I wasn't entirely sure how I would do this or in what order, but I finally figured it all out. Seeing as I've been doing my Top 10 Albums of the Year list since...2000, I figured I'd save that 'til last and get the comic ones out of the way first.
After the best of 2009 list, I'm going to do another list to follow it up; a special list. This list will be none other than what I consider to be the top FIVE albums of the past 10 years! I figured, the next decade's end will be 2019, so I should really do it now (Although, technically decades would end when 2010 ends, right? 10 years, not nine).
This is Part 1 of 2. The reason for this is because both will be pretty lengthy, so I decided to break it into two chewable chunks that you can eat while hot, as opposed to a meal you might have to start and then re-heat due to it being a bit large.
Without further ado, I welcome you to The Best of 2009! Away we go!
Character Awards:
- Most Improved Character of 2009
- Worst Character of 2009
- Most Neglected Character of 2009
- Best Character of 2009
Let's get the awardfest underway!
I've decided to begin with the award for Most Improved Character of 2009. Without wasting time...we shall commence!
Now!
No, just kidding, NOW!
Loki.
Loki is a character that was always pushed as, naturally, a devious character. A character of such unscrupulous nature that he would LITERALLY do anything to achieve his own ends. He was always pushed as an enemy of Thor, but I could never really believe it or buy it, it just didn't seem workable.
The reason Loki is the Most Improved Character of 2009 is because he finally feels like one of the most dangerous characters.
Premise-wise, Loki has come full circle. He was proposed as the tricky enemy to foil Thor's god-like immense nature, but it never felt successful and his plans to usurp Asgard never came to fruition. Over the past year or so, however, Loki has sewn seeds in a manner so devious and hair-raising that it has provided a compelling start to the mega-event of 2010: Siege.
From so cleverly getting Thor kicked out of Asgard to manipulating his way into an alliance with Dr. Doom and Norman Osborn (As much as anyone CAN ally themselves with Loki, I guess), he has perfectly placed himself to say: "I am going to achieve this. I want Asgard and I'm going to have it.". Osborn has done the same to an extent, but with his sanity forever slipping (AGAIN, thanks to Loki), he's obviously going to bite off more than he can chew in helping Loki against Asgard.
Perhaps the most sinister and bastardly act of Loki so far would be his revelation of how to get Osborn permission to invade Asgard. Tricking an Asgardian into creating a public tragedy, Loki hopes this will turn the public and the government against Asgard, much as the Stamford incident caused Civil War.
He's just SUCH a complete bastard. A man once said that the best villains, with few exceptions, are the ones that sneak up behind you in the dark. The ones who slyly reach into your mind and root around until you can't take it anymore. The ones who just cannot be second, third or fourth guessed.
They don't come more dangerous than Loki right now.
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This next award is one that I found surprisingly hard to pin down, it's the Worst Character of 2009 award. Most of the characters I had short-listed weren't good at all, but I really felt like the title of Worst Character of 2009 was a bit much...until I remembered this guy. The award for Worst Character of 2009 goes to none other THAN...
Red Hulk (A.K.A. Rulk).
If there's a better example of a series that began with a good premise and then took a shit on any promise it had, then please show me.
The premise of a new Hulk with new-ish powers and a totally secret identity was a very compelling one. However, in the execution of the premise, Jeph Loeb (Trust me, he's way better than this) has repelled any interest I have with unequalled tenacity.
When you add a poorly handled character with seemingly no direction combined with ANOTHER mystery red character with no direction or purpose, what do you get? You get a shit on-going title.
I'm not sure if my thinking is correct, but I'm so sure that the reason Greg Pak took over Hulk and he was given a new continual on-going - separate from Red Hulk's - was because this one was doing so bad.
Rulk is a useless, pointless character. I'm sure this upcoming World War Hulks storyline is just a vehicle to get rid of him or lessen his role. He walks around, talking like an evil badass. Yet, he doesn't do anywhere near enough to convince you to fear his words, and neither does Loeb. Unless the big revelation of who he is happens to be Earth-shattering, it's going to piss a LOT of people off.
Even so, who cares? What has he done that would make ANY half-surprising reveal a big thing? I don't know where it's going; I don't care enough to buy the series. I'll monitor it through forums and synopses, but it's a truly disappointing character.
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I don't think this next award will come as MUCH surprise, but it's surprising in context. So, it saddens me to announce that the winner of the award for Most Neglected Character of 2009 IS...
Deadpool.
I never thought I'd be calling Deadpool neglected as a negative.
I spent most of my comic-reading lifetime seeing Deadpool exist as a fringe character with unlimited potential. He was never a big seller, never a massively loved character, but that was fine for me. It was your typical cult-item following, I suppose; Deadpool fans loved that we had something that the mainstream hadn't caught onto, but simultaneously spouted out about how underrated he was.
The problem I have with Deadpool and his reason for winning this award is because, in spite of his popularity and three-comic status, he has NOT got better. Instead of having the one-comic underdog, we have a three-comic character who is getting misused in them all.
Deadpool is being paid a shitload of attention in name only. They know the name sells, but they don't care for preserving and developing his dark and layered character it seems. It sucks. His CHARACTER is neglected, that's why he's here. I figured most people would be thinking: "Sir Mast, Senor Deadpool has three comics out right now. So, by that token, how can thou ever consider him neglected?!", it's his character neglection.
It's sad when there are four or five on-going series' I like more than any three of the ones starring my favourite character ever.
I sincerely hope that 2010 sees a change for Deadpool. He has a LOT of material coming out this year and the one that most intrigues me is his involvement in the Doomwar mini-event (Not sure what Doomwar is or how it fits into anything). It seems like a fairly serious series, so here's hoping he's not gonna be used as a funny man.
One can hope.
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So, here we are.
Who is the winner of Best Character of 2009?!
Why, it's none other THAN...
James Buchanan Barnes.
I came into the year 2009 with the same opinion of Captain America as I always had, that he was a fantastic premise, but I just couldn't get into the stories or the character itself. This is no shame on Cap; I feel the same for Thor and to an extent, Batman.
I was well aware of Steve Rogers' assassination back in 2007. I mean, how could anyone NOT be? It affected most of the titles I was reading at the time. I didn't particularly care and, to be honest, I was probably more glad than anything. I had grown to dislike Captain America greatly, due to the fact that so many people were overrating him in my opinion.
Long story short, I eventually saw James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes become the new Captain America, complete with new costume and new aesthetic. THIS Captain America was for the modern day; he carried a gun and a combat knife, both things that Steve Rogers would never dream of using on another man.
Despite these changes, I really didn't get inspired to pick up the series or what not. My appreciation of Bucky came from The New Avengers, a team he eventually became a big part of during the aftermath of Civil War and during Dark Reign. The latter event being the time where he has become de facto leader of the group.
It's James's ability to combine the rather out-dated dedication to "The Dream" that comes with being Captain America and a willingness to get the necessary done that makes me gravitate toward him. He hasn't ever displayed such outright patriotism, and he definitely does it for Steve as opposed to anything else, but the mantle fits him SO well. He represents a Captain America for 2009 because that's what America feels it needs to be in 2009; vigilant and willing to use force against threats.
One could argue that he hasn't got the right stuff because he isn't an out-and-out patriot, and that would be valid. From a plucky young sidekick to a bold, brave and courageous leader-in-the-making, James Barnes has come into his own this year by leaps and bounds.
When the ORIGINAL Captain America feels that he cannot be the one to carry the shield after you've done such a good job, you KNOW you've done things right. In honour of the character's change, I will no longer refer to him as Bucky, but as James Barnes. He's changed the way I see a character I really couldn't stand for the longest time and if anyone deserves this award, it's this man (But Daredevil came within a hair, A HAIR).
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Comic/Writer Awards:
- Best Artist of 2009
- Best Writer of 2009
- Best Comic Series of 2009
Due to the fact that I can't really say a great DEAL about art, you just sort of have to see it; I'll post a picture from this guy's epic work and explain why I love it so much, so here goes! The award for Best Artist of 2009 goes TO...
Roberto De la Torre.
One of the things that I can't stand in comics is when art doesn't reflect story. It really distracts me. If Deadpool is going through a rather dark period, it makes no sense to have someone draw him more cartoony than serious, for example.
The reason I have given this award to Roberto de la Torre is because he doesn't suffer from this. Having caught up on Daredevil recently, I was utterly, truly floored. Matt Murdock's life has essentially fallen apart and been pulled back together, with sacrifices along the way. The reason this story has worked so well besides the writing (Thanks in no small way to Mr. Ed Brubaker) is the art.
De la Torre paints a starkly contrasted picture of New York City and all its imperfections as Matt Murdock goes about business as Daredevil and the former alike. He makes you feel, through his artwork, that the city is as much an enemy as it is his home. It's fucking amazing, and so is he.
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So, we come to what is most important, second to only the Best Comic Series of 2009 award; Best Writer of 2009.
There have been a lot of writers providing us with great quality comics this year. Although I am primarily a Marvel head, my knowledge DOES extend into DC, Image etc. So, let me say that this was a very hard choice.
As I read through comics written by the candidates, I was stuck. There are just so many I can name; Van Lente (The Incredible Hercules and The Amazing Spider-Man), Bendis (Dark Avengers, New Avengers, Siege-related goodies), Abnett (War of Kings, Realm of Kings etc), Kirkman (Haunt), Johns (Blackest Night, Green Lantern) and Straczynski (Thor). They've all produced something that I've either liked or loved. How was I ever going to narrow it down? After reading some material by the man who eventually won, I realised just what the right choice was and why.
Regardless, I want to give outstanding thanks to the aforementioned writers for giving me the most entertaining year in comics for a long time. Most notably, Bendis, Van Lente and Abnett. Some of the stuff they've produced on multiple titles is outrageous.
Without further ado, I present you to the winner of the award for Best Writer of 2009!
Ed Brubaker.
From conceiving the idea of killing Steve Rogers to bringing James "Bucky" Barnes back from the dead, Ed Brubaker has literally been a part of comic resurrection.
Despite being criticised for tweaking the back-stories of certain characters, Ed Brubaker has played a huge part in one of my favourite characters and also given me another in the process.
This year, not only has Brubaker helmed Daredevil throughout the AMAZING Return of the King storyline (The culmination of a LONG time writing the guy flawlessly), but he has produced what I consider to be one of the best mini-series' of 2009 in Captain America: Reborn. Mixing his love of crime stories with superhero sensibilities, Brubaker writes in a captivating, epic and always intriguing manner. Suspense dances throughout his titles with drama and excitement as not-too-distant dance partners.
If you need any indication as to how good he is, pick up anything he's done on Daredevil or Captain America.
He isn't as prolific as the likes of Bendis or Abnett (The former very nearly winning this spot himself), but when he does produce work he really produces something amazing. As capable of chronicling the rise of a character as he is at telling a story of downfall, it's easy to see why he is so critically acclaimed and why he is winning this place.
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With this, we come to the end of Part 1 and the last award for 2009's comics. I won't spend time hyping it with a drawn-out speech; I'll just say that it gives me intense pleasure to present the award for Best Comic Series of 2009 to...
...TO...
Daredevil.
I love Daredevil. I always have and probably always will. If it weren't for Deadpool, he'd be at the top spot.
The Man without Fear, the man born as Matt Murdock has had some killer stories over the years. From the legendary and influential Born Again arc by Frank Miller (Get it from a library or anywhere you can, trust me), to the surprisingly dark and tragic Guardian Devil arc by Kevin Smith; Daredevil has been through the wringer.
It is surely fitting, then, that the writer to have penned/started what is sure to be the next in his soon-to-be-legendary storylines is none other than Mr. Ed Brubaker.
Daredevil has yet again seen his life fall to ruins in multiple saddening fashions, but unlike before, he has changed a great deal during it and after the fact. Between being thrown in jail and having to side with his long-term enemy - the Kingpin - Matt has had a rough year. He's done things he never thought he'd do and as a consequence he's paid prices he never thought he'd have to pay. In forging alliances that left my jaw on the floor and with a thought-dead foe about to strike back at any minute, I have been hooked on this series like a crackfiend, like I used to be.
Brubaker hasn't wrote Daredevil for three issues now, he stopped at #500 I believe. The reins have been handed to the seemingly excellent Andy Diggle and with Roberto de la Torre's art you can't go wrong.
What swung me most was casting my memories back and thinking of reading Daredevil while growing up.
Daredevil often felt like a guy trying to protect his grimey, dark city from crime on a grassroots level. Now it feels like - for the first time since Frank Miller - he has to take the city back from the crime that owns it, as if HE needs protection from the city. Marvel are doing a great job of collectively making the current crop of on-goings feel villain owned, villain ruled. It's something I can't ever remember experiencing and it's evident in Daredevil as much as any.
Relatively untouched by Dark Reign, save for his entry into the one-shots, Daredevil's title puts out the idea that sometimes the worst crime comes from the least powerful. A kind of criminal-focused use of Occam's Razor.
I'm still aching for two things, two dreams:
1) A Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight etc) directed Daredevil movie.
2) One final, bloody, kill-or-be-killed showdown between Daredevil and Bullseye.
Until those dreams come true, or regardless of if they do or not, I can just rest easy knowing that at least one of my boys isn't suffocating under writers with worse handling than a cow on a tractor.
Daredevil is an utterly gripping, truly essential read and the winner of Best Comic Series of 2009.
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Stay tuned for The Best of 2009 (Part 2: Music and What's to Come in 2010)!
Until then, peace.
-The Mast
