At least in THIS one, Buffy beats Batman!

9th place is not too shabby in a very illustrious list, but of course, 'Buffy' will always be No 1 in my book. It's probably the comic that's had the most mainstream media attention this year and has managed to bring a whole new crowd onto the comics scene. It's just a pity there's no love for any of the 'Angel' series, particularly ATF.

I've also really been enjoying 'Umbrella Academy', which came in at No 6, it's funny, well written and illustrated, and has given me and my teenage nephew something to bond over.

And BKV's 'Ex Machina' came in at No 37!

[ edited by missb on 2009-01-03 05:11 ]

missb | January 03, 05:09 CET

Can't believe the Angel book isn't on this. Congrats to Buffy, however, for making such a huge impression. However, if they really think that Umbrella Academy deserves sixth place... jeez.

patxshand | January 03, 06:06 CET

My other favourite comic ain't there.

(Not that I really expected the critics in general to notice Knights Of The Old Republic being the best Star Wars spinoff in the last ten years, but hey.)

Craig Oxbrow | January 03, 06:28 CET

Whoot! Would add that Season 8 has done more than recapture the show's strengths and put them in an epic setting; it's changed each character in significant, often surprising, but always believable way. The only thing two-dimensional is the page.

Pointy | January 03, 06:31 CET

Anyone reading Brian Wood's Northlanders ? Haven't seen much on it, just remember the previews and the fact that I enjoyed Wood's Channel Zero years ago (but never got around to the sequel, "Jenny One").

Okay, I see their reasoning for not having Y's last issue on there, they included for their 2007 round-up.

Their #1 pick...I read the first issue of that Superman mini-series (seemed self-contained, its own thing, if I'm not mistaken) and it was a strong debut, looked like it was gonna explore some interesting territory. I've liked what little I've read of Grant Morrison's stuff in the past (We3 always springs to mind first...do not read that right before or after seeing Marley & Me). I think I've developed a soft spot for the big blue cheeseball over the past two or three years, after Superman Returns but moreso for experiencing him in the ambitious and excellent DC Animated Universe (his own self-titled series, Batman Beyond, and Justice League). Maybe I'll see if I can get that trade from a library.

[ edited by Kris on 2009-01-03 08:05 ]

Kris | January 03, 08:04 CET

Great to see Buffy Season 8 make so high up on the list.

Buffyfantic | January 03, 17:13 CET

All the books I read are on this list, which is cool. However, I'll always remember '08 as the year my favourite books ended - Y: The Last Man, Joss' run on Astonishing X-Men and Ennis' run on Punisher MAX. The three best titles in comics, and all three finished in one year. Rough.

NimNams | January 03, 19:15 CET

I haven't read 'Northlanders' but I quite liked 'Channel Zero' and 'Local' and what i've read of 'DMZ'.

Morrison can sometimes be a bit too clever for the story's own good IMO but 'Batman:RIP' was pretty decent I thought, it did something I doubted he could beforehand i.e. made sense of the last couple of years of the comic - say what you like but he certainly set RIP up and brought (most of) the threads together at the end (he just shouldn't have shouted his mouth off quite so much about the ending - I mean, it's big, i'll give him that, especially for a mainline continuity story but anyone that knows comics knows that there's no way what we see happen actually happened, simple as that. In fact, Morrison himself almost seems to be telling us that by - deliberate ? - use of one of the hokiest clichés of all mysterious deaths/cliff-hangers).

Read the first trade of All Star Superman and it was pretty cool, Quitely's art is really clean and precise, but i'm hoping the story will hang together a bit better as an arc once we see the rest of it cos that part left me a bit underwhelmed.

Also quite liking Captain Britain, Paul Cornell seems to be plumbing some of the same territory Morrison and Ellis play in, this idea of exploring a nation/world's cultural space as if it's actually a real place populated by figures you can fight (he did the same thing in the slight, maybe a bit muddled but occasionally fun 'Fantastic Four: True Story' mini-series).

And yay Buffy, some very fine company to be in.

Saje | January 03, 19:43 CET

Thnx for the re-reviews, Saje, some of the list sounded very interesting.

Pointy | January 03, 20:38 CET

I follow both the Superman and Batman books as well and loved All-Star Superman.Geoff John's Superman run in the mainline Superman books has also been one of my favorites.

In regards to Batman:RIP.My understanding is that the real conclusion to Batman RIP is in this months Final Crisis #6 which is also by Grant Morrison.Final Crisis #6 reveals the final fate of Bruce Wayne's Batman.Morrison's two part Last Rites issues that came out in December was the bridge between RIP and Final Crisis and revealed Bruce survived the helicopter explosion that ended RIP and now is going off on his mission that occures in Final Crisis.Final Crisis #1 picked up right after these two issues and is Bruce's final mission as Batman. Dan Dido revealed they ended RIP in Batman's own title like they did so they would have a ending for the trade release but the real conclusion to RIP was always going to be in Final Crisis #6.

I enjoyed RIP and thought it was a great tie up to Morrison's whole Batman run starting with his issues of 52.It's rumored Morrison will be back on Batman following the Faces Of Evil issues,Neil Gaiman's Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? and Battle For The Cowl.

[ edited by Buffyfantic on 2009-01-03 22:56 ]

Buffyfantic | January 03, 22:51 CET

Didn't know that about Final Crisis and am slightly pissed off about it to be honest. So Bruce Wayne as Batman ends (or not) in some other book ? Some fucking event title ?

Cash-in much ?

Saje | January 03, 22:58 CET

I've seen a lot of annoyed reaction to the RIP and Final Crisis news and for the same reasons.You're not the only one.DC's thinking is basically that they didn't want to force anyone who only follows the trades to read Final Crisis to get the ending of Batman RIP so Grant came up with the helicopter ending so RIP could have a ending for people just reading the Batman RIP trade while the real ending is in Final Crisis and specfically Final Crisis #6.Final Crisis #6 is where the big ending that Grant Morrison has been hyping actually happens in.

I agree i think this is a sucky move although since I'm following Final Crisis,it does not effect me personally.For the people who aren't though,I think it's not right.The trade release shouldn't be dictating story content.

Here's the link to Dan Didio explaining the whole RIP/Final Crisis situation.The Batman talk about RIP and Final Crisis starts at question #10.





http://www.newsarama.com/comics/120810-DiDio-20.html

[ edited by Buffyfantic on 2009-01-03 23:40 ]

Buffyfantic | January 03, 23:34 CET

Cheers for that Buffyfantic, looks like I need to catch up on Final Crisis. Gotta say, I might "acquire it through other means" cos it kinda feels like i'm being strong-armed into it. Did Dan Didio seriously and with a clear conscience believe that people wouldn't see the end of #681 as an anti-climax ? That fans wouldn't then want to know the actual end to the story ? Seems a bit thin to me.

Saje | January 04, 00:11 CET

I'm really enjoying Final Crisis, it's the best mainstream comic book event well ever actually (apart from Zenith Phase 3).

Simon | January 04, 00:15 CET

I guess Dido's thinking was they didn't want Batman RIP readers to feel obligated to pick up the Final Crisis trade when it's released or having to read Final Crisis issue by issue just to find out the end of RIP so they created a seperate ending for the actual RIP story in Batman.

I imagine both the ending of Batman #681 and the events of Final Crisis #6 are ultimatly going to have the same result,Bruce Wayne out of the bat suit.Whatever way the reader gets to that conclusion whether it's just reading RIP in Batman RIP or the real ending to RIP in Final Crisis #6,the end game is going to be the same.But if you want the more satisfying and big ending that Morrison had always planned though,you need to read Final Crisis #6.

I get Diido's intentions though even though it makes people feel like they are being forced to read Final Crisis to get the complete RIP story.Final Crisis was billed as being pretty self contained where you didn't have to read all these tie-ins to get the full story unlike most big comic events(Infinite Crisis is a good example).The idea is once Final Crisis ends then all the DC books will take place post Final Crisis.Everything right now in the various DC books are taking place before Final Crisis.Since Morrsion is the writer of both Final Crisis and Batman,he had them tied together.Really Batman is the only current DC book that has a loose tie in to Final Crisis.RIP takes place right before Final Crisis.To perserve the standalone edict for Final Crisis and the trade readers though,they came up with this ending for RIP in Batman and then Morrisons two Last Rites issues are the bridge and loose tie-in to Final Crisis.

I've been enjoying Final Crisis as well,Simon.I would recommand it even if you weren't just interested in Batman's fate,Saje.I don't think DC and Morrison did the right thing with how they handled the RIP connection but the story and event itself have been pretty good.

[ edited by Buffyfantic on 2009-01-04 15:20 ]

Buffyfantic | January 04, 02:39 CET

CBR also ranked Jon Foster's Dawnzilla cover among their favorites of 2008.

Sunfire | January 04, 04:08 CET

No Angel! It is better than Buffy (but number 19-20 were great issues),

Angeluffy | January 04, 09:26 CET

"Angel" falls second place in qaulity to "The Astonishing X-Men", while this Whedon canon BTVS S8 has been terrible. I stoped buying two weeks ago.

Budgets and time contraints are part of, appearently, what made Whedon good at what he does. With time and freedom to do what ever in the comics, Whedon went too far and made BTVS something that I don't care for anymore. And the show is getting too involved in itself. Plus, the art work (from the artists over it's run), has been terrible. Read he asked the guy who did TAX-M to do it, but he was too busy. Shame.


I'm going to sell off all the issues I got.

tharpdevenport | January 05, 00:42 CET