Top Ten Comics Of 2010

And here we are, we've gone through another successful year of DC Comics and there have been some incredibly awesome stories that have come around.  I'm sure many of you have certain issues you've read that you'll never forget.  Well for me, I have about ten.  So below is my top ten DC Comics for 2010.  Please, comment your thoughts, opinions, and disagreements.

Top Ten Comics For 2010

10. Superman: Secret origin #6

Geoff Johns took the corny and cheesy origins of Superman and turned it into something a little more tangible and up-to-date.  Instead of having Clark Kent put on this tremendously nerdy and bumbling facade, Johns makes Superman an ACTUAL bumbler, not because he means to be, but because he's an alien from another world who's unfamiliar with the surroundings of big city life.  There's also a nice redeveloping of Superman's relationship with his Earth buddies and the people of Metropolis.  While the the "Secret" of the Superman's origin is never quite revealed here, #6 gave us a Superman with whom we can relate too.

9. The Return of Bruce Wayne #6

I hate Grant Morrison, most of you know this.  And if I were to rank the top five WORST mini series in the history of comics, The Return of Bruce Wayne would make the five.  However, the 6th installment of said series truly did take my breath away.  With all of the confusion, lack of focus, and over zealous story telling, #6 really did a good job at wrapping up the story.  And while I absolutely hate that Morrison brought Bruce Wayne back from the dead, I cannot deny the level of quality portrayed in this final issue.

8. Secret Six #27

I think Simone and Calafiore got together one day and agreed to make this issue the complete and utter visualization of the American dream.  Vigilante men and women turning savage, wearing almost nothing and duking it out to an almost arousing degree.  But this has more to do with the art rather than the dialog, even though there are obvious sexual tensions going on between characters.  J. Calafiore brings in all the stops and more with sexy and savage depiction of jungle war.  Jimmy Palmiotti, watch out, Gail Simone’s sex appeal in this story might rival even yours!

7. Power Girl #12

#12 is one big wrap-up, bringing back some characters to give Power Girl that final frustration of reliving everything she’s gone through within this last year; there’s the meeting a Terra’s parents and being introduced to a new food group, Fisher comes back to say thanks to Power Girl to help fulfill his young, hormonal state of mind, and Vartox is sent home packing.  Thank you Jimmy Palimiotti and Amanda Conner for making such an underused character life and meaning within the DCU!

6. Wonder Woman #600

What can I say? This issue was filled with greatness. I’m usually not a fan of artist toggling, but this worked perfectly since no one story was connected to the other. It is one big homage to a great heroine who’s been an inspiration to human kind for generations. And even though the new era hasn't been the most popular, this issue certainly gave it the much needed fresh start to transcend into a post-Simone life span. Let’s hope the new era can continue that greatness. I am going to put this down in my “most treasured comics of my life time” bin, which means I’ll need to buy a second copy. 

5. Secret Six #20

Sometimes I wonder if Gail Simone simply likes to torture her Secret Six characters.  Have any of you noticed how often Catman is in pain due to his past, or the frequent struggles bane and Scandal have, and the low self-esteem Deadshot continually displays through his constant babble?  #20 leaves you in a state of discontent and angst with the level of tension that flows throughout it.  The ending took me by complete surprise, and with the way Simone writes this book, you'll never know exactly how things will turn out.

4. Green Lantern Corps #47

Blackest Night is over.  Everything is destroyed.  The Corps must now rebuild itself from the bottom up. Gardner, Rayner and a handful of other Lanterns take a stand against the Guardians and their newly established Book of Oa laws.  Vath wakes up with a pair of foreign legs, and Kilowog makes a life altering decision that could have a huge effect on the future of the Corps.  Tomasi brings in all the stops as he bids farewell to a comic book series that has been defined by his unremarkable ability to tell engrossing and angst driven tales.  

3. Supergirl #54

Bizzarogirl and Supergirl going at each other tooth and nail...ultimately figuring out that they are more alike than originally thought.  Sterling Gates has given Supergirl the right treatment, making her much more respectable and hard-hitting than ever before, and #54 takes it to endless bounds.

2. Superman: The Last Family of Krypton #3

As this miniseries will never be considered part of the “true” Superman mythos, I believe this has officially become the best Superman story to ever be told!  It’s only rival would be the wonderfully clever Superman: For Tomorrow.  If you haven’t picked up this series, go to your local comic book store and get it!  It’s just three issues that are PACKED with story.  This is not a series where you’ll feel jipped by the $5 per issue price mark.  Bates’ put everything he had into this story and I look forward to the day when he comes back to comics more consistently.  (Please Cary!)

1. Secret Six #22

Secret Six is an amazing title and I would recommend it to anyone.  If you are conflicted with paying more money to you’re already long list of monthly titles you pick up, please consider dropping a title or two, this is well worth your money.  There isn’t one issue since this title began that hasn’t been worth the $2.99 price mark and I fully expect anyone whose reads this will come away happy.  Simone doesn’t approach the Six like every other comic book in the industry; it’s new, innovative, and fun.

The story gives us the finalization of Catman’s past as a young boy growing up with a physically and verbally abusive father whose mind-twisting jargon caused the young Catman to embrace a new way of life, one filled with murder and a stoic, uncaring demeanor.  However, this life changing event doesn’t keep our feline hero from loving those closest to him.  The question raised here is what are you willing to do for loved ones?  What is the best for them?  MacQuarrie brings to light that Catman’s son is very much alive, and adopted by a new family.  Like MacQuarrie said, no one can hurt Catman through his son ever again.  Catman had to make a choice, let his son live a happy life and cause his mother the utmost pain, or go get his son back and wait for the next dubious villain to snatch him away for ransom yet again. Just like Watchmen, Gail Simone makes you ponder on what you must do when faced with two options, both of which will cause someone a great deal of suffering.  Catman letting go of his son and lying to Cheshire about it could very well be one of the most tragic endings in a comic book I’ve ever read.

The stories stems even further with the Catman’s teammates, mostly dealing with the issue of family.  Black Alice comes to center stage with her amazing bit of oratory, expressing her guilt of theoretically giving her father cancer.  This sense of loss brings Scandal savage closer to the young villain, and even more so with Ragdoll whose defense of Black Alice was an amazing addition to an already depressing story.  (Deadshot really can be an ass huh?  That’s why we like him!) 

This arc was a true Mind Fuck!  but this issue in particular went above and beyond the call of duty and transformed the idea of "bad guy" comics into something better than ever.