What's Andy Cooking?

Number 1: Top Ten Comicbook Issues of 2004, Part 3

Wowza!

So, over the weekend, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting the 2005 Emerald City ComiCon. Bendis was there, as was David Finch, Ed Brubaker, Kurt Busiek, Alex Maleev, and Adam Kubert.

At one point during the day, I sat in on a panel of Marvel writers that included Bendis, Brubaker, and Robert Kirkman. That was about the most awesome thing I'd ever experienced. Certainly, I'd been to panel seminars before - Astronomy stuff, Physics stuff - but never had I been to one that empassioned me like this did. It was seriously cool to see five guys talking about this thing that they love so much, that I love so much for the same reasons. Seriously cool.

And to top it off, I made connections with two guys (both of whom I knew already outside of comics) who are going to do some art for me. How awesome is that?

Pretty damn awesome, if I have to say so.

Anyway, on with the list:


Number 6: Marvel Knights Spider-Man #3
Mark Millar, Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson

Ok, so remember how I was just saying that I like Mark Millar? Well it's true. This was another one of those series' that I grabbed because I like him. And it's paid off so incredibly well.

In the opening issue, Peter Parker's aunt, May, dissapears. Kidnapped by an unknown villian who somehow has discovered Spider-Man and Parker are one and the same.

Right off the bat, Millar sets Spider-Man up at a disadvantage. Suddenly he's up against an unknown assailant who has an exceptional amount of information on Parker. Of course, this disadvantage isn't necessarily anything new. But it's a good start.

Move to issue 3. Spider-Man has tracked down the Vulture and Electro and a battle for Aunt May begins. Electro, with a brand new suit, is tougher than ever, and for one of the first times, Spider-Man seems to really take a beating. Probably, this is because of the real threat that we sense from Electro. As he's tearing apart Spider-Man, Electro is shooting lightning all around a busy street, and exploding cars with little kids inside. Unlike other times, then, we get a sense of Spider-Man's mortality and danger at the hands of Electro.

Spidey's costume is torn, almost to shreds, and so is he, but he continues to fight. And that's when Millar drops the bomb on us. Spider-Man has been played. His tip from the mobster, the Owl, that sent him after Electro was nothing but a bad tip to settle a grudge between the two villains.

Spider-Man reels back in shock as my jaw drops open. As though he wasn't bloodied enough, Spider-Man gets the fight kicked out of him from learning that he's been played like a fool.

Never have I read a comic where a hero is so destroyed like in this issue. And that's why it's so beautiful. Millar brings Spider-Man down, then completely bottoms him out, and that doesn't happen so often in these books. At least, not as convincingly as this.

And the art. The Dodsons do such a beautiful job with Millar's story. It's an amazing thing to just look at (I mean, check out that cover). From huge explosions to the tuft of hair sticking out the top of Spidey's mask, the Dodson's pull off a grade 'A' piece of work, and definitely demand a spot at number 6 on the list.


Number 5: Ultimate X-Men #41
Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch

I should explain, briefly, the 'ultimate' universe.

A few years ago, Marvel decided that they wanted to revamp some of the main characters of the Marvel universe. Think of the Tim Burton version of Planet of the Apes, only with Spider-Man. Essentially, they grabbed Bendis and said 'Hey, can you write Spider-Man all over again?'

The result has been an expanding universe, completely outside the continuity of the Marvel world that started in the '40s, with some familiar characters, and some new threats, but all completely on a blank slate. Peter Parker is back in high school, the Avengers (now called The Ultimates) are a government sanctioned super-force, and the Fantastic Four hasn't even heard of Galactus.

The Ultimate X-Men are slightly darker, less optimistic than their original counterparts. Nontheless, their basic characteristics remain the same. And this assumed similarity is why this issue rocks so much.

The story is the second issue of the 'New Mutants' arc, where a few familiar faces from the original universe are added to the roster. This issue, however, is almost a stand-alone story. It begins with a young man waking up at home to find his mother has dissapeared, leaving only her clothes lying on the kitchen floor.

As the young man reaches school, the crowd of students suddenly begins to combust, each person decaying to a whisp of smoke, leaving their clothes behind. The young boy is a mutant and the sudden manifestation of his power has killed everyone nearby.

The second half of the issue finds the boy in a cave, hiding from the world. Wolverine comes in, unnafected by the boy's power because of his healing factor. They discuss the nature of his power - that he secretes a series of toxins and chemicals that destroy organic tissue. The final page shows Wolverine leaving the cave alone.

The greatness of this issue lies in the subtle implications that Bendis hints at: that Profesor X has sent Wolverine to kill the young boy because of the publicity the truth of all the deaths would bring about. That, suddenly, this humanitarian of both universes has a darker side. That he is actually willing to kill to achieve his ideal of human and mutant co-existance.

Bendis is a master storyteller, and this issue truly shows the cinematic scope of his abilities as a writer. The quiet, empty town as the kid walks to school, the eerily believable dialogue he has with Wolverine in the cave.

And Finch's art is a perfect companion for Bendis' story. It's just plain classic. It looks incredible, but subtley so, and doesn't distract from the story itself. The combination of these two guys is really the reason I started reading The New Avengers (another amazing book, as Jack agrees) and the perfect combination to make it number 5 on my list.

Oh, and as a special note: I actually got this issue signed by Bendis on Saturday. That was as I schmoozed him about the 'A' I got on the giant comic.




To continue the list, click here.