2005 has come and gone, and again my look back at the past year is delayed much like the 2004 version. Anyway, on with the retrospective...

COMICS
Grant Morrison and Philip Bond's marriage of Bollywood, Jack Kirby, and Japanese manga should have been a disastrous monstrosity. However, the resultant three-issue Vimanarama mini-series was one of the most brilliant and entertaining comics I have read in recent memory, and certainly one of the most memorable Vertigo releases in a very long time. The timing of it's release is very apropos considering the upsurge in popularity Indian pop culture is having in England, as well as the apocalyptic millennial fever people have been buzzing on since the onset of the third millennium.

Marvel Comics produced three very entertaining mini-series throughout 2005, which is a real surprise for me since I usually shy away from most such releases from Marvel. Zeb Wells and Skottie Young's New Warriors re-creates the teenage 1990s superteam as a reality TV show replete with TV producers dictating the direction of the show, the clichéd bickering we have come to associate with such television programming, and even behind the scenes manipulation. This interpretation of the New Warriors really surprised me, as I was a major fan of its original (and more traditional) version. Skottie Young's cartoonish artwork works well with the cornball storyline, making the book look more like a modern day Cartoon Network animated series than the hyper-realistic artwork Marvel Comics is churning out these days.

Another welcome return is the Defenders, under the creative watch of the same people who made the Justice League funny back in the 1980s. Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire brings their sense of comedy to Doctor Strange, Namor, Silver Surfer, and Hulk - four characters that one would not expect to work within a comedic backdrop. Adding in familial bickering between Dormammu and Umar was pure genius on their part.

Lastly, there's Supreme Power: Nighthawk, focusing on J. Michael Straczynski's revamped version of Nighthawk from Supreme Power, which was basically a re-imagining of the Squadron Supreme, which in turn was Marvel Comics' parody of the Justice League of America. Nighthawk was the team's Batman analogue, and this six-issue mini-series by Daniel Way and Steve Dillon has Nighthawk going up against a serial killer known as Whiteface, basically a Joker analogue. Unlike the PG-13 encounters between Batman and Joker, this MAX mini-series features a no-holds barred encounter that one realistically should have expected from Batman were he not a cultural and corporate icon.

GRAPHIC NOVELS
I didn't purchase many new graphic novels in 2005, as most of my purchases revolved around picking up titles from DC Comics' backlist. The only new release that bears mentioning is Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Absolute Edition, a massive, oversized dual hardcover slipcased set reprinting the groundbreaking mini-series by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez that redefined the DC Universe 21 years ago. Seeing George Pérez's detailed artwork in oversized format is a real treat, allowing every minute detail in his intricately detailed artwork to leap off the page. Apart from the 370 page hardcover book reprinting the story, there's also a 96 page companion outlining the history of the project from original germination and proposal in 1981 until it's release in 1985 and beyond. Plus, the dustjackets for both books feature brand new artwork created specifically for this release by Pérez, all wrapped up in a slipcase reproducing Pérez and Alex Ross' painting that was produced for the original hardcover release for Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1998. Despite it's hefty US$99.99 price tag, every single penny is well spent on this amazing book.

WRITERS
Grant Morrison totally owned 2005 with his prodigious output from DC Comics throughout the year, with the third of his pop Vertigo mini-series Vimanarama (the other two being Seaguy and We3, both of which were released in 2004), followed by the Seven Soldiers mega-project which was preceded by a three-issue collaboration with Ed McGuinness that launched the JLA Classified series. And throughout all these, Morrison somehow manages to retain quality to go along with the vast volume of work he created. For those not in the know, Seven Soldiers is a massive 30-issue story that is split into seven separate four-issue mini-series, as well as two bookend issues. Coupled with amazing artists such as Cameron Stewart, Ryan Sook, Frazer Irving, Doug Mahnke, and Simone Bianchi (among others), this event showcased Grant Morrison's considerable penchant for pop superheroics and weirdness not seen since his days on Animal Man and Doom Patrol. He ended the year with the launch of All Star Superman with Frank Quitely. With only one issue released in 2005, it was nevertheless one of the most brilliant interpretation of the Superman mythos in recent memory, marrying the whacked out Silver Age ideas and concepts with modern storytelling techniques, filled to the brim with the signature Grant Morrison insanity.

J. Michael Straczynski wrapped up the first salvo of Supreme Power with the same intelligent and sophisticated storytelling that I have come to expect from him, truly the finest book published by Marvel Comics in recent memory. However, with Supreme Power ended and replaced by a non-mature reader Squadron Supreme relaunch waiting in 2006, it remains to be seen if Straczynski is able to continue weaving his magic.

Another writer that caught my attention throughout 2005 include Geoff Johns for his brilliant work on Teen Titans as well as (surprisingly) living up to the immense hype surrounding Infinite Crisis. Teen Titans is amazing, and is the best incarnation of the team since the Marv Wolfman/George Pérez hey days of the franchise. Lastly, I'd be remiss if I failed to mention Marc Sumerak for his work on Power Pack and Franklin Richards, two titles that surprised me by being kid-friendly and yet managed to entertain and delight the jaded comic book fan in me.

ARTISTS
Frazer Irving was an unfamiliar name that literally came out of nowhere and knocked my eye balls off from their sockets with the gorgeous work he produced in Seven Soldiers: Klarion the Witch Boy. Another 2000 A.D. alumnus, Irving's artwork combining traditional pencils with computer enhanced colour, producing a painted look that is reminiscent of oils mixed with medieval European woodcuts, giving Seven Soldiers: Klarion the Witch Boy such a unique visual identity.

Similar to Frazer Irving, Simone Bianchi also came out of nowhere to surprise with his amazing work on Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight. Hailing from Italy, this veteran of European comics finally crossed the Atlantic to make his mark on American comics, bringing with him his beautifully painted artwork that reminds me of the best of Travis Charest and Alejandro Jodorowsky. The almost monochromatic palette employed in Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight works in bringing out the grime and drudge that is the world the Shining Knight inhabits.

Jim Lee remains an ever present favourite. Unfortunately, his artwork was saddled by his collaboration with Brian Azzarello on Superman, and Frank Miller on All Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder. Both of these books drew controversy over their decidedly different takes on Superman and Batman, and I am betting were it not for Jim Lee's artwork, the critical shitstorm would have been considerably worse.

Melvin Rubi has definitely evolved since his early days working as fill-in artist for Marvel Comics' staple of X-titles. Following the success of Dark Horse Comics' Conan, Dynamite Entertainment returned Red Sonja to comics, with Melvin Rubi employing tightly detailed pencils digitally painted over to reproduce what was successfully employed in Conan. However, despite using a copycat technique, Rubi manages to stunning artwork that in no way is a copy of that used by Cary Nord.

Lee Bermejo provided the artwork for the Lex Luthor: Man of Steel five-issue mini-series. Written by Brian Azzarello, this mini-series shows the world from Luthor's point of view where Metropolis owes it's success to him and Superman is a gravely dangerous alien threat that has to be removed before he causes further damage. Not many artists can pull off scary imageries of Superman, but Bermejo somehow manages to succeed.

DVDs
Warner Home Video must love releasing large multi-disc box sets, as evidenced by Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997, an eight disc monstrosity that houses double disc special editions of all four Batman motion pictures under the Burton/Schumacher era. While these special editions are available separately, I thoroughly enjoyed three of the four movies in the series and the price of this box set is roughly equivalent to buying three of the Batman special editions separately anyway. Think of Batman & Robin as a freebie, and you'll do fine. However, in defence of the beleaguered 1997 motion picture, it's supplementary features on the second disc were highly entertaining and illuminating.

On top of that, it's a treat to be able to watch the first three movies in DTS 5.1 audio, as well as having audio commentaries and a whole slew of special features that were missing from the initial bare-bones DVD releases of these movies. With the exception of Tim Burton's Batman, which I felt suffered from grainy video and thinny audio, everything else is amazing from a technical standpoint. I was really impressed at how well Batman Returns was presented, considering it was released theatrically back in 1992.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Lucasfilm completes the DVD release of the Star Wars motion picture series with Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. As with the previous movie, this DVD features crystal clear video thanks to the 1080p24 HD source material that was used to film the movie, as well as a rumbling and aggressive Dolby Digital 5.1 EX audio track that blows away the DTS audio tracks on most other DVD releases. Apart from housing the best entry in the prequel trilogy, the supplementary disc boasts the highly informative Within A Minute feature that shows the amount of work, preparation, and talent involved in producing a sequence in the movie that is barely 50 seconds long. Despite it's faults, I found Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith to be highly entertaining and is every bit as good as the now legendary original Star Wars trilogy.

MOVIES
My favourite movie of 2005 was one I was robbed of the opportunity to catch on the big screen, thanks to the Malaysian Censorship Board. That movie is Robert Rodriguez's of Sin City, which is literally a word for word, panel for panel adaptation of Frank Miller's classic noir series. Filmed entirely against a green screen backdrop with minimal props and sets similar to what George Lucas employs on the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Robert Rodriguez somehow managed to reproduce the high contrast style used by Frank Miller to illustrate the comics, creating the most accurate film adaptation of a comic book ever. Pulling in Frank Miller himself to help direct portions of the movie, as well as a guest spot by Quentin Tarantino, coupled with an all star cast that featured the likes of Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Michael Madsen, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Alexis Bledel, Carlo Gugino, Powers Boothe, Elijah Wood, and Benicio Del Toro, Sin City is a visual and aural spectacle that reminds us of the genius behind Frank Miller's considerable talents.

Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit finally brings the intrepid duo to the big screen, after three amazing (and critically acclaimed) shorts that aired on BBC eons ago. Despite the proliferation of CGI in the field of animation, it's a welcome breath of fresh air to see the art of claymation. I'm as big a fan of CGI as the next person, but there's something about claymation that makes it unique among other forms of animation. The amount of detail Nick Park and the gang at Aardman films managed to create a film that is genuinely entertaining to kids as well as sneaking in a few naughty details that only adults will catch. I certainly hope to see more big screen adventures of Wallace and Gromit in the near future.

What more can be said about Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith that hasn't already been said? This is what the entire prequel trilogy is all about - the fall of Anakin Skywalker and his rebirth as Darth Vader. This movie had everything missing from the other two installments of the prequel trilogy - namely real drama and suspense, as I felt the first two movies were more like History Channel dramatization of Star Wars history. The destruction of the Jedi was a truly harrowing sight, and the light saber duel between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi was equal parts exciting, spine-tingling action and tragedy. Sure, there are a few hokey bits such as the death of Padmé Amidala, but the movie was a successful payoff for the most part as far as I am concerned.