Does Star Trek: Countdown, the tie-in/prequel to the 2009 movie count? I'd like to nominate it for managing to make Nero an actually compelling character which the movie totally failed to do. I didn't know if being a four-part miniseries was too small to qualify.
Failing that, I choose to second Star Wars, TMNT and Ghostbusters.
You could expand it to the entire IDW Star Trek series. The full series is a direct continuation of the style and look of that mini.
Probably, but I haven't kept up with the series beyond Countdown, so I figured nominate what you know.
I nominate Darwyn Cooke's Parker series and Black Dynamite: Slave Island.
0
Zonugal(He/Him) The Holiday ArmadilloI'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered Userregular
I am going to second the nomination for Conan the Barbarian and also nominate BOOM! Studios' Farscape comic book series (I'm including the Scorpius series in this as well).
Being a huge fan of the Parker series prior to Cooke's adaptations even being announced, I would probably be one of the most anal and vocal critics of it were it to drop the ball in any way. But it's all around fantastic. It will be my #1 my other four will probably be Stokoe's Godzilla, IDW Ghostbusters, Black Dynamite: Slave Island (for being as awesome of an homage to 70s blaxploitation comics as the movie is to movies. Unfortunately, the animated series doesn't hold up at all) and probably the Dynamite Lone Ranger comics, which are mighty rad.
It seems like this might be a category that some people will struggle to fill out five rankings for, so I'm going to nominate a few things that maybe aren't amazing, but that I do enjoy enough to buy. Who knows? maybe some people have loved some of these but would have forgotten to nominate them.
The Dresden Files A group of mini-series, some based off actual books, some original.
Richard Castle's Derrick Storm books. Getting a bit meta with this nomination.
Daniel Abraham's A Game of Thrones adaptation.
Eric Shanower's Wizard of Oz books - Because Skottie Young is awesome. Avatar: The Last Airbender filling in the gaps between the two series. My Little Pony I'll be the one to bite the bullet on this, there are a couple of different series, but the difference is basically arcs vs one-shots so I'm sticking them together. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Serenity. Because Joss, duh.
Did you know there was a MacGyver mini a while back? Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Let's finish up with some good old Disney Afternoon: Duck Tales, Darkwing Duck and Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers.
Feel free to rule out any you don't think count, or feel are an Abomination Unto Grodd.
Guys, in the future, you don't need to nominate a bunch of stuff for the sake of completionism. Just nominate the stuff you really like
Special note: there's a spot for you to write something about your number one choice, if you'd like. I don't know as much about the comics in this category, so if you'd like to have a part in the write ups, there's a way for you to have your voice heard!
As someone that grew up in the 80's and was a huge fan of the Transformers - should I be reading their ongoing and/or the Gi Joe crossover?
all of the above. The IDW Transformers books are some of the best books on the stands right now. More Than Meets The Eye is my favourite of the two, being more of an adventure comic while Robots In Disguise is more of a political thriller. Meanwhile Transformers vs G.I. Joe is a goddamn fever dream with amazing art.
+1
UnbrokenEvaHIGH ON THE WIREBUT I WON'T TRIP ITRegistered Userregular
A kickass fantasy comic that transcends it's chainmail bikini roots, this book features Gail Simone's best work of the last decade and turns Red Sonja into a worthy contemporary of Conan rather than the cheesecake afterthought she used to be.
Angel starts as a continuation to the plans for Season 6 of the show. The city has been plunged into a hell dimension and there is no help coming because the reset of the world is being fooled into thinking everything is ok. LA is split into different territories run by Demon Lords of sorts and Angel and his group are the only ones fighting for the little man. Except Angel was cursed with what he always wanted... he is human.
15) Dungeons & Dragons (17 pts)
14) Bravest Warriors (18 pts)
11) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (21 pts)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer received 0 first place votes, yet isn't the highest title on this list without a single first place vote.
Short of Jason Aaron's work, there are few comics which fill me with zest, with a craving for adventure like Kurt Busiek & Cary Nord's Conan adaptations for Dark Horse. They present a version of the legendary character in a manner akin to poetry by dagger through the heart. Within its pages the world of the Hyborian Age is flawlessly constructed like the foundations to a home filled with adrenaline, sex, blood, honor, tainted sorcery and the coolest barbarian-thief-king put on paper.
What could have been just a cheap nostalgia cash-in was anything but. Not only continuing Darkwing's at times brilliant parody of Batman, it manages to have grown with the times instead of relying on fans familiarity. The writing is sharper than the cartoon series, and without a kids show animation budget the action and characters look just as good as your rose-tinted goggles remind you of. Did I mention that it opens with a brilliant satire of 'beloved' a Frank Miller story entitled 'The Duck Knight Returns'? They even packed every issue from the run that matters (1-16) into The Definitively Dangerous Edition Omnibus. So grab your Gas Gun and Let's Get Dangerous.
Everything about the books are ideal considering the source material. But Cooke being at the absolute top of his game aside, what really pushes these books the extra level is the book design itself. From the paper stock to the dimensions and cover design, everything reinforces the mid-century period of the source material—and makes them truly enjoyable to own, hold, read, see, and share.
Eric Shanower does a fine job adapting L. Frank Baum's stories to comics, but the real star is Skottie Young who fills every single issue with so much energy. Even the designs of minor characters are bright, funny and lively. This was a big step for Marvel to bring back comics to a wider audience.
Because Eric Shanower is clearly a fan of the material (as evidenced by his extensive knowledge displayed in the forewards) and it shows through in his interpretation of the scenes and dialog, and coupled with Skottie Young's off-the-wall yet completely fitting art style, it makes for a very fun read.
6) Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers (36 pts)
It comes as no surprise that I am a Ghostbuster fan. However I think this comic appeals to not only hardcore fans, but anyone with a passing interest in the the movies. The writers NAIL the dialog. You can easily read all of the lines in the voices of the actors, this is a very hard thing to do, especially with comedic actors, but they do and amazing job. The comic also puts a lot of work in the characters making them more realized and the threats make sense within the confines of the medium. They throw in background jokes and references to the cartoons, video game, and obviously the movies while being true to all of them at the same time.
Also Janine becomes a god damn badass and Walter Peck is still a jerk!
This series, based on the movie and video game franchise, has managed what no other adaptation of this property has done. That is, it has perfectly captured the voice of the original media. The humor and the characters come through as if you were hearing it read by the original actors' voices and the universe that was set-up by Ramis and Aykroyd remains consistent.
The writers pull mythology from all film and game sources and adapt elements from both animated series to fit the cinematic setting, which is impressive. They've also created new characters, equipment and story arcs that feel completely at home alongside the original material, adding to the overall world and never taking a cheap cop-out for convenience or because the author didn't like a certain part of the history of the IP.
It's mainly this embracing of the property, even the really silly bits without either trying to make it more heavy-handed and serious or too outlandish and cartoon-like and making it work that I feel elevates this product above any other adaptation I've read, especially since Ghostbusters is something I hold very close to my heart and can be exceedingly critical about adapting.
4) Adventure Time! (44 pts)
Adventure Time was widely enjoyed, but nobody had a lot to say about it! So I'll say that few licensed comics have so quickly and surely translated the spirit of a show while embracing their new medium than Adventure Time.
Being a huge fan of Avatar, I felt the show ended when it needed to and on a high note and didn't stay past its welcome. That said, there were a lot of unanswered questions still (Zuko's Mom!) and I still wanted more from the Gaang. The comics helped fill that void perfectly and also helped bridge the gap between The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. It dealt with some more mature themes like Korra (the aftermath of a huge war and rebuilding nations) and also tied in with various ideas that Korra presented, such as the relationship between humans and spirits. It was also collected in beautiful huge hardcover editions. I feel like overall it made its original source material better.
It's early, but Marvel has taken Star Wars from the boring tie-ghetto of the comic shop to one of the biggest launches since the 90s through the simple feat of putting the top talent in the industry on the books. Its amazing that a Star Wars comic can feel this fresh and exciting.
1) Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye (100 pts)
On the surface it's a fun adventure comic in a Transformers setting where the Autobot/Decepticon war is finally over, and a group of Autobots have set out on what is basically a Grail quest to find Cyberutopia, and with it the Knights of Cybertron. While that sounds kinda goofy on the surface (and a lot of the time it is, More Than Meets The Eye is a much more fun series on the whole than it's companion ongoing, Robots In Disguise), that doesn't stop it from packing in way more genuine emotion than one typically expects from a book about giant transforming robots on a quest. Among other things, it has one of the most touching queer romances I've read in any comic, and some fantastic friendships as well. The big quest is only lightly touched on throughout the series, and is more an impetus to get the crew out in the stars finding adventures.
In addition, James Roberts is a crazy person who seeds future plot points years in advance and foreshadows twists as well as anyone I've read. This is not only a book that has made me cry, it's a book that has made me laugh out loud in disbelief more than once when I've realized what he'd managed to sneak by me.
Overall this is a fun, funny, touching, and incredibly smart book.
It says a lot about a writer when a guy who hasn't followed Transformers since Beast Wars can pick up a comic that has over a dozen recurring characters and almost immediately get a sense for who those characters are and what they care about without feeling overwhelmed by it all. Roberts took robots primarily created to sell toys, made them just as human and captivating as my favorite characters from Marvel and DC, and then told stories that were as much about complex and ever-changing relationships as they were about explosions and laser guns.
A book of mainly D-list characters given fun, compelling stories and great character development. Who would have thought no-name characters from the original cartoon, like Tailgate and Swerve, would be so endearing. Plus the art pops and looks like its from a cartoon.
I'm super-happy that Wizard of Oz made it into the top 10. I figured it'd be somewhere around 15 to 20th, for all the lack of talk about the comic in general.
On the surface it's a fun adventure comic in a Transformers setting where the Autobot/Decepticon war is finally over, and a group of Autobots have set out on what is basically a Grail quest to find Cyberutopia, and with it the Knights of Cybertron. While that sounds kinda goofy on the surface (and a lot of the time it is, More Than Meets The Eye is a much more fun series on the whole than it's companion ongoing, Robots In Disguise), that doesn't stop it from packing in way more genuine emotion than one typically expects from a book about giant transforming robots on a quest. Among other things, it has one of the most touching queer romances I've read in any comic, and some fantastic friendships as well. The big quest is only lightly touched on throughout the series, and is more an impetus to get the crew out in the stars finding adventures.
Is it really a queer romance if it's normal for the species in question?
Children's rights are human rights.
0
HeatwaveCome, now, and walk the path of explosions with me!Registered Userregular
So damn happy about More than Meets the Eye getting first place!
On the surface it's a fun adventure comic in a Transformers setting where the Autobot/Decepticon war is finally over, and a group of Autobots have set out on what is basically a Grail quest to find Cyberutopia, and with it the Knights of Cybertron. While that sounds kinda goofy on the surface (and a lot of the time it is, More Than Meets The Eye is a much more fun series on the whole than it's companion ongoing, Robots In Disguise), that doesn't stop it from packing in way more genuine emotion than one typically expects from a book about giant transforming robots on a quest. Among other things, it has one of the most touching queer romances I've read in any comic, and some fantastic friendships as well. The big quest is only lightly touched on throughout the series, and is more an impetus to get the crew out in the stars finding adventures.
Is it really a queer romance if it's normal for the species in question?
Romance between Transformers doesn't appear to be normal at all, so yes
And it's still a queer romance no matter what in regards to how it translates to representation
Posts
Probably, but I haven't kept up with the series beyond Countdown, so I figured nominate what you know.
Eh, what the heck: Star Trek
How did I forget Godzilla: The Half-Century War
which is legitimately the best Godzilla story in any medium so far
I second Parker.
Nominating the Mass Effect and Dead Space comics.
The Search is particularly awesome because of Azula. Shit, that's a universal statement.
"________ is awesome because of Azula"
Transformers: Robots in Disguise.
Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers.
Eric Shanower's Wizard of Oz books.
Steam / Origin & Wii U: Heatwave111 / FC: 4227-1965-3206 / Battle.net: Heatwave#11356
Guys, in the future, you don't need to nominate a bunch of stuff for the sake of completionism. Just nominate the stuff you really like
Special note: there's a spot for you to write something about your number one choice, if you'd like. I don't know as much about the comics in this category, so if you'd like to have a part in the write ups, there's a way for you to have your voice heard!
all of the above. The IDW Transformers books are some of the best books on the stands right now. More Than Meets The Eye is my favourite of the two, being more of an adventure comic while Robots In Disguise is more of a political thriller. Meanwhile Transformers vs G.I. Joe is a goddamn fever dream with amazing art.
http://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2015/03/16/transformers-101-with-professor-rachel-stevens/
http://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2014/06/24/placeholder-rachel-stevens-transformers-politics-guest-post/
http://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2014/07/10/human-after-all-representation-of-people-in-idws-transformers/
http://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2014/08/29/science-fictional-and-fantastic-the-universe-of-idws-transformers/
33) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (1 pt)
31) Tie: Dead Space, The Lone Rangers (2 pts)
25) Six way tie: Black Dynamite, Mass Effect, Pathfinder, Planet of the Apes, Regular Show, the Shadow (3 pts)
24) Bee & Puppycat (4 pts)
23) GI Joe: Cobra (5 pts)
22) My Little Pony (6 pts)
21) Farscape (7 pts)
19) Serenity (11 pts)
19) Transformers vs. GI Joe (11 pts)
18) Red Sonja (13 pts)
17) Samurai Jack (14 pts)
16) Angel (15 pts)
15) Dungeons & Dragons (17 pts)
14) Bravest Warriors (18 pts)
11) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (21 pts)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer received 0 first place votes, yet isn't the highest title on this list without a single first place vote.
11) Conan the Barbarian (21 pts)
11) Darkwing Duck (21 pts)
10) Godzilla: Half Century War (23 pts)
9) Transformers: Robots in Disguise (26 pts)
Our #9 and #10 entries did not receive a single first place vote!
8) Richard Stark’s Parker (27 pts)
7) Wizard of Oz (31 pts)
6) Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers (36 pts)
5) Ghostbusters (38 pts)
4) Adventure Time! (44 pts)
Adventure Time was widely enjoyed, but nobody had a lot to say about it! So I'll say that few licensed comics have so quickly and surely translated the spirit of a show while embracing their new medium than Adventure Time.
3) Avatar: The Last Airbender (54 pts)
2) Star Wars (65 pts)
1) Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye (100 pts)
Is it really a queer romance if it's normal for the species in question?
Steam / Origin & Wii U: Heatwave111 / FC: 4227-1965-3206 / Battle.net: Heatwave#11356
And it's still a queer romance no matter what in regards to how it translates to representation