The Inevitable Best and Worst List of 2024 - Part I

 

Life got crazy this year, so I was consistently behind on my comic book reading. That's why this list is so late. I needed my recency bias to help me with some of these picks. There were a lot of good surprises this year though, which I will talk about in more detail. One thing I'll start adding to these reviews is how many 2024 books I bought and read this year. This total is not how many comics I read in total, because I have a backlog of older stuff I cycle through as well when I get caught up on the recent stuff. 

That official count is: 469.

Let's break that down. How do my numbers fall out in regard to publishers?

It's no surprise that I'm team Marvel, but I try to balance that with other publishers. DC is always my number two and then a toss up amongst the other indie publishers. What is surprising to me is that IDW has outpaced Image comics. But really, in looking at my numbers, that IDW number is inflated because those are 95% Ninja Turtle comics. My purchases from Image comics are primarily Transformers and G.I. Joe shit. I would LOVE to step out and get more indies, so I'm going to pay better attention this year.

Anways, Without further ado, here is part I of my review of 2024.

Dearly Departed (The Comics I dropped this year)
Before I get into the rest of my list, a moment of silence for the number of comics that I dropped this year after giving a good go at it:

• Incredible Hulk (Marvel)
• Daredevil (Marvel)
• Green Lantern: War Journal (DC)
• Batman and Robin (DC)
• Captain America (Marvel)

Favorite Comic Book Movie of 2024

Deadpool/Wolverine (Marvel) - This movie was woefully short of comic book movies and that was a good thing. This movie would have one anyway. It's the closest thing we've gotten to an X-Men movie in years. I went into detail about this movie already in my review, but it was a fun ride. As much as I like Deadpool movies, hopefully this is the end of solo films for him. They are fun, but Deadpool as a character is exhausting. He's Spider-Man with no filter. On anything.

Honorable Mentions: N/A

Worst Comic Book Movie of 2024
Well, I guess there is no one to take this spot because I didn't watch any other comic book that came out in 2024. I saw Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but that is technically a 2023 movie. If I had watched that Joker sequel or that damn Kraven movie, it would end up here. Instead, because I'm a maschoist, I will watch those and review them later.

Honorable Mention: N/A

Favorite Comic Book TV Show of 2024
X-Men 97' (Marvel) - On the other hand, there were a LOT of shows that came out this year and the one that came out back in March EASILY takes the cake. While in retrospect, that old X-Men cartoon was bad, this show was the exact opposite and was good. They were able to lose the illusion that this is a show for kids and have storytelling that was more mature and nuanced. I can't say enough good things about this show, but it is fantastic.

Honorable Mentions: Agatha All Along (Marvel), My Adventures with Superman Season 2 (DC)

Worst Comic Book TV show of 2024
What If (Marvel) - I haven't written a full post to rail on this show yet, but out of all the shows I watch, this is the one that feels like a chore. My problem is that the What If scenarios are boring concepts to begin with and the execution doesn't get any better. Yes, I really wanted to see what would have happened if Hela had the ten rings. The problem is the What If comics took a scenario and took it in the opposite direction of what happened. This show takes a scenario and goes in a direction that is completely unrelated to the premise. I could go on, but I'll save that rant for a longer post. 

Honorable Mention: Harley Quinn Season 3.

The “Oh you still come out and I buy you” of 2024
Gargoyles (Dynamite) - I honestly can't tell you why I still buy this book. I'm not really enjoying it that much. I loved the TV show and this is a continuation of that. The problem is, I never saw season 3, so I started at a deficit with this series. It makes no attempt to catch you up, so I'm just living in this world trying to follow along. Unfortunately, the art is just not good. It's cartoony, but feels off. And the writing is fine, but again, they don't explain anything in the past, they expect that you're already a super fan and up on everything. That is comic book malpractice. At least have a summary page or something. I seriously need to drop this book.

The "Oh, why don't I drop you because it would be so easy" of 2024

Miles Morales: Spider-Man (Marvel) - It's not that I forget this book comes out, it's more of a "Why do I still buy this book." To understand why I do this is to understand the economics of comics. Some of us have cried out for more diversity in comics. When the comic companies do that, no one buys them and then they have to go back to their old tricks. That is why you see race swapping of known characters. It's having your cake (using a popular established character as a crutch) and then doing something slightly different. I buy this book to help it's numbers so they can keep doing this.

Where I sit with this book is this: we have a black writer that has a more authentic voice for Miles. Black Writers tend to pull in other little used black characters and team them up. Now I get to see Misty Knight heavily involved as a mentor or Sam Wilson will show up or Black Panther, etc. So that is fun. The problem is this Spider-Man doesn't have a rogue's gallery on his own and any new ones that are created just don't feel interesting. The art is also all over the map and something about it is just not clicking with me. This is another thing I will expand on in a later post. 

Favorite New Artist of 2024
Belén Ortega (Wonder Woman) - She has been doing these back up stories in Wonder Woman throughout the year and I instantly fell in love with her art. It's a little anime-ish, but that would be too reductive in what she does. The facial expressions are on point, the art feels dynamic when there is action and her characters just look cool. I seriously hope DC gives her a push as a main artist on a series somewhere. 

Honorable Mentions: Vincenzo Carratu (Psylocke)

Worst Artist of 2024
Francesco Mortarino (Fantastic Four) - Within comics, you'll get fill-in artists when the main artist needs a break. That's where the disparity in art really comes through. I say all that to say that fortunately, I only had to deal with this person's art in one issue (Fantastic Four #16). His chracters had weird noses, Val looked the same age as Franklin and his rendition of the Thing is probably the worst I have ever seen. His head looked tiny in comparison to his body and he had a tin man looking jaw. He was not ready for prime time.

Honorable Mentions: Danny Earls - Incredible Hulk #11

Favorite Artist of 2024
Dan Mora (Justice League Unlimited, Absolute Power, Superman) - I should have had this man up here sooner. He's one of those rare artists that if I see his name attached to a book, no matter what it is, I'm getting it. He's got a cartoony art style that is full of character and energy. He's got the workman like output of a Mark Bagley. I honestly don't know how this man keeps up the consistency of his work and puts out so much in a year like he has. Modern day artists simply don't do this. Health issues pop up and I am legitimately worried that Dan is striking while the iron is hot before he inevitably falls to father time. 

Honorable Mentions: 

Favorite New Writer (to me) of 2024
Dan Watters (Destro) - It was  hard to find any writers I haven't already read comics by so I THINK this is my first time experiencing Dan. I thoroughly enjoyed his Destro mini series and this new thing they are doing with G.I. Joe. The fact he was able to turn me is a testament. This book was fun and I felt like it was well written. I'll be keeping an eye on him.

Honorable Mentions: N/A

Worst Writer of 2024
J. Michael Strazynski (Captain America) - Maybe I hold a grudge, but I've never forgiven this guy for a Spider-Man story about 15 years ago that had the return of Gwen Stacy in about the weirdest way imaginable. Since then, I have thought of him as a hack and his job on Captain American didn't change my mind. I had to drop it because I couldn't take it anymore and my time is valuable. I could give more details, but I don't want to. I don't like the guy's writing. Full stop.

Honorable Mentions: N/A. (I can't remember anyone else that should be on this list)

The Oversaturation of 2024

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Same as the year before, we continue this year too. Again, I love the Turtles, but Jesus H. Christ. They are everywhere. (** Editors Note, I didn't change this section from last year because it was STILL true. ** )

Agatha All Along

I have no good reason for not talking about this show sooner. So I will spare you my life details, that's not what you're here for! Agatha All Along, the series no one asked for, but Marvel being Marvel, had a whole in their schedule that needed to be filled.

Let me make an admission. I didn't really love Wandavision. So the fact we have a follow up to that didn't feel my heart with joy.

Well let me tell you, I loved this series. I wish Marvel would make more like these. It was very straightforward, didn't rely on a bunch of CG that it didn't have the budget for and it had characters that you could love. The scope of the story remained contained and intimate, something I want from my TV shows. Not everything has to be world ending.

I'm a Kathryn Hahn fan, so when this was announced, that's the only reason I paid attention. I was glad she got a bigger portion of the Marvel sandbox, even if for a minute. Also, this show coming out around Halloween is genius. If you don't do something with witches around Halloween, you missed the boat.

What I did not expect was the level of singing we got in this show and I mean that in a good way. That Witches Road song lived rent free in my head for weeks. All the actresses were great and I'm glad that for the MOST part, they were devoid of Marvel Cinematic Universe ties, except for the Scarlet Witch. All of that stuff is still hanging around.

This show had me in a chokehold. I eagerly anticipated each episode, to see what the next Witches trial would be and what wacky costumes they'd wear. I was not prepared for the reveals that happen in the back half of the show, but I thought they were handled well.

Before I go, I have to say that episode seven, "Death's Hand in Mine" was one of the finest episodes I've seen in a long time. I love a good non-linear story when done correctly. Think of everytime you've ever seen Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen and you'll get the idea.

Sorry I don't have much more to say, but I wrote this review way too long after I actually watched the show. I would highly recommend it though. 

What makes me tick as a comic book reader/collector - Part 1

Hello readers. In all this time I've been doing this blog, I don't think I've gone into a little about myself as a comic book reader. Well, today is the day! I think the reading habits of someone can give you an insight into their personality. Lemme tell you about some of my quirks or maybe you'll find them endearing traits. I dunno, YOU be the judge.

Alright, really, how many comics DO you have?

Let's say it's north of 15,000. Keep in mind, this is an accumulation of about 30 plus years of comic book collecting. I took a pause between 1998-2003 because I was in college and I thought I was over this comic book thing. I was wrong. Once I got a real job with disposable income, I hit comic book stores, conventions and eBay HARD. Then I became a reader that would buy every Wednesday and here we are. 

Why don't you buy digital comics?

This is one of the places where I'm more analog. I like the feel of a comic book, holding it and finding a nice place to read it. As a collector, based on the aforementioned answer, I can't continue to be a hoarder with digital books. Come on! 

On a more serious note, I feel like it is my part to support my local comic book shop. The margins for running a comic book shop is so thin. I was worried about my comic book store during the pandemic and once or twice, I paid double what I owered for my weekly pickups, to help offset what I perceived that they would be losing. Now while owning my own comic book store would be a dream job of mine, I know I don't have the business acumen or the patience to turn a profit.

Speaking of comic book stores, what's your LCS (Local comic book shop) of choice?

I'm nothing, if not loyal. So I've been going to Capitol Comics for the past 21 years now. They used to have two stores, one on Hillsborough Street and one off Glenwood. Only the Glenwood one remains. So that is always my first choice. My second choice by a mile is Ultimate Comics. They are more kid friendly and have gobbled up the local market here by having like 5 different locations. I used them as a back up choice just for back issues or indy comics my shop didn't have. They just have more volume. My main beef with them has always been how expensive their back issues are. There's a comic book store in Fuquay-Varina, Yellow Bird Comics that just opened up a few months ago. I've only been once, but it was new then, so I will give it another chance soon.

When you buy your comics, do you have a particular order that you read them in?

Here's the thing about my reading order. I sort my comics by most excited to read to least excited. This way I get to the stuff I really want to read first and leave the sucky comics for the bottom. As time goes on, if I have a book that is constantly at the bottom and never moves up, I drop it. I can't be wasting money on stuff that I hate read. 

What are your current favorites right now?

You'll have to read my best of the year lists. Ha! I'm saying nothing here because my tastes change.

Have you ever had a comic that you strongly disliked?

Believe it or not, yes. They can't all be winners. But what sticks out in my mind is a particular episode of either Action Comics or Superman back in the mid-90s. All I remember is that there was a white villain that was going out of his way to murder black people. Just because they were black. I had never been more enraged reading a comic in my life. In a rare instance, I actually tore it to shreds and threw it away. I vowed that it would NOT exist in my collection. I almost went as far as writing a letter to DC about it, but I knew in my heart, it wouldn't have changed a thing.

Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994)

After watching the X-Men: Animated series, I figured, "What the hell, I'll watch that Spider-Man: Animated Series from the same era." This decision was also supported by a blink and you'll miss it cameo of Spider-Man from X-Men '97. I read speculation that seeing Peter and Mary Jane meant that Peter had found "the real MJ." I read that and was like, "What are people talking about? I don't remember that at all." I think it was because by the time the late 90's came around, I had jumped off the bandwagon for that show.

I can say now that I have watched all five seasons in it's entirety, I made the right call. For as much shit as I gave X-Men, that pales in comparison to this show. This show is remarkably bad. I'll get into my reasons for thinking that of course, but I didn't want to waste too much time before I got into my feelings on it. I will inevitably pull in comparisons to the X-Men show to prove my point. 

One thing I distinctly remember as a teenager when both this and X-Men were on is that X-Men had a Y7 rating and Spider-Man had a Y. I didn't fact check that, but my point is that the X-Men was the mature show and Spider-Man was for younger audiences. That is stark in the action that is presented. There's less hand to hand stuff and more laser guns misfiring like it was a GI Joe cartoon. X-Men sometimes stumbled into some cool action sequences, whereas all of Spider-Man's action sequences feel very boring. Spidey leaps out of the way of stuff, that's expected, but he plays so much defense, we don't see a lot of good offense. 

I was annoyed at the amount of stuff he literally threw. Either tossing bad guys or tossing stuff at the bad guys. Never any hand to hand combat, my bread and butter. To make things worse, throughout it's five seasons, this show repeatedly uses the same couple of clips of explosions, generic web swinging or Spidey shooting his web. They could be in the forest, something explodes and it's a shot of a city building having an explosion pop out. Maybe all the money in their animation went into the 3D backgrounds they tried to deploy. Even in 1994, those 3D backgrounds looked astonishingly bad.

While I'm railing on this show, let's talk about the animation a little more. This was some of the most safe and boring animation style that I've seen. It's colorful, but it doesn't feel colorful. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense, so what I'm trying to say is the coloring wasn't dynamic. This lead to some weird character design choices like Venom, who had a blue and red hue to him at all times. I get that if he is all black, it's hard to shape him and his movement, but it just looked so weird. When they bring in other characters such as the X-Men, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, Doom, etc. they all just look bland and simple. X-Men at least used shadowing at times. I don't think this show ever heard of shadows.

There were also wild character choices made for this show. I feel like Spider-Man has a wide enough gallery of characters that he didn't have to stray too far out of his comfort zone, but they tried to anyway. They brought in the Punisher, Morbius, Blade and even the X-Men from the superior show as guest stars. Each appearance was watered down versions of these characters.  Again, I know it's a kid's show, but maybe you don't shoe horn in more violent characters into this show and sanitize them to the point where they don't feel like a threat. Also, Black Cat's origin is truly bizzare as it is fueled by Super Soldier serum and the ability to just...change at wll.

One thing I can't harp on enough. Spider-Man/Peter Parker is a real asshole through the majority of this show. He constantly whines about the state of his life, is rude to fellow heroes, blows off friends in weird ways and does this while constatnly chirping to himself and to anyone that listens. Spidey's whole thing is how much he jokes, but a lot of it is very annoying here. Marvel has put Peter Parker through the ringer, but I don't remember him whining about it as much as he did in this show. 

This show is caught between being a kid's show, but trying to have adult themes. I think it failed at both. His relationships with Felicia Hardy and Mary Jane felt weird and forced and I don't see what they want with the guy. There's cringeworthy plots with Hydro-Man, MJ's ex showing up and being super possessive and jealous. 

A final note. The stories this show tells. Boring. There's a watered down Secret Wars, there's some stuff with Golden Age heroes, Carnage shows up and a lot of Kingpin and Alastair Smythe stuff. Oh! Hobgoblin shows up before Green Goblin and Green Gobline is only Spider-Man's greatest archvillain. But no, let's shove Venom in here. The only thing I will respect about the show is each season had an arc that they stuck to. I can admire that kind of commitment to an idea, even if it's a bad one.

All in all, this show was an absolute chore to watch. I did it because I'm a masochist. Do I recommend anyone else watch this? Hell no. But if you're like me, you're going to do it anyway.