A Year in Comics 2019

Same rules as before.

Most Boring: 

I have to give this one to Year of Villains #1 because I completely forgot about it. I had zero interest in the Tynion story, the Bendis one felt out of character and while Snyder wrote a good Lex Luthor I wasn't intrigued enough to bother looking into the main event. Since the purpose of this issue was to hype up readers for the next events it failed, at least for me. I only read one issue of Event Leviathan and that was for the fight between Batman's group and Red Hood. But only after panels were shared online not because of anything in this issue.

Best Use of Canon: 

Pretty much any nod of the life Wally West used to have. From the married life with Linda, the kids and the appearance of Johns era villains. Something that unexpectedly made me a little emotional as I was reminded of better times. This is who Wally West is not what Heroes In Crisis made him.

Most Annoying Disregard of Canon: 

If I read enough of HIC I would have put it here. Instead I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm going to put the same title in the best and most annoying disregard of canon. You see Flash Forward made a change to something plot related from HIC. While this change makes more sense with how a trauma center should be run it doesn't make sense with the conclusion of the HIC series. There Wally West had a mental breakdown due to the forced isolation. In Flash Forward Roy is seen talking face to face with Wally. Maybe HIC is being retconned but until Flash Forward finishes up this is an odd choice. If Wally didn't lose control because of the reasons King stated what happened that led to the deaths of so many heroes?

Biggest Disappointment: 

There was a lot of potential winners for this category. The length of the Outlaws separation with a rushed tale for Artemis and Bizarro. The delays with Doomsday Clock and not finishing on a high enough note to warrant the hype. (At least for me.) The lack of importance of the Flash and Batman crossover that dealt with the events of Heroes In Crisis. Certain issues/series I already knew weren't going to be enjoyable or live up to all the talk (Event Leviathan, etc.) but the issue I picked should have had content that felt important but didn't. Detective Comics #1000. Many of the stories were lackluster, throw away tales that rarely had anything of substance. 

Most Hopeful: 

Flash Forward almost won this but I have to give it to Superman Smashes the Klan. Clark is bringing out the best in a kid that could potentially go down a darker path thanks to his bigoted uncle. Said kid is conflicted but his hero inspires him to do the right thing. For those that think that Superman isn't relatable? His struggle to fit in is a prime example of why he was and still is a relatable character.

Most WTF Moment:

In the first arc of the second Volume of Red Hood and the Outlaws Jason Todd gave Bizarro a Superman plushie. Bizarro called it "Pup Pup" (he had limited vocabulary at the time and it was a play on Supermans' "Up, Up and Away.") Bizarro has seen the toy as a living being while hallucinating and it was depicted as one of the Outlaws in a comic Ma Gunn was reading. While the comic it's self was a WTF moment when it appeared so was the appearance of a sentient Pup Pup. He claims that he's somehow the A.I. smart Bizarro created that is using the toy as his body. But he doesn't really act the same and the explanation is still...well...bizarre. 

Biggest Surprise: 

The ALL in All Caste. Essence and Jason reveal why the All Caste has it's name, which in turn reveals an ability Jason has. While it was stated at the start of for first volume of RHATO it was previously said in passing and sounded more poetic. Now we have confirmation. It's because the group can see "all" at once: the past, present and future. Jason is the only human that was taught that mastered the ability. If he uses it in battle he could be just as much of a threat as Cassandra Cain's skill at reading body language.

 

Funniest Moment: 

I don't care for Harley Quinn but I did get Harley Quinn: Year of the Villain #1 after seeing some panels. I really enjoyed seeing some playful jabs taken at recent comics. I think my favorite was "Best Moral Justification." Which includes having Flashpoint Batman try to explain his motives to creepily control his sons' life then turn it into an emotional speech.

Best Supporting Character: 

This one has been always been hard to do because supporting characters rarely show up in the titles I read. I'll give this one to Jimmy Olsen from Superman Smashes the Klan. Jimmy not only has his usual role at the Daily Planet he also plays a vital and likely overlooked role in connecting all the characters. Reliable and loyal, Jimmy is a great friend that never fails to do the right thing.

Worst Villain: 

Gotham Girl from the Batman and Flash crossover filled this role. Is she unstoppable? Is she dying? Mentally unstable? Is she getting the help she needs? Does she have a point about Batman or are we supposed to disagree with her? If she's dying why is she still so overpowered? I don't understand this character and from what I've heard she doesn't make anymore sense under King. 

Best Villain: 

Dr. Manhattan might not be the standard villain but his actions were villainous in Doomsday Clock. The unstoppable threat that assumed everything was destined to end. He changed the timeline, killed countless people because he was curious. 

Most Emotional Issue: 

Robin vs. Red Hood in the Teen Titans Annual. This could have been even more emotional if the two had more panel time but even so, this was a rough issue for them. For Damian it as a realization that he screwed up, although that sadly didn't change anything for him after this issue. For Jason it was another family member that falsely accused him, attacked him and tried to imprison him. This was especially emotional if you already read RHATO and saw Bruce act in a similar manner. 

(Is Bruce implying that he still believed Jason was guilty?)

Worst Detective(s):

It's a tie. Damian Wayne has made some less than stellar choices as of late, but he really failed at being a proper detective this year. First he accuses Red Hood of betraying him to the Other with zero evidence. Since we never get any solid information from Damian I can only assume Jason was the one that actually looked for the Other. Damian eventually clues into there being a "traitor" on his team but he: Acts on this information too late. Wasn't able to figure out who it was. The person (Roundhouse) actually had nothing to do with the Other. Despite the Heretic claiming he left clues Damian never figured out who it was on his own. Damian randomly decided to blame Jason for another crime (being Leviathan) with extremely weak "proof." Once again he was wrong.

Then we have Bruce Wayne, the supposed "Worlds' Greatest Detective" who decides to take Damian's theory on Jason far too seriously with very little to go on. He should have known better as someone with far more experience and skill. Much like Damian he let his bias blind him. And while the events of RHATO #25 didn't happen this year we got confirmation that Jason never actually tried to kill Penguin, he shot a blank. That makes Batman's brutal response even worse because he never bothers to discover the truth. During the Prince of Gotham arc he STILL believes Jason betrayed him.

You know it's bad when Harley Quinn can figure out something in a joke comic based on stationery but the Waynes are still clueless.

Worst Character

As tempting as it is to make this a tie again due to Damian's lack of remorse for his actions (including the death of an innocent) I'll give this one to Bruce. I think one fan put it best when they said that writers want to have an edgy Batman but they can never admit that he's wrong. They bend over backwards to retcon events to make other characters look like their the ones to blame when Batman was the one that went too far.

Just look at how poorly he still interacts with Jason, as soon as Jason undoes his legally dead status Batman assaults an employee and arrives to threaten him. After all this time he still believes Jason shot Penguin and only backs off when Jason reminds him of his legal status being renewed. Bruce can't risk turning him in as that could put his secret identity in danger. Sadly that's just one of the many negative actions he's had with the family in 2019.

Best Male Character: 

I was impressed with Jason Todd this year. He undid his legally dead status while standing up to Batman. He got revenge on Penguin without killing him then gave the casino to one of his reformed enemies. Was blamed for crimes he didn't do and defeated the heroes that came after him. The most impressive feat however was when Jason became a teacher to protect kids. That's a lot of growth

Best Female Character:

Roberta (Lan-Shin) Lee from Superman Smashes the Klan might seem like an odd choice at first because of her frequent motion sickness. But she makes up for it in sheer courage when she has to confront people that look down on her. Being a Chinese America in a town that's not always so accepting is hard enough. Trying to belong while dealing with dangerous people would be daunting enough for an adult. She's a brave person that might even inspire Superman as he goes through his own struggles of self identity.




I hope for more solid Red Hood and Artemis stories in the future. A better written Damian and Bruce. Booster Gold stories that I want to read. Some good Wonder Woman comics too. With luck we might get some good comics in 2020.