Happy New Year! Best of Comic Book Time

Age of Ultron #1 courtesy Marvel
Age of Ultron #1 courtesy Marvel

As we celebrate a new year it’s a perfect time to look back at the year in comic book stories with a time twist.

 

Age of Ultron

The bad guy (or should I say evil A.I.) wins! Age of Ultron shattered our senses with a new reality for our favorite Marvel heroes who survived the A.I. onslaught.

Brian Michael Bendis and an all-star roster of artists created a fast-moving, game-changing epic that inspired unique team-ups (Wolverine and Invisible Woman made an awesome duo) and reintroduced Hank Pym to the modern Marvel Universe. With heroes fighting Ultron in the future and Wolverine making extreme decisions in the past to stop Ultron – the fabric of the Marvel Universe was radically changed.

 

 

Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time courtesy IDW Publishing
Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time courtesy IDW Publishing

Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time

A wonderful year long adventure celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who starring every version of the Time Lord. Beloved companions of the Doctor were being kidnapped but who was behind the cosmic conspiracy?

As the mystery unfolded we were treated to first time meetings (The Fourth Doctor and the Judoon) that haven’t happened on the series and reunions with long-lost friends. The Eleventh Doctor’s final confrontation with the villain (a brilliant idea by the writers – I was actually surprised) was a spectacular and moving finale.

When a television based comic book series makes you want to see it on screen you know it’s good. Bravo to Scott and David Tipton and IDW Publishing for a “fantastic” adventure every Whovian should enjoy.

 

 

 

courtesy DC Comics
courtesy DC Comics

Batman: Zero Year

How did Bruce Wayne become the Dark Knight? Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo dared to revisit the origin of Batman in the New 52.

You think you’ve seen seen it all before but it feels exciting, thrilling and new without trampling on sacred ground. This is not just a retelling but a redefining of the Dark Knight and demonstrates why Bruce Wayne is the most compelling comic book hero ever.

Bruce battles the Red Hood Gang and a menacing Riddler. There’s this moment when Bruce discovers his destiny and new identity that’s pure comic book poetry. This origin epic is still happening in pages of Batman into early 2014.

 

 

X-Men: Battle of the Atom courtesy Marvel
X-Men: Battle of the Atom courtesy Marvel

X-Men: Battle of the Atom

In this 50th Anniversary of the X-Men event – mutants from past, present and future clashed over the destiny of their race. In All-New X-Men Beast brought the original five X-Men into the present hoping to convince Cyclops to end his mutant revolution. The young X-Men stayed in the present hoping the change their nightmare future.

The Battle of the Atom was joined by a strange team of future X-Men who claimed the young ones must go back. The conflict led to unlikely alliances, shocking betrayals, new blood and a surprise ending that changes spacetime and the mutants to their core.

 

By Editor