It’s been a strange 12 months for a number of reasons. You’re probably well aware of some of them (don’t mention anything political), but there’s been a lot happening personally in 2019. It’s been challenging at times, but one positive is a renewed focus on Disposable Media for 2020.
That includes one new writer focusing on the Arts and Literature side of things (Welcome, Scott). And more coverage of Technology. But there’s lots more planned, and if you’ve ever fancied writing for a growing website, then let us know…
But enough about the future. It’s time to go back to the recent past with some highlights from 2019. And make sure to check out the more succinct and intelligent picks from Qaz as well…
Dan’s Disposable 2019 – Music:
One of my favourite bands returned with a new album in 2019, and Sleater-Kinney are still producing music which is as good as ever. And alongside The Centre Won’t Hold from Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, there’s also been the remarkable solo debut from Kim Gordon, No Home Record.
Apparently being part of Sonic Youth and reaching an age most people associate with winding down and accepting a free bus pass isn’t sufficient for Gordon. And we can all be grateful for that.
And there’s also Remind Me Tomorrow from Sharon Van Etten to include.
What else? Well, Anthem of the Peaceful Army was released in Greta Van Fleet in October 2018, but has been looped on Spotify while I work for the entire year. If the idea of Led Zeppelin and Rush combining in an enthusiastic young band appeals, then it’s well worth checking out.
Recent favourites Charly Bliss returned with their second album, Young Enough, which was a good sophomore effort. And to satsify my love of soul and blues came the Australian group, The Teskey Brothers, with Run Home Slow.
As much as I’ve enjoyed tracks by the likes of FKA Twigs, Billie Eilish, and even Charli XCX on occasion, if I had to pick one highlight, it’s going to be back to my hard rock roots…
Dan’s Disposable 2019 – Games:
I’ve been thinking about annual videogames awards and lists a lot recently. It’s become harder and harder to ignore the fact that free-to-play seasonal games, subscription models and major updates have messed up the whole ‘new things from the last 12 months’ model.
I also got slightly distracted by the arrival of a new PC, bought mainly to enable me to earn a living, but handily also a good enough specification to run any game I fancy…
Anyway, traditional release dates would say that The Outer Worlds, Control, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Untitled Goose Game would make up a pretty good list. But I haven’t played any of them yet – although the other common pick, Outer Wilds, has been on my list to play for a while, and I definitely need to get around to it at the start of 2020.
And following that rule does mean that I can include Apex Legends. The only Battle Royale game I’ve really enjoyed, due to the similarity to previous Respawn and Infinity Ward titles. But different enough to stand out, and be enjoyable in solo or group play.
Yes it can become a grind at times, and random team-mates can provoke the occasional rage. Either by insisting on landing in the worst possible places, walking oblivious into heavy gunfire, or quitting out early just as you are about to respawn them.
But each gun battle you win or survive is hugely satisying, and winning always feels like an achievement. Only cosmetics are locked behind microtransactions, meaning a new player is on a level playing field, and it’s removed my urge for the annual Call of Duty releases unless there’s something really notable about them. I’ve even struggled to find the time to keep playing Overwatch…
Technically, I can also include Wreckfest, as although the PC version came out in 2018, the console editions arrived in 2019.
It’s not a racing sim (I have iRacing for that – and 2019 probably saw the most updates it has ever had). And it’s not a driving game – for that I’ve been exploring the worlds of both Euro Truck Simulator and American Truck Simulator (Both of which had new DLC throughout the year, offering additional territories to explore in your trucks).
Wreckfest is purely about having fun in cars (and buses, trucks, lawnmowers and motorised toilets!). It’s Destruction Derby meets FlatOut, and lets you choose whether to try and race away from the pack in a fairly clean manner, or pick the biggest, sturdiest vehicle you can find to cause chaos.
I’ve never played a racing game which has made me swear, yelp and jump quite as much as Wreckfest. The combination of a decent handling model, good crash and damage physics, and the chaotic nature of multiplayer means it’s a constant refuge from more serious titles.
Honourable mentions include the huge number of Xbox 360 and PS3 titles I’ve been picking up from charity shops at bargain prices (including the old Borderlands titles, Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary, Motorstorm and more), the free-to-play Destiny 2 (which lets you enjoy the epic sprawling confusion of Destiny for nothing), and my attempts to find time to keep playing GTA and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Dan’s Disposable 2019 – TV & Film:
Illness pretty much ruled out the cinema in 2019, and lots of series I love have come to an end, including The Big Bang Theory, Gotham, Mr Robot, Vikings, Arrow, Fresh Off The Boat, The Good Place and Catastrophe.
So what good news was there, in a year bookended by The Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: The Rise of Starwalker?
Well, Bosch Season 5 was OK, my girlfriend introduced me the 2013 series Utopia, which is one of the best British TV dramas I’d never heard of, and I introduced her to the complete Arrowverse, the original Swedish language Wallanders, and we both shared our love of some new series.
Fleabag season 2 was wonderfully brilliant. It’s just a pleasant surprise that so many people share the love for something which can be unsettling and uncomfortable at times beneath the humour. Which is something it shares with Catastrophe, which was one of the best comedy series I’ve seen.
Probably the standout of the year for me though, was The Boys.
While most end of year lists will highlight moreserious or highbrow pleasures, I can’t help thinking that The Boys was simply the most pleasure I had watching TV all year.
Based on the comic of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, it succeeds where Preacher sometimes stumbled by not needing you to know the source material to really make sense of it.
Instead you can just enjoy the ultra violent, cynical, and deliciously funny take on superheroes. Karl Urban is brilliant as Billy Butcher, with a suitably broad accent and approach to keeping tabs on the ‘supes’ (not a surprise considering his approach to the best interpretation of Judge Dredd).
The role of the coldy sadistic Homelander really succeeds due to the way he’s portrayed in such unsettling fashion by Antony Starr, while Erin Moriarty suggests there’s more to the naive new hero Starlight than might have been the case.
Like most of the best TV, you’ll either love it or hate it. I absolutely loved it and can’t wait for the next series.
I’ve also finally got around to watching Swamp Thing, which is available on Amazon at the moment, but sadly came to an early season non-renewal. But is worth checking out if you’re starting to run short of comic-related TV, along with Cloak and Dagger.
Dan’s Disposable 2019 – Books & Comics:
Finishing off a fairly wordy look back at 2019 is the fact that I’ve actually found time to get through a decent number of books in 12 months.
Which would be great for this article, had any of them been published in 2019. But with a focus on charity shop finds and slowly receiving items from Amazon wishlists, at least you should be able to pick them up fairly cheaply…
And the best books I’ve read this year include An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield, which is more autobiographical and less of a self-help guide than the title might suggest, Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku, which looks at sci-fi inventions and works out how plausible they might actually be in the future, Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, which is essential reading if you want to understand how the human mind works, and Street Photographer, which collects the photographs of the previously unknown Vivian Maier.
Comic reading has been limited to going through my existing collection of a few thousand while I try to work out proper curation, storage and collecting. So I’ve reacquainted myself with a lot of 70’s, 80’s and 90’s DC and Marvel titles as I plan to finally organise complete collections of the things I really enjoy, starting with The Sandman, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Wicked and The Divine and more…
Goodbye 2019
And that’s pretty much a wrap for 2019. If you haven’t checked out some alternative highlights from Qazimod, I’d recommend reading through his list as our tastes tend to diverge a lot.
2020 will see lots happening, and more coverage of a wider variety of stuff on this site. So hopefully you’ll stick with us. It’s amazing to see how many people read what’s published, and a huge boost when you’re kind enough to share our work via social media, or give us some support by using an affiliate link to make a purchase.
And whether you agree or hate my personal highlights, it’d be great to see what your opinions are in the comments. Especially if you have some recommendations for music, books and comics I should really have checked out already!