During this time of the year, people tend to look back at the year that is ending. At the Revolution, we will take a look back at the year in comics. Here are the titles that I found to be among the best of 2008.
Marvel
Captain America-Any best of the year list has to include Cap. Brubaker has done a fantastic job with this series from the start. This year saw the conclusion of the storyline begun in issue 1. Bucky is now installed as the new Cap and it seems like a natural passing of the baton. Many times the switch of the person behind the mask seems forced. Not in this case. Hats off to Burbaker and the staff of artists.
Nova-DnA has revitalized the Marvel cosmic characters. Nova has managed to show what happened to the supporting cast from the original series and continue the cosmic stories. DnA has given the fans the perfect mix of Earth based and cosmic stories. I look forward to seeing where this goes next year.
X-Men Noir-I wanted to mention the great first issue to this series. It looks to be one of the top mini-series of 2009.
Captain Britain and MI13-Cornell and Kirk have taken the British corner of the Marvel universe and made it their own. The only thing that disappointed me was the death of John the Skrull. He was one of my favorites. I like the setup with the British government. Cornell also has the team making choices that later have consequences. Too many series don’t show the effects of heroes choices. Great mesh of story and art.
Captain Marvel-Some reviewers trashed this mini-series. I thought it was great. The revelation of Captain Marvel being a Skrull spy was classic. The Skrull actually believed that he was the real Captain. When the original Cap appeared, he was a representative of a hostile empire. He deserted to help defend the Earth. This story followed the same concept. In the Secret Invasion, the Skrull Cap sided with the Earth. I hope his story continues.
Young X-Men-I thought this series kept the spirit of the original X-Men. It was fun watching the new team come together. It will be interesting watching this team develop.
Daredevil-Brubaker lost some steam with this series but it continued being a good book. Not up to the level of his Captain America but still a quality read. The art continues to be top notch.
DC
Batman-In my book, Batman written by Morrison is one of the best books on the market. This series kept me guessing. I was always on the edge of my seat when a new issue was published. Tony Daniel’s art improved with every issue. It was great taking a look back at the old time Bat-stories.
Detective-Paul Dini shines when he writes Batman. He showed a mastery of the longer length story with the Heart of Hush storyline. His characterizations were right on. The only drawback to this series was the art.
JSA-Geoff Johns(aided by Alex Ross and various artists) shows how to do a team book. The “One World Under Gog” story seemed too long but it was never boring. Johns does some of his best work on this title.
All-Star Superman-The Superman title of the year. Morrison presented a text book on how to handle Superman. One of my favorite stories of the year was the issue were Superman created a miniture Earth to let him see what would happen if there was no Superman. A must read title.
Nightwing-Tomasi found the perfect way to handle Nightwing. Mix James Bond, a superhero, and a circus performer and you have a great series. The art by Kramer and Morales were a good fit for the title. If you didn’t read this, pick up the collections.
Final Crisis-A series that must be re-read to really understand and enjoy. If you were looking for an easy read, this was not the series for you. I am reserving final judgement until the series ends but it was one of the most anticipated stories of the year.
Green Lantern-Johns and various artists continue to prove why Green Lantern is a great series. Even the “Secret Origin” storyline was able to expand the mythos without ruining it. One of the best superhero books of the year.
Image
Savage Dragon-Larsen continues to deliver one of the most fun series of the year. Pick this up for a fix of pure superhero drama.
Invincible-Kirkman does an amazing job on this series. I have re-read the older issues many times and still enjoy them.
4 thoughts on “Best of the Year 2008”
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my list would be pretty much the same as yours. I would add Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers the initiative, and Project Superpowers and take out Nightwing, Detective comics and Captain Marvel. Also for me Final Crisis would be the main series and all the tie ins too.
also I would add Secret Six too
Why isn’t Hercules on your list? Isn’t it enough that a comic is a great read every issue?
-Timber
YOUNG X-MEN being cancelled as of # 12, I’m afraid any interest in the development of said team shall be short-lived.