Spending the last week dwelling on what I liked about the past year really made me look forward to the next. However, just like Christmas it wouldn’t seem right if I didn’t have a wish list of things I’m hoping to see in the next twelve months. So here it is (once again in no particular order):

7 Things I’d Love to See in 2011

1. A year-long reprieve from universe-wide crossovers

I know I’m not alone is feeling a little burned out on all of these massive universe-wide crossover events (I’m looking at you, Marvel). It used to be that you’d see one every four to six months, but for the past few years the comics industry have been stringing them together back to back. Sure, some of them have been good, even great. Events like Dark Reign, Siege, and Blackest Night will stay in my books as some of the best overarching storylines I’ve ever seen, but I think we all need a break! I remember a time when you could pick up a comic and not have to think “Well, now I just have to pick up six other titles and this will make sense to me.” Continuity is great, but that’s not why most people started reading comics.

2. The next installment of Sky Doll

I got hooked on this series when the first trade came into the store a while back. What caught my attention was that it was a beautifully drawn, original story that blended science fiction, religion, and fantasy…then it stopped on a massive cliff hanger. If there’s one series I want to see picked back up next year, Sky Doll is it.

3. The Return of the Sentry

It isn’t very often that you get a hero with the villain already built in. The Sentry was incredible because he started off seeming like some knockoff version of Superman, but then grew and developed into one of my favorite Marvel creations. He was more than just a hero with issues, which are pretty common in the Marvel Universe; he was a man who was quite literally at war with himself.

It’s already a given that he’s going to return, so I’m just hoping it’s in 2011.

4. More Story Development for Brightest Day

Anyone who’s been reading Brightest Day will probably tell you that while the story has a lot of different elements spinning, the writers are taking their sweet time telling us what the heck is going on. For seven months we’ve seen emotional entities hunted, resurrected characters wandering about, and Deadman searching for something that is unclear even to him. It has the makings of a great show, but so far all I see is a juggler with a few too many balls just waiting to come crashing onto his head. Blackest Night was an incredible story. It redefined the way I thought of the Green Lantern Corps. It’s about time the sequel started living up to expectations.

5. Fewer Trivial Deaths

As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, Death has really lost her sting. If I made a list of characters that have died this past year and then printed it out, environmentalists would be coming after me with rusty meat cleavers. Not a pretty sight. My hope is that in the next year comics will let Death collect some of her dignity so that the next time a hero sacrifices him or herself it will mean more. Her job is hard enough; let her do it with some grace.

[Death thanks you.]

6. A Redo of DC verses Marvel

I’ve written about this as well too, and I stand by the fact that this was a good idea even though it was badly written. DC and Marvel both have some incredible writers right now, so who could ask for a better time for a rematch? All I ask for are better match-ups, longer fights, and a more satisfying end. Maybe that’s too much to ask, but who said demands always need to be reasonable?

7. More “What If” Stories from Marvel

Let’s face it, some of Marvel’s greatest stories are based off of that simple question: what if? What if Magneto ruled the world? What if Xavier died before forming the X-Men? What if the Hulk was exiled onto another planet? They’re original, self-contained, and they allow the fans to see real change in their favorite characters, if only for a short time. Heck, I’d even settle for more “What If” one-shots, of which Marvel currently only produces a few per year. If I’m going to continue to make mine Marvel, that’s something I want to see.

Well, there are my hopes and dreams for the next year, now I just have to see if any of them come true. And just for fun, if anyone out there has a “What If” story they want to see in the next year, leave it in a comment. Who knows, the comic fairy might be watching (I would say Santa, but his off season starts in January.)

-Brent

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