It took me awhile to get around to writing this, as can be seen by the byline date just above this paragraph. 2004 was a major year in every possible way for comics, DVDs, and even videogames. Some of the biggest releases in recent memory were released, all of them creating excitement on a level that has not been seen in years.

Controversy and disasters earmarked 2004. Crossgen collapsed very early in 2004, with Marvel and DC reaping the benefits of ex-Crossgen creators moving back to them with renewed creative energy and expanded techniques. And then there was the Asian tsunami disaster on Boxing Day that greatly affected many countries in this region, resulting in tremendous humanitarian and economic loss.

Personally, 2004 was a year of contrasts - with major highs and low sweeping across every aspect of my life. Then again, these are mostly recounted in my LiveJournal. Let's get on to the other stuff that highlighted 2004

COMICS
What could possibly be bigger or more memorable than DC Comics' Identity Crisis? This seven issue mini-series by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales brought back the concept of company wide crossovers, the difference being between this one and those that came before is that the story totally rocked (for the most part). While it may not establish new levels of creativity in comics, it instilled great excitement in me, something that I have not felt in monthly comics for many years now. The month long wait between issues was utterly excruciating, a welcome throwback to the anticipation and fun of serial comics.

Another great project that came in late in the year is Warren Ellis and Chris Spouse's Ocean, which only two of the six issues were released on 2004. But it was already evident even in the very first issue that this is one of the smartest sacrifice comic in ages, a genre that has been largely ignored these days outside of the Star Wars books which were more swashbuckling adventure than pure science fiction. Ocean reminds me of Stanley Ku brick's2001, only much cooler and blessed with Warren Ellis' trademark smart dialogue.

Joe Casey and Steve Park house'sThe Milkman Murders was an eye-opener with it's shocking story that contrasts diametrically against the cartoonish artwork. I can safely say that it is the best horror comic I have had the pleasure to enjoy since the original 30 Days of Night from 2002.

Lastly, the shamefully ignored Mary Jane series by Sean McKeever and Takeshi Miyazawa proved to be an immense surprise for myself as I would have never expected to enjoy a teenage romance comic. Granted it takes place in a version of the Marvel Universe and Spider-Man plays a supporting role, but the superhero element only serves to add flavour to a story that would have been equally good despite it.

GRAPHIC NOVELS
There can only be one bookshelf release throughout the year that can grab the title of being the best of 2004 - Jeff Smith and Cartoon Books' mammoth 1400-page Bone: The One Volume Edition tome. A feat of publishing engineering, one would have thought such a high page count would be impossible for a softcover book. It was also a great financial value, collecting the entire series for only US$39.95, which is only a fraction of the cost of buying the individual issues or trade paperback releases.

Kurt Busiek and George Pérez's super-hero magnum opus JLA/Avengers was given the red carpet hardcover treatment by DC Comics with a US$75 oversized dual hardcover slipcased release that really showcased Pérez's intricately detailed and beautiful artwork. Luxurious and almost exorbitant, DC Comics' usual high production values for their deluxe hardcover projects is on display on every single page.

WRITERS
While I can safely say that other writers' work was on a higher creative caliber than that of Brad Meltzer's work on Identity Crisis, he made monthly comics viable again by forcing one to look forward to the next issue. Identity Crisis was highly controversial, got a lot of people talking about it, and even garnering mainstream media coverage. It became 2004's version of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns in terms of popularity and attention.

Two writers who are renowned for their works in the superhero genre explored two separate divergent genres through Dark Horse Comics, and the result was two major, major surprises that quite literally blew away whatever misconceptions that I have initially had against it. These two writers are Joe Casey and Kurt Busiek, and the projects are The Milkman Murders and Conan respectively.

Meanwhile, J. Michael Straczynski continues to do genius work on Supreme Power despite being plagued by scheduling issues throughout the year. For myself, Supreme Power is one of the most intelligent rendition of the superhero genre I have had the pleasure to read. Unfortunately, for all of Straczynski's genius on Supreme Power, his work on Amazing Spider-Man, and Strange left a lot to be desired, with the former eschewing good storytelling for cheap shock tactics and controversy, and the latter relying on dialogue to carry a rather thin story that copies heavily from The Matrix.

ARTISTS
Steve Parkhouse is admittedly an unconventional choice for favourite artist of 2004, but his cartoonish artwork used in Joe Casey's dark and grim The Milkman Murders was not only surprisingly suitable, it also made the events portrayed in the story all the more chilling and disturbing. It's certainly a very daring artistic direction to go, but Parkhouse manages to pull it off flawlessly.

Jim Lee makes a return to monthly comics with a 12-issue run on Superman, every inch as jaw-droppingly beautiful as his 2003 run on Batman, although he has chosen to rely on the traditional style that he has used for most projects since his tenure on Uncanny X-Men over a decade ago, dropping his experimentation with watercolours as seen in Batman or his contribution to the 9-11 anthology.

Another welcome return to monthly comics is Carlos Pacheco, coming in at the end of the year on Superman/Batman, a title that I thought suffered greatly under the artwork of Pat Lee and Michael Turner for most of 2004. Another Superman/Batman alumnus, Ed McGuinness, returned to the spotlight with his collaboration with Grant Morrison debuting the new JLA Classified series.

However, the biggest surprise of the year was definitely Cary Nord, who's pencils on Dark Horse Comics' relaunch of Conan instills the spirit of Frank Frazetta and Barry Windsor-Smith's visual interpretations of Robert E. Howard's long surviving icon of fantasy pulp fiction without sacrificing his own unique visual signature. I've been interested in his talent ever since his tenure on Daredevil, and it will definitely be an interesting journey to see how Nord continues to improve himself in the years to come.

Last but not least, we have Takeshi Miyazawa, who's work on Mary Jane as well as a two-issue stint on Runaways. He is one of the rare artists that can convey the spirit and feeling of teenage youth on the printed page without making them look like miniature adults. His rendition of Mary Jane is absolutely perfect, and is my personal favourite outside of John Romita Sr's classic look for the character.

DVDs
2004 continues the tradition of mega box sets with Warner Home Video's release of the Ultimate Matrix Collection boxed set. This mammoth 10-disc set houses not only the three films that make up the Matrix trilogy, but also the Animatrix shorts and six fully packed DVDs worth of special features and documentaries that touches on literally everything ranging from the movies' production to the philosophy behind the Wachowski Brothers' ideas. The amount of material covered within is so comprehensive and detailed, it almost borders on overkill. Everything that one would ever want or need to know about the Matrix trilogy is found within this boxed set, and the only shortcoming I can see is the absence of an audio commentary by the Wachowski Brothers.

New Line Home Entertainment completes the extended Lord of the Rings trilogy with the release of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Extended Edition, which is identical to the earlier releases in terms of technical excellence, excellent documentaries, and fantastic audio and visuals. I may not be a big fan of Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's literary classic, but I am definitely amazed and in awe of the effort and quality of the work put into its production. In fact, it gets my vote for the best aural and visual DVD presentation for 2004 with pristine video with nary a hint of MPEG2 compression artefacts and a crystal clear, aggressive, rumbling DTS-ES 6.1 audio track.

Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment unfortunately fumbled the ball with the release of the Star Wars Trilogy boxed set with technical issues with the Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, disappointing lack of special features, and the unavailability of the original theatrical versions. Still, Lowry Digital did a fantastic job with the digital restoration and will definitely be the best these movies will look at least until their inevitable release on an HD format. The extended cut of Empire of Dreams is interesting, entertaining and highly educational, but there should be more considering the importance these movies play in cinematic history.

MOVIES
I did not get to sample many movies throughout 2004 due to job commitments and what not, but Spider-Man 2 is without a doubt at the top of a very short list. One of those rare sequels that is better than the original in every possible manner, which is a very impressive feat considering the first movie was considered one of the best comic to movie adaptation by critics and fans alike. I particularly loved the transformation of Otto Octavius to Dr Octopus, and his ultimate redemption at the movie's climax. The effects work is greatly improved and both new and returning cast members all fit their respective roles perfectly.

Next is Michael Moore's high profile and controversial documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, with it's scathing but honest criticism at everything that's wrong with the Bush administration in the United States, and also the 'War On Terror'. It was a very enlightening experience, opening my eyes in more ways than one. Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me is another great documentary that's entertaining, hilarious, and educational, where the director puts himself on front of the camera and subjects himself to a non-stop barrage of McDonald's meals. It is like watching a train wreck - the outcome is awful but one cannot help but just look at it.

Raunchy teen comedies continue to make their comeback in 2004, and while the majority of them were commercial tripe and barely worthy of a trailer download, two of them caught my attention and had my in stitches by the end of the movie. These two movies are Eurotrip and Girl Next Door, capturing my attention with their likeable cast, interesting concept, and ingenious soundtracks. The former served as a perfect tourism advertisement for Europe as far as I am concerned, while the latter proves that Elisha Cuthbert is more than just a pretty face and is capable of playing more than just a simple damsel in distress.

PLAYSTATION2
There were so many high profile releases throughout 2004 that many game critics and reviewers online considered it to be one of the finest years in gaming history. While the likes of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Halo 2, Doom 3, and Half-Life 2 garnered all the attention and publicity, the now aging PlayStation2 platform had its fair share of hits.

Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War was Namco's latest foray into the flight combat genre, and just like previous installments of this highly regarded series, this latest iteration is a joy to play with realistic graphics and audio coupled with highly responsive controls and a surprisingly good storyline. This, above all other games for the PlayStation2 platform, had me in front of the television screen for literally hours before I eventually stopped due to exhaustion or work.

EA Games' Need For Speed Underground 2 is the first installment in the long running racing franchise that I picked up since the 32-bit era. The Career Mode is where the meat of the game is to be found, making the single player game something to look forward to, which is an element that is becoming increasingly ignored in this genre thanks to the advent of on-line multiplayer functionality in the current generation of videogame consoles.

Another sequel clocks in at this list with Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. It features the best audio and video I have ever seen on the PlayStation2, proving that creator/producer Hideo Kojima and his team of programmers/designers/developers still have it in them. While I enjoyed the game for the most part, I have to disagree with most other people in their outright admiration for the new camouflage and outdoor system. I acknowledge the brilliant execution of these inventive ideas, but I can't help but miss the gameplay mechanics of the two earlier games. And it is for that reason alone that I did not choose it as my favourite of 2004.

Lastly, Konami and well known wrestling game developer Yuke's Media Creations delivered an oddball title that is blatantly designed for the under-30 heterosexual male gaming audience. The game I'm talking about is Rumble Roses, a wrestling game whose main selling point is detailed CG models of scantily clad female wrestlers. Throw in a mud wrestling mode, naughty alternate personas/costumes, and a Z-grade movie plot involving mind control and genetic alteration, it is impossible to categorize this as anything other than a guilty pleasure.