The 2018 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Awards Nominations for Movies

Welcome to the 2018 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 related media.

2018 is a year that feels both long and short at the same time. This is a year that began with fans rallying behind a troubled Stan Lee and ended with the monumental loss of the Marvel creator. In terms of movies, it was a year that began with the unprecedented success of Black Panther, had the game-changing twists of Avengers: Infinity War, and the dark horse breakout success of Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff, Venom. In short, it was a year marked with milestones that few saw coming, which is why we now find ourselves with some pretty exciting nominees.

It should be noted that while comic book movies were the main focus when deciding the list of nominees, this year’s Golden Issue Awards movie list includes other popular film genres, like sci-fi and horror. So, without further ado, here are your nominees!

Best Movie

This year, Marvel ruled movie theaters, as DC’s Aquaman unfortunately released too late to make it into our list. There is a wide variety of Marvel films to choose from, sure, but one film certainly looms larger than the others: Avengers: Infinity War was a milestone achievement in franchise filmmaking, and it has owned both the box office ($2B) and pop culture since its release. 

The full list of nominees are: 

• Ant-Man and the Wasp
• Avengers: Infinity War
• Black Panther
• Deadpool 2
• Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Best Animated Movie

When it comes to geek culture, animation is quickly becoming as prevalent as live-action releases. This year, the competition is truly a tight one. Both computer and hand-drawn animation made a splash, and the movies in the running range from Marvel vs. DC to Disney vs. Pixar with some anime thrown in for good measure. 

The full list of nominees are: 

• The Incredibles 2
• My Hero Academia: Two Heroes
• Ralph Breaks The Internet
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
• Teen Titans GO! To the Movies

Best Actor

The boys of genre turned in some strong performances this year with roles that allowed them to gift the fantastical worlds they were playing in with actual dramatic weight. Ironically enough, no actual superheroes made it into the nominees; this is villains and antiheroes only. 

The full list of nominees are: 

• Henry Cavill – Mission: Impossible – Fallout
• Josh Brolin – Avengers: Infinity War
• Michael B. Jordan – Black Panther
• Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool 2
• Tom Hardy – Venom

Best Actress

This year brought some truly powerful performances from some strong female leads, and it couldn’t have been more timely. The depths of some of these performances was remarkable for genre films, and none of them are soon to be forgotten.

The full list of nominees are: 

• Emily Blunt – A Quiet Place
• Evangeline Lilly – Ant-Man and the Wasp
• Jamie Lee Curtis – Halloween
• Natalie Portman – Annihilation
• Zoe Saldana – Avengers: Infinity War

Best Director

This was a year where some truly bold new visions resulted in some milestone cinematic experiences. The list of standout talent includes some directors that are just getting started in their careers, and others that are longtime veterans embracing the new age of genre-themed blockbusters. It might not be hard to crown the winner(s) in this case. 

The full list of nominees are: 

• Christopher McQuarrie – Mission: Impossible – Fallout
• Panos Cosmatos – Mandy 
• The Russo Brothers – Avengers: Infinity War
• Ryan Coogler – Black Panther
• Steven Spielberg – Ready Player One

Best Fight Scene

A lot of fans come to these comic book and genre movies for one reason above all else: the action. This year, as the scope and vision of genre blockbusters exploded, so did the scope and vision of their action sequences. Given the list of nominees, 2018 is going to be hard to top in terms of action.

The full list of nominees are: 

• Bathroom Fight – Mission: Impossible – Fallout
• Battle on Titan – Avengers: Infinity War
• Battle of Wakanda – Avengers: Infinity War
• Casino Fight/Chase – Black Panther 
• Sonny Birch Ambush/Chase – Ant-Man and the Wasp

Best First Appearance

There’s nothing better than getting to meet a new movie character who makes a fantastic first impression. It doesn’t have to be a hero as villains are often just as charismatic — really the only qualifier is how bad we want to see more of them once their time on screen is over. 

The full list of nominees are: 

• August Walker (Henry Cavill) – Mission: Impossible – Fallout
• Cable (Josh Brolin) – Deadpool 2
• Domino (Zazie Beetz) – Deadpool 2
• Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) – Black Panther 
• The Wasp (Michelle Pfeiffer) – Ant-Man and the Wasp

Best Score

The visual component of movies is just one half of the magic with sound being the other. Not only does a strong soundtrack help elevate a movie into something more moving and magical, the right score keeps the cinematic experience alive long after the movie ends. In 2018, we definitely got a few new classic themes and scores that will live on. 

The full list of nominees are: 

• Avengers: Infinity War
• Black Panther
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald 
• Halloween
• Solo: A Star Wars Story

Best Visual Effects

As stated, the action is a major part of what audiences show up to see in these comic book and genre films, and a big part of creating that action falls on the film’s visual effects team. This year, film technicians and computer programmers had to click those keyboards overtime, working tirelessly to make some of the biggest films of the year look their best. 

The full list of nominees are: 

• Ant-Man and the Wasp
• Avengers: Infinity War
• Black Panther
• Solo: A Star Wars Story
• Venom

Best Post-Credits Scene

Finally, what would a movie these days be without a nice little extra scene after the credits in order to tease and tantalize fans about the future of the franchise? Since Marvel Studios made post-credits scene a regular part of its formula, big genre film franchises have been trying to find ways to make the “button scene” teasers novel and exciting for fans. With these 2018 films, post-credits scenes got more inventive and exciting than they’ve ever been.

The full list of nominees are: 

• Ant-Man and the Wasp
• Avengers: Infinity War
• Black Panther
• Deadpool 2
• Teen Titans GO! To the Movies