Today in our 2010 in Review column, we take a look at those who crafted our favorite universes and stories of the year – the writers. This year featured a ton of great talent from the superhero to the non-superhero work, from monthlies to OGN’s, and even a ton of great work in the world of web comics.
It was a great year thanks to a lot of these gentlemen, but there can only be one winner of this category. Find out who it is after the jump.
Why He’s Awesome (Josh): Comics comprise about 50% of my non-work related pursuits at any given time in my life, with the other 50% belonging entirely to independent rock n’ roll (pop or otherwise), so it was pretty impossible that Gillen’s Phonogram would be anything less than a complete wet dream for me. Given that, I have followed the writer almost religiously since I discovered his and artist Jamie McKelvie’s mystic brit pop fueled masterpiece two years ago. That said, watching his progression as a writer over the last year has been legitimately exciting. Bouncing from the outskirts of the Marvel Universe with books like SWORD, Beta Ray Bill and Dark Reign: Ares to one of the most recognizable characters in the line with Thor to taking TWO defining roles in one of the most well known comic franchises in the world with Uncanny X-Men and Generation Hope, it can’t be more obvious that he takes a little bit from every book he writes and weaves it into the next with often awe inspiring but always entertaining results. His deeply socio-political but also undeniably fantasy oriented writing style fits in perfectly with the new wave of thinkers that will guide comics into their next great age, and I can’t wait to see what his uniquely crazy noggin can produce in 2011.
8 (tie). Mike Carey
Why He’s Awesome (Walt): I’ll admit that the number one reason Mike Carey made number two on my list is because of his work on the Unwritten. Bet those of you who have been coming here for a while saw that a mile away, didn’t you? That’s alright, though, because it is honestly that good. I’ll get to what makes The Unwritten so great at a later date (Spoiler Alert!), but for now I will just mention that I would rank every issue so far at an 8.5 or higher. You heard me. Like many of the writers on this list, Carey doesn’t just tell great stories; he is also an incredibly intelligent man, and that intelligence shines through the scripts he writes and illuminates the reader. Hell, the Unwritten made one of my friends more interested in classic literature! His continuing run on X-Men Legacy is nothing to shrug at either, as he continues to flesh out all of the characters he has his puppet strings tied to in an interesting manner. I may have said this before, but if you told me a few years back I would care about Gambit, I would probably have laughed in your face. As we enter the new year, I’m more excited for Age of X than I ever was for Second Coming, and I can’t wait to see what strange realms Carey takes us through in The Unwritten. Again, more on that later.
8 (tie). Brian Wood
Why He’s Awesome (Matt): Brian Wood is one of the most important writers in comics today. As a fan of the medium, it is truly criminal to not know that. Wood is one of the most intriguing writers out there, and one who consistently puts out some of the best non-cape comics available. Between DV8 (sort of a cape comic, to a degree), DMZ, Demo, and Northlanders, Brian Wood had a fantastic year as far as quality comic books are concerned, and if you – for whatever reason – did not purchase one of these books, you beyond missed out.
Continued belowTo put it simply, Wood has a sense of tone that others can not match. All of his comics – even that circulated around vikings and magic or bombs being dropped – are incredibly human. Wood has efficiently cornered the market with comics that always feel incredibly real, no matter how outlandish the general plot may be. Nothing proved this more than DV8, with each of the main characters taking over a certain section of a planet and creating a new world of divided cultures. Wood just about took an issue to explain each new culture, each reflecting different elements of the human culture in a very heartfelt way that took this mini-series above and beyond the average super hero story. Although the loss of Wildstorm certainly sets back any advances with the DV8 crew, you can’t help but notice the same feelings echoing in his other books, especially Demo, which deals with new characters and their reactions to the world around them per issue, and Northlanders, which effectively masks larger social commentary in the most easily accessible Vertigo title currently being published.
I could write a lot more about Brian Wood, but it all comes down to a very simple fact: if his name is on a book, it should be bought and brought home to your collection. With 2011 promising more DMZ and Northlanders, as well as the New York Five (a comic that is CERTAIN to hit home to comic fans and indie kids everywhere), I would be honestly shocked if Wood didn’t become a house hold name by the end of the year (and I’m honestly shocked he isn’t already).
(Be sure to come back on tomorrow and Friday as well to see more elaborate thoughts on two of Wood’s 2010 books.)
7. Jeff Lemire
Why He’s Awesome (Brandon): Lemire has been writing good books for some time but this year was his year to have the mainstream stand up and take notice. This year in addition to Sweet Tooth he started his run on Superboy, an Atom backup and let’s not forget his work in Strange Tales II. He’s also being recognized by his country for his talents. This guy has been on fire in 2010 and we are all the better for it.
Of all those works two stand out. Sweet Tooth and Superboy have been two of my favorite books of 2010. Hell, in the case of Sweet Tooth he’s also providing the art! With Superboy we get a title that is tailor made to the man in my opinion and is one of the most obvious pairings of character and creator in recent memory.
To finish it all up let’s go ahead and point out that his work on Essex County has been recognized as one of the best Canadian reads of the last ten years in the Canada Reads battle of the books event. Yes, you read that correctly. Lemire’s work is being considered one of the best of the last 10 years for the whole country of Canada. That should tell you all you need to know about this man’s talent.
6. John Layman
Why He’s Awesome (David): John Layman rates on this list for one simple reason: “Chew.”
“Chew” is so well-written, he could be responsible for the seven deadly sins of comic book crap and we would still forgive him and rate him here. “Chew” is so good, he could have conceptualized “Cry for Justice,” “Wolverine: The Best There Is,” AND “Batman: Orphans” and we’d still say “nice year Layman!”
The point is, “Chew” is one of the best books on the planet right now because Layman (and his partner-in-crime Rob Guillory) are telling a tale that is sprawling, exciting, shocking, hilarious and something that feels completely unique in the world of comics. The story of Tony Chu isn’t just about Tony Chu, it’s about the people all around him and the way everything ties together – it’s a real living, breathing universe.
When the last issue ended (#15) we were given a twist that takes the book in an entirely different direction than we’d previously even thought of. But in Layman’s hands, we trust it entirely.
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4 (tie). Brian Michael Bendis
Why He’s Awesome (Gil): What is there to say about Bendis that hasn’t been said already? Sure he’s one of the most polarizing people in comics after Joey Q and Grant Morrison, but while some may hate him, I love his work to pieces.
Every issue is infused with his trademark wit and snappy dialogue, which helps make the characters feel more three dimensional and familiar. It’s something that I feel is missing in books today: Chemistry. Bendis gets the concept of chemistry, and that if a group of people and together often enough and for so long, they start joking with each other, having silly little fights and such.
But other than that, his work this year reads like a who’s who of awesome. Check the list: Ultimate Spider-Man, Scarlet, Dark Avengers, New Avengers, Scarlet, Powers; it goes on and on. Not only is he consistently such high quality, his output makes him the Dr. Drew of the Comics Industry. How many shows is that guy actually on anyway?
But in the end, Bendis has one of the most profound understandings of team chemistry, treating his work like something more than simply a floppy. And his output is off the charts. I can’t think of a single writer as ubiquitous as he on the racks. Bendis, you rock and melt faces.
4 (tie). Jason Aaron
Why He’s Awesome (David): Jason Aaron is a well loved creator for a lot of superhero work. His “Wolverine” run has been heralded by fans as one of the best in recent memory. His “PunisherMAX” work is maybe the best non-Ennis Punisher work of the last decade. He told a remarkably inventive and incredibly exciting story (so far) in “Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine.” Those books really put him on the map for a lot of fans, and as far as his future is concerned, he’s now in the top tier of Marvel writers as he was announced as part of the “Marvel Architects” project.
But for the love of god, people should really know him for “Scalped.”
“Scalped,” in my mind, is the absolute best ongoing series today. While I love R.M. Guera and all of the other artists working on the project, the biggest reason for me is Aaron’s writing. He’s turned a book that had no real fit into the world of comics (a crime saga that is based on an Indian reservation) into something that shines as the sparkling diamond of Vertigo’s crown on the world of comics.
The reason why is his fierce grasp of character, and how he develops his cast in a way that makes the Prairie Rose Reservation feel like a living, breathing organism. While some writers have a tendency to underdevelop the supporting cast, Aaron takes people like Catcher and Officer Falls Down and Granny Poor Bear and makes them pillars of a world that is completely unlike anything else in comics.
The best example of this is in this year’s 35th issue, a one-shot that featured two character we’d never seen previously and likely will never see again. The issue told a tale of these two elderly characters and about their quiet love. A love that has existed throughout their years together as something that exists privately away from even each other. There’s a real grace to the storytelling, a real beauty, that you just do not see in mainstream comics ever.
“Scalped” is the absolute best book in comics today, and for that reason (and a few others) Jason Aaron gets the top position in my rankings (and #4 overall).
3. Jonathan Hickman
Why He’s Awesome (Josh): While it did not come out this year, reading Hickman’s The Nightly News while laid up with a sprained ankle in January not only began my love affair with Jonathan Hickman, but redefined the way I look at and conceptualize comic books. With his creator owned works (Pax Romana, Transhuman, Red Mass for Mars and the previously mentioned Nightly News), Hickman revolutionized the way very real world social commentary can be interwoven with traditional super heroics and other comic book tropes. He brought this insight with him into his Marvel work as Secret Warriors tackled the military industrial complex and the Fantastic Four aptly dealt with the concept of interpersonal relationships vs scientific pursuits in a more insightful way that other writers can only dream of reaching. However, his masterpiece, despite having only four issues out, is undeniably SHIELD. Using not only the sum total of Marvel Comics publishing history as well as the sum total of WORLD history as his toy box, Hickman has crafted an immensely compelling, intellectually driven, wide screen adventure mystery that makes the fact that it only comes out every other month almost painful to comprehend sometimes. I have no doubt in my mind that this book will ultimately be known as his masterpiece and feel like 2011 will elevate his status far above the high point it is at now (and not just because he’s killing a member of the Fantastic Four in January.)
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2. Grant Morrison
Why He’s Awesome (Matt): What can we say about Morrison that we haven’t said already this year a hundred or so times? It’s actually hard to come up with new things to say about him considering how often we talk about his writing, 9.9 times out of 10 praising it. However, it’s this quality (of which at least half of MC adores unconditionally) that brings Morrison right up to the tippy top of our list. Morrison is an incredibly prolific creator, one who is responsible for several of the titles and issues that have appeared on our Best Of lists (both the final and our individual lists). He’s a creator who we consistently talk about, and one who has taken Batman for the ride of his life. He’s created one of the most important mini’s of this year, as well as had a starring role in a My Chemical Romance video. He even had am vie dedicated to him in 2010 – one that received high accolades from MC and the general critical community. Is there anything Morrison didn’t really do this year?
Without a doubt, he is one of the most important writers of our current comic generation, and with a career as long and as fruitful as his already has been it’s no surprise that he consistently makes our Best Of lists. Morrison is responsible for the namesake of this site and I highly doubt his popularity amongst our writers will diminish any time soon. For anyone who followed along his highly entertaining Batman epic (spanning four titles this year (five if you include a one-shot)) or who read Joe The Barbarian, you certainly understand where this praise comes from. 2011 looks just as bright if not brighter for Morrison, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
1. Robert Kirkman
Why He’s Awesome (David): The funny thing about Robert Kirkman’s work right now is it is so good it gets marginalized by us regularly. His two main books right now are “The Walking Dead” and “Invincible,” and they are so good so consistently that it makes them easy to underrate. But when you think back on the year of those books, they are easily two of the best from a comic book storytelling standpoint, and a lot of that comes from something that is innate to Kirkman that other writers simply will not do. Kirkman never takes anything off the table.
This leads to fearless storytelling that makes everything seem possible in his books. Anyone could die at any time. Anyone could turn at any time. Anything was possible.
It makes his books exciting in a way that is completely unlike the rest of the comic book world. That he ties this level of excitement to incredible character work makes the stories sing (or grumble as they walk with a limp in The Walking Dead’s case), and it makes these books the absolute best of the best. Throw in the fact he’s also writing for his own incredible TV show and turning “Haunt” into something that a lot of MC really, really enjoys, and you’ve got a writer at the top of his game. And the top of his field.
Individual Lists
David
1. Jason Aaron
2. Robert Kirkman
3. John Layman
4. Brian Wood
5. Mike Carey
6. Scott Snyder
7. Darwyn Cooke
8. Fred Van Lente
9. Gabriel Ba/Fabio Moon
10. Brian Clevinger
Matt
1. Grant Morrison
2. Jonathan Hickman
3. Kieron Gillen
4. Brian Wood
5. Jason Aaron
6. Brian Michael Bendis
7. Robert Kirkman
8. Sterling Gates
9. Matt Fraction
10. Fred Van Lente
Gil
1. John Layman
2. Gail Simone
3. Geoff Johns
4. Brian Michael Bendis
5. Paul Cornell
6. Judd Winick
7. Peter David
8. Jonathan Hickman
9. Grant Morrison
10. Dan Slott
Brandon
1. Robert Kirkman
2. Jeff Lemire
3. Jason Aaron
4. Scott Snyder
5. Scott Morse
6. Judd Winick
7. Brian Michael Bendis
8. John Layman
9. Peter Tomasi
10. Christos Gage
Josh
1. Jonathan Hickman
2. Robert Kirkman
3. Grant Morrison
4. Jeff Lemire
5. Kieron Gillen
6. Brian Michael Bendis
7. Fred Van Lente
8. Nick Spencer
9. Paul Cornell
10. Matt Fraction
Walt
1. Grant Morrison
2. Jonathan Hickman
3. Mike Carey
4. Matt Fraction
5. Brian Michael Bendis
6. Fred Van Lente
7. Greg Pak
8. Paul Cornell
9. Jason Aaron
10. Nick Spencer
