BEST ISSUE OF 2011: CRIMINAL: LAST OF THE INNOCENT #1

Sure, it's a rip-off of the movie Garden State, but it adds murder to the equation along with a terrific mash-up of modern noir and old-school, Archie comics type story telling. Writer Ed Brubaker mines his own father's death to create a brutally emotional tale that's equal parts entertainment and grit. The entire four part series never went anywhere unfortunately but this first issue was perfect. It had to remind you of the fun and carefree days of childhood but it also reinforced the fact that you can reminisce all you want but the real world is an ugly, broken place. It was brutally honest and heartbreaking but also a joy to read in the sense that it felt alive and exciting. Truly a classic issue.

BEST WRITER OF 2011: JOE HILL

Joe Hill is doing such a fantastic job writing his series, Locke & Key. The end is near and I'm totally sad. The reason he's a good writer is the fact that he's good writing dialogue and story. His stuff is dark and uplifting, beautiful and weird, scary and engrossing. This year we got a big climax of sorts and a ton of historical back story. Hill also has a hell of a knack for creating a perfect 22 page story, almost as if he's constructing a delicate, elegant puzzle. Read the last panel of Locke & Key: Clockworks #3 and try not to feel a shudder run down your spine.

BEST ARTIST OF 2011: J.H. WILLIAMS III

Last time around, in Detective Comics, J.H. Williams III had writer Greg Rucka on board. Even without him, Batwoman is still a phenomenal read thanks to the luxuriously beautiful artwork. The panel layouts are like an acid trip but even all the tricks wouldn't help if the art wasn't so detailed and fluid and vibrant and alive. These pages truly belong in a museum...somewhere.

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.

THE STRAIN #1

They always talk about the current plethora of monster stuff like there was a period in time when there were no vampire or zombie or werewolf books, movies, or TV shows. I find that hard to believe, although there are definitely a lot more these days of this "monster" genre. I'm not sure the origin of any of them in recent time, but I think 28 Days Later kicked off the current zombie surge (yes, even though it didn't feature zombies but a zombie-like virus) and of course the Twilight quadrilogy kicked off the vampire and werewolf craze. This new comic book, which Dark Horse will be putting out over three years, is about vampires. It's also, more or less, a lot like The Passage, Justin Cronin's vampire epic. Why it's become a comic after three books have already been published can be tied to the fact that film director Guillermo Del Toro co-wrote the books. He did the two Hellboy films, Pan's Labyrinth, and recently quit directing The Hobbit. The comic is in the hands of writer David Lapham (he's been writing Deadpool Max lately) and artist Mike Huddleston. An airplane shows up with a dead crew and dead passengers and a coffin at JFK. Cue the outbreak! For a buck, it's a good read, but it's literally more of the same. When the mummy craze starts, let me know. **1/2

SWEET TOOTH #28

Just admit it, Lemire; you got the idea for this book from a Fall Out Boy video. Either way, the book is at #28 already. Jesus. I didn't think it'd last let alone contain such emotion. It's also, certainly, ultra-bleak. Hell, in this issue a group of men kill a baby.
This is part 3 of 3 of the origin (maybe) of the disease that not only spawned babies being born half-animal but also killing off most of the world's population. Written by Jeff Lemire, this side story might be the best arc of the book so far. It features an Inuit tribe in Antartica and a group of English explorers in the early part of the twentieth century. The three issues have been drawn and painted (yes, painted) by Matt Kindt. It looks wonderful. But it's also very creepy, very sad, but very interesting.
Sweet Tooth, the antler-headed boy, was apparently spawned in a laboratory. So what's this business about these Inuit people unleashing a virus or demonic curse? Does it tie in? What's the deal?
This book started off great and then got a little stale after awhile. This arc has really put new life into it. It's a gorgeous looking arc that is ultimately sad but also very well written and very interesting. & it's a killer last page. ***1/2

THUNDER AGENTS #1

One of DC's better series, Thunder Agents, was unfortunately cancelled to make way for September's big "52" number-one issues. But they brought it back for a six-issue mini-series. The problems? Artist Cafu (yes, like Prince) is gone. And it's December...meaning everything that happened in the series previously I pretty much forgot (the last issue, #10, came out on August 10th). This means I was utterly confused. Yes, I know the premise; regular people get super powers to fight evil but these powers will eventually kill them. I forget who's bad and good and I forget most of the characters. This issue doesn't exactly deliver any sort of intro or summary either, so good luck! Spencer's dialogue is king as usual, but the story is confusing and bland. The art by Wes Craig is standard. Perhaps they should have just cancelled it for good? * (out of ****)