Year-End Smorgasbord of Entertainment
Somewhere parallel to our reality lies the Akashic Library, its imposing shelves stretching off into the distance. What forbidden knowledge lies hidden there today? Read on, pilgrim, and learn . . .
Happy Holidays, friends! As I write this it’s Sunday night and I’m at my parents’ house in Kentucky. The last time I was here, right after Thanksgiving, I locked myself away from my family to finish my November newsletter. I don’t want to be antisocial again, and I don’t want to give the impression that all I do is write this newsletter, so I’m sitting here typing and I haven’t told anyone what I’m doing. I’m going to try and get it done quickly; the bulk of this month’s newsletter is going to be an overview of my media consumption from 2024 and I’ve already written that part. Just a couple of other things I need to cover first . . .
LIGHTNING MAN UPDATE
As you may remember, I ran a Kickstarter campaign to print a hardcover collection of my comic book series Lightning Man. I ran into some snags with formatting the cover for print but finally got it figured out. Unfortunately, one of our stretch goals was for colored end-papers, and the printer ran out of colored paper. I put it to a vote with the backers—get the book sooner, with regular end-papers, or wait for the colored end-papers. Colored end-papers won hands down, so we’re waiting.
The printer said the paper should be in stock “sometime around the beginning of the year.” Actually, let me check . . . nope, still not there. Hopefully soon!
BEOWULF VS. GRENDEL
I haven’t publicly announced this anywhere—UNTIL NOW!—but in February I’m launching a Kickstarter campaign for an RPG adventure called Beowulf Vs. Grendel. Check out the launch page here! It’s the new edition of an adventure I wrote in 2013 for Hex Games, now updated to be compatible with Million-Colored Sun. On the launch page there’s a blurb that describes the game. I’d really appreciate it if you clicked the button that says “Notify me on launch.” Go on, you know you want to . . .
I’M STILL SELLING ART FOR A GOOD CAUSE
I’m selling hand-made drawings in my Etsy store and I’m donating all proceeds to charity. Right now, and for at least a few more days, the charity I’m donating to is TransOhio.
I’m really pleased by the response so far—since I announced this plan last month, I’ve sold 11 pieces of art (including the 3 biggest ones) and raised over $250. When I make the donation I’m going to round up to the nearest 100, so that will be $300. Hopefully there will be a few more sales in the next few days and we can get that up to $400.
I’m extremely grateful to the people who’ve purchased art. Thank you for your generosity! Keep watching the site, I’ll be posting new art soon. And as of right now, good ol’ Goom (see above) is still available!
FOLLOW ME ON BLUESKY
Lots of accounts have started following me on Bluesky but many of them look like they’re not actual human beings. You’re a human being, though, so I’d appreciate if you’d follow me at leightonc.bsky.social. I can’t promise it will be entertaining but I’ll try.
And now, drumroll please . . .
EVERY BOOK I READ IN 2024
Time to celebrate the end of the year by looking back at what I read! Not as many books as I wanted, but I read Ulysses this year, so that counts for a lot. Titles in black are regular books, titles in blue are comics.
Iron Fist: The Fury of Iron Fist, by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, and various - Forever overshadowed by Claremont and Byrne’s X-Men run, but this is fun, entertaining stuff.
Star Trek: The Return, by William Shatner, Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens - My child Blu read this and then asked me to read it, so I did. We agreed that the writers—the real writers, the Reeves-Stevens—were much better with the original series characters than the Next-Gen ones.
“Song of Myself,” by Walt Whitman - This is a great example of something I would have hated as a teenager but I really love now that I’m old and wise.
Daredevil: Born Again, by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli - One of the best ever. If you haven’t read it, do. I read an oversized version and just drooled all over the beautiful artwork.
Dreadstar Vs. The Inevitable, by Jim Starlin and Jaime Jameson - I’m just so happy that Jim Starlin is still drawing comics in the year 2024. He had an accident a few years back and his hand was badly injured . . . we’re just lucky to have this, is all, and I hope he keeps making them.
Batman: City of Madness, by Christian Ward - This is sort of a sequel to Morrison and McKean’s Arkham Asylum, and while it’s nowhere near as good as that, it’s pretty and the story’s okay.
I Am Stan, by Tom Scioli - Honestly this was disappointing, especially compared to Scioli’s Jack Kirby book. Scioli uncritically repeats some of Stan Lee’s autobiographical anecdotes that have been proven to be entirely fictional.
Something is Killing the Children volume 1, by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera - Oh no, the children!
Den: Neverwhere, by Richard Corben - Den is a beloved underground comics fantasy series that started in the 70s and continued for decades, which I never heard of until recently. The first volume is beautifully drawn but the story didn’t grab me.
Savage Dragon Ultimate Collection volume 2, by Erik Larsen - A man named Robert Kirkman got me started reading this series long ago, but I started with issue 40. These collections are helping me fill in the gaps. I’m really looking forward to volume 3, which will get me caught up at long last.
In the Time of the Hurricane Gods, by Carter Newton - This book hasn’t been published yet, but when it is, you should check it out.
Unstoppable Doom Patrol, by Dennis Culver, Chris Burnham, and various - I love the Doom Patrol and I really enjoyed this latest incarnation of the team. There are lots of shout-outs to the Grant Morrison Doom Patrol run, my favorite comics ever, but they still put a new spin on things. Unfortunately this was only a mini-series; I hope this creative team gets to do more with these characters.
The Dusk volume 1, by Alex Segura, Elizabeth Little, and David Hahn - I don’t really remember much about this, to be honest. I backed the Kickstarter.
Million-Colored Sun, by Steve Johnson, Leighton Connor, and Joshua LH Burnett - I read this one many, many times during the editing process. Good book, though, you should check it out.
Doom Patrol by Rachel Pollack Omnibus, by Rachel Pollack, Linda Medley, Ted McKeever, and various - I wrote about this in a previous newsletter. It’s good, especially that Tower of Babel story.
A Deadly Education, by Naomi Novik - The first book in the Scholomance series. I read it fast and I was hooked.
Avengers: Twilight, by Chip Zdarsky and Daniel Acuna - It’s a dark future story, like a Dark Knight Returns or a Kingdom Come for the Avengers. Not a hugely unique premise, but it’s done very well and I recommend checking it out.
Avengers: Ultron Forever, by Al Ewing and Alan Davis - A delightful trifle. Al Ewing’s name is pretty much always a guarantee of quality.
Ulysses, by James Joyce - The hardest book I ever read. A major life goal achieved. I wrote about it at length in a previous newsletter.
The Last Graduate, by Naomi Novik - The second book in the Scholomance trilogy. Still good.
The Guide to James Joyce’s Ulysses, by Patrick Hastings - A helpful resource.
Letter 44 Volume 1: Escape Velocity, by Charles Soule and Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque - I bought this at Gen Con years ago at the Oni Press booth, and finally got around to reading it. I liked it! But are the other volumes even in print anymore?
Murder Falcon, by Daniel Warren Johnson - This was really good, I think I wrote about it before.
Barda, by Ngozi Ukazu - Definitely wrote about this one. Also really good. A great way to introduce Jack Kirby’s Fourth World to friends and family.
The Name of the Game, by Will Eisner - This one had been sitting on my To Read shelf for about 20 years. See, I do actually read stuff from that shelf occasionally! It was good, too—probably should’ve read it back when it was first published.
Something is Killing the Children volume 2, by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera - Still killing those children.
The Golden Enclaves, by Naomi Novik - The third book in the Scholomance trilogy. Friends, it was a satisfying conclusion! I recommend this series.
The Arizona Clan, by Zane Grey - I bought this used paperback for cheap at an antique store. There’s something magical about picking up a book you’ve never heard of, recommended by no one, and reading it. I still fondly remember my time with cowboy Dodge Mercer.
John Dies at the End, by Jason Pargin - My friend Meghan insisted I had to buy this book as punishment for wronging her, but the joke’s on her, I really enjoyed it.
Hondo, by Louis L’Amour - After reading a Zane Grey I wanted to try a L’Amour book and Josh Burnett recommended this one. That Hondo, he’s one tough hombre.
Den: Muvovum, by Richard Corben - This is where the Den series picked up for me. I was lukewarm on the first book, but this second volume was great. Batshit crazy fantasy adventure with fully naked protagonists.
Houses of the Unholy, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips - I always enjoy Brubaker and Phillips, though this one’s pretty hazy in my memory. Oh, wait, it’s about the Satanic Panic of the 80s and the later lives of the kids who were caught up in that.
Dracula Book One: The Impaler, by Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones - Hell yeah! This secret origin of Dracula was violent and colorful and sleazy in all the right ways. So, so fun.
Uprooted, by Naomi Novik - From the author of the Scholomance trilogy, another banger of a book where I could never predict where it was going, but everything that happened still felt natural. I listened to this one as an audiobook, which I don’t normally do, but I got totally hooked—I got behind on my podcasts because I just kept listening to this.
Den: Children of Fire, by Richard Corben - At this point the Den series gets really weird, focusing on characters you’ve never seen before with no sign of main character Den, and I am here for it.
The Great Hare After, by Liam Sharp and Matylda McCormack-Sharp - I backed the Kickstarter for this children’t picture book because Liam Sharp was posting about it on Twitter. It’s a story he told his daughter when she was little and now she’s grown up and she’s illustrated it, and he was sad they weren’t getting many backers, and I felt sorry for him.
The Man Called Noon, by Louis L’Amour - I liked this one better than Hondo because it’s like a noir mystery set in the old west, complete with an amnesiac man with a mysterious past and a femme fatale.
The Dark Crusade, by Karl Edward Wagner - KANE! This is the second Kane novel I’ve read, and once against it was a ridiculously fast-paced, brutal, and fun sword & sorcery romp.
The Shadow: The Death of Margo Lane, by Matt Wagner - I’m still looking for a great Shadow story. This one was good, but not great.
Brooklyn Dreams, by J.M. DeMatteis and Glenn Barr - I’m a big DeMatteis fan, so it’s crazy it took me so long to read this, his most overtly autobiographical work. It’s a bit rambly but it has its moments.
Halls of the Blood King, by Diogo Nogueira - This is an RPG adventure, but I had to read it before I ran it, so it counts.
GI Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium 1, by Larry Hama and various - Collecting the first 50 issues of Larry Hama’s GI Joe run, this is the thickest book I read this year; I wrote about it in a previous newsletter. I really hope Compendium 2 comes out in 2025.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Marvel Epic Collection), by Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting, Michael Lark, and various - I read all these comics when they originally came out, but I picked up a cheap slightly used copy of this collection, and damn, they really hold up. If you’ve only seen the movie, check this out, it’s better.
Then She Was Gone, by Lisa Jewell - I read this for a book club at school, and it was fun! I normally read trash targeted at men, so it was a nice change of pace reading trash targeted at women. I don’t mean that as an insult, I like trashy fiction (see above).
Den: Dreams and Alarums, Richard Corben - Another quality Den book! This one’s back to the main storyline, and it’s pretty damn satisfying. It’s a shame there’s only one more volume left in the series.
TV SHOWS I’VE WATCHED RECENTLY
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 - What a show! I’m sad it’s over.
Twin Peaks Season 2 - Season 1 is perfect, and Season 2 is, well, it’s certainly got its moments.
Creature Commandos - I don’t love this but so far I like it enough to watch the next episode.
The Great British Baking Show Season 15 - Some real high-level bakers this year.
A NEW SONG I LIKED IN 2024
I always list things I’ve read and watched but I never list music, do I? That’s because I don’t listen to a lot of new music, and when I do it’s on in the background and I don’t know the names of the bands or the songs. Look, at a young age I set out to learn every available fact about American comic books, and you can’t do that AND learn band names.
But the kids and I have been listening to the Alt Nation channel on Sirius XM radio, and I am slowly learning some new bands and songs, and here’s a song I like:
“Panoramic View” by AWOLNation
PODCASTS I LISTENED TO IN 2024
Black Check with Griffin & David - My favorite podcast! When I’m finished with the latest episode I go back to working my way through the older episodes. I’ve made it most of the way through 2019.
If Books Could Kill with Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri - My second favorite podcast! I’m always thrilled to listen to this, but it doesn’t come out every week and I’ve listened to all the old ones.
The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer - My third favorite podcast by default, since it’s the only other one I listened to in 2024, but I haven’t listened to it a lot as politics is depressing and I’m mainly listening to Blank Check.
EVERY MOVIE I WATCHED IN 2024
Each movie is reviewed on my 5 point rating scale: Hated it, Didn’t like it, Liked it, Really liked it, Loved it. I don’t tend to watch a lot of movies that I think I’m going to dislike, and if I do dislike a movie I don’t usually finish it, so there aren’t many negative reviews here. That said, there are some movies that I Liked but I didn’t like a whole lot.
The Matrix – Loved it
Maestro – Liked it
The Matrix Reloaded – Liked it
Interstellar – Loved it
The Matrix Revolutions – Really liked it
American Fiction – Loved it
The Matrix Resurrection – Really liked it
John Wick 4 – Liked it
Blue Beetle – Liked it
Dune Part 2 – Really liked it
The Tragedy of Macbeth – Loved it
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Loved it
Othello – Liked it
Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom – Didn’t like it
Wonka – Really liked it
The Iron Giant – Loved it
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol – Really liked it
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation – Really liked it
The Incredibles – Really liked it
Incredibles 2 – Really liked it
Thomas Crown Affair – Liked it
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Really liked it
Rebel Moon: Part Two – Scargiver – Liked it
Colossal – Loved it
Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Really liked it
Mad Max: Fury Road – Loved it
Furiosa – Really liked it
Godzilla: Final Wars – Liked it
The Green Knight – Loved it
Ralph Breaks the Internet – Really liked it
Back to the Future 2 – Liked it
The Holiday – Liked it
Horizon: An American Saga, Chapter 1 – Really liked it
No Hard Feelings – Really liked it
The Decameron – Really liked it
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – Liked it
Dances with Wolves – Really liked it
The New Mutants – Liked it
Back to the Future 3 – Really liked it
Open Range – Loved it
Deadpool & Wolverine – Liked it
Trap – Really liked it
Shazam!: Fury of the Gods – Liked it
Eraserhead – Loved it
Beetlejuice – Really liked it
The Elephant Man – Loved it
Inside Out 2 – Loved it
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – Liked it
Woman of the Hour – Liked it
Dumbo (2019) – Really liked it
The Beekeeper – Liked it
The Straight Story – Loved it
Mr. Right – Really liked it
Emilia Perez – Loved it
Venom: The Last Dance – Didn’t like it
Big Eyes – Liked it
Transformers One – Really liked it
The Crucible — Loved it
It’s a Wonderful Life – Loved it
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas — Really liked it
And that’s my year-end mosaic of entertainment I consumed. I hope you found it edifying. And if not, don’t worry, I won’t subject you to that many lists next month. Speaking of next month, if you haven’t already, maybe go ahead and subscribe to this newsletter? I’d really like to boost the number of subscribers. That would be great for my self-esteem.
Happy New Year! I’ll see you again in 2025.
Your Pal,
Leighton