Leaving Megalopis Review AKA Great Talent And A Pretty Good Book

Megalopolis, (Once) a Good Place to Call Home
Megalopolis is a nice city and a popular place to live as all the heroes who call it home make it feel all that much more safer. The thing is, something has caused all the heroes to go crazy and now they are killing everyone within the city. If you try to hide, they will find you and obliterate you, if you try to fight back they will rip you into pieces, try to leave the city and they will definitely destroy you with laser beams. Basically all the regular citizens can do is try to survive, and hopefully escape somehow. "Leaving Megalopolis " focuses on a group of these folk with a bit more time spent on our sort-of protagonist, Mina, and what caused her to end up in this mess. How did this comic come about though?

Indie Enthusiasm and Professional Experience
Leaving Megalopolis is a mixture of the indie-eagerness and professional-sheen. It has folk who have done a lot of work in comics such as the excellent writer Gail Simone and the talented artist Jim Calafiore. Especially known for when they worked on the popular series, "Secret Six" for DC, Simone and Calafiore are by no means some unheard of duo pitching their idea for a comic on Kickstarter in the hopes enough people are intrigued to support them--there is a pedigree.

 However, while that may have helped get it some attention, Leaving Megalopolis is done in that indie-Kickstarter fashion all the way. Simone and Calafiore had a great idea for a comic, put it up on Kickstarter along with a detailed plan about how the book would come to fruition, and hoped enough people would be interested to fund the book. She and her team worked out printing, figured out who got what, offered snazzy backer-rewards, and otherwise really put in the effort that those successful Kickstarter campaigns are known to do.

Well, the funding was immense and Gail was able to reunite all of the former her Secret Six crew, such as the aforementioned Calafiore she created the project with and colorist Jason Wright who was brought on when a "stretch goal" was achieved through even more funding. Various cool extras were added too as the project became more and more successful such as every copy of the comic/graphic novel coming in a hardcover, with more and more story pages added to further flesh-out all the events of the comic.

So, the comic was easily funded and everyone was excited, but do Simone, Calafiore, and Wright deliver the goods? Generally, yeah, they do.

Some Great Stuff and Some Less-Than-Great Stuff
First off, the book and its productions values are beautiful. This could easily be something put out by a big publisher between the writing, art, paper quality, coloring, etc. I also quite enjoyed the story but oftentimes the elements I didn't care as much about seemed to get more attention, and the parts that I was more interested in seemed to be the aspects only briefly touched upon. For example, I didn't think we would actually learn what had caused all the heroes to go bad and become murderous, yet a fair amount of page-space is spent discussing whatever entity/force/creature caused them to become the monsters they are.

I was extremely interested in the "flash-forward" bits of the book where we see various governmental agencies discussing the confusion over what happened in Megalopolis , all the mistakes that were made, and otherwise injecting some fascinating political intrigue into how the rest of the nation might respond if a city full of heroes suddenly became a liability instead of an asset. Unfortunately, too little time is spent on this, and the question of if there are other heroes to potentially send into Megalopolis to try and fix things is never even touched upon. It feels kind of like an opportunity is missed to further explore this aspect of the story.

The characters we meet range from moderately interesting to being little more than cannon fodder for the now-evil heroes. I liked that we never actually hear things from the heroes point of view unless they speak to the regular folk, as it keeps things a mystery as to why everything has gone bad--until, as I said, the story reveals it to us and kind of leaves you wanting a better explanation than, "An evil otherworldly thing did it."

Seeing how people react when what was once their safety net turns into something trying to murder them is another interesting part of the story, with it illustrating how easy it is for seemingly nice people to become as monstrous as the very things hunting them in their effort to survive.

The End?
There is great art and some really interesting scenes, but then at other times things drag a bit and the big reveal of what caused this mayhem is kind of lame. This results in a comic that is by no means amazing, but still quite good, and worth reading when it comes into a wider release (as I assume it eventually will) and isn't just available to those who backed it on Kickstarter or buy it on Ebay from someone else.

"Leaving Megalopolis " has flaws, but also contains enough quality that I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the creators (Simone, Calafiore, and Jason Wright) or enjoys the popular trope of what happens when our heroes turn against us. The "1" on the side of the book's spine makes it clear there are plans to make future books, and I've had enough fun that I'll definitely at least check out/fund volume 2 when the time comes. If a comic is enjoyed enough I want to read more of it I suppose that means it has done a pretty good job, even if it is not a superb one.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Tales From the Dollar Bin: Legends of the Dark Claw #1

There are comics which are worth incredible sums of money, but so many of the most interesting, tragic, or just downright weird can be found for a simple dollar or less in a  store's "dollar bin". There, comics that never gained much popularity can be found alongside those that sold so much as for a copy to be worthless. "Tales From the Dollar Bin" aims to explore these comics, be they a single issue or an entire run of a series. From the great to the miserable, some of the best treasures and worst nightmares can be found in those infamous boxes. Let's have a "tale" now...

That Time Marvel and DC Melded Into Something Weird

Marvel Comics and DC Comics have occasionally crossed-over. It hasn't occurred for awhile now (the most recent time that springs to mind is "JLA/Avengers" in the early 'Oughts) and nothing much since then. However, back in the 1990s all sorts of cross-overs seemed to happen and one such event resulted in this strange mish-mash of comics known as the Amalgam Universe/Imprint.

Springing out of "DC Versus Marvel/Marvel Versus DC", one product of the event was something half-owned by Marvel and half-owned by DC, Amalgam. Amalgam was a surreal sort of alternate-universe of comics where for (fictional) decades there had been strange characters that were a combination of various Marvel and DC heroes. Some of the comics had letter pages from (again, fictional) fans, there were references to "past" events, basically everything was a strange printed piece of make-believe except for the writer and artists on the comics still using their real names (and the tiny legal print admitting that yes, this was a comic by DC or Marvel).

The initial cause of this Amalgam Universe was rooted in a story of Marvel and DC's Universes colliding in the form of two cosmic "brothers" or something which resulted in heroes needing to fight things out, followed by the merging and eventual re-separation of each imprints respective Universes. When the aforementioned "merge" happened there was a week where instead of Marvel or DC releasing their own comics 12 "Amalgam" comics came out. Later on in time there were other Amalgam comics apparently, but those were done more for fun than any story reason. One of the such initial Amalgam comics that I came upon when I was rooting through the dollar bin one day was this interesting curio of two extremely popular characters meshed-together, with the end result of Dark Claw.

Batman+Wolverine=Dark Claw
Dark Claw is basically a combination of Wolverine and Batman to result in a weird mixture of the two. His name is Logan Wayne, he saw his parents gunned down at the age 5, he works out of New Gotham City (New York City plus Gotham City, get it?), and his arch-enemy is still Creed, but instead of being Sabertooth he is the Hyena and clearly a close analogue of the Joker. It is mentioned he is a mutant and has a healing factor, and his side-kick is clearly longtime ally Jubilee, but here is known as "Sparrow". I could go on about all the interesting links (Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel is basically Catwoman but called "Huntress", another DC hero), but instead I'll talk about the comic itself.

"Legends of the Dark Claw" is well-written by the very able Larry Hama, and well-drawn by Jim Balent who while now being known for his (extremely) sexually charged "Tarot" comic-series made some good comics back in the day while keeping cheesecake to a relative minimum.

Note: I said "relative" minimum.

Anyways, the plot of this issue consists of Dark Claw fighting Hyena, as well as teaming up with the Huntress and Sparrow to figure out the Hyena's latest plot, which consists of assassinating the President of the United States, who is in visiting New Gotham City. Logan of course succeeds in saving the President but Creed/Hyena starts to escape and the issue ends with...

This would never be continued of course, because Amalgam was a temporary thing and before long DC and Marvel were made separate worlds once more.

Seeing any of the Amalgam characters again seems all but impossible at this current moment in time with relations between Marvel and DC appearing to be slightly chilly at best. Still, seeing this glimpse into what almost feels like some other dimension's comics is fun, and it helps that "Legends of the Dark Claw #1" was a well-written and nicely-illustrated read.

While it may be highly unlikely we'll be visiting the Amalgam Universe again anytime soon, at least there are some interesting comics left behind from this crazy experiment, and they definitely make for a great...tale from the dollar bin!

Why "Best Of Lists" Are Entirely Subjective

This article is going to kind of tear down "Best Of" lists. Considering I just spent a bunch of posts saying what various things I thought were the best in 2013 this may seem kind of hypocritical, but bear with me and it'll be clear what I'm driving at.

We are now a full two days into the "New Year" of 2014 (I guess it stops being a "New Year" and is just "a year" around February?) and many individuals have posted their lists about what was the best movie, game, show, comic, etc. in 2013. I always crack up when other individuals get extremely mad about someone else's "best of" list and starts going off about how, "Its stupid you didn't include _____!" or, "How could you pick ____ over ____?" The reason I laugh is that "best of" lists are entirely subjective. It is what that person, website, newspaper, television show, or whatever thought was the best out of everything else. It is by no means an impartial statement that has to be taken as the word of God. Just as it is an oxymoron for people to call for "objective reviews", everything a person says comes from their own opinions, experiences, and outlook on life.

We rely on reviews because we like to see what people thought of something, but until we experience that form of media for ourselves we can't truly have a full opinion about it. I loved the controversial and divisive "Django Unchained" and thought it was both insightful and great fun. Other people thought it was utter trash, but unless you go and see it you can't really say in your own view if it is a great work or terrible and offensive one.

When someone says they felt something was the best thing of 2013, they aren't saying it as if it is the gospel, they are saying that in their opinion, a certain thing beat all other forms of entertainment last year. Just keep that in mind next time someone says they think a piece of absolute trash is the best film ever, because they could very well think your favorite flick is atrocious. It's all relative.

My "Best Of 2013" Master-List

I've been posting about my favorite various forms of media these past number of days, and thought it would make sense now that I've finished to have a master-list of sorts that links to all those various articles. Even though some things were shoddy this year (as always) there really was some stellar stuff! I hope your 2013 was great and I wish you a happy New Year!

December 26th
"Saga"--The Best Comic-Book Series of 2013

December 27th

The 5 Best Video-Games of 2013 (That I Had A Chance to Play)

December 28th

The Best Movies from 2013 I Still Need to See

December 29th

Turkey Burgers--My Favorite Food-Item of 2013

Zite--My Favorite iPhone App of 2013

December 30th

PC Gamer--My Favorite Magazine of 2013

"X-Men Legacy #9"--The Best Single Issue of a comic in 2013

"X-Men Legacy #9"--The Best Single Issue of a Comic in 2013

I've made it no secret how much I have enjoyed reading "X-Men Legacy" since it was relaunched with Si Spurrier as the writer and Tan Eng Huat as the often-times artist. While I have loved the run so far (and as it sadly comes ever closer to finishing), my favorite issue would have to be the 9th. When you open your issue with the main character and his romantic interest finally kissing, and then follow that with a joke riffing off of Watchmen you know things are going to get even wilder by the end.

Basically, our protagionist David Haller (don't call him "Legion") is on a date with Ruth Aldine on the moon (also known as "Blindfold") and tells her about how he's decided because the X-Men are always so reactive to threats, he has decided to be proactive and go stop the potential destroyers of mutant-kind before they get a chance to act. That is the general plot of this 2nd arc of the series where a bunch of seemingly unconnected events take place until David Haller learns how much of the newly brewing anti-mutant sentiment is due to some clever subterfuge by the Red Skull. This issue hasn't gotten us to that point though, but deals with a very real threat.

The one problem I have with the issue is that the threat kinds of strains credibility--its the golden-age era version of the character "The Vision" known as "Aarkus" whom despite other comics having established him as living on Earth, for this comic has been living on the Moon, popping over to Earth now and again to pick up some books to pass the time. There, he has apparently picked up the book of Ruth's deceased (well, sort-of deceased) brother and will be launching unforeseen attacks on mutant-kind due to reading about the alleged danger mutants pose that will wipe them out because really, who would expect the Golden-Age Vision (which is kind of why it makes some sense to have this random threat occur, but it still seems odd)?

The threat isn't so much the point of the story though, as it is the fact that Ruth finds the idea of David acting to stop Aarkus before he even does anything wrong...at which point he reveals he actually already took action before even brought her to the moon--which also riffs a bit on "Watchmen" with its famous, "I did it thirty-five minutes ago" line. We as readers feel both disturbed by David's actions, and also see the reasoning behind what he did. It firmly illustrates how David might have the right idea in trying to be proactive in dealing with threats to mutants, but in the process is going to do some things we as readers will be extremely uncomfortable with.

Tan Eng Huat is just as equal a factor at making this issue be one of my favorites, with his style of illustrating being both beautiful and grotesque in how he draws the human form and depictions of David's incredible powers.

Between the amazing story and terrific art this is without question my favorite single issue of a comic in 2013.

PC Gamer--My Favorite Magazine of 2013

I enjoy reading magazines. I've been reading less lately as they can be so expensive, but one I've always been fond of (especially with so many magazines going under) is "PC Gamer", which I've mentioned sometimes before.

In this era where you can get news and opinions on the internet, sometimes people will ask why you need a magazine, and to that I answer that it feels more often through newsprint you can get that high-quality long-form journalism that isn't just giving you bites of news, but deep and well-researched stories. For the same reason I feel sad to see many newspapers going out of business because while getting news on the web can be great, you sometimes need the resources of those bigger news entities to get the really big and juicy stories.

To see many magazines I've loved disappear is sad, so I'm glad to still have PC Gamer, which with its newsprint and web presence, seems to have found a good balance of internet and paper. Its mixture of news, reviews, humor, and insightful commentary makes it my favorite magazine of 2013.

My Favorite iPhone App of 2013--Zite

Now, there is a big caveat here in that "Zite" didn't actually come out in 2013, it has been released for some time. However, in the year 2013 it was by far my favorite and most-used app.

I enjoy reading various articles about topics that interest me, Zite asks you what you find intriguing, and after you tell it, various articles are displayed in a main-section and various sub-areas. Then things get magical. You see, while viewing articles via Zite you can tell the application you like an article or don't like it, and from there it will try to find more/less of what you just read. Therefore, the more you read the better Zite gets at predicting what articles you might like--its ingenious!

There are other apps that do things like what Zite does, but I find Zite has such a good user-interface that it beats any other programs that are similar to it. Also, you can have an account that is synced across (for example) your iPhone and iPad so that you don't have to worry about repeating the process of telling Zite what you like and dislike reading about.

I used many helpful apps in 2013, and played a variety of interesting games but Zite easily was the best thing on my iPhone besides you standard stuff like mapping, and of course placing calls.

Turkey Burgers--My Favorite Food-Item of 2013

A random picture of a turkey burger. Tasty!

I have a beef allergy, it's no secret. The thing that sucks the most about it is that I didn't develop the allergy until much later in life (my later high-school years) so I know just how tasty a burger with cheese can be. I've tried various substitutes from Boca/veggie burgers (often gross) to buffalo burgers (not bad), but this year I started to eat a lot more and really enjoy turkey burgers, of all things. Whether it was ones that my girlfriend made for dinner, or out at a restaurant that served them, some Turkey burgers with fries or tater tots and some vegetables on the side was quite easily my favorite food item of 2013 regardless of if it came from a restaurant or my girlfriend's tasty home-cooking.

Besides the delicious taste, one of the best things about turkey burgers is arguably that they are also good for you. As a leaner meat with less fat a turkey burger is loaded with protein and all sorts of quality nutrients. When you can eat something that not only tastes good, but also benefits your health, you know you have a winning food-item on your hands. Therefore, for the year of 2013 turkey burgers are my food-item of the year.

The Best Movies From 2013 I Still Need To See

Wait, Why List The Best Movies I Haven't Seen?
Talking about my favorite movies of 2013 is a bit tricky because there are a number of flicks I have heard are amazing and that I will love, but which I have not yet had the chance to see. I've just honestly been really bad about seeing as many films as I should have. Whether it has been because movie tickets are so expensive, or the people I am catching a movie with with would rather see a different movie than some of the ones I've been interested in viewing, there are a ton of flicks I have not yet seen. I'm trying to catch up via Redbox and Netflix (for the ones released for home-viewing), but i can only do so much, for I am but one man.

Therefore, next year I could finally get a chance to watch something like, "Gravity" and it could be one of my favorite movies ever (from what I've heard it is superb). I just don't feel comfortable naming my favorite movies of 2013 as I feel I needed to see more. With that in mind, I'm going to present a list of what movies from 2013 I HAVEN'T seen but feel could be anywhere on an enjoyment scale from "good" to "best movie ever". Hopefully, at some point I'll be able to see some or all of these and have a clearer picture of just what kind of year 2013 was for movies besides the relatively small number of films I saw.

In Alphabetical Order:

12 Years a Slave
This film is apparently violent, tough to watch, and extremely good. Gracing many a list as the top film of 2013, "12 Years a Slave" is a film that sounds as fascinating as it is apparently brutal. I definitely want to see this.

2 Guns
I'm a big fan of Mark Wahlberg when he is used well in a filml. I also greatly enjoy Denzel Washington. Plus, this is a movie based on a comic book which puts it a little closer to my heart. Therefore, I want to see this.

All is Lost
Robert Redford is a good actor, he also is probably the actor my mother has the biggest crush on besides Brad Pitt. I know she probably has seen this movie with Redford as a sailor lost at sea struggling to survive, so upon hearing her (probably) recommend this to me I will at some point seek it out.

Behind the Candelabra
Liberace was a complicated man, and seeing his story through the eyes of his "friend"/"chauffeur"/secret lover sounds like an interesting experience. Plus the movie has the equally great Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in it.

Blackfish
Anytime lately I tell someone I want to visit SeaWorld someday they inform me I ought to see this new movie, "Blackfish," that exposes just how horrendous life apparently can be for animals that live and work there. I've read all sorts of things from different viewpoints arguing everything from that the movie is a biased piece of junk to people saying this is proof why SeaWorld needs to be shut down forever. Honestly, I just want to see the movie regardless of other matters as it sounds pretty fascinating.

(The) Bling Ring
I remember when the events of "The Bling Ring" were actually happening in real life and how crazy the whole thing seemed. Emma Watson apparently is great in this and the plot is so crazy it makes one marvel at how this all really happened.

Blue is the Warmest Color
I remember the controversy the film faced in France for winning the "Palme d'Or" which is apparently France's equivalent of a "Best Picture" Oscar because the movie is based on a graphic novel. I also have seen the controversy the film has had in America because of the apparently highly explicit sex scenes between two women. Whatever the case, I think it would be interesting to read the comic and see the movie, comparing and contrasting them along the way. I hope to get around to doing so at some point.

Captain Phillips
Tom Hanks is awesome, so why not see this?

Dallas Buyers Club

I remember when Matthew McConaughey was more of a joke to people than anything else. Then the man started doing little projects that showed, holy Hell, this guy can actually act! "Dallas Buyers Club" is based on the true story of a straight Texan man in the 1980s who discovers he has HIV/AIDS and how it leads him to go from being a homophobic bigot to fighting for the rights of those he used to hate. I really want to see this despite some backlash against it asking if it is "The Help" for gay people.

Frozen

All I know is this is a Pixar film and involves a Snowman or something. It looks like a cute way to pass some time.

Fruitvale Station
This is another movie that deals with race-issues straight-on and without trying to pretty things up. Based on the true story of a young black man who was killed by police officers for what appears to be little more than racial reasons, this is apparently quite the gut-wrenching flick. Some may complain  that it is 2013 and people are too whiny about racism, but in a world where just being black and dressing as Santa Claus can get you shot by a pellet gun, or a man can shoot an unarmed black teenager and get away with it scot-free, I think movies like this are more needed than ever.

Gravity
This is another movie I've seen topping many "best of" lists. I've heard this is the most tense 80-something minutes you'll ever see in a movie, and how between the stellar acting of Sandra Bullock and George Clooney mixed with the incredible special effects, this is an incredible flick. I eagerly anticipate its release to home video.

Machete Kills

Yeah, I know this isn't going to be winning any awards this holiday season, but I liked the original "Machete" movie, so sue me if you think my tastes are out of whack putting this movie on a somewhat even plane as "Gravity" as a movie I'm eager to see. I know "Machete Kills" probably is the hokiest and lamest movie of all these listed, but damn it, sometimes you just want to have some good mindless fun and this looks like it can provide that.

Mud
Another movie that illustrates how McConaughey can act, I know only a little about this but it sounds pretty interesting with its plot of a convict on the run colliding into a coming-of-age-style tale.

Only God Forgives
This got slammed by many critics, but I wonder how much of that was them actually not liking this movie, and how much it was them having second thoughts about their glowing review of the director Refn's  movie before this, "Drive". Well, I really liked "Drive" and Ryan Gosling is a pretty good actor, so I want to see this.

(The) Place Beyond the Pines
Another movie with Gosling in it, but only as one of the protagonists--Bradley Cooper is apparently very good in this too. I first heard about this when I read a music artist I really like, Mike Patton, was involved with the soundtrack. He makes really weird music, but from what I've read this is a pretty weird movie. I like weird, so I think I might like this movie.

Rush
I know three things about this movie. One: Ron Howard directed it. Two: It has Chris Hemsworth AKA Thor in it. Three: It involves incredibly fast Formula One race cars and you know at least one is gonna blow up in an amazing fashion. Even only two of any of those three three factors would have been enough to get me excited to see this.

Warm Bodies
Zombies and a love story. It sounds really weird, but looks quite sweet also. Plus, this is probably the only movie with zombies in recent memory that my girlfriend told me she would like to see, so that's cool too.

(The) Wolf of Wall Street
This just came out, but I already know I may not have the time to see it in theaters, so it therefore is on my list. Watching DiCaprio go from the annoying guy in "Titanic" to the amazing actor he is now is quite the evolution, and Scorsese is such a talented filmmaker that this is bound to be a great film about the excesses of the 1980's.

That's a Lot of Movies
I may very well have forgotten some movies or not know about others I need to see. Should you have a favorite I failed to mention please do tell me and I'll inform you if I did in fact see it, or need to add it to this list.

The 5 Best Video-Games of 2013 (That I Had A Chance to Play)

There were some amazing video-games that came out this year, but which aren't going to be considered "The Best" for me. "Bioshock Infinite" was an amazing game, and I truly enjoyed it immensely, but this year it wasn't my favorite due to so many strong contenders. Also, it should be pointed out there are games I have heard are amazing such as "The Stanley Parable" or "Gone Home", but I have not had a chance to play them, so take my top 5 games with a grain of salt. Also, please note all the games except choice #4 were played on a PlayStation 3 for those who are curious (Choice #4 is a computer game).

My Top 5

5. Saints Row IV
With all the hype surrounding that other open-world crime-simulator game, you could be forgiven for forgetting about "Saints Row IV" You could be, but you wouldn't because this game is just plain awesome. Somehow it keeps the continuity of the previous games going while amping the ridiculousness up even more to a point where the game is spoofing the Modern Warfare games and your character is the President of the United States. Oh, and then after that first hour the aliens attack and you gain superpowers within a simulation of the city of Steelport. Yeah, how can you not find this game utterly and completely insane-yet-good? Plus, it is hilarious, which in this era of more serious games is sometimes needed.

4. Starbound
I debated whether I should include this in my list or not for two reasons. The first is that the game was just released December 4th so its a late entry and the second is that the game is still in very early beta. I decided to include "Starbound" however because even if it has only been out a short while and still is full of bugs (and is missing a multitude of features), I have enjoyed and played it so much that clearly something is very right with the game--and even in this early state it is one of my favorite titles this year. I think to be fair though, I will disqualify it from being considered for a best game of 2014 (if I do that for my blog) when the "full" release will happen as that would not be fair to other titles--as if "Starbound" is this good now it will be incredible before long.

3. Lego Marvel Super Heroes
The series of Lego games may have little technical flaws that are annoying beyond belief, but each game continuously gets better and better to a point where the release of "Lego Marvel Super Heroes" resulted in a game that was just as fun as the stellar "Lego Batman 2", but had my favorite Marvel characters and fixed what was arguably the biggest flaw in the Batman game, horrible flying controls. While these games may at times run jokes into the ground, or have those aforementioned flaws, they are just so fun to play by yourself or with a friend that you can excuse any faults thanks to the great time you have.

2. The Last of Us
This game is one of the most brutal, violent, and depressing stories you'll ever play. It also is touching, human, and thoughtful. The relationship between Joel and Ellie is so well portrayed and "real" in its feeling that you grow to care about these characters as if they were your closet friends. By the time you reach the end of the game and the credits roll you will sit there is disbelief at the quality of storytelling and game-play you just experienced. This would be my game of the year easily were it not for...

1. Grand Theft Auto V
What's that you say? I made the "commercial" choice? I picked the game that has some serious issues with sexism? I should have said something less a favorite of "mainstream" gamers that for some reason so-called "hardcore" gamers loathe? Is that what you're saying? I ask because I can't hear you over all the fun I'm having while you bitch and moan about how GTA V isn't that great, when you know full well it is.

Yes, the game has flaws in its storytelling due to the fact you don't really like the main characters, and perhaps sometimes things feel a bit bloated with all the activities (and only some of them being fun), but my God this game is a masterpiece in so many ways that those concerns fall to wayside easily. This game is a living, breathing world full of characters who all seem to have their own lives and stories. This is a world that is so detailed that if you drive at night without your headlights on other cars will flash their brights at you.
Something so small as that was paid attention to along with something as big as how glorious an explosion is when you detonate some sticky bombs and cars crumble into a mess of fire and billowing smoke.

You could play GTA V and barely bother with the main story, instead wandering around making your own adventures. The online component may be a flawed mess right now, but it was advertised as basically being like its own game, so you can't really judge it in the context of GTA V so much as its own entity (which is good as GTA Online is pretty toxic).

"Grand Theft Auto V" is a technical marvel with some great game-play and a quality (if indeed flawed) story and yes, "GTA V" may be a commercial choice, it might be too "Hollywood" for some with its billion-plus in money made, and it might be trying too hard to seem like its making a statement with its story when it really isn't, but this game is just amazing despite any issues. That's why "Grand Theft Auto V" is my top game of 2013.