8) The Legend Of Wonder Woman
Cancelled before its time, The Legend of Wonder Woman is the best take on the character since the beginning of Brian Azzarello’s New 52 run. It seemed to be doing alright in terms of sales and was one of DC’s most critically acclaimed titles, all of which make its cancellation that much more puzzling. We’re still left with nine great issues though collected in a single trade that—on paper—give us yet another retelling of Wonder Woman’s origin. In fact, it’s one of at least four series to do that in 2016 alone.
Legend of Wonder Woman, however, has a very specific focus on the Amazons and life on Themyscira that help the book to stand out on its own. If anything this is really the story of what life was like for Diana before Steve Trevor unexpectedly showed up on her doorstep. Even now, that’s fairly undiscovered territory and a story worth re-interpreting at the very least.
[zergpaid]7) Doctor Strange
Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo’s take on the Sorcerer Supreme made its debut last year, but has come to be an imaginative and even seminal run in the character’s long history. At the start, there was a great deal of attention paid to getting Strange back into the public consciousness before his film debut. Aaron and Bachalo’s run has not only helped Strange feel relevant and necessary to the Marvel Universe as a whole, but it’s gone deep into the character’s mythos (and headspace) in a way that makes this longstanding character feel totally fresh.
The greatest strength of this series is its voice, which allows the reader to explore Strange’s rogues gallery and classic staples of the lore like the Sanctum Sanctorum in a way that feels new and original. Furthermore, Bachalo’s art fits perfectly with the surreal qualities of the character and bizarre world – or worlds – he inhabits.