With the first half of an exciting year of comics already behind us, we decided that waiting until the end of the year to talk about some of the best ones we've read would be too long to wait. The Direct Market's a tough place for even the Big Two these days, and some early buzz can be the difference between seeing your favorite series continue or being cancelled prematurely.
With that in mind, your trusty Buzzscope staffers have compared notes on their favorite comics published between January and June 2005 and are excited to present the BUZZWORTHY 2005: The Best Comics of the First Half of 2005. Turns out we love Bryan K. Vaughan and Grant Morrison, think Peter David is somewhat underrated, have mixed emotions about New Avengers, and, judging by the diversity of our Honorable Mentions, enjoy a lot of comics that don't regularly appear in the Diamond Top 100.
Not satisfied with passing judgment on what's come, though, we also decided to look forward to some of the comics due out in the second half of 2005. Will any of them supplant something from the Buzzworthy 2005 and end up as one of our Absolute Best of 2005? Only time will tell…
Until then, read on, true believers, and offer up your own lists in the comments section while letting us know what you think of ours.
"[A] beautifully drawn and smartly written political thriller cum super-hero book." –JD Lombardi
"Vaughn's use of fluid time (where past and present intermingle to tell one story) is awesome… Tony Harris' art doesn't hurt either." –Adan Jimenez
"[It] had me from the very first solicitation, [and] it has never let me down." –Rose Vess, The Comics Shrew
"This is easily one of the best if not THE best comic on the racks today… I just love everything about this book." –Ernie Estrella
"A brilliant and realistic comic that blends superhero tropes with real world politics to make one of the best comics on the stands today. Smart writing, great art, this comic is the complete package." –Thacher E. Cleveland
"Vaughn has crafted a parallel New York City that feels absolutely real and populated it with 3-dimensional human beings that go far beyond comic book stereotypes." –Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
"This is solid proof that you can do an overused property right. Whedon continues to write scripts that have heart, humor and action all combined in a nice mix as expected from the force behind both Buffy and Angel. Cassaday matches this with the visuals, putting in subtle nuances that bring the characters to life." –Greg Bradford
"Aptly named, this reimagining of the Avengers is exactly the sort of thing Marvel's Ultimate Universe was created for. Classic heroes in a fresh, more realistic world, with stories geared toward bored old fans and brand new readers. While the other ultimate titles have been inconsistent or downright unnecessary, Mark Millar's The Ultimates has yet to disappoint." –Matthew Bergin
"One of the hardest things to do in comics is taking on a well-known character loaded with history and making him seem fresh and exciting without 'updating' or 'ultimizing' him. Kudos to Busiek for pulling it off masterfully. Plus, Cary Nord was born to draw Conan and Dave Stewart's coloring complements him perfectly, making this one of the best looking comics around, too." –Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
"New spins on childhood favorites like the Big Bad Wolf and Snow White will lure many people in, but this is the year that Fables explodes with major revelations! Soon the series' Adversary will stand revealed…and fans guessing since 2002 will be cyber-ranting on Internet message boards worldwide." –J.D. Lombardi
"While I'm not a big fan of the constant rebooting that the Legion keeps getting, I am a big fan of both Waid and Kitson and I have to say that they've really hit one out of the park with this one. They've introduced a lot of nice new twists into the series and I can't wait to see where they go with it." –Greg Bradford
"The Avengers reassemble, and although this book follows plot-driven stories, Bendis' writing makes it feel as character-driven as its Ultimate universe counterpart. It's got its flaws, Wolverine's constant role as whipping boy being the most glaring. Beyond that, it's simply a fun and exciting comic, featuring some of the medium's most interesting characters." –Hilton Price
"Hollywood Blockbuster done right. The A-Team with a Three Kings edge, Andy Diggle writes intelligent action entertainment better than anyone, and Jock's jagged, bombastic artwork evokes the hyperactivity of a Jerry Bruckheimer movie. This is my high-octane, not-feeling-the-least-bit-guilty pleasure every month." –Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
"Brian K. Vaughn's tale of the last man on earth continues to entertain and enthrall me and there is nary a super anything around. Well, there is Yorick's super ability to get into trouble, which makes for tasty reading." –Adan Jimenez
Honorable Mentions: 100 Bullets, 100 Girls, Amazing Joy Buzzards, Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America, Daredevil, Elk's Run, Gotham Central, JLA: Classified, Manhunter, Queen & Country, Shaolin Cowboy, Skyscrapers of the Midwest, Spider-Girl, Supreme Power, Teen Titans, The Goon, Thunderbolts, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Ultimate X-Men, Walking Dead, Young Avengers
"Recapturing the long forgotten Marvel flair from yesteryear, Dan Slott and Ty Templeton explore the relationship between these two same-but-different heroes throughout the ages with a healthy dose of humor, action and nostalgia, creating a Marvel comic that's just plain fun in a way that most people have forgotten." –Thacher E. Cleveland
"Damn Nation's premise - America is evacuated and has its borders sealed after a vampire-like plague has swept the country and made it uninhabitable - is an intriguing one, and Andrew Cosby amps up the tension and intrigue while J. Alexander offers up the atmospheric visuals, combining for a damned good tale of terror." –Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
"Lex Luthor's perspective is interesting because it isn't inherently evil; [he] is a man doing what he thinks is best for humanity, and of course helping himself in the process. A wonderfully unique look at possibly DC's most famous villain." –Hilton Price
"I'm enjoying all of the Pre-Crisis mini-series because they've all been done very well. And they're all doing their job, making me excited for Infinite Crisis. The prelude was done very well and if you're still hung up on the Blue Beetle biting it, get over it. It was the first time his character was used in a meaningful manner and the OMAC project picks up directly where the prelude left off, and for me that's where the focus is. Plus it's got Greg Rucka writing Batman and more strong women." –Ernie Estrella
"Yeah, that's right. All of it… well, the first halves of Shining Knight, the Manhattan Guardian, Klarion the Witch Boy, and Zatanna, anyway. Grant Morrison's event, for lack of a better word, blows every other summer blockbuster (House of M and Infinite Crisis) out of the water so easily, it's funny." –Adan Jimenez
"Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely could do a comic about an old man making soup, and it would be brilliant. The fact that this series is about genetically enhanced animals that are hunted by the government after escaping their creators, well.... its a whole lot cooler than soup! You will be amazed when dialogue such as "Bzzt--Fud--Mastr—Bzz" actually brings a tear to your eye." –Matthew Bergin
Honorable Mentions: Batman: Jekyll & Hyde, Bigfoot, Dead Boy Detectives, Fade From Grace, Livewires, New West, Power Pack, Shanna the She-Devil, Sleeper: Season Two, Space Ghost, The Plot, The Question, Vimanarama, Why Are You Doing This?, X-23
"Hyped beyond hype, this new take on the Avengers by Marvel's golden boy Brian Michael Bendis and one of its Young Guns David Finch is so not good, one wonders what the point was. At least Carnage died." –Adan Jimenez
Honorable Mentions: Captain America, Green Lantern, House of M, Invincible, Runaways, Secret War, Seven Soldiers, Walking Dead, Wolverine, the X-Franchise
"I loved Ballad of Sleeping Beauty, and Fade from Grace was also a winner. People always say that comics are too expensive but when a more affordable product comes down the line, no one supports it. No one supported Untold Tales of Spider-Man and sadly, not enough people supported Beckett Comics. These days producing $2 comics seems impossible, but these fine folks were putting out well-written books with solid artwork. Ronin Hood of the 47 Samurai came out on this past Free Comic Book Day! You deserve a bang for your buck, and you got it out of their comics." –Ernie Estrella
Honorable Mentions: Batgirl, Detective (David Lapham), Fallen Angel, Hulk (Peter David), JLA: Classified, JSA, Street Angel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
"Okay, so maybe this is buying into hype, but I'm excited to see where all the Crisis build-up has been leading. As each of the lead-in series goes on we begin to get an idea of how the DCU will look in this time of Crisis, and with all of the talent and brainpower behind the series it's clear that there are grand things in the works and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm hooked!" –Thacher E. Cleveland
"I honestly couldn't tell you what the Fall ‘buzz' books are for the most part because I just don't see that much publicity out there for anything other than DC's INFINITE CRISIS. For me being something of a DC Devoted, I can easily say that it is the thing I'm most looking forward to this coming season. There are just too many points of interest for me already with plot threads surrounding the "big three," Booster Gold (a childhood favorite) and others that look to be getting their first major push, like Captains Marvel & Atom. Plus, this'll likely take every penny I have to read!" –J.D. Lombardi
"The 12-issue super-series Spider-Man: The Other, running through 3 Spider titles and featuring the talents of all 3 current creative teams sounds like it is going to be... well, a 12-issue super-series. I have no idea what to expect beyond that. I know it spins right out of HoM. I know it has something to do with the whole Spider-Totem/Ezekiel hoopla from JMS's Amazing Spider-Man run. And I also know that "the other" is a phrase that came up quite often during the...CLONE SAGA! But I don't know what to expect from this series. Plus Peter David returns to Spider-Man for 3 of the 12 issues, Reggie Hudlin gets 3 strikes to redeem himself from his current Marvel Knights work, and JMS hopefully gets to see one of his biggest plot threads come to a head after 2 years of masterful build-up. I'm worried, I'm excited, I'm intrigued. I guess that's all a fanboy can ask for these days." –Matthew Bergin
"Loveless is Brain Azzarello and Marcelo Frusin's new spaghetti western set in the reformation period of civil war and the expansion out west. It's the first time they've hooked up since Hellblazer and spotlights a lot of outlaws and gun slinging." –Ernie Estrella
Honorable Mentions: Astro City: Dark Age, Blacksad #3, Hero@Large John Faust, Peanuts (Hardcovers), SEAL Team Seven, Season of the Witch, Secret Voice, Seven Soldiers, X-Men & Power Pack, Wintermen
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