Logan's Top 5 Shows of 2015

Its already been stated but bares repeating, Television/Shows have evolved and we live in a time where some of the most compelling stories being told are on your home screens and not in the theater anymore. Now that I have mentioned that let us get into my top 5 shows from 2015 because there are just so many and so many more I could have easily put on this list.

5. Last Week Tonight

The 5 spot goes to John Oliver because aside from reading the internet, this show is how I get my news. The show is smart, quick and brings up news that is otherwise not talked about. Last Week Tonight gets to be funny and intelligent while not catering to click bait or sponsors. I just really enjoy this show from this british man.

4. Masters of None

Master of None was a sleeper pick for me. The Netflix original show starring and created by Aziz Ansari is hilarious and relateable, so many times I found myself thinking "Damn that's how I feel." Master of None is like Louie but aimed at thirty somethings. Aziz sturggles to make it in the world of acting and the world of relationships but you laugh and enjoy the entire thing.

3. Daredevil

I honestly didn't think a superhero show would make the top 5. Even though I do love "The Flash" and "Arrow" it is Daredevil that elevates the game of comic book shows. Daredevil is dark, yes, but it has heart and doesn't feel like it's pandering to the audience. The show is a slow build to a satisfying ending. Matt Murdock becomes the man without fear and we get to watch it in all of its glory. The real stand out in the show is the fighting. Whom ever was behind the choreography nailed it, every punch thrown in the show has weight and the action felt up close in the best way. I am excited by the easter eggs that were left and can't wait to binge watch season 2.

2. Justified

This show shouldn't need an explanation for why it is my number 2 of the year, but I am already here so I mine as well go on with it. Justified came to an end this year and provided a most satisfying ending without being fan service. Raylan Givens is a BA and the show that started of being based on the book series by Elmore Leonard. Timothy Olyphant is fire in the show and was born to be Rylan. This is a must watch series.

1.  Rick and Morty Season 2

This was not an easy decision, the whole list is made up of fantastic shows and I easily could have listed just five comedies or five drama shows but I tried to not fall into that trap, which made picking number one all the more difficult. The number one sport goes to Rick and Morty for being instantly funny and rewatchable. Dan Harmon blends amazing story telling and meta jokes like no other story teller I have seen. The "Doc and Marty" duo is perfect and I can't help but quote the show. I only dream of making a story on this level someday. Three cheers for Rick and Morty.

Bandrew's Top 5 Films of 2015


5. Chappie


4. Jurassic World


3. The Martian


2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens


1. Ex Machina



Logan's Top 5 Comics of 2015

Much like with television, we live in a day and age of comics where there seems to be an endless amount of quality stories being told by multiple publishers. This is a wonderful thing for us as readers/consumers but it also means that there is so much to consume. That being said, these are my top 5 comics of 2015 and the list only scratches the surface of all the amazing books being put out. Though it didnt make the top 5, shout out to Lumberjanes, a book I have loved since it launched but I wanted to focus of books that came out in 2015 or that I discover in 2015.

5. Self Obsessed- Sina Grace

The title only scratches the surface of this memoir created by Sina Grace. The book is a narrated collection of work done by Sina Grace of the past year and goes into in the personal struggles of a comic creator. While the comic revolves solely on the life of Sina and everything that he has gone through, it also connects you and lets you into the mind of an artist and provides a glimpse of what it is like to try to make comic books while maintaining a life full of mistakes, love, friends and family. As someone trying to make comics myself, I connected with the struggles of trying to be human while devoting time to telling stories.




4. Sandman: Overture

If you haven't read the original series (1989) by creator Neil Gaiman, I recommend you do so now. But it is not necessary to have read it before reading Overture as time is fluid and this story is a self contained mini-series by Neil Gaiman and artist J.H. Williams III. Overture follows the Sandman, the "Prince of Dreams," on a journey to save the universe from destruction. The art is beautiful and for that reason alone is worth picking up but Neil Gaiman also tells an amazing poetic story that only he can tell. I didnt read the original series until last year but I fell in love with the book and was so happy for more of Morpheus (Sandman has many names I used three).




3. Ms. Marvel

There are so many " Cape" books in an industry built on superheroes that it's easy to reach fatigue of super events, crossovers, reboots and relaunches, but Ms.Marvel fell into my lap and was a breath of fresh air. Created by Marvel editor, Sana Amanat, writer G. Wilow Wilson, and artist Adrian Alphona, Ms. Marvel is a beautiful book with a strong story. The main character Kamala Khan recieves her inhuman powers in a world already filled with superheroes. She, like us the readers, is a fan of these super humans and names herself after Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) whom she idolizes. I really enjoy that its a book like Spider-Man where we follow a young kid getting powers (shapeshifting and size changing) while learning to deal with them in a contemporary world. I also love the color of the book that feels light and whimsical. The book stands alone and only recently tied into big events. It's exciting to see a brand new character make an impact and looks to be sticking around in the Marvel Universe.



2. Descender

The top two spots were the hardest to decide on. There are so many great books and so many others I didn't even get to read, but there is one creator I follow religiously, and that is Jeff Lemire. His book with artist Dustin Nguyen was a book I wasnt going to pass up. Jeff Lemire is a master of capturing what the kids call "the feels" and I am a sucker for "the feels," also a sucker for scifi robot stuff. Descender takes place in a human colonized galaxy in a time where the humans have already preformed an "ethnic cleansing" on the robots and it picks up by following the awakening of a kid robot named, Tim-21 and his robot dog. The universe seems to be wiped of optimism until the young boy tries to discover what is happening. He runs into humans and other robot harvesters but there is more to Tim-21 than anyone had predicted. The story has only continued to grow and open up more paths. It captures bits of Mass Effect and a journey of a kid lost in the unknown world.



1.  Paper Girls

The number one spot goes to all time favorite writer Brian K. Vaughan for his new series Paper Girls. This spot could have easily gone to his other ongoing series, Saga which is a favorite, but I wanted to choose a book that launched this year and to be honest, they are both amazing (Read anything put out by BKV and you can't lose). There have only been five issues but it is already solid book that continues to promise a fantastic story. Paper Girls is a tale set in 1988 following a gang of girls on their predawn paper route with a Sci-Fi twist. It's been called "Stand by Me" meets " War of the Worlds." I don't want to spoil anything but BKV sets up another amazing adventure that is only further captured by the art of Cliff Chiang.

Bandrew's Top 5 TV Shows 2015

Currently we are in something of a golden age of television. It seems that almost every week, a new TV show comes out that is great. It's almost to the point where you get angry with someone for recommending an amazing show because who the hell has time to watch everything. So here is the necessary disclaimer, I probably saw less than 1% of new TV shows this year, and therefore this list is just the top 5 tv shows that I was lucky enough to watch.

5. Mr. Robot

This TV show took the internet by storm. Almost everywhere I looked I saw people ranting and raving about it...and rightfully so. Rami Malik nails the role of Eliot. A character who works with a hacker group to bring down Evil Corp; a really crappy evil corporation. The premise may not sound that original, and there are definitely some plot points that were borrowed from existing materials, but that does not effect the awesomeness of this show. Basically, if you have ever hated a company for seemingly being an evil group of scummy a**holes, then this is a show you need to watch!

4. Rick & Morty

If you love Dan Harmon, then you will love Justin Roiland. And lucky for you, both those guys created this show. In all honesty, there really is nothing that can be said about Rick and Morty other than it is genius and it is one of the best shows on television. It is hysterical, meta as f**k, and it will make you contemplate life. The characters were based off the really strange relationship of Doc & Marty from Back to the Future, and the premise is: a grandfather and his grandson travel through the universe and through dimensions and deal with insanity. It is some excellent science fiction that is really funny. The thing that amazes me most about this show though is the great characters and the fact that there are some very sincere moments in the show that will tug at your heart strings.

3. Halt & Catch Fire

This is a show that follows a few people who began the computer revolution. The first season is about the development of the personal computer, and season two is more about the move to the internet. Regardless of whether you are into computers or not, the characters in this show are so dynamic, that you cannot help but be pulled into this world, and almost wish that you were transported back to this time to experience the excitement of this revolution. Just like every good show, the setting doesn't really matter...it just acts as a backdrop to tell the story of these characters, and that story is f**king interesting. However, that backdrop is perfectly set and incredibly interesting as well, so this show has everything going for it! You need to watch this!

2. The Expanse

There have only been four episodes, but I am sticking it up here already. This is based of the book series of the same name, and the only way I can describe it is f**king epic! This is just a space opera done expertly. The acting on this series is amazing. The direction, amazing. The cinematography, amazing. The VFX, amazing. Every department working on this show seems to be firing on all cylinders, and I cannot wait to see how this show continues to play out. Basically what I'm saying is, if SyFy is able to keep up this level of production for the remainder of the series, then I think we may have another Battlestar Galactica on our hands.

1. Last Man on Earth

This is a comedy unlike anything I have ever seen on television before. We may never know how Will Forte got Fox to green light this show, but all we can do is thank him and fox for creating this masterpiece. I simply don't know of any other comedy that is able to consistently & successfully create cliff hangers. If you can't tell the premise of this show, it's about the last man on earth. We quickly find that he's not the last person, and that's where it gets interesting. The relationship dynamics are sometimes a bit exaggerated, but they remain grounded. That is what's so interesting about this show; the relationships and character development. I may not be able to do this show justice in a paragraph, but it is number one on my list for a reason. So here's the one line summary of this show: Last Man on Earth is a Home Run! Get it...because the trailer is in a baseball stadium. YES! I still Got it!

Honorable Mentions

Comedy Bang! Bang!

If you listen to the comedy bang! bang! podcast, you would have to be an absolute idiot to not watch this show. It is constantly funny and they aren't afraid to try new things on each episode. Let me just ask you a question. You don't want to be an idiot, do you? Then watch this show...you idiot!


Have you ever had an overwhelming sense that the world is going to end and that you're the biggest pile of crap in the world? Then you will relate to this show. Just like the WTF Podcast, this show is brutally honest and we get a look at the darkest sides of who Marc is. It's an amazing show and I highly recommend it. 


I. Love. This. Show. This show is a comedy nerds wet dream. You get to see a bunch of your favorite comedians go on a show and just riff for 22 minutes about all the crap that happens on the internet. It is hilarious, and it's always fun to play along on the #HashtagWars! 

Nathan for You

Let me explain why this is only an honorable mention. I just discovered this show about 3 hours before I finalized this article. I would have had this article completed much sooner had I not found this gem. I have only watched three episodes from season one, but I can tell that this is going to be an amazing show, and if the quality remains consistent, this will most likely make an appearance on next years list!