TIME.com

THE YEAR IN PICTURES TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH

The World Trade Center and Pentagon tragedies and their aftermath produced astonishing side-by-side images of heroism and destruction, capping a year full of truly unforgettable photos. Our readers seem to agree; by far the most popular feature on TIME.com in the three months since the Sept. 11 attacks has been "Shattered," James Nachtwey's devastating photo essay of ground zero on that day. Some 1.5 million people saw it the week of 9/11, and an average of 200,000 have looked at it every week since. But 2001 was a year that produced dozens of other memorable moments--Barry Bonds setting the home run record, the Gary Condit-Chandra Levy mess and Jim Jeffords' surprise defection from the G.O.P., for example--and we've got photos from these stories, and more, online. See a month-by-month retelling of the year in pictures, plus links back to TIME.com's coverage of the events, at time.com/yip2001 See "Shattered" at time.com/shattered

BEST AND WORST 2001 THE YEAR'S BEST COMIX

In his weekly Web column TIME.comix TIME.com's Andrew Arnold has been chronicling the increasingly complex and evolving world of comic-book literature. This week, as a companion to TIME magazine's "Best and Worst of 2001" feature, Arnold presents his Top 10 comic books of 2001. No. 1: James Sturm's The Golem's Mighty Swing. Find the complete list, along with the best in books, music, movies, sport, advertising and more, at time.com/bestworst2001

PERSON OF THE YEAR

Should George W. Bush be TIME's Person of the Year two years running? TIME.com readers think so, and you can see the tallies at our POY preview site. Bush currently holds 17.9 percent of the vote, just ahead of First Lady Laura. Tell us whom you would choose and explain in 50 words why your choice is the person who, in the words of TIME founder Henry Luce, "most affected our lives, for good or ill this year." We will run the best entries in the POY issue of the magazine. Also online, view every POY cover, including the 1930 edition, featuring Man of the Year Mohandas Gandhi, and see photo galleries of the winners and near winners. You can also register to receive an e-mail alert when the Person of the Year is announced. At time.com/poy2001

ONLINE CHATS

Every week TIME writers and editors chat on AOL about the news. This week we talk about Osama bin Laden's performance in his infamous videotape and Will Smith's role as Muhammad Ali. Go to AOL, Keyword: Live

From Baghdad to Jerusalem, senior foreign correspondent JOHANNA MCGEARY has extensive experience in reporting the big stories from the Arab world, and has been covering the war in Afghanistan since its beginning. This week she writes on the terror threat still out there even after the Taliban are routed from Afghanistan and whether al-Qaeda can regroup. Chat with her on Monday, Dec. 17, at 8 p.m. E.T.

Editor-at-large MICHAEL ELLIOTT snagged the plum assignment this week of examining one of the most eagerly anticipated bits of video in recent memory, featuring Osama bin Laden. Elliott explores what the tape tells us about bin Laden--and writes about the future of al-Qaeda. Chat with him about the tales of the tape on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 8 p.m. E.T.

JESS CAGLE, TIME's West Coast senior editor, reports on the making of director Michael Mann's new movie about Muhammad Ali, one of the most compelling and controversial figures of the 20th century. Talk with Jess about Ali, Ali, and the man who plays Ali, Will Smith, on Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 8 p.m. E.T.

TIME.com news editor MARK COATNEY has been holding down the servers here at TIME.com since before Sept. 11 and oversees our online coverage of everything from the domestic and international wars on terror to finding the best holiday books for your child. Chat with him about anything at all on Thursday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. E.T.