Best of 2024--The Winners!

Thanks to everyone who voted in this year's best of 2024 polls--and the results are now in! The lead story, of course, is we have a new reigning champion for character of the year, Dana Meadows! Dana shot to an early lead but it looked for a bit like Julie Kim was going to overtake her once again. The final result was very close, but Dana is the winner, and the first character besides Julie to claim the title. Congratulations, Dana! Let's break down the other results, and I'll also share with you who my picks were!

Best Fan Art: Sailor Mercury Another close one, but ultimately Sailor Mercury came out on top. Maybe some residual good will from the Mercury Rising sequence some years back? I'm not sure. Second place went to Wonder Woman, and it was a battle between the two until Ami finally pulled decisively ahead.

 For me, my personal favorite was Lady Jaye from the Ladies from the 80's series. One of my all time favorite Joes, it was fun drawing her iconic animated look for once, and I was really happy with the result.

 Favorite OC Pinup: Daniel Parra's Morgan Clarke (Post Reversion)

I was thrilled to see this image surge to an early lead and hold it. Daniel is a frequent collaborator, and I myself was happy with the personality that came through as Morgan remains cocky and defiant even after being drained of her power, so this was my pick as well. The strongest candidate after Morgan was our own Rayo Verde Production's Wendy Lupine, which was good to see too. With that dress, how could she not be?

 Best Pinup and Favorite Alternate She-Hulk: Bobbi Banner There's no denying the perennial appeal of Dr. Roberta Bryce Banner apparently--this came through in another category as well. I do wonder if Julie Kim having three entries in the pinup category might have helped Bobbi by splitting the vote. It was a three way tie for 2nd place and I was pleasantly surprised to see Janet Webber among the runner-ups as I did like that image.

My favorite pinup, however, was Sandy Starling in her green party dress. The image of the three Lunateers in their New Year's Eve finest is one of my favorites, but I much prefer this tweaked version of Sandy's look. As for the alternate She-Hulks, Ashley was the runner up (as she was in the pinup category) but I'm kind of fond of Janine David, to be honest.

Best TF Sketch: Rising Thunder (July)  Another close one, and I admit I was rooting against the winner a little, because it's actually one of the most finished looking entries and probably needs a full color job (which is the prize for this category) the least. Don't get me wrong, I do like it--I think that's why it got so much attention on the first pass. Close competition from June's In Space No One Can Hear You Smash and November's Meg, both worthy choices.

My personal pick for this one is March's Leaving the Party Early. It's kind of straightforward but I was still really pleased with the results.

 Best Small Format Transformation: Bobbi Goes Bye-Bye Next year I should probably lump all the She-Hulk art into its own category as I think it sometimes has an unfair advantage. Still, this was the winner of last year's TF Sketch competition, so it makes some sense. The closest runner up is Kajira, but the win was pretty definitive this time.

My pick for this is difficult. There are some I'm really proud of, like the Mighty Mutt one which was a departure from my usual subject matter and still came out pretty good, and the Harley Start to Finish, which features a pretty good burst of a fairly elaborate costume. I think the one I like most though is the Angela Gray Shulkout Start 2 Finish, which is a solid back to basics meat & potatoes Shulkout. (I guess I'm not so immune to the allure of She-Hulk either. ;) ) I do think of the TF pieces these Start 2 Finish ones are my favorites to do.

 Best Large Format Transformation: Captain Marvel to Ultra Kree Collage This one took an early lead and never looked back, really. I guess there have been a couple canonical Hulkout scenarios for Carol (in her Ms. Marvel days, anyway) and people feel like this may fill some of the lost potential of those earlier ones.

The runner-up is my pick for this category--Green Genes. Classic Hulkout shennanigans with a bit of new mixed in. Pleased with the dialogue on this one too.

 Best Extended Format Sequence:  Betty '03 Apparently I saved the best for last this year, as the end of year transformation featuring Betty Ross from the 2003 Hulk movie was the clear winner. The film, much like the Star Wars prequels, seems to be enjoying a rennaisance amongst the fandom over the last few years as I've been seeing this subject pop up everywhere. Respectable showing from our own Julie Kim as the runner up.

My favorite in this category however is definitely Jenny Angry. Been a little while since I've done a brand new classic Shulkie sequence, this time based on an audio clip scripted by SHFan and recorded by Artaxx.

 Thanks again for your voting and your support throughout 2024! Let's see what the New Year brings!

SAS