Well, we haven't received any really good ideas for the names. There were a few that I liked, but I don't think they were quite good enough to be a good name, or they were something that, should we decide to do this again next year, would make any sense for next year's awards. So, at this point, the name of the awards is still to be determined. I still had to make up some graphics, though.

That's right--your favorite comic could win a coveted TBD Award! In fact, you could help it win! Just submit your votes in the following categories to awards@fanboycomics.biz, or fill out one of our handy paper ballots we'll have available in the store. You don't have to vote in every category, but that's not discouraged, either. Here are the categories available for voting:

Best Cover - The issue with the best cover art released in 2006.
Best New Comic Series - Best series beginning in 2006; i.e., issue #1 was published sometime in 2006.
Best Single Issue - The best single comic issue released in 2006.
Best Miniseries - The best miniseries of 2006. At least half of the issues of the miniseries must have been published in 2006.
Best Story Arc - The best story arc in an ongoing series of 2006. At least half of the issues of the story arc must have been published in 2006.
Best Ongoing Series - The best ongoing comic series (i.e., not a miniseries) of 2006.
Best Moment - The best moment in any comic where you just went, "That was awesome."
Best Original Graphic Novel - The best graphic novel composed of material not originally released in individual issues.
Best Collection - Best collection of material previously released in individual issues.
Best Comic-Based Movie/DVD/TV Show - Pretty much anything you care about that can somewhat fit in this category. I'm not going to be too strict about it.
Best Indie Comic - The best independent comic book published in 2006. Indie is defined as not published by Marvel, DC, Image or Dark Horse.
Best Hero - The best comic book hero of 2006, by whatever criteria you deem proper.
Best Villain - The best comic book villain of 2006, by whatever criteria you deem proper.
Best Comic Babe - The best comic book babe of 2006, by whatever criteria you deem proper. I guess women can send in their votes for hot guys or whatever. THE THINGS I DO FOR FEMINISM.
Best Artist - The best comic artist of 2006.
Best Writer - The best comic writer of 2006.
Best Roleplaying Game Product - The best product released for any roleplaying game or system in 2006.
Best Card Game Product - The best product released for any card game in 2006.
Best Miniatures Product - The best product released for any miniatures game in 2006.

Alright, now that we've got the categories established and hopefully well defined, let's see those votes! To give you an idea of some of the awesome stuff that came out in 2006, the Fanboy Comics staff has all made their selections and we will be revealing them week by week until the final votes are tallied. This week, Mac is revealing his choices.

Catwoman #51

art by
Adam Hughes

X-Factor

written by
Peter David
art by
Ryan Sook
Dennis Calero

Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #2

written by
Damon Lindelof
art by
Leinil Francis Yu

Agents of Atlas

written by
Jeff Parker
art by
Leonard Kirk

Daredevil 82-87
"The Devil, Inside and Out"

written by
Ed Brubaker
art by
Michael Lark

The Incredible Hulk

written by
Greg Pak
art by
Carlo Pagulayan

Spider-Man bites Morlun's Head Off.
(Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #3)

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall

written by
Bill Willingham
art by
Various

Sam and Twitch: The Brian Michael Bendis Collection Vol. 1

written by
Brian Michael Bendis

Ultimate Avengers

Mouse Guard

by
David Petersen
published by
Archaia Studios Press

Machine Man

Iron Man

Red Sonja

art by
Paul Renaud

Eric Powell

Dan Slott
(The Thing, She-Hulk)

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Realms of Sorcery

published by
Black Industries

Warhammer Fantasy Battles 7th Edition

Sorry, but things have been hectic around here today, so I don't really have time to do the grand, epic Fanboy Fights writeup that I planned.  This is fortunate for you, the reader, as it gives you an excellent chance to win January's $10.00 Gift Certificate!  You see, we only have one entry so far for this fight, and it's from Perry Morrison, who was ineligible for the month of January!  So, if one person sends in a Fanboy Fights entry over the next week, he or she could win the $10.00 Gift Certificate!  Come on, some of you must have some ideas for She-Hulk vs. Judge Wapner, so send them in to awards@fanboycomics.biz!

---

Ultimate Civil War Spider-Ham Crisis #1

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Artists: Mike Wieringo, Nick Dragotta, Jim Mahfood, Ariel Olivetti,
Sean Phillips & More
Colorist: June Chung
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $2.99

It was bound to happen, that Marvel would drag out this Civil War thing even longer by extracting an extremely loose tie-in from the emergency c-section that is this comic. It looks like an "Ultimate" line-styled cover, and perhaps the most telling reason for the release of this book is right in Mike Wieringo's cover art: Spider-Ham, dead center, holding a bloody dollar sign. Well, there ya go.

Spider-Ham doesn't have a very distinguished origin story; from the pens of Tom DeFalco and Mark Armstrong came this diminutive anthropomorphic creation in the early 1980s for Marvel Tails #1. Does anything else matter? Because you don't come to this comic for the continuity; you hope to come here for the laughs.

Straczynski, taking time off from the real Spider-Man to earn a supplemental paycheck, offers the loosest of narratives. We open with Spider-Man, sitting in a dirty alley, contemplating the very nature of his existence. Nothing too heady; he's thinking but in the absence of thought balloons. Thus, a journey begins, with Spider-Ham searching for the thought bubbles that let him...think. And in order for Marvel to use their titular event on the cover, Ham walks through a major pro-reg/anti-reg battle. This moment has its laughs-probably at the expense of everyone at Marvel who's involved with Civil War. What happens next is Ham's continuing journey through various Marvel series and characterizations. They're all somewhat chuckle-worthy, but are more in the service of letting Marvel's hot-shot artists get single-page assignments in order to squeeze as much star power into the book as editorially possible (with Marvel Zombies artist Sean Phillips getting the final-and best-word).

There's really no point for this book, and everybody involved would probably admit to that. But it could've been funnier, or at least taken more shots at Marvel, and especially DC. Laughing at your own major crossover is a perfect opportunity to take some kidney shots at the Distinguished Competition's own event. Sure, you can't use the characters, but there are ways around that. Only half of this book is story, with the rest simply being a pin-up gallery.

Its fun to see these artists have fun with these porcine characterizations (Ariel Olivetti's page is especially nice), but after finishing this issue there weren't too many laughs. And that's all this book should be. Or maybe it could've been a straight-ahead lampooning of all things Civil War. It could've been a lot of things, but above all, it just wasn't enough.

RATING: 2.5/5

---

Archenemies Vol. 1 TP

Writer: Drew Melbourne
Penciler: Yvel Guichet
Inker: Joe Rubenstein
Colorists: Rick Hiltbrunner
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $12.95

It's the kind of superhero story that's so tailor-made for an indie comic that it's surprising that it hasn't been done before: "Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar [sic] meet Peter Parker and Harry Osborn" (those are the words of writer J. M. DeMatties, who, in reviewing the book, puts it so well that I didn't want to even bother trying to come up with a worthy comparison). The high-concept, courtesy of creator and writer Drew Melbourne, breathes exciting life into the dichotomy between good and evil. At times, the story runs amuck with dialogue and a scene or two not always adding up, but the overall effect is a nuanced, emotional character study that retains familiar archetypes while complicating how we view both heroes and villains.

This trade originally appeared in the first four issues of the Archenemies series, and right off the bat we know that Ethan, AKA Star Fighter, and Vincent, AKA Underlord, are roommates. Vincent, the overachieving and neurotic second son of a crime boss, knows Ethan's superhero identity, but Ethan has no idea about Vincent's extracurricular activities. Ethan's an All-American guy and pitch-perfect hero, so right for the job in fact that he doesn't really know what's going on around him. He gets the girl, he saves the day, he makes messes, and he doesn't care. But Vincent is always there to straighten up, to do the dishes, to vacuum. (A weakness of the story is that the reader never knows exactly why these guys stay as roommates, or if Vincent is in such a dire financial position that he has nowhere else to go.) While Vince is always trying to eliminate the Ethan equation from his life, he never fully succeeds.

Each of the guys is also dealing with several personal demons: family. Ethan has a strained relationship with his father, and Vincent desperately wants to be accepted as a viable villain in a crowded marketplace. For the characters, both B-storylines are rarely fully fleshed-out. Even though this collection is only the first four issues, it is a self-contained miniseries. Perhaps future minis will illuminate their respective background further, but for such an expansive examination of superhero archetypes, Melbourne leaves a lot underdeveloped. The damaged relationship between Ethan and his father doesn't get a satisfying explanation, and the delicate balance of power in Vincent's family isn't fully rendered. They're both very intriguing, but there's so much under the surface that is never acutely revealed.

Yvel Guichet's art brilliantly captures a world of damaged psyches, and the plentitude of close-ups lets the reader get into the characters' craniums. For a genre-bending work like this, there are bound to be misfires. But for every overlooked element, there's even more that develops into a bright new take on superheroes. Melbourne and his team deserve a chance to redefine some of those staid capes going through the motions at the majors.

RATING: 4/5

---

The Adventures of Spawn #1

Writer: Jonathan David Goff
Artist: Khary Randolph
Colorists: Jason Gonzalez & Joe Ferstl
Publisher: McFarlane/Image
Price: $5.99

The pitch for this book is simple: Spawn for Kidz! Saturday Morning Spawn! The character has been around for nearly 15 years, but he doesn't get the same kind of attention that he did when he debuted with great fanfare. When Todd McFarlane launched the series, the tone was adventure-based, much softer than later incarnations of the series as guided by new writers. A more mature-themed book was what McFarlane wanted after establishing a readership. More violence, more hell, more dour storytelling...Spawn hasn't been much fun. In fact, I can't think of anybody I know who's still reading the series. Certain readers certainly are checking in with Spawn every month, but it's been a long time since the character was injected with new blood. Spawn may in fact be better known for his 30-plus series of highly-detailed action figures than for his latter comic stories.

This new release turns Spawn on its head and tries to attract a new readership by designing a storyline that removes all the Hell stuff and reveals a more generic universe where good is always fighting evil. What started as a Spawn.com webcomic (and tie-in to a recently-released figure series) is now released in this maxi-sized first collection that retains the breezy narrative structure of a cartoon at the expense of what made Spawn the Spawn.

There are the forces of light and the forces of darkness. On Light's side: Spawn X, Redeemer, Omega Spawn. With Dark: Lord Mammon, Overtkill, Tiffany (formerly of the Light side), Cy-Gor. All of these characters will be familiar to Spawn readers, but not in these characterizations. Through a stilted overabundance of narration, we find out that Lord Mammon and his cronies want some ancient relic housed in a New York museum because it'll make them all-powerful or something. It doesn't really matter-it's just the way to get to the action. In this sanitized universe, Spawn is the costumed alter-ego of the still-alive Al Simmons, who remains with loving wife Wanda and their daughter, Cyan. When bad stuff goes down, Simmons and his Light-force are called upon to different locations on the planet in order to fight the bad guys.

The best aspects of this book so accurately retain the tone and aesthetic of an action cartoon that it's a seamless transition to the page. Jonathan Goff embraces the expository hyperbole of the cartoon world, and allows the Spawn characters to freely claim it as their own. Khary Randolph's art is extremely clean and polished as he finds a way via character design to make each one stretch the limits of each panel. The colors always pop and the action sequences are effortlessly executed. Everyone on this book is a pro.

Non-Spawn fans may not know to try this book on for size, and the story avoids all logic in order to advance the action, but they've found a way to make Spawn fun again, or for the first time.

RATING: 4/5

---

Hellboy Animated Vol. 1 TP

Writer: Jim Pascoe
Artist: Rick Lacy
Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $6.95

Alright, so here we have a comic, based on a cartoon, that's based on a comic.  As those of you well-versed in higher mathematics and quantum physics know, we actually have a term used to describe such a thing: “crazy weird.”  That's a real term, and if you think I just made that term up, it means that you're obviously not as smart as me.  Don't bother asking around to see if other people are familiar with it. It'll just let everybody know how uneducated you are.  Alright, moving on. Before I begin, we should establish something first.  This book is clearly intended for a younger audience, and I'll try to review it as such.  I'm not the kind of person who says that Pixar movies suck because they don't have deep, compelling narratives and the characters are simple.

There are actually two stories in Hellboy Animated: The Black Wedding. The first and main story is the titular “Black Wedding.”  It begins with Hellboy, some psychic friend of his, and an old man.  Their mission is to find the old man's cat.  Don't worry, it gets better. Sort of.  They run into some werewolves wearing tuxedos, and Hellboy proceeds to give them Hell. (Sorry, but I just had to get in at least one horrible pun.  It won't happen again, I promise.)  Meanwhile, Abe and Liz are on separate assignments.  Abe is poking around an old tomb. He finds some bizarre hooded creatures, who find a black wedding dress. Ah, the plot thickens!  Then for no apparent reason, Abe fights a giant spider.  Eh, why not?  Meanwhile, Liz and some friend of hers go to a flamboyant French guy who has a lot of books.  She's then kidnapped by a witch who intends to sacrifice her to a demon.  Will Hellboy and Abe get there in time to save her?  Most likely, but I don't want to spoil anything.

The second story, “Pyramid of Death,” could almost be considered a bonus, because it's only a few pages long.  However, I actually enjoyed it more than the first one.  It's basically a whimsical take on a much younger Hellboy.  He watches a TV show about a super hero, and goes out and causes a lot of mischief.  I know that sounds stupid, and it is, but it's so delightfully absurd that I found it far more entertaining than the previous story.

The dialouge is so simple and so blunt, that it makes the book feel very rushed.  It also makes the characters seem very shallow.  It is worth mentioning that Hellboy's uber-macho one-liners are still intact here.  Otherwise, every other character seems exactly the same.  The art is as simple as the dialouge.  It looks like a comic strip from those old Disney Adventures magazines that you'd sometimes pick up a flip through at Wal-Mart when you were little.  But, like I said, it's obviously geared towards a younger audience, and it's based off a cartoon, so the simplistic “Lilo & Stitch” art is forgivable.  The dialouge, however, remains a weak point.

Overall, it's very average.  Children will love it.  Older readers might want to give it a pass, as it's too simplistic and straight forward to appeal to an older audience.  Devout Hellboy fans may be interested, or they might be revolted by how watered-down this book is.  -Tristan Hoagland is a staff writer for Fanboy Comments.  Ha ha, did you believe that?  That we actually have "staff writers"?  You sucker.

RATING: 2.5/5