Best and worst of 2008:
Friends of Doomkopf (part 2)


As we enter the final week of our year-end awards, here are some more thoughts from several friends of Doomkopf.

Robb @ Capes Comics:

Best Ongoing Series: Green Lantern
As a whole, Green Lantern has been the best title out there for your money. The team of Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis have delivered the perfect blend of Earth grounded drama and epic Sci-Fi Space Adventure. Hal is a cowboy and has had more character development since John’s has been writing than he did in his entire history before.

We started the 2008 with the end of the Sinestro Corps Wars and eventually led us to a re-telling origin story of Carol Ferris and Hal Jordan early relationship, Hal’s early pilot years, and his first meeting with Sinestro. Carol is a woman trying to prove herself and hold onto what belongs to her family. Hal is a cocky, plane jocky, who appears to have no regard for rules. Throw in Sinestro as a mentor to the “green” Lantern, and you have the best origin story for Hal ever. We learn that Hal’s origin has strong ties and helps to set the “Blackest Night” into motion.

I have never cared for Sinestro as a villain. I thought he was a goofy red colored alien, and I really put him at the bottom of Hal’s villain list. Sinestro Corp and Origins really changed that. Sinstro is a sympathetic, driven, and 2 dimensional character. I understand why he’s evil. He sometimes he comes off as remorseful. Some of the conversations that Hal and Sinestro had from the Oan jail cell were the best written dialog in this long standing war between these two characters.

Worst Ongoing Series: Nightwing
This pains me. It really does. My second favorite character of all time is Nightwing. That’s why it really hurts me to know that this book is the most inconsistent, boring read, month in and month out. Nightwing used to be fun. We could read him take on mob bosses and b-list characters as he tried to get out of Bruce’s shadow. I miss the old flirtatious, adventurious, daring Nightwing. I think they are building him to be the next Batman, in next year’s “Battle for the Cowl” story. The art on Nightwing has been ok. Rags Morale is a great artist, but when he was on the book, the story was a drape tale about Ras al Gul and Talia. Dick is an important character in the DCU and should be handled as the icon he is.

Nightwing seems to be the book that starting writers and artists get to practice on. At the end of 2008, we had a story about Two-Face and Nightwing, reviving the old boy-wonder days. Harvey is conflicted and wants Nightwing to protect a woman he cares about, but he’s also going to try and kill. Finally a twist, finally something is developing instead of having boring tie in after tie in from other books. This story was pulling Dick back. I saw a glimmer of hope. And what do they do… Cancel the book. I wish it weren’t so, but this book deserves it. It’s not been worth reading in a long time.

Worst Moment: several
Zur en Ahh, the Yellow and Purple insane/high version of Batman. That or the ending to countdown. Did anything happen in that series? 52 books, 52 and at the end, all we get is a group of character, (that we don’t even like) pointing at the Monitors and saying, “We are going to be watching you!” So what, I won’t be reading you!!!

Worst Mini-series: Superman & Batman vs. Vampires and Werewolves
Let us start with the comic’s title: Who decided, “YES” lets go with that long, stupid, amateur name. I am so flustered over this title. It is like watching Mystery Science Theatre 3000 in comic book form. NOONE writes this way. Batman is a moron in this book and Superman doesn’t make any appearance until the END of Issue #2? I just float off while reading, This book can’t hold my attention long enough for me to tell what’s even going on. Yet I find myself reading each issue. I have plans to really rip this series up in the Capes Newsletter, but its not done yet. So if I can say one thing positive about this title, its never late to the shops.

Jason @ Legend Comics:

Best Mini-Series: Pax Romana

Worst Mini-Series: Ultimates 3

Best Crossover: Annihilation Conquest

Worst Crossover : Secret Invasion

Best New Series: Secret Six

Worst New Series: (tie) Kick-Ass & Titans

Best Ongoing Series: Iron Fist

Worst Ongoing Series: Amazing Spider-Man

Best/Worst Moment: I read WAAAAAAAY too many comics for this category