ComicsAlliance’s Best Of 2016: The Best Crime Comic of 2016

That Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott can produce an amazing crime comic is maybe 2016's least surprising development. What makes it so notable, though — aside from the quality — is how it blends its crime procedural murder mystery with its compelling, well-researched approach to witchcraft in a way that feels effortless and instantly engaging, with a good helping of ominous dread thrown in for good measure. [Chris Sims]

She’ll steal your attention, she’ll steal your car, and she’ll definitely steal your heart. Who is this ne’er-do-well? She’s Goldie Vance, the teenage sleuth of Crossed Palms Resort. Much to the dismay of her resort bosses, Goldie’s brain is always tick-tick-ticking away at another mystery — ones that involve missing guests, drag races, and international conspiracies. And whodunit? Writer Hope Larson, artist Brittney Williams, and colorist Sarah Stern. And, luckily for readers, they repeat offend every issue of this all-ages series. [Jon Erik Christianson]

Stray Bullets is just as thrilling, tense, and terrifying as it was when it began back in 1995. In its most recent storyline, "Sunshine and Roses," Lapham has crafted a narrative that expands on the lives of number of series regulars. It’s also been as taut and gut-wrenching as anything he’s written in the series’ decade-plus history. As strong as Lapham’s writing has been, the art and storytelling have been equally brilliant each and every page. Stray Bullets’ noir sensibilities are easy to spot, but it’s Lapham’s ability to place the camera and pace a scene that really makes each chapter dangerously fun. [Luke Brown]

This year brought a lot of heartbreak and ruin, but it also saw Superior Foes of Spider-Man creators Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber reunite for this hilariously unhinged foray into scumbaggery, so it wasn't all bad. As crooked cops Roy and Mac sleaze their way to the big-time, they stumble ass-backwards from one bizarre scheme to another in the most unpredictable comic to come along in ages. Murdered actresses, retirement home burglaries, drug-sniffing beagles and tampon theft: no crime is too big, too small, or too weird for The Fix. [John R. Parker]

Tom King and Mitch Gerads had a pretty daunting task in building a comic story around the invasion of Iraq, an event that's raw and recent enough that it's still shaping the world that we're all actually living in. But rather than feeling cheap or disrespectful, Sheriff of Babylon thrives in that rawness, and their blend of multiple viewpoints and some of the best pure craftsmanship in comics make for a story that's gripping in a way that very few others can match. [Chris Sims]