Hey there friends, well it’s a new year, so as one has passed us it is time to look back at what we have read and seen over the year of comic books. I went back and taken a look at what I have read, all the stuff from Marvel and DC. I will be doing this look back a bit differently. I’m going to review the best “arcs” of the year, best “event”, best “characters”, and best “new” series. I will be considering the New 52 comics that came out in September. Each category, excluding “Event” will feature a top three listings. Let us begin shall we….
BEST ARCS OF THE YEAR
Marvel Comics
#1 Amazing Spider-man #648-651
Review: This arc is what brought back Spider-man’s old school popularity. This is where Spider-man gains new gadgetry and spider-suits to gain the upper hand against new and old foes. We also witness the revival of the Hob-goblin with some new hardware and powers as well. This arc was just pure and we do see Peter gaining life outside of being a hero. I enjoy the series as being more upbeat and fun with giving fans what they want in a classic series that gives Spider-man a great amount of personality, action and sass thanks to the alluring Black Cat. The artwork by Ramos has always been ridiculed but I’m a fan of it, it’s a very fitting style for Spider-man’s fast pace action. Overall it’s one of the best Spider-man stories out there; Dan Slott creates stories worth reading.
#2 Thunderbolts #158-163
Review: I became a huge fan once Luke Cage took over the team and has one of the team formations I have seen, I even say that this series is FAR more interesting than the Avengers, which is the primary hero team. I love the interaction amongst the team of super villains. This arc obviously took place during the events of FEAR ITSELF, so the series focuses on the team trying to save/stop their teammate Juggernaut, who has been infused and corrupted by the power of one of the Hammers of the Serpent. We are also introduced to the secondary squad that gained the moniker “Underbolts”. We see Satanna becoming a part of the team and being one of more effective members in this event. The writing with Jeff Parker has been stellar with this arc, creating some great tension and character development with this team, now becoming one huge team. The artwork with this arc was great as well; the character designs and action beats were top notch. Overall this arc in the huge event was the most memorable, giving us great characters and amazing styles of artwork.
#3 Journey into Mystery #622-630(excluding 627 and 628)
Review: Following the strangest case of renumbering and splitting the Thor universe and his characters into two entirely different storylines was well thought out idea. The story focuses on giving Loki center stage trying to find his way into saving the day taking place in and around the events of FEAR ITSELF. The cast of characters he interacts with are amazing and full of personalities. Loki being seen as a youthful trickster was well executed; I like him using others to meet his goals, which is the entire character of Loki. This is all thanks to having Kieron Gillen returning to the series and giving us a lot of character development and an amazing storyline with many weaving elements that make Loki a really great character. The artwork is also stellar; the look and feel of the artwork is reminiscent of oil paintings, giving it a sense surrealism and mysticism. In the end, this series is great, the characters are well developed and the artwork is beautiful.
DC Comics
#1 Power Girl #22-23
Review: I really miss out on this series, the New 52 took away many great things and this was one of them, considering this series was the be a new great start for the character. The story involves Power Girl finally finding out how to properly disguise her with a REAL secret identity. The interaction with her, Superman, and the lovely Zatanna was well done considering magic is a weakness for Superman and Power Girl. The writing duties were given to Judd Winick, who is now working on Catwoman has done fantastic job with the female characters. He makes Power Girl as well as her human persona Karen Starr a real treat, making them both unique unto themselves. The artwork with Sam Basri was top notch, giving the characters less over the top features and making them more human in dimensions. I loved this series and still do, I truly wish this still in the New 52, oh well, check this series out when it comes to collective form.
#2 Batman Incorporated 1-8
Review: This is considered to be the first half of Grant Morrison’s epic tale involving Batman and various other Bat style heroes from around the world. The entire story is well paced and well executed, creating some of the most memorable characters and events in Batman history. My personal favorite is issue #7 which features one of the most interesting Bat characters, Man-of-bats, a Native American crime fighter. The story was dark and bleak but well written with some of the best characterizations of any of the Bat characters out there. The writing with Morrison is top notch, some of the best writing out there, especially when it comes to Batman. The artwork was always top notch, the look and feel of each character was amazingly done, all the various Bat heroes were well designed as well as were the villains in each story. This was one huge creative effort that gave a huge payoff with one of the best stories I have seen around. Check it out in any form of Hardcover or Trade paperback.
#3 Xombi 1-6
Review: Easily the best thing from the old universe that sadly departed with the advent of the New 52. Xombi was one of the best written and well-drawn comic lines that featured an amazing and unique cast of character and one of the best story lines ever thought of. The story was written by the original creator, allowing him to continue working on his own creation which is great. The artwork adds more to it thanks to the surreal. This series is coming soon to the trades, so pick it up as soon as possible.
BEST EVENTS OF THE YEAR
Marvel Comics
Fear Itself
Review: This event should deserve more credit than the negative reviewers say about it. This series is not a Blackest Night rip-off. This event was the big summer blockbuster style story that needed to be told. The story was like many of the events in Marvel comics a “game changer”, and so far it has changed many elements in a majority of their storylines. The writing is typical Matt Fraction, he builds up the tension and has the ending be a huge amount of action, which this does to the nth degree. The stakes were high in this series and to me it was pulled off extremely well. The artwork was always top notch, seeing many characters and action beats in these pages were amazing. Overall this series was well executed; it was a fun read and did so much to further the Marvel Universe. The writing and artwork was well pulled off. Pick it up if you haven’t already.
War of the Green Lanterns
Review: I chose this over Flashpoint for one simple reason, it had a better payoff. The story of having the Green Lantern Corp altered by the their very foundation was a great idea and featured a huge outcome that still, even in the new 52 has changed the characters. The story is simple, a rouge guardian takes control of the battery core creatures and used them in a battle against the Corps. The story spanned all the titles at the time and featured all the major players. So many things happened in this series, that it changes the entire outlook on the Green Lanterns as well as the other books altogether. Geoff Johns and the other writers did a fantastic job weaving this narrative extremely well. The various art styles used here were top notch, giving a consistent look and feel from issue to issue. This event was fun and gave us a broader sense of what can be done with a series when you push the boundaries.
BEST CHARACTERS OF THE YEAR
Marvel Comics
#1 Spider-man
Review: This was the year of Spider-man, this year we saw the character go through some of the biggest ups and downs. We see him with a new life, a new career, a new girlfriend, new gadgets, new outfits, and joined a new team, The FF. Even with the good things, there is always the bad. The death of Jameson’s wife was one of the darkest stories told in the Spider-man lore, the huge event of Spider Island, losing Carlie, and now his identity can be revealed again. This run with Dan Slott has returned Spider-man to his former glory.
#2 Loki
Review: This was one of the best rebirths of a character. The character of Loki was always seen as the typical villain for Thor to fight, and then it was changed after the events of Siege. Loki was reborn into a more youthful character with a more rebellious look to him. His character has and will always be seen as a trickster and cannot be trusted, however it is his new characterization that breathes much more life into him. Making him a more sympathetic god and someone who knows he is better than everyone but still wants to be accepted. A big thanks to Kieron Gillen who gives this character much more life than any other version has given him.
#3 Steve Rogers aka Captain America
Review: This year we saw a major change in the hero known as Captain America. Steve Rogers became the forefront of leading the heroes to the epic battle of Siege, Reformatted SHIELD, lead a stealth group of heroes, returned to the position of Captain America and lead the charge of Fear Itself. All while gripping from the realization of Tony Stark being a part of the Illuminati and losing his best friend and soldier in arms, Bucky. Thanks to Ed Brubaker and his efforts to give this hero a great personification of fighting for the truest beliefs he firmly establishes for himself or any hero who wishes to become a hero.
DC comics
#1 Wonder Woman
Review: Wonder Woman went quite a transformation this year, her “controversial” story line Odyssey which involved Diana being separated from her true form and forced to rediscover her true form and nature. I enjoyed the story line; it was well thought out but could have been shorten. Along with the new 52 changes, she became a more harden warrior type heroine rather being a princess heroine. The writers I read with her character were JMS and Brian Azzarello making their great contributions to making her more truly a WONDER to read…and yes I know that was a dumb pun.
#2 Deadman
Review: This character made such resurgence thanks to the events of Brightest Day, which was one of the best mini-series that created many great story lines from the various heroes and heroines they focused on. The character of Deadman gained the most character development. Along with his involvement with Justice League Dark, he has been a really great character; they even bring up many things to discuss with him being a ghost. Geoff Johns did us all a great favor by bringing this character back and making him a great character to read about.
#3 Aquaman
Review: Much like Deadman, Aquaman was always around but was seen as a joke character in recent days, however thanks to the efforts of Geoff Johns we get a brand new take on the character. The events of Brightest Day make him out to be a more effective leader type rather than him just being a wimpy version of Namor. We do get an interesting take on the character in Flashpoint where he was changed into a harden leader, but thankfully that version no longer exists. Johns continues to improve on the character and even makes fun of the tropes he has become known for.
BEST NEW SERIES
Marvel Comics
#1 Defenders
Review: only one issue in and this series has been a powerhouse of fun and entertainment. The look and feel of the series adds a new layer to the typical team book. The team is full of variety and well diverse. The story does a great continuation of the events with FEAR ITSELF by giving the characters a true goal to fight. The artwork by Terry Dodson is top notch and well created and designed with these characters. The writing aspect with Matt Fraction does a splendid job with these heroes. He writes it much like an espionage caper with the characters coming together to fight a powerful threat. I enjoy series so far and it deserves a look
#2 Secret Avengers
Review: This was one of the series I sadly had to drop due to being overburdened with too many comics in my listings. However with that said, this series is in fact a terrific and well thought out series. The team created by Steve Rogers features an all-star cast of various heroes from all walks of super heroism. The various missions they went on were really creative and well thought out. The writers of Brubaker and Ellis were on top of their A game with this series. They truly can write some of the best team books like this.
#3 Avengers Academy
Review: Another series that I had to drop just after the next big step for the characters to be in, I enjoyed this series for much of the run I followed. The troubled teenage heroes that were used by Osborn and now being trained to be heroes were a well thought out concept. The student/teacher aspect was some of the best when in any series similar to this. The writing with Gage was top notch with each story arch he gave the characters to be involved in. Give this series a look in either the trades or individual issues
DC Comics
#1 Demon Knights
Review: Man oh man is this a fun series. I’m a huge fan of the Arthurian mythology and this series blends the Arthurian mythology with its own mythologies to create something both unique and special. This is surprisingly a team book that features a great cast of characters, one is noted villain. I love the writing and artwork that make this a great series of the new 52.
#2 Catwoman
Review: I don’t care what anyone thinks about how exploitive this series is. It’s one great series that features a highly sexualized world, dark and twisted villains, and the lead woman as a vulnerable character, something that many people rarely see her as. The writing is extremely well done and somber at times, as well as the artwork being superb with an amazing style to it.
#3 Justice League Dark
Review: This was a series that I was looking forward to in the new 52, this series features some of the best writing and dark gothic story telling in the new universe that DC has released. I give them credit for doing something this bold with these characters. I love the style they are presented as. I love seeing the characters coming together at their own pace, rather than just having them together in issue one. I love this new Zatanna, she is much more free spirited and more of a thrilling character than her prior version which I do love as well. The artwork is some of the best, giving the look and feel as I mentioned a dark and gothic feeling. The characters are well designed and the tone is very bleak. Give this series a looksee.
That’s all for the prior year, it was a very great year for comics. This year is going to be big as well. I expect many great things from both Marvel and DC. I’m excited to see what the big events of 2012 will be shown. We got plenty of new #1’s coming around, I will be giving these a look in the coming weeks. As for my comic reviews, I got a lot coming up, works been keeping me busy, Life at home is a bit hectic, as well as getting back into College to find a future career. So at the moment my comic reviews my slow down to a slight crawl but I will keep reviewing when I get a chance. Until then I will allow my fellow reviewers Destroyer14 and Weedbeater to keep up the task of reviewing comics, those guys are great with their reviewing styles. Catch you all later and enjoy a happy new year.