My Top 3 Comics of 2022: A Year in Nerdy Review
Plus: my top 5 Star Wars books, 2023 reading goals, and exciting January releases.
Well, it’s officially a new year!
2022 was full of important life changes for me: I graduated college in May, spent the summer performing in a theatrical production, moved back to my hometown, and began a new job.
But more importantly, in 2022, I discovered my personal passions and began taking steps to merge them with my professional goals. In May, I picked up a Star Wars book for the first time—it was Kenobi by John Jackson Miller—and dove into the world of comics. I found a welcoming community on TikTok, Bookstagram, and Twitter, and made new friends. I went to New York Comic Con and met some of those friends in person! I became a contributor for Dork Side of the Force, and began sharing my nerdy writing with the world. And of course, I started this newsletter!
Thank you to all of the fandom-related friends who made 2022 a wonderful year. Here’s to making 2023 even better!
Now, onto some of my favorites of the year.
My Top 3 Comics of 2022
When looking back at my comics of this year, I definitely did more buying than I did reading. (That weekly trip to the comic shop is quite the serotonin boost, what can I say?) That being said, I read some amazing comics, including:
The first couple issues of the new Yoda series written by Cavan Scott, Jody Houser, and Marc Guggenheim.
The Phase II High Republic comic run, also by Cavan Scott.
And I finally got around to reading the classic Batman: Year One by Frank Miller.
However, a few stood out from the rest. These stories went above and beyond in capturing my attention with the characters, the story, and the world. My top 3 comics of 2022 were:
The Riddler: Year One #1 written by Paul Dano with art by Stevan Subic.
Star Wars: The High Republic—Trail of Shadows #1-5 written by Daniel Jose Older with art by Dave Wachter.
The High Republic—The Blade #1 written by Charles Soule with art by Marco Castiello.
And what makes these favorites even better is that two of them are ongoing! The Riddler: Year One and The Blade will continue to release throughout the first few months of 2023, so if you haven’t picked up those issues yet, they would be a great first couple of reads for the new year.
My Top 5 Star Wars Books of 2022
The majority of the Star Wars novels that I read this past year were books from The High Republic multi-media project. I made it my goal in June to finish Phase I before the beginning of Phase II in October—and I hit that goal! But, that meant that I only read five stand-alone Star Wars novels. (Even though I bought a lot more…)
These are my top 5 Star Wars books that I read this year, High Republic or stand-alone:
The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray—The High Republic, Phase I, 3rd adult novel
The Rising Storm by Cavan Scott—The High Republic, Phase I, 2nd adult novel
Path of Deceit by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland—The High Republic, Phase II, 1st YA novel
Dark Disciple by Christie Golden—Stand-alone
Lost Stars by Claudia Gray—Stand-alone
It was incredibly hard to narrow these choices down, but the 5 novels above actually changed by brain chemistry when I read them. In 2023, I plan to read many more stand-alone novels and trilogies (along with The High Republic new releases, of course!)
2023 Reading Goals
My mentality around reading this year is: go big, or go home. Now that I’ve graduated college, it seems like I have so much free time. I read more in the second half of 2022 than all of 2021 combined. If that trend continues, I think 2023 will be a great reading year.
So, I’ve set my Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal for 100 books. I’ve never read that many books in one year before. (At least, not since I’ve been tracking my reading. Middle school Jessica may have put that number to shame.) But, I’ve got another good incentive to achieve that goal.
In 2023, some of my Bookstagram friends and I are doing a challenge that we’ve titled “The 2023 TBR Tackle Challenge.” The goal of this endeavor is to read all of the books that you own but have not read, and limit the amount of new books you buy. We’re trying to rediscover the unread and neglected books on our shelves and give them the love they deserve. (I’m kind of making it sound like an Island of Misfit Toys situation, aren’t I? Hmm.)
Well, anyway, I think this challenge is an achievable goal for me—my physical TBR is 85 books. (I know some of you scoffed at that number and others gasped in horror at that number. I, personally, grimaced in pain at that number.) But I’ve got a great group of friends that are in this journey together and that will help motivate each other.
Check out some of them on Instagram: @swelchreads
@kellys.book.corner @cheyenneslibrary @the.chaos.library @maysg75Here are YE OLDE RULES for the 2023 TBR Tackle. (Of course, you may adapt it however you see fit. Add or subtract rules, read a fraction of your physical TBR, whatever you like. I’m all for loopholes.)
January Nerdy Releases to Be Excited About
The High Republic Phase II continues with The Battle of Jedha audio drama by George Mann! This released on January 3, 2023 and was my second favorite installment from this phase. Stay tuned for my review!
Phase II also continues with various comics releasing this month:
The High Republic (2022) #4—January 11, 2023
The High Republic Adventures (2023)—January 11, 2023
The High Republic—The Blade #2—January 25, 2023
Marvel begins a new run of a fan-favorite female villain with Scarlet Witch (2023). The first issue release January 4, 2023. This series is one you don’t want to miss.
The Bad Batch is back for its second season! The first two episodes released on January 4, and the show will drop a new episode every week through mid-March.
Plus, we just got a new trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania! This next installment of the MCU releases on Feb. 17, and looks incredibly promising.
Thank you for subscribing to The Cosmic Comic Collective! I appreciate all of your support. Stay on the lookout for a couple extra newsletters coming soon with reviews for The Battle of Jedha and a re-reading reflection on Lost Stars by Claudia Gray.