Graphic Novel Recommendations

(I really meant to get this out before Free Comic Book Day, but oh well....)

A few months ago, I got a shout-out when one of my friends, Dups, interviewed another, Seamus, on a podcast. Essentially, I was credited with having excellent taste in comics, but that I was also a huge geek.

Which, fair.

I haven't done many comic book posts on the blog because I can see the numbers when I do,
and they tell me a story. Which is....no one cares.

Having said that, it's been a while since I posted some recommendations. First off, I'll be linking to Amazon, but I strongly encourage you to not buy from them. By all means, read a little bit more about the book there, and then promptly find your local comic book store and support them.

And for those wondering, here are my current favourite Top 5 of all time.

1. Planetary by Warren Ellis and John Cassady

2. DC: New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke

3. Giant Days by John Allison and Max Sarin

4. V For Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

5. Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson

As for some more recent recommendations:

1. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

Writer: Tom King

Artist/Colorist: Bilquis Evely/Matheus Lopes

Genre: Superhero

Accessibility: No links to ongoing stories. Would be helpful if you knew who Supergirl was, but that's it.

If you wondered why on Earth there was a Supergirl movie so soon after the CW TV show, this comic is it. Story aside, what Evely and Lopez have created here is simply one of the most beautiful-looking comics this century. Epic, intimate, detailed, lush, it is just achingly beautiful. It has to convey big cosmic scenes and intimate character moments, and pull it off with style. There are three versions of this book currently in print - a hardcover, a standard paperback and a compact paperback. The latter is cheap, but you will be depriving yourself of the art in its full glory, which would be a shame.

But what King has created here is something unique. Probably the most classic Supergirl story is the one where she died back in the 80s. She's been sweet and occasionally a bad girl when they wanted to juice the sales. But here, King writes Kara as a young woman struggling with the long shadow of her cousin and dealing with massive survivor's guilt over Kryptron. Kal-El might have videos of Krypton; Kara remembers what the rain sounded like on the leaves. She watched her planet, people, neighbours, friends and family die. She is struggling mightily to deal with that. And into her lap drops a young woman on a quest for revenge against the man who murdered her father.

And from that you get a big cosmic adventure against the backdrop of two young woman trying to help each other process their grief. It's not a perfect book, but it's a damn impressive one and absolutely worth picking up.

2. Helen of Wyndhorn

Writer: Tom King

Artist/Colorist: Bilquis Evely/Matheus Lopes

Genre: Fantasy

Accessibility: Standalone, although a familiarity with Conan, John Carter of Mars, and swords and sorcery would help.

Supergirl is hard to top, and yet....

In their follow-up book, King/Evely/Lopez tell a story that works on multiple levels. The first is a young woman processing her grief after her father, who wrote lurid stories about a barbarian, commits suicide. She handles her grief by drinking...a lot. However, a governess hired by her grandfather brings her back to the family estate. Which is when Helen discovers that maybe the stories her father wrote were more fact than fiction.

So we have a young woman and an old man trying to bond over their loss. Epic fantasy adventure, a little side plot on the nature of fandom, all while being told by a narrator who may not be the most reliable.

A lot of what I wrote about Supergirl applies here. The writing and art are top-level. Evely/Lopez have to jump around and cover a lot of different worlds and creatures, and they do it with ease. And King brings real grief to two of the main characters, all while diving into serious action-adventure scenes. 

I haven't heard if they're working on something else together. I can only hope they are.

3. Friday

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Marcos Martin

Genre: Mystery

Accessibility: Standalone, but you'll appreciate it more if you were a Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew fan.

Friday Fitzhugh and Lancelot Jones, the smartest boy in the world, spent their teen years solving mysteries and occult secrets in Kings Hill. But then Friday screws it up and then goes away to university. When she comes back for Christmas, she wants to make things right with Lancelot, but promptly gets caught up in their biggest mystery yet.

The only person who adores this book more than me are Brubaker and Martin, who clearly had the time of their lives putting this together. Friday and Lancelot are such amazing characters that you feel like they've been around forever. You want to go back and read their earlier adventures. It's a huge disappointment that there aren't any. The mystery itself is grand, over-the-top and a little bit silly, but who cares? Just enjoy watching Friday trying to figure out what the hell her friend is up to.

And Martin's art is delightful. Fun, great storytelling, and so much detail goes into every panel. Drawing this was a labour of love, and it shows on every page.

4. The Forged

Creators: Greg Rucka, Eric Trautmann and Mike Henderson

Genre: Insane Military Space Opera

Accessibility: Standalone

Greg Rucka has long been one of my favourite writers. And yes, I could recommend Old Guard, but it feels like it's unfinished. And there's the brilliant Lazarus, but between delays in publishing and the fact that it occasionally reads as a 'How-to' guide for tech bros to take over the world, perhaps not.

So, The Forged then, which is marvellous fun. Five vat-grown super soldier women wearing high-tech armour, the absolute best of the Empress Eternal's soldiers, get sent on a retrieval mission on a hostile planet where absolutely everything that could go wrong goes wrong, and then finds brand new spectacular ways to go wrong. Including first contact with an alien race that fucking hates them.

It's over-the-top spectacular science fiction action, with ridiculous space ship names ("Her Endless Radiant Triumph"), conspiracy theories, court intrigue, alluring Cassandras, and badass women with great banter:

"I've heard bad stuff about how those mindwitches can dildo up your brains but good."

"That so? Then you must've encountered a thousand of them given the sorry state of your brains."

"Roger that, you complete bitch, Sir."

The art by Mike Henderson is also insane. Rucka and Trautman ask him to draw madness and he does it with style. There's a joke in comic book circles about a writer bragging about how much better comics are than movies because "I can write a fleet of 1,000 space ships and it doesn't cost a fortune." That's when the artist tries to kill him because they have to draw it. I wonder if Henderson thinks that sometimes when drawing this series.

I love this book. There are three volumes out now, with the fourth coming out in September. It's going five, so you might have to be patient. But so far, it's a bizarrely under-the-radar book that is great fun.

5. Absolute Wonder Woman: Vol. 1 - The Last Amazon. Vol 2  - As My Mothers Made Me

Creators: Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Mattia De Iulis, Jordie Bellaire

Accessibility: Part of DC's new "Absolute" line of books. Some superhero knowledge is good, but this is a starter Wonder Woman book by design.

Diana is having a good comic book moment, and it's about time. It's tempting to recommend Tom King and Daniel Sampere's excellent run on Wonder Woman, but it is still mired in mainstream DC Universe storytelling, which means it can be confusing for new readers.

However, this is part of DC's "Absolute" (dreadful name) line of comics. The premise is, what if you took Diana, Bruce and Kal-El and stripped them of everything, would they still be who they are? So Kal-El arrives on Earth as a teenager with no Kents to raise him. Bruce is not rich, and his father, a teacher, died in a mass shooting. And Diana? She didn't grow up on Paradise Island with thousands of loving sister Amazons. She grew up in Hell, with Circe as her mother. 

The Superman and Batman titles are fine. I find the Batman book, in particular, is good, but overrated. But this series is a knockout. A Diana who is as much a witch as a warrior. Who is kind, but completely terrifying if you're on the wrong side. Big mythological battles, a fantastic looking redesign of Diana and just overall top-level writing from Thompson, who is a favourite, and incredible art by Sherman.

The second volume, "As My Mothers Made Me" came out recently and a third volume will be out in the Fall. At some point, these books will all start to interconnect and become needlessly complicated. It happens. But for right, enjoy the best Wonder Woman comic to come around in a while.

6. Tales from the Lands Unknown - Bowling with Corpses. Uri Tupka and the Gods

Creators: Mike Mignola and Dave Stewart

Accessibility: Dead easy to walk into. An appreciation of Mignola's storytelling/art and folklore wouldn't go astray

I love Mike Mignola and started reading Hellboy when it first came out. But after decades, it's a daunting task to try to get into it. There are dozens of volumes at this point, not all of which are drawn by Mignola.

But one of the reasons I love the two books out so far in the "Tales from the Lands Unknown" series - Bowling with Corpses and Uri Tupka and the Gods is that they are essentially collections of short stories. My favourite works in Hellboy were always the short stories, including the haunting "Wolves of St. August" and the romping "The Corpse". 

My favourite story in the bunch is "Bowling with Corpses", which is fun and appropriately weird. But the better of the two books is Uri Tupka, where the title character relays his adventures to old friends. He's on the run from the emperor, but with his encounters with thieves, pirates, monsters, and the gods, that's the least of his worries.

They're beautiful, wonderful books and easy to get into. A third volume Uri Tupka and the Devils will be out in November.

7. Nerd Inferno: The Essential Evan Dorkin

Creator: Evan Dorkin

Accessibility: Easy, but you need a tolerance for language and over-the-top violence, and you'll occasionally have to deal with some truly unpleasant humans.

This is a cheat, because I don't own it. But I do own the Complete Milk and Cheese, Complete Dork and Complete Eltingville Club books. All of which makes up this volume.

This book is a steal at the price. It's 648 pages of chaos, humour and rage. My friends often used to yell "Gin makes a man mean!" at each other in university. With the appropriate response being "Everybody booze up and Riot!" 

We were big Milk and Cheese fans in university.

Milk and Cheese are literally a wedge of spite and a carton of hate going on rampages, committing over-the-top violence while yelling lots. There is a strip where they destroy New York while screaming "Merv Griffin!" over and over, and it is hilarious. Eltingville are four boys who are the absolute worst aspects of fandom. It's horrifying. And Dork is random strips and comics, including "The Murder Family", "Fun Comics", "The Devil's Puppet" and more.

It'll be a dense book, and not something you're going to blow through in one go. And some of it, well, is just deeply weird. But the stuff that hits is genius. 

Honourable Mentions:

Barbaric: Vol. 1 Murderable Offences

Owen the Barbarian has been cursed to do good by witches. His moral compass is a talking axe that only he can hear, and it won't shut the fuck up. Oh, and the axe has a drinking problem. The drink of choice. Blood. Lots and lots and lots of blood.

This is a ludicrous, hyper-violent, ridiculously stupid book and I laughed out loud numerous times. I'm not saying this is great literature, but if you love barbarians and stupid levels of violence and talking axes, you'll be hard-pressed to do better.

Eight Billion Genies

One day, for no apparent reason, everyone on Earth gets a genie who will grant them exactly one wish. Given the current state of the world, it's not hard to imagine how stupid and catastrophic things get in a hurry. There are regular updates on how many genies are left, along with how many humans. Let's say both numbers drop significantly as the series goes along.

It's not all horror. It's action, humour, weirdness and some mocking of humanity. But there's also sweetness there as well. It's a lot. But what else can you expect with so many genies?

Last Five

1. Fog of Writing - Barenaked Ladies

2. Asking for flowers - Kathleen Edwards*

3. Desdemona - The Beaches

4. Yes - Coldplay

5. Trash tongue talker - Jack White

Proof of Life: 56

There's less of me, but more of the
geekery. It balances out.

So 55 is over and done with. 

It was the year I started getting senior discounts more often. Cathy pointed out to me that with the grey hair and beard, that's to be expected. However, it's mostly happening at the Aquatic Centre, where I have discovered the seniors' discount kicks in at 60, not 55. So that's a fun thing to process. 

The amusing thing about that is that this is the best I've felt in probably 10 years. Although we started in 2024 when I was 54, Cathy and I both committed to losing weight and getting in better shape and healthier. It might have started when I was 54, but the results became visible at 55. At this point, we're both down around 65 pounds each. 

We still have a ways to go to reach our preferred weight, but we're doing it slow and steady, in a way that should make it sustainable when we eventually plateau/reach our goal. I didn't do that last time, back around 2012, and the weight came back with a vengeance, and with interest. So I'd prefer it just stay away this time. 

 

There is no secret, I'm afraid. We're not on Ozempic, not that there is anything wrong with that. We started eating better (more fruits and veggies, dramatically reducing processed food, less sugar), and moving more (the dogs are getting very long walks, plus treadmill, plus I go to the gym on weekends). So it's working. 

 

It's just a nice feeling to be at a healthier size. Although a little expensive. The thrift shop did well by us after the holidays, as we had to clear out our closets of everything that was way too big for us. But now we have new clothes that look nicer and fit better. 

 

As for other events taking place on my 55th year whipping around the sun, Cathy and I celebrated our 20th anniversary. Which is not nothing. It wasn't 20 perfect years; like any married couple, we have our moments. But 20 very good years, where the good outweighs the bad by a considerable margin. It also marked 20 years of living in Iqaluit, which is not bad, considering the plan was for five years. We've adjusted the timelines a little bit. Also, we've now been in our house 16 years, which is kinda cool as well. It's nice to not have to move every other year, which was happening for a while. 

But we're also noticing the countdown happening. Today marks about six years until I retire. Subject to change, of course. But we'll see. It was also the year we nearly bought a house back in Newfoundland, but it didn't happen. Let's see if I can get through my 56th year without buying a house as well. 

Trip-wise, we went to Japan, which is arguably a Top 3 vacation for us, up there with Australia, the Viking River Cruise through Europe, Italy and our first trip to Hawaii. Beautiful country and we hope to get back there one day....albeit when it's not as warm. 

 

So, it's been a good year, if you just keep the blinds up and don't notice America is totally fucked and the world is on fire. I've been working very hard to read more and use my phone less. I was doing pretty well at that until I started rereading Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, which I remembered enjoying a lot when it first came out, but now feels like a bit of a slog. So we'll see. 

 

So what's the plan for 56? 

 

1. Continue to work on taking better physical and mental care of myself. I suspect this is the year I transition from losing weight to simply maintaining the weight loss. I didn't do so hot with that last time, so I will have to do better this time. But it means sticking with eating better, monitoring where I am, cutting myself some slack if I put on a few pounds, but keeping an eye on it. And keep exercising. 

 

But just as importantly, I really have to watch my mental health. Work fortunately offers up people to help, and I need to take advantage of them if things start weighing on me. Less time on social media will help as well. I'm long gone from Twitter, but even BlueSky is becoming a lot. It's mostly left-wing Americans freaking the fuck out. Which, fair enough, you should. But as there are limits to what I can do to help in the US, doomscrolling just puts me in a bad place.

2. I did start my novel in my 55th year, so this is the year I will finish it. It's tentatively called Laoise, which is either a kids' novel, or a novel about a kid with a very Stephen King-ish vibe. It hasn't quite decided yet, which is fair enough. Most of my writing doesn't decide what it's going to be until after a few passes.

I also haven't figured out what I am going to do with it. It was interesting to listen to Dups's recent podcast with Seamus about writing. I like writing, but seem to have neither the time, patience, nor interest in pursuing an agent or publisher. Nor does firing off short stories to get rejected by a literary magazine really appeal to me. Plus, everything I read about getting published emphasizes the importance of a social media presence, at a time when I really would rather reduce mine.

It's just as likely I'll finish it, hire an artist to do a cover for me (fuck AI art) and publish it on Smashwords. I like writing, I like people reading it, but I don't need the money (don't get me wrong, I would like the money, I just don't need the book to pay bills or get groceries), which is a nice, albeit weird place for a writer to be in. I might print a couple of copies on demand, just because.

I hope to be finished by the end of June, then we're back in Newfoundland this summer. The plan is to research the next novel; the placeholder title is Witless.

3. Just because I have 20 years in as a husband, I need to keep working towards the next 20. Marriage is always a work in progress. When you stop working, it's when you get in trouble.

4. Just try to enjoy life. Take the moments to pause. Get up from my desk at work. Take a moment and appreciate when Cathy is playing with the dogs. Enjoy a nice piece of art. Admire a song. Disappear in a book.

5. The world is in a rough place right now, and not likely to get better immediately. But you can't fix it if you also don't care for yourself. Fight the fights you can, take care of yourself, and remember to breathe. 

And with good luck and grace, I'll update you on how I did in a year's time.

Last Five

1. Silent all these years - Tori Amos

2. Dance anthem of the 80s - Regina Spektor

3. Why do I lose my voice when I have something to say - US Girls

4. Lucky - Radiohead

5. The Foggy Dew - The Chieftains and Sinead O'Connor*

Tariffs are working just fine (for Trump)

It’s perhaps a good thing that most people aren’t printed on paper anymore, because entire forests have been slaughtered trying to analyze “What is Trump doing now?”

The articles typically consist of:

• A lengthy explanation of why tariffs don’t work.

• Questioning the wisdom of damaging US relations with the rest of the world.

• Wondering if he’s senile.

Which, as best as I can figure, misses the point. The point for anything that Trump does now or has ever done is simply this: “How does it benefit Trump?”

In that regard, the last week of tariff chaos was perfect for Trump. Did he make a shitload of money because he knew when the tariffs were going to start and stop? You betcha.

Did all the Trump toadies, synchopants and minions in the White House and Congress that he needs to keep in line so he can stay in power and give them enough financial security to withstand the public outrage make a shit ton of money? Of course.

Did you, the lowly plebe who is not Donald Trump, take it up the ass? Of course you did. Why, because you’re not Donald Trump, so fuck you, who cares?

This has always been Trump’s worldview. The man put his name on meat, for Christ's sake. Future psychologists are going to shorten the phrase "self-centred narcissist" to just “Trump” to save on the word count. He does not care about anyone who is not him. He would sacrifice his children (literally, sacrifice, as in on an altar) if there was profit in it. 

If a demon told Trump he could live another year by sacrificing half the people who voted for him in an arcane blood ritual, he would do it in a heartbeat. The sad thing is that the remaining, still living half would approve of him doing it.

(As a side note, Trump has done more to sway me into the notion of an afterlife than any religious text. Because I like to have some faith that people are not this stupid and are, in fact, being swayed as they are because Trump sold his soul to the devil decades ago for power and this is the result.)

That’s the strategy. People are calling him a fascist, and maybe he is. But it’s about the money. It’s about saying “I win.” That's all it's ever been to him. The terror he’s causing among minorities and giving ICE draconian powers? That’s just good TV for him. He’ll pop a Diet Coke, watch that on Fox, then put on some repeats of The Apprentice before hitting the golf course.

That’s it. That’s the whole strategy. Last week was wildly successful for Trump. Shitloads of money, world leaders grovelling and people he loathes panicking and fearing him. He’s going to keep hitting that repeat button until it blows up.

More intelligent people than me have probably figured that out and are hopefully working on a strategy to counter it. But yeah, anytime you think he’s a senile idiot, well, maybe. But as long as it keeps making him money, he will keep doing it no matter how much it hurts 99.9% of everyone else. He doesn’t care.

Because….fuck you. You’re not Donald Trump.

Last Five

1. Breakaway - Tori Amos

2. Modern Love - David Bowie*

3. Come pick me up (live) - Ryan Adams

4. I think we're lost - Ron Sexsmith

5. Mr. Richards - REM

Proof of Life: 55

 

Cake, a 16-year-old Scotch and a Fantasia shirt.
A solid birthday overall.

So here I am, 55 and yet not free. It's like those commercials lied to me, the bastards...

So yes, 55. I never thought much about some of the other "Big" milestone years, like 30, 40, or 50. Yet, clearly, I'm now on the slow slide toward 60. Cathy and I are in the early stages of planning our retirement in approximately six to seven years. We found a house we'd love to have, but it's too expensive to carry at the moment and it would just sit empty for years. But I'm sure there will be another. 

I think 54 and the first few days of 55 will be some of the last sane days I have for quite some time. Not just me, but all of us. Pray to whatever deity you choose to believe in that we all get through this.

So what was there to appreciate about my 54th year? Far more good than bad, I think. We took our first vacation outside of Canada since COVID, going to Costa Rica and New England, which was nice. We got to see Bruce Springsteen in Ottawa in November, which was a bucket list item. I've been wanting to see the Boss since I was 15.

The dogs have finally settled down, thank God. Puppies are grand and all, but Sully was always more reactive than we would have liked when she was younger. She's much more chill these days.

I got some writing done (not on the blog, but elsewhere) that I'm happy with. Work is going well. I got a new boss this year and it finally feels like I can exhale again after a couple of years. It's nice to know that, once again, I can make an occasional mistake without the hammer coming down. 

And after some gentle smacks to the head from our doctors, Cathy and I are back on the wagon when it comes to taking care of ourselves. The last time I did this, about 13 years ago, I posted weekly updates on my weight loss, which was insane. Instead, we step on the scale at the end of the month. It's going well and we're happy with the progress. I feel better physically turning 55 than I did the last few birthdays. We've been at it for six months; maybe after a year I'll post a longer update on it.

I quit Twitter, which was easier than I thought.

On the downside: Trump, hollow billionaire tech bros who can never have enough, fucking AI, and, honestly, that Neil Gaiman thing is quite a punch to the gut.

A few weeks ago, I was asked at work if I had New Year's resolutions. I said no, I do course corrections on my birthday. Which is not a bad line, actually. So with that in mind, what are the course corrections for my 55th year on this deeply messed up planet:

- Keep watching what I'm eating, keep moving. Do the work.

- Read more books. I read an article about how, due to social media and other factors, people are forgetting how to read, which resonated with me. So, I have more time for a book. I'm partway through Ministry of Time (It's good, I just got distracted). I'm on volume 2 of The Murderbot Diaries and Alan Moore's new novel, The Great When arrived today.

- I've been writing and not showing it to anyone because most of it was terrible and I didn't need people trying to struggle to politely tell me it was terrible. But I think I've got one or two or three good story ideas or stories in progress (one of them made Dups laugh, and he pleaded with me to write it). So this is the year to finish a novel and then begin the process of finding an agent, and maybe trying to publish something. We'll see. I haven't a clue about how to get published. I suspect its depressing as hell these days.

- Cathy and I are going to Japan this year, which is something to look forward to. She's never been, and I haven't been there since the one day I spent dealing with work visa things during my time teaching in South Korea back in '97. 

- I had hopes to return to New York Comic Con this year, but current political realities make that unlikely. I don't have to make a decision on that until May, so a miracle may happen.

In a time of anger, bitterness, and despair, I need to remember to be a good person and encourage others to do the same. There are potentially some very dark times ahead, and it's going to be very easy to become angry, bitter, and resentful toward friends and family you truly believe should know better. Trust me, I'm somewhat of an expert when it comes to anger and bitterness.

Try to resist the urge and remember who the real culprits are when it comes to keeping us angry and divided. Make the adjustments. Don't give in. Keep kicking at the darkness, my friends.

Last Five

1. No need to cry - Neko Case*
2. Fighting in a sack - The Shins
3. Sweet disposition - Temper Trap
4. Any way you want (live) - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
5. The Dog/The Body - Sleater-Kinney

Year of the Bastard

 

A Canadian North flight comes in for a landing at sunset at Iqaluit, Nunavut on New Year's Eve. Except the sun is obscured by clouds. Most of you have English lit degrees. Work out the symbolism.

"It's going to be a good year for bastards, Spider." - Kristin, from "Year of the Bastard" in Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson's Transmetropolitan

I have a terrible feeling that Transmetropolitan will always be relevant. As I was thinking of 2025, the phrase "Don't let the bastards grind you down" popped into my mind. Except that the bastards are here, they're very rich, and they've brought heavy machinery.

2025 is going to be the Year of the Bastard. Everyone is collectively holding their breath, waiting for Trump 2.0 to begin. Allow me to kill the suspense—it will be terrible. It's going to be terrible in predictable ways, in unpredictable ways, and truly breathtaking ways. And this time he's brought tech bros with him. It's also not going to be confined just to the United States. The year 2025 is going to be a bastard year worldwide in many different and terrible ways. We are, as a planet, not in great shape at the moment, and the forecast isn't looking all that good.

My friends are reading this and thinking either, "Well, you're a ray of sunshine," or "You would know a thing or two about being a cynical bastard." Both of which are true. There isn't a scenario on this planet that I can't look at and go, "Well, what's the worst that can happen?" and then come up with some truly breathtaking answers to that question.

At a time when the world needs transformative leadership more than ever, we've learned a valuable lesson about being careful about what we wish for.

My way of dealing with this so I don't curl up in a ball has always been to remind myself that just because something can happen, it doesn't mean it has to. If you know this terrible thing could happen, well, maybe you can take steps to prevent it and encourage a few others to do the same.

I've seen plenty of advice on how to handle 2025. Self-care, making sure you and your loved ones are all right, taking necessary steps for your mental health, and similar advice. Which is great. I approve of those things. But did I mention the bastards are here with power tools? They literally don't care about your mental health. Working hard to wreck your health is one of their side quests for 2025. There are terrible things on the horizon. You might have to do some short-term damage to avoid long-term harm.

Hope is nice and all. I like hope. I've been reading superhero comic books for 50 years. That's what superhero comic books are - hope that the good guys win and justice prevails. I wouldn't still be reading them after all this time if I didn't believe in hope. It is a grand thing. 

But a lot of us took a beating on that front in the last few months. I did.  I believe my first Facebook post on November 6 was, "Well, there goes my faith in humanity." But hoping things will get better in the Year of the Bastard will get you nothing but buried. Hope without putting in the work is meaningless. As I have plans to be around for a few more decades, I'd like for them to not suck. That means getting up off the mat, no matter how comfortable it might be. It's better than lying there and hoping everything passes me by. And I fear I've been guilty of doing that for too many years now.

2025 is going to have more wins for the bastards than the rest of us. Just the odds of the thing. But here's the thing about bastards. They come in sub-varieties - greedy, selfish, stupid and egotistical - to name a few. And a quick view of the landscape shows there's no shortage of those out there. We can work with that. 

They're going to win more than we want, but we can make them have fewer wins than they hoped for. And you'll find with enough work and effort, you can bring the heavy machinery to the bastards too.

It's a new year. Let's go.

Last Five

1. Happy for you - Lloyd Cole
2. Turn the page - Bob Seger
3. Substitute - The Who
4. The List - Metric
5. Don't give up - Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush

Jury Duty

Jury summons tend to go a number of ways. A lot of times, you get the summons but then find out the court date has been cancelled. Other times you get the summons, but for various reasons, it might be impossible to attend as you won’t be in town that day. You contact the Sherriff’s office, let them know, and that’s that.

Then there are the times you find yourself in a hotel conference room with 100 other people waiting to hear if your randomly assigned number is going to be pulled from a hat. That happened to me last month. My number got called and I had to stand in front of a judge. He asked if I had a reason why I couldn't serve on the jury and I only had one answer I could honestly give.

"No, your Honour."

And with that, my two-week journey in the Nunavut criminal justice system began.

I'm not going to get into a lot of details on the case. Nunatsiaq News has extensive coverage of the court case. And in case you're thinking, "Well, which jury trial was it?" to the best of our knowledge, it's the first jury trial in Iqaluit in over a decade. I can't swear on Bibles (or Affirm) to that, but I think that's right.

And I really, really can't get into what it was like in the jury room. What happened in there, the discussions we had, are confidential and it's critical to maintain that confidentiality. So I won't discuss it, and never bother asking me about it.

What I can say is this...it was a very important experience for me. I'm not going to use life-changing - a phrase I generally loathe as most experiences are life-changing - but I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I had that experience. I'm not saying it was easy. It wasn't. There were times when the jury was sent from the court when a witness broke down relating horrifying abuse. All I wanted to do was go outside and find a snowbank to bury my head in. There was a spin cycle I had going for my first few days sitting in court.

This is horrible to listen to --> The people testifying had it much, much worse. Suck it up --> Because they went through something horrible does not invalidate you feeling bad listening to it. --> The lawyers and other court officials have had to deal with this for longer. Suck it up --> Because they've been working on this case and dealing with this for longer does not invalidate you feeling bad.

Spin. Rinse. Repeat.

At the end of the jury's work, we were given counselling information and the judge strongly encouraged us to take advantage of it. I've already made an appointment, and I hope the others will as well.

So why do this? I knew before I was called before the judge that this was going to be a challenging case to listen to. I could have come up with an excuse to get out of it. Prior knowledge of the case. Bias. Something.

But I've always wanted to serve on a jury. I wanted that experience and I'm glad I have it. But I've had something else rattling around in my head for a few years, and serving on this jury solidified it for me. It isn't a shocking revelation that public discourse has taken a beating in the age of social media. Things are getting angrier and scarier out there. And far too often, I hear people yell that their rights are being suppressed or stamped upon. But not nearly enough do I hear about taking their responsibilities as Canadian citizens seriously. The responsibilities part is equally important. It's why people who brag they don't vote make me nearly homicidal at times.

Canadians are gifted with a staggering number of rights. Read the Charter if you want a refresher. And these are your responsibilities:

• Obeying the law: Everyone must obey the law, even if they are in a high position

• Taking responsibility for oneself and one's family: It is important to get a job, and take care of one's family, and to work hard. This helps to make Canada a strong country.

• Serving on a jury: When a person is in court, a jury is a group of people who help the judge to make decisions about whether the person who is on trial is guilty or not guilty. If you get a letter asking you to serve on a jury, you must answer the letter, and serve on the jury if you are asked. 

• Voting in elections: You are responsible to vote in elections. There are three kinds of elections; federal elections (for the whole country), provincial or territorial elections, and local elections (for a municipality or city).

• Helping others in the community: Canadian citizens often volunteer. This means that they work without pay to help people. It is a good way to gain useful skills, make friends and network for jobs. 

• Protecting and enjoying our heritage and environment. Every Canadian citizen needs to help protect Canada by avoiding waste and pollution. We want to keep Canada's nature beautiful, and not forget what our parents and grandparents taught us about our culture.

These are not hard things to accomplish. For the number of rights you get as a Canadian, this is playing at the easy setting of life responsibilities. And yet, the first reaction of many when they get a jury summons is to figure out how they can get out of it. Don't. I understand sometimes it is simply inevitable that you can't serve. But try to find a way to work your life around serving on a jury rather than trying to figure out how to avoid it.

Toward the end of the trial, I found myself writing. I wanted to say thanks to everyone at the court for their work and for taking care of the jury. I read it to my fellow jjurors and they all agreed with it, for which I'm grateful. With the judge's permission, I read it out in court. I confess, I was surprised by how emotional I got. I won't put the whole thing up here, but it's one of the best things I've written in a while. Particularly this paragraph.

"It has been a rare opportunity to see a side of justice that many Canadians do not experience and should. It has been an important reminder that, as Canadians, responsibilities come with our rights, and we are grateful for the chance to balance our scales. We have also had the opportunity to witness strength and perseverance that will stay with us for the rest of our lives."

Not everything has to be awful when you're a juror on these cases. Sometimes....sometimes you can be astonished at what people can endure and still find the strength to speak. The least you can do is sit and listen. And sometimes even give them justice.

Proof of Life: 53

 

There were times last year when I wanted to strangle these fluffy idiots, but they're far too adorable to stay mad at for long.

I had a mild epiphany last week. It was while I was hobbling down a corridor, using a cane to get around, because I sprained my ankle back in December. I was grumpy over that, a work thing, and I'd just looked in the mirror in the washroom and realized that Cathy's tease about my longer beard really bringing out the grey was accurate.

I understood then that I really was settling into becoming a cranky old man quite nicely. That was pretty inevitable. I've been accused of being a cranky old man since university. Now I was just beginning to look and feel the part. I actually felt better after that. There's something very zenning about realizing you're right on schedule for this kind of thing to happen.

So yes, 53 will be the Year of Gumpy Old Man. Bring it on.

As for 52, well, while most of 2022 was the Year of the Water Tiger by the Chinese calendar, it was very much the Year of the Dog for Cathy and I. We might have gotten the puppies in 2021, but 2022 was the year we spent making sure the puppies grew up to become good dogs. This was not always easy, as some very expensive vet bills show. There were three weeks this year that, between the two of them, were among the most stressful weeks we've had in years.

They give big love, but sometimes with that big love comes big stresses, panic, and guilt as well. Iqaluit is in the middle of its usual January cold snap. Temps have been pushing -50C with windchill for a good chunk of the month, meaning it has been too cold to have them outside for more than a few minutes at a time, and certainly not long enough for their usual walks. Even with coats and booties, you don't mess around with temps like that. So they're getting a little binky. But honestly, they really are good dogs.

We are also, tentatively, trying to work out the logistics of taking them down south with us this summer. We'll see.

What else happened during 52? It was nice to get out for a vacation. Never taking that for granted again. Always a delight to be bossed around by my 7-year-old niece for a week. Through a delightful bit of unplanned synchronicity, there was a gathering of my university friends in town, some of whom I've not seen in decades.

I went back to New York for the first time in seven years and attended my first comic con in 3.5 years. That was fun, but a little....odd. It was weird travelling solo again, and NYCC was great but very intense. It felt very much like everyone was going out to comic con for the first time in years, and it was urgent that it be the best con ever. There was an odd energy to it. Oh, and Reed Pop completely screwed the pooch on their mask mandate. 20% of attendees wore a mask. Maybe.

As for the challenges, mom gave me a last minute freak out by breaking her hip. She's home, recovering and appears to be in good spirits, so I'll take that. I managed to sprain my ankle in December and I'm still getting over that. When something pops in your ankle, that's "bad." I probably have another 4-6 weeks of hobbling around before it's 'normal-ish.' Oh, and we both got COVID in August, which was delightful. It was a mild-ish case, and we 100% attribute that to having been vaccinated six weeks earlier. We just got our booster last week. Keep your shots up-to-date, kids.

So what's the plan for 53?

Whenever I get my ankle back to normal, I really do need to start getting back to the gym and getting healthier. Not just physically, but mentally. A few hours a week at the gym does wonders for me, and between the pandemic and illness, I haven't been able to get into any kind of routine.

Not strangle the dogs. I love them, but there are days.

The ongoing project of trying to be a better husband to Cathy. I did okay this year, but it's always a work in progress.

Keep writing. I understand the blog is relatively dormant, but I'm doing some writing for myself. Most of it is crap, but it makes me happy. Cathy introduced me to the idea that I could write and not publish or have to try and sell it. I can write just to make myself happy. Crazy-talk, but it works.

Although I did get a request to update the Moving to Iqaluit FAQ. That's fair, so I will do that this year.

Ms. Marvel by Arthur Adams. I still can't believe I own this.

I suspect this year will be one of geek reckoning. If you've ever wondered how long it will take to fill a room with books, art, Legos and toys, the answer is about 12 years. There's no more room for toys of Legos, and we're rapidly approaching the dreaded "a book has to go for every new one you bring in" stage of things. Art is a little different in that I've long since passed where I can display everything. That's why I have portfolios (like most comic art collectors). But I am going t adjust what I buy. I need to be much more strategic in my purchases.

Having said that, I got an Art Adams commission this year. If you’re not a geek, that means nothing. If you are a geek, you’re probably going “coooool.” I’ve only been in love with his art since I was a teenager. Meeting him was a thrill. Having him hand this over to me was otherworldly.

Finally, the world outside is crazy and it's not likely to get any less crazy any time soon. I'm going to have to watch it again, because I know I missed things trying to figure out what was going on. But I think I will try and spend at least part of this, my 53rd year on this insane planet, following Waymond's wise advice. 

"The only thing I do know is that we have to be kind. Please, be kind. Especially when we don't know what's going on."

(Yes, you can be grumpy and kind. It's a big multiverse. Embrace contradictions....)

Last Five

1. Dogs days are over - Florence and the Machine

2. Honey, we can’t afford to look this cheap - White Stripes

3. Cover me (live) - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band*

4. Dianne - Joanne Barker

5. Stella Hurt - Elvis Costello and the Imposters