Now accepting nominations for THE CGS "BEST OF 2017" AWARDS! (Deadline: March 11!)

Adam_Murdough

Another year in comics has come and gone, and once again the CGS Geeks are asking YOU, podcast listeners and forum members, to help them pay homage to those comics, characters, and creators that helped make 2017 great!

If you'd like to make your voice heard in our podcast's annual "Best Of" honors, here's the list of the categories in which we're seeking listener nominees:

BEST NEW HERO or HERO TEAM (debut in 2017)
BEST NEW VILLAIN or VILLAIN TEAM (debut in 2017)
BEST NEW COMIC (first issue shipped in 2017)
BEST LIMITED SERIES (last issue shipped in 2017)
BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR ONE-SHOT
BEST CLIFFHANGER/MOMENT
BEST STORYLINE (within a series or across multiple series)
BEST SLEEPER/SURPRISE HIT
BEST ONGOING COMIC (need not have begun publication in 2017)
BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM (OGN or COLLECTION)
BEST WRITER
BEST ARTIST
BEST WRITER/ARTIST
BEST COLOR ARTIST
BEST LETTERER
BREAKTHROUGH TALENT OF 2017

To participate, submit your ballot via e-mail to bestof@comicgeekspeak.com by 11:59 pm (EST), Sunday, Mar. 11, 2018. Please make a nomination in AT LEAST EIGHT of the above-listed categories, and select only ONE nominee per category!

If you'd like to share your list of nominees publicly, please feel free to do it here in this thread, but be aware that posting such lists here DOES NOT COUNT as voting; you must submit your ballot via e-mail for it to be counted as part of the official listeners' nomination process!

Thanks in advance for your input, everyone! If you have any questions, send me a PM or just ask 'em here.

aquatroy

I would like to nominate, TOM KING for best new something, just to get it out of the way.

nweathington

Yay! Thanks, @Adam_Murdough! I'll fill these in as I have time to reflect on them:

BEST NEW HERO or HERO TEAM (debut in 2017): Fu Jitsu (Fu Jitsu)

BEST NEW VILLAIN or VILLAIN TEAM (debut in 2017): Sherlock Frankenstein (Black Hammer)

BEST NEW COMIC (first issue shipped in 2017): Royal City (Jeff Lemire)

BEST LIMITED SERIES (last issue shipped in 2017): Ether (Matt Kindt & David Rubín)

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR ONE-SHOT: Silver Surfer #14 (Dan Slott & Mike Allred)

BEST CLIFFHANGER/MOMENT

BEST STORYLINE (within a series or across multiple series)

BEST SLEEPER/SURPRISE HIT: Autumnlands (Kurt Busiek & Ben Dewey) — I can’t come up with a surprise hit, so I'm going with a sleeper which I’m amazed doesn’t get more (any) buzz.

BEST ONGOING COMIC (need not have begun publication in 2017)

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM (OGN or COLLECTION): Roughneck (Jeff Lemire) — I always go for an OGN over a collection, and I can’t think of any I like better than this.

BEST WRITER: Kurt Busiek (Astro City, Autumnlands, Batman: Creature of the Night) — The toughest category for me this year. There are three or four different writers I would be perfectly happy choosing, but Kurt’s writing this year might be the best of his career (which is saying something), so I'm going to throw him the nod.

BEST ARTIST: David Rubín (Ether, Sherlock Frankenstein & the Legion of Evil, Rumble)

BEST WRITER/ARTIST: Jeff Lemire (Roughneck, Royal City)

BEST COLOR ARTIST: Matt Wilson (Black Widow, Captain America, Paper Girls, Wicked + the Divine)

BEST LETTERER: Todd Klein (Batman: Creature of the Night, Black Hammer)

BREAKTHROUGH TALENT OF 2017: Tom King, er, I mean Donny Cates

TheMarvelMan

Thanks for doing this again, Adam!

Evening639

aquatroy said:

I would like to nominate, TOM KING for best new something, just to get it out of the way.

On a similar note, can we just nominate Saga for something random like Best New Hero or Hero Team so it still gets it's obligatory nomination while freeing up the Best Ongoing Comic category?

David_D

Evening639 said:

aquatroy said:

I would like to nominate, TOM KING for best new something, just to get it out of the way.

On a similar note, can we just nominate Saga for something random like Best New Hero or Hero Team so it still gets it's obligatory nomination while freeing up the Best Ongoing Comic category?

ChrisMurrin

Here are my (admittedly partially self-serving) choices:

BEST NEW HERO or HERO TEAM (debut in 2017) - G-Dog, Astro City

BEST NEW VILLAIN or VILLAIN TEAM (debut in 2017) - Jor-El

BEST NEW COMIC (first issue shipped in 2017) - Fence

BEST LIMITED SERIES (last issue shipped in 2017) - Shirtless Bear Fighter

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR ONE-SHOT - Batman / Elmer Fudd #1

BEST CLIFFHANGER/MOMENT - End of Silver Surfer #14

BEST STORYLINE (within a series or across multiple series) - Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess

BEST SLEEPER/SURPRISE HIT - The Complete Girls with Slingshots

BEST ONGOING COMIC (need not have begun publication in 2017) - Silver Surfer

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM (OGN or COLLECTION) - Athena Voltaire Pulp Tales, v1

BEST WRITER - Tom King

BEST ARTIST - Michael Allred

BEST WRITER/ARTIST - Stan Sakai

BEST COLOR ARTIST - Trish Mulvihill

BEST LETTERER - Nate Piekos

BREAKTHROUGH TALENT OF 2017 - Peter Semeti, one-man-band at Alterna Comics

gingpo

BEST NEW HERO or HERO TEAM (debut in 2017)
Jimmy Regent from “Jimmy’s Bastards” (Aftershock)
Although hero may be too strong a word, even so… taking out a helicopter with a golf ball is pretty impressive.

BEST NEW VILLAIN or VILLAIN TEAM (debut in 2017)
Jimmy’s Bastards from “Jimmy’s Bastards” (Aftershock)
Right out of the twisted yet hilarious mind of Garth Ennis, we get the deconstructed James Bond story of Jimmy Regent and what would happen when the countless number of illegitimate children he has sired over the years team up to reign chaos upon the unsuspecting population of Great Britain and their unsuspecting daddy.

BEST NEW COMIC (first issue shipped in 2017)
America from Marvel Comics

BEST LIMITED SERIES (last issue shipped in 2017)
Motor Girl by Terry Moore
Fun, exciting, topical issues, a cute lead character, aliens, and a monkey. ‘Nuff said!

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR ONE-SHOT
Marvel Legacy (Marvel)
Call it guilty pleasure, but I was really excited for the return of Wolverine. Also a solid script by Jason Aaron and an all-star cast of artists didn’t hurt either.

BEST CLIFFHANGER/MOMENT
Jimmy Regent realizes he’s had relations with his illegitimate daughters
from “Jimmy’s Bastards” #4 (Aftershock)

BEST STORYLINE (within a series or across multiple series)
Über Invasion by Kieron Gillen and Daniel Gete (Avatar Press)

BEST SLEEPER/SURPRISE HIT
Alters (Aftershock Comics)
“Alters” continues to impress me with it’s story and art, and a plethora of proactive messages and role models. Not only are topics of transgender identity and physical handicaps highlighted but it is also done in such a way that the reader feels like they are reading a “Big Two” book. “Alters” explores all the fun tropes of a standard superhero story but with an added social commentary that doesn’t feel forced.

BEST ONGOING COMIC (need not have begun publication in 2017)
Wicked and the Divine (Image Comics)

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM (OGN or COLLECTION)
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, by Emil Ferris

BEST WRITER
Paul Jenkins
Paul Jenkins work on “Alters” for Aftershock has been the most innovative and refreshing writing I have read in a comic book for many years. His ability to weave hot topic issues into a fun superhero story is a delight.

BEST ARTIST
Sandra Hope
Since there is no longer an Inker category, I’m adding Sandra here because I think she deserves to be recognized. She is everything an inker should be, highlighting an artist’s strengths, compensating for their weaknesses, and still adding a flair all her own.

BEST WRITER/ARTIST
Terry Moore
I have heard a lot about Terry Moore over the years but only after enjoying his “Motor Girl” mini series have I come to learn what all the praise is about. Now I am desperately seeking out all of his past work, because I just can’t get enough.

BEST COLOR ARTIST
Mitch Gerads for “Mister Miracle” (DC Comics)

BEST LETTERER
Clayton Cowles

BREAKTHROUGH TALENT OF 2017
Leila Leiz
Leila Leiz continues to wow me as a talented new artist. Her work on “Alters” for Aftershock Comics has a maturity and polish that is hard to believe for someone who has very little published work.

penn2k

Here's my list of nominees, just emailed over:

BEST NEW HERO or HERO TEAM (debut in 2017): --------------

BEST NEW VILLAIN or VILLAIN TEAM (debut in 2017): Madame Hydra

BEST NEW COMIC (first issue shipped in 2017): Marvel Two in One, Vol. 3

BEST LIMITED SERIES (last issue shipped in 2017) Marvel Generations

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR ONE-SHOT: Batman / Elmer Fudd #1

BEST CLIFFHANGER/MOMENT: Wilson Fisk becomes Mayor of NYC ( Daredevil #28? )

BEST STORYLINE (within a series or across multiple series): Secret Empire

BEST SLEEPER/SURPRISE HIT: Iron Fist

BEST ONGOING COMIC (need not have begun publication in 2017): Mister Miracle

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM (OGN or COLLECTION): Punisher – Back to the War Omnibus HC

BEST WRITER: Jason Aaron

BEST ARTIST: Chris Samnee

BEST WRITER/ARTIST: Sean Murphy

BEST COLOR ARTIST: Matt Wilson

BEST LETTERER: Joe Caramanga

BREAKTHROUGH TALENT OF 2017: David Marquez ( The Defenders )

aquatroy

Whats the submission email, again?

Bryan

Adam_Murdough said:

To participate, submit your ballot via e-mail to bestof@comicgeekspeak.com by 11:59 pm (EST), Sunday, Mar. 11, 2018. Please make a nomination in AT LEAST EIGHT of the above-listed categories, and select only ONE nominee per category!

aquatroy

Bryan said:

Adam_Murdough said:

To participate, submit your ballot via e-mail to bestof@comicgeekspeak.com by 11:59 pm (EST), Sunday, Mar. 11, 2018. Please make a nomination in AT LEAST EIGHT of the above-listed categories, and select only ONE nominee per category!

Thank you.

SenatorKelly

I mixed my nominations up a bit, but if there was a “straight Jeff Lemire” ballot, I would have pushed that button. He’s killing it right now!

aquatroy

BEST NEW HERO or HERO TEAM (debut in 2017)
Casey Brinke – Doom Patrol


BEST NEW VILLAIN or VILLAIN TEAM (debut in 2017)


BEST NEW COMIC (first issue shipped in 2017)
Motor Girl – Abstract Studios

BEST LIMITED SERIES (last issue shipped in 2017)
Motor Girl – Abstract Studios

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR ONE-SHOT
Doom Patrol #7.
Niles Caulder tries to worm his way back into the Doom Patrol. Fun story.
HM; Batman Elmer Fudd, Batman Annual #2

BEST CLIFFHANGER/MOMENT
Vision #12

BEST STORYLINE (within a series or across multiple series)


BEST SLEEPER/SURPRISE HIT
Shirtless Bear Fighter

BEST ONGOING COMIC (need not have begun publication in 2017)
Silver Surfer

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM (OGN or COLLECTION)
Star Hawks Vol. 1 - IDW

BEST WRITER
Dan Slott – Silver Surfer

BEST ARTIST
Nick Derington (Pencils) & Tom Fowler (Inks) – Doom Patrol
I know I've selected two people, but in my defense pencils and inks work "hand in glove". I just didn't think it fair to pick one without the other.

BEST WRITER/ARTIST
Terry Moore

BEST COLOR ARTIST
Tamra Bonvillian – Doom Patrol

BEST LETTERER


BREAKTHROUGH TALENT OF 2017

nweathington

@aquatroy, didn’t Casey Brinke first appear in 2016? Likewise Motor Girl #1 came out in 2016, so doesn't qualify as Best New Comic. Vision #12 also was a 2016 release.

I was not aware that Tom had come on as inker on Doom Patrol. I dropped the book before he was brought in. I'll have to take a look at it next time I'm in the shop (though I wish he was drawing his own book rather than inking someone else).

Evening639

nweathington said:

Vision #12 also was a 2016 release.

Vision is a Tom King book, though, so the rules of time and space don't apply to it when it's being nominated for a CGS "Best of" category.

BionicDave

Aw man. There are so many magnificent, award-worthy comics which nonetheless get eliminated from this contest because there is ONE title either slightly better or more buzz-worthy in the categories I'd place them. Grrr! haha

Can Star Trek: TNG - Mirror Broken qualify as Best Sleeper/Surprise Hit?? I've been wanting to nominate it since I started reading it, but now I'm compelled to nominate others where I thought this title would go.

Similarly, I must nominate Batman/Elmer Fudd for one-shot... so can someone else nominate The Kamandi Challenge #9 (Tom King/ Kevin Eastman) for me?? LOL I so loved that comic book.

Adam_Murdough

BionicDave said:

Can Star Trek: TNG - Mirror Broken qualify as Best Sleeper/Surprise Hit?? I've been wanting to nominate it since I started reading it, but now I'm compelled to nominate others where I thought this title would go.

As Supreme Arbiter in all questions of "Best Of" law, my ruling is that miniseries absolutely CAN count as "Sleepers"! Ergo, go for it, Dave!

BionicDave

@Adam_Murdough Excellent, I will indeed! This 50 year old property is quite the sleeper, isn't it? :joy:

On another note, I am surprised that no one here has mentioned Doomsday Clock #2 for Best Cliffhanger. I mean, Lex Luthor gets shot, and Ozymandias sees the shooter is... [!!!!!] And Batman meets the new [!!!!!]. Oh well. Guess ya had to be there. But it is definitely getting my vote.

Does anyone have anymore good suggestions for...

- Best New Hero or Hero Team?
- Breakthrough Talent?

Strangely, those are the two categories giving me the most trouble.

AtchAttack

BEST NEW HERO or HERO TEAM (debut in 2017) - Aztek II (JLA Vol. 5) I have been waiting for this. The new version of the character has not been fleshed out yet, but I love the potential.
BEST NEW VILLAIN or VILLAIN TEAM (debut in 2017) - I would have loved to say Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Doom, but I believe they debuted in 2016.
BEST NEW COMIC (first issue shipped in 2017) - Marvel Two in One, Vol. 3
BEST LIMITED SERIES (last issue shipped in 2017) - Supergirl: Being Super - This was really a refreshing read.
BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR ONE-SHOT - Batman, Vol. 3, Annual #2 - Really tugged on the old heartstrings.
BEST CLIFFHANGER/MOMENT - Doomsday Clock #2 - Should have seen it coming, but I didn't.
BEST STORYLINE (within a series or across multiple series) - Super Sons of Tomorrow (Super Sons, Superman, Teen Titans)
BEST SLEEPER/SURPRISE HIT
BEST ONGOING COMIC (need not have begun publication in 2017) - Superman, Vol. 4 - consistently good
BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM (OGN or COLLECTION)
BEST WRITER - Peter Tomasi
BEST ARTIST - Mitch Gerads
BEST WRITER/ARTIST - Patrick Gleason
BEST COLOR ARTIST
BEST LETTERER - Todd Klein
BREAKTHROUGH TALENT OF 2017

David_D

Filling this out makes me realize a few things, such as I think I read less new comics in 2017 than I usually do, and I don't think I read a single OGN. (Though I already have one in mind as an early favorite for next year.)

BEST NEW HERO or HERO TEAM (debut in 2017)
The Old Guard

BEST NEW VILLAIN or VILLAIN TEAM (debut in 2017)
Batman's engagement.

BEST NEW COMIC (first issue shipped in 2017)
Mister Miracle

BEST LIMITED SERIES (last issue shipped in 2017)
Providence

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR ONE-SHOT
Saga #42

BEST CLIFFHANGER/MOMENT
Have I mentioned Saga #42?

BEST STORYLINE (within a series or across multiple series)
Um . . . I don't know. Previews??

BEST SLEEPER/SURPRISE HIT
The Wild Storm
(I figured it would be good, I like Ellis, but I didn't expect to like it as much as I do)

BEST ONGOING COMIC (need not have begun publication in 2017)
Saga

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM (OGN or COLLECTION)
---

BEST WRITER
Brian K. Vaughan

BEST ARTIST
Mitch Gerads

BEST WRITER/ARTIST
David Lapham

BEST COLOR ARTIST
Elizabeth Breitweiser

BEST LETTERER
Clayton Cowles

BREAKTHROUGH TALENT OF 2017
Mitch Gerads

nweathington

AtchAttack said:

BEST NEW VILLAIN or VILLAIN TEAM (debut in 2017) - I would have loved to say Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Doom, but I believe they debuted in 2016.

Sherlock Frankenstein first appeared in Black Hammer #8, which was released in 2017, so you’re good.

BionicDave

@AtchAttack Wow, I was still waiting for Supergirl: Being Super #5. Had no idea the title was done at the end of #4! Lol Thanks for cluing me in. This was a really interesting Elseworld-y Maid of Might story.

@David_D "BEST NEW HERO or HERO TEAM (debut in 2017) - The Old Guard" D'oh! Excellent suggestion. I wound up leaving that category blank, just couldn't think of one, but would've easily gone with this.

hauberk

Now that submissions are closed, mine as submitted.

BEST NEW HERO or HERO TEAM (debut in 2017) - The Old Guard. I'm not 100% sure that they're really heroes, but damn, they're cool. Greg Rucka (I know, it's like I'm everyone else and he's Saga) creates something that reads like Highlander meets Ronin while dropping acid and watching Navy Seals.

BEST NEW VILLAIN or VILLAIN TEAM (debut in 2017) Marionette and the Mime - Doomsday Clock. They're cool, they're creepy and Mime has what appears to be a really cool powerset.

BEST NEW COMIC (first issue shipped in 2017) - No entry, though I suppose it should have been The Old Guard - I guess I didn't want to be too one-trick.

BEST LIMITED SERIES (last issue shipped in 2017)
The Old Guard - Love this series. In addition to what I said above, I'll add to that that the first issue is probably the first comic to really evoke a sense of soundtrack. One particular scene evoked an early shot from Predator, with Little Richard's Long Tall Sally replaced with Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song.

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR ONE-SHOT

Batman Annual #2 - amazing, heartwrenching story.

Honorable mention to Black Science # 34. The giant bucktoothed, bugeyed, fluffy purple demon thing uttering "Prepare your tongues for the testicular smegma of a million syphilitic gastropods" put me over the edge. (I had to retract this HM - came out in 2018. However, I stand by my feeling that it is one of the most over the top action-adventure absurdities that I've seen in a long time.

BEST CLIFFHANGER/MOMENT
Batman #39. That final page...

BEST STORYLINE (within a series or across multiple series)

No entry - struggling to find just one that stands out

BEST SLEEPER/SURPRISE HIT

Eternity. Valiant's latest entry with the Divinity character struck a nerve for me. Not so much for the storyline but for the surrealistic landscapes and acid saturated color palette. An absolute feast for the eyes.

BEST ONGOING COMIC (need not have begun publication in 2017)

Lazarus - Greg Rucka, Michael Lark and Eric Trautman. Such amazing stuff. Would love to hear a little more detailed review of it than Chris just saying it's fantastic in between gushes of Saga love. I think that it's really worthy of a Book of Month.

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM (OGN or COLLECTION)

Lazarus Hardcover collection vol 2. So many glorious extras!

BEST WRITER

Greg Rucka, last time, this time, pretty much everytime. Between Lazarus, X+66, Black Magick and Old Guard, I continue to dig everything I get from him.

BEST ARTIST

Tough one. Either Nicola Scott on Black Magick or Matteo Scalera on Black Science. Stylistically, they're so different. Right now, I think I'm leaning toward Scalera.

BEST WRITER/ARTIST

No entry

BEST COLOR ARTIST

David Barron - Eternity. - see above.

BEST LETTERER

Steve Wands - Dark Nights: Metal. I'm not 100% certain that I fully understand the book yet (still waiting for Daily Rios to catch up on their Breakdowns episodes) but the lettering is a thing of its own.

BREAKTHROUGH TALENT OF 2017

No entry

David_D

It’s gonna get weird when the Saga-themed singing telegram I ordered shows up at @hauberk ‘s next birthday.

hauberk

David_D said:

It’s gonna get weird when the Saga-themed singing telegram I ordered shows up at @hauberk ‘s next birthday.

I'd be up for that. I don't have anything against Saga. It just didn't shift my gears the way it has for most everyone else. So, much as seeing Previews as the perennial winner of publication about comics and Tom King as the breakiest, breakthru artist to ever break through multiple breaky things, it's gotten tiresome for it to continue to... it's not really dominating the conversation since it doesn't get talked about in depth, but rather, seems to be blocking the conversation from talking about other things if that makes sense.

David_D

hauberk said:

David_D said:

It’s gonna get weird when the Saga-themed singing telegram I ordered shows up at @hauberk ‘s next birthday.

I'd be up for that. I don't have anything against Saga. It just didn't shift my gears the way it has for most everyone else. So, much as seeing Previews as the perennial winner of publication about comics and Tom King as the breakiest, breakthru artist to ever break through multiple breaky things, it's gotten tiresome for it to continue to... it's not really dominating the conversation since it doesn't get talked about in depth, but rather, seems to be blocking the conversation from talking about other things if that makes sense.

I totally get that. I do think it is that good. But I also can see where it can block other things from shining and getting that kind of attention.

BionicDave

@hauberk Great picks. Just curious, did you not like/ not read Motor Girl? I noticed that you left your Best Writer/Artist category blank, and I thought Terry Moore was an easy layup for that one at least.

hauberk

BionicDave said:

@hauberk Great picks. Just curious, did you not like/ not read Motor Girl? I noticed that you left your Best Writer/Artist category blank, and I thought Terry Moore was an easy layup for that one at least.

I did not read it. Couldn't come up with anything on my current reading list that was done by a Writer/Artist. In general, Terry Moore is a creator that I'm very limited in experience with... mostly from days working in a shop in the 90's. Most of our subs that bought SiP had very little in common with my taste at the time, so never really followed up.

nweathington

gingpo said:

BREAKTHROUGH TALENT OF 2017
Leila Leiz
Leila Leiz continues to wow me as a talented new artist. Her work on “Alters” for Aftershock Comics has a maturity and polish that is hard to believe for someone who has very little published work.

She’s been a professional artist for more than 15 years, it’s just mostly been for the European market (she’s French, though she now lives in Italy). We did a feature on her in Comic Book Creator back in 2015. I have no problem with her being considered a Breakthrough Talent though.