Final thoughts and comments - on 2015

So this will be the last post - at least this year - and while I had a few ideas how to make this a special post I decided to do one of these posts where I include everything but the kitchen sink, starting at one point and see where we end up on this day where we unite with friends and family to say goodbye and hello at the same time. And hopefully drink a lot.

2015 has not been an easy year, to put it mildly, in comics and personally and while it still feels a bit early to do an informed resume I have to say that things have improved a bit on TALES FROM THE KRYPTONIAN.

Though I have been out of commission for a few months due to my knee surgery and the subsequent rehab sojourning where I had no internet access I managed to do 93 posts this year which is the highest number of posts in a year since this blog´s inception in 2006. And speaking about 2006, this year will be the blog´s tenth year anniversary on April, the 11th. We´ll see what kind of post I´ll do on that special occasion. Maybe I´ll do another " best of the best " posts since I did the last roundup of that sort at the anniversary in 2014 and there are many posts - maybe too many - that deserve to be included in that category. Making that selection of deserving posts will be no easy task though because not only did I write over 150 new posts since then I also feel that the overall quality of the posts has increased with more videos, links, bigger pictures, them being longer and animated GIFs added even if that can lead to longer loading times at some point. Now part of this assembly of excellence are going to be without any doubt the new additions to the cult sirens section ( which includes many new solo posts but also the casting call for the Justice League of America movie where I still have to do the last post with the alternates ) much to the chagrin of some readers. I know that some readers would prefer it if this was a comics - only blog but there are others who like those posts and you never know how people will discover the blog. And while my motto is not " come for the boobs, stay for the comics " I can´t deny that these posts get more comments than usual.

I tried to do two separate blogs in the past and that didn´t work out. So if you were hoping to see the end to all that boobage I have to inform you that I will continue these posts in 2016 especially since I have now a lot more where I can just re - post the old posts with some new added stuff.

But fear not comic fans there will be still enough comic related posts for you to read. I hope to continue the series I started like DEATH IN COMICS, INFERNO CROSSOVERS and the SECRET WARS II crossovers, John Romita Jr´s DAREDEVIL run, Marc Silvestri´s UNCANNY X - MEN run, 90s comics and REMEMBERING ERIC MASTERSON but I hope I can also do some posts about current comics. I don´t want people to get the wrong impression, that I´m an old fart who only reads old Bronze Age comics and scoffs at all the new comics that come out ( well the " old fart " bit is true and also that I read a lot of Bronze Age comics ) so I will try to write more about new comics even if this seriously endangers my mission statement to concentrate on being positive about comics. My brother had the glorious idea that I should try how long I can post without writing about Marvel or DC but while it´s true that they have enough money to do their own promotion they also tend to be overly optimistic with their own product.

So while they still don´t send me any review copies I will neither try to score points with my readers by bashing DC or Marvel nor try to deny their existence. I will probably still write about the comics I find great ( since I have just gotten DC SHOWCASE PRESENTS : BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS and SUPERMAN - THE MAN OF STEEL 5 as a late Christmas present to myself and have cashed in my other Christmas gift, an amazon gift certificate to pre - order the AVENGERS BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS which contains John Byrne´s run on WEST COAST AVENGERS / AVENGERS: WEST COAST ) but also about those collections where they fumbled the ball.   

That said, I did an " independent comics / non Marvel or DC comics " month before and if there is enough reader interest in that I might give it another go. Especially since there are more of these books in my monthly comic reading stack and the number of posts a month have increased.

And speaking about my comic reading stack, this year I have added quite a lot of new hardcovers to that including some omnibus books and I will try to read these before buying new comics. As always money is tight and while I can´t afford to pass on the occasional bargain book at amazon or my seriously shrunk pull list ( I already missed two issues of ASTRO CITY so I´m thinking of making the switch from single issues to hardbacks ) it may be a good idea to read the comics I have before getting too much new stuff. There are still a few series which I intend to complete and re - read and now that the FANTASY STRONGHOLD has moved into the AIGNER bookstore in Ludwigsburg I will also get the occasional comic book there.

Another new series I hope to start next year will be about the famous Hammer movies since I already did all the necessary GIFs in advance.

Since I mentioned posts where I already prepared stuff for I will probably continue on this blog with the oddest Christmas comic covers I found although I will probably have to split ti into two separate posts : one with the really weird ones and the ones where you either never knew they had a special Christmas issue or where you didn´t know the series existed. 

And another one about Christmas issues of science fiction comics which is not a connection you normally make. Unless you´re from the UK where Christmas and science fiction go hand in hand because of all the Doctor Who Christmas specials and 2000 AD which also has a few issues about that topic like issue 450 with an Alan Davis wraparound cover. Most websites only have the front but I managed to find the complete cover.

And speaking about wraparound covers, some readers might remember that I posted this SUPERMAN / BATMAN comic cover by Jim Aparo.

Well, I have found the comic in question which was not a comic done exclusively for the german market like I first suspected but the cover to WORLD`S FINEST issue 255. Here is the original art for that cover.

Here is the colored version from the GCD website and you can find a bigger size at THE WORLD`S FINEST BLOG which has posts on this and other warparound cover issues like 253 , 254, 256 , 257 and 258 . 

I also hope to post more wraparound covers and original art in 2016. Last but not least there are the cosplay posts I have discontinued and who knows - maybe I´ll even get to finally do my big Yaya Han post after all.

So the clock is ticking down the final minutes of 2015 and it´s once again time to wrap things up and prepare the grapes. Here´s hoping 2016 will be better than 2015, good luck, health and lots of love and comics !

So what are you looking forward to in 2016 ? I have to say for me it´s not so much movies and more television. There are the usual suspects like THE BLACKLIST, SLEEPY HOLLOW, Marvel´s AGENTS OF SHIELD, and DC´s series iZOMBIE and ARROW that I follow but what really has me on the seat of my pants is when they are going to continue with THE FLASH ?



You can´t end the year without posting at least one more video of sexy Yaya Han cosplaying as Chun Li. At least I can´t. Enjoy this one, guys !



So this year is now officially over and the new one has just begun which means it´s time to party down. And if you need a new party game .....



Coming from people with a microphone faking it to people keeping it real here´s another casting video, this time from BRITAIN`S GOT TALENT.



And to end this post in style here´s The Muppets All Star Comedy Gala.



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