Best of 2014: Comic Books – Best Story Arc

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.

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

Best Comic Book 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)

WINNER – Spider-Verse (Marvel Comics)

 

I think it’s official. Spider-Man is my new favorite superhero. I can’t say that I actually ever had an original favorite. Being a fanatic Star Wars kid I don’t tend to focus on “superheroes” to often. I’ll tell you what though – the feelings I felt during the Spider-Verse events were synonymous to the feelings of watching A New Hope the first time. There were so many aspects that made the Spider-Verse event fantastic. The well-conceived plot, the intriguing villains, and clear & solid use of multidimensional travel all amplified the enjoyment of this event. But what made the Spider-Verse event “the best” all year long was getting to experience the vast variety of other-dimension Spider-Men and Spider-Women. Each issue hosted a new hero or gave us eye-popping insight into new worlds. The energy and creativity spawned from this event has been palpable. The event has been a ton of fun for fans and creators alike. The best part is that it’s not over. The first part of 2015 will keep the web-slingers busy as they try to survive the onslaught of the Inheritors. If the event maintains its awesomeness it may end up being the best of 2015. – Taylor

Second Place – Batman: Zero Year (DC Comics)

Batman zero year best of 2014
Batman #30

 

We know Bruce Wayne’s parents got shot, and we know that he did some stuff and then became Batman (Year One, mostly). But what the hell kind of stuff did he do to become Batman? Seems pretty important, right? Scott Snyder sure thought so. Zero Year is quite possibly the best Batman origin story I have ever read (Frank Miller, eat your heart out). Snyder and Capullo show they’re all in by paying homage to the original Bob Kane/Bill Finger lore – peep the stylish purple gloves – but still make the story their own by creating a whole new world. I was almost disappointed to return to the present, but then Endgame came along… – Sherif

Third Place – Multiversity (DC Comics)

Multiversity: Thunderworld Adventure #1
Multiversity: Thunderworld #1

How to even begin describing Multivesity? It’s Grant Morrison’s personal cosmology given comic book form using the shape of DC. Every month for eight issues, Morrison creates a new what-if in DC’s expansive universe, sometimes creating alternate versions of characters, new characters, or old characters in alternate situations. The only bummer is it’s eight issues instead of fifty-two. – Cuyler

RUNNER UP – Forever Evil (DC Comics)

Forever Evil #1
Forever Evil #1

As exciting as DC Comics can get, a lot of their ideas in the New52 are just recycled stories from the 70’s and 80’s. So when Forever Evil looked to be nothing more than a redo of Crisis on Infinite Earths, I set my phasor to “meh.” Right away though, I was hooked when they publicly revealed the identity of one of my favorite characters. It was another thrill entirely to watch the Justice League fight their way back from a very near edge of demise, and defeat a force so powerful that full repercussions haven’t even been felt yet. If you like alternate universe stories (like the new Spider-Verse, for example), then this story should be at the top of your list, too. – Sherif

RUNNER UP – Batman: Endgame (DC Comics)

Batman #35
Batman #35

It’s true that we don’t even know how Batman: Endgame will end, but I don’t care, it has been my favorite of the year.  Only three issues in, and it is the comic I look forward to every month.  The Joker’s pranks are absolutely chilling.  Batman isn’t as calm and composed as he usually is.  Gotham is going through a Joker-pocolypse.  Things look grim, but when a comic book can leave me on the edge of my seat, I’d say it’s a winner. – Adrian

Next Category: Best Creative Team

Comic Book Reviews 12-24-13


Pick of the Week:

Avengers #24.NOW – A

After a great run in the Infinity arc, Avengers.NOW begins the Rogue Planet arc with this issue. Thoroughly entertaining and full of mystery, #24.NOW is a great jumping on point for Avenger fans. While Stark and Rogers talk shop in the lab of a potential expansion of Avengers members, are heroes on the balcony, throwing a BBQ, are paid a visit from the future. It’s a great issue to build towards the rest of the arc. I’ve always thought that Esad Ribic’s art was a bit too fantastical for an ensemble cast like The Avengers, but with the subtle humor and nerd talk to break up the talk about other-worldly threats and inter-galactic battles, I feel like I can really relate to the story.

Other Reviews:

DC:

Justice League #26 & Forever Evil #4 (DC Comics) – B

Knee-deep into the Forever Evil/Crime Syndicate story arc, we’re really starting to delve into these mysterious characters – an element missing from their canon material. Introducing the origins of Power Ring, Johhny Quick and Atomica to the readers give a great yin and yang comparison of these characters to their Justice League counterparts is very entertaining. Frighteningly so, Grid, who is the self-actualized machine part of Cyborg’s body, looks like he dropped in from the Terminator series. What really makes this arc great is that, through all the twists, turns and secrets, there is enough juice in the orange to squeeze out another entertaining issue while still keeping enough in the dark to make it suspenseful. It’s evident that DC is going to take their time with this story, and with Geoff Johns at the helm (and some great art by Ivan Reis), did you expect anything different?

Forever Evil #4 (DC Comics) – B

Meanwhile, in the Forever Evil arc (notably also written by Geoff Johns and penciled by the great David Finch), Batman has finally made it above ground. There’s not a lot of breathing time in the issue, which equates to some badass panels and reveals, but really doesn’t do much in terms of story. The tease of Batman wearing a Yellow Lantern ring in the variant cover was poorly realized, but the appearance of another ring bearer more than makes up for it – even though an epic panel by David Finch gave me an 80’s fist-pump moment. I’m also thoroughly enjoying the bromance form between Bizarro and Lex Luthor. It’s okay to let love in, Lex! This is shaping up to be an epic alien invasion, with the gravity of an “us vs. them” mentality amongst the Rogues.

Image:

Saviors #1 – C-

An alien invasion, lots of marijuana and a lizard that practices active listening – that’s what you will find in Saviors #1. Centered around a small-town pothead who is content with his mundane life, he accidentally stumbles upon the town sheriff and another man in stripes casually talking but with lizard faces. His friend tries to convince him that it is just paranoia, but it turns out that there is a much bigger conspiracy at work. The raw art of the book is something that has become a staple of image Comics. I find it endearing, but would like to see a little more detail in a series that can’t quite carry itself based off story alone. I’m interested enough to read the second issue, but not enough to recommend the book to anybody else.

Marvel:

Origin II #1 (Marvel Comics) – A-

After the enthralling first chapter of Wolverine’s origin through Joe Quesada and Andy Kubert’s Origin: The True Story of Wolverine, it’s evident that exploring the primal side of James Howlett is necessary to tell his tale. Fortunately for fans that read the original origin series, you can pick up Origin II and understand what is going on immediately. Wolverine has become an animal, and found his home with a pack of wolves. There is no dialogue, just a narrated internal monologue. The art is crisp and the colors are beautiful; most fans won’t even realize that it was penciled by Andy’s brother, Adam. I mean, the Kuberts are to comic book art what the Kennedys are to politics. The best aspect of this book is the thoughtful pace put into making you want to feel every moment that Logan is feeling, instead of rushing the natural progression. This is a must-read for any fan of Wolverine.

Funniest Panel of the Week:

Welcome to the Thor-B-Q in Avengers #24.NOW
Welcome to the Thor-B-Q in Avengers #24.NOW

Epic Panel of the Week:

Batman has a surprise for Power Ring in Forever Evil #4
Batman has a surprise for Power Ring in Forever Evil #4

Cover Art of the Week:

Forever Evil #4 Variant cover by Ethan Van Sciver
Forever Evil #4 Variant cover by Ethan Van Sciver

That about wraps it up for our reviews this week! Look for next week’s previews coming soon. Any comic books you didn’t see reviewed that you want reviewed? Any grades you didn’t agree on? Let us know in the comments!

All images taken from ComiXology app and the credit for them goes to the respective publishers; thanks to IDW Comics, image Comics, Dark Horse, DC and Marvel for putting out great books.

Written by Sherif Elkhatib