FAVORITE COMICS - 2009

I should re-name this blog "Top Ten Comics of the Year Blog" and leave it at that, since that's basically all my lazy ass posts over the last few years. I do love looking back at the year though, so until I'm bored by it, or I post more, this will probably continue. Who knows.

As I've said in prior posts, I collect a lot of comics in their weekly floppy form, and although I read a lot of OGN's in a given year (i.e. Asterios Polyp, Cooke's The Hunter) that isn't what this post is really about. I've threatened with a separate post about that for a couple of years now because the books deserve it, but because of the high number of weekly comics I read, I'm always painfully behind on my OGNs (unless it's a new Jason comic) so i can't really "recap the year" fairly. So yeah, this is about mainstream comics in their weekly form.

I've changed my own rules a couple of times, but basically I'm staying the same as last year. I want at least a couple of issues of a comic to be out in a calendar year, because 1-issue is often just not enough weigh to get it on the list.

Last note: Jason Aaron's Scalped has "won" this for me 2 years in a row now. Will the streak continue? Backwards from ten then for minimal excitement:

FAVORITE COMICS OF 2009

#10 - BATTLEFIELDS

(w. Garth Ennis, a. Peter Snejbjerg, Carlos Ezquerra)

A book (thanks Edmiston) that I completely forgot about last year, was not easy to forget as 2009 started. To be honest though, it was a tough add this year because as much as I loved the "Dear Billy" arc, I hated the "Tankies" story and the first issue of "Happy Valley" snuck in before the end of the year, and that is pretty good. So on the back of "Dear Billy," one of Ennis' finest stories in recent years and one of the finest stories of the year, it sneaks on.

#9 - MOUSE GUARD: WINTER 1152

(w/a. David Peterson)

Up a couple of spots from last year, as even though all we got here were the final two issues of the Winter 1152 arc, I can't get enough of the world that Peterson is creating. However, the art on the book alone is worth recommending it. I look forward to the coming prequels and sequels.

#8 - CHEW

(w. John Layman, a. Rob Guillory)

You'll find this on a lot of people's lists this year, and I think it deserves it. A legitimate indie hit which is nice, but more importantly for being a pretty damn great comic book. Tony Chu works for the FDA (now law enforcement), he's a Cibopath (basically a psychic that gets info from the food he eats) in a world where chicken has been outlawed because of a bird-flu pandemic. Silly, yes, but this doesn't even touch the surface of the book. It has been nothing but surprises and funny turns, with plenty of wacky action all drawn perfectly by Rob Guillory.

#7 - BEASTS OF BURDEN

(w. Evan Dorkin, a. Jill Thompson)

The biggest surprise of the year for me. I didn't even want to read this book, until my girlfriend bugged me to get it coupled with some good reviews on the day of release made me cave. I'm so glad I did. A book about a group of dogs acting as occult investigators in a small town sounded iffy (idiot me, I know), but with the gorgeous art and how straight Dorkin plays it, it works perfectly. Issue #2, "Lost" was one of my single favorite issues of the year. A book that once it is collected, I will be passing around quite a bit.

#6 - ECHO

(w/a. Terry Moore)

This book was really close to making my list last year, but no debate this year. Terry Moore's little sci-fi story, although not terribly original (experimental tech, hero on the run, bosses want it back) is elevated by the care in which Moore reveals his story. I care for these characters. It helps that it is one of the best looking books on the stands, despite its black & white interior. Terry Moore is bar none one of the best cartoonists working in comics.

#5 - DMZ

(w. Brian Wood, a. Riccardo Burchielli & Others)

A book that has been high on my list before, just missed last year and is back with a vengeance. After the election of Parco Delgado in 2008, the title spent the early part of 2009 highlighting his early days in office, before taking a breather with the excellent "No Future" arc and then refocusing again with Matty, stuck between shit and a nuclear missile scandal. How far Matty has come in this title is pretty amazing. (Note: I wrote this before reading the game-changing issue #49. Wow. 2010 should be fun.)

#4 - FOUR EYES

(w. Joe Kelly, a. Max Fiumara)

My favorite book in the industry that no one talks about, mainly because it is only on its third issue with only two of those being published in 2009. Still, despite the slow publishing schedule, this depression era story about a young boy following in his dead father's footsteps in the underground DRAGON FIGHTS is easily one of my favorite comic books of the past year. To be honest, it might be higher if there were just more issues published. Highlight of these two issues, was definitely #3 where the kids are taken on a dragon hunt. Great, great stuff. Can't wait for more.

#3 - LOCKE & KEY

(w. Joe Hill, a. Gabriel Rodriguez)

We got the end of one mini-series ("Head Games") at the start of another ("Crown of Shadows") in 2009 and this book just keeps humming along as one of the best books on the stands. The journey of the Locke family (and supporting characters) continues to excite and surprise with each key reveal. Art wise, the unique and highly talented Rodriguez is what keeps it rolling. Nothing to complain about with this series, one of the best on the stands.

#2 - NORTHLANDERS

(w. Brian Wood, a. Ryan Kelly, Leandro Fernandez and others)

This book JUUUUUUUUUUST missed getting the top nod from me. This book was so good this year: Ryan Kelly's surprising, yet masterful jump to Viking comics, the two part "Shield Maidens," the one-shot checking-in with Sven and his family from the title's first arc, and the amazing start to the new long arc, "The Plague Widow." But what will stand out, is the brilliant issue #17, "The Viking Art of Single Combat" drawn by Vasilis Lolos. Easily one of, if not the best single issue I've read this year.

Man, just writing that has me almost wanting to re-think my #1. Almost.

#1 - SCALPED

(w. Jason Aaron, a. R.M. Guera and others)

In my initial rough draft of my ten, I actually had Northlanders #1, but when push came to shove I couldn't do it. This book still had more "Book of the Weeks" for me than any other title. The last half of the year has escalated the stakes so much, (especially with the "Gnawing" arc), and paid off so many of the character threads since #1 and done it all SO seamless and well that I could not remove this book from my favorite of the year. It's a gritty crime comic, and Aaron shows us that he will continue to surprise even as the series is only at the half way mark.

HONORABLE MENTIONS aka OTHER BOOKS I REALLY LIKED

100 BULLETS - This was just edged out by Battlefields, because I liked "Dear Billy" so much. Only two issues came out, #99 and the final #100, and although I liked the bloody issues enough to get Book of the Week when they came out, by themselves they didn't stand out enough. As a whole on the series, I wait to re-read the entire series to take them in their proper context. But without a doubt, this is one of my favorite series of the Decade if I were doing such a thing. I miss Risso's art. Where is he?

WALKING DEAD - This book still manages to be right below my elite, but above everything else. Leaving the prison and cutting half the cast is still the best decision Kirkman has done in years. And back on the road and meeting new characters (and villains) made 2009 a good time. Loved the horde stuff, not so much the cannibal stuff.

PLANETARY - What? The final issue came out? Some years after the last one? Yes, #27 did indeed come out. As a final issue it was a good tag for the series, and it reminded me how much I loved the series as a whole (another book, easily one of my favorite of the decade) and Cassaday's art.

CRIMINAL

WASTELAND - Two books that I love that were on my Top 10 last year, but spent most of 2009 on hiatus for one reason or another. Still, WASTELAND was great when it did come out (2 issues?) and CRIMINAL had just started the latest arc as the year was ending and so far the quality is what one would expect.

MYSTERIOUS: THE UNFATHOMABLE - A little Wildstorm creator owned book that could, from Jeff Parker and Tom Fowler. The story of a mischievous mystic (read: a pot-bellied Dr. Strange) taking advantage of those that don't know better, was a wonderful 6-issue mini in the Spring. We have been promised more in 2010.

SWEET TOOTH - Jeff Lemire did such great work with his "Essex County" OGN books, that Vertigo was smart to grab him for an ongoing. Early on, this title is treading some familiar ground as a post-apocalyptic story with some heavy feel from the novel/movie The Road. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. There is the odd twist of a boy with antlers, and Lemire's art is unique and interesting enough that the book has moved up the read pile. One to watch in 2010. Speaking of...

STUMPTOWN

DAYTRIPPER - Two books that although they only had one issue each, both were great, and both are definitely must watch for 2010. STUMPTOWN is Rucka's crime comic with a female protagonist, and if you know Rucka, you know he does that well. Has a CRIMINAL feel to it, but how long he and Brubaker riffed on Gotham Central, that's not a surprise (or a complaint). And DAYTRIPPER, Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba's look at the life of Bras, an aspiring novelist in Brazil, was amazing. Each issue of the 10-issue series plans to be told out of order. The first, we see his death. Issue #2 takes us to his 20's, and the solicits of #3 have us at his childhood. Each one is stand alone, and with art by Ba and Moon (of Umbrella Academy and Casanova fame) it looks gorgeous.

WEDNESDAY COMICS - Just a note on a book that was my only other comic post of 2009. Honorable mention for the format alone and the excitement it brought. The excitement definitely started to tail off as the series went along and the good strips seemed to be outweighed by the bad strips. But I still think it was a great success. My favorites ended up being: Pope's Strange Adventures, Conner's art on Supergirl, Azzarello & Risso on Batman and probably Flash and Kamandi. Kamandi which was not one of my favorites when it started, but grew on my with it's Prince Valiant style. Debating on whether or not I want the collection because it was half good-half bad. Hmm.

FABLES - This almost didn't get an honorable mention. The crossover at the beginning of the year with "Jack of Fables" and the "Literals" was a waste of a few months for this reader. Jack and his odd villains sorta worked in his own book, but as a crossover, it didn't mesh for me. (I actually dropped Jack of Fables when the crossover ended.) Still, the main FABLES title has picked it up since then, returning to the kind of adventures I enjoy on THIS title with the new "Boogeyman" villain.

***

Oh shit! I forgot about super hero books! I always seem to "hate" on them when it comes time for my end of year list, but I do love reading the madcap adventures of my favorite men in tights. It's often frustrating, but has it's moments. So, Super Hero books that stood taller than the others:

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN - The epic 12-parter "World's Most Wanted" that took up most of the year will be read in TPB's for years to come. Awesome super hero comics.

DAREDEVIL - Still going strong even after Bendis left, and then Brubaker left; but Diggle continues to run with the baton.

THOR - Stracyznski's run was spectacular. Only sad to see it end WHEN it did. You can tell he had more in him.

POWER GIRL - Probably the funnest book on the stands, embracing the "comic book" name in all it's glory. Amanda Conner kills on art.

BATMAN & ROBIN - Barely. Grant Morrison has been a little up-and-down with this book, but when Quitely is on art, it is a big win.

SECRET SIX - A late converter, but Simone squeezes some great character moments out of these unabashed villains.

X-FACTOR - A long time X-fan I am, and this book continues to be the most consistent X-Book as far as characters actually squeaking through, while the main titles have problems with PLOT PLOT PLOT getting in the way. Peter David rocks.

MARVELS PROJECT - While Brubaker starts to squeeze the last bit of juice from the orange on the main Captain America title, he is doing awesome work here. This pre-World World 2 espionage story about the early Marvel Universe has been surprisingly engaging. Another must when it is in trade.

IRREDEEMABLE - The only non-Marvel on this short list, but Mark Waid's story about "Superman" becoming the world's biggest threat has been good. Mainly because of the supporting characters, his "Justice League" and how their lives have been impacted.

***

On to 2010. Where this Reader tries to cut back on his weekly comics (read: cut the super hero fat) and read more OGN's as he has a pile "To Read" embarrassingly long on his bookshelf.

Wednesday Comics #1

A comic so fun it made me post a blog. And I was kind of leaning towards not talking about comics on here until the "Best of 2009" post because I personally thought that would be funny, but WEDNESDAY COMICS #1 just wasn't going to let that happen.

Is this the best comic to ever come out? No. But damn if it wasn't a ton of fun. From the format (newsprint!), to the size (HUGE), to the incredible art. And although I'm not sure if the feeling will last through all 16 weeks, I'm willing to see how long.

With any kind of anthology, there are going to be ones that work and ones that don't. Some of the strips really use the size (14" x 20") and others that do not. With only one page for each strip, it is hard to talk story because they are just getting started, but let's be honest here: this is mainly to showcase the art. And as a guy that LOVES LOVES comic book art, but chases writers with his purchases, this comic made me really happy. The inevitable over-sized collection should be a beauty.

Here's what I thought.

The Elite (so far):

STRANGE ADVENTURES

w/a. Paul Pope

The art, not suprisingly, was amazing, beautiful Paul Pope work. From the design of the characters to the use of that bad-ass tall panel, Pope hits this one out of the park. Story was pretty good too.

BATMAN

w. Brian Azzarello, a. Eduardo Risso

For both of you that read this blog, you know I'm a huge fan of Eduardo Risso and this was a really great start to a Batman Noir Azzarello story. Nice placement too, as the first story out.

METAMORPHO

w. Neil Gaiman, a. Mike Allred

This was pretty fucking fun. I like the whole team, I like the merging of story style with artist, and the floating head roll call at the bottom made me happy. One of the surprise successes for me.

SUPERGIRL

w. Jimmy Palmiotti, a. Amanda Conner

What a perfect little page this was. It helps that I have a huge crush on how great Amanda Conner's art is. Cute, but still dynamic and cool. And I don't know that I've ever read something with Streaky in it, so score.

(Note: Pic is from a future installment of Wedneday Comics.)

FLASH

w. Karl Kerschl & Brenden Fletcher , a. Karl Kerschl

Another one that surprised me by how much I liked it. The most original in design as the page is split into two strips: the Flash adventure one, and the IRIS WEST romance strip which seems to be telling the same story from her point of view. Kerschl's art is awesome. One of the best so far.

The Next Best:

GREEN LANTERN

w. Kurt Busiek, a. Joe Quinones

The Silver Age setting seems to be perfet for these two creators, and although we only saw the title character in the last panel, the cartoony Quinones art looks perfect. This strip could easily "move up."

HAWKMAN

w/a. Kyle Baker

Um, this one has the potential to be really bad ass. Baker's art, although in a much more realistic style than I am used to seeing, is really good. The bird talk is eerie and cool. I'm looking forward to the next installment of this a lot now that I'm thinking about it.

DEMON & CATWOMAN

w. Walter Simonson, a. Brian Stelfreeze

A team up strip? With these two? Ok. I like the adult-noir feel here so far, and I really like it when Selena comes across as sexy and not sleazy (ignore the saucy pic above if you don't think it fits what I'm saying here). And speaking of artist's working in a different style: I so rarely get to see Stelfreeze's art when it's not painted. Nice job here.

Ones I'm not sure about:

SUPERMAN

w. John Arcudi, a. Lee Bermejo

Although the story so far did nothing for me, Supes fights an alien with a dumb cliffhanger, Bermejo (of JOKER fame) is working his ass off on the art so I feel like it deserves the middle of the road response here.

DEADMAN

w. Dave Bullock & Vinton Heuck, a. Dave Bullock

This almost fell to the section below, but it stays here for the Bruce Timm-like art that won me over. We'll see how this one continues.

WONDER WOMAN

w/a. Ben Caldwell

I'm being suuuper kind to this one, as it was kind of a mess, but when I was first flipping through it the art looked amazing, with the use of the Chris Ware-like small panels and what not. But what we got was hard to read, with odd panel-to-panel work and a HORRIBLE fucking font. It's here because I WANT it to be good, and I'm finger crossing for the rest. The story seemed ok and the artist is talented.

The Ones that didn't work (for me):

SGT. ROCK

w. Adam Kubert, a. Joe Kubert

The hardcore military one just didn't work for me here with the fun I was having with the book, but the Joe Kubert art is fantastic as always. I reserve the right to take this one back.

KAMANDI

w. Dave Gibbons, a. Ryan Sook

Although the Sook art was good, and the Prince Valiant style worked well for the character, I was left a bit cold here. The best part to me was the Kirby bit at the bottom and that's not good. I will not be surprised if some dudes love this.

TEEN TITANS

w. Eddie Berganza, a. Sean Galloway

This was just not good. Maybe the strip that missed the mark the most for me. Galloway is not a bad artist, but I think the style lends itself better to the animation design work that he comes from. I just didn't care about anything happening here.

(Note: Pic is from a future installment of Wednesday Comics)

METAL MEN

w. Dan DiDio, a. Jose Luis Garcia Lopez

This could be the book that I differ the most from with the masses if what I've seen around the internet is to be believed. Fun story with awesome Lopez art is what I'm reading. What I saw? A really silly strip, that wasn't very entertaining with some really good Lopez art. This one was not for me, and I was rooting for Dan too!

***

Man, it feels a bit good to post.

in memoriam - 2008

Over at Aint-it-Cool-News they did their annual Comic Book wrap up, and they did something I've never seen done before in comics. It was a really nice Oscar-esque look back at  those that died this past year who in one way or another were influenced the medium. Unless they did it last year, its the first time I've seen something of its kind.

You'll have to scroll through a bunch of comic nonsense, but you can't miss the big black image about half way down. 

SIDE NOTE: Was McGoohan really missing from last night's Oscar In Memoriam? Assholes.

BEST COMIC BOOKS OF 2008

So this post comes in just about a month ahead of last year's "Best of" and also has the distinction of being the first post SINCE the 2007 list. Um, whaaaat? I liked reading comics and ranting about what I think, but the time for these blog things are just not there in a way that I would like. Kudos to all those that are timely with these things for years on end. Still, here I am talking about 2008, and who knows maybe I will post more in the upcoming year.

The geeky rules:

#1. Last year I had a strict at least four issues must come out of an ongoing series for it to make my list. Nothing of the sort this year, because that left really good books like Hine's STRANGE EMBRACE and Way's UMBRELLA ACADEMY off of the list. This year, its TWO ISSUES! Seriously, as long as you have a couple of books come out (ongoing, mini or maxi) you will be considered.

#2. This is for weekly floppies only. I read a gang load of OGN's this year, but in MY head, those belong on a different list.

#3. As always, these are my FAVORITE books. Yeah, I said "Best" up there, but it always rings false to me to make a list of the "best" of anything when who am I to make that kind of declaration. These are my favorites, and hopefully some of them are good.

***

MY FAVORITE COMICS OF 2008
(in reverse order this year)

#10 MOUSE GUARD: WINTER 1152
(w/a. David Peterson)

You know what's bullshit about this series? Is that unless my calculations are wrong, we only got two issues of this wonderful series in 2008. Mr. Peterson's fantasy series about mice, is not just a great story and not just great art, its a fucking clinic on good comic booking. There is no doubt in my mind that it will move up the accepted canon as time goes by. (I hope that ASP being bought out doesn't delay the last two issues of this mini too much longer.)

#9 LOCAL
(w. Brian Wood, a. Ryan Kelly)

This book has been slowly trickling out over the last few years,releasing the final two issues in 2008 as well as the beautiful hardback collection of the entire series. The hardback got a lot of attention when it came out, and rightfully so: the series is pretty damn good. It follows our heroine Megan from ages 18-30 with each issue being a different year of her life in a different American city. This year's #11 was one of my favorites of the series, with Megan meeting a stand-in for her younger self, and we get to see how much this girl has grown over the course of the series.

#8 WASTELAND
(w. Antony Johnston, a. Christopher Mitten)

This book just keeps getting better and better. I fear that the floppies might be losing folks, but if that's the case, I hope its because they are reading it in (the far more friendlier form) TPBs. The fantasy series gets more complex with its religion and social structure with each arc, and the cast of characters that I care about only grows. The way the art shows flashbacks can be confusing at times, but Mitten is turning into a brilliant artist.

#7 100 BULLETS
(w. Brian Azzarello, a. Eduardo Risso)

You are either still on board with this book and loving it, or you long ago tossed it aside as too confusing to read in floppies. And both reactions would probably be right. I love this series, it was made for me. Azzarello is slowly bringing this series to a close and with only two more issues in 2009 (I've read one of em!) I am going to be extremely sad that this book isn't coming out anymore. Eduardo Risso is one of my favorite artists in comics.

#6 FABLES
(w. Bill Willingham, a. Mark Buckingham and a couple of others)

2008 saw the end of the best story of the series in "Good Prince" and then the series went and had the climactic battle between good and evil with "War and Pieces" and now we are in the aftermath. Its an odd place to be because the first 75 issues built to that climax, but Fables has proved that the cast of characters is too good, and the source material too great for it to lose any luster. The book is as good as its been with no real signs of letting up. (Now if only I could say the same about JACK OF FABLES.)

#5 CRIMINAL
(w. Ed Brubaker, a. Sean Phillips)

Or technically, CRIMINAL VOLUME 2. This series is as steady as they come right now in comics. When you open an issue, its just going to be good. This volume increased the page count, giving Brubaker and Phillips more room to do their craft and I'm not complaining. From the first three stand alone issues to the 4-issue "Bad Night" centered on a cartoonist, we got the best most compelling crime comic on the stands. And I fucking love the back matter, leading me to great Noir in book, film and television.

#4 NORTHLANDERS
(w. Brian Wood, a. Davide Gianfelice, Dean Orstron and Ryan Kelly)

This book has catapulted up my favorite books, because like 100 Bullets this is another book that was just made for me. First "Sven: The Returned" wrapped up, with a surprising yet well crafted final issue, then Wood hits us with a little two-parter before rocking me with the first issue of my favorite arc to date, "The Cross + The Hammer." All these arcs star different characters and are in different time periods. Yeah, an anthology book basically, which so far so great. Wood's LOCAL co-hort Kelly comes on board and shocks the hell out of me with a gritty in your face style, which you can obviously make as the same artist that did LOCAL; but who the fuck knew that his art would be so perfect for THIS series!

#3 ALL-STAR SUPERMAN
(w. Grant Morrison, a. frank Quitely)

The genius series closes out its run with the last three issues in 2008. #10 was argueably the best single issue of the series, and in fact of 2008, period. Simple enough, these two guys made a classic. Far better brains than mine will go into the details of how-where-why, but things I do know: it will go down as one of the best Superman stories ever, and yeah, one of the best Super Hero stories of all-time. Quitely is a master comic book artist at the top of his game, and although Morrison's other super hero work this year was muddled and confusing (BATMAN, FINAL CRISIS) this series was near perfect. I miss it, and I want more.

#2 LOCKE AND KEY
(w. Joe Hill, a. Gabriel Rodriguez)

How is it that more people are not talking about this book? Seriously. Joe Hill (son of some guy) and Gabriel Rodriguez are doing a pretty fucking awesome comic. In fact, its the only book that got my "Book of the Week" every single week that it came out. The plot of this thriller, with the spooky house and the keys is great, but Hill gets this right by making the characters so damn good. You hear it every once in a while about a guy that comes in from another medium, but Joe Hill gets comics. His use of panels, the turn-of-the-page and cliffhangers is like a seasoned comics pro.* Gabriel Rodriguez's art is the shit. His people have a distinctive style and his choice of camera angles is always dynamic and fitting. Something must also be said about the presentation of the book itself, because the covers are all brilliant, and the quality of paper is top. So it's not just the story, the entire package is great. The new series has already started in 2009 and it's already taking names too.

*At ComicCon he talked crap about his only other comic work, an 8-page Spider-Man story he did for Marvel. I tracked it down and read it; he is way to harsh on himself. The story was fun and perfect for Spider-Man as well as perfect for the late, GREAT Seth Fisher.

#1 SCALPED
(w. Jason Aaron, a. R.M. Guera & others)

Another year, another #1 from me for Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera's SCALPED. This is only the third year I've ever done a Top 10 list, but my guess is this would be the first time a series has gotten #1 on back-to-back years since the TRANSMETROPOLITAN or PREACHER days. Who the fuck knows. What I do know, is Jason Aaron conitnues to kick all sorts of ass on this book. He got the Marvel bug this past year working on GHOST RIDER, WOLVERINE and a short run on BLACK PANTHER,* but that didn't affect this book any, accept I hope, the sales from some of the Marvel zombies taking a glance. As for the art, its funny to think that at the start of this series the one thing I wasn't sure about was the art, and now 20-some odd issues in, when its not R.M. I'm really bummed. He's critical for the book. Anything else I say here would be repeating what I said last year, but the powerful stories make this my favorite book of the year.

*Just thought this should be noted on a year with SECRET INVASION and FINAL CRISIS dominating everything, but Black Panther #39-41 witten by Jason Aaron was the coolest thing to come out of SECRET INVASION by far. No contest. Awesome superhero story.

BOOKS FROM LAST YEAR'S TOP 10 THAT MISSED:

#3 Y: THE LAST MAN - This book only had one issue come out in 2008, and that was the fantastic final issue. One issue, even as good as this one was, doesn't have enough weight for me to let it on.

DMZ - No judgment on this series that was so high last year, but off this year (it barely missed). I just had other favorites (including two other Wood books).

IMMORTAL IRON FIST - This book made me sad this year. So damn good under Brubaker/Fraction. Their last storyline fizzled a bit, but was still good. The final issue was one of my favorites of the series, but then the creative team change gutted the book. Shitty. I tried to stick with the new team, but just this week I finally stopped getting the series. The magic was just gone.

POWERS - The series that barely comes out, just misses the ten despite closing out its big storyline in style. Really good stuff, and broken record time: this is still my favorite Bendis and/or Oeming production (MICE TEMPLAR got unbearable, and was dropped.)

USAGI YOJIMBO - The long-eared ronin is still one of my favorite books of all time, but slipped a little this year for me. Though the December issue centered on Gen was classic Sakai. Awesome, and didn't even have the bunny in it.

OTHER BOOKS THAT MISSED, THAT I REALLY LIKED:

WALKING DEAD - And man, did it JUST miss. For the frst 20 issues of this series, it was easily one of my favorite books. The middle part of the series dragged, and Kirkman's clunky on-the-nose expository dialogue stood out a bit more. The climatic showdown at the prison in issue #48 was much needed, and breathed new life into a series that was fumbling . The cast has been sliced in half (thank you!) and the post prison-era is responsible for possibly my favorite issue in the series: Issue #51 with Rick and the surprising phone call. It was one of my favorite single issues of the year in any comic.

FOUR EYES
I KILL GIANTS - Two indie books done by a sorta of "renaissanced" Joe Kelly. I KILL GIANTS was a touching story of a kid, dealing with her mother's sickness. But for me, FOUR EYES, the story of a depression era kid getting a job at the underground dragon fights was the biggest surprise of the year for me. Excellent comic. Too bad there was only one or it might be above.

OMEGA: THE UNKNOWN - Written by novelist Jonathan Lethem, this was almost on the Top 10 as well. I think some of it went over my head, but what didn't go over my head is that it was BAR NONE the most original and interesting thing that Marvel has published in as long as I can remember. Too bad it didn't sell very well in floppies, but Marvel was committed to the book and the collected edition should get more notice in book stores. In fact, I've already given it as a gift!

THE TWELVE - I really love the pace and style J. Michael Straczinski is handling this series with. Just coming out too slow. Curious to see how these characters are treated in the Marvel Universe post this series. And there is no doubt that this series will get a lot more love once it is eventually collected.

ECHO - This is moving up my pile with each issue. Terry Moore is a master storyteller. Great art. Fun story.

PAX ROMANA
TRANSHUMAN
RED MASS FOR MARS - All three books by Jonathan Hickman deserve to be mentioned. They were all well written, drawn and most importantly original comic works. TRANSHUMAN was one of my girlfriend's favorites of the year while PAX was probably the one closest to the Top 10 for me. Hickman is a unique comic talent and one to watch, especially with some Marvel work coming his way.

YOUNG LIARS - I don't know what is going on most of the time, and I really don't care. It moves up my read pile, just because its engaging me. Dave Lapham's Vertigo series was a surprise just because it is so odd.

And oh yeah, don't Marvel and DC publish Super Hero comics?

ACTION COMICS - My favorite in-continuity DC super hero book. Johns did a great job with the studly Gary Frank drawing the best Superman out there. The highlight of the year was the Braniac story.

THOR - My favorite in-continuity Marvel super hero book. The pace is slow, but I'm loving Straczynski's take on the character. And the art has been great. I fear what happens to this title when J.M. leaves, but I do know that Matt Fraction (based on the one-shots) kind of HAS TO BE the new writer.

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For my comic-reading friends, girlfriend and 2 guys unlucky enough to have googled their way here some how, thanks for reading.

leap year day (aka my favorites of 2007?)

When I returned from my "break" in late January which I spent out of the city/country since mid-December, I knew that I wanted to return with a "Best of 2007" post, because, that's why you do one of these things, right? Well, it took me for-fucking-ever to catch up on the insane amount of comics that accumulated while I was away. Now, it's juuuust about fucking March (thank you Leap Year Day) and it's way late, and I really don't care because I'm doing one anyway.

Good news is: I finally got caught up on my comics. Meaning, last week, I actually had no more new comics waiting to be read when Wednesday came around. Hopefully I return again with some regular updates.

And now that people have stopped talking about 2007 and moved on to something more important (2008), here we go with the late-as-shit list:

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MY FAVORITE TEN COMICS OF THE YEAR

(Comics that are eligible for me: an ongoing comic that has put out at least four comics in the calendar year.)

#1 SCALPED
(w. Jason Aaron, a. R.M. Guera)

Some people might lump this in as a "Best New Series" candidate since it's new to 2007, but for me, that would just be redundant (see below for my version). This was not my favorite new series, it was just my favorite series, period. It's often been called "The Sopranos on a Reservation," but that's not really fair to this series because it's definitely its own beast. It began as a story about an undercover FBI agent returning to the reservation where he was raised, and with each character that is introduced, and with each dramatic wrinkle that Aaron adds, it just gets better. Whether it's a fair and balanced view of Native Americans, I can't judge, but the dark world that Aaron presents has been an engaging one for comics. The Chief Red Crow issue (#7) and the look into Catcher (#9) were the highlights for me. At first, the art was the weak link: A bit hard to follow and confusing, but as the series has continued, Guera's look for this world has become as important as Risso's to 100 BULLETS or Dillon's to PREACHER.

With the excellent Vietnam series OTHER SIDE and now SCALPED, Aaron is definitely one to watch. It was only a matter of time before the "mainstream" superhero editors came a-calling, as Marvel definitely noticed, grabbing him for 2008 gigs on WOLVERINE and GHOST RIDER. With Y: THE LAST MAN over and the excellent 100 BULLETS heading into its last story, I'm ecstatic that this comic has emerged. Vertigo is in good hands.

#2 ALL-STAR SUPERMAN
(w. Grant Morrison, a. Frank Quitely)

Unofficially, this was my #1 for 2006 even though I wasn't putting things on the internet yet. But what's to be said about this title that many others haven't said? Basically nothing. So I'll rinse and repeat: Grant and Frank continue their epic run, which (when it comes out) is the best super hero comic on the stands. The time-traveling father issue (#6) and the first Bizarro issue were excellent.

#3 Y: THE LAST MAN
(w. Brian K. Vaughan, a. Pia Guerra)

**SPOILER WARNING** Although as of writing, the final issue has come out, at the end of the year we were still one shy. And the final year, and the final arc especially, have been amongst the series best. From the near perfect reunion issue with Beth, to the touching Agent 355 issue which ended in her surprise death, it has all been great. Since then, I have read the final issue, and I'm sad to see this title go.

#4 DMZ
(w. Brian Wood, a. Riccardo Burchielli)

This was a book high on my list last year (#3), and it still is this year. With the ending of "Public Works" and the awesome "Friendly Fire," this continues to be one of my favorite comics on the stands. "Wilson," one of the done-in-one's at the end of the year, especially stood out for me. I want to see more of him.

#5 CRIMINAL
(w. Ed Brubaker, a. Sean Phillips)

Another new book this year, and another comic that exposes my interest in comics that are crime-oriented. Brubaker is just getting started with this series, but both "Coward" (my favorite) and "Lawless" have been excellent stories to start with.

#6 FABLES
(w. Bill Willingham, a. Mark Buckingham - mostly)

The fourth Vertigo series on the list. I guess I'm a fan or something. As fun and as good as this series has been over the years, it has gone up another level. On the heels of the excellent Frog Prince origin story in 1,001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL, Willingham gives us the longest and best Fables storyline to date. The best thing about "The Good Prince" and why it works as well as it does, is because it DID have all of the issues that came before it. And that makes me happy.

#7 IMMORTAL IRON FIST
(w. Ed Brubaker & Matt Fraction, a. David Aja & Various)

Um, yeah, so I was late and oh-so-wrong about this title. After getting Issue #1, I didn't think it was good enough to add. After hearing others rave, I ebayed up the books at #8 and read them all in one sitting. So like I said, oh-so-wrong. Brubaker and Fraction are writing a bad-ass super hero comic and I'm glad that I jumped back on. The current storyline with an old-fashioned Kung Fu fighting bracket makes me giddy like a kid, but issue #7, where we focus on Wu Ao-Shi, the first female Iron Fist (formerly known as the Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay), was my favorite.

#8 100 BULLETS
(w. Brian Azzarello, a. Eduardo Risso)

Another Vertigo book, and a book that would probably have been on my Top Ten for the last eight years. It was another year of mystery and some confusing plot advancement, and mixed in some of the best-drawn crime stories anywhere. The issue where one of Lono's victims (#85) enacts her own kind of revenge has been one of my favorites of the series.

#9 POWERS
(w. Brian Bendis, a. Michael Avon Oeming)

This series jumps back on my Top Ten list for the first time in a couple of years. Mostly because the publishing schedule seems to be getting back on track, but also because Volume 2 has been a really nice burn to the current point of the series. The ongoing soap of Deena and Christian has sucked me back in, and although I know I say it all the time, I still think this is the best thing Bendis writes.

#10 USAGI YOJIMBO
(w/a. Stan Sakai)

Back on my list with a really strong year for this series. In the aftermath of the amazing run where Usagi was traveling with his son Jotaro, the title took a step back from its own high standards, but with the series hitting the century mark (at Dark Horse), things have ramped back up. Sakai teased us for issues culminating in an epic battle vs. Shizukiri in #102, and then went right into the excellent Origin of Jei two-parter. The year ended with the multi part "Sparrows" which continues the Jei storyline, as the demon cements himself as the series' arch-enemy.

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MY FAVORITE "NEW COMIC" OF THE YEAR

(Basically, my version of the award is: a new title that has its first 3 or fewer issues in the calendar year, so I can't gauge it for best ongoing, but deserves to be recognized as one to watch.)

NORTHLANDERS
(w. Brian Wood, a. Davide Gianfelice)

This was a rather weak year, as last year (again, unofficially) I had a tie between CRIMINAL and LONE RANGER who both had just a couple of issues on the stands by the end of the calendar year 2006. NORTHLANDERS was the only new series to show promise and generate "fucking cool!" reactions from me. It does help that I've become a big Brian Wood fan, and that this has been one of my most anticipated books all year. Exhibit A. So far, I have read two more issues and I'm still really enjoying the opening arc.

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COMICS THAT MISSED THE LIST AND WHY

WASTELAND - Only missed because I think the ten ongoings above have had a better year. I'm really happy with what this book is doing.

LONE RANGER - The origin storyline that started out the series was great, and although the second arc had its moments, it wasn't as good, bumping it under the books above.

X-FACTOR - Probably the best Superhero team book that I'm reading. The Isolationist story was a nice culmination of character work that Peter David had been building to since the beginning.

ASTONISHING X-MEN - This is really an excellent title, but the publishing schedule and its furthering distance from main X-Men continuity have hurt it for me.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER - A really fun comic book continuation of the famous TV series. Not good enough however.

BATMAN - The three-issue J.H. Williams arc, "The Island of Mr. Mayhew" was as good as any super hero story I read all year, but at the start of the year, the publishing schedule was still erratic, and it ended with the awful Ra's al Ghul crossover, killing its chances for the list.

FELL - The best comic book not to make it on my list (#2 last year), but it was hurt by the fact that it only had two issues to come out all year. I look forward to more content in '08.

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MY FAVORITE SINGLE ISSUES OF THE YEAR

(My favorite single issues. Spoiler Warning in case you haven't read the issues and you wait for the trade on some of these titles.)

#1 SCALPED #7
"Down on the Killing Floor"

This was originally part 2 of the 6-part "Casino Boogie" storyline, but these six issues were essentially one shots that concentrated on individual characters in the book. This issue was the "big bad" issue, as the title's villain, Chief Red Crow, takes center stage. On the night of the grand opening of his new Casino, we get a glimpse into his past and his head and how he rationalizes decisions that he makes. The final sequence, and the last page were perfect.

#2 Y: THE LAST MAN #57
"Why and Wherefores, Chapter 3"

This actually came out the same week as the book above (what a week!), but it was still good enough for #2 on my list. The five years-in-the-making reunion of Beth and Yorick was somehow exactly what I wanted, expected and needed and Vaughan and Guerra expertly gave it to me. Awesome.

#3 100 BULLETS #85
"Red Lions"

The controversial and unpredictable Lono is my favorite character in the series. With that said, a victim of his from an earlier issue makes a surprise return, enacting revenge in her own way, exposing him for the monster that he is. Azzarello and Risso have created a comic with such unpredictability, that it actually got my heart rate up as I was tricked into thinking that this was his end. Good good issue.

#4 Y: THE LAST MAN #58
"Why and Wherefores, Chapter 4"

On the heels of the Beth issue, comes this issue where Yorick and Agent 355 talk about their feelings for each other, what it all means, and then when you are actually rooting for this and happy, Vaughan stuns you with her death. One of the things I was never sold on, was Yorick and 355 having feelings for each other. Slowly they won me over, and by the time I was half way through this issue I was sold, making the ending all the more tragic.

#5 ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #6
"Funeral in Smallville"

This issue was the done-in-one Time Travel issue where Superman comes back to his farm (with a couple of other traveling Supermen) to save the past from a monstrous threat. The art by Quitely is amazing as always, and Grant does Silver Age in the present so damn well it looks easy. There are some really nice moments between Clark and his dad.

#6 SCALPED #9
"A Thunder Being Nation I Am"

This was Part 4 in the "Casino Boogie" storyline. This issue focused on the mysterious Catcher, who up until this point had only been seen a few times. Usually cryptically, usually on a horse. We see that he is a bit of a joke, we see that he is Oxford-educated, and we see that like everyone else in this comic, he is complicated and surprising. Granny Poor Bear gets some extended panel-time as well.

#7 UMBRELLA ACADEMY: APOCALYPSE SUITE #1
"The Day the Eiffel Tower Went Berserk"

Since I didn't do a FAVORITE MINI-SERIES this gets no love there, but what a wonderful little surprise this was. Gerard Way, creator of lame-ass music, writes a wall-to-wall kick-ass fun comic. Including, but not limited to: Time Travel, a so-cool-could-be-a-villain Dad called Monocle, Zombie Robot Gustav-Eiffel as the first issue's villain, and not one, but count em, TWO monkeys. Well, it's one half-ape and a chimp, but still. Gabriel Ba, artist of the first arc on CASANOVA, shines here in full color. Not as original as some people claim it to be, but still really good, and one of the funnest single comics I read all year.

#8 CRIMINAL #5
"Coward Part 5 of 5"

The final part of this arc was definitely my favorite. This was the last part of the first series, where our main character Leo puts a huge spin on the arc's title. He was scared, but only scared of the monster within himself. Not only is this my favorite issue, "Coward" has been my favorite arc and this issue cemented the quality of the crime stories to come.

#9 USAGI YOJIMBO #104
"The Darkness and the Soul, Part 2"

This was part 2 of the two part Origin of Jei, and it was damn good. Jei has become arch-nemesis of our Yojimbo, but he is a demon and not an actual human. This issue we get more of the great samurai-turned-priest that is first possessed by the demon and you feel really sorry for what came of this man. Then we are invited to the pure fury of this demon unleashed, as an entire town falls at his spear when he is angered. Testament to this title and the brilliant Stan Sakai, this issue doesn't even feature the title character.

#10 RIPCLAW PILOT SEASON #1
"The Harrowing"

An odd choice for sure. From my original reaction, Jason Aaron is of course the writer:

What is such a unique Vertigo voice going to do with RIpclaw? The often derided character for being a Wolverine rip-off couldn't be interesting or worth your time, could he? Well, yes, yes he can. Aaron gives us a Ripclaw that for unknown reasons is being haunted by spirits, spirits that have unfinished business that Ripclaw needs to take care of. For this issue, it leads us to Japan and a small odyssey as Ripclaw has to fight through various levels of the heavily guarded headquarters of Boss Yamamoto. Ripclaw is quiet, violent and basically an uber bad ass. There were some levels of this place that were only hinted at, leaving me really curious what exactly Ripclaw even fought! Jorge Lucas's art is detailed and gritty, and what really struck for me about this book was that as violent as it was, aside from the final showdowns, a lot of the fights happened off panel.

The caveat to this series was of course that it was to be voted on for a possible ongoing series (which it inexplicably lost -- WTF Top Cow fans!?), and although who knows how it would have worked for ongoing, for one issue, this was one kick ass comic book.

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And that's all. I wanted to do more, such as BEST WRITER, BEST ARTIST, BEST STORY ARCS, BEST MINI-SERIES and BEST GRAPHIC NOVELS, but being sooooo late, maybe next year.

Since I referenced them so much (read: posterity's sake), my Top Ten Ongoings of 2006 were:

1. ALL-STAR SUPERMAN
2. FELL
3. DMZ
4. ASTONISHING X-MEN
5. LOVELESS
6. NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF H.A.T.E.
7. Y: THE LAST MAN
8. 100 BULLETS
9. DAREDEVIL
10. LOCAL

new book: CRIMINAL and LONE RANGER