ComicsXF follows up on our 2025 geeky resolutions

It’s the end of the year, and at the beginning of 2025, the ComicsXF team set some new year’s resolutions.

So how did the team do with our resolutions from 2025? Let’s talk about how and what we did.

Building up a ‘Super’ collection

I’ve claimed to be a big Superman fan (and I am!), but I’m going to be real: I haven’t read a lot of older Superman comics. Really, it’s a bad habit of mine in general. I just really haven’t read a lot of pre-1992 comics at all, and I didn’t actually start reading Superman regularly until 2004, so I’m even more behind there. This is the year I’m going to fix that. I’m not just going to go back and read them, though. 2025 is going to be the year that I’m going to go back and build up a LOT of my pre-2004 Superman collection. That means back issue diving, eBay shopping and convention trolling.

I’m going to start with the Triangle Era and work from there. But it’s about time.

This one was a resounding success until I unfortunately got laid off in September. But I did add about a short box and a half of older Superman (and Superman-related) books to my collection, including some minor keys and a few cool books like the first issue of the 2002 Superman/Batman series, a couple Action Comics and Superman centennial issues, both issues of Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? and a lower-grade DC Comics Presents #1!

Overall a big win though, and one that I’m likely to continue into next year, once I’m back to work.

— Tony Thornley

Turtle Power!

I’m a relatively new toy collector. I mean I’ve always passively collected toys, but in the past two years, it sort of came to the forefront. In that time though, I’ve largely reached a point that my Star Wars, Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe and Transformers collections are good. I have what brings me joy, and I don’t really need more. And frankly, I’ve gotten a few figures just out of FOMO and regretted it (that Strange Tales Dracula and retro card Iron Man are ending up on eBay sooner or later).

So yes, I’ll keep collecting DC and Marvel stuff (mostly Superman, Spider-Man and X-Men). But a fandom I love and would like more of is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So my toy hunts and preorders this year are going to look decidedly green, as I catch up just a little bit on the heroes in a half shell.

Honestly, this shouldn’t have been a resolution, because I had it resolved pretty quick! Really the only TMNT-related piece of merch I’m missing now is a Funko Pop, and lemme tell you, there are PLENTY of those out there (hey look, Big Bad Toy Store has a Mutant Mayhem Leonardo for less than $6).

Oh, and I traded that Strange Tales Dracula for a Spider-Man retro-card Hobgoblin, so that’s also a win!

— Tony Thornley

Take it on the road

I’ve been a lifelong geek, but I didn’t attend my first convention until I was in my 30s. Since that time, I’ve attended nearly all of FanX Salt Lake’s local events, missing their first, the first one after the height of the pandemic and a couple of smaller, off-cycle events. But this year, I’m finally going to try to head out of state for a convention. I don’t think it’ll be one of the big ones back east, as much as I’d love to attend C2E2 or New York Comic Con with my CXF compatriots.

But Rose City, Emerald City or WonderCon? All very doable. I’m taking the geek show on the road.

Unfortunately my goal of attending an out-of-state comic con took a back seat to what’s been going on in my personal life. It’s not out of the realm of possibility for next year (depending on the job hunt, which is looking good!), but unfortunately it didn’t work out.

I did get to attend September’s Salt Lake FanX though, snagged a copy of Spectacular Spider-Man #1, got a photo op with David Tennant (my 10-year-old said he’d never wash that shoulder again), and some autographs from my kids’ favorite voice actors. So it wasn’t a complete wash on the convention front.

— Tony Thornley

Make Mine Manga

I read a lot of comics. Like a LOT. Hosting two podcasts a weekwill do that to you. And so I buy a lot of books, both graphic novels and prose, that sit unread. My prose resolution is a whole other thing, but when it comes to reading comics outside of my weekly stack and podcast reading, this year I want to get through a big selection of unread manga that I have purchased. I’ve never been a big manga person, but I have wanted to broaden my horizons, so I bought some and it has just joined my to-read piles (yes, piles. Plural). I have over a year of the two series I do read on the regular (Detective Conan/Case Closed and Moriarty the Patriot), plus a full run of Monster and a bunch of Junji Ito horror manga. And once that is done, well, I’ll be looking for recommendations for where to go next.

Not a perfect 100% on this one. Maybe 50%? I have read some of the backlogged Moriarty the Patriot, and about half of Detective Conan (which is now streaming on Netflix, so you all should check it out there). I didn’t touch any of the Ito or Monster, but I did start reading some of the DC manga, specifically the completely wild One Operation Joker, where Joker raises a de-aged baby Batman. So not perfect, but I didn’t completely ignore it either, so better than some on my non-comics related resolutions.

— Matt Lazorwitz

Reading — for Fun?!?

I have a terrible habit of wanting to turn everything I read into some kind of writing project. On the one hand, my intentions are good. Diving into a new-to-me series or creative run and then having to turn around and write about it in some capacity forces me to read it more closely and engage with the text more deeply. As a result, it is more likely to stay in my head longer and thus be a less ephemeral experience. On the other hand, sometimes it’s OK to just read for the fun of it, you know? If something particularly strikes my fancy (or sparks some thoughts), I can always go back and reread more closely. So one of the things I want to try and do this year is let go of the need to turn everything into CONTENT and just read some stuff for funsies – to be OK with that. 

Well, what can I say? I suck and have always sucked at meeting my resolutions, and this is no different. I guess, to be fair, I grew more OK with the idea of reading something for fun. But the amount of stuff I had to read/watch specifically for content was just so great this past year that I struggled to keep up with it, let alone work in other things to read. So as is usually the case for me, this year’s resolutions will continue to be next year’s resolutions. 

— Austin Gorton

Catch Up with Brand Echh

Once upon a time, the number of Marvel Comics and Detective Comics Comics I followed regularly was pretty even. That changed around the time of the New 52 (hey, every good jumping-on point can be an equally good jumping-off point!), and since then, the number of DC Comics I read on the reg is pretty much zero. A lot of that has to do with a very me, very “I Am An Old,” problem: I prefer to read my comics on my iPad. And while Marvel continues to offer a free digital copy with every floppy purchase, DC has never done so. While I certainly could simply purchase the digital editions of DC Comics to read on my iPad, I am old enough to still not really love the idea of paying the same price as the physical version for something digitally —  particularly when Marvel is right there, not forcing me to make that decision. I have a subscription to DC Infinite, and use that to follow some newer titles, but even the better-than-Marvel-Unlimited lag there makes me feel like I’m missing out on the conversation coming to a book a month or more later. This year, I intend to do some “me work,” get over these hurdles in some manner and get back into more Detective Comics Comics regularly. 

See above re: how much I suck at meeting resolutions. I did read some of the new New Gods book, and that was really good! (Ed. note: It sounds like you did OK; take credit for what you did!)

— Austin Gorton

Annihilate Annihilation

You might be thinking, wow, Adam, haven’t you read enough Vandermeer? Haven’t you seen Garland’s Annihilation enough times by now? And while the answer to both of those questions is a solid no, I’m actually thinking of the other Annihilation: the 2006 cosmic Marvel crossover where the creepy Negative Zone bug Annihilus invades and starts chewing up cosmic corners of the Marvel U. I’ve been told by both my partner, Dr. Anna Peppard, and my Battle of the Atom co-host, Zack Jenkins, that I should read this era of stories that aren’t normally in my wheelhouse, so I’m planning to dig in and get really into Nova, Drax and Silver Surfer instead of my typical X-Men fare. I’m hoping it’ll be a bug-infested good time. 

I am very happy to report that I did follow through on my cosmic commitment to read all of Annihilation. And while I was skeptical about the sarcastic Cammi, I was ultimately very entertained by the adventures of Nova, Star-Lord, Drax, Silver Surfer, Ronan and Super Skrull. The event felt like it had stakes, and Giffen’s command over what could have been an unwieldy story felt breezy and exciting. It also delivered on the high praise I’d heard from Anna and Zack. It was indeed a bug-infested good time! Unfortunately, I did not complete my other (unresolutioned) comics reading goal of finishing all of BPRD, but I did get at least two-thirds through it. There’s always next year to read about more monster infestations. 

— Adam Reck

Gamer Who Actually Games

Gee golly, do I love games! From the days of NES to the various PlayStations to the Switch and everything in between, I’ve been there. Gaming away, making memories, having fun. Then I hit a point of adulthood where I never stopped collecting games (mostly the free PS Monthly ones) but I don’t actually play them, outside of repeatedly firing up MLB The Show (insert new year) and restarting No Man’s Sky or Animal Crossing. So this year my goal is to crack open my backlog of games and not only play new ones but actually finish some games. I know, wild idea! Everything from open-world RPGs to point-and-clicks to platformers to boot. The world is a hot mess, so I’m gonna game my way through it. I’m sure that’s healthy in some capacity; I’ll ask my therapist once I get one this year.

For someone who proclaims to love games, I sure didn’t lean into this goal at all this year. Not that I didn’t play games, but again it was mostly relegated to playing the same games over and over again. Though I did add one to my repetition repertoire, the survival game Stranded Deep. Haven’t finished that one either, but I’ve finally reached the point of being able to kill sharks and take their leather and meat. So that’s something! This one is back on my 2026 goals list, and this time I’m going further to make a list of games to tackle. Good luck to me, I guess. Oh, but I did get the therapist I mentioned in the entry last time, so progress!

— Scott Redmond

Here There Be Dragons … Or Other Things

Every year I make this list of goals to complete for the next year, with the number of goals matching the final two digits of the incoming year. It was fun a few years ago, but I won’t be laughing as much when I have a list of 50 goals to complete in 2050. Anyway, one that graced the list every single year was to finally play Dungeons & Dragons or any other tabletop role playing game. Thanks to my girlfriend and a local game shop, I not only accomplished that in December, but I’m part of a regularly weekly campaign now and it’s awesome. Since I can’t have that entry-level goal anymore, it’s time to go bigger. I want to DM a game at some point this year, which is a huge step for my quiet, anxiety-ridden self. But I love storytelling and being the one delivering and creating a story, so this is right up my alley. That game shop offers a workshop about being a DM that I’m pondering doing. I’m ready to make my players roll for initiative and take them on a true journey of pure imagination!

Just call me Dungeon Daddy … I mean Master! Sorry, got my wires crossed there for a moment. (Ed. note: Bruh.) To celebrate turning the big 4-0 this year, I made it a priority to finally become a DM for my friend group. After running a fun little one-shot, we dove right into turning it into an ongoing campaign, beginning with a little palate-cleansing dungeon crawl. It was so easy and smooth, my confidence and skill growing with each session. Still a lot to learn, but being able to weave a story in this realm with friends is beyond a delight. Look out, an ogre! I need you all to roll initiative for me now!

— Scott Redmond

Beating Back My Backlog

Last year, I wasted money on video games that I didn’t enjoy enough to finish. I also bought games I did enjoy but have yet to finish. I want to finish the enjoyable games I bought last year and beat at least two or three games before buying anymore. Also, I want to stave off impulse-buying new games when I feel emotional, because it’s not healthy. Moreover, I want to give myself permission to replay games that I really enjoyed but haven’t played in a while. I think doing so will prevent me from impulse-buying newer games too often. Finally, I want to allow myself to play video games in a way that makes me happy. I shouldn’t have to play the hard way if I am not having fun.

I did reduce my backlog quite a bit, but I didn’t curb my impulse buying. I have about a half dozen games I bought on sale and dropped after I lost interest (Cat Quest 1 & 2, Wand Project, that Guilty Gear fighting game, the Paper Trail puzzle game). (Ed. note: Relatable.)

Cat Quest started out fun but got frustrating. Then I stopped playing Wand Project because I heard it was made by genAI. I gave up Guilty Gear because I lack patience with learning moves in fighting games I’m not familiar with. I only bought Paper Trail to use up the last bit of my Nintendo Gold Points (I still hate that they discontinued the program).

Despite all this, I still consider part of my resolution successful. I only have six games in my backlog now, compared to about a dozen or so games I started out with. I also finished a game I hadn’t beaten last year, the Apollo Justice Ace Attorney trilogy. The final game disappointed me, but the first two games were fun.

— Latonya “Penn” Pennington

Somehow organize it all

I don’t purport to have a massive, end-of-Raiders of the Lost Ark-size comic collection, but it’s sizable enough and inconsistently organized. I have a file cabinet that holds the core part of my collection — the stuff I’ve had since I was 12, all those mid (no hyphen) ‘90s X-Factor and X-Force comics whose sole value lies in nostalgia and occasional bursts of good art. I have long and short boxes for the single issues I collected from when I got back to monthly comics in 2017 and when my local shop stopped getting in new books last fall.

I have a fancy wood box my wife got me two Christmases ago that just holds my issues of Uncanny X-Men. And then I have piles of random stuff. Like a lot of people, I got into dollar bin diving during COVID because what else was I gonna do? So I have stacks of unorganized, random issues of X-Men Classic and Strikeforce Morituri and parts of “Knightfall” and books from the annual CXF gift exchange (Ed. note: We go dollar bin diving for each other; it’s fun, do it with your geek friends sometime).

Where do they go? Do I reorganize everything alphabetically? Some of these things need bags and boards. Where do I get them now that I don’t have a local shop? Do I have whoopsie doubles? It’s part of a larger project to reorganize our basement now that our kids are a little older and have outgrown some of their old toys, and to gather things together for a yard sale in the spring. Now, if only I can find the time.

(P.S., your goals all sound way more fun.)

OK, so 12 months later, I’d describe my comics organization as mildly better. I got two black fabric shortboxes that now hold my issues of (adjectiveless) X-Men and Excalibur, and I did a bunch of catchup bagging and boarding. I also sold a shortbox’s worth of comics at this spring’s Super Jersey Comic Expo, so it’s a little pared down. It’s not perfect, by any means, and I forget what I have, which makes it difficult to fill in the gaps, but it’s an improvement. (Ed. note: Looks around myself … dammit, this needs to be one of mine this year.)

— Dan Grote

Read Stuff I Actually Like

This past year, I reviewed a lot of comics I didn’t like. And because I have a similar problem to Austin, where I sometimes struggle to read things if it’s not for something (a review, an article, a podcast, etc.), that means I read too many bad comics, and not enough good comics. So this year, I want to read some good comics. The kind that live with you through the mundane and melancholy moments of the day. The kind that make you imagine giants on the horizon, and make you look up at the night sky and imagine shooting stars are cosmic beings racing across it. The kind that remind you why you fell in love with comics in the first place. The kind that make you want to read more comics. I’ve started by knocking back five printed volumes of Rachel’s Smythe’s Lore Olympus, and I’m going to chase it with Box Brown’s Tetris: The Games People Play. And I barely miss my mutants at all. 

OK, here’s the thing: This was a stressful year. I was busy, and when I wasn’t busy, I had to read a lot of She-Hulk comics for a project I’m working on, and because I’d already read most of the good She-Hulk comics, I’m sorry to report that once again, I mostly read bad comics this year. But I did start reading Elfquest and recently purchased a couple of excellent Gene Colan-penciled Daredevil comics featuring Stilt-Man, which helped get me rereading some classic DD from the period I might adore the most–wherein there’s a globe-hopping love triangle between Matt, Black Widow and Karen Page, featuring sexy sex in ski chateaus and so many voluptuous monologues about the mucho melodramatic yearnings that consume all the characters, which are brought to sumptuous life by Colan’s decadent curves and sultry shadows. Maybe next year I’ll read more new comics instead of luxuriating in the classics. But at least me and my love for comics are ending the year on a high note, all thanks to Wilbur Day’s sky-high steel stems. 

— Anna Peppard