Monday brings us the first of the last five categories of our 2010 in Review column, as we’re now to the Best Issue category. This was the most contentious of all of the categories, as with such a huge selection of books to choose from, places where everyone doubled up were few and far between. Even the top choice that we finished with was beloved by some and maligned by others.
Such is the nature of the category.
Find out what our top picks were after the jump, and let us know what your choices would be in the comments.
4 (tie). Batman and Robin #16 by Grant Morrison, Cameron Stewart, Frazer Irving and Chris Burnham
Why It’s Awesome (Matt): I do not like Batman. I legitimately believe he is an overplayed character that most writers can barely do anything with anymore due to preconceived notions of how the character has to be written, and I can’t say that I’ve really read any Batman stories I’ve truly enjoyed in quite some time. That is – until Grant Morrison came around. Grant Morrison began an incredible Batman epic with Batman #655, one that took the Dark Knight to brand new highs as well as brand new lows. While obviously Morrison plays by his own rules and certainly doesn’t write Batman “normally,” what he did is create such an intense tale that was heavily immersed in the mythos of Batman that the reading experience was taken to all new levels, especially to the point of making someone who is very adamant about disliking Batman (i.e. me) into an avid fan and reader who frames issues on his wall, collects entire runs in their own special binder, and pre-orders issues months in advance.
Batman and Robin #16 was the ultimate apogee of the original story Morrison had begun slowly piecing together with his very first issue of Batman. The issue saw three different artists (including the always fantastic Cameron Stewart, a personal favorite of mine), final questions answered, and a whole slew of absolutely fantastic and memorable moments from every character involved. Doctor Hurt was finally put in his place in an incredibly satisfying sequence, and Bruce Wayne was returned in full. It was a moment where, as a huge fan of the entire run, all the time and dedication that had been placed into the story had paid off. Morrison is rather intense compared to most writers, but for those who take the extra effort to so closely follow along as members of MC had, what they found with this issue was an impressive culmination of events that left us readers completely satisfied.
Of course, the final page also kicked off the next big movement of Morrison’s run on the Batman titles, so only time will tell how favorably we react to that. But if it’s anything like the first epic, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the final issue of the story on a Best Of list soon.
4 (tie). The Sword #24 by The Luna Brothers
Why It’s Awesome (Gil):
When I first reviewed The Sword #24, I loved it. I even reviewed it and gave it another 10.0, giving it the only other perfect score on the site. There was a bit of blowback as to why or how it could get such a stellar score, so I did a more elaborate review a few days later.
And you know what? I still stand by that score. The Luna Bros. crafted a masterpiece about revenge, mythology and religion, heroism, and family. And seeing as how the story was so precisely handled with twists and turns that you never saw coming, it made sense to go exactly the way they did, in retrospect. We might have expected a fight, a big knock down drag out bare knuckle brawl between Dara and Phaistos, but the Lunas knew we expected that, so they changed it up on us. Instead of that, we’re treated an adventure of mythical proportions, where Phaistos learns humility and comes back with a totally different outlook on life.
Continued belowAnd then there’s Dara. Her quest for revenge literally destroyed her, and the pain she feels as the damage from her battles literally tears her apart is palpable. But at the same time, she’s rejoining her family, which leads us to one of the most beautifully bittersweet books of the year. I loved it to pieces, even more than the winner (which got #2 on my personal list).
4 (tie). The Walking Dead #75 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Ryan Ottley
Why It’s Awesome (Brandon): The Walking Dead is a book that is so consistently good that the MC staff at times avoids writing about it for fear that we just keep saying the same things about it over and over again. How many ways can you say this book is skillfully written and fantastically drawn?
This issue was no different and to top it off it contained a back up that shook free of the conventions that the title has followed for its entire run. It presented us with color and aliens all within the largest Walking Dead issue to date. It was a violent mess of awesome! While this backup alone does not make it an issue of the year it’s being coupled with Rick Grime’s meltdown made for a book that stands above a good majority of the other books released this year.
4 (tie). Ex-Machina #50 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris
Why It’s Awesome (David): The idea of a 10 out of 10 in our scoring system is one that has different meanings for the different writers here. While some think that it means “perfection,” I personally think it simply means an Issue of the Year contender, or a book that is so damn good you cannot think of anything wrong with it.
I’ve only given one perfect 10.0 rating ever, and that went to this year’s “Ex-Machina” #50 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. In terms of comic book storytelling and overall creative gusto, this comic was the one that brought the most for me, as BKV and Harris managed to tie-up all of the dangling threads from the previous 49 issues of the series without making it a convoluted or rushed story. Quite the contrary in fact. This issue was filled precise storytelling that maximized the impact of the final story beats with all of our favorite characters from the series, and by the time the final twist was revealed, we were given nothing short of the twist of the year in comics.
We were also given what I believe was the best comic of the year.
3. Detective Comics #871 by Scott Snyder, Jock and Francesco Francavilla
Why It’s Awesome (Brandon): When it was announced that Snyder would be taking over Detective Comics I was excited because I had truly enjoyed his work on American Vampire. Then Snyder started to do interviews about his getting the Detective gig and his plans for the title and Dick Grayson specifically and my anticipation became pure delight. In the interviews you could tell he truly got the character. This is not something I felt about Morrison’s take on Dick. Under Morrison he more or less felt like Bruce’s Batman but a little more jovial.
The interviews got me so jazzed that I’ll admit my expectations became fairly lofty. So when it came time and the issue finally hit the stands I found myself blown away by how the issue surpassed my admittedly lofty expectations. It had great dialogue, character interactions that built on continuity and it gave us a fresh take on the Batman and Commissioner Gordon dynamic. The issue worked on so many levels and I still, after four readings, am at a loss to find a flaw in the book.
Let’s not forget about Jock’s contribution on this issue though friends. Starting with that amazing cover that presents a simple yet iconic take on the character and continuing on through the interior Jock’s work here is as refreshing as Snyder’s. Jock’s Batman is dark and imposing yet still feels uniquely like Dick Grayson. Jock’s Batman like Snyder’s seems to be aimed at establishing Dick Grayson as Batman instead of just doing Batman and letting people just roll with the idea that’s Dick.
Continued belowI’m excited to see where this team takes us into the New Year. Also, as a Batman fan I’m hoping that the creative team will stay on the book for a prolonged stint. I’m sure those that have read this issue will agree.
2. The Unwritten #17 by Mike Carey, Peter Gross and Ryan Kelly
Why It’s Awesome (Walt): Every now and then a comic is released that pushes the boundaries of what the medium can do. The Unwritten #17 was one of those comics. Sure, choose-your-own-adventure stories had been done in comics before, but Mike Carey decided to take the concept — one that was previously reserved for children’s adventure books — and made it “serious” enough for an already ongoing series aimed at mature readers. And you know what? It worked. As a fan of The Unwritten (almost) since it started, I was afraid that doing an issue that was an integral part of the main series in such a style would come off as gimmicky and would disrupt the overall issue-to-issue flow. I was completely wrong. The choose-your-own-adventure format worked incredibly well for the story Carey, Gross and Kelly told. If anything, it created an interesting contrast: on the one hand, I was flipping back and forth between pages like I was a kid again; on the other, this was not the sort of story a kid would be reading. Even beyond the different approach to story-telling, the issue was very well-written, but from both a writing and an artistic level it was just as good as every other issue of The Unwritten — that is to say, awesome — but the innovative format puts this issue a few spots above the rest.
1. Brave and the Bold #33 from J. Michael Straczynski and Cliff Chiang
Why It’s Awesome (Matt): With something like “Best Issue Of The Year”, I feel like the issue in question rather needs to be one that can effect a large amount of people in a rather unassuming way. I’m not opposed to the more overt and “bad-ass” story that really packs a punch, but I feel an issue that one might not normally buy which gets such a strong reaction that it compels fans both new and old alike to go out and find this comic to add it to their collection is an issue that really speaks volumes about the creative team behind it. Sometimes you just end up with an issue that you enter with preconceived notions, but by the time you finish reading you find yourself calling up your friends and telling them they need to read this issue.
For this year, that comic was Brave and the Bold #33. Understandably a controversial choice given the way JMS chose to end the year, but there is no denying that Brave and the Bold is the better title that he chose to abandon. When he took over the title, he chose to tell one-and-done stories of yesteryear, and with issue #33 he took Zatanna, Wonder Woman, and Barbara Gordon Batgirl out on a girl’s night out. Of course, what made the issue so spectacular was ultimately the ending (which – if you haven’t read by now, I will be courteous and not spoil it). The ending ultimately placed the comic in one of the most important stories arguably in all of comics, and certainly one of the most notable works of a particularly prolific creators career from when he worked at DC. It called back to a moment that was so important amongst fans of DC Comics that people who hadn’t read a single issue of DC in years could pick it up and find something about the issue. On top of that, the issue created such a visceral gut reaction for fans of that story that the word of mouth of the issue ended up spreading like wildfire, and all of a sudden a book that had been chugging along rather unnoticed (all things considered) was suddenly immensely popular and put up against amazingly high standards amongst readers. All because of one issue.
Continued belowThat’s what ultimately made the issue so important and so special. In a world of GREAT issues this year, this was the sole comic that I could give to anyone I knew and they could find something to enjoy from it. While every comic on our list this year is deserving of the title, not all can claim to be universally accessible. With this issue, it simply took the knowledge of one other little comic that most comic fans read when they’re still kids, and the combination of very moving reactions is ultimately what puts Brave and the Bold #33 at the top of the list.
Individual Lists
David
1. Ex-Machina #50
2. Scalped #35
3. Hellboy in Mexico
4. The Unwritten #17
5. Detective Comics #871
Matt
1. The Unwritten #17
2. Brave and the Bold #33
3. Invincible #75
4. Daytripper #9
5. Batman and Robin #16
Gil
1. The Sword #24
2. Brave and the Bold #33
3. Justice League: Generation Lost #13
4. Amazing Spider-Man #648
5. X-Force #28
Brandon
1. Detective Comics #871
2. Uncanny X-Force #1
3. Wolverine #2
4. The Walking Dead #75
5. Superboy #1
Josh
1. Brave and the Bold #33
2. Invincible #73
3. The Walking Dead #75
4. Thor: The Mighty Avenger #6
5. Blackest Night #8
Walt
1. The Unwritten #17
2. Batman and Robin #16
3. The Unwritten #16
4. Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #6
5. Fantastic Four #582
