2009: This Was That Year What Was
Jan 04
I keep seeing people complaining about what a crummy year 2009 was. Maybe it’s the afterglow of the holidays talking but I thought 2009 was a perfectly serviceable year. Personally, it was full of the usual ups and downs, with a few really good “ups” to boot, namely the birth of my son, who is adorable and perfect, thanks for asking.
Pop culturally, there was plenty of bullshit but certainly no more or less than any other year. Bubble Boy, Sookie, and the tragic Michael Jackson deahth show would just as easily have gone down in any other annum.
I have a lousy memory for these things, but here’s a few geeky things that stand out for me from 2009. It goes without saying that the best things about the year were my wonderful family and friends, and that is sure to continue into 2010 and beyond. These are just the dweeby highlights:
Star Trek: If I had seen more than 3 movies at the show this year, I’d feel more confident naming this the best movie of the year. It is easily my favorite anything of 2009. I can’t speak for casual fans but I think there’s a certain stripe of lapsed Trekkie for whom this movie felt like a homecoming, a validation, and a brave new start, all at the same time. Let’s put it this way: It’s got me buying Trek comics again for the first time since high school. It’s good to be back.
Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars–We Have Winners!
Dec 09That’s right, WINNERS in our Draw Star Wars: The Clone Wars book giveaway contest!
Though you are all “winners” in our book. Just not real winners, so you don’t get a prize. Except our undying appreciation for your readership, which isn’t much of a prize cause you can’t hold it or read it or use it to draw Yoda.
WINNERS!
1. Robo
2. Sarah
3. Angel
4. Clare Jordan
5. Tenya
We just sent an e-mail to each of the winners to set up mailing the prize, so watch your inboxes, folks! And thanks for playing, everyone! We love you each dearly, in a platonic and unique way.
More on Earth One
Dec 08I was gonna put together a follow up to Jeff’s post from yesterday but Chris Butcher said it far better than I could.
For the purposes of discussion, this is almost two announcements: The “fanboy bait” we got today, and the publishing and marketing details that will indicate at some point whether DC has designs on reasonable success in the non-direct market, or whether this is some insane new DM scheme that on its face makes no sense, OR whether the first of the two preceeding theories is correct AND they have the strategy that Butcher discusses worked out.
I think Butcher’s most salient point may be that there are already so very many Superman and Batman collections at your average Borders that unless there is significant thought put into how to design and truly SELL these books into an essentially “new” market, this thing will die on the vine.
For whatever reason, as a publishing move, it intrigues me. We’ll see.
Fantastic, Mr. Fox (Alert Nerd Family Show)
Dec 02I left Fantastic Mr. Fox a bit nonplussed by the whole affair. I realize that’s a serious asshole move when you’ve just viewed a stop-motion animated film, perhaps the most difficult style of filmmaking available to today’s auteurs, with the possible exception of hopping in one of Jimmy Cameron’s super-submarines to stage a Titanic sequel amid the wreckage of the actual boat. It’s sort of like eating a home-cooked meal and then declaring, “Meh! The salt in the mashed potatoes was unforgivable!” You can say it, sure, but you’re assuring your douchebaghood.
But then, mild pleasure and confusion are common reactions for me when it comes to Wes Anderson’s films. And yet, he’s probably my favorite filmmaker working today.
He makes the kind of movies that linger in my brain and slowly unpack themselves over days, months, even years. Other than big dumb event movies, the only films I can say I rewatch with any regularity are Wes Anderson’s movies. I went on a BIG Rushmore kick in my mid-twenties, and The Royal Tennenbaums is one I’ve returned to as well.
When it comes out on DVD, I have a feeling I’ll be returning to Fox. In fact, I hope I can hook my kids on it so we have to watch it over and over. I’m betting it’s a grower.
My Little Superheroine (Alert Nerd Family Show)
Nov 30I’ve missed a lot of the Christopher Butcher-launched kids comics discussion (though the original post is fantastic as always), but what hooked me into it this morning was Noah Bertlasky’s post on his own experiences with his son & superhero comics:
I’m always willing to sneer at superhero fans, as most folks know. But I think this maybe misses or downplays a fairly major point – kids really, really, really like superheroes. A lot. It’s not me who was foisting my old Spidey Super Stories and Super-friends comics on my kid because I desperately wanted him to read them for the sake of my overwhelming nostalgia. On the contrary, I pulled those out of the long boxes because my son was obsessed, and I figured it would be cheaper than buying new reading material. And let me tell you, by the time I’d read them fifty or sixty times out loud, any lingering nostalgia I felt for the material was killed well nigh dead.
This got me to thinking about my own experiences. As it happens, my three-year-old also loves superheroes. And she’s a girl.
