We don't need to tell you what a year it's been. So let's get right to an accounting of what you need to read of The Comics Journal from 2016. Certainly there are omissions and mistakes here, but such is life.
Here are some reviews to revisit:
Sarah Horrocks on Peplum.
Monica Johnson on Blackbird.
Nicole Rudick on Carpet Sweeper Tales.
Robert Kirby on Wendy's Revenge and Trashed.
Kramers Ergot 9 by Joe McCulloch.
Bob Levin on Gulag Casual and Robusto.
Robert Boyd on Cometbus #57.
Sir Alfred #3 and The Greatest of Marlys by Chris Mautner.
Katie Skelly on Gorgeous, Queen Emeraldas, and Someone Please Have Sex with Me.
Richard Gehr on Peter Arno.
Greg Hunter on Dream Tube.
Annie Mok on Soldier's Heart and The Greatest of Marlys.
Rob Clough on 4 Panel Vol. 1, Rosalie Lightning, and Sisters.
Rachel Davies on After Nothing Comes.
For in-depth looks at a variety of topics, we offer you the following:
Joe McCulloch is the true hero of this and every year with his This Week in Comics column, filled with digressions, deep cuts, and great wisdom. Catch up on 2016 right here.
The great Ken Parille on Abner Dean, Black Panther, Sir Alfred #3, Patience, and comic book editing.
R.C. Harvey, here on Al Smith and here on Alex Raymond.
Rob Clough on Retrofit Comics and the 60th anniversary meeting of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.
Annie Mok interviewed Michael DeForge, Eleanor Davis and Julie Doucet.
John Kelly delved into the early work of Peter Bagge.
Frank Young on the madness of Chester Gould.
Abhay Khosla really summed up 2015 earlier this year. We miss him this year.
Monica Johnson on contemporary feminist comics and Paper Girls.
Alex Dueben conducted a massive oral history of Wimmen's Comix. Here's part 1 and part 2.
Anya Davidson on Brian Chippendale's Puke Force.
A Colorist's Roundtable by Andrea Fiamma.
Peter Bagge interviewed Kaz and Chester Brown, and then J.R. Williams discussed the old days with Bagge.
Noah Van Sciver chatted with Tom Gauld.
Tim interviewed Richard Sala.
Sarah Lautman, Ginette Lapalme, Jen Lee, Dash Shaw, and Aidan Koch all contributed excellent installments of our Cartoonist's Diary.
Bob Levin wrote insightfully about Jack Jackson.
RJ Casey interviewed Nick Drnaso.
Kevin Huizenga talked to Ben Katchor.
Todd Hignite caught up with Daniel Clowes.
Robert Kirby talked with MariNaomi.
Ryan Holmberg looked at nuclear manga here and here.
Jeanette Roan went in-depth with Jason Shiga.
Dan got into it with Anya Davidson.
Greg Hunter talked to Gilbert Hernandez about the cartoonist's incredible recent output and his podcast featured the likes of Gabrielle Bell, Ines Estrada, Anna Bongiovanni, and Eddie Campbell.
Robert Elder chronicled the many appearances of Ernest Hemingway in the comics. Part 1 and 2.
Emily Flake talked about the funny with Glen Baxter.
Ron Rege interviewed the great Dame Darcy.
Paul Tumey delivered a compelling deep dive into the work of Gus Mager, (twice!), a two-part revelatory look at White Boy cartoonist Garrett Price (1 and 2), a look at the early days of minicomix and a two-part chat with George Herriman biographer, and he reviewed the forthcoming My Favorite Thing is Monsters.
And there were sad passings:
See you in 2017.
