(no subject)
So I think it's time for me to do my annual top ten comics list since we're closing in on the end of the year and it's a nice way to procrastinate when I should be writing Christmas presents. As always, my standard disclaimer applies. I get my comics in trades so I might be behind on stuff and also this is the best out of what I read, not necessarily the best out of what's on the stands.
1. The Unwritten - I gush about this book every year and my head still explodes every time I read it. I wish this book was out while I was still in college because I could definitely write plenty of term papers on it. Everyone who is a writer should read this book.
2. Batman - This book has been nuclear-hot since the reboot. Snyder is doing some really good storytelling and innovate things with this series. Believe all the hype about this book because it's that damn good.
3. Saga - It's really great to see Brian Vaughan back. I feel like this series has elements from a lot of his other works but he's managed to work them into something new. Isabel reminds me of Molly from Runaways and Marko and Alana remind me a bit of Yorick and Agent 355 from Y: The Last Man. Also, whoever draws this comic is awesome. The artwork is gorgeous and I also love the innovation with the narration not being confined to boxes. If you've read any of BKV's other stuff and were a fan then read this too.
4. Hack/Slash - I think this book is going to get canceled and that sucks because things are definitely picking up. I liked the storyline that was a nod to a lot of old monster movies like Godzilla and King Kong and it actually set up some very interesting stuff for later in the series. It's weird that I'm really not a horror fan and yet I love this book. I'm hoping they don't cancel or reboot it.
5. Avengers Academy - I'm really sad they canceled this book so we could get the dumb Marvel Hunger Games version. This was probably the best teen superhero book going today, not that it had a lot of competition. I wasn't sure what to make of it when the first few issues came out but this series was really good. Great character development over the course of this book, not just for the students but for the teachers as well. Gage did some really excellent stuff here and I'm sad it's gone.
6. X-Factor - Alright, Peter David, you trimmed the cast down. Good job. Now can you please give me back Terry and maybe even Rahne too? Heck, I'm honestly fine with Polaris sticking around but I think Rictor and Shatterstar have run their course and Longshot hasn't done anything of any interest yet. So yeah, good book and I'm still amazed at how long this run has been going. The problem now is that even though the cast is slimmer, I think you cut the wrong people.
7. Suicide Squad - Like I said in my New 52 thoughts, what a difference an issue can make. This book is not Secret Six. It never will be and I'm perfectly okay with that. This book is good though. It's got that dirty, scummy feel to it that the original Suicide Squad series had and even that Secret Six had during its darker moments. I was not really happy with the initial cast. Some of them started dying and it was then that I realized that was just part of the series. The Squad members that actually survive and stick around are good characters and I think the deaths have helped them become better. I like this book.
8. Wolverine and the X-Men - You remember when you were a kid and you read comics because they were fun? They were silly and goofy and kinda dumb but you liked them anyway so you kept reading. Reading this book is sort of like that. I'm not bashing it when I say that either. It seems to have this tone of "let's make this fun again" that the X-Men franchise has really been missing for way too long. You've got some really good characters in this book and I can't bring myself to hate any of them, even Quentin Quire. This series is really everything you used to love about X-Men and it's really great to see that feeling of adventure back in this franchise.
9. X-23 - I didn't have high hopes for this series and it turned into something pretty good. Liu definitely knew how to write Laura and knew how to incorporate things from her past appearances into the series aside from the Weapon X stuff. Gambit and Jubilee as supporting cast in this series was pretty awesome and it was nice to see Hellion in there towards the end for closure. This book was really about a journey of self-discovery for Laura and I think it was something that was needed. I'm interested to see where this character goes next and who will move her into her next journey.
10. Thunderbolts - I dropped this book during Dark Reign but I picked it up again and it's been really fun. I don't think Jeff Parker gets enough credit for his work. The guy is a solid writer and I would love seeing him get more recognition. I really liked the direction this book went in after Fear Itself with some of the team running through time and stuff. The story arc where they confront the original Thunderbolts was awesome and it's the first time in years I've cared about Fixer. It's said that Marvel Now has killed this book.
1. The Unwritten - I gush about this book every year and my head still explodes every time I read it. I wish this book was out while I was still in college because I could definitely write plenty of term papers on it. Everyone who is a writer should read this book.
2. Batman - This book has been nuclear-hot since the reboot. Snyder is doing some really good storytelling and innovate things with this series. Believe all the hype about this book because it's that damn good.
3. Saga - It's really great to see Brian Vaughan back. I feel like this series has elements from a lot of his other works but he's managed to work them into something new. Isabel reminds me of Molly from Runaways and Marko and Alana remind me a bit of Yorick and Agent 355 from Y: The Last Man. Also, whoever draws this comic is awesome. The artwork is gorgeous and I also love the innovation with the narration not being confined to boxes. If you've read any of BKV's other stuff and were a fan then read this too.
4. Hack/Slash - I think this book is going to get canceled and that sucks because things are definitely picking up. I liked the storyline that was a nod to a lot of old monster movies like Godzilla and King Kong and it actually set up some very interesting stuff for later in the series. It's weird that I'm really not a horror fan and yet I love this book. I'm hoping they don't cancel or reboot it.
5. Avengers Academy - I'm really sad they canceled this book so we could get the dumb Marvel Hunger Games version. This was probably the best teen superhero book going today, not that it had a lot of competition. I wasn't sure what to make of it when the first few issues came out but this series was really good. Great character development over the course of this book, not just for the students but for the teachers as well. Gage did some really excellent stuff here and I'm sad it's gone.
6. X-Factor - Alright, Peter David, you trimmed the cast down. Good job. Now can you please give me back Terry and maybe even Rahne too? Heck, I'm honestly fine with Polaris sticking around but I think Rictor and Shatterstar have run their course and Longshot hasn't done anything of any interest yet. So yeah, good book and I'm still amazed at how long this run has been going. The problem now is that even though the cast is slimmer, I think you cut the wrong people.
7. Suicide Squad - Like I said in my New 52 thoughts, what a difference an issue can make. This book is not Secret Six. It never will be and I'm perfectly okay with that. This book is good though. It's got that dirty, scummy feel to it that the original Suicide Squad series had and even that Secret Six had during its darker moments. I was not really happy with the initial cast. Some of them started dying and it was then that I realized that was just part of the series. The Squad members that actually survive and stick around are good characters and I think the deaths have helped them become better. I like this book.
8. Wolverine and the X-Men - You remember when you were a kid and you read comics because they were fun? They were silly and goofy and kinda dumb but you liked them anyway so you kept reading. Reading this book is sort of like that. I'm not bashing it when I say that either. It seems to have this tone of "let's make this fun again" that the X-Men franchise has really been missing for way too long. You've got some really good characters in this book and I can't bring myself to hate any of them, even Quentin Quire. This series is really everything you used to love about X-Men and it's really great to see that feeling of adventure back in this franchise.
9. X-23 - I didn't have high hopes for this series and it turned into something pretty good. Liu definitely knew how to write Laura and knew how to incorporate things from her past appearances into the series aside from the Weapon X stuff. Gambit and Jubilee as supporting cast in this series was pretty awesome and it was nice to see Hellion in there towards the end for closure. This book was really about a journey of self-discovery for Laura and I think it was something that was needed. I'm interested to see where this character goes next and who will move her into her next journey.
10. Thunderbolts - I dropped this book during Dark Reign but I picked it up again and it's been really fun. I don't think Jeff Parker gets enough credit for his work. The guy is a solid writer and I would love seeing him get more recognition. I really liked the direction this book went in after Fear Itself with some of the team running through time and stuff. The story arc where they confront the original Thunderbolts was awesome and it's the first time in years I've cared about Fixer. It's said that Marvel Now has killed this book.