Okay, advance warning…this is not a list that will make anyone be impressed. I have not read any of the “big” indie books that people rave about. My comic shop had none of them that I saw, and financially, I can only afford a few books anymore. Also, I like Superhero books. Sue me. I also left off the stuff I read in trade form. that’s going to be it’s own list. Read on after the cut…

10. Uncanny X-Men, by Ed Brubaker & Salvador Larroca

Frankly, I haven’t enjoyed the X-Men universe since Grant Morrison left it. Then I slightly starte to be interested again with Whedon’s Astonishing. So when I saw Ed Brubaker was going to write the Uncanny X-Men? I decided to give it a shot. He has successfully made characters I was finding boring interesting and made the book exciting again.

9.New Universal, by Warren Ellis & Salvador Larroca

Ellis is always dependable for an intriguing story. He found a way to take a unsuccessful concept and make it feel fresh. I loved revisiting characters from Marvel’s 1980’s New Universe. He had a fresh take on many of the characters and the cause of the white event that was much better than the original series. I would have rated it higher if it had moved slightly faster. And we would have met some of the Psi-Force and D.P 7 characters. Plus, i am wondering what happened to the series. Was it just canceled? Is it on hiatus? Was it supposed to be over at six issues?

8. Ultimate Spider-Man, by Brian Michael Bendis & Mark Bagley/Stuart Immonen

I have continued to enjoy the series. I wondered how it would be after Bagley ended the historic run, but when Immonen took over, it was a new jolt of excitement to the book. Rather than try and replace Bagley with a similar artistic style, they chose someone who had a style unique to himself. And let it be understood, I love the change.  He’s been doing a great job making the book feel like his own, no small feat, as Mark really defined the book visually for years.  The stories themselves were hit and miss, though, and sometimes in the same storyline. The perfect example was the Clone saga which started out very strong, but fell apart at the end.  On the other hand, the recent Goblin story was pretty much a home run for me.

7.Booster Gold, by Geoff Johns & Dan Jurgens

I loved Booster Gold back in the late 80’s. I thought he was a fun character and then when he joined the Justice League and became buddies with Blue Beetle? I was hooked. I thought they were the greatest super-team. Funny and yet capable in adventure, I wanted the characters’ adventures to last. This book brought Booster back, and while my hopes for him to become the great DC Icon I believed he could be from the start of the book, they were only dashed in one way. According to the book, Booster would be one of the greats, just that no one would ever know it, and he would be remembered as a joke. The series even opened with him finally being accepted into the current League, only to have to pretend he did not want it. Instead he goes through the time stream right errors about to occur in DC continuity. It is, by no means, world shattering work. But it is a very fun and entertaining read each month.

6. X-Factor, by Peter David & Pablo Raimondi

I’ve got to hand it to David, he brought the magic back to the series. X-Factor had floundered after he was off the book back in the 90’s. He even revisited one of his best stories and never missed a beat. David was able to work within the confines of more than one major crossover, and avoid having his stories disrupted entirely by them. I look forward to seeing what David does next after Messiah Complex ends.

Tomorrow…1-5.