The 2023 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Comic Book Movie

All things considered, 2023 was an excellent year for comic book cinema. Though it started with misfires like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Flash, the second half of the year was loaded with acclaimed releases. There was Blue Beetle, an important film that introduced the beloved DC Comics character to an entirely new audience. That’s not to forget Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the film that tore many of our hearts out as it wrapped the trilogy up in only a way James Gunn could; or Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the highly anticipated follow-up to its Oscar-winning predecessor.

But since it’s the season of awards, only one film could stand tall as the best comic book movie released this year. Was it The Marvels, a riot of the film that pushed the MCU narrative forward exponentially? Maybe it was Netflix’s Nimona, an adaptation of the 2015 graphic novel donning the same name. Whatever the case, the staff at ComicBook.com entered the Thunderdome to debate which movie was best. Blood was spilled, tears were shed, and few made it out unscathed. What remained was a group of snack-fueled entertainment journalists, beaten and battered, and a movie the group eventually agreed was the Best Comic Book Movie released in 2023.

And the winner for the 2023 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Comic Book Movie is…

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 isn’t just the Best Comic Book Movie released this year, it’s one of the best movies that entered theaters regardless of genre—and it’s one of the best movies Marvel Studios has ever released. While a film like Avengers: Endgame found itself successful because of its ensemble being the closest thing to resemble a Marvel comic come to life, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 fulfilled expectations in an entirely different way.

You talk to filmmakers and creatives, and they will usually tell you that story comes first always. With the Guardians, however, it’s character first and that’s what has set the franchise apart from other entries in comic book cinema. The story of all three movies is relatively the same, One Bad Guy wants to do irreparable harm to the universe and a group of misfits does what it can to stop them. It’s something that’s been told time and time again.

What other movies don’t have is Rocket Raccoon, Star-Lord, Gamora, Groot, and Drax. A group of characters that once found themselves shoveling manure in the furthest corners of the Marvel stable of characters, James Gunn not only made them household names, he made these characters ones to care deeply about.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is about as perfect of an end cap to a franchise as fans can get. The film wrapped the storylines of each character up completely, treating viewers to one of the most well-rounded comic book films ever released. Anybody could have made a film using these characters, but nobody could have made us care for them as much as James Gunn has, and his commitment to them was on full display in the picture.

Other films nominated for ComicBook.com’s Best Comic Movie of the Year include:

• Blue Beetle
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 — WINNER
• The Marvels
• Nimona
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Part One