Comic strips:
Dilbert - dude, it was like the guy had visited our workplace. Scary.
Garfield - one of my all time faves.
Calvin & Hobbes - hard to beat a boy and his tiger.
Far Side - Midvale School for the Gifted. ‘Nuff said.

Comix: too many series to name them all. Here’s a couple. I’ll get back to you on the rest.
Dynamo Joe: cool Japanese Robot stuff.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: still one of the coolest, most original series. The first 12 or so issues can be read at their website, BTW. Spinoffs like Miami Mice, and Adolescent Radioactive Blackbelt Hamsters are worth a look as well.
Teen Titans: back when they were fighting Deathstroke. That marked my entrance into the DC Universe.
Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos: This was one my dad read, and he let me read his collection. Typically Marvel, and yet a great character (what it is about guys with no powers?).

I’m also a huge fan of limited series. Here are some of my faves.
Wolverine (the original by Frank Miller)
Longshot is there any cooler idea in all of comics than a guy who has good luck, only to find out he’s causing other people bad luck to get it? Well, prolly so, but I still like this one.
Batman: Year One I liked this one slightly better than The Dark Knight. I’m probably in the minority here.
Crisis on Infinite Earths epic. Stinks that Flash died, though.
Secret Wars how Spidey really got his black costume.
Spanner’s Galaxy a guy who can travel by exchanging places with someone else in another part of the galaxy (castling), and who carries an ancient edged weapon instead of a blaster.

Favorite comic book character:
Booster Gold - why? I can’t say for certain.
I guess a guy who wants to be a hero so bad that he does all the wrong thing to become one, then has to learn what it really means…I guess that resonates with me. If the twelve disciples were superheroes, they’d be a lot more like him than Batman or Superman.

P.S. Count me in for the marathon thing. Any and all.

Guests I’d see if I could include Jim Lee (one of my fave artists), J. Michael Straczynski, and Connie Willis.

And why did Russell T. Davies and John Barrowman decide to attend, and not the Doctor and one of his companions, too?!

Anyway.

Hey, I thought Sky Captain was teh aw3som3.

Seriously, I got a huge kick out of it.

Wow, that’s really cool to hear, Charlie! I had no idea you liked it, too. If only we could have a Doctor Who or even LOTR marathon someday, and watch Sky Captain during our “break.” Alas.

Jason said:

Spiderman II. This one was tough, as I can think of others (X-Men; Superman; etc…). However, this is the only one that features some screenshots of the Marshman!

That’s right! I’d almost forgotten you were a special guest at Mary Jane’s wedding — right behind J. Jonah Jameson as I remember. And you were in other fine productions such as Starsky and Hutch and The West Wing, yeah?

BTW, I’m surprised you didn’t mention the Vampire Lestat comics!

Nice column, but now I feel a need to weigh-in on these subjects!

FAVE ANIMATED FILMS:
1. Beauty and the Beast. Yeah, I loved that one, too. It was absolutely magical, and besides my crush on Beauty/Belle, there’s something to be said about a film in which Angela Landsbury sings.

2. The Secret of Nimh. Wow; environmentalism that came WAY AHEAD of the curve. So powerful a film, that it actually got my young little brain workin’ on social responsibilities…

3. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Yes, I also think ACBC is notable, but nothing comes close to the orignal Grinch for me. I was mesmerized.

FAVE ANIME
1. Grave of the Fireflys. Goodness gracious, I’ve never cried so much in a film, except maybe _Mask_ in the ’80’s, but let’s not go there…

2. Princess Mononoke. Yep, that was pretty good.

3. Ghost In the Shell. Wowie. A sci-fi flavor sensation! Well ahead of its time, and awesome to watch at any time.

FAVE CARTOONS
1. Voltron -the 5 Lions Series. Awesomeness. Absolute and total awesomeness that helped inspire me for the school day (I would get up early just to watch it). Of course, what I did on the playground after such “inspiration…” Ah, youth.

2. Duck Tales. Yes, I agree with Patrick on this, it was a blast to watch.

3. Animaniacs. I almost feel they don’t belong here, as this show was so subversive (at times) and sarcastic of cartoons in general -but it is a cartoon. It’s that contradiction that made me love it so.

FAVE COMIC BOOKS
1. The Dark Knight Returns. No question here, this is the best comic I ever read. I put it ahead even of Watchmen. Because of this book alone, I get goose-bumps whenever I see Frank Miller’s name attached to anything…

2. Batman: Year One. Powerful and thoughtful. Again, I prefer a more mature approach to my pulp.

3. Aliens vs. Predator. A brilliant concept; the movies are a paltry, and failed, adaptation.

Fave Comic Book or Superhero Movies
1. Batman Begins. I agree with Patrick’s comments, though I suspect Dark Knight will share this space with Begins in due time.

2. Batman (Tim Burton). Thank you for reviving the genre, and re-imagining its potential. Oh, and Michael Keaton was frickin’ AMAZING. I still prefer him to Bale.

3. Spiderman II. This one was tough, as I can think of others (X-Men; Superman; etc…). However, this is the only one that features some screenshots of the Marshman!

Fave Comic Strips
1. The Far Side. Mooo.

2. Calvin and Hobbes. I concur here with the esteemed Mr. Patrick.

3. Political Cartoons… Not a title, but a fantastic catagory.

Fave Computer Animation
1. Toy Story. The first, and the best, of the Pixar masterpieces.

2. The Incredibles. ‘Nuff said. *(oops, shouldn’t that comment be in another catagory?…)

3. A Bug’s Life. I think this was the first film I bought on DVD. It really made the format look great!

And, I think I’ll take a flying-pass on that last catagory…

Cheers, Patrick, and all!

Seriously, I got a huge kick out of it.

I really liked the MTV animated version of “The Maxx.” Really messed with your head.