4. Marvel Now What?! #1 By Skottie Young Et Al. (Marvel)
If there's one distinction I'd make between Marvel and DC these days (besides sales), it's that Marvel have a sense of humour and DC don't. While DC are busy with their villains - Villains' Month, Forever Evil, Necessary Evil - Marvel have a broad range of comics that run the gamut from teen fiction, family drama, spy stuff, action, comedy, superhero shenanigans, team books. And they're also cool enough to make fun of themselves as shown in Marvel Now What?! #1, a one-shot of funny short stories starring Marvel's best and brightest as written by comedians like Brian Posehn, 30 Rock's Scott Adsit, and The Daily Show's Wyatt Cenac, to name a few. From Skottie Young's excellent one-page intro, the yuks rarely let up throughout this comic. The High Evolutionary, as written by Elliott Kalan, rips into Marvel NOW!'s comics, mocking the name, the numerous X-Men and Avengers titles, and convoluted storylines. It's only two pages but it's full of really well-observed critiques that I'm surprised Marvel published given how cynical it makes them look! There's Doc Ock going on the Gong Show, the X-Men taking an improv class, Cap attempting online dating, and She-Hulk, Sue Storm and Wasp going to brunch - only to encounter a hungry Doctor Doom! Marvel Now What?! has wonderful art throughout, lots of great stories that really make you laugh, especially if you're a Marvel fan, and I enjoyed the hell out of this one-shot. Serious, complex stories like Infinity and Battle of the Atom are all well and good but sometimes a lighter, simpler approach is just what the doctor ordered. If you're looking for an entertaining Marvel comic you can sit back with and enjoy viscerally, Marvel Now What ?! is for you.