The 2010 Round-Up: Piggy's Favorite Things! Part Three: Movies and TV

2011 is less then 48 hours away right now, which means it's almost time for me to finish up my list of favorite things from this year. I've listed my favorite comics and my favorite animation from the last year, but what were my favorite movies and television shows? Let's find out!

Movies

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1

The seventh movie in the Harry Potter series is out this year and it's the first part of the final tale in the series. Movies six left us with quite and ending; Snape had killed Dumbledore and Harry found out that he must now take out the last six Horcruxes before he can actually vanquish the evil Lord Voldemort. This movie starts almost immediately with Harry going into hiding as his old home is no longer a safe haven from the Death Eaters and he spends almost the entirety of the movie on the run. Outside of one or two moments, this means this is definitely the darkest movie of the bunch yet; the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione get into some truly tense situations, such as when they're forced to sneak into the ministry of magic to retrieve a Horcrux, or when a group of Death Eaters walk right past them in a forest coming practically face to face with the trio who are protected only by an invisibility charm. So to say the film is tense is a bit of an understatement. And things only get worse as the movie goes on, ultimately ending with the group barely escaping capture and Voldemort coming into possession of the ultimate weapon.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

It was already on my list of favorite comics, but the movie adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim series came out this past summer and it was awesome. This is a film that had one truly harrowing task to accomplish; adapt and condense a six volume graphic novel series into one two hour movie. Well it does that job well and then some, because this is one of the best comic book adaptations that's ever been put to film. Watching this movie almost feels exactly like I'm reading the comic book, with sound effects and art coming directly from the book and a few scenes being put together almost panel for panel from the book. Still, to tell all six books worth of material in the time they had, this movie had to have a few key differences from the books and it did have those. Thankfully, all of these changes work as well as you'd hope they would and the movie is an all around joy. If you're a fan of the book or not, you'll probably enjoy this one.

Catfish

Catfish was a cool little documentary I saw this year, which some of you might remember me posting about during the summer time; for those of you who don't know, this was the "other" facebook movie from this year and it was quite and awesome little experience. Now, part of why I loved this movie was that I saw it under the pretense that I had no idea what this was before I saw it; a friend asked me if I wanted to see it and I had nothing better to do so I went. What followed was a two hour documentary about a guy meeting a girl on facebook and the adventure that comes from that. It's funny, it's exciting, and at times it can even have you one the edge of your seat, but most of all it was just so much different than anything I could have expected it to be. So if you haven't seen this movie yet, toss it on the Netflix queue, because it's pretty awesome.

Television

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Always Sunny season 6 aired this series and this is a show that I continue to love with each an every episode. So what was great about this season? There was also a two parter that spoofed such topics as the sanctity of marriage, an episode about public pools, and Sweet Dee even got pregnant! The show also continued to show it's love for the city it takes place in by highlighting local celebrities big and small; Ryan Howard and Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies and Preston and Steve, the core duo of this city's finest morning show all made appearances as themselves in two different episodes. This season also featured the television premier of the Christmas special. Sadly this season is already over, but that's okay; I got season 5 on DVD for Christmas this year!

The League

Another fantastic FX series I watched this year was "The League" which follows the hilarious misadventures of a group of friends as they take part in on of man's favorite yearly pass times, fantasy football. And while fantasy football may be the prominent thing that brings these men together, you don't have to care about football to love this series. This series is crude, obnoxious, and politically incorrect, and it's the perfect thing to follow Sunny in that Thursday night line-up.

Community

On the network side of things, NBC's Community has quickly become one of my favorite things to watch on Thursdays. Each and every episode is an awesome spoof of something and the cast and characters are a blast to watch. notable episodes from this past year are the season one finale, which spoofed romance movies, the paint ball episode which spoofed post apocalyptic movies, the claymation Christmas special episode, and the Halloween episode which spoofed zombie movies. This is currently the best show on NBC and it's just one of the many elements that is making Thursday night my favorite night for television.

No Ordinary Family

One of the best new shows on TV right now is ABC's No Ordinary Family. The show follows a family of four as the find themselves gaining their own superpowers after surviving a plane crash. What's great about it is that it's essentially "The Incredibles" meets "Heroes" in all the best ways possible. You've got the dad with super strength, the mom with super speed, the daughter who can read minds, and the son who is a super genius, but each finds that their new gifts can be a bit more of a curse than a gift. Each week the family faces a new problem, with the kids usually dealing with some social problem, the dad facing some kind of criminal, or the mom finding something new about their powers out. There's also an ongoing plot with the Mom's boss as the bad guy trying to throw her off of the truth behind their powers with the help of his own Psychic hit man that keeps getting bigger and better. We're at the half way point of the season, so if you haven't started yet, try to catch the reruns currently playing because this show is awesome.

Lost

While No Ordinary Family is getting off to a fantastic beginning, Lost came to a pretty controversial ending this past spring; the ending was a bit hard for some to take as there was a lot of things that never ended up being explained. For me, however, I loved this season for bringing an for this group of characters in a way that I loved. There were the flash sideways that turned out to be something that I really wasn't expecting, there were some truly great character moments, and when it all ended I actually shed a tear for that final moment of the series. This was one hell of a ride and I'm glad that it ended in a way that satisfied me.

The Hub

Okay, so the Hub isn't a TV show; it's a cable network. Still, it just launched this past Fall and it's already well on it's way to being one of my favorite networks ever. From the great older shows it's picked up (Doogie Howser, The Wonder Years, Classic Transformers, Classic GI Joe, Batman Beyond, the old Adam West Batman) to the newer stuff if airs (Transformers Prime and GI Joe: Renegades), this channel is fantastic. And it's still young, so hopefully that means it'll only get better, because if the programming it started with is this good, imagine what it might do down the line.

The Walking Dead

And finally, I love The Walking Dead; this TV adaptation of Robert Kirkman's beloved comic is violent, thrilling, and one of the best new shows airing on TV right now. The show follows the plot of the comics as we follow Rick and the other survivors as they try to find their way out of the zombie apocalypse. Of course the first season is already over after six episodes, so if you haven't started up yet, you've got all the time in the world to catch up before the next season.

Oh and before I go, here's two things to add to my list of animation because I'm an idiot and forgot to list them:

Ugly Americans

Ugly Americans is the latest animated show to air on Comedy Central and it is by far one of the best original shows the network has ever picked up. We follow the adventures of Mark Lilly and the rest of the workers at the New York Department of Integration, which works to get all sorts of monsters and demons integrated into modern society. Mark is one of the few recurring humans in the cast with the rest of the cast consisting of great characters such as Randal the zombie, Mark's Roommate, Leonard, the Wizard, who shares and office with Mark, and Callie, Mark's girlfriend, who's a demoness from hell. To tell you how good this show is, there have been a few episodes that I've felt were actually better than the episode of South Park that premiered right before it.

Archer

Archer is yet another fantastic show from FX, though unlike the other great shows, this one is animated. From the studio that gave the world Sealab 2021 and Frisky Dingo. Archer is about Sterling Archer and the other employees at ISIS, a spy agency run by Malory, Archer's mother. It's also really funny and one of the best animated aimed at adults on television today. It's witty, it's raunchy, and if you haven't watched it yet you're missing out. The first season is available now for streaming on netflix and it's only 10 episodes long, so it's not like you've got much of an excuse otherwise.

And that's part 3 of the 2010 Round-Up. Come back next time when I get around to talking about the video games I played this year.

The 2010 Round-Up: Piggy's Favorite Things! Part Two: Animation

With only two weeks left in this year, it's time to continue my pointless highlight of all the stuff I've enjoyed from this year in what I call "The 2010 Round-Up". Part Two, as the title should give away, is animation. Cartoons, Anime, Movies, whatever. If I enjoyed it, it's here. So let's get started with my first pick.

Dragon Ball Z Kai

This year, FUNImation revealed that it wasn't done beating the dead horse that is Dragon Ball Z, when they revealed that they had attained the rights to Toei's cliffnotes version of the series, Dragon Ball Kai. At first, I was ready to just watch the first few episodes of this series and be on my way with ignoring it, because the Japanese version was just that unimpressive. What I wasn't ready for was Dragon Ball Z dubbed with a good script and the best English vocal performances the series has ever seen. From Sean Schemmel's Goku to the Colleen Clinkenbeard's Gohan the cast has either grown enough that they're vocal performances are leaps and bonds from where they were before, or they've been replaced where they needed to be. There's also the impressive new Narrate to boot. It's a large enough difference that I feel like I'm experiencing this series for the first time again. This is the first time in the history of the series that I can say I prefer the FUNImation product more that the original Toei one. Great job, guys.

Adventure Time with Finn and Jake

Cartoon Network's line-up has been getting increasingly better over the last few years and out of all the great things that they've been airing as of late, Adventure Time is the one series that I enjoy the most. Adventure Time is the story of a boy named Finn and his dog buddy Jake as they go on outrageously fun adventures through the magical land of Ooo. It's also the most fun I've had watching a cartoon this year. There's a colorful cast of characters, from Marceline the Vampire Queen, to Tree Trunks the elephant, to even the crazy Ice King (who's voiced by that guy who voiced Spongebob) there's always some colorful character to cause Finn and Jake problems.

Batman: the Brave and the Bold

Okay, so this series isn't anything new, but I'll be damned if this isn't the best Batman cartoon out there. With each and ever new episode, this series highlights some of the coolest characters in the DCU while at the same time proving that you can do a campy lighthearted Batman while staying true to the character. This current season has had appearances from Barry Allen, Starro the conquerer, the JLI, and Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters. That last one in particular had a hilarious scene where Uncle Sam turns Batman into what is essentially Captain America.

Transformers Prime

The Hub is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels on TV. From Doogie Howser, Batman, and The Wonder Years, to classic Transformers and G.I. Joe, the channel airs all manners of awesome programming from yesterday and even today. One of it's newer programs is Transformers Prime, a new CG Transformers series. It's the first new Transformers series I've enjoyed since Beast Wars aired back in the 90's and with the five episodes that have aired, I think we're in for something great. The series has something for just about everyone; Optimus Prime and Megatron are voice by their original Voice Actors, Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, it's got designs close enough to the movies withough making everyone look like piles of scrap metal, and it's even got Bulkhead from TF: Animated. Oh, and Steve Blum does an amazingly competent, but still true to form Starscream. Of course the series isn't perfect; every other Optimus Prime quote feels like it's being taken from the barrel of classic Prime quotes, and the kid sidekicks can get a tad annoying at any time. Still, I'm enjoying it a ton.

Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated

Scooby Doo is a series I was never really that big on; outside of a Pup Named Scooby Doo and Scooby Doo and the Mystery of Zombie Island and there was never anything from the long history of Scooby cartoons that I found myself enjoying. Then, this past September, that all changed. Scooby Doo: Mystery Inc started airing and suddenly I find myself coming back week in and week out for what this series has in store for me next. This time the series has a heavy emphasis on story, with ongoing plots and strong characterization coming into the series in a way that's never been seen before. And if that wasn't enough, the series is just plain funny. Be it Fred's good willed stupidity, the local Sheriff (voiced by Patrick Warburton) and Mayor trying to coax the gang into ignoring the monster of the week in the name of profit, or any of the other myriad of well written humor, this is Scooby Doo proving me wrong on everything I've ever though about the series.

The Venture Brothers

I'm just going to come out and say it now; The Venture Brothers is the best cartoon on TV today. It's well written, well casted, and just that damn good that I can't think of any other cartoon that could take it's place on the top of cartoon mountain. This past year's batch of episodes in general has been particularly impressive, with characters growing in ways that I wasn't expecting, yet in ways the I love. These are characters who have been through a lot and have actually grown from their experiences. Go watch the first season again, and skip forward to this season's finale; look how far Henchman 21 has come since then alone. It's astounding. And speaking of the season finale, I don't think I've ever found myself as satisfied with a season ending as I have with this one. Sure we're now waiting yet another year or two for more episodes, but after this last batch I think the guys behind this show can take all the time they want making the next season.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Okay, this entry is actually me cheating; I didn't get around to seeing any of the animated movies from this year, or else Toy Story 3 or How to Train Your Dragon would be on this list right now. Still, even with those two entries, this movie might've beaten one of them out because it's just so amazing. The Fantastic Mr. Fox is a story about a Fox, voice by George Clooney, goes back on his promise of quitting his life of thievery and how that comes back to nip him on the butt. It's a story filled with love, humor, action, and everything good in between. Oh and did I mention how great the cast of the movie is? Because they're cussin' fantastic. There isn't a voice in this movie that isn't a joy to listen to. Oh and it's a stop motion movie. Of course what amazes me most about this movie is the fact that no one else seemed to go bonkers over this movie. Of all the little communities I've visited and people I've talked to, not one has freaked out and told me that this is the movie I must go see. How is it that a movie can be this good and get such little attention?

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt

Okay, so I'm closing out this list with an anime entry. Only my second of the list, but it's easily my favorite anime of the year. Panty and Stocking is the newest series from Gainax, the magnificent bastards behind some of the most legendary anime of all time. This time, however, they decided to make a love letter to western culture and it's a doozie. The story revolves around two angels, Panty and Stocking, as they live their lives of going to high school, fighting monsters, and going on whatever crazy adventure they have to get into. Oh, and they fight using their underwear. Panty fights with her panties, which turn into guns and Stocking fights with her stockings, which turn into swords. This show turns up the sexuality and inappropriate humor to 11; Panty is a nympho always looking for the next sexual encounter, while Stocking just eats any sweet she comes across. Of course they're joined by Garterbelt, a priest who gives them their missions, while also lusting over young lads, and Brief, a young nerd from the local highschool, who has a crush over Panty and looks like a ghostbuster. This show is funny, well animated, and a breath of fresh air considering what most anime these days revolve around. It may turn off some with it's crude humor, but for me it's just a blast to watch.

And that's it for part two of this list. Part Three is coming soon, with my favorite movies and TV Shows of this past year. Until then, read some of my older posts. There's some actually good stuff in there.

The 2010 Round-Up: Piggy's Favorite Things! Part One: Comics

So it's December and the end of the year is here. 2010 was a heck of a year for comics as the big two look on the bright side with "Brightest Day" and "Heroic Age" banners showing up on their titles. Meanwhile, Batman was lost in time, Atomic Robo's roster of bad guys shot up, a cop with an axe brought out everyone's inner child, and so much more happened. So here's my list of my favorite stuff from this year in comic.

Favorite Marvel Books:

Atlas and Thunderbolts by Jeff Parker:

If there's one thing that the Heroic Age taught me, it's that Jeff Parker is great at writing team books. In Atlas, he gave us a team the literal revels in it's comic book-y-ness as a Chinese man, a Martian, a Goddess, an Atlantean, a Robot, and a Gorilla teamed up with the 3-D man to kick ass. Unfortunately, it was cancelled, but it got a proper ending and maybe we'll see them again some day. Of course, Mr. Parker did find success with the Thunderbolts, where he made Luke Cage the leader of Marvel's rotating hero team of villains. Month in and month out the book is a genuine joy to read and it's only getting better from here. If any issue in particular takes the cake, it's easily the 150th issue; heroes clashed, a frog guy made me laugh, Iron Man and Captain Rogers got to settle things with their would be killers (Ghost and Crossbones), and Luke Cage learned that maybe this team isn't as bad off as it could be. So with the future in site, I'm glad to say that I'm sticking with this series for the long run.

Amazing Spider-Man by Dan Slott, Fred Van Lente, Mark Waid, Zeb Wells, and Joe Kelly

Amazing Spider-Man has been a damn good book since late 2008, but for me the book really hit a high this year as "The Gauntlet" came out and showed us just how awesome Spider-Man's gallery of bad guys can be. Stories that stand out the most include Joe Kelly's heart breaking Rhino story as well as his unbelievably awesome "Grim Hunt" story that brought back Kraven the Hunter and held several twists and turns that just blew me away. And of course there was the ending to Brand New Day, "Origin of Species" in which Mark Waid told a tale of Spider-Man fighting to protect the child of Lilly Hollister, otherwise known as "Menace". But perhaps the best story arc of the bunch is Zeb Wells fantastic "SHED" storyline, where the Lizard showed us just how scary he can truly be. Together he and Chris Bachalo showed us just how savage and chilling Kurt Connor's inner beast could be. And of course there's Dan Slott, who's taking charge of the book now with "Big Time" which promises to take the web slinger higher and farther than ever before. If you want to jump on and enjoy the Wall crawler, then now is a better time than ever, because the next year is looking to be truly great.

Thor: The Mighty Avenger by Robert Langridge and Chris Samnee

If you aren't reading Thor: The Mighty Avenger, than you really suck at choosing which comics to read. You're also not alone, because a whole lot of people aren't reading it and that's a damn shame. See Marve's "God of Thunder" got a revamp from Langridge and Samnee and it's actually the best book the company has put out this year. It's also selling so poorly that it's getting cancelled just 4 issues short of completing the full story that the team had initially set out to tell. But enough about that, let's talk about how awesome this book was. Thor: TMA is a book that is made of pure love and joy and it's such a good read every time it comes out. Thor himself is a young, headstrong god struggling to understand why he's been banished, but learning to love the world he's been exiled to through his relationship with Jane Foster. It's a story of love in the guise of a super hero book, unfortunately it's also one that's doomed to have a tragically untold ending. Meanwhile Deadpool has six goddamned comic book on the shelves right now; what the hell does that say?

Assault on New Olympus, Hercules: Fall of an Avenger, Prince of Power, and Chaos War by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente

As this year began, Hercules was left for dead on an alternate earth by his sister Athena so that Amadeus Cho could become her champion. Amadeus Cho then decided that he wasn't going to accept that and set out the bring the big guy back. He succeeded, but then the Chaos King decided to wipe out all of existence. With all the heroes left helpless, Herc has assembled a God Squad to take down the Chaos King and save all of existence. So how was your year again? Yes, Mr. Pak and Mr. Van Lente have had quite a year writing the Hell out of there books and with each one they manage to one up the awesome factor of the story that came before it. Sure, you could read Mr. Pak's Hulk, but this is really where it's all at. Although I'm sure Mr. Pak wouldn't mind if you read his Hulk anyway.

Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis

If you read any of Bendis' books this year that isn't Scarlet, then read Ultimate Spider-Man, because the man is still tearing it up on this book. And this year he hit the 150 mark. 150 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man and the man's still not done yet. This year the wall crawler has had friends move in, he's had to help Rick Jones come to term with his newly gained powers, and he's met twin Chameleons who have torn apart the great image he's had ever since he managed to survive the Ultimatum Wave. As this year ends, he's finding out that he's going to be receiving training from various members of the Ultimates so that he can learn to do superhero-ing the proper way. And coming up in the next year is "The Death of Spider-Man" storyline that hopefully doesn't kill off the Ultimate version of the web slinger and will be pitting the Ultimates against the Ultimate Avengers. I'd be more nervous about this story, but it's an Ultimate book being written by Bendis and Millar, so we could be doing worse.

Favorite DC Books:

Justice League: Generation Lost by Judd Winick

If you told me a year ago that I'd be in love with a book by Judd Winick, I'd laugh at you, but Justice League: Generation Lost has me eating a slice of humble pie. Winick has reunited the JLI and set them against Max Lord who has in return set the World against the JLI. From truly cool stuff, such as Captain Atom taking trips to a nightmarish future and Booster Gold taking a step into the leadership position, to the hilarious new Rocket Red, this is the Justice League book that everyone should be reading.

Action Comics and Knight and Squire by Paul Cornell

Paul Cornell wasn't a name that made me buy comics before this year, but now it's a name that will make me read anything. It all started when he began writing Action Comics, a title I hadn't read at all before he hopped on, but with the premise of a book about Lex Luthor tickling my fancy I had to give the title a shot. Now, about six issues and an annual later, this might just be my favorite book from DC this year. From wild dream battles with Mr. Mind, to Lex brushing off a frustrated Vandal Savage who wants to trap and kill Luthor, to Gorilla Grodd fighting with a giant spoon, Mr. Cornell has turned the insanity and fun up to 11 and made this book the must read book of the Superman title.

Of course Action Comics isn't the only title Mr. Cornell is writing, as he's currently writing both Knight and Squire and Batman and Robin, but since I'm going to be writing about Batman and Robin later, Knight and Squire will have to do for right now. Knight and Squire is what happens when you take a concept and have fun with it; Mr. Cornell has taken this British version of Batman and Robin and turned them into the BBC version of the Adam West/Burt Ward team from the old TV show. This book is silly, fun, funny, and also a little informative. Sure it's hard to understand what they're saying half the time, but that's just part of the charm. Yes, between these two books, there is no way you're not having fun in the DCU!

Batman 700-702,Batman and Robin, and Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne by Grant Morrison

This year, Grant Morrison wrapped up the huge Batman epic that he's spent the last 4 years telling. He took on the ultimate evil and won, then he got lost in time, then his predecessor turned his evil assassin son into the new Robin, and then he managed to come back from being lost in time just in time to help the new Dynamic Duo take out the ultimate evil, again. Grant's been a busy guy telling the story he has to tell and it's payed off in all the right ways. Bruce Wayne has been a cave man, a pirate, a witch hunter, and even the detective trying to solve his own death. He even became a weapon that Darkseid had planned to use to to destroy time itself, but he managed to undo that. Dr. Hurt faced him at multiple points in time, but again and again Bruce bested him, setting a trap for him that even Hurt couldn't see coming. He showed us why he's one of DC's big three and he did so in such a satisfying way. If you haven't been reading Morrison's Batbooks, than you're insane because they're just that damn good. And with Batman Incorporated just starting up, it's not too late to jump on and see why everyone loses their mind every time these titles come out.

Secret Six by Gail Simone

Secret Six is a title that doesn't stand out that much as a comic book. It isn't the book everyone raves about or the title that everyone tells you to read. That being said, it's a book that you should be reading. Much like the T-Bolts, this is a team composed to bad guys trying to do good things. Not at all like the T-Bolts, this team is led by someone who isn't necessarily a hero. No, this is a team of broken, crazy, complex characters led by Bane, that character that went from being a mastermind Batman villain to a shadow of his former self in the 90s. The fact that Bane is such a great character in this book is just one of the reasons that Gail Simone's Secret Six is one of the best comics that DC is putting out right now.

And it isn't just Bane that's written well; Catman, Scandal Savage, Ragdoll, Jeanette, Deadshot, and Black Alice are all fantastically written characters that keep me coming back each and every issue wanting to see what they team's got in store for me next. Two issues in particular (both one-shots) stand out in particular as really great issues; one has the team captured and sent to an island to face off against some rich jerks and the other has the team re-imagined in the old west preparing to face off against Ragdoll's sister and Slade Wilson. Both are fantastic issues that will be able to sell anyone on this series. And then there's the recently run story where the team has split into two and end up having to face each other in an alternate dimension resembling Marvel's Savage Land where they fight each other wearing loin clothes and riding on Dinosaurs. Yes, it's that awesome.

Favorite Books From Everyone Else:

Darkwing Duck (Boom!Kids) by Ian Brill and James Silvani

Boom!Kids is the little line that could, which is to say that it's the best thing to happen to all ages comics in the last decade. Every book is awesome and the best of the bunch is Darkwing Duck. This book successfully brings the "Disney Afternoon" character back in all of his duck glory. With writer Ian Brill nailing the wit, heart, and joy of the character and artist James Silvani brings art that is so good that you'll never want to look away. This is easily the best looking book that this line has put out and it's easily one of the top 5 best looking books of this year, period. Actually, it's easily one of my top 5 favorite books, period.

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour (OniPress) by Bryan Lee O'Malley

The story of Scott Pilgrim came to an end this year with the 6th and final book in the series and it's easily one of my favorite books of the year. Scott starts this volume out alone and broken after Ramona left him and he was forced to move into his own apartment by himself. He quickly finds himself revisiting each of his past loves and finding out that maybe he wasn't the best boyfriend in the world, let alone a good person in general. Plots are resolved, secrets are revealed, and Gideon Graves finally gets what he's got coming. This is a story about love that's a little more mature than it seems and it ends with two people learning that they're going to have to work together to make it work out.

Atomic Robo Volume 4 (Red5 Studio) by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener

Okay, if you know me at all than this selection shouldn't be any sort of surprise. Atomic Robo is easily my favorite comic book being printed today and I find myself giddy like a school girl for each and every new issue as they come out. That's why I'm glad to say that Volume 4 is the best volume in the series yet. The story revolves around 4 different one-shot issues that all take place within a span of a week, but each and every consecutive incident involves yet another strange foe that highlights just how crazy and wonderful this book is. From Vampires from a different dimension, to a giant Japanese monster not unlike something out of a Kaiju movie, to other enemies such as Dr. Dinosaur and the ghost of Thomas Edison. Each issue stands alone fantastically on it's own, but together it does wield a fantastic story that builds upon the world of Robo in one way or another. It also successfully highlights why I love this book; it's a fantastically hilarious sci-fi action comedy book that takes place in a wonderful world of action science, talking dinoaurs, and just about anything the imagination can think of.

Axe Cop (Axecop.com/Dark Horse) by Ethan and Malachai Nicolle

At the tail end of last year, Axe Cop popped up out of nowhere and took the internet by storm; this comic, made by the brothers Nicolle (Ethan (age 29) and Malachai (age 6)) who have crafted one of the most insanely comics of this year. The process of making this comic is simple: Malachai comes up with a bunch of randomly awesome details and plot points and Ethan puts it all together in a coherent enough fashion and draws it all so that he may put it up on the internet. Almost overnight the whole thing became a huge hit, with everyone falling in love with the genuinely childish nature of the book. Axe Cop is comic book equivalent of how you used to play with your action figures when you were a young child and for that I love it. And I'm not alone, as the title has gained enough fame that Ethan himself is putting off the release of the comic he had originally intended to put out in favor of working on this and Dark Horse Comics has decided to work with Ethan in order to publish the web series as well as publishing a completely original 3 issue mini series. If you aren't reading this, go now. It's free on the web and it features a T-Rex with Gatling guns for arms. Seriously, go read it. Now.

Sweet Tooth (Veritgo) by Jeff Lemire

Sweet Tooth is easily one of the best comics coming out right now, and though I've currently dropped the ongoing in favor of trades, I haven't given up on this title. This story of a young Deer boy and his protector in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity is almost wiped out is a fantastic book. Jeff Lemire has crafted a dark sad world where people must lie, steal, cheat, and maybe even kill to survive, where young animal children are hated for existing and find themselves being experimented on in the name of science. It's a great read, though, an it's definitely something anyone looking for a darker, more mature comic out there to read that isn't just a bunch of muscle riddled jerks flying around and punching each other.

The Unwritten (Vertigo) by Mike Carey and Peter Gross

The Unwritten is another Vertigo book that I'm reading exclusively in trade. It's also a fantastic story about a boy who's father turned into an internationally famous character in a series of Harry Potter like books. The story starts as a mystery about whether Thomas is actually the Tommy Taylor from the famous books or not, but quickly turns into a terrific journey throughout all of literature in general. The first two volumes are out now with the third coming next march, though it your feeling up to it, you can also pick it up in individual issues so that you're not left waiting too long for your fix.

So there we go, folks. That's my pics for my favorite comics of the year. Each one is a fantastic read in it's own right, so do yourself a favor and read them all. You won't be sorry. For part two, I'm going to be covering my favorite animated stuff from the last year, which includes cartoons from TV, movies, anime, and everything in between. Part three is going to be Movies and TV. Part Four will probably come in the new year and it will be Video Games. It's going to take that long so that I can get all my Christmas games played enough that I can actually talk about them with some experience under my belt. I might even do a Part 1.5 where I highlight individual one-shot issues that I loved and just what's so great about them as well as a Part 5 about Podcasts and music that I've come to enjoy this year. So look out for all of that coming soon. When the New Year hits I'm going to try and find some other things to talk about before I get back to doing weekly comic reviews. I really want to wait for some newer stuff to hit before I do more reviews. I'll definitely be reviewing the next volume of Fullmetal Alchemist when that comes out. So there. I've put all this out there, let's hope I can get all of this out.

Unaired Cartoon Pilots: The Good, The Bad, and the Hackneyed Ass Title

Okay folks, I'm taking a break from comic reviews. I've gotten to a point where I feel like I'm just repeating myself week in and week out, so instead I'm going to make blog posts about other stuff. Today, I've decided to blog about some unaired cartoon pilots. Cartoons are something that have been a part of my life for about as long as I can remember. At no point have I ever not watched them and I don't think that'll ever change.

Of course for every cartoon I've ever watched, there has got to be another 10 or 20 that never made it on air. They had one episode produced that never saw the light of day. Sometimes these cartoons were terrible, but sometimes not. So let's take a look at these unaired toons and wonder what could have been.

Plastic Man

Plastic Man here is one of those little gems that should've made it on the air, but didn't. It was funny, it looked fantastic, and kids and adults alike could totally get into this. Best of all is that, unless my ears deceive me, Plastic Man seems to share the same voice actor as his counterpart from "Batman: Brave and the Bold". Sadly, this is all we'll ever have of this fantastic little show and I can't tell you just how sad that makes me, especially when you look at all the horrible stuff that have multiple seasons.

Doozy Bots

Of course, for every awesome pilot, there are 20 awful ones. Doozy Bots here is a pilot for a proposed 90's cartoon of the same name. Now, if you didn't make it past the first 10 seconds, I don't blame you; this is a hilariously bad attempt at bringing the Gundam mechs over seas. Hands down the best part of it all is that the crippled kid is the one who becomes Guntank, the one who has tank treads for feet. Oh, and he's also the obligatory minority, how classy. Mind you, the little bad guys here aren't too bad; hell, they're damn reminiscent of any SD Gundam badguys I've ever seen. Still, the crowning moment of this pilot is when the narrator describes it all as "beautifully animated". To think, somewhere out there is an alternate reality where Doozy Bots got green lit and now has a very fanatical fan community.

Constant Payne

Constant Payne here is a really awesome pilot that has one of the coolest opening sequences that I've ever seen. It's a damn shame that this one didn't make it on the air because it would've been amazing. Still, it's easy to see why it didn't make it on; the pilot was from early 2001 and it has a sequence where the hero's little airship narrowly avoids crashing into two very identical looking towers. Thanks again, Osama. But seriously, this series had all the makings of one of this past decade's greatest shows, or at least a cult hit that only a handful of us would remember. There's the story of the two brothers, the young daughter that perverts on the internet could pine over, and just an all around fantastic setting with this fantastic future where everyone flies airships. Sadly, we'll never know.

Sailor Moon

Okay, I know what you're thinking: "But Piggy, Sailor Moon did air on TV!" Well, if you'd just watch this video, you'd know that there was a pilot to make an original western version of the anime, with some live action mixed in for added effect. And like it's horrible brother "Doozy Bots" this series has a crippled sailor scout who fires lasers from her wheelchair. Of course, unlike Doozy Bots, I'm not sure this not happening wouldn't be for the best: Sailor Moon fandom (if it's anything like DBZ fandom) has a ton friction between fans of the dub and the original Japanese version as they stand right now. I don't see how having two entirely different products would make things any worse.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Animated Series

Finally, We've got Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Animated Series. This one I'm split on; on the one hand, I've always wanted to get into Buffy and this looks like it would've been the perfect catalyst to get me hooked. On the other hand, some of those jokes were very lame. But none-the-less, I'm sure many a Whedonite is very sad that they didn't get to have their favorite Vampire Slayer animated. There's so many cool places and animated Buffy show can go that I'm sure this could've led to some really awesome stuff.

So there you have it, five different pilots for five different cartoons. Some of these were really great ideas that could've been some of the most memorable toons of their respective generation. The other two would've been hilariously bad and possibly reviled by the fandoms of the series they were based on. Either way, they never made it on air and we'll never know what could have been.

That's if for now, but I'm thinking of putting together a "Favorite Things of the Year" list. Might just do one big post or several smaller posts, but either way I want to put it together. It's not a best of, mind you, just the comics, cartoons, movies, video games, etc. I enjoyed the most from this year. Until the