There are a few things that I really enjoyed last year and I want to give them some love, even though I don’t think I’m qualified to create a definitive “Best of 2011” list for them. For some things I just don’t have the background and/or knowledge that I do in the areas I covered my “Essential in ‘11” series. And in some things I just didn’t have time to really sink a ton of time into checking out all the important works of the year. So in the next couple of blog posts, I’m going to go over a few of my favorite things of 2011. Let’s start with comics!
Aquaman
What if Aquaman wasn’t a joke, but an actual badass who uses his unique powers to get things done? What if he had a complicated past that he was dealing with? That’s how Aquaman is presented in the New 52 and its one of the best reads of the rebooted universe.
Detective Comics
There are a number of Batman titles in the New 52, but this is the only one that really captures the spirit and mood of Batman. The drawing style and the storytelling are much grittier and foreboding than the other series. Detective Comics also introduced the Dollmaker, an actually interesting and threatening new Batman villain.
Justice League
This is just a fun read. The origin story/getting the band together arc of the series zips along quite nicely. Watching the heroes quibble with each other while they face down alien attacks sets up their personalities and powers quickly. Plus, it’s just one of the prettiest looking series I’ve ever read.
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
People complained about Marvel making a “new Spider-Man” who isn’t Peter Parker, isn’t white, and isn’t a college student. But I love it. It’s much more realistic than a New York where Spider-Man, all his relatives, all his friends, and all his enemies are white. Miles Morales is a half-black/half Latino hero whose best friend is a nerdy Asian kid. That more accurately reflects the world I live in. Plus, did we really need another Uncle Ben responsibility speech? That same speech, coming from Miles’ father feels more relevant and human. He’s made mistakes he doesn’t want his son to repeat; instead he wants his son to make the right decisions on the path to a better life. Pretty deep for a comic about a 14 year old with super powers right?