When Scott Adams blew up/"reinvented" his career a few years ago, I posted my thoughts in a three-part series starting here: tcampbell.substack.com/p/scott-adam.... I don't think anything he did in the last few years calls for an update.

Scott Adams: When Cynics Go Bad (1 of 3)

They can't ALL vanish into Mexico, even when we wish they could.

tcampbell.substack.com

Ringing in the New Year in my usual fashion...

The Year in Crosswords, 2025

Or "45x45."

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1925: The year that crosswords went from riches to rags, from sex symbol to yesterday's news! Start here: tcampbell.substack.com/p/1925-the-y...

1925: The Year In Crosswords (1 of 4)

More like XXX-words, am I right?

tcampbell.substack.com

Got another tiny quote puzzle for you! This one's by an inspirational guy whose name is connected to a less-inspirational guy.

The latest issue (and the brand new John Langdon logo) of The Journal of Wordplay, now available! Engineering superheroes with acronyms, a new Scrabble record, dictionary chapters' last words, and much more! www.journalofwordplay.com

Why did the crossword almost disappear in early 1920? And who was Jerry King?

1920: The Year in Crosswords

A new King and a court jester.

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More quirky, experimental designs from crossword puzzling's golden age.

1919: The Year in Crosswords

World at peace, puzzles still untamed.

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New puzzle at ubercross.com/microstic.html! Fair warning: it’s a hard one.

The first Captain Marvel took his powers from six legendary figures. There have now been more than six Captain Marvels--enough to power their own meta-Captain Marvel.

The Hero Who Outdid Superman (3 of 3)

Can you name him? Can he name HIMSELF?

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Comics' wildest and (I'd argue) most wasteful legal battle.

The Hero Who Outdid Superman (2 of 3)

Though he didn't OUTLAST him.

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Why classic Captain Marvel was great: "I am a species of human being a million years advanced over! WITH MY POWERFUL BRAIN, I WENT INTO A LIBRARY AND LEARNED YOUR LANGUAGE IN A FEW MINUTES! I ALSO PICKED UP A GUN."

The Hero Who Outdid Superman (1 of 3)

And his weird legal and lexical history.

tcampbell.substack.com

In 1918, the crossword feature was caught between providing an escape from the war and acknowledging it as an item of national interest. It split the difference in some interesting ways. (One grid included the word ARMISTICE.)

1918: The Year in Crosswords

Grids go to war.

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A perspective on fan jargon from someone who did a lot of looking into it!

The (Lost) Language of Science-Fiction Fandom

The slang itself gafiated.

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On Neil Gaiman, and disappointing authors more generally.

Neil Gaiman, Fandom, and Pedestals

Dreams can die, but it's up to each dreamer to say when.

tcampbell.substack.com

I took the hardest new words in the Scripps Spelling Bee's study guide, and then turned those words into pictures.

Demon Spelling Bee 2025

Here's to the troublemakers.

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Got a new puzzle! This one's a bit more challenging than the first, but I think you got this.

Microstic #2

Getting defensive.

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If you want to submit something to the Journal of Wordplay, the next three weeks is the time! You can get in touch with me here.

My theories about why the JLI is actually the oddest super-team ever created...and why, despite its success, it was doomed to be one of a kind.

The Strangest "Normal" Super-Team

Some of you aren't going to believe this one.

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A few words from the back fringes of the dictionary!

The Last Words

And MORE words, about THOSE words!

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Today, a quick roundup of words with four vowels in a row: tcampbell.substack.com/p/four-vowel...

Four Vowels, No Waiting

Whaaaa--?

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I am releasing a new kind of puzzle today and for the next fifty Wednesdays: ubercross.com/microstic.html . It's like an acrostic, but tiny!

Cherry blossom walks: Plot of the next Godzilla movie? 🐲 More ambiguous headlines at the link.

Crash Blossoms

News read more ways than one.

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A few thoughts on Xwitter, as I spend time on it for the last time until 2026 at least. (And why you'll only see so much of me on Bluesky...)

X, My Ex

Watching a platform recede.

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The Year in Crosswords 2024 is here!

The Year in Crosswords, 2024

In which I, an old, try to get down with the zouth.

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The latest issue of The Journal of Wordplay is available at www.journalofwordplay.com/TJoW7.pdf! This one's got an interview with John Langdon, an unprecedented collaboration, a new kind of word game, wordplay awards, and much more.

Lois Lane's earliest appearance, and the forgotten villain who mirrored her.

Lois Lane: Beginnings

And her dark opposite.

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On "The K-Metal From Krypton," and what would've happened if the story had seen print.

The Greatest Super-Story Never Told

A reporter denied her biggest scoop.

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Who was the first comic-book hero? Here are six possible candidates... tcampbell.substack.com/p/obadiah-al... (Part 1) tcampbell.substack.com/p/jack-sandr... (Part 2)

Obadiah, Ally, and Dan

Comic books' starting lineup.

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There's a new Journal of Wordplay out! This one's got my favorite app *and* my favorite artificial language!

The Journal of Wordplay #3...Launched!

Qapla'!

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A rhymed versus unrhymed contest, comparing the best of each kind of Iliad I could find.

Iliad vs. Iliad

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

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