My 2025 Booklist

"He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. And the white rats scampered and scrambled in their cages. And behind the glass the rattlesnakes lay still and stared into space with their dusty frowning eyes." -- Cannery Row, words by Steinbeck

Every year, I publish this piece for The Nicsperiment real ones...I don't post a link from my podcast's Twitter account, or any of that stuff. The only way you see this piece is if you come here regularly...or if you randomly find me through a search engine. Anyway, 2025. What the hell was that? I almost died multiple times in 2025 and spent much of the first half of the year in bed or in a chair. It was easy on my highly medicated, healing brain, to watch movies, but I still read quite a bit. I got back to a somewhat regular life by the time I finished the Hemingway found in the middle of this list, and then I continued to read somewhat regularly. I hoped at the start of the year to read more than I did in 2024, but I think I read about the same. Here is my entire booklist from 2025, with commentary after select entries.

2025

Vampiress Carmilla #23 -- Warrant Publishing (Various Writers/Artists)

Ghost of the Badlands -- Written by: RazörFist, Pencils by: George Alexopoulos (Dark and gritty, pulp-inspired Western with a religious bent that I found quite awesome)

Bloodruth -- Written by: Jen & Sylvia Soska, Pencils by Michael Montenat, Colors by Brett P Smith (An intriguing start to this new action gothic horror series)

Titus Andronicus -- William Shakespeare (I'm not sure how this was regarded as a lesser Shakespeare for so long. So much depth here around the endlessly useless cycles of violence and revenge. Couldn't believe Bevington left it out of my The Necessary Shakespeare volume. Had to buy a standalone copy. So powerful. If anything, shows just how much damage an evil man who gets close to power can do. Aaron has to be one of Shakespeare's most terrible and horrific creations, right up there with Iago. I loved this.)

Dragon Teeth -- Michael Crichton (Other than some minor loose threads left hanging at the end, I'd never have guessed this was a posthumous release. Dragon Teeth is pure Crichton, from the blend of science, history, and fiction, to the rollercoaster of unpredictable adventures in the final third. This book is a blast.)

The Great War of Separation -- Written by: Chuck Dixon; Art by: Jack Herbert; Colors by: Candice Han (Fleshes out the lore of the Rippaverse. Starting to love what I'm seeing.)

Yaira #2 -- Written by: Jen &Sylvia Soska, Art by: Débora Caritá; Colors by: J. Brown (Likewise, now that most series in Rippaverse are hitting their second volumes, the setup is out of the way and the serialized storytelling that fits comics best has begun. I enjoyed this more than Yaira #1.)

Splinter of the Mind's Eye -- Alan Dean Foster (Feels like the low-budget alternative sequel to Star Wars it was intended to be, a strange anomaly, and a strange way to kick off my beloved Star Wars Expanded Universe)

Nineteen Eighty-Four -- George Orwell (The anti-totalitarianism stuff here is amazing. Orwell invented the lexicon. What a great screed this is against that. That anyone can't see that the cancel culture of the late 10's and early 20's, the YOU MUST HAVE THE ACCEPTED VIEWS OR YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN BE ALLOWED ON SOCIAL MEDIA (AND I WON'T EVEN ASSOCIATE WITH YOU) crowd is the pre-cursor to the thought police from this is beyond me. There's a reason freedom of speech--even abysmal, awful speech--is so important. At the same time, and this is me coming at this book from my own deeply religious angle, it is interesting how Orwell's own political views and pure secular humanism, which are reflected at points in this novel, don't exactly reject the totalitarianism he loathes as much as I do)

Star Wars: Legacy Volume 5: The Hidden Temple -- Written by: John Ostrander; Art by: Jan Duursema; Colors by: Brad Anderson (At this point, the series is chock full of memorable, involving characters, with great, interweaving storylines. Halfway through and it is legitimately great)

Crimson Empire -- Written by: Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley; Art by: Paul Gulacy and P. Craig Russell; Colors by: Dave Stewart

The Sun Also Rises -- Ernest Hemingway (I've read this three times over the last 24 years. It remains my favorite book. It is the best book.)

Vampiress Carmilla #25 -- Warrant Publishing (Various Writers/Artists)

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957 - Forgotten Lives -- Written by Mike Mignola & Chris Roberson; Art by: Stephen Green; Colored by: Dave Stewart

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith -- Matthew Stover (The gold standard for movie novelizations. Sure, it gets a bit flowery sometimes. However, the level of film-enhancing insight into character psyche, coupled with the artistic excellence found in Stover's Revenge of the Sith is tough to top.

Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith #1-#4 -- Adapted from George Lucas' film by: Miles Lane; Art by: Doug Wheatley; Colors by: Chris Chuckry (I'm trying to collect older comics I'm interested in by issue instead of just getting graphic novels, and I greatly enjoyed seeing the 2005 ads between the pages of these four issues...but I enjoyed the actual content of the issues more! I didn't love the more rote way Dark Horse adapted The Phantom Menace, but they brought in my favorite artist, Doug Wheatley, here, and he and Miles Lane work really well together. The emotional impact of these comics hits hard! Revenge of the Sith's tie-in media is a real highwater mark!)

Isom: Ill-Advised Pt. 3 -- Written by: Eric July; Art by: Cliff Richards; Colors by: Sebastian Cheng

Rippazine #4 -- Various Writers/Arists

Star Wars: Legacy Volume 6: Vector (Issues 28-31) -- (I switched to reading individual comic issues here instead of the graphic novels, which is far more enjoyable. I particularly like seeing the ads from late 2008 between the pages here, but what I love most is what's found on the actual comic pages of these four issues. I started collecting individual issues a couple arcs after this the first time through (then sold the whole lot when the series ended...yet another lifetime incident of me selling something then buying it again), so I figured I'd start a little earlier this time (hopefully I don't sell them all again this time...I don't want to ever sell any of my Star Wars EU stuff again).

Star Wars Tales #12 -- Various Writers/Artists

Vampiress Carmilla #24 -- Warrant Publishing (Various Writers/Artists)

Vampiress Carmilla #26 -- Warrant Publishing (Various Writers/Artists)

Cannery Row -- John Steinbeck (Found this book in a stack of stuff recently, during all the change in my life, a gift from a friend 20 years ago, and boy, nobody can write as well today as Steinbeck wrote 80 years ago. What a fantastic book. Thanks, Jordan!)

Hellboy In Hell #6: The Death Card -- Written and Art by: Mike Mignola; Colored by: Dave Stewart

The Great War of Separation #2 -- Written by: Chuck Dixon; Art by: Jack Herbert; Colors by: Marco Lesko (I am really loving Dixon's writing! These first two War of Separation books are awesome!)

Zalen: What Kills Must Die -- Written by: Chuck Dixon; Art by Joe Bennett; Colors by: Marcos Martins (When I read the Knightfall Batman series back in the day, I remember thinking I really like this, but not really thinking about who wrote it. It was Chuck Dixon, and something I am realizing reading all these Rippaverse books: I really like Chuck Dixon. Also, the art by Joe Bennett here is insanely good!

Daytripper -- Written and Art by: Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá; Colored by Dave Stewart (I bought the first issue of Daytripper right when it hit comic store shelves in early 2010, just a few months after my ex-wife gave birth to our son. With a new baby around, I had trouble getting to the shop regularly, and never was able to get back to Daytripper, despite enjoying that first issue. I went through my entire comics collection this year, found the series I hadn't finished, and got rid of the ones I didn't care about, while trying to finish the ones I did. Finishing the ten-issue Daytripper was a no-brainer. I ended up getting the next seven issues from a sale featuring items from Robin Williams' comic collection, making this reading all the more emotional considering it revolves around a central character who dies at the end of each issue at different, seemingly random points in his life, especially considering the veil of death brushed against my own face early this year. That sentence contained too many ledes to bury. Anyway, I then tracked down the final two issues and was strongly moved at how the series sticks the landing. Daytripper is a great work of art, and deserving of all the awards it apparently won back when I originally stopped reading it.

Vampiress Carmilla #27 -- Warrant Publishing (Various Writers/Artists)

Star Wars: Legacy Volume 7: Storms (Issues 32-36)

Hellboy In Hell #7: The Hounds of Pluto (Part One)-- Written and Art by: Mike Mignola; Colored by: Dave Stewart

Superman For All Seasons (Issues 1-4) -- Written by: Jeph Loeb; Art by: Tim Sale and Bjarne Hansen (After being disappointed by James Gunn's new Superman film, I missed Superman, at least as I see and enjoy Superman, and then realized I hadn't read a Superman comic in quite a while. I grabbed the issues for this old classic and...it's Superman! So good. I love that each issue covers a different season. "But what if there was one?" Beautiful stuff.)

Hail Mary -- Andy Weir (I discovered after thinking hard that I have disliked every book ever recommended to me by anyone, except for those by my Filmshake host, Jordan, who gave me the copy of Cannery Row mentioned above (my cousin, Adrian, has also gifted me some bangers, one of which, by George R.R. Martin, I'll get to below). I really have to find a book on my own, and I put stuff down fast if I don't like it. Hail Mary was recommended by a friend a couple years ago, and I FINALLY finished it this year, frequently put off by the absolutely pedestrian writing. The story is fine, but as I stated, the prose is painful, and the "Yay, science!" narrator is insufferable. I'll probably see the film whenever it comes out, but unlike most of the world, I did not like this book. And all my friends but Jordan (and I guess Adrian, who technically more gifts than recommends), quit recommending books, as because of reading them and hating them, I am just not going to read them anymore--it doesn't mean I don't love you and think you are rad. If this year has taught me anything, it's that life is short and could end at any)

Hellboy In Hell #8 The Hounds of Pluto (Part Two) -- Written and Art by: Mike Mignola; Colored by: Dave Stewart

The French Lieutenant's Woman -- John Fowles (In 2004, I read The Magus because I wanted to start the Modern Library Top 100 list, and Magus was one of my favorite characters from Chrono Trigger. I enjoyed the writing quite a bit, but like most people, found the ending quite frustrating. Now, I know why. Fowles is a postmodern godless secular humanist with Marxist leanings, and The French Lieutenant's Woman is essentially the manifesto for his worldview. Featuring yet another enigmatic female lover character and yet another passive male protagonist, this time in a Victorian England setting, each chapter often begins with a quote from Marx and interjections from an absolutely insufferable narrator speaking from a late 1960's perspective. This narrator's "we scientific geniuses of the late 1960's have it all figured out now, look at these nonsecular fools from the past" perspective often had me wanting to fling the book across the room. I was only able to get through the book due to Fowles' undeniable skill as a writer, as well as his inventive storytelling techniques, though just barely. The worst comes when Fowles offers multiple endings, one in which God exists and his characters find a hopeful way forward, and one which ends in a hopeless existentialist mire that Fowles seems to feel is somehow more uplifting than the former. It is the same perspective that sinks The Magus, making it clear that it's not that Fowles didn't know how to end the book, but that the chains of his nihilistic, godless chaos that the hippy artists of his generation (and some since) praised as freedom is his sad ideal. The only book of Fowles that I've liked from start to finish is The Collector, perhaps because it fully displays Fowles' skill and creativity, while blunting his philosophical leanings with its firm narrative. Anyway...)

The Horseman #1 -- Written by: Chuck Dixon; Art by Joe Bennett; Colors by: J.  Brown (Dixon + Bennett = magic)

Yaira #3 -- Written by: Jen &Sylvia Soska, Art by: Débora Caritá; Colors by: J. Brown

Star Wars: Legacy Volume 8: Tatooine (Issues 37-42) (Such a great arc, particularly when Cade Skywalker interacts with the ghost of his ancestor, a very non-Disney Star Wars Luke Skywalker)

Shudder #22 -- Warrant Publishing (Various Writers/Artists)

Shudder #20 -- Warrant Publishing (Various Writers/Artists)

Shudder #23 -- Warrant Publishing (Various Writers/Artists)

Shudder #24 -- Warrant Publishing (Various Writers/Artists) (I had gotten behind, so for Halloween, I decided to catch up. Glad I did. These comics (and their sister Vampiress Carmilla comics) are so fun for classic horror fans)

Vampiress Carmilla #28 -- Warrant Publishing (Various Writers/Artists)

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms -- George R.R. Martin, with Illustrations by Gary Gianni (I loved this! I am not the biggest fan of Martin's "deconstruction of fantasy" philosophy in his a Song of Ice and Fire series, as I don't think subverting the Hero's Journey is very satisfying...there's a reason it is the basis for all our great stories! It works! I love that Martin has this series of novellas that actually follow the hero's journey and even feature a morally righteous central character in the Hedge Knight, Dunk, as well as his loveable squire, Egg. This collected version of the three Dunk and Egg novellas features brilliant and evocative drawings by Gary Gianni, which make these three 150ish page novellas all the more satisfying (The Sworn Sword is my favorite!))

Saints and Sinners -- Rippaverse Publishing (Various Writers/Artists) (This anthology feels mostly like a collection of first chapters for prospective comics instead of self-contained stories, outside of the closing three by Callum Edmunds, the Soska Sisters, and Will Jordan, which are all engaging and stand quite well on their own)

"You are quite mad." The smoke had filled her eyes with tears. "If you were better born, I'd marry you." -- The Sworn Sword, Art by Gianni, words by Martin