I’m going to do something different this week so, this column won’t take its standard gush-about-stuff-from-this-week format, because I’m responding to something Newbury Comics has done in their weekly comic book and graphic novel e-mail newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. For my thoughts on this week, you can check my blog.

Okay, so down to business. Publishing 10 best comic book titles of 2007 lists from your superexploited employees (I say superexploited because people who work in Newbury Comics don’t make a lot and tend to be people who chose the work environment because of an affinity for some superfluous product the store sells–i.e. comics, cds, hello kitty dolls–and so end up spending a huge portion of their limited income at the company store. I don’t even want to imagine the kind of debt I’d wrack up if I spent 5 days a week surrounded by comics for sale. Yikes. Sorry, huge tangent.) would not seem to be a task that the first week of February 2008 would call for. I know if I were left to my own devices I would never dream of publishing a list of my 10 favorie comics from 2007 this week, but Newbury Comics had to go and do that. What’s worse is that the lists provided by these guys (and they were obviously all male) demonstrate that they are even less equipped to provide such a list to the general public than I am. In the course of human events, there comes a time when I must cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war against Newbury Comics’ tardy best of 2007 lists.

CAVEAT: Before I go any further, I should note that I really shouldn’t speak for entirity of comics. I’m a fan of a particular genre of comics (i.e., superheroes) and prefer the story-telling model of a particular company (i.e., DC comics — for more on DC vs. Marvel style-wise check out Scippio at the Absorbascon). A more complete “best of” for 2007 is provided by Rachelle at Living Between Wednesdays. I disagree with her about stuff (esp. Shazam! and the Monster Society of Evil.), but she does the whole works in an actual comic book store (unlike Newbury Comics) thing and so reads basically everything that’s published by anyone.

That being said, we can divide the three lists propped up by Newbury into two categories. The first and easiest to poopoo comes from Ed who works in the Manchester, CT, store. Reviewing Ed’s list, the civilian will see the names of exactly zero properties they’ve ever heard of before other than Superman and the book about him he’s chosen is the pretenious bi-monthly title that is hard (but occasionally fun) to read. A comics fan will probably also recognize Invincible and the Walking Dead which have become well known because of their quality and hold a special place in my heart because the guy who writes them lives across the street from my high school English teacher. Other than that, Ed is a pretentious hipster rolling in obscurity. With name’s like “the Pirates of Coney Island” and “the Gentleman Corpse”, you know you just want to stay away from these books.

The next two lists are clearly result of intimidation in the workplace. A quick glance over John from the West Lebanon, NH, store and Will (bastard stole my name) from the Shrewsbury, Mass, store’s lists reveals this easily. You’ll notice they both put Countdown in their top ten. This is insane. I like Countdown. I’ve defended it on a number of occassions, but it’s been too inconsistent and had too many plot failings for it to be top tep material. It is painfully obvious that they were pushed into a corner by a supervisor and forced to belch out the first ten comics that came to mind. Examine John’s list. Everyone on the Internet knows that Justice League has been bad and that All-Star Batman is a joke. It’s even more insulting that they’re higher on the list than DC’s best executed blockbuster of 2007 the Green Lantern/Green Lantern Corps miniseries Sinestro Corps War. Will was a little quicker on his feet. He at least had the sense to put Marvel’s acclaimed World War Hulk at the top of his list, but really Marvel Zombies 2? Marvel Zombies one was funny, but was a second volume really necessary? No. He runs out of steam completely around #9 and is like, “uh, Countdown?” And Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash was clearly a cry for help. The only possible solution for this is to organize Newbury Comics.

Below is my list. What’s wrong with it is that I basically just read DC. I stand by it though:

1. Despite that I haven’t seen it on any best of 2007 lists, the latter half of 52 was published in 2007 – Good art. Great plot. Four of the greatest writers at DC in a team up that will go down in history. Published weekly, 52 told the story of a year in DCU when Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman were on hiatus. It’s been called “a love letter to the fans.” I just call it amazing. High points: Renee Montoya becoming the new Question and showing up to aid her ex-lover Batwoman. Black Adam going apeshit. Animal Man taking on space animals’ powers.

2. Robin – I got into the back issues of this because of Adam Beechen’s writing on Countdown to Adventure and the current Robin, Tim Drake’s portrayal by Geoff Johns in Teen Titans. It rocketed to the top of my favorite’s list. Imagine a Batman story, but replace the millionaire day job with that of a high school student and make him more personable and you have Robin. Everything is more entertaining in high school. The fact that this made it up here despite my mixed feeling about Freddie Williams’ art says something. High points: Robin’s woeful teenage romantic experience. Robin being able to scare people at night like Batman does.

3. Green Lantern/Green Lantern Corps — I’m not even that huge a Green Lantern fan, but Geoff Johns (predictably) et al have roped me in for the long haul. As the Sinestro Corps War rocked across the universe, the reader is sucked in to a boundless space opera which transforms the Green Lantern mythos forever. High points: the Superman Prime one-shot in which a dorky kid from another universe named Clark Kent learns that he’s that world’s Superman and gets the girl only to see the girl of his dreams and his world instantly destroyed by the Anti-Monitor.

4. Justice Society of America – This would have been higher on the list if the Lightning Saga Justice League crossover hadn’t been co-authored by Brad Meltzer—the man who ran the Justice League into the ground. And stomped on it. That being said, the series still ruled when author Geoff Johns was left to his own devices. High points: Stargirl being one of the old hands of the team was great, because usually we don’t get to see teenage superheroes mature at such a realistic rate. The introduction of Maxine Hunkel.

5. Detective Comics starring Batman – I read this in the trades only very recently and I was pleased to discover that the Paul Dini of the Batman cartoons of my youth still writes a really bitching dark knight. The art is to die for. High point: the last story with Zatanna in it.

6. Ultimates 2 – The only Marvel book I read consistently. Let’s see how that fairs through Jeph Loeb’s run… Anyway, this is Marvel’s superteam the Avengers, reimagined for a new continuity as the Ultimates. Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, the Wasp, Thor, Ant-Man—they’re all present and accounted for with a new, easier to understand continuity. Yay. This book spins a tale of government intrigue, terrorism, betrayal, and international politics with a superhuman twist. High points: the Scarlet Witch hitting on Hank Pym’s Vision II robot. Loki pointing out that Norway isn’t even in the European Union.

7. Countdown to Adventure – Follow up series from 52 about the space adventurers Adam Strange, Animal Man, and Starfire coupled with a separate story tying into Countdown about the mysterious femme fatale from another Earth the Forerunner. Each issue is giant-sized and costs about a dollar more than most comics, but it is well worth the bang for your buck. High points: Animal Man’s wife thinking he and Starfire are in love. Forerunner kidnapping a Thanagarian to sexually exploit him.

8. Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters – As you all know from reading this column religiously every week, pining for it always, I love Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters. It might be that I like government intrigue. Or it might be that I can’t get over the idea of Uncle Sam as a superhero. But it’s probably just that Red Bee’s really hot.

9. Booster Gold – I’ll admit that Booster Gold is a better book than Countdown to Adventure and Uncle Sam, but I like them more. Same old story: Geoff Johns revivifies failed DC property and turns it into a fan favorite.

10. Teen Titans — would have been higher on the list if Sean McKeever’s run at the end had been better. I really liked Adam Beechen’s Amazons Attack stuff even though I didn’t read the series it was tying into. Geoff Johns’ finally was keen, but Titans peaked at the Infinite Crisis tie-ins and has been in decline ever since.

Honorable mentions:

Countdown presents the Search for Ray Palmer one shots

All-Star Superman

Sphere: Related Content

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 9th, 2008 at 8:35 pm and is filed under Comics, Organized Labor, Psycho-nerds, War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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