Hello, everybody, and welcome to the
Third Annual staypuffed Awards! I had a blast putting these together in
2013 and
2014, so I’ve made a big return this year. As always, these awards are based on my opinion (this is all incredibly subjective, after all), so I'd love for you guys to share your thoughts.
Game of the Year / Batman: Arkham Knight
After Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, two of my favourite games of the previous console generation, Rocksteady Studios tasked itself with creating the ultimate Batman experience — and that’s exactly what they delivered. Expanding upon the formula (open world, free-flowing combat, great characters) with the all-purpose Batmobile and incredible new visuals, Arkham Knight was a polished, expansive and extremely satisfying send-off for the series. As good as licensed games can get.
Best Comic Event / Secret Wars
Though it’s been plagued by delays, the sprawling finale to Jonathan Hickman’s epic Avengers/New Avengers run has proved to be one of the most fascinating and deeply personal superhero events in years. Teaming with artist Esad Ribic and colourist Ive Svorcina, Hickman placed Dr. Doom at the forefront of the story to produce something beautiful, thought-provoking, and refreshingly different. While Secret Wars marked the end of an era for Marvel, with the destruction of both the 616 and Ultimate Universes kick-starting the book, it also signalled the beginning of a bold new one. All hope lies in Doom.
Independent Comic of the Year / Paper Girls
Though only three issues of writer Brian K. Vaughn, artist Cliff Chiang and colourist Matt Wilson’s stellar new series have been released, it’s very evident that this book is something special. Centring on four young teenagers in the 1980s, Paper Girls wonderfully captures the essence of the decade through the dialogue, colour palette and attention to detail, and infuses a nostalgic tale with the flavours of modern storytelling. The Steven Spielberg and Stephen King comparisons are apt, but this is a fun, charming and mysterious beast all of its own.
Superhero Comic of the Year / Justice League
DC’s flagship title has fluctuated in quality since writer Geoff Johns kicked it off in 2011, but the arrival of artist Jason Fabok served as a massive turning point, elevating Justice League from a solid superhero book to one of the must-reads of the year. From concluding 'The Amazo Virus' to launching 'The Darkseid War', Johns, Fabok and colourist Brad Anderson delivered blistering, utterly spectacular action of epic proportions, and revealed new dimensions to age-old icons. A brief artistic stint by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato also wowed. This is what cape comics should strive to be.
Best Superhero TV Show / Daredevil
We’ve had plenty of comic book-based offerings hit small screens this year, and on the whole were entertaining takes on great characters. And then Daredevil arrived, and changed... well, everything. Marvel and Netflix’s groundbreaking first collaboration dived deep into the darkest corners of the MCU, and cemented itself as one of the, if not the very, strongest of the studio’s live-action efforts. Charged by brilliant writing, powerful performances and a gorgeous visual style, the 13-hour story proved to be consistently engaging, fleshing out its fascinating characters in imaginative ways. Add in some blistering, visceral and truly remarkable action sequences, and you’ve got a knock-out winner that leaves you ready for even more.
Best Movie and TV Moments
Here are some of my favourite moments in 2015 blockbusters and superhero series. Warning, spoilers for The Flash, Jessica Jones, Ant-Man, Mad Max: Fury Road, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Jurassic World and Star Wars: The Force Awakens follow.
Daredevil / Hallway Fight
The defining moment of Marvel and Netflix’s debut series, this stunning single-take action sequence comes at the closing of episode two, ‘Cut Man’, and is a scene that I will forever remember. A truly breathtaking fight, Matt Murdock takes on a group of thugs in his all-black vigilante garb, and instead of being treated as a standard superhero brawl, we see the more human side. It’s physically taxing on everybody involved, and ends with the protagonist rescuing a frightened kidnapped boy with tenderness and compassion. One of the most well-choreographed, captivating and impactful action scenes in a Marvel production, ever. An absolute gem.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens / Sabers in the Snow
Admittedly, it was very difficult to select just one major moment in The Force Awakens, considering the fact that the film conjures continuous joy for the viewer. But for me, the blistering, intense lightsaber fight between Kylo Ren and Finn, followed by the former’s fight with Rey, might just be the high point of the film. Charged by the devastating death of Han Solo, it’s a return to the spontaneous and emotional fights of the original trilogy, stunningly shot and ripe with tension.
The Flash / Reverse-Flash Reveal
Though The Flash seemingly revealed the identity of the Reverse-Flash in its mid-season finale last year, the show found another massive way to surprise us. A truly heartbreaking scene, where Harrison Wells confronts Cisco Ramon, is punctuated by the jaw-dropping reveal that Wells is actually Eobard Thawne (the original comic book Reverse-Flash) and is forced to kill Cisco upon his discovery of the secret. A rare moment in the show where both actors deliver genuinely excellent performances, it stands as one of the strongest scenes the CW spin-off has offered thus far.
Ant-Man / A Tale To Astonish
Many longtime Marvel readers were left disappointed by the sidelining of original Ant-Man Hank Pym in favour of Scott Lang in the MCU movie, but we were given a small glimpse at Pym and his wife, Janet van Dyne, in action during the final film. A short, but thrilling, scene sees Ant-Man and the Wasp on a mission in the 1980s, wherein Janet sacrifices herself to disable a Soviet missile. A moment that captures the essence of the comics, yet taunts us with a story that sadly never was.
Jessica Jones / Sin Bin
David Tennant’s enthralling (but undoubtedly loathsome) villain, Kilgrave, was one of the highlights of Marvel and Netflix's second series, and for me, the show's finest moment centres around him during its ninth episode. Though she has Kilgrave locked up, Jessica makes a fatal mistake, allowing the antagonist's parents into his cell. His escape is a shocking, heart-racing scene, as he commands everyone in his path to end their own lives, leaving me shaking and screaming at the television in desperation. A very powerful, and geninuely terrifying, moment.
Avengers: Age of Ultron / Behold… the Vision
For most of Age of Ultron's marketing campaign, the Vision was a highly secretive element, which is what made the character’s unveiling within the film such a brilliant moment. His explosive reveal towards the final act is a joy, as the artificial intelligence J.A.R.V.I.S. evolves to a physical (and comic accurate!) form. Paul Bettany does a fantastic job, acting as the paragon for Ultron’s renegade, and as the smoke clears, you’re ready to see him in action.
Mad Max: Fury Road / Let Them Up
Though Fury Road’s action sequences were truly extraordinary, the film’s punchiest moment for me comes at its very conclusion. After successfully defeating Immortan Joe and reclaiming control of the Citadel, Furiosa and the wives rise above the chanting crowd as Max slips into the sea of bodies. The silent farewell between the two lead characters speaks volumes, expressing their mutual respect after a long, hard journey. The scene also features my favourite track from Junkie XL’s score, solidifying it as a soaring conclusion to the non-stop thrill ride of the year.
Jurassic World / More Teeth
Colin Trevorrow was one of many filmmakers to utilise franchise nostalgia this year, stepping up from the indie scene to direct the fourth instalment in a big-budget series. As Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing declares they “need more teeth” to defeat the new dino-antagonist, the Indominous Rex, she summons the iconic T-Rex for a monumental final battle. Big, dumb fun at its finest; a major crowd-pleasing moment that almost makes up for its many missteps.
Best Trailer / Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
From the moment director Zack Snyder debuted the preview for his 2016 blockbuster at SDCC back in July, this award had been won. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s breathtaking Comic-Con trailer packed plot tidbits, incredible visuals, jaw-dropping action and cheer-worthy world building into its three minute-runtime, crafting a riveting and emotional standalone experience in itself. Warner Bros. have always excelled in making their big-budget trailers memorable, and this easily stands as one of their very best.
Films of the Year / Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The hype for the first film in a brand new Star Wars trilogy was higher than measurably possible, but beneath the anticipation was a feeling of hesitance. We’d be burned by the franchise before, after all. But director (and co-writer) JJ Abrams met, and perhaps even surpassed, my expectations, finding the perfect way to blend new and old. He, along with co-writer Lawrence Kasdan, captured the magic of the original trilogy as well as putting an entirely new spin on the world, adding a whole host of fresh new acting talent (Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Adam Driver, in particular) alongside existing legends from a galaxy far, far away. The result was something truly extraordinary; a thrilling, well-paced, visually spectacular blockbuster bursting with great characters and massive amounts of heart. This is the film we were looking for.
Films of the Year / Mad Max: Fury Road
After being left dormant for 30 years, writer/director George Miller resurrected his post-apocalyptic world and crafted what can only be described as a masterpiece of modern cinema. A continuous two-hour car chase sounds like a recipe for disaster, but Miller utilises modern and classic movie concepts to elevate the simple premise. There's breathtaking cinematography, a thundering and genuinely moving score from Junkie XL, brilliant characters and constant carnage; Fury Road also contains some of the most beautifully shot, ingeniously edited and well-choreographed action we’ve seen for a very long time. And then there’s Furiosa. A character of Max’s equal, she’s a breath of fresh air for the action genre, with her presence taking the film to a place very few dare to go. There were a lot of great movies this year, but in 2015, the world belonged to the mad.
And that wraps up the staypuffed Awards for 2015! Feel free to discuss my picks and share your selections below. If you enjoyed reading, be sure to hit that red thumb.