Taking a little break from my usual blog posts, Why ____ is Awesome, with the end of 2013 almost here, here are my favorite comic book series of this year.

For the sake of this list, I don't care if the issues released before this year were great or not. I am only taking into account the issues released THIS YEAR and using that to judge my favorite series. Agree or disagree, this is my personal opinion. This is for Marvel and DC comics ONLY (Vertigo counts). I will probably make a list for best non-Big Two comics of the year in the future.

20. Animal Man by Jeff Lemire

Starting from issue #16. Animal Man by Jeff Lemire has always been the underrated series of the New 52. He does a great job of bringing an element of creepiness to this series, for sure, as well as making Animal Man a hero everyone would want to read about. In 2013, Animal Man concludes the fantastic Rotworld story-arc crossover with Swamp Thing and has Buddy Baker facing the consequences. It's a unique series, and that alone gives it an edge. Issue 25 also has Buddy going to space!

19. Scarlet Spider by Christopher Yost

Starting from issue #13. 2013 has Kaine fighting wolves in "In the Midst of the Wolves," Wolverine himself in "Wrath," and Kraven the Hunter in "Into the Grave." By the end of this year, Scarlet Spider would have ended and it's sad it being over. That being said, this series has always been fun and gives us a tough, anti-hero Spider, accompanied by good art. The issues with Wolverine and Kaine teaming up were my favorite, and Kaine quickly shot up to one of my favorite Marvel heroes, thanks to this series!

18. Batwoman by J.H. Williams III

Starting from issue #16. A beautifully drawn comic series, written by J.H. Williams III. It presents Batwoman as a very intriguing character, with 2013 covering the final two issues of "World's Finest," and the story-arc of "This Blood is Thick," as well as the Zero-Year tie-in. It's sad to see this creative team go, but they ended it strongly. Each page is absolutely beautiful, doing a great job of portraying the protagonist as a compelling character.

17. Batgirl by Gail Simone

Starting from issue #16. Barbara Gordon is still Batgirl! Gail, who has always been skilled with female characters, continues to write consistently good stories. Batgirl's tie-ins to Death of the Family are some of my favorites tie-ins to the story arc. Later on, she deals with her psychotic brother, James Gordon Jr., and deals with some serious family issues with her father, the Commissioner. He wants to hunt down Batgirl! Simone reinvents the Ventriloquist to be a very creepy villain, creating much intensity in the panels. Barbara's emotions are explored more deeply this year with the story arc "Batgirl: Wanted." I should also add that the cover art has always been amazing.

16. Batman and Robin by Peter J. Tomasi

Starting from issue #16. The year 2013 has been quite the year for the Batman and Robin series. After a significant event in Batman Inc #8, Batman has been going through hell. I give this comic lots of props for Batman and Robin #18, which is one of the most emotional issues of this year. Following that, this series takes Batman through the five stages of grief, and watching him interact with the Bat family is precious, especially since it's not as common in the New 52. Then it's followed by four villains issues, Two-Face, Ra's al Ghul, Court of Owls, and Killer Croc, which did better than most of the other titles in that month. Batman & Robin has the Batman & Two-Face issues recently, which you might want to read.

15. Deadpool by Brian Posehn

Starting from issue #4. As you would expect, this is a fun and entertaining series. Deadpool is hilarious as usual. In 2013, he fought Abraham Lincoln and many other dead Presidents (what?). He teams-up with Benjamin Franklin and encounters many types of adversaries. It's definitely an odd series that I enjoy reading all the time. His most recent story arc, "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly" was very, very good and something I probably will want to read again soon. Posehn has been doing fantastic work with Deadpol and I can't wait to see more.

14. Thor: God of Thunder by Jason Aaron

Starting from issue #4. Thor: God of Thunder's stories of 2013 include the final two issues of "The God Butcher," the entire "Godbomb" arc, and the first three parts of "The Accursed." The Godbomb was spectacular, and I'm sure that most would agree with me. Esad Ribic's art is a masterpiece and Thor is truly written well by Jason Aaron. Though I'm not liking "The Accursed" too much, it's still an enjoyable series. Thor had an overall great year with the Godbomb arc and Thor: The Dark World coming to theaters in November.

13. Batman Inc. by Grant Morrison

Starting from issue #7. Issue #8 may be the single most important Batman issue in 2013. And from there, things get really heavy has Batman and his crew battle against Talia and her Leviathan. It's an epic conclusion to Grant Morrison's long and legendary Batman run. You really don't want to miss this one, because Batman really is pushed to the edge and important things happen here! I do dock this down a few points because I'm really not fond of the art.

12. All-New X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis

Starting from issue #5. I'm treading on thin ice here because I know a lot of people hate what has been going on with the X-Men as of late. But I like it. I've grown fond of the O5 X-Men from the past, especially young Jean and Scott. This series near the top when it comes to art. It covers the O5 X-Men and their time trying to adapt in the Post-Schism present. All-New X-Men contains Chapter 2 and 6 of Battle of the Atom, which for the most part hasn't received positive reviews. However, unlike most, I thought that it was still enjoyable despite the many flaws. And I do like the direction in which the title is going to, having the O5 stand alongside Cyclops' X-Men.

11. The Flash by Brian Buccellato & Francis Manapul

Starting from issue #16. Barry Allen is my second favorite hero, behind Batman, so naturally I love this series. Manapul & Buccellato are a great writing duo and produce stunning art. 2013 consists of the final two parts of "Gorilla Warfare," villains issues for: Gorilla Grodd, The Rogues, and Reverse Flash, the story arc "Reverse," and the Zero Year tie-in. 2013 marks the end of their Flash run (I'm shedding a tear). This series introduced an interesting new Reverse Flash, had thrilling fights with no shortage of amazing splash pages, and The Rogues & Flash fighting Gorilla Grodd. The Flash's Zero Year tie-in was a personal favorite of mine (Team Iris!) and The Flash had the best villain issues.

10. Justice League by Geoff Johns

Starting from issue #16. Justice League had a great year, with awesome Shazam back-up stories, Throne of Atlantis, and Trinity War. This series really picked up steam in 2013, accompanied by Ivan Reis' art. Shazam's back-up stories make me hope for a Shazam ongoing one day soon. Throne of Atlantis is forever established as one of the greatest Aquaman stories of all-time. And Trinity War is one of my favorite events in recent memory. However, I would have to argue that the villains issues were weak (but then again, so were most) except Darkseid's, which was great. Now with Trinity War over, and Forever Evil in place, this series has ended the year strong.

9. Wonder Woman by Brian Azzarello

Starting from issue #16. This series has been very consistent, since its inception in the New 52. Azzarello continues the loooong story arc from last year and this year is where it gets really intense. Orion becomes a fairly regular member and the baby is born. The First Born is finally introduced, as well as a preview toward the New Gods. There are lot of great things to say about this series, on top of its villains issues (Cheetah and First Born), which were okay. My only issues about this series is the apparent overpowering of Orion and vague power levels of the First Born. It isn't clear how powerful he is, as he is a new character, and he's already throwing both Wonder Woman and Orion around like rag-dolls. There's so much else to learn about the villain. Another complaint is that the entire series has been focused on one series, and while it does feel like a long epic story, it would be refreshing to finally start a new story arc.

8. New Avengers by Jonathan Hickman

Starting from issue #1. This is an underrated title that I think deserves recognition. I love the Illuminati members in here so of course I like this one. Black Panther and Black Bolt are two characters that I love and really enjoy reading about them. Vol. 1, titled "Everything Dies," starts out the series strong, and it doesn't stop being wonderful. The last few issues have been Infinity tie-ins and I should mention that the New Avengers tie-ins to Infinity are my favorites. This series is blessed with an awesome cast, Hickman's writing, and Steve Epting's art.

7. Green Arrow by Ann Nocenti (issue 16), and Jeff Lemire (#17-present)

Starting from issue #16. It's a shame that before Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino took over the title, it hasn't been good at all. But with Lemire & Sorrentino coming to the scene starting from issue #17, Green Arrow's series hasn't been the same ever since. In this year, they have written "The Kill Machine," "Shados," and Book 1 of the new arc, "The Outsiders War" (which came out today). 2013 also included Count Vertigo's villain issue and the Zero Year tie-in. Andrea Sorrentino has become of my favorite artists out there and Lemire has totally been killing it with his writing.

6. Batman by Scott Snyder

Starting from issue #16. Batman has been great this year. In 2012, we had The Court of Owls, City of Owls, and the first half of Death of the Family. This year includes mainly Zero Year, the conclusion to Death of the Family, and villain titles for The Riddler, Penguin, Bane, and the Joker. Although this series may not have done as well as it did last year, it is still a very strong title, as Zero Year as been amazing in the last couple issues despite (in my opinion) having a slow start. Add in Greg Capullo's art, and you're all set. Since Batman is my favorite character, I really wanted to put this as number one, I can't. Death of the Family had an anti-climatic ending, Zero Year had a slow start and the villains titles weren't that great (most villains titles weren't that great, so I can't put too much criticism on that). Joker's villains issue was sadly disappointing. Nonetheless, it has been one of my favorite series.

5. Green Lantern by Geoff Johns, later Robert Venditti

Starting from issue #16. This is Geoff Johns' epic conclusion to his revolutionary Green Lantern run, "Wrath of the First Lantern." After Johns left, the series was left in the good hands of Robert Venditti. We got the treat of the story Lights Out, and four villain titles: Mongul, Sinestro, Black Hand, and the new villain Relic. The end of Wrath of the First Lantern was bittersweet and absolutely beautiful and Lights Out was a refreshing story with interesting developments in the Green Lantern mythos (I'm won't spoil anything for you, don't worry!). I give major props for Venditti introducing a new villain, Relic, with strong execution. Without spoiling anything for those who haven't read Lights Out yet (which I recommend you do), let's just say that I am excited for the future of all lantern ring-wielders. GL has been an underrated title.

4. Infinity by Jonathan Hickman

Starting from issue #1. Infinity is a 6 issue mini-series covering the recently-ended Marvel event: Infinity. It's an exciting story of Thanos' evil plans and it's up to the Avengers to depend Earth. I have to admit, I've never really been a big fan of Marvel's events, but this one does it for me. It has fantastic art and Hickman has some cool ideas that he puts into play here. Most of all, many different characters share the spotlight, especially Black Bolt and the Inhumans (which is my top reason why I liked Infinity). Infinity established my interest in Black Bolt and Thanos. It introduced a new character, Thane, who could be a big player in the future and it initiates the start of the new event, Inhumanity. The first issue came out today, and I loved it.

3. Injustice: Gods Among Us (Digital Comic) by Tom Taylor

Starting from issue #1. The only digital-only comic on this list. Based on the video game of the same name, Injustice: Gods Among Us is a fantastic else-world story. Tom Taylor has an absolutely fantastic job with writing characters, including Green Arrow, Harley Quinn, and Superman. It's very exciting and I'm anxious to see what happens next. This is one of the most emotional series out there about the breaking of Superman's morality after horrible tragedy. I suggest this series to anyone. My only complaint is that it hasn't I've had to wait a long time between issues recently.

2. The Wake by Scott Snyder

Starting from issue #1. The Wake is Vertigo mini-series written by Scott Snyder and drawn by Sean Murphy. It is different than the other titles of this list. It's not a superhero story. It introduces Lee Archer and her crew going under the depths of the sea, where they encounter mysterious creatures. It's incredibly intense and I highly, highly recommend that everyone reads this. The end of "part one" was issue 5, where I felt major chills. It's an emotional and mysterious ride and I can't wait for the entire story to wrap up. I can't say too much without spoiling it but I suggest that you go and check this out.

1. Aquaman by Geoff Johns

Aquaman started this year with issue #16. 2013 has consisted of Chapter 4 and Epilogue of "Throne of Atlantis," the "Death of a King" story arc, villains issues for Black Manta & Ocean Master, and Geoff John's epic conclusion to his Aquaman run. Since its inception at the New 52, this series has been nothing short of phenomenal. Geoff Johns has made many more comic book fans respect Aquaman. Both Death of the King and Throne of Atlantis will go down as some of the greatest Aquaman stories ever. I can only count Chapter 4 and the Epilogue of Throne of Atlantis, since the rest of the story took place in 2012, but both issues were stunning. With Death of the King, Johns introduced the Dead King, who could be a formidable foe once again in the future. The Ocean Master and Black Manta villain issues are on the better side of the Villains Month titles. Ivan Reis' art on this series is top-notch and he has risen to be one of the best, if not the best, comic book artist currently. It is sad that Johns is leaving, but he did end his run on a fantastic note. Not to mention, Aquaman's beard came back momentarily this year!

There you go! To me, Aquaman's series is the best series of 2013!

Notable mentions: Forever Evil (only 3 issues in), Superman/WW (only 2 issues in), FF, Superman Unchained (only 4 issues in), Inhumanity (only 1 issue in), Hawkeye