I'm Glad Daniel Way is Happy. That Said, I Wouldn't Mind if He Wrote Comics Again

Daniel Way wrote a lot of comics in a short-ish period of time. From 2000 through 2013 or so, he did a ton of writing, especially for Marvel. Some of the bigger books included but were not limited to, 'Wolverine: Origins," "Deadpool," "Venom," "Ghost Rider," and one of my favorite works of his, "Supreme Power: Nighthawk." Toward the end of his tenure with Marvel, he did a chunk of a, "Thunderbolts," run and then shifted into works for other publishers at a much slower rate. He wrote for, "Crossed," from Avatar Press and some other stuff in 2014, scripted a, "Hit-Girl," mini-series in 2019, and did a little Deadpool yarn in a 30th anniversary special comic in 2021. That was it. He basically disappeared from comics in terms of writing any after that. He was practically everywhere for a decade and some change, then once we hit 2015...little to nothing (zero comics after 2021). I was curious if he was alright, and thankfully he is, and seems pretty happy!

In 2024, Bleeding Cool's Rich Johnston was also wondering, "Whatever happened to...Daniel Way?" It turns out in 2016 he cofounded Geekcraft Expo, a comic-con-styled take on craft fairs. He is also the frontman for the band, "Gamma Gamma Ray," which plays at many of the Geekcraft Expos. He seems to (intentionally) have almost zero social media presence outside of a semi-official Facebook fan page that hasn't been updated since 2018, except for now linking to Geekcraft Expo.

To Way's credit, the Geekcraft Expo events remain popular,  happening in a mix of cities in varying months, with one having occurred in Saint Louis this past July, of all places! I actually was aware we had a geek-centric craft show held in our city on occasion, but had zero idea it was the one that Way founded! From the little I can find specifically about him on the internet, he's grown a family that he lives with in Hawaii when not doing the Geekcraft Expos. I wonder if a comic writing opportunity came along that was just right, if he'd be interested in scripting something? For now, he seems semi-retired from that particular part of, "Geekdom," even if he's quite active in other aspects.

Yeah, Ryan Gosling as Ghost Rider and David Jonsson as Black Panther Sounds Cool

Yesterday I was discussing how Marvel's comics are struggling and I don't see much of note with their cinematic slate besides the immense hope that, "Avengers: Doomsday," is a hit. Well, Marvel did hold an event today in the fabled Hall H of Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con and whilst it occurred, Ryan Reynolds appeared in a gray Deadpool suit (like from, "Uncanny X-Force,") and that was fun, but two other announcements really perked my ears up. Ryan Gosling will be the new Ghost Rider in the MCU and David Jonsson is set to be the grown-up son of T'Challa (who was portrayed by the sadly deceased Chadwick Boseman) and become Black Panther. 

Gosling is fantastic in a variety of productions, having excelled as an operator of motor vehicles before in the surrealist, "Drive." Jonsson was spectacular as a synthetic human named Andy in, "Alien: Romulus," where he pretty much played multiple roles due to a computer chip drastically altering his character's personality mid-film. Shawn Levy (who directed, "Deadpool and Wolverine,") will be directing the Ghost Rider flick and Ryan Coogler will return as Director yet again for, "Black Panther 3." Both movies are set to arrive in 2028. So yes, fine, Marvel has me feeling a twinge of excitement for their movies again. Still no update on a new, "X-Men," film, though.

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

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

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

The Main Story of, "Marvel/DC: Deadpool/Batman," is Actually the Weakest Part

It has been over two decades since a new (official) story has occurred where Marvel and DC crossover. This resulted in a lot of hype and high expectations for, "Marvel/DC: Deadpool/Batman," which was just released and will soon be followed by, "DC/Marvel: Batman/Deadpool," which is confusing with the names, I know, just run with it. The debut of the crossover was released on Wednesday with the headliner story and a bunch of back-up yarns...and the main story is actually pretty weak.

Did I expect too much from Deadpool and Batman teaming up? I mean, Greg Capullo is an amazing artist and does a fantastic job with the strip, and Zeb Wells is generally a solid writer with a good handle on comedic-ish characters (such as Deadpool). The resulting comic is just a bit...meh. One bit where James Gordon dresses down Deadpool's schtick as a masked psycho being nothing new to Gotham is clever, but the actual interplay between Wade Wilson and Bruce Wayne in or out of costume is lacking. Obvious jokes are told about billionaires being scuzzy, Batman being imposing with his gravelly voice, and so forth. Even the way Deadpool ended up in the DC Universe is only vaguely explained as the Joker screwing with some dimension-altering machinery. It is the lowest-hanging of fruit that Wells chooses to pluck for this story, and it is by no means bad, but when you have a comic event this big, I expected more, and a lot of the internet seems to agree. Frankly, the back-up stories are all either better or at least a great deal more interesting.

The Wonder Woman/Captain America team-up story is a great deal more intriguing. Featuring the writing of Chip Zdarsky and Terry Dodson's artwork, it imagines a Universe where Marvel and DC have been united from the start, with various characters from both publishers on famous teams or taking part in epic events (it seems Wonder Woman sided with Cap in the popular, "Civil War," comic of the early 2000s). It's nothing remarkable, but it at least does something fun.

An adorable story featuring Jeff the Landshark and Krypto is bound to be the highlight of this issue for folks who are into cute animals. Kelly Thompson and Gurihiru do a lovely job on it, and I chuckled. I was also intrigued by the sheer weirdness of Frank Miller's comic, where the Dark Knight Returns-style Batman and the Old Man Logan version of Wolverine fight and hurl insults. It isn't exactly good, but it is fascinatingly abstract and strange. Another brief strip where Rocket Raccoon and Green Lantern trade teams (Guardians of the Galaxy and Green Lantern Corps) as part of a cultural exchange is hilarious and gorgeously illustrated, thanks to writer Al Ewing and artist Dike Ruan.

My favorite story was, honestly, the one written by Kevin Smith and featuring art by Adam Kubert. Smith is a man whose films vary between, "Amazing," and, "Terrible," with his comic work doing much of the same. That said, he did solid work on both Daredevil and Green Arrow at various points in his career, so it is a real hoot to watch the characters meet up, size each other up, and work together. Just a gas of a strip! We do end the book with an interesting throwback to the Amaglam era, where we meet, "Logo," who is a blend of Wolverine and Lobo. The strip is so short I can't be sure if the idea has legs beyond a handful of pages or is best served as a one-and-done joke. As the Amaglam characters are a messy shared copyright, we may never see him again to find out anyway. I at least appreciate the effort writer Ryan North and artist Ryan Stegman put into the little surprise strip at the end of the comic.

I've clearly had a lot more to say and compliment about the back-up stories, which is strange considering we were talking about two huge names being used to, "Sell," this crossover! I do wonder if the DC-headlined end of things will have a stronger take on Batman and Deadpool squaring off. I look forward to finding out and reading more intriguing back-up stories in November. As it stands, however, this comic is overall a good-but-not-great...

3 out of 5 Stars.

I Guess Deadpool Can't Outshine Batman, Literally

The first big (official) crossover between Marvel and DC in years is on the way, with a set of, "Deadpool/Batman," and, "Batman/Deadpool," issues containing those two titans facing off and other characters meeting in back-up stories. Interestingly, Skottie Young posted two versions of a cover he made and told folks to spot the difference. You can view the covers above with the left side being the official cover and the right side being the original that was altered. As you probably see, the beam of light went from just looking vaguely like it was calling Deadpool to clearly spotlighting both Batman and Deadpool. Apparently, "Legal," told him both characters need equal billing in the light. I guess Deadpool literally can't outshine Batman. There was a rumor that the symbol looked too much like a Pokémon symbol, and that was the issue, but Young dispelled that rumor when he explained the change.

It is a small change, but it goes to show how much behind-the-scenes maneuvering there must have been between DC and Marvel to make this crossover happen and ensure both companies were pleased with how their characters interact with one another in this cross-universe event. I continue to be curious about this comic and will check it out when the first issue drops in September.

"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!

Rob Liefeld is Feuding With Marvel/Disney

Rob Liefeld is one of the co-creators of Deadpool and has had an up-and-down relationship with Marvel over the decades. He left it to help form Image back in the 90s but then has returned at points to do various series. His art style is extremely divisive with fans and haters. His personality is just as divisive, with some finding him animated and passionate about comics whilst others consider him to be a narcissist prone to being overdramatic. Over the years I have liked him, not liked him, found myself indifferent to him, and everything in between. I'm at a point now where I appreciate what he has contributed to comics but don't really feel an urge to read anything new he puts out as I just generally don't dig any of his new stuff. It seems he won't be creating anything new for Marvel soon as he's made some big public declarations about the company and its owner, Disney.

After feeling disrespected by Disney when, 'Deadpool and Wolverine," was being made and a movie credit request was ignored followed by some red carpet snubs at the premiere, Lifeld has said he's done working with Marvel in any capacity--regarding Deadpool or any other characters. Now, Liefeld can be a jerk and a loudmouth, but he also can be quite right in discussing how Marvel/Disney like to mistreat the creators of their comics that go on to be made into hugely profitable movies. We've heard tales before of Ed Brubaker getting little recognition for his Winter Soldier work or Jim Starlin getting practically no checks in the mail for all of his Thanos/Infinity Gauntlet/etc. work until he publically discussed things. Liefeld might be reading into perceived slights too much or he could be right on the money, but regardless his point of creator mistreatment stands.

This may now be Liefeld's final project with Marvel.

Liefeld isn't perfect in this argument either, of course. Fabian Nicieza co-created the Merc with a Mouth and Liefeld often seems to overstate his own importance versus his collaborator. Still, a person having their own flaws doesn't change the fact they're spitting some harsh facts that seem to not get stated enough. The honest truth is the people who made superhero comics often were not given proper credit, payment, or both. We even have that Superman movie lawsuit going on right now to further illustrate this point! I'd never say Liefeld is without his own faults, but the man does have a point in this situation. He's done with Marvel (for now, at least) and clearly, there are a lot of bad feelings all around.

Film Friday: "Deadpool & Wolverine," is Pure, Uncut Fun

Samii and I were able to see, "Deadpool & Wolverine," this morning while Clarkson was at school and a friend of ours babysat Gibson. We were excited and hopeful we'd have a good time. Well, the flick delivered as it is such a good time!

I won't spoil a bunch of the movie as it just came out, but I will say tons of guest appearances happen and are more than cameos as certain surprise characters play quite a significant role in the movie and are a joy to witness. If you've seen the previews for, "Deadpool & Wolverine," you're aware the general plot involves Deadpool trying to fix his timeline and turning to a version of Wolverine from within the Multiverse for help. This results in a lot of mayhem, some amazing fights, and a great soundtrack with some tunes that match the action perfectly ("Bye, Bye, Bye," from NSYNC is utilized early on in the film perfectly). I'm so glad Hugh Jackman came back as Wolverine and that Ryan Reynolds makes such a good Deadpool!

The jokes come at us quickly but there are some sincere moments to balance everything out, and, "Deadpool & Wolverine," at times comes across as a bit of love a letter to the Fox-Universe of Marvel movies while also gently mocking them at times too. Certain elements from the, "Loki," series play a role too, but again, it isn't mandatory to know much about that to have fun. Oh, and the fun you all have! Between some incredible action, the aforementioned jokes, and a very clever plot, "Deadpool & Wolverine," is bound to be a hit already thanks to its cache, but it also is going to earn that money and plenty of plaudits for being a stellar movie. Get to your newest movie theater as soon as you can and see, 'Deadpool & Wolverine." It is superb!

5 out of 5 stars.

Let's Check in On, "Deadpool," With his Latest #1 Issue!

Deadpool is one of the, "Newer," characters at Marvel in the sense he came about in the 1990s as opposed to decades before. The thing with the passage of time is that now in some ways it seems like he's been around forever with a new guard of even fresher characters on the scene in the past decade or so (Miles Morales, Ms. Marvel, and so forth). There have been times a metric ton of books featuring Deadpool were coming out and times the flow of titles is a bit lighter. Lately, it feels like his, "Main," series has kept re-launching and that isn't just me thinking such a thing--this latest series is the fourth in five years. Why Marvel keeps starting over with a new #1 is beyond me (I mean, I guess that attracts new readers sometimes and gets sales), but here we are in 2024 with the latest, "Deadpool, "#1. I haven't read a Deadpool-centric book in a while so I thought I'd check it out.

This was a solid debut issue. It discusses events from some past, "Deadpool," series I recall (his daughter, Ellie) and things I am unfamiliar with (he was in love recently and also now has a new symbiote daughter-pet creature he was, "Pregnant," with a bit ago). Everything is mentioned in a manner that readers can pick up the gist of what is going on and enjoy the main thing many folks read Deadpool for--Jokes and violence. Between some sadness and humanity (I do like it when Deadpool isn't purely a joke machine) we get quips and a number of body parts going flying. The creative team of Cody Zigalr (writer), Rogê Ântonio (artist), and GURU-eFX (colors) all synergize wonderfully. I was especially tickled by a busy page of a car chase where Deadpool does his signature breaking of the 4th wall and remarks it was probably a pain for the artist to draw--but man, does it look awesome too.

"Deadpool," #1 introduces us to the character's latest status quo and gives us a mysterious new villain Deadpool encounters while on a mercenary mission (Death's Grip). Sometimes the debut issue of a series is so busy setting up stuff or filling us in on past events it forgets to entertain in its own right--thankfully the first issue of, "Deadpool," avoids that trap and is a superb read. If you like, "Deadpool," this should successfully scratch your itch for more of his shenanigans.

5 out of 5 stars.

My "Deadpool 3/Deadpool and Wolverine," Trailer Impressions

There was a teaser trailer for the latest Deadpool flick during the Super Bowl yesterday and folks could go online to see the full preview. I did so and was quite pleased with what I saw. In fact, the trailer for, "Deadpool 3/Deadpool and Wolverine," made me want to do something no Marvel movie has for quite a while--go see it in theaters. 

The last Marvel film I took a trip to the cinema for was, "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," because when Sam Rami directs a Marvel-related movie it is bound to be entertaining (I will always swear there is a good movie buried in "Spider-Man 3," somewhere). Nothing else from the MCU or Spidey-verse films has screamed, "Go see me in theaters," until now. I mean, just look at this trailer:

We've got jokes about how Deadpool is with Disney now, a, "Marvel Jesus," line, and more wild hilarity mixed with cool action! We even get a glimpse of Wolverine and at this point, I'm all here for Deadpool to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to the TVA from, "Loki," or whatever means are needed. This looks like a great time and I want to see Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman get up to all kinds of shenanigans this July.

Store-Exclusive Hip-Hop Covers Are Becoming Really Popular

I don't really buy store-exclusive variant covers. Comic shops can buy the rights to have a variant cover from a publisher and as long as they front the cash and get the cover approved by everyone, the comic gets made. Store variants can be pretty but don't have much speculation value, generally being considered worth less even if they are a key issue compared to the version of the comic you could buy in shops. That said, sometimes store variants seem to strike just the right nerve and become quite popular (at least for a bit). That has happened with some hip-hop covers featuring popular rappers.

The Haul did an exclusive variant cover featuring Notorious B.I.G. and Deadpool. It took a bit to sell out from their site but once it did the price kept creeping up from the initial $30 to over $100. Then, some covers with Eminem dropped via his website and people eagerly scooped those up. Now, some are selling online for $200 or so. Perhaps it is the combination of fandoms that has resulted in these being quite popular? It is hard to say, but it would not surprise me if we start seeing a bunch of rap artists on more comic covers now that it is clear there is some money to be made.

Deadpool AND Wolverine Are Back for, "Deadpool 3." That Sounds Fun!

We've been awaiting news about the third, "Deadpool," movie for quite some time. We also thought Hugh Jackman would never play Wolverine again. Nothing was announced at Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con. Then nothing was revealed at D23. Then, Ryan Reynolds puts out a tweet (of all things) yesterday with a little clip discussing how on September 6th of 2024 we will finally get, "Deadpool 3," and Hugh Jackman will be back to play Wolverine one more time. Another clip today claims to explain everything, but avoids doing so in a silly manner. All this as Deadpool officially enters the Marvel Cinematic Universe (somehow). Yeah, I'm totally down for that.

When I first saw the news it sounded fake, but lo and behold, we're getting Deadpool and Wolverine causing a ruckus. I'm pleased, even if it is basically a whole two years away at this point--that is quite a wait. There will be plenty of other Marvel content while we wait, however, so no worries there.

The Latest ToyMan Show Was a Delight!

I was overjoyed the ToyMan show returned last month, so you know I showed up to the latest show today eager to find more awesome stuff and make some deals. Anytime I go to a ToyMan show I see such a wide variety of stuff it astounds me. Vintage toys, new toys, diecast cars, Funko Pops, Legos, posters, DVDs, and more are always at the show. As a comic person I focus in on the comic dealers, but I'm always intrigued by how much I see. While I was at ToyMan I ran into a lot of my vendor-chums such as Brian Lan, Spike from Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles, and I chatted with Tom from Alliance Toys, Comics, and Games. I bought a really crisp copy from one vendor of, "Amazing Spider-Man," #299, which features the first appearance of Venom (yes, some call it cameo, I don't want to get in a big fight about it though). Check it out:

After doing a lot of browsing and chatting with various folks at booths I went upstairs and saw a bunch of awesome people I always enjoy running into. I talked with my friends Jessica Mathews and Jennifer Stolzer, who were telling me about how they were already discussing plans for a new book they'd be collaborating on! I also saw the fantastic folks from Perryville's Heroes for Kids and chatted about how enthusiastic I was for the next upcoming con in 2022 after loving the last one. As I was looking around the show I actually ran into a friend of mine named Mark and we showed each other some of the comics we had brought to the show in hopes of trading/selling. He was kind enough to sell me a copy of, "Wolverine #88, which features the first meeting of Wolverine and Deadpool! Here it is:

There are always so many awesome sellers and creators at ToyMan that it has become one of my favorite shows to visit anytime it is held. The next show will be on September 26th and you can find out everything needed to know about attending via this digital flyer. Should you be in the Saint Louis region around then I'd recommend visiting the show as it is always great.

Deadpool and, "Fortnite," Coming Together Should Work Well

The equally beloved and reviled comic-book character/movie star Deadpool will be appearing within the game, "Fortnite," in the near future. This makes a twisted sort of sense as both Deadpool and, "Fortnite," are often made into memes that serve as dumb humor despite both being a bit deeper than they would appear at first glance. I haven't played, "Fortnite," in a good long while, but I know it continues to be popular and have a lot of weird tie-ins that sometimes make sense and sometimes do not. Deadpool showing-up at least fits the general zany tone of, "Fortnite," however, I'd say. He will be in the game on April 3rd (tomorrow), either as a new mode, playable character, quest, or something--he'll be there, I the general point.

You Don't Have to Read Every X-Men Book Coming Out Right Now

There are a lot of comics dealing with the X-Men coming out right now under this, "Dawn of X," line-wide relaunch. A lot are great, some are okay, none so far have been terrible (thankfully). It can feel a bit overwhelming as while the books can stand alone they are also one big interconnected tale (as upcoming collections of the comics reflect). It is okay if you don't want to read every book, however. Yes, seriously. Even the architect of all these X-titles (and writer of some key ones), Jonathan Hickman has said as much. Now, the books are pretty closely linked, so maybe that is easier said than done, others would point-out. This seems to happen whenever a particular character or line is especially popular.

There was a time Marvel was putting-out like 3 ongoing comics focused on Deadpool and at least two mini-series at a time with him too, the key was to prioritize the books you liked versus the ones you did not. Now, these, "Deadpool," comics did not really all tie together to tell a massive story, but you see my kinda-sorta shaky point. There is a massive all-encompassing story being told about the X-Men by Jonathan Hickman and all his collaborators, but these issues are like pieces to an absolutely massive puzzle. Should you be missing some pieces/issues here-and-there you'll still see the overall picture just fine. I'm not complaining yet, as I'm just happy comics with the X-Men have me this excited for the first time since Grant Morrison's work back in the early 2000s. Man, I am old.

"Savage Avengers," Looks Cheerfully Insane

I saw artwork for an upcoming comic but didn't realize it was a book that was actually happening until my pal Tucker Stone at The Comics Journal mused on how bizarre it looked and the official solicitations came out. The comic is titled, "Savage Avengers," and it features the most violent heroes and anti-heroes around. Made-up of Venom, Elektra, the Punisher, Wolverine, Brother Voodoo ( because every Avengers team needs a random magic-user) and for some reason Conan the Barbarian--who Marvel got the rights back to a little while ago--this looks like a team of Avengers more likely to shoot, stab, and eat the brains of villains than any other Avengers team in history; that actually kind of sounds like a concept so crazy it could be fun.

It is as if Marvel wanted to think-up the most extreme and over-the-top team it could, then went that extra step further. Marvel went so heavy on fan-service it is almost gluttonous in its delicious absurdity. They're out here saying, "So we heard you like Venom and Wolverine a lot so we put them both on an Avengers team with the Punisher for optimal bloodshed, plus Elektra because she's probably our deadliest female character. Oh, and we took Conan the Barbarian and inserted him into the modern age with his big-ass sword. Why, you ask? Because fuck you, you want this, that's why!" Gerry Duggan is a writer who has done a good job furiously-straddling the line between funny-and-gruesome before on work such as his run with, "Deadpool," and Mike Deodato is a skilled artist who drew some impressively gross scenes of Venom literally biting-off people's appendages back in the days of the Warren Ellis-written run on, "Thunderbolts," so I imagine this book won't want for a colorist eager to use various shades of blood-red. Frankly, whether the comic is good or miserable I'm just excited to be able to read it so that upon finishing the book I can place it down and declare, "Man, those Avengers are savage!" Then I'll start to laugh loudly at my own joke, much to the confusion of everyone else at Starbucks. Good times.

Marvel Cartoons for Mature Audiences? Yes Please!

This morning while I was driving back from a fun event at The Magic House (it is a really cool place) with my son, Clarkson, my phone suddenly dinged a bunch. Once I was home and could check it I then saw that what has quickly become my favorite app, Key Collector Comics, was sharing the news that there were going to be four new animated Marvel cartoons on Hulu geared toward mature audiences AKA adults (but not in the, "ADULT," sense). I looked into it online and sure enough, Hulu is going to get a, "Howard the Duck," "M.O.D.O.K.," "Hit-Monkey," plus, "Tigra & Dazzler." Eventually all the shows will come together for what will either be a season or just a special (that seems unclear) titled, "The Offenders," which is admittedly a hilarious title that takes a little bit of a swipe at all the dramatic, "The Avengers," movies and, "The Defenders," show, may it rest in peace. Taking advantage of this info I made sure to dig-up my old Deadpool comics where Hit-Monkey first appeared (plus a random one-shot) and I'll put those aside in the hopes that when the shows come out they are hits and I can sell those comics and make enough money to cover my pull-list at the comic store for or a week or two (here's hoping).

The shows don't look to be throwaway cash-grabs either, with some solid talent involved. I'm talking Patton Oswald as M.O.D.O.K., Kevin Smith writing the, "Howard the Duck," show, and Chelsea Handler is involved in some capacity with, "Tigra & Dazzler," to name just some creative folk working on these shows. Now then, some people online were asking, "Why Hulu?" considering that Marvel is owned by Disney and Disney+ is launching soon-- it will have all sorts of Marvel content, to be sure. The best reasoning I could find is the idea that Disney+ will apparently try to keep everything in the realm of PG-13 and younger and these shows might easily tip-into R-rated language/TV-MA content (I mean, we are talking Kevin Smith here); so now that Disney will be acquiring much of Fox they'll basically have around a 60% share in Hulu, making it perfect for more grown-up programming. This has all just been announced so it may be awhile until we get the completed shows or even much in the way of teaser footage. That said, between the wacky character choices and great creative/acting teams involved, this sounds like we will be getting some shows that will be quite off-the-wall if nothing else.

The Latest, "Deadpool 2," Trailer Looks Like More of the Same--In a Good Way

Because I am addicted to the internet I saw that the trailer for, "Deadpool 2," was posted and watched it a couple times already today. It's right above this text and good fun. It basically looks like more of the same from the first movie, and I mean that in a good way. It appears like it will be fun, silly, full of violence, and have a bunch of swearing.

I was amused how the preview name-drops, "X-Force," and even outright says it is basically a way to launch that franchise in one of the trailer's meta-moments. Ryan Reynolds was basically born to play Deadpool and Josh Brolin makes a suitably imposing Cable. It comes out in May with enough distance between it and the release of , "Avengers: Infinity War," that they shouldn't step on each other's toes. Fun fact: Brolin is also the voice of Thanos so he should theoretically get some hefty checks for royalties if he/his lawyers negotiated his deals well.

Film Friday: Three Marvel Comic-Related Movie Trailers/Teasers

A variety of trailers and teasers for comic-book movies that involve Marvel properties have been coming out lately. I thought I would highlight three specific ones that stuck-out in my mind for one reason or another...

Ant-Man and the Wasp

I guess because Scott Lang sided with the losers in, "Captain America: Civil War," he now is in some big trouble with the Government. I say that because he and everyone else are on the run in this trailer. I honestly love Paul Rudd so just watching him do his thing through these movies makes me happy and that we get new strong female hero in the form of Evangeline Lilly officially becoming The Wasp is just stellar as well considering how much of a boys' club the MCU has been for the most part. This ad gets me pretty excited!

Venom

This short teaser looked like a really competent action-thriller movie with weird medical labs, car chases, and Tom Hardy making serious faces. That said, if it weren't for the glimpse of some black goo and the fact that the movie is called, "Venom," I wouldn't have had any clue this movie was about Spider-Man's infamous foe. I understand this thing isn't out until October so they have a ton of post-production to do, but maybe they could've waited until they had enough tech completed to give us at least one shot venom looking all imposing and scary? If the idea of this teaser is to make us want more, it succeeded, but in the wrong way. I do want to see more, because honestly I kind of feel like I saw nothing. Assuming the Sony and Marvel deal allows the MCU to at least be mentioned in flicks outside of the main, "Spider-Man," I would definitely appreciate at least a hint of something, anything, that makes it clear this is a Marvel-adjacent flick.

Deadpool 2, Untitled Deadpool Sequel, Whatever it is?

Clearly for the new Deadpool movie we aren't going to be dropping the meta-elements of breaking the fourth wall with reckless abandon or the cutting of countless jokes. What at first seems like a super-serious glimpse of a depressing sci-fi movie with a ruined future not too unlike, "The Terminator," morphs into Deadpool being...well, Deadpool, as Ryan Reynolds shows why this is the role he was born to play via smashing literal action figures together. Then, we get brief glimpses of a bunch of clips from the movie with what looks like a potential X-Force and plenty of returning faces from the first flick. It's a pitch-perfect way to promote...whatever name this movie is going to end-up having, and Josh Brolin makes a great-looking Cable whose serious sour-face will clearly have some conflicts with risible ol' Deadpool.

My Third Time at the ToyMan Show Was Fantastic!

Today, December 10th, I attended the last Toyman show of the year for much of the morning (and it wraps up soon this afternoon). I have now visited the Toyman show put on by Chris, "Toyman," McQuillen three times in a row, so I'm thinking that illustrates how much I greatly enjoy going to it! Seeing as I am now becoming a regular I'm even more impressed by how the vendors always seem to have a wide variety of stock every show and I always find some cool stuff! Chris has a great variety of vendors at the show as I spent a good deal of time looking at the classic vintage toys, Funko Pops, and comic-books. This visit I did not buy any Funkos but did come across some cool comics! How about I share some of them with you now?

My favorite find this show was a, "slabbed," copy of the first issue of, "Infinity Gauntlet," which I acquired from STL Comics. I've discussed mixed feelings about slabbed books on the blog before, but as I of course have this saga of a story in trade form I just thought it would be neat to display the first issue with its gorgeous cover-art, and while 9.4-and-higher slabs sell for absurdly high sums I got this 8.5 very fairly.

I also stumbled across an old issue of the, "Widow," comic by friend of the blog Mike Wolfer and was pleased to pick that up from a vendor.

The last item of note I got was this snazzy issue of, "X-Force," featuring the second-ever appearance of Deadpool. I don't have the kind of money to pay for his first appearance but the second time he showed-up I can buy!

One other thing at the show which I found really cool was a vendor known as the Comic Grind bus. It looked like a regular bus with lots of decorations from the outside, but once you stepped inside it turned out to be a full-fledged portable comic shop that also could serve food and drink (although it wasn't selling edible items today so as to not impede on the food-sales inside). I talked with one of its creators, Phil Trapp, and told him how impressive the whole set-up was. He thanked me for my kind words and told me about their website where you can actually book the bus to come to parties or special events. I know if I ever hold an event big enough I'd be sure to have them come as I'm gonna save-up some money to get that, "Marvel Spotlight," they had with Moon Knight on the cover!

This last Toyman show of the year was just as fun a time as the other two I have attended and as long as Chris doesn't mind me bugging him about coming to the shows I'll keep writing about them and how awesome they are! You can visit the site here and get excited for all the shows coming in 2018--you'll most likely see me there at a number of them!