Comic Publisher Valiant Worryingly Seems to Have Plans With Heavy AI Involvement

Valiant was a big comic publisher decades ago. They went bankrupt and disappeared, but in 2012, new folks got the licenses and relaunched the brand with some really good comics. In 2018, many of the people associated with Valiant left when it was bought out by DMG, and it has been mostly downhill since. From weird NFT schemes to an attempt at a cinematic universe that flopped, to nearly stopping putting out any comics before getting assistance from IDW so as to at least put out something, it has been a series of mishaps. It just got worse.

Valiant has been putting posters online discussing some new project with taglines including, "Hint: It's not a comic book," and all these images really look like AI was used. One would think comic publishers/makers/etc. would be extremely against using AI, "Art," as its soulless slop made out of digital bits and bobs through stealing real work. Could Valiant have some weird animated AI show coming, as I would guess? We don't yet know, but longtime fans are enraged at the prospect of Valiant pulling this B.S. It has been quite the fall from grace for Valiant. Everyone's extra mad at them, and we don't even know what this new so-called product will be. Such a mess.

"Absolute Green Arrow," is Getting Lots of Buzz and Selling Out and Before it Even Hits Shelves

DC's variety of books in the new, "Absolute," Universe have been huge hits. The main trinity (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman) have gotten a ton of buzz, but other characters' series and mini-series have been quite stellar too (Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter). The latest upcoming titles are, "Absolute Catwoman," and, "Absolute Green Arrow." Those who read the, "Absolute Evil," one-shot know that Oliver Queen was killed by the Absolute Universe's nefarious forces, but it seems that didn't stop him. Written by Pornsak Pichetshote with art by Rafael Albuquerque, Oliver Queen isn't truly gone. He's back as some kind of undead force of vengeance, and his new comic looks like a straight-up horror story, which I find quite interesting.

Other people are intrigued by the upcoming, "Green Arrow," as well. It has already sold out at the distributor level (shops won't be able to order more copies than they previously did), and a second printing is on the way. The first issue hits comic shops this Wednesday, the 20th, and if it is as popular as this early buzz indicates, you'd better move quickly to get a copy!

Flashback Friday: When Episodic Gaming Seemed Like the Next Big Thing

In the early 2000's and some of the 2010's everyone was excited about episodic gaming. The big release of "Half-Life 2," was a huge hit. Then we started getting the episodes with 1, 2, and then...nothing. That VR-exclusive spin-off, "Alyx," is apparently a hoot and moves the story of, "Half-Life," forward a bit, but we're still waiting for a third episode, game, or anything else. Episodic gaming was hyped up as this big thing that would change games...and then fell flat on its face. The, "Half-Life," series wasn't alone, of course. Another example would be the sequel to the first-person shooter, "SiN," that was the promising-but-flawed  "SiN Episodes. " Another big promise of games-as-episodes that staleld out.

Episodic gaming did not utterly fail. Telltale did a solid job with its adventure games before it folded, and how each one would release in episodes. They did that with, "The Walking Dead," and their, "Fables," game, Batman game, and so forth. A bunch of people who used to be at Telltale and are now with AdHoc Studio dropped episodes of, "Dispatch," quite recently, so releasing your game in episodes can work, for a certain style of game, perhaps. Still, the reboot of, "SiN," was kind of cool even if it only dropped a single-of-a-planned-nine entries. It was a fun two to four hours, by all accounts (I vaguely recall maybe playing it way back in 2006/2007 or so without it making much of an impact in my mind), but just ran out of steam, money, etc.

"Half-Life," and its third episode/game/whatever has no official announcement all these years later, but there actually is a new, "SiN," game of sorts in the form of, "SiN Reloaded," which take the original games and updates it for modern audiences with the studio behind it eager to possibly finish, "SiN Episodes," all these years later in some fashion. Never say die, I suppose. I do wonder if the sequel was revisted and completed, if it would just be an entire game or done in little releases? Imagine if 20-something years after the (mostly) failure of episodic gaming outside of some adventure games that the format made a big comeback. At least, that way we wouldn't be waiting decades for some big-name games if little chunks came out now and then at an affordable price--emphasis on affordable. Strange things are always happening in the World of gaming.

Create a Villain for DC, Get Zero Credit

Work for hire in the field of comics means you get paid to create stories, characters, and the like. You receive credit for what you did, but at the end of the day, you own nothing you did for those companies (such as big dogs Marvel and DC). You do have a paycheck and can say, "I made ____ and its popular now," so that is something. However, DC has a new contest of sorts called the, "Building Bad Sweepstakes," which, as Bleedingcool touched on today is, "...a competition allowing one winner to help create an all-new DC Batman Super-Villain who may become part of the official DC canon. The character will debut in the pages of DC's comics, along with an appearance in the highly anticipated video game LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, both scheduled for September." That said, you don't get credit for making the character or any royalties after they give you some money for winning the drawing/contest (and then they'll decide whether to use your ideas or not). Yep, you get to partner with DC and possibly see your creation come to life, except legally it isn't even your creation! 

I don't know about you, but if I have a cool idea and a company worth billions would like to use it, I'd make sure a royalty check comes anytime my creation is utilized. A lump sum and then the possibility (however remote) that my creation could become hugely popular, yet I get no credit or further funds, is a turn-off for sure. Hell, I'll possibly enter the contest, but if they draw my name, I'll just take the cash prize and keep my ideas to myself unless Image wants to publish something of mine someday--at least then I own the rights!

Kickstarter to Ban any Adult-Styled Comics and Content in General After Making Millions From Them for Years

Kickstarter has been a popular spot for years to fund a project/idea. Comic creators love it because Kickstarter can help take an idea that could be too niche for a mainstream publisher and allow them to sell directly to their audience. This can, at times, include comics with a more adult leaning/focus. A number of these comics appeal to heterosexual readers, and some have LGBTQ themes that bigger publishers would shy away from (some comic companies are okay with sex, but only if it's hetero). Kickstarter has made tons of money off comic projects, many of them adult-leaning. Perhaps they feel they've made enough to turn their back on a lot of people, because Kickstarter released new and extremely detailed rules about mature/adult content. I'm talking bullet points about, "Not allowing visible nipples poking through clothing in a drawing," levels of prudishness. It’s not just comics, it is everything (so look out, edgy video-games).

Friend of the blog (and general friend), Mike Wolfer penned an open letter to Kickstarter online, and Bleedingcool shared it along with the thoughts of other creators who are quite enraged. Kickstarter grew into what it is off their backs and has decided to cast them aside now that they aren't needed. The given reason? A credit card payment processor company called Stripe has, over recent years, become extremely anti-adult-anything. They don't like processing payments for things that are outright porn or at all mature under the guise of they, "Get returned more," but this seems more like a weird religious/prudishness thing than anything else. Extreme levels of violence are fine, so feel free to chop a woman's head off in your comic, but don't you dare have someone consensually kiss her exposed nipple! There has been a rise of anti-sex/eroticism vibes due to conservatives gaining/stealing power, and oftentimes a lot of this is framed as, "Protecting children," even though lots of this adult material usually demands you prove you are--you know--an adult. Plus, I mentioned how anything LGBTQ that even hints vaguely at sex oftentimes finds itself censored a lot more than straight people bumping uglies, which adds an extra flavor of homophobia and transphobia to this shit sandwich Kickstarter's users are being fed.

If you don't want sexy comics in your life, don't back them on Kickstarter or read them. If you like comics that sometimes feature sex or even some nudity, then go find yourself some quality comics that provide such a thing. It should be as simple as that, but credit card processors, Kickstarter, and oftentimes politicians want to rob you of making that choice and having independence--not very patriotic, I'd say. This is quite a mess, and I am curious to see how it shakes out.

eBay Declares, "No," Quite Clearly to GameStop's Acquisition Attempt

GameStop's attempt to buy eBay made zero sense to almost anyone. eBay had no reason to consider a smaller company with a rocky history approaching it. GameStop lacked much to offer or any reason to try to acquire eBay. The CEO of GameStop, Ryan Cohen, really wanted to force something to happen, however. Well, one thing that has happened is eBay responded to GameStop's unsolicited buyout offer with a resounding, "No." Declaring it, "Neither credible nor attractive," eBay's board reacted the same way you probably do when someone knocks on your door to sell you pest control services--politely turn them down and quickly shut the door. In this case, however, the rejection is very public, and all the news sites are talking about it. GameStop's whole attempt to buy eBay looked absurd and doomed from the start, so the only thing that surprised me was that eBay waited even a handful of days to turn GameStop down.

Marvel’s Midnight Universe Has Been Unveiled and It's a Bit Underwhelming

I wrote just a smidgen ago about how Marvel was hinting about a new, “Midnight Universe,” that would feature Marvel with more of a horror bent. Many people, myself included, thought this meant a lot of beloved and cult creepy characters Marvel has would be featured in dark, edgy tales. Well, Marvel just started releasing details this week. We’re getting X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man…but evil/scary. Yawn.  Oh, and the X-Men are, of course, vampires because Marvel always has had a weird affinity for making the X-Men hang out with or occasionally turn into vampires (hey, Jubilee).

A twisted universe with no heroes and only monstrous versions of Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, the Werewolf by Night, and Blade or such could be such a cool concept. Instead, we’re just churning out another iteration of the biggest characters Marvel has—but spooky! This news has evaporated much of my interest in the Midnight Universe. The creative teams are quite good, which is the only thing that hasn’t utterly erased a cautious optimism I feel. Jonathan Hickman with Matteo Della Fonte on the X-Men book, Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker doing Fantastic Four, and Phillip Kennedy-Johnson with Scie Tronc—the first-ever Marvel book he’s done art for.

I sincerely hope the Midnight Universe is indeed Marvel’s horror-heavy answer to DC’s immense success with the Absolute Universe. I want all comic publishers to do well, big or small, because then the comic industry itself remains strong. Healthy sales benefit everyone, but I just don’t know if this Midnight Universe sounds particularly interesting or all that new. The X-Men have had plenty of interactions with vampires, and Spider-Man has been a more spider-like beast on numerous occasions, too. The Fantastic Four comic does intrigue me a bit, however, because Percy and Walker are a Hell of a good team. Basically, I will try the first issues of each of these series, and we’ll see what happens from there.

Music Mondays: "Flex," By Cupid Remains a Straightforward and Catchy Tune

The song, "Flex," by the music artist Cupid, is not a complex tune. It involves him telling an unnamed person to flex their body because they are sexy, whilst he also shouts out dance moves for listeners to do. That said, the beat, melody, and crooning combine to make a strangely addictive tune that admittedly goes a bit long for what it is (almost four minutes), but still  makes you want to get up and move about. It's been out for some time, but it remains a big hit at parties. Have a listen here:

Do you see what I mean? I'm not sure what it is, but that jam gets me all hyped up and ready to dance! The song came out back in 2020 and has become a popular piece for everyone to line up and groove to at parties. I feel that six-ish years ago isn't quite long enough to dedicate a Flashback Friday to this song, so I put it where I thought it'd fit better, here in Music Mondays. Just know that if you're at a party and this tune comes on, you're definitely at a location that knows how to have fun!

Happy Mother's Day 2026

I want to wish a happy Mother's Day to all the moms or motherly figures. You are special, important, and make the lives of the people you care for better. I am thankful for my own mom, who was a very patient parent as I was growing up. I also want to send my love out to my wife (who is the mother of our children), Samii. Have a great Mother's Day, everyone!

Witchblade and Vampirella Are Getting Into the Publisher Crossover Craze!

We've seen a lot of crossovers between Marvel and DC lately. The trend has been that we get one comic with a character's name featured, followed by another issue that flips the headliner. Hence, "Deadpool/Batman," as well as, "Batman/Deadpool" and more. I suppose Top Cow (an imprint of Image) and Dynamite wanted to get a piece of the fun (and make some scratch) because, for the first time in 20 years Witchblade and Vampirella are teaming-up for, "Witchblade/Vampirella," #1, by Marguerite Bennett and Laura Braga as well as, "Vampirella/Witchblade," #1, by Erica Schultz and Valentina Pinti.

I'm all for different comic-book companies having fun crossovers, as in a worst-case scenario, we just get silly fan-service, but in a best-case scenario, we'll be able to enjoy some creative takes on popular characters having some new/rarely seen interactions. Both characters have a slight horror and sci-fi bent, are popular for occasionally cheesecakey art, and the creative teams are great writers and artists. Keep your eyes peeled for the first crossover issue in late August; it should be a fun read!

The Unwanted and Unneeded Return of the R-Word

I saw how NPR had a segment discussing, "The worrisome return of the R-Word," late last month. It is a good listen and only 14 minutes long. The general idea is how the word, "Retarded," started out in medical settings, became an insult/slur, faded away, and unfortunately clawed its way back into some of the cultural dialogue (and is nowadays often used to insult those with differing political views or say unkind things about politicians). Unlike slurs that are more specific to race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion, the general thrust of insults that suggest disability is that someone is somehow less-than and incompetent--as if those with a disability are too. You've doubtlessly seen folks claiming, "I'm not insulting the disabled, I'm just calling out regular people who are being stupid," but that's equivalent to claiming you didn't start a forest fire but are happy to throw kindling on it.

I never saw the appeal of using, "Retarded," as a slur when I was a child in the 1990's, even though it was at that time quite the common insult for some to utilize. It seemed like in the process of trying to hurt one person's feelings, you were being mean to those with an intellectual disability who did nothing wrong to you. It was never in my vocabulary and even as I've gotten older and will sometimes swear when upset you're more likely to hear me utter, "Shit," or tell someone they're an "Asshole," than to ever throw out an R-word or any other kind of slur related to a demographic. If you keep a word out of your vocabulary, there is little chance you'll purposely or accidentally use it. I quite dislike this word seeming to creep back into dialogues and arguments, be they in-person or via the internet. You could say I'm being oversensitive and whining, but I don't see why anyone desires to even hint at someone being disabled as a kind of insult. It makes little logical sense, is hurtful, and diminishes the struggles faced by those with a real disability, as well as what they are capable of despite any challenges they face. Basically, use your creativity when hurling insults instead of resorting to such a lazy and thoughtless word. Put some work into your put-downs, people!

Marvel Is Hinting at a New, "Midnight," Universe Coming This Fall

Marvel is in the process of wrapping up their reboot of the Ultimate Universe (I'm still shocked they are actually ending it) and just started hinting at something called the, "Midnight Universe," with the tagline, "A terrifying new universe from Marvel Comics arrives this fall." Upon seeing this my first thought was Marvel is going to try and do something similar to DC's smash-hit Absolute Universe, with some kind of dark or scary twist...hence the spooky-ish time of Midnight? Well, Bleeding Cool has announced with a big All-Caps, "SCOOP," that the Midnight Universe is a mix of Marvel's answer to the Absolute Universe and will have a horror focus. Jonathan Hickman, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, and Benjamin Percy will all be working together for a radically reimagined alternate Marvel Universe that will have a focus on Blade, Ghost Rider, Darkhold, Dracula, Morbius, and the good ol' Werewolf By Night.

This announcement has me feeling both a bit cynical and excited. I am rolling my eyes a bit at the idea of Marvel so unabashedly going, "Let's do our own Absolute-type thing!" but hearing it has a horror bent perks my ears up as someone who enjoys sci-fi and horror comics, as well as superhero stories that twist the genre a bit into those styles. Will there be enough interest in a more horror-styled alternate universe for this line to succeed or will it fall flat on its face? Nobody can (for sure) know as very few predicted the Absolute line would be as popular as it has become--I will say I am eager to learn more because I'm always down for a solid Blade or Ghost Rider yarn. Marvel will officially be revealing more next week, so let's stay tuned for the (official) details that will be coming before too long.

Ted Turner Has Died

Ted Turner has passed. He was 87 and had been open about having a diagnosis of Lewy body dementia. The man who brought us the 24-hour news cycle, Turner was dedicated to conservation and philanthropy. He was also quite outspoken and rubbed a number of people the wrong way with his statements—and made it known he didn't care if feathers were ruffled! At one point, he was married to Jane Fonda--a talented actress known for her own controversies. 

Ted Turner did a lot of good compared to some billionaires who one could quite easily classify as, “Awful people.” I’m not saying Ted Turner was some kind of unicorn, “Wonderful billionaire,” but by many accounts, he was a good guy considering how he could have turned out. I always found Turner to be a fascinating individual whenever I read about his life or saw interviews with him. It seems many folks will miss him, so he must’ve done something right in his life. Turner is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

We Are Getting a New-ish, "Star Fox," Game After All

I wrote exactly a month ago how, "I'm Down for a (Good) New Star Fox Game," and Nintendo surprised everyone today with some news! Yep, we're getting, "Star Fox," for the Switch 2...albeit as a big remake of the beloved Nintendo 64 game. Due on June 25th, it looks pretty, will have online multiplayer, and has some folks excited and others saying it, "Looks fine." If we're being blunt, it does seem like Nintendo would rather infinitely remake Star Fox games than create a new one. I suppose some kind of, "New," Star Fox is better than none, hence, I do plan to check it out. They're remaking an awesome game, so it should at least be fun, after all!

The Past Keeps Fading Away--Newsarama is Done, Ask Jeeves Shut Down, and ComiXology is Good and Truly Dead

Things that were big on the internet years ago and managed to barely hold on for a while have all ceased to exist relatively close to each other, randomly. Newsarama was a hot spot for comic-book news and then, due to various sales and mergers, became a shadow of itself before being utterly gutted at the end of April and firing its last writer. ComiXology has been slowly being broken down into parts, and now its last employee has, "Exited the building." The once-popular search engine known as Ask Jeeves/Ask ceased operations on May 1st as well. Lots of stuff popular in the late 90's or early 2000's is gone, and these sites are just some examples of that. Time keeps marching on, I suppose.

A Free, "Dungeon Crawler Carl," Comic is Turning into a Hot Commodity

A small number of months ago, I learned about, "Dungeon Crawler Carl." It is a popular book series about a man who competes in fantasy dungeons for the approval of space aliens, although there is a lot more to it. I've heard it is great stuff, and I do want to pick up at least the first book to check out all the hype. It was recently announced that a television/streaming show is in the works (so it's been optioned), and for Free Comic Book Day, Vault happened to publish a, "Dungeon Crawler Carl," comic, "#0," issue. An issue that is now selling for $15 per copy--a freebie turned collectible, I suppose! That's interesting, but it gets really wild seeing how certain variants of the zero issue (that did cost a bit of money as opposed to being free) are going for way above cover price on secondary markets such as eBay. There seems to be a real hunger for, "Dungeon Crawler Carl," content, and I do wonder if these comics will still, "Pop," in the market in the future--perhaps if a possible show is a hit? All I can tell you is I knew of Carl and his dungeon crawling, but now I see just how hardcore his fans can be!

In Defiance of All Reality, GameStop Wants to Buy eBay

GameStop is a struggling retailer worth about 12 billion dollars. eBay is a massive e-commerce entity worth around $46 billion. GameStop has made moves as if it has the intent to try to purchase eBay despite the latter being worth almost 4 times more than the former. This would be like if a guy went and tried picking a fight with someone nearly 4 times their size/strength/etc. It is illogical and reeks of Gamestop either trying to boost its stock price (more on this shortly) through seemingly impossible "Plans," or perhaps, like the tiny man trying to get into fisticuffs with the bigger fellow, GameStop, somehow, thinks it has something up its sleeve? Another company/country/whatever willing to put up funds for such an absurd proposal? I don't really see any reality where this even happens. Other people and I also definitely don't see any reality where such an acquisition would end well. 

The horrible concept of Gamestop buying eBay hasn't stopped GameStop from claiming it has the wherewithal to offer, "eBay’s board...$125 a share, a massive premium over the stock’s recent average price of around $90 a share. According to Cohen, the deal will be half cash, half stock, with up to $20 billion in financing on the table from TD Securities. GameStop had $9.4 billion in cash and 'liquid investments,' as of January 31, 2026, which presumably includes the company’s large purchases of Bitcoin after closing more stores. And of course, as part of the deal, Cohen will become CEO of the new joint GameStop/eBay entity, paid only based on the future performance of its stock." GameStop has delusions of rivaling Amazon, but GameStop's stock took a hit today from how dumb this all is. eBay has confirmed they received the unsolicited offer in much the same way I would, "Confirm," getting a spam email. More on this madness as it develops.

Starting May 2026 Off With a ToyMan Show!

Today was the first Sunday of May, and it was extra special thanks to there being a ToyMan show! Upon my arrival early in the morning, I was pleased to see the show was chock-full of goodness as usual. If my posts about the ToyMan show were to ever only get one thing across, the fact that the show is stuffed to the gills with awesome items needs to be driven home! Toys, comics, diecast cars, trading cards, records, magazines, Funko Pops, and everything in between are always at ToyMan, and one can spend the whole show taking in the mix of cool accoutrements. 

A picture of right before the doors opened, and folks came onto the show floor!

I began my time at the show by saying hello to my great friends Spike of Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles, as well as Tim Metzger. I proceeded to have a chance to chat with Brian Lan and Shane Lodi about how they had been doing, and enjoyed seeing them. My delightful chum, Jack Thomas, of Fortress Comics, was present and had a huge assortment of intriguing comics as well. As I proceeded to walk around the show, I had the pleasure of seeing Cayden of Tri Fox Shoppe and bought a really cool Sonic-themed sticker from him! Check it out:

As I continued browsing around ToyMan, I interacted with my friend Jessica Mathews and was excited to hear about a new book she has coming out soon--I plan to buy a copy and will discuss it more in the future once it is released! The Tatertot crew was there with neat wares, and my friend Tom was selling cool shirts at the show, too, and I spotted celebrity guest Brad Kesten (known for a variety of voice-over work) meeting with fans and excitedly chatting with folks as well! It was a superb show, as always, and I eagerly look forward to the next Toyman on July 12th if I'm able to attend--that also happens to be Gibson's birthday, so we'll see how busy things are!

It's Free Comic Book Day/Comics Giveaway Day 2026!

Due to trademark disputes (which I've talked about before), today is both Free Comic Book Day as well as Comics Giveaway Day. What is the difference? There isn't one, honestly! Today is the first Saturday in May, and for many years that has been the time for publishers to release special free comic-books that are  used to promote a new series/event and are sent to participating comic shops. Stores give these away and often do their own sales and raffles too! I hope everyone has a great FCBD/CGD and picks up some cool stuff to read! Also, maybe consider buying a little something at whatever comic shop you visit to show the establishment some love as well. Have a great day, everybody!

Flashback Friday: Thinking About the Wild Colors of Heinz EZ Squirt

In the early 2000's, Heinz did a weird promotion to make ketchup more appealing to kids. Children and adults already generally love ketchup, so why mess with a good thing? Nobody knows what they were thinking, but the desire to make ketchup fun and colorful gave us Heinz EZ Squirt. If you've ever wished your ketchup could be an even brighter red or green, you're a little strange, but you were in luck. It gets weirder, however, with the blue and purple colors as well as the, "Mystery," option that might squirt out teal, pink, or orange.

Kids were (mostly) down with it (even though the novelty quickly wore off), parents were disgusted, and even advertising how it was fortified with healthy ingredients made it hard for some people to overlook the vibe off a dollop of blue paste-looking strangeness on a burger. Heinz EZ Squirt landed with a (colorful) splash, but quickly ran out of steam. It was discontinued in 2006 and remains a bizarre footnote in food history.

Hot Comics Revue 23: Just a Sweet, Sweet, "Lost Fantasy," Baby

When I first heard about and saw, "Lost Fantasy," in comic shops about a year ago, I have to admit it didn't grab my attention. I've enjoyed other things written by its author, Curt Pires, and the art by Luca Casalanguida looked good, but my response was, "Eh?" An action-adventure comic about secret magic, monsters, and a dude with a big sword...I shrugged. That was my mistake, however, as the buzz has continuously been positive for the series, a spin-off focused on the, "Fireborn," character has started, and issues are heating up for no other reason than it being a great read. There is no talk about it being optioned or anything, just lots of love for the series. 

Some of the covers have been popular thanks to an attractive female character from the series gracing them, but a lot of the biggest money-makers have been the debut issue and the fifth (where the aforementioned Fireborn first appears). The ninth issue came out on April 15th and they are all pretty sought-after. You don't often hear bout a book slowly heating up and eventually getting red hot for no reason other than being a stellar read, but I personally like it when that happens. Organic growth occurring for a series that is simply good is nice to witness, and now I want to find those early issues--or more likely, read the trade paperback collections to save my scratch!

I Have Ongoing Concerns About When Physical Media Disappears and We Don't, "Own," Our Digital Media

UPDATE ON 4/30/26:

Sony has clarified that the DRM is apparently going to be a one-time license check to prevent priacy, but as Polygon points out, "Even a one-time check for PlayStation DRM is concerning." I'm sure this story will continue to develop.

ORIGINAL POST:

An assortment of news stories got me thinking of that phrase, "You will own nothing and you will be happy." Lots of things are now subscriptions or services. You don't own your movie, you have a membership with a streaming service that offers it. You don't own a record/tape/CD, you can stream it for a monthly cost. Your game pass renders games unusable if you stop paying...but you can buy a digital copy you do, in fact, own, right? Well, as of March 2026, it seems PlayStation has implemented a method to disable games from working if you don't connect to the internet with a digital game (that you supposedly own) at least once every 30-ish days. This wasn't announced or anything; people just noticed it and are hot pissed. Gamestop is taking advantage of this PR blunder, of course. Not all games have physical copies, however, which raises concern. 

This new PlayStation fiasco also makes me think about comics people read online and how hard it can be to get a physical copy of certain stories if they aren't kept in print--and I don't mean weird, obscure stuff; notable arcs face this too, as Comicsbeat discussed. If we can't find physical versions of media and lack real control of our digital content, do we truly, "Own," anything? There are some cool games coming out this May, and I don't like the idea that Sony can simply say, "Nah, you bought this but ain't gonna play it." If I want to use a subscription service for my games, movies, television, comics, and what have you (and I do for some stuff), then that is fine! The concerns arise when I don't even have a physical ownership option, and my digital item, which I bought, is still treated as a rental. Perhaps some twisted Hell where everything is somehow a subscription service is inevitable, but I hope not. I like the option to at least truly possess my stuff within my own hands

Celebrated Comic Creator Gerry Conway Has Died at 73

Gerry Conway has died at 73. He wrote many issues of, "Amazing Spider-Man," after Stan Lee left the book decades ago. These issues resulted in his co-creation of such character as the Punisher. Conway also was involved in the creation of the hated-killed-brought back and now popular antihero character Jason Todd. Conway penned the story of Gwen Stacy's death, introduced Marvel's take on Dracula, helped create Power Girl as well as Killer Croc...and the list just goes on for all the stuff he did. Conway served at one point as Marvel's Editor-in-Chief, wrote for movies and television, and was outspoken about the rights of comic creators as well as the use of the Punisher logo by far-right groups misappropriating the symbol. Conway wrote one of my favorite lesser-discussed comic stories, "The Last Days of Animal Man," which I continue to be surprised got slept on by so many folks. He is survived by his wife and children and will be missed.

Music Monday: The, "Yukon," Covers, Remixes, and Mashups are Delightful

The song, "Yukon," by Justin Bieber, is solid. It's a weird little minimalist tune. I liked it, and others did too, taking advantage of that minimalism to do all kinds of wild things with it. There is one remix that has taken over the radio more than the original, along with other riffs on the song, adding in other artists. We have covers by artists such as Sekou and Jamie Ave, Tate McRae , and more. Oh, and some wild mash-ups and tweaks, such as mixing it with Usher's hit, "Nice & Slow," or another R&B classic, "Let Me Love You," by Mario. Being a fun song and easy to manipulate with its intentionally bare-bones design has resulted in a lot of cool stuff. Sometimes a song just arrives at the right time and strikes a creative nerve in a lot of folks. I like it when that happens.

"Dirty," Mountain Dew is Subpar

"Dirty Soda," is a new hot thing. It is, essentially, soda with other flavors in it, often creamer. Mountain Dew is getting in on the game with their own, "Dirty," Mountain Dew in regular and zero sugar iterations. It is nondairy but contains a generous helping of vanilla flavoring. I didn't like it.

Mountain Dew in its Diet or Zero forms is okay, but I've always preferred Code Red (and the incredibly hard-to-find Code Red Zero). Still, the mix of flavors ranges from pleasant (Livewire) to subpar (Baja Blast just isn't for me). Dirty Mountain Dew simply tastes like Mountain Dew with a bunch of bland vanilla. That's it, nothing else particularly interesting is contained within the bottles. I wasn't expecting another drink of Code Red-level quality, but at least something enjoyable. Oh well.

2 out of 5 Stars.

I'm Bad at, "Drop Duchy," but it's Still Incredibly Fun

"Drop Duchy," has been on computers, but recently came to all finer consoles. It is a mix of genres and gaming ideas. There are roguelike elements, resource management, military strategy, and it is all wrapped up in a strange game of Tetris. It sounds bizarre, and it is, but I dig it! I'm also very bad at it.

I'm not the best at puzzles or planning out fancy strategies in games. I often will find my little army vastly outnumbered in a round of, "Drop Duchy." That, or I'll make a mistake with resource placement. Hell, sometimes I'll just kind of forget I had a piece reserved for something and totally screw up the whole board, repeatedly. I am an extremely mediocre player of, "Drop Duchy," but it is such an enjoyable game, I know that's okay! I don't feel I have played enough to offer a true, "Review," but I'd highly encourage everyone else to give it a try!

Darrell Sheets Has Passed

I wrote pretty recently about my immense love for, "Storage Wars," as a comfort show of mine. I just enjoy kicking back and chilling with the program. One longtime cast member who retired some time ago would be Darrell Sheets. He had suffered health issues in 2019 and appeared off-and-on until feeling totally done with the show in 2023. Sadly, Sheets has passed and seems to have died due to suicide. He was 67 and is survived by a number of family members. If you or a loved one is struggling with thoughts of self-harm, please know there are many resources, including but not limited to the 988 Lifeline and the Crisis Text Line.

2 Rivers Comic Con is This Weekend!

2 Rivers Comic Con happens this Saturday and Sunday at the Steel Shop Event Center in Saint Charles! I'm not 100% sure if I'll be able to attend, but I would encourage everyone else to go. There will be a number of stellar vendors and some really cool guests, including but not limited to Larry Hama, Kimberly Brooks, Andrea Romano, Rick Burchett, and more! It is bound to be a lot of fun, and if I am able to be there, I'll be sure to provide a write-up!

A New, "Clayface," Mini-Series is Incoming

Update: 

A trailer for the movie just came out today as well and looks scary!

Original Post:

Clayface is a Batman villain I've always found fascinating. The most well-known version is actor Basil Karlo, a man so desperate for fame that he becomes a hideous monster inadvertently. It is quite tragic and some comic stories/shows have done a great job exploring Clayface as a character and what makes him, "Tick." There is a movie focused on the character coming this Fall (I hope it is good), and with that in mind, a profile-boosting mini-series has been announced, "Clayface: Celebrity Dirt." 

According to the announcement, this comic will feature the, "creative team of acclaimed horror writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle, artist Fran Galán, colorist Patricio Delpeche, and letterer Tom Napolitano. The six-issue Clayface comic miniseries follows the classic Batman villain as he escapes Arkham Towers, ready to stage his comeback, only to discover that someone else has stolen his name, his face, and his long-lost stardom." It is set to have a noir-ish vibe and be full of psychological horror and body horror--which makes perfect sense when we're talking about Clayface. I'm definitely interested in checking this out when it arrives in all finer comic shops this July.

Earth Day 2026

It's Earth Day in 2026. I hope we have an Earth in the near future that is habitable based on current environmental regulations being rolled back, the threat of a nuclear war inching ever closer, and so forth. Do your best to care for the planet, even though you engaging in conservation/recycling only makes so much of a difference when huge conglomerates are polluting willy-nilly. It's funny, you know, I used to think, "Captain Planet," was way too over-the-top and on the nose with his villains who laughed maniacally about all the money they were making while damaging the planet. 

Just as we owe George Lucas an apology for his, "Star Wars," prequels about unchecked executive powers and wars over trade routes, I can only humbly say, "Yeah, Captain Planet actually called it." In the meantime, let's still try to combine our powers to do what we can for Earth. We only get one, as far as we know. As I said, here's hoping we at least have an Earth for Earth Day 2027.

The Monkey's Paw Has Curled a Finger: Game Pass Prices Have Dropped, But With One Notable Change for the Worse

Ya'll know about the cursed monkey paw, right? Originally a classic short story simply titled, "The Monkey's Paw," by W.W. Jacobs, it involves a mysterious mummified monkey's hand that grants wishes but at a terrible cost. It has been homaged and riffed on in everything from, "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" to, "The Simpsons," and plenty of other media. Well, if anyone pulled out their monkey's paw today and said, "I want Microsoft's Game Pass to be cheaper, right now!" you've got your wish, with a little evil monkey-magic thrown in. You see, as of today, the Game Pass has gone down in price with the most expensive, "Ultimate," option decreasing from $30 to $23 and all the other selections going down in price as well. Something won't be, "Day One," on Game Pass anymore, and that, "Something," is pretty huge.

As Patricia Hernandez over at Polygon discusses, "According to Microsoft, everything that is currently included in either subscription will remain available after the price change. However, future Call of Duty games — including this year's unannounced Call of Duty entry — will no longer be day one releases on Game Pass. Instead, newer Call of Duty games will be available on Game Pass the following holiday season, or about a year after they first release. Existing Call of Duty titles already on the service will continue to be available for Game Pass subscribers." This might sting for many players as when it comes to the biggest games around, I often think of, "Pokemon," "Minecraft," and, "Call of Duty," being huge (there is GTA, but at this rate VI ain't never coming out). Obviously, the price increase ended up doing more harm than good, with many players (including yours truly) presumably giving up on Xbox/Game Pass with the drastic jump in cost back in October. I suppose a mix of lowering the price but charging people for (sooner) access to a big game is hoped to balance everything out. If you love Game Pass and, "Call of Duty," however, that Monkey Paw just zinged you thoroughly. Now, we shall see how this all shakes out.

Wishing Adam Hughes the Best

It has been made public that the incredibly talented comic artist Adam Hughes is battling stage 3 colorectal cancer. As someone who has had a number of loved ones impacted by cancer (and colon cancer specifically as well), I know that Hughes and his family are going through a lot right now. Hughes has, understandably, canceled upcoming store and convention appearances. I am sending Hughes and his family positive vibes for sure!

The April 2026 Quad Con Was Immense Fun!

I attended the Quad Con in Saint Charles today, and it was a delight! It is always full of fun vendors, creators, and simply a great time. I was at the show earlier in the day and saw/met a number of lovely folks. I started the show chatting with Spike from Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles. My chum, Geoff, was set up and had a number of cool comics as well. I enjoyed seeing him! Speaking of comic vendors, Tatertot's crew had a presence with tons of great books, and I made the acquaintance of Space Age Comics (I can't currently find a link) and greatly enjoyed digging through their stuff.

A battling robots showcase by Palm Beach Bots was running (as pictured above), and I was excited to see Nerd Fury, whom I last ran into at a Tatertot-run convention. It was a pleasure talking with Jeff from Magnitude 10 Comics about how he'd been lately and what comics we'd been enjoying. I also saw Larry of Bug's Comics and his awesome wife. Plus, I had a chance to speak with Bruce Reynolds and update him on how life has been. He was kind enough to pose for a picture:

Jason of the upcoming ArchRivals Collectorfest this June (more on that as it nears) was present along with Naked Man Creations, who had some amazing 3D-printed items for sale. I also enjoyed flipping through the manga of Julz Pearce, an author at the show--there were a number of creators of neat stuff and not just vendors, after all! Here is a picture of her cool booth:

Today's QuadCon was fantastic! I enjoyed seeing so many cool people selling neat items. I would encourage everyone to attend the next time it's here, October 31st, AKA Halloween. You're sure to have fun!

Make Sure to Visit the Quad Con Tomorrow in Saint Charles!

I've mentioned before about being excited for the latest upcoming Quad Con in Saint Charles. Well, I wanted to take the chance to remind everyone that it is happening tomorrow! Get to the Steel Shop Athletics and Events Center at 10AM and be prepared to have a bunch of fun. I plan on being there and will report back on how great a time I had!

Flashback/Film Friday: "Collateral," is Michael Mann's Best Movie

Michael Mann is a fantastic director/producer. From television's huge, "Miami Vice," to movies like, "Heat," and the modern-day, "Miami Vice," plus, "The Insider,"and more. For my money, his best creation ever is, without a doubt, "Collateral." It is basically the only movie in Tom Cruise's entire career he plays a total and without question villain ("Magnolia," and, "Tropic Thunder," have him as jerks but not true baddies). and it has the insanely talented Jamie Foxx in it as a kind of anti-buddy comedy where Foxx's cab-driving Maxx finds himself hostage of contact killer Cruise's Vincent, driving him to various assassinations whilst trying to stop the violence and/or escape.

"Collateral," is a tightly-plotted crime thriller with some cool twists. If I may spoil one element, the law enforcement agents who've been after Vincent actually suspect Maxx is actually the killer they've been trying to track down, and you think the one person who believes Maxx is innocent will be able to help save him..before that guy ends up dead. Plus, for those who love little easter eggs, this is confirmed as being in the same universe as the, "Transporter" movies, as Jason Statham has a blink-and-you 'll-miss-it cameo as the unnamed person who drops a suitcase full of weaponry off to Vincent early in the flick. Foxx is awesome as a cab driver who is at first terrified but gains the nerve to show some agency and save the day. Cruise is utterly chilling as a sociopath who can be smiling and chatting with someone one minute and emotionlessly shooting them the next. I've discussed on the blog before about not liking Tom Cruise much as a person, but I will always admit the man can act to a wild degree.

"Collateral," came out in 2004, and I did not realize it was that long ago. It remains a classic and is, in the opinion of myself and some other folks online, the best flick Mann's ever directed (there are still disagreements as he's made a lot of great stuff). Give it a watch if you've never seen it and be prepared to sit on the edge of your seat for two hours!

The “Refresher Wars,” Are Here

Do you want a tasty drink (often with caffeine) that isn’t coffee or a bubbly soda? Well, for some time, Starbucks was the go-to if you wanted a, “Refresher,” drink. When something is popular, however, others take note and also do whatever is getting press. After all, good artists copy, great artists steal. With that in mind, we’ve got a lot of great artists popping up, so to speak. Another popular coffee location, Dunkin’, has been going hard and heavy on its own version of refreshers. Panera has them. Beloved drive-in chain, Sonic, is at it too. Oh, and the biggest fast food brand around, McDonald’s, has plans to offer their own spin on refreshers plus handcrafted sodas (so watch your back, Swig). The question some have, however, is why do people love refreshers?

Millennials and GenZ are apparently big fans of these drinks as they lack the bitter or overly sweetened taste of iced coffee (for those weirdos who dislike coffee), can be colorful/fun, don’t have to be too caffeinated, and are simply nice and refreshing, as the name indicates. They’re getting lots of hype, so the corporations are eagerly hopping on the bandwagon of this latest trend. Once upon a time, everybody was trying to be Atkins diet-friendly. Then, lots of people were opposed to gluten even if they lacked celiac disease or such. During the COVID-era lockdowns, we were all creating, “Cloud coffee,” out of boredom. The list goes on, and as of right now, the latest metaphorical bullet point happens to be refresher drinks. Hop on the train or be like me and dodge out of its way because they’ll take my iced coffee from my equally cold, dead hands. Don’t worry either way, because before too long, the next popular trend will be here and you’ll love it…or find it annoying.

Tax Day 2026

You may have already filed your taxes and found out if you get a refund/owe more than you'd like. You possibly may have been putting it off or simply forgotten, but do please be aware that today is the deadline to file or request an extension without the government potentially getting mad at you. Plenty of entities are all bark and little-to-no bite, but there are three organizations you don't mess with:

1. Disney

2. Nintendo

3. The IRS

The first two will sue you for everything you're worth if needed, and the IRS can simply take money out of your paycheck or throw you in jail if you cheat/lie/forget taxes. Remember, Al Capone allegedly did a lot of criminal stuff, but it was the IRS who brought him down in the end. The United States apparently didn't care too much about the illegal booze or loansharking. However, they got upset when they didn't get their cut of the profits. My point is, if you haven't done your taxes yet, please finalize them today or request more time to avoid your money (or freedom) being garnished. Plus, lots of businesses are doing freebies and other promotions for today, so that's fun, at least!