31 | December | 2025

I’m reticent to go into details of my plans for 2026 as I look back on my previous two New Year’s Eve messages. I’ll happily not mention 2024 again, and 2025 saw things get off to a great start before I fell ill for a while, just as I was beginning work on something. That, plus other not-so-great events in my personal life and then finally the brilliant addition to my home of Smudge the cat meant I was lucky to get the blog’s posts completed by the end of the year!

Regular readers (of which there are 70% more of you over last year!) will remember me announcing that something this year and calling it ‘Comics 80:99’ (and a “project” the year before, which was the same thing). While news about it has been non-existent because of the above reasons, I can assure you work did commence. Now, I’m all geared up for 2026. Starting in January I’ll be posting regular updates on the blog, which will be additional motivation to get as much done as possible so I can report back to you all.

The OiNK Blog itself will be focussing on extra content next year too, the Aliens real time read through being the only one planned for 2026 save for the usual Christmas feast of annuals. However, don’t be expecting less posts, no, no! While cutting back on the read throughs for one year will help me focus on Comics 80:99, the amount of extra content for your favourite comics sections of the blog will more than make up for that.

So, 2026… A lot of content I’ve been eager to share with you for a long time. Comics 80:99 is going to be my first physical publication (aiming for early 2027). Personally, my closest friends have become my family this year and I can’t wait to see them much more. Smudge and I are also about to spend our first full year together, of course. I feel like I’m about to embark on a life-affirming year in many ways, so I’ll make a toast to 2026 and to all of you dear OiNK Blog readers.

Happy New Year everyone!
I wish you all happiness, fun,
kindness and togetherness.
May your 2026 be everything you hope for.

Now, I’m off to see what Jools Holland has in store to kick it off with.

CHRiSTMAS 2025

NEW YEAR’S EVE 1988

It feels fitting that this is our last comics post of the year. I’ll have a New Year’s message later with news of the blog and more in 2026, but as for comics the final issues of The Real Ghostbusters and The Transformers and Action Force are it, their official release date being this day way back in 1988.

Brian Williamson and Dave Harwood’s Slimer fronted a celebratory issue, New Years being something none of my other non-humour comics celebrated. But the Ghostbusters were based in New York where the ball drops, they couldn’t miss out on this. Best of all though, the results of a readers’ poll was presented in strip form with the team attending a dinner alongside the Marvel UK writers and artists in attendance. It’s genius stuff!

But it’s Art Wetherell and Dave’s Galvatron cover that’ll have fans reminiscing the most. The Time Wars had begun! This was my first big epic as a kid and it enthralled me for weeks; no one was safe from being killed off, and I do mean anyone. This would also be the last time we’d see that logo before the big change in seven days. More on that below, but first up what else did Marvel UK wrap up the year with?

Action Force Monthly #8 and Death’s Head #2 continued to entertain through the school holidays. What, you mean you only read your comics once and not multiple times between issues? I’m surprised The Real Ghostbusters isn’t the ‘Don’t Miss’ title, what with it being the only one celebrating what day it was, but instead Thundercats #90 takes that honour in what seems a rather random choice.

This week’s advert is actually the Next Issue promo from the back inside cover of Transformers, but one glance and you’ll understand why I just had to include it. I always loved it when my comics got a new look and this was a big one. I was still a newbie to the world of Transformers comics and looking at that new logo, coupled with that image and all of the contents to come the following week, I remember this page being a real thrill. I’d jumped on at just the right time!

I would eventually stay with the comic all the way to its conclusion with #332 so this logo became the de facto one for me and the issue was an incredible way to start the new year. Was it “The Ultimate Comic”? Pretty much. Even Lew Stringer’s strips were getting a crossover and hyped on the page.

With that, both 1988 and 2025 come to a close. As I said I’ll be back later on today to sign off for the year properly, then the blog’s first post for 2026 will be the next checklist. There’ll be new issues of the monthlies to find out about and no guesses for which comic would be the hot one to see in 1989.

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TRANSFORMERS 199 (Instagram)

DEATH’S HEAD 2

WEEK 22 < > WEEK 24

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