Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Your Top 10 Titles of 2004

10. X-Staitx : I miss this title terribly and I came to the series late around issue 10 and had to back track issues

9. JSA : This title is a fan boys dream and each issue is better than the last also I was a huge Infinity Inc fan and love the treatment the characters they get here

8. Outsiders : I so wanted to hate this title but suprisingly I love it The new characters are great espically Thunder and as I already mentioned I was a huge Infinity Inc fan so Jade's involvement here is most welcome

7.Exiles : this is the second best X-book around the use of B-list characters is awesome

6. Flash : The reason this book is great for me is the time used to develop the other characters besides Flash. Piper, Heatwave and Magents are all faves of mine and I can't wait to see Rogue war!

5. Manhunter : a great new series one of the best in a few years hope this one is around for awhile

4. Birds of Prey : Canary Oracle and Huntress 3 of my favorite ladies and Gail,s writing has made this one of the titles I look forward to most

3. Teen Titans : What can I say this title rocks and the current storyline is awesome and I have waited years for a new Aquagirl Whhoooo-hooo!

2. Identity Crisis : Even though the ending left something to be desierd this title totally had me involved in the story I felt for Ralph Ray and Tim I miss Sue terribly Great art and Covers

1. Astonishing X-Men : This book is good if your not buying it you should be Kitty and Peter are awesome!

She-hulk
Ultra
Invincible
Walking Dead
Ultimate FF
Fables
Y the Last Man
Powers
Madrox
Ex Machina

No particular order

X-Statix
JSA
Teen Titans
Astonishing X-Men
Madrox
Ultimates
Runaways
Exiles
JLA: Classified
Walking Dead

SHE-HULK

X-STATIX

OUTSIDERS

TEEN TITANS

JSA

BIRDS OF PREY

ALPHA FLIGHT

THE LEGION (hey, I haven't forgotten those Infectious Lass appearances!)

ULTIMATES/ULTIMATES 2

SUPREME POWER (despite recent lagging interest)

Negation
New Mutants/Academy X
Liberty Meadows
Fables
JSA
She-Hulk
Kabuki
Birds of Prey
Ex Machina
Manhunter

Honorable mentions to DC:New Frontier, Promethea and X-Statix

In no certain order:

Supreme Power
Ex-Machina
Negation
Astonishing X-Men
Teen Titans
She-Hulk
Ultimates (1 and 2)
Batman (The Lee/Loeb 'Hush' story was the first Batman story I've enjoyed in over a decade)
The Legion
The Walking Dead

I know I said no particular order but if I had to pick a number one title it would be The Walking Dead. Best zombie book, ever.

In no order

- The Legion
- Green Lantern: Rebirth
- Supreme Power
- She-Hulk
- Astonishing X-Men
- B.P.R.D.
- New Frontier
- The Question
- The Ultimates
- Alias

in order .....

1. The Legion and the Legion Of Super Heroes [ well i did come out in 2004 !!! ]

2. Teen Titans

3. Superman / Batman

4. Birds Of Prey

5. Green Lantern: Rebirth [ so far ...... ]

6. The Flash

7. JSA

8. Hawkman

9. Identity Crisis

10. Wonder Woman

Matthew.

I'm sure I've forgotten some but here are the ones that stand out in my mind (in no order) -

1. Superman/Batman (just a FUN, very well drawn comic with loads of great guest appearances.)

2. The New Frontier (Darwyn Cooke blew this out of the ball-park! Wonderful in so many ways!)

3. Identity Crisis (love or hate the ending - I hated it - there's no doubt in my mind that this was THE comic event of 2004 and issues 1 - 6 contained some of the best super-hero writing I've ever read.)

4. Adam Strange (a fantastic update of a classic character with an exciting and interesting story and some of the best art of 2004/5. BUY THIS COMIC!)

5. Human Target (for people who like comics that make them think. Peter Milligan is one of the most versatile and underrated comics writers out there and this is one of his best series' EVER!)

6. Birds of Prey (Gail Simone is a comics writing goddess! Every issue of her run has been a winner for me! Love her choices of villains and guest stars and love the fact that she is one of the few writers out there today who can actually make me care about her characters!)

7. Fables (the covers alone make this comic a must buy but Willingham's engaging and original - in an ironic way since they're all not - characters and relentlessly forward moving plot are the icing on the cake. This is one of the few comics I read that consistently surprises me!)

8. Astro City (I know we haven't seen much of it this year but what little we have have been gems. Possibly the most perfect comics universe out there! Why? Because it uses its strict continuity as an advantage to tell wonderful stories, instead of letting it become a dirty word used by lazy writers and fans.)

9. JSA (for so long this comic was hit and miss with me but this year it finally got good - REALLY good! Black Reign was a fantastic page-turner and I love the storylines that Johns has coming up too. And I LOVE the fact that so many long-neglected DC cult-faves get treated with respect in this series.)

10. Beware The Creeper (this Vertigo mini came out this year didn't it? A wonderfully adult story with engaging, original characters and a super-surprise ending. An overlooked gem.)

*gasp* I have no idea how, but I forgot to put SP on my list! I'd sub it for Walking Dead.

Superman/Batman
JSA
Flash
Daredevil
Astonishing X-Men
Fables
She-Hulk
New Frontier (by far the best of the year)
Ultimate Spider-Man
Gotham Central

Lots of runners-up, but these ten stand out above the rest IMO.

In no particular order, my 10 standouts of 04:

Fallen Angel

Demo

Birds of Prey

Less Than Hero

Outsiders

Adam Strange (so far, so good)

Fables

Planetary

We 3

Hopeless Savages

CAPTAIN AMERICA : Have only seen the first issue thus far, but has me as interested in, and excited about, the good Captain as I have ever been.

EL CAZADOR : Was really enjoying this parate adventure when CrossGen was sucked under the murky waters.

THE COMPLETE PEANUTS : A Must have!

DOOM PATROL : The first couple of issues were touch-n-go, but since then pure great comics in the classic style.

THE GOON : Good, goofy fun. Madcap and macabre.

GOTHAM CENTRAL : Great Police proceedural, with fantastic art. Too bad Lark is leaving

JLA: ANOTHER NAIL : An engaging Elseworlds, Alan Davis Rocks!

LEGION of SUPER-HEROES : Only one issue so far, but, YA BABY!!!!

SPIRIT ARCHIVES : All good comics storytelling techniques began here.

SUPERMAN/ BATMAN : Have only purchased the current LSV storyline, but have enjoyed that as much as any comics story all year.

Honerable mention (always buy one or the other when I can fit 'em into my budget)

WALT DISNEY'S COMICS & STORIES / UNCLE SCROOGE: Ofter more fun, a better read, and a better value than most comics.

Don't you dare! Take X-Statix instead.

In no particular order:

JSA
Ex-Machina
Rex Mundi
Neotopia
Gotham Central
New Frontier
Superman/Batman
Fables
Jack Staff
B.P.R.D.

Hmmm ... don't know if I have 10 for 2004 ...

My top books in 2004 were GirlGenius by Phil & Kaja Foglio,
and P.S.238 by Aaron Williams.

Legion, JSA, and Uncle $crooge were all good; the current storyline in JLA is good, but on the whole 2004 was a below-average year for that title ...

IIRC, there was one issue of Age Of Bronze in 2004, and two issues of Liberty Meadows ...

And let's have a little recognition for two series which ended in early 2004: BONE and Cerebus.

Stupid, stupid rat creatures!

I'll put Bone as my #1 pick, because I had the rare and great pleasure of reading the entire series at once with the collection published last fall. It was also a series that I had ignored for a while and I was happily surprised to see how badly I had underestimated it.

Apart from that, and in no order:

Legion
Fables
Sleeper
Rex Mundi
Love Fights
Planetary (the only series I re-read in full)

That's only seven, but I don't buy that many series. A few others I was buying in 2004 are cut off the list for 2005.

(I never read The New Frontier or Ex Machina, which many of you recommended, and which sound especially interesting to me - but plan to pick up the trades.)

1. Astonishing X-Men- without a doubt, the best X-Men since Claremont/Byrne. At this rate, they might be better.

2. Orbiter- I picked up the TPB. A MUST for sci-fi fans.

3. Ocean- Ellis rules.

4. Ultimate FF- Love the re-imagining here.

5. Ultimate Spidey- I really think this book pays homage to the original with comedy, tragedy, and teen angst all rolled into one.

6. Supreme Power- Big Brother is in the super hero biz!

7. Y, the Last Man- greatness.

8. Invincible- great action and humor.

9. Teen Titans- Kid Flash rocks.

10. Green Lantern:Rebirth- he's baaaack!!!

While I haven't read all of those titles, here's my list of the best of 2004:
Liberty Meadows (if you haven't read it, you're missing a hilarious book)
New X-Men
Catwoman: When in Rome (quite a bit like the previous Catwoman series - with a very intriguing Catwoman monologue
Black Widow
Marvel Knights 4