Welcome to the Multiversity Year in Review for 2022! We’ve got over 25 categories to get through, so make sure you’re checking out all of the articles by using our 2022 Year in Review tag.
Last year, we decided to split up the animated and live action television adaptations, to give a little more space to some of our favorite shows. Here are our favorite live-action series of the year.
3. The Sandman
Did anyone expect this to actually work? After decades of on again off again development and looming mechanical spiders that was the question that was rattling around in my head in the lead up to this series debut on Netflix. The trailers had been, fine. That question was answered for me by the end of the first episode. There were aesthetic departures from the comics’ surrealist imagery but that didn’t matter. Neil Gaiman, David S. Goyer, Allan Heinberg and the rest of the writers room had taken this dreamy episodic comic and made it into functional television, splitting the distance between Gaiman’s more episodic and isolated narratives with a sound serialized narrative that gave everything the necessary spine.
Standout episodes this year include “24/7” adapting “Sandman” #6-7 carried by David Thewlis’ John Dee. As well as the surprise drop of episode 11 the animated adaptation of ‘Dream of a Thousand Cats’ and ‘Calliope’. The Sandman is a reminder, the first since probably Watchmen (2009), that fundamentally interesting and formally provocative comics can be remediated in ways that keep the spirit of those formal elements and still function in this new medium. In a sea of ever increasing IPification and hyper content production by Netflix, The Sandman managed to stand out and be a success with 393.14 million hours viewed in the first month. It didn’t reach that number because a bunch of elder mall goths finally got to see an adaptation of one of their seminal literary works, but because it managed to speak to such a wide variety of people who had no clue this was technically somewhere in the DC multiverse.
While I wish it would have leaned more into the surreal and experimental aesthetic, its commitment towards straight fantasy helps to capture the imaginative potential of the source material and with it the act of adaptation going on in The Sandman. – Michael Mazzacane
2. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
The current “She-Hulk” comic series stands out in the Marvel marketplace for being a romantic sitcom, something one does not normally see in comics, much less from the House of Ideas. That idea extends to the Marvel TV Universe adaptation of Jennifer Walters, a story that set itself apart from the rest in its broad comedy and charm.
Although Jennifer Walters is a superhero, the places where She-Hulk shines the most are in the non-superhero moments. This is not a story of a superhero battling to take down Hydra or any other creepy bad guy, but the most nefarious of bad guys out there: our own conceptions of ourselves. Stories focusing on the struggle for identity often do run into the maudlin, and happily She-Hulk avoids this by leaning into just what Jennifer Walters does best: romantic comedy.
From breaking the fourth wall to meta-humor at the expense of the Marvel TV Universe to occasional satire on the role of women in the workplace, She-Hulk embraced something not many Marvel shows do: simply having fun. And sometimes, that’s all you need from your pop culture: not any search for meaning (though She-Hulk has its moments of deeper introspection), but unadulterated joy and bliss. The means to this end is Tatiana Maslany, who charms as an Ally McBeal for Generation Z and shows that she can, in fact, do broad comedy while also being an action hero – – all while wearing the smartest suits and sharpest high heels.
Let’s hope there’s another season of She-Hulk adventures on the horizon. I for one cannot wait to twerk in a high rise with Megan Thee Stallion again. – Kate Kosturski
1. Peacemaker
Continued belowVulgar, violent, and very funny, Peacemaker is an exciting and downright brilliant show. James Gunn’s signature style shines as he delivers a truly unique superhero experience. From the opening credits to a very memorable finale, every inch of Peacemaker is a lovingly crafted experience by Gunn and his team. Watching Peacemaker, it’s no mystery as to why James Gunn has been given the keys to the DC kingdom. This show is absolutely terrific.
Starting at base level, the writing is simply top-notch. The dialogue is sharp, and the plotting is very tight. The constant supply of rapid-fire jokes w doesn’t get stale when it easily could. The writers have done a great job of throwing Peacemaker and his team into a variety of crazy situations and allowing their characters to simply react to it all. They’re clever but not too-clever. When it comes time for the show to get serious, it isn’t undermined by the comedy, instead it feels real and earned because we’ve grown to like the characters.
Of course we wouldn’t like the characters if it wasn’t for the very talented actors inhabiting them. Peacemaker has absolutely perfect casting from the top down. Danielle Brooks, Steve Agee, Jennifer Holland, and Chukwudi Iwuji, are all superb, handling the comedy and the drama with ease. Robert Patrick, delivering a career best performance, is utterly repellent as Peacemaker’s abusive and racist father. The surprise standout from the ensemble is Freddie Stroma, as Vigilante. Stroma gets more laughs than anyone else as the wannabe hero Vigilante, playing a gonzo character completely straight. Finally in the lead we have John Cena, managing to find sincerity and warmth within the heart of a vicious killer. Cena plays the laughs while also finding real depth, creating one of the best and most entertaining characters of the year. He’s a born star, and he and the show he anchors is absolutely worth watching. – Ryan Fitzmartin
