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Number 1: Top Ten Comicbook Issues of 2004, Part 5

So, I promised myself I wouldn't let this list go beyond February. Here goes . . .


Number 2: The Spectacular Spider-Man #14
Paul Jenkins and Paulo Rivera

For the most part, Jenkins seems to slip under the radar. He wrote Wolverine's Origin, he had the top Spider-Man title for a good while, but he's still a relative unknown. My estimation is that this is because, for the most part, he sticks to the formulas. His writing is always good, but it doesn't have the crazy twists or surprises of Millar, Ellis, or Vaughan. He's got a beautifully understated way of writing - not quite cliche, but not incredibly innovative. He's never trying to re-invent anything, it seems. (There is an exception to this rule in the second issue of Origin, which was so incredibly mind-blowing with the twist ending, it's crazy.)

Jenkins began the latest run of Spectacular Spider-Man with a couple of great arcs. First, he gave us a new twist on the Venom symbiote - creating a more sinister relationship than ever before. Next, he threw some great curves at us with Doc Ock and the Lizard. But these weren't 'Oh shit.' moments. These were cool stories, told with a delicacy that made the cliche moments feel alright.

And that brings us to issue 14.

Unlike many of the other issues I've listed thus far (The Goon and possibly Ultimate X-Men are the only exceptions), this is a stand-alone. That is, the narrative contained in this single issue really has no affect on the overall history of the characters. In it, we are introduced to Joey Beale, a crippled man who is cared for by his father and sister.

Joey spends most of his days in his wheelchair on the roof of his family's appartment building. This particular story finds him the near victim of Morbius, the Living Vampire. As Morbius attacks, Spider-Man swings in to save the day, and the two battle off into the sunset.

With great skill, Jenkins writes the most underestimated story of the year. He brings us to realize the strong similarity between the three characters: Joey, trapped in a body that won't respond for him; Morbius, trapped in a state of vampiric survival by a science experiment gone wrong. And the punchline Jenkins throws at us is Spider-Man's own entrapment - in a cage of heroism.

Sound cliche? Sure enough.

But what have I just been saying about Jenkins? With such amazing care, Jenkins has written an incredible little story that hugs right up against cliche, but with an understated believability (if you believe in superpowers and radioactive spiders) that grounds it in real emotion. We see - no feel - the sadness that Peter Parker carries with him. We feel the sudden connection he has with Joey as he takes his mask off and bows before swinging away.

And I would be lying if I said the art wasn't crucial in influencing the beauty of the story.

Rivera's amazing painting renders Jenkins story with incredible beauty. It takes a possibly routine story and brings it to true art. We see the sinister shadows forming around Morbius as he leans in to strike Joey. We watch the final battle in the vivid orange and red glow of the sunset.

This beauty is what's really at the heart of this issue: that it's a nearly perfect blend of art and writing. And from two relative unknowns, in a story that has no effect on the rest of the series. It's the sure underdog of the list, and truly deserves number 2.


Number 1: Astonishing X-Men #4
Joss Whedon and John Cassaday

When I heard that Joss Whedon, the writer of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, was going to be taking on a new title with my beloved X-Men, I was ticked. I've never watched much of Buffy, and it was becuase the little I had seen turned me off. I figured Marvel had brought Whedon on as a publicity stunt, to try and attract the Buffy cult to their product.

But I was curious enough to pick up the first issue. Never before have I made such a wise decision (not with comics anyhow).

Whedon's dialogue and pacing is some of the most amazing work I've seen. Issue 1 took me back. Cassaday's beautiful art revealed Whedon's work as first rate. And the final line about finding a cure to the mutant disease dropped my jaw for sure, and confirmed my wise decision.

Only eight issues in, and Whedon is now already comparable to Ellis and Mignola for me. His amazing ability to unfold a story so that you're stunned at the end of every issue is uncanny. With three panels on one page, he makes characters as real as those that Tolkien would spend thousands of words describing. Whedon's writing is about minimalism, and I love it.

Getting to issue 4, I was once again skeptical. So far, Whedon had done alright. With a killer opening issue, and some excellent writing for the next couple, he had me hooked enough. But I was waiting to see Jean Grey rise again in some cheesy, contrived ressurection. Little did I realize I was completely taking the bait.

With the turn of every page, I was becoming more and more drawn in. Whedon masterfully built the suspense - throwing us back and forth between characters and subplots, with tons of mini-cliffhangers. I didn't have a clue what was coming: I just sat there and watched as Kitty Pride phased to ghost-like form, letting the assailing bullet shoot straight through her and glance off that funky metal thing. And then I turn the page (as Kitty turns) to see Colossus, big as all fuck, standing right behind her.

I seriously almost wet myself on the spot. Here was one of my favorite X-Men, a few years dead, and Whedon brought him back with such amazing skill that I was left sitting in shock on my couch.

Truly, though, it's not just this sudden twist, this moment that makes this issue number 1. It's the care that Whedon shows for the characters. It's the depth he gives them while still mantaining an astonishing simplicity of form.

This arc has been crittically acclaimed as better than any other story ever written for the X-Men, and I have to agree. Whedon's writing was a shock right out of the blue. And with Cassaday's art backing up the story, there's no doubt it's got to be excellent.

I'm thrilled to have a story this good as my number one choice.