Looking back...

I know, it's a bit late to do a "year in review" type post but oh well, it's my blog right. ;)

Comics of the Year (in no particular order):
Elephantmen -- Despite some delays in the main series Elephantmen continues to hit the mark for me. And the War Toys series (which technically started December 2007) was superb to say the least.

Fables -- Every time I try and explain this series to people they look at me like I'm crazy but I don't care, I love it. From the unique take on the various fairy tale characters to the constant emotional ups and downs, this series is simply amazing.

Invincible -- I started picking up the TPBs of this series pretty late in the game but it very quickly became a must read for me. I've been sticking with the TPB route but it's tough to wait, avoiding spoilers, until the next TPB comes out.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- To be honest, I was tempted just to give this series an "honourable mention" but c'mon, it's Buffy. For the most part, I think it's made itself a worthy continuation of the series (perhaps even surpassing the last season of the show in my mind).

Honourable mention goes out to She-Hulk. I've really enjoyed this series. I know Dan Slott fans were turned off by Peter David's take on the character but I think he said it best, if he tried to mimic Dan Slott's take on the series then people would complain about that. He had to write to his strengths and I think he succeeded. Though I think the art hasn't been as good as it could be. I'll be sorry to see it go.

Regarding Webcomics:
To be honest, I was hoping to list my webcomics of the year but it would be way too limitted to Zuda comics. There'd be Bayou, High Moon, Celadore, all of which are on Zuda and Araknid Kid which got its start there. The main problem is that I tend to stick to places I know which seem to be mostly DrunkDuck and Zuda. And on DrunkDuck, the comics I like tend to disappear, either because the creators stop or because they move around and I can't be bothered to track them down so I can keep checking for updates. So I've listed what webcomics I read, how about I leave the rest to you. Comment and let me know what webcomics you'd put as the webcomics of the year (and no, they shouldn't be your own).

2009:
Through my life I've pretty much always been a Marvel fan (I don't think I'd go so far as to say "zombie" butyou might). Lately, and this year in particular, I've seen my Marvel count dwindle. I avoided the events of both Marvel and DC, and even dropped the Hulk (which was a big deal for me personally). Instead, I've branched off more into the non-mainstream books (though I'll admit, I haven't strayed too far). So what do I see for 2009? Well, with the cancellation of She-Hulk, Dark Reign taking over most of Marvel, and promises to bring the X-Men more into the Marvel Universe events/storylines I don't see myself going back. I'll be keeping up with a few like Runaways and Skaar for now but there doesn't seem to be much to draw me back to other books, I'm just not part of Marvel's target audience any more.

I also continue to see my monthly book purchases going down while my TPB/graphic novel purchases go up. The reasons are plenty and perhaps the analysis can wait for another post but to be honest, I don't see this changing. Books like Ex Machina, Fables, Invincible, and others I find more enjoyable when read in TPB form.

And I'll probably find at least one Manga series to try out in 2009, whether it be an old series or something new (new to North America at least). This year was Monster and Akira.

In the end:
Despite some disappointments, 2008 has been a great comic year for me. I've found enough enjoyable books to keep me busy, some new, some old. And I think the outlook is pretty positive, whether it's in the field of printed comic or web/digital comics. To be honest, I don't know what the future holds exactly so I won't bother trying to come up with a prediction but with some great talent putting out some wonderful books I think it's looking pretty good at the moment.

And in conclusion:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!