T.V.-Related Bummer of the Year: "Doctor Odyssey," Getting Canceled--2025 in Review

I quite enjoyed the off-the-wall, zany nature of, "Doctor Odyssey," on ABC. Created by Ryan Murphy and friends, it was a show about a sexy boat doctor (played by Joshua Jackson) who cures mystery ailments of cruise-goers while juggling romance with his staff. The program was absurd, silly, and had Don Johsnon as the captain--he's a treat in any show! It had good ratings, people liked it, and even bad Ryan Murphy shows seem to get renewed these days. Yet, "Doctor Odyssey," only got one season and then seemed dead in the water--pun depressingly intended. We may never get more of the show, but at least what we did get was a hoot.

Some of My Favorite Comics This Year--2025 in Review

There were many great comics throughout 2025. When I thought really hard about what stood out in my mind, however, five series released during this year/books published this year stuck out in my mind. Well, it was actually six series, but one was featured last year (more on that in a second), so I disqualified it. Anyway, here are some of my favorite comics/graphic novels/etc. this year.

Ultimates

Full disclosure, this and, "Ultimate Spider-Man," were the two Ultimate titles I adored this year and couldn't wait to read every month from the first issues on back in 2024 to now. That said, I already put USM in this sort of list last year so I cut it this time and thought I would focus on, "Ultimates." For real, however, if you want the main/big book that is key to this latest Ultimate Universe, "Ultimates," is a fantastic read from start to (rapidly approaching) finish. Deniz Camp has consistently written a superb comic about heroes in a broken World who dream of a better tomorrow (with Juan Frigeri generally on art), and I'm here for it.

Orla!

A comic about a woman named Orla with a literal monster inside her that devours bad dates. Yeah, its a horror comedy, but it has some sweet romance elements too when Orla falls for a guy she doesn't want to ingest. An incredibly funny and clever mix of genres, "Orla!" has just concluded as of this month (I need to grab the last issue), and I would encourage everyone to purchase the upcoming trade paperback collection!

Santos Sisters Volume 1

This one is a bit technical, as the first volume of, "Santos Sisters," collects the initial five issues printed before 2025. That said, this book was released in this year, so I say it counts! In my review of the first TPB, I state how it is, "Joyful, undiluted fun." I continue to feel that way about Greg & Fake's superb mix of vintage Archie-esque style with modern and clever jokes. Definitely a book worth picking up.

Absolute Batman

The earlier issues of, "Absolute Batman," were solid, but as we entered 2025, the book started rolling full steam ahead. The mix of crime drama, body horror, and amazing artwork by Nick Dragotta, among others (with superb writing by Scott Snyder) has resulted in what is undoubtedly my favorite Absolute book of the line--although all of them are solid and have charms. It is wild to think that when the Absolute line was first announced how skeptical many of us were. Now, here we are with Absolute books, and, "Absolute Batman," in particular, getting rave reviews and selling lots of copies. The old adage remains true to not judge a book (or comic) by its cover.

Holy Lacrimony

Michael DeForge is a modern master when it comes to making comics. His original graphic novel, "Holy Lacrimony," is a superb read about alien abductions, support groups, and sadness. Quite trippy and a little raunchy at points while also being laugh-out-loud hilarious, I was super-into this book and consider it another masterful entry in DeForge's oeuvre. 2025 clearly had some quality comics, and I'm pleased to have enjoyed these among other stellar reads!

Merry Christmas 2025!

I want to wish a Merry Christmas to anyone who celebrates the holiday! Have a relaxing day, and hopefully you're getting an extended weekend without having to work Friday/tomorrow. One of our local doughnut shops was actually open today, so I bought a bunch for the family; I'm gonna go take a nap now because I ate far too many. Have a great day, ya'll!

15th Anniversary Giveaway Post 5--and Final: Another 3-month Free (Premium) CovrPrice Account

It's Christmas Eve, and I've got one final gift for all of you, my dear readers of the blog! The awesome people at CovrPrice gave me another three months of a free premium CovrPrice account to give away, and it can be yours if you'd like. Just comment here with your name and email address or send me an email at davidbitterbaum@gmail.com with your name. Around December 26th I will draw the final winner for this last giveaway, and I'll kick off my year-in-review posts then, as I generally do the day after Christmas. In the meantime, have a good Christmas Eve, everyone!

PSA's Parent Company (Collectors) Wants to Buy Beckett

PSA is the biggest name in trading card grading and has been trying to make inroads with comic-book grading. They have some competitors, in regard to cards, with Beckett and CGC being the bigger names that serve as other options. When it comes to comics, Beckett has CBCS for comic grading and it has always been the smaller company compared to CGC. Things are getting interesting, however, with PSA's parent company, "Collectors," wanting to buy Beckett (and Beckett only too happy to oblige).

If Collectors/PSA purchases Beckett, they claim that the Beckett card grading and CBS comic grading will continue to operate independently, but I doubt it that will be the case for long. Mergers are all about cutting extra stuff, and having two card grading companies and two comic grading companies is textbook redundancy. Something/s will probably be eliminated, and competition will continue to shrink, which isn't that great for the consumer. It is an era of mergers, however, with companies acquiring others every other week, lately (look at Netflix with Warner Bros. Discovery). The current Trump administration and the in-power GOP care little about monopolies or oligopolies as long as they get their cut through donations from wealthy backers or straight-up paid through questionable business deals. 

It'll basically be PSA versus CGC for cards and comics.

A Democratic Congressman named Pat Ryan has called for the sale of Beckett to be investigated by the FTC, and that's good! I doubt much will come of it, however, in this era of Trump and his cronies doing whatever they want, whenever they want, with little repercussions. As long as somebody at Collectors says something nice to stroke Trump's ego while also stuffing his wallet with a nice and fat check, this deal will probably happen. So it goes.

Music Mondays: It's Been Awhile Since We've Had a New Super-Popular Christmas Tune

You know how, usually every chunk of years there is a new Christmas tune that comes along and which absolutely dominates the radio? It's been some time since that has happened, wouldn't you agree? We've had some solid Christmas jams, but they haven't been totally nuclear-hot in terms of being a hit. "Santa Doesn't Know You Like I Do," by Sabrina Carpenter, is great, but more of a cult-hit from 2023. The last big tune that comes to mind might be, "Santa Tell Me," by Ariana Grande from 2014. 

Otherwise, you gotta look pretty far back for the huge bangers like, "All I Want For Christmas Is You," by Mariah Carey, back in 1994. I mean, if you're huge on the Jonas Brothers, they did release, "Like It's Christmas," in 2019, and Cher attempted to give us a hot new Christmas tune with, "DJ Play a Christmas Song," when it was 2023, but that pales in comparison to a lot of her discography. So yeah, maybe Grande in 2014 with the last really big song. That is over a decade ago!

I know you can't just magically create a Christmas hit, although there is a slight science to it as discussed in a recent, "Sunday Morning," segment on CBS. That bit even featured a new song crafted by David Pogue with some assistance from others--it honestly is pretty terrible, but points to him for trying. Watch it right above this paragraph. It isn't even a big deal if we don't get any new Christmas jams, as there are so many good ones. Hell, maybe we should focus on making more Hanukkah tunes, those are in especially short supply, and Adam Sandler can only do so much, after all! In the end, I suppose you can't force a hot Christmas (or Hanukkah) track. They just sort of magically appear and find themselves part of the regular holiday rotation. There could very well be something that came out this year to little notice that will slowly gain buzz and become a beloved classic in the next handful of years.

Bowen Yang's Last Episode as a Cast Member on, "Saturday Night Live," Happened Yesterday

Bowen Yang is quite the funny fellow. He's been on, "Saturday Night Live," for a chunk of years, but made the sudden-seeming announcement a few days ago he was leaving after the last episode before Christmas (which just aired yesterday). Wow, the last one before the mid-season break? Not too many people come to my mind as leaving in the middle of a season (Cecily Strong, Paul Brittain, and others, but I'd have to use Google and imagine there is a small list). That said, Yang has been getting more and more buzz as a talent and probably has some snazzy big opportunities awaiting him. 

It did not seem there were hard feelings with SNL, as Yang even got a star turn in a segment metaphorically about him leaving the show--although the theme was how he served eggnog at an airport and his last shift was almost over. The symbolism was clear, though, when he teared up discussing how much he valued his opportunity at the, "Airport," and loved everyone he worked with. I really enjoyed Yang on SNL, whether he was the main focus in a sketch, in more of a supporting role, or doing a zany character for the Weekend Update segment. When he's popped up on other shows or in various flicks, it has always been a hoot as well. I wish him the best and hope he succeeds in all his future ventures!

Oni Press to Publish Archie Comics in 2026

Archie Comics has been its own publisher for decades and will still exist, but starting in 2026, Oni Press will be publishing a number of Archie floppies as well. As Comics Beat observed, "That’s the short version of yet another comics publishing trend that is becoming increasingly common: legacy publishers licensing out their venerable titles to other publishers who can bring a fresh take." We saw this with EC popping up over at Oni as well, after all. Oni gets some well-known characters, and Archie gets an injection of new life in their properties. Archie still has the rights to publish the, "Classic,"-style material, and Oni does the monthly newer stuff with more modern sensibilities.

There are many plans as, "Oni will also publish their new ARCHIE #1 in September 2026, and the line will continue with brand-new collections spanning all eras of Archie’s history in a variety of formats – including compact digest editions, deluxe hardcovers and omnibi, and comprehensive box sets. In 2027, the Oni/Archie line will expand further with a line of middle grade and YA graphic novels, but set in their own continuity line." That's a lot of Archie-related content to look forward to, and yes, it includes a new, "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," comic as part of the new line and the horror-focused series that have been popular (I just posted yesterday about an, "Afterlife with Archie," comic giveaway). I look forward to learning more about all these new comics as we enter into 2026!

15th Anniversary Giveaway Post 4: An, "Afterlife With Archie," #1 First Printing Comic With a Variant Cover

What's this? Another giveaway thanks to my chums over at the website Comics Heating Up/Comics Heating Up Forums? That is correct! They are all incredible folks and courtesy of them I have a copy of, "Afterlife with Archie," #1 to have mailed to a lucky winner! This issue features a fantastic variant cover by Andrew Pepoy and is bound to only grow in popularity since the announcement of an, "Afterlife With Archie," show is in the works!

To win this incredible prize, you only need to comment with your name and email address on this post within the next 48 or so hours. That, or you can email me at davidbitterbaum@gmail.com if you would prefer your email not be public. Thanks yet again to the great folks at Comics Heating Up for this giveaway!

Jessica Jones' Comic, "Alias," is Coming Back! Oh, But Not How I'd Like

"Alias," was a comic by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos that was superb. The first Marvel Max comic, it showed a side of the Marvel Universe that was adult but not just swearing and sex--although it had that too! The series focused on Jessica Jones and what it was like being a C-list hero who quit the biz to be a private detective. She has super strength, but can get hurt with skin as easy to cut as anyone else's. She can fly, but sucks at landing. So yeah, she quit being a hero some time ago yet finds herself ending up doing hero-stuff often. The series ended with her pregnant by Luke Cage and a follow-up series, "The Pulse," was decent and featured the birth of their kiddo, Danielle. Then she was in, "New Avengers," where she and Cage got married in a fun special, but Jessica Jones definitely fell to the wayside some after that and was more of a supporting character outside of some decent mini-series. But wait, "Alias," is back...although not really?

"Alias: Red Band," is a five-issue series that will be a part of Marvel's new-ish Red Band line, where the comics can be full of violence, and they come in a polybag...but swearing is still a no-go or any nudity. We can have Tombstone skinning people alive as he hunts down the Punisher, but someone saying, "Fuck," somehow is worse, I suppose. That's okay, though, it isn't like the original, "Alias," series was only good due to swearing, I'm sure getting Bendis and Gaydos back will...wait, they aren't even doing the series? For real? I ask because anyone writing Jessica Jones besides Bendis usually falls flat.

Yes, the creative team for, "Alias: Red Band," is Sam Humphries and Geraldo Borges. They are both great, with Humphries especially having written some stellar comics, and Borges is a superb artist as well. That said, it feels weird to have an, "Alias," comic with no Bendis involvement, especially as he is even back doing some new work with Marvel! Still, this could be fun, as the series follows Jones teaming up with Typhoid Mary to investigate some strange murders. I'm bummed we have no involvement from Bendis or Gaydos, but at least David Mack is back providing covers, as he did for the OG series. That's snazzy, and I'm hoping the, "Alias: Red Band," issues are great even with a new team involved. We will see in March 2026.