Looking at the year ahead Article by aviewaskewed, 03:15 AM 09th Jan Disclaimer: The following column is entirely the opinions of the author (even at that we aren‘t sure), any similarity to the opinions of any other staff or affiliate of theendlesscrew.com is entirely coincidental and unintentional. Unless specifically noted otherwise, all creator comments have been gleaned from other sources and no creators have actually endorsed any aspect of this column. First column of the new year…still kind of feels like last year though. So in honor of the new year, and the fact that I really don’t have anything burning to get out of my head, I thought I might break out a list of some things I’m looking forward to, and not looking forward to, in the coming year. Nothing more to it then that, so let’s hit it. Things I’m looking forward to: Brubaker and Gaydos on Daredevil: While Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev continue to deliver a great swan song, which makes me all the sadder to see them going off the book. I have to say I’m very interested to see where Brubaker and Gaydos take the book once their done. Bru and Gaydos have worked pretty extensively with the Bat titles, and if there was a team I could think of that could pick up where Bendis and Maleev leave off, and maybe even elevate the book beyond them, it’s these two guys. Looking forward to their debut in February. V For Vendetta: Alan Moore won’t endorse it, and certainly, Hollywood has fucked up his properties enough that he certainly is justified. But judging from the trailers, and early reviews of the film, I really am looking forward to seeing this one on the big screen. Not to mention, it’s going to hopefully entice people to pick up this wonderful, wonderful work. Infinite Crisis and OYL: Infinite Crisis is beginning to really click, and some of the One Year Later books look to have some promising hooks. There are negatives, JSA hasn’t really clicked for me in months due to all the Infinite Crisis shenanigans. But all in all, I think DC really has a great springboard here of interesting books for me to try. I have no illusions that this will really “expand” the market, I think it’s more or less one of those situations where they’ll simply be taking a bit more from the existing audience’s wallet, but I could always be pleasantly surprised. X3: I’m not exactly looking forward, forward to this one. I feel like there’s a heck of a lot working against this production (it feels more like they’re shooting a release date, rather then a quality installment to a very successful and satisfying franchise). I’m certainly leaving room for them to surprise me, early stills look very promising. But still, I don’t want to get my hopes up too high lest this movie dash them severely. New projects and finds: Every year brings the promise of new projects to intrigue me, and new books to pull off the rack (either brand new, or old classics I’ve never tried) and give a try. I can’t stress enough how good it is to always keep trying new things, and not just buying the same old material for comfort’s sake. Things I’m not looking forward to: Superman Returns: Brandon Routh just doesn’t look the part to me, and that cape looks like a Fruit Roll up. I’m still not entirely down on it, but I need to see something more substantial then what I’ve seen so far to believe this production is going to be any good. I’m not a Superman fan in general, but I’d hate to see such an icon mistreated the way he has been before. More crossovers: It’s inevitable, crossovers seem to have returned in force, and good as many of the stories have been, I’d really like to be able to pick up a book in the mainstream these days, with more clear assurance that it won’t take pouring over internet updates, a calendar, and buying just about every other book that came out that month to understand what is happening. Interconnected universes can be fine, but it’s also nice to be able to pick up something like JSA, and get something that is JUST about them, and not them fighting killer robots that fought Batman the week before. More drama and stupid publisher tricks: Some people thrive off the infighting, the garbage, the “oh, this guy is going bankrupt and screwing everybody that worked for him!”. I don’t. Yes, it gives us news to put up on the main site and all that, but it’s also hurtful to public perception of the industry I think, as it reinforces the idea that everyone that has anything do with comics whether they work on them, or buy them, is nothing more then a repressed man-child with no idea how to control themselves. It’s pathetic, and I wish people would stop blasting each other so publicly all the time. Grow up guys, and stop pandering to the people on your internet forums that will “yes man” your feuds because they want to feel like they’re part of your stardom. The creators who do this know who they are, and you probably know who they are too. On a non-comics note, I’m looking forward to what I hope is a Championship season for the New York Yankees. Please guys, DO NOT FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF THE GIANTS! Yeesh, my apologies to all you Giants fans out there. I’m not a fan, and I rib the team a lot because I’ve got friends who like that team, and it’s fun as hell to rib them…but I can’t do that after this season, and that game. Also, thanks to everyone for understanding about my not posting the column last week, I feel much better this week, and thanks once again for your patience. Back to Rants