The Best Stuff In Comics: 12-1-14

Normally this has been a VIDEO FEATURE for over one hundred episodes. We're still toying with the idea of changing the format to see what works best. It's all a matter of time for us to produce and in how you all prefer to consume this feature. I've toyed with the idea of testing a text version to see how it goes. Let me know in the comments below.

Each week we take a look at the other Best Stuff you might have missed.

SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN #17

Best Reaction to Doom Referring to Himself as Doom Twice

It's not easy being Doctor Doom. Not only do you have to wear a suit of armor all the time, you also have to command a certain presence around everyone. That also means you have to talk in a certain manner to maintain that presence. We all know Doom refers to himself when he speaks. It's not as easy as it seems.

We also get a little bonus in with a Best Reaction by Overdrive and Beetle.

Best New Vehicle we Probably Won't See Again but Totally Want to

Shocker had it pretty rough in this series. He does regain some footing in this final issue of the series. One great moment was when Punisher was ready to kill everyone. Talk about making an appearance.

Who knows if we'll ever see the Shocker-mobile again?

AMAZING X-MEN #13

Best Garish-looking Coffeehouse

What is it about coffeehouses? Who picks out the furnishing and decor? Where do you even shop for this sort of stuff? In this week's issue of AMAZING X-MEN, we see an attempt at a date about to happen at a coffeehouse. Just look at those chairs.

RED LANTERNS #36

Best Conflict with Words Instead of Fists

What do superheroes do when they don't agree on something? They usually just fight it out. It's typical behavior between heroes. When Simon Baz (remember him?) and Guy Gardner try getting Cyborg's help, it doesn't go as easily as you would think. You can't really blame Cyborg since last time he saw Simon, they were fighting in Trinity War and Guy Garder is just...Guy Gardner. Thankfully, Simon has a way to avoid conflict since their mission is bigger than just them with a lot at stake.

CYCLOPS #7

Best One-sided Battle

Seems if you're going to spend time in space, you can expect a lot of big flashy battles. [Young] Cyclops has been hanging out with his father, who is a bit of a space pirate. They've been taken buy a really harsh group of space pirates and you can see how brutal their attacks can be.

DEATHSTROKE #2

Best Use of Logo-font in a Normal Conversation

A lot of times in comics, characters will speak their name or the name of someone else in a big dramatic fashion. What sometimes ends up happening is the letterer will either use or create a logo for that character's name. It's like if they ever got their own series, the logo is already set. In this week's issue of DEATHSTROKE, we see a couple shadowy people talking. As your anticipation builds, it's revealed who they are. Bronze Tiger and Lady Shiva.

I would love a series with these two, separate or together. Let's hope they can rise to their former glory.

SECRET AVENGERS #10

Best Reason to have a Watch on a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier

Maria Hill is trying to figure out what's been going on around her lately. When M.O.D.O.K. defected to S.H.I.E.L.D. and offered to work for them, obviously she knew he couldn't be easily trusted. He did try to prove himself over and over by providing some valuable intel as well as produce some interesting things. But as things started to go sour, she tries finding out where he disappeared to from his lab assistant.

She then delivers a pretty epic slap across his face. So don't ask Maria Hill what time it is.

Best Standoff in the Rain

It's no secret how much I dig Michael Walsh's art. Phil Coulson recently flipped out a little. The pressure of certain events sort of got to him and he took off. Hawkeye has been trying to find him but it looks like there could be even more going on. There's a great two-page series of panels showing Clint trying to catch up to him. When they finally meet up, we get another great two-page spread, in the rain.

Again, this was a TWO-PAGE spread. It's pretty glorious.

ARKHAM MANOR #2

Best Reason Mr. Freeze can be Thankful for his Condition

While it's something you probably haven't thought about, it does make perfect sense--group therapy sessions at Arkham Asylum. Of course the Asylum is no more and it's now Arkham Manor (formerly Wayne Manor). If this is truly an asylum and not a regular prison, it makes sense that there would be some attempts at rehabilitating the inmates. It's probably not something most of Batman's rogues would want to deal with. This is where Mister Freeze can be thankful for his condition. He can't leave his cell and gets to attend remotely.

ALL-NEW GHOST RIDER #9

Best Reason Not to Make a Deal with the Devil

It's almost amazing how many different Ghostriders we've had. How are people still willing to make a deal with the devil? Nothing good ever comes out of it. When Robbie Reyes has a talk with Johnny Blaze, we see how much common sense Robbie actually has.

SCARLET SPIDERS #1

Best Indication (Usually) You’re on a Villain Homeworld

With all the craziness of Spider-Verse, we're seeing different groups of Spiders traveling to different worlds. When a certain trio visits the world of the Inheritors, a Ben Reilly (from another Universe) is in a bit of a shock.

So according to Ben, Starbucks is an indication you're on a villain's homeworld. I actually like Starbucks' coffee. Uh oh.

Best Poll of the Week

Last week the poll dealt with your favorite Challenged Overpowered Mutant. Having all that power isn't easy. It appears you guys all feel sorry for Jean Grey's struggle and we should include the Phoenix Force in there as well. Surprisingly, Franklin Richards slowly rose to second place. I didn't realize there were so many Franklin fans.

This week, let's take some of the characters that have appeared here. Who would you like to see get their own series? This might be a tough one.

(Note: if you get a "session expired" notice, refresh the page).

That's all I came up with this week. Let us know in the comments below what other Best Stuff you dug this past week. Special thanks to @djfanco, @simonsezstuff, and @Jawshco for their suggestions. If you want to participate, you can @reply me on Twitter at @GManFromHeck by Fridays using the hashtag#BestStuffInComics and I'll think you're pretty groovy.

Let us know what you think of this new format. Answer the poll question. Be sure to always look for the best stuff and be sure to practice talking about yourself in the third person. Even better, think about what your name logo would look like.