Most Awesome Comic Books of 2010

With the end of the year already upon us, there are probably tons of "Best of..." lists popping up around the place. Best Taylor Swift songs of the year? Mean, Speak Now, and Enchanted. Duhhhhhh. Best movie of the year? Easy. Inception. You don't need me for such banal things as music and movies though. I am more than likely the only comic book expert you know. Taking that into consideration, I consider it my duty to create a list of the best comic books of the year. And because I am superior to you in every way, I order you to continue reading to find out some of the awesomeness you may have missed earlier this year.

Amazing Spider-Man #617, #625
Writer: Joe Kelly / Artist: Max Fiumara
Release Date: January 13, March 17

A lot of people like the story of a hero overcoming adversity to achieve his goals. For example, ESPN analyst Matt Millen could not have been more in love with Drew Brees after he led the Saints on a game-winning drive after throwing interceptions on the previous two possessions. I think a far greater accomplishment is telling the story of a villain trying to turn his life around, only to fail due to some horrible circumstances. Ed Brubaker did a fantastic job of this with the Kingpin in Daredevil #116. And other than Andy Garcia's character hooking up with his own cousin, the only thing people remember about Godfather 3 is the line "Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in," painfully exuded by Michael Corleone after failing to live a decent life (a line quoted on the Sopranos many, many times). Getting an audience to feel sympathy for a villain is a very difficult task. And doing it with one of the hokiest villains of all time, like the Rhino, will more than earn a spot in my favorite books of the year.

Before this fantastic story, the Rhino was known for one thing. Being stupid. Spider-Man would make fun of him, getting him angry. Once he's good and riled up, The Rhino would just run into something very hard. With his head. He is beaten. Dumb character. Joe Kelly does something I thought impossible with the Rhino though. He doesn't make him smarter or more powerful or any of the other cliche things used to revamp characters. He makes the Rhino human. Now the villain feels remorse, despair, humility, happiness, and love. With this new "power set," the Rhino rehabilitated, living the life of a normal man, eating dinner with his wife, going to work everyday, and calling the cops whenever there's trouble. That may sound boring, but Joe Kelly's writing does a great job of making us buy into the story and even provides a moment of truth when Rhino has to decide whether to live an honest life or turn back to crime. His decision to stay honest is a win for us and really seals the deal on his outstanding transformation.

Not everyone is happy with the new Rhino though. A man wanting to take his place as the villain Rhino gets himself a new and improved suit and weaponry, wreaking havoc on people and buildings that stand in his way. The only way he feels he can "ascend" to his new role as the Rhino is to defeat the old one in battle. With the old one being a decent human being though, that task becomes increasingly difficult. He begins attacking the old Rhino and threatening him to make him don the old Rhino costume, but with the help of Spider-Man and his wife, the old Rhino refuses to go back to his old ways, saying to his wife "I will even be a coward for you." Finally, in a tragic turn of events, the new guy murders his wife. Rhino, overcome with rage, takes the bait and fights: Rhino vs. Rhino. The fight is amazing, but it kind of feels like a loss for us - in a good way. After rooting so hard for the old Rhino, it is truly heartbreaking to see him regress to his old self.

One of the great ways this story relates to us is because it is sort of written from our point of view. Cute-as-a-button reporter, Norah Winters, narrates the whole thing as an outsider, slowly becoming enamored by the old Rhino's new take on life and then devastated by his regression. The change from her eternally chipper attitude to one of incredible somber reiterates the sadness of the story. Max Fiumara's art is also spot-on. His characters may look a bit awkward at times, but his visual storytelling is fantastic and the panel layout completely captures the utter devastation of the story. After countless battles in the weeks leading up to this, Spider-Man really needed one in the "win" column to lift his spirits. Rhino's rehabilitation would have felt like a Super Bowl victory, but his shortcomings leave Spidey destroyed. And us too.

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Green Lantern #55
Writer: Geoff Johns / Artist: Doug Mahnke
Release Date: June 30

One surefire way to garner some attention is to tell the origin of an already established character. Frank Miller did it with Batman in Batman: Year One and Francis Ford Coppola did it masterfully with Vito Corleone in Godfather 2. Both were huge successes. Not to be outdone, Geoff Johns, in the bonus material of Green Lantern #55, reveals the origin of a character we all wanted one for but never expected to get, Dex-Starr: the adorable Red Lantern kitty cat.

Ever since his introduction in Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns, Dex-Starr has been a huge fan-favorite. After all, what can be cooler than a tiny little cat with a power ring that lets him spit fiery rage on anyone within range? He's used his cuddliness to get close enough to his victims quite a few times, upping his coolness with every succession. Also, in a clever play on the cat-and-dog routine, Dex-Starr does battle with space mercenary Lobo's dog and humiliates it. With each appearance, Dex-Starr gets more awesome. His origin story would not only continue that trend, but also justify his rage.

The lovable space-cat wasn't always a ruthless killer. In his younger days he was a happy adopted pet with his lonely owner. They played with yarn together and slept in the same bed. One fateful night though, a heartless intruder broke into the owner's home and murdered her, forever changing Dex-Starr's life in the process. He tried to cling to his owner's lifeless body, hoping for a miraculous resuscitation, but the police savagely shooed him away so he couldn't contaminate the crime scene. With no one to care for him, he was forced to live on the mean streets like a hobo or a prostitute. Those streets were mean indeed. Eventually a gang captured him in a bag and threw him off a bridge for no good reason. Finally, when Dex-Starr could get no more pissed off, he was rewarded with a Red Lantern Ring. Thank goodness too. You've earned it, Dex-Starr. Kill all the jerks you want, you space-cat of rage.

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Fables #99
Writer: Bill Willingham / Artist: Inaki Miranda
Release Date: October 20

Almost any issue of Fables can qualify as one of the best comic books of the year. I picked one that may raise a few eyebrows though. Fables #100 is the issue with all the notoriety, having an epic battle and tons of bonus content. Even before it came out, anticipation for it was at an all-time high, partly because it was a big anniversary issue - mostly because of Fables #99. That issue served as the prologue to #100. In a lot of eyes, Fables #100 fell flat because there was no resolution to the threat of the Fables' greatest foe. Despite that, the prologue to #100's plot, which was so brilliantly written in #99, gets me pumped every time I read it.

All of Fables #99 is just talk. No fighting. No adventuring. No discovery. Just talk. All that talk, however, does a fantastic job of reiterating how awesome the story's two central figures are. First up is Mr. Dark. He basically represents every version of the Bogey Man and happens to be the most magical creature in all of Fables. Mr. Dark also provides for an interesting choice of enemy for the Fables seeing as how their last one was an entire empire and he is but one man. This issue does an amazing job reminding us how powerful he is, how arrogant he is, and most importantly, how hilariously insane he is. For anyone wanting to know anything about the character, this issue will suit you perfectly.

The other central figure of this story has been a key component of the series since its inception: Frau Totenkinder, otherwise known as the wicked witch in any and every fairy tale you've ever heard. Anyone who's followed Fables knows that her magical power isn't near that of Mr. Dark's, but her confidence in this issue about the upcoming duel reminds us of how mysterious she is. Where does she get her power from? How does she become more powerful in a world that doesn't have any magic? These are only moderately answered, but her demeanor really gets you excited about the next issue.

One thing that isn't all that great is Frau's new, hot, young body. I like my wicked witches old, weathered, and knitting blankets. Sexy and youthful usually work, but maybe not in this case. It doesn't matter though. She can be as bangin' as she wants to be as long as she keeps up her war against the seemingly invincible Mr. Dark.

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Secret Warriors #21, #22
Writer: Jonathan Hickman / Artist: Alessandro Vitti
Release Date: October 27, November 24

Secret Warriors is a peculiar book. It's a lot like the movie Raging Bull. You never want to watch it, but once you've already started, you realize how amazing it is. Every time. Secret Warriors is among the best written comic books on the market today, but for some reason I always forget. No more though. Unlike Raging Bull, which most people think got robbed of a Best Picture Oscar in 1980, Secret Warriors will not go unrewarded.

One of the things this book is known for is big, wacky concepts told in a spy-thriller sort of way. The story told in these two issues is no different. HYDRA is a terrorist organization that prides itself on its numbers. After all, if you cut down one man, there will be two more to replace him. Leading them are six figures known as the Heads of Hydra. While all six are cool in their own absurd way, the coolest is a man named Gorgon. Anyone who looks into his eyes turns to stone. Just so he doesn't overdo the stone-turning, he wears a bandanna around his eyes almost at all times and sword-fights blind.

The story that earns my "Best of..." award is told in two issues, each with one "OH MY GOODNESS THAT IS AWESOME (MIND EXPLOSION)" moment. In the first issue, Gorgon is responsible for that moment. The Secret Warriors have infiltrated a HYDRA base only to find that they've been sabotaged and the bad guys are waiting for them. Gorgon, who prides himself on killing Gods, sees a golden opportunity when he realizes Phobos, the God of Fear, is among the Secret Warriors. As they do battle, Gorgon becomes infuriated as it becomes more and more daunting, ripping his bandanna from his eyes and petrifying everyone in sight. Of course Phobos, being a God, is immune to it and perhaps becoming a little too cocky, recklessly attacks Gorgon. This fearsome Head of Hydra is too cunning though and bests the rash God, finally slaying a mainstay of the series since its beginning. OH MY GOODNESS THAT IS AWESOME (MIND EXPLOSION)!!!

Another thing this series is known for, and probably more so than the wacky concepts, is the total badass of a main character: Nick Fury, the coolest man in comic books. This is a man who knows everything. Remember that sabotage I mentioned earlier? He knows who's behind it: one of his team members. While the two of them are fighting HYDRA alone together to provide cover for their retreating teammates, a blast knocks JT (the culprit) off a ledge. Of course Fury saves him. They're teammates. While holding his arm, literally keeping him hanging, Fury tells him that he knew it was him and wonders aloud how he could that to Daisy, the girl on the team JT is in love with. After their heart-to-heart and saying he knows Daisy would forgive him, Fury has just one question, but not what we all think it'll be. Not "Why?" or "Do you regret anything?" Fury says, in all his badassery, "Do I look like Daisy?" and lets him go. BOOOOOOOOOM!!! That was my mind exploding at that awesome turn of events. Hooray, Nick Fury! And Secret Warriors for that matter.

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What do you think? Do any of these books seem interesting to you? If they don't, then I did a poor job describing them. Even if I did spark some interest, it's still nothing compared to actually reading the stories. If you care about good writing, great storytelling, and phenomenal characterization at all, you must read these books. Let me know what you think about my post, the books, or even my writing style in the comments section. As always, you just have to follow me on Twitter, @SoKoJohn, for more of my random thoughts. Godspeed.

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