@@@ 12th ANNUAL @$$IE AWARDS! @@@
Welcome, all, to the 12th Annual AICN COMICS @$$IE AWARDS, where comics’ best and brightest are recognized for stellar (and sometimes not so stellar) performances in comic bookdom. I’m Mark L. Miller, aka Ambush Bug. 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 and the awards have grown in number through the years, so I decided to spread it out all week to post the @$$Holes’ picks for the best of the best in comics. Most awards are given around the turn of the year, but we think ours is kind of special, so while those outside of the know celebrate the time of the Oscar, we here at AICN COMICS celebrate the time of the coveted @$$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 category)
Best Comic Book TV Show!
Best Comic Book Character Realized on TV/Film!
Best Comic Book Movie!
In Memoriam…
Vroom Socko - JESSICA JONES, Netflix, Marvel ComicsThere was an abundance of quality in this category, but Jessica was the stand-out. A detective story worthy of Rockford that manages to unflinchingly examine such topics as rape, misogyny, personal agency, PTSD, and feminism.
This show is perfect.
The Kid Marvel - DAREDEVIL, Netflix, Marvel ComicsThis was such a tough decision between DAREDEVIL and FLASH. If what is currently going on in season two happened in 2015 I would have given the nod to FLASH, but unfortunately it didn’t. DAREDEVIL did, and is what will be the equivalent of ARROW for DC. DAREDEVIL is now bringing in all these characters you never in a million years, would have thought would be introduced into a TV series. Daredevil is possibly one of the best TV shows I’ve ever watched. Fighting, style, cinematography, story--there is just nothing negative to say about it. This show took on the Miller style and brought it to life better than I ever could have thought. It has such a solid group of actors and actresses. With the characters they played and how they played them, they couldn’t have made fictional characters more lifelike. The transition from vigilante to more of a hero role was amazing as well for Daredevil, and was wonderful to watch. DAREDEVIL was just spectacular.
Masked Man - AGENT CARTER, ABC, Marvel ComicsThis time last year most of us were dying to give AGENT CARTER this award, but alas, we had to wait until the 2015 awards rolled around. As a reviewer, I can get mighty nitpicky about stuff. In my mind every TV show is filled with errors. But when the only thing I can think of that bugs me about AGENT CARTER is that the sets look too clean and pretty, I really got nothing to bitch about. It’s a ton of fun with great action, and for once a female hero-led project doesn’t suck, showing Hollywood female heroes do sell.
Lyzard - JESSICA JONES, Netflix, Marvel ComicsWhile I was overwhelmed by the number of Marvel products, both on film and TV, the odds were in their favor that at least one of these shows would resonate with me. For me that was JESSICA JONES. The show works because it doesn’t feel like a comic book or superhero series, but rather like a neo-noir. It was fresh and I can now finally forgive Melissa Rosenberg for working on TWILIGHT.
Ambush Bug - GOTHAM, Fox, DC ComicsCall it a guilty pleasure. Call it fan service. Whatever. I don’t care. Despite the amazing adaptations going on with Marvel and Netflix, I still can’t help but love the goofiness of GOTHAM. Sure there are all kinds of inconsistencies in terms of how all of these characters are showing up before Batman (I guess that kills the chicken and the egg argument that Batman caused all of these freaks to come out of the woodwork), but I love Batman so much that a weekly dose of his hometown always manages to thrill me. This second season really came into its own with all sorts of new villains popping up, the budding romance between Bruce and Selina, and the battle between Gordon and the new mayor made for a thrilling season. I also loved the teases, red herrings, and bluffs that the Joker is coming peppered through the story, making the Joker more of a force of chaos haunting Gotham rather than one actual person. Now it seems Hugo Strange and Mr. Freeze are popping up. Can’t wait. Rag on me all you want, but I love GOTHAM.
Optimous Douche - JESSICA JONES, Netflix, Marvel ComicsBendis wooed me into Hell’s Kitchen with the book ALIAS back in the aught years of the millenium, but I left when the Investigative house closed and Jessica Jones went off to be a power mom. Actually, I think Marvel might have forgotten about her before I did. It's hard to remember so so many years ago. Netflix giving me the ability to not only revisit the early days of the comic, but to also binge it all at once, was a treat I couldn't ignore. The show didn't disappoint. My favorite Dr. Who now as a villain, just a touch of DAREDEVIL crossover, and changes from the original comic that where appropriate without dousing the fire of the original series, were all elements that made this my most voracious small tube comic book consumption of the year.
Humphrey Lee – DAREDEVIL, Netflix, Marvel ComicsWhile I feel like this past year at the box office for comic book properties was both somewhat underwhelming and thin, what we saw on the small screen for these adaptations was nothing short of a revelation. Who’d have thought that very serialized creations would thrive if you brought them to life in a serialized manner? And DAREDEVIL was definitely the best rendition of the burgeoning comic books on TV endeavor, showing a faithfulness to the heart of the lead and supporting characters that have made the old hornhead one of the most fully realized comic book characters of all time. The acting performances were fantastic all around (but especially so around Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin), the themes and relationships that make Daredevil’s life so rich were well represented, and the action was really pretty great, complete with my having watched the infamous hallway fight with as much fervor as I watch some of my porn. This wasn’t just the best TV show of the year for comic book properties, I think DD season one is probably the best live action presentation we’ve seen of superheroes period.
Lionel Putz - THE FLASH, CW, DC Comics…With apologies to DAREDEVIL (possibly the best-looking and best-produced comic book show ever) and JESSICA JONES (which lived in my imagination longer than DAREDEVIL or any other offering for its creepy atmosphere and subject matter), but the raw ambition of the THE FLASH easily wins it this award. I never thought I’d see Eobard Thawne, the Speed Force, or Gorilla Friggin Grodd on the small screen ever, let alone in one great season of television. THE FLASH is blazing a trail for bright, bold, wonderful comic book magic in the mainstream, and on network(ish) television, no less.
Henry Higgins is My Homeboy – JESSICA JONES, Netflix, Marvel ComicsBecause obviously. It was fantastic.
There’s nothing I can say that someone else hasn’t already written, but this series was able to do something no other super hero show has done, and go after one of the most twisted villains of all time.
lionel.putz@gmail.com - Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash (Tom Cavanagh), THE FLASH, CW, DC ComicsThe Reverse Flash is a ridiculous character born of a ridiculous age of comic books. That Tom Kavanaugh and THE FLASH staff were able to realize him onscreen at all is impressive. That he was so incredibly sympathetic and menacing at the same time is truly remarkable.
Vroom Socko - Barry Allen/The Flash (Grant Gustin), THE FLASH, CW, DC ComicsOut of all the current DC shows THE FLASH is the best, and the reason is Grant Gustin. He embodies Barry Allen with a palpable joy, a love of being who he is and what he does. It’s a welcome respite from grim, gritty and cynical heroes, and I don’t doubt that this take on Flash will define our perception of the character for years to come.
The Kid Marvel - Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox), DAREDEVIL, Netflix, Marvel ComicsWhile yes, there is that Ben Affleck DAREDEVIL film that we all try to forget because it didn’t capture the character, nor was Daredevil “realized” honestly until this Netflix series, I’m giving this @$$ie to Charlie Cox’s turn as Daredevil. I think I’ve already said everything there is to say about how amazing this series was and how well they crafted this character in live action, so no more of that.
Masked Man - Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), ANT-MAN, Marvel ComicsLike Quicksilver before him (talking DAYS OF FUTURE PAST), who knew the world could care so much for a D-List hero? It just goes to show something I’ve always said: the right concept can make any character great. Heck, Ant-Man even survived a director debacle. So it was really great to see Ant-Man come to life and not get ruined in a bad Hollywood makeover.
Lyzard - Luke Cage (Mike Colter), JESSICA JONES, Netflix, Marvel ComicsThe interpretation for all of the characters on JESSICA JONES were fantastic, but I found Luke Cage to be the most unique.
In particular, the handling of his superpower. How do you operate on a man with skin of steel?
Very carefully, apparently.
Ambush Bug - Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin (Vincent D'onofrio), DAREDEVIL, Netflix, Marvel ComicsThough the entire cast of DAREDEVIL is amazing, Vincent D’onofrio stands tall over all of them in his portrayal of Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Hell’s Kitchen. Every pregnant pause, every stressed syllable, every subtle nuance brings the Kingpin to life in a way that I never thought possible outside of a DAREDEVIL comic. I love it that the show often zooms in close and the entire screen is taken up by D’onofrio’s face. So menacing. And on top of all of that terror he elicits, Wilson Fisk is given quite a bit of humanity here, making him not simply a moustache-twirling baddie. The depth, the performance, the power: D’onofrio’s Kingpin proves a good villain can make a hero (and a TV series) better.
Optimous Douche - Flash/Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), FLASH, CW, DC ComicsFlash as played by the cherubic and charming Grant Gustin is the exact Barry Allen I wanted in the New 52. The kid is dull by circumstance as opposed to desire, which in my humble opinion sets him apart from his comic book counterpart. I had to get past villains of the week born of particle accelerator 'splosions as opposed to pieces of Kryptonite radiation, but once those initial hackneyed story moments were introduced the ensuing character moments became deep...ish (let us not forget this is still the CW). This cast is having fun, and Grant leads the charge by conveying that Barry is every guy while still being heads and shoulders above everyone else.
Humphrey Lee – The Purple Man/Killgrave (David Tennant), JESSICA JONES, Netflix, Marvel ComicsDAREDEVIL may have been my king of the comic book TV shows this past year, but dammit, no one had more presence than the man in the purple suit. Everything David Tennant did in his turn as the most amoral man with the dapper fashion sense: the former Doctor’s turn as the bane of Jessica Jones was an amazing exhibition in both vileness and charm. He instantly stole every scene he was in, and despite performing some of the most repulsive acts a supervillain has done on the moving screen so far, you couldn’t help but be lured in by his charisma. He was the absolute highlight on the live action end of these properties in a year when there were many positives to spotlight.
Humphrey Lee – ANT-MAN, Marvel ComicsI guess this is some variation of the David versus the Goliath conversation, considering how much in the shadow this was compared to its sister property, AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, hitting theaters as well this past year. Add in some turmoil in the development process with director changes and script rewrites and so on, and it would have been easy to wind up with a “good for what it was” tale of Marvel’s tiniest hero. Instead, what happened was we received a very from the heart story of a man with a shaky life of his own mistaken deeds in society and with his family trying to find a bit of redemption. Ant-Man was definitely one of the more humorous outings we’ve had in comic book movies and was really innovative in how it handled the powers and pseudoscience of such a character, making for a super enjoyable adaptation. Plus, who the hell isn’t wooed by some Paul Rudd quipping and riding an insect army to save the day?
Lionel Putz - AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, Marvel ComicsThis is a shockingly weak category for 2015: KINGSMEN, ANT-MAN, and FANT4STIC, the last of which I did not see because I do not need to get burned to spot a dumpster fire. I give the nod to AGE OF ULTRON because of the ridiculous amount that film was tasked with accomplishing versus the relatively bland and inoffensive ANT-MAN. If you see Joss Whedon, you should probably give him a hug.
Henry Higgins is My Homeboy – Fantastic Foooooooohahahahahahaha couldn’t even finish it. Ha ha, haaaa, fuck no, it was JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS & MONSTERS, DC ComicsDid you guys see this movie? With Mexican Superman, vampire Dexter Batman, and space god Wonder Woman from a REALLY violent version of the New Gods? Trying to solve a surprisingly solid mystery? It was actually a great super hero flick, in a year where super hero flicks were somewhat disappointing at best, FANTASTIC FOUR at worst.
Vroom Socko - ANT-MAN, Marvel ComicsThis is a close one, but I just had too much fun with this movie not to give it the nod. It was the most fun, it centers around a hell of a heist, and while I don’t doubt it’s not the movie Edgar Wright would have made you can feel his fingerprints all over the story. Besides, any movie that features Michael Peña is going to have a leg up on the others.
The Kid Marvel - ANT-MAN, Marvel ComicsANT-MAN kind of wins by default, because there really isn’t much to choose from otherwise for 2015. AGE OF ULTRON wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t great--it was just ok. DC hasn’t had anything since MAN OF STEEL, and Michael Bay’s NINJA TURTLES? Just no. Also, there really weren’t animated features in the comic realm that I can think of that were of any merit, either. ANT-MAN was a fun and entertaining film, don’t get me wrong, but to say it’s the best only happens because there wasn’t much else.
Masked Man - AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, Marvel ComicsLet’s face it: when Marvel announced that title, no one could believe they were about to adapt that lackluster miniseries. Thankfully they didn’t, and while it still had flaws of its own, AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON is the superhero movie superhero fans dream about: the world’s mightiest heroes pounding the crap out of a ton of Ultron robots. It had action, wit, character moments, and built on everything that came before and left us wanting more. Even up against a stronger field, this movie would be hard to beat for movie of the year.
Lyzard - KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE, Millarworld/Image ComicsBased on the Icon Comics series THE SECRET SERVICE, by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, KINGSMAN was a refreshing departure from Marvel’s nigh domination of the comic adaptation market. KINGSMAN pushed aside fidelity and was a fun romp that didn’t require you to have viewed any prequels or know the source material very well. It may not be director Matthew Vaughn’s best adaptation, but it certainly was better than FANTASTIC FOUR, for which he was producer.
Ambush Bug - ANT-MAN, Marvel ComicsWhile this wasn’t the most stellar year for comic book movies, my pick for this category has to go to ANT-MAN for defying fanboy criticisms when Edgar Wright left the film. It could have been a whole lot worse, and while it proved that the Marvel movie formula is wearing a little thin as the story almost followed the original IRON MAN movie’s plot to a tee, Paul Rudd’s performance and some fun size-changing action sequences made the film just different enough to be entertaining. I loved Michael Pena as Scott Lang’s ex-con pal who hears stories and has an uncanny ability to retell them in entertaining ways. I also loved the giant ant that ends up being Cassie Lang’s pet in the end, and the trip into the quantum sphere was pretty darn mesmerizing. This felt like a transition year for the Marvel films, even though an AVENGERS movie was relased. But out of all of the comic book films, I had the most fun with ANT-MAN.
Optimous Douche - KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE, Millarworld/Image ComicsAs much as I loved Bond growing up, Roger Moore's tricks became old hat when my phone was a better gadget than anything Q could stuff into Bond's cufflinks. I don't hate Daniel Craig, but I find Bourne to be the same damn movie and Damon is more emotive. KINGSMAN rebooted Her Majesty's Secret Service the right way. This movie made me laugh, made me cry and made me once again believe that spies can be cool.
Plus, I love Colin Firth. Soooo....AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON was cool, but not cool enough to stand alone as amazeballs outside the rest of the Marvel pantheon.
Now it’s time to pick your own @$$ies in the Talkbacks. Thirsty for more @$$ie Awards? Check out these categories from earlier in the week!
Best Miniseries!
Best Publisher!
Best One-Shot/Annual/Special/OGN!
Favorite Super Team!
Best Artist/Art Team!
Look for more tomorrow when we share our picks for Best Cover Art/Cover Artist, Favorite Villain, and Best Writer! See you tomorrow!
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
