25. You're All Just Jealous Of My Jetpack by Tom Gauld (Drawn and Quarterly)
Guardian cartoonist Tom Gauld released the collected edition of his many cartoons for the newspaper in You're All Just Jealous of my Jetpack, a book that features surreal comedy strips like Mister Victorian Novel, the Fiction Police, and satirical takes on contemporary writers like Dan Brown and Martin Amis. Gauld's acute eye on all things literary leads to strips like Book Cover Design is Easy and takes funny swipes at critics who eschew sci-fi/fantasy novels over general fiction. Drawn in an appealing, deceptively simple way, Gauld's comics are hilarious, clever, and great fun to read.
24. Batman: Black & White by Various (DC)
This critically acclaimed series was relaunched this year as a limited six-issue mini-series featuring some of the best writers and artists working today. Editor Mark Chiarello returned to edit the series which featured amazing stories by Maris Wicks, Joseph Quinones Jr, Rafael Albuquerque, Jeff Lemire, Paul Dini and many more, with art from Sean Murphy, Chris Samnee, Neal Adams, JG Jones, Marc Silvestri, Lee Bermejo and more. Maybe the most memorable so far (four issues have been published in 2013 with two more to go next year), is Neal Adams' Zombie Batman story, purely for being absolutely insane - great to see Adams' art in a Batman comic again though!
23. Northlanders, Volume 7: The Icelandic Trilogy (Vertigo)
Brian Wood's remarkable Viking epic, Northlanders, came to a close with it's final book published in January. The final volume ambitiously tells a Godfather-esque story with its characters, as we follow one family over several generations change, as the times change with them. Wood's Viking characters have 21st century sensibilities that brings their stories to life in a more immediate way to contemporary readers and shows their real lives as what they are, the timeless human experience. Amazing art from a roster of talented artists like Declan Shalvey and Paul Azaceta, Northlanders is a must-read for fans of historical fiction.
22. Wolverine and the X-Men by Jason Aaron et al. (Marvel)
After the events of Schism and AVX, Wolverine has re-opened the Westchester School in memory of Professor X and Jean Grey and installed himself as Headmaster! Jason Aaron writes a wonderfully comedic and light-hearted take on the school and its staff and students that's easily one of the most entertaining Marvel titles of the moment. Little known characters like Doop, Broo, and Quentin Quire have quickly become household names and eclipsed headliners like Wolverine, Kitty Pryde and Beast. The series is unfortunately coming to a close early next year as Aaron moves to his new X-Men series, Amazing X-Men, but there are numerous volumes in trade paperback to pick up and re-read of this delightful X-title.
21. FF by Matt Fraction and Mike Allred (Marvel)
When the Fantastic Four decide to go galavanting about space and time, who do they leave behind to protect Earth (even though there are about a thousand other heroes who could easily step in)? The FF! Made up of Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Jen Walters/She-Hulk, Medusa, Queen of the Inhumans, and Darla Deerling/Ms Thing, the FF are New York/Earth's new protectors. Fraction's great sense of humour works really well in this group dynamic as Lang, uncomfortable in his role as leader especially after the recent death of his daughter, struggles to fill Reed's shoes and maintain his team's cohesion. Mike Allred kills it with the art in every issue showing why he is one of the industry's finest with his strong lines and wonderful layouts while his wife Laura's colours make the images pop like nothing else. FF is one of the most underrated and best titles in the Marvel NOW! relaunch.