The empire strikes out
SECRET Empire, Secret Empire, Secret Empire. I tried to give it a chance, really, but it just turned out to be one of the year’s biggest disappointments.
On top of the usual Marvel and DC stuff, this year I read a lot more stuff from publishers like Boom! Studios, Image, Dynamite, Dark Horse, and Valiant, which produced some great books that helped ease my superhero fatigue somewhat.
Here are my picks of the year.
Best superhero:
Kitty Pryde. She’s had some of the better story development among the X-Men in recent years. This year, she stepped up to become the leader of the X-Men, and even gets to show off her ninja skills in a badass katana fight with a serial mutant killer.
Worst superhero:
The Inhumans, specifically the royal family. Not just because their TV show was terrible, but also because their stories and personalities just aren’t very interesting. Except for Karnak. Karnak is awesome.
Best villain:
The Batman Who Laughs. Bruce Wayne + The Joker = the scariest version of Batman ever. The one-shot about his origins is one of the most terrifying comics of the year.
Worst villain:
Hydra Captain America. At first, it seemed like a novel idea, even if it went against everything Captain America stands for. But I was prepared to forgive Marvel if the story turned out to be good. But it wasn’t. In the end, it just left a bad taste in the mouth. Best new character:
Kid Kaiju, from Monsters Unleashed. Because he can control monsters, which can merge to become ONE GIANT MONSTER. OH YEAH.
Worst new character:
I could place Hydra Captain America and Secret Empire in almost all the “Worst” categories this year. He really is that bad.
Best retcon/reboot:
The Wild Storm. Warren Ellis’ reboot of the Wildstorm universe is fresh enough to attract new fans while also familiar enough to keep old fans happy.
Worst retcon/reboot:
Doesthe Ghost In The Shell movie count? Because that didn’t do any justice to the original manga/anime at all.
Best death/resurrection:
Dawn Greenwood, from Silver Surfer. The most beautiful death and send-off a comic book character could ever have. Oh, and in terms of resurrections, Gertrude Yorkes from Runaways!
Worst death/resurrection:
Black Widow’s death at the hands of Hydra Cap in Secret Empire. We’re not even sure she’s actually dead, which makes it even worse. As for resurrections, we knew Captain America was coming back, but the way it happened was way too convenient. Best crossover event:
Dark Nights: Metal. A story that really pushes the boundaries of the DC Universe, expanding it by introducing the Dark Multiverse, and of course, the most nightmarish versions of Batman ever.
Worst crossover event:
You’ve heard enough about Secret Empire already, so instead, I’ll go for the Harley & Ivy Meet Betty And Veronica crossover between DC and Archie Comics. I have no words for just how pointless and irrelevant the whole thing is. Heck, Catwoman shows up just because ... she likes Josie And The Pussycats. Yeah, I know.
Best non-comic comic-book related news:
The Wonder Woman movie. She’s the shining light of the DC film franchise, and the best thing in Justice League. Also, The Punisher and Runaways TV shows.
Story we would love to see become a movie or TV show:
Mystic U. Sure, the story of a school for magicians has been done before, but with Guillermo Del Toro’s Justice League Dark movie now dead in the water, I want a movie about teenage versions of Enchantress, Zatanna, and maybe John Constantine being taught by Madame Xanadu, Frankenstein and Mr E.
One book to recommend to someone who is completely sick of superheroes:
I’m not saying this just because Star Wars: The Last Jedi is opening this week, but really, go read Marvel’s Star Wars comics. They’re pretty good.
If you prefer your space opera less Disney-fied, read Saga, which is still the best space fantasy story around.
One 2017 series to re-read:
Silver Surfer. Dan Slott and Michael Allred’s series ended on such a sad but touching note that I simply had to go back and re-read the whole thing all over again.
One 2017 comic book moment to erase from existence: