My Top 10 Comics of 2014

2014 was a year that brought me back to comics. I had been reading some of the staples before, but I made a conscious effort to branch out and try new titles. I’m so glad I did, because I found some new favorites. My top 10 for the year has quite a few Image Comics titles. I found the most interesting stories in Image’s comics. They have been killing it with new, unique ideas by letting the creators really spread their wings and have the freedom needed to imagine.

You will also notice that only one Marvel book is on my top 10. This is not a reflection on their quality, just that I cannot read everything and I grew up a DC kid. I’ve started branching out to some Marvel titles but I only really read a few.

Without further ado, here are my top 10 comics of 2014:

10) Wicked and the Devine - Every ninety years, twelve gods incarnate as humans. They are loved and they are hated. In two years, they are dead. Gods are the ultimate pop stars and pop stars are the ultimate gods. This was one of the most unique books I read this year and it kept me guessing each issue. Written by Kieron Gillen and art by Jamie McKelvie and Matt Wilson, there truly was nothing like this book.

9) Gotham Academy – Last fall, a few new titles launched in the Batman universe and Gotham Academy was my favorite. Set in Gotham’s prep school, it feels like Harry Potter meets Batman, which is as great together as peanut butter and chocolate. 

8) Fade Out – Written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Sean Phillips, Fade Out is a noir set in Hollywood during the end of the Golden Era. The book’s strength is its sense of place and time through beautiful art by Phillips. The first arc isn’t complete yet; however it’s one of the books I look forward to reading the most each month.

7) Detective Comics – With the creative team from Flash (Buccellato and Manapul) moving over to Detective this year, this book has now made my top 10. Manapul’s art is second to none and I enjoy how the team is using the book to tell true crime stories, and using Batman’s ability to solve crimes and track down criminals as the strength.

6) Rocket Raccoon – As the lone Marvel book on my list, Skottie Young has captured the essence of Rocket and made a funny, entertaining book with Groot as his right hand tree. Young’s art style fits the character perfectly. I know when I sit down to read this book I’m in for a fun ride.

5) Wytches – From the fantastic writer Scott Snyder and artist Jock, comes this twisted tale of witches that live among us in modern day society. They are rarely seen and even more rarely survived when encountered. Jock’s art matches the eerie storytelling of Snyder perfectly. I’m looking forward to seeing where they take us.

4) Outcast – The newest book by Robert Kirkman, Outcast, explores demonic possession. Dark and haunting, Paul Azaceta matches his art style to the creepy storytelling well. I look forward to seeing where it goes as the creators just wrapped up the first arc in 2014.

3) Batman – Snyder and Capullo continue their great run on the most iconic book in comics and live up to the hype. 2014 saw the return of the Riddler for Zero Year, who brought Gotham to its knees. It was fun seeing Capullo’s art in an apocalyptic Gotham with overgrown foliage and bright colors by colorist Fco Plascencia. Snyder took a big gamble going back to the origin on Batman and ultimately, in my opinion, succeeded.

2) Nailbiter – Buckaroo, Oregon is the home to 16 of the worst serial killers in the world. Why this town? An NSA Agent comes to Buckaroo to solve this mystery and will have to team up with one of the serial killers to find out the answers. Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson knock it out the park with this book. 

1) Southern Bastards – Set in Craw County Alabama, Southern Bastards takes a look at small towns, Southern ways, and how old grudges die hard. Home to Boss BBQ, sweet tea, and the state champion Runnin’ Rebs football team; this book bleeds character and Southern setting. The first arc, Here Was a Man, was not only my favorite books this the year, but also one of my favorite story lines I’ve ever read in comics. Craw County feels like a real place that I’ve been, and Jason Aaron and Jason Latour do a fantastic job creating the setting. This is the book I recommend to people that think comics are just superheroes.

Looking back on the books of 2014, comics provided me some of the best stories in any media.  If you are looking for new, original stories, don’t look to film, read comics.

Look for my other top 10 lists (TV, Games, and Movies) later this month.

Top 5 Moments From Comic-Con 2014

Now that Comic-Con is over and I’ve had a week to reflect on my experiences, I thought I would share my top 5 moments from this year’s show. Looking back on the week, most of my favorite moments were impromptu or surprises. My list showcases how important it is to be flexible and open to happenings around you. Without further ado, here are my favorite moments from 2014 San Diego Comic-Con:

5) Nintendo Lounge – Building on their success from last year’s lounge, Nintendo’s setup was similar to last year’s except it had more upcoming titles, fun tournaments, and speed runs going on all weekend. As someone that hasn’t bought a WiiU yet, I was happy to get my hands on a couple of upcoming titles that excited me and may have convinced me to purchase one in the future. The speed runs and tournaments brought a sense of excitement to the crowd. The lounge was packed most of the weekend but the majority of demo stations didn’t have very long wait periods. It was also a great place to get streetpasses from other Nintendo 3DS owners.

4) Paramount panel – Since Paramount didn’t announce what they were bringing to Comic-Con this year, there was little buzz going into the panel on Thursday. By doing this, Paramount exceeded expectations and had quite a few big surprises. Two of the biggest moments were Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson entering Hall H through the crowd and gaving his legendary wrestling line, “Finally, The Rock has come back to Comic-Con” and Matthew McConaughey and Christopher Nolan showing the new trailer to their movie “Interstellar”. The Rock had such stage presence and had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Christopher Nolan and Matthew McConaughey had never been to Comic-Con so that was a big moment. Not to mention that the Interstellar trailer was the best one I saw all weekend.

3) Xbox Lounge – Microsoft had a huge presence at Comic-Con this year. They not only had a booth on the show floor but also had the Xbox Lounge in the nearby Grand Hyatt hotel. The lounge felt like a mini E3 with loads of upcoming games available to play. They even had a stage for developers to show live demos of their games that weren’t playable. I found myself spending a lot of time there when I wasn’t on the show floor and went hands-on with a number of upcoming titles.

2) Video Games Live concert – On Thursday night, I was able to attend the Video Game Live concert with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. It was a beautiful night with some beautiful, nostalgic music. As someone that grew up on video games, it was so cool to relive games I played through their soundtracks. It was a good break from the craziness of Comic-Con and I hope to make it something I do every year.

1) WB TV screenings – I have to hand it to Warner Bros. for not only playing all three of its pilots to the Comic-Con audience, but also bringing the casts of Gotham, The Flash, Constantine, and Arrow on stage for a panel. It was the largest panel ever in Hall H. Stephen Amell (Green Arrow) hosted the panel and you could sense his excitement. All the attendees also got a nice swag bag with popcorn, water, a comic, and an exclusive t-shirt inside.

This year’s Comic-Con went surprising well. I was able to get into almost all the panels I wanted and had a great time meeting new friends and old. I can’t wait to see what next year will bring.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Review

As the summer movie season winds down, there are only a few more blockbuster films left. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the sequel to the surprisingly well-done Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011). While the entire human cast has been turned over, Andy Serkis is back to reprise his role as Caesar. Serkis’s performance was truly astounding and one of the best of the year.

 The story takes place in 2026, 10 years after the end of the previous film. The virus that was created to potentially cure human brain ailments, has spread across the world and wiped out all but a few who are genetically immune.  The film’s first 20 minutes are used to show how the apes have created their own home and community in the redwood forests. All communication is done via sign language and minimal spoken word.

 We later find out that the humans, who live in a desolate, abandoned San Francisco, are in dire need of a power source.  They need access to the dam near the home of the apes, which they intend to use as a power plant. Caesar agrees to allow the humans access and even agreed to help them.  Not all the other apes side with Caeser’s decision and a power struggle ensues.

 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (besides being a horrible name because wouldn’t the dawn happen before the rise? But I digress…) succeeds on so many levels. It is so visually astounding that I never questioned the authenticity of the apes.  It is remarkable what studios are able to do with current technology to create real characters within a computer that can emote through facial expressions. I also really enjoyed the performances of the human group, especially Gary Oldman (Dreyfus) and Jason Clarke (Malcolm).

 The director, Mat Reeves, who is a relative newcomer to directing, does a great job showing the size and scale of the apes’ home with sweeping shots, yet still keeping the heart of the movie intact by focusing of the eyes and expressions on the apes.  You feel for the apes and what they have gone through, not through words but emotions shown on screen. Michael Giacchino’s score is also a standout. Movie scores are typically a difficult mix, as you want them to be heard but not overpower. Giacchino’s score walks this line by providing emotional weight without being too heavy handed.

 I hope Serkis will get credit for his performance as well as the effects team, but I also think Toby Kebbell deserves praise for his performance as the antagonist, Koba. Kebbell is new to the motion capture game but still delivers a performance worthy of recognition. I feel like we have finally crossed the line with visual effects to a world where we as the audience don’t know what is real and what is computer generated. It is time we reward the actors for their performances underneath the pixels.

I was skeptical if this sequel would be able to meet the quality of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I believe that Dawn not only meets Rise, but also surpasses it. Dawn has more stakes, more scale, and more heart.  I highly recommend seeing Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. It is a movie for everyone and I believe it is one of the best films of the summer.