Blog Recap - January 17th, 2011

Intro/Random:
I've given up any pretense that these are weekly.

I *love* the extras on the new Toy Story 1 - Toy Story 3 Blurays.

New Year's Resolutions:
Resolution #1: Don't strangle any bloggers this year. (Note: Good so far.)

Resolution #2: Read more awesome samurai rabbit comics. (Note: Read *all* of Usagi Yojimbo. Every trade in print. So check.)

Resolution #3: Watch a lot more Kids in the Hall in 2011. (Note: Check. Thanks, Netflix!)

Resolution #4: Use all seven words you can't say on TV in a sentence. (Note: Diamond screwed up my comics shipping two weeks in a row. You can bet this was done.)

Resolution #5: Continue to hate Outsourced based on the 10 minutes I've seen of it. (Note: Check.)

Resolution #6: Finally read all of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol before Flex Mentallo comes out. (Note: None yet. But soon.)

Resolution #7: Eat Dim Sum before the end of the year, eat a steak before the end of the week. (Note: Steak accomplished. At Outback. And then again at Texas Roadhouse. Dim Sum is planned for February.)

TV:
The pilot episode of Lights Out is currently available for free, in HD or regular definition, on Amazon Video On Demand. I highly recommend checking it out.

John Landgraf may be the smartest executive in TV right now. It makes me sad that it sounds like they were already writing the obituary for Lights Out one episode in.

I'm not sure it would be possible for me to love Dan Harmon more.

The TV Dudes dropped in on LEOG for the second act here, and it was a lot of fun!

Early into season two of Mad Men, it's still not quite in my Top 5... but I can see why it's so beloved. There's more subtext in this show than almost any other, the writing and acting are incredible.

Finally watched the third BBC Sherlock. Damn, Moriarty is scary as hell.

This was probably my favorite Always Sunny sequence in a very funny season.

If you are not reading Chris Sims & David Uzumeri's weekly recaps of Smallville, you are missing the only good thing Smallville has ever given the world. This one is particularly awesome.

Comics:
Heroes for Hire #2: Fantastic use of lower tier characters, great action, complete in one issue with more arc for future. Near perfect.

Dark Sun #1: The banter's a little forced, but Berting's art is fantastic, and story definitely captures the fatalistic tone of the world.

Who Is Jake Ellis? #1 Very intriguing, great action, Tonci Zonjic art is minimalist perfection. Possible heir to the Milligan Human Target.

Detective #872: Snyder, Jock & Francavilla are doing modern pulp Batman. Love it. New villains, great use of Grayson, Gordon & Oracle.

Thanos Imperative Devastation - Essentially Annihilators #0. And I am just fine with that. More Abnett/Lanning cosmic is always good.

Here's the problem with Doomsday: He's a one-trick pony. And his one trick is killing Superman. Which is a trick that gets old.

So I'm reviewing comics again! Well, sort of. The plan is for this to be a weekly short video with Beau and Jason, posted up on Lounge Geeks. I thought Jason did a nice job editing this together, and don't worry... I promise we'll get more interesting as time goes on. :)

The first LEOG (Best in Comics 2010) I've been on the whole thing for in a long while. Fun, if exhausting to record, hopefully fun (but not exhausting) to listen to.

Top Shelf's 2011 line-up looks *amazing*. New Kids stuff, Gingerbread Girl, another volume of Change-Bots, Korgi & Owly, Infinite Kung-Fu and a new book from Venditti (with art by Mike Huddleston!) are only a few things I'm looking forward to.

Gaming:
Working on the D&D adventure for next week, and my recap notes remind me that my Sharn-based inquisitives bought a crappy rundown bar in a crime-infested neighborhood. This oughta be fun.

Politics:
It Gets Better is a great campaign, and this is a really fun song and video. But the vindictive part of me wants a complementary "It Gets Worse" campaign for the bigots and bullies whose lives are going to get sadder and sadder as the world leaves them behind.