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We're finally at the last day of what has been an incredibly STACKED year for Comics. I've only been around since 2019, but this is the most excitement I've ever seen about the medium. We have straight up BANGERS coming out from EVERY comic publisher. DC's Absolute line sold millions of copies. Marvel's Ultimate Universe consistently overperformed, as did Skybound's Energon Universe. IDW is CRUSHING it with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Godzilla's Kai-Sei line. And we got a ton of really cool miniseries from Image Comics, Mad Cave Studios, Dark Horse, Boom, and newcomer Ignition Press. That's not to mention the number of insanely cool projects I came across on Kickstarter. If you like comics, you probably had a hard time keeping your money this year. I know I did. In fact, here's a playlist of the best things I spent my money on in 2025. On a Personal Note These end-of-year posts are supposed to run like a highlight reel of all your best moments. And to be fair, we had a lot of cool things happen this year. They include:
I struggle with how much of my personal life I should share online, but I want to be real. 2025 was also a trying year for me. Our family grew. We changed addresses. Budgets got tighter and my day job got tougher. Adding a third child completely wrecked my sense of organization and time management. Because of that, I spent a lot of time feeling lost like that Mr. Krabs meme. Ideas for videos came, but the time to execute them was elusive. My weekly newsletter turned quarterly. Sponsorship and interview emails sat unanswered in my inbox. There was a a lot of second guessing myself. Can I keep this up? Do people care? Maybe I should put this energy into something that'll make money. But then I'd see an uplifting comment, an e-mail or social post that snapped me right out of it. At every turn, you guys make this worth doing. Sharing the joy of comics online still excites me, because of you. I feel like a broken record saying this all the time, but I'm truly grateful. I don't have any grand predictions for 2026. Frankly, I'm STILL getting my sea legs back under me. But I'm excited about whatever the year has to offer, and I plan to share it with you as often as I'm able. They're Finally Gone! I FINALLY got all outstanding prize packs out the door. Well, almost. Who knew the Post Office closed early on New Year's Eve? But I prepaid the shipping, so tracking info is already in your inbox if you were one of the lucky winners. You should see movement on these packages this Friday. Happy New Year! BJ KICKS |
Celebrating everything Dope about comics. Curated by BJ KICKS.
I never would have guessed I'd only write 3 newsletters in 3 months, but here we are. February was a really good month, but it was tough for me. Every year, I feel like I struggle to cover the wealth of amazing Black comics projects out there during Black History Month. This year, I made 2 videos I'm really proud of. The Deep Dive into Dwayne McDuffie's unique legacy of Diversity at Milestone was well-received, and that made me happy. But the most ambitious video I've ever made was my deep...
Friday, February 20th would have been Dwayne McDuffie's 64th birthday. In comics, he's best known as the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Milestone Media -- home to Static, Icon & Rocket and more. He arguably had an even better career in the world of television animation, first with Static Shock, then serving as Story Editor for Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Ben 10 and the list goes on. His last screened work, a direct-to-DVD adaptation of Mark Waid's Tower of Babel, is probably...
Sunday, November 9th marked our 5th channel anniversary. 5 years of me talking to a camera about comic books. Telling everyone which books I'm buying and why I love them. Interviewing creators to get more insight into their works. Building a community of over 20,000 comic book lovers to celebrate all the best aspects of the hobby. But the best part of this hobby isn't the books at all. It's all the people who love them. Meet Onyx This is Onyx. I met his dad, a local rap artist, back when I...