Manhunter and Ms. Marvel are year's third best
DC's "Manhunter" was originally cancelled after 25 issues, but there was such a huge fan backlash to the annonucement of the title's demise that the DC brass including Dan Didio heard the fans loud and clear and decided to give the book a second chance. That was one of the best news of 2006 for yours truly. I happen to be in love with strong female lead characters, from Peter David's "Supergirl" run from a decade ago to his newest female sensation, "the Fallen Angel" (coincidentally another great book which DC cancelled only to resurface over at IDW) I think that non conventional female superheroes are great fun. Just like David's character Lee on Fallen Angel, the character of Kate Spencer as penned by writer Marc Andreyko is not your prototypical big breasted female heroine. Kate is as human as the people she interacts with in the comics and her status as a D-List hero doesn't preclude her from interacting with some of comicdom's big guns such as the Justice League or her adventure with a certain Amazon princess this month. Yet, like many of the great books I previously mentioned, Manhunter also benefits from an interesting milieu populated by some interesting supporting characters such as Dylan, Kate's hilarious relucnant techno savvy assistant and Cameron Chase.
I proclaimed "Manhunter" the best comic book of a year ago. The book didn't publish nearly as often in 2006 to retain that title, but it did tie with another strong female heroine's book for the mantle of third best comic of 2007. Sharing that honor is Marvel's own "Ms. Marvel" which came into its own with 10 kick ass issues this past year, aptly brought to life by the writer and artist combo of Brian Reed and Roberto De La Torre. The character of Carol Danvers has been around since the 60s. She's been a member of the X-Men and is now on the roster of the New Avengers. She was transformed by the alien Kree Empire's DNA-altering technology into who she is today, and though she has gone by various other monickers including Binary and Warbird, it is this run which may go the farthest in establishing her as a mainstay in the Marvel universe for years to come. I love this character and how Reed and De La Torre are handling her in this latest series. Even though Carol was on the wrong side of Marvel's Civil War series currently entangling most of the Marvel characters, every issue seems to pack the requisite slugfests, action, and intrigue which will keep fans coming back for more. Though Danvers has a richer history than Kate Spencer, her creators expertly use her past to craft new and entertaining stories. A good example is her recent tussle with former X-Men team member Rogue. I love the costume, I love the artwork, I love almost everything about this book. No wonder then, Ms. Marvel and Manhunter tie for the third best comic of 2006.
