Holiday Spirit

“Old Lang Psign”, December 2005 (click to enlarge)

Just printed out and compiled 20 pages of comments on, and reviews of, my comic book in a clearbook. Man, what a year. This Friday (the 23rd) is its first year in CQ. One year. It’s still selling at a decent pace, so thank you, all of you. Happy holidays, too. Enjoy and be safe, people. Off to plan, write, maybe draw and answer and send emails, like always. Or sleep. Enjoy your vacation, whether ye be Grinches, Scrooges, or whatever. Here’s something I wrote for the paper last year:

A non-Christian's holiday wish list

December days creep up so fast and without warning.
Christmas bells are a-ringing; cash registers are ka-chinging.
I've fondness for the season, if not for the reason.

I'm not a Christian. Don't get me wrong: I just don't belong to the flock.
I'm atheistic on some days and agnostic on others; I'm my own rock.

I love the lights, the cold yet snowless nights.
As a kid without worries, it meant action figures in gift-wrapped boxes.
Money from relatives I was not familiar with, nor care to know now.
Food we didn't normally eat and grapes tacked above doorways.
Going to church and singing along salvation chanteys aloud, always!

But now I'm older, losing hair, getting wiser and a bit jaded.
I've no war with God, let that be clear. My old beliefs have just faded.

But I'm happy and can celebrate the season the way I want to.
I found peace and sense of self years back, and now I'll do stuff that I have to.

I'll look back at how the year didn't suck, and I got to, uh, let's just say I had good luck.

I'm grateful for cool new people I met, whether on the net, or in the flesh.
And the great things we got to partake of, like art, culture, debates and freedom to choose.
Oh, 'tis the season again to enjoy truces, or get weepy in the company of booze.

I'll always love the lights, the cold and cuddling nights.
Let's celebrate differences and do away with the name-calling.
We're all getting older and losing time, so let's just quit stalling.

But what do I really want for the holidays? Hmmm, let's see.
I used to pray for peace on earth, but have you seen the news lately?
I just want everyone to be healthy and happy, content and cozy.
I want money, more work opportunities, and yeah, more money.
I want Marvel Legends and DC Direct toys, DVDs of "Twin Peaks," "Buffy" and "24."
I want the world's finest booty, fun vacations, a better body, my own house, and a car (or four).
For some things in this list, I just have to work harder.
I just hope I don't feel anywhere near as sore.

January dims the lights, and all those colorful, cheerful nights.
We'll think about how much we spent celebrating the birth of a messiah figure.
We'll talk how we over-ate and how we got bigger.

But we won't care because we had fun in all its myriad forms.
We spent time with people we actually like, got drunk, or woke up naked and spooning.
We'll be back to work, school, our crazy routines, our festivity-free dorms.
Holidays have to end, of course, so they'll have deeper and special meaning.

So whichever belief system gets your soul off, put tolerance and harmony in your creed.

May the new year allow us to be better persons.
And may earthly pleasures exceed all our expectations.

My Comics of the Year List!

Awesome one-shots, limited series, and story arcs, some of which didn’t necessarily come out this year, but I read and enjoyed them within 2005. So there. I was able to buy really cheap comics, and borrowed a lot of single issues and compilations. In no particular order, hey, ‘cause ranking them would be a bitch.

Thor: Son of Asgard- The yearlong saga delved into a chapter of the young thunder god’s quests for worthiness. Straightforward storytelling, with balanced doses of action and intrigue.
Bone- The whole run is fun, and at times, dark. Uber-coolness.
Courtney Crumrin- This is one frightening girl.
Supreme- Alan Moore’s ‘90s run is very entertaining!
We3- Morrison and Quitely. Match made in comic book heaven.
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe- Despite the pick-up (reused) art, the sourcebook series is still mighty informative and up-to-date.
The DC Encyclopedia- Love this heavy book. Like OHOTMU, it’s loaded with info. But where’s Oberon?
New Thunderbolts- Nicieza does fun superhero stories here. AND he made his team beat up the New Avengers. Cue the bully kid from The Simpsons: “Ha-ha!”
The Walking Dead- Zombie plague! Kirkman's horror title has an interesting cast of problematic human characters.
Thor- Jurgens’ run, and later Oeming’s, established a new status quo where the Lord of Asgard made tough decisions that ultimately led to Ragnarok. Entertaining and sweeping.
GLA- Dan Slott does a good job at poking fun at this team of misfit heroes, and the Marvel U, too.
She-Hulk- The Practice meets… the Marvels. Ingenious.
Villains United- The most solid prologue title leading to Infinite Crisis.
Spider-Man/Human Torch- The Slott machine gives old, new, and casual Marvelites a winning mini-series.
New X-Men: Academy X- Old New Mutants Karma, Dani Moonstar and Wolfsbane teach a new generation. But the title has just undergone a revamp. Hope it’s still good.
V for Vendetta- Finally read it. In a word: damn.
Zatanna- Creative mystical hi-jinks, good art, and excellent dialogue make this uber-sweet.
Spider-Man Unlimited- Short Spidey stories with punch and heart.
Justice League Elite- Action-packed and enjoyable yearlong JLA spinoff series.
Astonishing X-Men- Can’t wait for Whedon and Cassaday’s second year run.
Wanted- Bloody, gross, amazing.
Mythology Class- Arnold Arre’s remastered compilation is a labor of love.
Warlock- Greg Pak knows his cosmic Marvel stuff.
Legion of Superheroes- Was skeptical when the Legion was rebooted for the umpteenth time, but Mark Waid is making the title a must-read.
Runaways- My current favorite reluctant teen superheroes.
PVP- Funny and nerdy. I likey.
DC: The New Frontier- A massive Elseworlds mini-series set in 1950s America, by Darwyn Cooke.
JLA: Crisis of Conscience- The League breaks up. Crucial Infinite Crisis tie-in.
Infinite Crisis- Great, so far. Jam-packed with fanboy-pleasing slugfests and earth-shattering drama.
Chosen- “Jesus” is back, and he was a kid in the ‘80s!