I’ll be working on my traditional Top 40 tracks today, which should be up later. I was going to do it yesterday, but after finishing my first script of the year, my brain seized up and I decided to laze around the front room and sniff glue. However, before that, a lot of people have said nice things about me over the holiday period. There’s too many reviews to link to, but these are some of the bigger ones. Most of which I actually showed to my parents over Christmas (”Reviews are report-cards for grown-ups”). In that spirit, I’ll include a link and what my mum said about each review.

Firstly, Bobsy Mindless reviews 2.6 of Phonogram. It’s fun tracing the six reviews so far, as this is the one where Bobsy goes totally native. Alternatively, is drunk. Either way, I have to approve. Example Quote: “This comic is a holy book, a magical thing offering redemption and the tools to unbury meaning from the poorest of terriories. It will have its devotees, dressed in donkey jackets, blue denim dungaress, preppy slacks and blazers, fifties’ gangster suits.”

My mum’s response: “Ooh - he’s got verbal diarrhea, hasn’t he?”. Which isn’t necessarily an insult coming from my mum, having begat two ever-mouthy sons.

Secondly, the Weekly Crisis review both ARES 3 and THOR 605, “a fitting end to what is easily one of the best miniseries to come out this year” and “Even if you weren’t a fan of JMS’s Thor, you should be reading this. How often do you get to see Thor and Dr Doom throw down like this? How often is Dr Doom written so perfectly? And how often does someone pick up the pieces of an aborted, yet critically acclaimed run and cap it off so perfectly?” respectively.

(I’m really quite surprised how well Thor is being received. It’s the Marvel project which has recieved the best reviews. It’s even picked up the highest average score over at Ifanboy, so there’s SCIENCE behind that random statement).

My Mum’s Response: “Ooh! Someone likes it!”

Thirdly, Comics Daily say I’m their writer of the year. Crikey.

My mum’s response: To tell all the relatives about it. Which showed more embarrassment than a younger cousin showed when his Dad went onto a long monologue about how the lad had broke his computer by downloading virus-addled porn.

Oh - and too late to get a GILLEN’S MUM verdict, but in Comic Book Resources’ Top 100 comics of 2009, has put PHONOGRAM: THE SINGLES CLUB as their eleventh. We are totally that early-nineties indie band whose fanbase gets their single Top 20 in the first week, but then drop like a fucking stone the next.

There must be a quote for the back of the trade amongst all of that lot.