2004 Year in Review: Part One

2004 was a very entertaining host. From comic books to movies, music and novels I was never bored. In part one of my year in review (gaming and living to come) Id like to share some of the more memorable ways that I wasted away my days.

[Comics]

This past year was actually a pretty slow year for me as far as comics go. It seems that I am either totally gung-ho about comics, or I barely think about them. This year started off with a good comic kick, but dwindled pretty sharply.

As usual Queen & Country takes the spot as my number one comic of the year. Q&C is the best comic being made today. Its been this way since its debut around four years ago. Greg Rucka and his artist collaborators never fail to impress.

Q&C stars Tara Chace as a member of the Minders, an arm of the British government like the CIA in the US. Mostly the book follows Tara’s exploits on missions, but it also delves deeper. The real strength of this book is the politics that play out. This isnt James Bond. Q&C is nitty gritty, real world shit. People die, political deals are struck and something happens every single issue.

You can find individual issues at any comic store near you, or you can order the TPB (collections of story arcs….each with a different, but always great, artist) from online comic shops like Mile High Comics.

My other favorite comic this year (and the only comic I think my girlfriend has ever liked) is Fables. Fables is set in a world where all of the fables and fairy tale creatures have been forced out of their homes and now live in New York City. The main players are Snow White who, despite working for the Mayor, really runs the show and Bigby. Bigby is not only the main police officer/detective, but he is the Big Bad Wolf. Other key characters are Little Boy Blue, Pinocchio, and Prince Charming, just to name a few.

However, dont assume that a book about fairy tales is kids stuff. This book is not only beautiful, but intelligently written. It really is a mystery book, with each new arc bringing the members of the fable community closer to figuring out the identity of the villain who ejected them from their land. Trust me, this book is great. Read it; love it.

And here is a link to James Jean’s site. He is the amazing cover artist of Fables (among others). You really must see his work.
James Jean’s Site

Honorable mentions in comics go to Bone, Usagi Yojimbo, Y-The Last Man, Daredevil, Hellboy and Stray Bullets.

[Books]

Im consistently starting books and never finishing them. However, I think I did pretty well this year. I know I at least finished three. Haha.

The first book is Queen & Country: A Gentleman’s Game. Yup, this is a novel based on the comic book. Greg Rucka has written many novels, but I think this one is the best. Initially I heard that he was having trouble writing the novel without his lead character Atticus Kodiac (who has starred in all of his previous books) but in the end it turned out fine without him. It was a great read start to finish and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good spy story.

Q&C at Amazon

The second book is Life of Pi. This now ranks as my favorite book of all time. Its that good. I love books (or any medium) that explores man in an isolated location, fighting against the elements and himself.

The book is about a boy named Pi who is a student of many religions much to the dismay of everyone around him. Pi and his family board a boat destined for America when they are capsized. Pi then has to survive at sea on a life boat, with a tiger on it. Yes, you read that right, a tiger. The ship was carrying zoo animals also. I dont want to give anymore of the book away, but it is fantastic.

Life of Pi at Amazon

Finally, the book that changed my life, Ishmael. Im not even sure anything I say about this book would do it justice. After reading this book I view the world through a new perspective. Basically, the book is about humanity’s role in the world, but the way Quinn explores the issues are mind blowing. Trust me, pick up this book. You wont regret it. Hell, it may even change your life.

Ishmael Website

Ishmael at Amazon

A few other good books I read (or re-read) this year are The Firework-Maker’s Dughter, The Tiger Rising, Artemis Fowl, Tarzan, Lord of the Flies, Starship Troopers, Monster of God and Genghis Kahn: the Making of the Modern World.

[Cartoons/Movies]

The stand out show of this year was Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. The show is absolutely brilliant. Its also the most beautiful animated show on television. It ties with Samurai Jack and Dexter for my favorite animated show ever. Im hoping next season is just as good.

Foster’s site at Cartoon Network

The Incredibles kicked ass on so many levels. Having a degree in animation I cant even begin to image how stressed out those guys were making this movie. The visuals are simply amazing. Amazing. The story was fun and fairly long and rewarding. I thought it had a few problems with the pacing, but thankfully it was far better than Finding Nemo’s pacing. Overall I loved this movie and I will promptly buy it the day it comes out on DVD. I even have a little Mr. Incredible statue. Sweet.

As far as movies go, there were a lot of great ones. Here are some of the ones that I really enjoyed:

Collateral
Master and Commander
Man on Fire
The Last Samurai
Runaway Jury
Garden State
Open Water
Sky Captain
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle

[Music]

Although I love music, Im not a huge follower of it. I know some people live and die music, but I honestly only listen to it when Im in the car. I do however, have the uncanny ability to memorize the lyrics to any song after I hear it two or three times. I know lyrics to songs that I dont even know I know. A song will come on and Ill start singing (also note that Im utterly tone deaf) it and have no clue when Ive ever heard the song before.

Without doubt, the best musical experience that happened this year for me was the Flogging Molly concert here in Atlanta. Im a huge Flogging Molly fan. They are my favorite band of all time. Im not much of a concert goer though. I enjoy going and watching the band and hearing the music, but I dont like thrashing about and acting like an idiot. However, for Flogging Molly I was jumping around so much that I almost passed out. And I basically lost my voice from singing so much. It was totally awesome.

If youve never heard Flogging Molly, do yourself a favor and check out some of the sample tracks on their website. They are an Irish punk band with a classical background. Their most recent CD Within A Mile of Home came out a few months ago, which is why they were on tour. This CD is more Irish than punk, a bit of a change from thier first two albums. All three are amazing.

Here is a video from a single off of the newest CD.
Seven Deadly Sins Video

Flogging Molly Site

Other than that I spent most of my time listening to NPR while driving around. I know it sounds dorky, but it really is interesting. NPR keeps me up to date on my news, politics and classical music. If I had any money to donate I would. Ah well, when Im rich I will.

NPR Site