Top 5 Comics: The Best of 2011 - The Creators

While it's been a little quiet around these parts as of late, I figured that it was time to change all that. What better way to accomplish that goal by joining many other comic book blogs in the fun task of running down the Best Of List for 2011. It was a huge year, one that saw a metric ton of comics that impressed and surprised and stood out from among the pack. With DC's revitalization to up and coming books that you always look out for, the comic book world flourished this year. This first part (of 2) will focus mainly on the comics themselves, while the next one will focus on the creators. Well, without further ado, TO THE LIST!


BEST WRITER:

While the Best Comics section was hard, the Creators section is infinitely harder. There are so many talented people working in comics, and the list of writers who had a banner year is longer than you would think possible. Still, compiling that lengthy list into something more manageable is my task at hand, so here are the nominees for Best Writer:

Grant Morrison -  Say what you will about the man, call him crazy and insane and a hit and miss author, there is no denying his love of the medium of comics. He also lives and breathes FUN and imbues that sensibility into the pages of his stories. With things like Batman Incorporated, Joe the Barbarian, & Action Comics, he's set the bar quite high and constantly reminds us why these super powered beings that we all love are truly Heroes.

Brian Azzarello - Another writer who's been around for awhile, has always been talented and beloved for things like 100 Bullets, but this year put together a stellar showing that knocked the socks off of people. From the moral grey areas and shocking revelations in the pages of Flashpoint: Knight of Vengeance to the revamp and reformation of the Wonder Woman mythos, Azzarello has turned comic book expectations on their head. His work is fresh and new and zips and zaps in such a way that, like a cat following a laser pointer, we can't help but be entranced and race along to keep up.

Mark Waid - A creator with a variable pantheon of outstanding work under his belt, this year Mark Waid came back in a big way. People are still entangled in the villainy and creativity that is being shown in the books Irredeemable and Incorruptible, and I think it's fairly obvious how I feel about the start to his Daredevil run. Waid is a writer that never does what you expect, he circumvents the obvious and knows a thing or two about constructing not only action scenes that deliver, but character moments that are poignant and spot on.

Mike Carey - While The Unwritten was edged out in the comics section by a few other books, there is no doubt that Mike Carey belongs on this list. His craft is amazing, especially his ability to methodically wrap your brain in a land of magic and literary creations, which is unparalleled. The character of Tommy Taylor and the trials and tribulations that he is suffering as he continues to search for the meaning of his life and existence, is a testament to that. He makes you care, which is paramount in the land of writing.

Rick Remender - Any writer who can take characters like Psylocke, Fantomex, Archangel/Angel, characters that have typically been very bland, and create a continuous story that makes you give a damn about what happens to them deserves a slap on the back and a hearty, "You did the impossible." That teamed up with writing unique situations that felt more like an X-Book than any other X-Book has for years, and the humor/action that resonated in every single issue makes for a compelling case of why he's on this list. Also, let's not forget the ending to his long running Sci-Fi Pulp book, Fear Agent, which was pretty great too.

Scott Snyder - With the strength of his flagship Vertigo title, American Vampire, it seems that Scott Snyder can really do no wrong. Now with titles such as the superb run on Detective Comics and things like Swamp Thing and Batman under his belt, Snyder is fast becoming DC's top writer. His ability to tell stories that scare, intrigue, surprise, entertain, and bring forth that key component of being memorable, is the reason that his books are doing so well. He is a writer of the finest caliber, and it seems that he's only starting up.

The WINNER:

Mark Waid can not be stopped. Not only do the stories that he is telling fall into the phenomenal category, but he's resurrected, in a sense, a favorite character of mine from the brink. He constantly surprises you, which as a reader, I am a fan of.

Honorable Mentions:

John Rogers
John Layman 
Geoff Johns


BEST ARTIST:

If you thought writer was hard, the visualization of comics and choosing artists that are the BEST out of a group that is so talented, may be even harder. Art in comics has come a long way and has changed so much in such vast ways. This list is a diverse group, styles that range from traditional to streamlined to a more stylized way of telling sensational stories. They are all, without a doubt, winners. Still, that isn't the purpose of this list. So in order to choose the Best, let's get to the nominees for Best Artist.

Francis Manapul - His style has evolved so much from previous years and the way that he has treated Barry Allen, the constant motion and brilliant action pieces that exude a bit of that bottled lightning, marks him as one of the best in the business. Sleek, flashy, and layouts that go above and beyond and treat and amaze the eyes. Every time I open up The Flash, there's some new visual delight that makes me sit back and bask in the creative energy that was exerted. One can only imagine that if he's this good now, that Manapul is only getting started.

Jerome Opena - Uncanny X-Force keeps popping up on not only my lists of Best Of, but many other people's lists as well. As does Opena. There is a reason for that: He's damn good. Brilliantly matched with the story beats being told, Opena's artwork blasts and bellows and snikts with such intensity. He delves into the psyche of the characters, and is able to get across the most subtle thing in his visualization, but also handles End of the World action pieces too. He creates worlds that LIVE and inhabits them with characters that we want to see through his eyes. That's fairly impressive in my book.

Travel Foreman - I've said it before and I'll say it again, Travel Foreman brings the creep with a capital C with his work on Animal Man. He has injected a skin-crawling agent in it and has let it run wild. You know, in a good way though. Seriously, the imagination behind his work and the way that it is displayed and utilized is phenomenal. Before, when he was working on Immortal Iron Fist, he was hands down, one of the best Kung-Fu action guys that I'd seen. This year though, that's changed. He's become an all around great artist, one who can handle anything that's thrown at him and make it his own.

Sean Murphy - Hyper-detailed but never, ever, static. That right there, that feat, is insanely hard to do. Murphy makes it look easy. Many artist can do the hyper detailed work, people like Bryan Hitch & Michael Lark, but while it looks fantastic, the trade-off usually is that the works feels frozen. Murphy's work from this year, Joe the Barbarian and American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest, explodes off of the page and into your imagination. The character depth, the splash pages, the action, the gore, the imaginative landscapes that burgeon with life...The package that is Sean Murphy is about as complete as you can get.

Peter Gross - My love for Peter Gross' work was cemented long ago when he was working on a little book that went by the name of Lucifer. Okay, that wasn't a little book. Really, if you haven't read that, go do it. I mean, I won't wait or anything, but it's worth it. Nowadays though, Gross' work on The Unwritten is, simply stated, magical. From the literary exploration of things like Moby Dick to the back and forth, very human and down to earth, play for the ultimate power to save the Universe, Gross brings it with every panel. His scratchy, understated, line work forms a world that is both unforgettable and a place that I want to go.

Paolo Rivera & Marcos Martin - I feel a little strange combining these two artists into one, but when I really thought about it, their artistic talents together, have made such an impact in the comic book world. Daredevil has a history of great artists, from people like Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli, and Michael Lark. Both Marcos Martin and Paolo Rivera belong in that pantheon of greatness. They each bring something to the game, but their clean lines and explosive action is so compelling. You can tell the amount of thought that goes into every panel that they put their pencil to. The angles and decisions, the smallest things that most people would overlook, only adds to the excitement and creativity that is on display.

The WINNER:

Sean Murphy stole the show this year for me. Joe the Barbarian was a swan song for any toy lover, and the work and imagery and the imagination that he put on display was downright amazing. On the flip side, the horror and violence and nuanced emotions that he was able to get perfect in Survival of the Fittest was just a huge exclamation point of awesome to an already outstanding showing.

Honorable Mentions:


J.H. Williams III 
Rafael Albuquerque 
Patrick Gleason
Chris Burnham
Jock