Time for the "Muttleys" Part 1

Well, I threatened to do this and now it's here. My year end awards. But I did not come alone. Oh no true believers, I've brought company. My friend Matthew from the "conversations" crew has been kind enough to join me in this endeavor. So before we get to the awards, I'd like Matthew to say a few words. Matthew?

Matthew:
First off, I’d like to thank Ron for letting me participate in his end of the year review. As I commented once on a post, "It’s funny how reading comics, which is a solitary activity, is more enjoyable when shared with others". And, that is certainly true and I have really enjoyed continuing the camaraderie begun on the radio show, through various blogs. 2007 was my 30th year of collecting comics and it was a memorable one as you’ll see in my comments below (Please forgive me in advance for butchering the spelling of names):

Thanks Matthew. Now on the the awards!

Best Marvel book:
Matthew:
Fantastic Four: This was the fun surprise hit out of Marvel for me this year. I used to be a regular FF reader, but had dropped the title quite a while ago. I really had no intention of picking this book up, but Paul Pelletier’s old style art was irresistible and McDuffie’s scripts were great. I totally embraced the Black Panther and Storm’s addition to the team. The smartest thing McDuffie did was immediately get the team out into space away from all the Civil War mess, while not disregarding what happened in Civil War either. It sure made it easier for new readers to jump on board. One of the most memorable issues was where the Invisible Women really showed off her power level. I know some laughed at BP riding the Surfer’s surf board, but I still thought it was cool – he was holding on to the front edge you know. I think we have only one issue left with this team and I’m already jumping ship with them. I’m not saying the Ultimates team won’t make a great FF story, but I’ll wait for the HC if it’s really good. I just saw today that Pelletier’s has been assigned the art chores for Nova. I love the Nova character and I may have to pick the book up, even though I HATE his new costume (the original is so iconic for me from my 7-11 spinner rack days – did I mention that I own my own spinner rack).
Ron: Captain America. Ed Brubaker did a great job with this book pre- and post Civil War. I mean, how many times can you take the main character out of the book and still have a great story? He handled the death of Cap with the deftness needed. He made Bucky and the Falcon relavent again. The art by Steve Epting has been great and struck the right tone of darkness as the book moved forward without Cap. My only regret is that Cap is being brought back, but if anyone can handle it, my money is on Brubaker.

DC Book of the Year:
Matthew:
Brave and the Bold: This was a no-brainer for me. I love Perez’s art and this book is perfectly suited to his strengths. Waid has also been masterful with characterizations, where you get to know the character (like the new Blue Beetle) by his actions and dialog, not by some lengthy exposition or internal narration. This book represents everything I love about comics, it’s also a very dense read and it amazes me that people complain about that – I mean really, I actually want to get my $3 worth. I feel a bit cheated when I can finish a book is less than 5 minutes. I know "best of the year" isn’t one of our categories but this was the my number one book!!!
Ron: I had a tough choice to make, so I'm splitting it between Robin and Detective. Both of these books have been great since the "one year later" reboot. Paul Dini did a great job with one and dones on the rogues gallery, giving each their own time to shine. He turned Batman into the title; a detective. As for Robin, my love for this book is well known. Adam Beechen and Freddie Williams were as good a tandem as there is in comics today. They handled the triumphs and massive tragedies deftly. They infused it with topics that strike a chord with teenagers of all ages (suicide, first date). This was a great couple of books that had you wanting more.

Best Other publisher book:
Matthew:
Owly 4: A time to be brave: I was going to suggest a "best OGN" category and pick Simpson’s Super Spectacular for this one, but I reread it today to my youngest daughter, Faith, and this book is superb. It took Andy (Runton) some extra time to get this book completed, but it was worth the wait. As always there is a lot of real emotion in the story. There is also some really clever storytelling sequences like the "ball incident". Owly 2: Just a little blue will always be my favorite, but this one is a close second. Maybe I’ll offer up a detailed review for someone to post while I’m off on Christmas vacation.
Ron: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8: Again, if you're a regular reader of this blog you know this was a no-brainer. To bring back Joss Whedon and other writers of the show to this character was great. I know there are those who did not like his first arc and are more enamored with Brian K. Vaughn's arc, but not me. Picking up that first issue and reading thru it was like a homecoming to me. The dialog and wit that ran through the series is reflected here, as well as his passion for giving tidbits to the overall arc. Vaughn's run has been great as well, and it shows that he has a love for the characters as well. This book will only get better in the coming year.

Best Mini series:
Matthew:
Baron Zemo: Born Better: This was an easy pick for me. Following the end of the "real" Thunderbolt’s series, Zemo is traveling through time, meeting his ancestors and growing in the process. I could have stood to have this series continue for a whole year. I really wanted to learn more about these fascinating characters. There was also a very important continuity scene where Professor Erskine (the super soldier serum creator) and the original Zemo are talking with Hitler. The series kept me guessing as to the murderous motivations behind the researcher too. I would love to see another mini-series of Zemo by this team (Niceza and Grummett). DC’s Justice was good too.
Ron: In what will be called a major upset I'm NOT picking Justice. No, I'm going with World War Hulk. This was a great mini, despite there being some issues with the artwork (see Jim? I can criticize Romita JR). For the longest time, Hulk readers have been wanting to see the angst ridden hero become the raging monster. Well, this did it. Hulk smash everything, and with a purpose. We had the rage and the brains in this. The ending was great, and the twist that one of the warbound was responsible for the event that drove him into the rage was unforeseen. As for the fallout, I'm seeing RED (get it?) over what is happening. They struck gold once with Cap, but don't count on Herc holding me for very long.

Best story arc:
Matthew: Marvel-
I’m going with "Death of Captain America". While I still think Steve Rogers will return someday, the actual "death" issue took me totally by surprise. When I went to the store that day, I didn’t understand why I could only get the variant cover (none of the others were available). Plus, people kept asking for it. I’ve tried to develop the habit of not looking thru a comic before I read it and this time it paid off. I’m going along and "BAM" (literally) – it was such a shock. Then I went online and it was national news, it was for "real" – at least for now anyway. I experienced dejavue: This was how I felt when watching that Magnum P.I. episode where he gets shot and is having an "out-of-body" experience, but instead of returning to his body at the end – he turns his back on the viewer and walks thru the clouds with John Denver playing in the background. The next day I discovered it was the last episode of the series. Of course they did bring him back for one more season, but the impact of losing such an important character to me was very real. And while, there have been some slower issues since the death one, the on-going story with Bucky, Falcon, Black Widow and Sharon Carter has been very good.
DC-
Well, I could pick "Lords of Luck", but I’m trying really hard not to repeat myself (too often), so I’m going to go with "Death of the New Gods". We’re not even halfway thru yet, but this series seems to really matter. I love the New Gods characters and I HATE that they are being killed off, but it is being told so well. It’s also a natural progression of the story – there needs to be an end someday. I wonder what the "Fifth World" will be like?
Ron: I'm going to forego publishers to just say 3 words; Sinestro Corps War. This was a terrific story that really held your interest. Even the lateness of the last issue and the price all felt worth it. Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis did a great job on this. I must confess that I did not read GL Corps, but this was so well done you didn't have to. This took all that you know about the Lanterns and the Guardians and flipped them on their head. The hook that there are now 7 types of Lanterns in the universe was mind blowing. The final pages that actually set up an event in 2009 was just the icing on the cake. This should read very well in trade.

Best Writer:
Matthew:
Ed Bruebaker. I didn’t read his Uncanny X-men series and I’ve heard really great things about Iron Fist, but it’s his continuing consistent excellence on Captain America and Daredevil that earns him this title from me. I recently dropped Daredevil to save costs and because it may eventually be Omnibused like his Cap run was…and I really like Omnibuses and I hate paying for stuff twice...
Ron: Dwayne McDuffie. This guy has had a nice year taking an A-list team and a seminal character to new heights. His run on "The Spirit", endorsed by Will Eisner himself before his passing, was great taking the character in the modern age without losing the sensibilities that Eisner infused him with. And then to take on "Justice League of America"? His opening arc contained more action than in the first dozen issues. He was a great writer for the series "Justice League Unlimited" and his affection for the characters, both heroes and villains, shows here. He strikes all the right tones on the characters and make you want to read the next issue now. Can't ask any more of a writer than that. Also feel that Geoff Johns and Greg Pak deserve some consideration as well.

Best artist:
Matthew:
Tom Grummett. In the interest of not giving away my best artist, I didn’t praise his work on Baron Zemo above, but it was his finest work. I love his classic super-hero storytelling style (which I fell in love with on the Power Company series) and his detail has only increased. He also did a masterful job on the Mystic Arcana: Black Knight one-shot, which was one of my favorite single issues of the year.
Ron: I must admit that I have really struggled with this one. I have to say that Ed Benes has done a nice job on "Justice League", going from Metzler to McDuffie without missing a beat. And of course, John Cassady did stellar work on "Astonishing". But I hand the award over to an underdog, Olivier Coipel. His art on "Thor" was some of the best I've seen since John Romita Jr's run. He gave the Thunder God a stature deserving of him. His battle between Thor and Iron Man was one of the best of the year. Straczynski has been moving at a snail's pace at times, but it does not seem to affect the art of Coipel. He gives Asgard the depth and grandeur needed for a home of the gods.

OK thats it for now. We'll be back in a few to reveal best idea, overrated and underrated characters and so much more. Stay Tuned!