It's been a heavy year for comic books, between Secret Wars, Convergence, and so many other comic book events from DC Comics and Marvel Comics, its hard to comb out exactly what was the cream of the crop in the realm of comics. So, as customary, today I'll be talking about my favorite books of 2015. Just to clarify, these aren't the best, these aren't the most important, these are the books I liked the most, the ones that I was thrilled to see out and happy to read twice. This is The Panel Biter's Top 5 Comic Books of 2015.
5. Silk (February 2015-January 2016)
Written by Robbie Thompson and drawn by Stacy Lee, Silk is a wonderful book about Cindy Moon, a young woman who was bitten by a radioactive spider. Unlike Spider-Man, Cindy was locked in a bunker for around thirteen years while her powers manifested. When she was released by Spider-Man, she created the hero identity of Silk and used her powers to fight crime and search for her missing family. The first pull of the book is the artwork by Lee, it feels cartoony and almost Disney-inspired. The writing and characterization of Silk is charming and really gets you to root for her. Unlike a lot of other Spider-themed characters, Silk seems like somebody with more brightness in her future. For more details on the book, go search up my full review of it titled "Wrapped In The Web of Silk". My only gripe is that the book changes artists here and there, and this is the only book where Silk is interesting and by the look of sales I don't know how long this book will last. Oh, and points to racial diversity!
4. Elektra (June 2014-May 2015)
Elektra is a Daredevil supporting character who went her own direction, to decent success I should say. She started as the anti-hero lover/enemy of Daredevil before becoming a wandering assassin. And she's died like three times, but whatever. In this book-written by Haden Blackman and drawn by Michael Del Mundo-Elektra is hunting down another assassin while also evading the attacks of a new villain who can gain the abilities of others by eating a piece of them. The story goes in a lot of cool directions, the characters are diverse and interact well, and Elektra's portrayal adds more depth to the character than anything else has. Not to knock Blackman's amazing work writing this, but the real selling point is the beautiful artwork by Del Mundo. Oil on canvas, fights that look like forms of expressive dance, expressions drawn perfectly, and a reflection to the matured and tuned attitude of the character. Elektra is a very underrated comic that makes the character less of a supporting love interest, and more of a tragic yet strong superhero.
3. Batman & Robin (November 2011-May 2015)
Continuously written by Peter J. Tomasi and drawn by Mick Gray and Patrick Gleason, Batman and Robin is one of the few ongoing books from The New 52 reboot to stay good. Every story arc follows the life of Bruce Wayne/Batman and his son/sidekick Damian Wayne/Robin. Choosing to focus on the dynamic of the new dynamic duo, Tomasi allows Damian-often seen to be a spoiled, stubborn and stuck-up brat-to grow as a hero and show remorse in his past life as an assassin. It is wonderful to read a book about Batman being a parent to a troubled child, a book where Batman is actually allowed to show he is an older man rather than a mid-thirties kind of guy really scores respect. The arcs include Damian overcoming his urge to kill criminals, dealing with the return of The Joker, Damian comparing himself to the other Robins, but the crowning achievement of the book is the arc where Batman must come to terms with the death of Damian. Disregarding Damian's later revival, the story in which Batman goes about his usual night without his son by his side is beautiful. Not just by Gray and Gleason's art, but also by Tomasi's ability to tell such a heartbreaking story without any dialog.
2. Amazing X-Men (January 2014-June 2015)
The writing of this book mostly includes talents like Jason Aaron and Chris Yost, with art duties being passed to artists like Ed McGuinness, Kris Anka and Jorge Fornes. At a time when so many X-Men books where important and interweaved and dire and substantial to the mythos of mutant-kind, people like me wanted a break from the hazardous world of The X-Men, and wanted to see the marvelous adventures of the team resurface. Amazing X-Men is the fun X-Men book, it includes diverse and likable characters, features the return of the iconic (and my favorite) X-Men member Nightcrawler, and features classic foes of The X-Men like The Wendigo and The Juggernaut. Ah, good ol' Juggs. With all the changes tossed on the X-Men and all the various X-themed teams they have, this is the team that doesn't expect anything from the readers. "We are mutants, we are superheroes, we fight evil and help our friends. If you don't know a character, we'll fill you in". That simple. There are even arcs that deal with death, attacking friends, gay acceptance, and addiction to power. I'm sad to see the book go, but happy I followed this fun ride along the way.
1. All-New Ghost Rider (March 2014-March 2015)
What? You expected Iron Man? Of course All-New Ghost Rider was my favorite book of 2015! With art shuffling from Tradd Moore, Damion Scott and even the book's writer Felipe Smith, All-New Ghost Rider's art is a bit anime, a bit tattoo, and all kinds of awesome. The art work is exaggerated and expressive in every way. And don't worry readers, not only does this book look good, it is written great! Felipe Smith creates a new Ghost Rider for Marvel named Robbie Reyes, a young man who attends school, works at a garage and is the only guardian of his disabled brother Gabe. Robbie unknowingly gets wrapped up in the drug runnings of two gangs and is shot to death by mercenaries, only to be revived by a mysterious spirit as The Ghost Rider. Sporting a demonic muscle car, a sleek new design, and a backstory full of twists and turns, this book draws your eye in and keeps it on the page. The main characters are so likable and-for me-relatable in a lot of ways. Go check out The Comic Buffet Podcast for a full look at this book. The thing that makes it my favorite book of 2015 is how much potential oozes off the setup. For the first time ever we have a Ghost Rider who isn't just cool looking, for the first time ever we have a teenage character with modern day responsibilities, Felipe Smith "is" the ignition that drives this character into the hearts of readers. And with any luck, The All-New Ghost Rider will ride again.
Thank you for reading and Happy New Year!
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