That time of the year again: The top ten comic books of 2018!

Image by IDW Publishing

7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles No. 78-89

It was another phenomenal year for what is easily the best and most consistent licensed franchise comic on sale every month. Editor and co-plotter Bobby Curnow deserves a lot of credit not only for coordinating the main series every month, but coordinating a variety of spin-off projects, featuring different creative teams that all sync together into one continuity. Furthermore, co-writers Tom Waltz and Kevin Eastman continue to produce a terrific comic together.

The trifecta of writers create a comic which mixes the old with the new and nostalgia with innovation. They also fully embrace characters from the 2003 animated series, rather than exclusively rely on cast from the 1980s. Characters such as Agent Bishop and Ch’rell have been major factors in the stories from 2018. Yet, the largest has been the divide between Splinter and his sons, the Turtles. His running of the Foot Clan and his increasing moral ambiguity have split their family apart.

A variety of artists have graced the book in 2018, yet most of the issues were drawn by David Wachter. He’s settled into an unofficial role as main artist this year, and the series has been better for it. From a Triceraton invasion to a fight with the Rat King, to a war on Burnow Island and the death of a dear friend, TMNT has continued to be a woefully underrated series. It offers deeply compelling storytelling that connects all the plot threads together. No character or scene is ignored, and no arc ends as predicted. It truly is the best serialized licensed comic out there!