"Second Shift," is a Beautifully Sad Tale of the Future, AI, and Boredom

"Second Shift," is a new original graphic novel by Kit Anderson and due to be published by Avery Hill in early July (I was provided an advance copy to review). It is an intriguing sci-fi story set in the future and focused on a TERRACORP outpost manned by a small crew who work to terraform a planet. They take turns entering an AI-powered dreamscape (Dropping-in), or, when it is time for their shifts, Dropping-out to do work on the colony moss farm (provides oxygen) or service equipment that is working to make the strange planet they live on habitable, someday? Thankfully (maybe) it isn't too boring as the AI, "Algo," is with everyone when they are awake too, providing training as well as theoretically fun stories, visuals, and otherwise keeping things interesting/engaging. 

The comic mainly follows a crewmember named Birdie Doran and her brother, Heck, as they go about life in their base before (relatively early on in the story) finding an old abandoned one--resulting in them wondering if there is much of an Earth or Terracorp left or if they're just adrfit in space with little guidance beyond a buggy AI. Anderson's art is fantastic, showing us a lush and detailed, "World," when the AI is generating things, and a sparse and barren space during the times the crew lacks its algo. The comic clearly is against using artificial intelligence for art/entertainment (there is a big tongue-in-cheek disclaimer that Anderson did not use AI for this comic), as everything the algo produces is vaguely pretty and entertaining, but lacking in much of any substance. 

The crew doesn't have much in the way of human interaction as much of the crew is generally floating in their computer-"enriched," sleep so they rely on a corporate-driven AI to entertain them, socialize with them, or otherwise stop them from being so depressed or bored they can't bother to help with the terraforming process. There is no sudden shocking reveal that the AI is self-aware, evil, or anything like that (I wondered if the book would go in that direction). It's just there to entertain and educate, but never push any boundaries or distract from the main goal--keeping employees happy enough to be productive. It's an empty existence, as Birdie and Heck slowly realize throughout the book as anything out of the oridnary (like a random forgotten base) seems outright exciting and mysterious compared to a miserably cyclical life of dropping-in, having computer-faciliated dreams, dropping-out, working, dropping back in, and so forth for God knows how long.

"Second Shift," is a beautifully sad yarn that doesn't outright condemn AI or the rush of corporations to embrace it as some kind of amazing tool, but it clearly isn't a fan of what's happening in our present day. Hence, the use of this sci-fi tale as a bit of a metaphor (a lot of sci-fi is a metaphor, after all). I applaud Kit Anderson's amazing storytelling, lovely art, and rate this book as 5 out of 5 Stars.

Check out the Shriner's Collector Fest Next Week!

A week from today, on June 29th, a cool event will be happening--Collector Fest! Held by the, "Arab Patrol," Unit of the Moolah Shriners (a popular organization known for their children's hospitals and other charity programs), this show will be held at  12545 Fee Fee Road here in St. Louis (63146 zip code). There will be comics, movies, sports cards, trading cards, video-games, Funko Pops, toys, and anything else fun and collectible. 

Guests will be in attendance, including talented comic creators Brian Atkins and Lorenzo Lizana. Plus, there will be attractions to make this fun for the whole family, such as Shriners' clowns, the famous mini-cars that Shriners drive, and more! I'm excited to attend next week and would encourage anyone in the area (or who will be in the area) to attend as well! Tickets are only $10 for early bird entry (at 8AM) and $5 for the main show (9AM-2PM), with kids 10 and under free. I'll see you all there!

Robert Kirkman and David Finch to Collaborate on new, "Skinbreaker," Comic Series

Robert Kirkman doesn't have to make any more comics. He's achieved immense success (especially at Image) thanks to, "The Walking Dead," and, "Invincible," which are two beloved series he wrote with massively popular adaptations. Kirkman has been accused of milking these properties for all they are worth at times (which is fair considering all those TWD re-releases) but the man is a skilled storyteller who at the end of the day has put out some quality reads (and a number of so-so books, but we can't always hit the metaphorical bullseye). Kirkman could rest on his laurels, but he doesn't. Hence, Kirkman will be teaming with an artist whose work I've always enjoyed--David Finch, and they'll be bringing us the new fantasy action series, "Skinbreaker." I'm intrigued.

Even when Kirman isn't at his best, his stories are good. Plus, David Finch has provided great art to amazing comics (Moon Knight) and comics where his art was the only saving grace (Ultimatium). Even a bad comic with Finch's artwork is worth examining. I say all this to declare that even if, "Skinbreaker," isn't some earth-shattering hit, it will pretty much by default be a good read with the talent involved. The comic follows a mighty chieftain named Enor who wields the Skinbreaker. He is getting old, however, and his heir, Anok, is supposed to take over his reign but has little interest in being a part of any bloody power struggles within the village or beyond its boundaries. Yes, that sounds like a pretty boilerplate tale, but if we've got Kirkman and Finch involved, I'd bet there are some wrinkles to what we think we're going to get from, "Skinbreaker," and it is bound to look fantastic thanks to Finch.

I don't know if, "Skinbreaker," will break the mold (pun intended) of fantasy stories about families fighting for power in magical lands and turn a seemingly worn-out trope into something amazing (like zombies with TWD or simply be a decent little series. Even if it is just Kirkman doing the bare minimum, however, mediocre-Kirkman digging into genre fare is more fun than a lot of writers trying their best in the same field (kind of like how even a generic Garth Ennis war comic is somehow better than countless other war comics). Plus, Finch is bound to make it gorgeous, so we have that to look forward to as well. "Skinbreaker," hits shops in September (with Image publishing it, of course), so we can find out what exactly we're in store for then!

Thanks to C&C Repair for Fixing my Phone!

I will sometimes write about local places that I enjoy/appreciate, and now is one of those times as I'm going to discuss C&C Repair. They have had a location in Florissant and recently opened a store in Ballwin. As they were located near some other stores I like (including my favorite Chinese restaurant, China in Bombay) I had noticed their store. In the past couple of weeks, my iPhone's back-facing camera had quit functioning properly. I would hold my camera still, but everything would be wavy and shaky. My phone is quite a bit older (iPhone SE2), and I'll be due for an upgrade at some point, but I don't want to have a shaky camera for months. 

It occurred to me I could call C&C Repair and ask if they could help me. I explained my problem, and they told me it would be about $45 and take maybe 20-30 minutes to fix everything. I had time this afternoon to go over there, so I stopped by. I walked into a nice, clean, organized store and was quickly greeted by a friendly employee. I mentioned how I had called earlier, and he happily took my phone to work on it. I read some of a comic I had brought with me (I try to always carry a comic or two and/or a book when I go places), and before too long, I was told my phone was ready. They'd replaced the camera, and they gave me the old one too. The price was exactly what I had been quoted, and I didn't wait too long at all.

I was very pleased with the service I received at C&C Repair. They don't just fix phones, either. They can help with tablets, laptops, game consoles, and more! They also sell devices if you need one as well. I know that when I have any future repair needs, I will turn to C&C Repair as I appreciate how fantastic they were!

NOTE: I was not paid for this post or offered anything. After they fixed my phone and I paid for the repair, they mentioned positive reviews on various websites are always appreciated; I mentioned my blog, and they said they'd love for me to write about C&C Repair, so now I've done so!

Comics Distribution Gets Crazier as Dynamite Leaves Diamond and DC (Allegedly) Joins Universal

The New Ad Populum-owned Diamond Comic Distributors has been an utter hot mess that refuses to pay (or communicate) with vendors/stores and apparently feels like it is, "Playing chicken with idiots," in that regard, while still having time to sue other folks like Alliance Entertainment (who were orignally going to be the party that bought Diamond before that fell into disarray). Barely any publisher was still using Diamond, with Dynamite being the last bigger name still there (and suing them too). Even Dynamite has fled Diamond now, however, for Lunar. Diamond is going to quit doing a print publication, too--although what/who is even left for them to solicit? That settles almost everything outside of some lawsuits though, right? Diamond is most likely going to wither away as a company, and some other entities might emerge to compete with Lunar and Penguin Random House...no more big changes, yes? Oh, wait...

DC is going to sign with Universal (who distribute comics extensively in Canada) to deliver their comics in America, according to a self-declared scoop from Bleeding Cool. For those keeping track of this utter mess, Universal actually was partnered with Ad Populum when Diamond was purchased and acquired a chunk of assets not related to comic distribution--which puzzled folks. Perhaps this was a piece of that puzzle--Universal didn't want Diamond's comic branch for the U.S. because other plans were already in motion! Everything is just getting messier in these comic distribution wars, and I know many people are sick of reading/hearing about it, but I'm fascinated by how bizarre this is all getting. As soon as one element settles down, something else gets all unstable and unpredictable. I'm 100% sure there will be more on all of this as it develops.

Happy Juneteenth 2025!

Today is June 19th, also known as Juneteenth. While the holiday has existed for quite some time, it is our youngest/newest National holiday in the sense that it is federally recognized (e.g., Federal employees are off, banks are closed, no mail, and so forth). If you're curious about the history of this holiday, I'd highly recommend reading up on it (from legitimate sources). Hopefully, this day isn't stripped of its status. Even though President Trump once championed making Juneteenth a Federal holiday (in his first term as President), his latest time as POTUS has been marked by a sharp anti-diversity stance. Anything that isn't white, straight, and cisgender has been treated with disdain by Trump and his GOP flunkies--for now, Juneteenth has escaped his wrath, however. Have a great Juneteenth, everyone!

The Upcoming, "Batman," #1 Relaunch will Have (Pricey) Polybags

It has been almost exactly a month since I posted about how the "Battle Beast" blind bags were a hit. I suspected other publishers would poorly copy them, of course. Well, DC has announced that the upcoming relaunch of, "Batman," will feature polybags for $9.99 with various variant covers. The regular comic will be $4.99. I would like to point out I wrote, "I don't look forward to DC or Marvel trying to do a blind bag variant themselves for a character nobody cares about and asking $9.99 for it, only to be surprised when it flops." I was half-right as Batman is a huge name, but I nailed that $9.99 and want my bonus like when you're right on the money at, "The Price is Right." 

Due September 3rd, I'm excited for this relaunch as an actual comic series--it has a stellar creative team in the form of Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez. I'd even be intrigued by DC doing these blind bags, but at double the cost of the regular comic (compared to how, "Battle Beast," priced everything the same), I'm going to sit out any mystery bags this time. I guess we'll see how they do at the higher price point!

A New, "The Twilight Zone," Comic Series is on the Way

The original version of, "The Twilight Zone," is amazing. I'll rewatch old episodes of the series that had Rod Serling as the showrunner (and oftentimes writer/executive producer/etc.) and be amazed how good a job the episodes did of telling stories that still ring true today in regards to our xenophobia, perceptions of beauty, and more (some episodes were simply intense and clever too). There have been multiple revivals of the series and a feature film (another is allegedly on the way too), but that original series is still the best. Now, a cool comic-book take (the latest of a handful that have occurred) is on the way.

This latest, "The Twilight Zone," comic will be an anthology--just like the television series--where each issue stands alone. The artwork will intentionally be in black-and-white as the OG version was too. Set to be published by IDW, some great names are attached to the initial five issues, including such talents as Tom Scioli, James Stokoe, Francesco Francavilla, and more! I know I'm excited, and I look forward to the first issue this September!

The, "Tells," of AI Writing Has One, "Tic," I Actually Personally Do a Lot AKA the Em Dash

I read a fascinating article by Charlie Fink where he breaks down how AI-written content can be prone to certain, "Tells," that make it obvious a computer wrote something. He is careful to point out some humans might engage in these behaviors and one or two things does not mean an AI wrote something. However, all of it together can be a dead giveaway. Always asking and answering rhetorical questions for a dramatic flourish instead of just starting with a statement. Quotes with zero attribution. Constant use of dashes. These are some examples and--wait, dashes?

Yes, anyone who reads my blog knows I love to use dashes/en dashes/em dashes/so forth. The em dash is the longest and is often used to show a shift in thoughts, add emphasis, and so forth. I looked at my past writings from the week and saw I loved to use my dashes, even putting one in a headline with, ""Marvel Knights: The World to Come," #1 is a Fantastic Read--and Generating Spec Heat as Well," on June 8th. Now, I am a human and not an AI (as far as I know, unless this is a Westworld situation). I also have made my distaste for AI, "Writing," things abundantly clear. Still, Fink discusses how, "ChatGPT favors dashes – over commas. This is the easiest tell – really," and uses dashes while doing so to be extra clever.  This made me wonder why, exactly, I am a fan of dashes?

Wait, there are times not to use dashes?

I thought it over and I feel like I got into dashes during college. No, this isn't a joke about, "Experimenting," with dashes in college as if it were my sexuality or drugs, although that would be a clever joke. I sincerely recall taking certain classes about literature and writing where all kinds of techniques were discussed, including en dashes and em dashes. I found em marks/a bunch of dashes quite handy the more I learned about them. 

As Merriam-Webster itself discusses, em marks, "can mark an abrupt change or break in the structure of a sentence...indicate interrupted speech or a speaker’s confusion or hesitation," and more! It is a darn useful tool for emphasizing things too, as they are "used in place of commas or parentheses to emphasize or draw attention to parenthetical or amplifying material. In this particular task, em dashes occupy a kind of middle ground among the three: when commas do the job, the material is most closely related to what’s around it, and when parentheses do the job, the material is most distantly related to what’s around it; when dashes do the job the material is somewhere in the middle." That's right, em dashes are a beautiful middle ground for emphasis in addition to being fantastic when writing dialogue or getting a point across--something I do on this blog often--and I just used some dashes here to prove my point!

I understand this whole article probably is only interesting if you are a linguistics and/or grammar nerd (hi, Mom) or fascinated by the weird ways AI writing can have odd tells (as others have noticed about the dashes too when I started looking into it) I guess the fact real humans can be prone to certain AI-centric tics proves that we should not assume something is written by AI if it has a few wonky aspects. That said, when many/all the little concerns pile up, then we might have some AI slop on our hands. Myself, however? I just love me some dashes despite being made of flesh as opposed to circuits.

Happy Father's Day 2025!

We played at Rock the Spectrum Gym this morning!

I want to wish a happy Father's Day to all the dads and father-figures out there today. One of the things I treasure most in life is being a parent with my wife, Smaii, to our two awesome boys, Clarkson and Gibson.. My children are amazing and I'm incredibly thankful to have them in my life, just as I am eternally grateful for my own fantastic father, whom everyone else (besides my sister, at least) refers to as, "Erik." Have a great day, everyone!

The Latest Iteration of Diamond Comic Distributors is Really Going Down in Flames, Eh?

Diamond Comic Distributors kicked off 2025 by declaring bankruptcy. After a ton of drama ranging from whether it would survive as it was, to who was even going to buy the damn thing, Ad Populum partnered with Universal Distribution to buy the majority of Diamond and split it up. Ad Populum took the comic distribution aspects of Diamond over around Mid-May and has been taking the company down in flames since then. Between massive layoffs, not paying anybody what they are owed, implementing new unpopular policies on No Cost Reorders or CODS, and sucking at commmunicating anything, like, at all, to retailer, it is all really bad. Publishers are pissed, comic shops are mad, and pretty much nobody is using Diamond besides Dynamite (a publisher) and shops that order Dynamite books.

The thing that boggles my mind is why Ad Populum contributed as much money as they did with Universal to buy Diamond and only screw everything up specatularly? Is the intention to kill Diamond for some reason, and are we witnessing a company intentionally being run into the ground for some unclear reason? I do wonder if things would have been better if Alliance Entertainment had bought Diamond as was the initial plan before that all fell apart, too. We'll just have to wonder.

Flashback/Film Friday: I Admit It! I find the First, "Friday the 13th," Relatively Boring

Today is a Friday and the 13th, so I always think of the movies. I have written about the, "Friday the 13th," films on multiple occasions. I've talked about how the flicks vary heavily in tone, touched on which ones are the best for newbies to the franchise, and even asked if Part V deserves some recognition as being a good movie if it didn't have that awful final twist. One thing I should admit, however, is that while some entries are universally agreed upon as being pretty bad (Part VII, the ninth entry of Jason going to Hell, we already touched upon V), I have to confess that the first movie is ostentibly good, but it bores me.

Yes, this is my controversial opinion about how the debut, "Friday the 13th," is a decent enough movie...but boring. I'm not just saying this because Jason is barely in the movie (his mother, Pamela, is the baddie), the flick just meanders a lot between some decent kills and the eventual reveal of Pamela. Part II is a superior movie in every way, and III is mediocre but at least introduces the infamous hockey mask (I already linked to my discussion of adoring Parts IV and VI as well). You can say I'm not a, "Real," fan for this view, and I am not saying I dislike Part I...it just is really slow going. 

Pamela Vorhees (as portrayed by Betsy Palmer)

I am okay with a horror movie being a slow burn, but when a supposedly brisk 90-ish minutes feels like it slogs along at many points...well, there is a bit of an issue. I am not alone in stating this, but few posts or websites share my opinion or go too far and say the whole franchise sucks (some of the flicks are certified bangers). There you go, that's my hot take on the, "Friday the 13th," franchise. I just hope the upcoming, "Crystal Lake," prequel show is exciting!

The, "Mindseye," Game Had as Bad a Launch as Folks Expected

"Mindseye," is an open-world-ish shooter game that had a former longtime, "Grand Theft Auto," producer (director for this game) named Leslie Benzies, involved in its creation with the new studio, Build a Rocket Boy.  As its release date neared, there were concerns expressed about the game being functional/more than vaporware. As the launch neared, Build a Rocket Boy co-CEO Mark Gerhard went on a strange PR offensive, saying people were funding a smear campaign against the game. Gamers were hoping for something akin to, "GTA," "Mafia," or the like, but as many feared, the launch is a hot mess. Reviews are negative, and people are demanding refunds. As for damage control, that's just making things worse!

There were big plans for, "Mindseye," according to Build a Rocket Boy. User-created content enabling some kind of Roblox-esque community was intended, but will this game last long enough for any dreams of long-lasting content creation to come to fruition? We've seen games launch in a messy state and be drastically improved with patches. I'd argue that of two big examples of that, "No Man's Sky," and, "Cyberpunk 2077," that even upon launch both were quite good, even if flawed, however. "Mindseye," just seems like it was delivered to players in shambles, with gamers left to pick up the pieces. I always prefer it when a game surprises people pleasantly, but not this time. "Mindseye," can be played on an Xbox, PS5, or via STEAM, but that is not recommended right now by most folks, clearly.

That Serial Killer With Sharks Movie, "Dangerous Animals," is Actually Good?

I saw some trailers for a movie where a deranged serial killer played by Jai Courtney feeds people to sharks. It looked absurd. I read it was directed by Sean Bryne, who hadn't made a movie since 2015, with a screenplay by Nick Lepard (their first produced screenplay). I didn't have high hopes, but then I've read it is actually...good? Jai Courtney is deliciously unhinged, and the sharks are more like the serial killer's tool (like a knife) than the focal point. The central story is a cat-and-mouse game played between Courtney's character, Tucker (portrayed with Courtney's native Aussie accent), and Hassie Harrison as an American surfer girl named Zephyr who is more tenacious than expected when attempts are made to feed her to some sharks. 

Hearing that the movie is so bizarre that it somehow works piques my interest. I may just try to make time to see in theaters or at least rent it via the internet when that becomes an option (flicks come to streaming for rental faster and faster these days). I guess, "Serial killer, but uses a shark as the weapon" can be a winning formula!

"Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls," is a Fantastic First Volume of an Astonishing True Story

Robert Smalls was a real person. His life story sounds so wild, you would think it had to be dreamed up, but it happened. He was born a slave, but through tenacity, ingenuity, and his remarkable intelligence ended-up doing so much that, "Defiant: the Story of Robert Smalls," will be a trilogy of graphic novels--even though what happens in this debut one is already astounding enough that if Small had only done what this book covers, it would still be insanely impressive. Smalls managed to work a number of jobs, buy his freedom, and eventually helped a number of slaves escape during the Civil War when he stole a Confederate warship and was able to pilot it into Union waters--earning a nice bounty for doing so. These events are the focus of this first volume, and future ones will touch upon how he ended up serving as a Union General on the ship he brought the Union, served in Congress, and helped create the Public School system. As some text instructions within the book note, it is strange that someone who did so much has remained a historical footnote instead of being celebrated in classrooms and discussed in-depth when it comes to American history.

This first graphic novel has been written by the talented Rob Edwards with Ray-Anthony Height providing art. Created in a partnership between Stranger Comics and the production company known as Legion M, the idea is to eventually have the graphic novel series turned into a movie. When I heard this I was a bit leery of receiving a review copy of, "Defiant," as there have been other occasions where subpar comics were created as thinly-veiled pitches for flicks (you might recall, "Cowboys and Aliens," but I barely recall it and I wrote about it once). That said, this was a superb comic that, regardless of any planned future film adaptation, is a great read. The plan for multiple volumes allows Smalls' story to really breathe, with the narrative framing device of him telling his incredible life story to a grandchild adding a nice touch of how we pass stories down through generations to keep them fresh in our mind--with Smalls' life being an epic yarn indeed.

I want to thank Stranger Comics/Legion M for reaching out to offer me an advance review copy of the first volume of, "Defiant: the Story of Robert Smalls." I loved reading it and would encourage you to get a copy now that it has been released to all finer comic shops and bookstores as of today. I look forward to the future volumes and eventual film production as well!

5 out of 5 Stars.

A Portable Xbox Handheld is on the Way This Winter

We've got the Steam Deck for playing PC games via Steam, and now we're gonna get the Xbox ROG Ally (and Ally X) PC Gaming Handheld...yeah, that's an awful name, but the device itself sounds interesting! Due this Winter of 2025 (but with no price yet revealed), this Xbox-branded computer-gaming tool will essentially allow people to play their Xbox Game Pass games while out and about. 

I like the idea where you can play many of your computer games and your Xbox games all via this device while you're on the go (maybe there will be one that works in Steam too at some point). The fact that the cost hasn't been revealed yet makes me think it is going to be cheaper than expected--and that'll be a fun surprise--or cost more than one would hope (consumers would obviously prefer the former to the latter). I imagine we'll learn more as an official release date nears.

"Marvel Knights: The World to Come," #1 is a Fantastic Read--and Generating Spec Heat as Well

Sometimes a new comic generates speculation heat due to movie rumors, controversy, or such. Sometimes, a new comic comes out that is an absolutely fantastic read. It isn't too often we get a comic that accomplishes both of these bullet points, but the first issue of, "Marvel Knights: The World to Come," pulls it off. I was excited for the series when I first heard amazing writer Christopher Priest was teaming up with skilled artist (and former Marvel EIC) Joe Quesada for the new mini-series set in a possible future for Marvel. Having read the debut, my elation was well-placed as between Priest's way with words and Quesada's art abilities, it is a fantastic first issue.

"Marvel Knights: The World to Come," jumps around in time. It starts far in the future and comes closer to the present at points as well. It discusses events we haven't yet seen that sound quite bad, and one scene in time focuses on the Black Panther, T'Challa, and a son named Ketema, challenging him for the rule of Wakanda. Oh, and Ketema appears to be lighter-skinned/possibly white or capable of white-passing if he's biracial. How exactly he is T'Challa's son will be explored in future issues, of course, but right now, the internet got itself into a tizzy. Clickbait sites started making jokes/assertions that this is somehow going to impact the Marvel movies and give us a, "White Black Panther," and people who don't understand this is an alternate timeline with plenty of nuances to the story (Christopher Priest works many layers and such into his work) are confused/mad/excited/all the emotions. 

This has also resulted in many copies of the comic selling, and it is going for above cover price on eBay (a one-per-store surprise variant is especially getting hot). Some sites have explained why this is interesting, but not controversial by any means. Still, plenty of other sites peddle manufactured outrage, and it has gotten the issue attention. But hey, sales are sales, and the comic actually being fantastic is great too. I look forward to future issues and any potential headlines they generate!

5 out of 5 Stars.

Shout-out to my Friend Ryan at Attix Comics

As you all know, I try to support my local comic shops as much as possible. However, sometimes when you're after certain comics, you need to turn to comic-book retailers on the good ol' interwebs. One of my friends I met via the internet, a fellow named Ryan, has a cool shop called Attix Comics. I've bought from him a number of times, and he always is nice, prices things fairly, plus ships stuff with excellent care. I wanted to give him a shout-out as I bought a handful of stuff from him recently, and I am always impressed with his stellar customer service. Check out Attix Comics if you need some comics shipped your way in the near future!

"Fully Loaded," #1 is a Kick to the Face of Sci-Fi Fun

When I saw the solicitation for Jimmy Broxton's new comic, "Fully Loaded," it sounded pretty fun. Set in the year 2065 with a 100-year-old former special forces operator-turned-mobster-turned-retired fellow getting caught up in trouble, I figured it was worth a read. Set to be four big issues, I greatly enjoyed the debut featuring Broxton's writing, art, and letters (he did basically everything)! Carson Blake is the, "Hero's," name in this grim cyberpunk future. He's not someone to be trifled with, but one of his only friends has had their family abducted specifically to get Blake's attention, so now he's going to (hopefully) save the day.

Broxton beautifully illustrates everything from barren deserts to jam-packed cities. His comic has the snarky tone you'd expect someone fed-up with the World's bullshit to have (Blake is narrating evertying that happens), but that dash of sincere despair mixed into the proceeding keeps everything from feeling overly cynical and sarcastic. Watching Blake tell us how the World fell apart but then managed to keep chugging along due to how us humans refuse to quit--for better or worse--and then witnessing the surreal future with all its strange tech is disorienting and disturbing--but all in a good way. I want to give extra plaudits to Broxton for the hilarious little faux-advertisements and historical excerpts at the end of the comic that help ground us further in this desperately awful future.

The first issue of, "Fully Loaded," is harsh, edgy, and just plain fun. I had a great time reading it and look forward to future issues from Brotxon and his publisher, Scratch Comics. I wasn't especially familiar with Scratch Comics before now, but if they put out stuff such as, "Fully Loaded," I'm going to explore them more, too!

5 out of 5 Stars.

The Switch 2 Officially is for Sale

The Switch 2 is (theoretically) available in stores now. I previously discussed that it looked powerful and pricey at its $450 price point. That assessment still stands. Plus, many--including myself to a degree--are wondering if we're even nearing seeing the end of consoles (as we know them at least), considering almost any console can play any game these days (except with Nintendo only sharing stuff with other companies a little bit). That said, besides one store accidentally stapling through the screen of the new console on any copies they sold, this seems to be a relatively chill launch. Some folks waited in line, and a number had success even without a preorder. I haven't read of any absurd fist-fights breaking out or thefts occurring. 

Not everybody who wants a Switch 2 on day one is succeeding at getting the console, while some folks got multiples to flip for a profit (as always happens). Still, initial glitches or quirky system rules aside, this seems to have been a pretty relaxed debut of the new console without being so laid-back as to create the impression of a flop (the Wii U tried so hard but failed so epically). I'm in no rush to purchase a Switch 2. Cost of it aside, I have plenty of games I need to get into via my Game Pass on my Xbox Series S, as well as some PlayStation 5 titles I want to sample still. I don't need to add another console with fun games into the mix when I'm as behind on trying titles as I already am. That said, I wish anybody who has already acquired a Switch 2 hours upon hours of fun with the new, "Mario Kart World," or whatever they choose to play.

"Tedward," and his Misadventures Make for a Hilariously Dark Comic

Tedward is his name and, "Tedward," is the title of the hardcover Fantagraphics book collecting an assortment of his adventures, which I was able to acquire (some stuff was previously published in individual comics or such). Tedward has a lot of awful stuff happen to him, but he kind of has it coming. Tedward is a loser, but thankfully, he is entertaining to watch in his misadventures that occur due to how much of a dud of a human he is. Created by Josh Pettinger, we laugh at much of, "Tedward," because it is funny and because of how glad we are the awful things witnessed aren't happening to us.

Within the, "Tedward," book a variety of vignettes occur, some end up forming an over-arching story with consequences and some just portray how amazing a job Tedward does at achieving nothing but failure. He gets roped into a job that sounds more like an MLM by the minute and involves him using a pressure washer on attendees at sex parties. He drives away a first date with off-putting comments and extreme acts of love-bombing (this comic is guest-illustrated by the fantastic Simon Hanselmann, a friend of Josh Pettinger). Oh, and the one woman he may have a chance of a relationship with due to shared interests and her being patient with his awkwardness, ends up falling apart when he tells the police he thinks she altered a television that requires quarters to operate. 

I especially enjoyed the story with a fellow Tedward meets who eagerly proposes they become best friends due to their shared interest in mopeds, but that whole ordeal ends violently when the man is more degranged than friendly (that incident is maybe a little less Tedward's fault, one could argue). Still, Tedward gets himself into bad situations and, through his own actions, makes them a lot worse. If Tedward were a real person, he'd be someone you look at with both disdain and pity. He's a pretty shitty guy, but his only skils are paper machie and saying the worst possible thing in a social situation so you almost feel guilty expending any energy disliking him--the guy sucks so why pile-on him?

Pettinger's art helps impart a great deal of the, "Vibe," we feel when reading about Tedward. He's both metaphorically a square and a literal blockhead with his awkward haircut. His fashion sense (or lack thereof) stands out amongst everything else. The world around Tedward pops with life--but he's a black hole of a human being. During a moment towards the end when Tedward has a near-death experience, the sudden shift of art into a fantastical and sci-fi look for a number of pages helps to only further emphasize how dull and dreary Tedward is when he's alive in our World--if you can call Tedward's existence living. 

Pretty much everyone else around Tedward has something (good or bad) that makes them interesting. Tedward, however? His biggest claim to fame is he once invented faulty, "Sex trousers," that make it easer than with regular pants with a zipper to take your penis out. Then, without having to take off your pants, you can have intercourse and avoid what Tedward believes is the worst part--legs touching. As I said, he is a black hole of a human, but watching him negatively impact the lives of anyone he encounters is fascinating--I highly recommend buying/getting from the library/etc. a copy of, "Tedward." He might be awful, but the book about him is great!

5 out of 5 Stars.

"Ugh! As If! Clueless," is a Fantastic Literary Exploration of a Superb Movie

I have a weird affinity for the movie, "Clueless." Advertised towards teenage girls when it was released and developed a significant LGBTQ audience, I don't seem like the targeted demographic as a cisgender, white, heterosexual man. However, as the author, Veronica Litt, extensively explores, one thing sticks out heavily with, "Clueless." Namely, its optimism. It is a movie you watch to feel good. There is drama, and there are conflicts, but at the end of the day, the main character (Alicia Silverstone's Cher) makes up with her friends, gets the guy (Paul Rudd), and becomes a better person by looking inward. "Clueless," hit theaters in 1995 and it is funny to think that before and after its release, there are just so many cynical and sad movies that don't assume the best of people or how we can grow as individuals. I'm a pessimistic and cynical person sometimes too, but a cheery and hopeful flick like, "Clueless," holds a special place in my heart, and it clearly does for Litt as well.

"Clueless," is by no means a flawless movie. Litt gives it the flowers it is metaphorically due while also interrogating some of the more questionable elements. Yes, Cher is portrayed as a chunk younger than her ex-stepbrother (a former step-sibling from one of her father's many marriages) she ends up falling for in a plot point that is a little iffy but mainly saved by how damn charming Rudd was (and still is). Yes, the movie's race-blind casting is admirable, but its total ignorance of touching upon racial politics intersecting with wealth at all is a big missed opportunity. The fact a movie in 1995 has an out gay character who isn't reduced to a stereotype or the butt of jokes (Justin Walker as Christian) is incredible. Still, that character is given little to do in the plot or shown with a boyfriend, whilst everyone else is hooking up, which is also a notable issue. Plus, the movie comes this close to criticizing how Cher wants the rich people to end up with rich people romantically and the lower-class with lower-class without outright stating as much, but at the conclusion, everyone is partnered up with their wealth, "Equal." These are all flaws that Litt has zero hesitation about diving into, while still making it clear she unequivocally adores, "Clueless," despite its issues, an opinion I share.

The famous yellow blazer.

Litt also digs into the rich irony that a movie critical of consumption and materialism ended up having a ton of merchandise by the time the television spin-off of the movie occurred, and ample tie-in goodies in the years since as our nostalgia for the film has been preyed upon by advertisers. Clearly, each chapter does a fantastic job examining different elements of, "Cluess," and where it succeeds or stumbles. This isn't an apologetic softball defense of the flick or a brutal take-down, it is a piece that isn't afraid to offer constructive criticism of, "Clueless," and honor how stellar a movie it is despite any issues. I loved reading, "Ugh! As If! Cluess," and would recommend you ask your bookstore/library/etc. to get you a copy. It just released into stores now (I was provided an advance copy for the purpose of review by ECW Press) and is a perfect companion to read between numerous rewatches of the film. Plus, with it announced a Peacock series following the characters in adulthood might be on the way the movie is fresh in everyone's mind too.

5 out of 5 Stars.

Music Mondays: A Parody of Kidz Bop That Actually Hits Pretty Hard, Who Would Have Thought?

Kidz Bop is a long-running franchise that takes popular songs and gets permission/pays money to do unique covers. Kidz Bop versions of songs feature children singing the tunes and on occasions where it is called for, changing lyrics. This can be vaguely hilarious as some songs have to be heavily altered to be more G-rated lest the kiddos listening be exposed to sex, drugs, violence, or other, "Adult," subjects. I don't know about you, but witnessing, "Hot to Go!" on the mega-television at Chuck E. Cheese when I take Clarkson there cracks me up--"Dancing here with me," instead of, "Doing it with me," indeed. That said, what happens if a song were so clearly not meant for children that to make it Kidz Bop-workable, you had to just change the whole song? That results in a Kidz Bop parody that slaps more than it has any right to.

JonFlëtch took, "Not Like Us," by Kendrick Lamar and made his own Kidz Bop-esque ditty, "We Ride the Bus." It alters the entirety of Lamar's song to make a young ears-friendly jam that is both intentionally funny and still quite catchy. Instead of pointing out Drake's questionable romantic interests with, "A-Minor!" the lyrics now discuss getting a good grade in school, "A-Minus!" and otherwise sound like what would happen if Kidz Bop actually tried to do ,"Not Like Us," for the youth--the deadpan near-authenticity of how it could work makes it even funnier. Much respect to JonFlëtch, he probably made the Godfather of parody songs, Weird Al Yankovic, proud!

"Paranoid Gardens," Was a Great Comic, as a New Review Reminded Me

Back in August of 2024, I reviewed the first issue of the five-issue mini-series, "Paranoid Gardens." I loved it and greatly enjoyed the whole thing when it was done. Teagan O'Neil has posted her review of the mini-series on The Comics Journal and she reminded me just how damn good a comic it was. Gerard Way of, "Umbrella Academy," and Young Animal imprint fame (he's also been in a band lots of folks like called My Chemical Romance, but I only know like one song) wrote it with Shaun Simon and the amazing Chris Weston provided art. Weston was the artist on one of my favorite comics/books/publications of all time, "The Filth," so anything they're involved in deserves attention--so combine that with how I love Gerard Way's comics and yeah, "Paranoid Gardens," is worth a read.

As I discussed and Teagan talks about too, the comic is very quirky with its strange medical facility that helps everyone from space aliens to superheroes and more. It is surreal and full of metaphors (a bit like, "The Filth," honestly) but at its heart is a story about healing from trauma. As Tegan notes, " It is definitely a good comic." Can't be more concise than that! I'd encourage folks to seek out, "Paranoid Gardens," for sure.

There is a Sandal With a Bottle Opener in the Bottom

Samii and I had finally gotten around to watching the first season of, "Fallout," on Amazon Prime (it was really good), and we had to put up with some ads. One ad that I at first thought was some kind of joke involved REEF sandals. These shoes apparently have a bottle opener on the bottom. Why? I suppose if you're at the beach and wanna have a bottle of soda/beer/etc. the idea is that it is helpful. The whole thing seemed odd, and my wife was so annoyed having to put up with ads, she decided she already hated the sandals for interrupting our show. That said, I wondered, were these sandals a silly gimmick or any good?

 From my looking around online, REEF sandals are apparently quite high quality and have great reviews. The bottle opener on the bottom is more a of, "Bonus," or calling card, than the main feature. People find them sturdy, comfortable...and they have a random bottle opener. The only complaint I noticed from digging around on the internet is that if you step in something soft and gross, it can get stuck in the bottle opener area--don't wear these on the farm unless you like manure in your shoes! Still, that qualm aside, REEF sandals are a bit pricey, but worth it after all--gimmick or not. Samii is still annoyed we had to watch the ad 50 or so times while we binged the season, however.

My Usual Disclaimer: REEF did not pay me to compliment their shoes or is even aware of my blog; I just felt like writing a post about them. That said, I as will always email them a link to the article to share my thoughts with them.

Clipse Has a New Album Coming After Years of Waiting

Pusha T and No Malice have not released an album as the sibling duo Clipse since 2009. They did solo projects and even reunited for some guest tracks and appearances as Clipse, but it has been over 15 years since an actual LP. That changes in 2025, however. On July 11th, "Let God Sort Em Out," will be released, with the single, "Ace Trumpets," being the first off the album to be released for our eager ears. With Pharellel Williams involved, it is bound to be good. Give it a listen...

That's some good stuff right there, riffing on various subjects from infamous Oscar slaps, to A$AP Rocky and Rihanna's relationship, to Mario and Luigi video-games, to Lion King movies. I look forward to the full album hitting the streets on 7/11/25.

My Sympathies to any Comic Publishers Still Dealing with Diamond's Nonsense

Diamond Comic Distributors was sold to Universal Distribution and Ad Populum. They split it up and seem to be breaking it down for parts. A lot of divisions were closed and one wonders how much longer, "Diamond," as we know it will be distributing any comics. Dynamite is probably the biggest publisher that didn't jump ship when everything went horribly wrong with Diamond, and they're displeased due to being owed at least half a million dollars. A fantastic smaller publisher known as Fairsquare Graphics had thoughts shared on Comicsbeat where it was discussed how Diamond was the best option for smaller publishers, even if it wasn't a great option...and then it all fell apart in 2025, quite quickly. As the head of Fairsquare, Fabrice Sapolsky, noted, "...after a whole roller-coaster soap opera style five months, Diamond has been sold in pieces to AdPopulum and Universal. The latter did not take over the books and comic book division. And the former bought it to, as it seems, fold it, and just keep the warehouse. What a waste." A waste, indeed, if Diamond truly will cease to exist in any functional form before the year's end.

Hopefully, a distributor who wants to work with smaller publishers does arise as PRH and Lunar tend to prefer, "Bigger dogs," so-to-speak. Diamond, to its past credit, would work with anyone who put up the relatively modest amount of funds needed to get their book sent to any stores that ordered it. That time has passed, however, and we live in an era where Kickstarter, direct-to-customer sales, print-to-order, and so forth may be the order of the day for your small and micro publishers. We shall see.

Peter David Has Passed

Peter David has passed. He was 68. David wrote a ton of comics I loved. One of my favorite comic runs has to be his extended tenure(s) on, "X-Factor," with the one post-"Houe of M," being extra stupendous. He was also amazing anytime he wrote anything Hulk-related, 2099-era stuff, and the list just goes on and on. David had suffered a number of health issues, including a 2012 stroke, followed by a number of issues post-2022. David at times faced some controversy for very public spats with other comic creators, and once apologized for anti-Romni comments he made at a 2016 comic-con panel. Considering some of the fiascos comic creators have publicly faced (Ellis, Gaiman, etc.), these are relatively minor blunders, but they got a lot of attention at the time.

The most recent comic by Peter David I read and quite enjoyed was a, "Joe Fixit," mini-series published in 2023 that focused on Bruce Banner/the Hulk's time in Vegas as the gray-skinned Joe Fixit back in a previous David comic run. It was incredibly fun and also featured a good deal of Spider-Man and the Kingpin being written as superbly as David could write any character (others online agreed with me). David was one of my favorite writers, along with Grant Morrison, Christopher Priest, and such. He will be deeply missed and leaves behind an amazing body of work in comics, prose, internet musings, and so forth.

"Deadpool/Batman," and, "Batman/Deadpool," Comics Are Officially On the Way!

It had been teased that Marvel and DC would be doing some crossovers, and I received a wild birthday present today with the official announcement of, "Deadpool/Batman," coming this September to be followed by, "Batman/Deadpool," in November. A lot of names are involved from big-time folks (Grant Morrison, Kevin Smith, Greg Capullo," to names that aren't as big but have talent (Zeb Wells, Chip Zdarsky, Kelly Thompson). These two big comics will be published in turn by Marvel and DC--with back-up features of other characters in the respective Universes' crossover. It's been over two decades since the last (new) intercompany crossover between DC and Marvel, so this is quite big news.

More crossovers are apparently planned into 2026, and I am quite curious who else from the two companies will be meeting up in future publications. In the meantime, I'm pretty excited for this crossover of a quite serious hero (Batman) with a decidedly sillier sometimes-baddie/sometimes-good guy (Deadpool). I'll be sure to check this out!

I'm 37 Today!

Today is my 37th birthday. 37 is notable as being the twelfth prime number, a fun fact I learned today when I used Google. In fact, 37 is considered a, "Sexy Prime," as it is six more than the 11th prime number (31) and six less than the 13th prime number (43), as I understand it. So yes, I'm not getting old, I'm entering my sexy prime era!

I'm thankful to have been alive this long and hope to continue living many more years that I can enjoy with my loved ones. I'm thankful that at this point in my life that I have my wonderful wife, Samii, and my sweet boys, Clarkson and Gibson. I've earned some degrees and had various interesting jobs-- I look forward to doing more cool stuff as I age, too. I may, "Only," be 37, but I feel pretty accomplished!

When AI, "Reads," or "Writes," For You It is Garbage-In and Garbage-Out

I use Grammarly in my web browser. It assists me with correcting my spelling and fixing obvious grammar issues that I miss because me no always write goodly (that sentence set it off a lot). So, yes, I have used AI to help me with my writing in that regard. I have never, however, used it to write my opinion on something or do a work-type project. If I want to tell you a comic/show/movie is awesome or sucks, I'll just take the damn time to tell you. I won't say, "Hey, ChatGPT/Google Gemini/whatever summarize in 500 words why I think, 'Jurassic Park,' is one of my top three movies ever," when I could instead just tell you it why it rocks in 30 words or less--dinosaurs are awesome, Spielberg was at the top of his directing game, Ian Malcom is a sex symbol of a character, and velocorapors eating Samuel L. Jackson is twistedly hilarious. AI has its place, but when you rely on it to, "Look," at the internet and give you content, it is going to have horrific results because the internet is an awful place full of misinformation and outright lies (not my site though, I'm the best, please love me).

It is a case of garbage-in and garbage-out. The AI is going to write junk articles and we will use AI to look at the internet for us and summazie all that junky writing with the result being pure bullshit. Look at what happened when an AI wrote a piece about Summer fun for National newspapers and made up a bunch of books and authors of articles. We are letting the computer write nonsense, and then we don't even click the links to verify the legitimacy of the writing; we just let AI read it too and tell us the gist of something. It's like cliffnotes all-around, only if everyone involved had their head firmly up their ass. This isn't a surprise considering we have AI, "Writing," books for us too. Perhaps if we pay writers better, then it won't fall to AI to create our books or lists about books, or as author Gabino Iglesias puts it, "Pay writers, and then we can write these fake books that don't exist."

Oh, and for those curious, my other top two movies in no particular order are, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," and, "Network." I didn't need a damn AI to tell me they were my favorites either.

Consider Giving to the GoFundMe for Altered State Comics' Brandon

One of the owners of Altered State Comics, Brandon, has been diagnosed with cancer. I love the folks over at Altered State so much and would encourage everyone to give to the GoFundMe that was established for Brandon or to swing by the store and donate. As the campaign discusses, "Brandon now faces a challenging road ahead, including chemotherapy treatments that will require strength, time, and of course the occasional break from the day-to-day operations of Altered State (even though he'll still make himself work more than he needs to)." 

All the money raised will go towards medical bills and cancer treatment, keeping Altered State Comics open and running during his recovery, and supporting Brandon and his family during this very difficult time. Brandon is a fantastic individual, and I wish him and everyone at Altered State Comics the very best. Again, that GoFundMe link is here.