Weekly Awards For Comic Books From February 13, 2008

Let’s go ahead and dish out The Revolution’s weekly awards.

The nominees for the Che for the best read of the week:

Ghost Rider #20

X-Factor #28

X-Force #1

The Winner: X-Factor #28

This week was another average week. Almost all of the comic books this week were solid reads, but none of them were anything spectacular that would separate them from the rest of the pack. I enjoyed the debut issue of X-Force. I certainly found this issue to be better than my initial expectations. I’m actually excited about the fact that X-Force might actually be able to earn a spot on The Revolution’s permanent pull list.

Ghost Rider #20 was just a blast to read. It is great that Aaron has finally made this title an enjoyable read after having to suffer through Way’s dismal run. I have a positive feeling that with Aaron at the helm that we should be in store for plenty of testosterone fueled 1970’s style horror and action on this title.

In the end, I had to award the Che to X-Factor #28. David continues to crank out well crafted reads each and every month. X-Factor is easily one of Marvel’s more consistent titles. David does an excellent job handling the fallout from Messiah Complex and is turning X-Factor’s world upside down as we embark on a new direction for this team. This is certainly a good jumping on point for new readers.

And now the nominees for the Sequential Methadone Award for the worst read of the week:

New Avengers #38

The Winner: New Avengers #38

Yeah, I know I only nominated one comic book for the Sequential Methadone Award of the week. I did so because it would have been a waste of time to nominate any other issue when New Avengers #38 was practically standing on top of the highest mountain and screaming at the top of its lungs for this award.
New Avengers #38 was an abysmal read. Actually, calling this issue abysmal is an insult to abysmal comic books.
I simply cannot fathom how Bendis manages to do absolutely nothing on this title. Bendis has turned New Avengers into a Mobieus Strip where we keep looping back to where we started. We keep reading the same tired and pedantic dialogue over and over ad nauseam. Bendis hasn’t treaded new ground on New Avengers in about two to three years.
New Avengers #38 is the poster child for everything that is horrid about Bendis’ run on the Avengers. This issue was a joke. I cannot believe that I was actually reading an Avengers comic book. This issue came across like a cross between an episode of “COPS” and an episode of “As The World Turns.” I gave it 1 Night Girl out of 10 for the writing. I don’t even think I have the words in which to describe what a truly wretched read that New Avengers #38 was. I am so stunned at what Bendis is doing, or in reality, not doing on this title. I just don’t know what to say anymore. I’m speechless. New Avengers #38 was yet another wasted issue that fails to progress a single plotline. Honestly, I have never read a slower moving title than New Avengers. Bendis has managed to burn through two years worth of issues on New Avengers and not actually progress a single plotline or achieve anything of substance or merit. New Avengers truly is the very definition of the term Sequential Methadone. Bendis figures he can crank out issue after issue of the Avengers standing around debating the size and color of their navel lint and that readers will continue to purchase the next issue of the New Avengers like a junkie who can’t kick their habit.I know that Luke Cage is Bendis’ favorite character, but Bendis certainly has done Cage’s character absolutely no favors. Up until this issue, I found Cage to be incredibly stupid and a poor leader. Now, after New Avengers #38, I now find Cage to be a horrible husband, the world’s worst father and a man who would curse at his wife when ordering her to get him a beer, then curse at his wife for not getting it to him fast enough and then beat her (probably with a kick to the vagina) for the beer being too warm. Cage comes across as a complete scumbag and a total Neanderthal. And I don’t think that was Bendis’ intention.Seriously, Cage is a total douche bag as he could clearly care less about his child’s health and safety. All Cage cares about is himself and his own feelings of “RESPECT!” Cage treats his wife like dirt and his kid even worse. And to top it all off, we had to suffer through the same painfully old and moldy debate about the Registration Act between Jessica and Luke. And then we get more of the stale empty threat laden showdown between a member of the New Avengers and the Mighty Avengers that once again ends in nothing happening. Like we haven’t seen this a million times before. For the love of god, if I have to read this same philosophical argument about the Registration Act one more time I might just go insane. I get the point Bendis. You have piled driven this debate into the ground like you were the Undertaker. All of the dialogue on New Avengers is so mind numbingly repetitive. We have failed to cover any new ground since the beginning of Civil War. I don’t think that the pacing could possibly get any slower than what we continually get on New Avengers. And I don’t think that the plotting could be anymore repetitious, meandering or wandering than what we continually get on New Avengers. Of course, my opinion is irrelevant. This is merely a cathartic exercise for me. All that matter is money. New Avengers will continue to post monster sales numbers. Because, just like junkies who can’t kick the habit, comic book fans will continue to flock to this title in huge numbers each and every month. And as long as New Avengers continues to post excellent sales numbers, Marvel could care less about the quality of the work on this title. It is all about making money and make no mistake that Bendis and the New Avengers are most definitely money makers.So congrats to X-Factor #28 for winning the Che for the week and congrats to New Avengers #38 for winning the Sequential Methadone Award of the week.