Marvel and Image Reprint, "Marvel Team-Up," #14 Yet Again...More Crossovers on the Way?

Marvel and Image have announced another reprint of when Invincible met the Amazing Spider-Man in, "Marvel Team-Up," #14. It first occurred back in 2004, and as far as I understand, it is in the official canon for Invincible and the 616/main Spider-Man. There was a surprise reprint of the issue when the blind bags for the first issue of, "Battle Beast," #1 dropped a bit ago and kicked off the whole blind bag craze we're currently swimming within (for better or worse). That was another property by Invincible's creator, Robert Kirkman, and a deal of some sort was worked out between him and Marvel. More deals must've been cut as it has now been declared that a new reprint is coming in 2026 with fun new variant covers by names as big as Todd McFarlane, Mark Bagley, Erik Larsen, and so forth. This makes me wonder, could more Marvel/Image crossovers be on the way?

Marvel and Image doing some more crossovers could be feasible. I mean, Marvel and DC started reprinting old stories, and then not too long after, we started getting the fresh crossovers between Batman and Deadpool. With Spidey and Superman on the way in 2026 and even more stories possibly due, that's a fruitful collaboration now. It seemed far-fetched for Marvel and DC to play nice again a few years ago, but here we are with them crossing over, so why not Marvel and Image properties that the creators there want to collaborate with, too? That is a slight wrinkle that Image's creators own their properties (which is a good thing), but I imagine Marvel could work something out. Maybe ask McFarlane if Spawn can hang out with Daredevil and they patrol New York City, or inquire with Larsen if Savage Dragon can get in a fight with the Hulk. There could be nothing else emerging after this reprint, but I'd suspect something is in the works!

"Supergirl," Dropped a Teaser Trailer Today

The teaser trailer for the next big DC project emerged onto the internet today. Coming hot on the heels of, "Superman," and, "Peacemaker," we have Milly Alcock as, "Supergirl." What is interesting is how the trailer has a lot more of a vibe like, "Guardians of the Galaxy," than the recent Superman flick. James Gunn (he and Peter Safran are the main architects of this new DC film Universe) isn't even directing (Craig Gillespie is), but there is a feeling that evokes GOTG with its weird-space-adventures and such. Give the trailer a look below if you haven't seen it yet:

The movie draws a good deal from Tom King's, "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow," and Alcock is a great talent (she was stellar in the recent, "Sirens," limited series on Netflix). I'm all for crazy fights in space, and we even get a glimpse of Jason Momoa's Lobo (that could be pretty wild) so I'm hopeful this is a fun experience. "Supergirl," will be the first DC project with Gunn involved more as a producer than the main guiding hand, so that is a bit important too for setting a tone for what we can expect from DC flicks he's a bit less involved in, without a doubt. Come June of 2026, we can judge the movie for ourselves!

15th Anniversary Giveaway Post 3: A CGC 9.8 Slabbed Comic!

This giveaway comes courtesy of my good friends over at the website Comics Heating Up and the awesome Comics Heating Up Forums. If you like discussing what comics might become, "Hot," or chatting about popular books, this is the site for comic speculation. What am I giving away, you ask? A CGC graded 9.8 copy of, "Star Wars: The High Republic," #1, and it is a harder to find second printing!

To win this superb prize, you just need to comment with your name and email address on this post within the next 48 or so hours, OR you can email me at davidbitterbaum@gmail.com if you would prefer your email not be public. Then, wait and find out if you won, simple as that. Thanks again to the great folks at Comics Heating Up for this giveaway!

"Free Comic Book Day," Will Go Up Against/With, "Comics Giveaway Day," Due to Trademark Disputes

Universal Distribution bought the rights to Free Comic Day from what was left of Diamond after Populum/Sparkle Pop ripped it to shreds. I mean, in the sense of owning the name and the general idea of how it is a day for stores to give away free comics from publishers to folks who stop by the shops. Many places do promotions, giveaways, and sales for FCBD, and now it is back, but wait, there are complications, as with anything that comes from the remains of Diamond!

Universal was going to just have DC and Dynamite (who they are set to distribute) as a part of theire Free Comic Book Day, but an agreement was made with Lunar and the companies they distribute, which also include DC and Dynamite, plus Archie Comics, Image Comics, Mad Cave Studios,  Oni Press, Titan Comics, Udon Entertainment as well as Vault Comics. The thing is, Penguin Random House could not reach an agreement with Universal and is the distributor for Marvel Comics, Boom, IDW, DSTLRY, Ignition, and more. Hence, PRH said, "Screw you guys, we'll do our own comic event!" As a result, we now have, "Comics Giveaway Day."

Both Free Comic Book Day and Comics Giveaway Day will happen on the first Saturday of May. That is when FCBD always occurs, and when the other event will just so happen to take place as well. People who go to a comic shop on May 2nd of 2026 won't be impacted per se, you'll just get your free comics regardless of the branding. Shops might have a slight headache filling out differing forms and such, however. Whatever the case, I look forward to Free Comic Book Day/Comics Giveaway Day/whatever, free stuff!

Now Paramount is After Warner Brothers Discovery, With a Vengeance

Remember on the fifth when I posted about how Netflix had a tentative deal to buy Warner Brothers Discovery for 76-83 billion dollars or so? I noted how Paramount had been angling for WBD and was none too pleased. Well, now they're engaging in a,"Hostile Takeover," attempt by going straight to shareholders with an offer worth around 108 billion dollars. This whole thing is messy, clearly.

It seems Netflix saw this coming, so it is relatively calm about everything, and regardless of who scoops up Warner Bros. Discovery, there is zero plan to bring back the Snyderverse take on DC (so quit asking). How could Netflix or Paramount owning WBD end up impacting DC Comics is something that nobody is sure of in this jumble of corporations jockeying for position. One would hope things stay somewhat orderly and don't turn utterly disastrous (we've already had enough comic-related drama with Diamond's bankruptcy alone this year).

December 2025 Links, News, and Other Goodness

We're into December now, and a variety of interesting things continue to happen. Some of this news doesn't need a whole post, so why do a bit of a round-up? It gives you something to read between all the storms, at least.

Alan Moore is launching his own record label, "Other Shoe." The first featured band with a release will be a group called 72%. As much as I'd like for Moore to craft comics, I know the industry in general did him dirty and he'd rather write novels or do other fun projects such as this, so I'm happy for him.

The, "Postal," series of games has a messy history. I legitimatley enjoyed the surreal open world of, "Postal 2," and found the Boss Fight Books history of the franchise fascinating. A new game was just announced within the brand and then canceled within a few days due to controversy over AI generation being used in the game. I guess even those who enjoy the anti-PC/edgy/"Anti-woke," humor of Postal have their limits. As it is, "Postal: Bullet Paradise," is now DOA.

More gaming news, with it noted that, "Animal Crossing: Wild World," came out 20 years ago and was arguably the game that took the brand from being somewhat popular to a huge name.

The screenwriter behind, "Dude Where's My Car?" wrote an intriguing essay examining his time in Hollywood and how some of the movie holds up well, and other aspects are a bit cringe-inducing today. It is far from a perfect movie, but it definitely is fun.

Comics had a great year in 2025, by many accounts. Getting raw data has proven tricky these days, however. Tangible metrics would be helpful.

"The Beauty," was an interesting comic about a sexually transmitted disease that causes people to become good-looking and otherwise seems harmless, but (obviously) is not. Ryan Murphy has turned it into a show that'll be hitting FX and Hulu this January 21st. Murphy is incredibly hit-or-miss, but I'll check it out.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is insanely unqualified to be our Health and Human Services Secretary, but he continues to do that job and harm our country. His latest move was getting an advisory council he picked much of to vote against giving a perfectly safe Hepatitis B vaccine to newborns.

I greatly enjoy watching, "Plur1bus/Pluribus," and cracked up at a recent celebrity cameo in the most recent episode. If you have AppleTV, it really is worth checking out.

Finally, this article by Katie Rife discusses how the re-release of both, "Kill Bill," flicks as, "Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair," illustrates the best and worst of Quentin Tarantino. It is a movie with some definite highlights and issues, that's for sure.

15th Anniversary Giveaway Post 2: Signed Copy of, "A God Somewhere," by John Arcudi

Update on 12/8/25: 

Some people have expressed to me they do not feel comfortable posting their email publicly, which I totally understand. If anyone wants to email me at davidbitterbaum@gmail.com to enter this giveaway, please feel free to do so! Also, all future giveaways will have the option to comment or email me to ensure this is easy for all my readers! With this in mind, I'll keep this giveaway going a bit longer to allow folks the time needed to email me.

Original Post:

Now for the second giveaway on my blog! Before the giveaway details, a brief story! You see, back in December of 2010, when I had started my blog, it was barely getting any views. I wondered if anybody, anywhere, cared about what I was posting. Then, in early January, I got an email from comic creator John Arcudi! Someone he knew had seen my post where I declared that the graphic novel he scripted, "A God Somewhere," was my favorite original graphic novel of 2010, and told him. He thanked me for my kind words, and that was the first instance where I could go, "Wow, folks really are reading my blog and at least some care what I think!" It was a big motivator to keep going way back then. Since that event, I've even interviewed John for the blog and kept in touch with him over the years.

Considering how John Arcudi is an important part of my blog's history I asked if he'd mind contributing something for my celebratory giveaways. He was kind enough to send me a signed copy of a first printing of, "A God Somewhere," that I'm going to ship to a lucky reader of my blog! As with the first giveaway, you just need to comment with your name and email address on this post within the next 48 or so hours. I will randomly select a winner and then contact you so that I can ship you, "A God Somewhere," at no cost to you (if you're within America or its territories--I will ask International readers to cover some shipping expenses)! Thanks to John Arcudi for this awesome giveaway and even more thanks to him for being an early source of motivation in the history of my blog!

Marvel Sure Loves Doing X-Men Comics Set in Dark and Depressing Timelines

You know what Marvel seems to love? Doing events where we look at a horrible future for the X-Men. Every few years, we have some kind of mini-series/crossover/whatever where we peek into the future for the X-Men, and it is bad. This can be fun, with, "Days of Future Past," or, "Age of Apocalypse," being a good time set in a grim timescape. I mean, even the time-travel shenanigans of, "Messiah Complex," served a purpose. Did we need the current, "Age of Revelation," however? I've skimmed it and found what I read fine, but I lack much more of an opinion. Apparently, it is leading into more, "Depressing future," stories with, "Shadows of Tomorrow," on the way too, where the X-Men continue to be hated! 

We've got that whole, "Sins of Sinister," "Battle of the Atom," and Cable is himself from an awful future, too. X-Men alternative timelines tend to always be awful for mutants. They aren't all hunted per se in the, "Old Man Logan," timeline, but it is a World where the villains wiped out any superheroes and didn't care much about mutants as they quit appearing and were more of a blip in evolution than the next step. If the X-Men visit a future or even an alternate present, it usually is horrific for them, which is maybe why a rare exception to this theme is a storyline I quite dug. Yes, "House of M," although it was set more in an alternate, "Present," and didn't end well for mutants, either.

"House of M," happened when the Scarlet Witch used her immense powers to create a World where the birth/development of mutants accelerated significantly in the past and as a result, by the 2000s, almost 90% of the World's population is made up of mutants, with humans a minority who either get put up with or treated with outright scorn as being outdated. It was a clever event full of tie-ins that flipped the idea of the X-Men and mutants on its head. Then, when it ends, the Scarlet Witch puts reality back, but says, "No More Mutants." As a result, almost all the mutants in the regular reality lose their powers/die/etc. We get a brief view of a reality that is actually kinda happy for mutants, but in the end, makes them even more of a minority/rare demographic. 

Known as, "M Day," it eventually was reversed with more and more mutants reappearing on the scene, but it goes to show how when you even dare to imagine a happy present or future for mutants, the end result can only be further hating on those with an X-gene. I guess if you're in the X-Men or even simply just a mutant, you have got to take things day-by-day and not plan too far ahead for the future, seeing as you have zero clue which of the many futures it might be and how awful things could go.

Netflix to Tentatively Buy Warner Brothers Discovery and Therefore DC Comics as Well

Warner Bros. Discovery has been wanting to sell much of itself for a bit now. Skydance/Paramount had expressed a lot of interest and had been repeatedly rebuffed. Others were rumored to be wanting a piece as well. However, it has been declared that WBD wants to sell to Netflix. Yes, "Overnight, Netflix announced it had entered a, 'definitive agreement,' to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s film and television studios, including Warner Bros., HBO, and HBO Max, for $83 billion," with it also mentioned that if the deal falls through, Netflix will still throw five billion Warner Bros. way for their trouble. Another report says 76 billion is the total amount we're dealing with, so the exact number seems to be in flux, but it is a lot of zeroes. Regardless of the full amount, imagine being such a big company that you're cool with tossing away five billion if a deal doesn't work out. I mean, if my chips don't fall out of the vending machine that I put two dollars in, you know I'm not going to just walk away empty-handed for two single bills, never mind five billion.

For those of you into DC comics and their films, this does mean Netflix would now own that film division as well as being in charge of the comic-books, leading multiple sites to ask what happens to DC's movies and especially the comics if this sale goes through? We, obviously, can't know for sure, but based on how the latest DC projects are performing it would seem James Gunn and Peter Safran might be left to their own devices with DC's films/shows. Others and I would wager the comic-books will remain a comparatively inexpensive afterthought out of everything else in the Warner Brothers Discovery catalog that are treated as a source for ideas, but hopefully left mostly alone. I mean, Netflix is after the film/television content and probably shrugged with vague amusement at how a comic-book company comes along with all that, too. Don't get me wrong, ya'll know I love comics, but I also am aware that they are far from the focus of this 83 billion dollar deal.

One comic-book creator who stands to benefit from this deal immensely could be Mark Millar. He has worked closely with Netflix for years and now could very well find himself in a position of power with DC's flicks, shows, and comics. What that would mean for DC, only time could tell. For now, there is a lot of regulatory paperwork to get done, so who knows when this deal will truly be done or if it will get held up by those who (rightfully) see this as the formation of more monopolies/oligopolies. Again, we'll see what the next chunk of months (possibly years) holds. One thing is for sure, however. Theater owners are pissed based upon how Netflix has treated them in the past. That will only get uglier as this possible sale continues. The new Hollywood is buying out the old Hollywood; how could it be anything but messy?

15th Anniversary Giveaway Post 1: A 3-month Free (Premium) CovrPrice Account

UPDATE: Winner has been notified!

Time for the first giveaway to celebrate my blog turning 15! I reached out to the good folks at CovrPrice, and they were kind enough to team up with me so that my first giveaway is three months of a free premium CovrPrice account! I personally find the site very helpful for figuring out the potential value of a comic and I greatly enjoy their various articles. If you don't have CovrPrice, you can get set up with an account at no expense, and if you do have it, they'll add the three months for free onto your subscription! You don't have to pay anything or do much besides commenting with your name and email address. After 48-ish hours, a winner will be randomly selected and notified, with the post updated to reflect the lucky prize recipient. 

Oh, and even if you don't win, there is a cool offer available. CovrPrice made a promo code just for me that allows any brand-new members of CovrPrice to subscribe for 30 days for just a buck. That's right, if you subscribe and use the code NewestRant2025 you get access to all of CovrPrice for a simple dollar--you just gotta do it before the 25th, AKA Christmas. Heck, if you want me to make it even easier, just go to this link, and the promo code is already applied! Note, I am not getting any kickback for this code, CovrPrice was just kind enough to provide it upon my request, so my readers can get a discount there!

To reiterate: Comment with your name and email address on this post within the next 48 or so hours and find out if you won. Should you not win but be new to CovrPrice, you can get a 30-day subscription for just a buck if you use the promo code up to and including the 24th (it stops working on Christmas day). Thanks and good luck to everyone on this first giveaway. There will be more to come!

The Newest Rant is 15 Years Old! Celebratory Giveaways Are Incoming!

As of today, December 3rd, this humble blog/website/rambling mess is 15 years old. Other sites have come and gone, but I'm here. Some folks do more videos or podcasts, but I keep making articles. I went from maybe being lucky to get 10 views in a day to averaging 450,000 unique visits in a month. I've made some amazing friends thanks to this blog and, admittedly, angered some folks with negative reviews/critical opinions too. This blog has definitely helped me meet more awesome individuals than jerks, however!

When I published my first post back in December 2010, I just wanted a way to share my opinions on comics, movies, television, books, toys, and popular culture in general. I continue to write a lot about all that stuff, as well as sometimes posting about my own life and my thoughts on the general state of the World. I am proud of myself for keeping at this for so long, and honored to think any of you keep coming back.

The, "Birth," of my site.

Oh, and in honor of my blog's birthday, I'm going to be giving out presents to you! Throughout this month, I will post various giveaways of my own cool stuff, neat things provided by friends of the blog, and so forth. All you'll have to do is comment on a post when it goes up with your name and email address within the timeframe I say the giveaway is going to run for. Then, sit back and wait for me to have a name selected at random and tell you if you won! Consider it my way of thanking all of you, whether you've known of my blog for a matter of days or over a decade. 15 years is a long time, and thanks to this blog, it has (generally) been a good time. There have been hard moments I've shared and joyful ones too, but through it all, I've been here, typing away. Thank you for spending any of your time here as well.

Television Tuesday: "Severance," Has a Solid First Season and Amazing Second

I previously wrote about enjoying, "Plurb1us," on the blog. People who heard I and Samii enjoyed that show told us we needed to watch another AppleTV program, "Severance." The first season was a hit, people had to wait about three years, and the second season ran early this year. We watched it all over a week or so and had a great time! I will say, however, the first season was a bit slow and meandering at times for my tastes, whereas the second season is simply superb.

"Severance," is about a company called Lumon, which invented a way to split people's personalities/identities/etc. in two. These individuals undergo Severance to be Severed. They get in an elevator and a second later step out of that same elevator with no memory of the eight or so hours they spent working in a mysterious office. Meanwhile, a who other, "Self," only has memories of existing in this office and occasionally being told random facts about their outside self/"Outie," to ensure they're content. A large chunk of the show follows Mark Scout (Adam Scott) or as his, "Innie," is known, "Mark S." We learn early in the first season how Mark lost his wife and thought spending a large part of the day not feeling miserable without her might help. Issues quickly arise when a mysterious man claiming to be his old co-worker, who also now remembers everything, kicks off a number of mysteries. 

To the show's credit, it doesn't pull a, "LOST," and raise 100 questions while answering almost none. The first season has a good deal of payoff, and the second continues that payoff beautifully, with almost any questions raised getting answered outside of a few remaining things to ponder for the upcoming third season. "Severance," has nine episodes in the first season and ten in the second, which is interesting as the debut season is generally fun, but sometimes feels so slow. I suppose the metaphorical table needs to be set in much of the first season for its amazing finale, and how season 2 is almost all gas and no brakes (excluding a strange tangent of a really short later episode that kind of just shuffles a minor character around for 30-ish minutes to fill in some backstory about Lumon).

For real, though, the second season is great because it takes much of what we got used to with, "Severance," and turns it on its head. An episode spent mostly in a bright outdoor area instead of the claustrophobic office. An episode with some flashbacks that uses film instead of digital for those scenes to give everything a warm and nostalgic feel (an ingenious technique), and I could go on, but then I'd have to outright spoil a bunch of, "Severance." Instead of me doing that, you should check the show out yourself and then join me in anxiously awaiting the third season's arrival, hopefully sometime in late 2026/early 2027 instead of in three more years!

Season 1: 3.5 out of 5 Stars.

Season 2: 5 out of 5 Stars.

World AIDS Day, 2025

Today is World AIDS Day. Ever since the World Health Organization established December 1st as this day in 1988, it has been observed. HIV and AIDS doesn't get the headlines it once did, for good reasons and less encouraging ones. As you may know, HIV attacks the immune system and once your cells have been depleted enough by HIV, you reach AIDS status. 

Since the 1980s, there have been incredible achievements in treating HIV/AIDS so that many people diagnosed with HIV never even find their immune system compromised enough to have AIDS--the many medicines and treatments help keep the virus at bay to the point where it is basically undetectable in their system. When HIV/AIDS was considered a terrifying death sentence, it got tons of press and was at times horrifically misrepresented and used as a way to demonize entire groups of people. Now, HIV/AIDS is something people can live with and eventually--when older--die with, not of. This is encouraging, but the lack of attention HIV/AIDS now gets is discouraging, as it is still here and has killed so many before we achieved advancements in treating patients. 

With treatment, the tide turned.

The current Trump administration has drastically cut funding for research into the treatment of HIV, and the U.S. isn't officially recognizing World AIDS Day for the first time since 1988. Donald Trump and his cronies cutting money to programs that help people isn't surprising, but refusing to even acknowledge World AIDS Day just feels like an extra twist of the metaphorical knife in the back for those who do want to use today for remembrance of the past and hope for the future.

At one point, I was employed by a nonprofit that assisted individuals with HIV/AIDS via a grant and the Ryan White Care Act to ensure those with HIV/AIDS would have any expenses relating to their diagnosis that insurance/Medicare/Medicaid did not fund covered. It was a great job, and I met and served a wide range of people, which goes to show how HIV/AIDS impacts us all. I had to leave the job when our first child, Clarkson, was born prematurely, and it was necessary for a parent to stay home. Researching how to help those with HIV/AIDS, how to prevent it, and how to maybe even someday hopefully cure it is important. Even if there is less attention paid to HIV and AIDS now, that doesn't mean it is of little concern. 

Some parts of the World struggle to get access to preventative methods or lifesaving drugs, there is still much to be done, and that is why World AIDS Day remains important in 2025. Even if our viciously incompetent and spiteful politicians in currently in power choose to ignore the importance of today, millions of people will mark it on their calendar and use the time to reflect and then be ready to react as needed. Today is World AIDS Day, and HIV/AIDS has impacted our planet and continues to do so. I can only hope a day comes when we only need to reflect (as I mentioned earlier) as a cure has been found/made. Someday.

"Beckett's Non-Sport Update," Magazine Was Canceled With No Warning, Thankfully Other Fun Reading Options Exist

As many of you know, I like magazines, newsprint, and so forth. I mean, even with the rise of digital technology and such I will always prefer my comic-books/graphic novels/prose books/etc. in physical form. I do know those who like physical media are a shrinking demographic and besides mini-resurgences such as with vinyl records, digital generally wins the day. I subscribe to some magaiznes about various interesting subjects from, "Rolling Stone," to, "Beckett's Non-Sport Update." Beckett does magazines about baseball cards, hockey, basketball, and so forth, and they used to do one about interesting trading cards that dealt in non-sport subjects. Every two months the magazine would have snazzy articles about old trading cards that dealt with dinosaurs, famous wars, historical flags, and pieces about what was currently trending. Without much fanfare, however, Beckett killed their nonsport mag.

The second-to-last issue (October/November 2025) was a big celebration of the publication achieving 35 years in print. Who knew it would turn into more of a wake than a birthday party as the final issue came out (December 2025/January 2026) and as soon as it was done printing, Beckett seems to have shut-down almost any websites relating to the magazine's existence outside of a nonsport price guide you can access online for a period of time double however much subscription length you had left (so two bimonhtly issues equals four months). How generous, I say as my voice drips with sarcasm.

So, is that it for publications about trading cards that are not sports-related? Well, PSA apparently puts out a pop-culture magazine, but you get it with an expensive membership (which does entitle you to a grading discount if you grade a lot of cards) to get that magazine. Don't despair if you want a print publication about non-sport, however, as there is a great option. Called, "The Wrapper," it is a cool newspaper-style publication with fun articles and classifieds dedicated to non-sport cards. I became aware of its existence not too long ago, got a sample issue for only three bucks, and you can subscribe for a year (a new issue comes out every six weeks) for just 32 smackers. I would encourage anyone who likes to read fun news pieces about non-sport trading cards to check The Wrapper out and offer it their support--Lord knows we don't want another cool publication folding anytime soon.

I'm Digging that New, "The Twilight Zone," Comic

Earlier this year, I discussed how a new comic was on the way, themed for, "The Twilight Zone." Presented as an anthology (different creative teams and stories every issue) with artwork intentionally in black-and-white just as with the original run of the television series, it sounded promising! The first issue was titled, "Blanks," and written by Dan Watters with art by Morgan Beem. It had a creepy premise of a man undergoing a procedure to stay young, but it having a horrific impact on anyone exposed to him. 

The second issue is even more of a trip with writing, art, and lettering by the amazing Tom Scioli. Called, "A World of Your Wildest Dreams," it follows astronauts who land on a planet only to discover their thoughts and memories manifest in surreal and (possibly dangerous) ways. It has a couple of clever twists befitting of a solid, "The Twilight Zone," story, and Scioli's art skills remain impeccable at telling a good story. If this new series can keep giving us great stories, I hope it runs for quite a while!

5 out of 5 Stars (for both of these initial issues).

"Black Friday," is a Lot More Chill Than it Used to Be

Back when I was a young child, I remember the mix of excitement, fear, and dread in a person's voice when they discussed, "Black Friday." A day where amazing deals could be had if you were willing to wait hours in a line, risk being trampled by a stampeding crowd, and fight somebody over a slightly discounted game console. With the rise of the internet we saw, "Cyber Monday," and over time, "Black Friday," has beocme more of a concept of, "The extended weekend we shop after Thanksgiving," as opposed to a single day you have to scrap with a feisty grandma to get a cheap television. Whether you're older or even a high schooler with memories of only a decade ago, we can all agree that things are different with shopping online. Tariffs and other factors wreaking havoc on our economy have an impact as well, with less people trying to, "Bust," down doors for doorbusters (Donald Trump loves to screw up anything he can).

One encouraging shift in all this is that, "Small Business Saturday," has seen a rise in popularity, where folks go and support local businesses/non-chains the weekend of Thanksgiving, helping a shop that truly values their patronage as opposed to a mega-retailer. I'm all for stimulating the economy at a more local level without a doubt, whether it is on a, "Black Friday," a, "Small Business Saturday," or just any general day. Which is kind of what the event that was, "Black Friday," has become. Another day, and I would say that is alright.

Happy Thanksgiving 2025!

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow American readers! I hope everyone who celebrates the holiday has a good time this year! I am thankful for my family, friends, and all of you who read this blog! I hope your Thanksgiving feast is delicious, and that any visiting family get along. Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

A Reminder: Comic-Book Page Rates Remain Terrible

Hey, kids/teens/adults, ya'll wanna break into comics? You wanna get paid by a big company to make some comic-books? Do you want a livable wage? Well, it is kind of an either-or situation quite often, friend! No, come back!

In all seriousness, the field of comics remains one that has some incredibly successful big names and a lot of folks just hanging on for dear life as they attempt to scape by a living doing something they love deeply but which pays horrendously. Heidi MacDonald over at The ComicsBeat has a new post discussing how this keeps coming up with little done to fix that page rates (what you get paid per page of comic-book) have stagnated for decades in relation to inflation, costs of living, etc. If we don't pay the people making our comics decent money, they may very well call it quits. You could argue, "There will always be someone else ready to take less money," and that could be true, but I don't like the idea of immense talents giving up on comics for someone with worse drawing skills than even me to get a gig because they'll work for peanuts. 

When we're talking about billion-dollar properties at DC and Marvel, you would think the people who are making the new stories that the companies will turn to for their movies and shows (as the older content dries up) could get paid a bit more. Even indie-level publishers have struggled to pay anything near what they did in the 1980s or so, when you adjust for inflation and such, but it makes a bit more sense as those very companies are themselves sometimes labors of love barely able to keep the lights on and put out a comic or two.

The history of comic-books is a story built on the labor of countless underrecognized or outright unrecognized talents who deserved more respect and money than they received. It is saddening to think that legacy continues all the way into the current day in many respects. Pay comic creators what they're worth, in other words, or there could eventually be no creators.

It's Still Wild the Most Valuable Comic Ever Was Found in an Attic

Recently, a copy of, "Superman, "#1 graded as 9.0 by CGC, sold for 9.12 million dollars at auction. Published in 1939, it is the highest graded copy of that comic possible and while it is not Superman's first appearance, it is probably the best condition comic you'll find for an extremely early appearance. As the story goes, three brothers in Northern California were sorting through their late mom's items in the attic when they stumbled upon a box containing the comic collection she had previously mentioned owning when she was younger. The contents included that minty copy of, "Superman, '#1. From there, they got it graded, sent it to Heritage Auctions, and it sold for $9.12 to a buyer who has chosen to remain anonymous. 

It just boggles the mind to imagine their mother buying this comic all those years ago, tucking it away, and then such a gorgeous copy being unearthed by her children decades later. This shattered the previous record of the highest sale of a comic, Superman's debut in a CGC 8.5-graded, "Action Comics," #1 (which pulled in six million). The superheroic alter-ego of ol' Clark Kent keeps raking in the many dollar bills, clearly!

Donald Glover Has Revealed a Lot about his Health Issues and Recovery

Back in October of last year,  Donald Glover canceled a number of tour dates as his musical alter-ego, Childish Gambino, for unspecified health reasons. I wished him a speedy recovery from whatever the issue was, while noting he was under no obligation to share the concerns with us (we all deserve medical privacy). Now, Glover is back to performing and discussed how he suffered a stroke and had a hole in his heart, which was repaired via surgery as well. I am pleased he is doing better and is comfortable telling us fans what happened. When I had my medical event, they actually checked for if I was having a stroke, and that was quite scary. I wish Donald Glover continued good health and continue to eagerly anticipate an eventual, "Community," movie with him involved!

CRWN Studios Has Entered the Comic Distribution Field

When it comes to comic-book distribution within the United States, we've got Penguin Random House, Lunar, and Universal is entering further into the scene too with DC and Dynamite. Plus, Philbo is doing a lot of cool stuff with indie publishers, of course. Another player is entering the scene now as well, CRWN Studios. Staffed by a number of former Diamond employees (who jumped ship when things got bad or were laid off), a number of plans are in place to distribute to the U.S. and U.K., with CRWN Studios also planning a print as well as digital catalog of publishers who sign with them. Looks like the comic-book distribution field just got another player.

The Spector Club Show Today Was Great Fun!

I attended the last Spector Club Show of the year and had a fantastic time! I saw a number of friends upon my arrival, including Spike of Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles and Dave Schmidt of All-American Collectibles. As some vendors finished setting up and the crowd began entering, I enjoyed browsing the many comics for sale whilst talking with Dave of Callisto Comics and my friend Geoff, who was set up along with my chum Greg! The always-awesome Tim Metzger had a chunk of comics and other cool wares for sale, too.

As I kept looking at comics, I picked up some snazzy, "Ultimate Spider-Man," back issues and some, "Absolute Batman," issues I wanted to catch up on, too. I was able to buy a cool variant of the recent annual from Magnitude 10 Comics! John from Bigfoot Comics and Collectibles had a bunch of comics and coins for sale, which was awesome! I also had a chance to see Drew of CoMo Comic Books and enjoyed hearing how he had been doing as well. In addition, I was pleased to see my friend Bruce Reynolds and look at his comics. I also saw Wayne and was glad to hear he was doing better, considering all the medical stuff he's gone through.

It was a great show and I am excited about how it is moving to the new location. Starting in 2026 for the first show on March 22nd, the event will be held at 4690 Lansdowne Ave, St. Louis, MO 63116. You can expect me to write about the Spector Club Show and this location further as that date approaches!

"Ex Utero," by Charles Forsman is a Creepy and Great Comic

Charles Forsman is a fantastic comic-maker. I've discussed his works before and even interviewed him as well. Lately, I've been digging his series, "Ex Utero." It has been published in physical form by The Mansion Press (a publisher of cool comics located in France, but they publish stuff in English), and you can follow along with the latest entries too if you subscribe to Forsman's Patreon. Set in the 1990s, it follows a teenager named Josh whose whole family has been a fractured mess since his mother died in a car accident (with hints she might have purposely killed herself). Josh finds a mysterious book of magic one day, including a spell to bring the dead back, and wonders if it could actually work. These early chapters are quiet slice-of-life/coming-of-age pieces that set the stage for when everything gets very supernatural and horrific. If you don't mind a spoiler for the early chapters, the spell works! Josh's Mom returns, seemingly better than ever (the family tells everyone she's a visiting Aunt to assuage any possible suspicions). From this point, things only get eerier and a bit bloody at times.

Forsman has always excelled at telling stories that mix quiet everyday moments with surreal or supernatural elements. I've been loving every entry of, "Ex Utero," on his Patreon and the physical printings of the story are a treat to have in-hand as well. If you're looking for a disturbing tale with great art, you should check out the physical copies or join Forsman's Patreon!

5 out of 5 Stars (for what has been released so far).

Flashback Friday: "The Life and Times of Savior 28," Predicted a Lot about the World as We Know it Now

Superheroes and their garish costumes as distractions from the real problems of the World. It is a, "Postmodern," idea being explored more and more, but by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Cavallaro were talking about this back in 2009 with the comic, "The Life and Times of Savior 28," and they absolutely were fantastic on this five-issue mini-series. The whole thing came from an idea DeMatteis had for Captain America way back in the 1980s, but Marvel rejected it. Their loss was IDW's gain, however, as with this comic, we get the story of a man who has lived for decades, realizes the endless fighting and pontificating are getting nowhere, so he pledges to stop. Just stop.

Drawing from a mix of real-world events and lots of fictionalizations, "The Life and Times of Savior 28," touched on the horrors of WWII, 9/11, and how a being who is supposed to protect our planet would react to such things--generally, quite badly. Savior 28 decides to preach peace and nonviolence. It keeps failing, however. Whether he ends up, "Reverting to type," when faced with old foes who want to brawl or confronted by former friends in disbelief at his shift in personality, things keep getting worse up to 28's eventual assassination (not a spoiler, you know he's been killed against all odds at the start of the first issue).

Much of the comic examines what it would be like if someone expected to fly around, fight, and distract the populace from the real problems of the World went against the grain--and how violently those in power would react who benefit from the heroes, villains, and their dramatic events keeping the populace's attention. There is by no means some grand conspiracy in, "The Life and Times of Savior 28," just a World that wants the heroes providing escapist entertainment while they handle the, "Real," business of economics, wars, and so forth. Again, there is a clever metaphor in there about the idea of the superhero as a distraction from the fascist powers who want an entertained and complacent citizenry. 

This wasn't the only comic touching on this subject of, "Heroes as a distraction," in the earlier 2000's as, "The Boys," was making quite a splash around the same time," but I'd argue with almost every hero within "The Boys," being a secret asshole that comic is a lot more cynical than, "The Life and Times of Savior 28." In this book, the protagonist is the opposite of a nihilist and truly has hope for humankind, even if the World has turned its back on him; at least, up until his death. Then, he's suddenly revered again, as often happens when people with iffy histories pass and then randomly get a heroic remembrance.

Even Savior 28's friends can't believe his new ideology.

J.M. DeMatteis is a fantastic writer who has been at the craft of comics for decades, so he knows how to give us a damn good story. Mike Cavallaro does a superb job as well, and actually went on to collaborate on more projects with DeMatteis in the future, in addition to creating a popular comic geared towards younger readers, "Nico Bravo." I feel like you don't see a ton of discussion about, "The Life and Times of Savior 28," and that perturbs me, as this is one stellar comic. Go find yourself a copy of the collected issues in a graphic novel or pick up the individual issues; it has somehow become even more relevant in this World where more and more things now exist to keep us from fighting against injustice and trying to make a change. There is much tragedy within, "The Life and Times of Savior 28," but it does end on a bit of a hopeful note. Looking at how things are these days in 2025, I can only wish that our real World will someday live up to Savior 28's optimistic view of a more peaceful future. One can dream.

Flashback Friday: Alan Moore Wrote Some Fun, "Spawn,"-Related comics Back in the Day

Alan Moore was essentially betrayed by the comic industry multiple times. It is understandable if he'd rather write his (admittedly good and well-reviewed) novels he now does, but the man was a skilled comic-crafter without a doubt. Not everything he wrote was an epic that people talk about with reverence, either. Sometimes he just wrote some zany and fun stuff. I'm especially fond of when Alan Moore did some zany Spawn-related stuff back in the day.

As d. emerson eddy discussed in a recent article on Comicsbeat, Alan Moore wrote a three-issue mini-series for Spawn's foe, "Violator," back in the 1990s. It is absurd, violent, and quite hilarious. Bart Sears contributes art for the first two issues, with a then-less-known Greg Capullo doing the finale. The plot basically involves everyone from the mafia to other demons wanting to kill Violator, and the effort he goes to in order to not end up dead and back in Hell. It's nothing earth-shattering, but it is a hoot and relatively easy to find for dirt cheap as individual issues or in a trade paperback. It wasn't only a baddie Moore wrote either, he was involved in, "Spawn," #8, #32, and the, "Blood Feud," mini-series. My favorite piece of Spawn-by-Moore is a crossover, however.

Back in the late 90's Alan Moore was invited by Jim Lee to write, "WildC.A.T.s." and he did a solid job. For my money, the four-issue crossover he did of, "Spawn/WildC.A.T.s" is the most fun Spawn-by-Moore even if (one should emphasize) none of this is anywhere near his best work--that said, many agree how, "Even Moore's 'not very good' can be interesting when looked at critically." Yes, "Spawn/WildC.A.T.s" is very 90's, very silly, and Moore's writing is underserved by art (sorry, Scott Clark) that seems busier making the female characters look as svelte and sexy as possible than doing anything else, but it is a crazy little read. Spawn is quite evil in the story, which is set in the far-future time of 2015 (I mean, the future for when it came out) and full of epic fighting, monologuing, and general wackiness. I'm not alone in liking it despite its obvious flaws. Lots of folks hate it and say it isn't even, "Canon," to Spawn or WildC.A.T.s, although when it comes to anything, "Spawn," continuity is a loose concept at best. 

The art admittedly leans heavily into the 1990s, "Cheesecake," aesthetic.

For my money, in the same way that almost any random, "Punisher," comic by Garth Ennis is better than 99% of other (newer) Punisher comics, a silly crossover of little consequence by Alan Moore is still a good deal more pleasurable to read than a lot of Image stuff in the 90s (this was before Jim Lee took his Image characters over to DC). We've got the WildC.A.T.s. fighting a demon-possessed Spawn and Alan Moore is having fun and telling an engaging story. Not everything has to be, "Watchmen," or, "From Hell," with Moore, so just chill out, random internet haters.

Whether it was the main, "Spawn," comic, the spin-off series, or crossovers, Alan Moore wrote a lot of Spawn, even though his takes on other heroes get a lot more, "Ink," written about them, be they Batman in, "The Killing Joke," or other popular characters in various books he barely touched. A lot of Moore's stuff with heroes could be more dour/serious like his time with, "Swamp Thing," but the man knew how to have a good time too, as any of his comics involving Spawn make clear. Moore is clearly happier now not doing comics, but at least we have these four-color memories of his work to enjoy for years to come.

"Tough Love at the Office: The Complete Yuri Collection," is an Action-Packed and Steamy Tale

I became aware of the manga, "Tough Love at the Office," when I read a review of it by Tegan O'Neil on The Comics Journal website of the version that collects the whole tale. Created by Sal Jiang, translated by Alexa Frank, and adapted by Asha Bardon, the series focuses on two female office employees, Shirakawa and Kuroda. They start out despising each other, but there can be a weirdly thin line between hate and love, or lust. This is part of the, "Yuri," genre of manga, which focuses on romance between female characters (Yaoi being centered on male characters). I wouldn't describe what Shirakawa and Kuroda have as romance, however. There are literal knock-down, drag-out brawls between the characters that take on a quite erotic tone before shifting into outright angry sex without being too raunchy, as this book is labeled as being suitable for audiences 16 and older--this ain't hentai/porn, in other words, even if it gets a bit steamy at points.

Sal Jiang is a fantastic storyteller. Jing excels at portraying moments of calm in the office with a building intensity you wouldn't normally associate with a bunch of cubicles and computers, leading into the actual crazy fights or bits of corporate intrigue...that often lead to punching, scratching, kicking, and kissing or caressing. It's a quirky read and one that is, as I'd agree with Tegan's aforementioned review stating, quite sexy. It's two terrible people fighting and/or getting freaky, after all, what else would you expect?

This is a thick book, as it collects the entire yarn in amazingly illustrated black-and-white between the covers. Plus, as you keep reading, you really do begin to care about the two leads. As another review by Erica Friedman notes, "The characters are terrible people, but they sometimes do good or kind things, which gives them nuance. Neither of them is a sadist to the pleasant office drones around them. They are, however, two dominant humans fighting for dominance in every way possible." The sheer escalating drama of it all gives things a bit of a dark comedy vibe, mixed with the psycho-sexual aspects to create a superb dish of a story. If you enjoy manga and are looking for an interesting take on the most vicious workplace romance you could imagine, "Tough Love at the Office: the Complete Yuri Collection," is definitely worth a read.

5 out of 5 Stars.

OutKast's First Single, "Player's Ball," Was Released 32 Years Ago

It was 32 years ago on this very day, November 19th, that OutKast released their first single, "Player's Ball." Now, we do need to address the fact that originally a version of, "Player's Ball," was on the, "A LaFace Family Christmas," a compilation album of Christmas tunes. However, it was so good of a song that some tweaks were made to scrub the outright mentions of Christmas, and then it was today, 32 years ago, we got the version of, "Player's Ball," that most folks know. You can listen to it now with nary a clue that it was originally a bit more of a Christmas rap. It was the first single OutKast put out, and the start of a long and wonderful legacy. 

Anyone who has read my blog for some time knows that OutKast is my favorite band/music act/etc. of all time (I mean, I did a series of Flashback Friday posts examining every LP they made), and "Player's Ball," is a lovely way to get to know the earlier era of OutKast. I wonder if anyone who bought and listened to this then-new record/Cassette/CD could have imagined back on this day in 1993 how amazing a future OutKast would have? Could even Big Boi or Dre (as he was known back in the day, before he was Andre 3000) have suspected what amazing things they'd go on to do? Yes, 32 years ago today, "Player's Ball," arrived in record stores, and it is no overstatement (in my opinion, at least) to say from that point on that rap--Hell, music in general--would never be the same. To paraphrase what Andre said when OutKast won best new artist at the Source Awards a bit later on, the South made it clear it had something to say.

"Death Fight Forever," is an Upcoming Image Comic With a Stellar Creative Team

When I saw the announcement of, "Death Fight Forever," a few things caught my eye. First, the pitch of it being themed like a comic-book version of a zany '90s beat 'em up game sounded exciting. Then, the writer is the incredibly skilled Andrew MacLean, and the artist is one I really love the work of, too, Alexis Ziritt. A graphic novel version was apparently Kickstarted, but now a serialized version is coming from Image as a five-issue mini-series starting in February 2026. Just look at this amazing interior artwork by Ziritt:

Yeah, I'm picking this up in February, for sure!