Comicscape - January 28, 2004

By: Tony Whitt
Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2004

OPINION:

Yes, you read it correctly: Tony's Ten Best Comics of 2003. Hate me if you must, but after forcing all of you to come up with a Top Five Best and Worst Comics, I realized that it's an almost impossible task. I also got several e-mails asking "What about this title?" or "How could you leave this one out?" So, I gave myself a full ten slots in order to list what I think were the best comics of last year. I doubt it'll save me those "How could you be so stupid as to leave this off the list?" e-mails, but maybe they'll be fewer in number. To make up for this startling abuse of power, I will not list the books I felt were utter crap - for one thing, that's what reviews are for, and for another, you folks generally covered the same books I would have covered, anyway. In addition, for next year (providing I'm still working for this fine magazine, that is), I promise we'll do a Readers Choice of both the Top Ten Best and the Top Ten Worst Comics of 2004. So, don't hate me too much - at least, no more so than usual. Enjoy the buffet and god bless. Here we go...

TONY'S TOP TEN COMICS OF 2003 (in ascending order):

10. GLOBAL FREQUENCY: Surprised

this one didn't get picked up as a series by HBO (from what I understand, there's a deal on the table for the WB to make a pilot), but if it hadn't been looked at by someone, I would have eaten my hat. No - I'd have gone out to buy a hat, and then eaten it. Hell, even Global Frequency.org refers to each of the twelve issues as "episodes," and that's as good a description as any. Television episodes on paper, these are, and some of the best you'll ever see - unless the WB series ends up being really good, that is. Still would've made a great natural successor to THE SOPRANOS, in my humble opinion.

9. EMPIRE: If Mark Waid had never worked on FANTASTIC FOUR this year, and if this had turned into an ongoing series rather than a miniseries, EMPIRE would have been even higher on my list. I'd never read the original stories that this hard-hitting new miniseries was based on, but there was no need: the story of Golgoth, a Doctor Doom-like character who has managed to do what no other supervillain has done and take over the Earth, is absolutely mesmerizing - and not a little bit disturbing. How easy is it to like a series that has little or no likeable characters, you may ask? If Mark Waid is writing it, very easy. I'd even buy this one in trade despite having all the issues already, it's that good.

8. JLA/AVENGERS: Say what you will about Marvel getting the short end of the stick or discrepancies in battles between aliens and thunder gods, I still have to agree with M. Ali Choudhury's assessment of this series as "worth waiting 20 years for." Part of the reason I feel this miniseries has so far gotten such negative response is because it throws all those differences between the Marvel and DC Universes into such sharp relief, and yet it does so brilliantly. Kurt Busiek obviously loves both universes, and he takes the sort of care with this crossover that we arguably haven't seen since Chris Claremont and company paired up the X-Men and Teen Titans. (The DC characters got far less to do than the Marvel ones that time, as I recall, but I don't recall a similar backlash from DC fans on that occasion - and that book was well-written, too). I look forward to seeing how this one plays out.

7. FABLES: Speaking

of books I look forward to every month: despite the storylines being only slightly less surprising than the year before (probably because we've gotten used to the conceit of the series by now) and despite a slightly disappointing one-shot (which ended up introducing plot elements that the main series is now exploring, so it wasn't a waste of time after all), Bill Willingham's series has been one of the most inventive Vertigo has put out in a very long time. (If I were cheating, I'd tie this one with Y: THE LAST MAN just as it was in last week's column, but you folks already know how good that one is, don't you?) It's been an excellent year for Vertigo, and FABLES is one of the best three of the line. For the flagship of the Vertigo line, though, read on...

6. BATMAN: The Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee "Hush" run, naturally, which may be some of the best work either has ever produced. Would that they could have continued on for longer than a year... Still, BATMAN's a big sandbox, and for one glorious year, Loeb and Lee made it all their own. Future (and current) creators on this series have one hell of a standard to live up to.

5. NEW X-MEN : Even though his current "Here Comes Tomorrow" storyline is still leaving me cold - a state of mind which will no doubt change with the final chapter - Grant Morrison has arguably produced more new X-Men fans than just about any writer since Claremont himself (who, of course, also managed to push just as many away) and has created a series worthy of being tied to those first two excellent movies. Or should we say that the movies finally have a comic series worth being based on? Either way, I haven't been this excited about getting an X-Men book in my folder every month in almost twenty years.

4. ALIAS: Why, oh,

why did it have to end? Yeah, yeah, I know we're getting THE PULSE pretty soon, and I know it'll still have Jessica Jones and her creator Brian Michael Bendis - but it won't have that remarkable art by Michael Gaydos, nor will it have the same clear focus on what may be the best female comic book lead ever created for a Marvel title. Nor will it have the cursing, dammit.

3. FANTASTIC FOUR: You spoke, Marvel listened, and the comics world breathed a sigh of relief. Mark Waid's run on this series has been...well, fantastic. It's right up there with the original Stan Lee run and the pre-"I want to recreate absolutely everything" John Bryne run of the early 80s. Rarely has the team been treated so much like a family, and rarely has this book been treated with such care and seriousness. And the death of Ben Grimm, rather than killing the book outright as one might think, has allowed Wade to embark on a storyline taking the FF where they've never gone before. Thank goodness Marvel came to their senses in time.

2. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: Admittedly, it was a toss-up between this J. Michael Straczynski title and his equally exciting reimagining of the Squadron Supreme in SUPREME POWER for Marvel's MAX line. But I frankly don't wait with such anticipation for that book as I do for Spidey each month, and judging from the amount of people writing in to express their horror that Spider didn't make the Reader Choice poll, I'm guessing you do the same. Don't worry - had it been a Top Ten list last week, I'm sure what must be the best run of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ever would have made it.

And the Best Book of 2003 is...

HUMAN TARGET: Only someone

like Peter Milligan could take a frankly boring character from the 70s featured in a horrific television series starring Rick Springfield in the 90s and create a book that far outshines anything else produced this year. Only six issues into its run, HUMAN TARGET has become my absolute favorite series, and even the replacement of the phenomenal Javier Pulido hasn't hampered my enthusiasm - especially as his replacement is the equally talented Cliff Chiang. Maybe it's not the absolute best series Vertigo has produced since THE SANDMAN - but boy, does it ever come close. Time to get HBO on the phone, methinks, but don't bring Rick Springfield out of retirement...

My own Honorable Mentions go to 1602, SUPREME POWER, SUPERMAN: RED SON, Y: THE LAST MAN, THE FLASH, THE OUTSIDERS, SILVER SURFER, and CATWOMAN. You didn't think I could really stop at ten, could you? But think about what this embarrassment of riches says about the state of modern comic book writing: in 1993, could we have so easily come up with 15-20 titles that we'd gladly label as the best things we'd read that year, or in any year? Was 1998, a mere five years ago, so stellar a year for comics writing as this? Looked at in those terms, we're living in a sort of Platinum Age of Comics right now, and we can only hope that if it can't get better than this it can at least stay right where it is.

No doubt someone will write me with proof that both 1993 and 1998 were just as heavy with excellent material as 2003, and I welcome your input, so write to comicscape@cinescape.com, or to me directly. And as always, don't forget our discussion boards! Next week, I'll be discussing discontinuity in modern comics - have you noticed, for instance, that a character appearing in one comic hardly ever makes reference to events going on in their own book anymore? In the meantime, let's see what bits of wonder (and horror - it's not a perfect Platinum Age, mind you) are on the shelves this week:

THIS WEEK:

Not exactly a blast from the past, but Dark Horse is offering ULTRAMAN: TIGA #5 (Of 10) this week. I'm not going to be happy until I see a SPACE GIANTS book from somebody, though.

Wow, Vertigo rocks,

doesn't it? This week they're releasing PRIDE AND JOY, collecting Garth Ennis' four-issue miniseries for $14.95; MIDNIGHT MASS: HERE THERE BE MONSTERS #1 (Of 6), which brings back paranormal investigators Adam and Julia Kadmon; HELLBLAZER #192, in which John Constantine is still missing and the world is still going to Hell (but not in a handbasket); and LOSERS #8, which begins a new two-part story. What more could you ask for?

Batman fans could probably ask for more titles this week, as only BATGIRL #48 and BATMAN #623 are shipping, though they're both excellent. Perhaps we should throw in the equally excellent CATWOMAN #27, just so they won't feel so lonely? (He's actually in it this week, don'tcha know.)

Hulk fans must feel like Batman and X-Men fans normally do this week, with all the stuff they're getting. This week alone, there's HULK: GAMMA GAMES #2 (OF 3); Jeph Loeb's HULK: GRAY #5 (Of 6); HULK: NIGHTMERICA #5 (Of 6); and of course INCREDIBLE HULK #66. Hulk need more green!

And speaking of how it's not easy to be green... The GREEN ARROW: THE SOUNDS OF VIOLENCE trade paperback is out this week for $12.95, while fans of that young upstart Kyle Raynor can catch up with GREEN LANTERN #173, which this week features Guest-starring Amon Sur, Kilowog, John Stewart, DEO Director Bones, and Agent Cameron Chase. Wow, you'd almost think there was something like a Green Lantern Corps out there again...

It's not easy to be silver, either, as Norrin Radd proves to us in SILVER SURFER #5. Been wondering why he's been kidnapping kids all over the world? Well, we're about to find out - and it's not to give them surfing lessons.

Clint finds out more about the "Unity Pact" and explores the wonders of Myrtle Beach in HAWKEYE #4. No, really.

HAWKMAN #24

has nothing to do with HAWKEYE, of course. Nowadays this series has a lot more to do with JSA (quel suprise, non?) since the weekly "Black Reign" crossover is continuing. But who do you know who's buying one without buying the other, anyway?

And if you're buying those two, you're no doubt also going to buying FLASH #206. Apart from this issue featuring the conclusion of the six-part "Ignition" story arc, I can't imagine why, though. (Joking!)

On the one hand, Image is giving us two covers' worth of WILDGUARD CASTING CALL #5 (Of 6), a miniseries I know very little about and care even less about. On the other hand, we're finally getting POWERS #36. Seems like a long time since that Albert Einstein issue, dudn't it?

In his defense, Brian Michael Bendis has been busy: we're also getting ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #2 and ULTIMATE SIX #6 (Of 7). If you're into that sort of thing, of course.

I wish I could tell you horny little fanboys that the cover for EMMA FROST #7 featured some of that trademark T&A that her covers have become famous for, but the lady's covering it all up this week. Well, most of it, anyway. Besides, this issue features the first chapter of a new six-part storyline, so you've still got a reason to read it. Right?

Meanwhile,

Brian K. Vaughan concludes his latest story arc in another series written about a mutant with less than honorable intentions (or clothing), MYSTIQUE #10. Hey, at least in the comics she wears clothing...

If you've haven't picked up one of the best series of 2003 yet, then the penultimate issue of the twelve-part GLOBAL FREQUENCY series is on the stands this week. Isn't it time you joined the rest of the group on this one?

Moonstone Books is doing for THE NIGHT STALKER what Top Cow once did for THE X-FILES - but they're doing it better. KOLCHAK, THE NIGHT STALKER: PAIN MOST HUMAN is out this week for $6.95.

If you haven't read Dennis O'Neil's work on JLA, you'd better do it soon... Writing like this doesn't come every day - especially on JLA... Issue #92 is out this week.

If you didn't think the Punisher was violent enough, just wait till you get a load of PUNISHER MAX #2, the latest issue in the new ongoing series from Marvel's MAX line. And it's Garth Ennis, of course, so think PREACHER with about fifty gallons more blood and an abattoir's worth of limbs and organs. Fun!

Those wacky kids from the future are still trying to stabilize the timelines in the penultimate chapter of the Legion's anniversary story "Foundations" in LEGION #29. Those flashbacks you're having to ZERO HOUR are being caused by all that acid you took to get through that year and not due to any unfortunate plot similarities (cuz there ain't none).

Speaking of people once associated with the Legion, Keith Giffen continues to create his dream series in REIGN OF THE ZODIAC #6. It's so good, why, it's almost enough to make us forgive him for unleashing Lobo on us (again)!

Dreamwave

Productions has decided we're not quite done with our 80s Flashback Fever (and they've still got some good stories to tell, besides): hence TRANSFORMERS: GENERATION ONE VOL 3 #1. Eventually the 80s will end, I promise you. Or so I've been telling myself for years now...

While Superman fans try to figure out what the heck is going on in SUPERMAN #201, they can also check out the last issue of the SUPERMAN: METROPOLIS miniseries, or they can shell out the $49.95 for the SUPERGIRL ARCHIVES VOL 2 and discover that, compared to the old Supergirl stories, Peter David's take wasn't that bad after all.

Speaking of Peter David...He's nuttier than squirrel crap (not Peter David, of course), but we love the old Captain Marvel. However, in CAPTAIN MARVEL #19, it's Marlo who comes back - and attempts to kill the new Captain Marvel. Yeah, that's nuts.

Loki's in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #503 (#62)! That's all you need to know, really. Oh, yeah, VENOM #10 is out, too, if you want more Wolverine (who's also in it).

Wow. Not only do we get the conclusion to the "Down to Earth" storyline in WONDER WOMAN #200, we get excerpts from Wonder Woman's book; the retelling of an ancient myth which will set up the next story; a Golden Age-style WW story by WHAT THEY DID TO PRINCESS PARAGON author Robert Rodi and artist Rick Burchett; a Silver Age-style story by Nunzio DiFillipis and Christina Weir with art by Ty Templeton; and muchos pinup-os by John Cassaday, Eduardo Risso, Steve Rude, J.H. Williams III, Mick Gray, and Walter Simonson. Hmmm, I don't know...to buy or not to buy? It's $3.95, and yet there's so little here...

Wildstorm's working overtime at the litter box this week to give us both the THUNDERCATS VOL 2: THE RETURN trade paperback for $12.95 and WILDCATS VERSION 3.0 #18. Not to say either of those books is the sort of thing you'd find in kitty litter, mind you... I was just continuing the "cats" theme they seem to have going this week. Really, that's all it was. Really.

Speaking of things you would find in kitty litter... that's what you told me last week about X-TREME X-MEN, anyhow, issue #40 of which ships this week. And how Peter Milligan can produce a book like HUMAN TARGET while still subjecting us to the final chapter of the "Princess Di, another day" version of X-STATIX #18, I'll never know. Must be his mutant ability.

"'Punish the mosquito! Punish the mosquito!' cried all the animals." Does that take anyone back? E-mail me and let me know. Laters!

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at comicscape@cinescape.com -- and don't forget to participate in our comic book message forum!

Comicscape is our weekly Comics column.