The 2017 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Movie

Welcome to the 2017 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Awards, where we here at ComicBook.com take a look back at 2017 and select the stories from comic books and related media that we expect will remain in our hearts and minds long after the year has come to a close.

The year of 2017 was a big and pivotal one for comic book movies, with films that pushed the boundary of cinematic art, brutal violence, old-fashioned heroic inspiration, and even some comedic edge. Since all of the major comic book movies in our nominees list were both financially successful and critically acclaimed, it was impossible to simply look and pick a clear frontrunner as a winner. After much debate (and some fierce acts of retribution) we managed to arrive at a winner.

And the winner of Best Movie is...

Wonder Woman!

Indeed, Logan was a major milestone for Hugh Jackman and the X-Men franchise, and Spider-Man: Homecoming was a massively successful relaunch of Spider-Man in a Marvel Cinematic Universe backdrop while Guardians and Thor were great entries in popular franchises. However, Wonder Woman didn't just change the DC Extended Universe or comic book film genre.

Whether it was cause and effect, or just serendipitous timing, Wonder Woman arrived in a year where the cultural debate about female empowerment hit a massive change in stride. Wonder Woman's themes of how female "heroism" is defined in a male-dominated world opened up the superhero movie genre in some important ways, while the example of Diana of Themyscira and her rise to power inspired a generation of young girls in a way that the genre has failed to do previously.

Given how the rest of the year played out, the Wonder Woman movie will likely be cemented as a cultural icon and milestone in addition to being the best film the DCEU has put out.

List of Nominees:

• Wonder Woman [WINNER]
• Logan
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
• Spider-Man: Homecoming
• Thor: Ragnarok