Another year is coming to an end. Today, we all say goodbye and farewell to 2023. It has been a whirlwind of a year with notable highs, tragic lows, and shocking surprises. Even tonight — the last night of the year — the people of Denmark (including myself) were shocked to find out that Queen Margrethe II, who was the longest-serving monarch in Europe following Queen Elizabeth II’s death, is stepping down. In her annual New Year’s address, the Danish Queen announced that on 14 January 2024, she will abdicate after 52 years as the Queen of Denmark. At that point in time, Crown Prince Frederik will become King Frederik X. Although we all knew it would happen one day (and had thought it might’ve happened sooner at one time), tonight was the night. Shocking news. A historic announcement. Thank you for your service, Queen Margrethe II. “Mange tak,” as we say in Denmark. Sending her love and wishing her well.
On a personal note, my and my family’s health has been good. All I want is for my family and friends to be happy, in good health, and to have long and fulfilling lives. Hopefully, 2024 will be a year of good health and success for my family and friends. In 2023, I was very busy (sometimes a little bit too busy and overwhelmed). When it comes to my career, 2023 was not the year that I had hoped it would be. I still don’t have the job that I so desire and that I have worked toward for my entire adult life. Here’s hoping 2024 will give me the job of my dreams, that I will be satisfied and happy, and that my friends and family continue to be in good health and truly happy.
In the world of film, this was a year that will forever be remembered for the cinematic event that was Barbenheimer. For me, that double-feature experience was one of the best I’ve ever experienced. I will remember that fondly. It was, however, also a year that will be remembered by my fellow comic book nerds as one where ‘superhero movie fatigue’ was proven to be very real. Only Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse were widely loved, while films like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, and the entire DCEU (all four 2024 releases) all struggled significantly with several of these films being historic flops.
For major world events, 2023 was another troubling year. I wish I had better things to say about the state of the world, but I sadly do not. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has not yet come to a close with the happy ending that we all desire. The effects of climate change are still being felt, and the world has not yet done enough to protect our planet. As if all of that wasn’t enough, there was the October 7 attack in Israel, Israel’s subsequent retaliation, and the ongoing conflict, crisis, and war between Israel and Hamas. It was a year with many cruel attacks, announcements deserving of condemnation, disgusting hate crimes, and despicable war crimes. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has always been recognized as complex and tragic. But it should not be difficult for people to condemn cruel war crimes and, at the same time, wish for the safety of all civilians everywhere.
I want to believe in a happy outcome, I want to be hopeful, I want to believe that positive change will come, and I want to believe that the right world leaders will be in charge to steer us in the direction of peace. I want to wish everyone out there a truly fantastic 2024. May all your hopes and dreams come true, may you and your families live long and happy lives, and — in case 2023 wasn’t that already — may 2024 be the year in which you finally accomplish that one thing that you have been wanting to do for quite some time. Sending all of you love, kind thoughts, and well wishes.
Happy New Year!
– Article Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 