Best of the Best Comic Books of 20101

by Damon Martin

With the end of 2010 rapidly approaching it’s time to take stock of the year in the comic book world. From epic events like Blackest Night/Brightest Day, to indie comics that everyone raved about, to the superheroes that died and were born again, a lot of action went down over the last 12 months.

Here are a handful of selections that sum up what I believe are the best comics of 2010 along with a few honorable mentions that I hope everyone gets a chance to check out!

Best New Series: G.I. Joe: Cobra II

When hearing the words G.I. Joe most people immediately think of the classic ’80s cartoon or maybe even the cartoon movie that was voiced by Don Johnson and Sergeant Slaughter. Well this isn’t a kids book about G.I. Joe. What IDW have done is take the G.I. Joe universe and turned it into an adult-only format. Writers Mike Costa and Christos Gage have done a brilliant job of bringing the Joes to life in a way that is true to the classic series, yet surprising and shocking in execution. The ongoing series has been a critical hit for IDW and should continue to be so in 2011.

Honorable Mentions: Morning Glories, 27, Daytripper

Best Writer: Jason Aaron

Aaron‘s award for Best Writer mostly revolves around his central work on the ongoing series Scalped (which I also picked as one of the top five comics that deserve a shot on TV). The book, centered around an undercover agent trying to infiltrate a drug riddled Indian reservation, is every bit as brutal as The Sopranos, and equally as well written. Aaron creates a world in which readers become attached to the characters and simply can’t wait to find out what happens next. Scalped was in the running for best ongoing series as well, but, in all honesty, the book reads the best in graphic novel form when the story arcs truly take shape.

Honorable Mentions: Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, Gail Simone and Robert Kirkman

Best Artist: J.H. Williams III

Obviously in the artist category all you have to do is look at the artwork created by J.H. Williams III to understand why he’s the best of the best in 2010. Gorgeous work done on series like Batwoman have set Williams apart from the pack this year, and his work seems to only get better with every issue and cover he does. Unique artists are getting more and more credit these days, but Williams has raised the bar further. He pushes the envelope creatively and draws so well that even if the books he draws for didn’t have words, I’d still buy them just to see the art.

Honorable Mentions Gabriel Rodriguez, Francis Manapul, Ivan Reis, and Alex Maleev

Best Ongoing Series: The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead may have hit new heights in 2010 with the debut of the television show on AMC, but anybody who has read this zombie opus since the beginning knows just how fantastic the series created Robert Kirkman has been all along. In a world overrun by the walking dead, Sheriff Rick Grimes leads a group of the living across the United States in search of somewhere and someway to survive the zombie apocalypse. The life and death nature of this series is felt with every issue. In The Walking Dead universe, no one is safe. Artist Charlie Aldard compliments the words of Kirkman beautifully with carefully crafted images. If you’re not reading The Walking Dead, you aren’t reading the best comic in print today.

Honorable Mentions: Locke & Key, Batman & Robin, Birds of Prey

So that’s 2010 in comics. There were tons of great indie comics out there as well and a slew of notable one-shot issues and graphic novels, but these were what I considered to be the best of the best. Hopefully 2011 will be even better!