By
Roger Burks
September 6, 2004 - 10:32
These rankings are compiled from the top 3 vote-getters of 22 different voters on the Internet for comics released on August 18th, 2004.
1. Birds of Prey #70, 18 pts
Major suspense and an excellent plot! Vixen was written especially well. Braniac is now interesting for the first time that I can remember since he got a pair of pants.
2. Ex Machina #3, 11 pts
"Tony Harris art is terrific. The story is really interesting but so far the whole superhero thing has been superflous to the story of him being mayor. The dialogue is just completely clever." ackthehack, DC Message Boards
3. Daredevil #63, 8 pts
"Still a good issue, but definately Bendis' weakest since he returned to the book. Gotta love DD, though!" revolver86, DC Message Boards
(tied for 4th) She-Hulk #6, 7 pts
A nice, heartwarming resolution to the Pym Particles story. Not as wildly creative as the first half, but still with much of the charm that makes this series great.
(tied for 4th) HERO #19, 7 pts
A decent block of dead space before the final hurrah. The dialogue and plot are very good here, but not much happens. In hindsight, I would cite the general slow pace as one of the main reasons that the series never found a large audience. Another problem is its completely pessimistic world view. However, it deserved better. It faced an uphill battle all the way, but I'm glad that DC even tried it.
(tied for 6th) Hawkman #31, 6 pts
I really didn't like this arc, as it had the feel of excessive melodrama. This issue did not change that. The villain turned out to be a hokey Swamp Thing clone, and the moral of the story is that Carter "learned" something that he has learned a million times before. The writing did show some potential for improvement, so the next arc may be better.
(tied for 6th) Astro City Special #1, 6 pts
This is certainly the best Astro City story that I have read. The melancholic atmosphere of the series is always a bit of a downer with me, but the excellent quality of the stories makes up for it in part. This story of a major superhero past his prime is interesting. The metaphoric message about how comics have changed is well-delivered. I would have a slight complaint about the characterization of the person who pulls Supersonic into the story. Overall, a very good read.
(tied for 6th) Human Target #13, 6 pts
"Its a total shame that a solid book like this is in the cellar in sales, yet its so damn good. Instead we have tripe like Superman/Batman, an below sub-par Azz/Lee Superman, and way overhyped X-titles killing this book. Peter Milligan writes some brilliant stuff; fans of his Shade, Enigma and everything else he's done is wonderful. The second half of this arc kinda ends with a whimper, but the story's still rolls along with action and intrgue. Javier Pulido, another underrated penciller, does a great job. Fellow reviewers, pick up the 3 trades Peter has written and I promise you that it beats most of the mainstream stuff out there." DubipR, DC Message Boards
(tied for 9th) Adventures of Superman #631, 5 pts
"A bit of a step down from the last few issues. Art was good, but not as fantastic as it's been. The fight seemed to wrap up a little too easily. There are still lots of questions unanswered, but hopefully that will be remedied next issue. Superman hearing the gunshot from half a world away was great. The end shouldn't have been a surprise, but I guess I didn't look at the cover very closely." Mister Miracle, DC Message Boards
(tied for 9th) Robin #129, 5 pts
"Wow, do I LOOOOOOVE crossovers! Sucky story, another rehash of a No Man's Land crossover that was more effective than this one. When the hell are the Bat Eds going to get their heads outta their behinds and see that crossovers SUCK! But I digress, decent art (no Damion Scott this time), but didn't even give a darn about this or the related War Games idea. Yet, I'm compelled to pick up the usual titles I buy that are affected by all of this." DubipR, DC Message Boards
(tied for 9th) Plastic Man #9, 5 pts
"Y'know, this probably would've gotten the top place if the resolution of the story hadn't been so out of left field. There was so much obvious creativity and originality in the tale -- so many laugh out loud moments -- that I was really REALLY into it. But having Poison Ivy be the villianess who was manipulating J'onn J'onz and Metron -- that was a bit much -- sorta like Baker wrote himself into a corner and wasn't sure how to get out of it. I'm still up in the air on this series. It's truly brilliant at times, and truly not at others." ishmael1st, DC Message Boards
12. Manhunter #1, Demo #9, Batman Adventures #17, 4 pts
15. Terra Obscura Vol. 2 #1, Scott Pilgrim Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, Ultimate Spider-Man #64, Boneyard #15, Lucifer #53, 3 pts
20. The Invaders #1, JSA: Strange Adventures #1, Voltron Vol. 2 #8, Marvel Age Spider-Man #10, Sabrina the Teenage Witch #60, New X-Men: Academy X #4, 2 pts
26. Exiles #51, Batman: Gotham Knights #56, Batgirl #55, Fraction #5, DC Comics Presents: The Atom #1, Fallen Angel #14, Jinki: Extend vol. 1, 1 pt
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