Paul Reubens Has Passed

Paul Reubens has died after a private cancer battle. He was 70 and known for various roles but arguably most famous for his character of Pee-wee Herman. When I was younger I greatly enjoyed seeing, "Pee-wee's Playhouse," on the television and watching the movies. As an adult, I still appreciated the surreal humor and outright weirdness of Reuben's creation.

Paul Reubens' career had a number of ups and downs. He achieved massive success and had some scandals in his private life too. The man was undoubtedly a creative genius; the strange stories and creations he manifested into reality were astounding to witness. It's a bummer he's gone.

"Exoprimal," is a Weird and Fun Little Game

I've got the Xbox Game Pass so I'm able to dip my toe into games with ease. If I like something I can keep playing it and if I dislike it, I move on with nary a problem. I was intrigued when I saw promotions for, "Exoprimal," as it featured a team of human players fighting against AI dinosaurs and other human players. Then I saw mixed-to-negative reviews. Still, I tried the game out even knowing it maybe wasn't the best, and found myself pleasantly surprised by what I've played so far.

"Exoprimal," is a multiplayer game but between missions will give you little cinema scenes that flesh out a very strange plot. It is a bit of a kitchen sink of a story with time travel, alternate dimensions, self-aware robots forcing wargames for twisted amusement, mech suits, dinosaurs, and you as the silent protagonist surrounded by a zany crew with an assortment of accents. You don't have to pay any attention to the plot, but it is so utterly bonkers I found it a bit endearing. The gameplay itself allows you to wear various suits that let you do all kinds of powers from shooting to punching, shielding allies, healing friends, floating around, summoning helpful dinos, and more. It is a bit like the various characters in games such as, "Overwatch," who are all very different but manage to complement each others' skill sets. You run around, fight dinosaurs and some other players, watch a zany cinema scene, and that's how it goes.

You level up and can tweak certain things or even buy cosmetic upgrades, but the game isn't too annoying with that and thankfully lacks other stuff I'm burnt out on in many other titles (too many games have some form of, "Crafting," these days). This is mostly a straightforward affair of beating up prehistoric creatures and having laid-back fun while you do it. The graphics are perfectly fine without having a, "Wow," factor, the gameplay is simple but engaging (and you can always change your mech suit to alter your style of play if one method gets dull), and while, "Exoprimal," may not win any awards or astound players, it's some chill fun. I haven't played nearly enough to offer what I'd consider a truly detailed review, but from what I have sampled I'd say this is a pleasant 4 out of 5 stars of a game.

The First Two Issues of the Latest, "Incredible Hulk," Run Are Quite Entertaining

Not too long ago we had one of the best runs focused on the Hulk ever. Al Ewing and Joe Bennett's "The Immortal Hulk," was superb, and whatever came after it would unfortunately face impossible expectations and quite likely fail to measure up. That led to, "Hulk," by Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley. It limped to 14 issues and was marked by Cates simply quitting and Ottley remarking how it was possibly the last time he'd do a corporate book as opposed to his own creator-owned stuff. The series started off fun, at least, but we were left wondering what could have been by the sudden end. Thankfully, with just two issues it has become clear that this latest run of, "The Incredible Hulk," is a return to that lovely horrifying vibe of, "Immortal," while also being its own thing.

Phillip Kennedy Johnson is writing with Nic Klein on art and, "The Incredible Hulk," has made it clear we're in some creepy territory. There's a super-powerful dark monster summoning all the other creatures to come help it and the Hulk might be the only thing that can stand in the way. Bruce Banner and the Hulk are back to squabbling with each other as they often do, however, so that complicates any plans to stop the World from its latest cataclysmic threat. In this issue, we meet some folks rising from the dead with one of their leaders, Sister Sadie, spreading an eerie gospel to a bunch of somewhat-cognizant zombies. It is a bit humorous and quite creepy.

The Hulk works in many fashions. He can be heroic and hang with other heroes. He can even be comedic relief at times. For my money, however, I like when he is a terrifying force of nature that invokes more fear than joy in those who witness him. The Hulk is Bruce Banner's Id when you drill everything down to its most basic. He is rage and destruction incarnate. The only saving grace to the Hulk is there are sometimes things even more alarming and spine-chilling than him. Having a comic focused on the Hulk going up against other supernatural and horrifying monsters helps make this point clear. I'm all for it and based on these first two issues I think we're in for a wild and scary ride!

5 out of 5 stars (for both issues).

Funko Friday: A Funko Pop Set Sold For 210,000 Dollars and This Hobby is Getting Kind of Crazy

Funko Pops have some products that are so mass-produced and worthless they end up shredded in an industrial machine and thrown in a landfill because that's cheaper than storing them all in a warehouse. Other Funko Pops are incredibly rare and--in the same manner of limited trading cards--valuable and sought after. Yes, I know, "Value," is relative because if/when this bubble bursts Funko products will be like Beanie Babies (although some of those still have a little monetary worth). That said, a fellow who goes by GrailMonster just took the $100,00 he spent on a limited, "Golden Ticket 2-Pack," a year or so ago and made some cash thanks to pocketing $210,000. 

The pack features a golden Willy Wonk and Oompa Loompa and maybe 10 or so exist in the World. Fans earned it through a giveaway and now GrailMonster has sold it to a collectible retailer named eVend. They've hinted there might be some big mystery box event where one lucky winner gets this rare Pop set. Yeah, it really is like trading and sports card with the mystery box/pack/gambling aspect, something I wrote about a bit ago. I'm not hating on the, "Value," aspect of the hobby and I still have some of my own Funko Pops I enjoy (I'll buy a new one on a rare occasion still), all my Pops are pretty worthless, however, and I just have them because I think they're fun in the same manner some of my favorite comics are dollar-bin fodder but great reads. This Funko Pop hobby is clearly getting kind of crazy and either is reaching some kind of equilibrium between the valuable and cheap stuff or that aforementioned bubble could burst soon. We shall see.

"Baldur's Gate 3," is Looking Like it Might Be Really Fun

I enjoy video-games that don't take a ton of time, but I'll still give the ones that are jam-packed with content a chance if they look really appealing. The more I hear about, "Baldur's Gate 3," the more interested I become. The game is from the folks who made the quite enjoyable, "Divinity: Original Sin 2," among other titles, Larian Studios. It's an epic RPG full of choices, complex characters, intuitive combat, and sounds like it'll be a great time. It isn't getting a physical disc release so I won't be able to rent it and try it out--which worries me in case for some reason I dislike it--but I'm willing to give it a shot if it really is as great as the game seems to be shaping up to be. Many people have played a chunk on the computer as some of the opening hours were in early access, but the whole game finally coming out is what's got me interested.

Years ago I played a bit of the first, "Baldur's Gate." Still, this title apparently stands pretty much alone from the other games with just some fun references to previous entries instead of requiring any previous gameplay. It's getting a lot of positive buzz and releases on PC this August and the Playstation 5 in September; so, I'll be able to see how computer reviews are and then know if I want to dive into this game on my console. Between, "Baldur's Gate 3," and, "Starfield," over on the Xbox, the month of September has some heavy hitters coming out!

Television Tuesday (a Day Late on Wednesday): "Futurama," is Back Yet Again!

"Futurama," is a show that refuses to stay canceled. Fox killed it but Cartoon Network picked it up in reruns for their Adult Swim block. Then Comedy Central did some direct-to-DVD movies that were retroactively made a season of the show as new individual episodes then were produced. About a decade ago the show as canceled again and that was truly the end of the show. Until now! After a lot of negotiations regarding pay for the original voice cast is back for what is season 11 of, "Futurama," on Hulu. As the Professor would say, "Good news everyone!" because it still feels just like, "Futurama," based on at least the first episode of this new season.

It's been a decade since the last series finale (weird to think there are multiple ones) but the show humorously acknowledges the past while making it clear we're in a new present. Despite being a show about the future, "Futurama," has often included current topics and this episode works in jokes about binging shows on streaming networks, has an NFT jab, and makes a lot of meta jokes regarding the cancelation and bringing back of fan-favorite programs. Don't worry that this is all just jokes about whatever is trending, however, that classic Futurama DNA is present. We've got Bender drinking while cracking jokes as always, Zoidberg is an endearing loser, and Richard Nixon's head is still in a jar and serving as President because why not?

Bender is back and still loves to drink!

If you ever watched and liked any of the on-again-off-again seasons of, "Futurama," you'll enjoy the first episode of this latest iteration. Our own World has changed a lot since the last time there were new, "Futurama," episodes, but the show itself somehow always manages to be reliably funny and familiar even when trying new fresh ideas. Welcome back, "Futurama." Well, welcome back, again.

5 out of 5 stars.

The 2023 Edition of, "The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide," Is Out!

I enjoy physical media. When it comes to music I'll stream stuff, but I'm also a fan of vinyl, cassette tapes, and CDs. I have a soft spot for VHS tapes and DVDs as well. I--obviously--like reading comics in their physical form too. Therefore, I always like to pick up a copy of, "The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide," when it comes out every year. Yes, the prices for newer and hot comics can fluctuate quite rapidly and therefore the book is outdated in that regard the moment it is published. That said, it is a fantastic reference for older books such as Golden Age titles that might not be spotted for sale on an online auction site or such for years at a time. 

The guide also contains cool articles, insight into the comic market by the, "Overstreet Advisors," along with reports about popular titles, and simply is fun to flip through! It won't provide up-to-the-minute data about how stuff is selling in the same manner as a site like Covrprice (which I also like using), but it is a fantastic reference and always worth checking out when it's published over the Summer. I'm pleased to have picked up my copy of the 53rd edition of, "The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide," and am having fun reading about comic-books within its many pages. It may not be the only resource for pricing comics anymore, but it still can be quite useful. Plus, as I said, it's good reading!

5 out of 5 stars.

Twitter is Now Going Simply by X Because Elon Musk is Clearly a Madman

I guess Elon Musk can't destroy Twitter if Twitter technically doesn't exist and is now known as, "X." Yes, you heard that right. Musk is continuing his effort to alienate everyone who enjoys the social media site and has transformed Twitter into X.com (a letter and domain he has some nostalgia toward) by getting rid of the blue bird logo and giving us a big black X. I guess we don't even tweet anymore, we just...I dunno, "X stuff out," or something? I've written on multiple occasions about how straight-up bad of a job Musk is doing running Twitter as for every good/cool idea Musk has they're usually followed up by five bad ones. I legitimately wonder how a supposedly very smart man can be this awful at running Twitter/X (not that I'm claiming I'd be that great as the head of a company, but still). It is to the point I almost believe the conspiracy theories I've read arguing Musk is intentionally ruining Twitter as it is a way for the populace to mobilize against those in political or financial positions of power.

For now, you can still access Twitter/X by typing in either within your browser. The app logo is still a bird for me as well. The website is a bunch of X's however, so clearly the fowl's days are numbered. Meanwhile, I continue to enjoy using Threads and wonder if this will only help that app further.

Steve's Comic Cleaning and Pressing Has Done it Again!

I've written a couple of times now about how great Steve's Comic Cleaning and Pressing is if you need your comics worked upon. Whether you plan to submit a book for grading or just want it to present better, Steve does fantastic work! The latest example of his skill would be my, "Omega Men," #3 which has returned from CGC as an exemplary 9.8. You can see my picture of it above and please know I am quite happy! I was hopeful the book might get a 9.6 but did worry about some waviness in the pages and how my eye often misses little concerns that CGC might notice. Steve's work made it so that the first appearance of Lobo scored the highest grade you generally see (it is almost unheard of for a comic to get a 9.9 or 10.0 outside of a small number of cases). I just want to thank Steve for his continued amazing work and plan to keep returning to him as a customer whenever I've got a comic I want to be worked on before it goes to get graded. Check his site out and don't hesitate to message him if you need pressing or cleaning!

"Justice League Vs. Godzilla Vs. Kong," Sounds Like My Kind of Silly Fun

I am someone who can enjoy stories that are deep, smart, complex, and otherwise complicated. Big and dramatic and serious stuff is important, there is no argument there. However, readers of this blog know that I am also a fan of stuff that is just dumb and silly fun too! With that in mind, I can appreciate that DC will be giving us a comic where the Justice League fights Godzilla and King Kong. Plus there will be special variants where you can press a button and hear a roar? Yes please, obviously! Writer Brian Buccellato, artist Christian Duce, and colorist Luis Guerrero simply just need to give me something bombastic and crazy and I'm sure I'll love all seven issues. 

As this was just officially announced details are scarce beyond how Godzilla and Kong are coming over from alternate dimensions and (one assumes) ready to angrily smash stuff. I’m interested in this without a doubt as a fan of over-the-top stuff. I look forward to the first issue in October!