@@@ 11th ANNUAL @$$IE AWARDS! @@@
Welcome, all, to the 11th Annual AICN COMICS @$$IE AWARDS, where comics’ best and brightest are recognized for stellar achievement in comic bookdom. It’s your old pal Ambush Bug here. There was a time when we could fit all of the @$$ies into one lengthy column, but the @$$Holes’ ranks have grown too big for that, so for the next week, we will be going through a multitude of categories covering the wide world of comic books. Most awards are given around the turn of the year, but we think ours is special, so while those outside of the know celebrate the time of the Oscar (yes, I know the Oscars were last week, apologies for the lateness of these), we here at AICN COMICS celebrate the time of the highly coveted @$$ie Award. So sit back, crack the knuckles in your browsing hand, and scroll down as the @$$Holes pick the @$$ies!
(Click title to go directly to the reviewers picks)
@@@ BEST COVER/BEST COVER ARTIST! @@@
@@@ FAVORITE VILLAIN! @@@
@@@ BEST WRITER! @@@
@@@ BEST COVER/COVER ARTIST! @@@
Henry Higgins is My Homeboy - Dale Eaglesham (SECRET SIX #1, DC Comics)Even if the book itself was, let’s go with “kinda shitty”, the cover was incredibly striking. The cover by Eaglesham is immediately recognizable but incredibly moody and intriguing. It would have warranted a read even if it wasn’t a return to the Secret Six (aka the best team no one ever talks about). Too bad this wasn’t Secret Six. Still a cool cover.
Vroom Socko- Justin Greenwood (STUMPTOWN #2, Oni Press)I admit I’m personally invested in this storyline from Rucka and Greenwood, because the Timbers Army are my people. The hospital scene from this issue? I’ve seen that happen in real life. I’ve been there when it happened. And this image of a No Pity scarf lying in the street… perfection. Hey, Oni--make a print of that and I’d buy it. So will about 5,000 people I know.
Mighty Mouth - Alex Ross (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: LEARNING TO CRAWL #1.5, Marvel Comics)Alex Ross never disappoints. His knack for marrying retro and realism in his work always brings a smile to my face.
Matt Adler - COLDER: THE BAD SEED #1 (Juan Ferreyra, Dark Horse Comics) It's always hard to write for this category, because a powerful cover image captures everything without a word. I can just tell you there was some stiff competition this year, particularly from Mike Del Mundo on ELEKTRA, and Greg Tocchini on LOW. But there's just something so arresting, so horrifying about Juan Ferreya's composition here; a sense that if you study it too long, you just might go insane. Brrr.
The Kid Marvel - Declan Shalvey-(MOON KNIGHT #5, Marvel Comics)Just an overall great issue, MOON KNIGHT #5’s cover was my choice for Best Cover Art of 2014 from artist Declan Shalvey. But honestly, I could have chosen any of his covers for the MOON KNIGHT series, because they are all spectacular and it turned out to be a tough choice to choose just one. I ended up settling on MOON KNIGHT #5 because it was such an amazing issue and the cover really did an excellent job of capturing the inside story. Everything from the abandoned buildings’ details to the crescent moon reflecting off Moon Knight and the defeated enemies strewn about--overall, it’s just such a cool cover. I would recommend checking out the rest of his covers, too, because a lot of them are beautifully drawn and detailed, with some trippy effects and transitions from character and symbolism. Shalvey’s covers are some of the best that I saw last year, and so is the artwork he did within his MOON KNIGHT run.
DrSumac - Jenny Frison (RED SONJA #11, Dynamite Entertainment)This series has a lot of variant covers, but the main ones by Jenny Frison are almost always the best. There are a lot of great covers she has done for Sonja, but #11 really stands out for me.
Humphrey Lee - Darwyn Cooke (DETECTIVE COMICS #37, DC Comics)Want to increase my purchases of your publishing line almost 500% in a month? Call it “Darwyn Cooke Cover Month” and watch me pack on the overtime to nab them all like fucking Pokémon. The man simply knows how to craft a playful and/or action-packed visual or two dozen. I went specifically with DETECTIVE COMICS #37 as an example because I love how it humanizes just what these crime-fighters do to themselves in the name of justice, but literally anything of Cooke’s that he had adorning a DC comic this past December could have been my winner. Every book that was emblazoned with his Golden Age sensibilities was immediately better off for it, as it set a fun and adventurous standard for whatever was taking place within. As far as I’m concerned, this is an event/gimmick I can get behind as an annual occurrence.
Lyzard - James Callahan (THE AUTEUR #2, Oni Press)If you randomly picked up a copy of THE AUTEUR #2 at your local comic book shop, what would you expect? Well, if you knew what auteur meant you’d know the comic would probably have something to do with film, but the only filmic reference on the cover is a Godzilla-esque monster storming a city…dressed as Lady Justice. Re-read that last part again: a Godzilla-esque monster storming a city dressed as Lady Justice. If the first thought that came to your mind was WTF, be prepared to re-think that a lot while reading this issue and the rest of the series.
Masked Man - Alex Ross (BATMAN ’66 MEETS THE GREEN HORNET #5, Dynamite Entertainment)I am such a broken record when it comics to be covers of the year: Alex Ross. Seriously, we are so blessed to have a man (or woman, I suppose, to be fair) of his talents to be working in comics. To beat the dead horse, his work just brings these characters to life, and nobody is better at actor likenesses. Case in point, my cover choice for 2014: '66 BATMAN MEETS GREEN HORNET #5--just awesome looking, and looks just like the actors, plus it features arguably the greatest TV cars of all time. Now that's a cover.
Ambush Bug - Steve Lieber (SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN #15, Marvel Comics)There were many amazing covers this year and a lot of them wrapped around issues of SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN which told some of the funniest and most entertaining stories about a handful of lovable losers trying to make it in this hard, big world. But out of all of the fun covers that adorned the comics of this series, my favorite was the cover for issue #15, which summed up my sentiments exactly when I heard the title was being cancelled. Lieber pushes the limits by having each cast member flicking off the reader and while that may seem a bit crass, these multiple middle digits aren’t aimed at us, but at the Powers That Be who decided that we wouldn’t be getting any more idiotic criminal antics with Boomerang and his crew of backstabbers with hearts of gold anymore. This series was sadly missed the minute the last issue hit the shelves and Lieber’s humorous covers and interiors were a big part of why this series ruled.
@@@ FAVORITE SUPER VILLAIN! @@@
Ambush Bug - Coach Boss (SOUTHERN BASTARDS, Image Comics)A good villain is someone you love to hate. He should be despicable and really pose a serious threat to the hero. In SOUTHERN BASTARDS, I absolutely hated everything about Coach Boss, which means that writer Jason Aaron is doing his job in setting up a villain who you really want to see taken down. But not yet. It’s been fun over the last few months getting to know Coach Boss’s backstory and after the slimy, evil things he has done in this book so far, I can’t wait until he gets his in the end. Because I hate him so much, Coach is my favorite villain of the year!
Henry Higgins is My Homeboy - The Incursions (NEW AVENGERS, Marvel Comics)We’ve had a string of events centered around hero vs. hero (every X-Men related storyline recently) or “hero vs. villain but twisted!!!” (AXIS, which, wow, that was a straight up train wreck of a book). No one villain stood out in a year of interesting anti-heroes and dull villains. Some indie books had good stuff, and I realize I’ve done nothing for those titles. But this…the last few years have felt like Marvel sitting back, taking its time, and watching how DC fucks up a good idea. I’m actually excited for SECRET WARS. It looks insane. And it’s being caused by this incredible force of destruction, manipulated by something we can’t even comprehend yet, that has forced a better version of CIVIL WAR in half the time CIVIL WAR did. This book introduces an amazing shade of grey to The Avengers and Marvel in general, and it really feels like that rare event that affects everyone.
Vroom Socko - Ben the Scalper (STUMPTOWN, Oni Press)The people who scalp Timbers tickets are low-class bottom-feeders in real life. Seeing them put on display as such in a piece of popular fiction is satisfying on so many levels.
Mighty Mouth - Nick Fury (ORIGINAL SIN, Marvel Comics)Yep, I said “Nick Fury.” ORIGINAL SIN demonstrated that sometimes to be the hero, one has to become a monster. We always knew Fury’s propensity for protecting the world was his guiding star, but who could conceive just how far he would go to see his mission fulfilled?
Matt Adler - Golgoth (EMPIRE, Thrillbent/ IDW Publishing)We've been waiting many years for the return of Mark Waid's EMPIRE, and the chief reason for that anticipation is the utter villainy of its protagonist, Golgoth. Imagine the majesty and menace of Doctor Doom...if Doctor Doom didn't ultimately have to lose so that the various Marvel superhero franchises can continue. Waid is under no such restrictions here (particularly now that EMPIRE is being published under his digital comics imprint, Thrillbent, and in print by IDW) and Golgoth is allowed to employ his unmatched strategic brilliance to crush his world beneath his feet. So the fun of this series is not "will the villain beat the heroes?", it's "is there anyone who can stand in this madman's way?" Waid keeps teasing us with the hint of hope, but so far, people who stand in Golgoth's way end up ground to dust...if they're lucky.
The Kid Marvel - Superior Iron Man (SUPERIOR IRON MAN, Marvel Comics)I’m pretty confident that if you had to make Venn diagram with hero and villain on either side, Tony Stark as the Superior Iron Man wouldn’t fall in the middle, but on the very edge into villainous. Tony has taken on new levels of narcissism and delusions of grandeur as the Superior Iron Man, Fflly embracing every bit of his cocky and arrogant personality. He’s even transformed into the most extreme form of capitalist S.O.B by tricking San Francisco into buying his Extremis product while at the same time he’s created a massive rift in classes and population segregation. Stark has made the rich and popular even more rich and popular, simultaneously making the downtrodden and disenfranchised even more so. However, just like SpOck’s run was extremely entertaining in comparison to regular old boy scout Spidey, Tony Stark as the Superior Iron Man is just as good. Stark’s new levels of self-importance make for some great storytelling, and definitely my favorite villain of 2014.
DrSumac - Jacob Hock (LAZARUS, Image Comics)It's not easy claiming a moral high ground in LAZARUS since even the “good guys” are essentially totalitarian dictators. However, Hock shows us just how bad this future could possibly be. The guy uses his skill with pharmaceuticals to dope up his entire domain while also broadcasting completely fabricated news. Thanks to the extensive backmatter in each issue of this series we also know that he once engineered a plague to try to wipe out his enemies, which ultimately mutated and wiped out a large percentage of the global population. If that doesn't make him a great supervillain I don't know what does.
Humphrey Lee - Woody (QUANTUM & WOODY, Valiant Entertainment)You know how for years and years, J. Jonah Jameson has run a smear campaign on Spider-Man for being a “menace” when obviously nothing could be further from the truth? Double the breadth and destructiveness of those fabrications and apply them to one Woodrow Van Chelton and it would actually have merit. While one half of the not-so-dynamic duo, Quantum and Woody, is an upstanding citizen just trying to do what he can for his fellow man and the memory of his father, Woody is just a walking, talking hurricane of chaos and arrogance. A selfish, selfish fucking hurricane. His ego, his grandstanding, his cockiness – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of his flaws! – makes him probably the biggest megalomaniac this side of, eh, your average rapper I guess. But still, all these traits, backed up by pure recklessness on the grandest of scales, has left with world with so much Woody-induced destruction that he is ACTUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF AN ENTIRE (ALTERNATE UNIVERSE) EARTH!!! We’re talking Galactus-scale repercussions for his actions. But goddamn is he hilarious to watch so, yeah, this was a perfect “love to hate” outside the box call this year.
Lyzard - Larfleeze (LARFLEEZE, DC Comics)Everyone has that pet series of theirs that when cancelled your heart breaks just a bit. For me, that was LARFLEEZE. Outside of making inappropriate women-in-refrigerators jokes I’ve never held much interest in the Lantern universe, but thanks to the short-lived LARFLEEZE series, I now not only care about Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, and Sinestro, but have a favorite Lantern as well. Why does he deserve favorite super villain? Because all awards belong to Larfleeze, so say Larfleeze!
Masked Man - Crime Syndicate (FOREVER EVIL/JUSTICE LEAGUE, DC Comics)Even though they did next to nothing in FOREVER EVIL, even though half of them got killed, even though one of them is now a member of the Justice League, I love the Crime Syndicate. Knowing that the World’s Greatest Superheroes are matched pound for pound with the World’s Greatest Super villains is almost the whole reason the superheroes concept exists. Ultraman, Super Woman, Owlman, Johnny Quick, and Power Ring: one of the coolest teams of super villains ever.
@@@ BEST WRITER! @@@
Masked Man - Mark Waid (DAREDEVIL, Marvel Comics)The man continues to knock out a great DAREDEVIL comic month after month, and I'm not even a huge Daredevil fan. Oftentimes I see the new issue, with The Shroud double-crossing Daredevil or The Purple Man's kid's wreaking havoc all over San Francisco, and I think “maybe I should drop this title.” Then I read the issue and it's my favorite of the week. Just solid, clever, unpretentious, not trying to get a movie deal superhero stories that work in the comic book medium.
Ambush Bug - Jason Aaron (SOUTHERN BASTARDS, MEN OF WRATH, Image Comics/Marvel Icon)I was late to jump onto the Jason Aaron fan bus, but having read SOUTHERN BASTARDS and MEN OF WRATH, I feel the writer is a man after my own heart. While I’m not so much of a fan of his mainstream Marvel work, Aaron seems to be able to harness that extra burly kind of manliness and tell a good old-fashioned tale about man and men and men doing man-stuff. Be it the father and son dichotomy that is dealt with in a hard-nosed manner in MEN OF WRATH or the thick and corrupt feel to Aaron’s Southern gothic tale of woe in SOUTHERN BASTARDS, I can now say that I’ve held out long enough and can call myself a true Aaron fan, and more of a manly man for doing so.
Henry Higgins is My Homeboy - Kieron Gillen (WICKED+THE DIVINE, Image Comics)There hasn’t been a book in years that excited me as much as WICKED+THE DIVINE. The art, the coloring, the story, the everything…but the writing, you guys. This is that rare book that truly captures the mindset of a teenager, of someone lost in the shuffle of life. And the entire time, a mystery concerning Gods, the occasional prophecy, and some of the most succinct and effective character work in comics ever is happening in the background. This book is incredibly well written, and deserves even more praise than it gets.
Vroom Socko - Greg Rucka (STUMPTOWN/CYCLOPS/LAZARUS, Oni Press/Marvel Comics/Image Comics)My love of the recent STUMPTOWN arc has been made clear already. Add in the initial storyline of the father/son space opera CYCLOPS, and the perfect SF deconstruction of income inequality that is LAZARUS, and Greg Rucka had an exceptional year in comics.
Mighty Mouth - Warren Ellis (MOON KNIGHT, Marvel Comics)If there’s one thing I look for in a comic writer, it’s their ability to make lemonade out of lemons; Warren Ellis is one such writer. For this reason I’m going to be mentioning his work on a particular Marvel vigilante in a couple of other categories, so in the interest of not being redundant, I’m going to leave it at that.
Matt Adler - James Robinson (FANTASTIC FOUR/ALL-NEW INVADERS, Marvel Comics)Remember that theme I was talking about--great comics getting cancelled? Exhibit B: James Robinson's FANTASTIC FOUR. I know, I know, there's politics involved, Marvel and Fox and all that, but hey: X-MEN ain't getting cancelled. If more people were buying James Robinson's fantastic run, no amount of Hollywood shenanigans would be enough to bring this storied franchise to a close. But somehow, Robinson's work IS being overlooked-- his ALL-NEW INVADERS, which is also a lot of fun, is ending too. Do yourselves a favor and check out a writer who is truly doing some of the best work of his career while you still can.
The Kid Marvel - Scott Snyder (BATMAN/SUPERMAN UNCHAINED/WYTCHES, DC Comics/ Image Comics)My nomination for best writer of 2013 and the same again for 2014, Scott Snyder has put together consistent work in superb writing and epic storytelling with very little or any drop in quality. His work on the various Batbooks, SUPERMAN UNCHAINED, and WYTCHES all ranges from great to excellent. To start with, everything he’s been doing and has done with Batman has been phenomenal. ZERO YEAR and END GAME were two of my favorite story arcs of 2014. While I didn’t keep up with the entire SUPERMAN UNCHAINED run, the issues I did pick up, I actually really liked and quite enjoyed. And as for WYTCHES, his creator-owned series, it’s freaking awesome from top to bottom. Snyder in my opinion had a great year last year, and he’s one of those writers: when I see his name on a comic, I’ll pick it up simply because he wrote it.
DrSumac - Greg Rucka (LAZARUS/CYCLOPS/VEIL/STUMPTOWN, Image Comics/Dark Horse Comics/Marvel Comics / Oni Press)I chose Greg largely for LAZARUS, which I think is notable in its writing for how varied the series has been. This year saw the completion of the second arc in the series, a one shot, and the start of the third arc, and each story has a very different feel and shows a different aspect of the world. Greg also managed to make CYCLOPS fun and different until he left the series after issue five, when it went to hell. That's not to mention VEIL and STUMPTOWN, which were also great this year.
Humphrey Lee - Charles Soule (LETTER 44/SWAMP THING/SHE-HULK/DEATH OF WOLVERINE, Oni Press/DC Comics/Marvel Comics)My ,they grow up so fast. A few years back I knew Charles Soule’s work from his STRONGMAN OGN, a series call 27 from Image, and…well, that was it because that was his resume up to that point. Now he’s killing Wolverine and writing so many comics a month that we can place blame for about five percent of the rain forest that gets uprooted a year on him. And it’s not even about quantity - for as admirable as it is to be a workhorse, this is “Best Writer”, not “Best Work Ethic” – because every title I was reading with this gentleman’s name on it this year was in the upper tier of my pulls. LETTER 44 has come into its own as top notch sci fi book with some “West Wing”-like chops, SWAMP THING has been a great extension on the war of supernatural forces that Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire kicked off the New 52 with, and SHE-HULK’s cancelling is easily the biggest crime in goddamn comics this past year. Plus, while I did not partake in the event myself, I have heard nothing but positives in regards to how he took down everyone’s favorite Canucklehead. When you can actually deliver a crowd-pleasing deathblow to “The Best There is at What He Does”, I think it’s fair you get to wear that title for yourself for a year.
Lyzard - Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis (LARFLEEZE, DC Comics)The character of Larfleeze may have been created by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, but it was Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis that made me fall in love with the avarice-driven Orange Lantern. Larfleeze the Great and Terrible, for me, is the most quotable character in the Lantern mythos, and Giffen and DeMatteis find a way for him to speak in the third person while seeming both ridiculous and intimidating simultaneously.
Now it’s time to pick your own @$$ies in the Talkbacks. Thirsty for more @$$ie Awards? Check out these categories;
Best Miniseries!
Best Publisher!
Best One-Shot/Special/Annual!
Favorite Super Team!
Best Artist!
Best Comic Book TV Series!
In Memoriam 2014…
Best Comic Book Movie!
And look for more @$$ie Awards tomorrow with; Best Crossover! Favorite Super Hero! Best Ongoing Series! See you then!
Thanks for celebrating the best of the best in comics! Be sure to check out our weekly comic book reviews in AICN COMICS REIVEWS every Wednesday, AICN COMICS/POPTARDS PODCAST every Tuesday, and Ambush Bug’s AICN HORROR reviews every Friday on Ain’t It Cool!
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
