Favorite Things From 2023 & What's To Come in 2024

Notes on the year that was & the year that will be

2023 was a year of transition for me, work-wise.

• I wrapped up a five-year run on AVENGERS, with a multiversal brouhaha that incorporated story threads stretching back throughout my 15 years of writing ongoing series for Marvel, in part as a way of tying a bow on that particular phase of my career and stepping away from juggling multiple ongoings for a bit.

• I finished my latest PUNISHER series, the ending of which kicked up quite a bit of controversy and online consternation among some folks, but nevertheless remains one of the books I’m most fiercely and steadfastly proud of in all regards.

• I continued ONCE UPON A TIME AT THE END OF THE WORLD at BOOM! Studios, segueing from the Road-Warrior-as-directed-by-Wes-Anderson vibes of the opening arc to something deeply and profoundly different in arc two. More on that below.

• And I kicked off my proper debut as a writer for DC Comics, with the release of BATMAN OFF-WORLD.

• I also got back to doing conventions again in a big way, including a few international appearances. A trend that will certainly continue in ‘24.

As we enter the new year, I find myself crazy busy, writing a staggeringly diverse array of characters for a number of different publishers. Seriously, I stopped myself this past week, realizing I most assuredly had to be the first creator in the long, esteemed history of comics to go from writing Character A one week to Character B the next and following that up with Character C the week after. (Character B is Batman. Afraid we’ll have to wait a bit to talk about the other two.) In other words, I’m the best kind of busy right now, busy working on a long list of Exciting New Things that’ll be exploding your way in 2024. What might those be?

• We’ll start with the ones you already know about. First there’s more of the ass-kicking interstellar adventures of Space Batman in BATMAN OFF-WORLD, with issue #3 coming to stores later this month.

• My Superman writing debut! In the pages of ACTION COMICS, no less! “I, Bizarro” starts next week, in ACTION COMICS #1061!

• A brand new creator-owned series that I’m incredibly excited about, that I’ve been busy creating with one of my all-time favorite artists. A book I feel like I’ve been wanting to write since I was a kid. It’s an introduction to a wide and sweeping new world I cannot wait to explore with you, in what I hope will be the first of very many stories to come.

• Two new projects for Marvel. One of them a mini-series that is stylistically and tonally a combination of my PUNISHER: KING OF KILLERS book and my work on THOR: GOD OF THUNDER. Thought it’s neither a Punisher story or a Thor one. The other new Marvel project is…man, I can’t really say anything about this one at all, other than…it’ll be a surprise, just like it was to me when I got the phone call. I actually just turned in the script for it earlier today, and I’m still beaming with excitement.

• Two other projects at two different publishers. One, I’ve already written, the other I’ll be writing next week. Both will punch you in the face with relentless zeal.

• Something that’s really big about which I can say absolutely nothing at the moment. But you should be hearing about this one very soon.

• Oh, and more new stuff at DC. Including what no-shit feels like one of the most important, intimidating and exciting projects I’ve ever worked on in my life. How’s that for a tease?

And then, of course, there’s ONCE UPON A TIME AT THE END OF THE WORLD, which as I’ve said here before is a project unlike anything I’ve ever tackled, one that has been deeply challenging, profoundly personal and wildly fulfilling. And all of those elements are on full-display as we speak, as both the second trade paperback collection and the first issue of arc three have hit stores today!!!

ONCE UPON A TIME… Book Two cover by Kevin Wada.

I love this book. I really do. From the very beginning, this second volume was one I was both excited to tackle and also scared shitless of. There’s a lot going on here. A lot I tried to say and tried very hard not to fuck up. You’ll have to judge for yourself how successful I was. And know that any perceived success is due in large part to the amazing efforts of Leila Del Duca, who together with colorist Tamra Bonvillain made these fives issues a resounding showcase for her artistic range and prowess.

This is a story that goes from the soaring heights of love and connection and exploration of all possible avenues of intimate fulfillment to the darkest depths of emotional distress and dissolution, as a loving, devoted relationship crumbles apart in surreal and spectacular fashion right before your eyes. We are there in the trenches alongside these two lovers, experiencing the horror show with them, one wound after another. But this is also a story of joy and compersion and polyamory and open communication and being tangled up with someone you love to the point where it feels like you’re melting into them and other such things that maybe someday could actually save whatever scraps we leave behind of our shit-fucked world.

So…where do we go after all that, you ask? Well, here’s your answer…

ONCE UPON A TIME… issue #11 main cover by Ariel Olivetti.

Issue #11 variant cover by Nick Dragotta.

Issue #11 variant cover by Jenny Frison.

ONCE UPON A TIME AT THE END OF THE WORLD issue #11 is also in stores today, kicking off our third and final arc, “Not Even If You’re the Last Person On Earth.” We catch up with Maceo and Mezzy years after the fall of Golgonooza, as the wasteland brings them back together with nothing less than the fate of the entire fucking planet at stake.

This is a story of how we move on from ruin.

And if you thought the first two arcs were wild, we saved some of the biggest swings for last. Artist Nick Dragotta and colorist Rico Renzi take the reigns for the bulk of this arc, but they will also continue to be joined by the creative teams from both previous arcs, (Alexandre Tefenkgi and Lee Loughridge from arc one, Leila and Tamra from arc two) as all three timelines will come crashing and weaving together into a cacophony of brutal action, stark emotion and the flames of one slam bang motherfucker of a shindig to end all time.

Here’s hoping you’ll start your new year by joining us at the end of the world.

And thank you a thousand fucking times to all the folks who’ve supported this book along the way, who’ve joined us for this crazy journey, especially those of who’ve come up to me and said so at cons these past few months. I’ve cherished each of those words, truly. You don’t even know how much. Thank you.

Some of My Favorite Things From 2023, In No Particular Order

I’ve never been a big end-of-the-year-best-of-list kinda guy, but this past year I did jot down a few things in my journal that stood out to me along the way.

—Xcaret Resort, Playa del Carmen, Mexico. They call it the Mexican Disneyland, so it’s probably not a big surprise that I’ve fallen in love with this sprawling resort. With its multiple hotels and adventure parks offering jaw-dropping scenery and stellar dining, all of it deeply rooted in Mexican history and culture, Xcaret has quickly become the favorite getaway for my partner and I. Seriously, the food here is absolutely fucking phenomenal, just so far above and beyond what you usually expect from an all-inclusive resort. I enjoyed my favorite meal of all 2023 while at Xcaret, a multi-course extravaganza at Estero that was a fusion of Mexican and Peruvian cuisines, featuring ingredients harvested from the heights of the Andes mountains to the depths of the Caribbean waters, as woven together by renowned Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez.

—Honorable mentions for best thing I ate in 2023: the seafood tower from Earl’s Premier, Jim’s Beef sandwich from Jim’s Alley Bar, Pineapple Coconut Churro from Disney California Adventure’s Food and Wine Festival, scones with jam and clotted cream from Betty’s Tea in Harrogate, England.

—Prague, Czech Republic. I was a guest of Prague Comic-Con back in April, and as I wrote about then, this is simply the most unbelievably breathtaking city I’ve ever seen with my own two Alabama eyes. I’ve seriously wanted to be back there every day since I left.

—Favorite tiki bar I visited: If you know me, you know this is bound to be a hotly contested category. In 2023, I visited tiki bars in three different countries. But the prize for the year’s best experience goes to Tiki-Ti in Los Angeles. It’s been there since 1961, the drinks are killer across the board, things happen depending on what you order (always a favorite in my book), including a toy bull that scampers across the bar! There are also delicious tacos to be found just down the street! This is what I would believe in if I believed in heaven!

—4th and 31. The college football season may not have ended the way I would’ve liked, but 4th and 31 will live forever. And quarterback Jalen Milroe showed such grit and endearing passion on his journey of development throughout the year that it was an absolute pleasure to behold. Roll Tide.

—Favorite comic creators of 2023: Daniel Warren Johnson and Phillip Kennedy Johnson (no relation, I don’t think, shit, I don’t know maybe they’re cousins). From the trade paperback release of DO A POWERBOMB, the greatest comic book ever made about professional wrestling and one of the best made about any-fucking-thing of the last few years, to the launch of his new TRANSFORMERS series, which has quickly become one of the most exciting, engrossing comics on shelves today, writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson owned the fucking shit out of 2023. He’s the rare creator whose art is so visually striking and inventive and whose characters are so emotionally resonate and pure old-fashioned ass-kickingly awesome that he manages to pull off absolutely any brand of story he tackles with amazing aplomb.

I loved writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s ALIEN series for Marvel in 2022, but it’s his run on ACTION COMICS that really blew me away, in particular his incredible Waworld Saga, one of the most powerful and wildly imagined Superman stories I’ve read in years. His entire run on ACTION COMICS has been supremely killer. (Man, I sure wouldn’t wanna be the jackass who has to follow that run. Wait a minute…) In 2023, Phillip’s monstrous new version of the HULK with artist Nic Klein also instantly became my favorite ongoing Marvel series.

—Favorite Disney theme park: Disneyland. In the past, when I’d be asked the question, as the noted Disney theme park devotee that I am, “which park is your favorite, Disneyland or Disney World,” I’d offer a very long-winded answer about how I preferred this part of one or this thing from the other. Well, nevermind all that now. In 2023, I finally came up with a definitive answer. And it’s Disneyland. I was there in March, down the street as a guest of Wonder Con, and I got totally swept away by Disneyland’s magical nostalgia in a way I never had before. My favorite part of either park is when you make that left turn from the hub, past the tiki torches, into Adventureland. At Disneyland, the immersive nature of that strip of real estate is just wholly unmatched, enveloping you in a world of talking tiki birds and Dole Whips and Indiana Jones. So yeah, Disneyland now officially takes the theme park prize. At least until I finally get to visit Tokyo Disney…

This has been Beard Missives, direct from the 2024 face of Jason Aaron.

This week’s newsletter has been brought to you by homemade baklava and Baked by Melissa mini cupcakes.

Here’s wishing you a year of being adored.

Jason Aaron

January 3, 2024

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Things to Come

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER – BLACK, WHITE & RED TREASURY EDITION – January 2, 2024

ONCE UPON A TIME AT THE END OF THE WORLD Vol. 2 Trade Paperback – January 3, 2024

ONCE UPON A TIME AT THE END OF THE WORLD #11 — January 2, 2024

ACTION COMICS #1061 — January 9, 2024

BATMAN: OFF-WORLD #3 — January 30, 2024

ONCE UPON A TIME AT THE END OF THE WORLD #12 — February 7, 2024

ACTION COMICS #1062 — February 13, 2024

BATMAN OFF-WORLD #4 — February 20, 2024

GHOST RIDER BY JASON AARON Omnibus (New Printing) – April 2, 2024

Where I’ll Be

MegaCon Orlando — February 1-4, 2024

Planet Comicon — March 8-10, 2024