Yeah. That picture kind of sums up the whole year, doesn’t it?

TV: It’s all animated again this year. Suicide Squad Isekai was pretty good for an anime. I know a lot of people complained about how the Joker looked, but it’s an anime. That was exactly how an anime Joker would look.

The second season of My Adventures with Superman was awesome. I really enjoyed the Kara/Supergirl storyline. I’m really looking forward to the next season.

Then there was Batman: Caped Crusader. You would think this would be my top pick for the year. Don’t get me wrong. I loved the entire season. I especially like that it takes place in the 1930, But that’s also the problem. I know it’s just a cartoon and I shouldn’t take it too seriously, especially since it’s about a superhero, but a lot of things that happen in the series wouldn’t have happened in the 1930s. I won’t spoil anything. I’ll let you see if you can pick them out.

However, my favorite show of the year is a show that’s not even finished its first season yet. It’s Creature Commandos. This show is funny even with its over the top violence. I just hope it sticks the landing. (Future Trench here, it ended just ok. Still good, though.)

Movies: Didn’t see a single one this year. It’s getting difficult for me to sit through an entire movie. More on that later.

Music: There was some great music put out this year.

New Zealand metal band Devilskin put out a great EP called Surfacing. (affiliate link, get used to them) I love their cover of Dio’s Holy Diver. Possibly the best version since the original.

My favorite thrash metal band, Flotsam and Jetsam, put out a great new album called I Am The Weapon. (affiliate link) Check out the song A New Kind of Hero, and you’ll see why they’re one of my favorite bands.

With the way I went on last year about The Warning, you’d think they’d have the year’s top spot since they released their latest album, Keep Me Fed. (affiliate link). They almost did, since the album is flawless and produced possibly my favorite music video of all time.

However, one band came out of nowhere with a late 2024 album release that I still probably played more than the others, and that is Supercharged by The Offspring. I guess I just identify more with Gen-X punk rockers than I do three sisters from Mexico.

Comics: Before we get to this year’s winner, I want to give a shout-out to a graphic novel that some may have missed, called Total Suplex of the Heart. (affiliate link) It’s a semi-autobiographical tale of a freelance journalist who goes to write a story on independent pro wrestling, but ends up joining instead. It pulls no punches and can be an uncomfortable read at times, but it’s well worth it.

But my favorite continuous series of the year is Absolute Batman. For those not in the know, this is a series that takes place in an alternate universe where Batman didn’t grow up with the money and fame, but still goes on to be Batman. The best part is, the series has been a lot of fun. Something that’s been missing in a lot of comics lately. I also recommend Absolute Wonder Woman too. Absolute Superman, not so much.

Podcasts: I’ve kind of dropped off from listening to podcasts anymore. Most of the ones I listened to were political podcasts, and after the results of the 2024 election, I don’t need to hear about politics anymore.

So, by default, this year’s winner is the only podcast I still listen to, The Weekly Planet. Just a couple of Australian blokes talking about comic book movie news. Even though I don’t watch many movies anymore, I still like to listen to the hosts banter. Between them and our lord and savior DankPods, I’m almost fluent in Australian slang.

YouTube: It was a great year for my YouTube watching. Former winner Atun-Shei Films finally completed his Checkmate Lincolnites series with a grand finale. Another former winner, Knowing Better, finally released his long awaited video about the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

But my favorite channel this year is one called TechDweeb. This past year, I got into retro game emulation. Not only is Tech Dweeb a great and entertaining resource for that, but he’s also one hell of a storyteller.

Wrestling: I don’t even watch as much wrestling as I used to. I’ve limited myself to only watching AEW. No offense to fans of WWE or TNA, but I only have enough attention span to watch one promotion.

And while AEW might not be lighting the wrestling world on fire like it used to, I was captivated by the feud between Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page. In storyline, Hangman lit Swerve’s childhood home on fire. It was some of the greatest heel work I’ve seen since finding out Hulk Hogan was the third member of the nWo.

Video Games: The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak came out in 2024, starting the next chapter in one of my favorite game franchises.

So did, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, which is the spiritual successor to the Suikoden franchise from the PlayStation era. It was even made by Suikoden’s original designer, who sadly passed away before Hundred Heroes was released.

But, my game of the year was Balatro. I bought it during the Thanksgiving holiday and I haven’t been able to put it down since. It’s a single-player game that combines poker, solitaire, and slot machine mechanics to form one of the most engrossing games I’ve ever played.

Politics: It all sucked, and I’ve pretty much discussed all of it in a previous blog post. Next.

Personal: 2024 had its ups and downs for me. First off, I’m alive, I’m relatively healthy, happy. But as you’ll notice, this blog post is being published on or around January 31, 2025. I started it on December 31, 2024. That’s right. It took me a month to complete a blog post I used to be able to do in one night. Not to mention that I’ve hardly posted here or at the crime blog.

I always attributed these extended breaks to either my anxiety or my depression. As it turns out, it was neither. Instead, it’s because I have ADHD.

I plan to write a longer blog post about this, but let me tell you this real quick. There’s this thing you may get with ADHD called executive dysfunction. I’ve also heard it referred to as ‘can’t do the thing’. Working on the blogs is my ‘can’t do the thing’. That’s why there’s been so much inactivity on the blogs the past decade or so.

The upside is, I’m being treated. My primary doctor has me on meds and things are slowly getting better. Seeing a therapist would help, but the US healthcare system is what it is. I’d ask for donations to my Patreon, but I post so infrequently, I feel like I don’t deserve it.

Happy 2025 everyone. Hopefully, I’ll see you all in 11 months, or 13.