The last year has brought some truly terrible comic book events to the fold, but we read them anyway. For this list, we’ll be discussing Marvel and DC exclusively; there is nothing wrong with Vertigo, Valiant, Dark Horse or some of the other publishing houses. Marvel and DC allow for an accessibility that others do not, and are more easily explained. Anyway let’s get this party started! Here are the best comic book events in the last year:
1. DC Rebirth
It can be denied by nobody that DC’s new publishing line, Rebirth, is a runaway success. Following the response of fans everywhere when they created the Flashpoint Paradox which thrusted the entire DC comic book universe into the New 52, DC knew they needed to come up big for their readers. What resulted was a meticulously detailed roadmap for how the executives at DC were going to fix their comic book lines. They did 3 key things differently: double shipping, few comic books, actually made a plan.
While Marvel is raising their prices and putting out an unprecedented amount of title relaunches, DC decided to do something completely different. They decided to slap the Rebirth banner on all of their titles, but they didn’t launch 52 new titles like their last publishing line. Instead they launched around 30 which resulting no cancellations. Prices also went down. Now you can get two books from DC every month for $6 dollars when compared to $5 dollars from Marvel for one book. Even if you’re a Marvel fanboy, you can’t help but be impressed by what DC is doing.
2. All Star Batman
After the Fiasco that was All Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder by Frank Miller, most fans gave up hope on the All Star line. The All Star line was created after Grant Morrison gifted the world All Star Superman, a 12 issue event that is considered one of the best Superman stories of all time. All Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder had moments that have been lampooned by fans for years like when Batman kidnapped a 12 year old boy and called him retarded or confessed to eating rats. The series also created the “I’m the goddamn Batman” meme which has plagued the character since its inception.
So famed Batman team Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, a team which won awards and fans after their New 52 run on Batman, decided to put out an All Star book for Batman that wasn’t absolute garbage. All Star Batman has been one of the undoubted successes of DC Comics in the past few years and is putting the All Star line back on top. Not much can be said because the series is still running, but it’s an instant classic.
3. Monsters Unleashed
This is the only Marvel book to make the list. When you have Secret Wars, Civil War 2, Clone Conspiracy, and Secret Empire to contend with, it’s to come out on top. Monsters Unleashed was a 5 part series written by Cullen Bunn and featured the classic monsters of the Marvel universe in a way they had never been featured before. It’s a crazy trip through memory lane, but also a fun way to introduce new characters. The story follows a young man that can summon great beasts through his drawings, but they’re linked to the core of his essence so they’re never expendable. If you’re a fan of monster movies or just interesting character development then this is the recent Marvel event for you!