Before I start, I know I know, we’re already four months into 2026, why is he still writing about 2025? Well, ‘25 was for sure a transformative year for your guy. I got DOGE’d earlier in the year, and then I lost my dog Mr. Bean aka Beanie Man aka Beanie Siegel, aka Beanathan, aka By Any Beans Necessary, juhurdme? And then those of you that know the immediate family scare we had last December….man. It feels like I never got my chance to really end that year and gather my thoughts and feelings on it. By all definitions, it was a challenging year, but my friends and family stepped up for me like never before. I’m truly moved by how much you all took the time and even came up out of your pockets to help me and mine in our time of need. It’s…humbling, to see how much people care if you allow them the chance to. I’ve personally struggled with this for awhile, and last year made me put my words into deed, forreal. So before I even begin to yap about my silly little enjoyments of 2025, I’d like to take the time to sincerely say thank you to all of you.

Thank you.

If you want me to keep this going, let me know. I plan on dropping a few more this year.

And without further adieu…

Pinball II x Mike & Tony Seltzer

Pinball (2024) was one of my favorite albums of that year, so getting introduced to the concept of a vol. 2 with the drop of Prezzy was a highlight of my early 2025. When it dropped, it immediately became a staple of my rotation, even into early January 2026. My original favorties were Golden Dragon and Hell Date with Sideshow. As the album matured, I found myself drawn to Belt as my go get it anthem of the year. His charisma with fellow t6 member Niontay on Shaq & Kobe truly shines here. MIKE’s raps normally border on the contemplative so it’s always fun to watch him have fun on great production. Tony’s beats truly stand on their own in this collaboration, the kick and bounce on Sucka Free will get you two-steppin’ post haste. Tony’s use of snare and kick give each song its own, unique bounce, even on the introspective Angsty, you can find yourself bouncing your head while confronting those intrusive thoughts.

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/pinball-ii/1803186824

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7H4y33iaBpDJ5QqlCULlMR?si=XwGW4OksToyPYUwGl6deMg

MALIK x Venna
Many of my fellow Spotify #jazzdiggers know Venna for Sicily Box, his collaboration with Yussef Dayes and Marco Bernardis, and Rocco Palladino. I’d gotten familiar with his sound managing horns for the Yussef Dayes experience. I had the pleasure of seeing the band in RVA in 2024, and hearing Venna’s horn on streaming and hearing it in person are two very different things. That being said, finally getting a compilation of Venna’s horn work is truly a blessing. I usually just start this album from the top and let it play. He’s got collaborations with Jorja Smith, Leon Thomas, Smino, CARI, and Yussef. This is my number one #wholethang album of the year, just let it run and take you where you need to be.
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/malik/1812681392
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0X8L8zMHTYQr5wX9zeHPqf?si=qkGAiYXZQQu3X8I7sfayYw

The Breeze Grew A Fire x Mereba
Mereba delivers an experience with every album she releases. The Breeze Grew A Fire was announced back in 2024 and finally released in February last year. I say finally because she’d announced it at least three months in advance and it stressed me out at the time. TBGF is more of Mereba’s melodious musings over lush and living production. Her voice carries strong as starts the album with an ode to realness named Counterfeit. She strings together a sonnet to friendship and community with Phone Me, one of the leading singles on the album. Starlight (My Baby) scratches that urge for me to relate romance to atomic events in the vastness of space. Then she follows it with an ode to space rocks with Meteorite, an airy, cosmic jam that speaks to God in stranger’s eyes. All in all, The Breeze Grew a Fire is something I like to play at the library, or reading a good book outside in the elements.

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-breeze-grew-a-fire/1771508964

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/27Wwasz4XZHobOHQaB4R0g?si=T4vJYslzShe8PlCllkU-YQ

Equus Caballus x Men I Trust

I had to come to terms with the fact that Men I Trust is my favorite pop band now. It is what it is, they’re awesome. They dropped two albums last year, Equus Asinus in March, and then Equus Caballus. Before I get to the rest of the album, I have to tell you about Come Back Down. The song got a ridiculous amount of play from me. It combines the somber, repetitive, easy going guitar and base with Emma’s soft vocals at the same tone we know and love them for. If you know MIT, then yes, that exact harmonic we love to hear from them. I looped that song for an obscene amount of time in the early morning or near the twilight of the night, while the moon grimaced at me thru the window of the metro. For the rest of the album, I really enjoyed To Ease You, Ring of Past, Carried Away, and Eris.

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/equus-caballus/1810920290

Spotiify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7dJPDPUi94jA91VxG4vZb3?si=c356024bab484461

MUSIC

Ever since Carti made us start waiting for his albums, I’ve been cautious about my first listen. Self titled went platinum in my household off the first listen, but I didn’t immediately love Die Lit or Whole Lotta Red. Today I can’t fathom not liking Lean 4 Real off the first listen, but it was my reality for a couple of weeks. So when I tell you I was highly invested in MUSIC off of the first listen, I need you to understand; it was really hittin’. Carti’s beat selection shines yet again, getting lobbed for banger after banger. He himself is back doing more of the deep voice we heard on Type Sh!t with Future in 2024. HNDRXX himself returns for a couple heaters, TRIM and CHARGE DEM HOES A FEE, further merging their sounds as they seem to inflect each other as they mature, sonically. My original favorite was OLYMPIAN, but as I grew with the album, LIKE WEEZY stepped up and became the song that would. I saw one TikTok where they laid it over SpongeBob’s Best Day Ever and it immediately became my “feel good” song for 2025. Any time life got heavy, LIKE WEEZY was there to put its harmonious hand on my shoulder.

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/music-sorry-4-da-wait/1804427542

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7sFZGbkCitoqQz7Rt3LoKg?si=f295cd8ff71b4f6a

Anthem x 44th Move
My first encounter with 44th Move was on a rainy day in July, on the way to a Hinge date at a museum. I’d gotten wind of their song, Two Nil and had it and Broken on repeat the whole date. Alfa Mist is a prolific pianist from the UK, and Richard Spaven taps the drums in interpolating rhythms. Together, the duo find pockets of music and improvise new melodies in those spaces. On Anthem, the twosome reunite and advance their style even more. Barrage, my beloved midnight flight anthem for the second quarter of the year. Just genuinely good music on display here.

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/anthem/1781871697

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7CTKP2Zz7Zfqoake0lB5ei?si=0512a3394b8b4fab

Let God Sort Em Out x Clipse

At long last the Virginia duo have returned to release a reckoning for rappers. This long awaited reunion was teased with Chains and Whips awhile back at the Louis Vuitton fashion show in Paris back in ‘22 and when Malice joined Push and Labrinth on the last song of It’s Almost Dry, I Pray for You. “Belong on Rushmore just from chiselin’ the brick” was a declaration that Malice was back rappin and it was gonna get hectic. Malice told us that Push plays pretend better than him, and the way he went for the jugular on every song was evidence of it. In my humble opinion, Malice was one of the best rappers of 2025, refusing to cuss, but still conveying his disgust with the current state of hip hop. When Push let them bars fly at Travis on So Be It, Malice was right behind him backing him up. The two arrived as a united front, displaying the synergy that makes them synonymous with southern rap, love em or hate em. The entire album was recorded at the Louis headquarters in Paris, and sounded like it. My hometown pride beamed during this entire press run. We love to see the locals win.

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/let-god-sort-em-out/1816313639

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/17ScNnJ0lSWajodZaRpHdQ?si=ALvKA-g9RL6YjTi5njElwA

Eyelid Movies x Phantogram (2010)

Originally released on New Years Day 2010, Eyelid Movies lives up to its name and calls to mind a silver screen. This album is a product of the late 00’s early 10’s indie scene that gave us Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and Santigold. Eyelid Movies begins with Mouthful of Diamonds, a quiet introspective tune that somehow invokes sitting in a chamber of the glittering, reflective mineral shining and chasing shadows away. When I’m Small was my entry point to the album, Sarah Barthel’s tender vocalization on the hook mixed with Josh Carter’s dreamy production is a matrimony made in heaven. Yet, my favorite song is Futuristic Casket, a song that kicks the door in from its first note and mellows out and instills a feeling of yearning by the time you reach the hook. Anyone I played that song for immediately got lost in their own thoughts as it played, smiling inwardly so wide that a glimmer of it escaped outside. Last year, on July 4th, I had the pleasure of cooking out with my friends on a rooftop on H street. We’d brought our own speaker up to the roof, and I played Futuristic Casket as fireworks cascaded all around us and out into the horizon as far as we could see…it’s a moment I’ll likely carry with me for the rest of my life

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/eyelid-movies-expanded-edition/1646004402

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4ljmZUBOBKNkodvvNWoll9?si=-gWySIhrQ66FPa7Uozj2Vw

Objects in the Mirror are Close x Fadda Fish

Sometimes you just need to hear music that sounds like you exist in a montage of your own highlights. I’m grateful that I started following Fish a couple years ago, as he would post small snippets of beats that sound like they belong on Adult Swim at the height of its hip hop appeal. “Objects in the Mirror are Close” is the first compilation of Fish’s work that I’ve had the pleasure of partaking in at release. Fish is a fellow 757 native that wears his auditory inspirations on his sleeve, in the most complimentary way possible. These are genuine smash-the-glass-grab-the-jewels beats with grounded, gritty raps overlaid. His sample heavy production from melodies to lines from tv shows and movies echo MF DOOM and Madlib admiration and apprenticeship. My personal fave on this album remains TIL THE SUN COME UP, the lyrical Freeway sample invokes that spirit of the lady rapping at the Sixers game over nostalgic and sunny production, which hits on a beautiful day. If any of this review appealed to you in any way, I’d highly suggest you give his album a listen.

Bandcamp: https://shrksidesound.bandcamp.com/album/objects-in-mirror-are-close

Dali Ain’t Dead x ZelooperZ

ZelooperZ piqued my interest from the first time I heard him croon “Block too hot fry a egg on the ground, got these niggas hot, fry a egg on they frown” on is 2022 effort, Valley of Life. ZelooperZ is one of the last, truly eclectic rappers left. He enjoys jumping out of boundaries and strafing between the lines of what’s commonplace and what’s considered strange. He tends to opt for the funniest outcome possible when cooking up new ideas in the lab. His album Dali Ain’t Dead, complete with a close up of his slickback, embodies all that image conjures. Personally, First Instrument is one of my favorite opening moments on an album for 2025. Z comes out swingin’ over a soul sample and sets a strong tone for the rest of the album. The original stand out was Push Me Around featuring Zack Fox of Abbott Elementary and general mischief acclaim. The two exchange playful bars over incredible production, instilling hope the two will collaborate again. Art of Seduction clocks in late in the album as a smooth jam you’d play on a Sunday evening cruise with a lady friend (or two). My current favorite is still Broke Ass Hoes where Z laments consorting with needy women accompanied with simple, yet effective production, really driving the point home.
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/dali-aint-dead/1841190989

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1HuCKrd8tmPoWu75gRAuH2?si=mLfrDRY2To2omphQv61NiQ

This is music meant to reverberate across your mind in the middle of the night. The band lives up to its name by delivering an ethereal album that could easily be the soundtrack to charting stars. On pacfico,the band sample Heather by Billy Cobham( “93 til Infinity” sample). I’m grateful whenever I hear someone dig into the classics and uses them thoughtfully. Tapes clearly put a considerable amount of thought into this album. I’ve been allowing myself to be completely silent to helix and monitor my breathing. Patience (waiting for setting sun) is not a misnomer, it sounds like sitting on the beach and waiting for the sun’s slow descent with a whisper of the wind at your back. The song’s ending is a memorable moment on the album, but I won’t say too much so you can experience it for yourself. Leave it All Behind, Mike wouldn’t be misplaced on the Stranger Things soundtrack. An album that encapsulates the beauty and cosmo’s promise of the endless, in audio form.This is the airy indie pop sound you’ve been looking for.

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/portals-polarities/1808825202

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3J8mi01ldw6yQef6XnNVEb?si=SVp2zlE6RpOeUzIH_xU0yQ

Frank, Dean, and Andrew x Ebi Soda

My current job requires me to get up at 5:30 am and leave by 6:45 am if I mean to make it to work on time. The commute is roughly 1.5 hours (an hour and twenty if I’m lucky) so I have a ridiculous amount of time in the morning and the evening to myself. In those slow, quiet, dark mornings, I don’t think there’s an album I played more in 2025. Ebi Soda’s been a personal fave for awhile now, these white boys know a good rhythm man. I’ve stated before that my favorite jazz is the type that feels like you’re on a spaceship, dipping in and out between the stars. While I think there are parts of this album that fit that imagery, I think it’s more akin to a smoky evening in the city. This is the type of music you hear when you hit a new city for the first time and you’re out strolling underneath the neon lights on a musky Wednesday evening. It’s the type of music you recline in a chair with your lover on your lap while you all share a glass and a kiss. It’s the type of music you stretch to after a long day of sitting behind a desk, staring at small boxes on a screen. It’s my favorite jazz album for 2025.

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/frank-dean-and-andrew/1806994916

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0fpmxJYDtGtgkvMAZBQ86f?si=Ab29FwTHTla6bDQrLb8Gag

Tuff Times Never Last by Kokoroko

2025 was the year I finally made the leap and got into Iron Maiden. Previously, I’d only heard of The Trooper due to a random Clone Hero (Guitar Hero on pc) streamer absolutely shredding it popping up on my fyp. If you’ve never heard it, The Trooper is the kind of song that makes you feel like you’re sprinting downhill and simultaneously running through brick walls on your descent. My favorite. I was stunned when I finally turned this album on and from the very first song, I realized 85% of this album falls into that territory. Where Eagles Dare is a triumphant opening, declaring intention of ascent into the heavens. Similarly, Flight of Icarus is set above the clouds, encouraging you to “fly on your wings like an eagle.” Die With Your Boots On returns you down to the muck and mire of the earth, fatalistic as it sounds, it’s a mantra to keep going. My personal favorite song is Revelations, a song that feels as though it’s set in the biblical book of the same name. The last 0:55 seconds of the song is reminiscent of the last words or plea to God, for a true test and at the end…a revelation.

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/tuff-times-never-last/1805175466

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7LsYc5gkR6w8VMOME78YmM?si=wES7ToDjTA2ca7UXIb7jLA

Piece of Mind x Iron Maiden (1983)

2025 was the year I finally made the leap and got into Iron Maiden. Previously, I’d only heard of The Trooper due to a random Clone Hero (Guitar Hero on pc) streamer absolutely shredding it popping up on my fyp. If you’ve never heard it, The Trooper is the kind of song that makes you feel like you’re sprinting downhill and simultaneously running through brick walls on your descent. My favorite. I was stunned when I finally turned this album on and from the very first song, I realized 85% of this album falls into that territory. Where Eagles Dare is a triumphant opening, declaring intention of ascent into the heavens. Similarly, Flight of Icarus is set above the clouds, encouraging you to “fly on your wings like an eagle.” Die With Your Boots On returns you down to the muck and mire of the earth, fatalistic as it sounds, it’s a mantra to keep going until you just can’t anymore, and then continue. My personal favorite song is Revelations, a song that feels as though it’s set in the biblical book of the same name. The last 0:55 seconds of the song is reminiscent of the last words or plea to God, for a true test and at the end…a revelation.

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/piece-of-mind-2015-remaster/1713861903

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0wza6LbioNIj4FsDAIDz66?si=sQJJaegaSd-LuqEROiZA0w

Change of Heart x Change

Okay, I’m gonna ramble a bit but stay with me here.

Going to the record store is more than just a sojourn to market, it’s an act of community. Whenever I enter a store and see other crate diggers, I see kindred music followers committing an act of love. I don’t have any gripes against people that shop online, I just feel they’re doing themselves a grave disservice. The real record collecting community is one of the most open, kind, and welcoming communities you could be fortunate enough to stumble upon. A couple of years ago, I went into Joint Custody on U Street and went straight for the hip-hop section, right next to the door. While entrenched in my search, I heard a funky ass electric R&B album filling the rest of the room. Entranced, I had to know what album they were playing. The staff was kind enough to tell me the lore on the band, Change. Originally, Luther Vandross was one of the singers for this band, and together they recorded The Glow of Love and Searching. The album I’d heard that day was Miracles, not the album I’m writing about today.

(I know, get to the point).

Well, I loved Miracles enough, I made a radio station out of it on Spotify and was greeted with another Change heater, Warm. I couldn’t find a more apt title for this song if I had 100 years and 40 scholars to help me explore the possibilities. Warm is undoubtedly, a summer song. It’s meant to be played at a minimum of 80 degrees while the sun shines and the breeze whispers in your ears. The electric guitar is reminiscent of the sun’s reflection across the outer blue of the water’s waves, temporarily blinding you with its brilliance. It’s a grape soda in the summer outside with the homies, on the block not talkin’ about anything of consequence, just living. A singular moment of sentience that you’re having the time of your life currently, and you appreciate it.

That’s just me talking about one song.

I could honestly write a whole article about this album.

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/change-of-heart/74222772

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4NIUKfEJKzlNffM8JuNAqd?si=UDYxm8gHQAWh_kpNC0dQ9Q

The Sword and the Soaring x Navy Blue

I mentioned earlier in this article that there was a personal family emergency in my immediate family. Last December, we found ourselves taking temporary residency in Long Island, NY… of all places. This album had been out for a month by then, and I’d already liked it but having it in my time of need made me love it. I’m honestly a bit ashamed I didn’t include it in the original version of this article, but I needed to get it out before I second guessed myself. If I were to describe The Sword and the Soaring, I’d call it biblical. Hear me out. This album would be a perfect soundtrack for a retelling of the Gospel but that’s not exactly what I mean. I mean that Navy raps with such conviction in the lessons he’s learned in his self reflection, that he’s scribed his musings for our education. All of his raps on this album sound as though they’re being read as part of a scholarly essay or an ancient script. This is normal for when he’s using a deadpan delivery but when it’s paired with these contemplative beats, it’s reminiscent of a published journal. Guardardas is peace manifested and contained within 3 minutes and 13 seconds. Tale of Truth is as if you went to your window and opened it to find yourself above the clouds, embracing the warmth of the nearby sun while enjoying a cup of coffee. This is rap that calms your nervous system and helps you set your intentions for the day. Having this type of music to rely on in the midst of a nightmare was truly a blessing. If I ever get the chance to meet Navy, I’d have to give him a hug for this one.

Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-sword-the-soaring/1845810753

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2wPVVuPpzNhCIZrH8Uwxq3?si=bwxyiJZiRLSi5OqEFxs9bw

All the Quiet (Part 1 & 2) x Joe Armon Jones

Joe Armon Jones’ piano enters your life the moment you need it and not a second later. For me, it dusted its shoes at my front door when I first moved out on my own for the first time. No one tells you what that freedom in solitude truly feels like, or at least people don’t successfully articulate that into words. For me, I’d probably say it feels like Idiom. But that’s another topic for another time. He released two albums last year, and instead of reviewing ‘em separately, I’ve decided to treat ‘em like one project. And on this compilation, Joe plays stars directly on his piano and puts you at ease. Forgiveness is still the first song I recommend when I talk about this project. The song wraps you in its soothing, repeating melody and ensnares you in its runtime. On Part 2, Joe opens with Acknowledgement is Key, a downtempo groovy introduction to the vibe switch coming with the second part of this project. There’s more focus on the bass guitar creating a pocket in time with the drummer’s tempo, and the other instruments spiraling down with it, while still highlighting Joe’s plucking at his piano. I may need to create a term for the songs that get me out of bed with a smile, I’ve got nothing as of yet but Westmoreland is for sure a first ballot entry. Asheber’s vocals invoke a kinship between you and your people, singing “what’s up cuz?” I’ll end with Journey South, an adventure into the rabbit hole. I’m not sure who plays the sax on this one, but they’re definitely the storyteller. The sax croons a story and details its many

Apple

Part 1: https://music.apple.com/us/album/all-the-quiet-part-i/1779957121

Part 2.: https://music.apple.com/us/album/all-the-quiet-part-ii/1785257257

Spotify

Part 1: https://open.spotify.com/album/0efFrXZr98tY3O5qkAGQB7?si=I2DOnOwzRwy5bYhvH-CujA

Part 2: https://open.spotify.com/album/7Bq96NAVPTxT3Cebprd5KW?si=DT41CUXoQHOoGjUlLACVnA

Books

Razorblade Tears x SA Cosby

2025 was the year I finally listened to my auntie and read some SA Cosby. His name may be a deterrent to would-be readers but I’d say anyone who allows it to bar you from reading is doing themselves a great disservice. My Darkest Prayer is one of those books you read and every couple of chapters you stick your thumb between the pages and really contemplate what you just read. It tells the story of two fathers Ike (black ex con) and Buddy Lee (white ex con) whose sons married thus causing them both to despair. When their sons are brutally murdered, the two turn to what they know best for answers; violence. Cosby’s prose shines in this book, beautifully illustrating character motivations and emotions through inspired metaphors and similes. The story has its fair share of twists and turns, but I think this book is a case study in character development. The growth you see in Ike and Buddy Lee make you want to grow as a person yourself. I saw someone say online that they believe all men should read before they become fathers. Y’know, I can really see the wisdom in that.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Blade Runner) x Philip K. Dick

This year, I got intentional about reading some of the classics, the staples of the sci-fi genre. Wavy and I cooked up a Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep duo read in the middle of last summer. In the middle of a transitionary period for my family and I as we said our goodbyes to our family dog, Bean. In that time, I spent time with him out on the porch, listening to the rain, and reading about electric sheep. Immediately after finishing, I understood how this book spawned the cyberpunk genre. It’s a story told from two perspectives, a bounty hunter and a mentally handicapped everyday laborer. If you’re wondering, there’s definitely quite a few stark differences between the book and the original movie, but the most inspiring difference are the practical jokes Philip plays on the reader. Testing your empathy not only for his characters, but other actors in the story. At the end of my copy of the book, there’s 20+ pages of background info on the creation of the book and Philip states something startling. In the book, Decker, the bounty hunter, is able to test whether a person is human or android by putting them to a set of questions and gauging whether it sets off their empathy or not. Philip explains that this was inspired by Nazis. He saw them as robots, humans completely devoid of empathy and something that needed to be extinguished. But wouldn’t the act of exterminating humans, require someone to step outside of their own humanity?

Black Cake x Charmaine Wilkerson

In truth, this spot could’ve gone to Charmaine’s other offering Good Dirt which is also a very engaging read, but I just had to take some time to reflect on Black Cake. It tells the story of two estranged siblings united in grief over losing their mother a month prior to the start of the book. When they meet with her lawyer, they’re greeted with a USB with a recording of their mother telling a story they’ve never heard before. This book strikes mercilessly at the most vulnerable parts of your personal understanding of family. Reading this story from both the perspective of the audacious and impulsive Benny and her competent and organized brother Byron and reacting with them breeds a kinship with you and the characters. I found out after I finished the book that there’s a Hulu series and eventually I’m gonna get to that, but for now this book fed me well enough.

Disquiet Gods x Christopher Ruocchio

Suneater is the sci fi series in my opinion. I just want to take this entry to say that. When writing this, I wanted to write about each individual book and talk about why I thoroughly enjoyed each one, but I’m limiting this article to one book per series. The series in question tells the story of Hadrian Marlowe, a villain of the galaxy, known the galaxy over as the Demon in White, the Suneater. The man who exploded a sun and killed billions of people. This story is told from the beginning of his life, to where he is currently, centuries later. And you find all of this out on the first page of the first book. The sixth entry, Disquiet Gods, is my favorite book in the series and my number one book for 2025. I can’t get into too much detail without spoiling the rest of the series, so let me be as vague as I can. After much loss, Hadrian has found himself astray from his original goal he set out on 600 years prior. Very much wanting to be left alone, he isn’t given a choice when he’s thrust back into his mission. He has new responsibilities and finds that managing them and being an icon to some and a villain to many is much more than he bargained for. Disquiet Gods is a masterful penultimate entry that reintroduces Hadrian and moves him into a new stratosphere of protagonist. It sets up the final entry Shadows Upon Time perfectly, and I am obsessed with trying to convince everyone to start the series.

Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman

With the Fantastic Four movie approaching in July of last year, I felt like I was a bit of a fraud. The Four are known as Marvel’s first family and many of Marvel’s most iconic characters were introduced in the first decade of the Fantastic Four’s adventures, but I hadn’t read many of their books. To be completely honest, I’d read the book where T’Challa debuted, a couple of the og Ultimate volumes (pre Maker), and then some of them post Maker, and that was about it. For some years now, I’d wanted to reread Secret Wars (2015) with full context of the Fantastic Four & Avengers runs that’d preceded it, and since it was a story born in the rivalry between Dr. Doom and Reed Richards, I’d decided to read the author of Secret Wars’, Jonathan Hickman’s, Fantastic Four run.

It was one of the best decisions I’d made all year.

In a time where the political climate of the world felt like it couldn’t get much worse (although we knew it could) a series of stories about a family traversing time and space together just…felt right. I came out of that read ready to die for the Fantastic Four and the larger Future Foundation as a whole. When I was a kid, I’d just read the issue where Johnny Storm clashes with the Annihilation Wave and the trade of his return, without understanding where that fits in the larger context of the story. On this return, I spent time communing with the Council of Reeds, watching Val get up to her mischievous musings, cackle at Johnny and Ben’s bickering, and relishing the union between Reed and Sue. It changed me, a little bit. Hickman does an excellent job of isolating each character a certain part of the run, giving them motivations, and fleshing out their relationships with the rest of the cast and characterizing them in a healthy way without undeserved asspulls. It’s a blessing when a piece of fiction affects you so personally, it makes you appreciate the world and the people around you. I read issue 605 on the train after a long day at work and it genuinely moved me to happy tears. It’s just one of them ones. If you seek feeling included, or the intimacy of hanging with your family, look no further.

Avengers & New Avengers by Jonathan Hickman

In my quest to read Secret Wars within the context that Hickman set, I endeavored to read both of his Avengers runs as they were meant to be read, simultaneously. In the Avengers, Captain America and Tony Stark opt to create a new machine, the Avengers machine. This was to be the largest, most expansive Avengers network to exist to date, a large net to cast over the entire planet in order to protect it from threats within and without. Meanwhile in New Avengers, the Illuminati (composed of Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther, Reed Richards, Doctor Strange, Namor, and eventually Beast) discover that the entire multiverse is ending. Different earths across the multiverse are on a collision course with each other, requiring the inhabitants to make an impossible choice: destroy the other Earth or be destroyed.

These books converge and diverge at different points, causing conflicts between team members and seeing them navigate their interpersonal relationships as well as multiverse shattering events. One of the largest of these is the Infinity event, which was the first appearance of the Black Order (Thanos’ folks in the Infinity War movie). As an aside, the way Hickman wrote T’Challa in New Avengers is how I found out how much he loves that character. He writes T’Challa with the utmost respect to who he is, what he values, and his dedication to doing the right thing; no matter who it angers. New Avengers is a Black Panther highlight reel, even when he took a couple of lumps. This book is T’Challa triumphant, which is one of the reasons I treasure it so. These runs aren’t the first time the Avengers books became a space opera, but this one is definitive because of the extreme highs both of these books take that change dynamics between characters for what felt like it would be permanent…that is, until Secret Wars.

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