Welcome to the 2017 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Awards, where we here at ComicBook.com take a look back at the year that was and choose the best of the best in comics and comic book-related media.
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We’re coming to the end of a pretty crazy year that had so much crammed into it that it’s hard to recall everything. However, with so many significant happenings in comic book movies during 2017, this will be a year to remember for many reasons.
It’s worth noting here that only comic book films were considered for these nominations. Even so, this was undoubtedly the year where we got big comic book films that were as critically acclaimed as they were commercially successful. With fans so receptive of movies like Logan, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok, it was hard identify solid competitors in each category, but we’ve managed somehow.
Best Movie
As stated, 2017 was a year filled with so many great comic book movies that it’s hard to see a clear top pick. Spider-Man, Guardians and Thor all brought feel-good adventure and comedy; Wonder Woman rekindled the heroic nostalgia of Richard Donner-era Superman; and Logan turned the X-Men franchise and dark, artful, adult cinema. This one pretty much boils down to what your preference is.
The nominees are:
- Logan
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Wonder Woman
- Thor: Ragnarok
Best Actor
Like the Best Movie category, this year’s Best Actor list contains a mix of comedic prowess and dramatic power. While it’s easy to look at Hugh Jackman’s final Wolverine performance as a clear frontrunner, young Tom Holland did the nearly impossible task of successfully rebooting the Spider-Man franchise for a third time. It’s a tight race.
The nominees are:
- Hugh Jackman – Logan
- Ezra Miller – Justice League
- Chris Pine – Wonder Woman
- Tom Holland – Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Michael Rooker – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Best Actress
Female empowerment was a major theme of 2017, and it was definitely exhibited (to one degree or another) in each one of these comic book movie performances. While it’s easy to crown Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman the winner, Charlize Theron and young Dafne Keen both had impressive breakout action performances.
The nominees are:
- Gal Gadot – Wonder Woman / Justice League
- Charlize Theron – Atomic Blonde
- Tessa Thompson – Thor: Ragnarok
- Dafne Keen – Logan
- Pom Klementieff – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Best Director
This year’s nominees list is an eclectic collection, with James Mangold bringing Oscar-level quality to Logan, while relative newcomers like Jon Watts and Taika Waititi added bright new voices to the Marvel Brand. James Gunn outdid his previous work with the Guardians sequel, and Patty Jenkins was a dark horse success story a longtime in the making. Any one of the nominees deserves the win.
The nominees are:
- James Mangold – Logan
- Patty Jenkins – Wonder Woman
- James Gunn – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Taika Waititi – Thor: Ragnarok
- Jon Watts – Spider-Man: Homecoming
Best Fight Scene
In terms of action, 2017 brought some of the more memorable fight sequences that we’ve ever seen in comic book movies. Any one of the matchups mentioned below was a standout – but if were all being honest, Thor, Wonder Woman and Justice League were probably the most talked about.
The nominees are:
- Thor vs. Hulk – Thor: Ragnarok
- No Man’s Land – Wonder Woman
- Logan vs. Logan – Logan
- Justice League vs. Superman – Justice League
- Fight at Poppy’s – Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Best First Appearance
New characters and villains are just as crucial to a comic book movie as the characters we already know and love, and this year we got some fun new additions, for sure. Whether it was seeing longtime icons creating compelling villains (Kurt Russell, Michael Keaton), or a young star owning a major role (Dafne Keen), the new class of characters were definitely worth meeting.
The nominees are:
- Ego the Living Planet
- Vulture
- X-23
- Korg
- Valkyrie
Best Score
Comic book movies are in large part dependent on visuals (just like the medium that inspired them), but without the right sounds, they wouldn’t be nearly as heroic as they end up being. This year mixed classic rock (sound of the Marvel cosmic brand) with rousing scores from both newer and veteran composers, with some classic heroic themes thrown in for good measure.
The nominees are:
- Danny Elfman – Justice League
- Rupert Gregson-Williams – Wonder Woman
- Mark Mothersbaugh – Thor: Ragnarok
- Tyler Bates – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Marco Beltrami – Logan
Best Visual Effects
As we said: visuals are a big part of the comic book movie experience, and every year those visuals get sharper, more elaborate, sometimes even delivering indelibly iconic images. All of the nominees did as much — so it’s really just about who did it best.
The nominees are:
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Wonder Woman
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Best Post-Credits Scene
The comic book movie genre has convinced fans to sit through the entirety of the end credits – sometimes for the reward of hot button-scene teaser that hypes the next chapter of the saga, other times for some added (and irreverent) enjoyment. 2017 delivered a mix of both those kinds of post-credits scenes, each with their own surprises.
The nominees are:
- Adam Warlock – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Deathstroke tease – Justice League
- Thanos’ ship – Thor: Ragnarok
- Captain America PSA – Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Scorpion and Sinister Six tease – Spider-Man: Homecoming
