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Works Cited

for Comic Books: Modern American Mythology

· -Adams, Neal; O’Neil, Dennis. Green Lantern * Green Arrow. Vol. 1-2. New York, New York. DC Comics. 2004.

· -Brownstein, Charles; Eisner, Will; Miller, Frank. Eisner/Miller. Canada. Dark Horse Books. May, 2005.

· -Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With A Thousand Faces (third edition). Princeton, NJ. Princeton University Press. 1973.

· -Campbell, Joseph; Moyers, Bill. The Power of Myth. New York, NY. Anchor Books. July, 1991 (originally published in 1988)

· -Didio, Dan (editor - various writers). Showcase: Legion of Superheroes. Vol. 1-2. New York, New York. DC Comics. 2008.

· -Falk, Ben. “Comic Books: The American Mythology”. April 18, 2005.

· -Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York, New York. Warner Books. 1969.

· -Jacobs, Will; Jones, Gerard. The Comic Book Heroes: From the Silver Age to the Present. New York, New York. Crown Publishers, Inc. 1985.

· -Kidd, Chip; Ross, Alex; Spear, Geoff. Mythology. New York, NY. Pantheon Books. 2005.

· -Oeming, Michael; Wagner, Matt. “Michael Avon Oeming Takes On Matt Wagner”. May 12, 2006.

· -Ross, Alex; Waid, Mark. Kingdom Come. New York, NY. DC Comics. 2006.

· -Smith, Ron. Mythologies of the World: A Guide to Sources. Utah State University, Utah. National Council of teachers of English, 1981.

somehow this isn't surprising

phoenix design

Top 5 for 2006

Well, I finally managed to pick my top 5 books for 2006... this was a grueling process as there were many books that I enjoyed this year. Anyway, here's what I came up with!

#5
X-Factor (Peter David)

One of the only Marvel books I like anymore! Well, at least that's part of their usual continuity. Peter David has made characters that I never really cared for seem new and interesting while maintaining an incredible overall story. You can't ask for more than that!

#4
52 (various)

A good, consistent, weekly comic... not to mention an event comic that actually introduces new readers to DC. It was somewhat hit and miss early on, but it picked up fast. The Black Adam family has been one of the more interesting stories, but this book is almost always the first I read when I get my books (unless LoSH came out!)

#3
Mouse Guard (David Peterson)

I love this book - a great action/adventure story that can be enjoyed by any age. The art is appealing as well!

#2
Fables (Bill Willingham/various)

Fables also made my list last year, and it has continued to be a consistently well written book. Not only are there constantly new characters being introduced and new worlds that we're able to explore, but we also get to see how the characters we already know progress. This isn't only a great series - it also was one of my favorite issues this year - Fables #50. Bigby Wolf and Snow White's wedding alone made this book guaranteed a spot in my Top 5.

#1
Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes (Mark Waid/Barry Kitson - usually)

This was my pick for the best book of the year without even thinking about it. Not only is it fantastic to have a solid Legion book around again, but having Mark Waid writing it makes it even better. Not only is it a fun book, but it manages to tell the story of many different heroes while maintaining an overall ongoing plot at the same time. The introduction of Supergirl made the series even better. Not only is the a better version of the latest Supergirl incarnation (I'm not to fond of her in the 21st century at the moment) but she adds a dynamic to the Legion that has been missing since the Giffen retcons. Hands down the best series this year!


An extra kudos to Kurt Busiek (Aquaman and Action Comics) and Gail Simone's books in general (Birds of Prey, Atom, Gen13, Secret Six to name a few...). I've enjoyed everything they've written this year.

Some others that were good but didn't make the cut...

Invincible
Shadow Pact
X-Men Fairytales
X-Men First Class
Nightwing
Loveless
Fell
Batman (Monster Men and Mad Monk)

I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting at the moment, but I think I covered most of them :)

Christmas

Not to write another depressing post - but I guess this is in some ways a follow up from last post.

I love Christmas and I hate it.

And let me start out by saying while I know Christmas is a religious holiday to most, to me it has always been about family and giving to those you care about - not about religion.

I love the idea of Christmas. When you're a little kid Christmas is totally about getting toys and hanging out with your family (who you are probably too young to have any issues with). I remember how hard it was to fall asleep on Christmas Eve. My sister and I would wait anxiously and sneak out of our rooms to talk to each other about what would happen in the morning. We always felt as if we couldn't possibly go to sleep because we were too excited. We'd eagerly wait up hoping to hear a reindeer land on the roof (while not entirely sure if we really believed the whole Santa thing). Eventually, without really remembering how, we'd fall asleep for a few fitful hours and then wake our parents up before the sun was in the sky. Christmas was one of the best things in life.

One of my fondest memories is of a Christmas when we were at my grandparents house. I really wanted this stuffed cat that year - Oliver, from Disney's Oliver and Company. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and going downstairs and seeing that cat underneath the tree. I was so happy. It's sometimes hard to remember the times when something so small could make me so happy. My Dad was down there, I forget why, but I remember I stayed down there with him looking at the tree until I fell asleep.

As I got older, I still enjoyed Christmas, but it was a little bit different. Family still played a big part but somewhere along the way it became more about giving gifts to other people that would make them happy. It became my goal to pas on the feeling of getting that Oliver cat to others. Even now I work really hard at getting people things that will make them smile. In fact, as Christmas became less and less what I remember it being, I try harder and harder to make the people I care about happy on that day. Now, with this being the first Christmas I've ever spent apart from my family, that's beginning to drive me crazy.

I beginning to hate Christmas because no matter how hard I try it seems to make people sad - including me.

I just don't have the resources to make the Christmas I want - it seems like everything is about making ends meet now. It's not even finding gifts for people, I plan that stuff out in advance for the most part, and honestly sometimes it's better to try and DO something for someone rather than try and buy them stuff. But it's still a little depressing to want to be able to buy someone a present you know would really make their day but not be able to because you just can't afford to spend the $20. It's even more depressing to not be able to get a Christmas tree. It's just one of those things that made it feel like Christmas - decorating the tree with your friends and family. Even just waking up Christmas Eve night to drink hot chocolate and stare at the lights on the tree in your living room.

And worst of all is when you're far away from home your family's not there and a majority of your friends are either going home or have their families in the area. So then it seems like all you have left is a house with no festivity, family that you can't see, and stress about how to even afford presents for anyone, much less afford to mail them out.

Don't get me wrong, it's not really as bleak as I make it sound. I have my boyfriend here, he just doesn't have quite the same attachment I have to this holiday. It's just that it's getting harder and harder to keep trying to make Christmas happen.

I guess I'm just wishing for a better world, where Christmas creates joy, not stress, and brings people together. Sometimes life seemed easier when something as simple as a stuffed cat could make me so happy.

I'll just have to find a way to let go of all the old Christmases and learn to build my own Christmas :)