Showing posts with label Wonder Woman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wonder Woman. Show all posts

Sunday, January 28, 2018

BEST MOVIES & TV: 2017


The Great, The Good, and The Interesting!

R E Y,
a spark for the fire
that will burn the First Order down.



Shortcut links:
BEST MOVIES: 2017
BEST DOCUMENTARIES: 2017
BEST TV: 2017


FILMSTRUCK




"And...Action!"


B E S T
M O V I E S :
2 0 1 7




T H I N K



-MUDBOUND
✭✭✭✭✭
A wrenching and complex character drama tracing the poisonous toll of the bigoted 1940s American South on everyone involved, told commendably from multiple points of view: spouses, landowners, tenant workers, soldiers.
Dee Rees (Pariah) directs a powerful cast into a decisive statement for human compassion.


-PLANETARIUM (France/Belgium) ⇧
Bernard Natan was a prime architect of the French film industry.
A mistakenly underrated film, Rebecca Zlotowski's fictional take on his apex is entrancing, shaded, and poignant.
Natalie Portman is masterful, and Lily-Rose Depp makes a strong debut.

-DUNKIRK
Despite some lazy press comparisons, Christopher Nolan's intense WWII epic is not about British triumphalism or isolationism.
It is instead very clearly about desperate individual struggles against war's barbarism turning into pointed solidarity against the forces of suffering.
(Translation: It's not pro-Brexit, it's anti-Fascism.)

-THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE
The harrowing true story of Polish zookeeps who smuggled Jews out of Nazi-occupied Warsaw.
A moving film adaptation by Niki Caro, starring Jessica Chastain.



-PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN
The secret polyamorous relationship of Wonder Woman co-creators William Marston, Elizabeth Holloway, and Olive Byrne was their private unknown.
But Angela Robinson ("The L Word") admirably molds the scarce facts into a sympathetic tribute to fluid relationships, sex-positive roleplaying, First Wave feminism, and progressive creativity as a tonic to all forms of spiritual and social oppression.
Live and let love.>

-DETROIT
A film that couldn't be more timely and relevant.
Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty), emerging as an auteur about ethics during aggression, directs this true story of police brutality during the 1967 rise of inner-city revolts against poverty and oppression.
Tough to watch and absolutely necessary to see.

-MARK FELT: The Man Who Brought Down the White House
A film that couldn't be more timely and relevant.
Watergate is the modern moment when the American people first realized democracy was being hijacked by the greedy and the cruel.
A corrupt President trying to steal elections through traitorous espionage needs to be taken down by independent lawmakers, whether it's 1974 or now.



-MARSHALL
A solid, if basic, civil rights story based around pre-Supreme Justice Thurgood Marshall.

-CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
An idyllic romance, told with understated sensitivity.

-MARY SHELLEY
The best overview of the pivotal writer's life, with a compelling performance by Elle Fanning.

-I AM NOT A WITCH (Zambia)
Slyly understated condemnation of endemic sexism and superstition, with a delightfully natural star in young Maggie Mulubwa.

Mural art by Federico Archuleta
-SONG TO SONG
The Tree Of Life (2011) was so astounding because of the compassionate core story interlinked with the cosmic big picture.
Terence Malick's follow-ups since have been interesting stretches in style, with excellent cinematography spinning around actor improvs of spiritual disconnection; explorations in new narrative forms perhaps less fulfilling yet always fascinating to watch.




S M I L E



-THE FLORIDA PROJECT
Outrageous and hilarious.
This wild farce acts as a tonic to TV sitcom fantasies, showing actual struggling people trying to survive in a Orlando side motel in the shadow of The Magic Kingdom. Constantly startling, touching, and uproarious with a documentary-like naturalism that is breathtaking.
Bria Vinaite as the trash/star mother and Brooklynn Prince as her charmingly feral daughter are both riveting.


-LADY BIRD
Greta Gerwig's indie triumph about class struggles and coming-of-age in 2002 Sacramento satisfies on all levels with accomplished ease.

-COLOSSAL
This sorely overlooked comedy, connecting small-town Anne Hathaway's angst with a massive reptile in Korea, starts winningly, and becomes bravely edgier and more complicated halfway in.

-OKJA
Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer) throws a fun curveball.
'Too edgy' for an average children's movie, 'too preachy' for the unconscious, but -in truth- far too good not to see.
Laughs, with some serious punch.

-THE BIG SICK
Stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani and his partner Emily V. Gordon's fictional take on their courtship is great fun, with a terrific cast, agile turns, and inspired lines.


-BRIGSBY BEAR
A left-field zinger.
Starting from a surprise premise, the film spins out into a fun and smart fable about connection through creativity.
Made by a cast of crack SNL regulars as a personal project, but stolen by Mark Hamill.




D R E A M


-STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
✭✭✭✭✭

THE LAST JEDI, the second chapter of the final STAR WARS trilogy, inverts the elements and themes of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK inside out to open up new breadth and depth that no one expected.

It is newly edgy, complex, upending, and outright traumatic, and a brilliant move forward into unexplored territory.

> Why EMPIRE and LAST JEDI are actually the Best of the STAR WARS films





-BLADE RUNNER 2049
Everyone missed Blade Runner when it came out.
Everyone missed Blade Runner 2049 when it came out.
Here's why both will triumph anyway.

In 1982, Blade Runner took its bow during 'the best SciFi Film Summer ever'.> In the days when movie theatres were the sole option and lines rounded the block for months, Star Trek II, E.T., and Poltergeist devoured all the money, while The Road Warrior, The Thing, and Blade Runner got scraps. But in the next two years, the latter three films found their audience through word-of-mouth, the first affordable VHS rentals, and premium cable showings. As a cult hit, Blade Runner blueprinted virtually all of Tech Noir and CyperPunk that followed. After a decade's build-up, Blade Runner became widely acknowledged by the '90s as a visionary breakthrough and a fine film classic beyond genre or era or receipts.

In 2017, the excellent sequel Blade Runner 2049 came out to universal rave reviews and moderate box-office after a long summer of blockbusters. In the USA, that is. But 2/3 of its total money came from international release, meaning that as usual the local American "Opening-Weekend-Cockfight" myopia failed to recognize it as the global hit it truly was. And will continue to be further, because of word-of-mouth, streaming and renting, and cable showings. Quality is timeless and wins for the long, regardless.

Catch up to the future, again.



-WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
The ascendingly great prequel trilogy (Rise/ Dawn/ War) is complete, ending in a grand zenith.
The second film, Dawn, was essentially the Godfather II of Apes films, and this crescendo escalates the scope and depth admirably.
Andy Serkis is again Oscar-worthy as Caesar, leader of a new age of evolution.


-THE SHAPE OF WATER
Amelie meets Abe Sapien.
Guillermo Del Toro's lush romance and moral fantasy enchants the senses.

-WONDERSTRUCK
Todd Haynes' weave of two stories, a girl in 1927, a boy in 1977, is a beguiling mystery and visual opus great for head and heart.

-MARJORIE PRIME
This confident adaption of the Pulitzer-winning play rings like the best of Arthur Miller and Rod Serling.
Speculative fiction working within the strongest tradition of character stage plays, challenging our sense of connections, ethics, and memories.
Amid compelling perfomances by Jon Hamm, Tim Robbins, and Geena Davis, it's veteran character actor Lois Smith who steals the show.



-THE DISCOVERY
Both Marjorie Prime and The Discovery should be of interest to "Black Mirror" fans.
A speculative character drama about the ramifications of the scientific confirmation of an Afterlife, with Robert Redford, Rooney Mara, Jason Segel, and Jesse Plemons.




N I G H T M A R E



-A GHOST STORY
Following a forlorn sheeted ghost longing for a life past, this slow-burn meditation on loss, memory, time, and love is quietly heartbreaking and thoughtful.


-MOTHER
Aronofsky's allegory about the creative process. Surprisingly, kneejerks don't get it.

-THELMA (Norway)
Thelma is waking up to new possibilities within herself... but is that a good thing?

-THE LURE (Córki Dancingu) (Poland)
An inversion of Andersen's "Little Mermaid".
The most interesting horror-musical-fantasy-satire-art film that 1986 should have made.

-SPLIT
James McEvoy's most complex and arresting performance centers this left-field thriller.

-PERSONAL SHOPPER
Quiet, layered indie mystery with suspense and mindbends.




G R A P H I C
I M A G E S


I review and do original illustrations for
Comics-based films for the review site,
Four Color Films.


Art by Tym Stevens

-LOGAN
My Review and original art

-WILSON

-GHOST IN THE SHELL

-WONDER WOMAN
My Review and original art

-SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING

-GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, Vol. 2

-THOR: RAGNOROK




-SLEIGHT
Perhaps the new CHRONICLE (2012).
The basicness of this indie film is its charm, grounding a semi-superhero in urban settings and character drama.
Solid story, good heart.


Underrated, Dept.:
-JUSTICE LEAGUE
Your honor, I can explain.
No one dislikes MAN OF KILL and B/S more than me.
And yet this Course Correction Checklist hinges (just barely) into generally good.


See Also:
> Four Color Films,
THE Comic Movies Review Site!




A R T F L I X


-LOVING VINCENT
The world's first fully-painted film, with oil-painting still frames by 125 artists across 5 years, feeds the head and senses. And it's a fine Rashomon-style mystery story, as well, conveyed in multiple twists by an ace cast, pre-filmed and rotoscoped.


-YOUR NAME (2016; Japan)
A conventional body-swap comedy anime that (like Colossal above) becomes abruptly more interesting and dramatic in the middle.
Excellent backgrounds and camera effects.

-COCO
One of Pixar's best.
A movie so rich -in story, details, and invention- that it's intoxicating.



TV:

"She's got a lot of spirit."

-STAR WARS: REBELS 3b / 4a
The CG-animated series, which embodies the best qualities of the original first film, begins dovetailing nicely into the era of Rogue One.

-STAR WARS: FORCES OF DESTINY 1 ⇧
A fun new animated series of three-minute shorts, focusing on Rey, Leia, Padme, Jyn, Sabine, etc.
Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Felicity Jones even return to do their voices!
> Watch them here.







B E S T
D O C U M E N T A R I E S :
2 0 1 7



-I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO
The words and wisdom of James Baldwin about the ongoing Civil Rights struggle.

-WHOSE STREETS
The Ferguson, Missouri, uprisings against bigoted police brutality.



-THE VIETNAM WAR
Ken Burns.

-AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: Truth to Power
Al Gore. Because honoring the truth is crucial to survival.



-BATMAN AND BILL
It was actually Bill Finger, and not Bob Kane, who created every aspect we love about Batman.

-BOMBSHELL: The Hedy Lamarr Story
Glamour Age actor, scientist who invented WiFi, inspiration for Catwoman.

-THE TOYS THAT MADE US: Episode 1, STAR WARS
The crazy story of how Kenner toys revolutionized the toy industry like the 1977 film remade the film industry.


-KEDI
The freerange cats of Istanbul.

-FACES PLACES
Two singular artists tour France creating portraits of those they meet.






B E S T
T V :
2 0 1 7



(The season number follows each title.)





D R A M A



-TWIN PEAKS

An 18-hour film, testing every limit heedlessly.

The original "Twin Peaks" series (1990-'91) reconstructed television, and this return deconstructs itself.

David Lynch and Mark Frost once blew your volts like a blackout... and it is happening again.

> TWIN PEAKS: Its Influence on 25 Years of Film, TV, and Music!, with 5 Music Players!




-BETTER CALL SAUL 3
Quietly, "Saul" is the most mature and contemplative show on television.
As if Tennessee Williams or Lillian Hellman were writing the prequel to "Breaking Bad".


-THE HANDMAID'S TALE 1
Margaret Atwood's classic 1985 book is a dystopian rallying cry for the ages. She achieved it through insularity: the interior monologues and isolated environs of one person, which make the book both intensely personal while temporally universal.

And hard to dramatize. The Hulu series adaptation takes an insane risk to expand it by literalizing and lateralizing it: literal in the sense of current events and specific settings, lateral in new multiple characters with different outlooks. What could become clumsy or strident is most often deft and sure. What holds it together is the core message, now more necessary than ever... to hold onto your humanity in the midst of repression.

-ALIAS GRACE (maxi-series)
Margaret Atwood's faceted parable, based around a true 19th century murder mystery, pivotes around the inscrutable and mesmerizing performance of Sarah Gadon.



-THE DEUCE 1
This is about far more than the birth of the Porn industry.
It's the the gateway to how the rich have stolen democracy using gentrification.

This series helmed by David Simon ("The Wire") does an amazing job of reconstructing seedy 1971 NYC, as the sex trade morphs into the mainstream breakthrough of Porn chic. But that was only the beginning. Whether the show will address it or not, the corraling of the sex industry by corrupt police was engineered by politicians and land barons, who let the inner city rot and burn (birthing Punk and HipHop sideways)>>, then displaced the immigrant poor, gentrified the urban ruins, and used their realty riches to commercialize Times Square and purchase power as Mayor, Governor, and now President.

For those who know history, The Deuce is subliminally about the corrupt rise of the Oligarchy that rules us.


-MR. ROBOT 3
Thankfully, we have this finely-wrought series to challenge all forms of corporate fascism.
Sam Esmail's cinema-quality epic dismantles itself as much as the power structure in this essential Punk molotov.


-FEUD 1
The first season of the anthology series is a riveting telling of the bitter feud between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.
By Ryan Murphy ("The Shield"), with excellent performances by Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange.




W O N D E R



-STAR TREK: DISCOVERY 1a ⇧

The precise Star Trek series we really need.

Wild > tame > wild.
The original Roddenberry Star Trek series (1966-1969) was a wild frontier of action, edge, and ideas. The Berman-era spin-offs The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise (1987-2005) were more formal, stylized, and sober. The Abrams film reboots (since 2009) and the Fuller-initiated Discovery series (2017) unleash the untamed spirit of the original, now ramped and rethought.

Mod > New Age > PostPunk.
The '60s version channeled the vibrant and challenging possibilities of its renaissance zeitgeist. The '80s+ versions apologized past experimentalism into stylization and sobriety. The '10s version rips it up and starts again> looking for new edge and wonders.

Bradbury > Clarke > Dick.
The '60s show was Ray Bradbury, a Dada collage of disparate classic elements in alternative vistas. The '80s was Arthur C. Clarke, a boosterism mural of streamlined futurism. The '10s is Philip K. Dick, a krylon wall throw-up of rebel reassessments.

Roddenberry > Berman > Fuller.
Roddenberry invented the alphabet of modern SF shows. Berman produced formal essays. The Fuller-associates* make cut-ups out of all of it.
    * Bryan Fuller concieved the new show, but it was actualized by his associates, Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts.
Raw > Refined > Raw.
Interpreting Roddenberry's template, the Berman series were each valuable and rewarding for their expansive reflection. But it's past time to drop the polite formalism and bright comfort, to strip off all the shellac down to the raw wood. Discovery disorders the order: sideways crew focus instead of the bridge ensemble, two ships in different times, confliction and conviction, blood and bruises, every turn upendings and inversions of character, loyalties, canon, time, and space.

This is precisely what we need, a show that recalls where we started from to go where we have yet to go.

Infinite diversity in infinite combinations.
Strange new worlds. Out there, thataway...




-THE ORVILLE 1a
Seth MacFarlane's homage spoof is basically ST: The Next Generation under a heat lamp, with nyuk jokes.
It's no Galaxy Quest, but somehow, because of its actual veneration of all things Trek, it begins to work on its own accord.

-BLACK MIRROR 4 ⇧ Netflix
More typically and topically razor-sharp allegories about tech nightmares from Charlie Brooker.
The opener, "U.S.S. Callister", is such an inspired rethink of the alternate possibilities of Star Trek that it rightly deserves a spin-off series of its own.



-AMERICAN GODS 1 ⇧
It's not enough that Bryan Fuller ("Wonder Falls", "Hannibal") has done a letter-perfect adaption of Neil Gaiman's book. He also is expanding it with 70% of new material that is just as good.
A great thing greater.

-SENSE8 2 Netflix
Cut off by Netflix, the Wachowskis are forced to wrap up their 5-season plan in a compressed season.

-Philip K. Dick's ELECTRIC DREAMS 1
Philip K. Dick was the experimental anarchist of SciFi authors whose works have been filmed as Blade Runner, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly, and "The Man In The High Castle".
This canny anthology series adapts his challenging short stories.



-COLONY 2
The overlooked rebellion-against-alien-overlords series stays firmly grounded in character, politics, and real settings.

-INCORPORATED 1
This parable about a future Corporate dystopia was exactly about right now.
And, criminally, got cancelled. Still worth the trip.

-12 MONKEYS 3




H O R R O R



-STRANGER THINGS ⇧ 2 Netflix
Confident in its momentum, the show expands its cast and scope, for richer results.


-THE EXORCIST 2
No one is more dubious than me of any attempt to follow The Exorcist (1973), a timelessly brilliant book and film.
But this series (generally) holds onto what matters to make it work: deep character build, belief and doubt, science and supra, punctuated by jarring intensity.
John Cho gives his best performance here.

-FORTITUDE 2
Daring or debacle?
YesNoBothOther.

-DARK (Germany) Netflix 1
It is
It is happening
It is happening again




U K



-OUTLANDER ⇧ 3
OUTLANDER is one of the finest shows being made.
And my favorite romance, ever.

-GAME OF THRONES 7
The penultimate season is on rabid overdrive, blazing through shocking revelations and turnovers like a molten scimitar.

-ORPHAN BLACK (Canada/BBC) 5
Tatiana Maslaney bows out in a smart finale, particularly in its last grace notes.

-DIRK GENTLY'S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY (Canada/BBC) 2
A complex and chimeric overhaul of Fantasy vogues, in full-on breathless Douglas Adams-style flair.

-DOCTOR WHO 10
Peter Capaldi's adroit swan song.





H E R O E S



-IRON FIST 1 Netflix
-THE DEFENDERS 1 ⇧ Netflix

Some helpful context for those coming in.:

The fruition of 1975, 1981, and 2002.

Luke Cage; Iron Fist; Misty Knight;
Colleen Wing; White Tiger; Shang Chi

Comics heroes became much more culturally diverse in the early '70s because of the inclusion activism of the counterculture. By 1975, Marvel had unveiled a pantheon of action street heroes who soon became intertwined: Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, White Tiger, and Shang Chi; much of this reflected blax/plosion films, the martial arts craze, and the backgrounds of the young New York creators themselves. (On the occult side, there was also Blade the Vampire Hunter.)

In the early '80s, Frank Miller brought hardboiled severity in with Daredevil, Elektra, and The Hand.

In the '00s, Brian Michael Bendis joined them all together with his Jessica Jones in adult noir arcs influenced by Tarantino and "The Wire".

Elektra and Daredevil, by Frank Miller

The current Netflix shows of the Hells Kitchen pantheon -"Daredevil", "Jessica Jones", "Luke Cage", and "Iron Fist"- are the sum of these specific three classic revolutions. Each show was world-building the total pantheon to meet together in the "Defenders" team-up series; each was never only singular, but part of that evolving gestalt.

(Each also directly reflects the eras, styles, and inventions of their best comics creators; e.g., the ninja noir of Miller in Daredevil, or the early '70s Black Chic of Luke Cage.)

The Bendis era,
1: Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Daredevil; art: Alex Maleev
2: Luke Cage and Jessica Jone; art: Michael Gaydos

The quality of each show speaks for itself, but the pantheon is still mutually evolving. An appreciation of those 1975, 1981, and 2002 sources can abate any misunderstandings of who the pantheon is or where it is heading. So no, Iron Fist shouldn't be recast as Asian, because in the eclectic wider pantheon that was Shang Chi and Leiko Wu; two people are destined to become the Daughters of the Dragon; and while one person is becoming Hellcat, another is stealthily morphing into a new White Tiger. (How many of you caught that one?)

Just as The Avengers conjoined the Marvel films into the gods of Olympus, "The Defenders" is taking the people's pantheon to the streets.




-LEGION ⇧ 1

Logan isn't the revolution, it's "Legion".

While Logan sands superheroes back down into Ford and Peckinpah, "Legion" burnishes them into Kubrick and Lynch.

New Mutants #26 (1985);
art: Bill Sienkiewicz

Legion, a schizoid 1985 X-Men spin-off character, was made memorable by the art of Bill Sienkiewicz; a surreal blend of Neal Adams naturalism, Bob Peak flair, and Ralph Steadman slash.

Taking the cue, showrunner Noah Hawley ("Fargo") channels this fine art into select cinema. "Legion" creates a world of its own, molded in 1968-1974 Mod futurism, throbbing with art-prog, projected in panavision. It's Tarkovsky scored by Pink Floyd, A Clockwork Orange staged by Matthew Barney, Fellini ghostwritten by Ken Kesey. This is a higher better level, a postmodern symphony shot in ultraviolet.

Logan is the nihilist brutality of Miller, but "Legion" is the mature sophistication of Moore. That's always the better revolution, before and now.


-THE GIFTED 1
This X-Men spin-off is generally solid, with an attention to character.

-RUNAWAYS 1
Based on Brian K. Vaughan's comic, this series has more expansive craft and scope than "The Gifted".



-AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. 4b/ 5a
The supernatural fourth and cosmic fifth seasons have been the best yet.
Ghost Rider, virtual reality, and Time And Space.

-INHUMANS 1
Actually a generically decent show, if uneven.
If a comics adaption this boldly faithful had come out during "Smallville" and "Heroes", it would have been a step forward. Now in an decade spoiled for quality and range, it lags far behind.

-THE TICK 1a
Creator Ben Edlund teams with Wally Pfister (cinematographer for the Nolan Batman trilogy) to kickstart The Tick better and battier than ever.


The pleasure of the DC-TV shows is seeing the Silver/Bronze Age Of Comics come to life.
As a desperately needed antidote to the dour Snyder-verse films, any formula loops, teenie focus, or dumb missteps involved are forgiven in the fun of it all.:
-SUPERGIRL 2b/ 3a
The third season is tighter, more mature.
-THE FLASH 3b/ 4A
The Fourth season is balancing strengths: cast chemistry, edge, fun.
-LEGENDS OF TOMORROW 2b/ 3a
"Doctor Who" meets "Firefly". A freeform tonic to the formulas of its sibling shows.
-ARROW 5b/ 6a
The examination of Oliver's unnecessarily violent past is finally well-addressed through his new vigilante crew.



See Also:
> Four Color Films,
THE Comic Movies Review Site!




D E T E C T I V E S



-FARGO 3 ⇧
The "Fargo" anthology series helmed by Noah Hawley is like a master class in how to do cinema quality for longform television.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, David Thewlis, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Ewan McGregor (in a dual role) are spellbinding.


-SHERLOCK 4
The anti-concensus is wrong: this is the finest season.
The handling of Moriarty before wasn't convincing, and this season upends that with enlightened panache.

-ELEMENTARY 5b
The fun of this stealth alternate to Sherlock is its gleefully serpentine mysteries, dry social satire, and the impish chemistry of Holmes and Joan Watson.



-BROADCHURCH 3
Chris Chibnall brings his sterling trilogy to a fine close.

-AMERICAN CRIME 3

-TOP OF THE LAKE 2
If Jane Campion's sharp first season was David Lynch done straight, this odd follow-up is Robert Altman done seemingly for the hell of it.





C O M E D Y



Borstein and Brosnahan.

-THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL 1 ⇧

Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino ("Gilmore Girls") is on wanton fire with this lava avalanche.

Set in 1958 NYC, the series channels Lenny Bruce and Joan Rivers through Midge, an acerbic woman who's had enough, letting it all out in scandelous stand-up routines in Greenwich Village. The dialogue is endlessly quotable, the delivery breakneck, the commentary serrated, and the ensemble better than Broadway.

And they caught lightning in a bottle twice, with the brash Rachel Brosnahan as Midge and the brusk Alex Borstein as her manager Susie.

Insanely funny, unrelentingly smart.


-BROAD CITY 4
Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson crashing into everything.


-PEOPLE OF EARTH 2

-THE GOOD PLACE 2
Bright absurdism with an undertow bite.






* * * * *
F I L M S T R U C K
* * * * *

Some folks think Netflix has everything.
Actually, Netflix has 2% of some things (mainly solid original shows).

But if you're serious about learning the true canon of full quality cinema, the classics beyond all, there's only one place to go.

The Filmstruck film-streaming site is the best cinema from around the world and every decade, along with the Criterion Collection and first-rate documentaries. If you've watched Mark Cousins' "The Story of Film: An Odyssey" documentary series as a primer >, this is the true library to enjoy the actual film classics that matter most.

Skip Starbucks and imbibe culture.


Update: Filmstruck morphed into The Criterion Channel in Spring 2019.




© Tym Stevens



See also:


BEST MOVIES + TV: 2025
BEST MUSIC: 2025
BEST COMICS: 2025

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2024
BEST MUSIC: 2024
BEST COMICS: 2024

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2023
BEST MUSIC: 2023
BEST COMICS: 2023

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2022
BEST MUSIC: 2022
BEST COMICS: 2022

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2021
BEST MUSIC: 2021
BEST COMICS: 2021

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2020
BEST MUSIC: 2020
BEST COMICS: 2020

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2019
BEST MUSIC: 2019
BEST COMICS: 2019

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2018
BEST MUSIC: 2018
BEST COMICS: 2018

BEST MUSIC: 2017
BEST COMICS: 2017

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2016
BEST MUSIC: 2016
BEST COMICS: 2016

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2015
BEST MUSIC: 2015
BEST COMICS: 2015

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2014
BEST MUSIC: 2014
BEST COMICS: 2014

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2013
BEST MUSIC: 2013
BEST COMICS: 2013

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2012
BEST MUSIC: 2012
BEST COMICS: 2012

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2011
BEST MUSIC: 2011
BEST COMICS: 2011

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2000-2010
BEST MUSIC: 2000-2010
BEST COMICS: 2000-2010


_______________


How STAR WARS Is Changing Everything!

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Its Transcendent Influence on all Pop Culture, with Music Player!

How SPAGHETTI WESTERNS Revolutionized Rock Music!, with 3 Music Players!

TWIN PEAKS: Its Influence on 30 Years of Film, TV, and Music!, with 5 Music Players!


The Real History of ROCK AND SOUL!: The Music Player Checklist


_______________


THE CANON 1: 50 Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player

THE CANON 2: 50 More Books That Created Modern Pop Culture, with Music Player

THE CANON 3: 50 Recent Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player

"Cut!



Tuesday, December 5, 2017

BEST COMICS: 2016


PAPER GIRLS,
by Vaughan and Chiang



Shortcut links:
> Best Graphic Novel
> Best Comics
> Best Novel
> Best Graphic Novels
> Best Collections/ Reissues
> Best Movies And TV
> Best Websites

> Rest In Power






B E S T
G R A P H I C
N O V E L :





-MARCH: Book Three, by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (Top Shelf) ⇧

Congressman John Lewis concludes his trilogy tracing his path through Civil Rights history.

Crucial and timeless reading.






B E S T
C O M I C S :





I M A G E




-SAGA, by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan ⇧ _______

Staples and Vaughan are creating a Space Fantasy for the ages. Their trademark blend of hilarity, surprises, heartbreak, and snark only gets better with expansion.


-PAPER GIRLS, by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang ⇧ _______

Proving himself one of the most invaluable writers working, Vaughan teams with artist Chiang (coming off his acclaimed run on WONDER WOMAN) for this psychoactive time puzzle. Started well before the debut of STRANGER THINGS, they navigate the emprises of four paper delivery girls from 1988 colliding sideways into gods, the universe, and everything.

Heady stories, crack timing, bold color, and slippery text.


______________



Image Comics continues its startling and unlikely renaissance with excellent titles like these.:


-ODY-C, by Matt Fraction and Christian Ward _______
The female Odyssey in cosmidelic galactiscope.

-MONSTRESS, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda _______
Steampunk matriarchy.

-THE AUTUMNLANDS, by Kurt Busiek, Benjamin Dewey, and Jordie Bellaire _______
Sharp Fantasy with great characters and art.

-THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE, by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie _______
The premise of gods as doomed rock stars gets deeper, louder.



-NOWHERE MEN, by Eric Stephenson and Nate Bellegarde ⇧ _______
After a four-year delay, Volume 2 arrives with more of the repercussions of a Beatlesque quartet of inventors on the world.

-DESCENDER, by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen _______
Android Pinocchio.

-BLACK SCIENCE, by Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera, and Dean White _______
Alter native realty with alternate realities.

-INVISIBLE REPUBLIC, by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman _______
Galactic revolution or false crusade?



-SEX CRIMINALS, by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky ⇧ _______
Sex-Positive and positively sexy.
Also more intimate and explorative.

-SOUTHERN CROSS, by Becky Cloonan and Andy Belanger _______
In space no one can hear you scream.

-LAZARUS, by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark _______
LA FEMME NIKITA meets THE GODFATHER.

-PRETTY DEADLY, by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios ⇧ _______
Spaghetti Western gothadelic.





M A R V E L



Cover art by Gene Ha



-MIRACLEMAN: The Golden Age #4-6, by Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham

With MIRACLEMAN, Alan Moore created the postmodern deconstructed hero.

After completely transforming and elevating the comics medium across the '80s, he then handed the pivotal series over to his friend Neil Gaiman to usher in the '90s. Gaiman and artist Mark Buckingham completed one arc, "The Golden Age", before legal fiascos put everything on hold for two decades.

Thankfully, Marvel Comics has ended this cultural crime by restoring comics' greatest lost masterpiece. Over the last two years, they have reprinted the entire series with remastered art, new color and lettering, and guest-artist covers. Having restored Moore's work in MIRACLEMAN #1-16 (2015), they culminate with this 6-issue run of Gaiman's work.

Cross your fingers and let's hope that Gaiman and Buckingham can at last create and release their long-planned Second and Third Arcs which will finish the character's ultimate journey.

_______________


Cinemascope version here

-THE MIGHTY THOR, by Jason Aaron And Russell Dauterman ⇧ _______
Lady Jane fights cosmic and internal struggles bigger than comprehension, and proves worthy every time.

-THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL, by Ryan North and Erica Henderson _______
She has the powers of both squirrel and girl. She can't be beat.

-MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR, by Amy Reeder, Brandon Montclare, and Natacha Bustos _______
A delightful rethink of Kirby concepts from the duo behind ROCKET GIRL (Image).

-BLACK WIDOW, by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee _______
This is Marvel's second recent attempt to give the superspy Natasha spotlight.
Another fine Fleming/Ludlum-esque thriller that reads like the great film we keep waiting for.



-MS. MARVEL, by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, and Adrian Alphona ⇧ _______
Kamala Khan is one of the best characters of this decade.

-SPIDER-GWEN, by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez _______
The plots are as loose as the art, held together mainly by the strong concept and by inspired additions like the alternate universe Captain America.

-PATSY WALKER, a.k.a., Hellcat!, by Kate Leth and Brittney L. Williams _______
Patsy Walker started out as a '40s Timely Comics response to ARCHIE, before becoming a superhero in '76.
This whimsical series bring back all the charms of the classic Archie style with all the forward thinking of recent Archie comics.



BLACK PANTHER, by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze ⇧ _______
Coates, the award-winning author and social critic for The Atlantic, restores clarity, vision, and overview to the king of Wakanda.

THE VISION, by Tom King and Gabriel Hernández _______
An acclaimed 12-issue run that challenges what it is to be human or normal, as a slow-burn boils to conflagration.

DOCTOR STRANGE, by Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo, + _______
The ubiquitous Jason Aaron is one of the most varied and interesting writers in current comics.

HOWARD THE DUCK, by Chip Zdarsky and Joe Quinones, + _______
With the brother book to SQUIRREL GIRL, Zdarsky (Sex Criminals) channels that classic Steve Gerber smartass sass.



SCARLET WITCH, by James Robinson and Vanesa Del Rey, Marco Rudy, + _______
A contemplative and stylish restoration of Wanda, akin to Azzarello and Chiang's Wonder Woman run.

-SILVER SURFER, by Dan Slott, Michael Allred, and Laura Allred _______
Rolling on a superlative Lee/Kirby wave.

_______________


S T A R
W A R S


Marvel is making brilliant STAR WARS comics that read like movies between the movies.

Set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, the STAR WARS book follows the rebel side while the DARTH VADER book counter-charts the Imperial side concurrently.

Note: At issues #13-14 for each, they converged into a cross-over event called VADER DOWN before diverging back into their own title arcs.



-STAR WARS, by Jason Aaron and John Cassaday

Everything fun about STAR WARS; heists, dogfights, curveballs, vistas, carping, duels, absurdity, family.

Plus Sana Starros, Han Solo's other half.



-DARTH VADER, by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca

Everything edgy about STAR WARS; schemes, melees, treachery, dominion, discord, duels, tragedy, dysfunction.

Plus the terrific Doctor Aphra (above, left).



There are also excellent supplementary mini-series and one-shots, including these standouts.:

-STAR WARS: Han Solo, by Marjorie Liu and Mark Brooks _______
A mini-series by novelist Marjorie Liu so spot-on and fun that George Lucas reportedly loved it.

-STAR WARS: Poe Dameron, by Charles Soule and Phil Noto _______
The least-developed character of The Force Awakens somehow takes on full-life here in this twisty and lively series.
The dialogue nails Oscar Issac's gung-ho swagger, and Noto's art is typically excellent.

See also:

-EMPRESS, by Mark Millar and Stuart Immonen _______
A STAR WARS-esque romp focused around a rebellious queen escaping an insidious empire.





D C



-SUPERMAN: American Alien, by Max Landis, Nick Dragotta, Tommy Lee Edwards, and Evan Shaner

The upbringing of Clark Kent has been covered in many variations over the decades.

Writer Max Landis (the DIRK GENTLY tv series showrunner) brings a fresh perspective with these incisive short stories across his growing years, backed up by a cadre of artists.




Timely Reminder, Dept.
  • WATCHMEN (1986) is a graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, with color by John Higgins.
  • They are the sole creators of this original saga, despite a copyright swindle by the publisher.
  • This is a self-contained story, period.
  • Any other "before" or "after" supplements are a complete fraud perpetrated by the greedy and supported by the foolish.





V E R T I G O




THE SHERIFF OF BABYLON, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads ⇧ _______
A murder mystery during the aftermath of the Iraq War.

-ASTRO CITY, by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson, + Alex Ross _______
Stellar and expansive, true to its name.
The alternate universe of everything great about the varied Ages of Comics.





Y O U N G
A N I M A L


Young Animal is the new imprint of rock star/writer Gerard Way, carrying on the mantle of mid-'90s Vertigo Comics.


SHADE THE CHANGING GIRL, by Cecil Castellucci and Marley Zarcone _______
The more things change the more they stay insane.
Loma Shade is a puckish delight. Castellucci's wit is sharp and Zarcone's clean graphics flow.

-DOOM PATROL, by Gerard Way and Nick Derington _______
Gerard Way does a sterling job of channeling the spirit of his mentor, Grant Morrison, in this great reboot. Derington's art makes it a candy store of the senses.





D A R K
H O R S E




-HOUSE OF PENANCE, by Peter J. Tomasi and Ian Bertram ⇧ _______
It's true that the Winchester rifles widow built an endless mansion for twenty years to stave off death.
This horror fantasy imagines why, with spectacular graphics by Ian Bertram.

-HELLBOY IN HELL, by Mike Mignola _______
After a sprawl of years, the final saga of Hellboy at last comes to pass.





B O O M


Boom Studios is making a wide range of excellent All Ages and Teen+ comics that everyone should check out.




Roy Thomas once said, "The Golden Age of Comics is 8."

But what happens when youngsters have no way in? The Direct Market of the early-'80s, in which comic books shifted from newstands to private shops, was the best thing and the worst thing that ever happened to the medium: The best, because it liberated the creators to try every innovation in works geared for a mature audience; The worst, because it all left kids behind with no entry point. (This is why the new movies, reflecting the adult-oriented comics, are too rough for kids.) So where were kids and young teens to go for the last 30 years but to video games, cartoon channels, YA books, and tweenie TV?

Thankfully, some publishers like Boom, Oni, First Second, and Scholastic are starting to change that by bringing back smart all-ages comics and graphic novels for new minds to enjoy.


-JONESY, by Sam Humphries and Caitlin Rose Boyle ⇧ _______
The hip rocker and covert matchmaker for her school.

-GIANT DAYS, by John Allison, Max Sarin, Caanan Grall, and Lissa Treiman _______
Three young women in their first year of college.

-LUMBERJANES, by Kat Leyh, Shannon Watters, Carey Pietsch, Ayme Sotuyo, and Carolyn Nowak _______
The all-female scout troop comedy that everyone loves.

-STEVEN UNIVERSE & THE CRYSTAL GEMS, by Josceline Fenton and Chrystin Garland _______
Besides an array of original creator-owned series, Boom Studios has continuing original comics based on popular TV series like ADVENTURE TIME, THE DARK CRYSTAL, MIGHTY MORPHIN' POWER RANGERS, RUGRATS, and STEVEN UNIVERSE, including this graphic novel.





V A L I A N T




-FAITH, by Jody Houser and Pere Perez, + Marguerite Sauvage ⇧ _______

Faith is fandom itself if we ever got the chance to be a superhero. Whedon-esque fun for all.





I D W




-STAR TREK, by Mike Johnson and Tony Shasteen ⇧ _______

Since 2011, this sorely underrated TREK series helmed by Mike Johnson has rewritten the Original Series episodes in new outcomes with the Kelvin Universe/STAR TREK-Abrams crew.
Always reverential while fresh, with a clean and accurate art approach that blueprinted Marvel's current STAR WARS comics.





A V A T A R



-PROVIDENCE #7-12, by Alan Moore, Jacen Burrows, and Juan Rodriguez _______

Alan Moore completes his maxi-series prequel to NEONOMICON, his subversion and inversion of Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos.






B E S T
N O V E L :





-JERUSALEM, by Alan Moore ⇧ _______

Like Tolkien, Alan Moore's magnum opus -one of the 10 longest books in the English language- was ultimately published as three volumes.

The eclectic narrative uses the historied locale of Northhampton as a prism to refract all the odd angles of the universe, macro to micro. Plugging the mundane into the transcendental has been the underlying theme of Moore's career, from Miracleman and Swamp Thing and Watchmen to Big Numbers and Top 10 and Promethea. This intricate mosaic, which took a decade to write, is his ultimate statement.

All'n more.







B E S T
G R A P H I C
N O V E L S :





-PROVIDENCE, Act 1, by Alan Moore, Jacen Burrows, and Juan Rodriguez (Avatar) ⇧ _______
The first of three volumes compiling Alan Moore's maxi-series prequel to NEONOMICON.



-ROLLING BLACKOUTS: Dispatches From Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, by Sarah Glidden (Drawn & Quarterly) _______
Like Joe Sacco, Sarah Giddens is pioneering a new form of smart, sensitive, humane journalism probing the real world around us.

-5000 km PER SECOND, by Manuele Fior (Fantagraphics) _______
The brackets of a love affair, in lovely watercolors.

-THE ART OF CHARLIE CHAN HOCK CHYE, by Sonny Liew (Pantheon) _______
What seems like a retrospective of the varied art career of the subject is actually a masterful fiction by the talanted Liew.

-HIPHOP FAMILY TREE, Vol. 4: 1984-1985, by Ed Piskor (Pantheon) _______
"The rhymes we say shall set a trend/
Because a devastating rap is what we send!"



-WONDER WOMAN: The True Amazon, by Jill Thompson (DC) _______
Jill Thompson does some of the best watercolor art of her fine career in this take on Diana's origins and motivations.

-WONDER WOMAN: Earth One, by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette (DC) _______
Grant Morrison tangos his own angle about 'loving submission', frescoed by the stunning art of Yanick Paquette (Swamp Thing).

-DARK NIGHT: A True Batman Story , by Paul Dini and Eduardo Risso (DC) _______
The true story of how Paul Dini, famed writer for the lauded Batman animated series, recovered from a devestating assault.

-THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL Beats Up The Marvel Universe, by Ryan North and Erica Henderson (Marvel) _______
The monthly comic wasn't enough unconquerable goodness for you, so here's some more in this all-new graphic novel!



-GHOSTS, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic Graphix) _______
The bestselling author of SMILE and SISTERS spins another autobio' yarn for all ages.

-HILDA And The Stone Forest, by Luke Pearson (Flying Eye) ⇧ _______
The commended HILDA series stays on the case.

-THE SECRET LOVES OF GEEK GIRLS, by Various Artists (Dark Horse) _______
An anthology of female comics creators taking on all aspects of genre fandom from the angle of romance/heartbreak/connection.
Great work, and fun for all.>



-SERENITY: No Power in the Verse, by Chris Roberson and Georges Jeanty (Dark Horse) ⇧ _______
Following "Leaves On The Wind", this volume continues the winning streak of capturing the chemistry and dialogue of the FIREFLY/SERENITY series.

-ONE HUNDRED NIGHTS OF HERO, by Isabel Greenberg (Little, Brown) _______
The follow-up to the widely hailed "The Encyclopedia of Early Earth" expands here charm, wit, and craft.
A cleaver spin on Scheherazade with parables for the present.

-CARPET SWEEPER TALES, by Julie Doucet (Drawn and Quarterly) _______
Turning to collage, Doucet mashes up '70s fumetti and womens magazines into a critique of social norms with cut-up dialogue.
Like a wicked tryst between Barbara Kruger, William S. Burroughs, and Good Housekeeping.



-BLACK DOG: The Dreams of Paul Nash, by Dave McKean (Dark Horse) ⇧ _______
Dave McKean is one of the finest and most versatile artists in comics history, and every new work is an event.






B E S T
C O L L E C T I O N S /
R E I S S U E S :





-MIRACLEMAN: The Golden Age, by Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham ⇧ _______
The commended HILDA series stays on the case.

The most essential and influencial modern supergod is at last back in print, better than ever.

All four volumes are crucial must-haves for any serious supporter of the graphics stories medium.:
- Book 1: A Dream Of Flying
- Book 2: The Red King Gambit
- Book 3: Olympus

- Book 4: The Golden Age



-TURN LOOSE OUR DEATH RAYS AND KILL THEM ALL: The Complete Works Of Fletcher Hanks, by Fletcher Hanks (Fantagraphics) _______
Fantagraphics combines their previous two collections of Hanks' surreal and unprecedented '40s comics into one vibrating strangeness.

-THE EC ARCHIVES: The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror, Shock SuspenStories, Tales From The Crypt, Weird Fantasy, Weird Science, Two-Fisted Tales, Panic, by various geniuses (Dark Horse) _______
EC Comics were the adult revolution in comics in the early-'50s, the punk rock root of all the ones that followed.

-The Life and Legend of WALLACE WOOD, Vol. 1, by Wally Wood (Fantagraphics) _______
Wally Wood was one of the greatest EC artists, as well as the unacknowledged definer of Marvel's Daredevil.



-BATMAN OMNIBUS By Neal Adams, by Neal Adams (IDW) ⇧ _______

Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams brought adult relevancy to comics with Green Lantern/Green Arrow in the early-'70s.

Then they completely redefined The Batman for the modern era with hardboiled edge, moody darkness, and spectacular naturalistic art.

It's influence is incalculable: without these essential stories, the Miller or Bendis/Maleev Daredevil, the Moench/Sienkiewicz Moon Knight, the Rucka/Williams Batwoman, and the DARK KNIGHT films wouldn't exist.





-WONDER WOMAN: The Golden Age Omnibus, Vol. 1, by Charles Mounton and H.G. Peter (DC) _______
Like the clean-line fun of Captain Marvel, the original Wonder Woman stories were an alternate, better antidote to the '40s boy bash-ups.
Forward feminism and art nouveau style.

-PREZ: The First Teenage President, by Joe Simon and Jerry Grandanetti, + (DC) ⇧ _______
This late-coming and still timely volume collects every appearance of Prez, from his 1973 activist comic to cameos in Supergirl, The Dark Knight Returns, The Sandman, and more.

-PREZ: Corndog-In-Chief, by Mark Russell and Ben Caldwell (DC) ⇧ _______
The recent reboot of Prez with the first female teen president was the riotous satire of corporate tyranny, corrupt politics, and social media stupidity that we desperately needed.
Like the 1973 original, it was cancelled from public inattention.
Catch up here, now.

-KINGDOM COME: 20th Anniversary, by Mark Waid and Alex Ross (DC) _______
When Image Comics destroyed every last ethic and skill level of comics in the early-'90s, this epic and gorgeous direct riposte reset the standards for both, higher.
Essential.




-The Complete WIMMIN'S COMIX, by Various Artists (Fantagraphics) _______
Underground Comix needed more co-mix, and this series was the female retaliation.
Trina Robbins, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Lee Marrs, Melinda Gebbie, Phoebe Gloeckner, Carol Lay, and Dori Seda ignited their careers here.

-AL WILLIAMSON'S EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Artist's Edition, by Archie Goodwin, Al Williamson, and Carlos Garzon (IDW) ⇧ _______
This adaptation, led by EC artist Al Williamson, is legendarily brilliant, and was followed by similarly essential versions of BLADE RUNNER and RETURN OF THE JEDI.

-MOEBIUS Library: The World of Edena, by Moebius (Dark Horse) _______
All of Moebius' sprawling '80s saga, in which he moved from hyper-hatching to clean-line, in one handsome volume.

-THE INCAL, by Alexandro Jodorowsky and Moebius (Humands) _______
Jodorowsky and Moebius. Insanity ensues.



-CAGES (Second Edition), by Dave McKean (Dark Horse) _______
Dave McKean' timeless '90s masterwork, in one remastered volume.

-WILL EISNER'S THE SPIRIT: The New Adventures (Second Edition), by Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons + (Dark Horse) _______
In 1998, the finest creators in graphic stories did their heartfelt homages to "The CITIZEN KANE of comics", and every one was a winner.

-AMERICA'S BEST COMICS Artist's Edition, by Alan Moore, J.H Williams III, Kevin Nowlan, Chris Sprouse, Gene Ha, + (IDW) ⇧ _______
This reproduciton of the actual art pages at full size reveals all the naked glory of PROMETHEA, TOP 10, TOM STRONG, and TOMORROW STORIES.

-WALKING THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE OF FAERIE, by Charles Vess (Faerie Magazine) _______
This retrospective honors Fantasy artist Charles Vess, one the best modern heirs to the Golden Age Of Illustration.



-CHEAP NOVELTIES: The Pleasures Of Urban Decay, by Ben Katchor (Drawn & Quarterly) _______
The 1991 classic reprinted in all its sketchy precision and caustic scrutiny.

-R CRUMB'S KAFKA, by Robert Crumb (Fantagraphics) _______
1993 blend of bio, story adaption, and assessment of Kafta's work and influence.

-LAST LOOK: X-ed Out, The Hive, Sugar Skull, by Charles Burns (Pantheon) _______
Charles Burns' entire X-ED trilogy in one huge edition.



-PRINCE OF CATS, by Ronald Wimberly (Image) _______
The hiphop samurai gloss on "Romeo And Juliet" returns, verily.

-BAND FOR LIFE, by Anya Davidson (Fantagraphics) ⇧ _______
Hilarious street art about a punk band with no chance and all the attitude.

-MEAT CAKE BIBLE, by Dame Darcy (Fantagraphics) _______
All of Darcy's scandelous and berserk Meat Cake comics (1993-2008) in one unholy trove.

-SUNSTONE, Vol. 4, by Stjepan Sejic (Image/Top Cow) _______
Tightening the bonds of desire and romance.


______________



WHERE WE COME FROM, Dept.

Explore the past to map the future.
Get with, get going.


-WONDER WOMAN: A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS, by Various Artists (DC)

All hail the queen.


-WE TOLD YOU SO: Comics As Art, by Various (Fantagraphics)

Fantagraphics is the Oxford of comics, knocking the dumb out of comicdom, with scholarly critiques of the entire medium in the pages of The Comics Journal.
This overview clues everyone in on how, since the '70s, they have sheparded the maturity movement into public awareness.

-THE 10¢ WAR: Comic Books, Propaganda, and World War II, essays by Various Authors (University Press of Mississippi)
An academic lens on the tropes, stereotypes, methods, and motives of American WWII comics.






B E S T
M O V I E S
a n d
T V:



I write and illustrate reviews of all comics-sourced films at the Four Color Films site.


Graphic art by Tym Stevens


-DOCTOR STRANGE
> Four Color Films review

-CAPTAIN AMERICA 3: CIVIL WAR
> Four Color Films review


-DAREDEVIL, season 2

-LUKE CAGE, season 2

-AGENT CARTER, season 2


See also:
> BEST MOVIES & TV: 2016






B E S T
W E B C O M I C S



- On A Sunbeam

- The Nib

- Strong Female Protagonist






R E S T
I N
P O W E R





  • Darwyn Cooke


  • Jack Davis

From you, we exist.
Because of you, we persist.





Nuff said, pilgrim. Excelsior!


© Tym Stevens



See also:


BEST MOVIES + TV: 2025
BEST MUSIC: 2025
BEST COMICS: 2025

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2024
BEST MUSIC: 2024
BEST COMICS: 2024

· BEST MOVIES + TV: 2023
BEST MUSIC: 2023
BEST COMICS: 2023

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2022
BEST MUSIC: 2022
BEST COMICS: 2022

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2021
BEST MUSIC: 2021
BEST COMICS: 2021

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2020
BEST MUSIC: 2020
BEST COMICS: 2020

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2019
BEST MUSIC: 2019
BEST COMICS: 2019

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2018
BEST MUSIC: 2018
BEST COMICS: 2018

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2017
BEST MUSIC: 2017
BEST COMICS: 2017

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2016
BEST MUSIC: 2016

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2015
BEST MUSIC: 2015
BEST COMICS: 2015

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2014
BEST MUSIC: 2014
BEST COMICS: 2014

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2013
BEST MUSIC: 2013
BEST COMICS: 2013

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2012
BEST MUSIC: 2012
BEST COMICS: 2012

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2011
BEST MUSIC: 2011
BEST COMICS: 2011

BEST MOVIES + TV: 2000-2010
BEST MUSIC: 2000-2010
BEST COMICS: 2000-2010


_______________


How STAR WARS Is Changing Everything!

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Its Transcendent Influence on all Pop Culture, with Music Player!

How SPAGHETTI WESTERNS Revolutionized Rock Music!, with 3 Music Players!

TWIN PEAKS: Its Influence on 30 Years of Film, TV, and Music!, with 5 Music Players!


The Real History of ROCK AND SOUL!: The Music Player Checklist


_______________


THE CANON 1: 50 Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player

THE CANON 2: 50 More Books That Created Modern Pop Culture, with Music Player

THE CANON 3: 50 Recent Books That Created Modern Culture, with Music Player