And so, it’s time to bust out a new calendar and reflect back on the year that was in pop culture.
We reached out and asked FOG!’s contributors past, present and future and a few dear friends what made the year quite so memorable for them.
And so, it’s time to bust out a new calendar and reflect back on the year that was in pop culture.
We reached out and asked FOG!’s contributors past, present and future and a few dear friends what made the year quite so memorable for them.
Stefan Blitz
Editor-in-Chief, FOG!
Best Movies: Drive, Win Win, Source Code, Limitless, The Descendants, Captain America, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men: First Class, Moneyball, Cedar Rapids, Drive Angry, Attack The Block, Hanna, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, Hugo, The Muppets, Green Hornet, Fast Five
Best TV Shows: Homeland, The Walking Dead, Fringe, Community, Batman: The Brave & The Bold, Louie, Justified, Modern Family, Dexter, Luther, Strike Back and I still haven’t watched American Horror Story, Game of Thrones or Boardwalk Empire.
Best Books (fiction): The President’s Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Best Books (non-fiction): Black and Blue: the Redd Foxx Story by Michael Starr, I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution by Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum, The Extraordinary Catalog of Peculiar Inventions: The Curious World of the Demoulin Brothers and Their Fraternal Lodge Prank Machines by Julia Suits, Mail-Order Mysteries: Real Stuff from Old Comic Book Ads! by Kirk Demarais
Best Video Game: Words With Friends
Best Song: Martin Solveig “Hello” (feat. Dragonette)
Best Album: Adelle 21
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Batman, Inc., Action Comics, Batman (new 52), Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Wolverine And The X-Men, Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Witch Doctor, Daredevil, Thor by Walter Simonson Omnibus by Walter Simonson, X-Statix Omnibus by Peter Milligan, Michael Allred and Others, Batman: The Black Glove by Scott Snyder, Jock and Francisco Francavilla
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Complete Star Wars Saga out of obligation; Blow Out Criterion out of pure magic
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? Losing my Dad in February.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? Looking forward to a better year, starting with lots of forthcoming FOG! announcements including FOG! Publishing‘s official launch, and continuing to evolve the site and work with some of the smartest, funniest writers in the world. Plus the releases of Prometheus, Dark Knight Rises, Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers, and Django Unchained. Also, it looks like Katy Perry is single and an emotional wreck. As am I. Call me.
Elizabeth Young
FOG! Managing Editor/columnist
Best Movies: It’s a weird combination but the two flicks I had no intention of enjoying blew me away: Bridesmaids and Hannah. Easily the best movies of the year.
Best TV Show: Community, hands down.
Best Book (fiction): Mrs. Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Best Book (non-fiction): Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
Best Video Games: Portal 2, Uncharted 3, Batman: Arkham City
Best Song: I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl – Wavves
Best Album: Join Us – They Might Be Giants
Thing that excited you most in 2011? That I survived another year without alcohol poisoning.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? That Ryan Gosling didn’t take me up on my offer of “having a good time”
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012?: My first book, The Blank Generation, will be released in January as an Indie Author title. Buy it bitches…oh, and the next installment of Wet Moon Vol. 6 by Ross Campbell
Brendan O’Connell
FOG! Media News Editor
Best Movies: Hugo, The Muppets, Rango, Paul, Bridesmaids, The Adventures of Tintin, 50/50, Moneyball, Drive, Attack the Block
Best TV Shows: Game of Thrones, Justified, Community, Parks & Recreation, Portlandia, Archer, Louie, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad
Best Video Games: Batman: Arkham City, Forza 4, Portal 2, Skyrim, Bulletstorm, Minecraft, Assassin’s Creed:Brotherhood
Best Comic Book(s)/Graphic Novel(s): Daytripper, Scalped, Habibi, Death of Spiderman / Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Batwoman, Batwing, Batman Inc., The Sixth Gun, Nemesis, Swamp Thing, Animal Man
Andrez Bergen
FOG! Columnist / Author / Musician / Blogger
Best Movies: Captain America, The Tree of Life, A Dangerous Method, Drawer Hobs
Best TV Shows: The Mentalist, Japanese anime Un-Go (Studio Bones)
Best Books (fiction): Guy Salvidge’s Yellowcake Springs: A Novel, and (I have to add this, sorry!), Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat
Best Book (non-fiction): David Sirota’s Back to Our Future
Best Video Game: Batman: Arkham City
Best Song: Ground Loop Ampersand (Lucy remix), Aux 88 Electric Underground, Cristian Vogel Black Box
Best Album: Nux Vomica Saturnalia et Sigillaricia
Best Comic Book/Graphic Novel: Scott Campbell’s Amazing Everything: the Art of Scott C
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: The British Film Institute’s re-release of Herbert G. Ponting’s The Great White Silence, and Mamoru Hosoda’s anime feature Summer Wars finally getting a release in the English-speaking world.
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? Alec Baldwin’s shenanigans on that American Airlines flight. Oh, and Ridley Scott announcing he’d do another Blade Runner picture.
Thing that excited you most in 2011? Self-indulgently speaking, the publication of my first novel, Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat, in April Of course!
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? The March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the ongoing nuclear fiasco at Fukushima Daiichi, and the Japanese government’s response to same.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? (fingers crossed) my next novel, One Hundred Years of Vicissitude and The Avengers movie – of course!
Savatore C. Cuccinotta
FOG! Columnist
Best Movies: Trollhunter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
Best TV Shows: Tiger & Bunny (Anime, released Streaming in the US), Puella Magi Madoka Magica (US release next year on DVD)
Best Books (fiction): Ghost Story (Book 13 of the Dresden Files)
Best Comic Book/Graphic Novel: Mahou Sensei Negima vol 29-32; Claymore vol. 17-19; Hellboy Vol. 11 (The Bride of Hell & Others); Batgirl vol.3 (18-24); Spider-Island; Avengers Academy; Dungeons & Dragons (as written by John Rogers, IDW Publishing)
Ben Everhart
Screenwriter
Best Movies: Hanna, Contagion, Drive, Super 8, Tinker,Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Columbiana
Best TV Shows: American Horror Story, The Walking Dead, Fringe, Family Guy, Workaholics
Best Book (fiction): Robopocalypse
Best Books (non-fiction): Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? Occupy Wall Street and the rise of Anonymous
Thing that excited you most in 2011? Occupy Wall Street
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? Steven Spielberg seems out of touch with his audience
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? The Dark Knight Rises, The Bourne Legacy, The Hobbit
B.S. Walker
FOG! Columnist / Screenwriter
Best Movies: Drive, Win Win, Midnight in Paris, The Descendants, X-Men First Class, The Guard, Moneyball, Source Code, Thor, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Best Video Games: Skyrim, Portal 2, Halo: Anniversary
Yuri Lowenthal
Actor / Executive Producer, Co-Star Shelf Life
Best Movies: Attack The Block, Drive, Tintin, Fast Five
Best TV Shows: Misfits, Dexter
Best Video Game: Saints Row: The Third
Best Song: “Everyone Should Know”, by Young Beautiful In A Hurry
Best Album: Young Beautiful In A Hurry
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? Ashley Miller & Zack Stenz writing BOTH of the best Comic Book movies this year (besides Captain America— and now that I mention it, the fact that we had so many comic book-based summer tentpole movies in 2011 at all)
Thing that excited you most in 2011? When Felicia Day rose from the geek world to become a media mogul
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? The death of Dwayne McDuffie
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? Chronicle, new episodes of BBC’s Sherlock
Charles J. Baserap
FOG! Columnist
Best Movies: X-Men: First Class: This was X-Men done right. Sure, it was almost nothing like the source material, but had a solid story, great characters and action, and was the most fun at the theaters this year; Thor: Humor, effects, and action made this one of the best Marvel movies to date; Captain America: The patriot in me has been waiting for this one and it didn’t disappoint, and the teaser for Avengers almost made me light up a cigarette when it was done.
Best TV Shows: Supernatural –The best show on television keeps getting better and taking risks and raising the bar; Fringe – Science and parallel worlds have rarely been this fun!; Smallville – It’s over, but not forgotten.
Best Album: Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn of Events: My favorite band for nearly 2 decades just keeps churning out the quality. Petrucci forever!
Best Comic Book/Graphic Novel: Scott Snyder’s Detective Comics, Batman, and Swamp Thing– Right now, the dude is writing pure gold; Jason Aaron’s Wolverine– Darkness, humor, action and adventure all rolled into one little 22 page funny book; Rick Remender’s Uncanny X-Force – The Dark Angel Saga is a modern day Dark Phoenix Saga, no joke.
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Smallville Complete Series– Enjoy the story from the start at last!; X-Men:First Class– I’ve watched it four times at least already.
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? Twitter and other social media were instrumental in the Arab Spring, for better or for worse, helping to reshape the Middle East, again for better or worse.
Thing that excited you most in 2011? Getting fan email about my Danger Rooms column on FOG!; Comic book movies up the wazoo debuting in the movies; My daughter, Anastasia, getting more into comics than I could have ever hoped or dreamed.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? DC and Marvel thinking the only way to gain readers was by resorting to short term gimmicks at the expense of continuity and long term fans; Borders going out of business and causing me to cancel the second leg of my book tour.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? Retooling my options and formulating a new strategy to market my book, An American at the Crossroads, including meeting with various Congress members; Getting to work on a follow up to An American at the Crossroads, focusing on intelligence failures and successes in the Middle East, and a series of essays on the Israel-Palestine situation; Avengers vs. X-Men – I’m a sucker for a big event pitting my favorite teams against one another; The Avengers Movie- I cannot wait. ‘Nuff said!
Seth Levi
FOG! Columnist
Best TV Show: Breaking Bad. Hyperbole aside, the final episode this season left me breathless. After the credits rolled I sat in silence for a few minutes still absorbing everything that happened.
Best Book (non-fiction): In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin. As usual, Erik Larson makes history so entertaining you’d think it’s fiction.
Best Album: Tito Puente Masterworks Live!!! Yes, the album title really has three exclamation marks and they are well deserved.
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Star Wars; Greedo still shoots first, but Lucas did an excellent job bringing Star Wars and Empire to Blu-ray. I haven’t warmed up to the prequels, but the surround sound tracks are among the best on disc.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? New HBO shows that include Luck — race horses and Dustin Hoffman — and Newsroom, Sorkin’s show about a cable newsroom which will star Sam Waterston. On paper it sounds like HBO has finally found successors to The Sopranos and The Wire
Craig Yoe
Comic’s Renaissance Man
Best Book: The Weird World of Eerie Publications: Comic Gore That Warped Millions of Young Minds by Mike Howlett
Tara Platt
Actress / Executive Producer, Co-Star Shelf Life
Best Movie: Bunraku
Best Books (fiction): Hunger Games trilogy
Best Books (non-fiction): Pigs Eat Wolves
Best Video Games: Saints Row:The Third
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Warrior’s Way
Thing that excited you most in 2011? the release of our web series Shelf Life.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? That Shelf Life hasn’t gotten the hits I think it deserves!
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? Getting into production on our next feature film!
Benjamin Shahrabani
Screenwriter / Co-publisher Com.x
Best Movies: The Descendants, Drive, Bridesmaids, Take Shelter, Beginners, Midnight in Paris
Best TV Shows: Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, Breaking Bad, Big Bang Theory
Best Books (fiction): I don’t think I bought any ‘new’ fiction books in 2011. Could it be?
Best Books (non-fiction): Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, Son of Hamas by Mosab Yousef
Best Video Game: Pong
Best Album: Video Games by Lana Del Rey
Best Comic Book/Graphic Novel: Paying for It by Chester Brown, Seeds by Ross Mackintosh
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: I didn’t buy any DVD’s this year!
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? Two Presidential candidates wear magic underwear.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? Let’s not go there! ;-(
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? Release of my movie, One in the Chamber, starring Cuba Gooding Jr., and Dolph Lundgren…and some brand spankin’ new OGN’s from my company Com.x
Jon Sloan
Com.x Managing Director
Best Movies: Limitless was the standout for me. Clever story, fantastic cinematography; Captain America, 13 Assassins, Thor, Unknown, Source Code, The Adjustment Bureau
Best TV Show: Misfits
Best Book (fiction): Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell
Best Book (non-fiction): The Secrets of House Music Production
Best Video Games: In order of enjoyment for me: Skyrim, Batman: Arkham City, Portal 2, Uncharted 3, Deus Ex, Human Revolution, Dead Space 2, Crysis 2
Best Song: Oxygen by Moguai, Blind Faith by Chase and Status, Melted Sky by Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano, Metrum by Fedde le Grand, Bullet by Michael Woods
Best Album: Lyve from Beta by Moguai Conducted by Marcel Dettmann
Best Comic Book/Graphic Novel: Batman: Noel
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Thor
Thing that excited you most in 2011? Getting tracks signed to different labels.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? Not being as good as I want to be at music production
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? The end of the world
Jim Zub
Creator of Makeshift Miracle / Co-creator of Skullkickers
Best Movies: I didn’t see many movies this year, but two stood out. The Muppets – Pretty much perfect from start to finish, a wonderful balance of joy, entertainment and nostalgia all wrapped up together. X-Men: First Class – I went in with no expectations and walked out pretty impressed at how much ground they covered and the character moments they crafted.
Best TV Shows: I didn’t watch much TV this year, but two stood out. The Walking Dead – Different from the comics, but never so far out that it feels off-point. Engaging, emotional and intense. Game of Thrones – It started a bit slow but by the time I was a couple episodes in it was unbelievably gripping and atmospheric.
Best Video Games: World of Tanks is a perfect balance of old school shooter with strategy and depth. It’s also free. Batman: Arkham City builds on the perfect playability of Arkham Asylum in every way with a bigger story, larger world and more variety. It’s everything you want a gaming sequel to be.
Best Comic Books /Graphic Novels: Locke & Key is continually top notch with top notch artwork and an incredibly compelling cast of characters. Atomic Robo hits the sweet spot of action and comedy every time. I’m jealous of how effortless they make it look.
Thing that excited you most in 2011? A resurgence of interest in original ideas and creator-owned comics.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? Knock-off concepts smashing famous literature/historical figures together with trendy whatever. The whole mash-up meme bull$#%@ thing. Let it go already. Stop piggybacking on someone else’s material. Make your own.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? I’m curious to see if the whole digital comic/e-publishing thing shakes itself out in 2012. 2011 seemed transitional, rather than transformative, and it will be neat to see where it heads from here for comics and book publishing as a whole.
Ellen Waddell
Upcoming FOG! Columnist / Bassist, Los Campesinos! / Writer
Best Movies: The Deep Blue Sea, Drive, Midnight in Paris, Bridesmaids, The Tree of Life, The Adjustment Bureau, A Life in the Day, Worlds Greatest Dad, Submarine, Animal Kingdom
Thing that excited you most in 2011? X-Men: First Class & Jane Eyre
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? X-Men: First Class & Jane Eyre
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? The Avengers
Emma-Jane Corsan
FOG! Columnist / Co-creator/Actress, Unlocked
Best Movies: Attack The Block, 50/50, Captain America: The First Avenger, X-Men: First Class, Hugo
Best TV Shows: Luther, Misfits, Game Of Thrones, Walking Dead, Castle, 30 Rock, Adventure Time, Community
Best Books (fiction): The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern), Go The F*** To Sleep (Adam Mansbach) – children’s audio book read by Samuel L. Jackson
Best Books (non-fiction): Steve Jobs biography – Walter Isaacson
Best Video Games: Skyrim, Portal 2, Batman: Arkham City, L.A. Noire
Best Album: Let England Shake (PJ Harvey), How To Destroy Angels E.P. (How To Destroy Angels), Tron: Legacy Original Soundtrack (Daft Punk), The Social Network Original Soundtrack – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Action Comics #1 [New 52] (Grant Morrisson), Evelyn Evelyn (Amanda Palmer)
Best Blu-ray/DVD Releases: Attack The Block, Black Swan, X-Men: First Class, Captain America, Luther (series 2), Thor, Toy Story 3
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? Steve Jobs’ death.
Thing that excited you most in 2011? The DC New 52.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? Green Lantern movie, Conan The Barbarian remake, Community being cancelled.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? The Avengers Movie! Series 2 of Unlocked will be happening next year!
DJ Crystal Clear
FOG! Columnist / DJ / Singer / First Lady of Cool
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? The Kardashians! Who does Ryan Seacrest think he is, creating a Kardashian Kartel over there at E!?What will Bruce Jenner’s face turn into next year? Where will Kim find another Black guy to date? When will their hypnosis on the general public wear off? Why do people care about them? How is it that nobody calls out the mother for basically being a really big Pimp?
Best TV Shows: Community (and I just heard that NBC just put the kibosh on this really great show. STAY CLASSY NBC!), Watch What Happens, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, The Cleveland Show
Best Music You’ve Never Heard: Here is some stuff by great musicians that you’ve probably never heard of, but should have. You’re welcome! XENIA RUBINOS – Her music is funky, quirky, and awesome! Her record Magic Trix won’t be for sale until Jan. 16. But til then folks can preview the single, “Hair Receeding” at soundcloud! PAUL BERTOLINO – He’s the drummer of the band Persephone’s Bees, and an AMAZING singer, songwriter, musician who is influenced by the Beatles and other great Pop Artists from the good old days WHEN MUSIC WAS ON VINYL! If you love awesome harmonies and beautifully layered tracks, Paul is your guy! SCOTT STEIN – I’ve performed with this guy a few times, he’s a great keyboard player and song writer. Dig this… Scott Stein & his Well Groomed Orchestra! JIM CANFIELD is in the band called Bleeding, Sweating, and Crying. What do they sound like? You do the math. Their 2nd cd is coming out in the new year – watch here for downloads. The new cd is called “It Crawled Into My Heart, Laid Eggs, And Died” you can also check them out on Facebook. PATRICK FERGUSON is in the band Easter Island. They have a new record coming out in about 60 days! Check out their YouTube channel here! My friend Chris plays bass for this guy – ANTHONY FALLACARO! And last, but not least – here’s the way groovy PHILO T. PHUZZWORTH who plays with JERI AND THE JEEPSTERS
Atlee Greene
FOG! Columnist / Wrestler
Best Movies: Captain America, X-Men: First Class, Transformers: The Dark of the Moon, Super 8, Another Earth, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Devils Double
Best TV Shows: Boardwalk Empire, The Walking Dead, Modern Family, American Horror Story
Best Video Games: Batman: Arkham City, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Gears of War 3, Skyrim, LA Noire
Best Album: Jay-Z and Kanye West, Watch the Throne
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Wolverine, Ultimate Spider-Man, Batman Incorporated, Secret Six: Cats in the Cradle, Batman: The Black Mirror
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? The passing of Steve Jobs.
Thing that excited you most in 2011? The DC Universe Reboot
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? The Green Lantern movie
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? I’m going to do more stuff with my blog Midnight Logic, Ia m wrestling for NWA Liberty States on 1/28 in Peabody MA and my wrestling promotion (ECHO) will hold its first TV in Woonsocket, RI on 1/8/12. Also, Avengers vs. X-Men, The Hunger Games, The Dark Knight Rises, The Rock vs. John Cena @ Wrestlemania 28, Darth Maul’s return on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, James Luceno’s Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, The Avengers, The Hobbit, The Amazing Spider-Man
Dean Galanis
Entertainment Industry Renaissance Man
Best Movies: I still haven’t seen a lot of the ostensibly great films of 2011 (War Horse, Hugo, Mysteries of Libson, etc.), but of those I’ve seen, here are my favorites, in no particular order:
Rubber: The first film this year to genuinely surprise me. You either go with it from Scene One or you don’t; I did wholeheartedly.
The Troll Hunter: The best example of the “found footage” horror film subgenre in quite awhile, it’s also rather funny,
Terri: While this screams “Quirky Indie” in every frame, this is not a bad thing, as it’s so well-made and affecting.
Rise of The Planet of The Apes: Extremely flawed, but also extremely involving and gripping. And it wins for Best Gasp-Inducing Moment in a film this year, hands down.
Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol: An absolute joy. Seriously. Smart, witty, exciting as hell. The Dubai sequence is an instant classic.
Best TV Shows: Only one for me: American Horror Story. Oh, wait — does the BBC Sherlock Holmes count…?
Best Video Game: Ummm…..Pac Man?
Best Song: I know everyone probably hates it by now, but I still just LOVE that Foster The People song Pumped Up Kicks. Insanely catchy and fun.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? Well, it’s not like I was DYING to see it, but after hearing all the accolades, I finally came around to wanting to sit through Bridesmaids. Um…what the hell?! Amateurish, sluggish as all hell, laughless (okay, I laughed a SINGLE TIME), and truly just mediocre. I didn’t HATE it — I kinda liked the scene near the end with Kristen Wiig re-bonding with Maya Rudolph in her bedroom. But that’s about it. I’m aware I sound like the cranky old man bitching about “today’s comedy”, but I truly don’t understand why this movie is considered a high point in comedy. Lackluster poop.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? Well, I’m one of the few people on Earth (and perhaps the ONLY one on this site) who could give a crap about the new Dark Knight movie, as the last two were incredibly dull. And Christopher Nolan gets my vote for most overrated filmmaker EVER (or maybe Terence Malick, it’s hard…to…I….zzzzzzzzzzzz…..) And that Hunger Games trailer? What the hell?! I haven’t read the books, but the set design/costumes/make-up suggest a lousy high school redux of Repo! The Genetic Opera. I’m honestly sure there’s a point to that cheese, but as a newbie, I want to avoid this film like the plague. I’ve been VERY excited about Cabin in the Woods for years now…til I saw the trailer. Looks…I just don’t know. I’m still excited, though….as I am for the other Joss Whedon project next year, The Avengers. But again….trailer….a bit underwhelming.
Agent Frankie
Upcoming FOG! Columnist / Architect of Upcoming RPG, Wild
Best Movies: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger
Best TV Shows: Game of Thrones, American Horror Story, The Fades
Best Book (fiction): John Dies at the End
Best Book (non-fiction): Harry Potter: From Page to Screen
Best Video Game: LA Noire
Best Album: Sucker Punch Soundtrack
Best Comic Book/Graphic Novel: Morning Glories
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? John Dies at the End becoming a film!
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? Sucker Punch
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? GTAV, The Avengers (Movie), The Hobbit
Tani Marole
Screenwriter
Best Movies: Tree of Life, Drive, Moneyball, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, X-Men First Class
Best TV Shows: Community, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, and the greatest of them all — Real Housewives of Atlanta 🙂
Best Song: “Niggas in Paris” by Jay-Z & Kanye West, “We Found Love” by Rhianna
Best Album: Watch The Throne by Jay-Z & Kanye West
Best Blu-ray: Tree of Life…hands down!
Biggest Pop Culture Story: Charlie Sheen…#winning
Most Excited in 2011: ‘Experiencing’ Drive with a polarized movie audience and watching The Dark Knight Rises Prologue in IMAX
Most Disappointed in 2011: The overall lack of quality in pop culture and life… Time to step it up
Most Looking Forward to in 2012: The Dark Knight Rises, Prometheus, The Avengers, and my feature film debut
David Bitterbaum
Upcoming FOG! Columnist
Best Comics of 2011:
10. X-Factor: Peter David continues to write a solid series constantly. It may dip at some points in enjoyment, but always comes roaring back. X-Factor can always be relied upon to be a comic you want to read.
9. Daredevil: Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin took a comic that was flailing about for some quality after sinking into nonsense plots about demon possession and made it just plain fun again. With awesome art by Rivera and Martin, to boot!
8. Big Questions: Anders Nilsen collects his entire run of the comic titled Big Questions in this book and boy is it a saga. It’s a strange existential-type tale in some ways, that can be funny, sad, and alarming. It’s just plain interesting.
7. Uncanny X-Force: With just the right mixture of melancholy and hope, darkness and humor, violence and more violence, this comic was a real hoot thanks to writer Rick Remender and art from a variety of talented individuals such as the incredible Jerome Opena.
6. Men Of War: It was a DC comic I thought I would hate, but oddly enough this comic mixing soldiers who have to deal with the fact they live in a world of superheroes is really, really, great. Plus it is kind off-the-wall and surreal at times. I can’t believe so many people are missing this.
5. Vengeance: Joe Casey and Nick Dragotta have something really special here–a mainstream comic that reads as if it were an Independent comic on the basis of how it has such fresh ideas and takes on characters. You know Marvel is probably going to have to just undo everything awesome Casey accomplishes here with his plot–and which Dragotta illustrates so wonderfully.
4. Daken: Dark Wolverine: A comic I loved got canceled, it happens so often. This really hurt though, because Rob Williams came in and started writing Wolverine’s son so well it just blew my mind. I’ll enjoy the time I have left with it immensely.
3. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents: I’m talking about the pre-new 52-re-launch comic and not the current mini-series even though that one is pretty promising. And yes, some of these came out in 2010, but most of the 10 issues were in 2011 and quite great, with more than half being incredible and the rest being strong. Nick Spencer may have signed an exclusive contract with Marvel Comics but thank whoever I need to thank they let him keep working at DC for at least this comic and its new current mini-series.
2. The Flashpoint Batman Mini-Series: It was 3 issues of amazing story-telling and crazy-good art from Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, the guys who brought you the comic 100 Bullets. Even if you didn’t like Flashpoint this is just superb with its take on an older Batman. Plus the twists are ones that make you say, “Why haven’t they done this before in a Batman comic?”
1. Osborn Mini-Series: Yes, the first issue came out at the end of 2010, but most of it was in 2011 and this didn’t get sublime until around the second issue when the dialogue and art came together in a way that showed writer Kelly Sue Deconnick and artist Emma Rios were fresh talents worth paying attention too.
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? As much as I hate to say it, for a good 2 months or so the United States had its eyes glued to Charlie Sheen. However, if we are talking the biggest pop-culture story for the world and not just the U.S. it has to be the royal wedding.
Thing that excited me most in 2011? It’s a truly geeky answer, DC Comics doing their big re-launch. My biggest disappointment in 2011? Probably my disappointment in humanity for investing so much attention in the Casey Anthony trial when there was so much else happening in the world of far greater importance than some trial.
What do I look forward to most in 2012? Laughing at people who are convinced the world is going to end due to a misinterpretation of the Mayan calendar. That, or screaming for my life in the tiny chance the world does end somehow.
Bailee Desrocher
Former FOG! Columnist / Actor/Comedienne / Cartoonist
Disclaimer: I’m not an expert. I’m a fanboy, just like the rest of you dum dums.
Best Movie: TIE. I dug Bridesmaids. Women the world over rallied to see that movie, as if the fate of females in film depended on it. I don’t think it was as serious as all that, but it was a fun time and it killed at the box office. LURVED X-Men: First Class pretty hard. Maybe I’m just crushing on Rose Byrne. Whatever, see following category.
Best Way To Spend $80: X-Men logo tattoo. Doy. Saw First Class, loved it, such a fan anyway, started tooling around with an idea for a tat. 6 months later – BAM! Emblazoned forever on my skin. Studio City Tattoo is pretty much great. You get a piece of pirate gold with every tattoo that gives you $5 off your next ink session. CUTE.
Best TV Show: Mythbusters. THAT’S FOR PAUL GOEBEL AND NO ONE ELSE!
Best Comic: Deadpool Max Fo’ Lyfe! THAT’S FOR DAVID LAPHAM AND KYLE BAKER AND NO ONE ELSE!
Best Cosmetics: I’m in love with Cinema Secrets powder foundation – nice application, good coverage, SPF, recommended by the medical profession. Oh, and cosplayers take heed! ELF makes some badass cream eyeshadow that doesn’t slide. $3 a pop. WORTH IT.
Best Hair Salon: Hey man, this is about your obsessions and I’m way into my awesome hair. Frenchy’s in Burbank is AMAZEBALLS. Been there for almost 5 years, and have had lots of stylists, all of which are great. I recommend Ashley for cuts & color, Heather for waxing of all kinds. Reasonably priced, geek friendly.
Best Thingy of 2011: Womanthology. The finished book is going to be gorgeous. I was lucky enough to be able to contribute to the digital Holiday edition. If you don’t know what Womanthology is go check it out here and be astounded.
Best Blu-Ray Release: Jurassic Park! Wha – why is this even a category? OBVIOUS.
Best Jurassic Park Tribute Art: The JP Show! The prints avail for purchase from the show are so cool! Go to there! See them! They’re awesome! If you don’t like it, you’re just a six foot turkey to me.
Clay N. Ferno
Upcoming FOG! Columnist/ Co-Host, LeaguePodcast / Contributor DigBoston
The Ten Best Comic Books Read in 2011:
1. G.I. Joe Cobra #12
2. Justice League #1
3. Daredevil #1
4. Batman #1
5. Amazing Spider-Man #670
6. Star Trek #1
7. Batgirl #1
8. Morning Glories #11
9. Iron Man 2.0 #1
10. Tiny Titans #42
Daniel Dockery
Upcoming FOG! Columnist
Best Movies: I Saw The Devil, Super, Win Win
Best TV Shows: Boardwalk Empire, Eastbound and Down, The Walking Dead
Best Book (non-fiction): Patton Oswalt’s Zombie Spaceship Wasteland
Best Video Games: Batman: Arkham City, Dead Space 2
Best Song: Jay-Z & Kanye West – Niggas In Paris
Best Album: Race Wars (mc chris)
Best Comic Book/Graphic Novels: Sweet Tooth, New 52 Batman, American Vampire
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Hatchet 2
Michelle Garrison
Upcoming FOG! Columnist
Best Movies: I felt like 2011 lacked any really wowza movies, but I feel that Captain America and X-Men First Class were at least fun and had nothing too silly about them.
Best TV Shows: This was a great year for TV, though! Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Louie Best Video Games: Portal 2, Rage, Skyrim Best
Comic Book/Graphic Novels: Snyder, Jock, and Frankavilla’s run on Detective Comics, Remender’s Uncanny X-Force, Batwoman by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman, Swamp Thing by Scott Snyder, art by Yanick Paquette, Animal Man by Jeff Lemire and Travel Foreman, Jonathan Hickman’s run of Fantastic Four and FF
Thing that excited you most in 2011? The Occupy Movement, and all the Arab Spring revolutions
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? That Rupert Murdoch can be embroiled in a huge phone hacking scandal, yet still be the Lord of American Media
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? If Diablo III actually comes out! More Game of Thrones! The Dark Knight Rises!
Kurt Jansson
Geek T-shirt Proprietor Kurt’s Shirts / Co-Creator of Upcoming Web Comic Damn Nation
Best Movies: I’d have to say I enjoyed Captain America: The First Avenger the most, although I know a lot of comic enthusiast had issues with it. It was my introduction to the character and his background (wasn’t a big comic book kid) and besides the somewhat awkward scenes of the scrawny, bare chested body double Steve Rogers I loved the visual representation and aesthetics of the movie.
Best TV Shows: Breaking Bad. Hands down. Especially Season 4. Superb writing worthy of the time spent on character/story building, not to mention performances that were (obviously) award winning. Bitter sweet that next season will be the last. This show alone could be the answer for my “Best Of…” anything! Boardwalk Empire and The Walking Dead would be second and third. Gotta love gangsters and zombies.
Best Book: My good friends C.J. Kaplan and Mitch Blum released their satirical Jews Clues: You’re Doing It All Wrong this year. (The following is from Amazon.com) “Filled with nearly 300 Clues (smart-ass aphorisms touching on multiple subjects), over 100 Chai-Kus (Jewish-themed Haikus) and 16 humorous essays”… funny and affordable, I think it’s great… besides, they’re friends of mine!
Best Video Games: Not much of a gamer, but I found that I can’t put down Super Mario for Wii. I guess the best will always be the best!
Best Song: I have an eclectic taste in music, but at the root I’m a rock guy. That being said I will say that 2 songs caught my attention, 1) Paradise City – by: Slash Featuring Cypress Hill and Fergie (from the Black Eyed Peas): What a cool, modern twist on a song I already loved and WOW does Fergie give Axl a run for his money! Maybe she should re-record Chinese Democracy for Axl so it can actually make some money! …and 2) Lady GaGa’s “unplugged” version of Edge Of Glory performed on The Howard Stern Show: I wasn’t a fan until I heard this song (specific version), and I wouldn’t say I’m exactly a fan now either, but boy has she earned my respect as an artist an musician. I had thought she was all about being the flavor of the week, and she might be, but she can back up her wanna-be Bowie-Madonna-Gwar visions with talent!
Best Album: I can’t think of an album that came out in 2011 that’s worthy of being named best. I went and checked all of the lists on what came out in 2011 and frankly, I didn’t know most of it. I’m just not “hip” anymore I guess. I still listen to a lot of the older stuff or more obscure bands. My very good friend’s band, The Ducky Boys, although being released in January, recorded their latest album Chasing The Ghost throughout 2011 and is awesome (I sat in on some mixing and heard various tracks). If you like “Boston Punk” or just plain ole driving catchy rock music, definitely check them out!
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Ok, I’m just going to say the Star Wars box set ONLY because finally our beloved will be in Blu-ray format… but, are they are beloved still? Depends on who you talk to. As far as I’m concerned, no… putting out altered, seconded-guessed, compromised and bastardized versions of my favorite movies in an HD format is like trying to give me a glass of “New Coke”… but now in a Champagne glass. It IS still, however Star Wars regardless, so I guess that’s something.
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? The Honey Badger. Yes, definitely the Honey Badger.
Thing that excited you most in 2011? That’s tough. Not much excites me to the point of remembering it at the end of the year. I was excited about seeing Super 8 until I saw it. I was excited to learn about The Dark Knight Rises and all of the footage/shots and banter that is still going on about it, the Bane pics, The Gotham Rogues, etc. It will be interesting to see how much of this stuff plays out and how. I guess all in all, I was MOST excited about putting together my screen accurate, hand-made Tusken Raider and Jawa costumes for my daughter and myself for Halloween. Bam!
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? (See my answer for “Best Blu-ray/DVD Release”)
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? The grand finale to Breaking Bad, Season 5. It will have been a long, torturous wait when it starts back up and although I’m sad it will be over, I am giddy with excitement over how Vince and the gang will entertain us all. There’s a ton of loose ends hanging and I know Vince got himself a big ‘ole knot tying merit badge so, look out! Also very interested in The Dark Knight Rises.
Shade Rupe
Author Dark Stars Rising / Filmmaker
Best Movies: The Turin Horse, Drive, Midnight in Paris, Kill List, We Need to Talk about Kevin, Melancholia
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Intruder, The Exterminator
Thing that excited you most in 2011? Meeting Bela Tarr, Walter Hill, and Frank Marshall.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? Almost anything coming out of Hollywood.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? The Bela Tarr retrospective at Lincoln Center.
Todd Sokolove
FOG! Columnist, Co-Host Beware of The Babylon Podcast
Best Movies: The Artist, Tree of Life, Young Adult, Insidious
Best TV: American Horror Story, The Walking Dead
Best Books (fiction): Zone One by Colson Whitehead
Best Books (non-fiction): Shock Value by Jason Zinoman
Best Video Games: Words With Friends of Duty 3
Best Song: Need You Now by Cut Copy
Best Album: The King of Limbs by Radiohead
Best Comic Book/Graphic Novel: Detective Comics (The New 52)
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: The Killing Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? Charlie Sheen, Charlie Sheen, Charlie Sheen
Thing that excited you most in 2011? Scorsese’s Hugo in 3D.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? Badly converted 3D movies.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? The death of 3D movies.
Matt Bergin
Former FOG! Columnist, Founder Comics Cure
Best Movies: Attack the Block and Rise of the Planet of the Apes were an amazing double feature of unexpected geek-sating fun. Attack the Block was just a cool little riff on a toybox of cliches, shaken, beaten, and dumped out in a South London project. It’s an alien-based Monster Squad with f-bombs and skull smashing. Planet of the Apes was the ultimate payoff of lowered expectations. NOBODY I know thought this movie would be good. I don’t think anyone thought it even needed to be made. But wouldn’t you know, the story of a displaced hero’s evolution from monkey to master was exciting and emotionally charged. Honorable geek mention goes to Drive, in which Ryan Gossling brooded his way through the closest thing you’re ever going to get to a live-action Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Best TV Shows: Every week we watch as this family of desperate and disconnected characters, their souls trapped within the confines of an earthly prison, struggled for unity while spiraling into darkness and depravity, madness threatening — no promising — to overtake them in every installment, and often succeeding, only to reveal that the spiral twirled ever downward. Obviously, I’m talking about Community! (American Horror Story was pretty cool, too, but surely it is Greendale that exists in the darkest timeline.) Paintball hooked me, but Advanced Dungeons & Dragons made me fall in love. Here’s hoping for six seasons and a movie! Secret geek bonus: Show creator Dan Harmon used to be a creative partner of Rob Schrab. The pair founded the experimental comedy website Channel 101 — an obvious inspiration for the wildly popular Funny Or Die and progenitor to much of the current web-based comedy landscape, and Harmon wrote some of the inventively insane cult comic Scud: The Disposable Assassin with Schrab, before the duo split for other ventures. Watch Community: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons on HULU.
Best Books (fiction): A Dance With Dragons was the hands-down best work of written fiction that I read this year–and not just because it took me most of the year to read it!. And, frankly, as the latest installment in the Song of Ice and Fire series, the tome serves as one more (massive) chapter in what has been my personal favorite written series ever. Tolkien’s ‘Rings’ trilogy is an amazingly magical, transportive series of books, and of the seven Stephen King Dark Tower novels to date, most of them blew my mind, and the series as a whole was so inspiringly meta and clinging that I don’t expect to ever truly shake it from my mind; but only George RR Martins’s epic A Song of Ice and Fire has achieved those things AND satisfied all remaining of my most base and noble literary cravings so fully. Honorable geek mention: I haven’t read Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, but I’ve heard from a few friends who know better–including Best Book of 2012 hopeful, Myke Cole–that it is required geek reading.
Best Books (non-fiction): The Magic of Reality, written by Richard Dawkins and illustrated by Dave McKean, was an enlightening little impulse buy that I picked up at my local comic shop one Wednesday in the Fall. It reads like a grade school text book for adults. Complicated subjects like the evolution of all life on earth from a single source organism are presented in such an accessibly conversational manner that even your most devout creationist friends would have a hard time refuting them.
Best Comic Books: I’m a Big 2 superhero guy. Marvel and DC are the reasons I got into comics and they are the primary reasons I continue to follow the new releases every Wednesday. Trades are great. Hot indy finds are always welcome. I really got into Locke & Key this year, and so far, The Strange Talent of Luther Strode has been engrossing (emphasis on the gross). But I love a good serialized superhero comic book. I love reading Matt Fraction’s reconstruction of Tony Stark, and Bendis’s take on the various teams of Avengers (Dark included). I like the concept of DC’s nu52 and have enjoyed the re-nu-ed interest it sparked in me toward their entire universe. But…come on. If you are a serialized super fan like me, you’ve got to give it up to Dan Slott on ASM. Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man is a consistent pleasure to read, and his rotating league of artists (Marcos Martin!) bring such…well, artistry and sophistication to what by all rights should be a boring, dead-in-the-water comic that long outlived it’s worth. But it hasn’t. It is a smart and stylish mix of nostalgia and freshness every issue.
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011: Geek cinema getting Wiki Leaks-fever. Pirated footage and photos became the new approach to marketing comic book movies, while closed sets were so passe. As a fan who gets excited rather than turned away by spoilers, I’ve found this new paradigm to be great fun, and with regard to the various super flicks I’ve been able to get extra-sneaky peaks at during production (see The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, Superman, etc), my buzz dial is at 11.
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? Politics…as usual. I’m also displeased with the apparent sweeping embrace of digital comics over paper and the push to day-and-date downloadable comics, which is inevitably going to kill brick and mortar comic shops (and my active interest in new books) dead. I’m also disappointed IDW Publishing passed on reading my pitch for their ongoing Ghostbusters comic book, in which I paired the GBs with a non-infringing iteration of Scooby Doo and Mystery Inc.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? Dwarves! From The Hobbit to dueling Snow White movies to Peter Dinklage’s lit-to-life Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones season 2, little people are going to have a big 2012.
Mike Calahan
Flim-Flam Man, Former and Returning FOG! Columnist
Best Movies: Rango, Super 8, Bridesmaids, Crazy, Stupid, Love
Best TV Shows: Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, The Daily Show, Colbert Report
Best Books (non-fiction): Animals Behaving Badly by Linda Lombardi, Bossypants by Tina Fey, 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides) by The Oatmeal
Best Video Games: Does televising myself playing checkers count?
Best Comic Book / Graphic Novel: Terminals
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? Rebecca Black
Thing that excited you most in 2011? – OWS altering the national dialogue about income inequality. Fat Cat editors like Stefan Blitz have had too much of the wealth for far too long!
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? Our absurd, bi-partisan political system. It’s a joke.
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? Mad Men returning. Also, seeing egg on the faces of those high and mighty, doomsday-predicting Mayans.
Bill Machon
FOG! Columnist
Best Movies: Attack The Block, Take Shelter, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Best TV Shows: Breaking Bad, Eureka, American Horror Story, Warehouse 13, Clone Wars, Storage Wars
Best Book (non-fiction): Supergods by Grant Morrison
Best Podcasts: The Gamma Quadrant, Vergecast, Coincidence Control Network
Best Albums: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Radiohead – King of Limbs, Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Best Gadget: iPad 2
Best Websites: Forces of Geek (duh), Reality Sandwich (disclaimer: I am a contributor), The Verge
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Primal Scream – Screamadelica “Classic Albums” documentary
Viral video: “E.J.” owning the DS9 category on Jeopardy
Biggest pop culture story: The death of Steve Jobs
Thing that excited you most in 2011? Scoring tickets for the first Stone Roses reunion concert in the UK next year
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? Eureka cancellation
Most looking forward to in 2012: Stone Roses reunion, iPad 3, iPhone 5, Mayan Apocalypse
Brook Durham
Screenwriter Syfy’s Mammoth, Red: Werewolf Hunter, Merlin and the Book of Beasts
Best Movies: Drive, We Bought A Zoo, Captain America, The Help, X-Men: First Class, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Crazy, Stupid, Love, Limitless, The Lincoln Lawyer, Source Code, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Best TV Shows: Raising Hope, House, Fringe, The Good Wife, The Mentalist, Game of Thrones, Modern Family, Suburgatory, Supernatural
John Rovnak
Writer/editor of Panel To Panel: Exploring Words & Pictures
Best Movie: Rise of The Planet of The Apes
Best TV Show: The Walking Dead
Best Books (non-fiction): The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes by Deepak Chopra with Gotham Chopra, Teen Angels & New Mutants by Stephen R. Bissette, Archie: A Celebration of America’s Favorite Teenagers by Craig Yoe
Best Comic Book(s) / Graphic Novel(s): Daybreak by Brian Ralph, The Fracture of the Universal Boy by Michael Zulli, Glamourpuss by Dave Sim, Gnatrat Lives! by Mark Martin, Swamp Thing by Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette, Dark Horse Presents, Mome
Best Web Comic: Contains Traces Of by Steve Murphy
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Crumb (Criterion Collection)
Thing that excited you most in 2011? The completion and release of Panel To Panel: Exploring Words & Pictures
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? DC’s New 52
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? The return of Howard Chaykin’s Black Kiss, Will Eisner’s The Spirit Artist’s Edition from IDW, Future volumes of Marvel’s Premiere Classics hardcovers
Emma Bates
Former FOG! Columnist / actress (Ursula in Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing)
Best Movies: Tucker and Dale vs Evil, The Artist
Best TV Shows: Homeland, Louie
Best Books (fiction): The Pale King by David Foster Wallace
Best Books (non-fiction): The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True by Richard Dawkins
Best Video Game: L.A. Noire
Best Song: Super Bass (especially as sung by young girls from England)
Best Album: Adele’s 21 and Bon Iver
Best Comic Book/Graphic Novel: Mark Kalesniko’s Freeway
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Who still buys DVD’s?!
Biggest Pop Culture Story of 2011? Wikileaks and Occupy Wall Street
Thing that excited you most in 2011? Getting engaged!
Thing that disappointed you most in 2011? I was really sad about the death of Christopher Hitchens
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2012? The release of Much Ado About Nothing by Joss Whedon
