Best of 2008 - Comics Part 2

Best miniseries - 1985 by Mark Millar and Tommy Lee Edwards (Marvel) & The Umbrella Academy: The Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba (Dark Horse)

With so many comics that were read in 2008, I was having a tough time remembering which mini-series I read this past year and after putting away my comics form the last 6 month in boxes, I stumbled across these 2 series that were really stood out as greatness.


1985 is a 6-issues miniseries from the mind of Mark Millar comes a story a bout a boy named Toby Goodman who is into comics especially the crossover of the time “Secret Wars” as he is on his way home, he encounters super-villains from the comic book world out in the real world and the story goes from there, the artwork from Edwards is simply breathtaking and very different from anything in comics right now.

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The Umbrella Academy is also a 6-issues from first-time writer Gerard Way (if that name sounds familiar, it is because he is the lead singer for the band My Chemical Romance) now usually when celebrities come to this medium the results are usually either very good ( Joss Whedon, Allan Heinberg) or very bad (Damon Lindelof) but Gerard looks like he is going to be one of the greats with Gabriel on art (Gabriel Ba and his brother Fabian Moon are one of my favorite artists) this mini-series is one of the best of 2008.



The story is about a group of heroes who are adopted at birth by Sir Reginald Hargreeves because they showed to have powers to become heroes. The series takes place in the present and in the past and it all comes to conclusion with the pending Apocalypse.




Best writer - Geoff Johns (JSA, Action Comics, Green Lantern, Etc)

"The man with the golden touch" Geoff johns has always been a great writer but it seems that this year he has surpassed everyone expectations, by writing everything from Superman, Green Lantern, The justice Society and even bringing real meaning to the Rogues, it seem like everything he write turns to gold.
Even thought he is leaving Action Comics & JSA in 2009, there is a big chance that Geoff Johns will still be my pick of best writer for 2009.





Best artist - Olivier Coipel (Thor)

Olivier artwork first stood out in the House of M mini-series but it is in Thor that his brilliance really shines.
Olivier is a french artist who signed a exclusive contract with Marvel comics in 2005 and has been drawing for them since.
In Thor not only does he capture the raw power of Thor, but he also capture the subtlety of Donald Blake, Thor alter ego.





Best Hero -Superman (Superman, Action Comics) & Batman (Batman, Detective Comics) DC Comics

This year both of this heroes went to some dramatic changes, Superman went from being the only kryptonian to being one of thousands with the "New Krypton" storyline.

While with Batman he went from dealing with the Black Glove, to having to see Catwoman have her heart literally taken out to sacrificing himself to stop Darkseid.
All year we have been given some of the best stories from these two characters in a long time and looks like 2009 will only get better.





Best Villain - Darkseid (DC Comics)

It's been a hell of a year for the New God with having to battle Jimmy Olsen on Countdown and having his heart ripped out by his Son, Orion.
But you can never keep a God down, having come back from near death take total control of the DC Universe with killing Batman being the icing of the cake.

Summer Reading Week 6

With the release date of volume 2 quickly approaching and the volume 1 hardcover out in a few days (Oct 22,2008), I properly introduce you to The Umbrella Academy.

The Umbrella Academy vol 1 : The Apocalypse Suite written by Gerald Way with art by Gabriel Ba' and Covers by James Jean

For those who is not familiar with the writer, his main occupation is lead singer of My Chemical Romance, but don't let that push you away if you are not a fan of his music.
With his first publish work, Way knock it out of the park, The story centers around a group of superheroes who are reunites after the death of their adoptive father who collected them shortly after birth and trained them to save the world from any threats.

The beautiful art is done by Gabriel Ba' who with his brother Fabian Moon are become big names in the comic industry and are by far one of my favorite artists
he just brings out the characters and puts us right in the action.



This series was a big surprised to everyone but it is a really great read, and just this past summer the umbrella academy was awarded an Eisner(which is an equivalent to an Oscars) for "Best Finite Series/Limited Series".