I’m the king. Christmas present highlights-

-I always get some Star Wars crap, but Star Wars Operation is gonna be dope. Also, I’ve wanted to read The Making of Star Wars for a while now, and Shadow Games, despite having a terrible cover, is about Dash Rendar from Shadows of the Empire, his first significant appearance since, and, because he’s one of my favorite expanded universe characters, that makes it worth reading. The calendars are also pretty cool.

-The original Planet of the Apes novel, as well as the animated series Return to the Planet of the Apes.

-I Am Better than Your Kids by Maddox- Wasn’t a huge fan of his first book, but I’ve flipped through this, and it’s already the funniest thing he’s written in ages (though I find he’s almost always still a good source for amusement).

-Chas: The Knowledge- a minor Hellblazer storyline. Should be fun.

-Roger Ebert’s memoir Life Itself.

-Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonder Struck- I loved Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, so I’m expecting greatness.

-The Autobiography of Mark Twain and The Best Short Stories of Mark Twain- Mostly unread (by me) work by the king.

-Orbiter by Warren Ellis and Colleen Doran- Already read this—it’s pretty amazing. Full write-up coming soon.

-The Time Machine Did It by prolific Simpsons writer John Swartzwelder- If the first chapter is any indication this is pure Swartzwelder craziness. Every other line is a joke and pretty much all of them land.

-The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman- Although I prefer his non-fiction, I did really like Downtown Owl, so I’m looking forward to Klosterman’s second novel.

-Community season 2- My favorite current sitcom’s (so far) best season. Started listening to the commentaries- they are fun and informative, but I wish Dan Harmon was on every one like he was for season one.

-Habibi by Craig Thompson- Can’t wait to dig into this beast. Love Blankets to death, and I’ve heard this is better.

As you can probably tell, I mostly asked for books, and I look forward to a great deal of reading.

Community- “Remedial Chaos Theory”

Community is obviously the best sitcom in years, but it’s episodes like this that remind you why.

This brilliantly structured episode tells six different versions of the events of Troy and Abed’s housewarming party, all of which drastically differ depending on who goes downstairs to get the pizza from the delivery guy. It’s a perfect way to showcase all of the primary characters at their best, as well as being a fun creative device. Pierce especially shines in this episode. Chevy Chase’s performance is getting looser and funnier as the show goes on, and nearly every word out of Pierce’s mouth made me laugh here.

It all wraps up in an extremely touching sing-along to an overused classic pop song (its overuse is addressed throughout), and a hilarious credits sequence set in one of the parallel universes. All of this makes me sad when I accept the fact that this show will probably be cancelled either this year or next, since its going head to head with the banal Big Bang Theory, and most simpletons who like that show can’t keep up with Community.

“I Never Die” from Community