Best of 2011

It was a great year to be a comic book fan.  There were plenty of new ideas that kept the industry afloat, and it makes 2012 be that much more interesting.  Here are the best of 2011 (according to me).

Best Event
5. Brightest Day
4. Schism
3. Spider-Island
2. Fear Itself

And the winner is.....

DC Comics

THE DC 52 RELAUNCH

This was a no brainer.  DC did a marvelous job of making their characters accessible for new readers.  I'm reading more DC books than ever because so many of them are written and drawn at an amazing level.  They took the time to find the writers and art teams that were truly invested in these characters, which in turn makes better comic books.  Now, not all of them are winners (I'm looking at you Hawk & Dove).  It was a ballsy move, but one that payed off well.

Best Writer

5. Jason Aaron

4. Mark Waid
3. Rick Remender
2. Jeff Lemire

And the winner is.....

DC Comics

SCOTT SNYDER

Snyder had one hell of a year.  Not only is American Vampire doing great, but he is writing arguably the two best books that DC is putting out right now (Batman and Swamp Thing).  Plus his horror book Severed is also going strong.  Snyder can't seem to do anything wrong these days.

Best Penciler

5. Marcos Martin

4. Paolo Rivera

3. J.H. Williams III

2. Yanick Paquette

And the winner is.....

Marvel Comics (from Uncanny X-Force #4)

JEROME OPENA

Opena didn't pencil much in 2011, but his work was just breathtaking.  It's rare to see this much emotion and energy in a comic book.  Even with characters like Wolverine and Deadpool appearing in so many books each month, Opena made each appearance like we had never seen these characters before.  We wanted to turn the next page because his pencils were so in tune with Rick Remender's script.

Best Single Issue

5. Wolverine & the X-Men #1

4. Journey Into Mystery #622

3. Swamp Thing #1

2. Uncanny X-Force #18

And the winner is.....

Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #655

J. Jonah Jameson's wife's funeral issue was something I wasn't expecting to love as much as I did.  The lack of words left Marcos Martin to pencil an amazing issue.  Dan Slott made the right choice in keeping JJJ mostly silent, conveying so much emotion in saying nothing.  It's an issue that I have read almost once a month.  And saying this about a funeral issue, where death is common place in comic books, is saying a lot.

Best New Series (relaunch or new series)

5. Venom

4. Batman

3. Swamp Thing

2. Animal Man

And the winner is.....

Marvel Comics

DAREDEVIL

I have been a long time Daredevil fan, and I never expected this book.  It's fun on every level.  And in a market of increasingly dark books, it's great to have a shining light come through.  Mark Waid has taken everything we love about Matt Murdock, but made him happy.  That's a very hard task after everything Murdock has been through the past few years.  And Waid's script is helped out by the amazing art of Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin.

Best Series

5. Batman

4. Swamp Thing

3. Uncanny X-Force

2. Animal Man

And the winner is.....

Marvel Comics

DAREDEVIL

This was a hard choice.  I originally had Animal Man, but after rereading every issue of Daredevil and Animal Man, it became clear as day.  Mark Waid's relaunch has everything a great comic needs.  It has humor, drama, amazing characterization, but also finds ways to take the old parts of a character and make them seem new again.  I am giddy with excitement each month when I pick up Daredevil from the comic shop and sit down to read it.  Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin are simply the best art team in comics right now.  Each month they continue to stun and awe readers.  I can't say enough that every single comic book fan in the world should be reading Daredevil.  You have no reason.  Run to the comic book store and buy every issue and fall in love with this amazing series.