Best of 2014: Comic Books

Another year is in the books, and we here at Hush Comics couldn’t pass at the chance to rank our favorites of this year’s releases in all types of mediums. Some of the winners will surprise you; heck, some of the results surprised  us. The results are completely subjective, and therefore were chosen with infallible logic. We would love to hear your opinions on what we have chosen, or if you thought we missed anything. This should be a fun review before we gear up for 2015.

Click on the link to take you to the “Best of 2014” homepage for all categories.

This year’s nominations are…

Best Comic Book Series (Monthly On-going)

• DC Comics – Batman (Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo)
• Image Comics – Black Science (Rick Remender & Matteo Scalera)
• Image Comics – Saga (Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples)
• IDW Comics – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Tom Waltz & Mateo Santolouco/Ross Campbell)
• Image Comics – The Walking Dead (Robert Kirkman & Charlie Adlard)

Results here.

Best Story Arc

• DC Comics – Batman: Zero Year (Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo)
• DC Comics – Batman: Endgame (Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo)
• Marvel Comics – Spider-Verse (Various writers and artists)
• DC Comics – Forever Evil (Geoff Johns & David Finch)
• DC Comics – Multiversity (Grant Morrison & various artists)

Results here.

Best Creative Team

• Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples – Saga (Image Comics)
• John Layman & Rob Guillory – Chew (Image Comics)
• Robert Kirkman & Charlie Adlard – The Walking Dead (Image Comics)
• Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo – Batman (DC Comics)
• Tom Waltz & Mateo Santolouco – TMNT (IDW Comics)

Results here.

Best Writer

• Geoff Johns – Superman (DC Comics), Justice League (DC Comics), Forever Evil (DC Comics)
• Josh Williamson – Nailbiter, Birthright (Image Comics), Captain Midnight (Dark Horse Comics)
• Matt Fraction – Hawkeye (Marvel Comics), Sex Criminals, Satellite Sam, Ody-C (Image Comics)
• Rick Remender – Black Science, Deadly Class, Low (Image Comics)
• Scott Snyder – Batman, Superman: Unchained, The Wake, American Vampire (DC Comics), Wytches (Image Comics)

Results here.

Best Artist

• Fiona Staples – Saga (Image Comics)
• Greg Capullo – Batman (DC Comics)
• Leila del Duca – Shutter (Image Comics)
• Mateus Santolouco – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW Comics)
• Mike Henderson – Nailbiter (Image Comics)

Results here.

Best New Comic Book Series

• Image Comics – Deadly Class (Rick Remender & Wes Craig)
• Marvel Comics – Ms. Marvel (G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona)
• Marvel Comics – Moon Knight (Warren Ellis/Brian Wood & Declan Shalvey/Greg Smallwood)
• Image Comics – Nailbiter (Joshua Williamson & Mike Henderson)
• Image Comics – Shutter (Joe Keatinge & Leila del Duca)

Results here.

Best Comic Book Mini-Series

• Marvel Comics – Deadpool vs. Carnage (Cullen Bunn & Salva Espin)
• Marvel Comics – Edge of Spider-Verse (Various writers and artists)
• Marvel Comics – Hawkeye vs. Deadpool (Gerry Duggan & James Harren)
• Vertigo Comics – Sandman: Overture (Neil Gaiman & JH Williams III)
• Dark Horse Comics – Serenity: Leaves on the Wind (Zach Whedon & Georges Jeanty)

Results here.

Onto: Best of 2014 – Movies

Best of 2014: Comic Books – Best Creative Team

Another year is in the books, and we here at Hush Comics couldn’t pass at the chance to rank our favorites of this year’s releases in all types of mediums. Some of the winners will surprise you; heck, some of the results surprised  us. The results are completely subjective, and therefore were chosen with infallible logic. We would love to hear your opinions on what we have chosen, or if you thought we missed anything. This should be a fun review before we gear up for 2015.

Click on the link to take you to the “Best of 2014” homepage.

Best Comic Book Creative Team

• Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples – Saga (Image Comics)
• John Layman & Rob Guillory – Chew (Image Comics)
• Robert Kirkman & Charlie Adlard – The Walking Dead (Image Comics)
• Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo – Batman (DC Comics)
• Tom Waltz & Mateo Santolouco – TMNT (IDW Comics)

WINNER – Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (Saga)

Saga #19

Saga #21

Saga #22

Saga #23

Saga #24

Saga is the best comic book series I’ve ever read.  Point blank. Hands down.  No debate.  Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples firmly have my heart in their grasp.  These two brilliantly talented individuals have crafted such an incredibly enchanting, detailed and (most critically) original universe.  The characters are relatable and dynamic – a pretty impressive feat considering the cast is composed entirely of odd alien life forms.  The surroundings and environments are beautiful.  The plot is layered and interesting at every level.  I even love how awkward this team can make me feel!!  Panels of the Fard and Stalk-sex belong in the comic book hall of fame.  In a time of sequels, remakes, and based-on works it’s a breath of fresh air – more like a tank of oxygen at the peak of Mt. Everest – to have Vaughn and Staples teamed up.  These two are unequivocally the most creative comic book duo out there.  Now if only they could get on a regular release schedule! – Taylor

Second Place – Robert Kirkman & Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead)

The Walking Dead #128

These two creators have worked on over 100 issues of The Walking Dead together for over ten years. They are the Simon and Garfunkel of comic books, and they have one of the best relationships of any book out. Their creative direction syncs so well; minimal exposition means that the story is told through images often-times better than it is through words. It’s been a long journey, and one that does look to be slowing down anytime soon. – Sherif

Third Place – Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo (Batman)

Batman #32

Every month, when I read Batman, I feel so small compared to these geniuses.  They are the real deal, people.  After 37 issues into their book, they know how the other one works to a tee.  Snyder’s storytelling is compelling. Capullo’s art is top notch.  Together, their story is the best in the biz.  Each of them work incredibly hard to get out the quality of book they have, and one without the other would disrupt the whole process.  Gah!  I could gush over these two all day! – Adrian

RUNNER UP – Tom Waltz & Mateus Santolouco (TMNT)

TMNT #39

 

A lot of people tend to think the TMNT carry themselves and that it is easy to pull them off. With Waltz and Santolouco, however, their own take on the turtles includes additions from just about every incarnation of the turtles, appeasing all generations of fans. It’s not all just a jam-packed love story, though; the consistency of good story-telling has increased my love for TMNT so much more than is was – which was borderline insane in the first place. I find that even though I have enjoyed the issues in the TMNT series not written and drawn by Waltz and Santolouco to be fun and just as engaging at time these two have almost become the staple of this series for this year and have created some of the best stories for these characters I have ever seen, plus I have a soft spot for Herman the Hermit crab which debuted a couple issue ago, whom was designed by Santolouco. – Jacob

 

RUNNER UP – John Layman & Rob Guillory (Chew)

Chew: Volume 8

Chew is a juggernaut of awesome. Layman and Guillory have put together what is by far one of the most comical series ever created. We find this year that a bit of toe can go a long way. Layman proves his writing chops by not only having one of the most popular creator owned books on the market has recently been seen writing one of the most popular characters of all time, Batman. On top of doing Godzilla, paring up with a major motion picture release, I think we can all recognize John Layman as one of comics current top writers. Rob Guillory has one of the most definitive art styles of any artist currently working. The exaggerated character styles and even the little easter eggs he works into every panel make Chew more visually appealing than the majority of books currently on the market. Combined they become something on the power level of Captain Planet, BUT THERE’S ONLY TWO OF THEM! – Scott

Next Category: Best Comic Book Writer

“Respect My Craft” – John Layman

In this consumer-based industry, it can be easy to forget the years of hard work that the people in the business put in. Behind every panel, it takes a skilled writer, artist, inker and colorist to make the product complete. Behind each scene goes hours of preparation. Hush Comics’ weekly article “Respect My Craft” will dive into the history of these comic book and pop culture greats that will hopefully give a new perspective on how the men and women behind the pen (or stylus) contribute to the collective awesome-ness of the nerd world, or at least give you a reason to invest in their work.

 

Click on the link to take you to all of our Denver Comic Con 2014 “Respect My Craft” articles

 

Name: John Layman

Profession: Writer

Notable Work: Chew (2009-present), New 52 Detective Comics (2012-2014)

“…Now that CHEW has reached levels of success I never expected, sometimes I freeze up, feeling like I am under a microscope. Eventually I have to shake it off and just do my own thing in order to make the strongest story.” – John Layman

 

John Layman is best known these days for his creator owned, Eisner Award winning series Chew, which he started with Rob Guillory in 2009. He did start out his career in a much more resigned position of an editor at Wildstorm, a branch of DC comics. He eventually moved on to being a writer for Marvel Comics in 2002. Layman has made a good name for himself working on pre-existing licenses such as Xena, ThunderCats, Godzilla and Mars Attacks. He also did the story arc of the Marvel Zombies storyline with Marvel Zombies vs Army of Darkness. Starting in 2005, he went on to create his own characters and stories. In May 2005, John Layman released Puffed, a story about an amusement park mascot beaten up and dropped off in the roughest part of town still in his costume. He followed up Puffed with his amazingly well received Chew in 2009.

Chew follows the story of Detective Tony Chu and his investigations into food-related crimes. Tony, and many other characters, has amazing food related abilities. When asked in an interview with Ambidextrous where the inspiration such an unique world and storyline came from, John Layman said he really has no idea. “Does anybody have a good answer for where inspiration comes from? At least for Chew, I have no idea. It’s an idea I’ve had for a long time, and I’ve taken my sweet time developing the story and working it out, but I don’t have the slightest freaking clue when inspiration first struck,” said Layman. He does clarify his original thought though. “I think this idea came several years ago, probably as a joke, when everybody was panicking about potential bird flu, and maybe there was some snarky Elliot Ness-like scenarios that spun out if it—federal agents kicking down doors to stop chicken smugglers like they did with alcohol during Prohibition,” he continued.

Aside from working on his own creator owned books, John Layman was brought on to replace Tony Daniel to write for Detective Comics in late 2012. Layman was approached by Mike Marts, an editor at DC Comics to come on board and take on writing duties. The always-busy Layman could not pass up on the opportunity to write a Batman title. While writing Detective Comics, Layman was approached to start a new Batman weekly called Batman Eternal. John contributed to the first four issues and then bowed out to focus his time on Chew. Luckily, in his leaving of Eternal there were no hurt feelings. “There were no creative differences, no drama, no bad experiences, no unreasonable rewrites or capricious changes, during Detective or during my time on Eternal,” stated Layman in an article he wrote for Bleeding Cool News.

John Layman doesn’t resign himself to just comic books, though. He’s worked in video games and movies too. In 2007, he was hired by Cryptic Studios, makers of City of Heroes, City of Villains, and most recently, Neverwinter. Chew is being made into a animated movie starring The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun and geek icon Felicia Day. He also helped create the animals for the movie Avatar. John Layman is a extremely talented writer and creator. He’s quietly made a stellar career for himself and deserves any and all accolades given to him. He is one of the creators that really reinvigorated my love of comics as a medium for great storytelling. Take some time out of your weekend at Denver Comic Con and stop by Layman’s booth, you won’t be disappointed.

None of the media in this article belongs to Hush Comics; it is all credited to the original publishers (DC Comics, Image Comics). Join us tomorrow as we continue our countdown to Denver Comic Con with former Swamp Thing penciller, Yanick Paquette.

So Far This Week… April 23rd, 2014

If you didn’t catch it, Season 4 of The Boondocks kicked off Monday night with a hilarious guest spot from Michael B. Jordan. It wasn’t up to par with the Season 1-2 hilarity, but it was good to have it back. It made me realize how many crazy things have happened since The Boondocks were last on the air in August of 2010. Here’s a great read if you want to be in the know.

Happy Birthday to Game Boy! The iconic hand-held console turned 25 on Monday. From Game Boy to Game MAN.

Amazon Prime has made a major move in the bout with Netflix by striking a contract with HBO (sorry Thronies, no luck for you). However, you can still catch classic shows like The Wire and The Sopranos on the streaming service; check the link here for more details. Does this change your view about switching streaming services?

There is news of sequels abound… namely for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Super Troopers and The Goonies.

Ubisoft is currently working on adding a co-op mode to Assassin’s Creed: Unity. This could be the thing that finally gets me into playing the online modes for AC. Unity drops Holiday season 2014.

Months after Quentin Tarantino lost his shit when somebody leaked the script to a film titled The Hateful Eight, he has dropped the suit (for the time being) and plans on continuing progress to create the film. Nobody wins here more than us.

If you thought the Cartoon Network show Beware the Batman was dead, you were almost correct. The poorly received show will be returning to CN, but airing at 3am on Saturday night – so pretty much still dead.

Looks like we should be gearing up for a video-game version of Kick-Ass 2 (check out our review here). I won’t lie – it looks terrible. As much as I love the franchise, it will take a whole lot of convincing to pay for something that looks this bad.

If you like picking apart each episode of Game of Thrones to predict the schemes and plot twists, but haven’t had time to catch up on the books like us, here is a little bit to get you through the weeks. Episode titles and descriptions give away more than I think they should, but it’s still fun to predict.

If I didn’t love Batman so much, I would say that DC Comics is overdoing it for their 75th Anniversary celebration. We can now look forward to Batman stealing the variant cover to almost every major DC book in July to commemorate the Dark Knight.

Oh boy, let the floodgates and scandal commence; whistle-blowers are blowing (poor choice of words) their whistles to uncover a “pedophile ring” among powerful Hollywood execs. If this really is the case, I hope justice gets served to the fullest.

On a lighter note (or maybe not) Chew, the Eisner Award winning comic book series about an FDA agent who uses psychic connection from the things (or people) he eats to solve crime mysteries, will be released in animated form, with The Walking Dead‘s Steve Yeun and Dr. Horrible‘s Felicia Day already down for voice acting.

It would seem the almighty Oprah Winfrey approves of comic books! The one in particular she advocated for on her show was March: Book One. Hush actually reviewed this book in honor of Black History Month; you can check it out here.