Let's see if I can keep up with both readings and reviews as well as actually writing stories this year. Meh, you know how resolutions go, and history definitely says the answer is "Not likely."
Past Tense by Lee Child
While on his way across the country, Jack Reacher spots a sign to a town he had never set foot in, but knows all too well - Laconia, New Hampshire, his father's birthplace. With nothing but time, Reacher decides to detour to the small town to look in on family history and perhaps speak with relatives he had never met. Meanwhile, two Canadians driving down to New York end up stranded in a nearby motel. While Reacher uncovers secrets his father never shared, the couple suspect the motel owners are also not all they appear to be. Happening across the same motel, Reacher is quickly pulled into the deadly game the Canadians find themselves unable to escape. Will Reacher make it out alive? And what dark family secrets will he unravel?
I can't believe I didn't read a single Jack Reacher novel all of 2025, especially since I have three of them sitting in my To Read pile. Well, I started this one toward the end of 2025, but didn't finish until 2026. I enjoyed this idea that no matter a person's past, what truly defines them is who they are in the present moment. Reacher learns some shocking truths about his father, but still realizes it doesn't change who he is today. The Canadian couple, despite continuously pointing out their humble backgrounds, manage to rise to the occasion when called upon. Though the point of the story was Reacher learning about his past, I didn't like that it kept him away from the tension of story for over half the book. It just made the book feel a bit disconnected as I waited for Reacher to eventually arrive to save the day.
Marvel's Deadpool/Batman and DC's Batman/Deadpool by various writers
Marvel and DC comics put together a series of crossover stories featuring some of their most popular characters under their respective labels for two epic books. In Marvel's Deadpool/Batman, the Merc with a Mouth is hired to capture The Dark Knight which goes just about as well as you'd expect. Another stand out story features Captain America and Wonder Woman recounting their friendship starting back in World War II, and how they've challenged each other to make the other a better hero. Of course, there are a couple of joke sketches with Rocket Racoon and Green Lantern switching teams in a cultural exchange event that goes terribly wrong ... for both teams, and a ridiculous crossover merging Logan/The Wolverine with Lobo (and a few other characters).
Of course, if Marvel is allowed to create a crossover event, so is DC Comics, and so DC released their collection of crossover stories in DC's Batman/Deadpool. The titular crossover event features the two characters trapped by Cassandra Nova's psychic powers in her attempt to find the ultimate weapon. This book also features a John Constantine and Dr. Strange crossover as the two magic-users attempt to separate their universes once more. A particularly touching Nightwing/X-23 crossover has the two proteges of legendary heroes working together and bonding over being trained by "the best at what they do."
I loved that Marvel and DC comics decided to merge their respective properties together to create some fun crossover stories. Honestly, I really didn't expect some of these to be as good as they were, especially the title Deadpool/Batman crossover stories - both were very entertaining with Batman being the "straight-man" unfazed by Deadpool's signature humor. I was also surprised by how good the execution was in the Rocket Racoon/Green Lantern crossover and the Nightwing/X-23 story. Of course, some I knew would automatically do well such as the John Constantine/Dr. Strange and Captain America/Wonder Woman stories. In the end, it was a fun way to combine characters from both companies and I'm really excited to see what they do with the upcoming Superman/Spider-Man and Spider-Man/Superman crossovers.
Meat Eaters by Meredith McClaren
"'Honestly, people barely know what's happening when they're alive. What made you think death would be any different?"
Ashley Moore wakes one morning with no memory of how she became covered in blood and developed a craving for fresh meat. A few quick tests confirm that, despite still waking and talking, Ashley is now part of the undead. Still uncertain, she'll stumble into a world of ghouls and vampires and werewolves - a secret world hiding from mortal eyes. Her plan to escape her small town and stagnant life dashed away, Ashley is instead pulled deeper and deeper into this new world of monsters - battling pack leaders, hiding her unique cravings, and forming her own, small clan. Ashley soon finds she can't simply ignore this strange, new, awful part of herself - and the evil that created her.
Another book bought on a whim (I really need to stop buying every cool-sounding book even if it does come at a discount) marketed as a sort of undead, coming of age story. As thick as it looks, it was actually a pretty quick read as I burned through it all in a single lunch break. I really enjoyed the art style, especially the over-the-top, cartoonish expressions we get once in a while. Starting the first couple of pages made me think I wasn't going to enjoy this, that I made a mistake buying it due to the teenage-feel (it is rated for 16 and older). As the story got going though, not simply with the introduction of other creatures but also learning more about Ashley and the rest of the cast as people, that's where I really began to enjoy this book.
The story itself is one of acceptance and making the best of a new reality. Even after confirming her missing heartbeat and of creatures walking amongst ordinary humans, Ashley still tries to live normal life according to her original plan despite how unrealistic that future has become. Downtrodden, it's only when Ashley begins to accept her new reality that she can finally smile again. Accepting her new situation allows her to confront the tragedy that made her who she has become and begin to move past it. Despite its fantastical premise, Meat Eaters presents a story of grieving a life altered by tragedy and finding a way to move forward by accepting the new reality.
Batman and Robin #25 - 27 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson
In the aftermath of their last case, Bruce Wayne looks to give Damian a life outside of just Batman and Robin, a life as father and son. When an outing to the theater causes them to miss an attack on The Penguin, Damian begins to reassess his dual identities. Meanwhile, The Penguin and Two-Face team-up against a vigilante known only as The Quiet Man, a soft-spoken man with a particular set of skills hellbent on revenge.
Compared to A LOT of other "Batman" comics going on right now (Detective Comics, Batman, Absolute Batman, Batman and Robin: Year One, etc), I don't think this particular series gets talked about enough. After the last supernatural caper, it appears that Batman and Robin are going after an ordinary but extremely skilled man. Already, I like the story arc more for its grounded element as there is just something about adding in the supernatural that takes away from the plot. I think it's the need to explain where the supernatural comes from, especially in a detective story, that slows the story down too much for me. As the same time, Bruce is trying his best to teach his son how to be just a normal kid, too. It's so great and I love the juxtaposition of Father/Son and Dynamic Duo. That Batman can be so certain about the exact moment to jump out of a helicopter but Bruce so unsure of how to raise his son that he calls Superman is so perfect for this book. At the same time, Damian is still struggling with the idea that he can live a normal life outside his Robin identity - so much so that he even contemplates giving-up being Damian Wayne. The Quiet Man himself is a great villain to use for this story, especially seeing how close Bruce and Damian are becoming. Driven by revenge for the murder of his son, The Quiet Man sets out to kill the villain responsible and will let nothing and no one stop him. He acts as a potential future for The Batman who brings his son out on dangerous missions with him. Could Bruce become the same man, driven by revenge, if the worst were to befall Damian? I really like that this story arc further explores the Father/Son relationship as much as it does the mystery of The Quiet Man, and I'm really curious to see where it takes this final arc of the series.
Ultimate Black Panther #18 - 24 by Brian Hill
"Wakanda will rise. For this continent. For all our people. We hide no longer."
Discovering the dark secret of Vibranium which shapes Wakandan society, King T'Challa and his trusted inner circle of advisors seek to stop an ancient race of aliens from invading Earth. Guided and empowered by his own goddess, the Black Panther will fight to seal the way for The Progenitors to enter Earth and enslave its people. But, though he may be able to stop this incursion, what can he do to stop any further invasion?
The first of Marvel's rebooted "Ultimate" series to come to an end. Overall, Ultimate Black Panther has not been my favorite of the new series. I enjoyed the beginning of the series as The Black Panther fights against The Maker's Khonshu and Ra as they attempt to takeover Wakanda while The Maker is imprisoned. The story though went off-the-rails with the introduction of Dark Vibranium and The Progenitors making the whole thing feel separated from the rest of the Ultimate storyline. The introduction of an entirely separate race of invading aliens and their machinations just took too long to set-up and made the entire story feel apart from the rest of the Ultimate storyline. Still, I did enjoy the camaraderie between Black Panther and Killmonger as it somewhat normalizes T'Challa, making him more relatable rather than simply a king above his subjects. Also, I feel like this was done as a sort-of ret-con to the MCU version of these characters. In the end, with Wakanda sharing its technology with the world and T'Challa's bloodline tainted, I'm curious to see if Black Panther will appear in The Ultimate conclusion.
Guy in the Chair #1 - 4 by Hannah Rose May and Utkarsh Ambudkar
In a world of bloody gunfights and espionage, Abhi is the guy in the chair, a computer tech sitting safely behind a set of screens, assisting his agent in the field, Merlin, a woman he knows only by the sound of her voice as his company policy keeps them apart. When Merlin shows up at Abhi's door seemingly back from the dead, she will drag him out from his chair and into danger when they realize their employer may in fact be the bad guys. On the run, the two will try to survive while exposing their company's evil doings ... all while falling in love.
A short, four-issue series, Guy in the Chair is simply a fun spy-thriller ride featuring a protagonist as ill-suited for the spy field as likely as the person reading it. Picked up from the title, I immediately loved the premise and Abhi's character as a man thrust into a world of violence he usually only sees on a screen. Not all stories need to be mind-altering or life-changing - they can just be fun. Guy in the Chair leans into the tropes that define the genre - the "fish out of water", the "level up", and "guy gets the girl" and many more that had me excited to read it month after month (yeah, one of the few comics that I read issues monthly rather than all at once). I also learned that it was co-written by Utkarsh Ambudkar from the TV show Ghosts which I really like.
Exquisite Corpses #5 - 8
The carnage continues as The Thirteen's Killers hunt and murder not only each other but the residents of Oak Valley. As the body count rises, the playing field shrinks, forcing the hired guns (and other assorted weapons) into an inevitable confrontation to find the game's winner. Meanwhile, the townsfolk start to realize the horror unleashed upon them by the secret leaders of the United States. Safely away from the chaos, The Thirteen's party continues with all eyes transfixed on the screens. But, with Massachusetts' killer seemingly dead, does she have another way to win and return the game to what she remembers it to be?
The next four issues of Exquisite Corpses continues to watch the body count rise as the killers run amok in Oak Valley. Meanwhile, the panic begins to set in on the residents who've started to notice the chaos that's befallen their small town. Having been raised in "The Now" and (if you follow this dumb blog) you might already know I've consumed some pretty messed up media, so I'm not really phased by the brutality of the Killers (maybe I do need help). What stands out to me the most in these issues is the "human-ness" of the characters. Seeing certain characters break and other rise up as their world unexpectedly turns into a massacre - those were the moments that really got to me. These four issues provided a great set-up to what I expect to be the final act in the next coming months.
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