Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars sets BBC America ratings record
BBC America has announced that Saturday’s showing of “Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars” brought in the highest-ever primetime rating for the network.
More than 1.1 million viewers tuned in to “Waters of Mars,” the first of three Doctor Who specials that will air on three straight Saturdays, as David Tennant ends his run as the Doctor.
BBC AMERICA ranked No. 13 in coverage rating during the premiere among ad supported cable nets for A25-54.
Click past the cut for the full release.
Monday movie quote challenge #58
“We’re in a stolen cop car with what is sure to be a missing child in the back. What part of this is cool?”
Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!
Winners chosen for ‘Avatar’ prize packs!
In celebration of the James Cameron epic “Avatar,” NewsOK Entertainment Blogs Nerdage, Staticblog and BAM’s Blog are giving away “Avatar” prize packs.
The winners, chosen via random drawing, are:
Elizabeth Moore of Broken Arrow; Dolores Dihrberg of Norman; Travis Palmer of Tecumseh.
Congrats to our winners!
James Cameron’s “Avatar” is playing at the grand opening of Oklahoma City’s first IMAX Theater, at AMC Quail Springs 24. Fans can check out the grand opening bash tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. outside the box office.
- Matt Price
Matt Price’s best comic-book series of 2009
The split between periodical comics and graphic novels is becoming more like the gap between TV and film. Most comic books are being collected in book-length editions, just as episodic TV is being gathered in box sets for DVD. Monthly comic books still lean toward superheroes, influencing the lion’s share of sales in many comic stores. The following are 2009′s best 10 periodical comic books.
1.“Unwritten”: Mike Carey and Peter Gross create the story of Tom Taylor, whose father created the popular Tommy Taylor novels about a boy wizard. After his father’s disappearance, Tom becomes a low-level celebrity, signing the books that star the character named after him. But one day he discovers his father’s stories may be more real than he knew.
2.“Irredeemable”: Mark Waid (“Fantastic Four”) and Peter Krause (“Power of Shazam”) create a story in which the world’s greatest hero goes bad. Explaining why and how superhero The Plutonian turned to the dark side has been one of 2009′s best comics.
3.“Superman Secret Origin”: Writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank 
provided a perfect template for a new “Superman” film in last year’s “Brainiac” arc. In 2009, they go the Man of Steel’s past to tell a modern update of his origin.
4.“Chew”: Cibopathic detective Tony Chu gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. This has led to a vegetarian lifestyle, but when he chomps on a suspect to find out the whereabouts of the victim, he attracts the attention of the Special Crimes Division of the Food and Drug Administration. 
In this near future, the FDA has become the most powerful law-enforcement group on the planet after a bird flu led to the banning of chicken. Chu takes on bizarre cases in this original police drama.
5.“Supergirl”: Writer Sterling Gates, a Tulsa native, and artist Jamal Igle kept the mystery cooking of who the seemingly super-powered Superwoman was for much of 2009 in the pages 
of “Supergirl.” Supergirl dealt with the death of her father and the seeming villainy of her mother. This, and great use of the supporting cast, including Cat Grant and Lana Lang, made “Supergirl” a must-read Superbook.
6.“Incognito”: An ex-supervillain in witness protection illegally restores his superpowers in this pulp noir-inspired superhero tale by Ed Brubaker (“Criminal”) and Sean Phillips (“Sleeper”).
7.“Detective Comics”: Greg Rucka and artist J.H. Williams created a Batwoman story
of incredible artistry and beauty. Williams, who drew “Promethea” written by Alan Moore, is a master of visual storytelling.
8.“Resurrection”: After alien invaders leave, what happens to life on Earth? Marc Guggenheim (“Amazing Spider-Man”) and Justin Greenwood explore the answers in Oni Press’ “Resurrection.”
9.“Ganges”: Kevin Huizenga continues to be one of comics’ brightest indie creators, as evidenced by this year’s “Ganges” No. 3. While the story doesn’t initially sound like much — Glenn Ganges can’t fall asleep — Huizenga uses his talents to immerse the reader inside Ganges’ head.
10. “Daredevil”: Ed Brubaker’s final arc on “Daredevil” reunited him with “Immortal Iron Fist” artist David Aja, as the Kingpin returns to New York with plans to take down the ninja clan The Hand.
- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Holiday gift ideas for comic-book fans
Kyle Roberts and Matt Price discuss possible Christmas or holiday gift ideas for comic-book fans.
Avatar giveaway!
Want to win some “Avatar” goodies? Nerdage, in connection with fellow NewsOK blog’s BAM’s Blog and Staticblog, will give away gift packages celebrating the release of James Cameron’s latest film, opening Friday.
Each gift package includes “Avatar” branded travel mugs, reusable shopping bags, t-shirts and more. To enter, send a message to avatar@opubco.com.
A drawing will be held on Friday, Dec. 18 to select three winners. Winners will be announced on the blogs.
- Matt Price
Monday movie quote challenge #57
“Let’s face it, this is not the worst thing you’ve caught me doing.”
Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!
Jughead 200 variant revealed
Shown is the variant cover to “Jughead” No. 200, written by “Robot Chicken” writer Tom Root. This is Archie Comics’ first-ever variant cover, and is drawn by Rex Lindsey.
Jughead 200 goes on sale March 17.
- Matt Price
Matt Price’s best graphic novels of 2009
The explosion in quality graphic novels continued in 2009. This longer format continues to innovate; any one of these 10 graphic novels might have been the best of the year 10 years ago.
This week, Nerdage will look at the best graphic-novel format comics released for the first time in the United States in 2009; next week, we’ll look at the best periodical comic-book releases. Here are 2009′s best graphic novels:
1. “Asterios Polyp”: David Mazzucchelli moved from literate superhero crowd-pleasers (“Batman: Year One,” “Daredevil: Born Again”) to more personal independent work (“Rubber Blanket”) and adaptations (“City of Glass”). Now, Mazzucchelli has released perhaps his finest work, a tale of an architect forced to change his world view. Asterios is a “paper architect,” creating brilliant constructions that can never be built. His hubris leads to his fall in a book that can be seen as an updated Greek tragedy.
Each character in the novel has his or her own particular illustrative style and color scheme; Mazzucchelli is using color to convey ideas in a way not attempted by most graphic novelists. The book is all about style, design and visual language, and Mazzucchelli is moving the discussion of all of these forward with “Asterios Polyp.”
2. “George Sprott (1894-1975) ”: Cartoonist Seth is a master of creating nostalgic longings, often for things that didn’t really exist. His examination of the (fictional) life of Canadian broadcaster George Sprott does so, even while exploring the many not-so-great legacies of his title character.
3. “A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge”: Nonfiction comics writer/artist Josh Neufeld follows the lives of six Hurricane Katrina survivors before, during and after the storm.
4. “Parker: The Hunter”: Darwyn Cooke (“The New Frontier”) adapts the first of Donald Westlake’s “Parker” novels, which he wrote under the name Richard Stark. The double-crossed small-time hood Parker is out to get revenge on those who did him wrong, and he does so with explosive consequences. Cooke is the perfect artist to adapt this 60s-era hard-boiled tale.
5. “The Big Kahn”: Writer Neil Kleid and artist Nicolas Cinquegrani create a book that explores identity and second chances. At the funeral of esteemed Rabbi David Kahn, his family discovers he was never Jewish, but an Irish con man. The rabbi’s wife and children must deal with the aftermath and find out what this deception will mean to the family’s legacy.
6. “Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe”: Slacker 24-year-old Scott Pilgrim continues to battle the evil exes of his new girlfriend, Ramona Flowers, in pitched, video-game-style battles. But he also has to face up to his own insecurities and relationship difficulties. Writer-artist Bryan O’Malley’s anime-influenced art continues to improve, and “Scott Pilgrim” maintains its humor in this penultimate volume.
7. “High Moon”: Former Oklahoma resident David Gallaher and artist Steve Ellis created this werewolf Western that was one of the first Zuda.com contest winners. Now available in print, “High Moon” Volume 1 collects the first three Web storylines.
8. “Stitches”: Children’s book illustrator David Small’s memoir covers his difficult childhood, where excessive X-rays from his radiologist father led to the young man getting cancer of the throat.
9. “A Drifting Life”: Yoshihiro Tatsumi (“Abandon the Old in Tokyo”) details his post-World War II life in this graphic novel, published for the first time in the U.S. this year, by Drawn and Quarterly.
10. “The Photographer”: This graphic novel pairs Didier Lefevre’s photography with the artwork of Emmanuel Guibert (“Alan’s War”) to tell the story of Lefevre’s journey to Afghanistan in 1986 with Doctors Without Borders.
NewsOK Comics Podcast: War of the Hulks Alpha, Blackest Night: Flash 1, Siege: Cabal, Haunt 3
Villains’ machinations are revealed in Siege: Cabal and Fall of the Hulks Alpha. Meanwhile, Blackest Night falls upon the Flash in Blackest Night: Flash 1, and Todd McFarlane’s Haunt reaches its third issue.
- Matt Price
