Movies
At the start of the year, I listed the films that I most wanted to see. Sadly, I haven't (yet) seen them all (also, two got pushed back until this year). My top three, Avengers, Hobbit, and Dark Knight Rises came in exactly the way I'd expected them too. If you want see all of the films I saw and how I ranked them, the list is here.
1. The Avengers - Joss Whedon, Marvel Studios

2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Peter Jackson, Warner Bros.
This was one of the only movies I actually wrote a full review for this year (I've been slacking). Read it here. I love Peter Jackson's Middle Earth. I loved this movie. But that doesn't mean it doesn't have problems. Big structual problems that I can only hope are a by-product of the late two into three film change, and not indicative of problems with the series itself. Also, HFR was a problem.
3. The Dark Knight Rises - Christopher Nolan, Warner Bros.
To this date, Nolan's Batman Begins remains one of my favorite superhero films, above it's The Dark Knight, which is a superior film in many ways. My problem with The Dark Knight is simple, and it's one that carries into The Dark Knight Rises. The two sequels are about Batman the Legend, but not Batman the Man, and The Dark Knight Rises doesn't embrace the legend when it's given the chance. The film has a stellar first half and many awesome moments, but where The Avengers stumbles early and picks up at the end, The Dark Knight Rises trips during a long second half, though that doesn't mean the film is bad by any means.
4. Cabin in the Woods - Drew Goddard, Lionsgate

5. Zero Dark Thirty - Kathryn Bigelow, Columbia
Kathryn Bigelow's account of the hunt for Osama Bin Laden finally showed up at the very end of the year, just in time to get a well-deserved Academy Award nomination for Jessica Chastain. It's a spy thriller or police procedural depending on how you look at it. For me, it beats out the other CIA film of the year Argo, on the strength of Chastain as the operative that found Bin Laden. It's a fascinating true story and fantastic movie.
Comics
Best Series - Hawkeye (Matt Fraction, David Aja, with Javier Pudilo)

Best Comic Event - President Cap (Ultimates #15 and #16)
It was a gutsy movie for new writer Sam Humphries to make Captain America President of the United States in the Ultimate Universe, but that's exactly what happened this summer, and things show no sign of changing any time soon. As part of the Ultimate Universe crossover event Divided We Fall, United We Stand
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