Fresh New Tariffs Are Here Causing Havoc--Update: Delayed Again

Update From Later in the Same Day: 

Apparently some tariffs are due to be delayed, again. This is getting exhausting with tariffs, "On," and then, "Off."

Original Post:

Our supposedly genius President, Donald Trump, threatened tariffs to our biggest trade partners, then dropped the idea when he felt his ego was properly stroked by the other nations. However, now we suddenly do have tariffs being put in place, and this will play havoc with everything from food to tech, to--yep--comics. I wrote about this concern back in January and it remains as big a problem as ever. From bigger comic publishers to smaller and, of course, comic shops themselves, it is going to be messy. Lately, it seems par for the course with America's so-called leadership. I mean, Trump and Elon Musk and all the other cronies want to get rid of the Department of Education now. What does that look like besides a villainous attempt to make Americans less informed and ready to comply with any B.S. Trump concots? My concern for our Nation surviving into the near future keeps hitting new all-time highs due to how bad things keep getting.

Chip Zdarsky Writing, "Captain America," Sounds Promising

Chip Zdarsky is a skilled writer who, "Hits," a lot more often than he, "Misses." He had some recent runs on, "Daredevil," that drew a ton of admiration and is wrapping up a generally-liked take on, "Batman." He's done art on comics such as, "Sex Criminals," with Matt Fraction (I liked the art, but oddly was cold on the actual story) and written such bangers as, "Avengers: Twilight," and, "Spider-Man: Life Story," pretty recently. He's got plenty of great indie books too such as,  "Stillwater," "Public Domain," and my point is he does a lot of comics and many of them are great. Now, he's going to be taking on Captian America. In that, he will be writing the series, not fighting Steve Rogers. That would be awkward to witness.

First off, yes, Chip is a Canadian and generally, only Americans have written Cap in his own book. Plenty of folks from different nations have used Captain America in comics, however, so it isn't a huge deal, but it is kind of a fun little tidbit. There is a run of, "Captain America," finishing in a bit with J. Michael Straczynski plotting and it started pretty well before getting a bit too fantastical and otherworldly for my tastes. Still, at least Straczynski is seeing a comic through to its end as he often has a tendency to start a series strong and then go in weird directions/trail off, or outright quit a book to go do something else. Having Chip writing Captain America sounds promising and I didn't even mention yet how the artist will be Valerio Schiti! Schiti's work is always fantastic and I can't wait to see what this upcoming run of, "Captain America," will be like with such a stellar creative team. I look forward to the book's launch this July!

Television Tuesday: "Deal or No Deal Island," is an Entertaining Mish-Mash of Shows

"Deal or No Deal Island," is a show that took a chunk of different programs, shoved them into a blender, and it resulted in a weird but somehow tasty mix. It's got some, "Survivor," with the nature setting and challenges that incorporate the wilds. It gives me some, "Big Brother," vibes as everyone is making secret alliances and plotting against each other. There also is a game show element with folks literally playing a version of, "Deal or No Deal," to try and grow a prize pot and not get kicked off the island. This arguably should not work as an odd mix of genres, but it somehow does. I didn't watch the first season because I wasn't intrigued by the show at the time. However, the second season drew me in when I saw one of the best players of, "Big Brother," ever would appear, Dr. Will. I started watching for Will and liked the show enough that I'm now kind of hooked. 

The cast is an interesting blend of regular folks and reality show celebs--a bit like the first season of, "The Traitors," before it started only using, "Known," individuals. This mix works quite well as television newbies and old vets conspire with or against each other. The extremely affable Joe Manganiello hosts and I enjoy his presence as the man is both a great actor and delightfully open about being a huge nerd even if he's all fit/muscular. Most episodes involve a challenge where suitcases with monetary amounts are gathered to be used later in the show (and the chance to be safe from any risk of going home usually is involved too). Then, contestants chat and make plans to help or hinder one another with the episode generally culminating in a mini-game of, "Deal or No Deal," where whoever is, "Facing the banker," hopes to have a suitcase worth the most money possible of leftover cases if they don't cut a deal (lest they go home), or a really bad suitcase if they do cut a deal so they get to stay on the island and send someone else home. 

Honestly, the last part is probably the least interesting aspect of the show as I never cared much for, "Deal or No Deal," when it was simply a show as the whole thing is just a random numbers and odds game. However, putting all this intrigue and chaos around the mini-gameshow at the end manages to make the whole endeavor quite interesting overall--greater than the sum of its Frankensteined parts that created this show. Dr. Will wasn't even on this season of, "Deal or No Deal Island," for too long as everybody disliked him and was eager to vote the guy out. I like the show though so I'm going to be here watching this season to the end (a new episode is tonight) and if there are future ones I will probably check those out too!

5 out of 5 Stars.

Music Mondays: "BMF," by SZA Has a Fun Callback to an Old Tune

I am a fan of SZA. You hear about her a lot in Saint Louis as she is a native of the city and it makes me happy we've got some great artists to emerge from here...and Sexyy Red is from here too so I guess you can't win them all. Anyway, I quite like a new song SZA has on her album, "Lana," which is a reissue of, "SOS," with some fresh ditties. The song is, "BMF," but was also known as, "Boy from South Detroit," at one point. I quite like how it incorporates, "The Girl from Ipanema," in its lyricism and sound. "The Girl from Ipanema," is a lovely bossa nova song that has had multiple covers and samplings, and it is always a treat to, "See," it involved in another tune. It isn't my favorite new song on, "Lana," as that would be, "30 for 30," with Kendrick Lamar, but it is a close second! Give it a listen here if you would like--I know I've been playing it a lot.

The First Spector Club Comic Show of 2025 Was Immense Fun!

I love the comic show that happens in the VFW found at 7300 Lansdowne in Shrewsbury. Put on the Spector Club, it is consistently full of great comics at a wide range of price points. There are plenty of big and fancy major key issues as well as a ton of dollar (or less!) books! I got out there early in the day and had so much fun browsing, chatting, trading, and buying!

A bunch of my friends were there including Spike of Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles, John from Bigfoot Comics, as well as Tom of Alliance Comics, Toys, and Games, to name a few. They had a great mix of comics and I enjoyed visiting with my chum Jack of Fortress Comics--he had lots of $5 Silver and Bronze series! Dave from All American Collectibles was busy working with Spike to coordinate the show and I was happy to see him too.

A picture of when everyone was setting up!

The show had a good mix of modern and older books--with my expertise being, "Newer," stuff from the 2000s and up but I loved looking at the vintage comics from the 80s, 70s, 60s, and even older! There were some new sellers at the show as well as folks who set up at almost every event. I always love digging in the short and longboxes at this comic show as I find cool stuff at basically every seller's table! The next show is May 5th and getting in costs only three bucks after 10AM with kiddos free (six dollars for early-bird attendees at 9AM). I'd encourage anyone who will be in the area on May 5th to visit the next Spector Club Comic Show and enjoy all the neat stuff you'll find on sale!

A Misunderstanding Regarding Supergirl's Gender Had the Internet All Aflutter For a Minute

Supergirl will be getting a new DC series. It looks fun! The new comic has Sophie Campbell as the writer (a skilled writer and she's a great illustrator too) and Tamra Bonvillain doing the art--I'm not as familiar with her work but like what I've seen. Supergirl will be Kara, as always. One thing was mentioned that seemed to confuse some of the internet and even make some folks angry for no reason. You see, Campbell and Bonvillain are both transgender. This was discussed online and some people thought it meant that Kara was now going to be transgender. She's not, she's still a cisgender woman. 

Now, I guess the idea of a person being trans is more far-fetched for some readers than a lady being able to fly and have super-strength, but gender has been a subject of much debate lately, so that's the way it goes. I will always accept transmen as men and transwomen as women, but that wasn't even an issue here. Two people who happen to be trans are writing Supergirl. They aren't going to, "Make," her be trans because a trans person can write a story with a cisgender person just as much as a black person can write a tale with white people or a jew can write about christians. Sometimes the internet is so ready to jump to conclusions people don't calm down and think things through. I'm just surprised that some misinformation spread so quickly on the world wide web, normally the internet is a reliable source of facts, after all (sarcasm intended). Anyway, the main takeaway is that Campbell is a fantastic creator so I'm excited to see her and Bonvillain's take on Supergirl!

Happy Eighth Birthday to Clarkson!

Our firstborn child, Clarkson, is eight years old today! This is wild as I can remember back when he was born and was just a little preemie. It is crazy how our little metaphorical nuggets grow up into big chicken strips (I think I'm hungry, hence the food metaphor). Clarkson was born early, as I just mentioned, but after some time in the NICU came home and has been growing ever since! He's a wonderful boy who has come really far considering we received his Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis back in 2019. He has excelled with various therapies and at great schools that have assisted him in gaining important skills and communicating via his talker device. 

Clarkson is an incredibly sweet boy who loves hugs and tickles as well as dancing to catchy tunes. When he isn't asking to watch Kimmi the Clown or old random Charmin Bear ads on YouTube (a random favorite of his) he greatly enjoys coloring with Imagine Ink markers or playing with Spider-Man-related toys. Clarkson has never met a McDonald's french fry or nugget he'd pass on gobbling down and he gets excited for pizza with sausage and bacon toppings he can enjoy peeling off with the cheese and eating too (he isn't big on crust). He also is a great big brother to Gibson, usually keeping his patience when Gibson wants to crawl all over him or insists he puts on a random hat or sunglasses! I continue to be incredibly proud of everything Clarkson has accomplished and anything he continues to work on getting skilled at. He's my big eight-year-old boy but he will always be my little stinky baby (both our children love to fart). Happy eighth birthday, Clarkson!

Advance Review: "Lady Enigma," is Full of Exciting Supernatural Mysteries!

I had the chance to read an advance copy of, "Lady Enigma," from Blue Fox Comics. Written by David Braña and with art by Olga Carmona Peral, it has a great mix of supernatural storytelling with a police procedural vibe as well. Each chapter generally involves a mystery or something otherworldly that is investigated or figured out by Sarah or Brian Perkins. Sarah has paranormal abilities and Brian is a police inspector. They share in past familial trauma and both use their gifts/skills in Victorian-era London and it results in some great pieces within the book.

"Lady Enigma," isn't just little self-contained pieces; the over-arching plotlines slowly reveal themselves throughout the book and it makes for a rewarding read. Another element I appreciated was little nods and easter eggs for literary nerds (which I somewhat am). For example, one villain with a secret and murderous double-life goes by Dr. Jekyll--a nice little joke there. Also, a reference to, "The Picture of Dorian Gray," is quite humorous when it occurs in the book. One doesn't have to know these old stories by any means to enjoy, "Lady Enigma," but it just shows the care put into the story from big to small elements.

Throughout, "Lady Enigma," I especially enjoy the trippy segments when Sarah dreams/hallucinates/etc. as the art gets quite surreal. Olga Carmona Peral's illustrations are lovely during, "Normal," segments as well, of course. I was engaged throughout the whole book by her work and David Braña's superb plotting. This is labeled as being, "Volume One," and I look forward to more potential adventures with Sarah and Brian Perkins as we get quite a fun cliffhanger at the book's end. You can find the landing page for the, "Lady Enigma," Kickstarter campaign here so that you can pledge and secure yourself a copy in the near future--I suggest you do just that!

5 out of 5 Stars.

Now Diamond is Going After Comic-Book Stores as Part of Its Bankruptcy. That Seems Like a Bad Idea

Diamond Comic Distributors was never been especially beloved by comic stores, but for a good deal of time, it was the only way to get monthly comics distributed to your store. That all changed during the COVID-era with the addition of Lunar and Penguin Randon House as an option for comics. As I and others have covered, Diamond kept operating as if they were an unstoppable monopoly and didn't change much in the way of business practices. Hence, Diamond is now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and things are looking grim despite it being vaguely possible they could reorganize and emerge okay (not likely). With Diamond owing a ton of people, it is now trying to get any cash it can from entities that supposedly owe Diamond a check. Hence, comic store owners are now being told to pay previous invoices...invoices they don't have a record of needing to take care of. Yeah, Diamond is shaking down their own customer--comic stores--and that's a bad look.

I understand Diamond Comic Distributors is in a bad place, but if the company wants to exit bankruptcy and return to some semblance of functioning as it if is, "Business as usual," maybe going after the people you depend on for your bread and butter is a bad idea, you know? I imagine things are bad for Diamond, and this is yet another sign it is only going to get worse. At the rate we are going, I sincerely am starting to doubt anything resembling Diamond as we know it will exist in 2026, or even halfway through this year. Right now it is all day by day, so time will tell.

Television Tuesday: The Z-Suite

"The Z-Suite," is a new original scripted comedy from Tubi, of all places. Tubi is one of those, "Freemium," streaming services that has random movies and shows you can watch at zero cost as long as you can put up with some advertisements now and then. They've done some original shows and movies, but this is their first comedy television-style show. All jokes aside about how Tubi originals sometimes appear to have low budgets, "The Z-Suite," does not look cheap. It also has a solid cast! The show focuses on a GenX executive named Monica (Lauren Graham, who is fantastic here) and her assistant Doug (Nico Santos). They end-up fired from an ad agency she's a bigwig at when one campaign hilariously backfires and causes a scandal. The fact that she's awful and can't even apologize to the public makes things worse with her Baby Boomer boss and the GenZ employees who find themselves promoted to Monica's level of power and struggle with this newfound degree of control over a company.

"The Z-Suite," could fall into a pit of stereotypes considering it is about generational conflict, but it manages to avoid doing so thanks to how everyone is a little bit terrible on the show, regardless of their age. The young employees like Kriska (Madison Shamoun), Eliot (Spencer Stevenson), and Clem (Anna Bezahler) might know what is popular and have mastered a lot of new tech, but while they have youthful exuberance they don't always know exactly what's going on and they can be self-centered jerks. Monica is out of touch with a lot of trends and what is hip, but she does have a strong work ethic...despite being a self-centered jerk (you may see a trend). Old or young, we all can think we know everything and refuse to consider other views. "The Z-Suite," walks a tightrope with this idea and manages to pull off a show that has some darkly hilarious moments stemming from misunderstands, miscommunications, and some general silliness too. Plus, at least all the characters can agree that Matt (Evan Marsh) is unsure how he fits into everything as a Millenial--he results in some great moments, however, and I saw a bit more of myself in his awkward quirks than I'd like to admit as a fellow Millenial.

"The Z-Suite," is clever and carefully threads a needle between, "Old people, am I right?" and, "These young folks, you know what I mean?" Nobody comes out looking perfect or without blame because regardless of our age, we all can be terrible or awesome depending on the situation. I applaud, "The Z-Suite," for using humor in pointing this out, and I can't wait to watch the latest episode when the next one drops this Thursday!

5 out of 5 Stars.