We are back with our 5(ish) favorite reads (and games) of 2024!
We try very hard to keep it to five, but it’s simply not always possible. So, per staff member there may be more or less than five titles, but there can also be an A and a B list, memorable reads or just plain marvelous books.
We’re presenting our lists in bite-size chunks to make them more digestible, as there are more than 150 titles for you to sink your teeth into.
We hope to inspire you to try some of them in the new year.
Happy reading (and playing)!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz
Written by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz, based on a story by Eastman and Peter Laird, and drawn by Esau and Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, and Eastman.
Och, I have been crying so much with this one. The story is set in the future, where three out of the four turtle brothers and Splinter have been killed. The surviving hero has vowed to avenge them.
This is a harsh, brutal, and striking tragedy that deftly tugs at the heartstrings of both the average fan and any lover of the genre.
Solo Leveling series, written by Chu-Gong and illustrated by Gi Si-Ryeong and Jang Su-Rak
The story revolves around an E-rank hunter named Sung Jinwoo, who ventures into dungeons to earn a living and support his family. However, his life takes a drastic turn when a mysterious “system” appears, granting him the ability to level up and become stronger.
Originally published in Korean, up to 10 volumes of the manhwa have already been published in English.
Batman: A Death in the Family by Jim Starlin and Marv Wolfman
Written by Jim Starlin and Marv Wolfman, illustrated by Jim Aparo and George Perez
Another heartbreaking masterpiece.
The collection A Death in the Family is one of the most important and dramatic storylines in Batman comic history.
This comic features all three Robins and addresses the tragic fate of the second one.
Black Widow: Red Vengeance by Margaret Stohl
If you want to feel like you’re seeing a 2015 Marvel movie, this book is for you. Stohl does an outstanding job with not only Natasha’s voice, but also Tony Stark’s and Carol Danver’s. The narrative of Natasha and Ava is both captivating and unexpected. I was quite amazed by the turns in this book and found myself unable to put it down as it neared the finish.
The first book in the series is Black Widow: Forever Red, and at the moment out of print. We might be available to order it second-hand from our special second-hand supplier.
Innocent by Shin-ichi Sakamoto
I absolutely love the theme of the French Revolution, and I was really surprised to find a manga about the executioner who actually beheaded Louis XVI and his wife.
Innocent is quite a unique manga. It is very aesthetic and has a fittingly eerie atmosphere for the story. The artwork is gorgeous, one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen.
This series was originally published as a nine-issue manga series and has been published in English in 3 omnibuses: Innocent 1, Innocent 2 and Innocent 3.
History of MARVEL: 2025 everyday desk calendar
I got this desk calendar recently and it is really an amazing gift for the MARVEL fanbase.
The Fear and the Freedom by Keith Lowe
My favorite book so far. In each chapter the author examines how the aftermath of WWII shaped a different facet of society (politics, religion, architecture, feminism, racism, etc.), ably isolating a specific case and/or part of the world to use as an example. Profound global insights in accessible language.
Dune by Frank Herbert
How might one be moved to murder a universe? Deeply psychological with masterfully interwoven themes of imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, religion and environmentalism. It’s all brought together in a harrowing nexus which beautifully juxtaposes it with the emotional pain of loss. The films so far omitted much of this dramaturgy. Furthermore, if you saw it, did you also feel that the Fremen were mostly reduced to naive Arab surrogates (“Lisan Al-Gahib!!!”)? In the book they aren’t simply religious fundamentalists for the sake of it, they’re a planet-wide environmentalist force. If like me you felt that in the films they serve a somewhat hollow revenge story of a white American male (war on terror x Middle East, anyone?), read it. The book is a great examination of today’s urgent themes. And if you only know the films it’ll expose the shortcomings of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation as ‘the thinking man’s blockbuster’.
Bonus: a deliciously creepy and awe-inspiring, all-female shadow faction of spies-posing-as-witches who steer civilization from the shadows.
The End We Start From by Meghan Hunter
Resembling more of a long poem with a book cover than an actual novel, this is a little gem not many people know. We experience the flooding of the British Isles through the first-person perspective of a woman about to give birth. Her physical and emotional experience is gripping and written in sparse language, many times consisting of a few sentences per page. Emotion and story beats are often found in the many blank spaces, leveraged to make this beautiful little book surprisingly hard-hitting.
D&D Player’s Handbook 2024 (updated) by Wizards of the Coast
As a professional Dungeon Master I was dreading the prospect of some of my players starting to use different rules than me. Because I didn’t see the need for spending another fortune replacing my old books. Here’s why I made the sharpest 180: the new PHB is one of the best things to happen to D&D so far. It’s clearly the result of the publisher (finally) taking the community to heart and improving based on ten years of feedback. This version finally eases new players into character building without the help of a DM. It is terribly well organized, putting you through all steps and rules organically. The incredible new artwork actually aids a newcomer in processing all the options and experienced players or DMs can now find the necessaries way faster. One example of that is the rules glossary in the back. Finally, brilliant.
Saga series by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiano Staples
I’ve never been one for graphic novels, but a good friend who pinpointed my taste with flustering accuracy gifted me volume 1. Needless to say the art is amazing. The dialogue is refreshingly snappy and funny. All the while themes of racism, politics and war remain utterly believable in a universe that blends the goofiest sci-fi with the grimiest fantasy. This simply has no business being as good as it is.
The Priory Of The Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
I buddyread this book with my niece, who lives in Brazil. It was really, really good. We had full conversations via WhatsApp about the story, the characters, the plot, the dragons… Ah, the dragons! Makes you wish you had the opportunity to meet one.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
A mind-blowing sci-fi/thriller about multiverses, infinite possibilities, difficult choices, betrayal, all connected by one silver lining: love. Difficult to explain, really. You have to read it.
Recursion by Blake Crouch
Another excellent sci-fi/thriller, but this one focuses on time-travelling. I know that many people have wondered what it would be like if they could to go back in time to fix/live some important moment in their lives, but could they live with the consequences of this act? The story has everything you like in a thriller, but also lots of sci-fi and, of course, a bit of romance.
The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
A delicious space opera that made me want to join the crew of the Wayfarer. The characters are so full of life, each with their own particularities and stories. Friendships, different species, relationships, trust, family, everything wrapped in a well-written story set in a future I hope we, as human species, will be able to reach.
The Poppy War Trilogy: The Poppy War, The Dragon Republic & The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
An epic fantasy based on the recent history of China, in the books represented by the Empire Nikara. I read that Kuang was inspired, among many other sources, by the iconic Avatar, The Last Airbender – an animated series that I just love – and I could read this “influence” throughout the book.
The story of a traumatized hero who learns to access the power of the gods, but with internal conflicts that makes her make (sometimes wrong) decisions that affect the entire destiny of a nation, is well developed. I confess that I had a difficult “relationship” with Rin (the hero) because of her actions throughout the book; however, this is a very well-written story. The description of the relationship between the shamans and their gods (the 64 that make the pantheon of Nikara) is detailed, rich and made me wonder if Kuang herself traveled to the realm of spirits to learn from the gods herself.
