Here it is, the last day of the year, and I am going to get caught up today.

429. Continuity by Jason McNamara & Tony Talbert. (Checked out of the library.)
     
430. Avignon: Gods and Demons by Che Gilson & Jimmie Robinson. Perhaps a little too gothy for me, but quite good. (Library.)
     
431. A History of Violence by John Wagner & Vince Locke. There's an aspect to this story that I find stretches my willing suspension of disbelief, but other than that, I really enjoyed this. For a second, I wondered if my sticking point made it into the the movie version, but then I realized that it is something that's right up Cronenberg's alley, so I'm sure it was retained.
     
432. Ghost Rider: The Road to Damnation by Garth Ennis & Clayton Crain. I didn't have high hopes for this, but Ennis is almost always at least entertaining. I was pleasantly surprised. This story felt very In Nomine-ish, and that's a good thing as far as I am concerned. (Library.)
     
433. Blab!, no. 1 by various. A large number of 60's underground comics artists write about how they were influence by EC comics, especially Mad.
     
434. Cowboys & Aliens by Fred Van Lente, Andrew Foley, & Luciano Lima. I picked this up on impulse because it was written by the writer of Action Philosophers! the best comic book about lovers of wisdom (also, it was cheap). Pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but entertaining.
     
435. Marvel Holiday Digest by various.
     Panic, vol. 2 by Al Feldstein, et al.
     
436. The Dark Horse Book of Monsters by various.
     
437. Ex Machina, vol. 4: March to War by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, & Chris Sprouse. I continue to enjoy this series, but I don't have a lot to say about it.
     
438. Sachs & Violens by Peter David & George Perez.
     
439. Ragmop by Rob Walton. I was thrilled when I read that Walton's brilliant series was finally being collected. Unfortunately I felt a little let down when I read it. I think it's because I had built it up in my mind too much in the decade or so since it was originally published. Also, after 6 years of GWB's America, Walton's depiction of the machinations behind the US government doesn't seem nearly as transgressive as it once did. Don't get me wrong, this is still a great & hilarious story about politics, religion, history, and dinosaurs. I just had my expectations too high.
     
440. Dragon Head, vol. 4 by Minetoro Mochizuki. (Library.)
     
441. Dragon Slippers by Rosalind B. Penfold. (Library.)
     
442. Three Tenors: Off Key by Bill Messner-Loebs, Dave Cockrum, & Clifford Meth.0785123210
     
443. Captain America: Red Menace, vol. 1 by Ed Brubaker, et al. (Library.)
     
444. The Authority: The Magnificent Kevin by Garth Ennis & Carlos Ezquerra. (Library.)
     
445. Frontline Combat, vol.3 by Harvey Kurtzman, et al.
     
446. Crime SuspenStories by various.
     
447. Pocket Essentials: Alan Moore by Lance Parkin. A slim but very informative book about Moore's writing history. I liked this, but was puzzled by a couple of gratuitous swipes at Neil Gaiman.
     
448. Fiddling for Waterbuffaloes by S.P. Somtow.
     
449. Bleach, vol. 16: Night of Wijnruit by Tite Kubo.
     
450. Fables, vol. 8: Wolves by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, & Shawn McManus. While I enjoy Willingham's writing, there's something about it that has bothered me for a while. I have finally figured out what it is: his characters are too rational. In his stories, nobody ever does something stupid because they weren't thinking or because they were caught up in the moment. I'm not saying his characters are unemotional, just that they never let emotions affect their judgment.
     
451. Supreme Power, vol. 2 by J. Michael Straczynski, Gary Frank, & Dan Jurgens.
     
452. Maison Ikkoku, vol. 14 by Rumiko Takahashi.
     
453. Maison Ikkoku, vol. 15 by Rumiko Takahashi. I used to say that Inu Yasha was Takahashi's best work, but that was before it started dragging on & on. It's got a great mix of adventure, romance, & comedy, but it has gone on too long. Maison Ikkoku on the other hand, wraps up nicely in 15 volumes. I haven't read everything Takahashi has written, but right now I believe this is her best work. This is a lovely, sweet ending to the series.
     
454. The Order of the Stick, vol. 0: On the Origin of the PCs by Rich Burlew. Finally bought a copy of this.
     
455. Blowing Up Hong Kong by Chris Jones. This is a source book for the Feng Shui role playing game.
     
456. The Twelve Terrors of Christmas by John Updike & Edward Gorey.
     
457. The Five Fists of Science by Matt Fraction & Steven Sanders. Nicola Tesla & Mark Twain vs. J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, & Thomas Edison. What's not to love? (Library.)
     
458. The New Avengers, vol. 4: The Collective by Brian Michael Bendis, Steve McNiven, & Mike Deodato Jr. (Library.)
     
459. Runaways, vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan, Adrian Alphona, & Takeshi Miyazawa.
     
460. Lost Girls by Alan Moore & Melinda Gebbie. Sometimes this worked for me, sometimes it didn't. If nothing else, it's interesting. But then Moore's writing always is.

As I am unlikely to finish any more books in the 6.5 hours until midnight, this concludes my listing for 2006. Join me next year, when I will update more frequently: at least once a week for books, and at least one more post a week for movies (until I get caught up on them; but since it's been something like a year & a half since I listed any movies, that should last a while).