This one is hard. I read a lot of comics throughout the year. A lot of them are crap. But there's always, among the garbage, a couple of shining diamonds that remind me of how great a good comic can be. Here's the comics that did that for me in 2007 with the help of Comixology's embeddable descriptions


This issue is dead smack in the middle of the second volume of Matt Fraction's Casanova. I loved the first volume of that book so much that I can barely adequately describe it. The second volume, though awesome, hasn't hit all the same notes for me. It features a different artist, a different direction, and a different all around vibe. I've enjoyed it, but have had trouble connecting with it. Until issue 11. This issue is where the first volume and the second became a cohesive piece for me. The art finally clicked. The story finally clicked. The vibe finally clicked. I'm not sure why. Because of it's redemptive powers, though, Casanova 11 makes it into my top three comics for the year.


All Star Superman issue 6 is about fathers and sons. It's about missed opportunities and second chances and it's a darn good Superman story on top of all that. If I was going to recommend any one issue from the series to a casual reader, it would be issue 3 where Lois gets super powers. For 2007, though, issue 6 stood out as an awesome read and a possible tear jerker (not for me, but I hear some folks teared up a bit...).


Adam Warren is a phenomenally talented creator who could just never seem to catch a break. Empowered changed all that, apparently. Empowered is a manga-style super hero story about a young female super hero who spends as much time worrying about her body issues as she does fighting super villains. This book is sexy, funny, and has more heart than any comic I've read in years. Warren's work is shot directly from his pencils (no inking) and it's absolutely beautiful. Two volumes have been released with a third on the way in March 2008. Hallelujah!

Next up: Best movies of 2007

Labels: best of, nerd

Every year the Colonel does his comprehensive best albums of 2007 list. While you all wait for it, here's my much less thought out, much smaller list. My top three albums for 2007 were:

The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible


This one seemed to bring out a lot of mixed feelings. Sophomore albums are always dicey when a bad's initial release was met with as much praise as Arcade Fire's The Funeral. I was one of the folks who really thought they knocked it out of the park with their second album. Neon Bible was moody without being dark and catchy without being kitschy.



Okkervil River - The Stage Names


A lot of people held this album up as being Okkervil River's strongest release yet. I think it's probably their most accessible work, but not their best. Don't get me wrong, I loved it. There's so much inventiveness and energy on this album that I can listen to it for days on end without getting bored, but I just don't think it's their greatest work. It is, however, better than just about everything else that I listened to this year.



Emotionalism - The Avett Brothers


No surprise here. I love this band and their most recent album was fantastic. It walked the tricky line of feeling something like a departure from their older albums, but still felt, remarkably, unmistakably like the Avett Brothers. There's no weak track on this album.



There were a lot more albums I enjoyed this year. I really liked Amy Winehouse's stuff. I really enjoyed the new Band of Horses. The new Shins album had some nice spots. These three, though, were the ones I found myself playing again and again. So there you have it!

Next up: Best comics of 2007.

Labels: best of