2007 - A Good Year for Comics

I tend to blather on incessantly about what I don't like in comics, but I want everyone to know that the intensity comes from my passion for this genre of storytelling. I thought it would be great to list out the incredible things done for comics in 2007. I am primarily a DC Comics guy, so my tastes will largely be reflected by those titles.

At the beginning of 2007 we were winding down on 52. The weekly started strong, slowed a bit in the middle, and finished with a Bang! The plot twist on the Ralph Dibney storyline was amazing, and although I miss Vic Sage, DC did a great job in winning me over to Renee Montoya as the Question. Most importantly, DC proved it could ship a compelling weekly book on schedule, without resorting to sloppy fillers or missing plot points. All the way around, this endeavor was a positive one for this reader.

All Star Superman continued to be the highlight of my year. Fairly punctual in its schedule, this title maintains a high level of quality in both art and writing. I've never been a big Superman fan, or collector of Superman, but 2007 was the year that I enjoyed almost every outing of the man from Krypton. Coupled with some great story-telling in Superman & Action comics from Kurt Busiek and Fabian Niceiza, it was a good year for the Man of Steel.

Sinestro Corps was the sleeper hit of 2007. Green Lantern and GL Corps have been strong titles, even before the maxi-series was released. The addition of a compelling story of classic good vs. evil comic themes brought even more energy to these two titles. The story was good and the art was amazing.

Batman Dectective comics fired off some great fillers from Paul Dini early on, including a 2-part team up with Zantana that made for some great reading and fine storytelling. Dini also introduced us to Madam Mirage in the Top Cow line and it's been great watching him do the things he does best. Adding in the Ressurection of Ras a Ghul at the end of the year was just icing on an already tasty cake.

Diggle and Jock fired off the best mini-series of 2007 in Green Arrow Year One. True to form, this pair delivered some of the best Green Arrow reading since Denny O'Neil. Jock's art is amazing and subtle. Andy's writing was well paced and engaging. This tops the list of most enjoyable reads for last year.

Finally, Wonder Woman got a boost from writer Gail Simone at the close of 2007. Simone's Wonder Woman is classic and classy-- a true warrior princess whose ethics are on there way to being redeemed after being placed in a situation of murdering Max Lord. Her talent for showing not telling was aided by great art, and I am pleased to see DC Comics taking the high road with this character now.

There have been numerous other titles doing well, and in spite of the complaining, it is a great time to be a fan of comic books.