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 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, was 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 some reason); 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 Natahn 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 a believe 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 clickbait headlines that claim an innocent person gunned down by ICE for the, "Crime," of asking proof they 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 and 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.

Trump Already Wants to Steal the Midterms and is Plotting at 2028 Run as a, "Joke," Now

The other day, Trump put a hat on his head that, "Joked," to a bunch of news correspondents that he wanted to run a fourth time for a third term and continue to serve as President, in open defiance of many laws and the bedrock of our nation, the Constitution--the 22nd Amendment is pretty clear. The headlines from many major news sources emphasize the, "Joke," part. Not enough people are pointing out that he isn't joking, and those who are have to essentially scream it and are being dismissed. This is a man who has made it clear he will put aside any laws or facts to push his own agenda and beliefs. He continues to push the obvious lie that he won the 2020 Presidential election. 

Anyone who dares to challenge his claims of ending wars, fixing economies, or other flights of fancy is dumb (don't forget the B) for calling him out. Trump's version of reality is one where he always wins, and if he ever loses, it is because the other person cheated somehow. Meanwhile, he keeps trying his hardest to fix these, "Games," in his favor. After repeated efforts to make it harder to vote via various proposed laws/acts/and so forth, Trump is pushing the Supreme Court to let him make mail-in voting harder under the guise of, "Protecting," elections. He wants to consolidate and secure power, not for the Republican Party (that's a mean to an ends for him) but so that the Party can help him defy the rule of law and find some way for him to keep being President/ruler until the day comes when that last Big Mac does him in or JD Vance batters Trump with a freshly-humped couch cushion in the hopes he can get the top position of power he's been angling at for some time. Trump was never joking about his first run for President. He wasn't joking about undoing Roe v Wade, getting rid of USAID, installing himself as the head of the Kennedy Center, or anything else. 

Trump keeps saying things, and people go, "Oh, that Donald Trump loves being silly," as if he isn't looking us dead in the eyes (with his own dead eyes) and telling us his actual intentions. The only time Trump seems to like saying the truth is when it is delivered as if it is a joke. When someone at your job comes to your office, shows you a knife and, "Jokes," with a shockingly straight face about stabbing you next week, it really is your own damn fault if you're surprised when seven days later you take a knife to the hand during your budget presentation. Trump is showing us his weapon in the form of  a, "Silly," hat and isn't even trying to be subtle in his efforts to bring harm with his fascist rule. If Trump truly does want us to giggle, it is only so we're distracted whilst he delivers the killing blow to democracy and his MAGA cult cheers it on. We've had years to realize that you downplay his danger to society at your own risk, yet it is a lesson much of America refuses to learn. Watch this year's midterms, as it'll serve as the blueprint for what Trump attempts in 2028.

I Enjoyed the Spector Club Comic Show for July 2026

Some of the showfloor as setup was occurring.

I attended the Spector Club Comic Show today and had a superb time. Clarkson decided to wake up early and go with me; he enjoyed being wheeled around in the cart he always likes chilling in whilst we saw many awesome friends and enjoyed looking at a wide variety of comics. The Spector Club always is full of comic vendors with stuff from very old Golden Age comics to the hottest Modern Age books. Whether you like your comics to be almost a century old or more recently published, it is always a superb mix!

I started off the show thanking Spike Forester (of Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles) and Dave Schmidt from All American Collectibles as they always put a ton of work into doing such an awesome event. I caught up with John from Bigfoot Comics and chatted with David from Callisto Comics as well. Bruce Reynolds had brought a fun mix of stuff, as had Geoff and my chums from Tatertot. The friendly Tim Metzger had an immense amount of dollar books that were fun to pick through. I enjoyed browsing Nate's comics, and Jeff from Mangitude 10 Comics brought a smorgasbord of titles. As Clarkson and I looked about, I acquired a fun copy of, "Green Lantern," #25 with the Green Lanterns fighting the Sinestro Corps back in the 2000's as well as a third printing of the first issue of, "Absolute Batman." Give them a look:

Some other terrific folks I had a chance to visit with included Wayne Judge (who didn't have a table this time but always makes delicious stuff), Dan, who was showcasing a cool assortment of comics, Crypt of Heroes were showing off their awesome series, and CoMo Comics had a ton of books available as well. I also was pleased to see the talented Lorenzo Lizana at the show! I've named only some of the vendors who were present, which goes to show just how many stellar comic (and collectible) vendors can be found at the show's new home for 2026, 4690 Lansdowne Avenue (in the American-Czech Educational Center). I am excited for the next event on October 11th and would encourage anyone who is able to attend it to be sure and do so!

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.

DC Announced a Bunch of Cool Comic-Book Stuff Today! As for Marvel...

DC announced all kinds of things today at Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con, with a lot of it involving their comic-books. The comic line of DC is on fire right now compared to a struggling Marvel, so I was curious what might be coming down the pipeline from the company. We've got a new Static (Shock) series on the way, and Vixen is getting an ongoing solo book as well, with DC challenging, "...the long-standing stigma that 'Black comics don’t sell,'" with two fan-favorites. Plus, Michael Walsh writing and drawing Jonah Hex as a horror-filled Western sounds like it'll be rad. Speaking of horror, James Harren doing a book on Etrigan The Demon, has my attention. One big crowd-pleaser was the announcement of, "Batman of Two Worlds," which will have Matt Fraction's Batman of the standard DC going through a parallel story with the Batman from the Absolute Universe that Scott Snyder will be writing (I have no idea if they'll meet and chat/fight, but we'll see). It'll feature, "Two stories, one crime." It'll come out on Saturday, September 19th, for Batman Day. This all looks quite exciting!

We get a new, "Venom," #1 every few years or so.

As for Marvel and their comic announcements as of today, um, well...let's see here. Eddie Brock is going to be Venom again after other people have been wearing the suit--Mary Jane most recently, because why not? Also, the evil/"Infernal," Hulk is going to have a bunch of one-shot fights with various heroes. Plus, Deadpool and the Punisher are going to have a crossover, as they do every now and again. Uhhhh, plus Mary Jane is getting another ongoing comic with J. Scott Campbell doing a cover for it, as he always seems to enjoy drawing her. Look, I was a huge Marvel fan for years, and some of my favorite stuff came out from them 2000-2015 or so, but this is all pretty uninspiring. I'm sorry; don't shoot the messenger. Let's just hope that, "Avengers: Doomsday," is a hit and injects some form of life into one division of the company because the Marvel Universe of comics is a bit dull. We're getting an, "Indiana Jones," comic in a different continuity than the superheroes and the, "Marvel Midnight," stuff looks a little interesting, but the Main/616 Universe has a handful of writers doing stories I like and little else popping off. Unless you're chomping at the bit for the Punisher to randomly join the Avengers or Iron Man to be in trouble with the law for the umpteenth time, shit's bleak. Again, let's just be cautiously optimistic about, "Avengers: Doomsday," and see how that (in December) and the Spidey movie coming out (in a week or two) go. As it stands, DC is bringing a lot more fire this year to the show while Marvel seems to be mostly hints of a spark and a lot of fumes.

Polly Pocket and My Little Pony Are Teaming Up to Provide a Nostalgia Overload. Can We Bring Back Mighty Max, Too?

In the 1990's you saw a huge number of kids playing with Mighty Max and Polly Pocket (both owned by Mattel since 1998). Max was geared more towards boys with creepy monster playsets, and Polly towards girls with mansions, boutiques, and such. However, when I was a young warthog ("Lion King," reference), I noticed the figures were about the same size, and I would use my creativity to play with both. I'd have Polly Pocket go explore a haunted mummy tomb while Max chilled by the pool at a hotel. I'd concoct these elaborate stories about them and have a lot of fun with both products. Hence, seeing Polly Pocket back in the news gave me a little nostalgic jolt, and hearing she's teaming-up with, "My Little Pony," doesn't get me too excited, but I'm sure some people who enjoyed both Polly and the Ponies are positively foaming at the mouth hearing about a new playset with the mouthful of a name, "My Little Pony Polly Pocket Compact."

The MLPPPC, for short(ish), is not yet for sale anywhere. You cannot even buy it at Comic-Con International/SDCC, whose announcement it is intended to overlap with. That said, it is on display at the show to build hype for when it does land in stores for a suggested retail price of $30. If Hasbro, the owners of, "My Little Pony," and Mattel (who own Polly Pocket) can team up for this cool collaboration, it isn't that far-fetched to think Mattel can use another of its own properties with Mighty Max and give me an official crossover with Polly Pocket to send my Millennial self into a nirvana of nostalgia.

"Avengers: Armageddon," #2 and, "Captain America," #13 are Two Comics by the Same Writer Yet Have Such a Tonal Difference

Chip Zdarsky is a fantastic writer. There are not too many folks writing comics at Marvel right now I get excited to pick up the work of, but they include Jed MacKay, Jonathan Hickman, and good ol' Chip. Last week, he had two comics come out that take place within the same Universe, a part of the same event (to a degree), and are just so different it is astounding. You've got the second issue of, "Avengers: Armageddon," which is full of geopolitical intrigue, arguments about how to utilize militaristic power in the name of affecting change, and so forth. Then, Captain America was brutally injured by the Red Hulk/Thunderbolt Ross before, "Avengers: Armageddon," and his comic follows him in some surreal iteration of Hell, leading damned souls and some demons to overthrow Mephisto. It's good, but weird.

One comic is doing an interesting take on, "Powerful hero questions why the other heroes do so little," concept, which has been riffed on by everyone from Alan Moore (Miracleman) to your friend who complains, "Why won't Batman just kill the Joker?" This questioning is being done with by a newer character, David Colton, who appeared in the start of Zdarsky's run on, "Captain America," in a flashback arc (to establish he's been around in continuity but just hasn't been seen much) and then got some extra powers due to a magical Origin Box from the Ultimate Universe...yeah, it is a bit confusing, comics can be wacky. It is still interesting and slightly grounded in reality with its exploration of if, "Might makes right," and how much justification America has to put its forces in other countries--be they superheroes or the military.

Meanwhile, we've got the same writer taking the, "Captain America," comic that had the same vibe but suddenly segued us into Hell. As for why Captain America went to Hell, Doctor Doom kinda ended up there too when he died in his recent, "One World Under Doom," comic (he's got some beef with the Devil, as past comics established) and used his magic to get Steve Rogers dragged down there too upon being mortally wounded. This is not a metaphorical or symbolic Hell, either; this is a literal Hell, full of mystical monsters and fire. The shift from, "Riffing on real-world politics with fictional superheroes," to, "Hey, let's take a big journey through Hell," brings some tonal whiplash for sure, but Zdarsky is a skilled enough writer that it isn't too jarring. Plus, again, comics can be wacky! Both comics are great reads, and this isn't a review so much as me discussing how strange comics can get. Chip Zdarsky knows how to spin a good yarn, though, and I congratulate him on his, "Stillwater," comic getting a T.V. series order, as well!

CCI/SDCC Starts Tomorrow with the Preview Night

Starting tomorrow, Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con will have the Preview Night. There are no big panels, but if you bought the special badge that includes it or such, you can enjoy wandering around the show floor and (generally) doing some shopping. Then, once it is Thursday, the show starts in full force with tons of attendees, panels, events, and all that good stuff. I'm sure a large amount of news will emerge from the show about upcoming comics, television shows, movies, games, toys, and anything else in popular culture with a fanbase because this is such a huge event! I know I'll be staying tuned to any news feeds for any interesting updates when I'm not busy checking out some other cool local shows this weekend. It is always interesting to see what ends up being the biggest story of/from the show, that's for sure.

The First Full Trailer for, "Avengers: Doomsday," Appears Nifty

I watched the first (of probably a couple) full trailer for, "Avengers Doomsday." Besides a bit of a teaser here and there, little has been shown/revealed. In the trailer, released yesterday, we hear what sounds like Robert Downey Junior with an accent speaking as Doctor Doom about a major threat. Then, we get a bunch of scenes of much of the MCU gathering together whilst a voice-over from Thor (Chris Hemsworth) discusses how the current threat facing everyone scares him more than anything he'd ever faced--and back then he had other friends by his side too...who died (one would assume this references Iron Man and Captain America, not so much the MCU's Pietro/Quicksilver). Have a look:

The footage gives us a good look at some Multiversal iteration of the Avengers fighting an X-Men team where Channing Tatum's Gambit is present (odd, but I'm not complaining) and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) wears more clothing (which does have some of the internet that favors a nothing-but-blue-paint-style complaining). I mean, we get more James Marsden as Cyclops, and he's in a comic-style suit, so I'm happy about that and am fine with the other tweaks too--Magneto's got some long locks! I would imagine much of the movie is centered on the Avengers taking on this X-Men-verse as we saw with, "Incursions," when Jonathan Hickman wrote, "Avengers," and, "New Avengers." That eventually ended with Doctor Doom kind of saving the day and creating a new Universe in the 2015 version of, "Secret Wars," which also happens to be the second part of this filmic duology with, "Avengers: Secret Wars." 

The trailer got me curious enough about the movie I'd maybe check it out in theaters, even if the Chris Evans' Captain America return had already been spoiled before the trailer's reveal. I haven't really been able to say that about a Marvel production since the horror stylings of the Sam Raimi-directed, "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness," got me to buy a movie ticket. If I'm considering seeing this in theaters, I guess mission accomplished? Plus, it gives Marvel plenty to talk about this week at Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con!

"Terminal," #1 Advance Review

The debut issue of "Terminal," arrives in comic shops in two days. Skybound (an imprint of Image), putting out this new series, was kind enough to send digital copies out for the purpose of review more than a month before the book was set to hit stands (with the request that all reviewers wait until the Monday before its release to share their thoughts). Written by Robert Kirkman and Joe Casey, those two names have a lot of skill and a number of hits under their belt. This first issue is illustrated by the also extremely talented Andy Kubert. That makes it interesting that I wasn't disappointed in this first issue, but perhaps one could say slightly underwhelmed with a hint of optimism?

"Terminal," features two secret groups fighting to seemingly either save or doom Earth. The people involved have powers, there are long-lost siblings, weird otherworldly beings, and other concepts you've seen in many other stories. Kubert's art is fantastic, but I found myself waiting the whole time I was reading for the story to really hook me in. Outside of a bit of a twist regarding who I thought would be the main character for the book, there wasn't much meat here. Still, "Invincible," didn't really get going with its reveal about Omni-Man until around the seventh issue and, "The Walking Dead," needed a chunk of issues before really picking up steam. This goes to say that I somewhat expect there is more to, "Terminal," than the first issue indicates. Kirkman is known for his slow-burn style with some stories and Casey is excellent as spinning a yarn full of twists and quirks as well (his, "Uncanny X-Men," run remains underrated and his, "Codeflesh," is a grim and surreal masterpiece). It wouldn't surprise me if, "Terminal," manages to, well, surprise me! For now, it has a good-but-not-great first issue and has me at least a bit curious where things could go next.

3 out of 5 Stars.