2014 was an interesting year for comics and 2015 looks set to be no different. So let’s take a break from moaning intermittently about New Year’s resolutions and deadlines and get stuck into the way bigger issue so pressingly at hand – what comics are coming out this year? Will they be any good? Can I just jump right in and enjoy them without reading the entire Marvel back catalogue? Here is a list of upcoming comics that should make for great jumping-in points in 2015.
Paper Girls
Paper Girls is a brand new comic from the writer of Saga (Brian K Vaughan) – a comic book series that has totally changed the landscape of comics over the past few years, proving that an original series can consistently out-sell even some of the biggest titles in comics. So, what do you do when you’ve proven you can outsell Batman with a family drama set in space? You team up with an artist who produced one of the biggest smash hits of 2014 and write a comic about 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls set in the 80’s. Most of the details about this comic are being kept under wraps but with some of the best talent in comics working together on this title, Paper Girls is definitely one to watch this year. Expect visual gags and pop-culture references with some genuine, emotional storytelling at the core.
Black Canary
In 2014 DC re-launched Batgirl with roaring success. They introduced an entirely new look and way of storytelling, incorporating character design that actually felt cool and fashion-forward while utilising fictional versions of Instagram, Tinder and Spotify as part of the character’s lives. What you get is something akin to the TV show Girls, set in Gotham and populated with super powered twenty-somethings. It’s a concept you’ll either love or hate, but if this sounds up your street, keep an eye out for Black Canary in June, the most recent character to receive “the Batgirl treatment” from DC in 2015.
A.D: After Death
Scott Snyder is perhaps best known for writing some of best-received Batman titles of the past few years – Including Batman: The Black Mirror in 2011. At the 2015 Image Expo it was announced that Snyder would be teaming up with artist Jeff Lemire to bring us A.D: After Death, a science-fiction comic that explores what life might look like once mankind has discovered a “cure” for death. In an interview with Vulture about the project Lemire said the comic wasn’t just about “cheating death or whatever — it was more that that was the starting point for the story. It’s about what happens next. What kind of life or lives do you live after that?” Food for thought indeed…
A-Force Assemble
I wasn’t going to mention this one, but like a love-sick puppy I couldn’t stay away. There isn’t a huge amount of information on this series as of yet, but Marvel are set to debut a new all-femaleAvengers line-up that looks huge, illogical and insane. The team will be headed up by She-Hulk and appears to feature some unlikely members, such as Kitty Pride and Medusa. This comic may not be the easiest “jumping-in point” if you haven’t read much Marvel before, but it’s an exciting premise and is set to hit stores in May.
Anna Turner