2014 X-Book Awards- The Results

[Fifolet]

I don't get the Starkat thing. The first peck in the Trial of Jean Grey came out of the blue for me. There hadn't been nothing in the crossover hinting at any chemistry between them, and the material in ANXM just left me cold. Maybe it's better in the Star-Lord title? I just don't understand the enthusiasm for this. I'm not against it. I just don't feel it.

[anthony_lynch15]

Honorable Mention

Teen Cyclops and Vileena! (19 points, 4 first place votes)

There’s a long history of pirate shanties about bedding the Captain’s daughter… and Scott Summers now knows why that is, personally, after winning over Vileena Malafect, lady space pirate. He perhaps won her over more than the last cabin boy who asked if he could “swab her poop deck”, if you know what I mean.

Because Scott is a damned gentleman. Of course.

Unless you have a kid. Then he’ll abandon you in Alaska faster than Quicksilver can blink.

LMAO at the Alaska part.

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Honorable Mention…
Original Sin (8 points, 0 first place votes)

Someone shot Uatu the Watcher in the face, and the suspects include the Orb, Oubliette, the Cosmic Man, and the no-longer Mindless Ones. Meanwhile, people like Wolverine, Winter Soldier, and Emma Frost are on the case, while trying to recover Uatu’s mystical googly eyes that were plucked from his corpse. In the end, the shooter would be revealed to be an Old-As-Dirt Nick Fury, who big surprise, has been lying to the whole Marvel Universe for decades and almost every time you’ve seen him? That was retconned to have been an advanced LMD that no one could detect, in any way at all.

Yes, this was published, and got by editorial. Why do you ask?

When you phrase it like that.....

Third runner-up…
AXIS! (17 points, 3 first place votes)

There’s a trope in fantasy gaming about “alignment swapping”, usually via a cursed object that makes anyone start acting like their opposing moral alignment. Marvel decided that premise could be used for an entire crossover attempt that would show us Fascist Falcon, nice guy Red Skull, Penitent Sabretooth, Honest Loki, and Weapons Dealer Tony Stark. Did I mention the X-Men would suddenly all fight for mutant superiority and rally under Apocalypse (Genesis II)?

The highlight was seeing some X-Men who normally don’t cut loose going apes***, like Nightcrawler teleporting Sabretooth’s fingers off. Of course, you also had to see “Iceheart”, and then endure the paternity test retcon to end all others.

LOL, Iceheart was truly awful.

[worstblogever]

LOW POINT OF 2014
2013’s winner, according to the voters, was “Havok’s Speech in Uncanny Avengers #5”, where Alex Summers sold out so hard, that Captain America kept the receipt and used it as a tax write-off. That being said, what was the most cringeworthy moment of this year?


Dishonorable Mention

X-23’s Dialogue, by Bendis! (9 points, 2 first place vote)

I have no earthly idea as to how 9 points of votes ended up saying this. No idea at all.


Dishonorable Mention…

Gladiator’s Case against Teen Jean (10 points, 2 first place vote)

As we discussed during the “Best Crossover” win that the storyline “The Trial of Jean Grey” got this year… there was a bit of a lapse in logic in how the Shi’ar Empire decided to make a case against the time-travelled Jean Grey who had yet to commit any cosmic crime. Making their care even weaker, Star-Lord’s dad, J-Son, along with several other heads of state from Marvel’s cosmic worlds weighed in and told Gladiator this was f’n stupid. Perhaps the most glaring one was THE SUPREME INTELLIGENCE of the Kree Empire. He’s supposed to be pretty smart, Kallark. Maybe you should follow his lead and just leave this Jean thing? No? Sigh. Whatever, man.


Third Runner-up…

Exodus Gets Smoked! (11 points, 2 first place votes)

It’s come up quite a bit in other voting threads for “Most Shocking Moment” and “Best Death”, so there’s little surprise in seeing Exodus’ sudden demise place in this category. If you’re going to whack someone, doing it to just make the new guy look tougher is a pretty cold way to do it.

And making him a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative first? Good god, there’s not many more embarrassing ways for a character to die than under their employ.

[worstblogever]

Second Runner-up…

Xavier & Mystique Revelations!(25 points, 2 first place votes)

Xavier and Mystique were married and at some point made a baby. Now stop asking questions about when and how that’s even possible, and how Iceman must come to terms with having gotten both Wolverine AND Proffy McBrokenlegs’ sloppy thirds.




First Runner-up…

AXIS!(25 points, 5 first place votes)

The biggest crossover of the year often gets votes for the Low Point of the Year in the X-Book Awards, with the rare exceptions where it’s actually a phenomenally good story. Alas, AXIS has some flaws that were detailed enough to spawn a thread where people were asking if it was the worst Marvel crossover (it’s not the worst) or not. I mean, it does have KLUH, but it there are still worse stories.

Of course, it was overshadowed by something specific from within the whole series…

The “Low Point” of 2015 is…

The Eisenhardt Bloodline Retcon! (73 points, 21 first place votes)

35 years ago or so, in the pages of Avengers (vol. 1) #185-187, it was revealed Magneto was actually the father of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. That’s right, 1979. It was confirmed a few years later during the first Vision and the Scarlet Witch miniseries, when Cow Lady Bova confirmed it. We've had entire storylines... entire crossovers around the concept that these three were family, the "House of M".

Well, apparently Bova’s a goddamned liar. Either that, or the Scarlet Witch’s powers have reset reality again to where she and Quicksilver have “no more daddy”. Could this have something to do with their alternate, no-Magneto origin that’s coming up in Marvel Studios’ Avengers franchise? Maybe. All we do know is, in the middle of AXIS, the boom got dropped that the twins no longer are Magneto’s kids, and Polaris isn’t actually their real sister (someone order a paternity test, just to be sure, please?)

Retcons can do well in this category, but when it retcons revelations from 25-30 years ago? That makes for a blowout winner in the vote for “Low Point of 2014”, CBR posters.

[anthony_lynch15]

Dishonorable Mention…

Gladiator’s Case against Teen Jean (10 points, 2 first place vote)

As we discussed during the “Best Crossover” win that the storyline “The Trial of Jean Grey” got this year… there was a bit of a lapse in logic in how the Shi’ar Empire decided to make a case against the time-travelled Jean Grey who had yet to commit any cosmic crime. Making their care even weaker, Star-Lord’s dad, J-Son, along with several other heads of state from Marvel’s cosmic worlds weighed in and told Gladiator this was f’n stupid. Perhaps the most glaring one was THE SUPREME INTELLIGENCE of the Kree Empire. He’s supposed to be pretty smart, Kallark. Maybe you should follow his lead and just leave this Jean thing? No? Sigh. Whatever, man.

Here you go, this should further emphasise the point.

[anthony_lynch15]

Second Runner-up…

Xavier & Mystique Revelations!(25 points, 2 first place votes)

Xavier and Mystique were married and at some point made a baby. Now stop asking questions about when and how that’s even possible, and how Iceman must come to terms with having gotten both Wolverine AND Proffy McBrokenlegs’ sloppy thirds.

LMAO, that last panel does read like Bobby is panicking over his sloppy thirds.

[worstblogever]

HIGH POINT OF 2014
2013’s winner, according to the voters, was Nightcrawler’s BACK!



Honorable Mention…

Gambit & Polaris… Will They or Won’t They? (11 points, 2 first place vote)

The first person Polaris recruited onto X-Factor was Gambit. Maybe that should tell you something about how she feels about the guy, right?

Well, these two do have a bit of chemistry, and the question of it they might end up romantically involved has been kicked around by some people (of course, Gambit needs to stop poking the boss’ wife). One thing is for sure… if they end up a couple, life will never be dull.


Honorable Mention

Storm’s Got an Awesome Solo! (13 points, 3 first place votes)

There were mentions of many moments from Ororo’s new series, including her grieving for Wolverine, her face off with new student Creep/Flourish, and her latest brawl with Callisto. Greg Pak and Victor Ibanez have quickly made an impression that this series is one of the better X-books out there nowadays, and it does an outstanding job of showcasing Storm for audiences outside of a team book.


Third Runner-up…

Bromo Superior! (14 points, 3 first place votes)

The backup tale to “Bloodline” in X-Men (vol. 4) this year, Bromo Superior saw Hellion trying to put together his own team of X-Men that included Rockslide, Anole, and Broo, and they ended up just a bit over their heads when they wandered into Pyslocke’s own Danger Room scenario, fighting against warriors from ancient China.

Also, any story where Rockslide gets shot with a cannon works for me.

[worstblogever]

Second Runner-up…
Beast admits Cyclops was Right!(18 points, 3 first place votes)

Next year, he admits he’s more handsome, too.


First Runner-up…

Nightcrawler’s Return from the Dead! (21 points, 4 first place votes)

This won last year, didn’t it? Sort of. Last year, people were just happy Nightcrawler was in a story. This year, they’re happy he has left the land of the dead to wander around on the mortal plane again, committing the Royal Tenebaums kind of incest with Amanda Sefton and generally giving the X-Men the bit of levity they’ve often been missing the past few years.

He’ll be tickling young women against their will in no time.


The High Point of 2014 voted by the X-Forum was…

”Magneto is Brutally Awesome/Awesomely Brutal!” (45 points, 12 first place votes)

Similar to Storm getting a lot of mentions for her own series, several people voted for specific parts of Magneto’s year, as well. Torturing and interrogating a Sentinel-maker with only a paper clip was hardcore. Soloing all the Marauders? Incredible. Building a memorial to all mutants who have been killed in his struggle? Caving in the Red Skull’s head? Punking S.H.I.E.L.D. investigators with the help of Briar Raleigh?

It’s odd to think the best thing about the X-Books would be there long time nemesis, but that’s apparently the case for 2014.

[Fifolet]

Hmmmm, i smell a tinkering of the votes to give Magneto the win lol
Not that i'm complaining.

I seriously need to check out Storm. The more i see the more i like it and feel i'm missing something good. Any trades out yet?

[worstblogever]

MOST MISSED CHARACTER OF 2014
Last year’s winner was Warpath, which surprised the hell out of everybody. Will he be able to repeat, or will someone else swipe this award away from John Proudstar?


Honorable Mention

Karma! (8 points, 2 first place vote)

Name another mutant lesbian with a prosthetic leg cooler than Karma. Go ahead, do it. You can’t, can you? See, that’s why everyone misses Karma.

Honorable Mention

Blink! (11 points, 2 first place votes)

I’m not sure if people are voting for Blink-295, who was last seen running around with the Exiles, or they mean the Blink-616 that was brought back from the dead to work for Selene, then was emo and all lethal until she was in New Mutants (vol. 3) and became inexplicably cheery and tight with the mutants of the 1980s. We’ll just say “Blink” and be done with it.


Third runner-up…

Pixie! (13 points, 3 first place vote)

I’m not sure if Pixie had a cameo scene at some point in 2014 that would make her ineligible for this category, but I’ll just leave her in as to not anger Pixie_Solanas, who might cut me if I disqualify Megan Gwynn.

[worstblogever]

Hmmmm, i smell a tinkering of the votes to give Magneto the win lol

You know what would have really helped? People should have voted in this category. Seriously, I had a bunch of ballots where people filled out the "Low Point of the Year" and left "High Point of the Year" completely blank.

If someone feels something else deserved it more, they should have voted it. At least fans of the Magneto series voted.

[worstblogever]

Second Runner-up…

Madrox!(18 points, 3 first place votes)

What a difference a year makes. People had started saying that they had grown tired of seeing Jamie Madrox and his weird marriage to a gal he met when she was like 11, but via time travel, he hooked up with within a year of meeting her, who was suddenly an adult (because that’s not weird at all).

Take away X-Factor investigations, and suddenly, everybody’s Jonesing for some Multiple Man. I’m sure PAD has another story in mind for Madrox. It’s a question of when, not if, we get it.



First Runner-up…

Warpath! (19 points, 5 first place votes)

Last year’s winner drops to the #2 spot, which is perhaps controversial this year because he sort of did appear in Deadpool vs. X-Force in what amounts to a flashback story. Still, what the hell has James Proudstar been up to since his handful of cameos during AvX? Is he partying with Risque? Is he out on the reservation?

More importantly, who beat him out for the gold in this category?


The Most Missed Character of 2014 was…

Dani Moonstar! (39 points, 7 first place votes)

Oh yeah… Dani Moonstar was one of the favorite characters a couple years back during the early parts of New Mutants (vol. 3) when it was written by Zeb Wells and she was shooting b****es with arrows using her feet. She spent the rest of the series written by Abnett and Lanning, seeing every dude from Cannonball to Cypher to Nate Grey falling for her, until she went and joined the Fearless Defenders for awhile to keep on being a Valkyrie badass.

Well, that title got cancelled, and Dani is currently in creative Limbo. Let’s hope some writer finds her a good home, and fast.

[Fifolet]

You know what would have really helped? People should have voted in this category. Seriously, I had a bunch of ballots where people filled out the "Low Point of the Year" and left "High Point of the Year" completely blank.

If someone feels something else deserved it more, they should have voted it. At least fans of the Magneto series voted.

Like i said, not complaining. I voted a Magneto moment as a high point.

[worstblogever]

BEST DEBUT CHARACTER OF 2015
Last Year’s Winner was Benjamin Deeds, aka Morph II, mostly off the strength of his spotlight issue where he got hit on by Emma, outed himself, and learned how to use his very specific (but awesome) powers. What brand new X-Character gets the trophy this year?


Honorable Mention

Rico! (11 points, 2 first place vote)

He’s not going to win any beauty contests, but Rico is apparently endearing enough to have pulled down an honorable mention for his efforts in the Nightcrawler (vol. 4) series, including attacking Trimega and trying to save Ziggy Karst from the Crimson Pirates.

Let’s just hope he doesn’t end up over his head in a situation where he ends up like a proverbial bug on a windshield.

Honorable Mention

Harrison Snow! (16 points, 4 first place votes)

The guy who’s pretty clearly a bastard in All New X-Factor who assures you that he would never, ever be caught dead twirling his mustache, Harrison Snow has already killed two of his oldest friends, implanted a secret camera behind Polaris’ eye, and left Gambit for dead at the hands of the terrorist Memento Mori because Remy went and boned his wife.

I’ll say this much, it’s not hard to see that he’s a villain who has definite motivations.



Third runner-up…

Creep/Flourish! (18 points, 4 first place votes)

Much like Rico has done in the pages of Nightcrawler (vol. 4), Creep/Flourish has been the most interesting new kid in Storm (vol. 3), having the brass ones to call Storm a sellout to her face, and use her powers to make everything in the cafeteria get covered with mold just because she could, and it weirded out all the kids who meant to pick on her. A Mexican national with bio-manipulative powers, Ms. Guerra bears watching, going forward.

[worstblogever]

Second Runner-up…

Briar Raleigh! (19 points, 2 first place votes)

Magneto’s “frenemy”, I guess would be the best description of her. Once upon a time, it was Magneto’s rage that would leave Briar crippled, and without a family. And yet... Briar thinks he was right to do so, and is currently aiding him in his battle against S.H.I.E.L.D., and helping him track down those who are real criminals against the mutant race, like the Marauders, to be inflicted with his own harsh sense of justice.

There’s got to be a catch to her joining the man who cost her one of her legs, but we’ll have to see what it is that becomes the tipping point that makes Magneto wish he’d finished the job.


First Runner-up…

Matthew Malloy!(33 points, 9 first place votes)

Once upon a time, Professor Xavier became aware of this godlike mutant, and chose to use his psychic powers to effectively neuter him before he killed the entire Eastern Seaboard.

Now that he’s dead, Professor X isn’t around to do maintenance and upkeep, and guess what? It’s S.H.I.E.L.D.’s problem that he’s blowing up entire towns single-handedly without really thinking about it. At first, I thought that meant he was going to run away with this award, but late in the game, someone went on a run and overtook him.


The Best New Character of 2014 was…

Forgetmenot! (37 points, 8 first place votes)
First appearing in X-Men: Legacy #300, Forgetmenot was revealed to be a longtime X-Man whose powers specifically make him the ultimate stealth character, with the drawback that everyone he knows forgets he ever existed once he gets more than five feet away.

It seemed like when he sacrificed himself to save a girl from the defenses at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, we might have seen the first and last of Forgetmenot, but he turned up again in the pages of X-Force (vol. 4), living in their base and trying to be the driving moral compass they needed from behind the scenes.

He’s the most real guy you’ll ever read about, and… Your “Best Debut Character of 2014”, ladies and gents.