Let me start off by saying that I am not cool enough to read any indie comics. I love the mainstream. Sure it has its big events and gimmicks, but that doesn't detract from the quality. Especially these days. Now, I don't really expect many of you to have much context for names like Ed Brubaker, Brian Michael Bendis, or Geoff Johns, I would like to hope that my recommendation of and vouching for their writing would inspire you to go out and pick up their series. Or at least the ones that I point you in the direction of.This thing is basically going to be a rundown of the story lines that have really grabbed and captivated me this year. Some of them may have started last year, but they had to have released issues in 2009 to qualify. The numberings are important, but largely inconsequential. That's mainly because some of these series are so good that it would be incredibly difficult to say that one is better than another.
Alright, enough rambling, let's get into it.
1. INVINCIBLE IRON MAN: "WORLD'S MOST WANTED" (#8-19) - This storyline helped kicked off the "Dark Reign" that shaped the direction of the Marvel Universe this year. Matt Fraction (writing) and Salvadore Larroca (art) continued their run with Iron Man in style. This story could have easily started to drag near the middle, but it only continued to pick up speed. The story dealt with Norman Osborne trying to track down Tony Stark to retrieve the database of registered superheroes (housed in Tony's brain thanks to EXTREMIS tech) while Tony raced to delete it. Yeah, he was trying to delete his own brain. This arc led directly to the current arc, and it has been one hell of a ride. The story is collected in 2 volumes, and should be fairly easy to find. If nothing else, this will help you get more in touch with Tony Stark before IRON MAN 2 comes out in May.
2. DARK AVENGERS: "ASSEMBLE" (#1-6) - The other major storyline that started "Dark Reign" focused on the first mission of a new team of Avengers in the Marvel U. (That would bring the total to 4, plus the Initiative.) The series is written by Brian Michael Bendis, with art by Mike Deodato. Having been painted as the savior of humanity in the end of the Skrull Invasion, Norman Osborne disbanded SHIELD, and founded HAMMER. The first issue humorously deals with the fact that HAMMER means nothing. It is just another way for Osborne to intimidate those who won't play by his rules. Keeping in line with this mentality, he puts together his own team of Avengers, that includes both heroes and villains alike. But mostly villains. Some faces are more familiar than others, but they make up an interesting team, to say the least.
3. UMBRELLA ACADEMY: "DALLAS" (#1-6) - This fantastic series comes from Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance. This story follows the events of "Apocalypse Suite", the first arc in this series. Certainly a better story, it delves more into what makes these characters tick, and how broken they are. Also it features time travel, the Vietnam War, and the assassination of JFK (both preventing and ensuring it happen). The story has many twists and turns, but it all really boils down to the characters, as all great stories do. This series is one big reason why I believe that comic books should be seen as literary works.
4. SECRET WARRIORS: "NICK FURY: AGENT OF NOTHING" (#1-6) - This was one of the first series that i picked up, and continued to read regularly. Back in March, I was trying to find some series I could get in to, and this had a first issue recently out, so I decided to give it a try. I have not looked back since. Jonathan Hickman writes an extremely exciting series that follows a, you guessed it, secret team put together by Nick Fury, the bad ass to end all bad asses. Even having little to no clue who many of the characters were in the beginning, I was still able to get both excited and worried about the entrances of characters into the story. It is absolutely worth your reading, and is an extremely fun read.
5. INCOGNITO (#1-6) - Imagine the hero of your story was a horrible, horrible person, and it was not done in the charming and funny way that DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG. Imagine you were rooting for a mass murderer, who didn't have a past of just killing bad guys, the way that Dexter Morgan does. This is the general idea of INCOGNITO, ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' super-"hero" story, from Marvel's Icon imprint. This story was so entertaining and captivating that it really cemented Ed Brubaker as one of my favorite comic writers. Basically, the story follows Zack Overkill, a former super villain, who was placed in witness protection when his twin brother was killed by their former employer. The series is a fun ride, that certainly highlights Brubaker's skill as a crime fiction writer. It is especially fun to see the emergence of a hero beccause the protagonist was just bored, and it wouldn't draw as much attention to him as villainy.
6. CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN (CAPTAIN AMERICA #600, CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #1-6, WHO WILL WIELD THE SHIELD? #1) - If you are kind of person that can get around the scheduling snafus and the way that Marvel just full on spoiled the ending to this great story, then you can really enjoy the story presented by Ed Brubaker, firmly ending his "Death of Captain America" story. I'm the kind of person that can. The final issue of Reborn still hasn't come out, but "Who Will Wield the Shield?" has, but it don't matter. Once again, I love Ed Brubaker and what he is doing at Marvel. Captain America is the biggest title for the company that he is doing, and he definitely has a handle for the characters. The story began over the summer with Captain America # 600, one of the landmark issues that Marvel has been putting out this year, which have returned many series to their original numbering. It has been quite the ride, and I am excited to see how it turned out, or at least what allowed it to turn out the way it did.
7. BLACKEST NIGHT (BLACKEST NIGHT #1-8, GREEN LANTERN #43-51, GREEN LANTERN CORPS #38-45) - The big event running over at DC wass advertised with the tagline "The Dead Will Rise." And rise they did. This even got me to start reading Green Lantern, one of DC's most promising series. Geoff Johns is now 49 issues into his run on Green Lantern, and it is not even coming close to running out of steam. The core Blackest Night title only benefits from the stories told in Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. If nothing else, this could serve as a great jumping on point for getting to know Hal Jordan, to prepare for summer 2011's film starring Ryan Reynolds.
8. BATMAN & ROBIN: "BATMAN REBORN" (#1-3) - Apparently Grant Morrison wanted shorter, punchier arcs to run through his Batman & Robin series. This first arc, following in the wake of "Batman RIP" and "Battle for the Cowl" which ultimately resulted in Dick Grayson taking up the mantle of the Dark Knight, and Bruce Wayne's son Damien becoming the new Robin. This first arc is extremely weird, but extremely entertaining. I had heard all sorts of bad things about what DC has been doing recently, but this series has given me the faith to start giving at least 3 bucks a month to the publisher. The dark and violent story perfectly sets up what is to come for Batman, and is essential reading, even over the solo Batman title.
9. SECRET WARRIORS: "GOD OF FEAR, GOD OF WAR" (#7-10) - Continuing from his promising initial arc, Jonathan Hickman continues chronicling Nick Fury's secret team, this time giving focus to God of Fear, Phobos, and the reaction of his God of War father, Ares, when he discovers that Fury has essentially kidnapped Phobos. The story goes more into the Dark Reign territory, making it less accessible than the former arc, but still an entertaining read. If nothing else, the reveal in issue 8 makes it well worth being on this list. It made me exclaim in surprise in a crowded area, which takes some doing.
10. FANTASTIC FOUR: "SOLVE EVERYTHING" (#570-572) - Oh look, another Jonathan Hickman arc. Fantastic 4 was another series I had some strong feelings against before starting. The premise could easily be seen as getting pretty lame, and covering the same ground over and over again. But somehow, Hickman made this series aa must read. In this first arc, he takes Reed Richards to a place where he has a decision to make between trying to solve all the world's problems, or losing his family. Richards is the smartest man on earth, or at least one of them, and this choice is difficult to make, but his decision will certainly resonate through the course of Hickman's run.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario