I Have Come Not To Bury 2012 But To Praise It (Reflections on the year)

 

Just felt like a good image to kick this off with because EVERYONE loves the word FREE!!!! 

It's been awhile, largely do to the holidays, partly do to my own laziness to be frank, but then again since I do this as something fun and not as a job, or for pay, I suppose there's not really an official schedule, it's just me trying to get a blog out there every so often when I have something to talk about instead of just a long run-on sentence that I will end now.

I figured this time of year was a good one to get back on the horse and what better way to kick it off than to follow the trend of looking back on the previous year and making up my own little list! Haven't done that in awhile (2010 to be exact) so I thought it might be fun to look back on the things I enjoyed about 2012...just the things I enjoyed because, well, I feel like I generally hit on enough of my perceived negatives in comics AND so does most of that darn internet as well.  So let's look at the things I loved, starting with my two  

FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2012:

First up, by a longshot, is Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo's Batman book. With gorgeous, sometimes terrifying, art from Capullo that perfectly syncs up with the tale being spun by Snyder, this book helped quell any fears I had about the New 52.  Yes there are still some major questions of decompression and continuity, particularly where Damian Wayne is concerned, but from the "Court of Owls" arc that started in August 2011 & continued into 2012 to the "Night of Owls" story in the main book (as well in the Bat-Family titles) and the current "Death of the Family" arc spotlighting The Joker, I am hard-pressed to name a moment when this book has faltered.  Even Batman #12 (the "filler" issue) that really introduced Harper Row and was done by Snyder & Becky Cloonan (the only issue thus far NOT drawn by Capullo) was quite a quality piece of business.
Snyder has quite successfully melded elements of the spandex genre with horror, mystery, and suspense as well as playing up the familial aspects of the Bat...family, particularly with the new wrinkle in Nightwing's origin and in the driving impetus behind the "DOTF" storyline.
As for Capullo, well the man I first discovered waybackwhen on X-Force and then Spawn has exceeded my expecatations beyond measure.  Admittedly I was tentative as to how he would pull this one off but visually he has hit all the right marks.  His Batman is one of power generally speaking but then he throws out a cover like this:

Or panels like this:

That image, from Batman #5, was indeed printed upside down in the comic which, while initially jarring, was an amazing and incredibly brave choice to make.  It's one of my favorite issues of the book so far, not only because of the art choices, but because it is an issue that absolutely tears Bruce apart and kind of harkens back to his father's lines from the movies, "Why do we fall down? To pick ourselves back up."

This is the best book of 2012 for me but it is followed in close second by:

Rick Remender & company's Uncanny X-Force book (which was also my favorite new book in 2010) was also up there as one of my faves but in this case it was largely due to the story that unfolded rather than the art/story combo pack of Batman.  Also, another reason it takes a 2nd place to Batman is because while I enjoyed every moment of Batman, I was not a very big fan overall of the "Otherworld" story arc that ate up issues #20-24.  It had it's character moments for me, particularly anything involving Fantomex & Psylocke, but I don't care much for Captain Britain and his pocket of the Marvel U so it didn't work for me as a whole.
Still in terms of the overall story Remender presented, and particularly the "Final Execution" final, this is definitely one of the highlights of my comic book year.
The emotional resonance of the Dark Angel arc that wrapped in 2011 carried the book through to its conclusion and ultimately changed all of the characters in this story.  Remender's portrayal of Deadpool has quite possibly been my favorite ever, the story of Genesis and his temptation was gripping, the fate of Fantomex (he's a Grant Morrison creation, of course I love him), the proper resolution of the Daken/Wolverine story, it all felt, well, epic.

As an aside to another of his projects, I am also digging how Remender has taken the seeds he planted in the "Deathlok Nation" arc of 2011 and carried them over to his current "Secret Avengers" run that is wrapping up shortly.

Now given that Uncanny X-Force was only 37 issues (40 if you throw in the Fear Itself mini) including its two Point One books, I certainly hope gets an Omnibus treatment down the line.  If nothing else, I do hope that Marvel puts the "Dark Angel" and "Final Execution" arcs into one collected edition for each instead of the current two volumes into which they are broken both divided.

As for some other faves of 2012, I would suggest you pick up: Scott Snyder's Swamp Thing, Jeff Lemire's Animal Man, Geoff Johns' Aquaman, Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead & Invincible, Mark Waid's Daredevil, and Jason Aaron's Wolverine & The X-Men.  For a late entry into the field, a book that only just started in the last two months of 2012, try Brian Michael Bendis' All New X-Men...that one has the potential to be my favorite of 2013.  In fact, let's give it the award for:

BEST NEW BOOK OF 2012

I had some serious doubts about how the premise of this book could have legs and the first issue didn't do much to assuage those fears.  In fact it pissed me off because the pages Marvel had solicited to tease the book were straight up the last five pages or so of the book!  That's not a tease, that's a spoiler with no ALERT!

So how does a book with only 5 issues under its belt go from pissing me off to being my "best new"?  Patience and voice, I had the patience to let the story unfold and Bendis' gave the characters a voice that I felt fit.  I mean his best Marvel work (Daredevil aside) has been writing teenagers & high school kids so using the original five X-Men is perfect for one.  For another, aside from a rough spot in issue 3, I think he has given a strong voice to adult Cyclops after AvX, and in some ways Consequences, did him so much damage.  I also appreciate the fact that Bendis flat out addressed the deus ex machina of the entire series by having EVERY character basically say "Professor X is just going to erase our memories as soon as we go back to the past".  It is an obvious out that anyone could have called before picking up a single issue of the book and it was a relief to see it addressed, see the characters accept it as fact, and still decide to go on their mission regardless of that outcome.  Thank you Bendis...

The wonderful art by Stuart Immonen doesn't hurt either!  I hope this book continues the level of quality that 3/5 issues have had and I also hope the Bendis/Chris Bachalo Uncanny X-Men book is at the same level, if not better.

Continuing the tangential nature of this whole list (since I don't really have a format or plan), mentioning Bachalo and Immonen takes my mind to:

MY FAVORITE ARTIST OF 2012: JH WILLIAMS III

That's just a tiny sampling but I think the pictures & layouts speak for themselves. I could look at the pages & covers every day without a bit of text...creative, unique, and beautiful.  I can't wait until this comes out:

As for runner-up selections: obviously Capullo as I raved about earlier, Chris Burnham on Batman Inc, Ivan Reis on Aquaman, and while I'm not really digging the story (not bad just not terribly interesting), what Francis Manapul is doing on Flash is absolutely amazing visually!  Check out this story at Bleeding Cool and this sample:

And the random train of thought went like this Flash...Justice League...Shazam.....

BEST BACK-UP FEATURE

The SHAZAM back-up in Justice League has been blow away awesome in all the ways that the core feature has not been.  Geoff Johns is penning a great coming-of-age tale in just a few pages every month, and that Zero issue above was a godsend because it focused exclusively on the tale of Billy Batson and company.  JL, to me, has felt soulless in the way a big Hollywood action blockbuster can...it has all the big names, all the big creative talent, but it is still just a set piece for big explosions. SHAZAM has been small and meaningful, a story about how I think a kid in Billy's situation would honestly react to suddenly becoming one of the most powerful beings on the planet.  Toss in Gary Frank's amazing artwork (add him to that list above as well) and this story is a surefire hit that I hope gets a collection to call its own when it wraps up (which I would presume would be around Trinity War time).  JL is showing some promise with the newly started Aquaman man arc and it isn't bad by any means, just lackluster, but fortunately the addition of SHAZAM make the book worth the price tag.

Well since that blurb didn't lead my brain directly into another category, I'm just throwing one out there:

BEST "IT'S NEW TO ME" BOOK

I wrote about this "recently" (if you consider November recent) so I'm just pulling a Copy & Paste from that blog:

First up was some back-to-back Robert Kirkman love starting with the "Invincible" Compendium.  Another of his Image books, this one was a book I'd been told repeatedly to read but, since I wasn't getting to it, a friend of mine got it for me as a birthday gift. Well I can say that I'm glad I waited to read it because it was great to read this story...well at least its first half...in one collection! 

To sum it up as much as possible without ruining too much, this one is the story of a kid named Mark Grayson whose father is a superhero and then said kid discovers that he too has superpowers!  It's a story of father-son relationships, of the dynamic in a family with two heroes, a family in which the heroes aren't having to hide it from their family...just the rest of the world of course.

Yet it it also a coming of age story, a tale of betrayal and disappointment, of friends and lovers...essentially it is a tale of life as told through the POV of a superhero kid. High school, college, girlfriends, teams, villains, friends, and aliens are all a part of this tale and by the way, it is quite graphically violent.  That is a trait of this series that I find very intriguing not because I'm a blood mark, but because of the color scheme of this series...it's bright and vibrant, alive I guess you could say, a stark contrast to that other Kirkman work of note: "The Walking Dead".

"Invincible" is available right here in a handy-dandy Compendium that collects not only the first 47 issues of the series but also the Zero issue, an issue of The Pact series, and also excerpts from the 2004 Image Comics Summer Special.  I can't recommend this book highly enough and I cannot wait until there is a Volume 2 Compendium released, which I would imagine will come out shortly after the 100th issue is released.

Other nominees for that little prize include: Neil Gaiman's Sandman (which I only just started at the end of the year so figured it didn't quite qualify here), as well as his Eternals book, shockingly Brian K. Vaughn's Mystique in its rather unique take on the villain as well as his Runaways books, Mark Waid's Captain America run, and Warren Ellis' Thor which, although I wasn't digging the art of Mike Deodato and it isn't Ellis' best work, I thought it was an interesting take on a character I generally don't care about outside of the movie franchise...

What a segue...

BEST SUPERHERO MOVIE OF 2012 (tie)

Yeah...I couldn't decide...I love them both equally and for different reasons.  Click on the poster for each if you want to read my original thoughts on each movie from when they came out.  As for my opinions since being able to watch them back from the comforts of home, not much has changed.  In fact, I think it's safe to say my love for what each of them brings to the table has only gotten deeper.

Avengers is fun and every bit that Hollywood action movie blockbuster BUT with substance and a humor that to feels deeper than, say, a Battleship probably did (to be fair I didn't see the movie so it COULD be the Citizen Kane of action flicks for all I know).  It made me WANT to see sequels and prequels and threequels and spin-offs and got me excited for what is to come in the future of the Marvel Films side of the Marvel U.

DKRises (I feel obligated to write out Rises when I do that because, prior to the movie, to comic book fans DKR meant Dark Knight Returns) was the exact opposite in so many ways.  It had its fun but it, as expected, was more serious in tone and smaller in scale in terms of its threat.  Where Avengers was about the forging of a legacy and explosions, DKRises was about the legacy itself, about identity and worth, and of course, about big explosions ;-)  It was a fitting end, especially the unveiling of the statue, and although I do not expect Joseph Gordon Levitt to be Batman in the Justice League movie, I would be ecstatic to see him continue on in that role.

For those who may have read Grant Morrison's JLA, the Green Lantern of the piece was Kyle Rayner and, while surrounded by Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman to name a few, he was in the position of living up to the legacy of Hal Jordan, the "Greatest Green Lantern". I would find it intriguing if, in the movie, it was Batman in that role of being the one having to live up to the expectations of his predecessor while surrounded by Supes, WW, and GL...especially if those characters were clueless as to the true identity of Batman.  I'm just picturing a JGL Batman coming up short and finally, in a moment of trust and confidence, revealing the truth to his compatriots which in turn leads them to unveiling their truths to each other.  Imagine a Batman who is the one looking for acceptance instead of being the one on the fringes...

Anyway....how about:

MY FAVORITE COMIC BOOK TOY OF 2012

I don't do toy reviews...I solely base this on how cool I think he looks in my display stand!

COOLEST COMIC CON GIVE AWAY OF 2012

 Pick one up on Ebay like I did and scare the crap out of people!

 Man how did I forget this one:

BEST WRITER OF @)!@

Scott Snyder may be terrible at responding at Twitter to compliments or criticisms, at least to me, but given that I am a superhero guy first and foremost, and with that a Batman guy (my ten year old self would be shocked, he tried to will claws to pop out of his hands), I must pick Scott Snyder.  I think you can just go back up to the fave book blurb and see the why where Batman is concerned but it is also because of the stellar work he has done on Swamp Thing and American Vampire.

I'm sure people who know me and read this are shocked I didn't just default pick Grant Morrison for Batman Inc & Happy but I think I have to automatically disqualify him BECAUSE he is my favorite overall.  It's just too easy to go there...

As for other potentials, I'd have to add in Jeff Lemire for his work on Animal Man, Geoff Johns BUT only for his Aquaman book, Jason Aaron for Wolvie & The X-Men, Kirkman for Walking Dead, Remender for UXF...


BEST MINI-SERIES OF 2012

Clone Jesus Christ, attach a former IRA member as his bodyguard, turn it into a reality TV show, and see what happens!  That is the most bare bones premise of Sean Murphy's amazingly nuts mini-series that just recently wrapped up.  I still need to read the final issue but I can, without a doubt, say this was my fave mini of the year.  Its black & white art is a sight to behold, the story is fun and chaotic, potentially controversial to some, heartfelt, and sad all while painting a pretty believable portrayal of how Chris (the clone) would likely respond to the circumstances in which he finds himself AND the fashion in which the world reacts to his presence.  The individual issues are likely still available at your LCS but the collection doesn't come out until April.  If you're interested in pre-ordering it just click here and take a look at how great this one page looks (also throw Murphy's name up there too in that fave artists category now that I think about it):

Runner-up for this one, but a very very close one at that, is definitely James Robinson's "The Shade" 12 issue maxi-series that continued following a character from his epic run on "Starman" that I wrote about in 2011. It was a great continuation of the journey of that character, picking up basically right where he was left at the close of Starman and finally giving us the origin Robinson had only only teased at for years.  The fact that the book boasted a collection of artists like Darwyn Cooke, Frazer Irving, Gene Ha, Jill Thompson, Cully Hamner and Javier Pulido only served to enhance how awesome of a tale this was and one I cannot wait to read back in its entirety...as soon as I'm done with the dozen other reads I have waiting for me.

BEST ANNOUNCEMENT OF 2012

The return of Sandman!

MY MOST ANTICIPATED OF 2013

In addition to that one right above, I also want to add in the debut of Bendis' Uncanny X-Men, the Riddler in Batman, Trinity War, Ultron War (FINALLY!), Dog Logan in Wolvie & The X-Men (seriously), and the return of Jean Paul Valley!!! Yeah there is no way in hell that last one is happening in 2013, 2033, or any other year...

I am also hoping for something from Morrison's Multiversity, Frank Quitely & Mark Millar's Jupiter's Legacy, and pretty excited to make my way through the rest of Sandman (starting Vol. 4 this weekend), and read the Spider-Man Marvel Masterworks Vol. 1, Iron Wars II, and volume of Matt Fraction's Thor I picked up yesterday for only $20 combined!  Gotta love the discount book store!!!  Oh yes, and I just received Scalped Vol. 1 & Fatale Vol. 1 from Amazon as well!  So I already have a great deal of things to read through in the first full week of the year!

OTHER OPINIONS

I asked some friends & people on FB/Twitter for their favorites of the year and this is what I got back:

Duke from Capes & Cowls - Batman & Uncanny X-Force
Pat - Saga
Ryan - Anything from Frank Tieri (sarcastic trolling)
Eric Downes on FB - AvX (only thing he read)
Greg Rice - Uncanny X-Force & Batman
Michael Maberry - Hawkeye (should have included that as my best new series runner up...or tie, make that tie)
Craig - "sorry im still stuck in my nothings better than millers batman bubble oh and the boys but im still way behind"

And my favorite answer from Midge who doesn't read..."the superman one, in the black bag. Bet it's great, but it's in the bag so I don't know #worthmillions"

So I think that about wraps up my look back on 2012 and I won't make any promises this time about what I want to write about next or when it will get done (just discovered I said I was going to write about Rogue War like a year ago....not sure if I ever actually did that!), but it won't be another 6 week gap like this one. I bid you farewell until next time with two plugs for some friends of mine.  The first is for a Deadpool web series starring my buddy Damian in the lead role:

And the second is for my friend Rob's short film "No Clowning Around":

Go show some support for each and, as always, support your Local Comic Shop and if you live in the Philly/Bensalem/Bristol/Croydon area then make sure it's Capes & Cowls you're supporting!

My Personal Best Of 2010

The end of the year usually brings with it all the "Best Of" polls, countdowns, and surveys from every comic book, movie, wrestling, MMA, and general entertainment website.  Whether it be a fan-based vote, or a staff writer selection, they usually lead to some kind of discussion from the reader(s), and maybe turn a fan onto something they've never seen/read before.  Well, who knows if that will be the case here, but I'm doing one of my own!  I've perused a handful of the various comic book websites, checked out their subjects & categories, and have decided to cherry-pick from all of them.  I also decided, since it is MY best of list, that it only matters if I discovered it in 2010, not when the thing was released...so there.  Let's get this underway:

BEST INDEPENDENT SERIES
The Walking Dead

- Well it's quite strange to think of Image as an independent comic book company when I've been reading books with that "i" logo on it since the inception, I guess techincally it still is considered an indy.  Anywho, The Walking Dead was a book that was introduced to me last year, and I voraciously tore through every trade that was available at the time.  It was a slow start to me, but by the second volume I was hooked.  And all the things that hooked me then have continued.  The excellent characterization and character growth, the story that is simultaenously unpredictable yet logical, the sense of urgency instilled in every issue no matter how slow that issue may actually be; these are all the things, and more, that keep me coming back to the book.  These are the things that cause me to essentially force the book on friends, and watch them get sucked in just like I did.  And that's with comic fans who hate Kirkman (I did), fans of the TV show who hadn't read the book, or better yet, fans of the show who didn't even know there was a comic book.  Maybe they should start advertising the book during the show next season, sales would go crazy!

BEST NEW SERIES
Uncanny X-Force

- Yeah it's only been around for three issues, but for me those three issues have left an impression like so few others this year.  In the span of less than 90 pages I have found the tone, characterization, and story of this new version of Marvel's Most Violent Mutants to be exceptional.  Remender's writing, in the same fashion as Jason Aaron's, is like an extension of the X-Men Grant Morrison brought to life.  And although I don't think I'd seen it prior to UXF #1, I've moved Jerome Opena into my favorites list as it pertains to artists.  He captures the characters perfectly and just makes even some of the most violent scenes beautifully (check out #3).  And well I'm certain there are other new books that are up there in quality (SHIELD for example), it's this book that I'm most looking forward to in 2011.  If you're a fan of Grant's "New X-Men" run, or Whedon's "Astonishing X-Men" I think this is the series for you.  They carry the same soul...

BEST LIMITED SERIES
Generation Lost/Thanos Imperative

- GenLost may technically be a maxi-series, Thanos Imperative may be a mini-series, but they're both still a limited series.  And they are my favorites for some similar, and dissimilar, reasons.  With "Generation Lost", I have been sucked into the world of a bunch of characters I generally didn't give a damn about when I read the first issue, Booster Gold being the only exception due to "52".  Still, I didn't follow Booster into his own book so how much did I really care?  What interested me in the book was Maxwell Lord...now I was not a follower of JLI, I didn't read the story that saw Wonder Woman kill him, but for some reason I was intrigued by his revival in "Blackest Night".  Maybe it was the concept of erasing memory of his existence from damn near everyone, I don't know, but whatever it was the story of Max Lord's secret, combined with the building tie-in to a "Kingdom Come" future has kept me coming back for more.  I want to see where this book heads, and I have found myself emotional invested in characters that I didn't think I would.  Thanks Misters Giffen & Winick.
- As for "Thanos Imperative", well to be perfectly honest, I hadn't read one bit of the cosmic Marvel books until earlier this year, but I'll get into that story in a different section.  Suffice to say I only recently discovered the cosmic family of books and found myself infatuated with a whole bunch of characters I didn't give a damn about here either.  So when it all came to a head with "Thanos Imperative", I was excited to read.  It started slow for me, I wasn't totally on board at first, but after a few issues, I was wrapped up and sitting down reading the story as a whole really drove that home.  This story truly felt like the final fate of the universe; the end of #5 had me infuriated, the sacrifices of #6 brought a tear to my eye, and now I'm truly scared for the future of the cosmic Marvel U.  I need to know there's a future for Nova & The Guardians of The Galaxy, and until I see solicits for some sort of on-going by the team of DnA, I'm going to worry.  When I'm sucked into a world that much....well that's powerful writing, and that's why I have two picks for this category.
- "Return of Bruce Wayne" gets an honorable mention, but I did not dig the "different artist for different eras" thing it had going on with it.  Loved the story though...just not the total package I thought the other two choices were.

BEST FIND OF 2010
Cosmic Marvel

- So in the vein of the above category, let me tell you why reading the Cosmic Marvel books was the best find of 2010 for me.  Prior to 2009, I had never touched any Marvel cosmic books during these 20+ years.  No Infinity Gauntlet/War/Crusade, no Kree/Skrull War; if it weren't X-Men alien, it weren't part of my comic book vocab.  Well in recent years, my interest was piqued because of The Inhumans and their involvment with Quicksilver in "Son of M".  It carried over into "Secret War", "SI: Inhumans", and into "War/Realm of Kings".  I picked up the original Paul Jenkins/Jae Lee 12-ish "Inhumans" series, and desperately need to get the other Marvel Knights Inhumans books. So, since I was reading those, I decided to check out the other cosmic books as well since the whole "War of Kings" tied them all together.  Damn am I glad I did!  Annihilation, Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Annihilation: Conquest were all amazing reads and the development of the characters in each was phenomenal.   Quasar, Moondragon, Nova, Groot....all awesome characters that I found myself wanting more of, and now hope that the Cosmic Marvel line doesn't fade away with the finish of "Thanos Imperative".

BEST INDIVIDUAL ISSUE
The Walking Dead #79

- Do you have any idea how hard it is to pick out one issue from the hundreds of comics I have read this year??? Hell, how hard it is to remember every comic I read this year?  Thankfully the internet saves the day!!!  So why did I pick this issue of Walking Dead?  Read the story, read the last two pages, the last two pages damn near sum up the feeling of the entire series, especially the last panel of Page 23.  The way the two running stories of this issue slam into one another in the end amazed me, the conversation between Aaron & Douglas going along with the zombie culling, all the interpersonal action between various characters, (Rick & Carl for example), and the way the issues sends you off into "No Way Out", this was one comic that stuck with me this year like few others did.  A special mention goes out to Amazing Spider-Man #617 & #625 as well as Batman & Robin #14.

BEST STORY ARC
Batman & Robin: "Batman & Robin Must Die" (Issues 13-15)

- As a fan obsessive with anything Grant Morrison-related, and also obssesive with Batman-related material, it shouldn't come as a surprise that something Grant wrote for Batman is my favorite story of the year.  "Must Die" was a culmination ALMOST every major plot thread Morrison had been laying out since "Batman & Son" started several years earlier.  There's still a lot left for the fallout story in #16, as well as "Return of Bruce Wayne", but with the Joker and his meeting with Damian, Dr. Hurt, Prof. Pyg, the whole Mexican Train deal, the mystery box, hell even how it ties back in to "Dark Knight, Dark City" from 1990, this story arc is a wonderful example of Grant's writing.  Even the art by Frazer Irving, someone I didn't like much before this, was something to behold...perfect for this arc.  Some complain that Morrison's stories can be too dense, but I like his philosophy of challenging the reader and the "why should it be easy" approach he takes to these elongated story arcs.  Hardcover collection comes out May 11, 2011......

BEST SERIES
Batman & Robin

- May as well keep it going with the Grant love.  This was, without a doubt, the series I looked forward to the most every month...or rather, every 6-8 weeks with the schedule it kept.  But seriously, as soon as we got thru the "Red Hood Returns" arc, it was smooth sailing.  "Blackest Knight" laid the foundation for the rest of 2010 by officially stating that the corpse found in "Final Crisis" was not that of Bruce Wayne, rather a clone, and the search was on!  "Batman vs. Robin" set Dick, Damian, and Alfred on a quest to find the clues leading them to Bruce's location as well as established Oberon Sexton's arrival, saw Talia try to play Damian like a literal puppet, and the last page reveal of Sexton's true identity left me with my jaw on the ground.  Didn't see it coming, but it made perfect sense and all the clues were there when I read it all back.  And finally the concluding "Must Die" arc that I addressed above brought a sense of closure to this volume of Grant's Batman run as well as laid the foundation for the future of the line.  Unfortunately, B&R isn't closing out the year quite as strong as it spent the rest of it, Paul Cornell & Scott McDaniel aren't setting my world on fire by any means, but that may be in large part to the act they had to follow.  It's not bad necessarily, but it's hard to follow Grant's run .

BEST WRITER
Grant Morrison

- "Batman & Robin", "Joe The Barbarian", "Batman Inc.", "18 Days"....that's quite a year for the man who's brain spawned "The Invisibles", the best "Doom Patrol", "The Filth", and "New X-Men", among other ground breaking books.  A year spent steering the direction of one of DC's flagship characters, a maxi-series centered around a kid with diabetes and his amazing fantasy world, and a hardcover book detailing the Hindu creation myth (this one I just picked up, haven't read yet).  I may have missed something, but the Batman work is what defined 2010 for Grant and, while confusing for some, set a new standard for HOW a Batman story can be told.  "Batman Inc." seems to be steering the Bat-verse into a whole new world, and a whole new style of writing for Grant as well, so I can't wait to see what 2011 brings for someone who has quite possibly become my favorite writer of all-time.  Special kudos go out to Geoff Johns & Matt Fraction!

BEST ARTIST
Ivan Reis

- Damn did I want to put JH Williams III down there!  Then I realized that, aside from the Batwoman #0 issue, there was no book in 2010 that I could use to justify it.  And it's not like I just discovered his art so I can't use that excuse either.  Well then here comes Ivan Reis who has completely tore it up on "Green Lantern" since "Blackest Night" ended.  This is definitive stuff as far as I'm concerned, and his depiction of characters (Atrocitus for one, Larfleeze for another) will be the standard by which every future depiction should be judged.  Hell, he made The Black Hand look like a badass!

BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

- I have no idea how this was critcally accepted, I know it didn't make a whole lot of money, but damn it was a fun movie!  I hadn't read the source material prior to checking out the movie, so this was all new to me, and my immediate reaction was WHOAH!!!!  This is what happens when a comic book movie doesn't take itself too seriously, this is what happens when it doesn't feel like it has to play in some real world context...or rather, hyper-reality...like the Iron Man or Nolan Batman movies. Those play in a world as real as it can be when there's dudes flying around in suits of armor or crazy face painted guys somehow planting bombs on everything in sight, but Pilgrim doesn't give a damn about any of that.  People turn into money, there's extra lives when you die, and sub-space tunnels in your head that serve as highways.  To hell with Watchmen....THIS is the most "true to source" comic book movie I've ever seen.  I can't wait to go buy the blu-ray if it doesn't show up in my stocking.

BEST COMIC BOOK BASED TV SERIES
The Walking Dead

- Like there was another choice.  From the "straight from the comics" first episode to the giant explosion in the 6th episode, I felt like this series was a perfect capture of the general tone of the comic.  The hopelessness, the fear, the slowly eroding sense of civilization, it's all encompassed in the 6 episodes thus far.  Some people complain about certain comic book smoments not happening yet (Shane still breathing for example) or TV moments that didn't exist (The CDC visit for example), but I feel like everything has made sense given the pacing of the show.  If Shane had died already on the show, his "snap" would have seemed  abrupt and not naturally occuring.  Just as it makes perfect sense for the crew to go to the CDC in hopes of finding answers.  None may have been forthcoming, but that only enhances the feelings of despair as we head into a second season.  No one knows why this happened, not even the smartest people alive, and that is a scary fucking thought!  Season 2 can't come fast enough...

BEST ANIMATED MOVIE
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths/Batman: Under the Red Hood

- I couldn't pick one...I love them both!  As a huge mark for Jason Todd and Judd Winick's story, I was the most excited for Red Hood, but was blown away by the high quality of Crisis, especially the AWESOMENESS of James Woods as Owlman!  I think the overall excellence of the DC Animated Movies is exemplified by these two features so if you haven't seen them, go pick them up.  You won't be disappointed.  All Star Superman may steal the show in 2011 though...


BEST TOY OF 2010



MOST IMPROVED SERIES OF 2010
Red Robin

- There was a point where I seriously considered dropping this book. Now it has become my favorite of the tie-in books (BoP, Batgirl, and the like).  I wasn't feeling it in the beginning with the "Bruce is still alive" overtone because Tim's characterization seemed...out of character...but as the series progressed, and Fabian Nicieza dug his teeth in, it has become an top-shelf example of why Tim Drake is such a grand character.  He is the best of his predecessors all rolled into one...Dick, Jason, Bruce, Jack Drake, Ra's Al Ghul....he has learned from all the above and molded it into a character as hardcore as Bruce/Al Ghul but still with the capacity for fun that Dick holds close to his heart.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF 2010
Shadowland

- Read my blog about it...suffice to say: BLLLLAAAAARRRGGGGGHHHH!!!! 

BEST PUBLISHER
DC Comics

- I think that rates a DUH looking over everything I wrote above.  I don't think there was a single Marvel thing mentioned besides disappointment. Oh wait, I did give a nod to Fraction as one of my fave writers, and Uncanny X-Force as best new series...and the whole cosmic thing, so I guess I did bring up Marvel. 

Anyway, my deference to DC is not to say there's nothing good at Marvel, it's just that most of it is so average.  Nothing really blows my mind right now, nothing make me long for the next issue, even Uncanny X-Men which is the backbone of my comic book reading isn't on par with the DC books when it comes to excitement.  The books I loved the most (Captain America & Daredevil) did not have strong a 2010 to me, "The Trial of Captain America" is that books last chance for me honestly, and I'm not sure what my future with DD entails yet.  DC has put out great books in the GL world, in the Bat-World, Action Comics, The Flash, and more. 

Marvel feels like one never-ending company-wide crossover to me, further exacerbated by today's announcement of "Fear Itself".  They claim it's been a year since the last one, but what do you call "Chaos War"?  Maybe not line-wide, but there's a half-dozen mini's and one-shots that tie into it.  It's like saying "World War Hulk" or "House of M" weren't Marvel-wide crossovers.  Anyway, I'm also more excited about the future of DC comics with Batman Inc, Flashpoint, and War of the Lanterns.  Still, knowing comic book companies, Flashpoint & War of the Lanterns will somehow turn into DC-wide crossovers...


So there's my general thoughts on 2010 in comics.  Please feel free to leave me some feedback, I'm curious as to what others think about the year in comics!