Strange tales and amazing fantasies
Who were the best superheroes and villains in comics this year? The worst? And most importantly, what comic books did we love the most? Worlds Of Wonder rounds up the year’s best and worst in comics.
THIS has been quite a strange year to be a comic book fan.
On one hand, the success of superhero movies like Wonder Woman, Guardians Of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor Ragnarok, The LEGO Batman Movie, and, yes, even Justice League, got us cheering in the cinemas.
On the other hand, the quality of the comic books these films were based on have been erratic, to say the least.
In terms of the Big Two, DC Comics and Marvel, DC Comics has come up with some intriguing stories, especially the absorbing Dark Nights: Metal, the debut of the Watchmen in the main universe in Doomsday Clock, and the reboot of the Wildstorm imprint by Warren Ellis.
Then there’s Frank Millar returning to the Dark Knight Universe with Dark Knight III: The Master Race.
However, if there’s one thing us regular contributors to the Worlds Of Wonder column can agree on, it’s that Marvel’s Secret Empire event was a disaster. It even prompted the company to go back to its roots with the Marvel Legacy initiative, which has actually been doing OK so far.
The local Malaysian scene also saw some cool events, including the recent Pop culture, Lifestyle, Art and You (Play) exhibition at Publika, Kuala Lumpur. And then Malaysia-born Singaporean Sonny Liew did the region proud by winning three Eisner Awards (ie, the comics industry’s Oscars) for The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye.
In sadder news, the comics world said goodbye to some icons, including Len Wein, cocreator of Wolverine and Swamp Thing, Alfonso Wong, creator of Hong Kong’s iconic Old Master Q comics, and Adam West, who played Batman in the 1966 TV series.
Here’s a breakdown of what we loved and didn’t love throughout the year, starting with mine:
Best superhero:
Ragnarok Thor. No, not the Chris Hemsworth version or the unworthy Marvel version, but the bona fide Walter Simonson version from IDW’s Ragnarok series. Definitely the worthiest god of thunder in comics!
Worst superhero:
Wolverine – for being dead during his greatest cinematic moment! And no, Old Man Logan does not count. For once, you have to give credit to Marvel for not milking their greatest cash cow.
Best villain:
Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin. Despite his size, Fisk is the most adaptable and versatile villain, who can do his dastardly deeds outside and within the law.
Now that he’s the Mayor of New York, expect him to turn Matthew Murdock aka Daredevil’s life into a living hell in 2018!
Worst villain:
Jor El. It took DC eight decades to bring back Kal El’s dad ... and the result is a character that makes even Kevin Costner’s Pa Kent in Man Of Steel seem better!
Best new character:
Doomsday Clock’s new Roscharch.
The protagonist and unsung hero of Watchmen finally gets a new lease of life, albeit with a different “host”.
Worst new character:
Jor El. While technically, and historically, he is as old as Superman, the decision to bring him back is even worse than Marvel’s 1990s act of bringing back Peter Parker’s parents (who later turned out to be “Life Model Decoys”).
Best retcon/reboot:
Doomsday Clock, aka the return of the Watchmen. It may be too early to sing praises here but with Geoff Johns and Gary Frank at the creative helm ... success is as sure as death and taxes. Alan Moore might even be proud! Worst retcon/reboot:
Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider. More than two decades after the whole Clone Saga debacle, the scars are still fresh ... and obviously someone at Marvel didn’t get the memo.
Best death/resurrection
This is more of a memorable tribute to a real-life legend – Alfonso Wong, the creator of Old Master Q, who died in January, aged 93.
In comics, it has to be Agent Phil Coulson, killed by Deadpool (Deadpool #31), who was duped into working for Hydra Captain America.
Worst death/resurrection:
Jor El’s resurrection. ’Nuff said!
Best crossover event:
Monsters Unleashed. The perfect reason (and excuse) to gather every Marvel hero, instead of some cosmic cube Nazi abomination.
Worst crossover event:
Secret Empire. There may not have been any Cap America movies this year but this experiment with Hydra Captain America certainly churned out the worst results .... Definitely worse than Secret Wars 2 plus the whole Spidey Clone Saga!
Best non-comic comic-book related news:
Finally one to unite Malaysian and Singaporean comic fans: Sonny Liew winning three Eisner Awards for The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye!
Story we would love to see become a movie:
Jeff Lemire’s Moon Knight. Lemire’s run on the book was a fascinating exploration and development of the character’s mental condition, with Marc Spector waking up in a mental institution and being told that his entire hero career was a hallucination!
One book to recommend to someone who is completely sick of superheroes:
Moon Knight. No super powers, no problems. Who needs them when you’ve got multiple personalities?
One 2017 series to re-read:
IDW’s Ragnarok. Reading this title is akin to a crime for me, albeit a righteous one. It’s like stealing from Marvel while paying homage to a true thunder god.
One 2017 comic book moment to erase from existence:
Bringing back or creating a new persona for Jor El!
Whichever way you see it, some dead characters should remain dead .... Or as holograms.