Hey, friends! It sure has been a crazy, fun, and exciting year to be a comic book fan, hasn’t it? 2014 had lots of gems, a few stinkers, and more than enough drama to keep us all on our toes. But before we toast to 2015, I wanted to go ahead and explain how we here at Comic Booked will be going about our “Best of 2014” list. Lists, to be precise.
We will be giving our team a chance to compile their own “Best of 2014” lists this year, so we’ll have lots of room for debate, discussion, and maybe some sass-talkin’ while we’re at it. As Comic Booked’s Chief Creative Officer, I’m going to start us off. So without any further wordsmithing on my part, here we go. Enjoy yourself!
Best DC Comic Series:
***Winner: Batman
***Runner Up: Batman and Robin
***Honorable Mention: Justice League
Best Marvel Comic Series:
***Winner: Iron Fist: The Living Weapon
***Runner Up: Amazing X-Men
***Honorable Mention: Nightcrawler
Best Independent Comic Series:
***Winner: Velvet (Image)
***Runner Up: Outcast (Image)
***Honorable Mention: Anne Bonnie (Blue Juice)
Best Writer:
***Winner: Scott Snyder (Batman, Batman Eternal, American Vampire, The Wake, Wytches, Superman Unchained)
***Runner Up: Peter J. Tomasi (Batman and Robin, Superman/Wonder Woman, Forever Evil: Arkham War)
***Honorable Mention: Geoff Johns (Justice League, Forever Evil, Superman)
Best Artist:
***Winner: Greg Capullo (Batman)
***Runner Up: Jason Fabok (Batman Eternal, Justice League)
***Honorable Mention: Mikel Janin (Grayson, Justice League Dark, Batman Eternal)
Best Graphic Novel:
***Winner: Sing No Evil
***Runner Up: The Shadow Hero
***Honorable Mention: The Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business
Best Company:
***Winner: DC Entertainment
***Runner Up: Image Comics
***Honorable Mention: Marvel Comics
Best Live-Action Comic Movie:
***Winner: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
***Runner Up: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
***Honorable Mention: X-Men: Days of Future Past
Best Animated Comic Movie:
***Winner: Batman: Assault on Arkham
***Runner Up: Son of Batman
***Honorable Mention: Big Hero 6
Best Comic TV Show:
***Winner: Gotham
***Runner Up: Arrow
***Honorable Mention: Constantine
Best Storyline:
***Winner: “Batman and Two-Face” (Batman and Robin)
***Runner Up: “Forever Evil” (Forever Evil and tie-ins)
***Honorable Mention: “The Journey Begins” (Anne Bonnie)
Best Hero:
***Winner: Batman
***Runner Up: Lex Luthor
***Honorable Mention: Captain America
Best Villain:
***Winner: The Joker
***Runner Up: Lex Luthor
***Honorable Mention: The Red Skull
Best Non-Comic Movie:
***Winner: Interstellar
***Runner Up: Begin Again
***Honorable Mention: Deliver Us from Evil
Best Non-Comic TV Show:
***Winner: True Detective
***Runner Up: The Following
***Honorable Mention: The Black List
Most Shocking Moment of 2014:
***Winner: the success of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie
***Runner Up: the unannounced death of Two-Face (in Batman and Robin)
***Honorable Mention: no more families (in Axis)
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let me know how close (or how far) I was to your picks in the comments section below. And, if you’re brave, try to engage me in a word-battle. Or, you know, just add a bunch of great comics to your no doubt ever-growing “must-read” lists for the remainder of the year and into 2015.
