Media Notes: May 2026

In which I briefly comment on the books I read each month, so a few years from now when I’m trying to remember one of them, I’ll be able to find it here. Since I’m a media omnivore, it also includes games, movies, and any other media of note that I engaged with.

Do we have similar tastes, or will you be questioning how we ever got connected? Let’s find out!

Books

Goodnight Punpun, Vol. 5 by Inio Asano

The previous volume leaned further into misery porn a bit too much, making Punpun and the other characters all a little less interesting, and this one was difficult to finish for the same reasons. The appeal of Asano’s storytelling has worn off, and the story itself is struggling on its own merits. I’m going to finish the last two volumes, hoping for the best, but I’m in no rush and my expectations are a lot lower than they were after the first two volumes.

Advertising Shits in Your Head: Strategies for Resistance by Vyvian Raoul and Matt Bonner

An insightful primer on subvertising with a range of examples in full color. It’s a great pairing with Dark PR, and also helped me understand AdBusters a lot more, which I may have to give another try.

{STAR}Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella H. Meadows; edited by Diana Wright

Meadows clarifies that “Systems Thinking” is how I typically view the world, but because I didn’t have a formal understanding of it, also helped me understand why I can have trouble clearly communicating that perspective to other people. The murder board makes total sense to me, but it seems chaotic and tangential when I explain it to someone else! Starting with simple examples, she slowly expands the complexity to define and put into context what systems thinking is, and isn’t, and what its limitations are. Enlightening and timeless, although I think she’d be very disappointed to see where the world ended up in 2026, it’s the latest addition to my “most influential books I’ve read” list.

What Design Can’t Do: Essays on Design and Disillusion by Silvio Lorusso

My limited and long-ago experience with “Design Thinking” kept this from completely going over my head, partly because I made connections to marketing, poetry, and — re: “professional narcissism” — vocational awe amongst librarians. Lorusso makes some provocative arguments throughout that have lingered, merging with my growing understanding of the far more interesting and tanglible Systems Thinking.

{STAR} Maggie the Mechanic: A Love and Rockets Book by Jaime Hernandez

I had no idea what I was getting into with this! Weird, goofy, chaotic world building — with some occasionally problematic moments that haven’t aged well — but it ultimately works thanks to two of the most endearing characters I’ve read in comics in a long time. This might be my next long-term series read.

A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck

A subversively inclusive vision of Hell that implies a lot about (a particular slice of) human nature, but deftly avoids giving any concrete answers — except for one. Maybe. In the wrong hands, this could have been a pretentious, philosophical slog, but Peck keeps his focus tight, delivering a provocative, brisk novella instead.

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid

A multi-layered story about love that never overplays its provocative central twist, Hamid’s stream of consciousness run-on-sentences keeps it all moving at a brisk pace — and makes me feel better about my own long-winded tendencies!

The Hole: Consumer Culture, Volume 1 by Damian Duffy, John Jennings

A random find at a used bookstore a while back, I’d never heard of it but, as a fan of their Octavia Butler adaptations, I was curious. Unfortunately, it’s an ambitious, absolute mess that’s difficult to follow, partly because Jennings’ dynamic black-and-white art doesn’t help tracking the multiple time jumps.

Games

Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus (Steam Deck)

I love an immersive game that doesn’t overstay its welcome, and Mechanicus nailed it as I “finished” it in ~20 hours. I confronted and beat the final mission right before the countdown clock would have forced it, but missed the opportunity to pick a side thanks to some early choices made before I realized I had some control over the countdown’s pace. The game’s base mechanics are pretty intuitive if you’re familiar with the genre, so I didn’t look up any tips videos, and the clock was already at 25% by the time I figured everything out myself. On the bright side, that means I could do another playthrough and it’d potentially be a different experience, which also means I can hold off on the sequel for a while until they fix its various issues.

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War (Steam)

I hadn’t played this since last year when the Orks absolutely destroyed my Sisters of Battle save, but having become a recent fan of the Orks in other media, decided to give them a try here and… it was amazing! It took a while to get the hang of their playstyle, but my approach to Civilization: All War has been chaotically Ork-like anyway, so they were a perfect fit. After barely staving off elimination by the annoying Space Marines a few times, forced to retreat in a very un-Ork-like manner, I managed to defeat the Necrons who were also under attack by the Adepta Sororitas. At that point, my main city was cranking and I was holding off the Space Marines on one front while pushing forward into the Sisters’ territory, eventually defeating them, too. Having completed the technology tree, I was then able to push forward and defeat the Space Marines, and thought I’d won the game until I realized the narrative campaign had a few more wrinkles in store. The final two battles were ridiculous, but my Orks were up to the task and I managed something I’d never done in Civilization itself: total victory!

Movies & TV

Daredevil: Born Again, Season 2 (Streaming)

I love Vincent D’Onofrio as the Kingpin, and although this season had a few narrative wobbles, several character arcs were emotionally satisfying enough to offset Heather’s clumsy evolution and the return of Jessica Jones. The biggest surprise was Daniel’s arc, from loathsome to sympathetic, and I almost felt bad when his storyline wrapped up. With Frank Castle’s weird disappearance (I haven’t seen his one-shot yet) and confirmed return of Iron Fist next season, I’m honestly a little less excited about what’s next for Marvel’s street-level storytelling. (Luke Cage is the least annoying Defender, but I really didn’t need any of them to come back.)

No Other Choice (Streaming)

The trailer for this one suggested a little more action and a little less nuance than it actually delivered, which was a pleasant surprise. Occasionally goofy, deeply cynical, with a “happy” ending that’s a bit of a Rorschach test, I enjoyed it more than I was expecting.

Sports

NY Mets (SNY & Audacy)

May got off to a promising start, and then they went down to Miami and got swept by the Marlins, and it seemed like the season was over. Too many injuries, too many players underperforming, too much bad luck… and while the rookies were providing a spark, it was arguably too much to ask for them to carry the team, especially as Nolan MacLean was having his first bad run of games. They still have a huge mountain to climb, but sweeping the Marlins to close out the month was an absolute must to keep this season from ending in May, and they pulled it off in spectacular fashion. Seeing the rookies settling in and Soto seemingly more comfortable and engaged at least gives me hope that they’ll be consistently competitive now, and not the total embarrassment they were threatening to become. There’s still a chance for OMG 2: Rookie Boogaloo!

Racing Santander (ESPN+)

I’ve been following them since 2016, when they were in the 3rd division and I randomly caught a game when we were visiting my brother-in-law that summer. The small crowd of less than 5k people were way more energetic than the 70k+ we’d seen at the Camp Nou earlier that week, watching Barcelona win the Supercopa de España, and I was hooked. They became my go-to team in Football Manager, and I was eventually able to watch them on ESPN+ more frequently after they were promoted to the Segunda and pushed for the playoffs and promotion the past few years. Watching them finally clinch that promotion to La Liga was almost as much fun as if they were my hometown team. and I can only imagine what El Sardinero felt like that night! As most promoted sides find out, next season will be a tough one for them, especially if they stick to their attacking style, but if they can survive, I can see them sticking around for a while and being a mid-table contender for the next several years.

Your Notes?

If you’ve engaged with any of these, let me know what you thought. And if you have any related recommendations, drop ’em in the comments or on the socials! Some of you prefer email, which is cool, too. You do you!