So far in my blogtacular bloggy life I have harnessed the awesome power of this fully armed and operational blog to promote my comics, music and other people's comics. (Rather than destroy planets.) I have avoided rambling on about my personal nonsense and opinions but no more! Now I will indulge in that most wretched of the blogging arts, the "best of" list. I think it is impossible to determine what makes one work of art better or "best". Art is totally subjective. That being said, I will now list some of my favorite things from 2007. That that being said said, yes and or no, some of the things I will list may or may not have actually been released/unleashed during 2007. Yes, I'm sure I could have googled to find out but no, I couldn't be bothered. Enjoy. Or not.
Music
In any given year that the White Stripes put out an album, I would include said album in my best of list. That being said, Icky Thump is a good album but not my favorite White Stripes album.
In any given year that Tori Amos put out an album, I would include said album in my best of list. American Doll Posse is fantastic. I think it is Tori's best album since Choirgirl Hotel. Maybe even as good as Boys for Pele. Definitely her edgiest since Pele. Just a great album. Incredible sounds. Incredible sounds. If it has any weakness it is that there is just so much to choose from. Something like 20 tracks. Wow. Tori continues to be the best singer in the best business. Her musicianship and songwriting are remarkable. That is all a given. What I keep wondering is when the rest of the industry is going to notice that she might just be one of the two best producers in the business. (The other being Nigel Godrich who produced...)
In any given year that Radiohead put out an album, I would say that said album was the absolute best (or my favorite) of the year. This year, Radiohead released In Rainbows and it is not just my favorite album of the year, it's my favorite work of art of the year and one of my favorite albums ever. I have found it really difficult to listen to anything else since it's release back in October.
Movies
Do they still make movies? Really? I probably only went to the theatre twice in 2007 and that was to see computer animated talking animals with the daughter. I saw some flicks on DVD but I really don't know if they were released in 2007. A Mighty Heart was good. The Bourne Ultimatum was a nice study in the idea that if you make a cut every three to four seconds that the film will be exciting no mater what it is about.
EDIT 1/14/08: Hey, I actually saw a movie in a movie theatre. Yeah, I saw it in 2008 but I think it came out in 2007. Either way, Sweeney Todd was great! Very funny. Very entertaining. I love Tim Burton when he is not making movies about people in rubber ape or bat costumes.
Television
The Office was good. My Name is Earl is funny but this season was a mess compared to the first two. Far too ambitions for a sitcom. They pretty much abandoned their situation part of the sitcom formula. I like Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends a lot. I enjoy The Batman, Teen Titans and the Legion of Superheros shows. Robot Chicken is good for a laugh but makes me sad because I used to do the same exact thing on public access about ten years ago but Cartoon Network never hired me. I guess the best way to break into cartoons is to be a thrid rate movie/TV star. My absolute favorite show on television is Weeds but I have not seen any of season three yet.
Floppy Comics
The only mainstream comics I could make any sense of in 2007 were All-Star Superman, Daredevil and Kabuki. Kabuki is way to good to be insulted by the term "mainstream comic" but it was published by Marvel so that makes it a mainstream comic. Kabuki is just fantastic. Go buy seven copies of each issue.
Thick non-Floppy Comics (or as they say in the book trade, graphic novels)
I worked in a bookstore for the first seven months of 2007 and had access to a lot of great graphic novels but I still feel like I may not have yet read some of the better ones. Some of my favorite creators have released books this year that I have not yet seen. Out of the books that were released in 2007 that I did read, I really liked:
Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi.
The Salon by Nick Bertozi.
Need More Love by Aline Kominsky-Crumb.
House by Josh Simmons.
Anything by Jeffrey Brown. He probably put out a new book since I started typing this.
Thick non-Floppy Comics that Don't Have Pictures (or as they say in the book trade, novels)
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon and The Invention of Hug Cabret by Brian Selznick. I read a lot of books in 2007 but I think most of the other books were either textbooks or written by dead people.
Web Comics
Manley DaysMini-Comics
And now, the most glorious of all mediums, the mini-comic. I picked up tons of minis in 2007 but when I went back through my boxes to pick out my favorites I found that may of them were from 2006 or earlier. I thought for certain that I had new minis from J. Chris Campbell, Drew Weing and Eleanor Davis but nope, they were from 2004 to 2006. Here are my favorite 2007 minis from the box. I'll save my longer thoughts on why they are my faves for future reviews at file under other.
Paper Pusher by Brad McGinty. The third funniest mini I've ever read. (The first two also being by Brad.)
Rashy Rabbit by Josh Latta. You really can't ask for more from a $3 comic. Nice cover. 32 pages of great art and story. Why can't every comic be this good?
Manley Days Vol. II by Jeffery J. Manley. This thing is very impressive. It's the size of a quality paperback but I sill think of it as a mini-comic because of it's hand crafted nature. The book is beautifully made and the content gives you a whole year of Jeff's Manley Days strip. Well executed, funny and touching. All that for just ten bucks. Wow.
Big Deal Comics & Stories #8 Eddie Goes to Portland by Patrick Dean. A nice thick mini with a fantastic color cover collecting an odd ongoing story from Dean's now retired Flagpole strip.
Arguably Comics No. 4 by Adam Casey. There is not a ton of substance to this mini but I'm including it because it is a great example of what I look for in a good $1 mini comic. For one buck it has an awesome color cover and every page makes me laugh. It's the perfect type of mini to pick up over and over again for a quick chuckle.
Well there you have it folks. Some of my favorite stuff from 2007. I'm sure you were riveted.
Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith
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