I can't believe a mystical gunfighter comic set in the post Civil War era is one of my favorite titles of the year. Sixth Gun from Brian Hurtt & Cullen Bunn tells the story of gunfighter Drake Sinclair who is on the run with six enchanted pistols and an innocent girl named Becky. This year Sixth Gun was optioned by the SyFy network to be turned into a television series. The first two collections Cold Dead Hand & Crossroads are available in stores now.
Butcher Baker, The Righteous Maker is one of those titles that is the perfect combination of ground breaking artwork and high concept storytelling. Joe Casey & Mike Huddleston deliver the story of Butcher Baker, the former preeminent All-American superhero. This is definitely an adult title complete with nudity, explicit language and over the top violence. The first seven issues have been released, with #8 out in January.
Also from writer Joe Casey comes Vengeance and out of the box mini-series set in the Marvel Universe. This almost indescribable title brings together a brand new generation of young heroes & young villains along with classic villains and a c-list team of Defenders. If you're a fan of non-traditional superhero stories this is the title for you. The sixth and final issue is out today, with a collection out in February 2012.
This was the year that all the seeds planted in Uncanny X-Force paid off. The "Dark Angel Saga" took us back to the classic "Age of Apocalypse" and put a totally new spin on those characters. Write Rick Remender ended up juggling tons of characters and plotlines and was able to successfully pull off an amazing arc. The first collection of the "Dark Angel Saga" is available now and a brand new storyline kicks off next month with issue #20.
You guys know that Peter David's X-Factor has been one of my favorite titles for years. This year the team got to team-up with Spider-man & the Black Cat and Wolfsbane had one of the craziest births in comic book history. The current storyline has Madrox possibly dead and jumping around alternate realities and the return of classic team members Havok & Polaris is right around the corner. I don't think there is a more consistent monthly book out there and themost recent collections are "Scar Tissue" & "Hard Labor".
There's a lot of comics cancelled before their time and I X-23 is one of them. This title had just hit its groove when the news came it would be ending this spring. Luckily we got some great issues showing Laura's interactions with the Fantastic Four and Spider-man. I also hope artists Phil Noto and Sana Takeda find another spot to showcase their incredible art.
Warren Ellis has one of the best comic book resumes and every once and again he applies his skills to mainstream comics. I've loved every issue of his way too short run on Secret Avengers. It's been a mixture of Planetary meets Nextwave with some of the best artists in the field. There's one more issue after today's #20 and a collection out in April.
I haven't been the biggest fan of the DC 52 relaunch. There have been a few highlights and Batwing is definitely one of them. The ironic thing is the Batwing would have worked just as well in the old continuity. Writer Judd Winick has created a whole world for David Zavimbi with tons of great real world details. We definitely can use more diverse interesting characters like Batwing with smart innovative creators working in them.
This of course isn't complete list of every comic I enjoyed this year. I also recommend checking out Thunderbolts, Gladstone's School For World Conquerors, Avengers: Children's Crusade, Fables, Sweet Tooth, iZombie, Hellblazer, Casanova, Unwritten, Wolverine & the X-Men & Batwoman.
Comments (1)
You should give Locke & Key a shot. Simply amazing. Also, thanks for the recs over the years -- I picked up Sweet Tooth and Unwritten based on things you've posted about them!
Posted by G | December 29, 2011 5:14 AM
Posted on December 29, 2011 05:14