A Nice Cool Day Full of Hot Finds at ToyMan!

It's finally cooled off a good deal here in Saint Louis. Within a week, we went from heat indexes in the 90s to hovering in the mid-60s or low-70s. Even if we get a couple more random days where it's strangely hot, Fall is officially here. It was nice and brisk today outside, but inside ToyMan, the show was on fire with good finds! There were some vendor tents outside, as ToyMan started doing again for the first time since the COVID era recently, and it was hopping inside too! 

I began the show by chatting with my good friend John Chaffee of Bigfoot Comics. I then had a chance to visit with Tim Metzger, who had a bunch of lovely comics for sale on this occasion. I grabbed some issues of, "Ultramega," I was in need of (at great prices), and an assortment of other fairly priced reads. As I continued browsing around (with Clarkson in tow, as he wanted to join me today and had fun riding in his little cart I pulled him along in), I caught up with Dustin & Tammy, then saw the affable Jack Thomas of Fortress Comics!

Clarkson and I proceeded around the event space, where we had a chance to chat with Tom Milister about how he'd been, and greeted some of the cool folks from Tatertot who were repping their store at the show as well! 573 Collectibles had a mix of cool comics, including some snazzy hard-to-find issues of the, "Tomb Raider," adaptation. I was pleased to see Go Getter Gamez had a smorgasbord of cool stuff they had brought, and Spike from Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles was busy with all his goodies and talking with intrigued show-goers as well! 

As Clarkson and I kept looking around, we examined some snazzy DVDs, CDs, a bunch of die-cast cars, a mix of really old and newer toys, plus we saw some cool Funko Pops (to name just some of the immense amount of stuff at every ToyMan). In the upstairs area, we had a chance to see the talented Jacqueline James--I purchased one of her new books, "Happy Hauntings." It features a variety of fun short stories for kids that aren't too scary! Give it a look:

Also upstairs were my friends Jessica Mathews and Lindsay Hornsby, each with a bunch of awesome books and merch for sale! Plus, I shot the breeze with Cayden (of Tri Fox Shoppe), a great artist who told me how he had just been at SEMOcon in Poplar Bluff and it was, "An awesome time." This gets me interested in trying to go to it next year for sure!

Today's ToyMan show was fantastic! I am excited for the next one on November 8th--and before that, there actually are a ton of October shows. Expect more posts on those as they approach and occur!

End of July 2026 News and Links

It is the last day of July. We've had quite a month for popular culture-related announcements thanks to Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con being a hot spot to let folks know about your upcoming comics, movies, and so forth. A variety of interesting things were discussed or occurred, however, so let's spotlight some interesting tidbits from as of late!

To begin with, my favorite PSP (an underrated portable console) game series of all time was Lumines. In a bit of a surprise, it has finally been ported to iOS and Android, meaning your smartphone can now experience the joy of this strange music-puzzle-matching experience! "Lumines Remastered," can be bought now!

"Wonder Man," is cancelled and won't have a second season on Disney+. This is despite being a really fun show, getting rave reviews for a Marvel streaming show (a bit rare), and having a second season announced a matter of a few months ago! That said, Yahya Abdul Mateen II and Ben Kingsley were a hoot in the show as Simon Williams/Wonder Man and Trevor Slattery/the former Mandarin actor. Perhaps this is a stealthy way to fold them into a movie, one can hope? At least the star was able to not seem too sad.

A number of fly-by-night companies have those hideous AI-generated books these days where you type in some details about a child, and it spits out a, "Personalized," story you can then purchase in book form. A number of Baby Boomers apparently love these and won't stop buying them for their grandkids.

 

I wasn't particularly smitten with the first issue of the new comic, "Terminal," by Robert Kirkman, Joe Casey, and Andy Kubert. I thought it looked great, and the story had potential, but I wasn't immediately hooked. I'm in the minority for now, however, as the debut has sold 300,000 or so copies, with a second printing on the way. Kirkman might have another hit on his hands!

Speaking of Skybound/Robert Kirkman, Netflix has paid for the rights to, "The Walking Dead," franchise starting in 2027, sharing the past shows and new stuff with AMC for a cool 500 million dollars. I'd argue that while the comic and show ended with the spin-offs past their peak of popularity, there always are new fans discovering it, kind of like when Netflix scooped up, "Seinfeld," or any other popular franchise. I guess someone crunched the numbers and decided it was a wise investment.

Finally, fantastic writer John Arcudi is teaming up with Mark Buckingham on art and Dave Steward on colors for Titan Comics' "Kull," relaunch. The literary predecessory/blueprint for Conan the Barbarian, it could be interesting to see what this creative team does with the material!

You (Won't) Be Shocked How Much Clickbait Annoys Me/How a Seemingly Simplistic Practice Leads to Conspiracy-Level Problems--Plus, a Review of the Stellar Book, "Uncover Up," Too!

I've been at this blogging thing for over 15 years now. I've written opinions I later changed my mind about and ones I still stand by. I've admitted when I was wrong and been eager to point out when I was right. One thing I've tried to never do, however, is make annoying clickbait headlines. I started thinking about this when I saw an article today that announced, "‘American Pickers’ fans praying for Mike Wolfe after tragic news: ‘Heart is shattered’." That sounds horrific, doesn't it? Well, his dog died. That is sad, and I'm sure some dog-lovers out there are praying for Mike, but such a headline is just utterly crass considering Wolfe did lose a former co-host and friend (Frank Fritz) in 2024. I didn't link to the article because I refuse ot give them more clicks, but that's a tacky way to essentially trick someone into visiting your site and getting you ad revenue or such.

To give some other examples I refuse to be too specific about or link to, as I don't want to give the sites any exposure, one common trick is to make people worry a show has been cancelled by saying, "The fate of SHOW NAME has been announced," which sounds ominous because saying, "SHOW NAME renewed for another season," is less likely to inspire a panic-click. Oh, and there is the old chestnut where you say how, "This actor from SHOW NAME has sadly passed!" while showing a picture of the main cast...before revealing it was someone who played a bit role in a handful of episodes.

A Punisher movie? Oh, wait, misleading junk.

One site I will actually name, as it needs to be called out as often as possible, would be The Direct. Their headlines often are written in a misleading way, full of absurd theories, or flat-out lies designed to rile readers up. For example, saying something like, "Marvel Studios Unveils Its First-Ever Punisher Movie Poster," before you click the link for it to clarify, "Marvel Studios Unveils Its First-Ever Punisher-Featured Movie Poster," and revealing a Chinese movie poster for, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," which happens to have the Punisher on it. Basically, you get folks shocked/pumped at a headline hinting some kind of Punisher movie is coming only to go, "Ah, no, we totally just meant he's on a poster for the new Spidey flick. Barely. In another country. Ahem." This is pretty much the Standard Operating Procedure for the absolute hacks at The Direct. 

I mean, I'm critical of other sites such as Bleeding Cool, who have plenty of folks who hate them, but Bleeding Cool does get legitimate leaks/scoops/and so forth, with its owner, Rich Johnston, embracing the fact that some people find him an abrasive asshole. Bleeding Cool is a site prone to tabloid-style reporting, but they do not make stuff up. If Rich called me and said, "Hey, David, I'll give you a fat check to write some pieces for Bleeding Cool," I'd probably say, "First of all, how did you get my phone number? Oh, that time I emailed you I mentioned it? Fine. Second of all, if that check truly is juicy, you've got a deal." There are not enough zeroes you can put on the end of a contract for me to ever want to go near a site like The Direct (not that they want me, but the point stands). Considering how much misinformation, hearsay, and sheer bullshit that exists on the internet, posting misleading clickbait or outright guesses like, "The Batman 2 Set Photo Confirms Key Nightwing Easter Egg Connection In Sequel," because a photo from the set showed a van mentioning the city of Bludhaven (seriously, that's it), is moronic at best, malicious at worst.

Before clickbait, we had supermarket tabloids with eye-catching headlines. To the credit of my favorite tabloid ever, "The Weekly World News," it was an intentional parody of sensationalistic news, satirizing what the media and the rise of the internet would become before it could even realize how ahead of its time it was (it isn't totally dead thanks to an often funny website that unfortunately uses some AI imagery). TWWN knew it was a joke, though, and (almost) everyone reading it was in on it, knowing Batboy didn't actually help lead the troops to Saddam Hussein's Spider Hole or that P'Lod, an alien ambassador to Earth, did not exist. He also was not having an affair with Hillary Clinton (something she actually acknowledged and laughed about with Jay Leno). Now, however, people do believe all kinds of wild conspiracy theories, with AI deepfakes only making it worse. Now you don't just claim Barack Obama was born in Kenya (for whatever random reason you believe such nonsense); you share some AI slop video of a, "Doctor," confessing he delivered Barack Hussien (you always gotta mention the middle name for dogwhilste-esque reason) Obama in an African hospital. You see how it is a bit of a metaphorical snowball that grows into an avalanche of falsehoods. We've gone from (relatively) harmless claims about Elvis being alive and working in Burger King or some actor being rumored to appear in the next Marvel flick to someone reading that the vaccine for measles is more dangerous than the disease and going, "Yeah, I'll believe that." Clickbait is arguably a hop, skip, and a jump to conspiracy theories, after all. Which shifts us into my next segment of this short piece that grew into a bit of a long diatribe, my thoughts on, "Uncover Up: How to Think Clearly in an Age of Conspiracies."

Written by Lee Kuhnle and Nathan Radke, "Uncover Up," is releasing to all finer bookstores today. I was able to read an advance copy by my own request to the publisher, ECW Press, when I saw it solicited in their upcoming releases some months ago. It is a superb book that goes in-depth not as to what conspiracies are out there, but why conspiracies gain a following and grow in power. From casual reasoning leading us down rabbitholes of falsehoods to how the simple act of changing our minds when confroted with facts contray to what we believe is just so damn hard, I found, "Uncover Up," a superb read, whether it was diving into conspiracies from decades ago with Roswell, the Kennedy assassination, and the Moon Landings or looking into the Satanic panic of the past and more modern-day equivalents (like the Momo Challenge hoax). If you've ever looked at a conspiracy theory and wondered, "How could anyone believe that?" this is the book for you! On the flipside, if you've ever examined a conspiracy theory and said, "Wait, why do I maybe believe in this? What's going on with me?" then again, this is the book for you! 

I'm not saying falling for a simple clickbait article is going to turn you into someone who believes that the Earth is flat, but as page 175 points out, "Weirdly, as scientific evidence for a spherical Earth became overwhelming, the origins of the modern Flat Earth movement were starting to take root." The more evidence there is that something is patently false, the more fascinating it is when more and more people start to believe it, with the ideas only getting crazier. Okay, Zack Snyder is coming back to direct the DC Cinematic Universe any day now. Yeah, raw milk cures all kinds of medical ailments. Sure, the Democrats somehow stole the Presidential election in 2020 when Trump was President and his party controlled a ton of the government--yet, then Trump won in 2024 when the Democrats were in a position of power because we've got to, "Trust the plan." Whether we're dealing in questionable headlines that claim an innocent person gunned down by ICE for the, "Crime," of asking proof the agents were actually law enforcement was somehow a domestic terrorist or spending hours trying to prove that Jewish space lasers caused wildfires, it's turtles all the way down. "Uncover Up," is a great way to explore conspiracy theories, why they're so popular, and I rate it 5 out of 5 stars. A book such as this is a great way to try and gain an understanding of why we fall into conspiracies and how to avoid them (while acknowledging that some contain more than a kernel of truth as well). In closing, if any of these conspiracies are true, then why have I not been given my own space laser? Is the fact that I am more culturally Jewish and relatively unobservant a big disqualifier? If I need to keep Kosher in order to get my own space laser, I will strongly consider it. Maybe. Ah, I'm lying; I love bacon too much.

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.

A Free, "Dungeon Crawler Carl," Comic is Turning into a Hot Commodity

A small number of months ago, I learned about, "Dungeon Crawler Carl." It is a popular book series about a man who competes in fantasy dungeons for the approval of space aliens, although there is a lot more to it. I've heard it is great stuff, and I do want to pick up at least the first book to check out all the hype. It was recently announced that a television/streaming show is in the works (so it's been optioned), and for Free Comic Book Day, Vault happened to publish a, "Dungeon Crawler Carl," comic, "#0," issue. An issue that is now selling for $15 per copy--a freebie turned collectible, I suppose! That's interesting, but it gets really wild seeing how certain variants of the zero issue (that did cost a bit of money as opposed to being free) are going for way above cover price on secondary markets such as eBay. There seems to be a real hunger for, "Dungeon Crawler Carl," content, and I do wonder if these comics will still, "Pop," in the market in the future--perhaps if a possible show is a hit? All I can tell you is I knew of Carl and his dungeon crawling, but now I see just how hardcore his fans can be!

The Monkey's Paw Has Curled a Finger: Game Pass Prices Have Dropped, But With One Notable Change for the Worse

Ya'll know about the cursed monkey paw, right? Originally a classic short story simply titled, "The Monkey's Paw," by W.W. Jacobs, it involves a mysterious mummified monkey's hand that grants wishes but at a terrible cost. It has been homaged and riffed on in everything from, "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" to, "The Simpsons," and plenty of other media. Well, if anyone pulled out their monkey's paw today and said, "I want Microsoft's Game Pass to be cheaper, right now!" you've got your wish, with a little evil monkey-magic thrown in. You see, as of today, the Game Pass has gone down in price with the most expensive, "Ultimate," option decreasing from $30 to $23 and all the other selections going down in price as well. Something won't be, "Day One," on Game Pass anymore, and that, "Something," is pretty huge.

As Patricia Hernandez over at Polygon discusses, "According to Microsoft, everything that is currently included in either subscription will remain available after the price change. However, future Call of Duty games — including this year's unannounced Call of Duty entry — will no longer be day one releases on Game Pass. Instead, newer Call of Duty games will be available on Game Pass the following holiday season, or about a year after they first release. Existing Call of Duty titles already on the service will continue to be available for Game Pass subscribers." This might sting for many players as when it comes to the biggest games around, I often think of, "Pokemon," "Minecraft," and, "Call of Duty," being huge (there is GTA, but at this rate VI ain't never coming out). Obviously, the price increase ended up doing more harm than good, with many players (including yours truly) presumably giving up on Xbox/Game Pass with the drastic jump in cost back in October. I suppose a mix of lowering the price but charging people for (sooner) access to a big game is hoped to balance everything out. If you love Game Pass and, "Call of Duty," however, that Monkey Paw just zinged you thoroughly. Now, we shall see how this all shakes out.

Advance Review: "Oracles," by Olivia Sullivan

"Oracles," is an upcoming original graphic novel by Olivia Sullivan and set to be released by Avery Hill Publishing this Spring. I had the chance to read an advance copy and found it a superb and fascinating book! It features a minimalist prose that invites us to read between metaphorical lines as we witness a heartbroken individual head to the countryside in the hopes of exploration, meditation, and peace. Things get a bit supernatural, as well, between our protagonist, growing tree limbs out of their body at one point, and encountering strange creatures across varying landscapes.

"Oracles," is a bit of a visual poem, lush and imaginative as our hero/heroine (their gender is never made explicitly clear) traverses various places in the hope of finding...something. We are all searching, after all. for answers, community, clarity, or anything else. Maybe it can be found out in the wilderness, maybe not, but our, "Main character," has dreams of making a life out there (at one point literally dreaming of a perfect woodland life and then realizing they're ravenous as even these dreams of a busy life in the wilderness make one hungry). The mix of quiet sadness and an element of hope in, "Oracles," gives it a nice, vaguely optimistic vibe even when the unnamed narrator/protagonist is in harm's way--such as a boat capsizing.

I greatly adored, "Oracles," and found Sullivan's way of telling the story in bits and pieces of prose to work perfectly at giving us a contemplative (and beautifully drawn) tale. I would encourage you to preorder a copy directly from Avery Hill or ask your comic-shop/bookstore/library to secure a copy. I excitedly rate this comic/graphic novel...

5 out of 5 Stars.

Please Don't Tell the Parents of Someone With Autism You, "Get It," and Proceed to Illustrate Why You Don't

Many people are parents of children and adults with autism. They have heard all kinds of opinions, put up with a variety of odd questions, and been on the receiving end of stares or comments when out and about if their child/adult they care for is making sounds/stimming/etc. I've written here before about dealing with society's misunderstandings of Autism, but it almost infuriates me more when people feign understanding/kindness and proceed to then express immense ignorance. This was on display to me just today, in this very afternoon.

You see, Clarkson loves looking at books in stores. Any store we go to that has a selection of books excites him immensely. As of late, books featuring Pete the Cat or the David character from the, 'No, David!" books are his favorite. When we are at a store such as Half Price Books, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, or Target, he will build a little stack to flip through while sitting in a shopping cart and proceed to examine all his options. By the time we check out, we sometimes will then select one book he especially likes to purchase (if it's a special occasion, something like that) or tell him we're not getting a book today and give the handful of books to the employee at checkout. No store has ever had an employee complain about this, until today. It wasn't even the complaining that irritated me, either! It was how they did it.

Example of a Target book section

You see, we were checking out at the self-checkout at Target as we didn't have much besides some Salsa, chips, and a big ol' stack of books. Clarkson's birthday just occurred so I told him we could buy one book today. I scanned the wrong one, so I hit the, "Help," button to get it deleted. I was greeted by a lady who said how she recognized us from other visitss and asked if we could not always, "Have so many books," that had to be put back, but, "I get it, I really do." Meanwhile, Clarkson was side-eyeing her as she was standing so close, and he didn't like her angry and almost-yelling tone--which resulted in him clapping more and making some sounds.

At this point in the story, I would like to let you all know I took a deep breath, smiled, and apologized for creating extra work while I patted Clarkson's back to let him know everything was okay. I did not give in to the urge to call her a curse word or curse in general. If she had simply been relatively polite about the books, things would have been fine. If she had been rude but also didn't seem aware of Clarkson having autism, I'd understand that to a degree as well, even! However, please don't feign understanding and then make statements contrary to your claim of, "Getting it." She clearly did not, "Get it," and the situation only could have had the awkwardness and slight rage I felt increased if she'd polished off an old chestnut like, "You know, everyone's a little Autistic!" Should that have occurred, I probably would've busted out some choice swears.

People with Autism can make sounds, engage in movements, and have little routines that interrupt everyday life. Clarkson will hyperfixate on timers, on doors or wanting a shower. If he gets insanely focused on taking a quick shower because he loves the water, there is sometimes very little that can be done to delay/dissaude him from getting a shower without a total sensory meltdown/obbsession with getting a shower before he can focus on anything else. That's how it is sometimes, and you tweak certain things like making sure some doors are open or closed and tell him sometimes he needs to wait 5 minutes for a shower so Mommy and Daddy can finish eating a snack and help turn it on for him, but he gets that shower because he clearly needs it in his mind. If you've cared for someone with any disability, you know every person and disability is different. You understand that, and to a degree, you "Get it." This lady...she did not, "Get it," clearly. 

Oh, and if you don't, "Get it," it is okay to ask questions too! Other children Clarkson meets at play places will sometimes ask why he makes various sounds instead of talking and likes to clap. We'll tell those kids how he has Autism and uses a Talker device to communicate. Then Clarkson will play with them on the trampoline or such, and everyone has fun! When you're genuinely curious and are interacting with someone who is open to answering questions, it is okay to ask those questions (sometimes it isn't a good time, however, like in the middle of a sensory meltdown). Faking sympathy/empathy while at the same time complaining about how the actions of a disabled person inconvenienced you doesn't help anyone, however. I'm sorry that my child sometimes makes a little stack of books. I don't want to make extra work for anyone, and apologize for that. I won't apologize for his having a disability and accept your B.S. claim that you, "Really get it," when that's objectively false. So yeah, that was a Friday afternoon.

Happy Ninth Birthday, Clarkson!

Our first child, Clarkson, is nine years old! He was born today, all those years ago, and has grown into quite the smart, curious, and sweet boy. Plus, it is astonishing how tall he seems compared to a few years ago! Lately, he has really been into books, often requesting to have stories about Pete the Cat or the David character from the, "No David!" books read to him. He still is pretty picky about food, preferring a steady diet of McDonald's, pizza, noodles, waffles, bacon, apples, and bananas, but has expanded his palate a bit lately, being willing to try the occasional vegetable, some ice cream, or licking on a lollipop! 

I love it when Clarkson and his little brother, Gibson, are sweet with each other and cuddle or tickle one another--it is definitely a great deal more fun to witness than when they argue over a toy! I also am so happy when he wants to give his mommy or me hugs and kisses--he can be quite affectionate! Clarkson has continued growing in his use of his talker device, and after we noticed he seemed to understand letters, it was confirmed by his school that he can tell every letter apart in uppercase and lowercase, along with being able to read a good deal of words! I am so proud of everything Clarkson has accomplished and continues to learn and grow into. He is a wonderful boy, and I'm excited to celebrate his turning nine!

Neil Gaiman Picked NOW to Address Allegations?

A little more than a year ago, there was a big article in, "New York Magazine," that laid out how Neil Gaiman had allegedly sexually assaulted a number of women. I wrote about how it might take a bit for the whole truth to be figured out, but things looked bad. Thought of as a literary hero for quite some time, the allegations were extremely upsetting for big fans of Gaiman, and he denied any wrongdoing before he went radio silent. Various legal cases have been occuring but Gaiman posted nothing. However, now, Gaiman has made a new blog post, "...again denying the allegations, before hyping up his untitled next novel, and thanking fans who have supported him." 

Look, whether everything is true, some of it is true, or somehow nothing is true, the timing is awful. It is almost as if Gaiman saw all the Epstein files being released and thought, "Hey, maybe I'll remind everyone about my fiasco while sex predators are a trending topic!" I guess he really wants to promote upcoming work and link to a random Substack newsletter named TechnoPathology, which is heavily focused on discussing how its author believes Neil Gaiman is innocent (Gaiman claims no direct involvement). Again, regardless of Gaiman's guilt or innocence, he picked a Hell of a time to contribute to the dialogue going on about famous people and sexual assault.

"Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good," is a Superb Book About Larry David and His Works

Author Josh Levin has published, via ECW Press, a fantastic book all about Larry David and his works. Titled, "Pretty Pretty, Pretty Good: Tlary David and the Making of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm," it is a bit of a biography, a bit of an episode guide, and 100% full of Larry David--in all his positives and negatives! I had a ball reading it over the holiday season when I needed a break from all the hustle and bustle. There is a bit of a focus on young Larry and the creation/massive popularity of, "Seinfeld," is discussed, but the majority of the book focuses on his other masterpiece besides, "The Show About Nothing," his improv-heavy joy, "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

The early inspiration, the creation, and the gleeful nastiness of, "Curb," are all covered. We learn about how the cast formed, to where the jaunty jingle at the open and close of each episode came from, how HBO was quite at David's mercy in regards to when exactly seasons got made, and so forth. Controversies are not skimmed over (a chunk of the cast did face some scandals later on from Jeff Garlin being accused of inappropriate remarks on the set of another show he did, to how Larry's fictional wife, Cheryl Hines, later married a known vaccine-denier/danger to society's well-being, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Even with certain depressing elements taken into account, that does not take away from how amazing, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," is and why the show is worth spending a large chunk of this book covering.

"Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good," has a guide to every single episode of, "Curb," which can be handy if you don't quite remember which season features a particular bit or just want an enjoyable trip down memory lane looking at highlights. It does not seem as if David plans to make more, "Curb," although he does have a new project in the works for HBO (a mysteriously untitled, six-episode American history sketch comedy series). Reading all about Larry David, "Seinfeld," and especially about, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," is great fun in Levin's book. I'd encourage you to ask your local store to order you a copy, ask your library to get a copy, or you can visit the ECW website for plenty of purchasing options.

5 out of 5 Stars.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Better Not Burn Your Toast: The Science of Food and Health," is an Fun Read Full of Information

Dr. Joe Schwarcz writes early in, "Better Not Burn Your Toast: The Science of Food and Health," how absolute certainty in science is rare as it is constnatly evolving. Health advice he notes in this book, full of fun mini-chapters, could shift. That said, some things we can be pretty sure of include that cutting back on sugar is a good idea, exercise helps our health, autism is not caused by vaccines, smoking is bad, crystals can't magically heal us, we are unable to bend spoons with our mind, and homeopathic remedies are as effective as a placebo. That mix of serious-and-funny facts makes up much of, "Better Not Burn Your Toast," as it goes in-depth on everything from controversies about preservatives to memory supplements, red dyes, the potentail and issues of weight-loss shots, to how effective chicken noodle soup is at helping us feel better from a cold, and much more. Oh, and yes, it covers pretty early why burning food isn't the best idea (carcinogens) but the hype about smoking food as dangerous might be overstating risks.

Dr. Schwarcz presents all the information he covers in a very straightforward manner that makes it easy for those of us who don't have a medical degree to follow along and understand--when I was studying for my MPH back in the day, and read various medical journals, I often found my eyes glazed over, and that thankfully does not happen here. He writes with a bit of whimsy and humor that helps even the driest and most serious subjects have a fun vibe to learn about. This latest book of his is published by ECW Press, and it just officially released today. I'd encourage you to request a copy at your local bookshop or library, as it is a stellar read!

5 out of 5 Stars.

Note:

An advance copy was provided by ECW Press for the purposes of review.

The Depressing Irony of Censoring Banned Books Week

Lani Kawahara oversees the young adult section at Kauai’s largest library in Hawaii. She set up a display celebrating Banned Books Week. Books have been banned in other countries and challenged throughout America for all kinds of reasons--political, religious, concerns about violent or sexual content, and so forth). The fact that there are books certain people don't want others to read shows the importance of freedom of speech, press, and so forth. This makes it incredibly ironic that Kawahara's display about banned books was censored. Yes, the Hawaii library system is celebrating, "Freedom to Read," week instead of Banned Books Week to avoid political ire.

Banning a week about banned books basically proves why a Banned Books Week is important, doesn't it? People want to censor a book because they don't like it challenges a politician, calls out a religion, shows a sexual orientation that, for some reason, offends them, or otherwise want to keep you from reading about something. We should keep books with differing views or content that might upset others in our libraries, bookstores, and so forth. If you don't agree with something, don't read it! Let the people who want to read about Captain Underpants do so (seriously, that book was challenged) and if, "To Kill a Mockingbird," makes you uncomfortable with its discussion of racism, that is the point! Censoring Banned Books Week goes to show just why we need it, clearly.

"It's (Almost) Always Sunny in Philadelphia," is a Superb History and Examination of the Fantastic Show

Readers of the blog are well aware of my affinity for the television program, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." I just recently ranked all the episodes from the most recent season (17th), and right before the season commenced, a superb book examining the history, social impact, and so forth of the program was released. Written by Kimberly Potts, "It's (Almost) Always Sunny in Philadelphia," examines the origin of the show, its early years, how the cast we know and love came to be, and the whole story behind Danny DeVito joining in the second season--becoming that last puzzle piece that made it all gel (mostly) perfectly to today.

Through extensive research, interviews, and tons of fun anecdotes, Potts gives us fans of the show a delightful peek behind the scenes. Whether talking about the one episode, the cast would maybe rewrite a bit (when the gang fools Dee into thinking the rapper she's dating is a man with special needs), to discussing the epic showdown between Dayman and Nightman, or highlighting all the superb guest stars the show has had, there is a much to disuss and in about 300 pages Potts does a stupendous job covering it all and keeping each chapter fresh and engaging. I got my copy of, "It's (Almost) Always Sunny in Philadelphia," from the library after I requested it, and I'd encourage you to procure a copy from your own library/bookstore/etc. if you are a big fan of, "Sunny," too!

5 out of 5 Stars.

"Jesusland: Stories from the Upside Down World of Christian Pop Culture," Provides a Look into the Past and a Warning for the Future

Time for another review of a book that just came out today! First, a bit about me, however. You see, in the early 2000's I lived in a more metropolitan area of West Virginia, followed by a significantly rural area of Upstate New York. Living in these areas exposed me to folks who weren't just Christian, they were Christian. Their religion was a major part of their identity, and they wanted a culture that backed up their beliefs. They liked Christian music, television shows, movies, argued for, "Intelligent Design," and eagerly ignored any paradoxes or hypocrisies in their beliefs--if money is the root of all evil, why do many purveyors of Christian-influenced content get so rich and eagerly flaunt it? There is much to examine. Hence, "Jesusland: Stories from the Upside Down World of Christian Pop Culture," digs into all of that. This meaty book by Joelle Kidd contains nine assorted essays that examine everything from purity rings (you may recall those) to Christian lifestyle magazines for girls (you gotta dress modest to keep that boy you're into closer to Jesus than your genitals), to Kidd's own personal battles with her faith. She often grapples with how a religion that likes to act so persecuted also seems desperate to control much of the personal lives of others and force its way into popular culture in any manner it can. As I am someone who grew up somewhat parallel to those with fundamentalist/heavily conservative beliefs in the same time Kidd heavily examines (the early 2000's) I found, "Jesusland," intriguing as Hell, pun intended.

All of, "Jesusland," is a stellar read, with each chapter digging into varying aspects of Christianity and its weirdly siloed-off version of popular culture. There is one exact passage that really stuck with me in the book, however. It is on page 184 and it reads, "But no, as my teacher told it, if every word in the Bible was divinely inspired, then any one error would cause the entire thing to crumble. If scientists were able to prove that it wasn't true that the entire Earth was destroyed in a flood or that Jesus didn't really rise from the dead, then the whole of Christianity had lost its foundation. (Luckily, both these things were provable--we watched documentaries about them.) This is what really shook me to my core. What kind of faith was so tenous that had to be gripped so tightly?" 

Noah's Ark isn't a metaphor; it 100% happened. Right?

That section sums up the, "All or nothing," view some Christians have perfectly. We have to avoid sex until marriage (and only heterosexual stuff), the Earth has to only be 6,000 years old, and every single word of the bible is meant to be taken literally as opposed to being a parable because if one single part of the bible isn't 100% true, it has to all be false, and our religion falls apart. Many folks can accept a bible is a product of interpretations, translations, and that there are various holy scriptures for many religions, but those Christians whose whole identity is being Christian as opposed to a part of their life? They can't roll with that. That said, what kind of faith is so tenous that is has to be gripped onto for dear life or else it crumbles into pieces? A flawed take on theology, I'd argue, and Kidd clearly agrees.

"Jesusland," is by no means anti-Christian. It is anti-extremist and provides an enligtening deep-dive into Christianity-focused culture. Scratch that, Christianity-obsessed culture is more accurate. When you're more worried about converting others to your faith than your own personal love for God (or love you get from God), you're doing religion wrong. When you blame victims for sexual assualt because they, "Tempted," a man with immodest dress, you're doing religion wrong. When you...you know what, I'm going to stop because this list could take hours. Within, "Jesusland," Kidd provides a superb mix of academic examination and personal anecdotes of those who took their Christianity to the extreme, and clearly were (and many still are) doing religion wrong. 

Still making movies (and loads of cash) in the name of Christ!

We are now in 2025, and the book often points out how things have evolved or shifted from the earlier 2000s. Extremist Christian pop culture hasn't gone away. It has evolved (as ironic as that is to say) and changed itself in ways that ingratiate it with regular culture. Now it is about rebelling against things that are politically correct or woke, because Christians are the ones getting picked on...somehow. Maybe gay marriage isn't as much of a hot-button issue, but you can draw people slowly toward right-wing Christian Nationalism if you get them worried about transgender people playing sports. The little tweaks the far-right has made go on and on--right now diversity has become a dirty word with, "DEI," thrown around like a slur anytime someone who isn't a white male ascends to a position of power, as if being a minority somehow got them a job. "Jesusland," looks to the past, but is quite cognizant of how the successes and failures of extremist Christianity and its pop culture resulted in the ways it morphed itself for the present day.

"Jesusland: Stories from the Upside Down World of Christian Pop Culture," both evaluates a messy past and warns us about a dangerous future. The extremist aspects of Christianity have only gained more traction in the United States and even in parts of Canada. If people don't fight against hateful rhetoric or regressive thinking, both of those things will worm their way into society even more than is already quite apparent. The world of Christian Pop Culture is a twisted funhouse reflection of the real world. It is scary to think that a significant chunk of the population keeps pushing for that warped view of actuality to become accepted as fact and rule over our everyday lives. I appreciate Joelle Kidd writing this book to look back at a metaphorical yesterday and make us aware of the fight against a very upsetting possible tomorrow. Hell, it could literally be tomorrow in America, considering how fast things are going from bad to worse. I give, "Jesusland," a heavenly (pun intended, again)...

5 out of 5 Stars.

An advance copy was provided by ECW Press for the purposes of review.

"Playback," is a Fantastic Novel About How (Literally) Living in the Past Can't Fix Your Present

"Playback," is the latest novel from writer Carla Malden. It follows a 34-year-old named Mari who, in a previous book, "Shine Until Tomorrow," traveled to the 60's when she was 17. I did not read, "Shine Until Tomorrow," but to the credit of, "Playback," anything you'd need to know about Mari's previous journey is expertly imparted in the text. Mari now lives in the present, 2025, and she isn't sure if her memories of traveling in time even really happened, but her present-day life is a bit messy and has her yearning for a potential past. She's divorced, but does love her young daughter, Joni. She didn't achieve success photographing concerts or such, but has a successful career as a real estate photographer. Things aren't bad, but they aren't perfect. Pretty early on in the book, however, Mari finds herself inadvertently shooting backwards into 1967 when someone she cared about then has died in the, "Now."

Much of, "Playback," is spent examining how the more things change the more they stay the same--the window-dressing is just different. Whether it is 1967 or 2025, we live in times of protests, scandals, war, social upheaval, and with it all, a mix of people full of optimism as well as an unending stream of cynics. Whether Mari is somehow back in the 60s and still looks 17 even though she now feels 34, or is in the present dealing with all the B.S. we encounter there, life has complexities. A running theme of, "Playback," is both the love of nostalgia and the danger of embracing it too closely. We talk about, "The good old days," with fondness, and it can be tempting to want to live in them both metaphorically or in Mari's case, literally, but having rose-tinted glasses (the book makes a fun joke with that, actually) about times gone by won't fix your present.

The exact mechanics of why Mari travels in time aren't explored too heavily. She figures out how it is happening on this occasion and starts to realize that if she isn't careful, things can go really wrong. This becomes quite apparent later in the book when she considers trying to mess around with time via moving other people forward or back with her. I enjoyed all of, "Playback," but I really loved the last third where things get incredibly screwy as Mari realizes just how much little things can alter her future in ways she might not like.

Author Carla Malden

Mari spends much of her time in, "Playback," hanging with a band called Neon Dream (whom it is mentioned she assisted heavily in the first book). Music is a big element of the story, with the power it holds over us and within our hearts and memories, resulting in many sweet moments. While Mari is in the 60s, "Playback," both examines and makes some funny jokes about certain time-travel wackiness. Her first love, who used to be older than her and is named Jimmy, is now younger as he's still 22, but she's truly 34 (even if she doesn't look it). Also, one of my favorite running gags is Mari's tendency to ramble when upset, also has her mentioning future technology or ideas, but her anachronistic terminologies are written off by others who assume she's just quirky or possibly tripping on drugs.

"Playback," is a nice and brisk read at just a bit over 200 pages. It doesn't waste any time, with every moment feeling important to the story. There is nothing wrong with a longer yarn, but I love it when a book avoids ever feeling like it is treading water. Even though Mari wants to whittle away her time in 1967, I never felt like Malden was squandering our time with, "Playback," and I appreciate that. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, this book is a bit of a follow-up to another title, but it stands alone with ease.

I found, "Playback," to be a fantastic story thanks to its clever take on time-travel, superb characterization (Mari is a great protagonist and Neon Dream's members are all a hoot), and astute observations about sentimentnailly and the, "Trap," of wanting to live in the past (mentally or in actuality). I was provided a copy for the purposes of review by the publisher, but would encourage anyone interested in the book to get a copy at their local bookstore/request it from their library/bum it off a friend, as it officially hit stores today, August 12th. I give Karla Malden's latest novel....

5 out of 5 Stars.

A, "Captain Underpants," Manga Sounds Adorable and Fun

When I was a young lad in grade school, I loved the, "Captain Underpants," books that Dav Pilkey released. Full of hilarious artwork, clever plots, and a dash of toilet humor, he released a ton of entries in the series (he currently is putting out books in another hit series, "Dog Man," which is a cute line too). Now, Pilkey and Japanese manga creator Motojiro are creating a manga adaptation of the original book. Called, "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga," it will combine the joy of a Captain Underpants story with the very popular format of manga. It breaks a big rule of manga, reading left-to-right, but that's understandable, so the American kiddos don't get befuddled. Due to arrive April 6th of 2026, I could see it selling lots of copies and being quite popular.

"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.

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

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

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

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