Year in Review: 2024

Year in Review 2024
Life is full of a lot of demands, 2024 was full of getting my life back together. Long and short my focus has returned, bit by bit, I’m making time to read and exercise, though the Internet has a pull that’s so charming I feel that magic twisting around my throat once more. Then I look into a mirror and realize, no, these are my choices. And like every good choice I’ve decided to talk about five great selections that I’ve read in 2024.


TOP FIVE YEAR IN REVIEW 2024
Table of Contents
    On-Going Series: Santos Sisters by Greg & Fake

    Graphic Novel: Secret Wars II by Jim Shooter & Al Milgrom

    Should’ve Been a Novel: X-Men: The Hellfire Club by Ben Raab & Charlie Adlard

    Single Issue: The City Beneath Her Feet by James Tynion IV & Elsa Charretier

    Honorable Mentions: Flavor Girls, Eye Lie Popeye, The Moon Is Following Us, My Bad, Galaxy of Madness

On-Going Series: Santos Sisters
At first glance this is an Archie parody, but it’s far from that, it’s completely it’s own thing, but using imagery that’s iconic, bridging your perspective and softening your thoughts on whether this is a good purchase. Let me ease your mind and congratulate you on your comic adventure through this wild experience into these vignettes of life. Each issue is filled with short stories about the two titular heroines as they save the day through different means each time, though a larger than required weapon is usually shaken about in the face of the cover’s featured danger. Most of the misadventures remind me a lot of those Comix of the ‘90s, things that you found printed in black and white from a defunct publishing house, usually within the 20 blocks from that comic shop. It was a long time ago that Zines ran the market and helped a lot of careers for modern legendary artists, though that’s kind of the selling point of this series. It’s not your modern superhero book, it’s something that’s very tongue-in-cheek, the appeal may not be for everyone, but it’s worth a read. If you don’t want to hunt down the single issues they have a collected edition available for purchase that will knock your socks off.

Graphic Novel: Secret Wars II
Maybe one of the best self-help books I’ve ever read. This isn’t a part two to Secret Wars, (don’t let the title fool you) I know rip-off, but it’s a little better than that. In the first series it was a means of advertising the toyline, and respectively it worked for the most part, though the story veered into a different direction the last portion of the series, that to me is how this volume came to be and why it’s not a direct sequel to the previous work. This is an intimate story about what it means to be human. That’s it, that’s the pitch, and that’s what successfully was produced into a twelve issue series. As the story opens we see the Beyonder has no true form and it’s not till issue three that he takes on his more iconic mien. I will say this till the last breath erupts from my corporeal form “I hate Origin Stories”, though this is how you do it. Introduce the setting not the protagonist, the supporting cast, and everything else that needs to be setup for them before you have the pleasure of meeting this character. This is all done nice and neat, then we get into heavy introspective talks, conversations of topics not many books get into at this time. Also the first appearance of teenage Mutant runaway Tabitha Smith [Boom-Boom {or any nickname for herself that she thinks is good}] makes her debut and stays for a few issues, tackling ideas and emotions from a point of view of a youthful Earthling. Remember this is 1985 and independent comics have just hit mainstream and are going to flood the ‘90s market. Though books, especially superhero marketed books, don’t touch on the subject matter of life (or the meaning of living). The ending like the first book had to have its superhero mandated end, but everything leading up to the point was a spectacular conversation between humans and a being beyond conventional understanding. This is not a traditional crossover comic, this is about one entity trying to comprehend existence through our eyes first hand. If you’re looking for something that’s all about heroes butting heads with other heroes and villains and everyone else that’s on the street, this is not the book for you. Though if you are apart of those few that want to enjoy a unconventional way to express the meaning of life and humanity and the emotional pinball machine that is existence, then you’ve got the right book in your hands.

Single Issue: The City Beneath Her Feet; Issue One
One of the best “Hook Stories” you’ll ever read! Honestly, this is how you should teach the future creative teams on how a story needs to capture the reader and have them locked into the next twelve issue (even if there’s just four). In this first issue we meet our main characters, three Women who’s lives intertwine as the story progresses. Their names in this tale are Zara, Liz, and Jasper, who are different is ways that are large and small, but intriguing enough that I want to know every intimate detail between their relation with each other. The setting is New York City, present day, starting off with our narrator Zara to a series of Flashbacks of her budding relationship with Jasper as she and Liz just finished a job. We learn that Jasper enjoys the company of Zara and Zara is infatuated with Jasper, but Liz knows nothing good will come from them together. Long and short, this is a plot about contract killers, misguided desires, and the lonely hope that life isn’t all chaos and violence. If that’s not a good enough selling point the stylized illustrations accompanying this piece should be enough to capture your sight, and only way to regain your vision is by purchasing the Collected Edition. (the plot is different though subtly reminds me of “My Faith in Frankie” by Mike Carey, Sonny Liew, & Marc Hempel). Long and short, it’s only the first issue (of volume 1) and I’m ready to commit to queuing up a line for the second volume of the Trade Paperback, and these are my feeling on issue one respectfully.

Should’ve Been a Novel: X-Men: The Hellfire Club
Journalism is a competitive beast, though getting a book published isn’t a small feat either. This story is about Irene Merryweather a writer uncovering everything involved with Shaw from the Hellfire club for a publisher (book, news article, she really wasn’t consistent with where this would land ultimately). Sounds interesting, that would be a wonderful twelve part maxi-series comic or a TV movie- -no, it’s four issues of shallow pandering. Yeah, it’s really not that great of a story, though it’s plot sounds like an awesome series, even a wonderful novel on the different facets that the Shaw family (current and past) have placed themselves with the start of America positioning themselves into power and run the Marvel universe. Nope, just a run of the mill idea that had a lackluster flop of an ending. I feel the biggest problem is there wasn’t tangible danger in what Merryweather was uncovering, though the stories were interesting, but nothing that was direct (more unnerving) peril. Even Hallmark films have higher stakes than these four issues. Again this being adapted to film I could see it like an ‘Atomic Blonde’ (2017) kind of deal, lack luster comic [The Coldest City (2012)], though the premise was great, and that would be a good enough starting point that then sparked a better film, with astounding actors. This is one of those sleeper pieces of media that needs the right shaman to reanimate this corpse with the right souls to possess it. If I could have a period film about the social rise of this Mutant club in the financial sector, this would be my pick in an instant, since there’s so much a creative team can work with and the vignettes being within different generations, just the icing on the cake. Again, I thought this was going to be a story about uncovering the whole Hellfire Club, my first disappointment, then it felt like a reframing of an idea for a “Captain America through the Ages” tale, to ultimately focus on Sebastian Shaw, too late for it to have definition and the series was too short to explore anymore of his life nor anyone else’s to give refinement. If they ever make a book (or film), this will be a joy to consume, though for now I’ve got more novels in the queue.

Honorable Mentions: Mini-Top Five Suggestions
    -Flavor Girls
    -Galaxy of Madness
    -My Bad Volume 2
    -Eye Lie Popeye
    -The Moon Is Following Us

Honest suggestions, if you have similar tastes to myself, you wanna see a little violence with comedy, good story structure, and amazing illustrations, then these are my top five suggestions of 2024 in no partictular order. Though let me breakdown some of these amazing tales. Flavor Girls is a love letter to the Magical Girl genre, it’s a different perspective than their Shoujo counterpart, though it’s as serious as a bullet wound, I love the kinetic action and the story of the first part of this series, in 2025 there’s a sequel printed, I’m excited to read the second part next. My Bad Volume 2 was better than the first, though I feel the first really didn’t know what direction nor where it wanted to focus, this was focused and that depth in the stories that they spreads between the issues was perfection is humor. Galaxy of Madness is illustrated by Michael Avon Orming, there’s not much more needs to be expressed after that when you’re trying to visually create a stunning and mind bending thriller of galactic intrigue. Eye Lie Popeye is what you get when you combine an ultra violent 1929 sailor with the mind of someone that grew up with anime in their heart. The Moon Is Following Us is a combination of thoughts that make this stunning amalgam of ideas just right, for two parents trying to save their daughter’s mind and their sanity. This year’s Honorable Mentions have the theme of love letters to comics and these are beautifully penned by the creative teams that quilted them together.

I hope you enjoyed this list of stories that brought me through 2024 and if you agreed with this list, let’s talk, if you didn’t, tell me why, if you have new additions to your reading queue, you’re welcome. See you next year!

Year in Review: 2023

Year in Review 2023

My consumption rate for media and my mental health kind of went hand and hand tumbling down the rabbit hole of reality. I’m not sure how far I fell, but with the death (and second death) of my computer I realized that there was a lot more in my life that I could do or be doing. Earlier in 2023 (maybe even 2022) a friend of mine desired that I write a campaign for us all to play. Now I love writing these adventures, since you can never predict what will happen and where the party will roam, but that’s besides the point. I never had the focus, the time of day to sit around and write, between work and the internet. Mind you at this time I was on a quest to be more internet than man, and succeeded in this falsehood. I am still human (from what my faculties tell me), but I had less of a brain when it came to focus and enjoying the media I was partaking. It all felt more like I was within the cockpit and not controlling the machine. One of the good parts of detoxing my mind from the computer was realizing these moments and tasks that should have been done many times over, but where hushed by my own incompetence as someone consumed with the obsession that is the ever expanding internet. Long and short, my focus for matters of personal gain were shoved aside by my ever dwindling desire to gain it back, I was content in my stupor (what a horrible state). Though with all of this backstory aside we can start the review, since I’m better (to a degree), but getting back to more productive person in my opinion. Update 2024; I got a new computer and it’s been a battle, though one I feel I’m winning (ever so slightly), but I’m balancing life better from my all encapsulating attention machines.

Graphic Novel: Batman Universe

Anything with Batman will get a fine toothed comb, brushing the follicles aside and exposing everything that the Dark Knight should be, well from person to person, since Batman has many facets. And with that idea, he’s the World’s Greatest Detective, a Martial Artist of the highest teaching, and an all around Noble guy, it’s safe to say this story covers all of these bases. This reads like a Batman primer story, a simple standalone that brings the character to the current affairs of the World, essentially modernizing some of the more outdated devices (technology and personality) to the present from his previous update and 85 year old power fantasy persona. Bruce is a little younger, but he’s been doing this for a long enough time in this story. It’s a nice blend between this being his first time fighting the good fight, and finding out about the Weird World of Detective Comics (DC Universe), and not being anything different than he’s been doing for the last 8 decades (and hundreds of Artist interpretations). That’s what makes this balancing act so interesting. How far, as a writer (Brain Michael Bendis wrote this Bat-Tale), do you push the character knowing as much of their own history as possible for the story to make sense, but keep the reader from being bored and amplify their curiosity. In both cases this is perfectly tuned, since at no point I was in a position that I felt I wanted to close the book. Not to mention that the illustrations from page to page, panel to bubble, were immensely detailed and sensationally designed renderings by Nick Derington (honestly the main reason I was drawn to this book). This thrill didn’t stop with the clawing mystery, even the characters, since the cast was expanded to the Bat-Family and the timeline was thrown to a period that advanced the story. Everything felt like an introduction into this new World, though nothing was too solidified that you had to have read something before this graphic novel to enjoy it. It was a sample of everything that one would expect from comics, but nothing felt out of place, since the pacing kept you wanting to push along our caped crusader. Though like most stories there’s an ending, this has that, but it felt like a proper beginning to something more, so that’s why it’s my favorite introduction for new readers into comics, since you will taste a little of it all and we’ll weed out the rest.



Movie: Bill & Ted Movies

This series has lived way beyond its intended decade, and I love it for doing it for so long. Bill & Ted, played by Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves respectfully, is about two burnouts, not stoners, which a lot of people misplace them into that genre of teenager, who are given a chance (supernaturally/technologically) to be better. They’re more of that friend you have that doesn’t really know where they’re going, in life, or in their career, or currently (the car’s over here!). Though through each feature we see that they help each other and try to find a way in the future doing something for the greater good that they never thought they could be, an acolyte of World Peace/thrall of World Unification (they’re not leaders to me [the movies makes you think they will be one day]). That’s all three movies in one small space, don’t get me wrong, I love these films, it’s where I first found Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, also my desire to see more of their antics like in the movie Freaked (1993). All three of these movies are your classic cult films, the first one deals with time travel, second goes into pseudo-theology, the third one deals with alternate timelines and in a way brings the first two films into the third one as a new wave. Though that was the down fall for me, since the third movie felt more like a second movie to the first and not a third to the series. If anything a parody of the past, but not a progression of time within the present. Long and short, I love all three movies, I can’t tell you how funny the third movie is, it’s the best in the series if you are looking for comedy in your science fiction. To wrap things up, don’t watch them as separate films, marathon them each time, enjoy all the in-jokes and bits that they’ve trailed into the next film. These movies are a must watch, at least once in your life.

 

 

And that’s the highlights of 2023 for me, there was just two standout pieces of media that really captured my attention within that year. I usually read a lot and watch movies, but nothing has within this year (2023) brought me as much enjoyment as this two notes. Anyhow, 2024 shows a lot more promise than its predecessor. Hope you’ve enjoyed this novelty review more articles to come with a New Year on the horizon.

Year in Review: 2022

 [For those that may know I posted this on a new blog, which I've realized gets no attention, so I've moved it here, this isn't this year's review, but something I wanted to keep and incorporate into this blog]

 My Year in Review for 2022

 

-----Table of Contents----

    On-Going Series: Vampblade

    Series: Glory: The Complete Saga

    Limited Series: Raphael: Bad Moon Rising

    Single Issue: Dazzler: The Movie

    Honorable Mentions:
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Amalgama: Space Zombie, Galaxy’s Most Wanted, Bonyeer: The Aromatic, Super Massive, Adventureman

On-Going Series : Vampblade
The reason why I’m keeping this here is because of the ending, it’s not over as a series (the series ended last year [2021 {I wrote this in 2022}]), but it’s over at the moment, but the series as a whole is still open to keep going. That’s a little confusing, but between when the series stated (2015-ish) and with 2020 happening publishing for comics got a little messy (financially speaking), just to throw some history about what’s still going on (currently as of this posting). Though with the book it’s in a bit of limbo till things settle for the creators (and publishing house), but at this point, you’ve most likely popped up an article or two about what’s going on within Action Labs and know, so we’ll go back to the review. I love violence comics, there’s something about cathartic beatings (whether verbal or physical) that really release a ton of serotonin (the happy brain juice) into my soul. This comic doesn’t let up with the amount of grandstanding for a character to have this beautiful moment of One Piece (manga by Eiichiro Oda) level of destruction. There are times within the series that stands out beyond it’s own two legs, that a spin-off series (I’m looking at you Danger Doll Squad) was developed to expand on story plots and connect parts of the World to other characters, that then inspires another spin-off series (I’m talking about you Amalgama) to expand that expansion. By the end of the series Vampblade had fallen through every Superhero trope in the book, from Time Travel to Body Double to Hell to Alien Invasion! Then the one thing that stops a comic from being ‘On-Going’, publication. As Superhero comics go this is their most shared trope, an unexpected ending. I had a blast and this is one of my Top Five comics of all time (and of 2022)!

Series : Glory: The Complete Saga
How we change between On-Going Series to Series is simple, there’s an end. If they come back, that’s a new series, but this was a rebooted character that got a second life in a more modern interpretation. You can tell this was intended to be a longer story, but I’m so glad that both Joseph Keatinge & Sophie Campbell agreed that this story needed an end and a really good ending. There’s not many series that I enjoy to the point of tears, but this is one of those magnificent comics. Again it’s another cathartic and violent series, that has a strong emotion base between the characters, whether you know who they are or not. It’s good writing when you can jump into something blind and not know anything more than what is being told to you and enjoy every minute. Like I said, not many comics pull me into an emotional state that takes days to get over, but took five pages to read. It’s really that good of a book.

Limited Series : Raphael, Bad Moon Rising
What started out to be me enjoying a cover to a book (thank you Sophie Campbell) formed into an obsession to find the first issue (since I have the other three) that then changed my mind on everything TMNT. I don’t really know what clicked into place, but I just finished reading TMNT: Urban Legends (volume 3 [Image Run {Reprinted in color, with ending by IDW}]) by Gary Carlson & Frank Fosco, so my desire to find more from the Teen Turtles was high on my reading queue. While thumbing through all the comics I have I was reminded about this four issue run, that I found out came from a Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (second Volume) where Shadow visits a cult (It’s New York). Anyhow, that’s the main reason why she was at the farmhouse for volume 4 of TMNT, though this takes place somewhere between. Long and Short, this focuses on the Werewolf Queen and the King of Atlantis, beautiful character moments, with some astounding Illustrations & ink work by Jim Lawson (solidifying him as my top five favorite TMNT artists). If you ever want to get into the weird world of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this would be a good ground breaker between the TV shows/Movies and the comics.

Single Issue : Dazzler: The Movie
When thinking about characters that had a hard start Dazzler always comes to mind, since she started as a promotion, a mascot of sorts for Casablanca Records. Then just became a huge character within the X-Men ongoing series. I found her in a little Pilot called “Pryde of the X-Men”, where she was a headband wearing leather jacket toting finger gun shooting laser wielder. To say the least, she had a special place in my heart, so reading this comic was a distance from that character, and a recoupling within the same issue. Mostly because she was still a strong character that was still developing herself, emotionally (as a person does) and distancing herself from being just an Advertisement (as one does). By the end of the feature we see her more whole than when she started, though battle damaged within the landscape of Hollywood. As a single issue, without knowing anything about her, it’s a great story that stands on it’s own, maybe not a Movie in theaters, but I’d be excited for the TV movie’s annual screening.

Honorable Mentions: Mini-Top Five Suggestions
    -Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    -Amalgama: Space Zombie, Galaxy’s Most Wanted
    -Bonyeer: The Aromatic
    -Super Massive
    -Adventureman

Honest suggestions, if you have similar tastes to myself, you wanna see a little violence with comedy, good story structure, and amazing illustrations, then these are my top five suggestions of 2022 (even if it’s 2023 [though re-posted in 2024]).

Shorts SHORT Review: Worst X-Man Ever

X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever

Written by Max Bemis
Illustrated by Michael Walsh

Published by MARVEL

 

When thinking of Marvel the first thing that comes to mind is X-Men, then Spider-Man, but first (or forth) X-Men (or a specific X-Man [hairy, short, has knives in his arms]). This is more of a story about what it would be like if you were plucked out of your life and placed into this MARVELous new world. Through years future & past, the spectacle of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters has been a haven for mutants of any age. And with a community of empowered and powerful beings there’s always a chance that bad luck will arise within this fellowship. Bailey (our title holder for “Worst X-Man”) might just be the most unlucky mutant to walk the Earth, since his power is, well, it’s a surprise. Nothing all that special, like our main character, but it’s one thing that keeps the plot rolling in the direction that it’s in. Since everyone within the mini-series knows that he’s capable of doing something that is most dangerous and hard to control. There’s a lot of mutants out there that have time to play with their inherent genetic skills, but not all mutants have that luxury and that’s kind of the point of this whole tale. Let’s take a moment from this book, so I’m talking to you, yeah, the reader of this review, yep you, you have a chance to use your superpower, just once, for one time only, how will you use it and what would you do? That’s the simple question posed within this story and one that gradually Bailey concludes. Bailey is the one that walks us through his life, nothing really uncanny or astonishing, but it’s him, just an average teenager doing average teenager things (the opposite of xtreme). With all the amazing teams, adventures, and powers that the mighty Marvel mutants have, there’s not too many slice of life stories. Even another Marvel favorite, Spider-Man, has some downtime with his City and cast of characters, away from all the drama and villains. It’s nice to sometimes take a break from making a better tomorrow for mutant-kind and just seeing someone’s life who went to Xavier’s school, since most get a one bedroom apartment six feet in the dirt. Bailey gives us many details of his life, makes us aware of things that were plots happening back in the day to other X-Men teens, and he doesn’t leave out the awkward parts. I feel that’s the linchpin for all of this, if this was a retelling from an older Bailey it would have done better, I’m getting ahead of myself. The fifth issue (which is my favorite) the story felt right, the pacing, the dialogue, the plot, the characters just clicked into place, then boom it was done. What was different between the other issues was this is an older Bailey. There was a time skip, a pause, in the life of Bailey, which I really enjoyed, for a second we caught up to him and where he’s currently at in his life. Just gonna break in here and talk about the accompanying illustrations by Micheal Walsh, as the visual storyteller. His work makes for a gorgeous presentation, that was motivating, to see what he had in store for the next issue, since I was enamored with the backgrounds to the costumes to the character designs, everything was a delight. Back to what I was saying before. This was a nice jump and the documentary motif is perfect, overused, but for this series fits just so well. I would have liked it to be placed throughout the other four issues. Pretty much, it would be like a coming of age TV show where the older version of Bailey taking the role of narrator, but also blurring the lines between who’s speaking so a lot of the fourth wall breaking younger Bailey does make more sense. There was beautiful moments of satirical commentary on the X-Men publication as a whole that I feel fell flat, since how would this younger character know, it was good, but alien within the plot.

For what it’s worth this isn’t a series for someone new to X-Men, not someone fresh from a movie, nor even one of the many TV shows, this is a comic for comic X-Men fans. Not to say someone without decades of consumption wouldn’t enjoy it, but it’s not written for those people. In short, it’s a love letter to a never ending series that will reinvent it’s self, it’s characters, it’s team for decades beyond us all. There are very few Slice of Life X-Men stories out there, and this is one of the best, since this is a personal journey with no real destination, at least no desired finale, which makes Bailey’s story a good limited series.

I trust you enjoyed the inspection, thank you for reading.
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Keep well and Stay well.