Blog Update for October 2008

This is the latest monthly update to the right column of the blog, updating my favorite comics and TV for the previous month. The listings are alphabetical, not by rank of how much I liked them in comparison. My criteria for what makes the list is when I read them, not necessarily when they were published. This is basically also my own records of what I read/liked for the inevitable "End of Year" lists I feel like making.

I don't know if it was my investment in politics, a lame month or (more likely) a combination of both, but this was a pretty weak month for single issues. So much so that I was only able to put together a top 19, even including a couple weaker contenders in the mix, and even though it was a five week month. I still had no trouble putting together a Top 5, as there were plenty of great single issues like Criminal, RASL and BPRD, but... not a great month for single issues. DC lost me entirely this month (and the solicits don't look promising for the future), as they had only 2, the now-cancelled all-ages Family Dynamic and the slowly-losing-my-love Fables. No DC Universe at all. Also taking 2 slots? Boom! (with two Warhammer books), Dark Horse (BPRD and Usagi), IDW (GI Joe and Welcome to Hoxford) and Image (Dynamo 5 and Walking Dead). There were two indies (RASL and The Corps), and, dominating my single issue, reading, Marvel, with 7 books (Brubaker's Criminal, Cap and (co-written) Uncanny and the Rosemann-edited group of Marvel Zombies, Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy and Thunderbolts).

Started working on the second Son of Ice & Fire novel this month, and I'm about halfway through... greatly enjoying it. Also played a little Force Unleashed, a little Mass Effect and a lot of RocK Band 2.

October was a weak month for comics, but a decent month for TV, as my Top 10 is finally, once again, a Top 10. Although one is a cheat, as I finished up seasons four and five of The Wire on DVD. I have to say, seasons two and four are my favorite, although both rely on character and plot work from the other three to really have their effect. Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles continues to impress, and now that it's gotten better, of course it's ratings are slipping and the impending move to Friday is worrisome. The Shield also returned from a shaky start to once again become riveting television, and I can't wait to watch the last three episodes. Pushing Daisies is, as always, sweet, fun and strange and, more than likely, doomed. Chuck is fun, and definitely shaking off any problems it had early on to become a lean little comedy-action show. How I Met Your Mother and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, unfortunately, started strong and then got weaker. I'm just barely hanging on to HIMYM at this point (the whole Stella plot was a *huge*, uninteresting waste of time) and, while Sunny continues to amuse from time to time, the first two episodes of the season were so good, and I'm missing that consistency. The Office, meanwhile, has been brilliant (Amy Ryan was *such* an awesome addition, and the Jim/Pam stuff has thus far been fantastic as well) and 30 Rock *finally* returned with a hilarious first episode.

In RSS feeds, I added two political feeds (humor/political site 23/6 and the awesome Margaret and Helen) and one webcomics feed (Action Age Comics!). I read FiveThirtyEight.com (who were the most accurate pollsters of the season, according to the Rachel Maddow show's analysis) throughout the election season, but I'm probably not going to follow them at the moment.