Yo Gamma Heads!
Hope that everyone, who celebrates, had a wonderful holiday and end of year. Mine was quite crazy. But that word can perfectly describe last year. 2023 was one of the most difficult, most stressful, most depressing years of my life. But it was one of the most beautiful as well. I think the good kind of crazy exists somewhere between beautiful and stressful. This time last year I believed that I had figured out everything, that my life path was set. But then again everything changes. I learned this year that evolution of the mind and soul is how to live. Treating every moment as a chance to change and grow.
But waxing poetically can wait until tomorrow. We’re here to talk 2023. Below is a list of my favorites from this past year, not everything was released that year but was something I discovered that year.
TLDR: AJ read, watched and listened to a bunch of cool stuff. Just go to the end if you want a sneak peek at an upcoming project.
Best of 2023
Comics: Tie
This section was so hard. I’ve consumed so many books that fueled me creatively. From tracking across the Nine Realms with Loki, to finding ghosts with The Homesick Pilots it was a journey. But there were two that stood out.
The Many Deaths of Laila Starr
by Ram V, Filipe Andrade, Ines Amaro and AndWorld Design. I love thinking about Death. Not in a morbid or depressed way but in a way of existence. As someone who grew with multiple religious backgrounds I questioned everything. This book scratched that existential itch. This book is what I hope to be able to write like. Beauty among chaos, meaning in what we see as nothing. If you haven’t read this book please go into it with no context, just read it.
Descender
By Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen and Steve Wands. I watched the 2023 movie The Creator and wanted something more. The premise of The Creator was Robots and Humans can’t get along and one robot holds the key to everything. Well Descender is that but so much better. When I tell you that I had a religious expeience reading this (I don’t know why but Dog Days Are Over By Florence and The Machine made it even better) The art makes this book something worthy of a place on this list.
Movies
Big Movies: Across The Spiderverse
Is anyone suprised? Spiderverse is truly a magnum opus for the superhero genre and worthy of so many awards. Plus they brought in my boy Spider-Punk so I was rocking out in the theater!
Indie Movie: Frank
I was in a rough place when I saw this movie. It’s odd, strange and slightly depressing. But it is also wacky as hell. An eccentric singer who wears a papermache mask goes viral all told through the eyes of a keyboardist who is lost in life. Truly unique and an absolute blast. I was dancing, crying and laughing all the way through.
Music: Don’t Go By Yungblud
YUNGBLUD is modern punk pop. Queer, loud, rebellious and brave. Not only is he a fantastic person but is also an amazing musician. This song captures the spirit of longing and love but with that fun punk melody. I could do a whole video about this band.
SNEAK PEEK!
I was debating about what to share but eventually settled on sharing two things. First off is the logo of the new book. Tales From Exit 56! I’ll share more information very soon!
And why don’t I tease a bit of art? This is one of our main characters, The Walker. Think Rod Sterling meets Karl Urban with a hint of Phantom Stranger and cowboys. The art is by the amazing John P. Golden. Get excited y’all.