X-Book Awards 2009 As Voted by the CBR Forums- RESULTS!

[Faded]

The Confession was the worst one-shot of the decade.

It really was horrible despite the pair's "secrets" being the only saving grace for the Emma/Scott relationship.

[Seresecros]

I like it when Mike Choi puts silly jokes in the background. Sometimes I wish that an entire issue would just be made up of Choijokes.

[worstblogever]

And now, on the other side of the spectrum, we'll review the winner of

The Best One-Shots of 2009!

These were the books so good, we wished they were a whole miniseries. Not surprisingly, they also have one thing in common. All featured Wolverine, in one form or another. No surprise, there, though. He's like, everywhere. Again, the nominees were:

• Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus #1
• Dark Reign: The List- Wolverine #1
• Dark Reign: The List- X-Men #1
• Dark X-Men: The Confession #1
• Giant Size Old Man Logan #1
• Wolverine: Chop Shop #1
• Wolverine: Flies to a Spider #1
• Wolverine: Switchback #1
• X-Men: Manifest Destiny- Nightcrawler #1
• X-Men Forever: Alpha #1
• X-Men: Origins- Iceman #1
• X-Men: Origins- Sabretooth #1
• X-Necrosha #1
• X-Necrosha: The Gathering #1

And now... the third-runner up!!!


Dark Reign: The List- Wolverine!

Son of a bitch! I wish I'd known there was a Choi/Oback variant of this out there. That's friggin' gorgeous!

Anyhow, I almost consider Wolverine to have been a co-star of this book, because honestly, Jason Aaron almost wrote Fantomex and Noh-Varr to be the stars, and Logan was just tagging along with them, the way this came off. Highly entertaining banter between the two of them. The premise was just this, Norman Osborn learns of "The World", the Weapon Plus Project's base of operations, where genetically advanced creations are born, and turned loose to be the world's ultimate super-weapons. Fantomex, being one of "The World"'s best creations, tends to be really protective over it being exploited for the wrong purposes. Well, Noh-Varr learns what Osborn's up to, and as he figured out what a bastard Norman really is, tips off Wolverine to investigate. Once they get there, they meet up with Fantomex, and end up battling a giant genetically engineered brain that makes any who hear its transmitted psychic waves become its zombie-like thralls to do its bidding, provided they believe in some kind of God. They lose Logan to it, for a bit, and are but two against its legions, since the Kree idea of divinity is like, an equation, and Fantomex is an atheist. Much kick-assery ensues, and in the end, Norman Osborn is foiled, of course.

Just a fun one-off team-up, to say the least, that got 34 points of votes and 5 first place votes.

Our second runner-up...



Giant Sized Old Man Logan!


Even though the cover might remind me uncomfortably of "goatse" (seriously, don't google that, like ever. It's just proof the internet is evil.) it was the pinnacle of Mark Millar's dystopian future where Wolverine is, in effect, playing the part of Clint Eastwood from the movie "Unforgiven". And while he had wanted to give up violence, and never pop his claws ever again, in the lead in to this tale, the Hulk Gang, the imbred offspring of Bruce Banner, killed his family. Thus, Logan's done being nice, and we see him mow through a bunch of gamma-irradiated rednecks like he's a walking wood-chipper. Peniceled brilliantly be Steve McNiven, to boot.

It got the bronze medal, with 39 points of votes, and 9 first place votes.

The runner-up...



Necrosha: The Gathering #1!

It answered a lot of questions for fans. Like, "How is Blink-616 still alive, and why's she working for Selene?" or, "What is Senyaka's deal, anyhow?" or, most commented on about this book in the "Highlight" or "Shocking Moment" categories... "OMG!!! IT'S LOIS LONDON! SHE IS AWESOME AS MORTIS!!!"

Yeah, Mortis also got votes for "breakout star" by the way, and this book would probably be a lot of the reason, considering she has way more lines in it, than she has in all of Necrosha so far, combined. Both the art, and the stories helped explain the pathos of everyone crazy enough to work for a veritable wannabe death goddess like Selene, and folks cheered. I mean, when people applaud a story about Senyaka just being a damned psycho, you know it's got to be above and beyond, right?

With 42 total points of votes, on but 1 first place vote. Gee, I wonder why it got so many second or third place votes. What stole its thunder, so to speak?


Your winner, and 2009's Best X-Book One-Shot as voted by CBR's X-Forums was...


X-Necrosha #1!


I sat at San Diego Comic Con, in the X-Men Panel in July, and when that cover art was previewed, Craig Kyle and Chris Yost were just sitting on the panel of X-Writers, smirking confidently, as the murmurs went through the audience, and a few audible "whoa"s were heard. They've built up to this moment for years, so it seems, and now that it's upon us, fans jubilantly cheered about who Selene had Caliban track down for her, and use the techno-organic virus to resurrect and recruit to her own private army.

Every time a Necrosha cover came out, rejoicing occured. But little did anyone expect some of the people who turned up in Necrosha. First few pages of previews hit, and you could see Selene's Inner Circle... but once we got past the page of Sebastian Shaw in the X-Brig in shock... it was a cavalcade of names.

Harry Leland. Shinobi Shaw. Banshee. Berzerker. Scaleface. Pyro. The Hellions. The Dark Riders. Risque. Tower. Super Sabre. Stonewall. And that was in this issue alone.

With so much action, in light of this ambush, and a peek into what was going on in the minds of the already back from the dead Destiny, and Doug Ramsey, in its backup tales, it was far and away voted the book of the year, with 112 total points of votes, and 27 of 65 first place votes. It dominated this category, without a doubt.

[creaky]

I think the worst part about the Nightcrawler one-shot was all the hype that turned out to be misleading. After such a long time of mediocre to non-existent treatment of the character, we...uhm...I had been hoping for some catharsis through this - that he would go on to greener pastures or at least that there would be some kind of convincing argument as to why he's valuable after all. Comfort food.
Instead we get him throwing a hissy-fit at Cyclops, a non-existent goodbye scene, a cliched and strange plot with a cliched cookie-cutter ending and in the end...nothing resolved. Everything after that went back to normal, Kurt even getting stabbed a couple more times for good measure. Had this NOT been hyped as "KURT LEAVES THE X-MEN" for months ahead of time, I might have been more forgiving towards it. Might.
Kurt CAN'T be this hard to write well.

Asmus totally redeemed his skills in my eyes with the Kurt/Logan road trip, though.<3

[worstblogever]

Staying on the discussion of books themselves, we now have the X-Razzie for

The Worst Mini-Series of 2009!

And thus, we had our nominees...

• Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes
• Big Hero Six (vol. 2)
• Dark X-Men
• Deadpool: Suicide Kings
• GeNext: United
• House of M: Civil War
• House of M: Masters of Evil
• Magneto: Testament
• Nation X
• NYX: No Way Home
• Psylocke
• Secret Invasion: X-Men
• Times and Life of Lucas Bishop
• War of Kings
• Weapon X: First Class
• X-Babies
• X-Infernus
• X-Men: Manifest Destiny
• X-Men: Noir
• X-Men/Spider-Man
• X-Men vs. Agents of Atlas
• X-Men: Worlds Apart

And now... the third-runner up!!!


X-Men: The Times and Life of Lucas Bishop!

It was like, X-Men Origins: Bishop. But instead of being just one issue, it was three. Featuring an elderly Storm with a mustache (take a look at that cover and tell me that's not what it looks like). I could discuss the art, again, but you can scroll back to see the discussion of Larry Stroman in the "Worst Artist" Top 4 for a bit of that. What really made this a tough sell is 1) potential alternate future of the XSE and 2) The big champion of the book also happens to be obsessed with killing a child, and this is supposed to expain to us why.

Justifying baby-killers' actions is a hard sell for a miniseries, really. Thus, it got 20 points of votes and 3 first place votes.

Our second runner-up...



Secret Invasion: X-Men!


I had a few people tell me in the voting thread that it shouldn't be eligible, as it came out in 2008. But I checked to be sure, and the finale of this series did, in fact, come out in January of 2009, making it still eligible.

And in spite of there being much love for Mike Carey's writing, usually, in general, this series got hit pretty hard by those critical of the series. Cary Nord's art was oddly colored in pastels, and it made telling who was who, at times, a bit tricky. So the X-Men fight off a Skrull Invasion in San Francisco for like, 3 issues using brilliant strategy under the leadership of Cyclops, hitting the Skrulls with guerrilla warfare tactics executed with their teleporters being the key to their strategy. Then, the Skrulls filled a whole building full of humans and were like, "Surrender or we kill 'em all. You have this much time on our ticking clock."

So Cyclops turned to Beast for a quick win solution, and being a biochemist, Beast's solution was to turn loose the Legacy Virus on the Skrulls (Because of a sub-plot about the Skrulls trying to religiously convert Nightcrawler that ended up helping Beast figure all this out), since every gene on their cells is in effect, an X-Gene, and the virus would attack them. But Beast DISAPPROVED of his own suggestion, and let Scott know he would be QUITE CROSS with him, should he go that route. And, by the time he could say so, Cyclops had already sprayed himself down with the stuff like it was Axe Ebola Body Spray, and started Death-Febreezing all the other X-Men.


Thus, they surrendered to the Skrulls, gave them mutant uber-herpes, and the Skrulls opted to kill themselves rather than expose all their people to the Legacy Virus.

It got the bronze medal, with 25 points of votes, and 3 first place votes.

Beast and genocide. Now like chocolate and peanut butter.

The runner-up...



Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes!

This caused a bit of rancor. There were delays on Astonishing X-Men (aren't there always?) and in the space in between issues, fans got this little two issue mini. The mystery was that people thought it might shed some light on the mystery of the triploid mutants that turned up in the first Warren Ellis arc of Astonishing, but instead, it just left fans with more questions.

In effect, this book was a series of "What If?" stories related to Astonishing X-Men #26 and #27. "What If... someone else went into the room first?" or "What if there were Steampunk X-Men and their world got attacked first?"

The resolution to all these tales was mega-bleak. And it did little to win over the hearts and minds of Astonishing X-Men fans who wanted the mystery they left to be answered like right damned now. That got it 37 total points, and tied it for first in first place votes with 10. It was beaten out, however by...



Your winner, and 2009's Worst X-Book Miniseries as voted by CBR's X-Forums was...


GeNext: United!


I don't even know where to start with this one. Okay, GeNext was a tale of the next generation of X-kids, which consist oddly of primarily the dalliances of X-Men whilst in the Savage Land (GeNext does sound better than "Bastard Kids From the Savage Land). These kids are so connected to their parents, in a screwed up family setting that they spend no time in them, instead they're sent to travel around the world with like, Beast, who's their scout leader/nanny or something.

So they end up in India, and they attract the attention of someone who is supposed to be Dr. Doom's daughter, and an evil Indian goddess (like Hela from Thor, but Indian). They take the time to battle her, with Gambit coming into the fray (one of the X-bastards' dads), and in spite of all being forced to enter a fantasy world where they're all successful stereotypical Hindus (Like Lois Lane: I Am Curious- Black, but not), manage to save the day, and head back home with Beast, who's got his wife Cecilia Reyes on the phone all day like, "And pick up toilet paper on your way back, honey! You know Becka Munroe and her odd b.m.'s require huge amounts of t.p.!"

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, or a lot. All I know is, I thumbed through every issue hoping for resolution about Becka Munroe on the toilet in the first mini, and it's still a hanging plot thread. Thus, with the mess I described, can understand why it got 51 total points, and 10 first place votes.

[Psycwave]

I liked Secret Invasion tie in. The art was bleh but I liked the story.

[worstblogever]

I liked Secret Invasion tie in. The art was bleh but I liked the story.

I just liked that the X-Men won for once, and people celebrated them in the Marvel Universe.

Not that it lasted long enough.

[Personamanx]

I actually really Enjoyed Ghost Bosex. This is what I get for not Voting I reckon.

[Ratstar]

That Ghost Boxes mini was fantastic.

Choi and Crain are pretty overrated but I suppose they were the best this year.

[Prodigy55]

Ghost Boxes was amazing.

[DarthCyclopsRLZ]

Rock on, Worstblogever. Just... rock on.

Still not sure Secret Invasion:X-Men should be elligible. Oh well.

[worstblogever]

And, the other side of the coin, of course, would be...

The Best Mini-Series of 2009!

Those nominees again...

• Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes
• Big Hero Six (vol. 2)
• Dark X-Men
• Deadpool: Suicide Kings
• GeNext: United
• House of M: Civil War
• House of M: Masters of Evil
• Magneto: Testament
• Nation X
• NYX: No Way Home
• Psylocke
• Secret Invasion: X-Men
• Times and Life of Lucas Bishop
• War of Kings
• Weapon X: First Class
• X-Babies
• X-Infernus
• X-Men: Manifest Destiny
• X-Men: Noir
• X-Men/Spider-Man
• X-Men vs. Agents of Atlas
• X-Men: Worlds Apart

Your third-runner up!!!


War of Kings!

There were a few people surprised this was counted in the X-Book mini category, but hey, it had Polaris, Havok, Rachel Summers, Vulcan, Lilandra and the Starjammers, plus the Imperial Guard in it. All of which are X-Creations, if not X-characters.

Well, after Vulcan crashed the wedding of Crystal and Ronan the Accuser (at which, as her former sister-in-law, Polaris was a guest) within the Kree/Inhuman alliance trying to defeat Vulcan's Shi'ar Empire, there was a coup attempt by Lilandra that led to her being whacked by a brainwashed Darkhawk (Rachel FAILED to save her), and also the big showdown between Black Bolt and Vulcan to see who would reign supreme. And when the dust settled, Gladiator, of all people was left as the only one with the might, and trust of the people, to become the new emperor of the Shi'ar. Oh yeah, Rachel got her vengeance against like, all of the Shi'ar Death Commandos and still whined about how she felt empty inside after doing so.

Man, that's a lot of stuff in a galaxy far, far away. And that got it 29 points, and 5 first place votes.


Our second runner-up...



X-Men: Worlds Apart!

It had an alternate working title of, "Don't F*** With Ororo", but Chris Yost took the high road in his choice of title. Anyway, this story had the purpose of trying to placate fans who like Storm as a core member of the X-Men, as well as those happy to see her married to T'Challa, and serving as Queen of Wakanda. Because she can't do both, right?

Well, in the course of one miniseries, the Shadow King tried to force Storm's hand, and make her choose between the family she loves in the X-Men, and the man and new home she has, in Wakanda, by possessing people on two fronts. Storm, rescuing Nehnzo in Wakanda, holds her own against the Dora Milaje, her own husband, and then strikes down a possessed Cyclops in the Blackbird, buying herself enough time to rush to the Marin Base halfway around the globe and f*** up the Shadow King there, as well.

Did I mention Diogenes Neves rocked the art on this title, with Yost's writing? No? Well, he did. And that got it 35 points of votes, and 6 first place votes.


The runner-up...



Psylocke!

It's that wacky Chris Yost again! This time out, he took a different X-Woman, Psylocke, and a different artist in Harvey Tolibao, and tried to help resolve the mess that Betsy Braddock had become since about, oh... 1993 or so. In a distinctly "Kill Bill" like scenario. Psylocke went to Japan to pay her last respects to her English body and Kwannon, trying to find some sense of self in who she was, only to have the Hand show up and destroy it just to f*** with her on behalf of Matsuo Tsurayaba.

Thus, Betsy set out to kill that dirty bastard dead, and she's running into Logan, Yukio, and a new mystery man named Jinn as she wields both telepathy, telekinesis, and a whole 40 oz. bottle of whoop-ass while she goes to try and make some sense of the madness that is her life.

High action, and serving the purpose to make Betsy awesome again. It's still not over, either, but it got 41 points of votes and 9 first place votes, giving the winner of this award quite a run for its money.


Your winner, and 2009's Best X-Book Miniseries as voted by CBR's X-Forums was...


Magneto: Testament!


Magneto's past is often glossed over, without much focus, as concentration camps aren't exactly a subject that's explored in depth in all ages comics that often. Greg Pak, though, wanted to go there, and help to explore what it is that makes a guy like Magneto who he is, giving him his truest, most definitive origin story ever.

With his true name given for the first time, we learn things like that his alias was taken from his Uncle Erik, how he really met Magda, and the specific horrors he endured while held by the Nazis.

A moving, gripping, and haunting tale, this won the award with 49 total points of votes, and 12 first place votes. And it got that without those who frequent the Magnus Family Appreciation Thread rocking the vote, either.

[worstblogever]

I actually really Enjoyed Ghost Bosex. This is what I get for not Voting I reckon.

That Ghost Boxes mini was fantastic.

Choi and Crain are pretty overrated but I suppose they were the best this year.

Ghost Boxes was amazing.

For the record, in the "Best of Minis", Ghost Boxes had 16 points worth of votes, and 3 first place votes. It would've needed 30 to make the Top 4.

[Dudebro McTypo]

Poor Dark X-Men!

Next year!

[Ziral]

Wasn't the Ghost Box mini $3.99 for 16 pages?

Dark X-Men: The Beginning should have been a nominee.