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!