GRACE RANDOLPH
Writer: Supurbia
BEFORE WATCHMEN: SILK SPECTRE
There have been plenty of comics that focus on a single female character, but none with this kind of depth and honesty. Plus, move over Wonder Woman, Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner’s depiction of Sally and Laurie’s relationship are the best mother/daughter scenes to ever grace a comic book page!
HAWKEYE
It’s impressive to see one of the Big Two taking risks by presenting a major character in such a quirky light, but the result is a superhero book that reads like an indie comic! Hats off to Matt Fraction and David Aja for the perfect mix of action and character building.
SAGA
I know, I know – it’s on everyone’s list this year! But that’s because Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ story is beautiful in its simplicity. This book takes its time and then some, as poetic as the narrative by Marko and Alana’s daughter.
ADVENTURE TIME
An indie comic that has inspired two spin offs and matches some of the Big Two’s titles in terms of sales, this title proves that the all ages marketplace is entering a renaissance! Plus it shows that a
popular show can become a franchise while still maintaining it’s quality.
ALL NEW X-MEN
This one is on the cusp for me, but there’s no denying that Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen have re-energized the X-Men franchise. The first two issues were perfect, yet the writing has faltered a little. Perhaps it shouldn’t be a weekly…? 😉
ANDY LANNING
Writer: The Hypernaturals, Battlestar Galactica, Resurrection Man, New Mutants
No particular order, just some outstanding comicbooks:
THE WALKING DEAD (Image) – consistently brilliant story and art. I’ve been reading Walking Dead in the Hard Cover collections and it’s just like getting a new novel each year from your favourite author. Over 100 issues in and Kirkman and Adlard are still knocking em out the park (and on the head!).
SUPURBIA (Boom!) – So glad to see this mini-series get an on-going. Grace Randolph’s small town superhero soap opera is a smart, funny and original take on the genre – one of those ‘wish I’d thought of that ideas!’ Damn her!
MADEFIRE – Not a comic book per se: more a totally new way of experiencing comic stories. Motion comics could very well be the next evolution for the medium. Really exciting stuff and what’s more, they’re free! Go check them out now at an app store near you!
CREEPY PRESENTS RICHARD CORBEN – (Dark Horse)
Again, not a single comic book but a fantastic collection of the classic horror stories of one of my favourite comic artists. If you’ve never seen Corben’s work before, check this out. Corben was one of my childhood heroes; I grew up reading his stuff in Slow Death and Heavy Metal and Neverwhere was one of the seminal comics that made me want to draw comicbooks in the first place. The man’s a genius and still delivering awesome artwork today (check out his Hellboy stories) and he’s in his seventies!
MANHATTAN PROJECTS (Image)
Hickman and Pitarra are deliver a smart, funny and well-crafted comic that is the very definition of ‘wacky’! It ticks all the boxes for me: great artwork that’s Darrow-esque in its detail, off the wall storylines with truly mental ideas (death by origami and Death Buddists), great alternate history setting and really interesting characters (infinite Oppenheimers and an evil Einstein) I ask you, what’s not to love?
Honorable Mention: SAGA by Brian K Vaughn and Fiona Staples:
I’m late to the party on this one having only just read the first issue, though it’s cropping up in a lot of Best Of lists. Looks like I’ll be on-board for the long haul: love the blend of sci-fi and fantasy, the sly humour and great artwork. Again, another really smart book.
