Month: December 2023

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There’s A Great Big Crack

When I was in Scotland last month, my electronics decided to try to commit suicide.

It started on Sunday morning when I managed to drop my phone while taking photos on my walk around Greenock; I’ve gone… however long I’ve had cellphones (two decades? More? Let’s go with more) without dropping my phone and damaging it, but that streak came to an end when it fell and the screen lowkey shattered on the top left, with cracks extending all the way down. Oh no, I thought, this might be trouble. Maybe I’ll have to get the screen repaired or maybe replaced.

Any question about that “maybe” was resolved when, less than two hours later, I dropped it again in the apartment I was staying in, making all the cracks significantly worse. I got online on my laptop and made an appointment in the local Apple store to get it repaired… and then, on rising after doing so, immediately tripped on the power cable for the laptop, throwing it across the room, putting a 30 degree bend in the part of the cable that connects to the laptop — thankfully, it still worked — and scratching the laptop up pretty badly.

That evening, I dropped the phone a third time, taking a solid chip out of the screen.

I was telling my sister about the first few events that evening, and she pointed out that, on the last trip to the UK in April, I plugged my phone into a wall socket, only for the socket to literally explode and destroy the charging cable in the process. (As well as the power adapter I was using at the time.) “Maybe you’re cursed when it comes to using anything in the UK,” she suggested. It was beginning to feel like it.

The next day, I went to the Apple Store and paid an extortionate amount of money to have the screen replaced; it didn’t take that long and, honestly, was a pretty straightforward process. When I left the Store, I tried to log into my phone… and I couldn’t. It refused to recognize my thumbprint. I rushed back to the Store and panicking, asked what was happening. “Oh, you just need to input your thumbprint again for the first time, we forgot to do that before,” they said. “Why are you so upset? It’s okay. It’s not like it’s broken or anything.”

I didn’t want to sound too out there, arguing that all of my electronics had been trying their best to convince me otherwise recently.

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The Comics of November 2023

There was a point, as I approached the end of my stay in the UK, where I was convinced this would be the month where I read the last comics of all. I’ve shared before that travel tends to lead to me reading less for whatever reason, and I returned to the US midway through the month, with only around 40 entries on this list — less than a third of the month, usually. How could I make up that shortfall, I asked myself? Surely, it was impossible…! Ah, but jet lag and insomnia combined to save the day in one sense, even if my exhaustion might have argued otherwise…

  1. Superman (2023) #8
  2. Titans (2023) #5
  3. Titans: Beast World – Evolution #1
  4. Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #21
  5. Catwoman (2018) #59
  6. Green Lantern: War Journal #3
  7. Nightwing (2016) #108
  8. Predator (2023) #5
  9. Kingdom Come #s 1-4
  10. The Wicked + The Divine #s 7-22
  11. The Wicked + The Divine #s 23-26
  12. The Wicked + The Divine #s 27-45
  13. The Wicked + The Divine: The Funnies #1
  14. The Wicked + The Divine: 1839 #1
  15. The Wicked + The Divine 455 AD #1
  16. The Wicked + The Divine: 1923 #1
  17. The Wicked + The Divine: 1373 #1
  18. The Wicked + The Divine Christmas Annual #1
  19. Phonogram #s 1-6
  20. Phonogram: The Singles Club #s 1-7
  21. Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #s 1-6
  22. Best of 2000 AD Vol. 5
  23. Young Avengers (2013) #11
  24. Transformers (2023) #2
  25. Young Avengers (2013) #s 2-5
  26. Fantastic Four (2022) #10
  27. Young Avengers (2013) #s 6-15
  28. Action Comics #1059
  29. Green Arrow (2023) #6
  30. Titans: Beast World #1
  31. Batman (2016) #140
  32. Birds of Prey (2023) #4
  33. Titans: Beast World Tour – Metropolis #1
  34. X-Men (2021) #25
  35. Astonishing Iceman #1
  36. Titans: Beast World Tour – Waller Rising #1
  37. Justice Society of America (2022) #7
  38. The Flash (2023) #3
  39. Judge Dredd: Poison (Rob Williams/PJ Holden 2000 AD serial)
  40. Dreadnoughts Vol. 2
  41. Where The Body Was OGN
  42. W0rldtr33 #s 1-5
  43. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989) #s 11-12
  44. Shazam! (2023) #6
  45. Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #4 
  46. Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight #s 1-2
  47. Suburban Glamour #s 1-4
  48. Titans: Beast World #2
  49. World’s Finest: Teen Titans #6
  50. Danger Street #12
  51. Immortal X-Men #14
  52. The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #31
  53. Avengers (2023) #4
  54. Batman & Robin (2023) #4
  55. Titans: Beast World Tour – Gotham #1
  56. Guardians of the Galaxy (2023) #s 4-5
  57. SWORD (2009) #s 1-5
  58. X-Men: Regenesis #1
  59. Uncanny X-Men (1963) #544
  60. The Helltrekkers
  61. DC’s ‘Twas the Mite Before Christmas #1
  62. Action Comics #1060
  63. Uncanny X-Men (2011) #1
  64. Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #101 (Wagner/Ezquerra!)
  65. Uncanny X-Men (2011) #s 2-20
  66. Avengers vs. X-Men: Consequences #s 1-5
  67. Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #s 172-176 (Wagner)
  68. Seven Secrets #s 13-18
  69. Tales of Suspense #s 57, 60, 64
  70. Avengers (1963) #16
  71. Marvel Team-Up (1972) #22
  72. Marvel Tales #100 (Hawkeye story only)
  73. Avengers (1963) #189
  74. Marvel Team-Up (1972) #92
  75. Marvel Fanfare (1982) #3 (Hawkeye story only)
  76. Avengers (1963) #223
  77. Marvel Team-Up (1972) #95
  78. Hawkeye (1983) #s 1-4
  79. Captain America (1968) #317
  80. Marvel Fanfare (1982) #39
  81. Solo Avengers (1987) #s 1-6
  82. Hercules: Prince of Power (1982) #1
  83. Solo Avengers (1987) #s 7-12
  84. Essential Judge Dredd: Tour of Duty Vol. 1
  85. Solo Avengers (1987) #s 13-17
  86. Wonder Woman (2023) #4
  87. Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight #3
  88. Hercules: Prince of Power (1982) #s 2-4
  89. Batman: Off-World #2
  90. G.I. Joe (1982) #1
  91. Mosaic Prelude #1
  92. Mosaic #1
  93. Solo Avengers (1987) #s 18-20
  94. Avengers Spotlight (1989) #21 (Retitled Solo Avengers)
  95. Hawkeye (1994) #s 1-4
  96. Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #s 159-161 (Hawkeye story only)
  97. Hawkeye: Earth’s Mightiest Marksman #1
  98. Silver Sable & the Wild Pack (1992) #s 1, 23
  99. Silver Sable (2017) #36
  100. Not Brand Ecch (2017) #14
  101. Spider-Man: Fear Itself (1992 OGN)
  102. Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #s 17-18
  103. Hawkeye (2003) #s 1-8
  104. New Avengers: The Reunion #s 1-5
  105. Hawkeye & Mockingbird #s 1-6
  106. Widowmaker #s 1-4
  107. Hawkeye: Blindspot #s 1-4
  108. Avengers: Solo (2011) #1
  109. Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #s 1-3
  110. Green Lantern (2023) #6
  111. West Coast Avengers (1984) #1
  112. Doctor Who Magazine #s 596-597
  113. West Coast Avengers (1984) #s 2-4
  114. West Coast Avengers (1985) #1
  115. War for Earth-3 #s 1-2
  116. Teen Titans Academy #13
  117. Suicide Squad (2021) #s 13-15
  118. The Flash #780
  119. Dark Nights: Death Metal – The Last Stories of the DC Universe #1
  120. Dark Nights: Death Metal #s 1-2
  121. X-Men: Red (2022) #14
  122. Daredevil (2022) #14
  123. Alpha Flight (2023) #1
  124. Uncanny Avengers (2023) #1
  125. Dark Nights: Death Metal #s 3-4
  126. Dark Nights: Death Metal Guidebook #1
  127. Dark Nights: Death Metal – Trinity Crisis #1
  128. Dark Nights: Death Metal – Speed Metal #1
  129. Dark Nights: Death Metal – Multiverse’s End #1
  130. Dark Nights: Death Metal – Robin King #1
  131. Dark Nights: Death Metal #s 5-6
  132. Dark Nights: Death Metal – The Secret Origin #1
  133. Dark Nights: Death Metal – The Last 52 #1
  134. Dark Nights: Death Metal #7
  135. Infinite Frontier #s 0-6
  136. Justice League Incarnate #s 1-3
  137. Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #22
  138. Nightwing (2016) #109
  139. The Knights of Pendragon (1990) #1
  140. Superman (2023) #9
  141. Titans: Beast World Tour – Central City #1
  142. Green Lantern: War Journal #4
  143. Justice League Incarnate #s 4-5
  144. Justice League (2018) #75
  145. Justice League: Road to Dark Crisis #1
  146. Dark Crisis #s 0-3
  147. Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #s 4-7
  148. Dark Crisis: The Deadly Green #1
  149. Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1
  150. Dark Crisis: The Big Bang #1
  151. Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Anthology (collection of all the old Marvel strips)
  152. Titans: Beast World #3
  153. Titans (2023) #6
  154. Green Arrow (2023) #7
  155. Justice Society of America (2022) #8
  156. Action Comics Annual 2023
  157. The Penguin (2023) #s 4-5
  158. Amazons Attack (2023) #3
  159. Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight #4
  160. Avengers (1963) #s 305-310
  161. Shazam! (2023) #7
  162. Avengers (1963) #s 311-318
  163. Justice League (2018) #59
  164. Avengers (1963) #s 319-325
  165. Avengers (1963) #s 326-333 (The entirety of the far-too-short Larry Hama run)
  166. Wild Dog #s 1-4
  167. Wild Dog Special #1
  168. The Knights of Pendragon (1990) #s 2-8
  169. Marvel Team-Up (2004) #s 1-13
  170. Marvel Team-Up (2004) #s 1-13
  171. Dragon’s Claws #5
  172. Suicide Squad (1987) #s 1-4
  173. X-Force (2019) #44
  174. Jean Grey (2023) #1
  175. Death’s Head (1988) #s 1-7, 9-10
  176. Death’s Head: The Body in Question OGN
  177. Fantastic Four (1961) #338
  178. Sensational She-Hulk (1989) #24
  179. The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #32
  180. The Invincible Iron Man (2022) #9
  181. Suicide Squad (1987) #s 5-8
  182. Secret Six (2008) #s 1-2
  183. James Bond, Agent of SPECTRE #1
  184. Secret Six (2008) #s 3-5
  185. Doctor Who: Four Doctors #1-5
  186. Doctor Who: Supremacy of the Cybermen #s 1-5
  187. Secret Six (2008) #s 6-8