THIS is a CLOSE-UP?

Favorite Comics: Interesting year for comic nerds in that this was the year that Watchmen (the landmark DC comic from the late '80s that Time declared as one of the best 100 novels of the past century) was finally released as a Hollywood blockbuster, after years and years of saliva-soaked waiting. And while it wasn't a complete stinker, it just served to illustrate that comics are a unique storytelling medium that eludes most attempts at film adaptation. For every sublime success like The Dark Knight , there's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen or The Punisher to make you run screaming back to the comics to remind yourself just how great something like those titles can be. Thankfully, great mainstream comics are still being released, and here are some of my most enjoyable reads: The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard The Goon by Eric Powell Special Forces by Kyle Baker Ex Machina by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris Fables by Bill Willingham, Mark Bu...

Favorite Song: “1901” by Phoenix If adrenaline tumbling through my bloodstream had a theme song, it would have to be “Ace Of Spades” by Motörhead. But “1901” is now a close second, a timeless track that deserved to be the soundtrack for the summer. Guess we'll have to be happy with a Cadillac advert instead. Favorite Song (Runners-Up): “Beautiful People” by Pet Shop Boys “Zero” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Stillness Is The Move” by Dirty Projectors “No Time” by The Juan MacLean "Daniel" by Bat For Lashes "To Lose My Life" by White Lies "In Sympathy" by Depeche Mode "My Love Is Better" by Annie "Bulletproof" by La Roux "Gives You Hell" by The All-American Rejects "Something Is Squeezing My Skull" by Morrissey "Empire State Of Mind" by Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys "Sex Wars" by Evil Cowards "Bicycle" by Memory Tapes "Never Forget You" by Noisettes "Uprising" by Muse "Boom...

As I was putting together my annual semi-obsessive "Best of 2009" list, I came to the "Best Reissues" section, and it was the easiest section to complete. That is, until I thought about what my choices really meant. Many years ago, I was told that there would be a magic age ("37," I think) in which one would almost exclusively look backwards for musical joy instead of the present and future, where the latest reissue of some rare joint from decades past would be more rewarding than the newest Pitchfork anointed blog buzz band. After this year, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m finally at that magic age, albeit two years late. I’m wondering this for two major reasons: (a) my favorite albums this year don’t break any new musical ground, even as they relentlessly entertained me, & (b) the reissued catalogs from The Beatles and Kraftwerk have provided the templates for a majority of the musical mutations for almost a half-century. [BTW, my third favorite r...