Art I’m Thankful For in 2023
The real world has its merits, but it’s an increasingly scary travel destination, and I don’t know how much longer I’ll really be able to recommend it. Art, on the other hand, gives us the little escapes and comforts we need to keep soldiering on. This year, here are a few pieces of media that I was most grateful to have this year.
The Locked Tomb Series: So far, this series consists of three very different books that carefully fill in the pieces of one very big, badass, sci-fi journey. Did you know cows watch the sun set?
Take Me Back to Eden by Sleep Token: This album rules, and there’s not much else to say about it.
The Last of Us (TV Series): Is it weird escaping the vast troubles of our modern world by jumping into even more apocalyptic worlds? Sure. But TV rarely gets this good, and that’s its own kind of escape.
BarbenHeimer (Parts One and Two): This is one of the strangest two-part films I’ve ever seen, and I’m still not entirely sure how the plot of each connects to the other. But both halves of this cinematic epic are so good at what they do, it’s hard to quibble over the little stuff.
My Adventures with Superman: All due respect to Henry Cavill, but Superman isn’t supposed to be so glum all the time. Really, it’s terrific to have a superhero show that isn’t miserably dark or beat-for-beat Marvel banter-y. This show has a sense of humor and a lot of love for its characters.
Dimension 20 Mentopolis: Dimension 20 is my favorite actual-play show, and every season has its own style and flair. This season is Inside Out meets Film Noir, and every episode is a delight mind-bending delight. Sure, there’s a murder to solve, but the real question is, what makes us all tick?
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: This one was right down to the wire as far as late-additions go, but boy did it deserve it. Scott Pilgrim was already an awesome film and graphic novel series. It equally (and unexpectedly) sticks the landing as a TV series.
The Legend of Zelda, Tears of the Kingdom: I don’t usually throw 110 hours into a single video game, but TOTK had its claws in me for months. The series has rarely been this straight-up cool, and the world of Hyrule has never been this easy to fall into.
Worlds Beyond Number: The new podcast from Brennan Lee Mulligan, Erika Ishii, Lou Wilson, and Aabria Iyengar was one of my favorite surprises at the beginning of this year, and also holds the honor of being the first series I’ve ever backed on Patreon. Their main story, The Wizard, the Witch, and The Wild One, is about as good as fantasy fiction gets, and they’re still just getting started.