Welcome to the third season of my Pop 5 column. This is my somewhat monthly editorialization on lessons I’ve learned, inspirations I’ve taken, the good and bad times I’ve experienced as well as fun stuff I enjoyed in the world of movies, comic books, music and pro wrestling. It’s the most Irish column you’re going to read on this site. One second you’re reading about the new X-Men comic or a bloodbath in AEW and the next I’m eulogizing the loss of someone in my life. It’s wild stuff, friends.
2024 was a year that was indeed very challenging in every aspect of my life. There was tremendous loss, lots of real, genuine, heartbreaking emotions to deal with, professional and creative frustrations combined with my continuing battle with depression and anxiety issues.
This might sound like 2024 was an absolute bummer of a year, but in fact it was far from. Here’s some awesome stuff that happened:
- Worked with Percy Cole Media to migrate Pop Break to a brand new server, which yielded a 4200% year over year increase in traffic to the site. Oh, and the site doesn’t break all the damn time either.
- Reinvested in myself on a professional basis (resume, LinkedIn), which lead to the most career opportunities I’ve ever had.
- Rejoined the New Jersey Advance Media team as a part of the company’s Jersey’s Best magazine. My official debut hits this March.
- Published 69 solo articles for Pop Break this year.
- Appeared on over 100 podcast episodes on Pop Break, BCP+ and DFPN.
- Finally got to see Bruce Springsteen in concert on the beachfront in Asbury Park, NJ.
These were all part of my goals of just accomplishing things this year. For so long I was held back by my own insecurities, fears, anxieties … and you know, the world at large. However, I’m more proud of the smaller, personal victories that don’t amount to much on a resume or a column. These are victories I know I won, and I can see reflected in everyday occurrences, and it’s so invigorating. See, no matter how much negative came around in 2024, I was able to allow myself to be in my feelings, dust myself off and move on in a meaningful and honest way. Seeing the world in clear eyes, with a heart that’s open for goodness is such a turnaround from the rigors of depression that held me captive for nearly a decade. Simply put — 2024 was a very human year and I regret nothing. I look forward to 2025 and all it holds for me (especially that December Disney vacation).
I Read Comics Now:
Here be my five favorite comic book runs/arcs, etc. from the past year.
- Iron Man: The Stark/Roxxon War – Roxxon, Marvel’s go-to shady big corporation, attempts a hostile takeover of Stark Industries via board machinations … and magic. This series, written by Spencer Ackerman (a former colleague of mine at The Daily Targum, the official newspaper of Rutgers University … and no this isn’t why I picked it) is magical realism Succession combined with a down-on-his-luck Tony Stark who’s hellbent on not letting his company turn into an Evil Empire. Great writing, action, plotting and a helluva twist in the third issue.
- Thunderbolts – The Thunderbolts mini-series ran from December 2023 through March 2024 and was an extremely fun amuse bouche of what’s to come this year both in the comics and the big screen. This action series followed Bucky and his team which consisted of US Agent, Shang Chi, The Contessa, Agent 13, Black Widow, White Widow and Red Guardian as they chased the last remnants of the Red Skull’s terror network all the way … to a very inconvenient location.
- Uncanny X-Men – Acclaimed comic writer Gail Simone plunges Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine, Jubilee, Nightcrawler and a quartet of new X-Men into a Southern gothic tale. It’s as emotional and powerful as it is horrifying and beguiling. This is easily the best part of the “From the Ashes of Krakoa” series that includes: X-Men, Exceptional X-Men, Storm, Sentinels, Psylocke, X-Force, X-Factor, Mystique, Phoenix and NYX.
- Blood Hunt – I spoke at length about this epic vampire centric series that saw the world plunged into darkness, Blade turn his back on the world (OR DID HE?), Doctor Strange lose the title of Sorcerer Supreme and so much more that happened over nearly 50 books.
- Gang War – Caught up with this late 2022, early 2023 event series that found New York City torn asunder by all the gangs of New York City. Mayor Luke Cage and Deputy Mayor She-Hulk must work with Elektra, Shang Chi, Miles Morales, Jackpot (MJ), Peter Parker, Iron Fist and Jessica Jones to save the city from warring factions.
Oh the Random Things You’ll Hear: This the name of my ever-evolving Spotify playlist that was created back in 2011 (currently at 2,984 songs). This year I added 327 new songs to my playlist. Here’s the Top 25 Songs I added this year…(in no order):
- “Old Scratch Blues” by Jack White
- “Paul Newman” by Lefties Soul Connection
- “Kong at the Gates” by The Misfits
- “Piazza, New York Catcher” by Belle & Sebastian
- “Wanting & Waiting” by The Black Crowes
- “Generator” by Justice
- “Second One” to Know by Chris Stapleton
- “The Viper” by Soulive
- “Yadda-Haddabadoo” by Tito Ramirez
- “Staring at the Wall” by Norah Jones
- “Sadie” by GA-20
- “This is Shangrila” by Mother Love Bone
- “Somebody” by Old 97s
- “Saratoga” by Eddie 9V
- “Feel Like That” by Sublime featuring Bradley Nowell, Stick Figure & Jakobs Castle
- “You’re Gonna Get” It by 311
- “The Magic Number” by De La Soul
- “Death Valley High” by Orville Peck featuring Beck
- “That’s How I’m Feeling” by Jack White
- “Angels Point” by LA LOM
- “Piranahanana” by Shovels & Rope
- “Rodeo Clowns” by G. Love & Jack Johnson
- “She Cleans Up” by Father Johnson Misty
- “holycalamafuck” by Run the Jewels
- “Do What Feels Right” by Ista
Re-Watch — The Movies:
Wicked (Part 1) – In February I ranked all the trailers that aired during the Super Bowl and I was shocked that Wicked was my pick for #1. Flash forward nine months, and this is easily one of the best films of 2024. Wicked is the reason you go to the movies — to something spectacular like this. Cynthia Erivo is phenomenal in the lead role while Ariana Grande delivers this classically comedic performance. Their chemistry is outrageous and their scenes at the end of the film is on another level. The music, the production, the effects, the casting – everything is top notch. The film ages extremely well on second viewing as well, as you catch a lot of clues for the second film which is due out in 2025.
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Welp, it took me two and a half years, but I finally watched the Winner for Best Picture from 2022. It speaks volumes of how good a film is when it not only lives up to every ounce of hype after two years but also the experience of watching it on a tiny screen on an airline did not impact its viewing (neither did the multiple announcements of keeping our seatbelts fastened).
This film was one of the most magical films I’ve ever experience. It was hilarious, harrowing, heartbreaking, heartwarming, fantastical and yet so grounded in reality. It’s an absolutely beautiful film that is graced by all-time performances from Michelle Yeoh, Key Hu Quan, Stephanie Hsu and LoPan himself, James Hong. This easily makes its way into one of my favorite films of all-time, and I don’t think I can ever look at an everything bagel the same again.
Deadpool & Wolverine –Who wasn’t hyped to see this? Deadpool & Wolverine was an uproariously funny, heaping helping of fan service. Reynolds and Jackman were excellent as the iconic odd couple. Emma Corrin was magnificent as the film’s antagonist Cassandra Nova. The cameos with God tier level good. While I could’ve hoped for a little more heart and soul from Ryan Reynolds, that was more than made up for by Hugh Jackman. This film never forgets what it’s here to do — entertainment our faces off and it does just that. The comedy is top notch, and the fourth wall breaking antics make for an unforgettably good time.
Scream – How on earth did a film from 1996 get on the list? Well, October marked the first time I ever watched Wes Craven’s classic film. Scream was the subject Socially Distanced’s annual Halloween special. To my surprise, this film still holds up. Even though I kinda knew who the killer was, who eats it and many of the gags from the film, I found myself glued to my seat. The scares are legit. The tension is palpable. I often found my knuckles turning white and a little bit of sweat on my brow. The cast is absolutely bonkers and delivers — especially Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox. Can’t wait to catch up on the other films!
Knives Out – One of the best ways to get me to watch anything, with any sort of haste, is to get me to record a podcast about it. Knives Out, written and directed by Rian Johnson has been at the top of my “must-see” list for quite some time. However, given my penchant for “eventually” getting around to things as well as a pretty intense viewing schedule since 2022 (given Bill vs. The MCU and Socially Distanced) — I hadn’t had the time to get to this murder mystery.
In October, my friends Randy Allain and Kris Ingersoll invited me on their podcast Media/Lit to do a sweater-wearing review of the film. Now I didn’t feel too bad about not having seen the film since Kris hadn’t seen it either … but to dig deep on a whodunnit with these guys sounded like a blast (seriously, Kris and Randy great podcasting work). And without giving too much away — as I’d like for you to listen to the episode — but this film easily makes my all-time favorites list.
Daniel Craig is phenomenal in the role of deep-fried sleuth Benoit Blanc. Rian Johnson, while many bag on him for The Last Jedi (I love that film), is one of the best writer/directors of the last 25 years. Don’t believe me? Watch Brick and Looper. He finds a way to make a compelling story that’ll have you guessing to the end while also getting magnificent performances out of his cast.
Re-Watch — Television:
Agatha All Along – The definition of appointment viewing. Marvel’s sequel series to WandaVision not only reached the high bar set by the first-ever MCU on Disney+ series, some can argue it surpassed it. Kathryn Hahn leads one of the most stacked casts in Marvel TV history to hilarious, heartbreaking and horrifying results. The series was able to create singular greatness within every episode, while also maintaining a beguiling arc that has you guessing until the very last second.
The Penguin – The Penguin was one of the most brilliant series of 2024, and frankly one of the most surprising. Imagine doing a crime drama set in Gotham City, and Batman is not the lead character? Well, that’s what happened on this MAX series. It had Colin Farrell as The Penguin and Cristin Milioti as Sophia Falcone, and that’s all it needed. Both performers delivered beyond-brilliant performances which saw their character vacillate between protagonist and antagonist on the drop of a dime.
Fall Out – Fallout was one of the surprise shows of 2024. How can a big budget, star-studded adaptation of an iconic video game series airing on a massive streaming service be a surprise? Well, let’s not forget that outside of a few exceptions (e.g. The Last of Us) video game adaptations are usually awful. This, however, was absolutely brilliant. The team behind Westworld brought their penchant for God tier production design and meshed it beautifully with a tight script and dynamite performances from Purnell and Goggins.
Great British Baking Show – The Great British Baking Show’s latest season was a wonderful Friday night tradition that bridge the dog days of summer to the food-filled holiday season. This season, unlike previous, has a near across-the-board level of highly skilled contestants. This level of baking excellence is usually combined with contestants who fumble every opportunity they get. Things even out by mid-season as the talent rises to the top (with one shocking early departure) and we’re off to the races for the final few episodes.
X-Men ’97 – X-Men ’97 was an early year revelation. The continuation of the legendary X-Men animated series from the early-to-mid ’90s was at the same time a warm blanket of superhero nostalgia and a fresh, vibrant, and emotionally charged reimagining of our beloved mutant heroes. The series was visually dazzling — in particular the “behind the scenes” look at Nightcrawler’s teleportation — but never felt like a plasticine “glow up” from the original. Storylines were still accessible to the young ones, but hit hard for the adults — particularly in the now vaunted Episode 5 on Genosha.
