So...2009

Well, we're a little over a week into the new year, and I can only hope and pray that 2009 is a damn sight better than 2008. If it isn't...well, let's just say that you shouldn't expect too many posts in the coming year.

But, while I have a sane mind and the means to post this, let me give some reflections on 2008...

Best Movie
I would have to give this one to Iron Man. Probably because I'm a huge geek, but I also really felt that it was a solid film from start to finish. And yes, I did like it better than The Dark Knight, which was a good movie, but not as good as some people are making it out.

Worst Movie
This one has to go to Speed Racer. Cloverfield took a close second, but it couldn't hold up to the epileptic disaster that was Speed Racer. It seems more and more that the Wachowski Brothers got lucky once with The Matrix than anything else.

Best Comic
This is tough, as there were many good books this year. If I based it on storyline, I would give it to Thy Kingdom Come by Geoff Johns and Alex Ross, appearing in Justice Society of America. If I gave it to best new series, it would go to Guardians of the Galaxy, with Madame Xanadu taking a close second. Best limited series would likely go to Secret Invasion, even with the bad ending and silly moments in the middle. And for overall consistency, I would have to go with Wonder Woman, Action Comics, and Invincible in a three-way tie. So, I guess I don't have a single answer to this one. Just a series of bests.

Worst Comic
This, again, is a tough one. There have been a number of low points for any number of comics. And there are those--such as Captain America, Daredevil, Blue Beetle, and others--that have been really bad every issue. But if I had to pick a single book, then I would have to award Final Crisis. It is so unfocused and anti-climactic that it is an unmitigated disaster.

Best Whatever
That was getting my new wedding band on Christmas Day, which I have already written about, thank you.

Well, that seems like enough of the best/worst list. Let's move on...

I would like to give a big, public "Thank You!" to the Atlanta Falcons. If you have read many of my posts, you will have noticed that I am a bit of a sports fan, and am a huge Falcons fan. After what I still consider the worst year of any professional sports team in so many ways in 2007, no one--myself included--had any high hopes for the team this year. And they made every game exciting and fun to watch. And even more, they went all the way to the playoffs with an 11-5 record. Wow. I was hoping for six wins when the season began. This was one of the best, most exciting things to happen in Atlanta sports in a long time. I can only thank them from the bottom of my heart for a wonderful season. I'm looking forward to next year.

Back to comics for a second:

In an amazing "what were they thinking?" moment, Marvel put out one of the most poorly phrased and jaw dropping solicitations I've ever seen. I'll reprint it here with the cover image:



"The bottom of the ocean. The bottom of the Earth. The depths. Legendary adventurer Randolph Stein travelled here, into the dark belly of the Marianas Trench, to find a missing deep-sea expedition and refute a legend. What he’s found surpasses his wildest nightmares. A creature of indescribable power and fury has been waiting for him. Its name is Namor, and it has special plans for Stein. Special plans."

I don't think they INTENDED to write a homo-erotic solicitation for the book, but man did they succeed!

And speaking of homo-erotic... I am a fan of Andrew Zimmern and his show, Bizarre Foods. I thought I was recording an episode of the show the other day, when I instead recorded a spin-off series, Bizarre World. In this series, Andrew tours the world showing the customs of other cultures. Great idea. I am jealous of those that have had a chance to see them firsthand, and would love that opportunity someday myself. But...well, in this episode Andrew went to Turkey. And while I wouldn't have thought that Turkey would be prone to homo-erotic behavior, the episode started by showing the country's national sport: olive oil wrestling. In this sport, grown men put on very tight leather pants, cover themselves in oil, and wrestle...by shoving their hands down each other's pants to get leverage. It got worse from there. It was hilarious.

Well, that's enough for today. I'm fighting a horrible case of depression, and doing my best to overcome anything that pushes me that way. Writing tends to help.

Enjoy your life. Appreicate everything you have. You never know when all that you hold precious will be taken from you.