comics. It’s a welcome look into the life of one of the comic book industry’s biggest rising stars.
More X-Men Books
Writer Jonathan Hickman truly reinvigorated the X-Men line last year with House of X and Powers of X. The entire franchise has been benefiting from Hickman’s ambitious vision, and Marvel is only going to keep adding more new books to the lineup in 2020. That includes the first ongoing, monthly Wolverine comic since Logan’s death in 2014, courtesy of Benjamin Percy, Adam Kubert and Viktor Bogdonavic. Other noteworthy new additions include the Franklin Richards-centric crossover comic X-Men + Fantastic Four from Chip Zdarsky and Terry Dodson and a brand new take on X-Factor from Leah Williams and David Baldeón. Even Hickman himself is taking on a second book, as he teams with artists like Russell Dauterman and Ben Oliver for Giant-Size X-Men, a series of oversized, character-driven one-shots.
And that’s just in the first few months of 2020. Hickman has made it clear the current X-Men lineup is geared toward exploring the new status quo established in House of X and Powers of X. Sooner or later, these books will build to the next major phase in his multi-year plan for the X-Men. That means we can probably expect some sort of X-Men crossover event later in the year, one which will dramatically change the game for the resurgent mutant race.
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Saga’s Return
Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga is widely regarded as one of the best ongoing series on the stands. Unfortunately, the series went on extended hiatus when it reached its midway point in July 2018. The idea was to give the creators a break and allow them to stockpile new issues before returning in 2019. But 2019 has come and gone and Saga has yet to make its comeback. While nothing has been officially announced, we have to assume 2020 will instead be the year we finally get our fix.
Strange Adventures
Writer Tom King recently ended his long Batman run, and he has several new projects in the works for DC this year (in addition to co-writing the New Gods movie with Ava DuVernay). One of those will be of particular interest to fans of King and Mitch Gerads’ Mister Miracle maxiseries. Strange Adventures looks to do for cosmic hero Adam Strange what Mister Miracle did for Scott Free by telling an introspective, psychological story about a man literally torn between two worlds. This time, Gerads is joined by Evan “Doc” Shaner on art, with the book seeking to draw a stark visual contrast between Adam Strange’s Silver Age roots and the bleak conflict he now finds himself trapped in.
Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio
Derf Backderf combined journalism and personal memoir in a unique way for his 2012 graphic novel My Friend Dahmer, which detailed his childhood friendship with the boy who would become an infamous serial murderer. Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio is in much the same vein. This book chronicles the events leading up to the Kent State shootings of 1970, drawing both from Backderf’s personal experiences and extensive interviews with other witnesses. The end result looks to be a compelling account of a very dark event in American history.
Guardians of the Galaxy Relaunch
As sorry as we are to see writer Donny Cates end his Guardians of the Galaxy run after one year, we can’t complain about Marvel’s choice of replacement. Al Ewing and Juann Cabal are at the helm of Marvel’s latest Guardians relaunch. Not only will the new series feature a very Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning-inspired lineup of heroes, it’s pitting the Guardians against the Greek Gods. With all that Ewing has done to revitalize an iconic hero in Immortal Hulk (our pick for best comic book series of 2019), we can’t wait to see what he has planned for Star-Lord and the gang.
The Return of the JSA
Most DC fans suspected Doomsday Clock would end with the classic Justice Society of America being brought back into play, and issue #12 didn’t disappoint. These Golden Age heroes have been restored to life thanks to Doctor Manhattan and Superman, and we can only assume they’ll have a big part to play in the future of the DCU. Ideally, we’re hoping DC will announce a new JSA ongoing series soon, especially with the upcoming Stargirl TV series shining an even bigger light on this team.
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Fire Power
2019 was the year The Walking Dead ended (a twist no one knew was coming). Naturally, creator Robert Kirkman has new irons in the fire, and none are more promising than Fire Power, Kirkman’s first collaboration with Daredevil and Black Widow artist Chris Samnee. Fire Power is a martial arts series about a man searching for his birth parents in China and learning to harness the supernatural power within. And given that Samnee is one of the best visual storytellers in the business, we’re expecting those action scenes to really pop.
Source: IGN.com 20 Most Anticipated Comics of 2020