Comics will mend your heart. That's the energy we're taking into the new year and the thought we carried as we assembled The Stampies, our end-of-the-year award show celebrating The Best Comics of 2024 - ahem - (Part One). Over the last six years, we've turned to comics to understand ourselves and the world around us better. They've guided us through tumultuous times, and we know we'll need them even more in the coming months and years.

Our award show is very much OUR award show. We have peculiar tastes, and our favorite comics reflect that. Some categories stuck around from last year's ceremony, but with this episode in particular, you'll find several new ones, also. Next week's Part Two will be stacked with the more traditional Best Original Graphic Novel, Best Limited Series, Best Ongoing, etc. For The Best Comics of 2024 (Part One), we get a little more cutesy with Best New Superhero and Best Murder Mystery, plus categories like Best First Issue and Best Single Issue.

As has become tradition, we've asked our friends in journalism and podcasting to name their favorite books of the year. New to our 2024 celebrations, however, we've also asked a few retailers and comic book creators to contribute their favorite books. If you want to be spoiled about who will be guest-starring in today's podcast, scroll below. Please thank them by following their work and social media handles (and letting them know how much you enjoyed their contributions to the podcast).

2024 was another banger of a year regarding comics. Highlighting our favorites was more challenging than ever. The Stampies contain sixteen categories, with a few extra surprise categories tossed in during next week's show. That's simply not enough space to name all "the best" books from the year. So, keep your eyes trained on the Comic Book Couples Counseling website. At the very end of the year, we'll unleash our massive 50 Best Comics of 2024 list.

The Best Comics of 2023 (Part One) Category Timestamps: 

Best Comic Book Couple - 12:14

Best Murder Mystery - 18:18

Best New Superhero - 25:54

Best Adaptation - 32:29

Best Collaboration - 40:07

Best Short Story - 47:33

Best First Issue - 56:43

Best Single Issue - 1:05:05

The Best Comics of 2023 (Part One) Guest-Stars: 

Erik C. Jones (Bluesky): Manager at Four Color Fantasies.

Tiffany Babb (Bluesky): Poet, Essayist, and Culture Critic.

Dan Gvozden (Bluesky): Co-Host of The Amazing Spider-Talk Podcast

Zack Quaintance (Bluesky): Comic Book Writer, Part-time Editor at The Beat

Christian Ward (Bluesky): Batman: City of Madness, Spectregraph, Two-Face, etc.

Chris Piers (Bluesky): Host of ComicTropes.

David Brooke (Bluesky): Owner, Writer, Host at AIPT.

Troy-Jeffrey Allen (Instagram): Writer, Producer, Host, RexCo Comics Studio.

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY

Join us at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia, on 1/26 at 5:00 PM for Speed Racer, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies.

And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Bluesky @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.

Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.

Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website, where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.

Podcast logo by Jesse Lonergan and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.