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Best Bets

by Cory Johnson

Best of ‘06

Happy New Year from the Best Bets guy!

Here are my picks for the most outstanding comic books of 2006. These are all in trade paperback form by now (or soon will be). Check ‘em out!

Best New Series:

American Virgin (Vertigo)

This is the new Y: The Last Man. Every issue has been an enjoyable thrill ride.

Best Limited Series:

The Escapists (Dark Horse)

This innovative series from Brian K. Vaughan will sell like hotcakes in TPB form and is sure to get an Eisner nomination.

Best Crime Series:

Criminal (Icon/Marvel)

Ed Brubaker shows that he’s still got the chops to write dark and dirty stuff even though he’s becoming Marvel’s superhero guy.

Best Fantasy Series:

Conan (Dark Horse)

Kurt Busiek left, but this series still rocks with Tim Truman writing.

Best Horror Series:

Tag (Boom!)

When Boom sold the film rights, this caused the greatest Rob Liefeld bashing thread ever on Newsarama.
Liefeld claims that he created the premise.

Best Humor Series:

Hero Squared (Boom!)

Funny every time... when they feel like releasing it.

Best Indie Series:

Local (Oni)

Brian Wood’s clever one-shots have evolved into a brilliant unified story.

Best Sci-Fi Series:

Casanova (Image)

These bizarre time-travelling super-spy tales are worth twice the cover price.

Best Western Series:

Jonah Hex (DC)

DC’s presents their version of the Punisher... a hundred years ago. It’s like a PG-13 Deadwood. Dynamite’s Lone Ranger is a close second.

Best Original Graphic Novel:

Pride of Baghdad (Vertigo)

I didn’t order this originally, fearing a cheesy Lion King type of story. After seeing the book’s stellar reviews, I was lucky to get a copy.

Best TPB:

Rex Mundi Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)

Mike at Pulp Fiction suggested I try this religious mystery/thriller. Couldn’t put it down.

Best Team Series:

X-Factor (Marvel)

Peter David writes the oddest X-book ever. You wouldn’t think writing superheroes in a noir style would work, but it does. This “award” would probably go to Astonishing X-Men if I wasn’t doing a trade-wait. Those damned bimonthly books drive me nuts!

Best Ongoing Series:

All Star Superman (DC)

Did I say something bad about bimonthly books? Each super issue has a one-shot feel so the wait isn’t a problem.

Best Single Issue:

New Avengers #22 (Marvel)

Brian Michael Bendis delivers a gripping solo story about Luke Cage, reminding us of the good ol’ days when he was writing Alias. Who knew he was capable of this after his atrocious “Collective” storyline?

Special “Top of the Stack” Award:

Fell (Image)

This book’s shipping schedule is all over the place, but the creepy one-shot stories are pure comic book gold.

And finally, I’d like to share my favorite moment from the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con: http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2758002

- Cory Johnson
cmjmusic@yahoo.com <TOP>

Bob's Thoughts

by Bob Gay

2006: The Good and the Bad and Sorta Ugly!

It's always hard to delve back into the 'ole brain cells to construct a "Best Of" list, since, as you get older (trust me on this) the years tend to blend together. I don't read many new comics at all anymore, mainly driven out by company wide crossovers, artists who are incapapble of drawing the same face twice and a color pallette that seems to be based on variant shades of warm poop. What I want is a good story with a beginning, middle and end that can even be in black and white. That's why I focus on reprints and the stories of days gone by. I've managed to make some sketchy notes covering the past year, however, and, even though there will be some overlap between years, here's my take on the best and worst of 2006!

I think it is safe to say that there are more reprints available today than at any previous time in the history of comics. I remember in college doing some test copies of a friend's early issues of Fantastic Four with the idea (I had free access to a copier) of making a complete set of issues #5-15 (all he had at the time). The resolution was not very good, however, and we gave up on the project simply to keep from damaging the comics. This long standing fanboy's dream of being able to read gems from the past, or of having a favorite title in book form has never left me and it seems that there were others with a similar desire to see their favorite comics reprinted, if not collected, since those dreams of yesterday are slowly becoming a reality.

AC

If an award were handed out for regular reprint series, AC Comics would win without question. Since the late 80s, Bill Black and his crew have been producing reprint comics with extrememly clean reproduction that focus on publishers other than the Big Two. Men of Mystery recently passed the 60 issue mark in 2006 and Best of the West will soon hit that mark in 2007. If you like variety, America's Best Comics, has lived up to its title this year and given us some of the best stories that I have yet seen from the Golden and Silver ages. If you didn't read any of the AC titles in 2006, you've missed out on some great comics.

On the downside, AC has become a bit too comfortable as a publisher and has begun to release a series of reprint projects that are way overpriced. The releases that I've seen aren't even trade paperbacks, but are thick comics (with the outrageous price of $24.95) and most contain material already reprinted by AC. For the casual reader, this puts these books way outside an impulse purchase and doesn't serve to bring new readers to the AC fold. For a die-hard collector like me, even the releases that contain material not already reprinted are not of interest, since they are just too blamed expensive. In addition, AC announced in 2006 that they will raise the price of Men of Mystery to $9.95: a move that has caused me to bid adieu to a title I've followed since issue #1.

DC

DC was a leader on the reprint front in 2006. Their artist and writer credits are much better than Marvel's and, in many cases their reproduction is superior. Although the Archives volumes are nifty, I'm tending to like the Showcase Presents volumes a whole bunch. Not only do I get more bang for my buck, but the material presented in the Showcase books is good, solid material that might have remained in obscurity were it not for the format. The Jimmy Olsen and Superman volumes were a sure thing, but I also like the idea of being able to read House of Mystery, Jonah Hex, or The Brave and the Bold without taking out a loan.

2006 is also the year that DC announced they were finally going to give Jack Kirby some much overdue credit and reprint the entire Fourth World series in a series of 4 hardback volumes in their original publication order...about time, if you ask me!

On the downside, as of the end of 2006, DC has still failed to come to a settlement with the Jerry Siegel estate over the ownership of Superboy: a move that affectively blocks any hope of seeing a Superboy Archives any time soon. DC has also been pushing the envelope on their reprint pricing with the Absolute editions ($99 a pop) and the delayed Golden-Age Dr. Fate ($75). High prices don't do anybody any good!

This just in-

The good news: DC revived The Spirit in 2006.

The bad news: DC revived The Spirit in 2006.

Fantagraphics

Considering the Fantagraphics made their rep by acting like they hated comics (see most any issue of The Comics Journal), it is surprising that they released some wonderful material in 2006. Their ongoing Peanuts and Dennis the Menace projects are really nifty and one of their last releases of 2006 was a huge volume of E. C. Segar's Popeye: a series that is highly enjoyable and one of the seminal newspaper strips of the Golden Age. Fantagraphics also managed to bring out a volume of Walt Kelly and a really nifty hardback of Bernie Krigstein's non-EC work (it may have come out earlier, but I didn't see it until 2006, nyeahhh!).

The downside: there really isn't one, except that I find the Peanuts volumes to be a bit pricey.

Gemstone

Gemstone finally brought out a reasonably priced version of Don Rosa's Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck and then followed it up with a second volume additional Rosa Scrooge material: making for a memorable 2006, indeed. Gemstone also started a series of hardback EC reprints which is good, since the books are of a larger size than either the Masterworks or Archives volumes and it brings the EC stories to a new generation of fans, but...

...is bad, since it simply reprints what has been reprinted too many times before in an expensive format. Gemstone has also ignored the trade paperback market for Duck and Mouse reprints (except for the Rosa Scrooge material) and just continues to churn out their monthly, often microscopic, comics. The announcment in 2006 of a price increase to the entire Gemstone line, also makes for a dismal outlook in 2007, since the Gemstone Disney comics are out of the price range of the young readers who would most enjoy them (and, become the comic readers of tomorrow!).

IDW

IDW gladdened my heart in 2006 when they announced they were going to do a series of Dick Tracy hardbacks. This meant that I could finally get rid of all the odd reprints I had and read my favorite newspaper strip in order (and the uniform volumes would look nifty up on the bookshelf, too). The first volume came out late, but it was worth the wait. Unfortunately, although IDW promised a quarterly release schedule, only the first volume appeared in 2006 with no promise of a volume 2 on the horizon. Bummer!

Marvel

Marvel, to their credit has been digging into the vaults for more classic material and I'm looking forward to the Atlas Heroes Masterwork that didn't make it into 2006, but was scheduled for December. Early Sgt. Fury and The Rawhide Kid also made it out this year and I've waited many years to be able to read some of Kirby's non-superhero work. The Essential volumes continue to be a good buy, especially since great pains are being taken to present the stories in chronological order, including the crossovers with other titles. Marvel's entry into the Omnibus edition line looks pretty good, but, like the DC Absolute editions, I question the price.

On the downside, some of Marvel's credit listings have been rather poor of late, particularly on The Rawhide Kid volume, where I believe Don Heck would get some long overdue credit, if people only knew what stories he drew. Some of the Essential volumes have been released with pages shot directly from the printed comic: something that should not be surprising considering the state of the Marvel art vaults, but is disappointing just the same, since a little clean up work would be appreciated. Most glaring, however, is the "re-mastering" of the Masterworks volumes, where Marvel has changed the contents from the original printings. This means that if someone (like me) is missing a particular Masterworks volume, the copy I buy to fill the hole in my run may not contain all the stories I need to read the whole series and I would have to replace one of the volumes I currently have AND buy the missing volume to get the full series. Good for Marvel, but bad for the fans.

Other Thoughts

Pure Imagination continues to release quality product (when it comes out), the poorly produced Comic Strip Jack Kirby volume nonwithstanding.

I really wanted to like Gaimen's Eternals series, but Marvel's inserting references to Civil War caused me to skip any of the series and I will also boycott the collected series for the same reason.

2006 was the year I re-discoverd Manga and will be sharing some reviews of titles with you as time allows.

Like I said above, I really like the Showcase fomat and I'm hoping that DC will expand the series to cover some of the lesser characters, like Sea Devils, Metal Men (I know they had an Archive, but they don't really rate one), Rip Hunter, Tomahawk and (do more) Jonah Hex, I might have even better things to say about them in 2007.

Big Bang Comics returned to a semi-regular schedule of publishing some of the best Retro-Comics around!

All in all, it wasn't a bad year for comics and I look forward to even more of the same in 2007!

<TOP>

The Bottom Line

by Ryan Riley

The Top "Holy ****" Moments in Comics of 2006

I bid you greetings, fellow comic book fanboys and fangirls. As I type this article the last day of 2006 is upon us. At this time of year, there are a lot of media outlets that find it fashionable to make "Top 10" lists of memorable people, events, etc. Instead of boring you with recaps of moments like K-Fed becoming Fed-Ex (if you don't get that reference, consider yourself fortunate), I thought it would be fun to recount some of the moments that made comic book fans go "Holy ****" (by all means, feel free to insert your own inappropriate four-letter word to that statement). There are only so many titles that I pick up, so if I leave any moment out that you feel would warrant inclusion on this list, feel free to drop a line to silentbob8173@hotmail.com or pulpfictiononline@hotmail.com. Feedback won't be added to the article, but I'll take any excuse to geek out and talk comics with fellow fans.

Oh, and fair warning, since this is a "year in review" type of thing, there will be tons of storyline spoilers, so if you see a storyline on here you have been dying to read but have not gotten to yet, avert your eyes. So, without any further ado and in no particular order, the top "Holy ****" moments of 2006:

Civil War

The Marvel Comics event Civil War has pitted hero against hero over the issue of mandatory registration of superheroes. Following a botched attempt by the New Warriors to apprehend Nitro, who exploded and blew up a nearby elementary school, the U.S. government fast-tracked a bill forcing superheroes to reveal their identities to and work for the government, or become outlaws. A good majority of the heroes, led by Iron Man, argue that this is a small price to pay if it helps ensure the safety of innocents. A small-but-growing minority of the heroes, led by Captain America, wonder if the sacrifice of their private life and liberty is worth the cost. This series has generated quite a few of the moments that are the subject of this article, but there are two in my mind that stand out from the pack.

Spider-Man unmasked, Civil War #2

This is arguably the most controversial "Holy ****" moment on this list, eliciting equal amounts of reaction of outrage & intrigue from the comic book community weeks before the story was published. The back story had slowly been brewing in the pages of New Avengers & the Spider-Man titles, with Tony Stark & Peter Parker developing a mentor/student relationship. Another Spider-Man related controversy popped up during this time in the form of the red & gold "Iron Spider" costume that Stark gave Peter as a present. It all led up to Tony convincing Peter to go public in an effort to add some much-needed impact to the hero registration act. As Civil War progressed, Peter found that the registration act was causing more problems than solving them, and switched sides, largely due to the next "Holy ****" moment on our list…

The Return of Thor? Civil War #3 & #4

Toward the end of Civil War #3, the two opposing factions finally engaged in physical conflict. The party was then crashed with a volley of lightning and after an absence of over a year it looked like Thor, the Norse god of thunder himself, had returned. However, at the start of issue #4 he started attacking the anti-registration forces with a Wolverine-like bloodlust culminating in the death of Black Goliath. It turned out that this "Thor" was a cyborg made from Tony Stark's technology and Reed Richards' cloning science, but at the end of issue #3 we were left with two thoughts: "Holy ****, Thor's back!" and "Whose side is this guy on?"

One Year Later

In the aftermath of the Infinite Crisis mega-event mini-series, DC decided to see if it could up the creative ante on its regular titles by moving the timeline of the DC universe forward with "One Year Later". Some titles, such as the flagship Batman & Superman titles, handled it fairly effortlessly. Others, such as Nightwing, didn't fare as well. There was one of the smaller titles that knocked it out of the park in my opinion.

Green Arrow vs. Deathstroke rematch, Green Arrow #62

I've been a fan of Judd Winick since I was introduced to The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius, but I hadn't been all that impressed with his writing work within the mainstream of DC. His handling of Green Arrow post-Infinite Crisis is forcing me to reevaluate my opinion on the matter. Right out of the gate a new status quo is established with Oliver Queen as the new mayor of Star City, taking care of business and ruffling the feathers of the "fat cats", enough to have them hire Deathstroke to settle his hash. Deathstroke, aching to get even with G.A. for sticking an arrow in his eye-socket back in Identity Crisis, jumps at the chance. What he expected to be an easy kill turned out to be the fight of his life, as G.A. busts out some mad martial-arts and sword skills along with some dirty fighting. Sensing that something is rotten in Denmark, Deathstroke decides on a tactical retreat only to find himself surrounded by a SWAT team. G.A. utters the words "You're under arrest, you son of a bitch!" while we think to ourselves "Holy ****!"

"52" Pickup

I give DC a lot of credit when it comes to following up Infinite Crisis. They could have had "One Year Later" be their sole gimmick, but they decided to make a series that shows readers what was going on during the skipped year. On top of that, since the holy trinity of Superman, Batman & Wonder Woman weren't going to be around that much they told the story with a series of lesser-tier characters such as Ralph Dibny, Steel, Booster Gold and Black Adam. And to top it off, it was going to be a weekly series. It was a huge gamble, but for the most part the quality of the stories has surpassed a lot of the weaker "One Year Later" offerings, and there are a couple of moments that had readers going…oh, do I really need to say it?

Ralph Dibny trying to resurrect his wife, 52 #12 & #13

This moment could qualify as the creepiest "Holy ****" moment of the year, at least in mainstream comics. The artist formerly known as Elongated Man has suffered a great deal since his wife Sue was killed at the start of Identity Crisis, and by the time we catch up to him in 52 things haven't gotten any better for him. At the lowest point in his life, he finds that his dead wife's belongings have been pilfered by a group calling themselves the Cult of Conner, whose goal is to resurrect Superboy. Wonder Girl has fallen in with this group, and when Ralph catches up with them he finds out that they want to resurrect Sue as a test run. He is desperate, so he says yes. At the ceremony, a wicker figure with an image of Sue's face taped to it is brought in. Ralph brings in Metamorpho, Zauriel, Green Lantern & Green Arrow to see if they can determine if the Cult can actually bring Sue back. They tell Ralph not to get his hopes up and then help him disrupt the ceremony. As all hell breaks loose the wicker figure moves and calls Ralph's name, simultaneously making one go "Ewww", and "Holy ****!"

Skeets goes bad, 52 #19 & 24

After Booster Gold goes out in a blaze of glory his robot companion Skeets decides he needs to get further answers from Rip Hunter's time lab. He finds Daniel Carter, Booster's modern-day ancestor, and recruits him into breaking in. Once Skeets sees that Rip knows about the disruptive nature of Booster's presence in our century, he turns on Daniel and blasts him into a time portal. The next time he shows up, he goes on a rampage and implicates the mediocre heroes that are calling themselves the new JLA. Skeets went from sarcastic know-it-all to amoral psychotic, making us go…well, you know.

The Devil in Cell Block D / Foggy gets stabbed, Daredevil #82 & #87

Kudos to Ed Brubaker for his creativity in following up Brian Michael Bendis' astonishing run on Daredevil. He showcased how Matt Murdock handled being imprisoned at Ryker's Island while teasing us with the mystery of who filled in as Daredevil while Murdock was locked up. But there was one moment that came at the start of the storyline that shocked me…

…and that was Murdock's longtime law partner and confidante Foggy Nelson getting brutally stabbed and seemingly killed. This act gave Matt a decidedly darker but much-needed edge in dealing with his fellow inmates from that point on. But after the Punisher and Matt break out of Ryker's, who should see a photo of them on the front page of their morning newspaper but Foggy Nelson. Yes, he survived the attack and got placed in witness protection while he recovered. This story thread might not be as shocking as the others on this list, but it had longtime Daredevil readers going "Holy ****" not once but twice.

Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk

This limited series was meant to bridge the time between the attempted execution of Bruce Banner in The Ultimates Vol. 2 #5 and his reappearance in The Ultimates Vol. 2 #12. Unfortunately, it did not get completed in time to do that in the strictest chronological sense, but it did give us a visceral image we never thought we would see.

Wolverine is torn…literally, Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #1

I'll say one thing for Damon Lindelof, he doesn't waste time getting to the punchline. This story, which has Nick Fury asking Logan to embark on an off-the-book mission to find and kill Bruce Banner with extreme prejudice. But the story doesn't open with that set-up. It opens with the result of the first physical conflict between the two, namely Wolverine's torso being separated from his legs. It seems that the protection offered by the Adamantium in Logan's skeleton doesn't extend to his joints, so it didn't take much for the Hulk to rip him in two and toss his lower half up a mountain. In this case the **** could definitely stand for "Ouch!"

Ultimate X-Men / Cable has claws, Ultimate X-Men #75

Thanks to the rather large cast of mutants that have shown up in the X-Men books over the years, this Ultimate title holds the record for most character revamps. Just about all of them have been interesting and well-executed. One of my favorites in recent memory is the reinvention of Longshot as an Genoshan anti-human bigot as opposed to an otherdimensional amnesiac. But the most recent (and most ambitious) revamp came this year…

As the X-Men recover from their battle with the traitorous Magician, they are attacked without warning by Cable. He systematically takes down Professor X, Kitty, Colossus, Cyclops & Storm in an attempt to get at Jean Grey. Wolverine goes in for the takedown only to get slashed by claws identical to his own. Ultimate Cable is a future version of Wolverine.

Justice League of America #4 / "Born on a Monday, doesn't want to die on Sunday"

Thanks to Brad Meltzer & Ed Benes, this latest incarnation of the JLA book is turning out to be the most interesting since Grant Morrison's run. They've tossed everything but the kitchen sink at us, and at times has seemed a little rushed due to the sheer volume of heroes, villains and story threads they have included thus far, but the end of JLA #4 gave us the biggest surprise yet…

The main focus of Meltzer's inaugural plot is the theft of Red Tornado's inert android body, and there is a who's who list of villains that are involved. But none of them involved are as intriguing as the person looking to ultimately use Reddy's body - a pimped-out, well-spoken Solomon Grundy, who shocks our heroes (including a newly human Red Tornado) with the declaration "My name is Solomon Grundy, and I'm sick and tired of dying."

Batman by Grant Morrison

I have to say, I was pretty excited when I heard Grant Morrison was taking over one of the Batman books. His take on Batman during his run on JLA was one of the best I had seen in a while, and I looked forward to see how he would handle Mr. Wayne in his own title. What I didn't count on was that the basis of the story would come from a Batman graphic novel published in the 1980's called Batman: Son of the Demon. This story had Batman join forces with Ra's Al Ghul to take down a terrorist named Qayin, and Batman got his daughter pregnant. As the story progressed, Talia told Batman that the baby miscarried, but at the end of the story the child is alive and given up for adoption…or was he?

Batman #'s 655-658

This storyline has its fair share of "holy ****" moments, starting out with the conclusion of a battle with the Joker. Joker goes from having Batman on the rope to getting shot in the face with a pistol as another Batman (the real one, it turns out) pops up on the scene. Yowza. The next shock comes in the form of Talia meeting Bruce in the batcave with their love-child, the aptly named Damien. Thanks to Talia's upbringing, the child is a skilled combatant, but does not know the meaning of the word "restraint", and is given to Bruce to take under his wing. Damien lives up to his celluloid namesake's reputation, killing villains and laying a brutal beating on Robin in an insane attempt to prove his worth to Papa Batman.

The Boys

This is the only non-mainstream comic book on the list. I'm certain there are "holy ****" moments from other non-mainstream titles that warrant inclusion on this list, but The Boys by Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson is chock-full of them, which is why this book made the list. Hell, it is so depraved it deserves its own list. Here are just few…

• Butcher's bulldog Terror mounting a little shihtsu.
• The newest female member of the supergroup The Seven being forced to make like Monica Lewinsky during her initiation.
• The Female (that's her name) going to work on a group of thugs and ripping one of their faces off.
• The death of Hughie's girlfriend.
• An all out superhero orgy at a brothel.

Ennis has always been known for having a certain amount of shock value in his stories, but The Boys goes well beyond the pale, even for him. I challenge you to read this story and not go "Holy ****" at least once. Fair warning though, it is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended.

Well, that concludes the list. Happy New Year, and hopefully it will be a good one for all of you.

<TOP>

Mainstream Mania

by Mike Guardabascio

Best of 2006

You've demanded it, and I'm delivering it: the return of my very own award. Welcome to the 2006 presentation of the second annual Mikeys! As usual, any creator named herein who wants it is welcome to a handmade trophy, with their name written in glitter paint left over from elementary school. These awards are entirely my opinion, and do not necessarily represent the views of all Mikes in the world. We're a varied and diverse bunch, after all. But enough talk, on to the awards…

Best Writer: Mark Millar

If you've skipped ahead, you've seen that Civil War has had a pretty significant impact on the Mikeys this year, and, I will argue later, with good cause. But Millar's not just getting this award because of his super-smash hit Civil War. He's getting it because he battled back from a debilitating condition to write Civil War, continue Ultimates 2, one of the best things I've ever read which has reached its peak this year, with only one issue left next month, and even a few issues of Fantastic Four. His work on each has been his best, and its covered a variety of styles. While I would have loved to have given this award to BKV, whose Dr. Strange mini has been the surprise of the year, Millar earned his due, and I'm happy to give it to him.

Best Artist: Steve McNiven

I was going to have a most improved award, but then I figured, why should Steve McNiven get two Mikeys? His uber-detailed work on Civil War has been such a step above anything he, or anyone else, has done this year, this was an easy pick to make. From the biggest battle sequences, to nuanced facial expressions, to little touches like Johnny and Sue Storm's flame and force field umbrellas have made McNiven the best, and his art on Civil War well worth the wait. Congrats to Steve on all his success, and here's to hoping this star continues to rise.

Best Series: Ultimate Spider-Man

Yeah it's been a doozy of a 2006 for the Ultimate Universe's flagship title; it broke the record for longest running creative team, as Bendis and Bagley put out their 103rd issue together, with no fill-ins, and it broke all the rules for a Spider-Man book, with a near-dead Aunt May, Mary Jane in a special kind of danger, revived dead loved ones, and a returning father. Well…actually, I guess it's all been done. But never within four issues, and never in a way that didn't make me retch. This book, which I've always thought was good, attained some special heights this year, and while there's sure to be some sloping off in the coming months (you just can't keep that kind of pressure up for fifteen months straight), it looks to be in pretty good shape.

Best Mini: Civil War

Yeah, I know, it's hard to characterize a 300,000-selling series as "mini," but at the heart of all the hype and hoopla have been five really good issues of a comic book mini-series. I haven't been a fan of all the spin-offs and tie-ins (though they've been handled better than any other event in my lifetime), I absolutely love the miniseries, supposed mischaracterizations and all. I haven't seen a single move on any character's part that hadn't been hinted at a year ago, and I've never been as surprised by an artist as I have been by Steve McNiven. Kudos to Marvel and its creators, and a hefty thanks, too.

Best Character: Captain America

This is an obvious choice to me; I'd say that Cap is back, but the truth is, he hasn't been this good since WWII, and honestly, he wasn't that great then. Marvel has managed to take their most inflexible character and make him relevant and exciting again, thanks to Ed Brubaker and Mark Millar. Here's hoping 2007's another big year for the Captain.

Best Graphic Novel: Pride of Baghdad

Alan Moore's Lost Girls is a close second, losing only because of relevance; a book about the Iraq War necessarily has my attention more than a book set at the onset of WWI does. BKV has produced a work that I think people will still be reading in ten years, and maybe long after that. The combination of his perfect dialogue and Niko Henrichon's stunning art should give this book the strength it needs to withstand the tests of time.

Book You Should Be Reading but More than Likely Aren't: Grimm Fairy Tales

Put out by not-so-heavyweight Zenescope Entertainment, this book has truly entertained me with every page I've read. I don't know about its plans for the New Year, but I do know that there's a trade and several uncollected issues available, and if you're a fan of…most everything, really, you should give it a shot. Writers Joe Tyler and Ralph Tedesco have created something pretty unique in comics, giving a dose of light erotica, horror, pulp, and fairy tales with each issue. If you haven't read it, pick it up and see what you think.

Worst Company: DC

DC won best company last year, after having built an impressive head of steam going into 2006. Unfortunately, it seems they blew their load, and it's been an overall pretty shitty year for the company, excepting 52 and a few other bright spots. One Year Later has succeeded in nothing other than muddying continuity and characters, and few of their many great characters are in a better spot now than they were before it. DC's Brave New World has failed to attract the mainstream, or even a lot of comic book fans, and it has left me missing the well-constructed Old World. Because of rushed art, Infinite Crisis, looking back on it, didn't even end up being great enough to justify these problems. Great creative teams have kept Batman and Superman interesting, but I feel less connected to the stories and characters than I did pre-Crisis. I hope after 52 ends they can pull it together (not having their four best writers going nuts on one book will probably help) and become a worthy competitive force once again. And maybe the addition of two more All Star Books will mean they'll publish five or six titles from the line annually.

Best Company: Marvel

Well, really, Marvel wins by default, but it's still worth noting that, delays aside, they've done a good job managing the Civil War bonanza, and their stable of writers and artists right now may be the most impressive at any company during any time in comic's history. 2007 looks to be an exciting year, with Civil War wrapping up, and World War Hulk beginning.

Worst Thing of the Year: Supergirl

The only good creative team on this book was a one issue fill in, a humongous mistake. Get Amanda Conner in here monthly, and better writers who are writing a relevant, decent Supergirl, not one living in some weird pocket fantasy place in the DCU; even comics fans like myself are turned off by the geekiness of this book, as well as the shoddy writing and boring art.

2007 Character to Watch: Wolverine

Yeah, this may seem like an obvious choice, especially since everyone's going to be watching Wolverine anyway, but check this: 2007 will see the continuation of Wolverine Origin, which should reveal a few more doozies about the character, as well as the Loeb/Bianchi arc on the main title beginning in January (this may be the most anticipated Wolvie story in some time), and the Ultimate U miniseries about Wolverine written by Jeph Loeb with Michael Turner doing his first interiors work at Marvel. The cherry on top is Brian Vaughan's Logan miniseries, coming out later in the year; if his Dr. Strange book is any indication, I'd get that thing on my pull list as fast as possible.

Next Year's Writers to Watch: Dan Slott and the whole DC Stable

Dan Slott gets the nod because Marvel's been talking him up so much, and he's got the high-profile Initiative miniseries coming out in the aftermath of Civil War. The DC Stable gets the nod because they can't like what people are saying about them outside of the hardcore DC camps; there's gonna be four great writers with a lot more time on their hands once 52 wraps up, and I'd look for them to try and revitalize the DCU. Or switch to Marvel. Either would make me plenty happy.

'Nuff Said/Lightning Round Section

Guy Who Needs a Promotion or Something:

Greg Rucka

Original Bald Brian Award:

Bendis

Creepiest Moustache:

Dan Didio

Best "Finally!" Moment:

Paul Dini on Detective Comics

Best Weekly Series:

Comic Shop News…Just kidding, 52, still running on schedule and selling strongly.

Best Convention of the Year:

San Diego Comic-Con (but here comes New York!)

Most Surprising Moment:

Supergirl kissing her brother/twin/dopplegangerish thing

Book That Needs to Get Better Immediately, Because There's No Excuse For How Bad it is Given the Potential of the Character and Creative Team:

Nightwing

"No Way!" Moment of the Year:

Ultimate Gwen Stacy turning into Carnage

Well, congrats to the winners--I hope at least one or two of you hear about this, most likely through me pestering you. It was an insanely good year, and next year looks to be even better. Here's hoping we'll see each other next year for the third annual Mikeys.

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Philistarved

by Ryan Skinner

Some of the Best of 2006

Hi everyone.

Mike asked me to put together a "best of" list for 2006, covering not just movies, but also comics and manga. I toyed with the idea of doing top tens, but for the sake of hair loss I chose to include everything that I thought deserved mentioning. This list is haphazard at best, as I don't have the time or the money to see and read as much as I'd like to, so if I missed something that that you think deserved inclusion, don't take it personally. Here are some of my favorites from 2006…

Movies 2006

Hostel

I loved Cabin Fever, Eli Roth's debut film. Naturally, I was thrilled that he was writing and shooting a torture-horror-thriller set in Eastern Europe. What I didn't expect was how well it was received. Commercially anyway. As if to prove this wasn't a fluke, the Hills Have Eyes remake also cashed in that year making 2006 the official year that fucked up exploitation movies would become popular once more.

While nowhere close to deserving of the twisted psycho-analysis inspired by the films of Takashe Miike which Roth so arguably did his best to emulate, it is a solid horror film and a lot of fun to watch with an audience. I wasn't initially impressed with it when I saw it the first time, mostly because I couldn't care less about the main characters. Drunken frat boys who use "Dude!" for emphasis? However, I found myself watching it several times in a row after buying the DVD, despite the douchebaggery of protagonist A and then the extra-douchebaggery of pitch hitter protagonist B.

The Hills Have Eyes

There are only three horror movies on this list I promise. If any one move pushed the envelope this year in terms of giving the MPAA all kinds of excuses while still managing to be gripping, entertaining, and daresay even a little provocative, it was this one.

The violence here is pretty intense. Rape, exploding heads, cannibalism, but it all works within the context of the film. It takes utter hopelessness to the breaking point by the end of the second act. It hits you and hits you, and right when it hits you the hardest you somehow know the worst is over and instead of making the mistake of beating you over the head with more misery that affects you less and less, you are rewarded with a third act right out of the spaghetti west complete with a Morriconnesque score and fight to the death with Chunk's evil twin.

Thank You for Smoking

It's been a while since a movie has so successfully exemplified by beliefs concerning the freedom of choice. Every character glows and is memorable without detracting attention from the story. Even the creepy kid that's so ship-sinkingly devoid of anything resembling personality was acceptable somehow. In a medium where most of the art leans to the left, it's refreshing to watch a film that shows how fascist BOTH sides of the political spectrum can be.

A Scanner Darkly

This is the closest adaptation of a Phillip Dick novel to date and it's hard to miss the mark when the source material is allowed to shine. It is in Richard Linklater's choice to use the animation style he previously employed in Waking Life that makes the film a unique experience for me. That and the show-stealing performances by Woody Harrelson and Robert Downey Jr. Check this out if you're a Dick fan or one of the uninitiated, then go read the book.

District 13

In my opinion, the best action movie 2006 had to offer came from France. The action revolves around "free-running." It's akin to looking at cities as if they were obstacle courses and then traversing them as quickly and as powerfully as possible. Another reviewer mentioned that he was reminded of Batman and what it must look like in real time for the dark knight to travel from rooftop to rooftop. The story is completely relevant and the two main characters, who are not actors by trade, carry the movie gracefully.

Little Miss Sunshine

Here's a heartfelt family road trip movie that doesn't make me gag. It strikes a great balance between not too contrived or pretentious. It's enough to lift your spirits without feeling guilty about it.

Casino Royale

Bond grows up so to speak. It's been a while since I was excited to see a Bond flick. I lost all interest when they attached giant saws to the bottom of helicopters. The decision to make Bond a darker and more three-dimensional character in a more practical environment was a good idea, which became an even better idea when they cast Daniel Craig. No elaborate death traps, a protagonist with flaws, and even some free-running action sequences bring Bond back to life for me. If you're a hard core Bond enthusiast, you may be hesitant because he's a blonde now, but I assure you, you're an idiot.

The Fountain

This wasn't popular with many critics, but I can't understand why. Some called it pretentious and confusing. It's definitely one to think on. Its fill to the brim with metaphoric language and thematic unity, but I wouldn't say it's overflowing. It won't simply wash over you. You can't switch your brain off before it starts nor when it ends. It rewards multiple viewings, and even at eh heart of all that lies a touching story. If all else fails, you at least have to appreciate the Fountain's stunning imagery.

The Departed

My favorite movie of 2006. Here's my review from its weekend release:

Hopefully many of you decided to go see a movie this past weekend, and hopefully that movie was the Departed. If it wasn't, you still have next weekend. It's not often that a movie is so unanimously praised by all sides. If you miss this, you'll be missing one of America's greatest living directors getting his groove back. After years of trying to please the academy, Martin Scorsese has finally made another gangster picture, and everybody couldn't be happier.

If you haven't already heard, the Departed is a remake of a Hong Kong police thriller called Infernal Affairs. What Scorsese and screenwriter William Monahan do with the source material is what often separates good remakes from bad ones, they make the material their own and put their own spin on it while still maintaining the integrity of the original rather than trying to improve upon it. The result is two movies that are similar in plot, but differ thematically, stylistically, atmospherically, etc. At this point, it would not be fair to say which film is better, but more appropriate to state which one you prefer.

Infernal Affairs is actually the first of a trilogy of movies. The Departed derives most of its plot from a combination of the first two films in the trilogy. Why not the third? Well, much like the Godfather trilogy, the third film is kind of like the tag along movie that everybody tries really hard to accept in order to feel more tri-complete. It's pretty vestigial, but it doesn't hurt to watch if you really enjoy the characters from the first two films, and are still thirsty for more plot-twisting.

Infernal Affairs is not an unheard of film. Those in the cine-know, acknowledge this film for its tight plot structure, great performances, humor, and tension. This is a good introductory film for those who have not yet traversed Hong Kong cinema or East Asian cinema in general. It's very modern and makes use of a widely acceptable and familiar genre. You also get a good dose of some of China's greatest and most beloved actors including Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Anthony Wong, and Eric Tsang. Martin Scorsese loved this film, and The Departed probably would not have kicked as much ass as it does without that love of the source material behind it. Watch it and find out for yourself. You won't be disappointed. After you do that, watch Infernal Affairs Part 2 which is actually a prequel to the first. Part 2 mostly deals with how the two moles make their way to their respective positions behind enemy lines in addition to defining a relationship between Anthony Wong and Eric Tsang's characters, which are basically portrayed by Martin Sheen and Jack Nicholson in the Departed. All this amounts to a prequel that maneuvers well around the pitfalls that make a prequel boring, such as knowing which characters will live or die based on who is in the first film. If you've really enjoyed Infernal Affairs by this point, might as well check out the third film for the heck of it. It feels a lot like you're kicking a dead horse, but has enough things going for it to avoid being a terrible film. It suffers from having too many flashbacks, making it a sequel/prequel hybrid that feels more like an unnecessary attempt to bring Tony Leung back into the fold. However, there is still enough new material to avoid being completely redundant. There is also plenty of the spying, sly maneuvering, and manipulation which made the first film so much fun to watch.

For you're in the dark about these films and take any kind of pleasure in watching a good movie, you're only doing yourself a favor by expanding your horizons. Hollywood is experiencing one of the driest creative spells in a long time. You do have a choice. Infernal Affairs is a good start, and it's like dominos. Once you watch one, others will follow. It's a great big world out there and to assume that the weekly multiplex marquee roster is the best the world has to offer is the epitome of ignorance, and in some cases arrogance.

Comics 2006

The Exterminators

Sometimes this title hits, and sometimes it misses, but it's always different. The Exterminators chronicles the fucked up world of Bug B Gone, a family-owned pest control company with lots of secrets. If you think nothing interesting could come of this, then you have your head screwed on too tight. This book goes anywhere from LA to Egypt to Cambodia and utilizes a unique blend of horror, comedy, history, and mysticism. Its also a pleasure to admire the Los Angeles Terry Moore creates in all its disgusting depravity.

Oldboy

Oldboy is a manga put out by Dark Horse, but first, a possibly necessary introduction:

Comic readers, this is manga. Manga readers, these are comics. They both have great things to offer. Don't be a douche bag.

The story involves a seemingly normal guy who is kidnapped and imprisoned whereabouts unknown for 15 years only to wake up free with no explanation why. What follows is a seedy journey to find his tormentor and his motivations. Now, if you're truly blessed, you saw the Korean revenge picture released a couple of years ago of the same name based on this manga. If you haven't, then you're truly deprived. The film's inspiration has finally been translated and distributed here, and has proved to be much different in tone, but no less worthy. The film was a unique twist on the noir genre, the manga that inspired revels in its hardboiled nature. Fans of Dark Horse manga or anything by Kazuo Koike should enjoy this title. In the last volume, the villain sends our main man a hypnotized prostitute with a mentally embedded clue that can only be remembered if she orgasms…hell yes.

Eden

Oh post-apocalyptic genre, how I love you. Eden is another manga, this time a post-apocalyptic science-fiction vision. Dark and visceral, Eden quickly establishes a few of the things manga does best: action, cyber-punk, and brooding existentialism. This is another Dark Horse manga hit and good for anybody who likes their science-fiction hard-edged and thought-provoking.

The Fountain

I really wanted to read this before the movie came out, but the hard cover edition was the only one available and I'm not that goddamn rich. Once again, go see the movie. This was written by Darren Aranofsky, the visionary behind Requiem for a Dream. Though technically this is the graphic novel version of the film, because Aranofsky wrote a different draft of the script after the artwork began they really are their own renditions. Aranofsky's earnest love song to death and rebirth lends itself beautifully to Vertigo's long line of thinking-man's funny books. The story concerns a man's quest for eternal life and to try explaining any further would be cheating the book's ambiguous quality. I'm not familiar with Kent William's past work, but the art in The Fountain is nothing short of beautiful, emotional, and vibrant. I'll probably end up buying the hardcover anyway. The reread value is through the roof. It's one of those tales that means different things to you every time you read it.

DMZ/Local

I put these two together because I think their soul is Brian Wood's love affair with American sub-cultural diversity. They're wholly different to be sure, but at their core are stories about people just trying to do their thing. Local is great for its one-shot storytelling which will hopefully be catching on with other titles. DMZ is great for its world-building exercise in groovy cool post-apocalypticism.

Damned

Dominguez said it all: do you really need to hear any more than demons and tommy guns?

7 Brothers

In one of the ending Virgin editor's notes, it's mentioned that Virgin's line of comics are written with the hope they are licensed as movie properties. I haven't read any of the other Virgin titles yet, but if any book felt more like a movie this year so far, it has been 7 Brothers. I'm a fan of Garth Ennis' work and have nothing but love and admiration for Jon Woo so I was definitely interested in the pairing. The interest paid off in good storytelling and beautiful artwork. The only problem is fleshing out the seven brothers since they we're a few issues in and I can't associate with them much more than their powers and nationalities, but hey we're only a few issues in.

The Boys

I love the humor in this book. It's perfect for those who can't help but question the appeal in super-heroism. Ennis dangles the possibility of Teen Titan and Justice League clones falling hard. He's done it for five issues before any promise of a real super hero bitch slap was evident, and it worked I'm hooked.

Criminal

Here's a book that feels like it has an end. That's important to me. I don't like being jerked around unnecessarily. Unfortunately its one of the only crime/noir books being published. Fortunately it's quite good. I especially love the junkie ex-con father with Alzheimer's and a hard on. The noir homage at the end of each issue is a real treat also.

Pride of Baghdad

Hard to miss this one. Not much to say here except that it's allegorical, ambiguous, heartfelt, sad, funny, beautiful and entertaining. Go read it.

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Pulp Notes

by Michael Lerner

Goodbye 2006…

Hope everyone had a great holiday. Welcome to the 2nd annual end of the year Pulp Notes. A best/worst list is the traditional thing here, but everybody seems to do this and those of you who frequent the store probably already know my opinions about the varied comics out there. I decided instead to focus on the state of the industry and offer a suggestion list to everyone on how to grow the comic book/graphic novel audience for 2007 and beyond. Before starting however, I thought I would be a little traditional and briefly share some of my favorites from 2006. Here they are:

Best Title of the Year:

All-Star Superman - month in and month out (okay, every two to three months) Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely manage to perfectly capture the magic and majesty and humanness of Superman better than anyone since Elliot S Maggin (this would be my obscure reference to the novels published in the 1980's - if you are at all a Superman fan, ebay these and find out what the Superman movies should have been). A close second and definitely deserving of honourable mention is …Fables - most imaginative title out there, bar none.

Best Graphic Novel of the Year:

Pride of Baghdad - Mike Guardabascio wrote a brilliant and insightful review of this book, which we have posted in the store - check it out and give this book to all your friends who don't read comics.

Best Trend:

The return of the western - I was never a western fan, but today two of my favorite titles published are Jonah Hex and the Lone Ranger. Many of you must feel the same way, as normally you could count the sales of these types of titles on one hand (and have fingers left over), but they are both selling as well (or better) than most super-hero titles at Pulp Fiction.

Worst of:

…I think we will skip this; feel free to come by the store and ask me what I thought about most of Marvel and DC's output (when it wasn't late) last year.

Okay, on to the rest of our show…

Here are some of my thoughts on how to grow the comic book audience this year. I have broken it down into some specific suggestions for publishers, along with some ideas for (comic book) store owners, and most importantly, you the comic book reader. My plan is to expand upon these thoughts over the next several Pulp Notes columns (which will now be returning on a regular basis, with a mission!). Feel free to send me any ideas you might have so we can make 2007 a banner year for the comic book industry.

To all publishers:

Put out better, more diverse material - Note that the emphasis here is on diverse material, not more material. I have heard the arguments online that only superhero comics sell, so that is what we get. Sorry, I don't buy it. I know how much manga we sell at Pulp Fiction and I know the demographics for it. We sell almost as many copies of your average volume of Naruto as we do of the Avengers (one of our top selling comics). Moreover, all ages and both sexes are buying it. Death Note, another manga of growing popularity here, regularly outsells many DC and Marvel comics. Comic books are losing the battle for the teen and twenty something generation, and the reason is that readers (of which there are still many out there) are finding a better, more economical package in manga.

The economical part is important if you want to grow your audience, publishers. Most manga costs under $10. Compare this to your average graphic novel that cost $15-$20 or more. You can argue that comics are color and therefore cost more. While this is true, Marvel has managed to put out six highly successful Runaways (color) digests at just $7.99 and not lose money. Find a way to package the majority of your material under ten dollars and you will increase both your comic book and non comic book reading audience substantially.

In terms of reaching younger readers, I do appreciate that Marvel, DC, and Toykopop are doing so much more to reach this audience now than in years past (I include Toykopop because their cinemanga line, which adapts most of the animated movies out today, is very popular here with younger readers) - but you also need to lower the costs of your kids digests. I do a pretty good job of getting young kids intrigued by comic books. However, I probably lose half my customers (and the next generation of comic book readers) when parents see the prices on the digests (usually $6.99-7.99). There is no reason these same books cannot be published for under $5. I say this because Archie is able to put out several digests a month for $3.69 and stay profitable. Granted they are a little smaller and on newspaper stock, but parents buy them and more importantly, kids read them. If Archie can do it, so can the rest of you. Let me say this again, this is your next generation of readers. DC and Marvel, remember the 1980's, when your average to above average titles sold 200,000 to 300,000+ copies a month. Compare that to today, where it takes an incredible title to sell over 100,000 copies. We have lost two thirds of our readership in one generation. You need to do whatever it takes to rebuild your audience and create a new generation of readers.

Sturgeon's Law says that 90% of everything is crap; I don't know if this percentage is true for the "comic book" field, but it is probably not that far off - however the good material is really good right now and we can create a lot more comic book/graphic novel readers if we make people more aware. How you may ask…

Right now, just about the only graphic novels I sell the general public (by this I mean everyone but the "superhero" readers) is the Vertigo line of titles. There are a few other exceptions, such as the various Simpson's, Star Wars, and other movie/tv tie-ins, but they are few and far between. There are a lot of readers in the world, but not everyone reads everything - I know this may come as a shock to most of publishers and Pulp Fiction's customers, but most readers don't want and will never read superhero comics. If we ever want the graphic novel to be "accepted" by the general public, we need to alter our thinking and marketing - yes this means having more available than just superheroes.

There are (as least) two steps to building the graphic novel audience: (1) create a title or line that specifically targets the group you are aiming for (2) make this group aware and want what you are publishing. I think the big publishers have made some strides towards part 1 (see DC's recently announced Minx line, aimed at the teen and twenty something female audience) in the last few years, but have done a pretty poor job with part 2. An example of something great that publishers do is to provide stores with the opportunity to order 25 cent or 50 cent issues of new titles, or even gives us free items ala the Dark Tower sketchbook, however to some degree they are preaching to the choir. By this I mean that most people going to comic book stores have heard about these titles, and will read and hear about them ad nausea. What the publishers need to do is find a way to get these titles into the hands of people that have never walked into a comic book store. For books with mass appeal such as the forthcoming Dark Tower, put ads in the book sections of newspapers. For the more "adult" titles such as Sandman and Fables, give them out to colleges, movie theaters, coffee houses and wherever else their targeted audience frequents. For the more child-friendly titles, give out samples to schools and libraries. If the material is good and intriguing, readers will want more. Make sure all of these samplers have ads in the back expanding on all the titles available at your local comic book shop along with information on the comic shop locator.

Stores can help to some degree with part 2, but generally prefer to throw their (limited) resources into projects like Free Comic Book Day - yes I know the popular opinion is that this is great for the industry - while I believe all the publicity it generates doesn't hurt, it doesn't really help in the sense of bringing new, continuing readers into the store, and the resources spent on it could be put to much better use. The comic retailing community should be publishers "soldiers in the street". Give us the tools (ie more sampler books for varied markets) and let us help you get the word out. Come up with a plan to grow the graphic novel reading market (adults) or digest reading market (kids). Offer co-op advertising when a product such as Sin City or V for Vendetta hits the movie screens. I am sure other store owners have great ideas on how to reach today's readers.

A final plea...

If a movie is coming out, how about making sure the graphic novel is in-print and readily available. Dark Horse managed to not have Sin City books available when the movie came out, and many stores were not able to take advantage of all the brand new customers coming into a "comic book" store for the first time. Dark Horse, Frank Miller's 300 is around the corner, the trailers are getting great word-of-mouth, and as of today I cannot order the hardcover (and no affordable trade paperback is available). Sigh…

To all our readers:

You are the last line/best way to help create new readers. Share your favorite comics, graphic novels and mangas with your friends. If you know someone who would enjoy a particular title, gift them with it. I would be happy to give you a free sampler comic for Fables, Sandman, or Star Wars - just come to the counter and ask. We also have many "kid-friendly" comics left (including Batman, Spiderman, Archie, and Donald Duck) left over from Free Comics Day, all available for the asking.

One final note - if you are looking for a good read, check out all of Pulp Fiction's great columnists. They work hard to point you in the right direction towards the best material out there. And if you find something you really enjoy, visit the Pulp Fiction message boards and share it with your fellow readers.

Thanks to all of Pulp Fiction's great customers for making 2006 our best year yet.

See you all in 2007,
Mike <TOP>