A List of 5 -- 2006, comics (and stuff) in review

I'm having a bitch of a time coming up with my top 5 list for 2006 for the Rack Raids/Thor's Comic Column year end surveyaganza favourites list. I've got another 10 days to get it together but, man, it's tough.

I so desperately want to say so much, like my five favourite creators of 2006:

1) Frazer Irving -- artist of Klarion, Frankenstein (for Penguin Books), Iron Man: The Inevitable and a 2-issue stint on Robin. I've seen enough to follow him wherever he goes.

2) Will Pfeifer - his Captain Atom: Armageddon was solid, but I caught up on all the back issues of Hero, and it's quite possibly the best 22-issues of circular storytelling ever. Genius.

3) Keith Giffen - I love Keith Giffen. Hero Squared, Annihilation, Silver Surfer and Tag are all contenders for favourite titles, all written (or co-written) by him. He has some duds in Jermiah Harm and the Planetary Brigade off-shoot, but when he's good, he's damn good

4) Seth Fisher - He died tragically earlier this year at a very young age and leaving behind a wife and child. His Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big In Japan series put him just on the virge of breaking out. I've picked up all of his work that I was missing (and there wasn't much that passed me by). Brilliant.

5) Brian K. Vaughn - You just can't go wrong if he's writing it. Runaways, Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina all continue to be top contenders for best ongoing title, add in his Dr. Strange mini-series and Pride of Bhagdad and he could fill his own top 5 list

But then I also could run with my five favourite single issues of 2006:

1) Iron Man #5 - by Ellis and Granov, it was so good, it almost made me an Iron Man fan. It's actually made me not hate him anyway.

2) Corporate Ninja #2 - by Matt Mocarski, easily one of the funniest comic books I've ever read. What happens when "Cigapets" brand cigarettes run out and millions of nic-fitting animals descend upon the manufacturer? Call Corporate Ninja.

3) Big Questions #8 - by Nils Anderson, I read this book many times in one sitting. A perfect jumping on point but also a perfect story fragment. Anderson's work is simplistic but beautiful.

4) Tag #1 - by Giffen and Chamberlain, with one issue Giffen has introduced into the horror lexicon one of the most brilliant and obvious horror concepts that takes Ringu (the Ring) and one-ups it.

5) Marvel Zombies #1 - by Kirkman. Phillips, and Chung, it was one of the ballsiest comics to hit the stands, one I'm absolutely surprised that Marvel published and even more surprised they continued to publish it. The first issue was its peak, but the energy, humour, gross-out gags, and mania didn't dwindle all that much.

But then I could also just single out top five ongoing titles:

1) X-Factor - by Peter David and various. Easily one of the best reads month in and month out. Seamlessly, David incorporated House of M, Decimation and Civil War without sacrificing character or story, in fact, he made it all work for him. Though he's lost some of his noir, he's assembled the most interesting team book on the market.

TIE 2) Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Runaways - seriously, Brian K. Vaughn sits atop the world, handing down miracles at least three times a month, every month, 24 pages at a time. The man knows cliffhangers better than he knows his children.

5) Hero Squared - all the fun and drama of the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League, none of the continuity headaches. Some meaty stuff, issue in, issue out, complete with at least a few belly laughs per. Damn fine entertainment, with increasingly great art from Joe Abraham.

but then I could also do five favourite mini-series:

1) Phonogram - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie hit it out of the park their first time out, with this intensive merging of Hellblazer-style magicks merged with indie rock.

2) Nightly News - speaking of hitting it out of the park, for a first-timer, Johnathan Hickman has come prepared. Not only one of the most uniquely illustrated (and structured) books I've read, but also a very potent diatribe on the media, government, and radical politics. Dangerous and fascinating.

3) Mouse Guard - I usually hate anthropomorphic animals, and I'm never that big on fantasy, but David Petersen combines them both and it's one of the greates things I've read all year. Visually stunning, but also quite engaging.

4) Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters - the diatribe on loss of civil liberties that Civil War promised to examined but dropped the ball on was not only picked up, but carried into the end zone by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Grey, with highly attractive and distinctive art by Daniel Acuna. One of mainstream's must-reads.

5) Marvel Zombies - a deliciously twisted post-zombie apocalypse occurred in a parallel Marvel Universe, and it's survival of the fittest. Naturally the fittest have superpowers, but what happens when the herald of Galactus, then Galactus himself arrive? Disturbingly hilarious slapstick. From the mind of Robert Kirkman, with art by Sean Phillips.

or what about my five favourite "missed them the first time" reads:

1) HERO, by Will Pfeifer and various. The 22 issue run is mind bogglingly good. It's been off the stands for a few years now, but the whole run is worth hunting down like a rabid dog.

2) Gotham Central volumes 3 and 4, by Rucka, Brubaker, Lark and various. There should be no reason this book is no longer on the stands. None. It's the first cop drama in comics that really works. Forget Bendis' Powers, GCPD can compete with Law and Order, CSI and NYPD Blue.

3) Lions, Tigers and Bears tpb - there aren't enough comics for kids, but if you're looking for one, this is as imaginative as the classic "otherworlds" like Narnia, Oz, and the like. Completely child-friendly without leaving adults in the lurch. And gorgeous. The trade collects the first mini-series.

4) Arsenic Lullaby volume 2 tpb - sometimes comedy can be just wrong, and yet in being so wrong it can challenge you and stimulate you. Borat, Stephen Colbert, South Park all do this, and so does Douglas Paszkiewicz. Hysterical and borderline offensive.

5) Rocketo volume 1 tpb - getting past the collapse of Speakeasy Comics and being picked up by Image meant issues 5 and 6 weren't printed, so I had to double dip to conclude the first half of this wonderfully imaginative tale by Frank Espinosa, but it was certainly worth it. Best read in large chunks rather than issue by issue, it's a grandiose adventure story with no real earthly trappings for a change, and Espinosa's hefty background in animation make this a richly designed and classically (but uniquely) illustrated affair.

I'm going to have to weigh my options and consolidate these into one group of five. What'l it be? I don't flippin know.

Other top 5's

Top 5 movies watched in 2006

TIE 1) The Host, Brick - two films both watched in other locations in the world (London and Montreal, respectively), the first a giant monster film like no other, the second a film noir set in high school. Both managed to defy their genres and create something that was equally unique and surprising but also comfortably familiar

3) The Prestige - Wolverine and Batman duke it out with magics, plus David Bowie as Nicolai Tesla. A playful, encapsulating, and wonderous film that keeps your brain on point. Chris Nolan really can't do much wrong.

4) Bon Cop, Bad Cop - Maybe not the greatest film of the year, but one of the most enjoyable. Canadian cinema has produced some spectacular films in the past, small movies all, but this one, whoo boy, it's Lethal Weapon Canuck-style. Shut your brain off and enjoy the ride.

5) Cache - A shocking and disturbing puzzle that may or may not have resolution, depending on how you look at it. The scoreless soundtrack increases the intensity. Psychologically disturbing on some levels, and gleefully entertaining on others. It's mood, not violence that crawls under one's skin

Top 5 music acts

I didn't buy many cds, and I didn't see that many shows, and my interest in such things has waned, but here's the great stuff that I was exposed to in '06:

1) The Golden Dogs: a band that emerged from my hometown of Thunder Bay, of all places. Their first album from 2004, Everything In 3 Parts" is a solid, diverse and fully enjoyable compilation of works-to-date, while their 2006 album, "Big Eye, Little i", is much tighter but equally enjoyable, with hooks galore. I love hooks. Their live performance, second best I saw this year.

2) Femme Generation: It's not been very often over the past decade that an album (or albums) have been continually replayed, but Femme Generation's 2004 ep and 2005 full length both were stuck on replay in iTunes and on the iPod, and in my brain. Some songs are infinitely better than others, which is a high benchmark to attain when they're all so very, very good. These guys kill.

3) The Parkas: Since I know them, I'm priviledged to have listened, a hundred times over at this point, to their new album (title TK) to be released this year, and it's... amazing. It hits you instantly out the gate, but it also grows and grows and grows upon you. Rolling Stones, Springsteen, Costello all creep in there as influences but at this point the band has come into their own brilliantly. Their live act is ALWAYS worth seeing, as a good time is given no matter what. Hard rockin? Hells yes.

4) The Futureheads: they may be huge in the UK but few have heard their ear pleasing and mind soothing three-to-four part harmonies here. They should be filling stadiums and they barely filled the Phoenix when they played, but they did give it everything they had and it was easily my most anticipated show of the year, and it totally surpassed it. News and Tributes is one of my favourite albums from this past year, and though it had to creep on me from their self titled debut, it didn't take me long to recognize it as its superior. Die hard fan, yes.

5) The 6ixty8ights: I've seen them play three times and each is an impressive display of pop sensibilities with a twitch of 80's glam and hair-bandedness. Not enough to be offensive, but just enough to carve a distinction. Definitely ones to watch in 2007, with their new album, Pica Electric Armada, just hitting the market.

Top 5 TV on DVD 2006

1) The IT Crowd (Region 2 only) - first broadcast over the internets before appearing on Channel 4, the IT Crowd is another of Graham Linehan's brilliant-but-small ensemble comedies. The cast is just insanely funny and I've stolen more pop-cult references from this than anywhere in years. Even if there were no special features (and there barely are) the shows themselves are so great and worth endless rewatching.

2) Arrested Development Season 3 - sad to watch it come to an end but it did so spectacularly. Love all the deleted scenes, outtakes and the commentaries tell you just how much the cast loved working on the show. The best american comedy series, perhaps ever, and much too smart to survive.

3) Clone High (complete series) - The gang and I just devoured this, ruthlessly and repeatedly. It's goofy, and serene and bizarre and rife for the picking for in-jokes between us.

4) Wonder Showzen Season 1 - Scarring. That's the most apt single word to describe this pseudo-kid's show which pushes everything to an outrageous and borderline (if not outright) offensive extreme. The eigth episode on patience certainly tests it, but is perhaps the finest example of outsider comedy since Andy Kaufman kicked it.

5) Lost Season 2 - Just as addictive and digestible as the first season, but with the added bonus of having some wicked cool 1980's style science fiction elements in the hatch. Love it, but what's up with the third season so far... seriously.

Others: Battlestar Galactica season 2 and 2.5, Justice League Unilimited Volume 1, Venture Brothers Season 1 and Genshiken (complete).

Posted by graig at January 4, 2007 8:28 AM | TrackBack
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