Weekly Pull List: 12/26/2013

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! This week, Christmas fell on a Wednesday, which throws a big wrench in the usual comic book day.  But don't fear, this week is a small week with only a few things on my pull list.  For all the comics available this week, check out Comixology.com.

IDW
Doctor Who Special 2013 #1: This one-shot celebrates the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, and it should be pretty good.  This is also the final time IDW will publish a Doctor Who comic, as 2013 marks the end of their publishing rights with the BBC.  It is also going to be one final look back at Matt Smith, who ended his run as the Doctor on Wednesday night when he regenerated into Peter Capaldi.

Marvel
Origin II #1: This comic continues the story that started back in the original Origin storyline about the early years in Wolverine's life.  I just read Origin to get ready for this special limited series, and it was pretty good, and it got me excited to read more about Wolverine's early years.  The story is also written by Kieron Gillen, who is currently knocking Iron Man out of the park.

That's everything for this week!  A small week like this will allow me to pick up a back issue of Spider-Man that is just sitting in my local comic shop, which is extremely exciting.  What comics are you picking up this week?  Let us know by leaving your pull list in the comments!

Best Christmas Albums

Around the holiday season, I start listening to all the Christmas music in my iTunes library.  And I figured I'd share my favorites from those 1000+ songs with all of you!


"Boogie Woogie Christmas" - Brian Setzer
This is one of the albums my dad shared with me when I was younger, and I still love it to this day.  This album is full of great swingin' songs, and I really love his rendition of "Jingle Bells."  The version of "The Nutcracker Suite" that's on this album is featured in a bunch of movies, including "Elf."




"Brad Paisley Christmas" - Brad Paisley
I have a bunch of country Christmas albums on iTunes, but this is definitely my favorite.  I love Paisley's guitar playing, and he really lets it shine during his instrumental rendition of "Jingle Bells."  He also shares a great duet with his 13-year-old self from the show Jamboree USA.  It's a pretty cool look back at where his career started.



"Christmas Cheers" - Straight No Chaser
I found Straight No Chaser a few years ago, and their two Christmas albums just blow me away every year.  This one is my favorite, and it includes a great song called "The Christmas Can-Can."    The last song on the album is their rendition of "The12 Days of Christmas," which is one of the best Christmas songs you'll ever hear.  Check it out at the end of this post.


"Christmas in the Aire" - Mannheim Steamroller
I love listening to Mannheim Steamroller around the holidays.  They have a few Halloween albums, but their five Christmas albums are where they really shine.  This album is my favorite, and their synthesizer music never sounded better.  If you haven't heard them, check them out.  I'm sure you won't regret it.



"Christmas with the Rat Pack" - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.
This album is awesome.  While Sinatra and Martin have their own Christmas albums, this is the one to listen to.  These three really shine on this album, and it's always a treat to listen to Christmas classics sung by these three greats.



"25" - Chicago
Chicago has some of the best renditions of Christmas songs I've ever heard.  I like every song on this album, and I always look forward to this CD when it comes up in my playlist.



I hope you found something new to listen to this Christmas season, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  Let me know what your favorite Christmas album is by commenting below!

And, as promised, here is Straight No Chaser's "12 Days of Christmas:"

Weekly Pull List: 12/18/2013

Well finals are over, so that gives me some free time to write a couple blogs, and that will start with a new weekly feature to the blog: the weekly pull list of comic books.  I'll talk about the books that I'll pick up this week, and then highlight which book I'm most excited to read.  As I will only be previewing the comics I will pick up, you can check out everything that is available this week by checking them out on Comixology.  So let's get started!

Dark Horse Comics
Itty Bitty Hellboy #5: This book can only be described as adorable.  Who cares if it's a kid's book, I still love it.  This is also the final issue in this limited series.

DC Comics
Harley Quinn #1: If you read Harley Quinn #0, you'll realize that this book is going to be fun.  It's like Deadpool, only with a girl and Batman.

Marvel Comics
All-New X-Men #20: This series is always one of my favorites, and now X-23 is here! I don't really know much about her, but she's basically Wolverine if he had two claws and was a girl.
Amazing Spider-Man #700.4: This continues a bunch of leftover stories with Peter Parker as Spider-Man. I love them, and you should too.
Amazing Spider-Man #700.5: See above.
Daredevil #34: One of the best series Marvel is currently putting out, and you should really check it out.  Only a few issue remain before it is relaunched as part of "All-New Marvel NOW!"
Deadpool #21: This begins a new arc with Deadpool.  He didn't get paid by S.H.I.E.L.D. for taking down the dead presidents, and he may or may not still be sad about his last story arc. Check that out too.
Indestructible Hulk #17.INH: This issue is an Inhumanity tie-in, and this is a series that is always fun to read.
Scarlet Spider #25: This is the final issue of this fantastic series. Will Kaine survive?
Superior Spider-Man #24: Part 3 of this story arc. We get to find out who Superior Venom is, and it's going to be great.
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #8: He pretty much screwed everything up with his Superior Six, so let's see what he can do with this issue.  Maybe clean up his mess?  Nah, probably not.
X-Men #8: Honestly, I have no idea who most of the characters in this book are, but that's fine.  It's a good book, and this one will be part 2 of the "Muertas" story arc.

Pull of the Week: Scarlet Spider #25
This is the final issue of this series, and it all comes down to this.  Kaine can either stand and be a hero, or he can become a monster.  Who knows if he even survived the explosion at the end of the last issue!  If you pick up any book this week, this is the one.

So what books are you picking up this week?  Let us know by leaving a comment!