Diamond's Bankruptcy is Quickly Having Ramifications on Smaller Publishers

Diamond Comic Distributors kicked off the New Year by declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This does not mean they are going out of business at the moment but they will need to reorganize a lot of assets, get money in order, and so forth. Diamond doing this has had a lot of impact already, much of it bad. Publishers who are distributed via PRH (Marvel) or Lunar (DC and some others) aren't impacted as heavily as those who only release their comics via Diamond--they have new problems arising. While a company like Image can just drop Diamond and stick with other distributors, other companies cannot. Diamond basically won't be paying a number of publishers or their comics and smaller publishers can rely on the smallest of margins to stay profitable. American Mythology Productions is one publisher who has now publicly stated how much of a risk Diamond's bankruptcy is for their survival.

American Mythology Productions/AMP is a smaller publisher with some licensed properties and an assortment of original creations. They also are only distributed via Diamond and have a chunk of money Diamond owes them for some recently shipped books which they won't be getting any time soon (due to the bankruptcy announcement). AMP sent an email to people who bought directly from them, discussing how they face a real danger of going out of business. This is probably the first of many publishers telling the public how Diamond's bankruptcy is bad news for them. I sincerely hope that Diamond can get everything figured out as quickly as possible and that publishers who utilize Diamond can weather this storm. Every big storm leaves some damage, however, and the metaphorical winds just started blowing in this case.

Inexplicably, Today is National Pie Day

Yeah, two posts about food in a row. Anyway, today, January 23rd is National Pie Day. I learned this by watching News 4 Great Day (formerly Great Day Saint Louis) as they discussed the holiday with a local business known as Damn Fine Pies. I find it odd as March 14th AKA the day for PI, is right there. After all, many folks enjoy pie in honor of PI on that notable day. As someone who enjoys pie, I don't mind there being multiple holidays that give me an excuse to eat some (every Thanksgiving I always obliterate some pumpkin pie). I just find it quite interesting and random that today is National Pie Day. I understand there are historical reasons--a random teacher declared his birthday Pie Day and afterward the National Pie Council ran with it (that is not a joke)--but I may forget the 23rd as being a day for pie, to be honest. March 14th I'll always remember is the day for PI and pie, however.

Pizza Cupcakes Are Delicious!

I was at Target the other day because it is my favorite shopping establishment to visit besides comic-book stores. Whilst there I spotted something interesting in the freezer aisle with assorted appetizer options. Called Pizza Cupcakes, they looked like savory cupcakes, basically. The box also said they were featured on, "Shark Tank," which is a show I enjoy watching on occasion (and have bought products from as I love my Scrub Daddys). I purchased a box of Margherita Pizza Cupcakes, put them in the air fryer at home, and tried them out. What is my opinion, you may ask? They are quite good.

A Pizza Cupcake is a bit like a bigger and more doughy Bagel Bite with higher-quality cheese. I don't say that to denigrate Bagle Bites by any means, but those are the kind of food you eat when you want something easy because you're lazy and hungry--or you're drunk...and hungry. Pizza Cupcakes don't require a major amount of effort but do need an oven or air fryer. Once you've got them cooked they have a nice texture as you bite in to taste some good cheese, chewy dough, and just enough pizza sauce to feel satisfied. I was really pleased with the Pizza Cupcake and plan to purchase it again so I can enjoy some more. When you enjoy a food item enough that you want more of it, that's a winner in my book. Should you want to find some Pizza Cupcakes near your place of residence they do have a snazzy store locator as well as the option to order directly with the product shipped to you efficiently with dry ice and such to keep it cold. As a new fan of Pizza Cupcakes, I'd definitely recommend trying them out!

5 out of 5 Stars.

This Random LEGO Video Fascinated Me For a Handful of Reasons

My wife sent me a random video she had stumbled upon where a man named Sam Builds discussed LEGOS. I found it fascinating because it involved a town I once lived in, Parkersburg (West Virginia), and touched upon the complicated technology used to make those darn blocks click together--and how its evolved over time. The man in the video admits what he covers is a bit niche, but I liked it and figured I'd share it too, because why not? Anyway, check it out at this link. Now you see how my blog isn't just rambling opinions, you learn stuff here too!

MLK Day in 2025

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. He was a man who changed the course of history in so many ways for the better. A human being who used his gifts to try and help others. A person who critics like to point out had flaws (as we all do) and a civil rights icon who tried his hardest to make a dream of equality possible. It wasn't all Dr. King, of course, with many who worked with him at times overlooked (just consider Bayard Rustin for one example) and some others who strived for civil rights at times coming into conflict with King (Malcolm X is a big name). Still, without Martin Luther King Jr. we would not have a World that felt as much impact as he thankfully made.

Today was also the inauguration day for Donald Trump, as he returned to the office of the President of the United States. There is a twisted joke to that which would make me laugh if the irony weren't so bitter it made me choke. The more we fight for King's dream the more some push back against it, I suppose. As John Lewis (another major figure in civil rights) would have put it, we're going to have to make a lot of, "Good Trouble," these next four years.

...And TikTok is Already Back (For Now)

Well, that was an interesting total of 14 or so hours. TikTok is back online and indicates due to working out a deal with incoming President Donald Trump they'll be around for at least a bit longer and hope to stay active. Right now the app can't be downloaded on an Apple or Google device, however, so we are in murky legal waters until Trump officially takes office tomorrow and (one assumes) makes an executive order I continue to find it weird Trump is being painted as TikTok's potential knight in shining armor as he was one of the first to go after it, but this is a weird world we live in. I'm sure there will be more as this all develops.

TikTok is Offline in America, For Now

TikTok is not dead so much as it is currently in a holding pattern. It went offline last night shortly before a ban went into effect. Attempts were made to appeal to the Supreme Court and Biden's officials, but a law had passed and was upheld, so TikTok went dark. This all relates to how a Chinese company, Bytedance, owns TikTok and the United States only wants American companies like Facebook able to theoretically spy on U.S. citizens--I'm being sarcastic, but it is a bit true. I mean, out of all the things our government could be worried about and trying to fix, they go after TikTok, really?

Incoming President Donald Trump (returning to the office after Biden's one term) has indicated that he may give TikTok a reprieve so it can cut some kind of business deal that pleases the American government. It is odd Trump is being painted as TikTok's new savior as he was the one who started all this, "Let's ban TikTok," noise back when he was Prez the first time. However, TikTok is currently unavailable in America and it remains to be seen exactly what the future holds for the app.

Hot Comics Revue 21--For a Game About Rivals, They All Teamed Up to Make Bank!

Marvel Rivals has become a huge hit with lots of video-game aficionados being big fans. It resulted in comics with characters who are featured in the game that were originally only vaguely popular (Jeff the Land Shark, Peni Paker, etc.) experiencing a massive increase in attention. One interesting thing is that Marvel solicited variant covers themed for, "Marvel Rivals," before the game was released. They weren't ordered that heavily as for all people knew the game could've bombed. Now, however, those variant covers are immensely popular and selling like the hottest of hotcakes. 

With these, "Marvel Rivals," covers so far there are four options by Netease. There is a Spider-Man variant for, "Amazing Spider-Man," #65, a Venom variant with, "All-New Venom," #2, a Magik variant featured with, "Magik," #1, and Storm gets the spotlight on, "Storm #4. The covers star the characters in the form they appear as within, "Marvel Rivals," and are getting to be quite sought after. An upcoming variant for, "Fantastic Four," #28 will also feature the earlier-discussed Jeff and Galactus' daughter (a deep-cut reference for sure), Galacta with some snazzy Peach Momoko artwork.

The, "Marvel Rivals," covers that have been released so far have a cover price of $4 but are selling for at least $25 each, sometimes a chunk more. This is fascinating to see comics based on a game based on comics getting so much hype. Will these variants cool down a bunch of stay relatively hot? I guess a lot of that depends on if, "Marvel Rivals," can maintain its popularity. For now, however, these variants are a hit.

"Ultimate Wolverine," #1 Gives us a Mystery Wrapped in Brutality

"Ultimate Wolverine," is the latest of the (thankfully slowly) growing Ultimate line of comics. Marvel's latest venture into a new Ultimate Universe has actually been fantastic, with each issue moving time ahead one month--a feat that is still somehow working--and telling interesting stories around this World that The Maker altered in countless twisted ways. The Ultimate iteration of Wolverine has some hints dropped about who he is/was, but much of the comic centers on the heads of Eurasia (Colususs, Magik, and so forth) using their, "Winter Soldier," as he is dubbed (no relation to Bucky) to enforce their mutant rule in the region they control. 

The mutant weapon we witness was once called Logan, we learn, and part of the opposition to this tyrannical government, but a lot is left unclear. It also appears Wolverine won't be waking up anytime too soon as the first mission has him murdering his old friends (Mystique and Nightcrawler) in a shockingly detailed manner. I cannot compliment artist Alessandro Cappuccio enough, having become a huge fan of the artist during his time on, "Moon Knight," comics. They do an amazing job with, "Ultimate Wolverine." This isn't to ignore how writer Chris Condon is setting up a whole lot of interesting plot beats in this debut issue, I just can't stop admiring how simultaneously gorgeous and grotesque Cappuccio's work is. I'm loving almost every Ultimate Universe book currently ("Ultimate X-Men," is alright but drags horribly), and this latest title is a fantastic new entry into this line.

5 out of 5 Stars.

Could Tariffs Raise the Price of a Comic Even Higher in 2025?

Comic books aren't cheap. Back when I was but an infant they were maybe a dollar and some change. Then the time came they were all two dollars. Before long every comic was three dollars and it stayed that way for a good while. In the 2000's the price crept up to $4 off and on before it seemed to become almost the standard. We sometimes see $5 or even $6 with special variant covers or extra-big issues, but comic fans seem to balk at too high a price without a reason (extra-big issue, ratio variant, or so forth). With Trump returning to office against all odds an discussing tariffs, however, could that impact comic-books and result in comic companies having to take drastic action to stay profitable? The answer is not an optimistic one.

Gina Gagliano over at The Comics Journal has a nice meaty article that digs down into what tariffs could mean for comic-books due to how so many are printed outside of the United States. Price increases, shifting more to e-books, shorter comics, and a focus on black-and-white books, are all possible reactions to how printing a comic could cost multiple times more if tariffs are enacted. Major publishers will be hurt but the indie folks will really feel the sting. As always, the little guy/gal gets hurt the most by policies that a huckster politician advertises as benefiting everyone (even though only a handful of rich folks see any net positive). 2025 could suck for comics, among many other products. Some of you voted for Trump claiming he'd make eggs cheaper. Too bad almost everything else is going to cost five to ten times more and no economists (of good repute) think these tariff proposals are wise. I am not looking forward to Trump 2.0, I'll tell you that much.