The Ramble Awards!!!

Not Bests of's... but my favorites of 2007.

Comics

Favorite Comic Book: Checkmate
Yeah, I love All Star Superman but Checkmate's been coming out every month and rocking it. Despite skipping the crossover this book gets better and better. Greg Rucka and company closed out the year on top and this year looks to raise the tension level. Also enjoyed All Star Superman, Astonishing X-Men, and Fables.

Favorite Mini/Maxi-Series: 52
Yep, it ended this year and comics have seemed a lot less interesting since it ended.
Also loved Repo.

Favorite Graphic Novel/Manga: Excel Saga Vol. 16
A quieter volume but still with some silliness. Il Palazzo's Ill corp continues to grow and Kabapu's shady dealings have been exposed. but the star is an amnesiac Excel. Brilliant. Also Empowered and Wet Moon kicked ass.

Favorite Writer: Greg Rucka
Checkmate, 52, Crime Bible, and Queen & Country reprints.


Favorite Artist: JH Williams III
Lots of good art this year but those three issues of Batman Williams did makes him my choice. According to wikipedia he's related to Hank Williams the country music legend.

Anime
Favorite Anime Movie: Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex-Solid State Society
Only saw a couple anime flicks this year so I picked this one. Great soundtrack and I love the Stand Alone Complex series.



Favorite Anime Series: Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
This came out this year in the US officially. It was a fun drama-comedy-science fiction series about an eccentric girl named Haruhi, her classmate Kyon and their school club the SOS Brigade searching out for fun and mystery. Little does Haruhi know that her club includes a cyborg, a time traveler, and an ESPer.

Music
Favorite CD: "Devil His Due" by Chris Randall
Never cared for blues rock much but having just finished buying all of Randall's Sister Machine Gun albums took a chance on this and loved it. The mood, the music, and lyrics... the man's got it. Too bad his releases will be all FLAC downloads and I ain't going to be troubled to figure out how to convert those. Also dug Secrets from the Future by MC Frontalot, Eat Me Drink Me by Marilyn Manson, Megaran by Random and Year Zero by NIN.

Favorite Song: "Red Carpet Grave" by Marilyn Manson
Thank god for Tim Skold and a divorce(Manson, you fucked up. Dita Von Teese is a goddess). This album was a combination of pure goth and classic heavy metal. Epitomized by this killer track.

Movies

Favorite Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: Worlds End
Was at a masterful film that truly emphasized great cinema? ugh, no. Can i watch it more than twice and still enjoy it? Yeah. And that's why it was my favorite film. yeah, there were better movies, but I doubt they'll get as many viewings as this film will in my DVD player.

Favorite Actor: Johnny Depp
Pirates and Sweeny Tood. Two great movies I saw in theaters. Yep, go Depp. Though I doubt you're winning the Oscar this year.

Favorite Actress: Nicole Kidman
Of all the films I saw this year, Golden Compass is one of the few where a woman's performance struck me. Not that I thought this movie was great but Nicole Kidman was the glow of this film. Scary, seductive, and generally amazing.

Favorite Direction: 300 by Zack Snyder
The experience in the movie theater was like almost no other. The fans cheered, laughed, and were drawn into this flick. The visuals were stunning. Thanks Zack. Don't fuck up Watchman.

TV

Favorite New TV Series: Reaper
The new series about a slacker who finds out his parents sold his soul to the devil is fun-suspenseful-hilarious. Sam, bounty hunter for hell... just has a ring to it. Ray Wise is perfect as Satan and the guy who plays Sock is comedy gold.

Favorite TV Series: Avatar the Last Airbender
Because damn it, it's that good. It'll win next years too as we're only half way through the season.

Favorite TV Actor: Alec Baldwin
He's awesome on 30 Rock. Remind me to buy the DVD box set for season 1, will ya?

Favorite TV Actress: er... um... Tina Fey
Yeah... for the "my neighbor might be a terrorist" episode.

Thats it. Later.