Joss Whedon

Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s ASTONISHING X-MEN has become one of 2004’s biggest titles.

Wow, the big day is only three days off, isn’t it? And here I am with none of my presents bought yet. (Of course, my idea of a present is an on-line gift certificate from Amazon.com, so Christmas shopping is never all that arduous. Besides, it’s the thought that counts, right?) And since ’tis the season for this sort of thing, I’ve compiled a list of your choices for the Best Comics of 2004. If you disagree with any of these, it’s a bit late to do anything about them now - unless you consider one of them the Worst Comic of 2004, in which case you can still send in your votes for that list all the way up through midnight on Sunday, December 26. (I should finally be over my eggnog hangover by then, and let me tell you, those are a bear. "Holiday cheer," my virgin ass...)

Anyway, just so you know, I came up with these rankings based on the number of votes received for each title, so if you sent one in and don’t see it on this list, it may be because you were the only one (or two) to vote for it. In that case, you may find it on the Honorable Mention list just past the Top 10. Also, bear in mind also that these rankings are based solely on your votes - I say this because my own list would probably have put 1602 nearer the top than down in the Honorable Mention list, and I notice that THE PULSE didn’t even make that list. In other word, don’t send me hate mail saying, "Dude, why did you diss the Gaiman?" (I didn’t diss nobody, dawg. At least, not this time.) So, in reverse order, the Best Comics of 2004, according to you the readers, are:

10. DAREDEVIL: Some of you wrote in to say that Brian Michael Bendis’ work on this series this year is the best he’s ever done. Rob Weiner, for instance, writes the following about the "King of Hell’s Kitchen" storyline: "What can you say that has not already been said? Bendis rules! He’s taken DD back to the gritty noir that Frank Miller did in the early 1980s. To set Matt Murdock up as the new Kingpin was just a stroke of brilliance." And while we’re talking about brilliance, Rob, don’t forget the artwork by David Mack, which is unlike anything the series has seen since...well, since Miller, really. And "friendodot" also writes that "Bendis and Maleev have done the best run since Miller...because he makes you feel Daredevil’s pain and makes great use of atmosphere and place (Hell’s Kitchen and the assorted baddies there)." But some of you felt that Bendis’ true magnum opus this year came in a different title...

9. AVENGERS: Much like another title on this list, Bendis’ "Avengers Disassembled" run was one of those titles you either adored or loathed. The former list includes "friendodot" again, who says, "I never liked Scarlet Witch [until AVENGERS #503], but now she finally makes sense ­ a new ’Dark Phoenix’." Strangely, this is the only direct comment anyone who wrote in had to make about this series, but enough of you listed it as a runner-up that it makes the list. (Don’t worry, more than enough of the rest of you wrote in to put it on next week’s list that we’ll get to hear more about it soon enough...) Despite all the negative press this run has gotten, it does do something that the AVENGERS needed for a long time: it shakes up the team and transforms them into something the likes of which we’ve never seen before. That alone makes it worth listing here.

8. FLASH: Again, while not many people commented directly on this title, it was one of the books that kept coming up in e-mails again and again, not only in response to this column but also throughout the year. The ever-prolific "friendodot", for instance, writes, "Geoff Johns is a terrific writer who gets you into the head of his characters and creates very detailed worlds for them. His IDENTITY CRISIS crossovers blew Brad Meltzer away

(Johns should have written ID)." I’ve got to agree: Johns brings a sensitivity to the Silver Age characters he writes about that Meltzer (no offense to ID fans) doesn’t quite reach, and that’s never more apparent than in the storyline in which Wally discovers Barry Allen’s own lapse into ethical shadiness. But even when it doesn’t have IDENTITY CRISIS as a springboard, this title is simply hard to ignore.

7. FANTASTIC FOUR: Some of you have really been taken by Mark Waid’s direction on this book - and it’s no wonder, since he’s finally gone some ways towards making the book "fantastic" again and taking the team (literally) where they’ve never been before. J.A. Fludd has the following to say about the "Hereafter" storyline in issue #s 509-511: "Outstanding, inventive story about science and spirituality and where they come together. Ingenious use of Fantastic Four/Dr. Doom history. (Reed reconstructs the Von Doom Afterlife Probe from Doom’s origin to take himself, Sue, and Johnny to Heaven and rescue the slain Ben.) One of the greatest plot twists ever at the end, when the FF meet God and it turns out to be Jack Kirby - who picks up a pencil and erases the scars that Doom left on Reed’s face! An instant classic." And "bevismusson" writes, "You know, it’s one of the only Marvel titles I’ve ever got, and I initially only picked it up because of the 10c issue, but over the last few issues it’s become one of my top reads. The current arc (especially the last issue with Johnny and Galactus) have been some of the best comics I’ve ever read. Funny, exciting, and just damn good fun. Plus I really like the art (although I can see why others might not)." I agree - whether you get into characters with big doe eyes or not, it’s hard not to get into a book that pays as much attention to character as Waid does here.

6. AVENGERS/JLA: It took more than 20 years to get the damned thing, but many of you believe, as I do, that the wait was well worth it. J.A. Fludd calls this book "a celebration of more than 40 years of super-hero traditions with hundreds of characters from the Marvel and DC Universes, centered around the memberships of the Avengers and Justice League. Stunning, breathtaking artistic achievement by George Perez; the pinnacle and summation of George’s entire career. Artistically, can’t be praised highly enough." (Well, it’s certainly better than CRIMSON PLAGUE, isn’t it? Of course, a vasectomy with a rusty set of sewing shears would be better than that...) And "Frank" writes that "those of us who mourned this highly anticipated match up’s collapse 20 years ago couldn’t help but rejoice in its actualization, not to mention a chance to see revel in two mammoth teams penciled by Perez. An opportunity to see Perez art on this scale is unlikely to happen for a long time." Unless there’s a sequel, of course, and I have to say I wouldn’t mind that one bit...

5. WE3: Haven’t heard of Grant Morrison’s three-part mini for Vertigo about a dog, a cat, and a rabbit who become weapons of mass destruction? Then you’d better hope DC puts out a trade soon... Robert Jones, Jr. writes that WE3 is "simply a brilliant take on animal rights as the animals in this tale turn on their heartless masters. Add to this Quitely’s frantic, kinetic and unusual action sequences and you have what I believe is the best, yet most underrated, book of 2004." Eric Moe manages to go even further in his praise of this unique story: "[Morrison] and Frank Quitely have managed to create a visual masterpiece of hyperkinetic violence and touching emotional vignettes. The dialog-free opening seemed more like cinema than comic book. The two-page spread of the different security camera angles that grew more claustrophobic and constricted until they erupted into an enormous single panel pushed the envelope on the type of storytelling that can be performed in this medium. I have read and re-read those two issues several times and my opinion has not changed. WE3 is a proud achievement in comics for 2004 and ranks among the best the genre has to offer." High praise for a mini that hasn’t even finished yet (#3 is due out next month) - and yet well-deserved at that.

4. DC: THE NEW FRONTIER: Darwyn Cooke’s re-vision of the Silver Age, which also serves as a moral and political critique of our own times, is one of the books it would have been criminal to leave off this list. Of this title, "friendofdot" writes, "This was the real ’event’ of 2004...Breathtaking art, fantastic take on our icons, and such style." And "Frank" says that "this was an incredible opus. That is the right word for it. This was something worth hyping about. This shows us why we’re hooked on the genre. Great storytelling both aesthetically and, more important, technically." I agree - as dead set as I am against the whole tendency to overdo trades, I’ll be the first to recommend this one to anyone who hasn’t read it, even though it’s coming out in two volumes. For once, it’ll be money well spent.

3. EX MACHINA: Brian K. Vaughan’s done it again, creating yet another must-read title, this time for Wildstorm. Robert Jones, Jr. calls EX MACHINA "a great political narrative that answers the question, ’What if a superhero was also a politician?’ I’m befuddled that this book isn’t a top seller as it is consistently intriguing, funny, smart and controversial. Harris’ delicate, yet dynamic work is also a pleasure." And Dale W. Walker writes, "The most refined ear in comics belongs to Brian K Vaughan. His dialogue’s funny without being too cute, and he creates intelligent people who [go from slinging] bureaucratic minutia in one panel to fresh pop references [in] the next. Reviewers constantly compare this Wildstorm title to THE WEST WING, and that’s unfair. Fanboys do this, perhaps, to legitimize a purchase to their friends. ’It’s not really a superhero comic. It’s about politics. Um...like THE WEST WING.’ Well, EX-MACHINA’s far superior to the soapy, melodramatic incarnation of the show, and excels at doing what WW creator Aaron Sorkin always intended: it presents topical issues for intelligent debate." People actually compare this to THE WEST WING? That’s kind of like comparing saying that THE SOPRANOS is like SIX FEET UNDER because they’re both about people who die... Still, this is the sort of series that should get a decent TV miniseries or movie treatment someday, since it’s pretty cinematic already. And speaking of TV/movie people...

2. ASTONISHING X-MEN: Just about everyone - and I mean everyone - mentioned Joss Whedon’s thrilling and fresh take on a franchise that’s long needed a healthy dose of thrills and freshness. "Dj" writes, "Everything in this comic just hit the jackpot for me. Joss gets the essence of the characters down pat and in six issues does what some writers can’t do in a year: tell an emotional story that kept the continuity of the characters but seems so fresh. Oh, and the art rocked!" And while Eric Moe listed this title as second to WE3, he writes that this is "a fantastic monthly series and is a worthy successor to Morrison’s NEW X-MEN. It’s smartly written, cleanly drawn, and never fails to surprise and entertain." I’ve said it before, and no doubt I’ll say it again many times before Whedon gives up writing this title, but no other book has been so deserving of the name "astonishing". If they don’t have a script for X-MEN 3 yet, then Bryan Singer had better get Whedon in to write it, as his "Gifted" storyline is everything such a movie should be. And last but not least...

1. IDENTITY CRISIS: Despite the outrage and anger attendant on the last issue of this series, it still made the top of your list for 2004. Bryant Williams writes that " [IDENTITY CRISIS] without a doubt captured my interest more than any other comic on the shelves this year. The writing was fantastic, well paced, and unpredictable. The artwork was very good (although, I think that Rags Morales previous work on HAWKMAN and JSA was a step above his work on this title). Despite all of the controversy surrounding this title, (the rape, the darkening of DC’s iconic characters, etc.) I enjoyed this title more than I’ve enjoyed any comic since KINGDOM COME." Borko Baric writes in all the way from Croatia to say, "IDENTITY CRISIS featured some great art and some very emotional scenes. The expectations for IC were enormous, and I believe its authors managed to fulfill most of them. I think it truly was ’the biggest event of the year’." And William Chambers says the series is "well written, well drawn, [used] unknown/rarely used characters that I grew to care deeply about, [and had a] great appreciation of DC history (as well as new twists to it). My biggest complaint is having to wait a month for new issues after each cliffhanger." As we’ll find out next week, William, some people had even bigger complaints than that - but this week, IDENTITY CRISIS is the winner of the top spot.

Honorable Mentions include 1602; HUMAN TARGET; SECRET IDENTITY; BULLSEYE: GREATEST HITS; FABLES; MADROX; OPTIC NERVE; GUARDIANS; RUNAWAYS; FALLEN ANGEL; Y: THE LAST MAN; THE WALKING DEAD; CATWOMAN: WHEN IN ROME; SUPREME POWER; MAN-THING; EVERYMAN: BE THE PEOPLE ("published by FWD Books in September...it’s tightly written with outstanding but accessible art," Tony Shenton tells us); NYX; BIRDS OF PREY; ROSE AND THORN; WONDER WOMAN; JSA; and LUCIFER.

I’m sure that many of you probably looked at this list in outrage ("How could you not include ALPHA FLIGHT?? Dude, that rocks!"), but it’s too late to do anything about it now. What it’s not too late to do is write in and tell me what you consider to be the absolute worst book of 2004 and why. Send your votes to me either here or here by midnight, Sunday, December 26. Remember to please use CAPS when giving the title of a series you want to mention. And as always, don’t forget our discussion boards! In the meantime, here’s this week’s listings:

THIS WEEK:

Odd that there’s no Yuletide story in this week’s CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #4 ($2.25), but I’m sure your kids will want it, anyway. If not, grab TEEN TITANS GO! #14 ($2.25) for them and tell them to shut the hell up or else Santa will put a reindeer head in their bed.

Meanwhile, Spidey tries to decide whether hanging up his webs is for life or just for Christmas in MARVEL AGE: SPIDER-MAN #18 ($2.25).

Natasha discovers that being back in the U.S.S.R. isn’t nearly as fun as that song always made it sound in BLACK WIDOW #4 (Of 6, $2.99).

You can’t really call the BOUNCER: RAISING CANE trade paperback ($17.95) a "spaghetti Western" - it’s written by Alexandro Jodorowsky, so what would you call a Western written by someone born in Chile of Russian parents who now writes in French? A "goulash Western"?

Although the only title from Dark Horse this week that appears to have any holiday significance is JINGLE BELLE #2 ($2.99), and in THE GOON #10 ($2.99) they’re doing their own version of "A Christmas Carol," I’m sure there’s plenty of Yuletide cheer to be had in CONAN #11 ($2.99) or the SAMURAI EXECUTIONER VOL 2 trade paperback for $9.95. Those sound nice and seasonal, don’t they?

You’ll end up paying nearly $40 to get the whole thing, but you’ll be glad you did: volume one of DC: THE NEW FRONTIER in trade paperback is out this week for $19.95.

Look, it’s Sydney Bristow! Oh, poopy, no, it’s not. It’s Jennifer Garner, appearing in theaters everywhere and in the ELEKTRA: THE MOVIE trade paperback for $12.99. (Actually, she’s not in theaters yet, so buy this if you want the plot completely and totally spoiled for you.) On the other hand (really, no pun intended, honest!), you could always get the ELEKTRA: THE HAND trade paperback for $13.99 and just wait like good little boys and girls for the movie. Nah...

The Wolfriders finally find the Palace of the High Ones in the ELFQUEST: THE GRAND QUEST VOL 6 trade paperback for $9.95, and even though they don’t celebrate Christmas (and even though there are trolls all around it), that’s cause enough for celebration, surely.

More Christmas fun comes your way from Image with THE FRANKENSTEIN MOBSTER #7 (in two covers!) for $2.95. Wow, thanks, Santa!

OK, so it’s not WE3, but some people are still digging Grant Morrison’s JLA CLASSIFIED, issue #2 of which is out this week for $2.95. I’ll be kind for the holidays and not ask the obvious question of why some people are digging it, though. Don’t want no coal in my stocking, by Crom.

There’s absolutely nothing Christmas-y I can say about KABUKI #3 ($2.99). Nope. Not one damn thing.

The JLA is making an appearance in MANHUNTER #5 ($2.50), so either they’re making their first annual X-Mas visit, or it’s time to boost sales of the title. Either way, someone’s bound to buy it.

Apart from telling you what a lovely gift the MARVEL MASTERWORKS: INCREDIBLE HULK VOL 2 2nd edition hardcover for $49.99 or the variant with dustcover for $54.99 would make, I can’t thinking of anything vaguely Christmas-like to say here. (This shtick is getting older than Aunt Rose’s fruitcake from last year, isn’t it?)

Ahem. Unless you’re really stuck for a Christmas gift for Tiny Tim (and don’t call him that in front of anyone because that’s supposed to be your little secret), or you missed these issues in your own collection, I can’t understand why Marvel decided to put out MARVEL MUST-HAVES: WOLVERINE #20-22 ($3.99). If you read this title already, you already have them, and if you had to have them before, you already have them. Same reasoning that goes behind putting out two books that are each a month old in one volume and calling it "commemorative", I suppose...

I wonder if Mystique has ever posed as Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick? (Probably not.) She’s up to some lump-of-coal-earning shenanigans in MYSTIQUE #22 ($2.99), though, and you can check out how she got where she is today in the MYSTIQUE VOL 3: UNNATURAL trade paperback for $13.99.

The U.N. Building is collapsing in NEW THUNDERBOLTS #3 ($2.99). Nope, nothing Christmas-y there... Sigh.

"The Devil Inside" storyline ends in NIGHTCRAWLER #4 ($2.99). Christmas-y? Nope. Poo.

Oh, but wait, look! It’s an honest to gosh Christmas title, by gum... Er, maybe I should say "by gun" as it’s PUNISHER: RED XMAS ($3.99). Bad Santa! Bad Santa!

RICHARD DRAGON (or, as we like to call him around here, "Little Ritchie") must infiltrate Soldado’s organization in issue #8 ($2.50). And no, that’s not a euphemism.

ROGUE is already home for Christmas and making some major decisions as the first story arc ends in issue #6 ($2.99). Something tells me that mistletoe won’t be part of the mix this time, oh, goodness, no...

What ho ho ho! Richard Corben and John Arcudi team up on the slightly inaccurately named SOLO #2 ($4.95) for tales about mummies, futuristic war, gun-fighters, and the original Spectre. (Can anyone tell me whether the Spectre’s ever been used as one of the ghosts in some DC retelling of "A Christmas Carol"? Seems like he’d be perfect for the Ghost of Christmas Future, doesn’t it?)

And speaking of ghosts (though this version is not appropriate for inclusion in Christmas stories told to children - of any age), SPACE GHOST #2 (Of 6) is also out this week for $2.95.

Someone’s idea of a perfect Christmas gift comes shooting down the chimney like a red-hot brick in the form of the SPIDER-MAN: MAXIMUM CARNAGE trade paperback for $29.99. Lucky them.

Nope, nothing Yuletide-ish about STOKER’S DRACULA #2 (Of 4, $3.99). Great gift, though.

Ultimate fans don’t have to make do with gold, frankincense, and myrrh ("That’s a dangerous animal!") - they can have ULTIMATE ELEKTRA #5 (Of 5, $2.25), the ULTIMATE ELEKTRA: DEVIL’S DUE trade paperback for $11.99, and the ULTIMATE X-MEN VOL 8: NEW MUTANTS trade paperback for $12.99, instead. Mind you, I wouldn’t say ’no’ to the gold part...

It’s Peter Milligan, so despite its subject matter, perhaps the VENOM VS CARNAGE trade paperback for $9.99 is a worthwhile gift, too. Just maybe.

More Yuletide joy comes from Vertigo this week in the form of BOOKS OF MAGICK: LIFE DURING WARTIME #6 ($2.50); LOSERS #19 ($2.95); a reprinting of the SANDMAN VOL 4: SEASON OF MISTS trade paperback for $19.95; and WITCHING #7 ($2.95). All of them much, much better than that crap about the old miser and the ghosts.

You say you want AUTHORITY: REVOLUTION #3 (Of 12, $2.95)? Well, you know...it’s out from Wildstorm this week, and so is SLEEPER SEASON TWO #7 (Of 12, $2.95), as if Ed Brubaker didn’t have enough to do. Wow, that’s a Brubaker book for each of your stockings! (The Christmas stockings, you fool, not the ones on your feet...)

Diana gets far more for Christmas than she bargained for in the standalone story in WONDER WOMAN #211 ($2.25). (And no, it really has nothing to do with Christmas. In fact, hardly any of these stories do, despite my clever quips. This isn’t the Silver Age anymore, ya know.)

And finally... Peter and Kitty have a fight about the size of her Hannukah bush in ASTONISHING X-MEN #7 ($2.99); Xavier gets sloshed on eggnog in the cheery land of Genosha in EXCALIBUR #8 ($2.99); something or other that’s festive happens in the NEW X-MEN ACADEMY X VOL 1: CHOOSING SIDES trade paperback for $14.99; Logan wonders why there’s nothing in his stocking but copies of the latest MARVEL MUST-HAVES in WOLVERINE #23 ($2.25); Rob Liefeld finds all his Christmas gifts taken hostage in exchange for ending X-FORCE an issue early with #5 ($2.99); and...well, what do you know, there’s an honest to gosh standalone X-Mas story in X-MEN #165 ($2.25), after all. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

And by the way...who you callin’ a "ho ho ho," fat ass?

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