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Top of the Pile: December 2012

The Comic Vine staff weighs in on what was big in December of 2012

Welcome back to Top of the Pile, Comic Vine's monthly wrap-up of what the staff loved over the past month. December was an enormous month for comics: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN came to a close and the fate of Peter Parker was decided, Aquaman and the Justice League faced a foe from below the surface in the start of Throne of Atlantis, and Marvel Now! continues to release more books than fans can afford. The staff came together to compile this list of their favorite issues over the past month, and this month, there were a lot of tough choices.

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While it is the end of the year, we didn't want to make this into an "end of the year" wrap-up, so all of us picked one of our favorite moments from 2012. It could have been a single issue, a story line, or an event, but we wanted to let you all know what we loved this past year.

Tony "G-Man" Guerrero's Top of the Pile

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1. HAWKEYE #6

This issue was pure fun. Matt Fraction knows how to combine humor, suspense and superhero action into the same story. The way he tells the story here isn't in the normal conventional format and it gives us a look into the daily activities of Clint. There is such a focus on his character that you can't help but get attached to the small details in his life. David Aja's art highlights the story by simply creating the atmosphere that sets the comic apart from others.

Check out G-Man's review here!

2. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 700

This issue was more about the story and where it's going to take us. Of couse I didn't love the outcome but I'm sure as hell interested in what the heck Dan Slott is going to do next with SUPERIOR Spider-Man. The issue is a piece of history and it's a great celebration of the series.

Check out G-Man's review here!

3. BATMAN #15

Batman continues to be one of my favorite titles. You just never know what's going to happen. The way this issue ends almost makes you afraid to see what's going to happen in issue 16. The other 'Death of the Family' tie ins have been hit or miss but this is what it's all about.

Check out G-Man's review here!

4. THE WALKING DEAD #105

We have a new incredibly horrible 'villain' the survivors need to deal with. If you're looking for zombie action, you won't really find any in this issue. Carl has put himself in a bad situation and with Kirkman's track record, you simple never know who will or won't survive or what crazy thing is going to happen next.

Check out G-Man's review here!

5. JUSTICE LEAGUE #15

This is where Geoff Johns shows everyone the importance of Aquaman. He's always been the butt of jokes but since the New 52 started, he's made it clear there is much more to the character. We've been wanting to see more crossovers with the characters in JL and the solo titles and now we're getting some. There's also some great interaction between Wonder Woman and Superman, which gives more characterization than we've seen in their own titles. The new art team is kicking ass here as well. Of course the back up with Shazam with art by Gary Frank is always an extra treat.

Check out G-Man's review here!

Favorite storyline of the year: Night of the Owls

I started looking back at the New Comics page to see what was released this year but knew that would take too long. Without giving it too much thought, I'd have to go with 'Night of the Owls.' It was basically a continuation from the 'A Court of Owls' story. We got to see Batman up against the wall. He was overconfident and was caught off guard. The twist with Lincoln March was great with its ties to the Silver Age continuity. We're still seeing repercussions in most of the Bat-titles from this arc. Great storytelling and great art just made it a wining combination.

Sara "Babs" Lima's Top of the Pile

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1. BEFORE WATCHMEN: MINUTEMEN #5

Darwyn Cooke took characters that appeared briefly in Alan Moore's WATCHMEN and made them his own in this series. This issue is one of the best. It is beautifully written and illustrated and definitely ends on a serious cliff-hanger that left me wanting more.

Check out Babs' review here!

2. UNCANNY X-FORCE #35

One of the best final issues to an amazing series, period! After following the journey of these characters and this team for 34 issues, after watching their characters develop, seeing them get knocked down, we finally get a happy ending. While I'm sad to see Remender go, I can honestly say this was one of the best rides, ever.

Check out G-Man's review here!

3. WONDER WOMAN #15

Writer Brian Azzarello has been doing great, new and different things with Wonder Woman in her self-titled ongoing series, and so far it's been one heck of a ride! In this issue we finally see Diana meet Orion, which left me at the edge of my seat wanting more.

Check out Babs' review here!

4. BATMAN #15

We've all been waiting for that moment when the Joker really breaks Batman, just to see how 'The Dark Knight' will react and that all starts here. Batman's decisions come into question when members of the Bat-Family confront him about a mistake he may have made. Beautifully written issue with gorgeous art by Greg Capullo.

Check out G-Man's review here!

5. GREAT PACIFIC #2

This was a great first issue and an awesome start to a new and very unique series. The concept is unlike anything I've read, the story is exciting and well thought out and the art is gorgeous. This is definitely one series I am looking forward to reading in 2013.

Check out Babs' review here!

Favorite story line of the year:'Final Execution'

When a series can make you laugh, cry, and fall in love with its characters, you know you're reading a great comic book. Over the course of the last year, I've read plenty of amazing stories and have enjoyed seeing the character development of plenty of great characters, but the one story that stands out to me as my favorite has to be the final arc in writer Rick Remender's run of UNCANNY X-FORCE. In it we see the death of Fantomex, Betsy's struggle, the full character development of Deadpool and the self realization and self discovery of Genesis. Aside from the fact that Remender focused on these characters individually and pulled on my heart strings over and over, he gave fans a happy ending, and I couldn't have been more happy. In retrospect this was, hands down, one of the best comic story arcs I've ever read. It was beautifully written, well thought out and most importantly, it was consistent.

Mat "Inferiorego" Elfring's Top of the Pile

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1. SAGA #8

This book blows me away, month after month. I never understand how it keeps getting better and better. Alana and Marko do their own thing in this issue, and we get to learn a bit more about Marko's history, including how he met Alana. I love how Brian K Vaughan gives the reader a main story that is incredibly compelling, but also, especially in this issue, he gives us small bits and pieces of the history of these characters, which we see with how Alana and Marko met and also the big reveal at the end involving someone from Marko's past. On top of all of that, Fiona Staples art work is breathtaking.

Check out Inferiorego's review here!

2. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700

Even though the Internets are enraged with Peter Parker and Spider-Man fans, flipping over theoretical cars and setting fire to metaphorical garbage cans, this landmark issue was pure brilliance. I still don't want to spoil anything, but this issue starts a brand new era for Spidey in a big way. Writer Dan Slott made some questionable decisions that really pay off here, and issue 700 is a bit of a tear-jerker that will piss you off at the same time, but in a good way. I, for one, cannot wait for SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN after this one.

Check out G-Man's review here!

3. JSA LIBERTY FILES: THE WHISTLING SKULL #1

A strange, off-the-wall, thrilling, and sometimes confusing comic book under the DC banner? Sign me up! Out off all the comics I've read this year, I've read this single issue the most and for all the right reasons. B. Clay Moore's story is extremely cool, and Tony Harris' art on this book is great. It's a new look on some classic DC characters, and it's a compelling read all the way through.

Check out Inferiorego's review here!

4. JUSTICE LEAGUE #15/AQUAMAN #15

Yeah, I know. Total cop-out because I picked both of these issues and not just one of them. These were both Christmas presents that I was cool with being a day late. This is where the Throne of Atlantis story line kicked off, and while I thought that this cross over may be tough to swallow, it works so well thus far. I love seeing Aquaman trying to find his place in the world, even with his own brother, the king of Atlantis trying to sink multiple coastal cities. The last page of Aquaman was a pretty shocking moment, and for the first time since the series began, JUSTICE LEAGUE is a book I cannot wait to read.

Check out G-Man's review of JL15 here!

Check out Inferiorego's review of Aquaman 15 here!

5. CLONE #2

This was a book that went from my review list to my actual pull list. This last month's issue of CLONE was really cool as Luke finds out there's a lot more clones of him all contained in a camp. I love where this story is going and there's a lot of spy elements to this issue in particular that I thought worked extremely well.

Check out Inferiorego's review here!

Best Mini-series of 2012: SPIDER-MEN

The idea was simple, move Peter Parker from the 616 universe over to the Ultimate Universe, where he is dead, and newcomer Miles Morales has become the new Spider-Man. Oh man, it was so much more than that. This was one fantastic cross over mini-series that not only worked, but it became one of my favorite Marvel stories of all time. In fact, I even double dipped on it (bought the single issues and then the trade). My favorite moment of the series is when 616 Peter meets the ultimate versions of Gwen Stacy and Aunt May in a very touching and surreal homecoming.

Gregg Katzmann's Top of the Pile

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1. JUSTICE LEAGUE #15

Geoff Johns' title wasn't doing much for me before, but wow, this issue really steps its game up. 'Throne of Atlantis' is off to an amazing start and the conversation between Kal and Dina in Smallville was simply brilliant. I'm really looking forward to how this will all play out.

Check out G-Man's review here!

2. SCARLET SPIDER #12

This issue was filled with so much heart. Oddly enough, it was Kaine's supporting cast and a silly group of Santa dressed robbers that made this issue so grand. Everything from the hilarious enforcement of the swear jar to the conversation about Kaine's relationship with the group was priceless. Then, as if matters couldn't get any better, Kaine showcased what could quite possibly be the best display of Christmas Spirit ever. A silly smile was slapped across my face during this entire read. Bravo, Yost.

Check out Gregg's review here!

3. HAWKEYE #6

What can I say that hasn't already been said a thousand times about this book? It's without question one of Marvel's top books and we were treated to two welcome returns: David Aja and the Bros. This Holiday themed issue wasn't necessarily as hysterical as the others, but it was incredibly moving. There's no reason why you shouldn't love Clint after this read.

Check out G-Man's review here!

4. BATMAN #15

Snyder / Capullo are the tag team champions of DC. 'Death of a Family's' latest developments were fantastic and, instead of putting a focus on horror, finally showed Joker tearing the bat family apart from the inside. The way the "secret" is discussed is superb.

Check out G-Man's review here!

5. SHADOWMAN #2

This was a huge surprise for me. It's no secret I'm not the biggest fan around of magic/fantasy based stories, but Valiant seems to be casting a very powerful spell here (har har). This was the one title I was expecting to finally NOT like from the publisher, but damn it, they proved me wrong. I highly recommend giving this new series a shot. The art is amazing, there's plenty of sweet action and they already have me caring about the primary cast of characters.

Check out Gregg's review here!

Issue of the year: HAWKEYE #3

Because boomerangs. But really, Matt Fraction provided a beyond top-notch script with this one. Hysterical beyond belief and absurdly entertaining, this is an issue you should absolutely read. Go read it. Now.

There you have it! This is what the staff at Comic Vine thought was the best of December! From the looks of things, BATMAN, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, HAWKEYE, and JUSTICE LEAGUE were hits with most of us.

What do you guys think of the list? Were there some books not on here that are on the top of your pile? Let us know!

54 Comments

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RedheadedAtrocitus

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Wow, about 90% of the ones you guys listed down are just what the top of the pile for December would be for me too. You all in my head now or something? O_o

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MysteriousUsername

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Darn it I need to find Minutemen #5.

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Loki2u

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Edited By Loki2u

Katzmann.....no valiant titles?

Me:

Saga

Spider-man

Batman

Daredevil: End of Days

Harbinger

Punk Rock Jesus

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RedX9

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Edited By RedX9

#1 Batman

#2 Punk Rock Jesus

#3 Wonder Woman

4 All New X-men

5 Aquaman

Best storyline : Court of Owls

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ComicFan93

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Edited By ComicFan93

Amazing Spider-Man #700 "pisses you off, but in a good way"? Good, how? I'll use spoiler bars from here, but I'll say this: out of respect, do NOT buy a single issue of the new Spider-Man series.

The hero we've come to know and love is gone, and his death was completely cast aside so much, it was completely insulting to the character. People around him are literally yelling "good riddance" as he passes. That's beyond cruel.

To top it off, the new "hero" killed Parker, took his body, and is now living the life he stole. Does Dan Slott seriously think that this is a good direction for Spider-Man? No one should. A former villain possessing Parker's body? No one in the right mind would even remotely consider that a good idea. If you do, if you actually support this disgusting idea, if you so much as buy a single issue of that god-awful "Superior Spider-Man", consider yourself an official betrayer to what Stan Lee worked so hard to build, only to be cast aside by some pretentous hack of a writer.

.

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k4tzm4n

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Edited By k4tzm4n  Moderator
@Loki2u: SHADOWMAN is there.
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MysteriousUsername

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@ComicFan93:

I'm picking it up for curiosity's sake. Hoping for a curve-ball honestly.

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lifeboy

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Edited By lifeboy

Super topic inferiorego! My pick would probabpy be Worlds Finest and I will tell you why: first let me say that when the title was annonced and was previewed here, i instant l y hated it. But this last month i bought all 8 issues and i am glad to say i was so wrong and this is my best title of all. maguireand perez seem to be very complementry of each other with their stlyes. I disliked perez because I didnot like his previous work on WW but after seeing WF, I found that I was very wrong. His covers are tops! And maquire seems to capture the women in a feminen manner that I like. I hated PG's costume at first but it has grown on me and I like her in a full body costume. Hope they continue to refine it. As for Levitz, I held the fact that he is an older writer against him because I thought he might be out of touch or old fashion, but I was wrong there too. He is doing 5 star work with the relationship between PG and the Huntress. 1 example was where they were in itally and got jumped by some low life drug partyers. Also when they were in paris and PG blows all Huntresses files on earth prime away. The four part story of the radio active monster washeavily criticized but that was a great story. I found this story better than the damian current story issues but what redeemed damians story was that when he and Huntress fought, he could have killed her. As a matter of fact, he was trying to kill her and I felt bad for her because he beat her so bad and left her thrown in the dumpster like she was a peice of garbage. It felt very emotional. I could go on but I am writi g this so people can maybe see it again with a new perspective. I dont want it to get cancelled because of bad press with I have found un substanciated. :-)

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Loki2u

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Edited By Loki2u

@k4tzm4n:

Right you are! I thought I was crazy. sorry. :)

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fartvader

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Edited By fartvader

Is DC, in any way, planning to renew the Trinity? Aquaman would definitely be a good replacement.

And yeah, JL #15 and Aquaman #15 are top in my pile also. :)

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Deformity

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Edited By Deformity

I can honestly say Uncanny X-Force is my favorite run in comic history.

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deactivated-5c901e667a76c

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Edited By deactivated-5c901e667a76c  Moderator

@Deformity: I second this statement.

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johnqestion

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Edited By johnqestion

Justice League easily best book of Dec, with Aquaman. Cuz they like two chaps right? Things happened and great characterization.

WW felt like a filler. Nothing much happened but talking and more intros. Orion set up at the stereotypical bad/pretty boy about to engage in a mistaken fight with hero was the only highlight. WW was barely in it.

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SoA

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Edited By SoA

inferiorego matches up with my pull list ,cool! lol

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Cavemold

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Edited By Cavemold

my top of pile was

1.XO Manowar 8

2.Hawkeye 6

3. Justice league 15

4. Shadowman 2

5. Harbringer 7

book of the year XO-Manowar

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Jonny_Anonymous

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Edited By Jonny_Anonymous

Aww I was hoping for a Best of the Year round up

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Cavemold

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Edited By Cavemold

Bottom of the pile for the year

1. Green Arrow # 1

2. Wonder Woman 15#

3.Red hood outlaws #1

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TheCommissar

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Edited By TheCommissar

For me:

1) Earth-2 #7 (Earth-2 is among my favorite titles at the moment, and this issue in particular is one of my favorites in the series; in no small part thanks to the activity of the Sandmen)

2) Thor: God of Thunder #3 (Beautiful artwork, creative usage of different settings in time, and all around engaging)

3) Justice League #15 (Felt like the first truly good issue of the series)

4) Aquaman #15 (One of my favorite heroes facing an identity crisis of sorts; fantastically done)

5) Shadowman #2 (While Shadowman doesn't seem to be the favorite of most from Valiant, it's really growing on me)

Issue of the Year: Hard choice between this and a collection of story arcs, but I just have to go with Hawkeye #6. My favorite issue in this series (and that's saying a lot). I love how, early on in the issue, it has a page dedicated to one of those classic Marvel arcade games; well-played to Fraction and Aja with that little addition. As usual, Fraction's humor lightens the mood in a lot of places in the issue that would ordinarily be somewhat depressing, and makes Clint's decision throughout the book feel difficult. Aja's art continues to work perfectly for the tone of this series (plus the "DJ Aja" parts in the letters page where he gives titles to songs that fit the story make me think all the better of him), and complimented by Matt Hollingsworth's coloring, which deeply displays the coldness of the exterior scenes with the warmth of the interior scenes. All-in-all, a very well-made book.

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gui22

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Edited By gui22
@ComicFan93 said:

Amazing Spider-Man #700 "pisses you off, but in a good way"? Good, how? I'll use spoiler bars from here, but I'll say this: out of respect, do NOT buy a single issue of the new Spider-Man series.

.

It's a comic book. It'll go back to where it started. Why not enjoy the ride? Besides, Stan Lee made more changes to each hero's universe and story than any other, if he was still on the helm the Marvel Universe itself could very well be completely different. That's what comic books are about. Experimentation. And if you come here calling anybody who does that an "official betrayer", I'm not sure you understand the point in all of this.
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doordoor123

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Edited By doordoor123

Surprised there wasn't more Valiant on here.

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hyenascar

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Edited By hyenascar

@ComicFan93:

man the new series is going to be awesome. IEveryone is going to love Superior Spider-Man

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bladewolf

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Edited By bladewolf

And once again Demon Knights gets no love...definitely better than Spiderman 700...

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derf_jenkins

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Edited By derf_jenkins

Scott Snyder Jeff Lemire Anything from Valiant Hawkeye Spider-man

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naylor11

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Edited By naylor11

No Swamp Thing?

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ComicFan93

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@gui22:

Enjoy the ride? They kill off one the most beloved heroes of all time in the cruelest way possible, and replace him with a villain stuck in his body. If I enjoyed that ride, it would go against decades of history and entertainment.

And the problem with experimentation is sometimes, it sticks. If too many people are excited about this putrid idea of a series, it'll stick. Doc Ock could continue to enhabit Peter's body, and we may never get the old Spider-Man back. Why is no one else concerned about this?

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ComicFan93

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Edited By ComicFan93

@hyenascar said:

@ComicFan93:

man the new series is going to be awesome. IEveryone is going to love Superior Spider-Man

That's exactly what I'm afraid of.

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RuinedGlory

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Edited By RuinedGlory

Hey guys! I decided to do a video all about The Amazing Spider-Man #700 & what it means for someone who's loved Spidey his entire life. I hope you enjoy it. =]

I'll also be doing a Top 10 Comics list soon as well. Thanks!

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mapledonuts

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Edited By mapledonuts
There's also some great interaction between Wonder Woman and Superman, which gives more characterization than we've seen in their own titles.

You're joking right? Clark just showed Diana how glasses work as a disguise and spoke about not wanting to be Superman 24/7. He did that with Bruce in Action Comics #11. There's also this key writing skill called showing and not telling. When characterization is done through what amounts to mostly exposition, then it's mediocre at best.

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haydenclaireheroes

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Great Picks Guys!

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iaconpoint

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Edited By iaconpoint

@doordoor123 said:

Surprised there wasn't more Valiant on here.

I've heard nothing but good things about their books. Seems I'm missing out on something and that needs to be corrected!

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looper

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Edited By looper

anyone know the best story arcs? or other top story lines?

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zackattack529

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Edited By zackattack529

I agree with Babs list the most.

G-mans is more a mainstream essential comics list.

Im almost shocked that Katzman didn't have a full valiant list lol (shadowman has been awesome though)

Matt's list was good, im glad someone remembered SPider-men however i don't believe spidermn 700 lived up to expectations especially with sooo many great comics this year but not my list lol

My top list

1. Uncanny X-force 35

2. Green Lantern 15

3. Punisher: war zone 2

4. Great Pacific 2

5. Batman 15

Best NEW series of the year: Hawkeye

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MadeinBangladesh

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Edited By MadeinBangladesh

HAWKEYE is my favorite comic book of the year.

I'm still not liking the main Justice League book, but I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE the Shazam backstory everymonth.

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MadeinBangladesh

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Edited By MadeinBangladesh

this month:

1. Hawkeye #6

2. Walking Dead #105

3. Uncanny X-force #35

4. Animal Man #15

5. Batman #15

BEst of the year: HAWKEYE #3

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Hancock89

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Edited By Hancock89

1. SAGA #8 
2. Shadowman  #2  
3. Thor: God of Thunder #3
4. Avengers #1 and 2   
5. Harbinger #7  
6. Uncanny X-force #35  
 
Best new series: A tie with Shadowman and Thor.

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snootchie_bootchies

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Is anyone else familiar with this "Saga"? What genre would you put it in? Im real curious about the art, because it looks like something out of Heavy Metal.

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captainadamant

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Edited By captainadamant

1. Uncanny X-Force 35 - Beautiful End to a great series

2. FF 17 or FF 23 - Issue 17 where Johnny and Peter become roommates is probably the most fun I've had reading a comic lately. Also FF 23 closes out a great series in a way that warms your heart.

3. Earth 2 #2 - A cool take on the golden age characters. While this series hasn't blown me out of the water, it still provides a great world concept and gave me a surprise which is that Jay may be my favorite Flash!

4. Justice League Dark 9 - I'm guilty of loving this series from the beginning, but seeing Lemire get to do this series made it eve better. He seems to be loving Constantine as a character, and it really shows!

5. Hawkeye #3 - I thought I put this on my list, so I'm doing last minute changes. This book has so much wit and charm. I love what Fraction is doing with this. It almost doesn't even feel like a Marvel title. This issue had the most laughs for me

Other cllose runner-ups - Wonder Woman, Flash, Batwoman, All-New X-men, Saga

I probably would have put Wonder Woman in front of Aquaman, but I feel like her stories are better when told together. The same goes for Batwoman. Those are both books that are better read in one sitting since they have long arcs.

The Flash was great in the beginning. I even liked that Flash had a villain that had personal ties to him. Plus, this book is just beautiful to look at. I love the water color flash back-ups. I however am not enjoying it as much lately. I'm just not a Grodd fan, and once Barry decided to go "

All-New has been great for a lasped X-men fan. I love this concept, and the exchanges between characters have been fun.

Saga - Great fun. Number one sucked me in straight away.

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DJ1107

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@ComicFan93:

Ok enough of "They killed a beloved hero" crap, Captain America, Thor, Colossus, Superman, Aquaman, Hawkeye, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern. They were all beloved & died so what makes Spider-man so different? shit like this isn't permanent he'll be back in 2 years & everything will be back to normal.

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Crackdown

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New Dark Avengers. All I'm saying

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Press Oblivion

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Great picks guys :)

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@ComicFan93 said:

@gui22:

Enjoy the ride? They kill off one the most beloved heroes of all time in the cruelest way possible, and replace him with a villain stuck in his body. If I enjoyed that ride, it would go against decades of history and entertainment.

And the problem with experimentation is sometimes, it sticks. If too many people are excited about this putrid idea of a series, it'll stick. Doc Ock could continue to enhabit Peter's body, and we may never get the old Spider-Man back. Why is no one else concerned about this?

I am concerned as well, to say the least.

The hero gets killed and essentially mind raped. The villain who raped and took over the hero's mind is rewarded by getting to keep it and, adding insult to injury, vows to live the former's life and career better than the hero did. And we are supposed to cheer this on? This is quite vile and disturbing.

I can choose to ignore Dan Slott's work. I'm free to recognize how creepy and perverted he is. But it amazes me that Marvel are accomplices to his sadistic stories. Spider-Man was once their greatest hero. It's so sad they threw that away. And even if the character is redeemed at some point I am not sure I can ever really come back. This is frankly too disgusting.

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irmensul

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Well it didnt take long for jla to revert to an artist I wouldnt bother collecting did it..

I reckon 12 issues before peter parker returns

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fables87

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Nice lists!

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Queso6p4

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@Loki2u said:

Katzmann.....no valiant titles?

Me:

Saga

Spider-man

Batman

Daredevil: End of Days

Harbinger

Punk Rock Jesus

Definitely feel you on Darddevil: End of Days and Punk Rock Jesus. I grabbed Dardevil by chance, was immediately drawn into the story, and have followed it since the first issue. It's one of those series that I actually get excited to read about. As far as Punk Rock Jesus goes, this series really surprised me and I love how it's developed so far. I agree with the others too, minus Spider-man and Harbinger since I don't follow those.

@TheCommissar said:

For me:

1) Earth-2 #7 (Earth-2 is among my favorite titles at the moment, and this issue in particular is one of my favorites in the series; in no small part thanks to the activity of the Sandmen)

2) Thor: God of Thunder #3 (Beautiful artwork, creative usage of different settings in time, and all around engaging)

3) Justice League #15 (Felt like the first truly good issue of the series)

4) Aquaman #15 (One of my favorite heroes facing an identity crisis of sorts; fantastically done)

5) Shadowman #2 (While Shadowman doesn't seem to be the favorite of most from Valiant, it's really growing on me)

Issue of the Year: Hard choice between this and a collection of story arcs, but I just have to go with Hawkeye #6. My favorite issue in this series (and that's saying a lot). I love how, early on in the issue, it has a page dedicated to one of those classic Marvel arcade games; well-played to Fraction and Aja with that little addition. As usual, Fraction's humor lightens the mood in a lot of places in the issue that would ordinarily be somewhat depressing, and makes Clint's decision throughout the book feel difficult. Aja's art continues to work perfectly for the tone of this series (plus the "DJ Aja" parts in the letters page where he gives titles to songs that fit the story make me think all the better of him), and complimented by Matt Hollingsworth's coloring, which deeply displays the coldness of the exterior scenes with the warmth of the interior scenes. All-in-all, a very well-made book.

I've gotta say the same for Shadowman too.

@Cavemold said:

Bottom of the pile for the year

1. Green Arrow # 1

2. Wonder Woman 15#

3.Red hood outlaws #1

Heh. These kinds of lists are also insightful. I tried giving Green Arrow a shot and just couldn't get past the second issue. It was just awful. Thanks for the laugh. I do think that the staffers should do a bottom of the pile list of the year too for some perspective. Hopefully you've started something.

Hmmm. Not quite sure what my top picks would be but they'd definitely include:

Colder #1

Daredevil: End of Days #1

Batman and Robin #7

Best new series this year (too bad it's over) :

Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison

Bottom of the pile list (these don't get links):

Red Lanterns

That godawful Sabretooth Reborn arc.

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eatmore_payless

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@ComicFan93 said:

Amazing Spider-Man #700 "pisses you off, but in a good way"? Good, how? I'll use spoiler bars from here, but I'll say this: out of respect, do NOT buy a single issue of the new Spider-Man series.

The hero we've come to know and love is gone, and his death was completely cast aside so much, it was completely insulting to the character. People around him are literally yelling "good riddance" as he passes. That's beyond cruel.

To top it off, the new "hero" killed Parker, took his body, and is now living the life he stole. Does Dan Slott seriously think that this is a good direction for Spider-Man? No one should. A former villain possessing Parker's body? No one in the right mind would even remotely consider that a good idea. If you do, if you actually support this disgusting idea, if you so much as buy a single issue of that god-awful "Superior Spider-Man", consider yourself an official betrayer to what Stan Lee worked so hard to build, only to be cast aside by some pretentous hack of a writer.

.

this. im also pissed on what writers did. they didn't respect spiderman heck they even disrespected stan lee. i say with start a rebellion i raise my mid fing to all hack writers out there making good comics look bad

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ASM 700, aka biggest comic f-ckup since death of superman should be at the bottom of the list. It should be the new millstone that all other crap is judged in the future. The Clone saga v2 and they apparently didn't learn their lesson the first time around.

Yes, "final" issue (until marvel continuity re-writes, marvel reconsiders, or the entire supporting staff goes WTF?) is a milestone but the storyline, and conclusion is so horrible that it was the final nail in the coffin for marvel comics. It will be sometime before I pay to see their movies, read their books, buy a statue/figure or buy their books. But knowing marvel, they'll re-tool it in 6 months or so, but instead of a new re-starting, like they should, they'll just make things a dozen times worse like they've done with this "marvel now" crap.

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@RuinedGlory: thank you, can't agree more about killing off my fav caharacter but Marvel has officially killed any interest in their comics.

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inferiorego

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Thanks everyone for reading!

@DJ1107 said:

@ComicFan93:

Ok enough of "They killed a beloved hero" crap, Captain America, Thor, Colossus, Superman, Aquaman, Hawkeye, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern. They were all beloved & died so what makes Spider-man so different? poop like this isn't permanent he'll be back in 2 years & everything will be back to normal.

That's the perfect point. They turned Aquaman into a squid, then killed him off panel a few years back. I was mad for about 10 seconds until I realized that nothing is permanent in comics.... except in Ultimate comics... That stuff is permanent.

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Cavemold

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@inferiorego said:

Thanks everyone for reading!

@DJ1107 said:

@ComicFan93:

Ok enough of "They killed a beloved hero" crap, Captain America, Thor, Colossus, Superman, Aquaman, Hawkeye, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern. They were all beloved & died so what makes Spider-man so different? poop like this isn't permanent he'll be back in 2 years & everything will be back to normal.

That's the perfect point. They turned Aquaman into a squid, then killed him off panel a few years back. I was mad for about 10 seconds until I realized that nothing is permanent in comics.... except in Ultimate comics... That stuff is permanent.

its going last a year too long i think

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@ComicFan93 said:

@gui22:

Marvel owns the character, they're free to decide his fate. We have 50 years of estabilished lore with Peter Parker as the star, and if life teaches anything is that nothing ever stays the same. Does that stop you from enjoying it? No. And neither should this. I'm 100% sure that sooner or later, be it because of sales, fan requests or simply for storytelling's sake things will go back.

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