#1 The payoff of Secret Warriors' conclusion. I'm re-reading the whole series now and its even better.
#2 Daken: Dark Wolverine. Really enjoyable voyage through a concept Ms Marvel touched on a couple years back (and I'm sure Wolverine has done many times) - the worst thing to be is invincible, because when you're invincible you can do anything you think of. Its interesting because he doesn't want to be a hero.
can't do a 3, 4, 5 - i've been getting patchy bits of other comics, but none I'd say were worth nominating.
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AntimatterDevo Was RightGates of SteelRegistered Userregular
Swamp Thing
Animal Man
Jeff Parker's Hulk
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Garlic Breadi'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm a bitch i'm aRegistered User, Disagreeableregular
5) The Flash
4) Batwoman
3) Batgirl
2) Batman: The Black Mirror
1) Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom/Clockworks
1. Journey Into Mystery
2. Daredevil
3. Thunderbolts
4. The Sixth Gun
5. Chew
6. OMAC*
* I'm trade-waiting all other DC comics, which is why there's no Animal Man, Swamp Thing, etc. However, the #1's I read and what I've seen would have put them into the Top 5.
Only 5? damn, and that's 5 of all publishers not per? heh
Locke and Key definitely, I kinda want to vote Flash/wonder woman/Aquaman together, as they all brought me to chars I never bought before and now love in just a few short issues.
Amazing/Venom/Big Time/Spider Island/Ultimate Spiderman (both the death and Miles new stuff have been great), I need to pick out of somehow too.
Uncanny X-force and Fantastic Four had some incredible payoffs too, damn.
Also, with TPB's and constantly being introduced to new stuff by you guys, I'm not even sure what's in 2011 and what isn't now.
So many choices after that, I don't even know where to begin.... After some thinking
4. Frankenstein (including the Flashpoint mini that was even more excellent than the current ongoing)
5. Wonder Woman (never thought this would happen, but the art was great and the storytelling is so kinectic compared to other books, which wow'd me about Azzarello's Knight of Vengeance mini as well).
And for kicks, 6-10 which are more "worthy mentions" than actual rankings
6. Avengers - Bendis's Fear Itself tie-ins were far more entertaining than the actual event, the Infinity Gems arc was great, 12.1 was excellent, and even the current HAMMER issues don't feel as tied down in old continuity as I thought they would (which is a bit of an issue in New Avengers, but the books are also staying more separate than I thought they would so far).
7. Stormwatch - Cornell's new characters are fucking fantastic, and I was excited to see where this would have led if he was staying on board. As it stands, it looks like we're going to get a very excellent origin arc from him.
8. Batman & Robin (DCnU) - When Tomasi is on, he's focusing on building characters and the relationships between them. He's doing that marvelously in this book, and he's managed to flip what should have been a downright terrible villain into someone very interesting, who I hope remains a part of the Bat canon well after this arc wraps.
9. Justice League: Generation Lost/Power Girl - This ended in May, right? This was a pleasant surprise when I sat down and read the whole thing after it ended. I'm still really sad it was vaporized by the DC reboot, because it took all of the characters in interesting directions without really betraying them. Also, the Power Girl tie-ins expanded the story greatly without being absolutely necessary, and had some brilliant humor.
10. Green Lantern - This book has more or less been on fire since Sinestro Corps War, but it felt recharged during Brightest Day and War, and now into the DCnU.
Finally, a big WOW to Batwoman for tying its characters together as beautifully as its spreads, and to DCnU's Flash for finding a way to keep Barry Allen's world fresh and exciting in modern times.
TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
edited December 2011
For the whole year, it would probably go:
1) Snyder's Detective Comics
2) Daredevil
3) Miller's Batgirl (#22 was such a great issue, everyone pick it up at your LCS)
4) Uncanny X-Force
5) Fables
Thunderbolts, Venom and Superboy would be runner ups. Books like Animal Man and Batman are also great books but they only have four issues out so far, and that kind of goes against a year long comparison.
I would say
Wonder Woman
Scarlet
the other three I have no idea because I could think about it and say I liked one for certain reasons and then throw it away for another reason
Only four since I'm still catching up and most of the stuff I've read this year is old
Trade-waiting for Ultimates, Journey Into Mystery and Wolverine And The X-Men
Will eventually try FF, Daredevil, Thunderbolts, Batman & Robin and The Flash
These lists are always tough for me, because I have a terrible memory, when it comes to stuff that's come out recently. But, in no particular order--
Thunderbolts; great, consistent characterization, dialogue, and plotting, married to fantastic art, this is one of the single best superherovillain books on the stands. If nothing else, it's definitely my favorite team book. Admittedly, the time-travel arc's beginning to drag a bit, getting away from the Suicide Squad format that initially hooked me, but the characters remain engaging as ever.
In particular, I have to give kudos to Jeff Parker on Fixer's character arc, which has been building since the start of this new direction, and I elaborated upon here. It was the kind of slow burn subplot that you don't see a lot of, in modern comics.
Daredevil; while I think Thunderbolts is one of the best superhero books on the stands, Daredevil is the best. Mark Waid writes a wonderful Matt Murdock, characterizing him as a guy who fully realizes how many mistakes he's made, but pretends everything's fine, hoping that if he pretends long enough, it'll actually be so. He also continues to find new and interesting ways to challenge the character, in terms of villains and environment, that take advantage of Matt's unique senses.
And the whole thing's masterfully illustrated by Marcos Martin and Paulo Rivera, two guys who are able to infuse the series with a pop art aesthetic, that's so at odds with the gritty, hardboiled look the series has had in the past.
Chew; this book just keeps rolling along, introducing more characters, and more subplots, leaving both the hero, Tony Chu, as well as the reader, with ever more questions, and fewer answers. John Layman's extremely talented at balancing the humor and horror with the writing, and Rob Guillory's does the same thing with the art.
I've said it before, but in any other creative team's hands, this could be a very different book. A story about a man that's forced to eat terrible things, to solve terrible crimes, could easily go awry. It could be too gross, too grim, or too slapstick. But the creators skillfully maintain the balance, never tipping too far in one direction or the other.
To give you an idea of how much I like this book, it's the only one that I buy, and then immediately read in the parking lot of my local comic shop.
Spider-Island: The Avengers; best one-shot of the year, in my opinion. It took a bunch of fun, crazy ideas about the Marvel Universe, stapled them together, and then added Frog-Man for good measure. The story of a lovable loser that winds up helping Ms. Marvel, Jewel/Power Woman, and a spider-powered Hawkeye, this story was classic, crazy Marvel, told in a modern way.
X-Factor; again, one of the most consistent, and surprising books I read, month in and month out. Peter David's been writing all these characters for so long, that their personalities are unbelievably concrete. No one's ever a hair out of character, unless they're meant to be. And this year he's been joined by artist Emanuela Lupacchino, who's able to draw both the noir stuff, and the superhero/mutant stuff, with equal skill. Plus, this book continues to have one of my favorite high concepts in superhero comics; mutants as detectives. What's not to love?
There's a bunch of other stuff I love, but I wouldn't really call the best.
I think The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, Heart, OMAC, and Demon Knights, have all had really strong starts, but still have time to go awry.
Similarly, books like Secret Warriors and Doom Patrol concluded this year, but most of those wrapped up early in the year, so I still think of them as 2010's books.
Then, there was stuff like Spider Island: Cloak and Dagger, The Red Wing, Spider-Girl, Secret Six, and Herc, which showed promise, but never quite delivered in the way I'd hoped.
And there was stuff like Fear Itself: Deadpool, which was great, but just not as good as the other stuff I really liked this year.
Still, these past few months, I've been buying a ton of stuff, more than I have in a long time. And with Prophet and Glory launching early next year, and King City finally getting an oversized TPB release, I'm already super-stoked for comics, going into 2011.
I'm so far behind on the Thor family of books, that I'm just waiting for the time to get them all in TPB.
I feel like I won't get as much out of it, if I don't go back to at least a year or two, and start with that Gillen/McKelvie Loki story that set up his death.
Spider-Island: The Avengers; best one-shot of the year, in my opinion. It took a bunch of fun, crazy ideas about the Marvel Universe, stapled them together, and then added Frog-Man for good measure. The story of a lovable loser that winds up helping Ms. Marvel, Jewel/Power Woman, and a spider-powered Hawkeye, this story was classic, crazy Marvel, told in a modern way.
I don't have a Top 5 for 2011 because I'm newish to comics and I'm currently reading the Marvel Universe from around 2006 forward, but I did catch Spider Island and that Avengers one-shot. It's hands down the most mindlessly entertaining thing I've read this year and my favorite incarnation of Ms. Marvel ever. I called up my LCS immediately after and informed them that all their Chris Yost now belonged to me
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GreenStick around.I'm full of bad ideas.Registered Userregular
So very disappointed at the lack of love for Witch Doctor
Posts
#2 Daken: Dark Wolverine. Really enjoyable voyage through a concept Ms Marvel touched on a couple years back (and I'm sure Wolverine has done many times) - the worst thing to be is invincible, because when you're invincible you can do anything you think of. Its interesting because he doesn't want to be a hero.
can't do a 3, 4, 5 - i've been getting patchy bits of other comics, but none I'd say were worth nominating.
Animal Man
Jeff Parker's Hulk
4) Batwoman
3) Batgirl
2) Batman: The Black Mirror
1) Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom/Clockworks
5 to 3 could change, though
Uncanny X-Force
Batwoman
Batman: Knight of Vengeance
FF
Wolverine
Amazing Spider-Man
What are you going to do, sue me?
FF
Secret Warriors
Batman: The Black Mirror
Action Comics
2. Daredevil
3. Thunderbolts
4. The Sixth Gun
5. Chew
6. OMAC*
* I'm trade-waiting all other DC comics, which is why there's no Animal Man, Swamp Thing, etc. However, the #1's I read and what I've seen would have put them into the Top 5.
Uncanny X-Force
Amazing Spiderman
Swamp Thing
Animal Man
Daredevil
2. Daredevil
3. Batman: Knights of Vengence
4. Amazing Spiderman
5. Pope Hats
Locke and Key definitely, I kinda want to vote Flash/wonder woman/Aquaman together, as they all brought me to chars I never bought before and now love in just a few short issues.
Amazing/Venom/Big Time/Spider Island/Ultimate Spiderman (both the death and Miles new stuff have been great), I need to pick out of somehow too.
Uncanny X-force and Fantastic Four had some incredible payoffs too, damn.
Also, with TPB's and constantly being introduced to new stuff by you guys, I'm not even sure what's in 2011 and what isn't now.
Damn your thread!
Uncanny X-Force
Ultimate Comics Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Comic Ultimates
Batman
I been seeing Daredevil on a lot of end of the year lists. I should really pick that one up.
X-Factor
Amazing Spider-Man
Venom
Green Lantern Corps (not so much after the New 52 though)
My favorite new comic of 2011 though has to be I, Vampire. I can't gush enough about this book.
5) Aquaman
4) Action Comics
3) Ultimate Comics Ultimates
2) Journey into Mystery
1) Daredevil
if we were going Top 10 it would be
10) Demon Knights
9) Swamp Thing
8) FF
7) Hulk
6) Uncanny X-Force
Uncanny X-force
Thunderbolts
Flash
FF
Enjoyed every moment of every issue from each of these series this year, can't ask for much more than that.
Two highlights of 2011? Frank Martin Jr's colours and Hickman's writing.
2. Wolverine and the X-Men
3. OMAC
So many choices after that, I don't even know where to begin.... After some thinking
4. Frankenstein (including the Flashpoint mini that was even more excellent than the current ongoing)
5. Wonder Woman (never thought this would happen, but the art was great and the storytelling is so kinectic compared to other books, which wow'd me about Azzarello's Knight of Vengeance mini as well).
And for kicks, 6-10 which are more "worthy mentions" than actual rankings
6. Avengers - Bendis's Fear Itself tie-ins were far more entertaining than the actual event, the Infinity Gems arc was great, 12.1 was excellent, and even the current HAMMER issues don't feel as tied down in old continuity as I thought they would (which is a bit of an issue in New Avengers, but the books are also staying more separate than I thought they would so far).
7. Stormwatch - Cornell's new characters are fucking fantastic, and I was excited to see where this would have led if he was staying on board. As it stands, it looks like we're going to get a very excellent origin arc from him.
8. Batman & Robin (DCnU) - When Tomasi is on, he's focusing on building characters and the relationships between them. He's doing that marvelously in this book, and he's managed to flip what should have been a downright terrible villain into someone very interesting, who I hope remains a part of the Bat canon well after this arc wraps.
9. Justice League: Generation Lost/Power Girl - This ended in May, right? This was a pleasant surprise when I sat down and read the whole thing after it ended. I'm still really sad it was vaporized by the DC reboot, because it took all of the characters in interesting directions without really betraying them. Also, the Power Girl tie-ins expanded the story greatly without being absolutely necessary, and had some brilliant humor.
10. Green Lantern - This book has more or less been on fire since Sinestro Corps War, but it felt recharged during Brightest Day and War, and now into the DCnU.
Finally, a big WOW to Batwoman for tying its characters together as beautifully as its spreads, and to DCnU's Flash for finding a way to keep Barry Allen's world fresh and exciting in modern times.
thems some good comics
Hated the FI tie-ins though
1) Snyder's Detective Comics
2) Daredevil
3) Miller's Batgirl (#22 was such a great issue, everyone pick it up at your LCS)
4) Uncanny X-Force
5) Fables
Thunderbolts, Venom and Superboy would be runner ups. Books like Animal Man and Batman are also great books but they only have four issues out so far, and that kind of goes against a year long comparison.
Wonder Woman
Scarlet
the other three I have no idea because I could think about it and say I liked one for certain reasons and then throw it away for another reason
Uncanny X-Force
Venom
Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man
Only four since I'm still catching up and most of the stuff I've read this year is old
Trade-waiting for Ultimates, Journey Into Mystery and Wolverine And The X-Men
Will eventually try FF, Daredevil, Thunderbolts, Batman & Robin and The Flash
John Byrne's Next Men
Criminal
Journey Into Mystery
Casanova
I'm probably forgetting twenty other books that were awesome. It's a good time to be a fan of comics.
Wonder Woman
Batman
I, Vampire
Hellblazer
Batman
Wonder Woman
Scott Snyder's Detective Comics
Resurrection Man
Daredevil
Journey into Mystery
Flash
Red Wing
FF
XBL: JyrenB ; Steam: Jyren ; Twitter
2. Batman & Robin
3. Animal Man/Swamp Thing
4. Uncanny X-Men
5. Wonder Woman
Hopeless Gamer
Venom
Thunderbolts
Journey into Mystery
Animal Man
I'd include Swamp Thing, but at it's current pace it might be in top 5 comics 2012.
Thunderbolts; great, consistent characterization, dialogue, and plotting, married to fantastic art, this is one of the single best superherovillain books on the stands. If nothing else, it's definitely my favorite team book. Admittedly, the time-travel arc's beginning to drag a bit, getting away from the Suicide Squad format that initially hooked me, but the characters remain engaging as ever.
In particular, I have to give kudos to Jeff Parker on Fixer's character arc, which has been building since the start of this new direction, and I elaborated upon here. It was the kind of slow burn subplot that you don't see a lot of, in modern comics.
Daredevil; while I think Thunderbolts is one of the best superhero books on the stands, Daredevil is the best. Mark Waid writes a wonderful Matt Murdock, characterizing him as a guy who fully realizes how many mistakes he's made, but pretends everything's fine, hoping that if he pretends long enough, it'll actually be so. He also continues to find new and interesting ways to challenge the character, in terms of villains and environment, that take advantage of Matt's unique senses.
And the whole thing's masterfully illustrated by Marcos Martin and Paulo Rivera, two guys who are able to infuse the series with a pop art aesthetic, that's so at odds with the gritty, hardboiled look the series has had in the past.
Chew; this book just keeps rolling along, introducing more characters, and more subplots, leaving both the hero, Tony Chu, as well as the reader, with ever more questions, and fewer answers. John Layman's extremely talented at balancing the humor and horror with the writing, and Rob Guillory's does the same thing with the art.
I've said it before, but in any other creative team's hands, this could be a very different book. A story about a man that's forced to eat terrible things, to solve terrible crimes, could easily go awry. It could be too gross, too grim, or too slapstick. But the creators skillfully maintain the balance, never tipping too far in one direction or the other.
To give you an idea of how much I like this book, it's the only one that I buy, and then immediately read in the parking lot of my local comic shop.
Spider-Island: The Avengers; best one-shot of the year, in my opinion. It took a bunch of fun, crazy ideas about the Marvel Universe, stapled them together, and then added Frog-Man for good measure. The story of a lovable loser that winds up helping Ms. Marvel, Jewel/Power Woman, and a spider-powered Hawkeye, this story was classic, crazy Marvel, told in a modern way.
X-Factor; again, one of the most consistent, and surprising books I read, month in and month out. Peter David's been writing all these characters for so long, that their personalities are unbelievably concrete. No one's ever a hair out of character, unless they're meant to be. And this year he's been joined by artist Emanuela Lupacchino, who's able to draw both the noir stuff, and the superhero/mutant stuff, with equal skill. Plus, this book continues to have one of my favorite high concepts in superhero comics; mutants as detectives. What's not to love?
There's a bunch of other stuff I love, but I wouldn't really call the best.
I think The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, Heart, OMAC, and Demon Knights, have all had really strong starts, but still have time to go awry.
Similarly, books like Secret Warriors and Doom Patrol concluded this year, but most of those wrapped up early in the year, so I still think of them as 2010's books.
Then, there was stuff like Spider Island: Cloak and Dagger, The Red Wing, Spider-Girl, Secret Six, and Herc, which showed promise, but never quite delivered in the way I'd hoped.
And there was stuff like Fear Itself: Deadpool, which was great, but just not as good as the other stuff I really liked this year.
Still, these past few months, I've been buying a ton of stuff, more than I have in a long time. And with Prophet and Glory launching early next year, and King City finally getting an oversized TPB release, I'm already super-stoked for comics, going into 2011.
Tumblr Twitter
I feel like I won't get as much out of it, if I don't go back to at least a year or two, and start with that Gillen/McKelvie Loki story that set up his death.
Tumblr Twitter
I still need to re-read the issues of JIM I have. I need to do a lot of stuff.
Generation Hope
Batman (DCnU)
X-Men Legacy
Ultimate Spider-Man (Death of Spider-Man/Prelude arcs)
Action Comics (DCnU)
Honorable mentions:
Uncanny X-Force
Red Lanterns (DCnU)
Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
Avengers
I don't have a Top 5 for 2011 because I'm newish to comics and I'm currently reading the Marvel Universe from around 2006 forward, but I did catch Spider Island and that Avengers one-shot. It's hands down the most mindlessly entertaining thing I've read this year and my favorite incarnation of Ms. Marvel ever. I called up my LCS immediately after and informed them that all their Chris Yost now belonged to me
It's House with monsters!
Comics about rape are awesome.
it just features rape for shock value
Yes just look at Berserk or Crossed Psychopath