Hot Gimmick – This soap opera series about the loves and internal politics in a Japanese corporate housing continued to be my favorite running series. The different plots lines of young love, obsession and how people of all ages can use each other just keeps me hungry for more.

Every new volume gives me a different  perspective on things, like in Vol. 10 were I suddenly realized why Hatsumi, the 16-year-old lead who finds herself in a tug of war between young suitors and her family’s delicate job related politics, had feelings for Ryoki. (the son of the boss who runs both the company and corporate housing unit)

Ryoki is physically abusive, self absorbed and power mad. Yet of all the people seeking Hatsumi’s affections, he’s the only one totally honest about how he feels about her. Which makes him stand out to her, even if it is a wrong choice, though none of the suitors seem to be a right one for her.

Tramps Like Us - Following Sumire Iwaya, a young career woman who has taken in a young man(nicknamed Momo) off the street to be her pet has been an interesting ride this year.

I started off not really caring a lot for it, as while I love reading about Sumire, Momo just seemed annoying. Yet the more I read, the more I grew to love both characters, as they are there for each other through difficult times.

This is the one truly adult, I mean in terms of maturity not porn or bad words, manga I’ve been able to find so far. With themes of office politics, trying to love someone you’re supposed to, while really being in love with one you’re not.

These are adult concerns told in fun, but sympathetic ways, that makes for an interesting read.

Human Target – Writer Peter Milligan took human chameleon Christopher Chance on a journey delving into the very nature of identity, using stories pulled from today’s biggest headlines.

This book made me think why I and others may act as we do, as Chance has to question these reasons to become the people he does. It was a series that ended far too soon, and I only wish they’d collected the last storyline. (since I missed the last few issues)

Legion of Super-Heroes -  My one fanboy conceit title here, as this is the one superhero title I have a personal connection to. Having met and bonded with some of my closest friends through it, and its rather unique spirit really drew me in at a time I was thinking of giving up comics years ago.

In recent years I’d given up on the comic sadly. I became a fan after discovering the series during the Giffen and Biernbaums era, where its internal connections and sense of anything can happen(including blowing up the Earth in my first issue)  drew me in. I devoured back issues and archives, and learned even more once I got online and could talk with fellow fans and those professionals responsible for the books.

Yet shock stories, mismanagement of characters and just pure boneheaded moves drove me away.

Then Mark Waid and Barry Kitson come on board for yet another reboot, and I can’t believe how well it worked.  Here is the core concept of young people trying to make a difference, in a futuristic world that is full of wonders.

Yet while keeping to the core, they are not rehashing old stories or even old relationships. These teens are familiar and have the heart of what made the original characters so loved, yet these are different kids with different experiences.

Making this one of the few series that is mindful of the past, while strongly moving ahead in fun new directions.

Gosh I feel kind of bad to have such a short list, yet over this year comics really took a lower priority with me. Add in that a lot of favorites went away, and that there seemed to be very little new to replace them. Made this a year that while it had a number of things I was interested in  reading, nothing new* particularly stood out to make it a favorite.

*I did read and loved the first Scott Pilgrim GN this year, but since it came out in 2004 I didn’t want to put it on the list. Hopefully I can read the second and third one before the end of this year.

I always want to fire back, “Did I say I wanted a cheeseburger? No I said I wanted a HAMBURGER. A burger with cheese is called a cheeseburger, a burger without cheese is called a hamburger.” Yet I’m too nice, and I guess I’m worried about getting something else on the burger I didn’t want.:)

Yet it has just made me shake my head in consternation the past few weeks as I place my order at Sonic, and the lady calls back “That’s a cheeseburger with no cheese…..”

I guess I’ll have to learn to live with it, but it can be frustrating.

Faith Hill’s – Fireflies CD, that was a mixture of her country roots and pop star leanings. I especially enjoyed the poppy sounding leadoff track Suneshine and Summertime, which has that fun and airy beat to it, that makes me feel better during the extreme cold weather we’re getting.

While her Mississipi Girl tune is a fast paced tune that seems designed to quiet critics who wonder at her branching out to different areas like movies and slightly less tradional country style of music.

My favorite song on the CD is a soulful duet with her husband Tim McGraw titled Like We Never Loved At All. That tells the story of two people dealing with having to move on after their relationship dissolved.

The video for this song was what actually got me interested in the album. It features the pair dressed and playing Sonny and Cher like stars of a TV variety show, who are now trying to deal with how they feel as their marriage has ended.

It is such a well done CD, with lots of variety that keeps the CD fresh and fun o listen too. With some real tear jerkers in there as well.

Strangely, in some ways it has reminded me of some of my worst comic shopping experiences.

I’ve had retailers who didn’t have a clue what I really wanted, but were very interested in trying to get me to sign up for the entire line of X-Men books. Despite my professed interest in books like Oni Press’s Blue Monday or Andi Watson’s Slow News Day.

Or who want me to invest in that expensive Superman hard cover that I hadn’t ordered or wanted, just because I’d followed one of the Superman series in a year.

At least with a comic, the investment is only for that month, while with a car it can take years. Hopefully I can soon find one, and it can become as easly as my comic buying has become.

It actually made me pause and think for a few minutes on how I thought about it. For him personally this was a line crossed, and I can appreciate that, as it is good to have a standard that you’ll stick with.

I’m usually not much for extreme language either, and times certainly has changed to the point where something like this didn’t even come to my mind when reading it in the comic.

Yet I think for me, it depends on whether what is said or done is true to the character. In this case it was Green Lantern Guy Garnder, one of the most politically incorrect and obnoxious characters created in the past few decades.

So him saying something like that, is completely different than say Superman saying the same. Just as while Wolverine can kill someone in a comic, if Spider-Man did the same it would be very inappropriate.

Elsewhere, Johanna Draper Carlson discusses the plusses and minuses of publishers and creators sending PDF preview copies of their work to retailers and reviewers.

She seems to cover all of the bases quite well. I personally have a hard time getting into comics on the computer screen, though as time goes on and I read more that way that is changing. Yet know how much easier and cost effective it has to be for it to be done this way.

Plus for reviews and retailers who already have a big stack of stuff to keep up with, a PDF is far easier to keep up with than a comic would be.

Infinite Crisis #3 –

Yet it just isn’t working out, as I feel like this mini has been a collection of scenes from other stories I’m no following. I don’t feel like I’m getting a story out of this unless I go out and follow all of these other books as well.

Green Lantern #6 - Don’t let the cover or blurb on the DC website fool you, this issue’s art isn’t by Ethan Van Sciver, but by someone named Simone Bianchi.

This issue has some of the worst artistic storytelling I’ve seen in a comic in a long time. It seemed like someone did paintings on a bunch of vans and then tried to say they were a story.

The panels and pages could have been put in any order and made as much logistical sense as they were here.

Which is a shame, as I thought a story with outer-space gremlins could be a blast, and a fun nod to a more innocent time.

X-Factor #1 – As a fan of the Peter David written Madrox miniseries from last year I had high hopes for this series starring the same cast, just expanded.

Those hopes were met and then some, as while the issue mainly focuses on Jamie (the lead of the Madrox mini) the brief glimpses at the other members has me intrigued as well.

Most importantly is that unlike many other new team books, this first storyline isn’t about getting the team together. The team’s already there, though they are possibly expanding, which is a refreshing change.

Legion of Super-Heroes #12 – It’s a shame that Mark Waid isn’t more involved in the Identity Crisis miniseries.

He’s doing exactly what that series should be doing here, by juggling a huge cast that are each on their own missions. Giving them all equal time and importance, while leading to something bigger and more dangerous on the horizon.

He even has the knack of bringing in past favorite characters and story elements, only from new directions. Like the introduction of one of my favorite past Legionnaires Shrinking Violet, known as Atom Girl here.

Though it may take me a bit of time to get used to her being a kick butt, take no prisoners hard-ass. Rather than the quiet, reserved young woman with a hidden strength that even she doesn’t realize at times.

Yet that’s something that makes this series a favorite of mine, familiar elements of the past done in new exciting ways.

Nana Komatsu is a young woman who continuously finds herself in adult romantic tangles that she isn’t ready for. While her body might be that of an adult, her emotional sense is still very childlike. She only sees men as potential love interests, which to her mind means sex.

When an older married man she had been sleeping with tells her he’s moving to Tokyo so their relationship is over, it devastates her.

She turns to her friend Junko, a strong, confident art student, for help. Yet Junko has a secret of her own, she’s enrolling in an art school in Tokyo that will mean leaving Nana alone as well.

Nana Komatsu’s story is one many have to go through, as friends leave to pursue their dreams. Nana at first wants to cling to them, and follow their paths that aren’t for her, at least as she is now.

She must eventually learn to stand on her two feet, and find a strength and direction of her own, not lean and depend on others.

Nana Osaki’s is a completely different character though. While Komatsu leans on others and is unsure of what she wants. Osaki is strong and knows exactly what she wants, to be a rock star.

Yet she too must learn the hard lesson of losing those close to her, as they seek paths of their own. Her love Ren is the lead guitar of the band she’s in, but has been offered the opportunity of a lifetime to join another band that has just signed a major record deal.

Osaki’s path is different though, as she can easily go with Ren to Tokyo, marry and have his kids. Yet it would mean giving up her dream of being a singer herself.

Despite how much she and Ren love each other, that path just isn’t for her. She can’t give up her dreams, even for love, because that would be a betrayal of who she is at heart.

The theme of love not being enough was very emotionally moving, because it was handled so well. There is no right or wrong here, there is just the circumstance that they find themselves in.

It is an impressive first volume, future volumes will have the two Nanas meeting each other, and I’m curious to see how they react given how different they are. Yet with their similar paths they should find some common ground.

Green Lanterns Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner are going against protocols by entering a restricted area of space to rescue a captured colleague.

I was a bit worried when I heard the GL Corps was returning that the GLs would lose their individual personalities. Often military stories focus on the big picture, ignoring the small, and making everony a generic character.

Yet at least in this mini that has not been the case, as Guy is still the irrelevant loud mouth, whose bark is worse than his bite. While Kyle still questions his role, and is willing to work outside of the box if pressed to while trying to do what is right.

Unfortunately, while the human characters are still interesting. The alien characters still lack that level of connection for me. Two alien GLs from warring races are just too generic so far to make their bickering matter. They come off more as the odd couple rather than two bitter enemies out for one another’s blood as their story should be.

The female alien, Natu, who comes from the same race as GL’s arch foe Sinestro and whose entire race has a burning hatred for anything Green Lantern related after what Sinestro did to them during his time as one.  She has the most potential, as she sees her first duty to be as a doctor, not a part of the hated GL Corps.

This should be been fodder for many stories, yet in just two issues that conflict seems resolved because she gets captured and then gets an empowering speech from Kyle. That just seems like too quick a resolution, especially considering that if the ring hadn’t
picked her she would never have been captured in the first place.

Art wise, artist Patrick Gleason’s work is very uneven. At times his figure work and scene layouts are quite intuitive. While at other times it seems like everything is mashed together, making heads look squashed. I’m not sure if this is the artist’s  frailty, the fault of having two different inkers, or perhaps a production problem that for some reason doesn’t resize the art correctly.

Whatever it is, it can be quite jarring to see, especially in regards to other scenes where the problem isn’t evident at all.

Still Kyle and Guy’s “buddy movie” style interaction make the book work. The two characters play off each other well, with Kyle being a calming influence for Guy, that doesn’t come off as preachy since Kyle isn’t as stodgy as others. While Guy brings out Kyle’s independent nature, as he is someone Kyle can relate to but not be in awe of as some of the other legendary GLs are.