My 5 Favourite Titles of 2011

[notthathard]

1. Catwoman
This new series has restored Selina to her fun-loving, thieving personality---AND she gets to have sex with Batman! This series reminds me of the 90s series drawn by Jim Balent, the gold-standard of Catwoman comics, so I am very pleased with what Judd and Guillem are producing. Judd "gets" Selina, and Guillem makes her hot.

2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 9
A major improvement over Season 8 (which wasn't even really that bad), Season 9 is so good because of its scaled-back focus and more relatable Buffy. For a newcomer to the Buffyverse and comics, Andrew Chambliss is doing a great job capturing the voices of Buffy and the gang. Georges Jeanty's art still doesn't sit well with me (half of his likenesses are good, the other half stink), but at least he's not drawing vagina monsters anymore.

3. Batgirl (2009-2011)
This was the most fun, most entertaining book to pick up, and the one I most looked forward to purchasing each month. Steph was such a great Batgirl, and it's a shame DC doesn't recognize that (or that there are at least 25,000 people who are willing to spend money on a Steph book each month). Hopefully she will turn up soon in the DCnU.

4. Angel and Faith
The great thing about this book is that it has its own distinct "personality" compared to Buffy Season 9 even though they both share the same universe. This is good because it allows both books to complement one another. Angel and Faith, struggling with redemption, in London digging through Giles' old Watchers files is a great set-up. Christos Gage is another newcomer to the Buffyverse who's doing a really good job. Rebekah Isaacs' art is good, even better than the art on Buffy Season 9.

5. Green Lantern: New Guardians
It's good to see Kyle in the spotlight and kicking ass. Tyler Kirkham's art continues to impress, and Tony Bedard write Kyle really well. Now if the book can stop feeling so decompressed, it should climb these ranks in 2012.

HONOURABLE MENTION
Best Mini-Series
Batman: Gates of Gotham
I'm not always a fan of past and present stories that run parallel to each other (because the present-day story is almost always more interesting), but the Gates of Gotham crew did a great job making the stuff set in the past very compelling. They get one thousand extra bonus points for dusting off Cassandra Cain, aka Black Bat, and focusing on ALL the children of Bruce Wayne (not just his sons).

[Stevaux The LEsser]

My five...

1. Wonder Woman, the relaunch edition
I bought Wonder Woman faithfully pre-Crisis and every once in a while post. The former was just because I bought everything back then and the latter was me sampling to find a run that kept me interested. None ever did. Azz and Chiang have changed that and I find myself eagerly looking forward to a new issue of Wonder Woman for the first time in nearly forty years of comic reading!

2. Gladstone's School For World Conquerors
At first glance it looks like a Johnny DC style book but hidden behind realistically childish characters and breezy and open stylized art is a wonderfully subversive concept. I've never been much for books outside DC and Marvel but I bought this on a whim and it's a bigger delight with every issue!

3. Legion of Super-Heroes
They've unbooted the Legion and its best writer ever is back in the saddle. Yes, it hasn't truly ignited yet but Mister Levitz is world building beautifully and history shows it's only a matter of time before everything gels and something transcendent pops. All he needs is an artistic collaborator he gels with as he did Giffen and it'll happen. BTW, does anyone else think this book is cancellation proof? Mister Levitz knows where twenty years of bodies were buried by DC...

4. Avengers: The Children's Crusade
It's one step removed from continuity porn but the art, characterization (except for Cyclops), and dialog are better than ninety percent of what else is out there. It's a shame comics are an afterthought for Heinberg but I'll take what I can get...

5. New Mutants
A good deal of the attraction here is nostalgia but since issue one this book has done the best job I've ever seen of writing former kid heroes as young adults that I've ever seen and I include New Teen Titans in that list! Adding Nate Grey, the X-Man, only guarantees this book is one of my most anticipated each month!

HONORABLE MENTION
Journey Into Mystery
Def would have made the list but the art almost always actively works against the script...