I’ve been cutting back significantly on the amount of online accounts I’ve built up over the years. I’ve mainly deleted SM (instagram, twitter, etc.) and art platforms (artstation, devart, etc.) but I’ve also been avoiding music streamers like spotify.
Initially I set up an old windows phone as an mp3 player but got a bit bored of shuffling tracks so I’ve returned to CDs and more importantly albums. I’ve got loads of the things and some haven’t been touched in over 15 years at least, mainly because I donated my Hi-Fi to charity.
I can see why CDs are having a bit of a resurgence, it’s pretty great to turn off my phone and just avoid scrolling or switching through playlists and endless suggestions. It’s the same reason why I’ve also started watching DVDs again.
Reading the classics – Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 1 (1982) & Vol. 2 (1983), Dragon Ball Z, Vol. 1 (1989)
Continuing to take advantage of my local libraries newly acquired stock of manga. Reading these for the first time and I couldn’t be happier, the hype is real.
Little Batman: Month One – Morgan Evans (W), Jon Mikel (A), Ian Herring (C), Lucas Gattoni (L) (2025)
I adored the Merry Little Batman animated special so I grabbed the collected volume of month one recently in my local library. I love the compact size of this TEEN/YA graphic novel format, at 5-1/2 x 8 inches it’s slightly larger than the Tankōbon format (5 x 7.5 inches) but only just (issue 1 pictured for scale). Should also mention that there’s a great gallery section in the back matter with sketches and inks.
Sam’s blog – Sam Kieth (1963-2026)
Like so many others I was gutted to learn of Sam Kieths passing recently. An incredible artist, I will always remember poring over my best mates copies of Marvel comics presents and having my teenage mind blown by Sam’s work on Wolverine. Similarly since his passing I’ve been poring over his blog and having my mind blown all over again. Sam’s influence is undeniable, a huge loss to comics and the community as a whole.
Jesse Marsh has made a Sam Kieth Wolverine Bootleg Artist Edition available on gumroad, a fantastic collection of scans from various sources that includes covers and commissions