So to start, in case you are wondering, the title is a quote from the Shawshank redemption, where during a conversation with Red about anniversaries at around the halfway mark, Andy says "I wonder where ten years went", referencing the first decade of his double life sentence.
Anyway, I love that film and, while the sentiment may be different, it felt like a fitting line to use.
So, it's New Years Eve in 2021 as I post this (having been writing it most of the week) and, with that, this marks the end of ten years of which I've been writing this blog.
Now, this week has been a little underwhelming when it comes to all things comics. I mean, sure, I received a whole host of comic trades from jolly old St. Nick in the form of the Criminal Deluxe Edition (Vol. 1), Crisis on Infinite Earths, John Ridley's the Other History of the DC Universe, Paul Cornell's I Walk With Monsters, Waid's Ant-Man and the Wasp, Lemire's The Sentry, Simone's Domino, Fantastic Four 1234 and Jed Macpherson's Cuddles as well as a digital gift of Spider-Man Masterworks Vol. 5. I also read through the entirety of Lemire and Sorrentino's Gideon Falls first omnibus, which I talked about earlier this week. Otherwise, however, I did very little with my other writing projects having been parked and deciding to take a break from my reviewing pile until the New Year. Ergo, it's been all quiet on the Western Front.
Therefore, I thought I'd just write about the year, and ultimately the decade in general because I always think that looking back is a good way to plan ahead and I sure have some things going forward which I wish to plan for.
But what can I say about 2021? Well, it's been quite a year (to put it mildly). When it's come to the comics we've seen on the shelves (when they've been there), I've felt that this year has been very much an anthology year thanks to things like Bi-Visibility, Marvel Voices and some 80th Anniversary celebrations on the DC for Green Arrow, Aquaman and Wonder Woman. This has also seemed to be the year of the limited series and the one-shot, with staple big-two characters getting more mini's than regular ongoings and some truly phenomenal one-shots coming out on a very regular basis.
However, while there have been some good things, 2021 just feels like it has been overwhelmingly bad. As I've thought back over the last twelve months, it feels like all comics has been subjected to is additional reveals of harassment by big name creators, publishers abusing their contracts with the talent on their books and even greater levels of toxicity and bullying against people within the community for no other reason than they are seemingly different to their bullies.
And while my own personal year has consisted more of me buying less comics and reading less of my own comics in favour of reviewing some truly phenomenal titles over at Pipedream Comics (which was a plus), it is certainly the larger, more macro events which has led to me feeling a sense of negativity and exhaustion toward comics that has been difficult to shake and a struggle to deal with, even as I've attempted to push it downstream several times.
I have to admit, it all feels like a far cry from when I started this blog all those years ago. When my then girlfriend/now wife encouraged to start my own little place to write down my thoughts (probably in an attempt to be relieved of having to listen to my yammer on about comics constantly), I know that I a. had delusions of grandeur in regards to my own importance and b. had little to no skill in how to write (beyond the basics) or in how to get my thoughts across coherently. At the time, my entire world consisted around the big 2 and superhero comics, especially as the 'New 52' was 6 months into its unveiling and Marvel's 'All-New' was just around the corner. However, as I think back on it, while the comics were enjoyable reads, it's surprising how incredibly limiting my pallette was.
Now, after 10 years of blogging, 7 years of reviewing and somewhere in between of regularly (trying to) communicating with the various talented creators of all that I read, I have come to realise just how bigger and wider the world of comics is. How much depth and quality exists beyond the big movie brand name of 'Marvel' and 'DC'. It's in the reviewing particularly that this has helped me, as Pipedream Comics editor Alex Thomas, who is most likely also my best friend in comics to date, gave me a wonderful chance to not only become a better writer and greatly improve my ability to critique and understand comics, their stories and their art but also read so many more comics which I'd probably have never even been aware of had I still been in the same place as 2011 came to a close.
In fact, as I jot all of this down, I find myself wondering, would I have done anything differently? The answer to that is isn't so cut and dried as 'yes' or 'no' because, while my experience has become so incredibly fruitful and ... evolutionary (for want of a better word), the feeling of exhaustion would certainly be something I could do without.
However, it's fair to say that if I could do it all again, I would. Every last bit of it (although I might have let Jon Lock go to the restroom a little sooner when we met at Bristol 2012)
I think that the feelings I have now are not down to the comics but (some of) the people who inhabit that world, as well as my own fear of standing up to them on the behalf of others.
Therefore, it brings into perspective what I want to do as 2022 begins. These actions consist of:
- First of all, I want to focus, almost exclusively, on my 'to read' pile. Therefore, apart from the remnants of my pull list, I don't intend to buy anything new (although that thinking rarely works ill grant you).
- However, when I do buy (hopefully when my 'to read' list is down to zero), what I do buy will majority digital in order to reduce the clutter in my house.
- Of course, if a comic does deserve to be physically represented on my shelf, I'll buy it as a trade, instead of floppies. This is because I've realised the difficulty I re-reading single issues as a bulk. Therefore, only FF and Lazarus will be bought in single issues (at least until they end).
- I'd also like to begin re-reading my current collection. The reason for this would be to streamline it reducing its size by disposing what I don't like, and keeping what I do. This way, my shelves would (hopefully) be left with only the very best.
- I'd like to get back into a habit of producing one pipedream comics review a week, something I felt I struggled to maintain on a consistent basis last year.
- Utilise the reviews to improve my descriptive writing better, as it is something I often feel I struggle with.
- Become a better critic, while maintaining positivity, by working on my analysis of comics.
- In order to fit all of the above, remember that I don't have to blog if I don't have time to. This is because, while I always enjoy writing here, I don't always have the content and my other responsibilities are a little more important (after all, this is just a personal thing).
- Attempt to develop a more positive outlook in general towards comics and the community at large. While I never attempt to act negatively towards anyone, I do feel I need to either avoid the negativity I see or not let it affect me. Either way, I want to give out an air of positivity.
- I want to work to get a comic of my own out. For years now, I've been writing scripts and ideas and I've now reached a point where I've been thinking about making them into something. I've got the logistical plans in my head and really now I only have to find the confidence to put what's in my head into action.
And that's everything. In truth it is a long list and certainly one I'm not sure I can fully stick to. I've learned in the last ... well, ten years, that while it's good to have a long list of objectives, I seldom ever manage to succeed with all of them. However, after the last two years, I've also come to realise that standing still isn't really much on the way of fun and so I would rather try and move forward (and most likely fail) rather than stay where I am indefinitely.
So, with that, my yearly ramble is at an end and if anyone who started reading this is still here then kudos to you. Now, I guess it's time to put my words into actions and get the new year underway. That said, while I have a lot of hopes and dreams of my own for 2022, what I really hope is that we'll get to see more positivity, something which I (for my part) can help facilitate.
As long as that happens, I have faith that the rest can all fall into place.
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