January
7 The 2nd Annual Bags and Boards Comicbook Awards

Like all awards shows, this blog’s honors got squeezed by the tighter-than-ever Oscar schedule — though in our case it meant a delay as we had a particularly hectic holiday season and New Year’s getting all that film coverage in order.

This year ran much like last, though there are a few changes. Our elite, blue-ribbon panel lost one member and added two new ones to bring the total number of voters to four. We also decided to make one category change, dropping best event comic and adding one for best cover.

So dust off the powder-blue tux and cue the cheesy theme music and let’s get to it:

Best nonsuperhero comic

100 Bullets, by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso (DC/Vertigo)

This was an especially strong year for the high-concept crime saga, buoyed by the continuing excellence of its creative team of writer Azzarello and artist Risso. After their short stint on “Batman,” they seem to be back at the top of their game as they revisited some familiar faces in prison and delved into the history of the Trust. Now past the halfway point (the series is supposed to run 100 issues … of course!) it continues to provide the sort of innovative and engaging stories that the only the best comics are capable of.

Runners-up: Eightball #23, by Dan Clowes (Fantagraphics); The Goon, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)

Best superhero comic

Astonishing X-Men, by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday (Marvel)

It was a strong year for superhero comics, but nothing hit all the right notes as well as this one. Whedon was able to bring his talent for quippy dialogue and humor intact to the page while writing a story that completely served its characters and concepts and was perfectly paced to boot. Cassaday was the perfect complement, with art that was beautiful and believable.

Runner-up: Identity Crisis, by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales (DC)

Best original graphic novel

Tie: In the Shadow of No Towers, by Art Speigelman (Pantheon); Spaghetti Western, by Scott Morse (Oni Press)
(Click on images for a better look)

Art Spiegelman’s return to comics was almost more of a self-therapy session than a book, but it was a really fascinating therapy session that got into the emotions of 9/11. It was a beautiful object, too. Morse’s Spaghetti Western is probably the most fun five-minute read you’ll ever have. The sepia-toned landscape format allowed the story to unfold like a little movie complete with all the surprises and showdowns you’d expect from a classic Western.

Runner-up: No Dead Time, by Brian McLachlan and Thomas Williams (Oni Press)

Best cover

Bite Club #1, by Frank Quitely (DC/Vertigo)

It can be hard to judge comics covers because, especially for long-running series, the already-hooked audience pays little attention. But the striking and sexy image Quitely provided of the vampire Risa drinking blood from a milk carton had the design, color work and execution necessary to get attention all on its own.

Runners-up: Astonishing X-Men #6, by John Cassaday (Marvel), Astonishing X-Men #2, by John Cassaday (Marvel)

Best translation of a comicbook to another medium

“Spider-Man 2,” directed by Sam Raimi

The original “Spider-Man” was a phenomenon that performed well beyond expectations, but the sequel was one of those rarities that truly improved upon the original. Freed from the need to tell the origin and with a much more interesting villain to deal with, “Spider-Man 2” managed to truly capture what the iconic superhero was all about.

Runners-up: “Hellboy” movie (Sony), “Teen Titans” TV series (Cartoon Network)

Best writer

Joss Whedon, Astonishing X-Men
(Click on image for a better look)

Taking on the X-Men is kind of like a land-mine and it’s a credit to Whedon’s talent that he was able to maneuver it so successfully without resorting to extensive revamps or the overused “everything you know is wrong!” approach. (Yeah, he brought back one character from the dead, but he did it so well and so effectively. Go back and read that scene and Kitty’s reaction and think of the last time you saw something handled that well.) And while his run on Astonishing is slated to end after 12 issues, here’s hoping that he finds the time between movies to come back to the comics page.

Runners up: David Lapham, for Stray Bullets and Detective Comics; Brad Meltzer, for Identity Crisis.

Best artist

John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men, Planetary

After turning in increasingly exemplary work on “Planetary” and “Captain America,” taking on Astonishing X-Men finally launched Cassaday into the upper echelon of comicbook artists. Each panel is delicate and powerful and his naturalistic drawing style complements his near-perfect composition. The result is pages that are both jaw-droppingly beautiful that also tell the story with great clarity and emotion.

Runners up: Rags Morales, for Identity Crisis; Eduardo Risso, for 100 Bullets, Batman