2010 End of the Year Craptacular

Before we move forward, it's only fair that we take a look back at the 2010, the Year What Was...

Movie of the Year: Kick-Ass

Before I saw any comic-related movies, I had anticipated Iron Man 2 would walk away with the top spot.  But there are two reasons it didn't: Kick-Ass was awesome, and Iron Man 2 was something of a letdown.

Since I'm probably going to get some dissenters in the comments, let me 'splain.

I didn't read the Kick-Ass mini prior to watching the movie.  By the same token, I'm not a big Iron Man reader.  So, I watched both movies with (as is often the case with most things in my life) no research done ahead of time.

Kick-Ass and Iron Man 2 both had great action sequences.  Both were very well acted.  In Kick-Ass, Chloe Moretz did an incredible job as the sweet-but-homicidal Hit Girl, while Nicolas Cage was clearly having the time of his life as Big Daddy.  By the same token, Robert Downey Jr. did a fine job reprising his role as Tony Stark and Scarlett Johansson was an over-achieving standout as the Black Widow in Iron Man 2.  

Where things split (and what made Kick-Ass a pleasant surprise and Iron Man 2 something of a letdown) was simply in the script.  The first Iron Man was a lot of fun.  It had humor, warmth, and a genuine sense of peril for the protagonist.  In the second film, Tony Stark never really lost control of the situation and frankly, I was bored.  It was a great exercise in CGI effects, to be sure, but the script of Iron Man 2 left me cold.

Conversely, the Kick-Ass movie actually had more characterization than the original source material.  Yes, they should have left in the crucial info that (SPOILER ALERT) Big Daddy's origin was a total lie and he was really a bored accountant.  But that notwithstanding, Kick-Ass was mesmerizing, while I actually nodded off during about fifteen minutes of Iron Man 2.

To be fair, I haven't seen Jonah Hex or Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.  

TV Show of the Year:Batman: The Brave and the Bold

A pox on you, Cartoon Network, for cancelling this awesome show.  But bless you for two great seasons.  Sure, we all saw more of the new Blue Beetle than we ever would have wanted, but the Bat-Mite episode alone made it a great part of comics history.

Continuing Series of the Year: The Incredible Hulk

A sign that something is really good is when you find yourself saying, "I don't normally like this, but..." That's what happened to me here.  I have generally (the Peter David years notwithstanding) found the Hulk rather dry reading.  But something happened after the return from Planet Hulk and I can't seem to tear myself away. Greg Pak, you have made me enjoy something I don't enjoy.

Mini-Series of the Year: Love and Capes

Entertaining for comic fans and non-comic fans alike, Thom Zahler made it cool to like a romantic comedy.  More books like these will bring new readers to comics.

So, those are my pics for the year.  Tell me what yours are in the comments!

See you tomorrow!