As 2021 draws to its merciful close, we are left with stacks upon long boxes of new comics to consider. Despite paper shortages, supply chain delays, and an ongoing pandemic, the direct market roared back to life and delivered some much-needed stories filled with fantastical ideas, heroism, and even a bit of horror. Now it’s time to celebrate our favorite comics creations and the brilliant creators who presented them to us. That’s what the annual ComicBook.com Golden Issue Awards are all about!
In 2021 readers were gifted with both long-anticipated finales and exciting new launches as writers from across the industry left a permanent impression on beloved characters and concepts. There seems to be no limit to the writing talent imagining scripts for our favorite series, but we can still only name one of them the Best Writer of 2021.
And the winner of the 2021 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Writer is…
Al Ewing for work on The Immortal Hulk!
We at ComicBook.com have celebrated The Immortal Hulk since its terrifying debut in 2018 through its October finale in which Hulk confronted an antagonist as great as any in Marvel Comics history. The series has become the definitive take on a character nearly as old as Marvel itself – reimagining key elements of the jade giant’s mythos and infusing them with poignance and meaning. It was clear from the very first issue that Ewing and his collaborators held grand ambitions, but their ability to deliver on those ambitions is nothing short of astonishing.
The homestretch of The Immortal Hulk challenged concepts of morality in an increasingly chaotic and amoral world, questioning what one person holding all of their own rage and trauma might do. Its response to that question is every bit as nuanced as one would hope, providing a saga that demands rereading and contemplation. Ewing’s vision of the Hulk included all of the action and horrifying imagery readers have come to expect, but infused all of those familiar aspects with new meaning.
This rare ability to revitalize the familiar and make old stories speak to our time is a theme in Ewing’s comics writing. Other series from 2021, including We Only Find Them When They’re Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Defenders, have each addressed mythology in idiosyncratic fashions sprawling across time and space. Yet each new vision of these fantastic worlds offers readers something far more substantial than entertainment as the vibrant hues, explosive action, and unbelievable designs all speak to something intensely human. This is why Al Ewing is, undeniably, the best comics writer of 2021.
Congrats to Al Ewing on his Golden Issue Awards win!
The nominees for Best Writer are:
Christopher Cantwell (The United States of Captain America)
Al Ewing (The Immortal Hulk) — WINNER
N.K. Jemisin (Far Sector)
Mariko Tamaki (Detective Comics)
Tom Taylor (Nightwing)
