Amy Reads The Best of 2008: A Retrospective

Gentle Reader, many wonderful, fantastical things came about in 2008 in the Pop Culture Arena, that it feels necessary to list them, as is customary, in a stack of 10. However, one cannot lump Comics with Television with Books ethically, no?

Instead, I offer a Brief Retrospective with the promise of a Best of... List for each category individually. This way, I feel as if I Have Done My Duty as a Pop Culture Fan.

So away to the first list of many!

The Best of... 2008: A Retrospective

1) Gail Simone's run on Wonder Woman
Did you doubt this, Gentle Reader? Despite my Initial Misgivings about Tom Tresser (which, I do confess, still continue somewhat, but only because at heart, I am a Bat-Wondy 'shipper), I have learned to Stop Worrying and Trust in All Things Simone.

2) Buffy and Fray meet, finally.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 has been Quite Extraordinary, and the introduction of a long-time favorite, Fray, to the mix was Quite Extraordinary Indeed.

3) Joss Whedon's concluding run on Astonishing X-Men
Ahem.
"Astonished, Ms. Pryde," still reduces me to tears, each time I read it.

4) The Dark Knight
This, like Spider-Man II, is what a Smart Superhero Movie should look like.

5) Iron Man: The Movie
This is what a Fun Superhero Movie should look like, without any doubt.

6) Dr. Horrible's Song-Along Blog
Only Joss Whedon would decide to write a web-musical while on writer's strike.
Well, okay, perhaps others would, too, but Whedon Does It Best.

7) The Wonder that is ABC's television show The Middleman
Gentle Reader, please, please, please tell me this Incredibly Smart Show will return for a Second Season. Not only is this a show I love, it is a show that Mr. Reads and I decided we want any future Daughters Reads to watch, for inspiration.

8) Jericho Season Two--and the power of fandom
Huzzah, indeed, Friends, for the "nuts!" campaign and the conclusion of fine television.

9) Both SNL and 30 Rock allow Tina Fey free rein
Someone has taken the leash off of Tina Fey, and the results are Beyond Amazing.

10) The Likeness by Tana French
And finally, a literary option for you: Tana French's sequel to In the Woods is perhaps the best book that I have read not only this year, but in the past few years, overall.

Over the next several days, I will offer Best of... lists on Comics, Movies, Television, and Books. Until then, Gentle Reader, ciao!

Amy Reads the New Year; Or, Resolutions of the Comic Book Variety

Greetings, Gentle Reader, from the auspicious year of Aught-Nine. I have Declared This Year to be a Year of Many Things, including This Humble Author's foray into the Making of Great Soup.

Yes, Friends, that is right: Aught-Nine will be The Year of the Soup.

Also, I wish Aught-Nine to be The Year of Reading Comics with Alarming Regularity Once Again, as I have difficulties relaxing--no surprise to you, O Constant of Readers!--and doing things just for me. Comics are so often Just For Me that I feel somewhat guilty enjoying them in lieu of the stacks upon stacks upon stacks of work to be done.

With that in mind, I have decided that I must resume my blogging, and most particularly, resume my weekly reviewing. The truth is, Friends, that I *miss* blogging, and the blogging community, and in particular, the comics blogging community, especially those of a feminist persuasion.

I recently returned from San Francisco, and had the Great Pleasure of visiting the Cartoon Art Museum, which was Quite Lovely, if I do say so myself, although due to time constraints our visit was limited to the Delight of Delights, the attached store. I purchased work by some local artists for The Reads Household--a standard purchase for We Reads whenever we enter a new city--and a lovely Wonder Woman pin to wear on my lapel, with pride (and wonder!).

Before that, We Reads spent a few days in the deeps of the Southwest, and I read all of Grant Morrison's run on Seven Soldiers, which is Quite Amazing, and caught up on Gail Simone's Wonder Woman and Secret Six, both of which are Quite Amazing Indeed. To the Local today, as well, to pick up any backlog, and to resume comics review blogging this weekend are Worthy Goals, methinks, for this first weekend of the New Year.

Happy New Year, Gentle Reader!