The obligatory year end list. Blah. Blah. Blah.

These are my lists, without rhyme or reason as to whether they came out this year or not.

ALBUMs:
Maestro Echoplex - Last Night I saw God on the Dance Floor reissue from Catbird Records

A Passing Feeling - Self-titled EP from 75orless Records (Yes, I know I designed the album cover - I said no reason - I can play favorites!)

Mission of Burma - The Oblitarati from ? I don't have it in front of me

Bonus non-album: The Of Montreal live cover show that my friend Slick gave me - much respect.

Most looked forward to in '07: The new Stooges LP featuring Mike Watt on thunderbroom!

BOOKs:

All three Charlie Huston books I read: Caught Stealing, Six Bad Things, and Already Dead!

Robert Polito's Biography of Author Jim Thompson, Savage Art.

Looking forward to in '07: Huston's two newest novels and finally getting around to reading Miller/Eisner.

DVDs/MOVIEs:

Superman Returns - loved it.

Serenity - solid sci-fi for the first time in what feels like ages.

Veronica Mars: Season 1 - still in the midst of it, but if it maintains or gets better I will be very impressed.

and finally, COMICs:

Infinite Crisis by Various, DC - despite having some big flaws, I still thought this was the comic I was the most excited about and satisfied with in years. Outperformed Identity Crisis and had a much better resolution, in my opinion.

ACME Novelty Library 16 by Chris Ware - Again, I just read it late this year, so that it wouldn't be too far removed from getting number 17. Love Rusty Brown; really really really love Chalky White!

Fell by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith, Image - one of two comics in the "done in one" format on the list. Although its been absent for most of the latter half of the year, the first 6 issues deserve all the praise they get. Creepy, disturbing, scary, compelling, but most of all, moving.

Casanova by Matt Faction, and Gabriel Ba, Image - the other short format book that I can't get enough of. Great art, amazing plots, kick-ass dialogue that consistantly breaks the 4th wall without being cheesy in the least.

52 - by Various, DC - simply the most daunting task in comics for the creators and publishers, this weekly series consistently delivers the goods like no other comic on the racks. Great, week in and week out. 35 weeks in and I can't wait for what's to come!

HONORABLE MENTION: Punisher War Journal, Vol. 2 by Matt Faction and Ariel Olivetti, Marvel; and Immortal Iron Fist by Matt Faction (see a trend here?), Ed Brubaker, and David Aja, Marvel; and finally, Criminal by Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips, Marvel. All of these books had too few issues in '06 to count as best of the year, but all three are already on the short list for best of 2007.

Most looking forward to in comics in '07: The end of Civil War from Marvel out of morbid curiosity. The limited series has been so eractic that it is really hard to follow what is happening from issue to issue without reading the tie-ins, but the series also has a great baseline story and tons of potential. The artwork by Steve McNiven is phenomenal and cannot be beat. So . . . . we'll see what the last two issues have in store.

That's it for me - see you in the odd numbered year to come.

end transmission.