Best of List ’09

Top Five Videogames (Off the top of my head):
1 Uncharted 2 – the best videogame experience I have ever had in my entire life (period). Worth purchasing a PS3 game system for.
2 Borderlands – throw away the single player part of this game and jump into the multiplayer game and let the XP rain down on you.
3 Ratchet & Clank: Crack in Time – Ratchet is the best action platformer franchise I have ever played.
4 Batman: Arkham Asylum – The biggest surprise I have ever enjoyed…. a great comic book video game…. WHAT?!?
5 Infamous or Red Faction: Guerilla (maybe Red Faction – all the destruction was too much fun, not to mention the multiplayer was tons of fun)

Top Five Films (Off the top of my head):
1 Moon (Theatre) – Classic 70′s film sci-fi. Slow and thought provoking.
2 500 Days of Summer (Theatre) – This is quite a special film. An almost a perfect relationship film.
3 Inglourious Basterds (Theatre) – I think it was glorious! IMO Quentin Tarantino’s best work. A must see on the big screen.

4 Avatar – A very special event of viewing. A must see in 3D IMAX

5 Food INC – reality that chilled me to the bone

Fantastic Mr. Fox gets a HUGE honorable mention. I loved that flick.

Top Five Comics (Off the top of my head):
1 The Sword Vol. 2 “Water” by The Luna Brothers – I love the pacing of this trade. The Luna Brothers alternate from issue to issue giving you action then plot points. Volume One had a little more “wow” moments as well as a mystery element to it, but volume two is still a strong book.
2 Irredeemable: Vol 1 by Mark Waid – The concept of a hero going bad isn’t anything new, but Mark Waid knows how to make it feel fresh and new. Waid is a true master. I can’t wait to pick up the next trade. The publisher BOOM Studios did… a VERY smart thing by offering the first four comics in this trade for under $10.
3 Hellblazer “Roots of Coincidence” by Andy Diggle – I loved the twists and turns that Andy Diggle does throughout his last arc on Hellblazer. Diggle brings back all of the characters that he introduced during his run and had universes collide.
4 The Walking Dead Vol. 10 by Robert Kirkman – Robert Kirkman gives the reader a couple “oh crap” moments within this volume. On the road to Washington DC has the group dealing with in fighting, loss and other hardships. But the S hits the F when Rick goes out to find supplies and brings the largest hoard grouping back with him.
5 Punisher “Dark Reign” by Rick Remender,Jerome Opena – I loved the creative team when they were on Fear Agent and now they are breathing new life into Frank Castle. Finally the Punisher is going after Norman Osborn, super-villians and all the Dark Reign players.

Trade Paperback Reissues:
Gotham Central Book One: In the Line of Duty by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka – A Batman book without Batman, crazy. Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka weave great detective stories set in Gotham. I have always been impressed by Michael Lark’s artwork, but he shines… off each page within Gotham Central. This book is a labor of love by all the creators, and it shows.
Preacher: Book One by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillion – A fantastic bang to start off the series. It is a slow burn that lets you enjoy the tension that Ennis/Dillion are putting the reader through.
Garth Ennis Punisher Omnibus – Ennis writes a good Frank Castle as Dirty Harry story. My only complaints of the entire omnibus was the villian “The Russian” became too over the top, going into Terminator type craziness and Wolv…erine calling himself “Canucklehead”, how cute. Yes I know he is from Canada, but come on!