The Hot Comics Revue 19--Talking Absolutes With Batman

"Absolute Batman," was promoted heavily as a part of DC's new, "Absolute," line. Stores ordered tons of copies. It sold out the first printing at the distributor level but that happens with plenty of comics that sit on store shelves. People on Reddit and in my comic forums scoffed at the idea such a, "Big," book could heat up significantly. AND YET! Comic stores found that even if they went heavy on the first issue, people wanted it, and now the shelves are bare in many places. 

Absolute Batman's cover A.

The comic is getting really good reviews with its fresh take on Batman by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta and that mixed with curiosity from fans and regular folks hearing about it has resulted in a run on the book. Supply has dried up of a book that should have--in theory--been clogging up dollar bins in a year from being supposedly so overprinted. Still, the A cover of, "Absolute Batman," keeps climbing in popularity and price to the point people will pay 20 or 25 bucks for it online. Will this book keep gaining in popularity? Will it fizzle? Could it end up being like a, "Spawn," #1 where even though tons of copies exist it always sells for $20-$30 over the decades? I don't know, but I can say this book is currently quite hot and everybody wants a piece. A second and third printing are already coming and this has interest piqued in the other, "Absolute," books coming down the pipeline too.

Other incoming titles.

I was able to grab a copy of, "Absolute Batman," as the variant covers are still pretty cheap for now. I plan to read it once I have some time to sit back and properly enjoy it. I dug the, "DC All-in Special," so between that and the debut of this new Batman it looks like DC might actually have a hit new line of books on their hands thanks to some great ideas and quality storytelling. Sometimes effort is rewarded, I suppose!

That, "Joker: Folie à Deux," Really Bombed Hard

I didn't see the first, "Joker," movie. It seemed to barely have anything to do with, "Batman," conceptually, and looked like a really negative, sour, and unpleasant movie--even if Joaquin Phoneix is a great actor. The sequel--"Joker: Folie à Deux," looked quite strange but still tonally dark, with the movie becoming a musical, somehow. Then it got awful reviews, had an ending few liked, and technically bombed in theaters as it did come in first at the box office the week it debuted, but didn't make nearly as much as was hoped for. It even has set a record of sorts for the, "'worst second-week box office drop' in comic book movie history," according to the AV Club. It fell off a metaphorical cliff. Everyone is blaming everyone else who was involved with the movie. Is it Phoenix demanding rewrites and new scenes? Is it how Lady Gaga had a lot of scenes cut? Director Todd Philips' refusal to work with the studio and let them offer opinions? 

I think the first, "Joker," movie was a bit of a, "Lightning in a bottle," moment that had people curious enough to check it out. Still, nobody wanted more in the form of, "Joker: Folie à Deux," perhaps. It looked like, "Joker," but with more confusing elements (why a musical?) and narrative shifts to the, "Saga," of this Joker that everybody seems to have hated. The , "Joker, " sequel thankfully is its own, "Elseworlds," kind of tale and not related to the main DC continuity now being built up by James Gunn and Peter Safran. That take on the DC Universe has me more optimistic for a good time than I ever had for these, "Joker," flicks, which just seemed to be saturated with negativity, cynicism, and little else of a point besides saying, "Life sucks, oh well." I don't know who to blame for how badly this sequel went, but this particular take on a DC character is clearly finished and ended as a big ol' awful mess.

The Latest Saint Charles Quad Con is Just Over a Week Away!

I always have a grand time at the Quad Con held in Saint Charles at the Steel Shop Event Center. The next one is a week from tomorrow on October 20th, starting at 10AM (and going until 4PM). It is just $5 to get in with free admission for military and free entry for all after 2:30 PM. The Quad Con always has a metric ton of vendors selling everything from comics, to toys, crafts, trading cards, Funko Pops, vintage video-games, original art, cosplay, and more! I highly encourage anyone in the area to be at the Quad Con on Sunday the 20th, I plan on attending and having a fantastic experience! See you there!

Marvel Doing Zany Character Pairings? Sounds Fun!

The Marvel Universe is a big place. There are well-known characters who did not meet for years of existence or whom still haven't hung out. With this in mind,  J. Michael Straczynski is going to be writing a number of one-shots for Marvel featuring, "...characters who had either never been paired before, or only minimally," for the amusement of us readers! JMS returned to Marvel a bit ago to write, "Captain America," after previously leaving on less-than-stellar terms when Editorial overrode how he wanted to finish his, "Amazing Spider-Man," run. JMS's take so far on, "Captain America," has been a bit quirky, but still fun. Hence, it is interesting to think he'll write about Rocket Racoon and Doctor Doom, Nick Fury going against Fin Fang Foom, Hulk chilling with Doctor Strange, and so forth. 

The only story that made me scratch my head in that it doesn't sound like a strange duo is, "Spider-Man Vs. Doctor Octopus." I mean, they interacted enough that at one point Otto literally took over Peter's body and served as, "The Superior Spider-Man," for a controversial run--perhaps there is a twist to that story? Whatever the case, we get to enjoy some wild matchups this January with JMS scripting and a variety of great artists illustrating.

Silver Sprocket is Doing a Fundraiser--With Rewards!

I am a big fan of the independent comic publisher Silver Sprocket. They put out works that are creative, edgy, experimental, and simply awesome. They are celebrating 15 years of existence by running a fundraiser! They're looking for 200 more people to become members/subscribers which can get you all their awesome releases in digital or print form. They're also selling snazzy prints (I have one pictured above) and signed books that the authors were kind enough to autograph. 

This fundraiser will help them to keep printing superb works and make sure everyone at Silver Sprocket can make a living wage (not easy to do in comic-books, sadly). Here is that link again so that you can buy something cool and help give Silver Sprocket some more cash so that they can look forward to another 15 (and more) years!

"Funko Fusion," is a Disappointment of a Game

I've loved playing Lego-themed videogames over the years. There have been many from, "Star Wars," to, "DC," "Marvel," and ones that mash-up a bunch of properties to an interesting result. When Funko announced their own game, "Funko Fusion," I had hoped it would be fun like the Lego games. I've played a bit of, "Funko Fusion," and am disappointed to share that it is pretty mediocre.

The Lego games are full of charm and fun gameplay. "Funko Fusion," is a mostly uninspired 3rd-person shooter with boring landscapes, annoyingly long boss fights, lame puzzles, and a shocking lack of personality considering how fun and quirky real-life Pops can be. Some surprisingly graphic body-horror imagery aside (as others noticed) there isn't much of interest in this game. It's just drab and dull. This is such a missed opportunity and I'm glad my library (libraries rock!) had it for me to check out instead of having to drop a stack of cash to be underwhelmed. At least we still have the Lego-themed games to enjoy after this missed opportunity.

I've Officially Known Samii 13 Years as of Today!

I met Samii 13 years ago today! We chatted online via OkCupid, went on a date (then many more), and now here we are all these years later. I am thankful every day that Samii went from being my girlfriend, to my wife, to the mother of our wonderful boys. It is wild to think we were strangers when I went and met her in-person for the first time at the Crestwood Mall (which was replaced with a Dierbergs and some housing awhile ago). I'm glad I didn't scare her off with my eccentric demeanor and continue to marvel at how caring a person she is. Clarkson and Gibson have the best mommy and I have the best partner in life. It's been a wild 13 years and I look forward to many more!

"The Comics Courier," is the Print Comics Criticism I've Been Yearning For

I love absorbing all forms of media as well as reading crictism of that media. Whether I agree with a review or article, if it makes me think about a movie/show/comic/whatever in a new way, I appreciate that. We don't have much print comics crictism, lately. Magazines that focused on comic-books all went out of print besides a yearly-ish edition of, "The Comics Journal." Hence, seeing that there is a Kickstarter campaign for, "The Comics Courier, A New Comics Criticism Journal," has my attention.

As much as I love reading about comics online, I enjoy a good magazine regarding subjects I enjoy too. Print isn't dead, with plenty of topics still getting magazines, so a biannual (twice a year) print publication dedicated to comics sounds superb. The creator/main editor is Tiffany Babb, who has almost a decade of experience regarding comics. She has recruited a bunch of great folks who write about comics as well and if I had any issue with this new publication it would just be how I wish they'd included me because I love to write about comics and can usually ramble on long enough to meet double the needed word-count--editors love/hate me a lot! My quibble of being left out of this debut issue aside (seriously, hit me up if you want an article in a future issue, Tiffany) I love the idea of, "The Comics Courier," and have already backed it at the level for a physical copy (you can get just a digital, but I just told ya'll I want it in my dirty mitts)! Go and back it on Kickstarter now if you value comic-book criticism too--which considering how I do a chunk of that, I figure you must be into reading folk's thoughts on comics!

You Were Warned About Those Commercial DNA Kits

I've given my genetic information to companies that have to follow strict privacy rules. I'm talking about HIPPA laws regarding genetic testing for myself and my family members. That said, I've always been leery of 3rd party companies like 23andMe or Ancestry that want my DNA and don't seem beholden to any particular rules about what they do with my information. Seriously, I wrote about it back in 2020. Now, 23andMe is on the brink of bankruptcy and has all that useful genetic data they could sell to survive. I warned ya'll.

Could this information serve great medical purposes? Yes. You could anonymize data and study a bulk of it to see how certain genetic markers can be linked to other ones for health issues. Am I paranoid at the idea that it could be sold to advertising companies or law enforcement? Yes, because a lot of information could be in that genetic code and there is zero responsibility to privacy for 23andMe--once you signed up and spat in a tube for them you signed away your rights.

It sounds like a science-fiction concept, but imagine a company getting your genetic information and putting it in a database. This database finds you have a gene that predisposes you to really liking dark chocolate. The company sells this money to an advertisement agency with a corporation that sells chocolate as a client. One day, they trawl their data and decide to send anyone with the chocolate-loving gene a coupon for a discount on a new line of dark chocolate bars with various fun nut options. That isn't too nefarious, but things could get a lot more twisted and intrusive. 

I could be paranoid, but if I give someone all my genetic code and they don't have any privacy obligation, maybe they don't anonymize data and sell my DNA data if they get into a tight spot. I bet a few decades ago the idea of sending a company your salvia so you could find out if you're 30% Irish or such sounded outlandish, but now here we are. Your genetic code could translate to dollar signs. Be careful who gets your DNA because Lord only knows what will be possible to learn from it in the next couple of years.

Wishing Donald Glover a Speedy Recovery

Donald Glover is a talented actor/singer/comedian and basically an all-around skilled fellow. He had postponed a number of tour dates as his musical alter-ego Childish Gambino due to an unspecified health issue. Now, those dates have been outright canceled with it disclosed that Glover's unnamed health issue will require surgery. Glover is entitled to medical privacy just like any other human being, but I appreciate his feeling comfortable sharing that, "“My path to recovery is something I need to confront seriously. With that said, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the North American tour and the UK and European dates. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase.” Prioritizing one's health is important and I applaud Glover for doing as such. I wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to him in the, "Community," movie which should eventually come out after delays from script rewrites among other stuff.

The, "DC All-In Special," #1 is a Promising and Creative Start of a New Venture

DC is launching their, "All-In," Initiative which involves the standard DC Universe and an alternate one (the Absolute one) somewhat co-existing and (one assumes) eventually overlapping in some fashion. It's a bit like the original or new Ultimate Universe Marvel is doing, in other words. This new, "DC All-In Special," #1 is a one-shot that kicks everything off...and it actually does so in a clever way.

There is a lot of artistic creativity in this special that makes a big commercial endeavor actually feel almost a bit quirky--and I like that. You see, this is a flipbook that tells the same story from vastly different viewpoints and uses that format for all kinds of intriguing ways to tell a surreal story. We see things from the perspective of the heroes on the main DC Earth as they expand the Justice League--and Booster Gold is there as everything goes wrong with  Daniel Sampere providing some solid art. 

We also witness Darkseid getting up to a bunch of evil stuff and enacting a master plan...with Booster Gold yet again there from a slightly different metaphorical angle as everything goes wrong (the man can't catch a break in this comic). I liked seeing an alternate take of the same yarn and the Wes Craig artwork on the, "Evil," side is especially impressive--as others have observed. I give props to writers Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder for their creative use of the comic-book format and using that to give us two stories that end up uniting beautifully as one twisted tale.

The, "DC All-in Special," #1 is much more experimental than I expected for a random one-shot that launches a new line of stories (and a whole new Universe of heroes). This gives me some optimism for the upcoming Absolute titles--I was thinking of at least trying their first issues and definitely plan to do so now--and makes me curious about what will be happening in some of the, "Main," DC books as well like the upcoming, "New Gods," series. Color me pleasantly shocked at how good this was. I tip my hat to DC for getting me excited about all the other things coming down the pipeline for, "All-In."

5 out of 5 Stars.

A Chicken Big Mac is Coming to America

McDonald's is bringing a chicken version of its Big Mac to America. This interests me. One big reason I am intrigued is that I have a beef allergy so I welcome any new chicken option at a restaurant. I discovered this allergy back in high school when I had allergy testing done and it explained a lot about my stomach issues. This allergy isn't related to a tick bite, randomly enough, as I can eat other meats that those who suffer from AGS cannot. Hence, if McDonald's is going to make a Big Mac available that has tempera chicken patties instead of beef, I'm intrigued. That said, I'm not sure I'll like the taste of Big Mac sauce, having never tried it (when I did eat beef I just got plain Quarter Pounders with cheese). Still, I'll give it a sampling once this new chicken Big Mac hits America on October 10th.

Frank Fritz of, "American Pickers," Fame Has Passed

Frank Fritz was a major part of, "American Pickers," for a number of seasons. He either left the show or was given the boot some years ago- it depends on who you ask. Still, he kept running his own business of selling antiques and treasures he would find or have people bring to him. Then, in 2022, Frank suffered a stroke due to a blood clot from an earlier motorcycle accident. Since then his health has suffered and as of September 30th, Frank Fritz has passed. He and Mike Wolfe (the show's other OG) had feuded since Frtiz left the show, but by a number of accounts they had reconciled--which makes me happy to hear that at least they could repair their friendship before Fritz's death. I always love watching, "American Pickers," whether I'm viewing old classic episodes or new ones. Frank will be missed.

"Superman: Supercorp," Has Some Twisty Mysteries!

My friend, Brian, has been recommending various, "Superman," comics I should read over the months after taking offense (jokingly, he wasn't legit angry) at my saying that most Superman stories are boring. He was 100% right that the recent, "Warworld Saga," was a fantastic read when collected in a big paperback. Somewhat following after that is, "Superman: Supercorp," which collects the first five issues of the new, "Superman," series that launched out of the recent, "Dawn of DC," line. I read this collection written by Joshua Williamson with art by Jamal Campbell and really enjoyed it.

I missed on paperback between this and, "Warworld," Brian told me, which explains why at the start of this comic why Lex Luthor is now in jail and has assigned his whole corporation to, "Help," Superman. Luthor, obviously, has some ulterior motive, but for now appears interested in helping Superman continue to keep Metropolis safe while also hoping Supes helps fight off some of Luthor's old foes who have crawled out of the woodwork with him imprisoned.

Between an attack by the villain Parasite that takes an intriguing sci-fi and microscopic turn and a subplot about Luthor having once supposedly been a hero in Metropolis that another notable reporter took great pains to bury any news of, a lot of mysterious stuff is happening in, "Supercorp." There are some delightfully funny elements too, with Jimmy Olsen doing his thing where he always gets into various fiascos, in this case ending up dating one of Superman's villains (she's trying to be less evil though these days). I had a good time with, "Superman: Supercorp," and have already asked my friend Brian what collections I need to seek out in order to keep reading this fun story!

5 out of 5 Stars.

"Kelce Mix," Cereal: Worth Eating, but Not Amazing

I tried, "Kelce Mix," cereal and liked it even if I didn't love it. I saw it in stores and figured it was worth a shot because I like weird mixes of stuff and enjoy the Kelce brothers, Travis and Jason. Travis was a surprisingly solid host of SNL in the past (usually athletes--excluding Charles Barkley and Peyton Manning--suck as hosts) and Jason is quite fun too. The, "Kelce Mix," cereal is a blend of Reese's Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Lucky Charms. It works, interestingly! 

The Reese's chocolate and peanut butter pieces are complimented by the cinnamon wonderfully and the Lucky Charm's cereal pieces help, "Cut," everything so it isn't too much chocolate-peanut-cinnamon at once. Then the Lucky Charms are just kind of there and honestly uncalled for in cereal, which is already this sweet. I love marshmallows though, so I'm not mad at their presence or anything, however. What is funny is another review that quite liked the cereal too actually wished there were more marshmallows--so the opposite of me. I would say this is worth giving a taste, but don't expect anything wild, it is just a mix of a bunch of cereals and a bit of a missed opportunity for a special-shaped Lucky Charm or such, that would've been cool. As it stands, this was good overall!

4 out of 5 Stars.