Roqoo Depot

Roqoo Depot’s Best of 2012

It’s the last day of the year and like many sites we’ve decided to post our best of for 2012. So here goes…

Best Star Wars Book of 2012

Nominees…

• Darth Plagueis by James Luceno
• Apocalypse by Troy Denning
• Scourge by Jeff Grubb
• Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories by John Jackson Miller
• X-Wing: Mercy Kill by Aaron Allston
• The Old Republic: Annihilation by Drew Karpyshyn

Skuldren: In the lightest publication year since 1993, we Star Wars fans didn’t get too many titles this year. However, the titles we did get were pretty ground shaking. Darth Plagueis received a lot of fanfare from across the spectrum and impressed a ton of readers. Allston brought the X-Wing series back to life with Mercy Kill, and Jeff Grubb treated readers to a novel Hutt story with Scourge. John Jackson Miller also had the honor of having all of his Lost Tribe eBooks being collected in one excellent anthology. But for me, my two favorites were Apocalypse and Annihilation. Apocalypse was a great ending to the Fate of the Jedi series and packed in a ton of action with some awesome story elements. On the other hand, Drew Karpyshyn delivered something completely different with Annihilation, a story that stepped away from Jedi while still being just as fun. While close, I think I’d have to edge out and give Troy the win on this one.

Synlah: While I really liked Lost Tribe of the Sith Collected Stories, Scourge and Mercy Kill, for my top pick I’m going to have to go with Apocalypse.  I completely agree that Troy Denning closed out the FOTJ series in a dynamic manner.  And he hands down had my favorite scene of the entire year; Jaina being elevated to Master.  Followed closely by Jag and Jaina marrying…finally.

Best Comic Book of 2012

Nominees…

• Agent of the Empire: Iron Eclipse
• Blood Ties: Boba Fett is Dead
• Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost
• Darth Maul: Death Sentence
• Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison
• Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm
• Knight Errrant: Escape
• Knights of the Old Republic: War
• Lost Tribe of the Sith: Spiral
• The Clone Wars: The Sith Hunters

Skuldren: This year my favorite comic arc was Agent of the Empire: Iron Eclipse. Sure Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison had the best artwork and Dawn of the Jedi #1 had like five printings, but Agent of the Empire was just plain fun. A great story, great artwork, great characters, it’s the clear winner in my eyes.

Synlah:  I love Jahan Cross and AOTE, but for me Dawn of the Jedi is the clear favorite.  I mean how can you not love finding out about the very beginnings of the Jedi Order?  John Ostrander’s imagination is working over time in this series and, as usual, Jan Duursema’s artwork soars.

Best Star Wars Guide of 2012

Nominees…

• Book of the Sith – Secrets from the Dark Side
• Star Wars Art: Illustration
• The Essential Guide to Warfare
• The Essential Reader’s Companion
• The Old Republic Encyclopedia

Skuldren: This one’s tough. On one hand, I loved The Essential Guide to Warfare. The art was beautify and the content was great. Yet the scope and accomplishment of The Essential Reader’s Companion was really impressive and it too had some great artwork. Both are good reference books, both have great content…but I think this one goes to The Essential Reader’s Companion. While The Essential Guide to Warfare was a better read, I find myself going back to The Essential Reader’s Companion more often. When it comes to guides, being useful is very important, and in that aspect, The Essential Reader’s Companion is the winner.

Synlah: This was actually an easy choice for me: The Essential Reader’s Companion.  Pablo Hidalgo should get a medal for taking on this massive project and executing it so well.  Honorable mentions go to The Essential Guide to Warfare and The Old Republic Encyclopedia.

Best Book of 2012

Nominees…

• Clockwork Angels by Kevin J. Anderson
• Death Warmed Over by Kevin J. Anderson
• Fable: Edge of the World by Christie Golden
• Five By Five by Aaron Allston, Kevin J. Anderson, Loren L. Coleman, B.V. Larson, and Michael A. Stackpole
• Perry’s Killer Playlist by Joe Schreiber
• The Hammer and the Blade by Paul S. Kemp
• The Serpent Sea by Martha Wells
• The Siren Depths by Martha Wells
• Trapped by Kevin Hearne
• Tricked by Kevin Hearne

Skuldren: There were a lot of good books this year, but narrowing them down actually isn’t that hard. Of all those listed, I’d have to pick The Hammer and the Blade by Paul S. Kemp as the best. His characters and the story he wove were great. Honorable mentions go to Joe Schreiber for Perry’s Killer Playlist, a young adult novel that was surprisingly good, and for a sequel, it was nothing short of amazing. Also not to be over looked is Martha Wells’ The Serpent Sea and The Siren Depths, two great escapist fantasy novels with strong characters and exotic settings. I’d also like to point out Aaron Allston’s novella “Big Plush” in Five By Five, which was one of the best novellas/short stories of the year. Five By Five might not be my pick for best book of 2012, but it was certainly the best anthology.

Best Film of 2012

Nominees…

• Cabin In The Woods
• Dredd
• The Avengers
• The Dark Knight Rises
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Hunger Games

Skuldren: Of all the movies that came out in 2012, this is my shortlist. Of those, The Dark Knight Rises isn’t just the best, it’s a masterpiece. Christopher Nolan managed to cap his Batman trilogy with a great ending despite the pressure and massive hype. An honorable mention goes to Seven Psychopaths, which didn’t make the list since it’s not a sci-fi or fantasy flick. This was a film that explored a cast of insane character in a story that was colorful, comedic, and sad. It was a great film. Going toe-to-toe with The Dark Knight Rises, Batman still wins, but it’s a close call.

Synlah: I’m sticking with the scifi/fantasy films. While I’m a big fan of the Hunger Games trilogy, the movie just fell short for me.  Too much essential stuff regarding character development and motivation was excluded — not to mention that Peeta’s leg was actually amputated and that was totally ignored.  There’s kind of no excuse for that considering the book wasn’t exactly lengthy.  My vote goes to The Dark Knight Rises.

Feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think was the best of for 2012.

Posted By: Skuldren and Synlah for Roqoo Depot.