"Marvel Dimensons," Has Gorgeous Art, Clever Design, and a Dull Story

Alex Ross is a modern master of the comic art form. He's incredible, full stop. If Marvel Dimensions were advertised more as being just a collection of cool Alex Ross art, as opposed to telling a story, that might have been better. I say that as Ross wrote and illustrated this big hardcover story about the Marvel heroes going up against alternate-universe evil versions. It is beautiful and has some creative design elements, but the plot left me bored. I mean, when the story actually seems to be getting going, everything just kind of ends! It has been a while since some elements of a comic/graphic novel have impressed me so much while other aspects drastically underwhelmed me, I'll tell you that much.

The book opens by spending about a third of its pages running through the origins of a bunch of Marvel characters. Do we need two-page spreads breaking-down tales even casual comic readers are aware of? I mean, if this book is geared more towards newbies, fine, but a ton of space is spent retelling what many of us know...that said, it looks so darn good. Eventually it is revealed the narrator is a character Ross seems quite fond of, Machine Man/Aaron Stack (a different one than, "Earth X," which Ross also illustrated years ago and did a stellar job on). We learn from Stack about all the different possible universes, and now, halfway through the book, something thematically interesting finally happens: A small comic-book inserted within, "Marvel Dimensions," is revealed to us. A literal physical comic that readers now flip through to learn about the alternate/evil version of Marvel's heroes. They come from the, "In-Verse," and Ross' art style shifts from painterly to an intriguing, sketchy style. The story starts picking up speed, thank God.

The comic-within-a-comic is quite clever and reminds me of something Chris Ware or Michael DeForge would do (and have done). After flipping it, we watch as those corrupted/twisted heroes come to fight iterations of Marvel's heroes we know. The book segues into epic fight scenes, seems to finally be getting going, hits a Multiverse-threatening climax...and ends. We go from speeding down a metaphorical story-highway to some whiplash-inducing slamming on the brakes. It almost feels like Ross hit his page count and decided to stop right there--which makes me wonder if spending 1/3 of the book reviewing a bunch of superheroes' origins could have been perhaps skipped/slimmed down a bit so as to allow the more creative aspects of the story to breathe? Again, even those boring segments are beautiful, but there is something incredibly discouraging about a story that needs 50% of a book to get to the actual point and which abruptly ends when readers are finally getting invested in the narrative.

"Marvel Dimensions," as a showcase of the art of Alex Ross, is wonderful. As an experiment in the comic form, it is clever. As an actual comic-book story, it is incredibly frustrating. When you take this book as a whole, you don't end up with a masterpiece or a mess. This is something that anyone new to comics should like, and Alex Ross diehards will surely have fondness towards this book as well. I'd think years from now this will be a little footnote in Ross' oeuvre. Not a hit or a fiasco, just a perfectly competent example of his incredible art skills. Perhaps he should let someone else do the plotting for his next project, however.

3 out of 5 Stars.

Bendis and Gaydos Are Reuniting for, "Alias," This December

I was just posting on Friday about an older Marvel MAX comic I enjoyed, and now we get news about one of the other best ones from that era! Yes, "Alias," which was written by Brian Michael Bendis and had art by Michael Gaydos, it told the story of Jessica Jones, a detective with powers, but who isn't much of a hero or big shot in the Marvel Universe. It was superb and followed by the decent "The Pulse," before she was folded into, "New Avengers," with her eventual husband (they got married in a, "New Avengers," special), Luke Cage. Since then we've gotten some occasional mini-series with Jones, including a recent, "Red Band," series which featured a different creative team and was fine, but lacked something. Now, however, Bendis and Gaydos are back for a five-issue mini-series, "Jessica Jones: Alias," debuting this December. That will mark 25 years since Jones first appeared and went on to be a pretty popular character and even get a Netflix show with Kristen Ritter as Jones (she popped up in the recent Daredevil show's return, too).

I'm pleased to see Bendis and Gaydos back on the character they co-created and did a chunk of stellar stories with. That said, will it be a good story or feel more like Marvel returning to a well that has run dry? Plus, I'm pretty sure Marvel isn't going to let them go as far as they did back in the MAX days, so any use of the word, "Fuck" going uncensored seems unlikely. That's a little disappointing, with Jones' love of F-bombs almost being a running gag in the original comic, but by no means a huge deal if we can get some of that classic magic back via the OG creative team. We'll see this December.

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!

Google Maps Changed the Lady's Voice? Okay. They Forced AI Stuff Into the Browser Too? Ugh!

I booted up Google Maps today when the time came to decide the best route for an outing with Clarkson (we went and walked the Delmar Loop for fun, thanks to it being a nice and cool day). As I started driving, I noticed that she sounded different. I'm not alone in this, with various phones seeming to have this, "Feature," rolled out. It can be easy or difficult to tweak the voice as well if you want her (or him) to sound different. This isn't annoying and I can deal with change that is useful. What I'm pissed about is how the Chrome browser for iPhone (and perhaps Android) was changed some weeks ago too with the, "Gemini," AI feature shoved in our face (and browser buttons relocated).

Flashback Friday: "Supreme Power: Nighthawk," Was Great and the 2016, "Nighthawk," Deserved More Love

I recently wrote about how I was pleased that Daniel Way is happy now, even if that meant he basically quit making comics. I mentioned how my favorite thing he did was, "Supreme Power: Nighthawk," and it made me a bit nostalgic for the 2007-ish Marvel MAX (the mature readers line) mini-series. It spun out of the main, "Supreme Power," series which was one of the better things J. Michael Straczynski ever wrote, even if his characterization of Kyle Rayne/Nighthawk was extremely two-dimensional and tone deaf. "A black hero kind of like Batman who is mainly mad at white people and doesn't help them as much as black people!" was kind of how JMS portrayed the Supreme Power Nighthawk, with David Brothers long ago discussing how questionable of a characterization it was. As he observes in that piece, however, the spin-off focused on Nighthawk was a hoot. Written by Daniel Way and featuring art by Steve Dillon (may he rest in peace) as being kind of like Batman, if he were even more pissed-off and brutal. 

When we're reading, "Supreme Power: Nighthawk," we witness a smart, methodical, and brutal tactician. He helps all races, but also recognizes that people of color face a lot more systemic racism/oppression/etc. Race, class, and the, "Wrong," element of society being ignored, such as those with substance abuse issues, are all subjects touched upon when Nighthawk has to go up against an escaped serial killer that often dresses like a clown, has poisoned much of the city's illegal drug supply, and goes by, "Whiteface." You can see some clever little allusions to Batman in all of that, with much of the, "Joke," being that even if Whiteface talks about a hero and villain in some kind of complex battle of wills, Nighthawk just wants to take down a deranged killer.

When Marvel did their 2015, "Secret Wars," event, they basically destroyed the Supreme Power universe and left all of its unresolved plot threads dangling and ignored. However, Kyle/Nighthawk was one of the handful of characters from other Universes to survive and find his way into the, "Main," Marvel continuity (along with Miles Morales from the Ultimate Universe, and some other random folks). He got his own series, which was superb, barely got any readership, and was canceled with the sixth issue. It was one of my favorite (cancelled) comics of 2016. After it and a, "Squadron Supreme," series set in the 616 ended, they killed off the Supreme Power Nighthawk via the horrendous, "Secret Empire," event in a tie-in comic--so that's a bummer. Will we ever get some kind of revitalization of the, "Supreme Power," universe and its characters? Considering that ever since Disney took over Marvel and moved away from the MAX line (occasional Garth Ennis-written Punisher or Nick Fury story aside), I kind of doubt it. Sorry to end on a dour note, but for every breakout character who becomes incredibly popular, there are countless fascinating characters (at least with the writers that do a good job) who just didn't. So it goes.

The Redesigned Crypt Keeper Just Doesn't Look Quite Right

AMC is launching its Fearfest on October 1st, and for the first time in over 30 years(!) we will witness the return of the Crypt Keeper--with original voice actor John Kassir and a new puppet that looks...oh, oh no. Yes, no offense to any design studio, but when I picture the Crypt Keeper from the 1990's show, "Tales From the Crypt," that I loved in my youth and was maybe a bit too young to watch (it had more swearing and nudity than you might recall), I just don't imagine him looking like this:

His face looks like he got some kind of Botox injections, but they went awry. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad classic episodes of the show can be streamed as of recently after being stuck in copyright Hell for decades. I'm also pumped at the mere suggestion this could be a slick way to set up a new, "Tales From the Crypt," I just feel like the Crypt Keeper looks a bit wrong. At least the hair is still messy; that is something I appreciate, as I have an in-joke with my mom about how, whenever her hair is all disheveled, she looks like a younger iteration of the Crypt Keeper! Don't worry, she finds it funny too. Anyways, the Crypt Keeper is back, and that's great even if he resembles a Real Housewife with botched plastic surgery.

Simon Hanselmann Has Started a Patreon

I am a longtime-ish fan of Simon Hanselmann, having enjoyed his works since, Hell, when I first discovered him via some pieces for the VICE website back in 2016 or so? He's put out everything from small press mini-comics to big award-winning collections. He just started an official Patreon this week! It will not have physical stuff for sale, as Hanselmann has relegated the distribution of that to Secret Headquarters (for the single comics) and Fantagraphics (for the meaty collections). There will be tons of out-of-print stuff posted, random works that hadn't seen the light of day at all, and Hanselmann plans to use the Patreon to complete his zombie epic, "You Will Own Nothing and You Will Be Happy," before serializing the long-gestating, "Megg's Coven."

It is only $6 a month to get access to almost daily posts of content and getting to study the fascinating thought process of one of my favorite modern-day comic-makers. Plus, Hanselmann is already quite active in engaging with supporters/backers in the comments, and you already know I'm going to message him a request to make a big graph breaking down the continuities of the various Megg, Mogg, and Owl universes that seem to exist (we've got the main one, Truth Zone one, the Crisis Zone one, the zombie one, and the list goes on, with at least half of them featuring Werewolf Jones tragically/violently dead). Here's that link again if you want to check out the Patreon!

I Remain Annoyed at Video-Games Working to Eliminate Physical Media

You know what I'm still irritated about? Video-game companies giving up their offering of physical media as an option. I know a lot of PlayStation and Xbox users go with digital formats, but even having the choice to use a disc--that you own--is good. Physical games help with making it possible to preserve games, rent titles, resell them, and they give consumers a lot more rights than it seems companies want them to have. Sony has already made its intentions clear and Microsoft is going through massive restructuring and layoffs in regards to Xbox, so who knows their exact future plans? It’s a mess.

It is odd to think back to 2013, when Sony absolutely dominated E3 with their presentation one-upping Microsoft's plans to complicate how players owned and enjoyed games. Thirteen years later, Sony is dropping discs entirely with the PS6, and Microsoft seems poised to dump them too with the new iteration of Xbox. The stars of Sony's viral, "How to share your games," bit from that E3 recently re-enacted the meme with their hands empty, as they lacked a physical prop. Oddly, it becomes fitting symbolism that they are, "Exchanging," nothing, as soon that's what Sony will offer (and quite possibly Microsoft). Then there's Nintendo.

Nintendo has often done things their own way and provided unique experiences with their devices. This has sometimes brought insane success (Game Boy, Wii, Switch) and other times shocking failure (Virtual Boy, Wii U). They've been a lot slower to embrace the use of the internet with their consoles, and that has paradoxically turned them from luddites to champions of having physical games. Yes, there is an online store for games and a number are digital-only, but Nintendo has always had a focus on interesting ways to play games as opposed to maximizing graphics or such. I'm not saying Nintendo should be heralded as some kind of champion, as they've engaged in their own questionable behavior. I mean, they are a good deal more litigious than any other game company and sue projects that they honestly have little reason to go after! Still, Nintendo's belief in physical products is a nice counterpoint to much of the rest of the game market.

If I were to sit and imagine what gaming looks like in 2030, I would picture a World where we have a handful of AAA titles that cost millions and a lot of indie games, but fewer mid-sized titles, as it seems budgets for games are either minuscule or massive these days, and that trend might continue. I'd also imagine there is barely any focus on physical copies of games outside of those concerned with preservation (making bootleg-esque copies), or those who enjoy boutique publishers that release special editions of games with physical iterations and bonus swag (Limted Run Games and what have you). That is, of course, if any consoles still even have a physical-media choice (by 2030 that might be solely Nintendo and theoretically some PC gaming for those with disc drives). I can't tell you exactly what gaming will be like by 2030, obviously. I guess I can estimate what it won't be, more than anything. For better or worse, we're entering the end of one era for games and the start of a new one--for better or worse.

Popverse As We Know it is Shutting Down

There aren't a ton of comic-focused news sites--like, with a staff and such besides us bloggers. Popverse has been around for four years but is, in essence, shutting down. As Comics Beat observed, "So by my reckoning, that leaves The Beat, AIPT, Comic Book Club, Comicon, Graphic Policy, ICv2," and they sigh when they mention good ol' tabloid, Bleeding Cool. Popverse is going to fire anyone who works in editorial/reporting and shift into being a platform for the owner, Reedpop, to broadcast conventions, sell tickets to their comic-cons, and sell merchandise. A news site...with no news. At least formerly popular sites that turned into junk listicles and AI slop, such as Comic Book Resources or Comicbook.com, post something, I guess? 

Popverse is going to be a glorified box office for Reedpop, and that stinks. This isn't a case where a small site was bought by a conglomerate and then shut down. We see that a lot, but Reedpop, in fact, created Popverse (and it was apparently doing well)! Popverse just didn't, "...fit into the overall business model of their parent company," so away it goes. Value the comic-book news sites we have whilst we have them.

The, "Good," Guys/Gals Don't Ban the Press From Asking Questions

Those who are generally judged by history to be the, "Good," guys or gals don't do certain things. They don't try to ban books. They don't try to keep the population ignorant by cutting education programs. They especially don't try to make a free press the enemy. Donald Trump is not a, "Good guy," of course. Hence, it comes as little surprise when he rails against the, "Biased/crooked/Democrat and dumb with a B," media. As his fascistic efforts continue to increase on the daily, he's taken to outright banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico reporters from the White House. I'm talking full-on turning them away at the doors and confiscating press passes. Perhaps he can legally do this and isn't violating the Constitution, but it is another step in a series of (many) actions towards trying to silence any criticism, dissent, or questioning of Trump. 

It is legal for Trump to refuse to speak with certain news outlets or even let them into the White House, okay, fine. I'd still argue it certainly puts a chill on the idea of the freedom of the press if anyone he considers, "Fake news," can simply be tossed out of his Presidential mansion as if they were Jazz on, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Throughout history, presidents have understood the importance of a free press, even if they didn't always like it. Now, Trump is like that kid at the playground who's making up rules, and when you call him out declares he's taking his ball and running home to pout/rage-tweet--and he's locking the door so you can't come in! Again, I'm not surprised. When you're Donald Trump anyone who doesn't relentlessly kiss your ass is the enemy. The media, Democrats, Republicans who refuse to fawn over him, and that employee at McDonald's who he's convinced intentionally left a nugget out of his 20-piece order are all on his, "List," I imagine. I can kind of understand why some people voted for him the first time, but how this vengeful, petty, shallow, and awful shell of a man got re-elected will forever puzzle and sadden me. Despite what Trump and his MAGA cult may claim, he ain't ever going to be the good guy--his actions have made that abundantly clear