With 2019 almost at an end, I think back to the beginning of January, when I posted a similar post detailing my plans for the year ahead (something I've done for the last few years in fact).
In hindsight, while my goals and resolutions started off very well indeed, the arrival of my son threw things out of whack and I struggled to achieve what I set out to do to the extent that I had planned.
However, it's been nine months to get used to two kids, a full time job and all the comics in my world and, with 2020 only two days away, I figured that there was no better time to put together a new list of goals for a new year. However, this list is different for others as it feels more specific and great in quantity, due to the fact that, at 36, it's time I started getting things done and, as the title suggests, I get my house in order (both figurative and literal).
Therefore, behold my goals/resolutions for 2020:
Comics (because I've broken these down into categories)
- A (slightly) bigger budget - For the last few years, the budget I've put aside for new comics has continued to drop. Due to the appearance of my children, changes in jobs, economic changes and the need to streamline my collection (and time) with fewer new comics has meant that my budget covers roughly two or three singles a month, two trades over a year and my Comichaus subscription. However, this year I've decided to be a little different and increase my budget by an extra 50% of what it previously was. My reasoning behind this is mainly due to the fact that, due to my role as a reviewer, I'm coming across more and more comics which are truly fantastic reads but yet I struggle to afford to support. Hopefully, by doing this, I can now support at least a couple more of these specific titles over the course of the year while still maintaining the financial stability I always focus on.
- Less impulse buys - Paradoxically, while I've prided myself on running a tight ship with my pull list, I do have a really bad habit of being impulsive in my comic buying, especially when Comixology has a sale (such as just recently buying Darth Vader's second volume, just because). Therefore, I'm going to try and keep away from those sales in 2020. This isn't just in an attempt to save money (although it is a bonus) but also because I already have a LOT of comics I still need to read.
- Comic book catchup - Of my entire comic book collection (which, of course, is far less than it used to be), now more than ever, I have a large portion which still hasn't been read. Thinks like Wonder Woman, Marvel Knights FF and beyond have been sat waiting for years. I just recently read one of these in the form of New 52 Green Arrow but there is still so many more to go. Therefore, I want to, if not clear the pile then certainly put a huge dent in it.
- One Comichaus title a month - I also want to take advantage of Comichaus to a greater degree in 2020. I've held a subscription with 'the Netflix of comics' for two years now but only recently have really put it to any major use (reading 32 Kills, Close and Rok of the Reds in quick succession). This really goes against my 'focusing on the pennies' mantra as I've been throwing good money after bad on something I don't really use. However, having a scan through the site recentry, I found a tonne of titles which I'd had on my comics wishlist available through the app, meaning I could read them anytime rather than buy them outright (unless I really wanted to). Therefore, 2020 will see me working harder to take advantage of the issues goldmine and read at least one title a month (and that's NOT one issue, that's one title with however many issues it includes). By doing this, not only will I give myself a greater variety, but I'll also put better use of the money I'm already spending.
- The great re-read a.k.a. A comic a day (nearly) - probably the most reoccurring item on these yearly list of goals, it is still something I want to do nonetheless. Last year I did very well, getting all the way up to mid-March. However, the arrival of my second child threw me out of whack and, while I may have recovered, I certainly didn't read one a day. Therefore, this year I'm going to be a little more flexible and say that I'm going to go for either a comic a day or a graphic novel a week. I'm also going to allow myself to bulk up on certain days, so reading 2 comics in a day makes up for not reading any on the next day. Of course, this will include everything; Comichaus, reviews, backissues, backlog, just as long as I can keep myself consistently reading.
- More Blogging, less reviewing - Last year, while I enjoyed writing so much on my blog, I felt that all I did was talk about specific comics and what I thought of them. This isn't a bad thing, not at all, but for 2020 I'd like to do more in regards to voicing my opinions. This blog is, essentially, an extension of my personality and not a review site and so I should use it in that manner. Therefore, I hope to blog more about my thoughts and views regariding not just comics but things which happen in comics. Maybe that's a mistake and I should stick to playing it safe, but I've watched another year where my sitting on the sidelines has done me no good (see UK politics) and so maybe venting would be good for me.
- Two posts a month - While 2018 was something of a bust, I appear to have really bounced back in 2019 when I posted 52 (I guess with this 53) blog posts in the year. This was over double what I had planned for. This year, however, I do hope to properly scale back and get out 2 posts a month, so 24 in the year. Of course, that isn't a fixed number and am happy to go over to, say, 30, however, I want to devote more time this year to other work and so need to scale back on other areas.
- More bells and whistles - I've said previously that this blog is an extension of myself and one thing I'd like to do is bulk its general look up to refleet that. I'm not quite sure how yet but to give it more depth than what I feel it currently has would be a nice goal.
- Get a process for Pipedream - Last year, one of my goals was to improve on the note Talog in relation to my reviews for Pipedream Comics. Well, I believe that particular goal was a success (whether any of the others were is up for debate). However, I want to continue to improve as a writer and reviewer and so, for 2020, I want to caste a more uniformed process to how I review comics. What I mean by this is in relation to the turnaround of these reviews. This is because certain comics do end up being forgotten about due to priority and/or my preference. But also, my recent review of Canopus has made me realise that, whether helpful or not, my reviews could be used to influence a title's ordering numbers. Therefore, I'd like to get in a place where I'm reviewing comics in advance enough to help with ordering or Kickstartersomething etc.
- Three reviews a month - Much like with my blog output, the number of reviews I put out in 2019 was considerably impressive compared to the previous year. With 49 reviews having been posted onto the Pipedream Comics web site which were written by my fair hand, that averages at almost one a week. For 2020, however, I hope to scale back slightly by putting out 36 ish reviews, or roughly three per month. The reason for this is, again, a selfish one as I would like to devote more time to my own writing in the coming yearound. However, unlike with my blog, I feel I owe those who make comics the additional time to review as many of their crelationship as I can in a year. Therefore, I felt three to reviews every month instead of the standard four would be sufficient.
- Continued Positivity - Something else which was originallya goal for 2019, my desire to be more postive about comics was, by and large, a success (although not perfect) in my opinion. However, improvement is always possible and I feel that I can always be more positive.
- More time to write - I've already made mention of this multiple times prior, but I'll elaborate on my thinking now. So, obviously, I would like to write more of my own projects like comic scripts and short stories. To what end I'm not sure but I have a lot of ideas rattling around in my head and, after much insistence from many people overy the years, I've decided to try and get as many as I can down on paper. I already have a few, but I've got the bug now and so would rather keep on going as much as I can.
- Better work/comic/life balance - This one requires little explanation (I hope) bit with a family, a full time job and my desire to read (and write) comics, I do find that time is at a premium as I use up every space moment on one of those three. However, I did notice as I went through 2019 that I struggled to maintain the necessary balance between work, comics and life (although, admittedly, it was more a case of work and comics struggling to balance with life rather than all three independently). In truth, I do wonder if it is possible and if entertaining all three within my time is meant to be a case of spinning plates as I scramble to ensure I keep all three in the air simultaneously. That said, if there is any way to keep a true balance, hopefully I can find it in 2020 (or at least get closer to it).
And there it is, my goals for 2020. Of course, these are not all the goals I have planned for the year as I do have the obligatory lose weight/get in shape goals as well as some personal to me like watching more movies (I watched shockingly few last year), reading more prose novels (I read shockingly few last year) and actually completing a video game and two (the number I have still to complete is staggering). However, the list above are the main ones I have when it comes to comics.
Hopefully, despite it being a lot, I can keep on track to getting through most, if not all, of them.
Because it's always good to have goals to strive towards.
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