OK, 2009 is quickly coming to a close — and as it does, every comic book geek is asking: “What were the best comics of the year?” Here’s my take:
Chew — Definitely my favorite book of the year, this title has a great concept — and it was executed with action, humor, smarts and a serious gross-out factor.
Blackest Night — Blackest Night — not Final Crisis or Secret Invasion — showed folks how a blockbuster “event” comic should really be done.
Beasts of Burden — This was a surprising hit, combining the cuteness of an illustrated children’s book with the horror of a Stephen King novel.
Wednesday Comics — DC hit big with this weekly comic, which mimicked the format of those full-page newspaper strips from back in the day — and proved that some formerly lame characters (like Kamandi) could actually be cool.
Sweet Tooth — Vertigo might have another Preacher on its hands with this post-apocalyptic adventure of a human/animal hybrid boy and his tough-as-nails partner.
Captain Britain and MI13 — Before Marvel canceled this comic, it was the company’s best team book; it was intelligent, intricately plotted, nicely paced and character-centric — which is rare for a superhero comic.
Drunk and The Goon vs. Dethklok — These two titles were just one-shots, but they were stellar nonetheless. Drunk — a graphic novel about bar stories — was just a great idea. And The Goon vs. Dethklok was so funny it had me pissing in my pants.
Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.
This article appears in Dec 22-28, 2009.
