Deadpool!!

The comic movie season begins with Deadpool! Let me just say that the other movies have a lot to live up to because this movie was fantastic.

Normally I would spend a paragraph talking about what a Deadpool fan I am and how I've been buying his series off and on for the past fifteen years. I recently stopped because it reached a point of critical mass and the character had become a parody of a parody of a parody of himself. He's become a complete buffoon. Funny, sure, but he borderline obnoxious now.

That is why I am happy that the movie pulled back on that a lot. He still has his quips, but gone are the ridiculous scenarios where he gets various body parts chopped off because he can. He is practically a Looney Tunes character.

Anyways, where was I? Oh right, this movie is really good.

Now comes the specifics. My biggest worry is that this movie would play like a live action cartoon. Although they do go over the top with some of the violence, they showed tremendous restraint in not going too far. The ridiculousness was really saved for the freeway scene which pops in and out of the movie.

Speaking of that freeway scene, I liked how this movie cut back and forth between present day and his origin story. This mixed it up so you don't have to sit through an origin before you get to the stuff you really want to see. I'm okay with this non-linear kind of story telling.

What I also liked is that the big action set pieces bookend the origin stuff in the middle. This movie wasn't all action and actually slowed down to really show you what Wade Wilson went through to become Deadpool. At the heart of this movie, there is a love story that does play out.

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool is the most dead-on casting I've seen in a super hero since Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. What is also readily apparent is you can see how much fun he had playing this character. It also speaks volumes he tried so hard for so long to get this movie made. That earns him many brownie points. In between the constant quips as Deadpool, he does show some range with how he is before he becomes Deadpool too. Even though his a not so nice person to begin with, you do feel for him and root for him. I think that hinges on the infinite amount of charm that Reynolds brings.

I'll wrap up by saying the humor in this movie is top notch. Just take a look at the opening credits. A lot of humor is pretty meta and that's what adds to the appeal. Shots are taken at the tragic super hero movies of the past that Reynolds was a part of. The fact that they would go there speaks volumes. There are also fourth wall breaking jabs at the budget of the movie, events happening in the movie itself (the Deadpool rap song) and continuity issues with the X-Men franchise as well.

This movie is completely satisfying and it is very much a hard R rating. It will hold up to subsequent viewings, where more jokes may be discovered. Also, knowing that there was a lot of ad-libbing going on, I can only imagine what ended up on the cutting room floor. Hopefully a bulk of it makes it's way into an uncut DVD release.

The Inevitable Best and Worst of 2015 List

2015 was a weird year for me. This is why it’s taken me so long to post this. At least that is what I will tell myself. There was a lot of good stuff, but nothing that really blew me away. The Secret Wars event sucked the life out of the Marvel Universe, due to all the delays. It cut down on my buying for a few months, since I was disinterested in most of the mini-series that spun out of it. This delayed the “All New, All Different” era of Marvel comics, which hit in the final quarter of the year.

The trend that started last year, definitely continued into this year. My number of DC books has dwindled down to a handful. On the other side, I’ve continued to buy more Image books. A slew of my favorite creators have created their own titles there and they are telling more personal stories that are dear to their hearts. Probably the biggest surprise looking at what I bought this year is how Archie comics have really crept back into my reading. Without further ado, here is my yearly (and always late) review of the year of 2015.

Dearly Departed (The Comics I dropped this year)
Before I get into the rest of my list, a moment of silence for the number of comics that I dropped this year after giving a good go at it:

• Zero - Image 
• Wytches - Image 
• Bitch Planet - Image 
• Wonder Woman - DC 
• Cowl - Image 
• Powers - Icon 
• Pretty Deadly - Image 

Favorite Comic Book TV Show of 2015
Daredevil – Netflix - I had a previous post about this show back in March and even though many shows came on during the year, it is still my clear cut favorite comic book TV show of the year. I thought it was paced very well, had great action scenes and a very likable cast. The show had a good, consistent look about it. I won’t go into more detail, since my previous post covered all this. There were other strong contenders like Jessica Jones and the Flash this year.
Honorable Mentions: Jessica Jones, Flash, Supergirl

Worst TV show of 2015
Powers – Playstation - I had only watched two episodes of this series, but that was all I needed to declare Powers as the worst comic book show of the year. I still do not want to go back and finish it. This is exclusive to the Sony Playstation and let’s hope it stays that way. The show looks like it had no money behind it. Agents of Shield looks better than this show and that is saying a lot. It looks like it was filmed on a camcorder. I like Sharlto Copley, but he is badly miscast for this show. Also, at the end of the day, the show is just really boring. I won’t give any more words to this show to say how bad it is. Watch for yourself if you feel brave.
Honorable Mention: Agents of Shield

The “Oh you still come out and I buy you” of 2015
Trees – Image - Maybe it was the shipping schedule, but I absolutely forgot that I was still buying Trees by Warren Ellis and Jason Howard. What initially started as a fun series is slowly grinding to a halt for me as my interest has waned. I’m starting to forget why I was interested in this book in the first place. It has a few more issues to grab me or it is off my list permanently.
Honorable Mention: East of West - Image

Favorite New Artist of 2015
Russell Dautermann – Thor - This award doesn’t mean the artist is new to the industry. This just means it is my first exposure to them. For this award, it goes to Russell Dautermann. I was first introduced to his work with the new Thor series and the subsequent, “Mighty Thor” series. There is such a kinetic energy in his art. This really helps with all the lightning he has to draw for Thor. What I also mean is that all his characters look distinct, so you don’t feel like he used one model to draw them. I hope this is only the start of his work on Marvel and that he moves up to bigger titles. Thor is definitely made more enjoyable with him on art.
Honorable Mentions: Jason Fabok – Justice League

Worst Artist of 2015
Salvador Larroca – Star Wars: Darth Vader - The only reason the artists of Zero, by image didn’t win this title is because it was a number of people, not one person, so this easily goes to Salvador Larroca who drew Star Wars: Darth Vader. It seems like many moons ago when I liked Larroca. That was then and this is now. Although he kept up with a monthly schedule on this book, the only thing that has looked good has been Darth Vader himself. Really, anyone with a FACE looked pretty terrible. Overall, his art just started to look more and more rushed.
Honorable Mentions: Collective Artists of “Zero”

Favorite Artist of 2015
Sean Murphy - Chrononauts,  Tokyo Ghost - Normally I would choose Stuart Immonen or Matteo Scalera because I always love their art. In the interest of fairness, I will choose someone else. To that end, I choose Sean Murphy as my pick of the year. He did both Tokyo Ghost and Chrononauts this past year. After seeing his work on “The Wake” last year, I’ve grown to really love his art and always look forward to it.
Honorable Mentions: Wes Craig – Deadly Class, Emmanuela Luppachino – Starfire, Stuart Immonen – Star Wars, Captain America

Favorite New Writer of 2015
Tom Taylor - All New Wolverine - This was difficult because there weren’t a lot of new writers that I came across this year. I guess I’ve stuck to my guns. There was one new name that emerged at the end of the year that has a book I’m currently reading right now. Tom Taylor wrote a handful of books that I read this year. One of them was the Secret Wars one shot for the Agents of Atlas, which is a soft spot of mine. The other is the “All-New Wolverine” that just started. Technically a few issues came out last year, so I can easily say that I like his take on X-23 turned Wolverine. Maybe I’ll encounter some more of his work later this year.
Honorable Mentions: N/A

Worst Writer of 2015
Marguerite Bennett - Years of Future Past, A-Force - As a whole, I enjoy what I read. So it was hard to remember any writer that I didn’t like. Then I remembered A-Force. Although it was co-written with G. Willow Wilson, whom I enjoy, I didn’t feel like it was her voice that ruined the A-Force mini-series. In lieu of anything else (and combined with my general feeling of “meh” to the Years of Future Past mini) this made the decision easy. I think the clunkly feel of a lot of the dialogue led to her winning this category for me. A lot of what characters say feel too ingrained in pop culture to work in the alternate realities in which those books were based. Now that I think about it, this was an easy decision.
Honorable Mentions: N/A

Favorite Writer of 2015
Rick Remender - Black Science, Tokyo Ghost, Low, Deadly Class - I think last year, my writer of the year was Jason Aaron. This year, I will have to say it is Rick Remender. I’ve been meaning to write a long post on him, but never got around to it. I’ll say a little bit here. I don’t think anyone has been more prolific than Remender this year. What I really enjoy about his writing is that everything feels so personal. You may not agree with his views, but you can see that he puts a little of himself into each of his books. Between Deadly Class, Low, Black Science and Tokyo Ghost, you get a different piece of Remender’s ideals. All of these series have been wildly imaginative and have featured fully formed universes. Not working for the big two has done wonders for Rick, as he has had complete control over what he is doing. You can tell that he is enjoying the stories he is telling and I am enjoying reading them.
Honorable Mentions: Jason Aaron, Greg Rucka

Pleasant Surprise of 2015
Doctor Strange – Marvel - If you told me a few years ago that I would be reading a Doctor Strange comic and enjoying it, I would call you a liar. Never in my life have I read a Doctor Strange book. Then the team of Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo came along and I knew I had to give it a chance. This book has not disappointed. These two go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly. Dr. Strange is all about crazy magical wackiness and Chris Bachalo puts so much detail into his art that he handles this very well. More amazingly, is he handles the coloring of the art, so he is able to use different color queues to great effect.
Honorable Mentions: Archie – Archie Comics, Paper Girls – Image, Chrononauts – Image, Starfire - DC

Worst Mini-series of 2015
Archie vs. Predator – Archie Comics - I will be one of the first to praise Archie Comics and how they are always willing to take risks. Then there is this book. Really, it’s my own fault for buying it. I have no one to blame, but myself. One paper this combination is the last thing that would pop into your mind. Then the book actually came out. Part of the problem I have with this book is that it involves violence with Archie characters that you don’t normally see. It just does not fit. Combine that with boiling the characters down to laughable charactures of themselves and you can see why I don’t like this book. It offended me on every level of my Archie fandom. This is the kind of book that you get mad at for existing because it sullies your childhood.
Honorable Mentions: Some of the Secret Wars books

Favorite Mini-series of 2015
Master of Kung Fu - Marvel - I think my favorite mini-series of the year is “Master of Kung Fu” that spun out of the Secret Wars event. I’m choosing this because this book felt like an old Kung Fu movie. I thought the art from Dalibor Talajic was fantastic in this book. It also helps that I have a soft spot for Shang Chi. This book also featured alternate takes of Iron Fist and a number of other Marvel characters, in the Kung Fu.
Honorable Mentions: We Stand on Guard – Image, Amazing Spider-man: Renew Your Vows

Favorite New Series of 2015
Archie – Archie Comics - I was looking forward to the new take on Archie and this book did not disappoint. With a super team like Mark Waid and Fiona Staples how could it? Oddly enough, I do like the kind of mockumentary style that they use, ala The Office or Parks and Recreation. Also, the town of Riverdale has been modernized, which is something Archie comics have never been accused of. What also helps this theory is that the dialogue feels authentic. With an older guy like Waid writing young characters, the fear is always that it would be an approximation of how young people talk…in a fantasy world ran by old people. The only downside is this is only a monthly book. I think the comic industry has spoiled us into expecting double shipping on books!
Honorable Mentions: Jughead – Archie Comics, Tokyo Ghost - Image, Ringside - Image

Worst Series of 2015
X-Men 92’ – Marvel -This one was surprisingly difficult. Thankfully I avoided most of the bad books out there, but I’m only human. However, I think I have decided on X-Men 92’. This is a book that was made purely to appeal to the nostalgia we had for the Blue Team/Gold Team days of the X-Men. I hate to go all elitist nerd here, but I had a lot of issues with this book. First of all, the Blue Team they were going for did not contain Storm. Then they try to cram in other 90’s characters such as the cast of X-Force, which was also wrong. What this makes this a bigger affront to me is that this started as a web series, which they then sold at full price. The capper is it was written in the style of a 90’s comic, meaning it was wrought with lots of expositional dialogue. Current me hates that sensibility that was used in the 90’s. Wow, I wrote way more about this than I thought I would. Guess this was pretty easy after all.
Honorable Mentions: Ultimate End – Marvel, Uncanny Avengers - Marvel

Favorite Series of 2015
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – IDW -This was a year full of many good books, but finding one that I liked all year long turned out to be more difficult than I thought. I went with my gut and chose the book that was consistent, but also provided some genuinely shocking moments.

My favorite series of 2015 was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I can’t believe I chose a licensed property, but hear me out. This series has taken what we’ve all known about the Ninja Turtles growing up and has put in enough twists to make this all fresh. Characters such as the Fugitoid, Bebop and Rocksteady and the Mousers were introduced over the past year. We had a major death with one of the Turtles. I would say which one it was, but I don’t want to spoil in case you want to read it at some point. The death was visceral and truly heart wrenching when it happened.

Then you have a final confrontation between Shredder and Splinter that does not end quite like how you think. The status quo has been constantly changing and they have built up a huge cast of characters. The art remained consistent and the same writers have been on the book since its inception.

The more I think about this, it truly is my book of the year. If you haven’t read this book, I think it is worth checking out. It does help if you like the Ninja Turtles, of course.
Honorable Mentions: Star Wars, Deadly Class, Lazarus, Daredevil