Shenanigans & Tomfoolery

I think its appropriate to start the new year with a quick look back at the things I liked and disliked in 2009.

I had trouble remembering last year’s disappointments and I could go on and on about the highlights which can only mean one thing: I’ve become quite the discerning fellow and that’s a good thing.

Let’s do this.

Highlights of 2009:

- Batman: Arkham Asylum is easily the best Batman game ever made and a fantastic piece of entertainment in its own right. I never wrote a proper review of it but my first impressions are clearly favorable and my one complaint (combat) turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the game. Sure, it’s derivative and the boss fights are barely passable but I just can’t hate this game and I can’t wait for the sequel.

- Blackest Night is over half way done at this point and it’s been absolutely worth the wait. It’s superhero action at its finest with a ton of “holy shit!” moments and mind-blowing artwork by Ivan Reis. It’s infuriating that the next issue doesn’t come out until two months from now but hey, I waited years for the series to even start. I can wait a little longer.

- District 9 was another pleasant surprise because I went in with low expectations and was treated to a really good science fiction film. I wrote a quick review on it after watching it so check that out and save me the hassle of repeating myself.

- Superjail actually aired in 2008 but I discovered it last year and loved every second of it. It’s one of the craziest and wildest animated shows I’ve ever seen and it’s not the crappy, limited, paper cutout animation that thrives in Adult Swim. It’s a show that begs to be watched multiple times and I can’t wait to get it on DVD.

- Invincible Iron Man and Thor just blew my mind when I finally started reading them last year. I mean, I knew people were raving about these books but they still blew my mind. Fraction and Straczynski have really done some stellar work with these characters. Straczynski’s run on Thor has unfortunately come to an end (waiting for that last trade) but Fraction is still on Invincible Iron Man so it’s all good.

-Team Fortress 2 is my new addiction and I swear by it. This game has been out for a few years already and but I only started to really get into it when I got the PC version last year and I’ve never had more fun playing online. It’s just plain brilliant. I need to get a headset.

- Wednesday Comics was such a fun read. I’ve talked extensively about it but, to abbreviate, I felt that even though the strips individually were kind of a mixed bag, Wednesday Comics as a whole was a great read. I loved the paper, I loved going to the comics store every week to get it and I loved, loved, loved the Flash strip. Looking forward to Wednesday Comics 2.

Disappointments of 2009:

- Brütal Legend was a huge letdown. Read my review for the details because the less I talk about this game, the better off I’ll be.

- Final Crisis started in 2008 but it ended a few months into 2009 and it’s the ending precisely that’s so terrible about it. The first few issues were quite good but the quality of the series started to wane about halfway through and Grant Morrison failed to pull a decent ending together. Final Crisis became so scattershot towards the end that it’s impossible for me to recommend it to anybody.

- The Flash: Rebirth isn’t terrible but it just hasn’t met my expectations. I thought Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver would work their magic like they did in Green Lantern: Rebirth (one of my favorite comics series) but the story in Flash: Rebirth so far has been predictable to say the least. I mean, Eobard Thawne? Again? And I love Ethan Van Sciver but his work in this series, first issue aside, seems rushed and not up to the standards he’s set in the past. This is truly a guy that has to take his time to deliver. I’ll be buying the last issue for sure but I’m kinda disappointed by it so far.

- South Park was horrible last year. There were three decent episodes at best and the rest were really bad.

Related posts:

1. Site Stats for 2009.
2. Disney to acquire Marvel Entertainment.

Posted in Miscellaneous |