Let's get it popping.

I'll start some categories...feel free to add your own.

I know we still have some Infinite Crisis left so feel free to change your votes at a later date.
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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

astonishing is incredible.

BKV.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

This is a real toughie for me. 2005 was a great year for writers. But I'm hard pressed to thin of anyone who did it better than BKV. He's writing a ton of books and they're all rockin'.

Warren Ellis is the runner up though.

7 Soldiers
All-Star Superman
WE3 #3

All Star Superman will be going on, and Morrison will be at the helm reshaping the post-Crisis DCU. And who knows what else.

He's a maniac.

2005 belongs to Geoff Jones.

i'm a bigger fan of whedon and bkv, but this was johns' year, i have to give it up.

Brubaker for his work on Gotham Central and Sleeper.
Geoff Johns for his work on the whole damn DC universe.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

i mean ppl such as john cassaday, salvador larocca, micheal turner, jim lee, rags morales, david finch, bryan hitch, chris bachelo all keep it on the real.
i would also include gabrielle del'otto if secret war 5 would of shipped on time.
and let us not forget infinite crisis artist phil jimenez.

i'd have said Darwyn Cooke, but he didn't have a regular series this year (here's looking forward to The Spirit in '06, though!)

Runner-up Brian Hitch.

co-sign

spooks like us

I really dig his style, and there's no better looking book out there right now than The Goon.

I am really feeling his whacked-out, super-energetic and postmodern pencils in Ultimate X-Men.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

this is a great story and read every issue.
even the lacking issues are good.
and it seems like its only going to get better as issue 12 approaches.

Great art, great writing, thats all I ask for in a comic.

After much deliberation.

Really, what's touching this?

The Walking Dead

No one's pushing the boundaries of the medium like David Mack.
The dude's a flat out undeniable genius.
Just wish Kabuki would come out more than once every 3 1/2 months.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

the hype, although sometimes overrated, was just incredible.

Tons of Oh Shit moments.
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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Superman would have killed Bats had WW not stepped in. Plus, she snapped a dude's neck!

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

GREAT book.
Blue Beetle was cool as hell in this book, and the ending was a terrific launch for the big event.
R.I.P. Ted Kord.

Astonishing 12 and Jusitce 2 are damn good too.

I just remember reading this on a bus ride just smiling really hard

This comic has everything.

It's the kind of comic you'd take on a desert island.

A reminder of what Peter David could do with the Hulkwhen left to his own devices.
---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

how could you not like him?
he is everywhere.

He killed 50,000 people on a quest for revenge.

One righteous dude.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Emma Frost?
Maybe she is bad, maybe not...
hell i want to say The Sentinals, but thats too soon.

A sentient danger room. C'mon now whats fucking with that?

One cold muthafucka on a quest for vengeance.

spooks like us

Crusin' for a bruisin'!

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Emma. see my best villain post.

Let's see.

-Spoiler got killed trying to impress him
-Alienated himself...again
-Indirectly responsible for the death of multiple fringe heroes and villains
-Made Superman sad.
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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

He really fucked shit up in the Oh-Five.

Dude is a serious threat now. I'm looking forward to seeing what they do to this character.

He's nasty.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

although Astonishing is very close, and New Avengers is a distant third.

It's a given.

Now, Ultimates 2 is a great book...as is Daredevil, UFF, etc.

But Astonishing is just incredible to me. The artwork is top notch, the dialogue is entertaining, and plot-wise it's taking a note or two from Morrison's run. And it played a pretty large role in me getting back into comic books, so that's why it edges out the competition.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

I love the concept behind this anthology series, and the execution has been even better. Some great talents have graced this title, and there's plenty more to come. Issues 5 and 7 are both in the running for my favorite single issue of the year.

Awesomeness defined.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

very interesting read.

good book, though

No question

This book has so much potential, it's amazing really.

Just picked it up today, and was blown away. I'd have to second that. Fell is a close second, though.

Seeing as how it's only one issue deep at the moment. But the first ish was perfection and the potential is definitely there for something huge. Can't wait to see what the coming months bring...

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Actually I'm not 100% clear on what all came out this year. I think Blankets, Tricked, and The Originals might have all been 2005 releases. But yeah, I'm going with Ice Haven.

---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

that has me really hyped!
and of course the death of Blue Beetle.

Emma, Emma, Emma!

The revelation of the Earth 2 (and Prime) people at the end of Infinite Crisis 1.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

New Avengers is a really cool idea with the new direction and inclusion of Spiderman and Wolverine.

Ultimates get the Silver
Astonishing gets the Bronze

Just a bunch of cynical, rotten bastards who sorta look like your favorite heroes from when you were little. That's some twisted shit. I like it.

A loose team...

Young Avengers is really the most non-formulaic comic at the moment. So they're holding it down for me.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Danger vs. X-Men
Aquaman vs. Black Manta (Justice)
Ultimates vs. Thor
Batman vs. Red Hood
Freedom Fighters vs. Society
New Avengers vs. Wrecker

...Black Canary, The Atom & Zatanna in Identity Crisis
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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Great series, nice build.

I have only been following this title for the last year or so but to find something so big so soon was a treat. If you're familiar with the title, what are some great runs to look at?

Green Arrow stabbed Slade in his dead-eye for Christ's sake!

Just a really well executed fight sequence. Danger was extremely calculated in how it dished out its respective ass whoopings. Good stuff.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

This is a tough one because I don't read a lot of shitty comics. But UFF really hit a turning point with me this year when Millar & Land took over.

Mark Millar is the Bringer of Life.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

i haven't actually seen it, but i'm pretty sure that it's better than Fantastic Four and Sin City

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

I loved Batman Begins, but really dug Sin City more.

Jessica Alba.

>Jessica Alba.

right on!

Sin City was a damn good visual adaptation, but you said "character," and that's what Batman Begins was all about.

Fuck Fantastic Four.

Loved Sin City, but Batman Begins might be the best superhero movie period.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

but i'm not sure... didn't that come out in 2004? (i know the last issue at least was from 2005, so i guess it counts)

great stuff.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

From start to finish a great read.

Runner up: Grant Morrison's 'Vimanarama'
---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

If We3 gets a d.q. then Villians United would be my number 1 as well. This was just a fun book.

VU is my runner-up.

spooks like us

It was so weird to see Space Ghost in a 'serious' context.

I think it might have been the best if WE3 is excluded.

also see:
death of Blue Beetle
death of Gambit in Ultimate X-Men Annual.

That whole issue is the most intense single issue of the year.

i really did say 'oh shit' to that one.

i'll give it a shot, though

Seven Soldiers is a very close second, but in a lot of ways I don't feel it's revealed its true intent yet. I think that series is gonna be the kind of thing where we don't really get its true genius until it's all over with... maybe a few years after that.

IC on the other hand seems very clear in its intentions. At best, we'll have an epic that will not only change the DCU, but the tone of superhero comics in general for the next 20 years. At worst, we'll probably still have a kickass story.

Amazingly good too.

a great ride all the way through...hell, i hope Catman gets an ongoing after that...

even though i know there's most likely a better answer

I'm kinda uncertain on this one as well. That and Local #1 both kicked seperate but equal sides of my ass this week. Both have me excited, but in very different ways. I guess in a situation like this, Superman should win. You know, because he's Superman.

A few other first issues that I enjoyed this year:

Runaways
Winter Men
House of M
Infinite Crisis
Any of the Seven Soldiers Minis
Villains United
DMZ

good art and good set-up.
The last stand of the Freedom Fighters, the fight with Mongul, 'The last time you inspired anyone was when you were dead.'

It was incredible.

spooks like us

I'm beginning to think it's an urban legend.

---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

He scrowng.

(See: Teen Titans #29)

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

With the exception of the Jae Lee issue. I guess you really can't go home again.

That Jae Lee "Dear Tricia" story was up there with PAD's best works.
I thought Tempus Fugit was good, but the ending wasn't that satisfying.

The House of M shit was weak, but according to PAD, if he didn't write it, Marvel would have gotten someone else to do it.

HoM - not bad as i thought, but very dissapointing.
ABR - very slow and corny.

For christ's sake.
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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

you know i thought the same thing, but this worked.
i did not like IC at first, as i thought it was a letdown, but upon further reading, it is pretty damn good.

Giant Anti-Climax. I guess I was expected a huge fight, but the issue was over after the first five pages.

The Adam Strange mini/prelude was perfect. RTW was clams!

It wasn't a complete fiasco... but there wasn't a whole lot I got truly *hyped* about this year that didn't pay off. I was hoping for a character driven event focusing on wish fulfillment that would give the MU a renewed sense of purpose for the coming years. That's not exactly how it played out, although it could still end up being pretty good for the X-books, if Marvel plays their cards right.

*ducks*
started good, but when they revealed Ultron to be the father, i laughed out loud and stopped pulling it. awful idea.

Seemed interesting in the first two issues, then quickly got bogged down by scheduling problems...after months of waiting for the final issues of the series, you got rewarded by a nonsensical mess that resolved nothing and did little more than help create hype for fad character X-23. Yawn.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Chris Claremont.
He has single handedly ruined some of the X-Men characters since he came back way back in X-Men #100.
that was confusing as hell, X-Treme ruined ppl like Storm and Rogue for me, and Uncanny just isnt very good.
He is the best X-Men of all time (with Grant Morrison literally biting his heels), but the new stuff has to stop. It is ruining his legacy.

Why?

---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Thank God he came back. Made this easier.
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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

No brainer

ARGH!

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Why?

Because "I'm the Goddamn Batman!"
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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

that is a big dissapoint of a book.

This comic disgusted me and angered me.

and SUPPOSED to be disturbing...dude threaten to make some of them commit incest....wasn't a great story tho...giving ole boy all that power then havin him quickly sonned was BS

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

This ish sounded so cool on paper but the execution was PB & J.

*shudders*

!sig!
http://www.myspace.com/gemini2one

"Sometimes I reflect, sit, and wish that I was ignorant.
Unaware of the poison, so I could enjoy sippin it" - Slug

it was a pretty charming story, but the twist at the end kinda ruined things for me

i need to catch up on the other 2 issues this weekend

he is under-appreciated.

indeed

It's so far along in it's story that's hard to get anyone into it but there are some wonderful writing in this comic.

Lucifer is one of my top 5 characters in comics right now.
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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

i picked up a few trades, and it was pretty good - Mike Carey is great! but i haven't been compelled to follow it regularly, though

Its not a bout the zombies, its about the people.

love the way their sense of morality is slowly falling apart.

fucking amazing it is
i have the first three TPB waiting for the new one which should be next month.

this shit needs to be made into a series on HBO or something

....and being that zombies seem to be the topic of choice for the new horror books (most of which were/are mediocre), a lot of people thought it was just another face in the crowd......and are missing out on a fantastic comic.

It is on par with Astonishing. Believe my hype.

ultimate iron-man.

its a pretty damn good origin. hopefully he's still an alchy tho, time will tell

---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Every month I think "This will be the month it disappoints me" but it never comes...
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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Hands down.

Even though it's the second volume, it should still count, right? I'm pretty sure this series kicked off in February or so. Great book.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Really suspenseful, really dense and convoluted (in a good way) But there have been some superhero-ish undertones throughout the book, and I think those are going to play a bigger part in the coming chapters.

Really tight writing and the art clicks with the story quite well. A lot of atmosphere to this book.

spooks like us

Which is a shame because they are both heading for the finish line.
---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

It is compelling.

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http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

This dude is fiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

I dunno, 'underrated' is tricky territory... but I'd say he's more of a critically acclaimed up and comer than anything else. Everybody who has read his work loves his work, the problem is not enough people have read his work. And that's changing everyday.

I think the 06 holds a lot in store for the guy, and I look forward to seeing him do some more high profile stuff (While sticking to his indie roots, of course)

Under-rated for sure.

The winds of change are coming though...

Imagine this guy on a "mainstream superhero comic"!

I bet he'd bring some real cool ish to Batman.

Honestly, until Local, he never impressed me. He didn't seem to have any real insight. But I think he's definitely improving.

Gibbons because even though his art overshadows his writing... his writing is still pretty good. I've thought about him strictly in an art capacity until recently, with The Originals (and a few DC titles I think he writes, that I don't pay much attention to) He's quite the complete storyteller. Give this man a spotlight on SOLO or something.

Or maybe Stan Sakai, because it seems absured to have an icon like Gibbons be listed as an underrated anything. I never hear people talk about Stan Sakai.

Fill in the blank
---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

i made a post about this before.

He'll have a movie (or at least, a full blown ad campaign for a movie)
He'll have at least one great series (All-Star Superman)
Infinite Crisis will ultimately restore his classic elements and make him a more relevant character in the DCU (I think)


Runner Up: Brian Wood. Watch out for that guy.

It marks their long overdue and triumphant return.

i think so too.

Although I haven't read Fell. I hear Fell is good.

Be it a mini comic, anthology piece, what have you.

Nice little deconstruction of The Goddamn Batman, with plenty of 60s TV Show references to boot.

I love this piece to death.

Although I don't own it personally. Yet.

Well... you know what I mean.

All Star Superman #1 is probably one of my favorite Superman images ever... but I'm not crazy about the type treatment.

This Steve Niles joint rocks pretty hard:
http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/news_images/9154_25560_1.jpg

Astonishing X-Men #10 was hotness
http://www.otherworldcomics.com/i/Marvel/Astonishing_X-Men__10.jpg

Daredevil had a steady stream of dope covers this year. It would be difficult to choose my favorite cover from 'Decalogue'. All of those were dope.

Local #1 just came out so it's fresh on my mind... but that cover was awesome in that it pretty much told the book's entire story all at once. Plus Ryan Kelly pretty much kicks ass.

^^Powerful

Runner up: Ulimate Spider-Man
---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

My runner up would be Powers, being that I don't follow Ultimate Spiderman all that often.

---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

keerr-RACK!

And with that, the Big 3 threw away their friendship bracelets.

You saw his brains get blown out all over the place.

what a damn great issue that was.

---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

spooks like us

This series made me realize comics can go against the norm but be powerful at the same time.

---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

I'm new to a LOT of things this year. But I've found Eightball to be the most entertaining and downright inspirational. It got me drawing again.

spooks like us

I did go back and cop all the Rucka back-issues though...

i never did like it before dissassembled.
now they are doing it right with the new roster.

Between New Avengers and 100 Bullets. Those two comics are good

Be it from the grave or just general obscurity, 2005 saw a lot of comebacks. What was your favorite?

This is like turning the Riddler into Lex Luthor.
---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Undisputed.

I know that's kind of cheating, but oh well. Grant Morrison has done wonders for this forgotten property, and seriously revamped some great characters in the process.

---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

like hawkeye, psylocke, colossus, jason todd, hal jordan, donna troy, bucky...
as you can tell, bringing back characters really pisses me off.

Because there's just no emotional weight to it whatsoever... But damn, the way he burst into a thousand purple Legos just looked so cool. Certainly it can't be the worst.

Weren't Batman fans all in a huff about Spoiler's death? What was that all about?

mainly because i like historical fiction.

Too simple and a cheap cop out.

Post up.

Captain Cold smashed him up real good too.

*tips bottle*

The man's work is fresh and original and utterly unique.

I don't suppose Gail Simone is still eligible at this point.

Oh, Brett Lewis is dope too.

---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

He's still on the come-up, right? I mean, he certainly hasn't peaked yet.

He has his own month. AIT has had a Brian Wood month for the last 3 years in a row havent they? I wouldn't say he's mainstream but he's definately made his mark.

Why don't you explain to me what defines an 'up and comer'?

Is it defined by years putting in work? Profile of those works? Awards won? Books sold?

Brian Wood is kinda in the gray area for me. I agree with everything you've said, but on the other hand... AiT isn't exactly a household name, ya know? I think this time next year he's gonna be a much bigger name than he is now, so that was kind of my reasoning there. There's a difference between 'unknown' and 'up and coming'. I see a bright future for this guy.

But if he doesn't count I suppose I'll just vote for Alan Moore instead. Mark my words- that kid's gonna make a name for himself one of these days!

Someone either fresh onto the scene or someone who just starting to get recognized. I suppose Wood could kind of fit the latter but I wasn't seperating his indy popularity from his mainstream popularity. I think he has a pretty big profile in the industry as a whole, despite the fact he isn't a house hold name. Some might say his design and illustration work outside the comic industry (Grand Theft Auto series) make him a bigger name. I see where you're coming from though, its just hard for me to call him an up-and-comer in the spirit of which I meant this post to be.

His almost woodcut like style was perfect for that book. Paired with the right artist, I think he'll be big.

Great illustration style. Love the expressiveness of his faces. His poses seem very natural as well. There's a loose cartooniness that I'm attracted to. His giant robots ain't half bad either.

Hope he finishes Funrama some day.

http://www.toybiz.com/showassort.htm?id=10779&status=ACTIVE

And it comes with a mini Infinity Gauntlet

This joint is the troof!
---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

Art fans need to cop this ASAP.

Now and forever.

What a forgetable snoozefest. What a waste of Chris Sprouse.

---------------
http://melanism.com

"I hate all girls with ulterior motives
That's why I'm twenty plus years old, no sons no daughters..."
--Jay-Z

^^Whack!

Jim Lee on All Star Bats

Further proof that you cannot polish a turd.

but his art is half the reason the book is bad.

No I couldnt bring myself to buy it despite the glowing reviews it got like here on Buzzscope.

http://www.buzzscope.com/reviews.php?id=5172

This shit is like half a notch above Chick Tracts.

Decimation is a turn in the right directiion though.