THE BEST OF 2011

It's 2012 already and, honestly, it won't be as big a year for comics as 2011 was. Sure, Marvel killed off The Human Torch (turns out he was never dead), Thor, Captain America (not only is Bucky Barnes back but he has a new series), and Spider-Man (granted, it was Ultimate Spider-Man), and did put out a slew of #1 books like Daredevil, The Mighty Thor, The Incredible Hulk, and The Punisher, and split the X-Men into two groups, and had a major Spider-Man epic (Spider Island! Mostly silly)...but DC got all the press. DC re-booted every book in September with new #1 issues and new creative teams. It was exciting, sure, and ended up mostly hit-or-miss, but it did bring some new life into comic book stores for a month. As for the indies and semi-indies? Joe Hill ruled on Locke & Key. Joe Benitez drew the shit out of Lady Mechanika. Brubaker delivered the best Criminal issue yet. Kick-Ass didn't get soft. Savage Dragon died and returned and celebrated #175 (with the same writer/artist...quite the feat). Chew rocked as usual. The Walking Dead went mainstream but stayed dry. Terry Moore put out a new, super-creepy series with Rachel Rising. & while comics seem to be dying (go to a store and everyone is my age)...it doesn't mean they're not as fun & as entertaining as ever. It was an epic year.