I Have an Urge

To start writing again.

I am looking at a nice, long break from acting. I have nothing lined up as of this moment, and trips planned for April and May. My hope is that I can go back into rehearsals at the end of May, and have a show for the Summer.

( None-too-subtle subtext here...If you have an audition for a show in that general slot...shoot me a line.)

Part of that time off is going to be pointed to other creative work. Obviously, my Hayoth music project continues to develop, but I am also looking to get back into playwriting. It's been a long time since I've completed even a short play, and even longer since anything was even remotely developed or produced. Neon was a long time ago, and the western adaptation that I hammered out on spec seems like years ago.

I think it's time to start it up again.

I have an idea, a trilogy of subject-connected plays about the comic book industry. I have a pretty good idea of what each will be about, and have done some preliminary research. Research coupled with my own knowledge, of course...but the first play, in particular, there is a scene that I want to be accurate. The first is a larger story, but the second two will be more intimate and personal.

I think the form is so wonderful, and I want to channel my passion into something creative, and the series idea that I worked on with Zach Bosteel just kind of petered out after one zero issue. I have no animosity about that, Zach and I are still good friends. It's just a busy world, and why draw for free when there's paid work available.

Anyway...

This is really to just publicly about what I am aiming at. A lot of my friends know about this idea, and have reacted positively, but I needed somethign to hold myself accountable with.

This blog post is it.

Star Wars is Back at Marvel

Star Wars was, obviously to anyone who's read this blog, extremely important to my childhood. Seeing the film when I was five, in a tiny, packed movie theatre (people sitting in the aisles, and on the floor in front of the screen) was...it changed me. I wanted to do THAT. I didn't really grasp exactly what THAT was for a few more years, but a course was set.

Part of the genius of Geroge Lucas was how he left opportunities for his universe, his story, his characters to expand beyond the film itself. Many people bemoan the toys and merchandise now, but...they were tools to find more stories for Luke, Han and Leia....

My stories. New stories. The concept, the universe, felt so vast that almost anything was possible. New planets, new adventures on old planets...How many sandboxes in this country became Tatooine between 1977 and the mid-80's?

Part of what fed that was Marvel's comic books, which adapted the original film in the first 6 issues, and then immediately jumped into new stories and new adventures. The first story arc after the film was, flat out so cool. A loose re-telling of The Seven Samurai/The Magnificent Seven with Han Solo recruiting a rag-tag group of misfits and mercenaries to defend a backwater community from a gang on speeder bikes, essentially. I tell ya, I LOVED Jaxxon, a six-foot tall green rabbit who Solo recruited, created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Howard Chaykin, big legends of the industry. I often think that Jaxxon paved my path to being relatively unperturbed by Jar-Jar Binks.

George Lucas, however, apparently HATED the big rabbit. Thomas has inferred that the rejection of this character, and the demands of Lucas licensing, led to he and Chaykin walking away from the series. This led to Archie Goodwin and the truly great Carmine Infantino coming on board. Honestly, my memories of Star Wars in comics are dominated by Infantino's art.

Infantino

 As time went on, and Star Wars reached the dark days after the release of Return of the Jedi, interest in the book waned, and, eventually, marvel cancelled it with issue #107. Right after I had subscribed, no less, the first and only issue I got of my subscription was #107.

The property was fallow for a long time, but when Timothy Zahn released his "Thrawn Trilogy" of novels, beginning with Heir to the Empire in June 1994. The release of those books marked a resurgence of Star Wars fandom that we are, really, still in. A smaller publisher, Dark Horse Comics, snatched up the rights to do Star Wars comic books in 1996, and continued to publish until 2014, last year.

That's eighteen years of comics. Mini-series, ongoing series, specials, etc, that touched on every era of the imagined history, and created a few of their own. The books embraced drama, horror, comedy, and really showed the sort of expansive creative canvas the Star Wars galaxy is. In my mind, even if I was a much more consistent reader of the Marvel comics of the 70's and 80's, Dark Horse is THE publisher that should be associated with Star Wars (even if I, myself, am uninterested in endless Boba Fett mini-series).

Well, of course, we all know that Disney bought Lucasfilm, Star Wars with it, and already owns Marvel Comics. Corporate synergy being what it is, Star Wars is now being published my Marvel again.

I read the first issue, written by Jason Aaron (he of the AMAZING Southern Bastards), with art by John Cassaday. It's good. No big complaints, but somethign does feel fairly....mechanical about the issue. It's wrapped up in a lot of bells and whistles, and a $4.99 price tag, that wants to scream "EPIC!!!," but the story feels a little forced. It's kind of hard for me to imagine that Luke, Han AND Leia, all high-profile Rebel Alliance members and associates, would all be assigned to the same espionage mission. They make a viable case as to why Han would be useful, but then undercut it by pointing out the price on his head, and who put it there.

But, y'know...it's Star Wars. Sometimes shit happens just so the plot can move along. I can roll with that. The characters feel pretty true-to-form, and the action is appropriate.

However...and this is just me, your mileage may vary....

I liked the Star Wars ongoing series that Dark Horse began in 2013, at which point I think they knew they were losing the license, and took the opportunity to do a classic, Luke/Han/Leia series. It lasted 20 issues, was quite rewarding, and I think Carlos D'Anda's artwork is much more dynamic and appropriate to the concept (Cassaday is a bit too studied and stiff for my tastes...but it is pretty), and Brian Wood had a real solid handle on the characters. I was invested in what that team was doing, and it was sad, if fully expected to see it end.

That series was the first Star Wars I'd had on my pull list in years. Marvel's new series is, as well, and I am willing to give it a good six issues to well and truly grab me. It's a good, solid start.

Comic Review - SOUTHERN BASTARDS

I have spoken to friends about this Image comic, Southern Bastards by writer Jason Aaron and artist Jason Latour.

I described it as an awesome Lee Marvin/Charles Bronson picture. Sort of like Walking Tall, if Burford Pusser was 60+ years old. It was a book that really hooked me with that sort of macho ass-kicking that ends with our hero ordering a plate of ribs.

Well, issue #4 came out this week, ending the first arc of the book, "There Was a Man."

You all need to go seek out the first 3 issues, read them in order, and DO NOT SKIP AHEAD. Seriously, DO NOT do it. (Apparently a trade paperback will be out later this month). If you wait for that, DO NOT read spoilers.

Because this book just took a turn that floored me, and moved it in a whole new direction that will make it, I daresay, totally unique in it's genre. Because I don't see any sign of the book changing, but the rest of the game is gonna play totally different.

All this would be useless, of course, if the writing and art weren't top-notch. They are. Four issues in, I have no complaints, no qualms, and no criticisms. Aaron and Latour are, no other way to put it, KILLING IT.

I have been a bit sad at losing my beloved Jonah Hex, as All-Star Western rides into the sunset. This book will make a nice replacement.

Holy crap, it's good. In ways I never, ever expected it to be.

 

 

Jonah Hex - Time Traveler, Role Model

From All-Star Western #23 - Written by the great Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray - Jonah Hex has time-traveled to the present, and met a bartender named Gina:

Hex: This here country never did seem to have it's head on straight since we kicked them damn Redcoats out. If'n ya ask me we always had a funny sense of justice and equality set ta benefit one group over another.

Gina: But we've come a long way toward fixing that.

Hex: Yer tellin' me ain't nobody dyin' fer a God that promises heaven an' lets ya live through hell? Ain't nobody bein' robbed or murdered or killed fer how they look?

Gina: No. All those things still happen.

Hex: An' that's why ah say give me a strong drink, a good horse an' a willing woman. An' the rest of the world can go ta hell. Now we're gonna do it again, only this time, yer on top.

Grant Morrison Makes Me Respect THE KILLING JOKE Even More

I was reading Scott Tipton's COMICS 101, as I often do on Wednesdays....

Which sent me to the latest edition of Kevin Smith's FATMAN ON BATMAN podcast. The relevant section being at about 1:07:35 mark.

Says Morrison:

"That's why it's called The Killing Joke. The Joker tells the 'Killing Joke' at the end, Batman reaches out and breaks his neck, and that's why the laughter stops and the light goes out, 'cause that was the last chance at crossing that bridge."

Here's the relevant page:

I am floored by the sheer obviousness of what Morrison asserts that writer Alan Moore and artist Brian Bolland have done here. I mean, granted this is after the fact, after Morrison points it out, but it's ABSOLUTELY in line with the title of the thing, The Killing Joke, as well as the thematic arc of the story.


In brief, The Killing Joke functions as a origin of The Joker, presenting him as a two-bit, failed comedian, recruited by some hoods to aid them on a heist of the Ace Chemical plant, where our unnamed comedian used to work. The comedian, unable to secure paying comedy work, with a wife to support, and a child on the way, desperately needs the money. The criminals give him a "Red Hood" to disguise him during the crime (The Red Hood was revealed in Detective Comics #168 [Feb 1951] to be The Joker's original criminal guise). During the course of the story, his wife (and child) are killed in a bizarre bottle-warmer accident, he's forced to complete the heist despite this, and he's dumped into the famous vat of chemicals. Emerging as The Joker.

That's flashback. The contemporary story involves The Joker kidnapping Commissioner Gordon, in the process shooting his daughter Barbara (traditionally also Batgirl - but that's never mentioned in this story), taking him to a dilapidated carnival and sideshow. He tortures Gordon, shows him pictures of his maimed daughter. Stating over and over again that his goal is to drive the Commissioner insane.

The MOST relevant line for this discussion? The Joker says:

"All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day. You had a bad day once. Am I right? I know I am. I can tell. You had a bad day and everything changed."

One. Bad. Day.

How else can you describe what Batman endures? His best friend kidnapped, beaten, tortured. His friends daughter (and possibly one of his crimefighting partners), defiled and paralyzed. All by a man who he has, repeatedly, captured and incarcerated. A man he has, repeatedly, refused to kill, either out of pity or his own moral code.

Flat out, Batman is indirectly responsible for the monster called The Joker existing in the first place. He's also repeatedly refused to permanently end his monstrous work. Now, "one bad day" later, those facts have driven him over the edge.

He kills The Joker. Flat out breaks his neck. The laughter on that page stops abruptly, because the joker is now dead, in front of the arriving police sirens. Even after Gordon had warned Batman that it had to be "by the book," to prove to The Joker that the system still worked. The Joker has finally driven his eternal opponent insane.

The Joker wins, even in death.

I've always liked The Killing Joke a whole lot. A whole, whole lot. However, I've resisted it as "the best Joker story, ever" for a lot of reasons. Frankly, I've always felt that Denny O'Neil and Neal Adam's "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge" (Batman #251 - Sept 1973), or Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers' "The Laughing Fish" (Detective Comics #475 - Feb 1978) truly deserved that crown.

However, this re-evaluation of The Killing Joke's ending changes all that. Mainly because it becomes, literally, the ULTIMATE Batman/Joker story. There can be no more. It's also a deeply unsettling and twisted tale, as all Joker stories should be.

It also makes The Killing Joke EXPLICITLY outside of continuity. Which is the grandest thing of all. Even at 17, when the book was originally published, I felt like what Moore and Bolland had crafted should not, in any way, be tied to the regular books. When Barbara Gordon was suddenly confined to a wheelchair in the regular Batman and Detective Comics monthlies, I felt that The Killing Joke had been cheapened.

I've read a few attempts to debunk Morrison's reading, and I find them just as flawed as those who take umbridge with Christopher Nolan's film trilogy. The fan brain seems to be unable to process the concept of "outside continuity." This obsession with determining if stories "count," or not, is just terribly problematic. There needs to be a realization that truly great stories rarely appear when they have to connect A to B, or worse (and part and parcel of the serialized fiction world) connect A right back to A over, and over, and over again.

My 2012 Wrap-Up

Movies

As I usually point out, movies are my bread-and butter. My love of film is what started me making lists like this. This year's surprise, for me, was that I fell so in love with so many "mainstream" films. I am a fan of blockbuster filmmaking, but I can't remember a year where I had both the top two box office draws in my "Best of" list.

Of course, I also have the biggest box office loser of the year, as well.

The Best:

10- Lincoln
A prestige production through-and-through, but one that defied a few expectations by not simply being a biopic, but exploring a very specific period of time near the end of the Civil War. That being Lincoln's political gamesmanship that led to the ratification of the 13th Amendment, outlawing slavery. The film is more slight than it feels, mainly due to Daniel Day-Lewis' truly astounding performance as Lincoln, and Steven Spielberg's restrained direction. However, one must also point out that Tony Kushner's script is full of wit and insights about the man.

9- Skyfall
I didn't really think there would ever be a James Bond movie I liked more than Casino Royale, which managed the feat of totally re-inventing the concept of a Bond movie as something a bit more realistic (just a bit), without stumbling. The fact it managed to pull it off (as opposed to the similar designs when Timothy Dalton took the role in the mid-80's), was exciting. Then to turn around, two films later (after a minor mis-step with Quantum of Solace, no less) and create something that not only honored that re-invention, but also re-introduced many of the series traditional tropes, AND felt like a fitting celebration of 50 years of Bond on film...is kind of astonishing.

8- Bernie
If this movie doesn't make you love Jack Black, nothing will. It's a small film, anchored by really strong performances by Black, Shirley MacClane and Matthew McConaughey, tells the true story of a murder in a small Texas town. A murder with a suspect so beloved, and a victim so hated, that the trial had to be moved so that the prosecution would get a fair hearing. Director Richard Linklater has crafted a wonderful little film about small-town life, and the colorful characters who live it.

7- Marvel's The Avengers
This movie is a miracle. A miracle in that, in so many, many ways, it should be terrible. Yet, Joss Whedon somehow took this mess of back stories and egos, and squeezed a coherent, fun movie out of it. It's almost impossible to even critique the thing. It just grabs you, and shoves you through the adventure. There's no time to stop and think about anything other than how much fun you're having. Which I suppose makes it a quite faithful adaptation of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's comics.

6- Goon
A romantic comedy my wife would likely hate. The film is steeped in the brutality of the world of small-time, professional hockey, but also embraces a sweetness and positive energy that was absolutely irresistible. The praise for that, and I'm shocked to say this, falls on the shoulders of Seann William Scott, an actor I have never been able to warm up to. Out of nowhere, however, he gives the performance of his career in this film. Compelling, warm, sweet, brutal, and funny. His Doug Glatt is a character I won't easily forget.

5- John Carter
I'll start off by saying...Anybody who put this film on a "worst of" list is an asshole. It's sheep mentality, "it lost so much money, it must suck." It doesn't, at all. The hatred and venom that have been spewed toward this film simply makes me angry. It's a walloping good adventure yarn with winning performances, and, hands down the best "Disney Princess" in years. Yes, it moves quickly. Yes, it's drowning in Edgar Rice Burrough's pulp-ficton tropes and shenanigans, but I hardly found it confusing. Director Andrew Stanton and his screenwriters (notably novelist Michael Chabon) have crafted a love letter to pulp adventure, and it's so worth seeing. One last note; screw you, Disney, for fucking the marketing on this so badly.

4- The Dark Knight Rises
The second time I saw this film, I went with CByrd. I cried my way through the final reel, and then we went to the car. Where I proceeded to break down completely, sobbing, for about five minutes. This movie struck me, and my love and connection to the mythic figure of Batman, deeply. The fanboy jerkoff complaints about "Batman wouldn't do that" are irrelevant, THIS Batman, Christopher Nolan's Batman, would. Nolan earned every choice he made here, by connecting them directly to the choices he made in the prior two films. Elevating the entire series to, not only the best Batman films we will likely ever see, but an important meditation on the nature of heroism and sacrifice.

3- The Grey
I didn't really know what I was getting into with this film. I suppose that was part of the overall problem, the trailer traded hard on "Liam Neeson punching wolves," when the film is much, much more than that. Some audiences felt betrayed, but I was knocked out by this film. It's a meditation on survival and manhood, and, in my humble opinion, the best film of it's kind since Deliverance. Neeson's Ottway is a man without desire to live, who, though the crucible of this horrifying situation, finds the spirit and will to fight to his dying breath. It's powerful, and anchored by a really outstanding performance by Neeson.

2- The Silver Linings Playbook
This film made me so happy. I mean, just overjoyed. It's a film that's completely life-affirming and warm-hearted. Sure, it's a little cliche and predictable, but what David O. Russell understands is that, by binding us emotionally to Pat (Bradley Cooper) and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), all cliche is forgiven. It helps that the unbalanced emotional states of these two characters make every situation a bit fraught with possible disaster. It's also nice that the stakes are relatively small-scale, remaining within the family. I also almost let out a whoop of joy when the real Robert DeNiro, elder statesman actor, returned from that Fockers hell he'd been in, and stole the show with one line.

1- Argo
Ben Affleck has been on his way to this for a while now. With Gone Baby Gone and The Town he established himself as a thriller director to watch. With Argo, he steps out and becomes one of our preeminent upcoming film artists. The man has a command of pace and tension that is masterful, and with this story of the rescue of Embassy workers trapped in Iran during the Hostage Crisis, he's found the story that really made people sit up and realize how good he is. The film has the sweep and scope of an epic, and the intimate moments that give that epic meaning. There's room for great actors (Alan Arkin, John Goodman) to chew into great roles, and Affleck, himself, to show how compelling a leading man he can be. Hands down, my favorite film of the year.


Biggest Disappointment (Tie):

I don't do "worst" lists, because I refuse to see films that are terrible (Maybe on Netflix after the fact), but I will point out movies that should've been better.

Prometheus
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I wonder if, in years to come, "the prequel curse" will be invoked. In both cases we have revered filmmakers returning to properties they rose to prominence with. Ridley Scott with the Alien universe, and Peter Jackson with Middle Earth. Please bear in mind, neither of these films are unwatchable, and both have things to recommend. The simple truth is that they both don't work all that well, as a whole. Scott's film is hampered by trying to be an Alien prequel, and at the same time not really wanting to be. While Jackson buries the wonderful little tale of Bilbo Baggins under miles and miles of foreshadowing and exposition for films we've already seen. Painful.

Best Actor

Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Biggest "well, duh" on my list. No matter how one might feel about the film, as a whole, there's absolutely no denying the amazing nature of what Day-Lewis has done...again. I felt like I'd spent two hours with Abraham Lincoln, not an actor playing him. The unerring way in which Day-Lewis seems to be able to embrace and internalize the characters he chooses is nothing but astonishing, and the fact that he's never failed to do so (in my memory) is almost inhuman. I think it's really time to revisit the notion of the "greatest actor of all time." Oliver? Brando? Day-Lewis has reached that level, and, at 55, every role seems miles from any other he has played, and  he has yet to show any signs of the sort of laziness or excess the others fell prone to (to a lesser or greater extent).

Best Actress 

Jennifer Lawrence in The Silver Linings Playbook
For such a young actress, I was impressed with how adroitly Jennifer Lawrence navigated the waters of a difficult character. Tiffany is angry and defensive, yet we must also fall in love with her as Pat (Bradley Cooper) does, AND see why Pat's father (DeNiro) grows attached to her, as well. It helps that she's never looked sexier on film, I'll grant. Still, Lawrence handles all of these challenges and creates a singular character that charmed me, while still making clear she doesn't give a crap if you're charmed, or not.




Best Director

Ben Affleck for Argo
Honestly, just read what I wrote about Argo. Affleck is the real deal, and I cannot wait to see what he does next. Whatever it is, I'll be there opening night.








Music

The Best:

10- Afterglow - Black Country Communion
This is a band that has, for me, gotten stronger and stronger. I was not a huge fan of their self-titled debut, but stuck around because of the talent involved. They finally make an album I liked start-to-finish, and it looks like it may be their last.

9- Everybody's Talkin' - Tedeschi Trucks Band
A terrific live set from the band fronted by the first couple of the blues, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. This is a brilliant document of a live show I'd wish I'd made the time to check out.

8- King Animal - Soundgarden
Much like the return of Alice in Chains, I was unprepared for how much I would enjoy Soundgarden's reunion. King Animal sounds effortlessly like a band who broke up because they felt it was the right thing, at that moment, and regrouped for the exact same reason. If more bands returned like this, the world would be better.

7- Apocalyptic Love - Slash with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators
Good, old-fashioned rock and roll, with one of my favorite guitarists teamed with one of my favorite vocalists. Nothing revelatory, but tight and well-played. Honestly, in a world full of Glee and One Direction, that's enough for me.

6- 3 Pears - Dwight Yoakam
I had really forgotten how much I liked Dwight Yoakam. Like, completely. I'd have missed this record if I hadn't seen it on a year-end best-of list. I am so glad I took the chance, because this is a really fine set of tunes. Yoakam is in fine voice, and the band sounds great. Good stuff. "Waterfalls" just cracks me up.

5- Flying Colors - Flying Colors
A prog supergroup, in the grandest sense. The Guitarist and bassist from the Dixie Dregs, the keyboarist from Spock's Beard, and the former drummer from Dream Theatre. I was a little surprised how poppy the ultimate result was, but it was in heavy rotation for me for quite a while. I have no idea if the band is actually continuing past this project, but I'll enjoy what I have.

4- Wrecking Ball - Bruce Springsteen
I'll admit, this one had to grow on me, but when it did...wow. Tracks I wasn't all that fond of because favorites, and the tracks I loved just became more and more powerful to me. A true protest album, full of anger and calls to action. I'm always sort of in awe of Springsteen when he gets riled up, and this is a good example of why. "Swallowed Up (In the Belly of a Whale)" is still pretty awful, however.

3- Clockwork Angels - Rush
Rush gets back in the concept album game, and comes up with their best album in years (not that they've ever put out a bad album, in my opinion). Powerful, tight playing and grand themes with precise lyrics. I cannot love this band more, and, even as "elder statesmen," they are at the top of their form. Still chasing something new years after other "classic" bands have fallen back to the umteenth variation on their biggest hits.

2- Apocryphon - The Sword
How much do I love this band? A whole freakin' lot. With a new drummer in tow, they've come back to a more "metal" sound (as opposed to the more classic rock of Warp Riders). Yet, as CByrd remarked after we saw them this Fall, so many other bands (including their openers) just try to sound like Metallica, but The Sword sound like themselves. I'm a fan.

1- Celebration Day - Led Zeppelin
I. Can't. Stop. Playing. It. The Golden Gods return and just nail a one-night-only show at the O2 arena in London. Everybody sounds great, with Robert Plant's voice seemingly getting stronger as the night goes on, and Jason Bonham finally truly filling his father's shoes. I'm actually glad they didn't try to continue on, but I'm also glad, even after a five year wait, they let us hear how much they nailed it.




Missed in 2011:

What does that mean? These are albums I discovered in 2012 that would've been on my best of 2012, if they hadn't been released in 2011. Both of these come with my highest recommendations.

Don't Explain - Joe Bonamassa & Beth Hart
Worth it just for "I'd Rather Go Blind," which is about the single best song I've heard all year.







 

Three Mountains - Tres Mts.
Dug Pinnick (King's X) teams up with Jeff Ahmet (Pearl Jam) for an album that is, in turns, rocking, soulful, and funky.









Overrated/Biggest Disappointment:

A Different Kind of Truth - Van Halen
I'm sorry. I know a ton of people think it's great. I wanted to think it's great. However the combination of David Lee Roth and, as I mentioned above, "songs that sound like re-writes of the hits," just makes it hard for me to get behind. Yes, Ed is playing terrifically, but I just don't feel like the songs are there, and Dave....he's shot, folks. It's not TERRIBLE, but it's also not that great. All that said, "Big River" fuckin' rocks.



Books

Favorite Book Read in 2012:

Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson's Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983
Edited by Kevin Avery

I ate this book up. The Way Eastwood opens up to Nelson. Nelson's deep understanding of Eastwood's filmography and craft, and the fact that these interviews were conducted during one of Eastwood's most fruitful periods. It's a perfect storm of elements to make a deeply interesting book. I highlighted and took notes on more quotes from this book than any I have ever read. It's a gold mine for Eastwood's philosophy on acting and filmmaking. Terrific.

Biggest Disappointment:

Not a book, but my own inability with time management.

I have not yet finished Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon.

I am the WORST FAN EVER. I have had this book since it's release date, but I am only now about half way through it. I can offer a litany of excuses, I've been extremely busy with shows, etc, but the fact is, I haven't found the time to finish the damn book.

I certainly love every bit of it that I have read so far. Sorry, Mr. Chabon.

Comics

Best Ongoing Series:

Daredevil
If you'd have told me even two years ago that I would solidly view a Marvel book as the best on the market, I'd have told you that you were insane. However, I just can't get over how much fun Mark Waid has brought into my reading with his Daredevil run. Waid and the various artists who come and gone on the book have succeeded in making Matt Murdock vital, fun, and all without "rebooting" their way out of the various "darker and darker" stories that have happened in the last decade, or so. Waid also gets best clifhanger of the year with the sequence of Matt trying to escape Latveria, while all of the senses he relies on (being blind, for those not in the know), are stripped from him. With a final splash of him being dragged back to Castle Doom, completely stripped of all his senses, smiling...believing he had escaped. Awesome moment.

Best Mini-Series:

Punk Rock Jesus by Sean Murphy
Tony Donley, an artist friend of mine, told me at SDCC this year, "you need to pick up Punk Rock Jesus!" I'm not one to run around picking up new books at Comic-Con, monthlies are just easier to get at home. To my shame, I didn't act on his advice for several months. I spotted the book on the shelf, and, remembering Tony's recommendation, I grabbed all the issues up to that point. Tony, you were so right. Punk Rock Jesus represents the best sort of political/social commentary, in that it's wrapped in a compelling story with  characters you can relate to. It's also the kind of story that comics, being a mass media that actually serves a niche market, can tell best. I may be wrong, but Murphy's ideas, incendiary as they are, makes me doubt any major studios have optioned this book. So worth your time.

Best Graphic novel:

Parker: The Score by Darwyn Cooke - based on the novel by Richard Stark
Honestly, I can't imagine this category going to anyone else as long as Darwyn Cooke continues to adapt Richard Stark's Parker novels.  This is the third hardcover volume, and the quality has not slipped. Cooke's, stylized, retro artwork is perfect for Parker's world, this, combined with Cooke's love of the era, and absolute mastery of the noir form, makes every one of these books an event. I cannot wait for the next one, or, honestly, anything Cooke wants to do.





Best Writers: 

Mark Waid and Scott Snyder

Hats off to these two gentlemen, who've really just shown what great writing, not deconstruction, or non-linear storytelling (Looking at you, Grant Morrison), can do. Waid and Snyder write good stories, understand the characters they're writing, and always give you enough to make each issue feel worthwhile.
Comics needs more writers like these men.

Best Artists:

Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner
Perennial favorites, I admit, but Mark Bagley and John Romita Jr, my other favorites, have been a little uninspired this year. Very different artists, but they came together for Before Watchmen: Silk Specter, and made it the best book in that line. Cooke, as mentioned above, has a very retro feel, while Conner embraces a anime-influenced style. Both are brilliant.

The Good Idea/Bad Idea Award:

DC Comic's Before Watchmen event
Everybody predicted disaster. It should've been a disaster, but I don't think that people considered the level of talent being thrown at this thing. Now, granted, it's not like it's on the tip of everyone's tongue. I don't think you can call it an unqualified success, but the joys of Minutemen, Silk Specter and The Comedian make me glad that DC at least tried it. Even if stuff that should've worked, Brian Azzarello writing Rorschach, for instance, never quite gelled.  

Silk Specter wins best of line, hands down. Cooke and Conner really brought somethign special there, that added to what we'd seen in the original mini-series. Plus, Conner's costume re-design was an absolute winner.

I don't think you can call the project a "hit," but I don't think you can call it an embarrassment, either. We got terrific and terrible books out of it. Alan Moore's gonna be pissed either way, so....

San Diego Comic-Con 2012 - Part 1

I call this part one, because, frankly I need a couple of blog entries for this process. I'm not going to get into specifics of panels I saw, or things I did, but the feel of what happened over this past weekend.

This was my fourth trip to "Nerd Prom," and, if you'd asked me before I left, I would've told you that is was to be my last. That was based on just how damn hard it had become to go to the damn thing. It wasn't long ago that tickets would go on sale in September or so, and would sell for several months. Usually you had to act fast, but you didn't have to feel like the pressure was on.

Lord, how that has changed. This year, for some reason, they held off putting tickets on sale until early March, and created a feeding frenzy. The entire convention was sold out in minutes. My friends Ken G, Sean H, and myself managed to snag four-day passes with preview night, and I felt on top of the world. It felt like things were going right. Still, there was a sense, a palpable sense, that something had gone wrong. Why wait so damn long to sell these tickets? Had they oversold the advanced tickets at the 2011 convention? Were they attempting to create a immediate sellout for publicity?

I felt somewhat ill-used. That, however, was nothing compared to the disaster that was the hotel lottery.

Hotel space has always been, and will probably always be, a problem for SDCC. It's been difficult every, single year I've gone. There are, simply, nowhere near enough rooms in downtown San Diego to accommodate the 150,000 people who come to this convention. This year, however, it went over the hill into a nightmare. I played the game, along with my two partners, we sent in a ranked list of 20 hotels. Sean got a room at the Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley, some five miles from the convention center. A hotel that wasn't even on his list. Ken and I got, "sorry, nothing for you" e-mails.

Now, to be clear, of course we put the headquarters hotels near the top of our lists. The Hilton Bayfront, the Marriott Hotel and Marina, etc. Yet, we also included places further out, The Doubletree downtown, which served well the first two times I went. It is unfathomable, to me, that there isn't something wrong with this process. I sent in my list within two minutes of hotel booking opening, then I hear tell on line of people who got the Bayfront from a request sent in 20 minutes later. All I can guess is that there is a manual process in place that makes the whole thing utterly random. Which would be fine, if they just said, "it's random," except they present the process as one of "first come, first served." which is clearly not what happened.

Yet, I say the experience renewed my vigor to return. Yes it did. I want to go back more than ever, despite the fact that I had about an hour shuttle ride, each way, to get things back to the hotel, then to return to the Gaslamp Quarter for the evening. Pain. In. The. Ass.

But, here's the deal; I discovered this year how much better it is to not fight to get into Hall H, or Ballroom 20, for every big movie or TV panel presented. I get that most of the attendees are enamored with seeing their favorite stars "live" on a huge TV about the length of a football field away. I get it, but what I realized, dramatically, this year is how much interesting and cool stuff is available in the smaller rooms.

I didn't even go to the major comic book panels. I eschewed DC and Marvel to take in panels celebrating 100 years of Tarzan and John Carter of Mars, I skipped the 45th panel where Image Comics tried to explain why every one of their titles ends up late to hear Mark Tyler Nobleman, the author of a new biography of Bill Finger, who is the utterly un-acknowledged co-creator of Batman. (Screw you, Bob Kane...seriously). I forgot about waiting in a line for hours to spend an hour listening to comic artist Darwyn Cooke talk about his continuing adaptations of Donald Westlake's Parker novels. I listened to Mark Waid speak about his attempts to set up a new method for digital comic book distribution, as well as share his encyclopedic knowledge of comic history with Larry Tye, author of what sounds to be a really brilliant "biography" of Superman. I heard information and opinions about the ongoing Jack Kirby/Marvel lawsuit, and well and the Simon and Schuster/DC comics case, regarding ownership of these characters.

Some opinions more lucid than others, but...whatever.

I was INSPIRED. I've long wanted to write a play about the early years of the comic industry, and this trip just made it clear how much I want to do that. that's not somethign that would've happened standing in a sweaty line to see a tiny little dot that was Matt Damon.

I don't begrudge anyone for wanting to come to Comic-Con (well, maybe the douchebag rubberneckers who are just out to see the freaks...just go home, OK?), but this was an exemplary year, in terms of me feeling like I was sharing something with creators that went far beyond a marketing opportunity. That made this year special, and I couldn't be happier. Or more excited to go again.

Although, I am still very, very sad I didn't make it into Ballroom 20 for the Firefly Cast reunion.

Once I get photos off my camera, and go over my stuff, I'll have another entry to cover specific things I saw and experienced.

R.I.P. Shelly Moldoff

You probably don't know the name Sheldon Moldoff, but he was one of the greats. He, along with many others were "ghost artists" for Batman creator Bob Kane. He was co-creator of many venerable elements of the Batman strip, Poison Ivy, Mister Freeze, Clayface, Batgirl, Bat-Mite and Ace the Bat-Hound. He also worked steadily on golden age books like Green Lantern and Hawkman. He was also the last living creator who had work in Action Comics #1, which introduced Superman to the world. (No, he didn't work on Superman, but one of the back-up features.)

Shelly Moldoff passed away of kidney failure on Febuary 29th.

One of my thrills during my first visit to the San Diego Comic-Con, was briefly meeting Shelly. It was outside a Golden Age Batman panel. Shelly walked up, no entourage or anything even remotely like it. He signed anything he was asked to, and chatted with everyone who wanted to.

The panel itself was where his tenor struck me. The whole thing fairly quickly devolved into a "how Bob Kane screwed me over" party. Jerry Robinson, may he rest in peace, leading the charge. Shelly didn't really engage in that, simply repeating that he was very aware of the deal he made with Kane, and he didn't regret it. That was the deal. Robinson seemed angry at him for saying that, which isn't a criticism, Robinson had valid gripes, but there was something very serene about Moldoff. I was left with a very positive impression of the man, maybe it was all wrong, I only met him briefly. 

God bless you, Shelly. You can read more about the man here.

Rest in Peace

Sheldon "Shelly" Moldoff

April 14, 1920 – February 29, 2012

2011 End of Year Wrap-Up

Well, it's finally come to a point where I can't put it off any longer. There's still a film or two I'd like to have seen, but we're almost 3 weeks into the new year, and I think I've pushed it too far. So, without further ado...

Movies

Movies are my bread and butter with this blog. I love movies, all kinds of films, but I also confess, I am a real fan of films that never forget that entertainment is part of the equation. I deeply admire films that have things to say, while also making me clap and cheer. I'm a populist.

The Best

10 - Captain America: The First Avenger

A good, old-fashioned, feel-good action film. What was most heartening about Joe Johnston's film was the deep understanding of exactly who Steve Rogers/Captain America is, and why the ultimate physical change into a super-soldier was only releasing a hero that was already there. Johnston's perfect execution of a film of the 40's should be no surprise, after all, this is the man who made the sadly underrated The Rocketeer. Chris Evans absolutely nails a role that could so easily have spun out of control.





9 - Crazy, Stupid Love

Romantic comedy can so easily become embarrassing. It's so painful when you see stories cobbled together from other movies, with a "new twist" that really amounts to zilch, and a cast that you just know are there because their agent told them they needed to up their Q-rating with women. It's almost a shock when you see one populated with real characters, and the complications (while still a little coincidental) stem from the characters, rather than needing to engage a plot point. Steve Carrell, and Ryan Gosling are fantastic, and matched point-for-point by Julianne Moore and Emma Stone.




8 - Win Win

I love watching Paul Giamatti. I just do, there's something utterly compelling about the way he inhabits men on the verge of utter destruction. The way he can play a man doing despicable things, but put enough soul and heart in his eyes that you see why he has to. Here we find him as a near-destitute lawyer engaging in a scheme to embezzle money from an aging client, and then surprisingly finding himself a surrogate father to the man's grandson. It sounds like soap-opera, tear-jerker claptrap, but Giamatti finds the anchor to allow us to believe, and root for him to start healing not only the boy, but himself. Newcomer Alex Shaffer also shines as the boy.



7 - Moneyball

The last thing I expected to happen during a movie about applying mathematics to baseball was for me to start crying. This was the last 2011 film I considered for this list (saw it yesterday), and I was really unprepared for how emotional I got about it. Brad Pitt shines as Billy Beane, and Jonah Hill finally distinguishes himself as something other than "that fat kid that likes to draw penises." I've seen some criticisms about the events that this film dramatizes as "making baseball about computers," but I think the film makes a hell of a point that those computers, and the different mode of thought they pointed to, allowed players who had been deemed "useless" to shine again. Personified so well by Chris Pratt as Scott Hatteburg. Well done, made me want to read the book and learn more.

6 - The Guard

The film on my list I'd guess you are most likely not to have seen. Really, it lives and dies on the amazing performance by Brendan Gleeson. He is, simply, extraordinary. He inhabits Sergeant Gerry Boyle, a small-town Irish cop, who loves his dying mother, as well as prostitutes, isn't above letting a few things slide, but also knows the score in his town better than anyone. Gerry is content, he's set up a comfortable existence for himself, but with the arrival of FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) events begin to close in, and conspire to drive Gerry to make a choice, and take a stand. Brilliantly funny, wonderfully acted, and also deeply moving.



5 - Warrior

I'll fight for this one. It's not a rip-off of The Fighter. It's not a do-over of Rocky. It stands on it's own as a story of a damaged family and how, even years after the fact, love can run deep, and be displayed in the strangest and most unexpected of ways. There are at least three powerhouse performances here, Nick Nolte as patriarch Paddy Conlon, and Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy as brothers Brendan and Tommy. Hardy, in particular, is a force of nature in this film, his objective is set, and he simply smashes his way right to it. It's breathtaking, and I found myself, again, marveling that this is the same actor that played Jean-Luc Picard's clone in Star Trek: Nemesis. Absolutely thrilling to the final minutes.


4 - The Trip

I haven't laughed more in a theatre this year. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon travel across England, enjoying elegant meals (ostensibly for a magazine article), and driving each other crazy. The film itself is culled from a BBC television series, which I hope, eventually, gets a US release in some form, because I'd like to see more. Ultimately, I'm going to tell you to see it because it's drop-dead funny., but it also contains volumes about friendship, jealousy, family and relationships. Plus, they both do pretty wicked Michael Caine impressions.





3 - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

You want to know when you're watching a really good period film? If somebody told me Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy had actually been made in 1979, I'd believe them. Wonderful performances all around, anchored by the amazing Gary Oldman as George Smiley, a gripping spy yarn that hangs on watching people do their jobs really well. No explosions, no sensationalism, violence that it truly horrific, and a personal story that reverberates to engulf the entire world. In many ways, that is the coolest thing in the movie. Seeing how tiny choices affect and alter the massive game of chess that was the cold war between the East and the West.




2 - Rise of the Planet of the Apes

There was a part of me that said, "you can't do that. You can't put that at number two, not that high." I moved it down , I moved it up, I thought long and hard about it. It doesn't matter that it's a remake/reboot of 1972's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (although, technically, I think of it simply as a prequel to the 1968 original). It's one of the best experiences I had in a theatre this year, and, yes, that might be partly because I wasn't expecting it. Andy Serkis does tremendous motion-capture work as Caesar, the hyper-intelligent Chimp that will eventually lead an escape of his brethren. That's actually one of the things I most loved, the ultimate goal of the apes here is really not much more than crossing a bridge, while other factors swirl to show the mounting forces that will, ultimately, change the world. It's sharp, forward-thinking franchise building, all while actually making a point about treatment of animals, class warfare, and any number of other allegorical subjects. Terrific blockbuster filmmaking.

1 - Hugo

Ah, Marty, you glorious softie, you. Nothing I've seen this year approaches the beauty of what Martin Scorsese created with elegant GCI, and subtle, precise 3-D. It's immersive and never jarring, the train station where Hugo lives is full of life, and seems to swirl around us. Even beyond the technical artistry on display, Hugo is such a huge-hearted love letter to early cinema, and the great Georges Meilies, in particular, that the idea that Scorsese is pushing the medium seems absolutely correct. (I can imagine that Melies would've absolutely flipped at the idea of 3-D). The performances are exquisite, the story simple but emotionally gripping, with a clear plea for the love and protection of art. It is, simply, everything I love about film.


Close, but no cigar list:
(No particular order)
War Horse, X-Men: First Class, The Descendants, The Artist

I Know I'm Gonna Kick Myself For Not Seeing It

Every year there's a film I just, somehow, fail to see that, when I do see it, I just kick myself for hours. The Hurt Locker is a great example from the past. If I had seen that film when I put together my 2009 list, It would've likely been number one, but I hadn't.

Drive

Love Ryan Gosling. CByrd wanted to see this, being a huge fan, but, knowing that the film was far more violent than the ad campaign let on, I kind of waved her off. Of course, some idiots also got the idea it was some sort of The Fast and the Furious clone, and think that's a reason to sue. (God help us) I always figured I'd see it at some point, but I didn't. I'm certain it's very, very cool, and I look forward to the Blu-Ray.







The Worst 

As I usually say each year...I try not to see bad movies. Occasionally, I do, and I'll spotlight that/those films here. Otherwise, I take this space to point out movies that actually got made, people invested money in them, a studio said "yes, let's put this out!" and our world is poorer for it.

One last thought; Green Lantern has lots of problems, but anyone who thinks that was the worst movie of the year, needs to be held down to watch a Martin Lawrence film on a loop for 12 hours.

Season of the Witch (Nic Cage, as you've always wanted: in a LOTR wanna-be)
No Strings Attached (Portman and Kutcher in a casual sex comedy..and she doesn't get naked!)
Justin Beiber: Never Say Never (**hurp**)
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (Who wanted this film? WHO?)
I Am Number Four/Beastly (If we put this kid in two movies that come out within 3 weeks of each other, he'll just automatically be a star, right?)
Red Riding Hood ("From the Director of Twilight"  **double hurp**)
Sucker Punch (Zach Snyder's "vision" means cribbing from every anime he's ever seen)
Arthur (You, sir are no Dudley Moore, or even Liza Minnelli)

Jesus, I can't even go on...this is too depressing.

Music 

The fact is, I don't listen to a lot of new music. I don't. I prefer older artists, and that's pretty much the way it is. 

The Best 

10 - Mastodon - Live at the Aragon 
At the heart, it's just a live performance of their last album, but I found it quite exciting to listen to. Yeah, in some cases it exposes a certain weakness, vocal-wise, but I admire that the band is willing to let that just hang out there, and not try to "fix" it.
  





 
9 - Jeff Bridges - Jeff Bridges
For me, just a fun album to listen to. Bridges has a nice, understated delivery, and the "What a Little Bit of Love Can Do" single is really catchy and fun. A comfort album, I admit.







 

8 - Dropkick Murphys - Going Out in Style 
Ah, Boston Irish punk rock. Infectious in it's power and energy. Picked it up mainly for the "Peg 'o My Heart" duet with Springsteen. Very, very glad I did. Too much fun.





 



7 - Black Country Communion - 2 
A huge improvement over the first album, which seemed a bit too calculated and manufactured. With the second disk, I feel the band itself taking the reins from producer Kevin "Caveman" Shirley, and it's a good thing. Much more organic and natural.



 



6 - Chickenfoot - III 
Seasoned players having a good time together. That's what the first album was, but now they've upped their game for the sophomore release. More cohesive, better lyrics, and Michael Anthony just comes alive on bass after years being in everyone's shadow. One of the more fun albums to listen to this year.



 


5 - Rush - Time Machine: Live in Cleveland 2011 
Did y'know I love Rush? I'm not sure if I've made that, y'know, clear to folks. Simply it's a terrific live set from one of my absolute favorite bands. The boys are playing spectacularly, and they do "Marathon!!"

4 - Foo Fighters - Wasting Light 
I really missed the boat on the Foo Fighters the first time around. It's only in the last few years that I've really grabbed onto them. While this isn't my favorite Foos record, it's a damn fine album. Yeah, yeah, recorded analog...

3 - Black Label Society  -
The Song Remains Not The Same
I am a huge Zakk Wylde fan, but I've alwasy had a hard time with the Black Label Society records. I think, as I've moved beyond my "all metal, all the time" days, I've really longed to hear him experiment more in the Pride & Glory southern rock and Book of Shadows acoustic vein. Well, here we have BLS re-cutting acoustic versions of some of their tracks, as well as a few really nice covers. (Zakk Wylde sings "Bridge Over Troubled Waters?" Who knew? Well, I did, but that's beside the point.) A welcome return to this sound.

2 - Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy - Live in Stoke
I have a great love of Slash. I think he's a solid rock guitarist, not flashy, but committed to groove and bringing some power with blues-based riffing. You can't argue that much of the greatness of Appetite For Destruction came from his guitar work. Here's a live set with his solo touring band, featuring Myles Kennedy, who's fast becoming one of my favorite vocalists. There's nothing new here, but it's a solid live album with a lot of talent involved, recorded well with a lot of great songs. I've spun it a lot since it's release.

1 - Mastodon - The Hunter
Mastodon came out of nowhere for me a couple of years ago. I had written them off as yet another "cookie monster vocal" metal band, but, with Crack the Skye, I started to see more vocal progression, and I liked it a lot. What I can happily say is that The Hunter continues the evolution. It's a stripped-down album, no large concept, just a collection of truly killer tracks. The playing is impeccable, the production clean a crisp, and the songs offer a wide range of feels and styles. Everything from the southern-rock style "Curl of the Burl" to the elegant (I almost want to compare it to Pink Floyd, but that doesn't quite fit) "The Creature Lives."


Most Disappointing 

Anthrax - Worship Music & Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events

 

In both of these cases, the bands were returning after some strife and personnel shake-ups. In both cases, I wanted to really like these records, but now, months later, I can't say that either one of these records has made any real impact with me. The Anthrax release, in particular, just dies on the vine in my opinion, and I'm fairly baffled by the year-end kudos that some folks have heaped upon it. Dream Theater was a case where I couldn't, personally, even tell that any change in line-up had happened, at all. Sadly, DT was as hit-or-miss as they usually are with me. (I still love Falling into Infinity more and more). I wanted to be wowed, and I just wasn't.

Favorite Single

Easy. "Curl of the Burl" off Mastodon's The Hunter. It's, literally, the only song this year that, upon first listen, I sat up and said "I want that album."



Books/Comics/Reading Material

Generally speaking, 2011, with my fantastic birthday present of a Kindle, represented a re-awakening of my desire to read. I have been inhaling books since I received the Kindle. Now, relatively few of them were from 2011, so this section is going to be kinda sparse. I hope, now that I've, once again, been schooled in the joys of digital media, I can have a more up-to-date reading list in the future.

The Best Books

4 - Zombie Spaceship Wasteland by Patton Oswalt

Patton Oswalt is "my" comedian. His observations and humor are aimed right at me. This is a very slight book, it was a quick read, but it was also a book that I identified with and found moving and hilarious. It's not great literature, but it's a book that felt like a reflection of my life. Others might completely write it off, but this is my list.








3- It's So Easy (and Other Lies) by Duff Mckagan

I simply trust this book more than any of the unauthorized bios that have come out about Guns 'N Roses, and I think Duff just has a clearer picture of what went on than Slash. Mckagan presents a pretty clear picture of who he is, and how he got there, the work he had to do on himself to make it turn out as well as it has. It's a rather inspiring book. He comes off as sweet, hard-working and loyal. The kind of book that makes you feel you sat down with a friend and shot the shit.






2- Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human by Grant Morrison

A truly odd book, but also a book that asks us to believe as fervently in the power of our superhero myths as the author does. Morrison is a believer, and he lays out a history of comics concurrent with his own beliefs about alternate worlds and the power that they can exert over our own. It's heady stuff, hard to swallow, but I also don't think Morrison overly cares. His platform is to, basically, say that these characters are designed to show us how to be better people, they can still do that, and will always do that, as long as we get the hell out of our own way and believe in them. Not necessarily as "real people," but as concepts and symbols. It's a powerful statement.



1- Life Itself: A Memoir by Roger Ebert

It was pretty easy to come up with the book that moved me the most this year. Don't be put off by the fact that much of the material in Life Itself started as blog entries, because Ebert's expansions and explorations of the concepts that started in the blog are truly moving and wonderful. As his body has become less able to express for him, Ebert's skills and talent as a writer have exploded. This book left me in tears several times, and laughing out loud even more often. His insights have only grown sharper, and his ability to convey those insights is truly astounding. I marvel at this man's life, and I hope that, when my twilight years approach, I can look back and see as much as Ebert does. Sadly, I doubt that will be the case. A must read.



Comics - An Overview

Warning: I am mainstream publisher-centric

DC Comics

2011 will probably, at least for the foreseeable future, be known as "The Year of the New 52." DC comics took the aggressive step of rebooting it's entire line of books, cancelling every title, and restarting with 52 first issue titles. Some series showed little upheaval (Green Lantern, the Batman titles), while others were torn down to the foundation and rebuilt (Superman, Wonder Woman). It was such a massive undertaking that I think people don't give Dan Didio and the company enough credit.

Yes, there were some duds. There were titles replaced with less than stellar results (All-Star Western is a fine book, but Jonah Hex was brilliance on toast), but, overall, the team managed to reinvigorate the line, and spike interest, in terms of sales. People act like a few non-starters in a field of 52 is a unacceptable failure rate. It isn't.

Sure, some things are still playing out. I still don't really have a handle on what Geoff Johns and Jim Lee's Justice League is going to be like, and Grant Morrison's Action Comics is just grinding, as far as I'm concerned. That's OK with me when Scott Snyder is kicking ass and taking names over on Batman. I'm willing to let the stuff play out, and see what the long game is.

Of course increased attention leads to increased criticism. I get utterly perplexed when Catwoman, a character and title that's almost entirely about sexual repression (Batman's) is suddenly "over the line" by doing exactly what every creator has done with the character since the 1940's. Yeah, they took it further with an actual sexual relationship between Batman and Catwoman, but still.

DC did make an attempt to expand the character roster, with, for the first time in a long while, titles headlined by characters of color. It remains to be seen if Mister Terrific or Blue Beetle will hold up in sales enough for that to last, but, if they don't, is that DC's fault? Or is it the fault of the fanbase?

At the end of the day, the New 52 really has to be seen as a positive move. I don't really see any downsides, other than in fanboy grousing about how they changed Red Robin's costume, or whatever. I endured months of that Batman: Incorporated "James Bond Batman" stuff, deal with it.

Oh, Batman: Incorporated is coming back? Great.

Marvel Comics

Don't they just make movies now?

I kid, but, truly, the only moves on Marvel's part that really excited me this year were the death of the Ultimate version of Peter Parker, his being replaced by Miles Morales, a *gasp* half-African-American/half-Latino kid, and Mark Waid making Daredevil great to read again.

Really, there is no under-selling what Brian Bendis pulled off with Ultimate Spider-Man. He gave Peter a hero's death that felt so very, very right, and introduced us to a new kid, who we quickly became enamored with. Not in the least because his entire desire to become Spider-Man (I won't go into origin details) stemmed from his respect and admiration of Peter Parker. We feel an intimate connection between Miles and Peter that makes the passing of the mantle feel right. What might've seemed cheap and exploitative at the announcement was justified when we actually read the books.

And how much shame I felt over the pure racist bullshit that bubbled out of fandom over this? More than I can even deal with sometimes. Aren't we supposed to be the inclusive ones?

We also had Mark Waid beginning a run on Daredevil that's the first time I've enjoyed the character in years. With his artist Paolo Rivera, he's made Daredevil FUN again, and tied him into the Marvel universe in ways that feel organic, and also cement DD as a power player. The only complaint I have is that I didn't want to pick up another title.

Oh, and Marvel put Steve rogers back in the Captain America suit again, where he belongs.

Just in time for the movie...amiright? Amiright?