Best
Title
Avengers West Coast (31.5%)
Runner-Up:
Tie - Thor (15.7%); Ultimate Defenders (15.7%)
Bryan Locke here for Best Title. What
makes a title the absolute "Best Title" of an entire year?
Such was the question on my mind as I decided on my choice for one of
M2K's top (if not very top) Tookie. The answer to this question was
one shared by the majority of us here at M2K: Avengers West Coast! For
me (and hopefully, you) it came down to three things, which have handily
referred to as the "Three C's".
CONSISTENCY: How many issues of this title were put out in a year? For
Josh's AWC that number would be eleven, more than any other issue not
written by "Various". That's almost one for each month, which
should be, at the very least, every fanfic writer's goal. Josh accomplished
such a number with vigor. But was the title consistently exciting and
engaging? After all, anyone could write dozens of issues a year, but
if they fail to engage the reader's excitement factor, then what's the
point? Josh took us on a wild ride with surprising villians, a lovable
cast, and a gamut of guest-stars. AWC became a quintessential fanfic.
AWC was the definition of consistency.
CHARACTERIZATION: Writers know what they like. Typically, they stick
to it. Good choice too, since it's very easy to fall into languid characterization.
AWC however consistently (there's that word again!) avoided this pitfall.
Amazing a feat it was for Josh, considering how many characters he had
to juggle! From the bombastic guest-stars (like Howard the Duck!) and
essential B-listers (like Darkhawk!) to the unknown (Princess Python?!)
and the legendary (Dracula!), all the way to, of course, the Avengers
(like Hank, Clint, Jan and Tony), characterization for the most part
was nailed. So much so that now AWC has spawned a spin-off so Josh doesn't
have to end his wild characterization of those popular guest-stars.
Some would argue that this "C" is the most important in fanfic,
but all would agree that its the "C" that put Avengers West
Coast over the top, and this year's best title!
CONTINUITY: GASP~! And the final "C" is perhaps a dirty word
in today's fanfic. With writers unwilling to modify visions of characterization,
or interjecting too much non-sequiter in forms of characters and sub-plots,
AWC felt wonderfully fluid with those issues that came before it, even
those published by Marvel! AWC has always been of a wackier, oddball
breed (hence, the team's nickname...the Whackos!). And Josh took that
concept and ran. Running on the same path blazed by Anderson and Munn,
both M2K Hall of Famers, it shouldn't have been as easy as Josh made
it seem. More greatly rendered was the continuity between issues themselves.
Overarching sub-plots like the returns of Dracula and Doctor Druid only
made more enviable the fact that an individual issue could be read on
its own, and enjoyed to the fullest extent.
This may seem like heavy praise for any one title. But listen up, jack!
This ain't just any one title. This is the BEST TITLE OF 2007! It's
Avengers West Coast, and it's written by Josh Reynolds. It's a priviledge
of mine to present this Tookie to him.
Congratulations, Josh. I know I speak for the majority of M2K when I
say thank you for the past year. I know I speak the truth when I say
if 2008 gives us more AWC like these past eleven issues, you'll be right
back up here next year!
Best Hero
Spider-Man (41.2%)
Runner-Up:
Tie - Captain America (23.5%)
Hey everyone, it's your favorite (or not-so-favorite)
former Editor-in-Chief Cory Wiegel here, proud to present to you the
Best Hero for the Eighth Annual Tookies... and even prouder to say that
the Amazing Spider-Man has taken it once again for the first time in
five years! Sadly, the ol' Webhead's absence from the Tookie's Winner
Circle for the last half a decade does reflect the number of hiatuses
and creative difficulties there have been for the hero and his ongoing
series, but that all changed last year when "Bodacious" Bryan
Locke joined the staff of Marvel 2000. He quickly familiarized himself
with all of the necessary back-story, a feat in and of itself at the
site, and was able to build on it to great effect. Not only was Bryan
able to work with an unconventional status quo for the character (grad
student and single father under the thumb of a spy agency, anyone?),
but he's made excellent use of Peter Parker's supporting cast and integrated
them into his stories seamlessly. Plus, you gotta love the action and
drama!
Oh, and hey, it doesn't hurt one bit that you have Meriades Rai backing
you up on the stellar Marvel Team-Up series over in the Alternate Branch.
Though his misadventures with various other heroes is outside Marvel
2000's mainstream continuity, Meri's Spider-Man shines nonetheless and
has gathered quite the dedicated fan following over at our site's message
board. He's no stranger to Spidey by any means, and he's able to weave
(pun intended) some energetic, fast-paced, and downright fun stories
with the character and his rotating partners in crime (heroics).
So, congratulations to the both of you! Spider-Man's always been my
favorite hero, but together you two have managed to make him the Best
Hero of 2007 at Marvel 2000.
Best Heroine
Warbird (31.5%)
Runner-Up:
Tie - Spider-Woman (21.1%); Storm (21.1%)
Hey, it's me, recently super-absent Ben
Wolfert, here to present this year's award for Best Heroine. Mind you,
that's Heroine, H-E-R-O-I-N-E. Those looking for the best H-E-R-O-I-N...well,
can't help you out with that one. Achem, anyways...as we all know, or
maybe not, the comic genre is primarily a sausage fest. I mean, I've
never seen as many guys in spandex since my shameful days of watching
the WWF. This makes it even more essential that there be some female
characters capable of kicking ass and taking names. The Marvel Universe,
and M2K in particular, has more than a few qualified candidates for
such a distinction. But there can only be one (sorta like Miss America,
but without the evening gown and swim wear competition...).
It's my esteemed pleasure to deliver the award for
Best Heroine to Carol Danvers, also known us as Warbird. The character
has a long and healthy history, during which she's proven her mettle
time and time again. She's fought numerous battles with and without
her powers against a variety of villains. Just as important, though,
is her triumph over the bottle. A bottle of Everclear can be just as
dangerous as Galactus, in the wrong hands. Of course...all of this lame
quackery is being said as if Carol's a real person. The award, realistically,
goes to the Mr. Steve Crosby, and his great rendition of a strong character.
Fans of Warbird should read Crosby's Marvel Fanfare #52, a story that
brings the character full circle and then some. The attention to Carol's
history and spot on characterization make this issue a must-read, regardless.
Congrats Crosby!
Best Villain
Dracula (31.5%)
Runner-Up:
Loki (10.5%)
Before
we even get to what Josh Reynolds did with this year's best villain,
let's explore the evil deeds already under Dracula's belt. First he
kept Jonathan Harker trapped in his castle with three women sucking
his blood (trust me, worse than it sounds) as Dracula butchered a ship's
crew on his way to England. Once there, he turns Lucy into a vampire,
makes Renfield a slave, and feeds his blood to Mina. The attempt to
kill Dracula leaves Quincy dead and the vampire supposedly killed. But
that was just the book.
When Marvel
got their shot, Dracula got really nasty. Turns out there are a lot
more vampires, and Dracula is lord of them all. As such, every time
he's killed it doesn't quite take, even when Doctor Strange casts an
anti-vampire spell. Yes, you read that right. Dracula is beyond even
the magic of Doctor Strange. Along the way he created the awesome Baron
Blood and nearly turned the X-Man Storm into a vampire. So great a villain
was Dracula that he even had his own series, Tomb of Dracula, where
great characters such as Blade and Hannibal King were introduced, yet
neither were a true match for the Lord of all Vampires.
But all
that was then. We're honoring Dracula for his recent use in Avengers
West Coast, written by new EIC Josh Reynolds. In a series of stories
jam-packed with villains, it took no effort for Dracula to stand out.
He was boisterous and classic, perfectly fitting the mold of seventies-era
that I think Josh was going for. Perhaps it was fitting that Dracula
battled against a god in AWC, the runner-up for Best Villain is none
other than Loki, God of Mischief and Lies. It seems to fit for a villain
that has often been considered human and sympathetic, battling futilely
against gods yet somehow persevering.
And along the way, he even gets a bite out of a super-hero
or two. Truly, Dracula is a lord.
Best Supporting
Character
James Rhodes (11.8%)
Runner-Up:
Tie - Mr. Immortal (5.9%); Betty Brant (5.9%)
Jeff Melton here, writer of Thor and 70s
Champions. Today, I've been asked to present the Best Supporting Character
Award for this year. Given the winner, I'm happy to do so.
Marvel Comics have been known for their strong list
of supporting characters. These well-defined characters have added much
to the ongoing storylines of the principle characters over the years,
and this is true of even the most minor supporting characters. Don't
we all have a vision in our minds, after all, when we hear the name
Willie Lumpkin?
Marvel 2000 has continued this tradition as well, with
well-developed supporting characters. Today, we honor a classic character
in that mold. He has been a decorated combat veteran, a bodyguard for
Tony Stark, worn the Iron Man costume (as well as a variant of that
costume), and is now head of security at the Vault. His close friendship
with Tony Stark, his loyalty, and his fierceness in combat are part
of what makes this character so memorable to all of us. So, it is with
great pride that I announce the Tookie Award winner for this year for
Best Supporting Character is none other than James "Rhodie"
Rhodes! You deserve it!
And, props go out to David Golightly for continuing
to write this great character with the respect that he is due!
Best Original
Character
Ash Kennedy (46.6%)
Runner-Up:
Binary (20%)
Josh
Reynolds, EiC at your service. Ah. Best original character. Seems kind
of a wrong-note for fanfic, don't it? But sometimes, somehow, the original,
it creepeth in. And nowhere is that more prevalent than in ULTIMATE
SPIDER-MAN by Meriades Rai; and shocker of shocker (Shocker...heh, God
I love villains who dress in yellow quilt fabric) it's the main character
himself who's the original sinner (sorry, religious joke, not funny
unless you're a Zoroastrian)! Ash Kennedy (sounds like a WWE reject,
don't it? Ah well, there's a reason Meri writes fanfic...kidding, kidding!),
the Spectacular Spider-Man has made a big splash as far as M2K's Ultimate
line is concerned and as far as fanfic itself, I think. Is he better
than classic Spidey? Will he go the way of New Coke? Who can say...only
the Shadow knows, really. But for now, for this peerless year, Ash Kennedy
is M2K's best original character!
Best Team
Avengers West Coast (42.1%)
Runner-Up:
Avengers (21%)
Hey there, fellow fans of the finest fanfiction
around, otherwise known as Marvel 2000! Daniel Ingram, former EiC here,
with the award for best team.
So who won? Did those mighty mutants X the competition? Did
the Power Pack out brat pack the rest? Did…okay, I got nothin’,
so I’ll just announce the winner.
Best team goes to Avengers West Coast, written by Josh Renolds! Marvel
2000 readers love their wackos and it shows! Vampires, snakes, elder
golds, archers and that’s only the tip of the ice berg! It’s
hard to go wrong with characters like Dr. Druid, Darkhawk and Hawkeye
and given that Josh writes them so very right, well…this reward
is no surprise.
So congrats, Josh! Wackos are winners!
Best Imprint
Heroes (47.3%)
Runner-Up:
Alternate (42.1%)
It's been a great year at M2K, a good
strong year, and it's been on the back of one imprint- that's the Knights
Imprint, especially my Scarl- what?! What do you mean I'm reading the
wrong card? You mean that's for the worst imprint and series? MY series
is worst?! Who th- Oh, yeah. Okay- right card now.
The real best imprint this year is the Heroes Imprint!
Based on a strong showing from the Imprint's core titles- especially
the Avengers books!- and some fantastic ongoing series and Fanfare issues,
Heroes hit the ground run from the beginning of the year and didn't
stop. Just check out some of this year's issues and try to deny it was
great. Congrats to the Heroes writers for making their Imprint great!
Best Writer
Meriades Rai (31.6%)
Runner-Up:
Tie - Josh Reynolds (15.8%); Steve Crosby (15.8%)
Dave Golightly on board
to award this year's fan favorite scribe with the Best Writer Tookie.
Surely it comes as no surprise that the reader's tossed the majority
of their votes to Meri! He's renowned in the fanfic kingdom, and not
just at our humble site. Meri is responsible for pumping out a steady
number of issues in M2K's Alternate Branch this year, and even launched
our new Ultimate line all by himself! As if that weren't impressive
enough, all of the issues he wrote were astounding. Seriously, just
swing a dead cat and you're bound to hit something incredible written
by Mr. Rai. The fans have spoken, and I'm not ashamed to admit that
I'm one of them! Congrats, Meriades!
Best Fight
Avengers West Coast vs. Vampires (16.7%)
Runner-Up:
X-Men vs. St. Croix constructs (11%)
Hang loose and face front, True Believers!
This is Stan Lee reporting live from the Tookies at M2K-- okay, this
is just Gregg Epstein. So I never won a Tookie besides that honorable
mention last year. But let's not talk about me, let's talk about Best
Fight. I'll give you a hint who won. Do you like the Avengers on the
West Coast? Do you like vampires? You guessed it. Congrats, Josh Reynolds,
for writing a killer issue of Avengers West Coast.
Oh, you mean to tell me that he's been writing Avengers
West Coast for over a year. I knew that. Seriously, I really, really
knew that.
So, who's next?
Best Moment
The Vault coup *The Vault #4* (13.3%)
Runner-Up:
Death impersonates Jesus *Cable/Deadpool #2* (5.5%)
Well look what we have here. Best Moment
in 2007. Chris Oliva here, writer of Eye-Scream here at M2K and what
a pleasure it is to award the Best Moment Tookie to David G. for his
incredible work on his series the Vault, and to boot, when the guys
take over the whole dang place. Not only is this well deserved, as I
think this was the moment in the series that the shit hit the fan, but
it couldn't have hapenned to a nicer guy. David G's The Vault is really
one of the grittiest and interesting peices of fanfic on the site, and
If I'm as bold to say, in all of fanfic. It really gives us a taste
of the Marvel Universe we don't get to see that often, and David really
hit it home with the total takeover. Kudos, David!
Best Team-Up
Spider-Man/Nightcrawler/Magik *Marvel Team-Up #4* (25%)
Runner-Up:
Spider-Man/Human Torch *Marvel-Team-Up #1* (18.7%)
Josh
Reynold here to dish out the Best Team-Up. And the award to...wait,
what? You're kidding me. He did what now? How is that even possible?
Golightly, you swore this thing was fool-proof! This is...this is...inconceivable!
Inconcievable? Whatever. Fine, fine! I'll do it, give me a minute. Ahem.
Apparently, Meriades won both first AND second place for this category...which,
as we all know, is proof of his ties to the underworld. That's right
people, even now SATANIC MOBSTERS WALK AMONG US! And the man, the fiend
in human shape we know as Meriades Rai, good ol' Meri, is their agent
on Earth. Their pawn in the cosmic high-stakes poker game of reality...well
know this Meriades...GOD DEALS FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE DECK YOU-[sound
of microphone being cut]
HALL OF FAME
David Golightly
David joined the ranks of
M2K's editors after making a mark at the site with HEROES FOR HIRE,
X-FORCE, and THE VAULT. With a couple other stories under his belt,
a ton of work overhauling the site, and a budding following through
his work on ULTIMATE AVENGERS, David has officially been ushered into
fanfic history as part of the Hall of Fame!
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