Creator credits for Daredevil (season 2)

The usual caveats apply; I base who created a character or story element primarily on the writer/artist credit boxes from the first appearance, but the character or element could have easily originated with someone else. Any corrections? Let me know!

Frank Miller: creator of Elektra, Matt's college girlfriend, an ambassador's daughter who learned of his abilities; Elektra becoming an assassin who wields two sai in battle while wearing a red costume; of Columbia Law as Nelson & Murdock's college; of Grotto, a minor criminal (Daredevil #168, 1981); of Stick, Matt and Elektra's mentor; of the Hand surviving being lit on fire (Daredevil #176, 1981); of the Hand's ability to mystically resurrect fallen warriors (Daredevil #187, 1982); of Stick's order and their war against the Hand ninja clan (Daredevil #188, 1982); of the Hand, a clan of evil ninjas who battle Daredevil and Elektra (Daredevil #174, 1981); of Wilson Fisk's name; of Wilson Fisk as Daredevil's primary enemy (Daredevil #170, 1981); of Stick training Matt how to use his powers (Daredevil #177, 1981); of the Hand seeking to make Elektra their chief warrior and resurrect her (Daredevil #190, 1982); of Elektra being killed with one of her own sai (Daredevil #181, 1982); co-creator of Daredevil and Punisher being fellow vigilantes but disagreeing sharply on how extreme their crimefighting methods should go (Daredevil #183, 1982); of Josie's Bar, a dive bar in Hell's Kitchen tended by the titular Josie (Daredevil #160, 1979); of Turk as a recurring foe of Daredevil (Daredevil #159, 1979); of Murdock wearing stubble in both of his identities (Daredevil #228, 1986); of Roscoe Sweeney's last name; of Hell's Kitchen as Matt Murdock's childhood borough (Daredevil #164, 1980); of Wilson Fisk controlling the police (Daredevil #227, 1986); of Melvin Potter's name; of Melvin's lady friend Betsy; of Melvin's mental problems (Daredevil #166, 1980); of the Hand worshipping a demon (Elektra: Assassin #1, 1986); of Sister Maggie, a nun who cares for Daredevil (Daredevil #229, 1986); of Sister Maggie tending to Matt after he was first blinded (Daredevil #230, 1986); of the Punisher being sent to prison (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #15, 1981)

Stan Lee: co-creator of Matt Murdock, a lawyer who also fights crime as Daredevil by using his superhuman sensory powers; Daredevil costume with horns on head and red lenses; billy club as Daredevil's primary weapon; Murdock as son of a boxer; the elder Murdock dying after crossing a crooked boxing promoter and refusing to lose a fixed fight; Fogwell's Gym as Murdock's training place; Murdock partnered with his slightly overweight college friend Franklin "Foggy" Nelson at Nelson & Murdock law firm; Karen Page as Murdock & Nelson's secretary and object of affection to both men (Daredevil #1, 1964); of Daredevil's red costume; of Daredevil's gimmick billy club which includes a cable line (Daredevil #7, 1965); of Daredevil's ability to detect lies (Daredevil #3, 1964); of the Kingpin of Crime, a New York mob boss (Amazing Spider-Man #50, 1967); of the Kingpin's wife, Vanessa (Amazing Spider-Man #69, 1969); of Gladiator, a costume designer who makes a Daredevil costume; Gladiator wearing body armor and wielding a saw (Daredevil #18, 1966); of the Stilt-Man; of Matt becoming involved with Karen (Daredevil #8, 1965)

Roger McKenzie: co-creator of Daredevil and Punisher being fellow vigilantes but disagreeing sharply on how extreme their crimefighting methods should go (Daredevil #183, 1982); of Josie's Bar, a dive bar in Hell's Kitchen tended by the titular Josie (Daredevil #160, 1979); of Turk as a recurring foe of Daredevil (Daredevil #159, 1979); of Roscoe Sweeney's last name; of Hell's Kitchen as Matt Murdock's childhood borough (Daredevil #164, 1980); of Melvin Potter's name; of Melvin's lady friend Betsy; of Melvin's mental problems (Daredevil #166, 1980); of Ben Urich, an aging reporter with a relentless dedication to the truth (Daredevil #153, 1978)

Bill Everett: co-creator of Matt Murdock, a lawyer who also fights crime as Daredevil by using his superhuman sensory powers; Daredevil costume with horns on head and red lenses; billy club as Daredevil's primary weapon; Murdock as son of a boxer; the elder Murdock dying after crossing a crooked boxing promoter and refusing to lose a fixed fight; Fogwell's Gym as Murdock's training place; Murdock partnered with his slightly overweight college friend Franklin "Foggy" Nelson at Nelson & Murdock law firm; Karen Page as Murdock & Nelson's secretary and object of affection to both men (Daredevil #1, 1964)

Gene Colan: co-creator of Turk Barrett, a gangster who fights Daredevil (Daredevil #69, 1970); of Ben Urich, an aging reporter with a relentless dedication to the truth (Daredevil #153, 1978); of Gladiator, a costume designer who makes a Daredevil costume; Gladiator wearing body armor and wielding a saw (Daredevil #18, 1966); of the prison Ryker's Island (Daredevil #63, 1970); of Blake Tower, New York district attorney frequently embroiled in Nelson & Murdock's affairs (Daredevil #124, 1975); of Karen Page learning Matt Murdock is Daredevil (Daredevil #57, 1969)

Gerry Conway: co-creator of the Punisher, a war veteran who becomes a vigilante, wearing a black costume with white skull design on his chest and wielding vast arsenal of firearms and explosives in a one-man war on crime (Amazing Spider-Man #129, 1974); of Frank Castle becoming the Punisher after happening upon criminals in a park who set off a gunfight which killed his wife Maria, daughter Lisa and son Frank Jr. (Marvel Preview #2, 1975); of the Punisher maintaining safehouses (Giant-Size Spider-Man #4, 1975)

John Romita: co-creator of the Punisher, a war veteran who becomes a vigilante, wearing a black costume with white skull design on his chest and wielding vast arsenal of firearms and explosives in a one-man war on crime (Amazing Spider-Man #129, 1974); of the Kingpin of Crime, a New York mob boss (Amazing Spider-Man #50, 1967); of the Kingpin's wife, Vanessa (Amazing Spider-Man #69, 1969)

Ross Andru: co-creator of the Punisher, a war veteran who becomes a vigilante, wearing a black costume with white skull design on his chest and wielding vast arsenal of firearms and explosives in a one-man war on crime (Amazing Spider-Man #129, 1974); of the Punisher maintaining safehouses (Giant-Size Spider-Man #4, 1975)

David Mazzuchelli: co-creator of Murdock wearing stubble in both of his identities (Daredevil #228, 1986); of Wilson Fisk controlling the police (Daredevil #227, 1986); of Sister Maggie, a nun who cares for Daredevil (Daredevil #229, 1986); of Sister Maggie tending to Matt after he was first blinded (Daredevil #230, 1986)

Garth Ennis: co-creator of the Punisher going up against an Irish mob, including its leader Finn (Punisher #17, 2004); of the Punisher pursuing people who killed his family from behind prison bars (Punisher: The Cell #1, 2005); of Punisher tying up Daredevil and taping a gun into his hand (Punisher #3, 2000)

Mike Baron: co-creator of the Punisher wearing a trenchcoat overtop his costume (Punisher #1, 1987); of Micro, a tech-savvy ally of the Punisher (Punisher #4, 1987); of the Punisher's Catholicism (Punisher #30, 1990); of the Punisher keeping a dog at his safehouse (Punisher #54, 1991)

Dan G. Chichester: co-creator of Daredevil wearing body armor (Daredevil #322, 1993); of Daredevil bringing down Fisk's criminal empire (Daredevil #300, 1992); of the Chaste, the name of Stick's order; of Star, one of the Chaste (Daredevil #296, 1991)

Brian Michael Bendis: co-creator of Daredevil battling the Yakuza (Daredevil #56, 2004); of Night Nurse, a medic who treats wounded super heroes such as Daredevil (Daredevil #58, 2004); of Jessica Jones, a civilian superhuman (Alias #1, 2001)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of Turk Barrett, a gangster who fights Daredevil (Daredevil #69, 1970); of the prison Ryker's Island (Daredevil #63, 1970); of Karen Page learning Matt Murdock is Daredevil (Daredevil #57, 1969)

Wally Wood: co-creator of Daredevil's red costume; of Daredevil's gimmick billy club which includes a cable line (Daredevil #7, 1965); of the Stilt-Man; of Matt becoming involved with Karen (Daredevil #8, 1965)

Tony DeZuniga: co-creator of Frank Castle becoming the Punisher after happening upon criminals in a park who set off a gunfight which killed his wife Maria, daughter Lisa and son Frank Jr. (Marvel Preview #2, 1975)

Steve Englehart: co-creator of Roxxon Energy, a ruthless criminal corporation (Captain America #180, 1974); of Ben Donovan, an African-American lawyer who works for criminals (Hero for Hire #14, 1973)

John Wellington: co-creator of Colonel Ray Schoonover, Frank Castle's superior officer during his military service; Schoonover becoming a drug dealer, killed by the Punisher (Punisher War Journal #4, 1989)

Jim Lee: co-creator of Colonel Ray Schoonover, Frank Castle's superior officer during his military service; Schoonover becoming a drug dealer, killed by the Punisher (Punisher War Journal #4, 1989)

Carl Potts: co-creator of Colonel Ray Schoonover, Frank Castle's superior officer during his military service; Schoonover becoming a drug dealer, killed by the Punisher (Punisher War Journal #4, 1989)

Alex Maleev: co-creator of Daredevil battling the Yakuza (Daredevil #56, 2004); of Night Nurse, a medic who treats wounded super heroes such as Daredevil (Daredevil #58, 2004)

Klaus Janson: co-creator of the Punisher wearing a trenchcoat overtop his costume (Punisher #1, 1987); of Micro, a tech-savvy ally of the Punisher (Punisher #4, 1987)

Len Wein: co-creator of Blake Tower, New York district attorney frequently embroiled in Nelson & Murdock's affairs (Daredevil #124, 1975)

Marv Wolfman: co-creator of Blake Tower, New York district attorney frequently embroiled in Nelson & Murdock's affairs (Daredevil #124, 1975)

Lew LaRosa: o-creator of the Punisher pursuing people who killed his family from behind prison bars (Punisher: The Cell #1, 2005)

Ron Garney: co-creator of the Chaste, the name of Stick's order; of Star, one of the Chaste (Daredevil #296, 1991)

Leandro Fernandez: co-creator of the Punisher going up against an Irish mob, including its leader Finn (Punisher #17, 2004)

Mark Gruenwald: creator of Roscoe Sweeney's first name (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #3, 1986)

Billy Graham: co-creator of Ben Donovan, an African-American lawyer who works for criminals (Hero for Hire #14, 1973)

Tom DeFalco: co-creator of the Kingpin continuing his criminal activities from his cell (Spider-Girl #1, 1998)

Ron Frenz: co-creator of the Kingpin continuing his criminal activities from his cell (Spider-Girl #1, 1998)

Sal Buscema: co-creator of Roxxon Energy, a ruthless criminal corporation (Captain America #180, 1974)

Steve Dillon: co-creator of Punisher tying up Daredevil and taping a gun into his hand (Punisher #3, 2000)

Marc Guggenheim: co-creator of Brett Mahoney, a police detective (Marvel Comics Presents #1, 2007)

Marco Checchetto: co-creator of Frank Castle as a veteran of Middle Eastern conflicts (Punisher #4, 2011)

Jim Shooter: co-creator of Hell's Kitchen as locale patroled by Daredevil (Daredevil #148, 1977)

Dave Wilkins: co-creator of Brett Mahoney, a police detective (Marvel Comics Presents #1, 2007)

Gil Kane: co-creator of Hell's Kitchen as locale patroled by Daredevil (Daredevil #148, 1977)

Dennis O'Neil: co-creator of the Punisher being sent to prison (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #15, 1981)

Greg Rucka: co-creator of Frank Castle as a veteran of Middle Eastern conflicts (Punisher #4, 2011)

J.M. DeMatteis: co-creator of Foggy Nelson learning Murdock is Daredevil (Daredevil #347, 1995)

John Romita, Jr.: co-creator of Matt Murdock going to regular confession (Daredevil #267, 1989)

Bill Mantlo: co-creator of the Punisher battling the Kingpin (Spectacular Spider-Man #81, 1983)

Al Milgrom: co-creator of the Punisher battling the Kingpin (Spectacular Spider-Man #81, 1983)

Lee Weeks: co-creator of Daredevil bringing down Fisk's criminal empire (Daredevil #300, 1992)

Ron Wagner: co-creator of Foggy Nelson learning Murdock is Daredevil (Daredevil #347, 1995)

Hugh Haynes: co-creator of the Punisher keeping a dog at his safehouse (Punisher #54, 1991)

Michael Gaydos: co-creator of Jessica Jones, a civilian superhuman (Alias #1, 2001)

Kevin Smith: co-creator of Matt Murdock wearing red-tinted sunglasses (Daredevil #1, 1998)

Joe Quesada: co-creator of Matt Murdock wearing red-tinted sunglasses (Daredevil #1, 1998)

Ann Nocenti: co-creator of Matt Murdock going to regular confession (Daredevil #267, 1989)

Bill Sienkiewicz: co-creator of the Hand worshipping a demon (Elektra: Assassin #1, 1986)

Chris Claremont: co-creator of Jeryn Hogarth, a lawyer (Marvel Premiere #24, 1975)

Pat Broderick: co-creator of Jeryn Hogarth, a lawyer (Marvel Premiere #24, 1975)

Joe Orlando: co-creator of Daredevil's ability to detect lies (Daredevil #3, 1964)

Scott McDaniel: co-creator of Daredevil wearing body armor (Daredevil #322, 1993)

Tony Isabella: co-creator of Matt Murdock's Catholicism (Daredevil #119, 1975)

Bill Reinhold: co-creator of the Punisher's Catholicism (Punisher #30, 1990)

Archie Goodwin: co-creator of Claire Temple (Hero for Hire #2, 1972)

Bob Brown: co-creator of Matt Murdock's Catholicism (Daredevil #119, 1975)

George Tuska: co-creator of Claire Temple (Hero for Hire #2, 1972)

Win Mortimer: co-creator of Night Nurse (Night Nurse #1, 1972)

Jean Thomas: co-creator of Night Nurse (Night Nurse #1, 1972)

Richard Starkings: creator of Daredevil logo (Daredevil #1, 1998)

RIP: Paul Ryan

Comic book artist Paul Ryan has passed away. Although he laboured within the comics industry up to his death, I haven't read much about his passing, aside from those who knew him personally and a handful of fans. As most of his comics work in the 21st century was on the Phantom comic strip, he simply wasn't doing the sort of "Big Two" super hero work which creates recognition from the majority of comics fans.

Indeed, even his 80s & 90s comics work is seldom spoken of. Iron Man. Avengers. Avengers West Coast. Quasar. Squadron Supreme. Fantastic Four. They're all known names to comics fans. Why have his contributions been ignored?

Some of this is because of the style he drew in. He was a solid, dependable artist who could render uniformity among the many Marvel characters. This made him perfect for the 80s & 90s obsession with continuity - his Hulk was not grotesque like Larsen's, his Spider-Man lacked the over-sized lenses of McFarlane, his Iron Man had a more believable sense of perspective than his predecessor Romita... in short, though he laboured through times of big, flashy super hero artists, he didn't try to entice undue attention to his work. Some, I'm sure, would go further and call his style "bland."

It also didn't help that he came in on the Avengers during a very lackluster moment in that series' publishing history, serving writers John Byrne and Larry Hama - neither of whom rank anywhere close to fandom's favourite Avengers scribes. And if they do remember him, it would be as the co-creator of Rage, a character who is still ridiculed for being a street-level hero who dared, dared join the Avengers, which occasioned many an Avengers fan to drop their monocles. His Avengers West Coast has fared somewhat better, helped by having drawn a pretty neat Ultron story, but the West Coast series is itself not often brought up.

He drew the Fantastic Four every month for five years, yet while that run (with writer Tom DeFalco) has its fans, it also has its detractors. He drew the series during the age where the Thing wore a helmet, the Invisible Woman put a chest window on her uniform, Mr. Fantastic and Dr. Doom died and everyone wore drab jackets over their costumes. Of course, he also helped undo every single one of those changes before leaving the series but to outside observers his Fantastic Four has too much of the 90s about it. It smells like Nirvana.

Even his contribution to Mark Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme can be over-stressed as he was only one of three artists to work on the series. Indeed, many have said the art shake-ups have diminished the book's reputation in the long run. In total, Ryan drew 5 of the 12 issues, including the climax. But while Squadron Supreme is often called Gruenwald's greatest work, it's quietly falling into the past, a book beloved by those of its time but not appreciated by the next generation of readers.

Does it seems as though I'm trying to sound depressing? All right, let me cheer you up; let me give you a good reason to celebrate Ryan's life and legacy. I can spell it with three characters: D P 7.

Falling between their collaborations on Squadron Supreme and Quasar, Gruenwald & Ryan's DP7 is my pick for the best work of either man's career. Being a New Universe series it was largely neglected in its time and forgotten since, but I hold it to be a fine story, one which pushes against the tropes of super hero comics in that way so many 80s books tried to (be they Zot! or Marvelman).

In the New Universe, all superhuman people received their abilities from the same source, the "White Event" astrological phenomenon. Gruenwald liked this origin, calling it a "democratic" super power origin. Thus, the people who made up the cast of DP7 had not caught in some accident, been born special or subjected to weird experiments - they each simply woke up one day to find they had an odd ability they couldn't account for (and within the pages of DP7, they never do learn their origins - when one character suggests the White Event another scoffs, suggesting they might as well blame the Reagan presidency).

Although the cast of DP7 shifted around (sometimes more than 7 leads, sometimes fewer) the two characters who remained in-focus the longest were Dave Landers and Randy O'Brien. Dave was an atheist, blue collar factory worker; Randy was a Catholic physician. Dave spent much of his time hoping his "freakish" appearance wouldn't stand in the way of romance with fellow paranormal Stephanie; Randy spent a great deal of time unsure of how to respond to the advances of fellow paranormal Charlotte because she was black (he eventually received an appropriately brutal put-down for his wishy-washyness). Through it all, Dave and Randy were friends.

At one point both Dave and Randy were in the military and Dave, in despair after being sent to solitary confinement, attempted suicide; Randy saved his life. Later, Dave would return the favour by saving Randy from an erupting volcano; it's only as Dave carried Randy to safety that he realized his own drive to live and rejection of suicide had been truly reached.

DP7 also featured the antics of Philip Nolan Voigt, a paranormal with the ability to duplicate the abilities of any other paranormal he met with absolutely no drawbacks. What's a man with so much power to do with himself? Why, run for President, naturally! Only Dave and Randy were immune to Voigt's mind control powers, but as Voigt could order their friends to kill themselves with a single thought, they had no choice but to let his campaign carry him all the way to the White House.

There's so much more: Lenore, the elderly woman whose powers steadily rejuvenated her, but seemingly at the cost of becoming an addict to her own abilities; George, the hapless fellow whose body was constantly mutating into new forms; Jenny, the former armored hero Spitfire who grew her own armor after a brush with mutagenic waste; Merriam, the woman who tried to romance Dave, but always ranked second-place with him. Scuzz. Jeff. Stephanie. Charlotte. Evan. The Woodsman. Captain Manhattan.

I absorbed the whole of DP7 across one late afternoon, years after the series had already concluded. In the span of hours it took to read those 32 issues (plus one annual) I came to know and like the unfortunate cast members. Ryan drew all 32 issues and, if you do think him bland, then he was the right choice for the reasonably well-grounded stories, set in a somewhat-more mundane world without high-tech Helicarriers or tiny cities in bottles.

Rest in peace, Mr. Ryan.

Why Knock Christian Rock?

I recently sat down with a friend and watched the film version of Donald Miller's book Blue Like Jazz. I didn't expect the film to be extremely faithful to the book (the book being largely philosophical, rather than a narrative), but I'd been interested in it because of the director, Steve Taylor, who had been one of my favourite musicians in the 1990s. Subsequently, I decided to check in on what Taylor had been up to since the film wrapped and discovered he'd founded a new band: Steve Taylor and the Perfect Foil. This was quite a surprise, as Taylor hadn't recorded an album of his own for 20 years (being a director/produce/songwriter in the interim). Naturally, I bought his band's new album Goliath and over the last week I've listened to it repeatedly. It's very much in the same vein as the music he made in the 90s, and that's a good thing to me. Taylor's arch, opinionated observations about life have always struck a chord with me.

Bringing up Taylor to my brother led him to compose two blog entries related to the subject of Christian rock and his thoughts have caused me to think back on the entire phenomenon. Although I listened to a tremendous amount of Christian albums in my teen years, it's only in the last few years that I've trepidatiously returned to the genre.

It certainly helped my teenage self to see the Christian music industry as a "safe" alternative to what literally all of my peers were listening to. But like all things which have held my interest for any length of time, collection mania set in. It became about the having, not the value of the thing. I built a massive library of Christian rock albums, yet many of them received but a single audience with me before being set aside forever. It wasn't so much that I idolized the artists as I idolized the albums.

Shame of that may have played into my turning away from Christian music at the age of 20, the year in which I went to college in a new city while my family moved far to the east of the country. I broke up much of the collection before moving out and I think even the remainder (the albums I liked - notably DC Talk, Newsboys and Steve Taylor) held a modicum of shame at my old mania. I was also using the internet for the first time and had access to nonstop Old-Time Radio programs, which became my constant listening pleasure. Finally, being in college in a new city I, like so many others, wanted to develop a new identity for myself.

Part of that new identity played into my churchgoing as I deliberately turned away from the "low church" environs I'd previously preferred and into something more "high church" where the only music was traditional hymnbook with organ accompaniment. Perhaps something of secular culture had changed my thinking about Christian music; after all, non-Christians think hymnal music is, at worst, dull; but they think Christian rock is, at best, lame.

It was many years before I ventured back into a more relaxed church, the one which is my home parish today (to the extent that it was a factor in choosing where my new house would be). My church today is far less traditional than any other Anglican church I've been part of and initially the unfamiliar songs left me uneasy. But as the people - and the songs - of that church became familiar, I began to feel at home. While I can still appreciate a good hymn, I've enjoyed having a bit of Christian rock back in my life. And as I became more comfortable singing along with tunes like "My Lighthouse" (presently my favourite ditty), I began to add a few albums to my collection. I'd begun listening to music again (instrumental, either classical or film soundtracks) and found a bit of the (still-going) Newsboys or Rend Collective gave me a bit of worship time in my home.

But while the Newsboys have essentially become a worship band not too unlike the one which my able friend Rob leads, with Goliath I'm back to the sort of album I would have bought in the 90s. And while there is some nostalgia in hearing Taylor belt out tunes with his wonderfully nasal delivery, I'm finding his songs don't speak to who I was in the 90s - they speak to who I am now.

Cut down
I'm a debaser
I can't stop
It's human nature
I'm run runnin' down
Every little thing you say
'Til I get my way
-"Sympathy Vote"

It helps that Taylor has always felt free to criticize. As I said, Christian rock in the 90s was "safe." You weren't going to get exposed to harmful ideas or mores, right? But in "Smug" I heard a song about Christians with superiority complexes; in "I Want to Be a Clone" he mocked the idea of Christian conformity; and in "I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good," he dared to tackle the hypocrisy behind people bombing abortion clinics. That's what "safe" music looked like to me and it expressed the idea that it was okay to comment on the unhelpful/harmful things my fellow Christians do, rather than the "Go Team Christ!" attitude seen in most places. Taylor's music did some good things for my worldview back in my teens; I'm pleased he's still got something worth hearing.

Ant-Man (2015) creator credits

Look at what turned up on Netflix!

Stan Lee: creator of the Tales to Astonish title (Tales to Astonish #1, 1959); co-creator of Henry Pym, a scientist who develops a chemical formula which can shrink people in size and uses this ability to interact with ants (Tales to Astonish #27, 1962); Peggy Carter, an intelligence operative (Tales of Suspense #75, 1966); S.H.I.E.L.D., an international espionage organization; Hydra, a terrorist organization opposed to S.H.I.E.L.D.; Stark involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strange Tales #135, 1965); Ant-Man, the costumed identity of Henry Pym wherein he wears a protective red and black costume with size-changing capsules on his belt and wears a helmet which helps him communicate with ants; Pym receiving heightened strength by shrinking in size; Pym keeping an anthill in his laboratory in order to study the insects (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962); the Falcon, a costumed hero trained by Captain America (Captain America #117, 1969); the Wasp, Ant-Man's female sidekick and love interest adorned in a red and black costume with insect-like wings permitting flight (Tales to Astonish #44, 1963); Pym's nickname "Hank"; Ant-Man riding flying ants into battle; Ant-Man distraught when one of his flying ants dies while helping him (Tales to Astonish #47, 1963); the Avengers, a team of super heroes who include Iron Man (Avengers #1, 1963); Tony Stark, alias Iron Man, an industrialist who wears a powerful suit of armor (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); a sub-atomic universe which Ant-Man's shrinking power can access (Fantastic Four #16, 1963); Tony Stark providing the Avengers with their headquarters (Avengers #2, 1963); Stark Industries, Tony Stark's company (Tales of Suspense #45, 1963); Eternity, the embodiment of the universe itself (Strange Tales #138, 1965); Spider-Man, a hero who swings around and climbs up walls (Amazing Fantasy #15, 1962); Captain America as an Avenger (Avengers #4, 1964); Ant-Man punching out of a vacuum cleaner (Tales to Astonish #37, 1962)

Jack Kirby: co-creator of Henry Pym, a scientist who develops a chemical formula which can shrink people in size and uses this ability to interact with ants (Tales to Astonish #27, 1962); Peggy Carter, an intelligence operative (Tales of Suspense #75, 1966); S.H.I.E.L.D., an international espionage organization; Hydra, a terrorist organization opposed to S.H.I.E.L.D.; Stark involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strange Tales #135, 1965); Ant-Man, the costumed identity of Henry Pym wherein he wears a protective red and black costume with size-changing capsules on his belt and wears a helmet which helps him communicate with ants; Pym receiving heightened strength by shrinking in size; Pym keeping an anthill in his laboratory in order to study the insects (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962); the Wasp, Ant-Man's female sidekick and love interest adorned in a red and black costume with insect-like wings permitting flight (Tales to Astonish #44, 1963); the Avengers, a team of super heroes who include Iron Man (Avengers #1, 1963); Tony Stark, alias Iron Man, an industrialist who wears a powerful suit of armor (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); a sub-atomic universe which Ant-Man's shrinking power can access (Fantastic Four #16, 1963); Tony Stark providing the Avengers with their headquarters (Avengers #2, 1963); Stark Industries, Tony Stark's company (Tales of Suspense #45, 1963); Captain America, a patriotic super hero; Bucky Barnes, Captain America's ally and best friend (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); Captain America as an Avenger (Avengers #4, 1964); Ant-Man punching out of a vacuum cleaner (Tales to Astonish #37, 1962)

Larry Lieber: co-creator of Henry Pym, a scientist who develops a chemical formula which can shrink people in size and uses this ability to interact with ants (Tales to Astonish #27, 1962); Ant-Man, the costumed identity of Henry Pym wherein he wears a protective red and black costume with size-changing capsules on his belt and wears a helmet which helps him communicate with ants; Pym receiving heightened strength by shrinking in size; Pym keeping an anthill in his laboratory in order to study the insects (Tales to Astonish #35, 1962); Tony Stark, alias Iron Man, an industrialist who wears a powerful suit of armor (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); Ant-Man punching out of a vacuum cleaner (Tales to Astonish #37, 1962)

David Michelinie: co-creator of Scott Lang, a divorced ex-convict trying to support his lovable daughter Cassie Lang; Scott stealing the Ant-Man costume and equipment from Henry Pym; Darren Cross, the criminal head of Cross Technologies; Scott Lang using the Ant-Man powers to break into Cross Technologies so he can help Cassie (Marvel Premiere #47, 1979); Pym helping to mentor Scott Lang as Ant-Man, permitting him to keep the costume (Marvel Premiere #48, 1979); the Falcon as an Avenger (Avengers #183, 1979)

John Byrne: co-creator of Scott Lang, a divorced ex-convict trying to support his lovable daughter Cassie Lang; Scott stealing the Ant-Man costume and equipment from Henry Pym; Darren Cross, the criminal head of Cross Technologies; Scott Lang using the Ant-Man powers to break into Cross Technologies so he can help Cassie (Marvel Premiere #47, 1979); Pym helping to mentor Scott Lang as Ant-Man, permitting him to keep the costume (Marvel Premiere #48, 1979); the Falcon as an Avenger (Avengers #183, 1979)

Don Heck: co-creator of Howard Stark, deceased father of Tony Stark and previous owner of Stark Industries (Iron Man #28, 1970); Pym's nickname "Hank"; Ant-Man riding flying ants into battle; Ant-Man distraught when one of his flying ants dies while helping him (Tales to Astonish #47, 1963); Tony Stark, alias Iron Man, an industrialist who wears a powerful suit of armor (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); Stark Industries, Tony Stark's company (Tales of Suspense #45, 1963)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of Yellowjacket, a black and yellow costume based on Henry Pym's technology which allows the wearer to shrink in size (Avengers #59, 1968); Henry Pym marrying the Wasp (Avengers #60, 1968); Ant-Man's helmet providing environmental seals (Avengers #93, 1971); the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo, an eagle within a circle (Strange Tales #154, 1967)

H.E. Huntley: co-creator of the Wasp, Ant-Man's female sidekick and love interest adorned in a red and black costume with insect-like wings permitting flight (Tales to Astonish #44, 1963); Pym's nickname "Hank"; Ant-Man riding flying ants into battle; Ant-Man distraught when one of his flying ants dies while helping him (Tales to Astonish #47, 1963)

Archie Goodwin: co-creator of Howard Stark, deceased father of Tony Stark and previous owner of Stark Industries (Iron Man #28, 1970)

Steve Englehart: co-creator of Peggy Carter as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Captain America #169, 1974); the Falcon's mechanical wings (Captain America #170, 1974); Pym shrinking and enlarging objects, carrying some inside his pockets (West Coast Avengers #21, 1987)

Sal Buscema: co-creator of Peggy Carter as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Captain America #169, 1974); Henry Pym developing health issues from repeatedly changing size (Avengers #227, 1983); the Falcon's mechanical wings (Captain America #170, 1974)

Tom DeFalco: co-creator of Hope Pym, the embittered daughter of Henry Pym and the Wasp (A-Next #10, 1998); Ant-Man helmet with red lenses (Fantastic Four #405, 1995); Hope Pym's name; Hope using the Wasp's equipment (A-Next #12, 1998)

John Buscema: co-creator of Yellowjacket, a black and yellow costume based on Henry Pym's technology which allows the wearer to shrink in size (Avengers #59, 1968); Henry Pym marrying the Wasp (Avengers #60, 1968)

Robert Kirkman: co-creator of a militarized version of the Ant-Man technology which includes mechanical arms attached to the suit; Mitchell Carson, a thuggish S.H.I.E.L.D. agent (Irredeemable Ant-Man #1, 2006)

Phil Hester: co-creator of a militarized version of the Ant-Man technology which includes mechanical arms attached to the suit; Mitchell Carson, a thuggish S.H.I.E.L.D. agent (Irredeemable Ant-Man #1, 2006)

Steve Ditko: co-creator of Eternity, the embodiment of the universe itself (Strange Tales #138, 1965); Spider-Man, a hero who swings around and climbs up walls (Amazing Fantasy #15, 1962)

Geoff Johns: co-creator of Scott Lang's wife becoming involved with a police officer (Avengers #62, 2003); Ant-Man wearing a costume with increased black tones (Avengers #65, 2003)

Ron Frenz: co-creator of Hope Pym, the embittered daughter of Henry Pym and the Wasp (A-Next #10, 1998); Hope Pym's name; Hope using the Wasp's equipment (A-Next #12, 1998)

Steve Epting: co-creator of the Winter Soldier, a figure with a cybernetic arm (Captain America #1, 2005); the Winter Soldier as Bucky Barnes (Captain America #8, 2005)

Ed Brubaker: co-creator of the Winter Soldier, a figure with a cybernetic arm (Captain America #1, 2005); the Winter Soldier as Bucky Barnes (Captain America #8, 2005)

Mike Friedrich: co-creator of Peggy Carter as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Captain America #169, 1974); the Falcon's mechanical wings (Captain America #170, 1974)

Trevor Hairsine: co-creator of the Falcon wearing a military-style costume with large amounts of black; the Falcon wielding guns (Ultimate Nightmare #1, 2004)

Warren Ellis: co-creator of the Falcon wearing a military-style costume with large amounts of black; the Falcon wielding guns (Ultimate Nightmare #1, 2004)

Joe Simon: co-creator of Captain America, a patriotic super hero; Bucky Barnes, Captain America's ally and best friend (Captain America Comics #1, 1941)

Al Milgrom: co-creator of Pym shrinking and enlarging objects, carrying some inside his pockets (West Coast Avengers #21, 1987)

Roger Stern: co-creator of Henry Pym developing health issues from repeatedly changing size (Avengers #227, 1983)

Bob Harras: co-creator of Hydra being connected to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own ranks (Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, 1988)

Paul Neary: co-creator of Hydra being connected to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own ranks (Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, 1988)

Carlos Pacheco: co-creator of the Wasp wearing a black costume with a yellow chest (Avengers Forever #1, 1998)

Gene Colan: co-creator of the Falcon, a costumed hero trained by Captain America (Captain America #117, 1969)

Kurt Busiek: co-creator of the Wasp wearing a black costume with a yellow chest (Avengers Forever #1, 1998)

Gary Frank: co-creator of Scott Lang's wife becoming involved with a police officer (Avengers #62, 2003)

Jim Steranko: co-creator of the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo, an eagle within a circle (Strange Tales #154, 1967)

Olivier Coipel: co-creator of Ant-Man wearing a costume with increased black tones (Avengers #65, 2003)

John Ostrander: co-creator of Ant-Man wearing a helmet with full face mask (Heroes for Hire #6, 1997)

Pasqual Ferry: co-creator of Ant-Man wearing a helmet with full face mask (Heroes for Hire #6, 1997)

Robert Bernstein: co-creator of Stark Industries, Tony Stark's company (Tales of Suspense #45, 1963)

Neal Adams: co-creator of Ant-Man's helmet providing environmental seals (Avengers #93, 1971)

Mark Millar: co-creator of the Triskelion, a S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters (Ultimates #1, 2002)

Bryan Hitch: co-creator of the Triskelion, a S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters (Ultimates #1, 2002)

Gaspar Saladino: creator of the Avengers logo with enlarged letter "A" (Avengers #96, 1972)

Brian Michael Bendis: co-creator of the Wasp dying in battle (Secret Invasion #8, 2008)

Leinil Francis Yu: co-creator of the Wasp dying in battle (Secret Invasion #8, 2008)

Paul Ryan: co-creator of Ant-Man helmet with red lenses (Fantastic Four #405, 1995)

Gary Friedrich: co-creator of the Falcon's red costume (Captain America #144, 1971)

John Romita: co-creator of the Falcon's red costume (Captain America #144, 1971)

"They've humbly described themselves as the wrath of God by way of loser assassins." Copra #1-3 review

The independant comic book series Copra began in 2012 and word of it began to spread around the internet on sites I frequented. Unfortunately, it had very scarce distribution and wasn't available from my local store, nor on the internet shops I utilized. At last, it is now on Comixology and I've begun to slowly read through (currently through #3).

And why should this series interest me so much? I hadn't read anything of writer/artist Michael Fiffe's work before. Quite simply, because it is an ode - an homage - or, if you like, fan fiction - of John Ostrander's 1980s series Suicide Squad.

Although DC Comics is about to launch a Suicide Squad motion picture and have been printing a Suicide Squad comic since the launch of their "New 52," these projects don't have much to do with the beloved Ostrander series. In truth, DC hasn't seemed particularly interested in the series over the years. The Suicide Squad team have appeared around DC almost non-stop since Ostrander's version debuted in 1986. However, since the series ended in 1992, Ostrander himself was only invited back to use the concept again on a handful of occasions and the efforts at reprinting the series in trade paperbacks have been either stalled or cancelled until recently.

Michael Fiffe's Copra, then, is the true inheritor of Ostrander's tales, rather than the in-name-only series currently being printed. Copra is unashamed and unapologetic of its pilfering from Ostrander's work. The mercenaries of Copra include a man with laser-wielding powers who looks a lot like Doctor Light; a fellow from another dimension wears a distortion vest and hairstyle very much like Shade the Changing Man; there's a sharpshooter in red and silver named Lloyd, not unlike Floyd Lawton, Deadshot; there's an amnesiac warrior woman ala Duchess and the squad is led by a heavyset black woman whose assistant is named Flo (deep cuts like Flo & Duchess demonstrate Fiffe has taken the time to absorb the Ostrander run; his Flo even seems to have unrequited feelings for his Bronze Tiger).

Suicide Squad is not the only comic book referenced in Copra; look-alikes of Marvel's Doctor Strange and Clea guest star in issues #2-3. How does Fiffe get away with it? Well, his copyright identifies Copra as a work of parody so I guess he's safe. But while the internet commenters brought up this series because they thought it was neat to see a Suicide Squad homage, that alone wouldn't secure interest beyond one issue. What makes Copra worth checking out regardless of one's interest in the Ostrander Suicide Squad is Fiffe's own storytelling skills. Here's a guy doing what almost no one in today's mainstream super hero comics can achieve - great fight choreography!

Check out the above page which depicts a killer wielding a flamethrower as he's shot in the first panel. The Copra members continue to act in the background, while the flamethrower explodes. It's simple action--> reaction stuff, but comics have become so unduly obsessed with appearing like motion picture storyboards that these old tricks look startling and new. It is, as Fiffe remarks in the first issue, a series which "taps into the spirit of immediacy, the raw inspired nature of entertainment. Exhuberant, direct, fun." Hear, hear! The mainstream is quickly forgetting everything Kirby, Eisner, Ditko and Wood pioneered; thank goodness the independants are still having fun!

If you liked Ostrander's Suicide Squad, then this is the follow-up project you always wished for. If you haven't, then why not approach Copra as something new, something fun, something to remind you that yeah, this is comics.

"The whole thing still had to be fought out to the end." Dreaming Eagles #1 review

Some years ago I watched a film called The Tuskegee Airmen on TV; it was a pretty good movie on the subject of the African-American pilots of World War II. A few years ago, George Lucas released a film called Red Tails on the same subject, only to be critically panned. I recently decided to give Red Tails a chance on Netflix because some of the dialogue around the film called it "old-fashioned" or a "throwback to 1940s air war films." As I liked The Tuskegee Airmen a bit and have a lot of fondness for classic war films, I thought Red Tails might be to my liking. It was not.

If I could boil down Red Tails' problem to one word it would be: "believability." Take the 1940s aerial film Air Force by Howard Hawks. It's pure Hollywood corn (although with some good melodrama) but Hawks was fascinated by the planes and spent an immense amount of time on the details of how things worked. Red Tails didn't look back to classic Hollywood, but rather carried problems similar to its contemporary war films - unconvincing CGI, heroes have unlimited ammunition and (consequently) no sense of stakes or danger. Ultimately, I couldn't finish Red Tails; it's about as much like Air Force as Bay's Transformers are like Pinocchio.

Which brings me to Dreaming Eagles, a new series from Aftershock Comics, a company I haven't previously sampled from before. Selling their series on Comixology with a mere $1.99 for the first issue and a striking cover by Francesco Francavilla was enough to catch my eye. Once I saw the author of the series was Garth Ennis, the bargain was accepted. I don't connect to many of Ennis' comics but I do connect to his war narratives.

Dreaming Eagles has its feet in two time frames: the 1960s as a young African-American man is participating in the civil rights movement and the 1940s as his father serves in the air force. None of this seems like a natural topic for Ennis; he's not American, African or African-American, after all (which makes his use of the n-word a question of "n-word privileges," I suppose - comics fandom was not particularly impressed with the recent series Strange Fruit which tackled African-American issues through the viewpoint of a lily-white creative team). But so far as the first issue goes, Ennis seems to have a story worth reading.

The art by Simon Coleby tells the story in a straight forward fashion, capturing many mundane details. There's energy to be found in the book's sole action scene, a flashback where the pilot recalls watching a German he'd shot bail out of his plane.

Dreaming Eagles has potential and I'm curious to see what Ennis ultimately has to say. Even if he has nothing to say about race beyond the most facile observations I'm at least hoping for some solid thoughts on the hell of war, which he has delivered on in the past.

That Went Well: 2015

When I stop to think about the media I enjoy - prose, comics, film, video game - I can't quite escape a sense of ennui. Have I read every word worth reading? Seen every film worth watching? So much of what I find - old or new - is too familiar and I'm far too detached from the experience. I want to be entertained, but perhaps I've experienced too much?

But of course, then something comes along which I truly, unabashedly, enjoy. Sometimes it's not only good entertainment but even touches me personally. For that reason, I'm here to share my favourite discoveries of 2015.

PROSE BOOKS

I had once heard the book Hell on Ice by Edward Ellsberg dramatized by Orson Welles on the Mercury Theatre radio program. That was enough to convince me to read the book when a copy came past me for disposal. I wouldn't have otherwise glanced twice at it; it's the story of an expedition to the North Pole which goes horribly awry; it's a very long, slow burn, but when the explorers' ship is finally lost the tension of wondering how any of them could have survived sustains a heightened interest to the grim finale.

The graphic novel Unflattening led me to the work which (partially) inspired it, Edwin Abbott's Flatland, an engaging blend of drama, humour, philosophy and mathematics.

I read two more books by Paul Brickhill, best-known for The Great Escape. In Reach for the Sky, he told the story of aviator Douglas Bader, a man who is kept rather emotionally distant in the narrative, but his determination to resume flying planes after losing his legs is remarkable enough on its own. I also read Escape to Danger, a collection of stories about pilots who escaped from the Germans during World War II, many of them very unusual in terms of the near-deaths the pilots would survive and the oft-surprising ease with which they would escape.

After initially quite enjoying Fyodor Dostoevsky through Crime and Punishment, I'd begun to grow disenchanted with everything else of his I read, but his romance story White Nights helped bring me back - it's a brief read, but with palpable emotions.

My interest in Africa continues to lead me through various tomes on the subject, including two by Thomas Pakenham: The Scramble for Africa and The Mountains of Rasselas. The former explained the divvying up of the continent to me in a way I finally grasped (that it was told so that what each country was doing in relation to each other at each given time was most helpful) and the latter told of Pakenham's journey to Ethiopia in the 1950s with many beautiful photos; Ethiopia remains the African nation I most hope to visit one day.

As I've frequently remarked on this blog, I continue to enjoy the works of author Sax Rohmer, despite the frequent racism found therein. I read the biography Master of Villainy by Cay Van Ash but found the author far too willing to praise Rohmer to the heavens and wanted something less opinionated about him. The book The Yellow Peril: Dr. Fu Manchu & the Rise of Chinaphobia by Christopher Frayling was much more to my liking; it's meticulously researched to help explain the climate in England when the Fu Manchu stories first appeared and more interested in setting the facts straight than protecting Rohmer's reputation (which was Van Ash's problem).

I'm continuing to work my way through the original novels which inspired some of my favourite movies; in 2015 that included Deliverance by James Dickey, Paths of Glory by Humphrey Cobb, The Bridge on the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle, Hell House by Richard Matheson, The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House by Eric Hodgins. I also delved into some good books about film and film people: Cagney by James Cagney and This Is Orson Welles by Orson Welles.

COMIC BOOKS

At last, Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo resumed regular publication (following his work on the 47 Ronin and Usagi Yojimbo: Senso mini-series) and, predictably, the quality is as high as before. Sakai continues to craft interesting tales about feudal Japan and the slow-yet-ever-changing cast of characters continue to progress. Usagi Yojimbo is the most dependable book on the market.

The Wild's End wrapped up, only to be followed by another mini-series, The Enemy Within. I need to post a review of this series as it isn't receiving a lot of notice, but Dan Abnett & I.N.J. Culbard are delivering a notably weird mash-up of two great institutions of British fiction: The Wind in the Willows and The War of the Worlds. The present series even includes a character who is vaguely analogous to H. G. Wells!

The Autumnlands by Kurt Busiek & Benjamin Dewey is taking a measured pace (much about the human protagonist remains unexplained) but I trust in Busiek to make the journey worthwhile; in the meantime, Dewey is delivering dynamic art and distinctive animal-people. I'm still following Busiek's Astro City (in trades) as well, and between the two they remind me of why I first became so excited by his writing back in '97.

Q2: The Return of Quantum & Woody reunited Priest & Mark Bright in a coda to their series. I gather Priest wasn't satisfied by the experience at all, but I enjoyed revisiting the characters and seeing Priest almost aggressively reject nostalgia in favour of continuing to move his cast forward.

The Complete Little Nemo was easily the best trade collection I picked up in 2015; I had eyed it for quite some time, but only moved on it when publisher Taschen ran a sale on their site. It is precisely what it claims to be - all of Winsor McCay's Little Nemo between two covers. What a delight!

Some other graphic novels I delved into were Deogratias by Jean-Philippe Stassen, Notes for a War Story by Gipi, Burma Chronicles by Guy DeLisle, Rose by Jeff Smith, On the Ropes and Kings in Disguise by James Vance, Unflattening by Nick Sousanis, Laika by Nick Abadzis and War Brothers by Sharon E. McKay, while I continue to follow Winterworld by Chuck Dixon, G.I. Joe by Larry Hama and Ragnarok by Walter Simonson.

MOTION PICTURES

Mad Max: Fury Road My brief thoughts on this picture were ultimately the most-viewed blog entry of 2015, which certainly speaks to how gigantic this film's reception was. I've rewatched it a few times since then and continue to be impressed by the ease at which the story is told and the subtle character development which unfolds. This is cinema that brings to mind Hitchcock, Ford, Murnau... hands-down my favourite theatre-going experience of 2015.

I caught up on The Edge of Tomorrow on DVD, having been intrigued by it's advertising. The marketing really did not sell this film - it's quite funny (particularly in terms of black comedy) and uses star Tom Cruise in a role which is quite different from his usual fare. In fact, I came to realize this is now my favourite Tom Cruise movie; previously, I would have asserted I didn't have a favourite. I like Cruise's development from craven coward to hero; I like Emily Blunt's far more capable secondary character who has to train him; and I laughed at a lot of Cruise's darkly funny death scenes.

Life Itself is the documentary on Roger Ebert filmed at the end of his life and intentionally designed to show what his life was like at the time; it is at first startling to see Ebert missing his lower jaw and I appreciate that he didn't want to hide it from the camera. The biography of Ebert's life is also engaging, particularly to hear how wounded Ebert was when Siskel didn't inform him of his impending death.

Diagram for Delinquents is a terrific documentary from Sequart about the oft-despised Fredric Wertham, the psychologist who opposed comic books. Amazingly, this film offers a perspective on Wertham than that which comic book culture has absorbed; it actually brought me around to his side on some of his thinking. For that reason, this is easily the best comic book documentary I've ever seen - I actually learned something important!

There are other movies I quite enjoyed: The Citadel (1938), which touched on notions of the struggle to attain one's ideal life as in other King Vidor pictures; Johnny Got His Gun (1971), which I watched after having read the book; Ender's Game (2013) which I have not read in prose but I found it to be a good picture; 42 (2013) which interested me despite my lack of interest in baseball and led me to The Battered Bastards of Baseball (2014), Knuckleball (2012), Moneyball (2011) and even Ken Burns' Baseball mini-series; Harold & Maude (1971), a picture I'd heard a lot about but didn't understand the appeal 'til I saw it; Romero (1989), with Raul Julia dramatizing the life of a murdered priest; A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958) an adaptation of an Erich Maria Remarque novel which I haven't read (yet) but had an interesting look at Germany near the end of WW2; The Talented Mr. Ripley, which I had no idea had been adapted from a series of novels by the same woman who authored the stories adapted into Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train; Beasts of No Nation (2015) which examined African child soldiers and held up to everything I'd previously read on the subject; Nightcrawler (2014) I had heard praised in a few places and it turned out to be an extremely involving film with turns I couldn't quite predict and that's always a pleasure; finally, Bridge of Spies (2015) which is not what I'd have expected from a Spielberg/Coen Bros. mash-up, but told an interesting Cold War story in a very uncomplicated way.

VIDEO GAMES

In 2015, I upgraded to the Xbox One (or Xbone). I didn't plan to - I didn't want to shell out the money for what was (and is) still an expensive console when my Xbox 360 remained useful. Unfortunately, my 360 began to develop trouble reading discs and as it doubled as my DVD player, it crippled two modes of entertainment. Suddenly, the One seemed to make sense - it would mean upgrading to a blu-ray and, as my 360 friends had all abandoned that console for the One, it would mean having people to play games with again.

My mistake (and regret) was buying Destiny for the One. I already had it on 360 (Destiny was part of how I rationalized staying with the 360), but I wanted to play it with my friends as there were parts of the game you couldn't play without friends in your party. Unfortunately, by the time I got on the One my friends had given up on Destiny. I continued to play, but over time the game has actually become worse; the last update (The Taken King), which I avoided, actually barred me from accessing features I'd been able to use previously. That, coupled with the many behind-the-scenes troubles being reported on convinced me to stay away; if my friends went back to Destiny I'd consider giving it another go, but as it is I feel I've wasted enough money. It was good for what it was - that is, it kept me occupied until the release of...

Halo 5: Guardians. As I didn't plan on owning the One, I thought I'd played my last Halo game, but here I am. This game has a campaign story which is just okay; it turns a beloved character into a villain, which is unfortunate, yet never hits the emotions of the previous series entry (and I didn't think Halo 4's campaign matched the Bungie game entries). The campaign has some interesting fights, but the story's not as involving as it should be. Meanwhile, the matchmaking modes are pretty good; my favourite Halo mode, Firefight, remains MIA (was I the only one who liked it?) but the new Warzone mode finally perfects what some of the previous games were trying to accomplish; on the basis of Warzone mode alone, I'm very pleased with this game - I can happily play Warzone for hours. I still have hope there are other game types coming in future updates as this game is significantly smaller than Halo 4 was.

And those are my 2015 highlights!