The Comics Nexus Awards 2006 – part 2

Interior: Comics Nexus Auditorium

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-CURTAIN PULLS BACK-

Voiceover: Welcome back to our coverage of the Comics Nexus Awards 2006!

On the first part of our award ceremony, we revealed the winners for Best Hero, Best villain, Best Supporting Character, Best Group/Team, and of course Best Artist and Best Writer! Those winners have already picked up their commemorative Nexus Awards:

(yes, we know it still looks shabby)

Throughout the ceremony voiceover commentary is provided by your Ceremony Hosts Iain Burnside and Manolis Vamvounis.

To summarise the winners from Day One:

Best Group/Team: RUNAWAYS

Best Supporting Character: LAYLA MILLER (X-FACTOR)

Best Hero: MAYOR MITCHELL HUNDRED (EX MACHINA)

Best Villain: IRON-MAN (CIVIL WAR)

Best Writer: BRIAN K. VAUGHAN

Best Artist: CLIFF CHIANG

To kick off the second part of the ceremony, Matt Morrison returns to the stage to present the award for BEST LIMITED SERIES

Truly, this was the year of the limited series. We’ve seen sales juggernauts such as INFINITE CRISIS, CIVIL WAR, 52 and JUSTICE hit the shelves, not to mention the pant-wetting fanboy favourite that was MARVEL ZOMBIES. Honourable mentions must also go to THE ESCAPIST, HARD TIME SEASON 2, AGENTS OF ATLAS and DR STRANGE: BLOOD OATH, all of which made their presence felt in our lengthy, lengthy, oh-thank-the-fates-it’s-over-now, lengthy deliberations. In the end we went in a different direction altogether, and here’s our Starman to tell you all about it!

WINNER BEST LIMITED SERIES – EX MACHINA SPECIAL

Matt Morrison:

– Since the very beginning, fans of the hit series EX MACHINA have craved more details of Mayor Mitchell Hundred’s career as the first superhero in his world. Such details have been few and far between, limited to very brief flashbacks that relate, somehow, to the current real-time stories of New York City politics. This approach, reminiscent of the late and great syndicated vampire drama FOREVER KNIGHT, has kept fans on the edge of their seats but it has also left some fans wanting for more traditional super-heroic action.

Their wishes were granted with “Life and Death” – a two part EX MACHINA special that turned the usual formula of the book on its head. Instead of opening with a flashback and then cutting to the present day, we open on the present and Mayor Hundred being grilled in a radio interview about his position on the death penalty and if there are some criminals who deserve to die.

Flashback two years to March of 2001. A group of WTO protestors are running amok on the George Washington Bridge and The Great Machine (Mitchell’s superhero identity) is trying to get one of their ringleaders off the top of the bridge where he nearly fell trying to hang a banner. Unbeknownst to Mitchell, however, a sound engineer named Jack Pherson is in the crowd with a radial microphone trying to pick up the voice of the man who can supposedly command machines with a few simple words.

What follows over the next two issues is one of the most terrifying stories of the year as an accident involving his recordings and his pet parrot gives Jack Pherson a twisted version of Mitchell’s own power, granting him the ability to talk to and command animals. More than that, it gives him a twisted sense of empathy, making him sympathize more with the animals of New York City than its people.

For two months, Pherson indulges in a reign of terror, determined to raise himself up as a greater hero to “his people” than The Great Machine is to his. It’s a classic old-school comic-book super-villain story, all the more horrifying for it’s realism as Pherson sinks deeper and deeper into madness and how effective he is in using his powers to terrorize the public. The animals of the Bronx Zoo, the horses of the mounted police – even the very birds in the sky are all soldiers to be called upon at Pherson’s word.

The next time they decide to revamp Aquaman, I think DC Comics needs to put Brian Vaughan on that title. I swear, after this issue, I would actually believe that a man who controls fish could be dangerous in a fight.

This is all beautifully illustrated by the fill-in art team of Chris Sprouse and Karl Story. They aren’t Tony Harris but their style is close enough to that of the regular EX MACHINA artist that I had to double-check the credits page my first time reading the book to make sure that my eyes weren’t deceiving me regarding the art being different. And note that I say the artwork looks different, not bad.

All in all, this is one special that lives up to its name. And that is why we are proud to give EX MACHINA SPECIAL: LIFE AND DEATH the Comics Nexus Award for Limited Series of the Year 2006!

Voiceover: Brian K. Vaughan comes up to the stage to receive his award. But wait, Brian, don’t get off the stage yet, we have more coming for you! Manolis Vamvounis gets on the stage in one giant step to present the award for BEST COLLECTION/GRAPHIC NOVEL

No contest, really. This one ate up a whopping 56% of the vote, mopping the floor with all potential competitors. For the record, these included the hernia-causing UNCANNY X-MEN OMNIBUS, the FABLES: 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL graphic, the painted brick known as ABSOLUTE KINGDOM COME and the movie tie-in THE FOUNTAIN. None of them could come close to getting the award though, and here’s the scientist currently known as Manolis Vamvounis to do the honours!

WINNER BEST COLLECTION/GRAPHIC NOVEL – PRIDE OF BAGHDAD

Manolis Vamvounis:

There are certain graphic novels, comics, call them what you will, that are destined to become classic. And you can tell. WATCHMEN, SANDMAN, V FOR VENDETTA, MAUS, KINGDOM COME… I could go on, but you immediately understand which group of comics I mean. The books which will last the test of time, and become a frame of reference for the heights this favourite medium of ours can accomplice.

And, you guessed right, PRIDE OF BAGHDAD is just such a book. No wonder it has received unanimous dithyrambic praise from the critics, no wonder it has been topping the sales charts and no wonder it has caught the attention of ‘outside’ press. When it was first released, earlier this year, several fans and reviewers rushed to ‘annoint’ PRIDE OF BAGHDAD as the long-awaited ‘Next WATCHMEN‘. I would disagree; because this book has nothing to envy from other works, and nothing to gain or lose from the comparison. It simply now stands as one of the most significant works of art you’ll ever read.

The story is inspired by real events. The closing lines of the story read:

In April 2003, four lions escaped the Baghdad Zoo during the bombing of Iraq. The starving animals were eventually killed by U.S. soldiers.

There were other casualties as well.

Brian K Vaughan took inspiration from a small news story in the midst of the chaos of the recent war, and he wrote an important ‘small’ story about bigger things, like Freedom.

The story follows four lions: two lionesses, a male lion and a young lion cub. After the American bombing destroys the Baghdad Zoo they were held in, they face the prospect of freedom for the first time in years. But they don’t all have the same reaction to their liberation by the American soldiers. The eldest lioness, Safa, wants to remain in the Zoo, she prefers the safety and assurance of captivity than the danger and hunger that waits them outside those walls (“I want to die of old age. If the zoo is the price I have to pay for that, then so be it.”). The young lioness, Noor, after plotting for years with the other caged animals to escape, is uncertain about this unexpected ‘gift’ (”Freedom can’t be given, only earned”). The male lion, Zill, welcomes their new freedom, and wishes to see a sunset that all the years caged behind concrete walls have denied him. The little cub, Ali can’t understand the measure of freedom. Being born inside the zoo, he doesn’t know the meaning of a sunset, or a horizon (or the freedom and open opportunity they symbolize); he keeps asking ‘What is a Horizon?’ and ‘Is that a Horizon?’ even when a bomb hits their den. They will leave their den and venture into the unknown free country, meeting new friends and threats, to reach their own Ithaca: the sunset at the top of a mountain from the rubble of Baghdad.

The whole story functions on multiple levels. The symbolism is there on every page and every character, but it doesn’t take over the reins of the story. The odyssey of the four lions could be read and enjoyed on the surface level, or it can be explored down to a first or second or deeper level to understand the metaphors and the political allegories that the writer is making. At no point does Vaughan resort to preaching or pressing a political view for or against the Americans’ actions in the War. Each of the four lions has a different view about freedom and the accountability of their captors and their liberators. Even as the Pride’s fate tilts the scales in the final pages, the conclusion is left to the reader; Zill doesn’t get a chance to answer Safa’s final words as the Pride takes in the sunset and freedom: ”Was it worth it, old man? For this?”. The answer to that isn’t given in the book but it resonates inside the reader.

Even if Pride didn’t pack such a powerful story and message, it would still be a significant work thanks to the art of Niko Henrichon. He has taken over the task of illustrating a 136-page mature readers graphic novel starring only wildlife in an urban setting. He was asked to capture the reader’s interest, the animals plight and create a connection between the reader and the pride of lions. Without resorting to drafting anthropomorphic elements on his four protagonists he has managed to create four magnificently empathic protagonists who say more through their eyes in one panel than a thousand words could describe. Henrichon has taken over every aspect of the art, from pencilling, to inking and digital colouring. The city of Baghdad is as much a character in the story as the lions and the beauty and terror of it are captured perfectly on the double-page vistas. The expert colouring sets the melancholic mood of a neighbourhood that has survived the apocalypse and frames a sunset that is worth travelling through hell to witness.

In the end, there really was no contest for the Best Graphic Novel of 2006 as PRIDE OF BAGHDAD has marked the past year with its presence.

Voiceover: Brian K. Vaughan is joined on stage by Niko Henrichon who gives a few words as he accepts the award

Niko Henrichon:

So we won? Hey that’s great!
Thanks a lot for the very nice words, glad you liked the book.

Voiceover: How many words is that total so far for BKV? Five! We’ll need to invent more categories for you next year. Here to present talk about the next award for BEST SINGLE ISSUE is the Cool Dude Emeritus of Comics Nexus and current Wizard Magazine writer, Ben Morse!

This one quickly boiled down to three popular choices. One was DAREDEVIL #88, the culmination of Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark’s first arc on the title. Another was X-FACTOR #12, in which Peter David tried his hardest to make M-Day feel like the major event the rest of the Marvel Universe should have. In the end, however, the award went over to DC and their erratically scheduled but always exemplary ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #4 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely.

WINNER BEST SINGLE ISSUE – ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #4

Ben Morse:

– Here’s a little “pull back the curtain” moment for those of you who like this sort of thing: the consensus at my erstwhile place of employment, Wizard Magazine (on sale at comic retailers and fine newsstand outlets near you) had NEW AVENGERS #22 as the best single issue of 2006, but with all due respect to my peers and Brian Bendis (sorry, big guy), I cast my vote early and often for ALL STAR SUPERMAN #4. It’s nice to know that here at Comics Nexus—back “home” for me—folks share my opinion.

From its inception, ALL STAR SUPERMAN has done the masterful job of taking the fun, off the wall camp of the Silver Age and dressing it up for a modern audience with contemporary wit, the intelligence of writer Grant Morrison and the majestic art of Frank Quitely. Issue #4, a spotlight on Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen, hits the zenith of mashing the old with the new to produce an end product that has to put a smile on your face and a twinkle in your eye.

In the latest entry of his successful “For a Day” series, Daily Planet cub reporter Jimmy travels to the moon-based P.R.O.J.E.C.T. to spend a day as director of the ultra-hip home of scientific breakthroughs that would make Einstein blush first introduced in issue one. As is his want, Jimmy gets in over his head forcing him to use that trust signal watch and call Superman in for backup. The twist comes when exposure to black Kryptonite transforms Superman into a sinister figure mentally in tune with Bizarro, forcing Jimmy to play the hero for once, ingesting a formula to transform into a creature resembling Doomsday in order to knock some sense into his big blue buddy, even if it costs him his life.

You can’t help but fall in love with Morrison’s take on Jimmy Olsen: as bumbling and inept as ever, but so smugly self-assured he has no idea. One minute you’re gleefully relishing the kid’s comeuppance, but the next you’re wholeheartedly rooting for him to pull Superman’s fat out of the fire. The bulk of the issue’s first half gets played for laughs, but once you hit the brilliant Superman-as-Bizarro vs. Jimmy-as-Doomsday free for all, the emotion matches the action, as Morrison cuts to Jimmy’s heart of gold, showing how much he really does care for and appreciate Superman and the amount he’s willing to sacrifice to prove himself worthy of the “pal” label.

The rumble in Metropolis also gives Quitely a chance to strut his artistic stuff—a Frank Quitely-drawn Doomsday is the missing piece of my life as a comics readers I never realized I had overlooked—but he shines throughout, ably assisted by inker/colorist Jamie Grant. Quitely often gets a probably deserved bum rap for making all his characters’ faces look like shrivelled old ladies, but that aspect of his work seems to have vanished with maturity here as a dazzling array of facial expressions effectively convey Superman’s painful regression into Bizarro as well as Jimmy’s wide-eyed initial attitude and later grim resolve. Grant’s vibrant colors make the P.R.O.J.E.C.T. truly seem ahead of its time.

ALL STAR SUPERMAN #4 is a comic book you could give to any non-reader and say: “See? This is why I love comics!” with its humor, pathos and perfect blend of the narrative with the visual. What more can you ask for from a single issue? Nothing in 2006.

Voiceover:Thank you Ben! Tim Stevens and Matt Morrison now return on the stage to wrap up our Awards Ceremony with our last two awards of the night, BEST STORY ARC and BEST TITLE!

Far from being a fiercely-contested category, Brubaker & Lark’s tale of an imprisoned Matt Murdock romped home. The only real competition came from “Corrigan II” (GOTHAM CENTRAL #38-40), which brought to a close a startling series that had begun under the creative direction of… Brubaker & Lark! Small world, etc.

WINNER BEST STORY ARC – “THE DEVIL IN CELL BLOCK D” (DAREDEVIL #82-87)

Matt Morrison:

-In 2002, J. Michael Straczynski’s first story for Amazing Spider-Man – “Coming Home” – was honored with the Eisner for Best Serialized Story. Some speculate that it was honored, not because it was the best story of the year but because of the need in the industry that the story filled.

“Coming Home” was a basic story that dealt with a number of character complexities in a simple manner. It could be given to anyone who just knew the name Spider-Man but not the true depth of the character and teach them everything they need to know. And after a decade of constant status quo changes including the Death of Mary Jane, The Resurrection of Aunt May and more clones than you could shake a stick at, it was the kind of story that an increasingly complicated and insular Marvel Universe needed.

I mention this, because “The Devil in Cell Block D” reminds me of “Coming Home” in that same respect. It is a basic, yet intricately complex story that serves to tell you all you need to know about Daredevil if all you know is their name. And even though Ed Brubaker did not have perhaps so large a mess to clean up as JMS did, there is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Brubaker did have his work cut out for him as he started his run on Daredevil.

The previous writer of Daredevil, Brian Michael Bendis, had an extensive award-winning run on the title. But even his most devout supporters must admit that Bendis left the book on a bit of a cliffhanger. His last issue ended with Matt Murdock on his way to prison, having been stripped of his law-license, his secret identity having been outed to the public and his marriage on the rocks. The Kingpin, a long untouchable villain, was also sent to prison. Even Bullseye, so long a nameless cypher in the title, was given a name and tossed in jail by the time Bendis ended his run. The book about a blind lawyer who fought crime had been complicated by its’ own drama and shifted into a drama about a man who had lost everything except for who he was.

This is what Ed Brubaker came into. This is what he had to work with. And “The Devil in Cell Block D” is the story where Ed Brubaker not only rose to the occasion – he flew past the dizzying heights that Brian Michael Bendis had taken the book not a year earlier. Ironically, he did this by taking the book lower than it had ever been, into the seedy, underground culture of prison life.

To tell you more would be to do you a disservice. Suffice it to say, the whole tale is available in trade-paperback format now and is recent enough that a good comic book shop should be able to get you the single issues if that’s your prefered format. Either way, I can guarantee you’ll see why we saw fit to declare this our Storyline Of The Year.

WINNER BEST TITLE – DAREDEVIL

Voiceover: And back we go to DAREDEVIL, which continued to be a Marvel highlight in 2006. The closest competitor here was NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF H.A.T.E., the goat-licking product of Warren Ellis, Stuart Immonen and suitable doses of insanity. However, recent evidence has come to light that questions the non-Skrull ethnicity of Ellis and so we could not in good conscience continue to cast our votes in his general direction. Our resident expert on all things, Tim Stevens will tell us more about our final winner.

Tim Stevens:

Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev had painted Matt Murdock into one hell of a corner. How does Murdock get out of this one, how does he reclaim his life when his other pursuits, as Daredevil, have been revealed by the tabloids and more or less confirmed by the FBI?

More challenging, perhaps, then Murdock’s situation was the situation whichever creative team who had the misfortune of following up the Bendis/Maleev five year run on the title would find themselves in. How do you get Matt out of this one, how do you give him back his dual life and put him beyond the falls of prison, without resorting to hackneyed techniques. Given the level of realism established by Bendis and Maleev, no simple press conference where DD and Matt Murdock could be photographed together would work. No “it was all a dream” device would fly. No “the superheroes all step up and pitch in and voila, Matt is saved” moment would sell. No…things did not look good. How do you fix this one?

It turns out to be not such a challenge for Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, and Stefan Gaudiano as, right out of the gate, they delivered the best storyline of 2006 with “The Devil in Cell Block D”. The team hit the ground running and, in six issues, had laid the groundwork for reasonable doubt about Matt Murdock’s dual identity and put him beyond the prison walls. And they did it with a skill that might have even left Mr. Bendis a bit green with envy.

Equally impressive is that the arc never read like a checklist. There was never a sense of “well, I have to hit these points and get to these resolutions so I can really start my run”. Instead, the storyline unfolded organically, giving us strong characterization and powerful moments in equal magnitude.

Brubaker wrote a Matt Murdock that was losing control of himself, so weighed down with guilt, anger, and frustration that, as the Punisher points out, we were watching him degenerate into something else, something he had devoted his whole to stopping. We were shown that even though we thought Murdock was at his lowest point, his most desperate state of mind, when he went to prison, there were still things that could be taken from him, that could bring him further down.

It was not all cerebral, of course. There was plenty of kicking, punching, and gunplay too. Matt rips through the prison population like a man possessed, cracking skulls while telling himself it is all in the name of finding answers. The prison descends into riots as Bullseye, the Kingpin, and Daredevil “team up”. And then, of course, we have the Punisher sitting in a cell block as well.

For being given some of the biggest shoes in recent history and filling them with such talent we almost forgot that last creative team, Brubaker and Co. deserve a boatload of credit. And Daredevil deserves “Best Title of the Year”.

Voiceover: The room goes wild as Ed Brubaker, our final double winner runs on stage to accept his awards.

Ed Brubaker:

Hey, thanks for recognizing our efforts of DD. I owe it all to Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev for setting us up so perfectly, and to Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano, Frank D’Armata, and Matt Hollingsworth. They keep me wanting to type to see what they do next.

Voiceover: And on that note, the curtain falls back over the Nexus Auditorium. Congratulations once more to all the winners for this year:

Best Title: DAREDEVIL (Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark)