The 2017 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best New TV Series

2017 was quite the year for the greater comic book industry. From overwhelming success stories like the incredible female voices behind Wonder Woman, to catastrophic failures like Marvel's Inhumans, there was plenty to talk about this year. This past month, the entire ComicBook.com team took part in voting for the second annual Golden Issue Awards, celebrating the achievements in the worlds of comics, TV, movies, anime and more.

This year was a landmark year for comic book television, with various networks and streaming services launching brand new shows for fans to enjoy. From Amazon, to ABC, it seemed like there was a new comic book TV series around every corner and honestly, we couldn't get enough. However, we felt five of these shows were good enough to be nominated Best New TV Series, and one was able to rise above the rest.

And the winner of Best New TV Series is...

The Punisher!

Marvel's original programs on Netflix have been celebrated over the past couple of years, with the likes of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage stealing the hearts of viewers. Things got off to a rocky start in 2017 with the premiere of Iron Fist, but ended with a bang as The Punisher, starring Jon Bernthal, completely annihilated any notions of what comic book television was about.

After debuting in Daredevil's second season, Frank Castle (Bernthal) tried his best to disappear from the spotlight. Unfortunately, he soon learned that the men responsible for the murder of his family were still walking free, and Castle once again set out on a warpath as The Punisher, slaughtering anyone in his path.

What really got us invested in this series was the brilliant leading performance by Bernthal. The veteran TV actor kept up with the breakneck speed of the character's action sequences while also being just vulnerable enough to let the viewers see just a little bit of Frank's mind at a time. It was truly masterful work, sure to go down as some of Bernthal's best.

In addition to the incredible acting throughout the series, The Punisher found a way to deal with issues like PTSD in a way that other shows had not. Bernthal often said that he took pride in this series for the way that it portrayed military veterans, and that success became more and more evident with each and every episode.

From start to finish, The Punisher was as groundbreaking as it was gut-wrenching, and we can't wait for Season Two.

Like we said in the beginning of this article, there were a ton of great new series this year, and any one of these shows could have easily come out on top. From The Tick on Amazon to Legion on FX, each of these nominees deserves a ton of credit for the wonderful work they did in 2017.

Be sure to come back and check out the rest of the winners as they're announced throughout the week!

List of Nominees:

• The Punisher [WINNER]
• Marvel's Runaways
• Legion
• The Tick
• The Gifted