The Best of Everything
There were some good things about 2022. Here they are.
Slowly but surely, 2022 is dragging to a halt. Everyone is cold. Everyone is tired. Everyone who can is going to rest, in this coming week, and wait for the new year to start before thinking about anything too hard. “Everyone,” in this case, definitely includes me; I’ve had to report on a lot of bummers this year, and I could use the break.
However, before I go, I want you to have a list of the things I did enjoy about 2022 — there were some good things, and there always are. Maybe you’ll enjoy these things also. Or maybe you’ll just know more about my tastes. I assume either outcome will be a delight to you. Here was what was good about this long, long year:
Best Graphic Novel: “The Short While,” Jeremy Sorese
It’s about two people who fall in love and break up, and you know they will do both those things from the opening pages, but it still breaks your heart. It’s set in a robot-filled sci-fi dystopia, which is barely relevant to the plot, until it becomes intensely relevant in ways you don’t expect. It’s about trauma and forgiveness, but never hits either theme too hard, letting you find your own epiphanies rather than spoon-feeding them to you. Mostly, though, it’s beautifully imaginative in terms of…