Best New Series - Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
I really thought I was going to pick Lazarus. It's a writer/artist team that I really like, a premise worthy of the Game of Thrones comparison, and an execution that includes multiple levels of social commentary. The book is great but, man, Sex Criminals is a really good time.
The first issue of Sex Criminals has a couple chuckles but it's mostly a heartfelt tale of a young girl dealing with childhood trauma and undergoing an awkward, confused sexual awakening. Issue two opens up with a recap that literally recaps every single panel of the last issue before running out of space and then proceeds to up the funny quotient with the far more comedic story of a young man's journey into "Cum World." Then issue three goes completely over the top with an unlicensed musical scene that features commentary from author Matt Fraction about how he legally can't use the lyrics to Queen's "Fat Bottom Girls."
This book is a rollicking good time, a sex comedy for the world of comic books. Matt Fraction manages to deliver both the funniest and the sweetest book of his career. Artist Chip Zdarsky manages to add even more to the experience with a bevvy of background jokes that create a sort of MAD Magazine tone to the experience. This is the sort of book that exceeds all expectation while delivering a product significantly different from what many readers might have initially thought.
Best Ongoing Series from Marvel - Daredevil by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee
Yeah, this is my pick for Marvel's best ongoing title two years running and you'd be a fool to argue. This is the year that brought the arc of Foggy's cancer, Matt's explosive showdown with the mysterious villain trying to ruin his recovery, and an unlikely team-up with the Silver Surfer. The book's not just been a blast but it's also managed to be tense, thrilling, touching, and all those other words describing the emotional spectrum.
Chris Samnee was as reliable as ever but colorist Javier Rodriguez really made a name for himself with a few fill-in issues in which he managed to keep the tone of Samnee's work while differentiating himself in a major way. Rodriguez's Matt Murdock is a slimmer guy and his Daredevil has a looser movement. Marvel is crazy for not assigning Rodriguez to a Spider-Man title. But that's aside the point! The point is, this book is overflowing with talent that makes it the strongest title regularly coming out of Marvel.
Best Ongoing Series from DC - Green Arrow by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino
2013 was a really good year for the Green Arrow property. The first season of the CW's treatment of the character, Arrow, found it's footing as it launched towards an explosive finale with the second season upping the quality even further. To capitalize on this sudden growth of interest in the character, DC decided to actually give the book a solid team in the form of Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino.
Sometimes, a new creative team will come onto a book and more or less continue with what was there before while steadily trying to transition into their approach. Jeff Lemire opts instead to literally blow up Green Arrow's status quo and start fresh. It's a crazy, mythological approach to the character that I've never seen before (the character usually goes between affectionate Batman knock-off and gritty vigilante) and it feels like the series is finally capitalizing on the promise of the New 52.
Sorrentino, of the late I, Vampire, delivers an absolute knock-out with his pencils. His dark, gothic style capitalizes on the rainy Seattle setting and the sewing in of more mythical elements. Of particular note is his method of highlighting elements of the page with boxes which the colorist then leaves black and white save for the inclusion of the trademark green. It's a unique look in the New 52 that benefits from being different than the Jim Lee/Tony Daniel house style.
With all these elements, Green Arrow is one of the only DC books doing something new and exciting.
Best Limited Series - Hunger by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Leonard Kirk
Before I can get into the winner, I'd just like to run down a list of limited series that came really close to winning: The Wake (Vertigo), Sacrifice (self-published), Comeback (Image), Godzilla: Half Century War (IDW), and Daredevil: End of Days (Marvel).
Hunger has the odd distinction of being a lead-up to an Ultimate Marvel event that may be bringing that imprint to a conclusion in early 2014. Marvel's done a lot of events this year with Age of Ultron, Infinity, Battle of the Atom, and Catalcysm being shot out one right after the other with some overlap among them. Hell, Brian Michael Bendis penned three of them. This book manages to be better than Age of Ultron or Infinity because it focuses on character first.
The Ultimate version of Rick Jones wasn't a character readers were clamoring to see more of but Joshua Hale Fialkov gave them a reason to. Seizing a tone and scale reminiscent of Annihilation, Fialkov delivered a character piece about what it means to commit to being a hero when faced with an impossible situation. Even better, Fialkov manages to tie in the other, often ignored, cosmic Ultimate characters and make them come across as fully realized in spite of the sparse development before he took control of them.
This book also manages to be pretty heartfelt with some moments of genuine emotion that longtime and new readers of Ultimate Marvel can appreciate. With a book of this quality, there's a strong argument for the continued longevity of the Ultimate imprint.
Best Single Issue - Batman and Robin #18 by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason/Hawkeye #11 by Matt Fraction, David Aja, and Matt Hollingsworth
This was hard to choose. It came down to two major contenders, from both Marvel and DC. So I didn't choose and now we have a tie.
First up on the plate, Batman and Robin #18. Fuuuuuuuck. This book turned me into a crybaby bitch. Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason had spent seventeen issues since the start of the New 52 rehabilitating the character of Damian Wayne from smarmy brat into actual child struggling to become a real person of substance. By spending more time with Damian, many readers were finally able to attach to the character. Then Grant Morrison killed the character in the final act of his seven year Batman run.
The way Tomasi and Gleason decided to deal with the character's untimely passing with one of the most revered formats in the world of comics: the silent issue. Wordless but nonetheless well-scripted, this issue took readers on a ride with Bruce Wayne through a world of grief after the loss of his son. Gleason's bold, emotionally evocative imagery sold the sorrow, the anger, and the sense of uncertainty that follows a death in the family. It's a masterclass in the power of visual storytelling to tell a personally affecting story.
Hawkeye #11 by Matt Fraction, David Aja, and Matt Hollingsworth is a different sort of beast. Also a silent issue (well, for the most part), the eleventh issue of Hawkeye takes a turn towards the experimental by focusing on telling a story from the perspective of fan-favorite Lucky, the Pizza Dog. Yes, an actual dog. David Aja and Matts Fraction and Hollingsworth put a lot of work into exploring how a dog would see the world; Lucky only understands a few key words and phrases like "pizza" and "good boy," characters are depicted with a pictograph detailing what they smell like, and only using a spectrum of colors that a dog can see.
It's a damn good issue and a strange one to reveal such important developments within the series. But it's the unexpectedness and the craft at work that sells the whole endeavor.
There you have it. The two best issues of 2013 are one that expertly uses an old formula and one that throws the whole playbook out the window. That's comics for ya.
Best Ending - Winter Soldier by Jason Latour and Nic Klein
A lot of great books ended this year and that's something that ought to be commemorated. Some books reached rushed conclusions that failed to reach the previous heights of the book's success (I, Vampire) while others managed to tie a bumpy run together (Grant Morrison's Batman Incorporated and Action Comics) in a way that improved the whole run. Avengers Arena and The Flash reached a conclusion that maintained the level of quality the books had become known for.
Out of all the titles that ended this year, Winter Soldier stands out to me. Ed Brubaker had completed his run on the book and finished his definitive statement on the character that he'd begun all the way back in 2005. There could be no following that but Jason Latour and Nic Klein were given the task of doing exactly that. Sales weren't great, not a big surprise, and the book was canceled so not only were these two charged with continuing the title but ending it now as well.
The Latour/Klein arc of Winter Soldier has a weariness to it befitting of a character like Bucky Barnes but the two manage to instill a spark of hope at the end. Bucky comes face to face with the results of his "sins" in this arc and ends up learning that you ultimately can't take the blame for what other people decide to do. Yes, the Electric Ghost wouldn't exist without him but she also wouldn't have existed if it weren't for a little girl deciding to become as ruthless an individual as she could. It's an affirmation that the character was in desperate need of.
The note that the series ends on is pitch perfect. It's a nice little reminder to readers and the characters to take care to seize the little moments of calm in the crazy storm of life.
Best Writer - Grant Morrison
How many Grant Morrison books have I read this year? Two. Batman Incorporated and Action Comics. Those are two books that ended pretty early this year but they're more than enough for me to name him the best writer of 2013. I'm willing to admit that my opinion may be unfairly colored by my fondness for the man's previous work with the characters of Batman and Superman but I don't really care. It's my list.
It takes a certain kind of writer to create an epic featuring one of the most beloved characters in modern history. Grant Morrison was writing two at the same time. Both had similar themes of exploring the characters and how they changed throughout different areas with a focus on what about them remains constant.
Action Comics is the more agreeable of the two runs thanks to it's conclusion that Superman is a character who changes with the times while remaining his core tenants of helping those in need and never giving up. Batman Incorporated was definitely controversial because it essentially ends by summing Batman up as a child's reckless power fantasy.
To Grant Morrison's credit, as presented, it's hard to argue with his final statement about Batman. It forced me to face some certain uncomfortable truths about myself as a reader and that's something I can really appreciate from a writer.
Best Artist - Fiona Staples
2013 was the year I finally hopped on the Saga bandwagon. I love the book to pieces and at least 75% of the blame has to go to Fiona Staples for making it so visually arresting.
This woman, this artist, can draw anything. Her rendition of a gigantic micropenis is disturbingly detailed, she created one of the most realistic and hottest love scenes I've ever seen, and she imbues real emotion into the proceedings. That's not to mention the dazzling colors that do just as much work to create one of the best, fully-realized universes in modern science fiction.
Fiona Staples is a superstar and I can't see anyone else but her doing something like this book. That, to me, is what makes her the best artist of 2013.
Best Cover Artist - Declan Shalvey
Honestly, nothing I say could do credit to this man's work. It speaks for itself so allow me to direct your attention to Exhibit A:
Wow. Marvel NOW! has been such a wild success for me as a reader. I'm just so insanely pumped to be reading the books coming out of Marvel because there's something for everyone. You like the characters but could do without all the crazy superheroics? Pick up Hawkeye. Looking for an energetic, youth oriented book? Try Young Avengers. How about an epic storyline? Thor: God of Thunder has got you covered.
Not every book Marvel is doing is going to be liked by the same readers. You can't appeal to everyone. So Marvel doesn't try. There's no house-style to speak of (compare that to how DC employs a Jim Lee sort of style on the books they're really pushing) so Marvel instead opts to make something for everyone. And they seem to be continuing that trend with the announcement this year of new Black Widow, Ms. Marvel, Punisher, and She-Hulk titles with wildly different artists illustrating them coming early 2014.
Marvel simply can't be beat. At least not by DC.
Best Film - The Wolverine
Is there really any competition here? Iron Man 3 was a really good movie with a reach that sometimes exceeded its grasp, Thor: The Dark World leaned too much into comedic territory, and Man of Steel wasn't even in the running. That leaves The Wolverine as the heir apparent for best superhero/comic book movie of the year.
I'd hate to just spend a lot of time rehashing my review of the film so I'll keep it shot. The Wolverine succeeds largely because of its commitment to the character and crafting a plot, based on the definitive Wolverine story, that suits him. The film is refreshingly low stakes without any of the world ending or terrorism heavy conflicts present in the most recent batch of blockbusters. Instead, all of the stakes are personal which has the effect of investing viewers in the film.
And have I mentioned the film's bevvy of female characters? The two lead women in the film are Mariko and Yukio are the head of a major corporation and a badass fighter, respectively. At times they manage to steal the film from Hugh Jackman.
