2013 is Here... Take THAT, Mayans!

And as we go a'cruising into the new year, we should take a gander at a few of my faaaaavorite things that showed up on my radar since I went on hiatus.

Movie-wise was a HA-YOOJ year for comics-related movies, giving us The Avengers movie that we've been salivating over since that stinger at the end of the closing credits in the first Iron Man movie.  And it was...

... well, it was fine.

It certainly delivered what it promised, and I didn't not like it.  The final battle went on for about 20 minutes too long for me, but I think I'm at that point where special effects are best taken in small doses rather than a big showcase of them.  Again, it was fine, but one viewing was enough for me.  And I saw other movies in 2012 that I enjoyed more.  In fact, let's call this segment:

MOVIES I ENJOYED MORE THAN THE AVENGERS

To be fair, I did not see The Amazing Spider-Man yet, so it's off the table.  I did see Dark Knight Rises just last week and... well, it was okay.  It wasn't nearly as good as the second and not quite as good as the first, so it's a shame to see the trilogy end with a whimper, but it was what it was.  Seeing Batman fight in broad daylight probably did it in for me.  Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter was a fun watch, but it wasn't my favorite of the lot this year.  That honor goes to:

Fish Story

Yes, you may think I'm nuts, but this was one of the best-told stories I've ever seen.  It made absolutely no sense until the final moments, and my mind was officially blown.  Just watch it.  Don't give me any back-talk. Just watch it.

And make sure you check out the awesome Super:

Rainn Wilson's best performance ever.  Be advised that while this film does have it's funny moments, it's very bloody and intense.  Apparently the director James Gunn does a lot of "splatter" films, and while this had its fair share of that, the movie also had a lot of heart.  Check it out if you can handle the blood.

And, of course, this is the year we got Arrow:

Not that there's any competition, but if it had any competition, it would still be the best show of 2012.  If you had told me twenty years ago that Green Arrow would get his own series, I would have lashed out at you with tears in my eyes screaming, "YOU LIE!  WHY MUST YOU LIE?!"  When the character appeared on Smallville I was impressed (and I liked that version of the character as well), but this rendition of Ollie, while not exactly faithful to the comics, continues to delight the fanboy in me.  The Royal Flush Gang?  Deadshot?  We, as a species, are simply not worthy.

And before we move forward, let us take a look at my favorite comic series, Avengers Academy:

Someday, when I am given the fame I so richly deserve and have all the power and resources to do so, I'm going to take my favorite artist, Rags Morales, and have him draw a story written by my favorite writer, Christos Gage.  And I'll probably let you read it as long as you wear plastic gloves.  Will the two ever team up?  I can dream.

There's nothing more impressive than coming up with a team of brand-new or B-list characters and giving them first-class treatment, but that's what Gage does.  His Deadshot and Union Jack minis made me a Christos Gage fan, and Avengers Academy made me a Christos Gage fanboy.  Sadly, the series was cancelled in November of this year after 40 issues.... but what a GREAT 40 issues they were.

I think that's about it.  We'll get back to more head-scratchin' funnybookin' tomorrow!  It'll be a great year!  And if it isn't... well, it ain't like I'm charging for this.

See you tomorrow!