Character of the Year

2009 was a year of tragedies, in real life and in the mythos of escape we call comic books. And out of those fictional tragedies emerged a team that was interesting, they had their faces drawn on almost every major book from that publisher. And the leader of that team was a man who was so intriguing, I was glued to his every action and eagerly awaited every major consequence.

I present to you the Comicology Character of 2009 - NORMAN OSBORN!

His emergence from being a burried Spider-Man villain to the main big baddie of MU really came from way out far left field. As Secret Invasion was ending, rumors were swirling about and the solicits did show that Normie was at the top of the food chain, but it was just hard to believe. I chose to be pessimistic and be pleasantly surprised if things turned out okay. I’m happy it turned out the way it turned out. Thank you, Mr. Bendis.

Watching Norman put together his Cabal, his teams, his agency and his whole initiative was compelling to witness. After his rise to the top, he put measures in place that would keep him there. Normie was the one to take out the Skrull queen by shooting her in the face. Amazing how technology works - he was able to determine that blowing off her face with a giant gun would stop the invasion. He found Tony’s armory and now has integrated Oscorp Tech and Stark’s Iron Man technology. And it looks fucking sweet.

He made everyone’s lives a living hell. He hunted the Avengers, made Moon Knight flee to Mexico, picked apart War Machine. But now, the heroes are getting back on their feet and Norman, and his armies, are breaking down.

In all the books across the Marvel Universe, I loved how Norman Osborn was written consistently - as a manipulative, deceiving, power hungry man on the edge of his sanity. Behind closed doors, Norman was always up to something and it wasn’t something your mom told you would make you blind. Okay, maybe there was some of that, too.

I also love how out of Norman’s success, the titles in which he had a hand brought out superstars.

Out of being a class A Daredevil villain and all-around murderous slapping boy, Bullseye became a household name. He put on the guise of Hawkeye and was brought up to A-list status. Hell, I think he’s even more popular than Daredevil. And that, good reader, is a good thing. He’s been given a push and he’s doing great at the top. I can NOT wait for the Clint Barton/Bullseye showdown. It’ll be epic.

The gimmicky Superman-esque dull Sentry was given so many layers and was made to be so interesting that it almost borders on ultra-creepy. Under Norman’s hand, Robert was manipulated, used and deceived. But now, because of recent developments, he’s become more of a liability due to his almost unlimited power. I am extremely interested to see what happens to The Sentry in later books.

I don’t know what was more fun to watch - Norman’s unexpected skyrocketing into a position of ultimate military authority or his slow descent into the downward spiral that is slowly unraveling. Everyone’s setting up to take Norman down, even his own team mates - most notably of which are Loki, the god of mischief, and Dr. Doom, motherfucking DOOM! Siege is coming out soon and it’s going to be an awesome ride.

From crazy motherfucker in a goblin mask to one of the most influential crazy motherfuckers on the planet. Norman Osborn is the Comicology Character of the Year for 2009.

Here’s hoping for a kick ass 2010.