Back in 2016, I picked back up my interest in comic books, after essentially re-watching everything from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At the end of the year, I discovered Cape and Cowl Comics in Oakland, and after only a few trips to the store, I realised the owner was super friendly and it was wonderful feeling like a respected customer he could recognise, so that essentially fostered my habit of reading more comics throughout 2017 (it also helps that they have reward cards for trades, so you get one free book for every nine that you buy).
2016’s read count was 128 books. In 2017, I hit a staggering 210, and picked up countless single issues that I either began following or continued from having collected the trades, after deciding I didn’t want to wait for the trades. I ended up having to buy multiple boxes to store all the comics I had previously and had been buying throughout the year so I could continue to make room on my shelves.
My full list of comics and trades/graphic novels that I read throughout 2017 can be found at the end of this blog post, but I want to write up a little summary of my reading habits for the year. A good portion of what I read continued on from what I enjoyed in 2016 – a lot more Brian Michael Bendis (adding to the mix Spider-Man: Miles Morales, his Iron Man books, and the new Defenders series, in addition to continuing my reading of Jessica Jones and any other Avengers books I hadn’t gotten to yet); Brian K Vaughan (with Paper Girls and Saga); Ms Marvel; Young Avengers (including following some of them to other books, and some of their own titles, like America and Hawkeye); Runaways (with the new series); Thor; Deadpool; and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Additionally, I read A LOT more Captain America, after discovering Ed Brubaker’s run (and with all the Captain America I read in 2017, I can safely say he’s my favourite Captain America writer); discovered Amadeus Cho as The Totally Awesome Hulk (previously thinking The Hulk wasn’t especially interesting, but a brainy Korean-American teenage Hulk is a lot more appealing) and also him and Ms Marvel (plus others) in The Champions; and despite thinking I shouldn’t delve back into the X-Men because there’s just SO MUCH of it, I ended up going through a bunch of important storylines from the last decade or so, as well as following up on some of my favourite characters of the past (especially Nightcrawler and Wolverine, both of whom had died, with Nightcrawler later being resurrected). I followed the new Iceman series because it was about struggling with his new gay identity (though I would be one of the readers who isn’t as fond of it because I think it somewhat erases his significant relationships with women, and I would’ve enjoyed it more if they’d made him bisexual instead). Perhaps the biggest surprise in my Marvel reading was that I ended up delving in to a lot of Iron Man books after telling myself I wouldn’t because of the long history of the character. Although that didn’t happen until I’d introduced myself to Bendis’s Riri Williams, who took up the Iron Man mantle in 2017. She’s probably my favourite new-to-me character from Marvel last year.
Occasionally, I took a chance on some new titles that came out from different publishers (that weren’t Marvel), especially toward the end of the year (mainly Image then, which released a whole bunch of new things on the same day) and the only one I read (so far) that I gave up on was The Divided States of Hysteria. Probably my favourite new-to-me series discoveries in 2017 were Postal (and a couple of the Edenverse spin-offs: The Tithe and Samaritan Veritas), and Lady Mechanika. I picked up Postal around the time I learned I’m autistic, and I wanted to read a comic where the lead character was also autistic. Postal was pretty much the only title I could find when I searched.
My hope for 2018 is that I won’t discover too much that has a long history to visit, as I still have quite a few books I’ve bought and haven’t managed to read yet to get through, and I’d like to get through those. Some of them are volume one of many (I picked them up when Cape and Cowl had a sale on Image titles for their anniversary), though, so if I decide I like them, I may pick up the subsequent books. That’s the primary reason I’ve put off reading those for now. There’s just too much out there that interests me. It’s hard to say what will happen, though. My initial graphic novel reading goal for 2017 and beyond had only been 40 books, thinking I was already about done with what I wanted to get through. And I got through that in no time, really.
Anyhow, onto the complete list of comics, trades, and graphic novels I read in 2017…
Series I picked up by single issues
Marvel
All New Guardians of the Galaxy (2017) (issues 1-12)
Astonishing X-Men (2017) (issues 1-6)
America (issues 1-10)
Defenders (2017) (issues 1-8)
Despicable Deadpool (issues 287-290)
Doctor Strange (issues 281-283)
Generations (all 10 issues)
Generation X (2017) (issues 1-9; 85)
Guardians of the Galaxy: Breakout #1
Guardians of the Galaxy (issues 146-149)
Hawkeye (2016) (issues 1-6)
I Am Groot (2017) (issues 1-5)
Iceman (2017) (issues 1-8)
Jessica Jones (2016) (issues 4-14)
Luke Cage (2017) (issues 1-5; 166-168)
Marvel Legacy #1
Ms Marvel (2015) (issues 13-25)
Runaways (2017) (issues 1-4)
Image
Dark Fang (issue 1)
The Divided States of Hysteria (issues 1-2)
Maestros (issues 1-3)
Paper Girls (issues 11-18)
Paradiso (issue 1)
Port of Earth (issues 1-2)
Saga (issues 41-48)
Samaritan Veritas (issues 1-3)
Sleepless (issue 1)
Void Trip (issue 1)
Witchblade (2017) (issue 1)
DC
Mystik U (issue 1)
Other
Calexit (issue 1)
Faith and the Future Force (issues 1-4)
Lady Mechanika and the Clockwork Assassin (issues 1-3)
Made Men (issues 1-4)
Torchwood (issue 2.1)
Trades and Graphic Novels read
N.B. Asterisks (*) next to the title indicate which books I own (everything else I borrowed from the library, or someone loaned me)
Marvel
Age of Ultron
All-New All-Different Avengers vol 3: Civil War II*
The Amazing Spider-Man: Civil War
Amazing X-Men vol 1: The Quest for Nightcrawler*
Avengers Assemble vol 1
Avengers: Four*
Avengers: Fear Itself
Avengers Infinity Classic
Avengers: Kree/Skrull War
Avengers: Revelations
Avengers/X-Men: Utopia
Avengers vs. X-Men
Avengers vol 5
Avengers Arena vol 1: Kill or Die
Avengers Arena vol 2: Game On
Avengers Arena vol 3: Boss Level
Avengers: Standoff
Avengers: Unleashed vol 1: Kang War One*
Avengers: Unleashed vol 2: Secret Empire*
Black Widow vol 3: Last Days
Captain America: Winter Soldier*
The Death of Captain America vol 1: The Death of the Dream
The Death of Captain America vol 2: The Burden of Dreams
The Death of Captain America vol 3: The Man Who Bought America
Captain America: Red Menace
Captain America: The Trial of Captain America
Captain America: Road to Reborn
Captain America Reborn
Captain America: The Man With No Face
Captain America: Two Americas
Captain America: No Escape
Captain America: Prisoner of War
Captain America vol 1: Castaway in Dimension Z Book One
Captain America vol 2: Castaway in Dimension Z Book Two
Captain America vol 3: Loose Nuke
Captain America vol 4: The Iron Nail
Captain America vol 5: The Tomorrow Soldier
All-New Captain America: Hydra Ascendant
Captain America Sam Wilson vol 1: Not My Captain America
Captain America Sam Wilson vol 2: Standoff
Captain America Sam Wilson vol 3: Civil War II
Captain America Sam Wilson vol 4: #takebacktheshield
Captain America Sam Wilson vol 5: End of the Line
Captain America Steve Rogers vol 1: Hail Hydra
Captain America Steve Rogers vol 2: The Trial of Maria Hill
Captain America Steve Rogers vol 3: Empire Building
Captain America: Secret Empire
Champions vol 1: Change the World*
Champions vol 2: The Freelancer Lifestyle*
Civil War: Captain America & Iron Man
Civil War: Peter Parker, Spider-Man
Civil War II*
Dark Avengers vol 1: Assemble
Dark Avengers vol 2: Molecule Man
Deadpool: Back in Black
Deadpool: Bad Blood*
Deadpool vol 8: All Good Things
Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars
Deadpool World’s Greatest vol 1: Millionaire with a Mouth
Deadpool World’s Greatest vol 2: End of an Error
Deadpool World’s Greatest vol 3: Deadpool vs. Sabertooth
Deadpool World’s Greatest vol 4: Temporary Insanitation
Deadpool World’s Greatest vol 5: Civil War II
Deadpool World’s Greatest vol 6: Patience: Zero*
Deadpool World’s Greatest vol 7: Deadpool Does Shakespeare*
Deadpool World’s Greatest vol 8: ‘Til Death Do Us…*
Deadpool World’s Greatest vol 9: Deadpool in Space*
Deadpool World’s Greatest vol 10: Secret Empire*
The Death of Wolverine*
The Death of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy*
Decimation: X-Men – The Day After
Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme vol 1: Out of Time*
Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme vol 2: Time After Time*
Fallen Son – The Death of Captain America
Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan
Fear Itself
Gamora: Memento Mori*
Guardians of the Galaxy: Guardians of Infinity
Guardians of the Galaxy: New Guard vol 1: Emperor Quill
Guardians of the Galaxy: New Guard vol 2: Wanted
Guardians of the Galaxy: New Guard vol 3: Civil War II
Guardians of the Galaxy: New Guard vol 4: Grounded*
Guardians Team-Up vol 2: Unlikely Story*
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop vol 2: Masks*
The Incredible Hulk: Planet Hulk
Iron Man vol 1: Believe
Iron Man vol 2: The Secret Origin of Tony Stark book 1
Iron Man vol 3: The Secret Origin of Tony Stark book 2
Iron Man vol 4: Iron Metropolitan
Iron Man vol 5: Rings of the Mandarin
Infamous Iron Man vol 1: Infamous*
Infamous Iron Man vol 2: The Absolution of Doom*
International Iron Man*
Invincible Iron Man vol 1: Reboot*
Invincible Iron Man vol 2: The War Machines*
Invincible Iron Man vol 3: Civil War II*
Invincible Iron Man: Ironheart vol 1: Riri Williams*
Invincible Iron Man: Ironheart vol 2: Choices*
Legendary Star-Lord vol 4: Out of Orbit
The Mighty Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest
Mighty Avengers vol 1: The Ultron Initiative
Mighty Avengers vol 2: Venom Bomb
Mighty Avengers vol 3: Secret Invasion part 1
Mighty Avengers vol 4: Secret Invasion part 2
Mighty Thor vol 1: Thunder in Her Veins*
Mighty Thor vol 2: Lords of Midgard*
Mighty Thor vol 3: The Asgard/Shi’ar War*
Ms Marvel vol 2: Civil War
The New Avengers A.I.M. vol 1: Everything is New
The New Avengers A.I.M. vol 2: Standoff
The New Avengers A.I.M. vol 3: Civil War II
New Avengers: Illuminati
Nightcrawler vol 1: Homecoming*
Nightcrawler vol 2: Reborn*
Occupy Avengers vol 1: Taking Back Justice*
Power Man and Iron Fist vol 3: Street Magic*
The Road to Civil War
Rocket Raccoon: Grounded*
Scarlet Witch vol 1: Witches’ Road*
Scarlet Witch vol 2: World of Witchcraft*
Scarlet Witch vol 3: The Final Hex*
Secret Empire*
Secret Empire: United We Stand*
Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four
Secret Invasion: Runaways & Young Avengers
Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman
Siege
Siege: Dark Avengers
Siege: New Avengers
Siege: Thor
Siege: X-Men
Spider-Man/Deadpool vol 1: Isn’t It Bromantic
Spider-Man/Deadpool vol 2: Side Pieces
Spider-Man/Deadpool vol 3: Itsy Bitsy
Spider-Man: Miles Morales vol 1*
Spider-Man: Miles Morales vol 2*
Spider-Man/Spider-Gwen: Sitting in a Tree*
Spider-Man: Miles Morales vol 3*
Star-Lord: Grounded*
Steve Rogers Super Soldier
Thanos: The Infinity Revelation*
The Totally Awesome Hulk vol 1: Cho Time*
The Totally Awesome Hulk vol 2: Civil War II*
The Totally Awesome Hulk vol 3: Big Apple Showdown*
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe
Uncanny Avengers vol 1: The Red Shadow
Uncanny Avengers vol 2: The Apocalypse Twins
Uncanny Avengers vol 3: Ragnarok Now
Uncanny Avengers vol 4: Avenge the Earth
Uncanny Avengers vol 5: Axis Prelude
Uncanny Avengers vol 1 Counter Evolutionary
Uncanny Avengers Unity vol 1: Lost Future
Uncanny Avengers Unity vol 2: The Man Who Fell to Earth
Uncanny Avengers Unity vol 3: Civil War II*
Uncanny Avengers Unity vol 4: Red Skull*
Uncanny X-Men: Divided We Stand
Uncanny X-Men The Complete Collection vol 1 by Matt Fraction
Uncanny X-Men: The Birth of Generation Hope
The Unworthy Thor*
Vision vol 1: Little Worse Than a Man*
Vision vol 2: Little Better Than a Beast*
Vote Loki
Weapon X vol 1: Weapons of Mutant Destruction*
Wolverines vol 1: Dancing with the Devil
Wolverines vol 2: Claw, Blade, and Fang
Wolverines vol 3: The Living and the Dead
Wolverines vol 4: Destiny
Wolverine and Jubilee*
Wolverine: Three Months to Die book 1*
Wolverine: Three Months to Die book 2*
Wolverine and the X-Men vol 2: The Death of Wolverine*
Wolverine Old Man Logan
Wolverine: Old Man Logan: Warzones
Wolverine: Old Man Logan vol 1: Berzerker
Wolverine: Old Man Logan vol 2: Bordertown
Wolverine: Old Man Logan vol 3: The Last Ronin
Wolverine: Old Man Logan vol 4: Old Monsters*
Wolverine: Old Man Logan vol 5: Past Lives*
X-Force/Cable: Messiah War
X-Force: Sex + Violence*
X-Men: Messiah Complex
X-Men: Second Coming
X-Men: Golgotha
X-Men: To Serve and Protect
X-Men: Divided We Stand
X-Men & Avengers AXIS
X-Necrosha
X-Men Blue vol 1: Strangest*
X-Men Blue vol 2: Toil and Trouble*
X-Men Gold vol 1: Back to the Basics*
X-Men Gold vol 2: Evil Empires*
Young Avengers The Complete Collection vol 1*
Image
Lazarus vol 1
Paper Girls vol 2
Postal vol 1*
Postal vol 2*
Postal vol 3*
Postal vol 4*
Postal vol 5*
Eden’s Fall*
The Tithe vol 1*
The Tithe vol 2*
DC
Odyssey of the Amazons*
Other
Clueless: Senior Year*
Kampung Boy
Kim & Kim vol 2: Love is a Battlefield*
Lady Mechanika vol 1*
Princeless vol 1: Save Yourself
Spell on Wheels*
Dominica May 