Tell me a complete story.

I’m not interested in picking up serial comic books every month for the rest of my life. I’ve moved on from that kind of consumption; frankly, publishers have only themselves to blame. Uneven quality and constant cross-overs keep me from being that kind of shopper anymore.

Dark Horse’s B.P.R.D. is the perfect example of how to do this right. They have been doing focused and complete story arcs for years. Knowing that I’m buying into a complete story line makes it really easy for me to dive in on a somewhat monthly title.

Sure, I mostly read trades these days, but there are still books I’ll pick up month to month if I think they’re worth it. I’m a sucker for mini-series starring characters I love.

Which brings me to…

Figure out how to tell great, but focused, stories with classic characters.

I don’t read monthly superhero titles anymore. Even ones I really like; I just don’t have the comic attention span for that kind of thing anymore. The last run of superhero comics I bought at the store every month was the Bendis/Maleev run on Daredevil. Was it great? It sure was. But when I checked out for a little bit (which I invariably do, because hey, I’m an adult who does a lot more than read comic books) I didn’t find a place to check back in.

But I can respect that. Life goes on, even when I’m not reading your monthly title. But what about all those characters who don’t have a monthly title? Give me some “every once in awhile” mini-series action. It’s perfect for a reader like me. I can get in and get out with a satisfying storyline and feel like I’ve not missed a ton of continuity.

For some reason, Marvel does this with my favorite superhero, Dr. Strange, all the time. This isn’t why he’s one of my favorites, but it doesn’t hurt. DC did a similar thing with a Dr. Fate (another favorite– I’m a slut for occult doctors apparently) a few years back.

(Granted, for Dr. Strange, it always reads like a failed reboot. I can’t wait for the day when they give that character to someone to a horror writer. The scale of his superhero-ness is all off. He should be fighting cultists, scheming against the fiends of hell, and barely getting out with his head attached in fights against things that no man, not even the Sorceror Surpeme, could hope to understand.)

I’m never going to go back to reading five X-Men books a month. That time in my life has passed. But superhero comics could have me back if they would publish short, interesting story lines that don’t require me to stay current with the last decade of that publisher’s catalog.

One of the reasons I loved Marvel’s Ultimates line when it launched was the sense that there was this smaller, contained universe that I could enjoy. I didn’t need to read three X-titles to keep up; I could just read one. I got little bits of favorites like Daredevil and Dr. Strange through mini-series and team-up one-shots.

But then it bloated into cross-overs and the serials lost their edge and sense of cohesive story. It became just another version of the universe I had abandoned.

I realize that this model is incompatible with the current big two giant IP continuity conglomeration they’ve made out of their characters. They just can’t help themselves. That’s probably a big part of the reason I spend most of my superhero comics dollars with publishers like Image and Dark Horse– they give me the complete chunks I need. I just wish I could get a little bit of those classic superheroes I love in that mix too.

Give me a Dr. Strange book circa the late 60′s that doesn’t have the burden of being the magical deus ex machine of the Marvel universe for the last three decades. Give me an uber-cool Nick Fury, super spy, battling modern day terrorists and corporate espionage but without the need for SHIELD to be a piece of glue holding a dozen books together. And do it six issues at a time.

PS–Marvel, if you want to bring back an A/B style Strange Tales featuring a rebooted and universe-schismed Dr. Strange and Nick Fury, I’m your guy. I’ll have a script in your office yesterday.

Blog: My favorite addition to my Google Reader feed in 2010 was OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS. Featuring the overheard ranting of customers at the author’s job at a comic book shop, the single panel stylized cartoon renderings of customers and the dumb-ass things they say is always good for a chuckle. New posts come often, so it’s a perfect addition to your RSS feed.

Book: It snuck in right at the end, but Swords & Dark Magic, edited by Jonathan Strahan and Lou Anders and published by Eos is pretty rad. The cover copy calls it a swords and sorcery revival anthology, but to be honest I found it a bit shallow on the swords. What it does have is very entertaining short stories from great fantasy authors. It’s the one of the best short fiction anthologies I’ve read in recent years. Actually, it’s just one of the best short fiction anthologies I’ve read, period.

Highlights include… you know, they’re all pretty good. Check it out if you’re into dark fantasy. If you’re not sure if this is your thing, this a great sampler to find out.

Movie: Another end of the year entry, Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan takes home the movie prize. It’s a stunning look at obsession, perfection, and self-control. The little touches really push it over the top. I thought the murky liminal trail between magical realism and madness was walked beautifully. Christopher Nolan’s ambitiously imperfect Inception was a favorite as well, but it didn’t have the emotional impact of Black Swan. It was so good at making me feel awful and tense that I’m not sure I ever want to see it again.

Album: My favorite record in 2010 was The Sword’s Warp Riders. I originally heard The Sword in Guitar Hero 2 with their track “Freya.” The Sword creates D&D stoner metal of the highest order, full of references that my barely contained inner 15-year-old can’t get enough of.

Warp Riders features shiny new and improved production value over The Sword’s first two records. Even better, it’s a science fantasy pulp epic. A loosely constructed tale of barbaric archers, prophetic witches, and haughty chronomancers, Warp Riders lives up to it’s 70′s space fantasy cover. It’s equal parts Frank Herbert’s Dune and the bizarre shorts of Jack Vance.

TV: My favorite TV show of 2010 was easily FX’s (now canceled) Terriers. Starring Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James, it was a witty noir about two unlicensed private detectives in San Diego, CA. One was a disgraced former cop and recovering alcoholic. The other was a reformed thief. The dynamic relationship between two men was well written and touching. Terriers was the story of one man trying to put his life back together while another was getting his together for the first time.

What seemed like an episodic “case a week” detective show quickly turned out to be one long noir story of corruption, murder, and character development not usually seen outside of a film. While this probably worked against the show for those dropping in for an episode now and again, it’s what made the entire show so damn good.

Luckily the single season of Terriers hangs together as a coherent story. The end feels more like the end of a novel than a season finale cliffhanger. Granted, it feels like the kind of novel that leaves you ready for a sequel (which is sadly never coming), but I don’t think anyone who loves great television will be sorry if they pick up Terriers when it comes out on DVD.

So, yup. That’s some of my favorite stuff from last year.

I supose when starting a story, there’s an urge to look around, to decide where the best place to begin is. Once the story gets moving, once the plot takes over, the weather is thrown out the fucking window. Defenstrated, as it were.

But at the beginning, at the very beginning, before character or action or any other narrative elements you get the weather. Sometimes it’s just a sentence. Maybe even just a clause in a sentence. But it’s there.

And there’s something beautiful about that. No matter where else you might end up, at the beginning there’s always weather. And as long as there’s weather, there’s always new beginnings.

Outside my window, a gentle rain soaks the newly laid mulch, darkening the asphalt.