Review: Sleepy Hollow #3 (of 4)

This series opened with some promise but quickly devolved into a mish-mash of The Crow, Pumpkinhead, and Tim Burton’sSleepy Hollow; however, this comic series never fleshed out its own identity. Flashbacks show the plan leading up to Craig’s death.  Present time narration follows the Headless Horseman revenant hunting down those responsible for the young man’s death.

While AC Osorio’s artwork adequately tells the story visually, I found certain illustrations to be troublesome.  On page 14 Mike encounters the Horseman.  One panel shows half Mike’s head and half of what looks like a desiccated face.  Was this meant to be the Horseman getting into his head?  The key is that this introduces the flashback of the gang planning the prank on Craig.  But the overall effect of the images makes for a confusing set of images.

As far as the story is concerned, nothing unique or different takes place in this issue.  As mentioned, the avenging ghost theme becomes the focal point of the story.  And, unfortunately, that is a tale told too often.  Funny that so many creators and writers worked on something that would end up being so unoriginal.

Score: 2/5

Story: Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, and Raven Gregory Writer: Dan Wickline Artist: AC Osorio Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment Price: $2.99 Release Date: 12/26/12

Pixar Artist Sets Out To Design 365 New Superheroes

Pixar artist Everett Downing began a project three years ago to create 365 new superheroes and his goal is to finish sometime in 2013. It seems like a strange goal to finish something during such a hefty amount of time, but hey whatever gets the project finished. You can check out all 289 characters on Downing's site, but here are some of my favorites for you to check out.

Someone's Looking Chic For Their New Years Party in an Iron Man Cocktail Dress

Although this dress isn't the best fitting, or made out of fabric that looks comfortable, it has a cool background. Originally this concept was created by artist Kelsey Michelle who made some drawings of female Avenger's in formal dresses. Then Spwinkles (as she's known on Deviantart) made the dress come to life! You can see the original drawing after the jump to compare and then also wonder why she didn't make the Hulk dress instead.

Source: Fashionably Geek

Finish The End of The Year With Some Ms. Marvel Body Paint Cosplay

Today is the last day of 2012 and it's been a fucktastic year for most people. Sure someone will look back fondly on 2012, but it won't be me. I can count all the good shit that happened to me on one hand and then I would probably break a finger or some shit. Well fuck me right? Any ways, enjoy this Ms. Marvel cosplay done with all body paint!

Source: GeekxGirls

Episode 62: The Chipothy Saga

Well I hate to say it but the trio that makes up the CBMFP is currently scattered into the wind which means we were unable to record a brand spanking new episode for you this week. We did however make a plan for such an event and have collected all of our ending segments for you to enjoy in one sitting. If you're unfamiliar with the ending of our show because you turn us off the minute someone says Google Plus then you've been missing out on some classic radio style storytelling! Sit back and get ready for that intense music bed that makes me laugh literally every time I hear it and fear not we'll return next week with a new episode and maybe even the next chapter of this saga! Happy New Year Bastards!

Someone Took The Time To Make Alison Brie Captain America

That is all...

There’s No Such Thing As A Better Peter Parker

Amazing Spider-Man #700 hit stands and after weeks of Dan Slott telling us to wait to put it into context; it’s still a hard pill to swallow. I will be talking about the events of Amazing Spider-Man #700 in full detail so if you haven’t read the issue and somehow managed to not have it spoiled for you weeks ago, then consider this your warning. ASM #700 concludes the storyline in which Doctor Octopus switches brains with Peter Parker after basically re-writing the code of each of their brains. This leaves Peter Parker in his dying body while he’s able to run amok in his healthy, strong body. Peter doesn’t quit though and manages to launch a final assault on Octo-Spidey with a code re-write of his own. The problem is that in the few short hours as Spider-Man, Doc Ock has upgraded the fabric of his suit so that the octoball cannot penetrate the fabric, it does however give him all of Peter’s memories all at once and in some magical way force him to experience them in his own mind. As Peter dies, Doc Ock or Octo-Spidey promises to be a better Spider-Man/Peter Parker.

A better Peter Parker? What I find funny about this is Slott himself said that Peter Parker is like us, he doesn’t always win; he sometimes fails and that’s what makes him unlike any other superhero. It’s true, Peter is… was unlike any superhero. He was the most relatable hero and is countless comic fans favorite hero. After the success of the first trilogy of movies he ranked in the top three most recognized superheroes on the planet next to Batman and Superman. Yet Marvel has found yet another new way to push fans away from this beloved character. A simple search of the internet will show you that many people love the character, but don't read the comic.

There is no such thing as a better Peter Parker or Spider-Man for that matter. Sure, Octo-Spidey can build a better suit and think of better ways to use the webbing and maybe even different ways to make his relationships work, but none of that should ever have been outside of Peter’s wheelhouse and if it was then we needed better writers. Ones that didn't limit the character and themselves.

There’s an obvious level of interest in this new direction for Spider-Man, much like there was after “One More Day”, and I’m sure that some people will be on board for the changes and reading the awkwardness of Octo-Spidey as he learns to be Peter until the reprogramming wears off. But for me, watching a villain learn why his counterpart was so amazing isn’t interesting at all; in fact it’s the laziest form of storytelling I can think of. Sure there will be comedy as Octo-Spidey must learn to adapt to the many roles of Spidey’s life, but that’s shortsighted and not exactly though provoking. There is no real character development there that cannot be found in any version of Freaky Friday. It’s lazy because it shows that Marvel and its stable of writers have no idea what to do with Peter Parker other than simply kill him.

After all it worked for Ultimate Spider-Man right? Granted that turned out to be something refreshing and interesting, but was set in a very different universe with a different history of events. The fact remains that Marvel just doesn’t know what to do with the guy from Queens that everyone relates to. I remember when they announced that they were cancelling all of the Spider-Man titles other than Amazing and shipping the book more often to make up the lack in sales. I wondered then and I wonder today why they cannot manage to sell Spider-Man comics the way they do Avengers or X-Men? He’s the third most popular superhero on the planet and while his counterparts manage to have a top ten or fifteen title each month year after year, while ASM comes in the twenties if he's lucky. It basically doesn’t crack the top ten unless it has a huge storyline happening and while the top twenty is very good for most books… this is Spider-Man we’re talking about.

What Marvel and Dan Slott obviously don’t get is that unlike other superheroes, Spider-Man is just the costume. I know in recent years he’s referred to himself as Spidey when thinking during a battle, but he shouldn’t because he’s Peter Parker. He’s always Peter Parker. Sure he’s tried to hang up the Spider-Man tights numerous times over the years, but he can’t. Not because he can’t stop being Spider-Man which is the lie he always tells himself, but rather because he can’t change who he is at his core. Take away the powers and his life still comes with a great amount of responsibility and that’s something you can’t just teach someone else through a sixty-second flashback of your life.

Superior Spider-Man is an interesting experiment; one that could have been conducted in a mini-series away from the continuum that everybody reads. Marvel is so quick to change their characters to diversify them for the sake of diversity without any thought of how fans actually see the character. I remember an issue that Paul Jenkins wrote of Spider-Man that was about an African-American boy who was sick and wanted to see Spider-Man and when Spidey pulled back his mask, he was African-American too. That’s how I see Peter Parker and Spider-Man, he’s not a specific national origin, he’s not one specific genre of people, he’s not limited to one area of the country. He’s the most relatable comic book character ever because he’s me… he’s you… he’s everyone that picks up the comic and that seems to be something Marvel has long forgotten.

Now That's A Good Comic Book Tattoo: 80's X-Men Line Up

It's simple, it's very detailed and has gorgeous coloring. If you're going to do a comic book tattoo this is the direction to go instead of a giant movie version of Batman punching out the joker on half your torso.

Everything Wrong With: The Dark Knight Rises

I know it's Christmas, but this is the one I've been waiting for and man he nails it. If you've been enjoying the series this is the best one yet in my opinion and I'm not just saying that because I'm not a big fan of the latest Batman trilogy. Sit back and enjoy the holidays and this funny video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2tE-BCwZtw

Rogue Is Also The Silver Surfer... In This Cosplay Set

I don't know if that blatantly obvious Rogue costume was supposed to be visible or if we were to take some narrative from this photo shoot that indicates that touching the silver surf board turns you into the Silver Surfer, but this cosplay sucks. It's not even rewarding seeing her silver boobies, it's just weird. If you have a half chub right now you need to talk to your family because you might have tumor or something. Enjoy!

Review: Pirate Eye – Mark of the Black Widow (One-Shot)

Pirate Eye has to be one of the inadvertently funniest things I’ve ever read. Make no mistake this is a very serious story, but the concept behind it is just humorous to me. Why no one else has thought to make a Pirate a Private Eye is beyond me, but I’m glad that it exists. This quirky story manages to capture the formula of the genre while staying true to the era in which it takes place and is actually a great issue. It begins as it always does in a P.I. story, with a drunk waiting for someone to come to his office and give him work. Govenor Greyflask has come to the man simply known as Smitty for his assistance. He’s fallen in love with a girl at the brothel, but before he brings her home to be his mistress/house keeper he needs to verify one thing. See the woman has a mark on her, a mark that signifies that she’s killed a man before and he doesn’t want to bring her in to his home if she has. Smitty coheres half of his fee out of the man before setting out on what he thinks will be an easy enough payday. He stops by a bar and begins asking questions until he dupes a man to start telling him stories about local whores. He finds out that there are three new ones at Madame Collette’s but that one of them is in fact marked, though no man can verify it. Smitty hates brothels but it looks like he has no choice but to visit the woman and ask her some questions, but not before paying his dues to Parrot the Kingpin of the town.

This really is your typical P.I. story, but the thing about all P.I. stories is that the journey and twists are what makes it interesting. This story is not without its twists and turns and like any good story of its nature there are plenty of great characters. I think that’s what I was drawn to the most was not only the character of Smitty, but the supporting cast as well. It’s a very rich world that the characters have and the story makes you want to dig deeper into Smitty’s past and the town as well.

The art reminds me a lot of Alex Maleev’s style in many ways, but largely due to how the dialog panels were laid out. Since a lot of the story is conversations and not everyone twitches into a different pose every two seconds it’s always nice to see two characters staring each other down. Yonder does a great job with the details and making this mostly dialog story interesting and does a great job of visually telling the story as much as the narration and dialog does.

The story and art, work very well together and support each other to produce a great story. After seeing the preview I can’t say that I was shocked by how good it turned out, but I never expected this to be this damn good. The crazy thing is that if this was just another P.I. story and not set during the time of Colonialism and Pirates, it would still be a great story and that’s the true sign of a timeless tale.

Score: 5/5

Writer: Josiah Grahn Artist: Carl Yonder Publisher: Action Lab Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 12/19/12

Start Your Morning Right With Dr. Sela Mathers Cosplay

You know what has always bothered me about this character? She dresses like Snow White, but has a different name and always wears glasses... to be honest I didn't even know the character's name until this post and something tells me that others are the same way. She's from Grimm Fairy Tales by the way; the longest running book from Zenescope. I don't personally enjoy the title, but you probably have enjoyed some covers with the character and now you have some cosplay. Lastly, don't ask me why the model/cosplayer is pouting her lips so much.

Review: Iron Style #1

Iron Style is an anthology style comic book from Australia with a focus on Manga or Shonen styled stories. I was sent the first issue from publisher Ashcan Comics and told a little about the company in the process to which you can check out their website for more information. The anthology is about 75 pages split between four stories, each obviously by a different set of creators. The first story “Path of the Slayer” is definitely the most Manga influenced in terms of art style and even story structure. The opening shows an epic battle in a cathedral between what looks like angels and a woman that’s wiping the floor with them. After the battle continues for a few pages it jumps twelve years in the past showing the same woman acting as a mere house servant. We’re introduced to other characters including a young Master Jed who is a Slayer. The story isn’t bad, but it’s clear that this is an epic tale that will span many chapters. I don’t think it was the strongest story to open the book with considering it essentially starts at the end of the story and then starts over. Once I got to the actual character introductions I liked it, but my initial thoughts were, “What’s happening in this story?” The art style was very good and I loved the usage of grey scale as it gave it a pure manga look. I’m looking forward to checking out more for sure.

The next tale, “Super Actions Team XD” had to be one of the coolest and funniest stories of the book. The story follows Lantern Jack as he’s tracking the spirit trail of someone named Kodo, he and his floating jack o'lantern head come across some robots and a fight breaks out. During the fight a man with a dog mask shows up and steals the info that Jack was looking for and takes off. What was really enjoyable about this story was the RPG style self-awareness that it had. When Jack begins to fight it shows his level, abilities and his weaknesses and immunities; it’s very cool, but what is cooler is that everyone in the world is aware of their level. The story was a fun romp and all the video game references were cool and not overbearing. I really enjoyed the detailed and gritty art style as well.

The third story, “Die, die, die” is essentially about a band traveling in a post-apocalyptic world playing gigs and kicking ass. They’re attacked and forced to stop off at a mall in order to get new equipment and things go wrong of course. I don’t think this particular story was for me; sure I liked the vibe of the world, but it was a bit too transparent with its format and structure. I got the feeling that I had read the story somewhere before, which doesn’t mean that it’s bad by any means. I’m sure that it’s a great exposure for others, but I just didn’t take anything new or exciting from it.

The last story was by far the best. It’s called “Money and Vile Means” and follows a group of traders that discover a planet not on the space charts. They decide that instead of reporting it, that’ll begin using it for their own benefit. The problem is their scientist disagrees with the crew’s decision. As they gear up to leave they’re attacked by a strange creature that begins picking them off one by one. The story is pretty obvious, but it’s really well executed and reminded me of something out of the later versions of Twilight Zone or Outer Limits. The art style was also least Manga infused, but it worked incredibly well with the story.

Overall I think it’s a great first issue and captures the Shonen style of comic book that it set out to capture in the first place. The mixture of stories has a bit of everything allowing people to pick their favorites to look forwards to, while still enjoying the rest of the tales. All of the writing is very strong and the art is at a professional level. If you’re interested in the title you may need to wait to purchase it as the publisher is crowdsourcing a campaign to get the book in print. You can help fund it here or stay tuned to their website for more details.

Score: 4/5

Credit’s in order of the stories Writers: Kade Morton, Zac Smith-Cameron, JJ McGhie, Kade Morton Artists: Rachel Foo, Emmanuel Hernaez, Karina E Parks, Daniel Watts Publisher: Ashcan Comics Website: Ashcan.com.au

Comixology Link - $1.99

The Best Man Of Steel Trailer Yet! The Homemade Version: Side-by-Side Comparison

Oh man, Dustin McLean and his friends over at DustFilms be crazy for this one. Enjoy their shot-by-shot of the upcoming Superman flick! FUN! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmeeKxD2CxE

WTF Review: Wake the Fuck Up

This book wins my vote for worst original graphic novel/one-shot of 2012, hands down, no contest… winner.  This is literally one of the worst things I have ever read in my life. You may remember this book from the widely publicized announcement that Bill Jemas the co-writer of this… books return to comics. Bill Jemas used to run Marvel Comics in case you were wondering and for some reason left while the company was all but at the top their game. Wake the Fuck Up is about a boy and a girl, but it’s not a fucking love story or maybe it is, who the fuck knows. Instead it spans a decade of time that covers some of our economies roughest times… viewed through the eyes of children… that talk like adults. Also there are only 25 drawings in the entire book, but you’ll get to see each of them twice! The first twenty-five pages are a really bad poem; I guess you would call it a poem. The “poem” is in a way told through the parent’s perspective about their lazy children and each verse ends with “fuck”, but they’re too scared to spell it, so much like on the cover they censor it.

The second set of the same twenty-five pages are from the children’s perspectives and it’s long winded conversations slapped on top of one piece of art and usually has nothing to do with the art. They speak like adults regardless of their age and one of them has an obsession with Dinosaurs that isn’t funny and his dad really hates him for it and I can't blame him. I mean I like dinosaurs, but this kid is just an asshole about it.

Their relationship is never established. Are they friends, separated siblings, neighbors, what the fuck is their relationship? Granted the book isn’t about that, it’s about making social commentary on the economy over the past decade with the gift of foresight attached to it. A little girl who has no access to the mortgage paperwork suddenly knows all of the hidden clauses that will one day cause her mom to lose their house because she’s good at math and can read a newspaper? The boy takes classes to learn how to program phone apps and never creates one of his own, but he’s also bad at math… that’s gotta be the reason right? Then they go to occupy Wall Street after we already know that it’s over and that’s where the story ends. All I could think was "Thank god it's over!"

All I took from this book was that they creators didn’t like the fact that the government bailed out the banks and car companies and may have been fucked over on the housing bubble. And maybe we would have gone through a second depression where everyone pulled their money out of the banks and we would all be driving Toyotas, Hondas and Kias as our only car choice, but what’s done is done. This comic not only fails to tell an actual story, but it also fails to bring anything new to the argument of “What we should have done”, it’s just soured people taking up the only soapbox they have available. This is not only a terrible comic, but it’s just a terrible waste of time as well. I’m all for social commentary in comics, but social commentary is more than just saying “Hey, that thing that happened… I didn’t like it”, I can hear that shit in the line at the grocery store I don’t need to read it in a comic book.

Score: WTF

Writers: Bill Jemas & Eric Dietel Pencils: JJ Dzialowski Publisher: Zenescope Price: $2.99

Disney Steam Punk Princesses Anyone?

I don't really need to say a whole lot here do I? Everyone loves the Princesses and while there's one extra at the end that's not a princess per se, it works well enough. Enjoy.

This Batman Chess Set Cost Some Serious Guap

Even Bruce Wayne would be like WTF at the price tag to this chess set. But if money ain't no thang and you have $795.00 to drop on this bad boy, I say go get'em playa!

A press of the Batman symbol illuminates 50 LED lights encircling the clear playing surface that lights the board, the Gotham cityscape underneath and projects a Bat-Signal to the sky. No detail has been overlooked in this ultimate Batman collector's chess set. The joker, Catwoman, Riddler and penguin battle Batman, Robin, Batgirl and commissioner Gordon. The oversized board measures 20 inches in length on each side. Playing pieces measure between 2 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches tall and are made in fine pewter and diecast metal.

Source: The Noble Collection

Episode 61: The Comic Bastards' 2012 Comic Book Round-Up Part 2 - The Bad

Well we've posted our lists, both good and bad, and now it's time for the second podcast covering all of the BAD from comic books in 2012. If you didn't hear the first episode covering all of the GOOD then give it a listen here. You may have noticed that the last episode was a bit shorter than usual, well good news everybody this episode is longer than usual. We just took those missing ten minutes and slapped it on this episode. Tons of laughs up ahead so enjoy as we give the comic industry the business.

SuperFuckers: Episode 4 - Burger Brothers

This show makes me cry it's so good. I have no words for this episode, just watch it. Uncensored after the jump as usual. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QjD6r0yfBI

2012 Comic Book Round-Up - Part 1 - The Good

If you listened to this week's podcast then you've been waiting for this list to grace the site. It's a long list so sit down and get compfy. If you didn't listen to the podcast and for some reason hate reading then you can listen to the episode here. And now, congrats to all our winners!

Book(s) of the Year

Deadhorse #5 (215 Ink)

This is probably one of the greatest single issues I've ever read. I still think of this issue months after reading it because it was so phenomenal. The dream sequence was unlike anything I've ever read in comics and while it had a Twin Peaks vibe to it, it managed to be something entirely new to the world of comics. I recommend reading the series as well, but this issue stood out the most to me from the entire year. It's the perfect balance between writing and art and that's why it has my pick for the best of the year. -Dustin

Spider-Men #4 (Marvel Comics)

An issue full of strong character moments that harkened back to what made Ultimate Spider-Man so fantastic at the beginning of the series. This mini-crossover event had its ups and downs, but this issue stood out for the great dialogs. This issue was the best Bendis had to offer. -Kevin

Goon #39 (Dark Horse Comics)

Not only is The Goon deliver great story, laughs, and art on a monthly basis, the comic now serves as a historical chronicle of the comic book industry from 2000-2012. The satire, although pointed and harsh, succeeds in showing the faults and failings of the medium. Eric Powell writes and illustrates this book, and not one issue has scored lower than perfect in my reviews. -Carl

The Manhattan Projects #5 (Image Comics)

TMP #5 is one of those very rare examples of a comic which somehow manages to hit every single beat within the limited space of a single issue. It features character development, swift plot progression, surprise, action, moments of dark humour, a scattering of sci-fi concepts, and the promise of even greater enemies to come (as well as a Jonathan Hickman infographic too). Nick Pitarra's unique and highly detailed artwork brilliantly captures the emotional range of the characters involved and his designs for the various aliens manage to be grotesque, amusing and highly threatening all at once. It's the best individual issue of a monthly comic I've read this year. -Ed

Honorable Mention

Bedlam #1 (Image Comics)

Book of 2011 We're Still Talking About

Pinpoint #1 (Big Dog Ink)

Every time I read and an awesome action sequence I think of this book and maybe one day something will take its place and I'll stop talking about it, but until then you should try and buy it. -Dustin

Seeds (Com.x)

I always find myself thinking about that book, so many touching moments to relate to. It’s a modern day classic. -Kevin

Journey into Mystery (Marvel Comics)

Kieron Gillen has crafted an emotionally resonant and frequently humorous story out of the obscure magical corners of Marvel's universe, taking the broken villain Loki and reinventing him as a vulnerable anti-hero in his early teens. Journey has been beautifully illustrated by its various artists and the level of care and craft that's gone into every issue radiates from the page. Somehow it has managed to survive the curse of the 'event tie-in story' and emerged from 2011's Fear Itself and continued through two 2012 crossovers as one of the finest and most moving comics that Marvel has published in a long time. -Ed

Best Childhood Revival

Battle Beasts (IDW Publishing)

This property was handled with so much care and forethought that it really was a great mini-series that has the potential to do more. It reminded me a lot of the way the Turtles were handled last year and that's a good thing. -Dustin

Mars Attacks (IDW Publishing)

The trading card series came out before I was born, but for a revival title, the book provided a surprising amount of fun. -Carl

TMNT Color Classics (IDW Publishing)

I'd be lying if I said I was a fan of Eastman & Laird's original TMNT comics in the 1980s (I was barely alive when they first published) but I loved the 90s cartoon series and it's been nothing less than an absolute joy to read IDW's full color reprints of the gritty comics which started the franchise. -Ed

Best Mini-Series

Night of 1,000 Wolves (IDW Publishing)

I almost forgot about this series, but then after looking back on the year I remembered who fantastic this series was. Its story was crafted so perfectly and the art was equally wonderful. If you haven't checked out this series you’re only cheating yourself. -Dustin

Swerve (Arcana)

A crime fiction hidden within the world of Wrestling set in the 70’s. You don’t need to know wrestling to appreciate this story, full of gun running and crime, but it’s quite enjoyable if you do. -Kevin

Baltimore: Dr. Leskovar’s Remedy (Dark Horse Comics)

I found the eerie tone, the unique art, and the original story engrossing. This was a great departure from the atypical horror tales. With the setting of post WWI Europe, the comic provided an alluring, new take on the vampire hunter motif. -Carl

Punk Rock Jesus (Vertigo Comics)

A daring indictment of religious extremism and the mass media's greed and celebrity obsessed culture, Sean Murphy's PRJ has consistently impressed me from the outset. Murphy's black and white artwork is as powerful and engaging as his story, putting most full color comics to shame by comparison. It's rare to see a story in any medium which succeeds at blending harrowing personal tragedies and big social themes as seamlessly as PRJ does. Trust me; you won't want to miss this when it's collected in trade. -Ed

Honorable Mentions

Godzilla: Half Century War (IDW Publishing), Ex Sanguine (Dark Horse Comics), Witch Doctor (Skybound Entertainment), Stumptown vol. 2 (Oni Press), The Victories (Dark Horse Comics)

Best Ongoing Series

Mind MGMT (Dark Horse Comics)

It took me a while to narrow this down, but after a lot of debate with myself I had to go with Mind MGMT. It’s a series that caught me by surprise. Not only is the writing and art fantastic, but the world and concept are rich and well thought out. I really can only think of a few other series that I look forward to reading each month as much as I do this one. The first story arc wrapped and left me dying for the next chapter of the story to begin. As long as Mind MGMT is being published, I'm there for it. - Dustin

Harbinger (Valiant Comics)

This book started off as just an honorable mention, but after a lot of thought there was no way I wasn't going to pull double duty and give this book ongoing of the year as well. If Valiant were to produce only one series it would be this one. Month after month it manages to improve and suprise, but at the same time being an incredible read. -Dustin

Crossed: Badlands (Avatar Press)

I love this world and now that it comes out more often, I think I'm going to cry. -Kevin

X-O Manowar (Valiant Comics)

Despite a forced crossover with Ninjak that diluted the focus from Aric, X-O moves with a lightning pace, has an outstanding premise, and builds up to a huge climax. -Carl

Prophet (Image Comics)

I'm a sucker for high-concept science fiction and Brandon Graham's re-launch of Prophet delivers that in spades. Every issue is packed with action and adventure, set in the far reaches of time and space, and throws out more alien ideas and weirdness than anything else I've seen. It's like a fusion of Conan and a deep space safari, seemingly inspired by the early Heavy Metal comics. The art is always incredible and in order to keep to the monthly schedule Prophet is produced by a rotating group of artists with each working on a different character's perspective and storyline. It's a complex and ambitious comic and I can't get enough of it. Most of the backup comics have been brilliant too. - Ed

Honorable Mentions

Revival (Image Comics)

Best Original Graphic Novel

Friends with Boys (First Second) and Siegfried (Archaia Entertainment)

If you asked me to pick between these two books I would tell you I found it almost impossible to pick between the ten original graphic novels that I originally had. Friends with Boys is a book is a book that I will never forget reading and will revisit often because I loved the characters and the world so much. Siegfried is a book that is completely different, but equally as good. Its art is fantastic and haunts my imagination. It's also a book that I will revisit and enjoy for years to come. -Dustin

Superman - Earth One Vol. 2 (DC Comics)

This is Superman and JMS at their best. A stunning follow up that managed to capture all of the magic of the first volume and was everything the Batman book wasn't. -Kevin

Wild Children (Image Comics)

Initially it's about a group of rebellious teenager taking over their high school, Wild Children morphs into a mind bending meta-fiction exploring the nature of adulthood, perception, our sense of self and how stories can change our reality. Remarkably it's Ales Kot's debut comic, with Riley Rossmo providing experimentally structured artwork. It's the most intellectually demanding and ambitious comic I've read in 2012 and even those who think it fell short of its lofty intentions should applaud the effort. I certainly do. -Ed

Honorable Mentions

Sumo (First Second), August Moon (Top Shelf Productions)

Best One-Shot

Dracula World Order: The Beginning

This self-produced one-shot caught everyone by surprise. So much so that it went back to the printers for a second run. It was a fresh take on vampires with a strong mix of talented artists. -Dustin

Witch Doctor: The Resuscitation (Skybound Entertainment)

Great humor, excellent allusions to horror elements, and a plot unlike any other story made this one-shot a great comic. -Carl

Chew: Secret Agent Poyo (Image Comics)

Poyo works as a standalone but also ties directly into Chew and like the main series it's an anarchic and absurdly funny story, only now it stars a homicidal cyborg chicken. Rob Guillory's comedic art style sets the tone for Chew, elevating John Layman's script for Poyo to new heights of hilarity and handles the action scenes very effectively too. 100% pure fun guaranteed. -Ed

Honorable Mention

Brody's Ghost - The Midnight Train and Other Tales (Dark Horse Comics), House of Fun (Dark Horse Comics)

Best Mega Indie Book

Dead Man's Party (Double Cross Comics)

This book has it all, great writing and story with fantastic art. We all love the hit-man genre (and if you don't that's on your crappy childhood) and this book tackles the always interesting Hit-man vs Hit-man storyline in a new and interesting way. -Dustin

Gross Grandpa (Josh Filler)

This book was a fun read. You can’t take yourself so seriously while reading it and it has a lot of wieners in it. -Kevin

Tommy (Creature Entertainment)

Creature Entertainment's twisted tale of a wicked bunny made me laugh and feel uncomfortable at the same time. I loved every minute of it. -Carl

Best Collected Work or Trade

Manara Erotica Vol. 1 (Dark Horse Comics)

This was my first exposure to Milo Manara. Since then he's become one of my favorite illustrators ever. Erotica seems to have a bad name in the world, but if anyone read this then they wouldn't think so anymore. Dark Horse did a fantastic job of collecting Manara's work and releasing it for a new generation to enjoy, like myself. -Dustin

Rachel Rising: Volumes 1 and 2 (Abstract Studios)

I can be a little difficult to get a hold of the singles and sure there's always digital bit this is something you need to hold. -Kevin

Nexus: Omnibus Vol. 1 (Dark Horse Comics)

It’s a space sci-fi superhero comic, but it's also a lot more than that. Nexus is intricately layered with a complex web of intrigues, sub-plots and big philosophical ideas, accompanied throughout by moments of humor and pathos. Every character has their own personal flaws and network of relationships, while the plots offer no easy answers for our heroes or us as readers. It also happens to be a rip-roaring action spectacle with great artwork to boot. Omnibus 1 is just out and at almost 400 pages long deserves a place in everyone's collection. -Ed

Honorable Mention

Scott Pilgrim Colored Hardcover – Volumes 1 and 2 (Oni Press)

Best All Ages Title/Book

Northern Adventures Quarterly #1 (Frozen Light Comics)

A lot of series claim to be for all ages, but that usually just means it's written for children. True all ages means that there is something for everyone and that's exactly what this book was. It had action, mystery and interesting new characters that adults and children could be interested in. -Dustin

Archie (Archie Comics)

Archie--he's going on adventures with KISS, dudes are getting married to dudes. It shows kids that the world is going to be awesome when you grow up. -Kevin

Peanuts (Kaboom)

People who write the stories from this comic clearly respect Charles Schulz and the legacy of Charlie Brown. When I see a comic book that acts as a great entry point for a child to start loving comics, I am happy. Books like Peanuts mean that new generations of fans will be introduced to GREAT comic books. -Carl

Best Movie/TV/Video Game Adaptation

Husbands (Dark Horse Comics)

Based off the Web-series this comic doesn't exactly tie-in to the show, but makes great use of the characters as it throws them into different comic and story genres to teach them moral lessons. A great read with a huge talent pool of artists. -Dustin

Dragon Age: Minis (Dark Horse Comics)

Lose the video game shackles and this is still a top tier action adventure book. -Kevin

Best Digital Only Title

The October Girl (Monkey Brain Comics)

Not only did the covers blow me away, but the art inside was just as good. This book showed just how powerful a digital only title could be and I'm looking forward to more. -Dustin

You have fifteen pages to make me a believer in your story. Congratulations Matthew Dow Smith you did that is spades. -Kevin

The Highs - The Events and News Stories 2012 Will Be Remembered For

The Summer of Valiant

Valiant Comics returned this year and it was big. Not only did they do some amazing pre-launch work with their marketing, but they delivered big name creative talents on all of their titles. The results? A great re-launch of the company and five monthly titles that have all been rather outstanding and consistently good. It was a welcomed return for the company. -Dustin

Great stories don't need to be retold. Valiant didn't just spin out reissues of the stuff from the 90s. They re-launched with a series of NEW stories with old characters. And the result? Damn, do those Valiant books kick ass. -Carl

Marvel NOW!

This could have been massive event that could have changed everything. With the popularity explosion that the brand is on with Joe Public Marvel could have brought a million on-lookers into the comic world. Instead they took the movies and put them into the comics. -Kevin

An Entire Year of Consistently Brilliant New Series from Image Comics

I can't even count how many amazing new comics have been launched by Image this year, let alone fit them all into my monthly budget. They've certainly made their 20th anniversary year something to remember. -Ed

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out our Worst of 2012 List coming soon!