"Crazy Taxi: World Tour," Looks Fun, but the Use of Any Generative AI Makes Me Worry

Back in 2024, I discussed how, "Crazy Taxi," was a franchise that I had many fond memories of--and which was possibly going to get a new game at some point in the future (as per rumors). Well, "Crazy Taxi: World Tour," is official! However, there is a troublesome catch. The good stuff is how it looks like, "Crazy Taxi." You've got the big yellow cab, it does tricks, you speed around to get people where they need to go, and there is some quality vintage punk music. Plus, it is not just an arcade-style game, there is a story mode, which gives a reason for the globe-spanning adventure. An irritating concern that has been pointed out, though, is the disclosure of generative AI being used. 

Supposedly, AI stuff is being used for, "reference," with nothing ending up in the game. Hearing it has involvement is always discomforting, as a game using generative AI is a proces which has faced, "...widespread criticism as the tech must be trained on existing work by human artists, thus making any assets made with it essentially plagiarized without credit or compensation of the original creators. That’s not even factoring in that the tech, while often producing shoddy work no one with a modicum of taste would pay money for, is often being positioned as a threat to creative jobs by corporate suits looking to reduce human labor costs across several industries, including film, books, and video games," as Kotaku puts it. When I hear generative AI is, "Only being used," for this or that, I do still hear it is being used by a company in some manner. 

AI can have its uses, but I see a metaphorical light drizzle of, "We just used AI for some reference images," turning into a drowning downpour of, "Our game is basically entirely AI besides the guy/gal who put in a bunch of prompts!" with it (obviously) being the biggest piece of disjointed, unenjoyable slop. I am potentially excited for, "Crazy Taxi: World Tour," but I remain guarded against the growing sentiment of, "Let's use AI for everything and put it in anything we can!" Things are only going to get crazier regarding AI, that's for sure.

"The Matron," #1 is a Great Start to a Horrific Tale

Drew Edwards is the main creator behind, "Halloween Man," and when I made him aware of how much I enjoyed the trade paperback collection of a number of the character's stories, he offered me a free digital copy of, "The Matron," #1, which I could read and review if I saw fit. Written by Edwards along with David Bowles and featuring art by Monica Gallagher, I found the first issue of, "The Matron," to be quite creepy and intense. The comic jumps around between 2021 and back in the 1970s. A family that engaged in ritualistic cannibalism was taken down by a police officer (who was also a relative) and in the, "Present," we follow various generations of offspring trying to live normal lives despite the disturbing familial history. 

The comic's flashbacks to the past feature lots of gruesome horror but it never feels over-the-top or unnecessary--if a family is full of cannibals, you should probably give readers a look at their, "Unique," dinner setup, after all! In the present, it is strongly hinted that violence may soon resume with one seemingly, "Normal," older family member primed to soon take up the family legacy of ritualistic violence. This was a stellar first issue that excels at giving us some backstory and setting up tension for the issues to come. I look forward to seeing just how crazy things get!

Some People Are Mad at the new, "God of War: Laufey," Because You Play as a Female Character. Wait, Seriously?

“God of War,” is a long-running game series. The earlier ones were extremely over the top and followed a protagonist named Kratos as he killed a bunch of Gods who had wronged him. The series restarted its numbering for a new thematic era but kept the continuity, focusing on Kratos and a young son, Arterus, whom he had later in life. Those games also involved Kratos mourning the death of his wife (and Mother of their child), Faye. All the GOW games are extremely popular (especially the more mature and thoughtful ones with Kratos as a Father). I have to be honest and say that I have never played them but have watched clips and find the assorted entries interesting to learn about. I’ve aimed to play some of them eventually, but my backlog of games is truly ever-growing. To get to the point of this article, a spin-off game focused on Krato’s deceased wife, Faye, was just announced. It takes place concurrently with the other games and follows her working to navigate the afterlife. It does not appear to have any political message or anything but some people immediately made it another lightning rod in the internet’s unending culture wars.

People have argued that Faye looks dirty or ugly and needs to be prettier, with it some kind of concession to liberals that she isn’t a smoking hot big-breasted MILF. The most generic statements I've seen basically say that it is somehow, “Woke,” to tell a story with a lady as the protagonist. I am a very politically active person who holds many opinions, but even I know that sometimes a game about a woman slaying demons in the afterlife on an epic quest is just meant to be fun without any super-secret sociological statement. Some video-games do have a particular big message, whether it is, “War never changes,” even with a nuclear apocalypse (Fallout) or weird metaphors about racism via robots (Detroit: Stay Human). Not every game is trying to spark a complex dialogue, however.  Even the latter, “God of War,” games have a lot of drama about how hard it is to be a parent while grieving (Kratos loved and misses his wife), and that’s not a controversial statement! It is a relatable topic for many. The idea of Faye missing her husband and son while slicing up foes could be covered in the game, but that’s hardly anything to spend hours arguing about online as if this game asked to be the new poster child for all that is great and/or awful about games and politics. Just chill, everyone.

The, “Avengers,” Comic Has a Relaunch Incoming

When it was recently announced that a relaunch of the, "Avengers," comic was happening with Chip Zdarsky writing, my first reaction was, “Wasn’t this declared months ago?” You see, in my apparent ignorance, I thought the new, “Avengers: Armageddon,” comic which Chip Zdarsky is doing with artists Delio Diaz and Frank Allier, was the latest ongoing book about the Avengers, hence, you know, the book’s name. Apparently, it is merely a five-issue miniseries that will lead into the actual relaunch of, “Avengers,” this Fall. It will continue to have Zdarsky writing it but will feature Marco Checchetto on art. Why they did not make the Armageddon mini-series simply the first arc of this new series, I am unsure; comics, they never make sense, and that’s so fun!

Anyways, the latest true run of, “Avengers,” hits stands this November. Zdarsky is among a relatively small number of writers over at Marvel who are putting out stuff I dig (much of Marvel’s output lately is weak), so I am a bit excited to check this out along with its lead-in, “Avengers: Armageddon." I’ll put up with nonsensical series orders if the talent is solid, I suppose.

Immense Hate, Powerful Love, and Observing Pride in 2026

We went to a fun Pride Month event at one of our local libraries today. It had a bunch of folks with tables discussing an assortment of organizations that assist LGBTQ individuals and those who care about them. There were also fun little games, plenty of coloring sheets, and it was very chill and nice for all ages. It showed how Pride isn't about, "Teaching kids about sex," or anything the haters claim, it is about embracing identity and how some people might have two daddies, two mommies, a nonbinary child, a relative who lives with a man as well as a woman, and so forth. Pride is about people just living their lives and being comfortable, feeling open and free, instead of trapped in a metaphorical closet. Pride isn't just parades or fun events. It is about using one's voice and the voices of a group to insist on equal rights. stopping discrimination, and pushing back against those who would try to legislate LGBTQ people out of a public presence, or even violently try to end their lives.

It isn't hyperbole to state that 99% or so of the anti-LGBTQ sentiment comes from conservatives/Republicans/the right wing. There isn't always a religious element, but oftentimes that has a role too, as people try to interpret the bible in a fashion that allows their supposed Christian love (it's usually right-wing Christians) to morph into bigoted hate. Some people believe that being gay or trans is some kind of social illness, a psychological bacteria that if you expose a young person to it they will somehow become infected and, "Turn," into a homosexual or be trans...which is apparently bad? I personally would prefer my children to be gay or trans than hateful jerks who spend multiple hours of their days trying to rob others of rights. I don't think seeing a Drag Queen reading a book about a wolf blowing down the houses of pigs is going to make them want to be a Drag Queen too, any more than it would give the idea of trying to use their breath to assault a swine's house of hay.

Some folks say they are fine with, "The gays or trans," as long as they, "Keep it in the bedroom, you know, to themselves! That's not appropriate for the public." These are often the exact same people who put their 2-year-old little boy toddler in a shirt that says, "Ladies' Man," or don't have a second thought when it comes to encouraging their little girl to play with baby dolls, whilst their sons go roll toy cars through dirt piles. Letting your boys pretend to have a baby won't, "Make," them gay, but might help them be prepared for if they have children someday. If your daughter goes and gets some toy cars dirty, maybe she'll grow up to be a mechanic--and very well still be into men regardless of doing a, "Masculine," job. We as human beings can love all different kinds of people. I am a man who has only ever wanted to be a man and who has only ever felt attraction to women. I can still be an ally to those who feel their gender does not match what they were assigned at birth or who feel an attraction to the same sex, both sexes, or let's make sure to acknowledge our Asexual (or Aromantic) humans as well!

Even if you don't, "Get," LGBTQ people, that doesn't mean you have to be homophobic or transphobic. Hell, you don't even have to be what one would consider an ally. You just have to be willing to let people live their lives without making things harder for them. Giving LGBTQ people rights doesn't result in you having any fewer rights; it just means you recognize we're all human, regardless of what gender/sexuality/etc. As efforts ramp up more and more to rob people of rights, it further illustrates why Pride is important in 2026.

National Doughnut Day

Today is June 5th, and that is National Doughnut Day! I am a fan of doughnuts and generally enjoy a standard glazed one or maybe some chocolate icing on top. I have read other countries find it odd how America associates the doughnut with breakfast, as many other places think of it more as a straight-up dessert. No matter how you categorize doughnuts, they are delicious! Many stores, from big chains to shops that are local to you, will be running promotions, so go get yourself a doughnut if you'd like! Oh, and yes, it can be spelled Donut too; either is acceptable, I just do the fancier wording for fun.

"The Hab," From Bad Idea is a Must-Read Only Two Issues In

"The Hab," is a new mini-series from Bad Idea. They're the publisher who puts out great books and often does odd gimmicks that vary between cute and annoying. When you ignore the gimmicks, you're still left with superb books, though. "The Hab," is only two issues in, but already has me hooked with its mix of sci-fi and horror. This comic is focused on a billionaire, his family, and a chunk of staff fleeing to a massive underground habitat he had built in the case of some world-ending event. What has happened hasn't been disclosed, and very well may not be, but it was some worst-case scenario as now everyone is in the big ol' Hab. The problem is, as the first issue reveals, something else is there too.

It isn't too big a spoiler to reveal that some strange microscopic organism has found its way into the supposedly purified water of the Hab and is causing everyone to hallucinate, as the resident doctor determines. In a strange twist, the staff appears to be sharing in their hallucinations, with the common theme being that this thing wants them to kill themselves. The claustrophobic environment mixed with some unknown, tiny, dangerous creation after everyone gives the comic a vibe of, "Alien meets The Thing," whilst still being totally unique. A billionaire making sure they are taken care of while shrugging at the fate of 99.9% or so of the rest of the World also is quite topical these days as folks like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, or Mark Zuckerberg float around in mega yachts or plan safehouses in outer space, whilst the rest of the World's economy seems to teeter on the edge of a collapse daily.

Writer Joshua Dysart has been in comics for years and knows how to craft a superb story. The fact that he has David Lapham and Bill Sienkiewicz providing art makes this an incredible creative team. The feeling of dread just drips from the pages as the cast of characters grapple with the disturbing images brought up to their consciousness by this unknown bacteria/mold/whatever it is. I find it a little funny how Bad Idea has been hyping up the fact that their comic, "Ordained," was optioned to be a movie when I think this comic is begging for some kind adaptation! We're two issues into the planned five, and I am eager to see just how weird things get.

Missouri Cut Funding for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, A Program That Helps Children Learn to Read

In a move that would make even a despicable movie super-villain gasp and say, "Wow, that's just evil," the state of Missouri and its many idiotic legislators (not all, but many) have a new budget that cuts a lot of things that help people. I guess when you need to spend so much time trying to re-outlaw abortion, you only have a moment to consider how Dolly Parton's Imagination Library should be safe from budget cuts.

In an email that is worded in a manner much more politely than I'd have written to folks, "In 2023, the State of Missouri and The Dollywood Foundation formed a partnership to fully fund the Imagination Library statewide, so that every eligible child in Missouri could receive free books at home. That partnership grew quickly. Today, nearly 170,000 Missouri children receive a book from Dolly each month. The current state budget includes a significant reduction in funding for this program, driven by decisions made at the state legislature and the governor's office. Because of that reduction, the program will close to new enrollments on July 1, 2026. If your child is already enrolled, books will continue arriving until the funds run out. We expect that to happen within 4 to 6 months." I would have tweaked the last sentence to go, "We expect that to happen within 4 to 6 months because these jokers in the Missouri Senate and House would rather cut funding for students and drive us off a budget cliff with a moronic scheme to eliminate income tax (thereby leading to jacked-up sales taxes) than invest in programs people agree are good."

Seriously, teaching children to read isn't controversial. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library works with state governments to send a book to children every month that they can read and treasure. Some households can't afford to buy books, and even getting transportation (or having the time) to go to a local library can be difficult. Something everyone likes is going to be cut in the name of things almost nobody wants, like the usual tax cuts for rich folks, or hours that could be spent legislating being wasted on creating new amendments designed to wreck our citizen-led initiative petition voting process (for real, this August's Amendment 4 sucks). I know some things are controversial when it comes to getting them funded, but helping children achieve literacy shouldn't be sacrificed in the name of other pork barrel politics.

"Absolute Batman," Has So Many Variant Covers These Days

"Absolute Batman," is a massive hit of a comic. Oftentimes, popular books will have many variant covers made to increase sales in various ways, such as ratio variants and store/retailer exclusive covers. I will sometimes buy a ratio cover if it isn't too expensive and looks really cool, but I have never really bought many store variants. I don't have an issue with a big store/chain getting the rights to release an official variant cover with unique art, I just imagine it would be maddening to try and collect all of a particular issue's covers if it were a, "Hot," series. With the fact that, "Absolute Batman," is so popular in mind, it both makes sense and is wild to see how the upcoming 21st issue currently has (let me check my notes) eighty-one covers planned and counting.

Is this a good sign that the comic-book market is strong, or is this a warning about an approaching bubble in the market that could burst at any second from overproduction? To quote Abe Simpson, "A little from Column A, a little from Column B." In all seriousness, I would be amazed if anybody out there is trying to acquire all of these covers. I bet there are people who follow a specific artist or just dig some artwork who will pick up a retailer-exclusive variant or two. That said, I usually am happy just grabbing the standard, "A," cover of whatever book I'm reading unless something utterly wows me--so I guess you never know!

Music Mondays: Olivia Dean's Songs Sound Like a Hollow Imitation of the Past

The first time I heard of or saw Olivia Dean was on, "Saturday Night Live." Her song, "Man I Need," sounded like something straight out of the 1970's but weirdly soulless. It evoked the past while failing to give us anything particularly new. Her voice was good, but she sounded like a mediocre impression of music from the past without any unique spin. I figured I should give her a chance, but her other big hit, "So Easy," makes me think of Minnie Riperton without the vocal range or lyrical depth. I've listened to other tunes and find that there is no substance to Dean's music. Her songs ring more hollow than when someone signs, "Best wishes, we'll miss you," on the going-away card for a co-worker everyone actually finds (somehow) simultaneously dull and annoying. When I listen to an assortment of songs by Dean, I feel indifference and irritation.

I know Olivia Dean has many fans, and I am not setting out to, "Yuck," anyone's, "Yum." I debated even writing this article as I didn't want to come across as writing a mean-spirited, "Hit piece." That said, the fact that every time a song by Dean comes on the radio, I'll change the station to anything else as quickly as I can deserves discussion. I just wish she'd use her unquestionably great voice to make better music. Alex G. Frank once wrote for Medium, "There’s too much 'retro' pop in the world now — Olivia Dean could be an antidote." I'm afraid I only half-agree. Dean isn't an antidote; she's just another dose of auditory poison.

Finishing May 2026 with a Delightful Spector Show!

I had the pleasure of attending the Spector Show today. It was a lovely way to close out the month, and I greatly enjoyed seeing a variety of awesome folks there! This was the second show at the new location, 4690 Lansdowne Avenue, in the American-Czech Educational Center. It's a nice, spacious area and allows a good deal of stellar vendors to all fit in a big room. As always, a lot of thanks is owed to Dave of All-American Collectibles and Spike of Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles for being two superb showrunners! I proceeded to enjoy speaking with Jeff of Magnitude 10 Comics--he brought a ton of great stuff I was excited to dig through! My good friend John of Bigfoot Comic and Collectibles had some cool newer and vintage comics on offer--it was fun catching up with him. Wayne was selling some delicious baked goods that I had the pleasure of eating. Many had a fun theme, like the skeleton ones and the Doctor Who-related chocolates. Here's a picture of his display:

Tatertot Comics' display was packed with an immense number of books; I discussed with their crew how I was excited for their, "Junior," convention this coming June 14th. Callisto Comics had a large number of comics for great prices, and Bruce was present at the show with some definitely impressive comics for sale as well! Geoff had a mix of cool comics, including some incredibly old newspaper comic strips that were over a century old! Dan sold me a really cool old, "Alien Worlds," comic with gorgeous Dave Stevens' artwork. Observe:

The creative team from, "Crypt of Heroes," had their rad work for sale, and Tom had a nice assortment of comics for sale. CoMo Comics brought a truckload of great reads that they were selling as well. A good number of other vendors were present too, and I was pleased with the mix of comics, whether someone was more of a Modern Age collector (such as myself) or seeking out everything from the Bronze Age, to Silver, back to the Golden Age! I always have such a lovely time at the Spector Show thanks to the sheer volume of fantastic comics and comic-related items for sale! I look forward to the next one on July 26th and would encourage anyone able to attend to make sure and stop by! 

"John of the Night," is an Amazing Graphic Novel With a New Kickstarter Campaign!

I had a chance to read a digital copy of, "John of the Night," from Avery Hill Publishing, and absolutely loved it! A mix of sci-fi, a hint of superheroics, and a good dash of snarky humor results in a superb original graphic novel that I was a big fan of. The story is centered on a far-future scientist named John, who, along with his daughter, Ayshea, need to save the entire universe. As for the threat, it includes demi-gods, legendary creatures, and others who would destroy everything flawed in the name of achieving a skewed view of, "Perfection."

Written and illustrated by Darryl Cunningham, there is currently a Kickstarter campaign for those who have an interest in the book to get themselves a copy. I'd definitely advise anyone who likes quirky sci-fi tales to check it out, with the vaguely minimalist art style lending everything a superb vibe, whether we're floating in space or learning the story of an assassin from a vaguely medieval era who possesses the ability to see through all of time (I told you, it's a wild read)! I was a fan of Cunningham's nonfiction works he's put out over the years, but I really adored this awesome story! I wish the Kickstarter campaign success and look forward to when everyone can get their hands on this fantastic read!

Funko Quietly Gave Up on NFTs

Funko as a brand, is struggling. They've tried various gimmicks, with some working out well and others falling flat on their face. A number of years ago, a lot of people were into NFTs and the idea of owning digital tokens of art, or whatever. It was a thankfully short-lived fad, but Funko did dabble in it with the admittedly fun fact that when you opened their NFT, "Packs," you had the chance to get a token you could redeem for a real (physical) Funko Pop to be shipped to your house. For some time, little had been happening, with many stating the program was most likely dead. About a month ago, Funko made it official with a little press release that received minimal fanfare (although props to the streamers known as Gastlecast for, "Calling it," months in advance that Funko NFTs were dead). No more Funko NFTs, and they're shutting down the digital market, Droppp, that was utilized for the Funko NFTs, so at least folks were given a warning to take their money out as opposed to this being a, "Rug pull," situation.

I have always been critical of NFTs and cryptocurrency (Bitcoin or any others) in general. I don't like it, trust it, or use it. I am always interested in new and cutting-edge technology, but crypto always seemed more like a scammer's dream than that of an inventor. I'm frankly surprised it took Funko this long to give up on NFTs, and even though I buy their products a lot less these days, I do still find their stuff fun and charming enough that I hope the company manages to keep existing. I won't miss the NFTs, though.

"Midgardr," Looks Like a Clever Genre-Mixing Game

Carolina Ronchi of the indie game development team Holy Radish recently reached out to me (as folks sometimes do to share about a project they're working on). She wanted to tell me about how they had an upcoming game called, "Midgardr," that I might be interested in. With a demo launching on June 3rd, this game is, "a solo, turn-based city builder and card game played directly on a [virtual] board, where the player rules as a medieval administrator. From reading up on the game and looking at clips, it intrigues me as someone who has enjoyed city-building games, card games, and the like. I always love when creation takes different genres and finds clever ways to mash them up--just look at my recent review of, "Drop Duchy," and its blend of Tetris and wargaming for one example.

"Midgardr," has a storyline, political intrigue, and moral choices, along with the expected stuff like resource management and fiddling with your city's setup to make it function as productively as you can. Set for release during this year, I hope it is as good as it looks and successful enough to be ported to various consoles (my computer is far too old/lacking in fancy equipment for any games). The reaction of folks to the launch of the demo on June 3rd will be exciting to see!

Bringing, "Back," Stan Lee or Anyone Else With a Creepy AI Raises Many Concerns

Stan Lee is dead. Unlike comic-book characters, he died and is not coming back. Many articles painted his last years before his passing in 2018 as pretty dismal in terms of his quality of life and everyone around him, from family to employees, bleeding him dry--at times literally. Once you're dead I imagine you don't care what happens with your name or likeness (unless there is some way to check in from whatever afterlife might/might not exist), but your estate can protest and profit. Those who own your likeness might be okay with the idea of you dancing with a vacuum cleaner (to be fair, some of Fred Astaire's family was displeased) via doctoring old movie footage. They may even hear that AI can create the illusion that you're alive to think, talk, and tell jokes. ElevenLabs sold Stan Lee Universe, the joint venture between Genius Brands International and POW! Entertainment on this idea as now they can, "...add the late Marvel Comics writer’s voice and likeness to the ElevenLabs Iconic Marketplace, its collection of celebrity personality voices and likenesses that companies can license for commercial use."

This is the tech equivalent of taking a celebrity and attaching a bunch of strings to their corpse so you can make them dance around like a puppet. Stan Lee was a complicated and controversial figure, but I doubt anyone would argue against him being a master showman. That is, "Showman," as in, "Human," however. An AI does not truly have Stan's charisma, personality, or anything beyond people believing it was, "Trained," to mimic him and then be programmed to sell us a Marvel-branded juicer or some other junk. While Lee was alive, he did basically attach his name/likeness to anything, and everything from a cartoon about a stripper superhero to a reality show focused on being a real-life superhero. Lee was, in fact, alive and able to agree to these things, however. 

No. Nope. Absolutely Not.

An, "AI Stan Lee," can't ink a business agreement. It can't truly be okay with spouting off an endorsement for, "Marvel brand condoms, keep your genitals more secure than Iron Man's armor!" Even if the real Stan Lee would've been cool with this in some fashion, the whole thing is just ghoulish. What's next? We bring back AI versions of loved ones so we pretend they never really died? That's a whole mess of psychological trauma right there that I worry a lot of psychiatrists/psychologists will be dealing with soon. We're not just approaching Uncanny Valley anymore, we're living in it. Our virtual graverobbing will probably just be the tip of a scary iceberg.

Happy 38th Birthday, to Me!

I'm officially 38 today, even if my maturity level lags years behind--fart jokes will never cease being funny! It is wild to think how people in their late teens or early 20's look at me as an old fogey and my Gen-X friends in their late 40s think I'm still a young'un. It goes to show, in some ways, our experience of time is quite relative--especially when I'll talk about something I remember watching/reading like it was yesterday, and it turns out to be over a decade old. I'm overjoyed to have my wonderful family to spend this birthday, and I want to thank all you blog readers for sticking with me, however many days/weeks/months/years you've been checking the site out!

Later May Links and News of Interest

June is drawing near, but before the conclusion of this month, I shall share some pieces of news and such that I found interesting. Let us proceed...

In one of countless examples of the Missouri legislature ignoring the will of the people, our congress has taken the face our state voted for safe and legal abortion in 2024 with Amendment 3 and want to trick everyone with a new, "Amendment 3," designed to steal reproductive rights away yet again. The fact they used the same number and everything is particularly sneaky/sleazy.

With a strong creative team (including Robert Kirkman, Joe Casey, Andy Kubert and more) behind the upcoming comic, "Terminal," it definetely has piqued my interest more than your usual, "New superhero universe,"-type story. Comics Beat did an interview about the series I enjoyed reading.

The new James Bond video-game focused on the character in his younger years, "007 First Light," is getting a lot of glowing reviews. I'd be interested in renting it and (hopefully) having a good time.

"Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu," made over 100 million dollars in its opening weekend, but that is also the smallest opening ever for a Star Wars flick. Hence, people who love Star Wars can say how it is still a huge success with all that cash and those who hate Star Wars can say it is somehow a flop. Honestly, sometimes Star Wars fans equally love and hate the whole franchise.

Uber spent a lot of money on AI tech for various purposes and even the CEO isn't sure there was much cost-effectiveness despite how some folk swear by ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini to a surreal degree. I find AI handy for doing some math or figuring out the name of song I vaguely recall the lyrics for, but I wouldn't trust it with the success of my megacorporation.

Finally, I was sad to see the end of, "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." It was hilarious he popped-up a day later on Michigan Public Access and CBS is apparently already trying to ignore the fact he ever existed at their network. Honestly, with his show gone and the unending rumors of Gayle King being fired or demoted in the future, I could have basically zero reason to even watch CBS until the premiere of, "Big Brother," in July. I hope whatever gig Colbert lands in the future he find happiness!

Memorial Day 2026

Today is Memorial Day. This federal holiday is specifically for the appreciation and mourning of soldiers who died serving in any branch of the United States' Armed Forces. I feel a great gratitude for anyone who is dedicated enough to this country that they would die in its service. I feel I am far too cynical, far too let down by those who have power in America, and (to be frank) way too out of shape to ever serve our country in the military, let alone lose my life doing so. 

Even if throughout the years there have been plenty of politicians who have tried to warp this nation into whatever they want, the American dream persists, and it is a dream that survives thanks to our military being ready to defend it. You can despise those who currently have control over the military in our nation (you all know my feelings on Donald Trump and this current Iran war), but still deeply appreciate the men and women in service to our country. The point of today is to commemorate those who are no longer with us, due to all they gave for America. I hope everyone has a thoughtful Memorial Day.

The, "Halloween Man," Graphic Novel is Full of Genre-Mixing Fun

"Halloween Man," refuses to fit neatly into a genre, "Box," if you attempt to describe it. There are horror elements, superheroes, comedy, retro-futuristic sci-fi concepts, and more. Basically, if you took a bunch of ideas and tossed them into a blender, you might worry the result would be a nasty mess. However, in this case, you get the metaphorically tasty drink of, "Halloween Man." I saw the solicitation for this trade paperback a bit ago with Red 5 as the publisher; the variety of concepts piqued my interest, and I'm glad to have read this TPB, as I loved, "Halloween Man." This graphic novel actually is a bit of a collection of earlier works, as the creator/writer, Drew Edwards, has been crafting stories with our titular character and putting them online for years now. 

The basic plot is essentially how a man named Solomon Kane was almost killed, came back as a sentient zombie of sorts, and now is a bit of an anti-hero bounty hunter. Humans and, "Real," superheroes don't care for him, and he's a little too brutal and human for the monsters. The best he can usually get from folk is begrudging respect, but at least the love of his life, Lucy, has stayed by his side (plus the fact she's a supergenius comes in handy when he's in danger). The, "Halloween Man," graphic novel collects a number of stories with some connecting more than others and the artists vary a lot--although things always look good. Whether Halloween Man is fighting a strange sea monster, combating robot mobsters, or on any other wacky adventure, every tale in this collection is great! Plus, this TPB includes a highly enjoyable crossover with Tim Seeley's characters of Cassie Hack and Vlad from another stellar and long-running comic, "Hack/Slash," with that story especially being a hoot.

You can access a bunch of, "Halloween Man," via Global Comix, and if you buy the physical collection, that increases the chances that Red 5 might publish more stories, as Edwards mentioned in an interview. There's also a Facebook page for fans of Halloween Man to keep updated. I know I am eager to read more adventures of Halloween Man, whether it's on the internet or in a book!

5 out of 5 Stars.

Facebook Has Launched a New App Focused on Groups and it's Called Forum

Without any fanfare or hype, Facebook released, "Forum." It is a standalone app that looks and works a lot like Reddit, but for Facebook groups. You do still need a Facebook account, but it is a nice way to access any Facebook groups you are in without having to use a browser or the Facebook app itself. It makes a little feed of things you might find interesting from your various groups, as well as--sigh--having a bunch of built-in AI features designed to assist you in discovering new groups by chatting with the little bot-character. Facebook did have a standalone group app, which it killed in 2017 ("Groups,"), but this time the idea here seems to be going hard on mirroring Reddit and having a bunch of AI filler due to that being the new, "Hot," thing in apps.

I will say the design is nice, probably because everything about how this looks reminds me so much of Reddit, but with more blue-ish colors instead of reds and oranges. As I said, you need to have a Facebook account to use this, so the idea of people who merely want to engage in groups utilizing the app goes out the window--leading me to ask, "Who is this for?" I believe a lot more people would be intrigued if there were a way to use the groups and view them in a feed format without having Facebook itself--or as I saw some comments essentially say, "Just give me this, a standalone marketplace, and let me delete Facebook!" Without that, I believe a really niche audience will use this that fall into maybe two demographics--you'll have people who were hankering for their Facebook groups to resemble Reddit a bit more, and those who want to inject a ton of AI into their Facebook group experiences. I swear, find a way to let people have an account on Forum without nearly as much Facebook baggage (even if there is some), and this could really take off. Otherwise, this might just fade away as quietly as it was launched.

Flashback Friday: With the Upcoming Release of, "Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced," Everything Old is New Again

I played many of the earlier, "Assasin's Creed," games and while, "Assasin's Creed III," might be my favorite, I've got plenty of love for, "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag," and mix of the usual Creed-stuff and addition of piracy shenanigans. Ubisoft's pirate-centric game, "Skull and Bones," was in development Hell forever before with released and bombed, hard. It seems the company decided to go back to what works, as there were rumors of an ACIV remake, and it was recently confirmed we're getting, "Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced." The release date is actually already close, July of this year.

A lot of ACIV/Resynced has been tweaked, but the meat and potatoes of it apparently still is great, plus now it looks even better thanks to all the tweaks 13 years(!) since its initial release. Some news outlets that have had hands-on time felt things were a bit clumsy, but it seems the overall consensus is that this is a fun remake that excises a lot of the annoying elements (those weird first-person modern-day segments), adds in features that came later to the series that were helpful, and so forth. There have been a lot of, "Assassin's Creed," games over the years, and I've probably missed out on more than I've played just due to how often a game comes out in the series. That said, I'll admit I am a bit excited at the thought of dipping my toes back into an overhauled version of this game so that I get a mix of nostalgia while enjoying a bunch of improvements.

Someone Tricked a SWAT Team Into Scaring a Grandma Raising Money via Video-Games for Her Sick Grandchild; What is Wrong With People?

If you need some news to illustrate how humanity is increasingly becoming terrible, here you go. An 81-year-old grandmother who has been live-streaming herself playing video games so that she can raise money to help pay for her grandson’s cancer treatment was the victim of a cruel and dangerous, “Prank.” Known online as GrammaCrackers, Sue Jacquot found herself awoken with quite the surprise when a SWAT team burst into her house under the assumption (from a fake caller) that Sue was dead, and her grandchild had shot her with plans to kill himself. This is part of an idiotic online trend known as, “Swatting.” A number of Internet streamers have fallen victim to this, and it can get people seriously hurt or even killed--we're talking SWAT teams that are ready to use lethal force in extremely dangerous situations.

Controversial figures seem to fall victim to this a lot more often, of course. Still, it raises the question of why someone would do something so crass and unsafe to a sweet old lady raising money for a sick grandchild? To her credit, Sue discussed everything online and even remarked that the whole event was, “Kind of fun.” Still, this is another example of people trying to use the Internet for good, and then it being used by terrible people as well. At least this brought more attention to Sue/GrammaCrackers and her admirable work to help her grandson. I can only hope it assists in raising more money, whilst I also shake my head at how the American healthcare system has put Sue and her family in such a difficult situation.

Spotify is Getting Rid of Their Ugly New Logo, Thank God

Spotify revealed a new logo of a green disco ball thing, and it was hideous. When I saw it on my iPhone screen for the first time, I thought something had glitched out. It seems everyone hated it, and Spotify has heard all the complaints--the old logo returns next week. There are many, many things wrong with the World, but at least this monstrosity is being corrected.

Kickstarter Walks Back its Adult Content Ban, Leaves Vague Warnings

I previously discussed how Kickstarter was beginning to target anything it considered overly sexual/adult in nature due to concerns that its payment processor, Stripe, would be an issue. Well, after a lot of outcry, it was announced by Kickstarter that they would only be working to ban/shut down anything outright illegal, or that was, "Pornography." Basically, reverting things back to normal, right? Well, not exactly. 

Buried in all this is Kickstarter pointing out that they won't necessarily shut down your campaign, but Stripe could still object to something. Then you're S.O.L. when it comes time to actually collect any funds from your successful Kickstarter campaign that happens to have something spicy enough to enrage Stripe (perhaps a nipple or acknowledging the existence of LGBTQ people and how they enjoy having sex too, as Queer content always faces a lot more scrutiny). Kickstarter has apologized and acknowledged they could have expressed concerns about adult content and payment processing in a better fashion. Still, the damage is done, and a lot of people probably have a good deal less trust in Kickstarter or interest in utilizing it for their projects (comics or otherwise) as different options make themselves apparent--friend of the blog, Mike Wolfer, and other creators have discussed their future utilization of Dooz for comics with any content they worry could anger Kickstarter/Stripe. A reputation Kickstarter built over many years became tarnished in a matter of days; quite a shame.

Marvel Comics Shakeup!

Afternoon Update:

Apparently, a lot of people are being let go/shoved out at Marvel. No one is sure what the heck is going on, but it seems like an executive cleanout, so to speak. This is getting pretty wild.

Original Post:

There are various aspects of Marvel overseen by different folks (with Disney as the big-boss nowadays). Sometimes there is a lot of turnover, and on other occasions it is hard to imagine a position filled by someone else. Dan Buckley has been the main publisher/president of Marvel for nearly 30 years, but he has announced that he is departing Marvel--although he'll be around in some capacity through 2027 in more of an advisory role. As for who is replacing him, "Marvel Studios executive Brad Winderbaum will join as Head of Marvel Television, Animation, Comics & Franchise. He will oversee the creative direction of Marvel’s expansive publishing portfolio, as well as Marvel’s global brand and franchise efforts, in addition to his current role overseeing television and animation. Joining Marvel from Disney, David Abdo will serve as General Manager, Comics & Franchise, reporting to Winderbaum."

Is this good, bad, or something in between? I can't predict the future, but this is definitely a big shift and signals something is going to change at Marvel. I would hope things go in a better direction for Marvel's comics, as I've been writing a lot more lately about being disappointed in the company's output than excited by it (and plenty of people out there seem to agree with me based on a Googling recent criticisms of Marvel's comics). I am very curious what the next couple of years will hold for Marvel's comics and what kind of new initiatives/plans we can expect to see. Time will tell.

This Doctor Doom Cover from the Latest, "Captain America," Run is Simply Rad

I've been reading the latest run of, "Captain America," and quite enjoying it. Marvel seems to be struggling, in general, to have much of note comic-wise lately, but I do continue to enjoy Jed MacKay's work on, "Moon Knight," and Chip Zdarsky has been giving us some stellar stories about Steve Rogers. The latest relaunch overcame how it annoyingly, "Reset," the continuity a bit, yet again, having Steve Rogers being found in the ice and brought back in 2001 shortly after 9/11. The initial arc involved Captain America's first meeting with Doctor Doom being retold/told or such, and some of the variant covers were done by Zdarsky as he is an artist as well (he's illustrated various series before gaining further renown as a writer). This brings me to my point of how I did not even know Zdarsky made a really cool variant cover with Doctor Doom and the American flag, but he did--and I stumbled upon it the other day and found it amazing. It is featured above.

This wasn't a ratio cover or anything, just one of the variants for the third issue. It is imposing, full of interesting subtext, and just looks cool. The minimalism is perfection, with Doom's usual green finding itself replaced by red, white, and blue, just working so well visually and as a commentary on Doom's style of imperialism versus...well, America's version. I rarely buy a comic just for the cover, but even though I have these comics with the main, "A," iteration, I bought this variant at the comic shop. "Captain America," is currently up past ten issues and remains a stellar read--perhaps I should check for any other cool covers I might have unwillingly missed!

Comic Publisher Valiant Worryingly Seems to Have Plans With Heavy AI Involvement

Valiant was a big comic publisher decades ago. They went bankrupt and disappeared, but in 2012, new folks got the licenses and relaunched the brand with some really good comics. In 2018, many of the people associated with Valiant left when it was bought out by DMG, and it has been mostly downhill since. From weird NFT schemes to an attempt at a cinematic universe that flopped, to nearly stopping putting out any comics before getting assistance from IDW so as to at least put out something, it has been a series of mishaps. It just got worse.

Valiant has been putting posters online discussing some new project with taglines including, "Hint: It's not a comic book," and all these images really look like AI was used. One would think comic publishers/makers/etc. would be extremely against using AI, "Art," as its soulless slop made out of digital bits and bobs through stealing real work. Could Valiant have some weird animated AI show coming, as I would guess? We don't yet know, but longtime fans are enraged at the prospect of Valiant pulling this B.S. It has been quite the fall from grace for Valiant. Everyone's extra mad at them, and we don't even know what this new so-called product will be. Such a mess.

"Absolute Green Arrow," is Getting Lots of Buzz and Selling Out and Before it Even Hits Shelves

DC's variety of books in the new, "Absolute," Universe have been huge hits. The main trinity (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman) have gotten a ton of buzz, but other characters' series and mini-series have been quite stellar too (Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter). The latest upcoming titles are, "Absolute Catwoman," and, "Absolute Green Arrow." Those who read the, "Absolute Evil," one-shot know that Oliver Queen was killed by the Absolute Universe's nefarious forces, but it seems that didn't stop him. Written by Pornsak Pichetshote with art by Rafael Albuquerque, Oliver Queen isn't truly gone. He's back as some kind of undead force of vengeance, and his new comic looks like a straight-up horror story, which I find quite interesting.

Other people are intrigued by the upcoming, "Green Arrow," as well. It has already sold out at the distributor level (shops won't be able to order more copies than they previously did), and a second printing is on the way. The first issue hits comic shops this Wednesday, the 20th, and if it is as popular as this early buzz indicates, you'd better move quickly to get a copy!

Flashback Friday: When Episodic Gaming Seemed Like the Next Big Thing

In the early 2000's and some of the 2010's everyone was excited about episodic gaming. The big release of "Half-Life 2," was a huge hit. Then we started getting the episodes with 1, 2, and then...nothing. That VR-exclusive spin-off, "Alyx," is apparently a hoot and moves the story of, "Half-Life," forward a bit, but we're still waiting for a third episode, game, or anything else. Episodic gaming was hyped up as this big thing that would change games...and then fell flat on its face. The, "Half-Life," series wasn't alone, of course. Another example would be the sequel to the first-person shooter, "SiN," that was the promising-but-flawed  "SiN Episodes. " Another big promise of games-as-episodes that stalled out.

Episodic gaming did not utterly fail. Telltale did a solid job with its adventure games before it folded, and how each one would release in episodes. They did that with, "The Walking Dead," and their, "Fables," game, Batman game, and so forth. A bunch of people who used to be at Telltale and are now with AdHoc Studio dropped episodes of, "Dispatch," quite recently, so releasing your game in episodes can work, for a certain style of game, perhaps. Still, the reboot of, "SiN," was kind of cool even if it only dropped a single-of-a-planned-nine entries. It was a fun two to four hours, by all accounts (I vaguely recall maybe playing it way back in 2006/2007 or so without it making much of an impact in my mind), but just ran out of steam, money, etc.

"Half-Life," and its third episode/game/whatever has no official announcement all these years later, but there actually is a new, "SiN," game of sorts in the form of, "SiN Reloaded," which take the original games and updates it for modern audiences with the studio behind it eager to possibly finish, "SiN Episodes," all these years later in some fashion. Never say die, I suppose. I do wonder if the sequel was revisted and completed, if it would just be an entire game or done in little releases? Imagine if 20-something years after the (mostly) failure of episodic gaming outside of some adventure games that the format made a big comeback. At least, that way we wouldn't be waiting decades for some big-name games if little chunks came out now and then at an affordable price--emphasis on affordable. Strange things are always happening in the World of gaming.

Create a Villain for DC, Get Zero Credit

Work for hire in the field of comics means you get paid to create stories, characters, and the like. You receive credit for what you did, but at the end of the day, you own nothing you did for those companies (such as big dogs Marvel and DC). You do have a paycheck and can say, "I made ____ and its popular now," so that is something. However, DC has a new contest of sorts called the, "Building Bad Sweepstakes," which, as Bleedingcool touched on today is, "...a competition allowing one winner to help create an all-new DC Batman Super-Villain who may become part of the official DC canon. The character will debut in the pages of DC's comics, along with an appearance in the highly anticipated video game LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, both scheduled for September." That said, you don't get credit for making the character or any royalties after they give you some money for winning the drawing/contest (and then they'll decide whether to use your ideas or not). Yep, you get to partner with DC and possibly see your creation come to life, except legally it isn't even your creation! 

I don't know about you, but if I have a cool idea and a company worth billions would like to use it, I'd make sure a royalty check comes anytime my creation is utilized. A lump sum and then the possibility (however remote) that my creation could become hugely popular, yet I get no credit or further funds, is a turn-off for sure. Hell, I'll possibly enter the contest, but if they draw my name, I'll just take the cash prize and keep my ideas to myself unless Image wants to publish something of mine someday--at least then I own the rights!

Kickstarter to Ban any Adult-Styled Comics and Content in General After Making Millions From Them for Years

Kickstarter has been a popular spot for years to fund a project/idea. Comic creators love it because Kickstarter can help take an idea that could be too niche for a mainstream publisher and allow them to sell directly to their audience. This can, at times, include comics with a more adult leaning/focus. A number of these comics appeal to heterosexual readers, and some have LGBTQ themes that bigger publishers would shy away from (some comic companies are okay with sex, but only if it's hetero). Kickstarter has made tons of money off comic projects, many of them adult-leaning. Perhaps they feel they've made enough to turn their back on a lot of people, because Kickstarter released new and extremely detailed rules about mature/adult content. I'm talking bullet points about, "Not allowing visible nipples poking through clothing in a drawing," levels of prudishness. It’s not just comics, it is everything (so look out, edgy video-games).

Friend of the blog (and general friend), Mike Wolfer penned an open letter to Kickstarter online, and Bleedingcool shared it along with the thoughts of other creators who are quite enraged. Kickstarter grew into what it is off their backs and has decided to cast them aside now that they aren't needed. The given reason? A credit card payment processor company called Stripe has, over recent years, become extremely anti-adult-anything. They don't like processing payments for things that are outright porn or at all mature under the guise of they, "Get returned more," but this seems more like a weird religious/prudishness thing than anything else. Extreme levels of violence are fine, so feel free to chop a woman's head off in your comic, but don't you dare have someone consensually kiss her exposed nipple! There has been a rise of anti-sex/eroticism vibes due to conservatives gaining/stealing power, and oftentimes a lot of this is framed as, "Protecting children," even though lots of this adult material usually demands you prove you are--you know--an adult. Plus, I mentioned how anything LGBTQ that even hints vaguely at sex oftentimes finds itself censored a lot more than straight people bumping uglies, which adds an extra flavor of homophobia and transphobia to this shit sandwich Kickstarter's users are being fed.

If you don't want sexy comics in your life, don't back them on Kickstarter or read them. If you like comics that sometimes feature sex or even some nudity, then go find yourself some quality comics that provide such a thing. It should be as simple as that, but credit card processors, Kickstarter, and oftentimes politicians want to rob you of making that choice and having independence--not very patriotic, I'd say. This is quite a mess, and I am curious to see how it shakes out.