When I provided lists of some of my favorite things (“raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens” not included), I anticipated arguments or criticism or other words of displeasure that I might have the temerity to air my personal tastes.

Instead, I got support and even agreement (thank you!) but also unexpected disappointment that I hadn’t covered this or that or the other one.

So blame those correspondents for this second round of my personal faves (in no particular order), with a promise (a hope?) that I won’t be doing any more any time soon.

FIVE FAVORITE MALE SINGERS (ROCK)
1. Bobby Darin
2. Bobby Rydell
3. Bobby Vee
4. Rick Nelson
5. Roy Orbison

FIVE FAVORITE MALE SINGERS (POP)
1. Bobby Darin
2. Anthony Newley
3. Frank Sinatra
4. Dean Martin
5. Bing Crosby

FIVE FAVORITE FEMALE SINGERS
1. Karen Carpenter
2. Dusty Springfield
3. Dionne Warwick
4. Carole King
5. Kate Bush

FIVE FAVORITE COMIC STRIPS
1. Li’l Abner
2. Dick Tracy
3. Barnaby
4. Alley Oop
5. Terry and the Pirates

FIVE FAVORITE COMIC BOOKS
1. Vault of Horror
2. Crime SuspenStories
3. Spiderman (Ditko era)
4. Fantastic Four (Kirby era)
5. Dick Tracy (Harvey Comics era)

FIVE FAVORITE COMIC BOOK ARTISTS
1. Will Eisner
2. Johnny Craig
3. Wally Wood
4. Will Elder
5. Jack Davis

FIVE FAVORITE COMIX ARTISTS
1. Kim Deitch
2. Jay Lynch
3. Gilbert Shelton
4. Robert Crumb
5. Spain Rodriquez

FIVE FAVORITE COMIC STRIP MOVIES
1. Li’l Abner (1959)
2. Dick Tracy (AKA Dick Tracy, Detective) (1945)
3. A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)
4. Prince Valiant (1954)
5. Popeye (1980)

FIVE FAVORITE COMIC BOOK MOVIES
1. Road to Perdition (2002)
2. Batman (1966)
3. The Batman (2022)
4. Spider-Man (2002)
5. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006/1980)

FIVE FAVORITE ROCK BANDS
1. The Beatles
2. Vanilla Fudge
3. The Zombies
4. The Animals
5. The Association

FIVE FAVORITE ROCK ALBUMS
1. Rubber Soul
2. Zombies – Begin Here
3. Beatles for Sale
4. Renaissance (Association)
5. Renaissance (Vanilla Fudge)

FIVE FAVORITE NEW WAVE ARTISTS
1. Elvis Costello
2. Blondie
3. Kim Wilde
4. B-52’s
5. The Bangles

FIVE FAVORITE STAR TREK EPISODES
1. The City on the Edge of Forever (S1, E28)
2 Amok Time (S2, E1)
3. All Our Yesterdays (S3, E23)
4. Mirror, Mirror (S2, E4)
5. The Corbomite Maneuver (S1, E!0)

FIVE FAVORITE M.A.C. NOVELS
1. Flying Blind
2. Road to Purgatory
3. Spree
4. Quarry’s Choice
5. Return of the Maltese Falcon
BONUS “Barbara Allan” title: Antiques Chop

FIVE FAVORITE M.A.C. Comics Projects
1. Ms. Tree
2. Road to Perdition
3. Dick Tracy
4. Batman
5. Mike Danger

FIVE FAVORITE ADAPTATIONS OF MY WORK
1. True Noir: The Assassination of Anton Cermak (2025, audio drama)
2. Road to Perdition (2022)
3. “A Matter of Principal” (2003, short film)
4. Mommy (1994)
5. Blue Christmas (2024)

FIVE FAVORITE M.A.C. MOVIE NOVELIZATIONS
1. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
2. Maverick (1994)
3. In the Line of Fire (1993)
4. Daylight (1996)
5. The Mummy (1999)

FIVE LEAST FAVORITE M.A.C. MOVIE NOVELIZATIONS
1. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
2. I Spy (2002)
3. I Love Trouble (1994) (as by Patrick Culhane)
4. Dick Tracy (1990) (nightmare experience)
5. Road to Perdition (2002, as originally published)*

*Brash Books has published my original version

FIVE FAVORITE COMEDY TV SHOWS
1. SCTV
2. FAWLTY TOWERS
3. SGT. BILKO
4. LITTLE BRITAIN
5. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM

FIVE FAVORITE WESTERN STARS
1. Audie Murphy
2. Randolph Scott
3. Clint Eastwood
4. John Wayne
5. Lee Van Cleef

FIVE FAVORITE MALE STAND-UP COMICS
1. George Carlin
2. Norm MacDonald
3. Bill Hicks
4. Patton Oswalt
5. Rodney Dangerfield

FIVE FAVORITE FEMALE COMEDIANS
1. Catherine O’Hara
2. Andrea Martin
3. Robin Duke
4. Wanda Sykes
5. Carol Burnett

FIVE FAVORITE MALE COMEDIANS
1. John Candy
2. Joe Flaherty
3. Dave Thomas
4. Eugene Levy
5. Martin Short

FIVE FAVORITE PIN-UP ARTISTS
1. George Petty
2. Gil Elvgren
3. Alberto Vargas
4. Enoch Boles
5. Zoë Mozert

M.A.C.