Favorite Marvel Books:
Atlas and Thunderbolts by Jeff Parker:
If there's one thing that the Heroic Age taught me, it's that Jeff Parker is great at writing team books. In Atlas, he gave us a team the literal revels in it's comic book-y-ness as a Chinese man, a Martian, a Goddess, an Atlantean, a Robot, and a Gorilla teamed up with the 3-D man to kick ass. Unfortunately, it was cancelled, but it got a proper ending and maybe we'll see them again some day. Of course, Mr. Parker did find success with the Thunderbolts, where he made Luke Cage the leader of Marvel's rotating hero team of villains. Month in and month out the book is a genuine joy to read and it's only getting better from here. If any issue in particular takes the cake, it's easily the 150th issue; heroes clashed, a frog guy made me laugh, Iron Man and Captain Rogers got to settle things with their would be killers (Ghost and Crossbones), and Luke Cage learned that maybe this team isn't as bad off as it could be. So with the future in site, I'm glad to say that I'm sticking with this series for the long run.
Amazing Spider-Man by Dan Slott, Fred Van Lente, Mark Waid, Zeb Wells, and Joe Kelly
Amazing Spider-Man has been a damn good book since late 2008, but for me the book really hit a high this year as "The Gauntlet" came out and showed us just how awesome Spider-Man's gallery of bad guys can be. Stories that stand out the most include Joe Kelly's heart breaking Rhino story as well as his unbelievably awesome "Grim Hunt" story that brought back Kraven the Hunter and held several twists and turns that just blew me away. And of course there was the ending to Brand New Day, "Origin of Species" in which Mark Waid told a tale of Spider-Man fighting to protect the child of Lilly Hollister, otherwise known as "Menace". But perhaps the best story arc of the bunch is Zeb Wells fantastic "SHED" storyline, where the Lizard showed us just how scary he can truly be. Together he and Chris Bachalo showed us just how savage and chilling Kurt Connor's inner beast could be. And of course there's Dan Slott, who's taking charge of the book now with "Big Time" which promises to take the web slinger higher and farther than ever before. If you want to jump on and enjoy the Wall crawler, then now is a better time than ever, because the next year is looking to be truly great.
Thor: The Mighty Avenger by Robert Langridge and Chris Samnee
If you aren't reading Thor: The Mighty Avenger, than you really suck at choosing which comics to read. You're also not alone, because a whole lot of people aren't reading it and that's a damn shame. See Marve's "God of Thunder" got a revamp from Langridge and Samnee and it's actually the best book the company has put out this year. It's also selling so poorly that it's getting cancelled just 4 issues short of completing the full story that the team had initially set out to tell. But enough about that, let's talk about how awesome this book was. Thor: TMA is a book that is made of pure love and joy and it's such a good read every time it comes out. Thor himself is a young, headstrong god struggling to understand why he's been banished, but learning to love the world he's been exiled to through his relationship with Jane Foster. It's a story of love in the guise of a super hero book, unfortunately it's also one that's doomed to have a tragically untold ending. Meanwhile Deadpool has six goddamned comic book on the shelves right now; what the hell does that say?
Assault on New Olympus, Hercules: Fall of an Avenger, Prince of Power, and Chaos War by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente
As this year began, Hercules was left for dead on an alternate earth by his sister Athena so that Amadeus Cho could become her champion. Amadeus Cho then decided that he wasn't going to accept that and set out the bring the big guy back. He succeeded, but then the Chaos King decided to wipe out all of existence. With all the heroes left helpless, Herc has assembled a God Squad to take down the Chaos King and save all of existence. So how was your year again? Yes, Mr. Pak and Mr. Van Lente have had quite a year writing the Hell out of there books and with each one they manage to one up the awesome factor of the story that came before it. Sure, you could read Mr. Pak's Hulk, but this is really where it's all at. Although I'm sure Mr. Pak wouldn't mind if you read his Hulk anyway.
Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis
If you read any of Bendis' books this year that isn't Scarlet, then read Ultimate Spider-Man, because the man is still tearing it up on this book. And this year he hit the 150 mark. 150 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man and the man's still not done yet. This year the wall crawler has had friends move in, he's had to help Rick Jones come to term with his newly gained powers, and he's met twin Chameleons who have torn apart the great image he's had ever since he managed to survive the Ultimatum Wave. As this year ends, he's finding out that he's going to be receiving training from various members of the Ultimates so that he can learn to do superhero-ing the proper way. And coming up in the next year is "The Death of Spider-Man" storyline that hopefully doesn't kill off the Ultimate version of the web slinger and will be pitting the Ultimates against the Ultimate Avengers. I'd be more nervous about this story, but it's an Ultimate book being written by Bendis and Millar, so we could be doing worse.
Favorite DC Books:
Justice League: Generation Lost by Judd Winick
If you told me a year ago that I'd be in love with a book by Judd Winick, I'd laugh at you, but Justice League: Generation Lost has me eating a slice of humble pie. Winick has reunited the JLI and set them against Max Lord who has in return set the World against the JLI. From truly cool stuff, such as Captain Atom taking trips to a nightmarish future and Booster Gold taking a step into the leadership position, to the hilarious new Rocket Red, this is the Justice League book that everyone should be reading.
Action Comics and Knight and Squire by Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell wasn't a name that made me buy comics before this year, but now it's a name that will make me read anything. It all started when he began writing Action Comics, a title I hadn't read at all before he hopped on, but with the premise of a book about Lex Luthor tickling my fancy I had to give the title a shot. Now, about six issues and an annual later, this might just be my favorite book from DC this year. From wild dream battles with Mr. Mind, to Lex brushing off a frustrated Vandal Savage who wants to trap and kill Luthor, to Gorilla Grodd fighting with a giant spoon, Mr. Cornell has turned the insanity and fun up to 11 and made this book the must read book of the Superman title.
Of course Action Comics isn't the only title Mr. Cornell is writing, as he's currently writing both Knight and Squire and Batman and Robin, but since I'm going to be writing about Batman and Robin later, Knight and Squire will have to do for right now. Knight and Squire is what happens when you take a concept and have fun with it; Mr. Cornell has taken this British version of Batman and Robin and turned them into the BBC version of the Adam West/Burt Ward team from the old TV show. This book is silly, fun, funny, and also a little informative. Sure it's hard to understand what they're saying half the time, but that's just part of the charm. Yes, between these two books, there is no way you're not having fun in the DCU!
Batman 700-702,Batman and Robin, and Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne by Grant Morrison
This year, Grant Morrison wrapped up the huge Batman epic that he's spent the last 4 years telling. He took on the ultimate evil and won, then he got lost in time, then his predecessor turned his evil assassin son into the new Robin, and then he managed to come back from being lost in time just in time to help the new Dynamic Duo take out the ultimate evil, again. Grant's been a busy guy telling the story he has to tell and it's payed off in all the right ways. Bruce Wayne has been a cave man, a pirate, a witch hunter, and even the detective trying to solve his own death. He even became a weapon that Darkseid had planned to use to to destroy time itself, but he managed to undo that. Dr. Hurt faced him at multiple points in time, but again and again Bruce bested him, setting a trap for him that even Hurt couldn't see coming. He showed us why he's one of DC's big three and he did so in such a satisfying way. If you haven't been reading Morrison's Batbooks, than you're insane because they're just that damn good. And with Batman Incorporated just starting up, it's not too late to jump on and see why everyone loses their mind every time these titles come out.
Secret Six by Gail Simone
Secret Six is a title that doesn't stand out that much as a comic book. It isn't the book everyone raves about or the title that everyone tells you to read. That being said, it's a book that you should be reading. Much like the T-Bolts, this is a team composed to bad guys trying to do good things. Not at all like the T-Bolts, this team is led by someone who isn't necessarily a hero. No, this is a team of broken, crazy, complex characters led by Bane, that character that went from being a mastermind Batman villain to a shadow of his former self in the 90s. The fact that Bane is such a great character in this book is just one of the reasons that Gail Simone's Secret Six is one of the best comics that DC is putting out right now.
And it isn't just Bane that's written well; Catman, Scandal Savage, Ragdoll, Jeanette, Deadshot, and Black Alice are all fantastically written characters that keep me coming back each and every issue wanting to see what they team's got in store for me next. Two issues in particular (both one-shots) stand out in particular as really great issues; one has the team captured and sent to an island to face off against some rich jerks and the other has the team re-imagined in the old west preparing to face off against Ragdoll's sister and Slade Wilson. Both are fantastic issues that will be able to sell anyone on this series. And then there's the recently run story where the team has split into two and end up having to face each other in an alternate dimension resembling Marvel's Savage Land where they fight each other wearing loin clothes and riding on Dinosaurs. Yes, it's that awesome.
Favorite Books From Everyone Else:
Darkwing Duck (Boom!Kids) by Ian Brill and James Silvani
Boom!Kids is the little line that could, which is to say that it's the best thing to happen to all ages comics in the last decade. Every book is awesome and the best of the bunch is Darkwing Duck. This book successfully brings the "Disney Afternoon" character back in all of his duck glory. With writer Ian Brill nailing the wit, heart, and joy of the character and artist James Silvani brings art that is so good that you'll never want to look away. This is easily the best looking book that this line has put out and it's easily one of the top 5 best looking books of this year, period. Actually, it's easily one of my top 5 favorite books, period.
Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour (OniPress) by Bryan Lee O'Malley
The story of Scott Pilgrim came to an end this year with the 6th and final book in the series and it's easily one of my favorite books of the year. Scott starts this volume out alone and broken after Ramona left him and he was forced to move into his own apartment by himself. He quickly finds himself revisiting each of his past loves and finding out that maybe he wasn't the best boyfriend in the world, let alone a good person in general. Plots are resolved, secrets are revealed, and Gideon Graves finally gets what he's got coming. This is a story about love that's a little more mature than it seems and it ends with two people learning that they're going to have to work together to make it work out.
Atomic Robo Volume 4 (Red5 Studio) by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener
Okay, if you know me at all than this selection shouldn't be any sort of surprise. Atomic Robo is easily my favorite comic book being printed today and I find myself giddy like a school girl for each and every new issue as they come out. That's why I'm glad to say that Volume 4 is the best volume in the series yet. The story revolves around 4 different one-shot issues that all take place within a span of a week, but each and every consecutive incident involves yet another strange foe that highlights just how crazy and wonderful this book is. From Vampires from a different dimension, to a giant Japanese monster not unlike something out of a Kaiju movie, to other enemies such as Dr. Dinosaur and the ghost of Thomas Edison. Each issue stands alone fantastically on it's own, but together it does wield a fantastic story that builds upon the world of Robo in one way or another. It also successfully highlights why I love this book; it's a fantastically hilarious sci-fi action comedy book that takes place in a wonderful world of action science, talking dinoaurs, and just about anything the imagination can think of.
Axe Cop (Axecop.com/Dark Horse) by Ethan and Malachai Nicolle
At the tail end of last year, Axe Cop popped up out of nowhere and took the internet by storm; this comic, made by the brothers Nicolle (Ethan (age 29) and Malachai (age 6)) who have crafted one of the most insanely comics of this year. The process of making this comic is simple: Malachai comes up with a bunch of randomly awesome details and plot points and Ethan puts it all together in a coherent enough fashion and draws it all so that he may put it up on the internet. Almost overnight the whole thing became a huge hit, with everyone falling in love with the genuinely childish nature of the book. Axe Cop is comic book equivalent of how you used to play with your action figures when you were a young child and for that I love it. And I'm not alone, as the title has gained enough fame that Ethan himself is putting off the release of the comic he had originally intended to put out in favor of working on this and Dark Horse Comics has decided to work with Ethan in order to publish the web series as well as publishing a completely original 3 issue mini series. If you aren't reading this, go now. It's free on the web and it features a T-Rex with Gatling guns for arms. Seriously, go read it. Now.
Sweet Tooth (Veritgo) by Jeff Lemire
Sweet Tooth is easily one of the best comics coming out right now, and though I've currently dropped the ongoing in favor of trades, I haven't given up on this title. This story of a young Deer boy and his protector in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity is almost wiped out is a fantastic book. Jeff Lemire has crafted a dark sad world where people must lie, steal, cheat, and maybe even kill to survive, where young animal children are hated for existing and find themselves being experimented on in the name of science. It's a great read, though, an it's definitely something anyone looking for a darker, more mature comic out there to read that isn't just a bunch of muscle riddled jerks flying around and punching each other.
The Unwritten (Vertigo) by Mike Carey and Peter Gross
The Unwritten is another Vertigo book that I'm reading exclusively in trade. It's also a fantastic story about a boy who's father turned into an internationally famous character in a series of Harry Potter like books. The story starts as a mystery about whether Thomas is actually the Tommy Taylor from the famous books or not, but quickly turns into a terrific journey throughout all of literature in general. The first two volumes are out now with the third coming next march, though it your feeling up to it, you can also pick it up in individual issues so that you're not left waiting too long for your fix.
So there we go, folks. That's my pics for my favorite comics of the year. Each one is a fantastic read in it's own right, so do yourself a favor and read them all. You won't be sorry. For part two, I'm going to be covering my favorite animated stuff from the last year, which includes cartoons from TV, movies, anime, and everything in between. Part three is going to be Movies and TV. Part Four will probably come in the new year and it will be Video Games. It's going to take that long so that I can get all my Christmas games played enough that I can actually talk about them with some experience under my belt. I might even do a Part 1.5 where I highlight individual one-shot issues that I loved and just what's so great about them as well as a Part 5 about Podcasts and music that I've come to enjoy this year. So look out for all of that coming soon. When the New Year hits I'm going to try and find some other things to talk about before I get back to doing weekly comic reviews. I really want to wait for some newer stuff to hit before I do more reviews. I'll definitely be reviewing the next volume of Fullmetal Alchemist when that comes out. So there. I've put all this out there, let's hope I can get all of this out.
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