Best of 2012: Who Says Comics Are For Kids?

This is supposed to be a blog about books. Unfortunately, I haven't been reading many books. It's not that I DON'T READ anymore, I just don't read with the same ferocity I used to in the past, when I would devour novels by the series.

These days, I still read a lot, but I've been a lot more selective with my reading. In fact, I've been reading a lot more comics and graphic novels lately... actually, ever since I got my iPad, that's pretty much 90% of my reading material these days. It's not that comics are any easier to read (I dare you to read Transmetropoliton or The Invisibles, and tell me that it's "for kids"), it's just that at this stage, I kinda like the wild imagination and creativity that some of these comics have.

Sure, some of the superhero stuff can be pretty run-of-the-mill, but even those are getting better - Mark Waid's Daredevil is superb, and Matt Fraction's Hawkeye is one of my favorite comics this year. Some of the new DC 52 (Scott Snyder's Batman and Animal Man) and Marvel NOW (Indestructible Hulk, FF) titles are pretty good too - I should know I've read almost all of them.

Anyway, enough about my reading habits. Here is a list of some of my favorite comics and graphic novels of 2012. Even if you don't usually read comics, I highly recommend you give these titles a try



Hawkeye
Writer: Matt Fraction
Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye is the greatest sharp-shooter known to man. He then joined the Avengers. This book is about what he does when he is NOT being an Avenger. Brilliantly written (by Matt Fraction) and fabulously drawn (by David Aja), this series hits the bullseye with its sharp dialogue, great humour and the most likable version of Hawkeye yet.



Hellboy In Hell
Writer/artist: Mike Mignola
Hellboy is dead, and he's in Hell. That's all you really need to know. Mike Mignola makes a welcome return to the Hellboy-verse, writing AND drawing the newly-launched Hellboy In Hell series, and featuring Hellboy in, well, Hell.



Saga
Writer: Brian K. Vaughn
I loved Vaughn's Ex-Machina and Y: The Last Man. Those two had some of the coolest premises ever (though they also had a rather anti-climatic finale), and Saga pretty much follows in that vein. It's kinda like a love story about a pair of lovers from different sides of an galactic war, and their kid. Yeah, it sounds simple, but the story and art is jsut brilliantly fun.




The New Deadwardians
Writer: Dan Abnett
This new Vertigo eight-issue series featured a new twist to the usual “zombie apocalypse” tale, setting an intriguing murder mystery in a world where in order to save themselves from being eaten by zombies, the richer half of society take a “cure” that turns them into emotionless, immortal vampires instead.



MIND MGMT
Writer: Matt Kindt
A mind-numbing, mind-bending, mind-blowing mindfuck about a mind-managing secret organisation that secretly controls the world. The story is richly detailed, with so many little Easter eggs and extras in each issue. One of my favorite comics this year, and the latest entry in my "Read this if you still think comics are for kids" list of comics for people who still think comics are for kids.



Batman: Death Of The Family
Writer: Scott Snyder
Snyder writes the awesome American Vampire series for Vertigo, and this New 52 story arc features Joker at his most chilling and psychotic best.



Spider-Men
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Despite what most "serious comic fans" say, I love the Ultimate Marvel universe because of the way they just fuck about with all the conventions in the normal superhero comics. While the new Spider-man Miles Morales still takes some getting used to, transporting the main Peter Parker Spider-man into the Ultimate universe (where he is supposed to be dead) was a brilliatn idea; and Parker meeting the Ultimate version of Aunt May and Gwen is one of my favorite comic moments of 2012.



Supercrooks
Writer: Mark Millar
This was a real hoot to read. Millar is in top form writing about a team of super-villains who get together for one last, MASSIVE heist - stealing from the greatest super-villain of all time. If you like Millar's violent, sweary Millarworld stuff, don't miss this one.



Punk Rock Jesus
Writer: Sean Murphy
I first heard about this title at the Vertigo panel at the San Diego Comic Con, where the panelists of Vertigo writers were gushing over it like it was the second coming of well, Jesus. True enough, this is a hard hitting book about a future where some corporation tries to clone Jesus Christ in a Truman Show-esque reality show, but does such a bad job raising him that he eventually becomes a punk rocker.

Honorable mentions:
- Marvel NOW: Indestructible Hulk (Mark Waid)
- Marvel NOW: FF (Mark Fraction)
- Justice League Dark (Jeff Lemire)
- 47 Ronin (Mike Richardson / Stan Sakai)
- Building Stories (Chris Ware)

Amazing Webslinging, Not So Amazing Story

The Amazing Spider-Man
Not a review.
Directed by a guy named... Mark WEBB.
I see what you did there, Sony.
Whether you enjoy this or not,
Depends on how you define "Amazing" actually.
This movie? There were Amazing parts.
And there were NOT so Amazing parts too.




Me, I found the webslinging this time REALLY AMAZING.
It was more than amazing, it was SPECTACULAR
The way the camera twirls around, zooms in, sooms out...
The first-person POV at times was giddyingly awesome
And it really makes Sam Raimi's Spidey moves look dated.
Also love the webshooters. Organic webs? BAH!



Andrew Garfield is also not bad.
More Ultimate Peter Parker than the normal Marvel one.
He's not Tobey Macguire, that's for sure.
Tobey was more nerdy, more boy scout-like.
Garfield is a bit more edgy and cool,
But a bit TOO pretty boy lor.
And too GODDAMN EMO FFS.



Oooh, Emma Stone.
I've always liked Emma Stone.
And Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy? WIN!
Though if they make a sequel to this,
And put in the Green Goblin,
Then we can pretty much tell what happens next...



I also liked how the story is more realistic.
It's grittier, more obvioulsy set in the real world,
And doesn't have the "comic book feel" of Raimi's films.
It's more Ultimate Spider-man than the normal Marvel-verse.
Which I think is great.



Now for the not so amazing part.
The story's a bit too "Been There Done That"
Come on lah,
Spider-Man's origin story has been done TO DEATH.
EVERYONE knows the story by now.
Radioactive spider, Uncle Ben, Aunt May,
Great Power... Great Responsibliblablablabla
EVERYONE KNOWS IT.
SO WHY DO IT AGAIN???



Yes, they've TWEAKED the origin a little here and there,
But it's still essentially the same story,
Just with a different villain
(who is pretty unmemorable, if you ask me)
(Not Curt Connors' fault, more the Lizard's fault).



Seriously, if they wanted to reboot it,
Why not just assume that everyone already knows the origin,
And use an entirely new story instead?
Why rehash the origin story AGAIN,
A story that is probably more well-known now than Snow White.



I'm not saying this is a bad film.
It's just a been too familiar.
Everytime there was a scene WITHOUT Spider-man
You just wish you could FAST FORWARD.
It's like watching a movie for the 2nd time,
You can guess what's coming next,
So you just want to skip to the awesome parts instead.



but if you DO watch it,
Watch it in IMAX.
The action and the webslinging are AWESOME.
AMAZING, SPECTACULAR, and AWESOME.
It's everything you wanted a Spider-man movie to be like.
If there weren't already three spider-man movies before this...

20 Comics That Would make AWESOME TV Shows

1) Gotham Central - Imagine a nitty-gritty crime procedural set in Gotham City, and focusing on the Gotham PD's Major Crimes Unit. Imagine being a police officer in a city with Batman. I want this TV show to be made SO BADLY.

2) Transmetropolitan: Spider Jerusalem rocks. He's an almost insane journalist in a futuristic City who sticks his middle finger at establishment and government by.... writing a column. A thoroughly kickass character whose vocabulary has more swear words than actual words. Carrie Bradshaw isn't even worthy enough to lick the bottom left notch in the sole of his boots.

3) Runaways - A group of kids who find out their parents are part of a gang of supervillains, and runaway from home. There was supposed to be a Runaways movie, but it's still stuck in pre-development hell. A light-hearted, Buffy-like ensemble TV show would probably suit it better though, plus the kids don't wear stupid spandex costumes, so it would be easier to produce. I think.

4) Sandman: Seriously, they've been wrestling with making a Sandman movie since the beginning of Destiny, and they're still nowhere near greenlighting it. And for good reason. The story is so sprawling, has so much depth and characters, that putting it all in ONE movie would NEVER be able to do it justice. So why not make it a TV show instead. With the right producers, it could be an epic, dark serialised show that doesn't just focus on Dream, but even Death, and the rest of the Endless as well. Think of the possibilities!

5) DMZ: New York City. War zone. This is the story of one journalist in the middle of the DMZ, struggling to make sense of the senseless fighting in his own country... Would make a great, intense, story-driven serialised show.

6) Y: The Last Man: Hey, The Walking Dead is set in a world full of zombies. How different is that from a world full of women and only ONE man (and his monkey)? Get a REALLY good looking guy to play Yorrick, and LOTS of hot chicks. WIN!

7) Top Ten: One of my favourite Alan Moore stories, about a police force on a world full of superheroes. Should be awesome.

8) Hellblazer: Yes, I know he already had a feature film, but though it was entertaining, Keanu Reeves just ain't Constantine. Besides, the rich texture and awesome supernatural stories that Constantine gets into make for an awesome TV show. The BBC really should consider making this one, just so they can make it as British as possible.

9) Fables: Once upon a time, this would have been on top of my list. But now, thanks to shows like Grimm and Once Upon a Time, I think the market for fable-related TV shows is already kinda crowded. Would still be great to see Fables turned into a proper show though. It WAS optioned for a show in 2010, but that project is dead now.

10) Ultimate Spider-man: Sure, he's got lots of movies already, but the storyline in Ultimate Spider-man neatly balances his superhero exploits with his his personal life, relationship and growing pains; as well as how he copes with being a teenager with superpowers. Smallville, eat your heart out.

11) 100 Bullets: 100 Episodes of gritty, ultra-violent hardcore crime drama. Perfect.

12) Animal Man - One of the more offbeat superheroes in the DC universe. Animal Man can absorb and use the abilities of any animal in the vicinity; but the main appeal of this comic is not the superhero part, but how Buddy Barker manages to juggle being a family man AND being a superhero. Would make a damn good family drama, I bet.

13) BPRD: Hellboy's got his own movies, so why can't the BPRD have their own show? It could be a Fringe or X-Files-like show where the team investigates a Monster of The Week, and the central plot could be one of the long running stories in the comic books like Plague of Frogs or something.

14) Books Of Magic: Before there was Harry Potter, there was Tim Hunter, who was introduced to magic by the Trenchcoat Brigade, which includes John Constantine, the Phantom Stranger, Doctor Occult and Mister E. Against THIS lot, Hagrid would have been banished to Never-neverland even before he lifted his silly umbrella. There could even be a potential crossover to the Constantine TV show!

15) Ex-Machina - A political drama with superheroes. Ok, ONE superhero. Who is also the Mayor of New York. Who as a superhero saved one of the World Trade Center towers during 9/11. from You can't tell me this isn't the perfect premise for a TV show about politics and superheroes.

16) Batman: Gotham Knights - This won't be just a show about Batman, but about all his allies as well. Heck, they could make Robin the main protagonist of the show, and show how the Bat-team (which includes Oracle, Robin, Huntress, Azrael and so on) work together to fight crime in Gotham. It'll be like Gotham Central, but with a lighter focus and on the superheroes instead. I'm sure there'd be A LOT of drama to mine just from the interactions between each superhero. There could even be a crossover with the Gotham Central series! 

17) Preacher: This was actually optioned for a TV show way back in 2006, but it's currently in limbo. It should ideally be a more Western type show, but it won't be easy to adapt a show about a preacher who wants to hunt down the REAL God and get Him to answer for His sins. And seriously... ARSEFACE? Good luck trying to get HIM on the show.
 
18) Resurrection Man: Admittedly, I've only read RM's New DC 52 comics, so I'm not very well-versed in the character as a whole. But hey, he's a guy who dies, and is resurrected each time with different super powers. Would make a GREAT Quantum Leap styled series. I was considering putting Deadman here instead, but Resurrection Man somehow seems a lot more interesting to me...

19) League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Chances of THIS ever being made is virtually nil, considering that Alan Moore absolutely ABHORES working with Hollywood after they mangled up the LXG movie (a movie so bad that Sean Connery quit acting after that haha). But it would be GREAT to have a movie about the LXG, set in different ages. Just have the two main characters Alan Quatermain and Mina Harker (three if you want to count Orlando) and have different literary figures join them on each episode. Would probably be hell getting the permission to write many of the characters into the show though, but wouldn't it be GREAT if they pulled it off?

20) Tank Girl - Would probably be more suited as a cartoon, to be honest, but it would be a hoot if there was a Tank Girl TV show. It should ideally be a sitcom though, since I'm not sure Tank girl's antics could be stretched to a one hour drama.

Spider-man, Spider-man, Does Whatever Sam Raimi Can't

So, the first image for the upcoming NEW Spider-man movie/reboot is out, featuring Andrew Garfield in the lead role:



Why so serious. Spidey? Judging from this still, it looks like Spidey is gonna go all dark and moody on us, which would be the complete opposite of Sam Raimi's sunnier and more pastel-colored movies.

Would that be a good thing for Spidey though? Going darker and real-world-esque worked for Batman because Ol' Batty worked mostly at night, wore black all the time, and used FEAR to combat crime.

With Spidey, you have a hero who wears bright-red colors, tight spandex (with a 'package' holder), and in the comics, was always ready with a wisecrack even when he was going up against super-villains. I'm not sure how 'real' and 'dark' a hero like that can get.



Still, I'm looking forward to this reboot. I loved Raimi's movies, but it always felt a little too frivolous to me (yes I'm aware that it's a superhero comic character after all); and that feeling grew too much to bear in the third movie (PLEASE don't dance in the new movie, Andrew). Hopefully this movie can make Spidey fun but not as frivolous, serious but not TOO moody. Is that too much to ask for?

Sam Sony Spidey Simon Stuart Sarah

1) Sam Raimi Leaves Spidey 4

Sam wanted John 'The Vulture' Malkovich. Money grubbing Sony wanted Black Cat, apparently. So Sam and Tobey are now out. Meanwhile, Sony are planning to 'reboot' the franchise in 2012, and re-shoot Spidey's origins as a high school kid. And it's gonna be 'more gritty and contemporary'. Good grief.

Do we REALLY NEED a more gritty, dark Spider-man? IT worked for Batman because well, Batman IS dark and gritty anyway and comes out at night. Spidey? Gritty? So he's gonna wear his black costume all the time? And remember the LAST time James Vanderbilt wrote a superhero origin?

Does the franchise REALLY need a reboot? I thought reboots were only done because the previous movies sucked? Spidey 1 & 2 were ok what. And Spidey 3 may have been overblown, but it was still a good sight better than bloody Ghost Rider, all three Punisher movies, or Daredevil.

Maybe it's time for James "King Of The World" Cameron to dig out that old Spidey screenplay, eh?

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2) Simon Idol leaves American Cowell

At first I rejoiced when Paula Abdul left. She was the main reason I could not stand the show in the first place. Then Ellen Degeneres was roped in, and I though, 'hey, I might just check it out and see."

But now that Simon is leaving (after this season, BTW), there goes the reason the show was even remotely interesting to watch in the first place.

What? The singing? REALLY?

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3) Stuart Townsend leaves Thor.

The last time Stuart Townsend left a cast, they replaced him with Viggo Mortenson. Bodes well for Thor, no?

Ok, maybe not. He wasn't even going to be Thor in the first place anyway. Plus I still don't see how they're gonna pull of the silly costume and the wings on the helmet.



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4) Sarah Palin leaves politics

Yes I know she resigned last year, but she's now gonna be a pundit for Fox News. Wow, what a maverick. Not that it matters to us anyway. I'd much rather it be Tina Fey. I'd totally watch Tina Fey reading the news. In a white shirt. And blazer. And VERY short skirt. MMmm.