30. Guardians of the Galaxy by Brian Michael Bendis et al. (Marvel)
With a big budget Marvel Studios movie out next summer, Marvel Comics put their go-to guy for when they need to take a little-known group of characters and give them the blockbuster treatment Brian Michael Bendis. Bendis' Guardians team is made up of the main staples: Star-Lord, Gamora, Groot, Drax and Rocket Raccoon, all confirmed for the movie, along with a familiar face, Tony Stark, who lends some recognition to this largely unknown cast. As if the list of obscure characters wasn't long enough, Bendis also threw Neil Gaiman's character Angela into the mix the angelic bounty hunter from Gaiman's early 90s run on Spawn. The cosmic series has had an amazing roster of artists from Steve McNiven to Sara Pichelli and now Francesco Francavilla to make this one of the most consistently good looking titles in the Marvel NOW! line-up. The series so far has been enormously fun and epic and doing its job of making Marvel's audience aware of this group in the run up to the August release date of the movie. Whether the movie is any good or not, the comic is worth reading.
29. The Goon Volume 12: Them That Raised Us Lament by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)
Eric Powell's Goon series is a mixture of noir, twisted dark horror, and some of the smartest, funniest comedy you'll find in all of comics. If you've never read Goon before, this one is a fine place to get a taste of what it's like. Don't be put off by the Volume 12 label, this is a collection of four standalone tales that anyone can read, whether they're familiar with the title or not. This book has some great stories like the tale of Kizzie the Iron Maiden (Goon's mum), and the Hooch monkey, but the best part of the book is issue #39 which parodies Marvel and DC perfectly. Satirising the Big 2's comics like using the gimmick of repeatedly re-setting the issue count to #1, using multi-coloured heroes for no reason, "dynamic" page layouts that look terrible, and making headline-grabbing stunts like making superheroes gay and/or ethnically diverse. I love superhero comics but Powell's parody is completely spot-on in pointing out the medium's sins. Powell's art is also utterly beautiful, his painted style making every page a treat for the eyes. Everyone needs more Goon in their lives.
28. New Avengers, Volume 1: Everything Dies by Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting (Marvel)
Jonathan Hickman's Avengers title may be terrible but strangely his New Avengers title is actually really good. That might be because this isn't really an Avengers book and is actually an Illuminati story though with the enormous success of The Avengers movie, it's understandable why Marvel are putting the Avengers stamp on damn near everything these days! In this book, parallel worlds are colliding into one another, hastening the end of all things everything dies. The Illuminati take it upon themselves to destroy entire planets to save other planets essentially making New Avengers a morality play starring superheroes, which turns out to be a potent combination. Steve Epting's art is beautiful and brings to breath-taking awe the sight of two planets colliding. If, like me, you weren't impressed with Avengers or Infinity, remind yourself why Hickman's in the top tier of Marvel's writers with New Avengers.
27. Chew by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image)
One of Image's best titles of the last few years, Chew continued it's fantastic run this year, introducing a whole host of weird new foodie criminals and some big developments in our hero, Tony Chu's, life. Tony is a cibopath meaning he can see how a person died by taking a bite out of them and eating. Featuring a world ravaged by avian flu, vampires, mysterious flames in the sky, and chicken cults, Chew is one of the most original and completely bonkers comics out there. Funny, exciting story and amazing characters from Layman with gorgeous art from Guillory, Chew remains a must-read for comics fans everywhere.
26. Batman: Li'l Gotham by Dustin Nguyen (DC)
Chibi (small) versions of Batman and his world? It seems like an overly cutesy idea but one that writer/artist Dustin Nguyen pulls off superbly. As you'd expect from an all-ages comic, Li'l Gotham takes a lighter tone to other Batman comics with playful stories set around the holidays. Bruce teaches Damian how to trick or treat, Joker escapes a loved-up Harley on Valentine's Day, Penguin tries to save some turkeys on Thanksgiving, and Bruce and his boys celebrate their surrogate father, Alfred, on Father's Day. Beautifully written and illustrated, Li'l Gotham is a treat for readers, young and old, and makes a nice break from the many overly bleak Batman comics being published at the moment.