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Best Hero:
Iron Man
Why He Rocked: What a difference a year makes. In a nice twist of irony, Tony Stark went from being our best villain of 2006 to our best hero of 2007. While Civil War showed Iron Man's harsh, authoritarian side, the rise of the 50 State Initiative allowed Stark to redeem himself in a major way. Rare was the Marvel book that didn't feature Iron Man in at least some capacity, and it's no coincidence that several Iron Man-heavy issues were among Marvel's best of the year. You may love to hate him, but Iron Man knows better than anyone that the life of a hero isn't easy.
Iron Man
Why He Rocked: What a difference a year makes. In a nice twist of irony, Tony Stark went from being our best villain of 2006 to our best hero of 2007. While Civil War showed Iron Man's harsh, authoritarian side, the rise of the 50 State Initiative allowed Stark to redeem himself in a major way. Rare was the Marvel book that didn't feature Iron Man in at least some capacity, and it's no coincidence that several Iron Man-heavy issues were among Marvel's best of the year. You may love to hate him, but Iron Man knows better than anyone that the life of a hero isn't easy.
Best Villain:
Sinestro
Why He Rocked: Sinestro has always been a great villain, but 2007 was the year he really kicked the villainy level up to 11. After years of serving as a thorn in the side of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, the ex-Corpsman formed his own legion of ring-wielders. Sinestro's army used fear as a weapon and brought war to the entire galaxy, nearly destroying the Green Lanterns in the process. Even with all his big-name partners like Cyborg Superman and Parallax, Sinestro always shined through as the worst of a truly heinous bunch. We love him for it.
Sinestro
Why He Rocked: Sinestro has always been a great villain, but 2007 was the year he really kicked the villainy level up to 11. After years of serving as a thorn in the side of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, the ex-Corpsman formed his own legion of ring-wielders. Sinestro's army used fear as a weapon and brought war to the entire galaxy, nearly destroying the Green Lanterns in the process. Even with all his big-name partners like Cyborg Superman and Parallax, Sinestro always shined through as the worst of a truly heinous bunch. We love him for it.
Best Artist:
John Cassaday
Why He Rocked: If any artist is capable of selling a project on the strength of their art alone, it's John Cassaday. The members of Astonishing X-Men come to life thanks to Joss Whedon's brilliant dialogue, but they leap right off the page because of Cassaday's incredible knack for detail and scene composition. His efforts on Captain America: Fallen Son #5 resulted in some of the most memorable and iconic Avengers images ever to grace the printed page. It's a shame Cassaday is shifting his energies towards film work, because we can't imagine the comics industry without him.
John Cassaday
Why He Rocked: If any artist is capable of selling a project on the strength of their art alone, it's John Cassaday. The members of Astonishing X-Men come to life thanks to Joss Whedon's brilliant dialogue, but they leap right off the page because of Cassaday's incredible knack for detail and scene composition. His efforts on Captain America: Fallen Son #5 resulted in some of the most memorable and iconic Avengers images ever to grace the printed page. It's a shame Cassaday is shifting his energies towards film work, because we can't imagine the comics industry without him.
Best OGN:
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Kevin O'Neill
Why It Rocked: As difficult as it is rewarding, Alan Moore's follow-up to the previous League of Extraordinary Gentlemen stories was well worth the wait. Black Dossier plucks Mina Murray and Allan Quartermain from their Victorian setting and drops them in a wartorn, chaotic vision of 1950's England. While a good portion of the book is actually supplemental material dealing with past incarnations of the League, Moore hardly neglects his most popular Gentlemen. Few comics pack in so much detail into every page and panel. Even if you don't know your Prospero from your Orlando, half the fun is doing your own outside research and coming back to the book with a new sense of appreciation for the breadth of Moore's knowledge. It's like taking a college-level British Literature class, only fun.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Kevin O'Neill
Why It Rocked: As difficult as it is rewarding, Alan Moore's follow-up to the previous League of Extraordinary Gentlemen stories was well worth the wait. Black Dossier plucks Mina Murray and Allan Quartermain from their Victorian setting and drops them in a wartorn, chaotic vision of 1950's England. While a good portion of the book is actually supplemental material dealing with past incarnations of the League, Moore hardly neglects his most popular Gentlemen. Few comics pack in so much detail into every page and panel. Even if you don't know your Prospero from your Orlando, half the fun is doing your own outside research and coming back to the book with a new sense of appreciation for the breadth of Moore's knowledge. It's like taking a college-level British Literature class, only fun.
Best Collection:
Captain America Omnibus
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Steve Epting & Mike Perkins (main)
Why It Rocked: Captain America fans have been begging for a fancy, oversized collection of Ed Brubaker's series ever since the first disappointingly bland Premiere Edition hit the shelves. Marvel finally answered these pleas in a big way this year. The Captain America Omnibus collects the first 25 issues of the current series, as well as the 65th Anniversary Special and Winter Soldier: Winter Kills. In short, every comic from the beginning of Brubaker's run through Cap's untimely death is collected in one giant and beautiful package. If you don't know why we rave about this series month in and month out, there's no better way to find out.
Captain America Omnibus
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Steve Epting & Mike Perkins (main)
Why It Rocked: Captain America fans have been begging for a fancy, oversized collection of Ed Brubaker's series ever since the first disappointingly bland Premiere Edition hit the shelves. Marvel finally answered these pleas in a big way this year. The Captain America Omnibus collects the first 25 issues of the current series, as well as the 65th Anniversary Special and Winter Soldier: Winter Kills. In short, every comic from the beginning of Brubaker's run through Cap's untimely death is collected in one giant and beautiful package. If you don't know why we rave about this series month in and month out, there's no better way to find out.
Best Movie:
300
Why It Rocked: Impossibly muscular men in leather underwear cleaving through hordes of bad guys while gobs of blood drench the screen in slow motion? What's not to love? Zack Snyder took Frank Miller's terrific 1998 graphic novel and translated it nearly scene for scene into an exciting historical action flick. Thanks to Miller's already cinematic style of storytelling, this resulted in 2007's best action movie, not to mention best comic movie to boot. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Spider-Man 3 may have failed to live up to their full potential, but that hardly mattered as long as brave Leonidas and his 300 Spartans ruled the cinema.
300
Why It Rocked: Impossibly muscular men in leather underwear cleaving through hordes of bad guys while gobs of blood drench the screen in slow motion? What's not to love? Zack Snyder took Frank Miller's terrific 1998 graphic novel and translated it nearly scene for scene into an exciting historical action flick. Thanks to Miller's already cinematic style of storytelling, this resulted in 2007's best action movie, not to mention best comic movie to boot. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Spider-Man 3 may have failed to live up to their full potential, but that hardly mattered as long as brave Leonidas and his 300 Spartans ruled the cinema.
Best Publisher:
Dark Horse/Image (tie)
Why They Rocked: Too often the best publisher category is a toss-up between Marvel or DC. For every Sinestro Corps War or Captain America the Big Two gave us this year, it was countered by a Countdown or One More Day. Though Dark Horse and Image lack the same mainstream attention, they both win our vote for best publisher based on their consistent track records and wider assortment of storytelling genres. Dark Horse continuously shows us how licensed comics can be done right, between the likes of Conan, Buffy: Season 8, and a steadily improving Star Wars line. That's in addition to their stellar lineup of creator-owned books like The Goon, Hellboy, and Grendel. Similarly, Image is a veritable cornucopia of creator-owned goodness. Invincible, The Walking Dead, Casanova, Elephantmen, Phonogram - the list goes on.
Dark Horse/Image (tie)
Why They Rocked: Too often the best publisher category is a toss-up between Marvel or DC. For every Sinestro Corps War or Captain America the Big Two gave us this year, it was countered by a Countdown or One More Day. Though Dark Horse and Image lack the same mainstream attention, they both win our vote for best publisher based on their consistent track records and wider assortment of storytelling genres. Dark Horse continuously shows us how licensed comics can be done right, between the likes of Conan, Buffy: Season 8, and a steadily improving Star Wars line. That's in addition to their stellar lineup of creator-owned books like The Goon, Hellboy, and Grendel. Similarly, Image is a veritable cornucopia of creator-owned goodness. Invincible, The Walking Dead, Casanova, Elephantmen, Phonogram - the list goes on.
Best Cover:
52 #52
Artist: J.G. Jones
Why It Rocked: Deja vu? Last year's best cover was 52 #1, the first in a long line of incredibly well-crafted covers by J.G. Jones. This year's happens to be the last in the series. While Jones gave us a year's worth of striking, memorable images, this homage to the very first one stuck in our minds more than any other. The 52 players underwent massive changes over the course of 52 weeks, and no single image hammers that idea home more than this cover.
52 #52
Artist: J.G. Jones
Why It Rocked: Deja vu? Last year's best cover was 52 #1, the first in a long line of incredibly well-crafted covers by J.G. Jones. This year's happens to be the last in the series. While Jones gave us a year's worth of striking, memorable images, this homage to the very first one stuck in our minds more than any other. The 52 players underwent massive changes over the course of 52 weeks, and no single image hammers that idea home more than this cover.
Best New Book:
Scalped
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: R.M. Guera
Why It Rocked: We have a love/hate relationship with Vertigo here at IGN. We love them because nearly every one of their books is an excellent example of mature comics storytelling. We hate them because we spend entire paychecks keeping up with all these great comics. Of the new series put out by Vertigo in 2007, Jason Aaron's Scalped was undeniably the most entertaining. Aaron combined elements of The Sopranos and movies like The Departed with the harsh realities of life on an American Indian reservation. The result was a wholly original crime drama starring one of Vertigo's more intriguing anti-heroes, Dashiell Bad Horse. Life may be hard on the rez, but that only means good things for Aaron's readers.
Scalped
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: R.M. Guera
Why It Rocked: We have a love/hate relationship with Vertigo here at IGN. We love them because nearly every one of their books is an excellent example of mature comics storytelling. We hate them because we spend entire paychecks keeping up with all these great comics. Of the new series put out by Vertigo in 2007, Jason Aaron's Scalped was undeniably the most entertaining. Aaron combined elements of The Sopranos and movies like The Departed with the harsh realities of life on an American Indian reservation. The result was a wholly original crime drama starring one of Vertigo's more intriguing anti-heroes, Dashiell Bad Horse. Life may be hard on the rez, but that only means good things for Aaron's readers.
Best Mini-Series:
Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born
Writers: Stephen King, Robin Furth, & Peter David
Artist: Jae Lee
Why It Rocked: If any one modern fantasy series carries the torch from Lord of the Rings, it's probably Stephen King's The Dark Tower. This epic, 7-volume story blends Arthurian legends, spaghetti westerns, Lovecraftian horror, and King's own brand of fantasy into a captivating account of a gunslinger's quest to find the mysterious Dark Tower. The Gunslinger Born adapted several of the series' flashback sequences into a cohesive and engrossing 7-issue mini-series. Thanks in large part to Jae Lee's intricate and stylized art (not to mention Richard Isanove's hypnotic colors), The Gunslinger Born was arguably superior to the material it was based from. At the very least, Tower veterans received a closer glimpse into Roland's world, and new readers discovered what all the fuss was about.
Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born
Writers: Stephen King, Robin Furth, & Peter David
Artist: Jae Lee
Why It Rocked: If any one modern fantasy series carries the torch from Lord of the Rings, it's probably Stephen King's The Dark Tower. This epic, 7-volume story blends Arthurian legends, spaghetti westerns, Lovecraftian horror, and King's own brand of fantasy into a captivating account of a gunslinger's quest to find the mysterious Dark Tower. The Gunslinger Born adapted several of the series' flashback sequences into a cohesive and engrossing 7-issue mini-series. Thanks in large part to Jae Lee's intricate and stylized art (not to mention Richard Isanove's hypnotic colors), The Gunslinger Born was arguably superior to the material it was based from. At the very least, Tower veterans received a closer glimpse into Roland's world, and new readers discovered what all the fuss was about.
Best Arc:
"The Sinestro Corps War"
Featured In: Green Lantern/Green Lantern Corps
Writers: Geoff Johns & Dave Gibbons
Artists: Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis, & Patrick Gleason (main)
No writer floored us this year with one single-page spread quite like Geoff Johns did. After witnessing Sinestro tear a path of destruction through the Green Lantern Corps with his own legion of ring-bearers, Johns revealed that the pink-skinned tyrant was working with a veritable who's who of DC villains - Parallax, Cyborg Superman, Superman Prime, even the Anti-Monitor himself. Things only got more crazy from that point on, as "The Sinestro Corps War" ran through the pages of both Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. Not only was this storyline so awesome it made Infinite Crisis seem like bad fan fiction by comparison, but the fact that the constant shift between two writers did nothing to tarnish the storyline made "The Sinestro Corps War" a shoe-in for our favorite of the year. We almost hope Johns can't outdo himself with the third part of the trilogy, because our brains probably couldn't handle the thrill.esc
"The Sinestro Corps War"
Featured In: Green Lantern/Green Lantern Corps
Writers: Geoff Johns & Dave Gibbons
Artists: Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis, & Patrick Gleason (main)
No writer floored us this year with one single-page spread quite like Geoff Johns did. After witnessing Sinestro tear a path of destruction through the Green Lantern Corps with his own legion of ring-bearers, Johns revealed that the pink-skinned tyrant was working with a veritable who's who of DC villains - Parallax, Cyborg Superman, Superman Prime, even the Anti-Monitor himself. Things only got more crazy from that point on, as "The Sinestro Corps War" ran through the pages of both Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. Not only was this storyline so awesome it made Infinite Crisis seem like bad fan fiction by comparison, but the fact that the constant shift between two writers did nothing to tarnish the storyline made "The Sinestro Corps War" a shoe-in for our favorite of the year. We almost hope Johns can't outdo himself with the third part of the trilogy, because our brains probably couldn't handle the thrill.esc
Best Writer:
Geoff Johns
Simply put, Geoff Johns is the reason we're loving the DCU. Month in and month out, Johns delivers solid entertainment along a wide breadth of genres and titles. He gives us fantastic team adventures with Justice Society of America, a hilarious journey through time in Booster Gold (with writer Jeff Katz) and strong Superman stories in Action Comics. But above all of these stellar efforts is the work Johns is doing on Green Lantern. You'll notice the work of Sinestro is spread throughout our awards this year and for good reason. This arc came out of nowhere and shocked us with its brutality, power and, above all else, stunning ability to make us care about characters that weren't on our radar the month before. Transforming an awkward little purple dude into a megalomaniacal, Hitler-esque conqueror obsessed with fear was absolutely brilliant. "Sinestro Wars" alone would have qualified Johns for our list, but his stellar work everywhere else made him an easy choice for our top honors.
Geoff Johns
Simply put, Geoff Johns is the reason we're loving the DCU. Month in and month out, Johns delivers solid entertainment along a wide breadth of genres and titles. He gives us fantastic team adventures with Justice Society of America, a hilarious journey through time in Booster Gold (with writer Jeff Katz) and strong Superman stories in Action Comics. But above all of these stellar efforts is the work Johns is doing on Green Lantern. You'll notice the work of Sinestro is spread throughout our awards this year and for good reason. This arc came out of nowhere and shocked us with its brutality, power and, above all else, stunning ability to make us care about characters that weren't on our radar the month before. Transforming an awkward little purple dude into a megalomaniacal, Hitler-esque conqueror obsessed with fear was absolutely brilliant. "Sinestro Wars" alone would have qualified Johns for our list, but his stellar work everywhere else made him an easy choice for our top honors.
Best Collectible:
Halo: Master Chief/Spartan Statue
A blockbuster franchise deserves collectibles of equal strength, and Kotobukiya has certainly lived up to the reputation of Bungie's epic Halo series. We saw quite a few toys based off of Master Chief, his enemies and his weapons, but bar none our favorite was this PVC statue. Sporting an incredible amount of detail, interchangeable weapons/hands and four different color schemes (green, blue, red and steel), there's no way any Halo fan could be disappointed in this. In fact we were so impressed that this is by far and away our pick for collectible of the year. Kotobukiya excels and crafting dynamic figures with obsessive attention to detail, and we can't think of any figure that better exemplifies those traits.
Halo: Master Chief/Spartan Statue
A blockbuster franchise deserves collectibles of equal strength, and Kotobukiya has certainly lived up to the reputation of Bungie's epic Halo series. We saw quite a few toys based off of Master Chief, his enemies and his weapons, but bar none our favorite was this PVC statue. Sporting an incredible amount of detail, interchangeable weapons/hands and four different color schemes (green, blue, red and steel), there's no way any Halo fan could be disappointed in this. In fact we were so impressed that this is by far and away our pick for collectible of the year. Kotobukiya excels and crafting dynamic figures with obsessive attention to detail, and we can't think of any figure that better exemplifies those traits.
Best Indy Book:
The Killer
Writer: Matz
Artist: Luc Jacamon
Here's the thing - if you disagree with our choice then we have a slight suspicion you haven't read The Killer. If you have, you probably aren't disagreeing. We're huge fans of noir and other crime genre stories. Our favorite TV show here at IGN Comics? The Shield. Some of our favorite films? Collateral, Heat, The Departed, etc. The great thing about Archaia's Killer series, which is being translated from its French source, is that it embodies the greatest elements of all of those works without feeling too derivative. You'd think a story of an assassin's life couldn't be too interesting, but writer Matz and artist Luc Jacamon toss that notion right out the window. This is the second year Archaia has snagged our Indy award - we'd recommend paying attention to all of their products in the coming year. They have a pretty good eye for talent.
The Killer
Writer: Matz
Artist: Luc Jacamon
Here's the thing - if you disagree with our choice then we have a slight suspicion you haven't read The Killer. If you have, you probably aren't disagreeing. We're huge fans of noir and other crime genre stories. Our favorite TV show here at IGN Comics? The Shield. Some of our favorite films? Collateral, Heat, The Departed, etc. The great thing about Archaia's Killer series, which is being translated from its French source, is that it embodies the greatest elements of all of those works without feeling too derivative. You'd think a story of an assassin's life couldn't be too interesting, but writer Matz and artist Luc Jacamon toss that notion right out the window. This is the second year Archaia has snagged our Indy award - we'd recommend paying attention to all of their products in the coming year. They have a pretty good eye for talent.
Best Single Issue:
Civil War - The Confession One-Shot
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev
Last year we gave Iron Man the Villain of the Year award. While we don't regret that decision in any way, it's clear now that we hadn't seen every side of Tony Stark. It took one special issue to completely change our perception of Stark. In the aftermath of Captain America's death, Iron Man lets down his guard, pouring out his heart to his fallen friend. Though we're not always fond of writing that obsesses over angst, Brian Bendis hit the perfect notes, making us realize for the first time just what Stark was trying to accomplish with his Civil War. It also increased our sympathy for the character ten-fold, allowing us to see him as one of the most nuanced and layered heroes in the industry. As you'll see elsewhere in these awards, there are few characters as fascinating or omnipresent as Tony Stark, and it took Bendis and artist Alex Maleev to make us see that.
Civil War - The Confession One-Shot
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev
Last year we gave Iron Man the Villain of the Year award. While we don't regret that decision in any way, it's clear now that we hadn't seen every side of Tony Stark. It took one special issue to completely change our perception of Stark. In the aftermath of Captain America's death, Iron Man lets down his guard, pouring out his heart to his fallen friend. Though we're not always fond of writing that obsesses over angst, Brian Bendis hit the perfect notes, making us realize for the first time just what Stark was trying to accomplish with his Civil War. It also increased our sympathy for the character ten-fold, allowing us to see him as one of the most nuanced and layered heroes in the industry. As you'll see elsewhere in these awards, there are few characters as fascinating or omnipresent as Tony Stark, and it took Bendis and artist Alex Maleev to make us see that.
Best Moment:
The Death of Captain America (Captain America #25)
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Steve Epting
It's probably a bit morbid to say the best moment we read this year was the death of someone like Captain America, but it's true. It was the most poignant, tragic, stirring and powerful thing we witnessed all year. Realize that this happened in March and the significance might become clearer - not a single action or scene came close all year. In the span of four gunshots, the Marvel Universe became a different place, and a much darker one at that. Through issues like The Confession, Fallen Son #5 and Cap's own series we saw how much of an impact Captain America had on his friends and loved ones. It was also fascinating to see instances in various books like Thor and World War Hulk where heroes openly commented on the moralistic void left by the death of Steve Rogers. Moments like this don't often come by every year. Comic book readers witnessed history in the making this past Spring.
The Death of Captain America (Captain America #25)
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Steve Epting
It's probably a bit morbid to say the best moment we read this year was the death of someone like Captain America, but it's true. It was the most poignant, tragic, stirring and powerful thing we witnessed all year. Realize that this happened in March and the significance might become clearer - not a single action or scene came close all year. In the span of four gunshots, the Marvel Universe became a different place, and a much darker one at that. Through issues like The Confession, Fallen Son #5 and Cap's own series we saw how much of an impact Captain America had on his friends and loved ones. It was also fascinating to see instances in various books like Thor and World War Hulk where heroes openly commented on the moralistic void left by the death of Steve Rogers. Moments like this don't often come by every year. Comic book readers witnessed history in the making this past Spring.
Best Ongoing Series:
Captain America
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Steve Epting & Mike Perkins
You know a series is doing something right when it kills off its title character, a very compelling, engaging hero, and manages to actually be even better than it was before. Such is the case with Ed Brubaker's Captain America series, a book that is simultaneously remembering the legacy of its fallen son while building towards the arrival of a new Cap. Between those moments, Brubaker is delivering a wonderfully methodical psychological tale as the Red Skull inches closer to his unnamed, evil goal. Likening back to classic eras in comics, Brubaker doesn't really create distinct arcs in his run, preferring to hook readers for the long haul as he crafts an espionage epic that is easily a modern classic. Special mention must be given to Steve Epting and Mike Perkins, whose realistic styles blend seamlessly, allowing for issues to hit every month without fail. While there are other excellent books on the market, none hit with this regularity and none feature such iconic moments and wicked villains. Honestly this was an easy choice for us this year.
Captain America
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Steve Epting & Mike Perkins
You know a series is doing something right when it kills off its title character, a very compelling, engaging hero, and manages to actually be even better than it was before. Such is the case with Ed Brubaker's Captain America series, a book that is simultaneously remembering the legacy of its fallen son while building towards the arrival of a new Cap. Between those moments, Brubaker is delivering a wonderfully methodical psychological tale as the Red Skull inches closer to his unnamed, evil goal. Likening back to classic eras in comics, Brubaker doesn't really create distinct arcs in his run, preferring to hook readers for the long haul as he crafts an espionage epic that is easily a modern classic. Special mention must be given to Steve Epting and Mike Perkins, whose realistic styles blend seamlessly, allowing for issues to hit every month without fail. While there are other excellent books on the market, none hit with this regularity and none feature such iconic moments and wicked villains. Honestly this was an easy choice for us this year.
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