All the news that's unfit to print
My friend Dave, of Callisto Comics, has been working on a website all about the Spector Club Comic Show and its history. It is the Midwest's oldest comic show, and he's been hard at work already doing interviews to build a detailed oral and print history. I always love going to the Spector Club shows and encourage anyone who can plan on going to be sure and attend the next one on October 11th. In the meantime, I look forward to any updates Dave posts!
It's Been Some Years
Way back in 2011, I wrote about awesome scenes in two movies that were otherwise terrible. Six years passed, and in 2017, I discussed two movies that contain fantastic scenes, even if the flicks are otherwise merely passable. Four years later, I touched upon three movies that were, "Good," but did have one extra great scene. At the end of that post, I joked that in another four or five years I would possibly make a post talking about strangely bad scenes in movies that are, apart from those scenes, stellar. Well, almost five years later, I was, in fact, thinking about some movies I am a fan of but which have that one scene that threatens to bring the whole thing down. Let's discuss...
The Notebook
Even if it is argued by some to be, "Escapist fluff," I would argue that of any movie made from a Nicholas Sparks story, "The Notebook," is the best, and a damn fine flick in and of itself. The cast is killer, from Ryan Gosling (as Noah) to Rachel McAdams (as Allie), and James Marsden (Lou) as the guy who gets left for Gosling's character and is shockingly mature and understanding about it. Much of the movie has a framing device of an old man telling an older woman with dementia the story of how this couple in the past came together. It is obvious fairly early on he is telling their story, and that's sweet, but not in a cloying manner. Then, the movie has to go and screw it all up with an ending scene so cheesey-yet-kind-of-dark that you're better off going with the book's conclusion.
Basically, the elder Allie freaks out and attacks Noah, but then calms down, remembers him, and they die at the same time, holding each other in their arms. That is certainly...something. As for how the book ends, Noah telling Allie the story helps give her a flicker of memory, and they spend the night together making love as they did all those passionate years ago despite their age and ailments. I'm not saying the film version of, "The Notebook," had to end with a scene of two elderly folks bumping uglies, but it is just a weird downer of a note to conclude an otherwise great movie.
Showgirls
Look, I am not going to argue that the movie, "Showgirls," is necessarily "Good," but it is extremely silly and entertaining. This summary of it works well if you don't want to sit through its madness. It also takes a hard left turn near the end (you may see a theme forming here) with an extremely unnecessary gang-rape scene. It seems to be in the film so that the protagonist (Elizabeth Berkley as Nomi) can learn her best friend Moly (Gina Ravera) has been sexually assaulted so that she has the motivation to go beat up the perp before leaving Vegas (as she was going to do, but now she also kicks some ass first). It just seems like lazy writing (and something we've seen often in movies/television/etc.) to want to go, "This character is extra evil because they're out here engaging in rape and we need the hero to stop them." Multiple folks involved with the movie continue to have strong feelings about the scene and how out-of-place it feels in an otherwise campy delight. My advice to anyone watching, "Showgirls," who could be triggered by such a brutal scene or who just doesn't want to suddenly go from a fun vibe to feeling like they are watching a horror movie is to fast-forward through that scene.
Yep, we're going to talk about a scene near/right at the end again. This time the studio system is more to blame than anyone involved in the creation of the movie itself, however. Throughout, "Psycho," the director, Alfred Hitchcock, twists and subverts our expectations. The person whom we think is the main character ends up killed before the first hour concludes. The young man who manages Bates Motel, Norman Bates, seems like he is trying to keep his murderous mother in check while guests stay, but it is revealed in a shocking climax that his mother is long dead and he is killing folks whilst dressed as her. Why is he doing this, though? Well, any possible mystery flies out the window when a psychiatrist is called to evaluate Norman after his capture and reveals it is a violent personality disorder where Norman truly thinks he is his mother.
This moment is in the original book the film adapts, but Hitchcock felt it ground everything to a halt, providing an overly clinical explanation for all the preceding suspense and horror. He kept it in the movie to appease Paramount, however, as he'd already pushed a ton of boundaries regarding censors upset about a variety of the movie's content (from unmarried couples in bed, to the peephole, a toilet flushing, and the now-legendary shower scene). Hitchcock knew how to pick his battles, and if he had to spoon-feed audiences an info-dump at the end of his movie instead of leaving things up to interpretation so he could get it released, he was willing to do so. Damn, the movie biz in 1960 sounds a lot like 2026 in some regards! Debates persist decades later about how useful or unnecessary that scene is. Clearly, I feel the credits could've rolled the moment the cops nab Bates, leaving us viewers in a shocked stupor, but that's just me.
I Love Ya, Flaws and All
Even if "Showgirls," hits a speed bump 3/4 or so of the way through and the other two productions end in a manner that leaves a sour taste in my mouth, I'm still a fan of all these of these. We've got a camp classic, a cozy romance yarn, and a masterpiece of film. It shows that no matter what kind of movie you make, it can be awesome even if somebody made a questionable choice with the flick. Now, I'll think up what the theme should be when I do one of these in another four or five years. Perhaps three hilarious scenes in otherwise serious movies? I dunno, I've got time to mull it over.
I'm going to sound a bit like the character Stefon from, "Saturday Night Live," whenver he describes a nightclub that, "Has it all," because when discussing the first issue of, "Gastronomique," it really does have a lot--and that's a good thing! It contains historical fiction set that reimagines real people in different situations; it's got a lot of body horror, it has lesbian lovers enjoying each other's company in an old-timey tub, and it has a bit of supernatrural/metaphysical vibe riffing on concepts of evil, right versus wrong, and such. Oh, and the comic opens with people parading through the street with Marie Antoinette's bloody, decapitated head as they sing a cheerful tune about her death, just to give you an idea of the visceral vibe.
Published by BOOM! Studios, this new series is written by the immensely talented Marguerite Bennett and illustrated by Helena Masellis. With the French Revolution serving as the setting, the main focus of, "Gastronomique," seems to be following Lady Charlotte (a spy and assassin) as she attempts to hunt down Tarrare, a quite real and infamous individual who could eat seemingly anything (he ripped apart and ingested live animals in front of scientists amazed at his insatiable hunger). Tarrare is thought to have even engaged in cannibalism, with the idea he possibly ate a young child serving as a big motivator for the Lady's efforts to kill him. If you're into a queer, erotic, horror-thriller and aren't too squeamish (Masellis illustrates one detailed incident of Tarrare swallowing a live snake, whole), this looks to definitely be worth a read.
5 out of 5 Stars.
The video-game industry seems to, in general, be having a ton of issues. Lots of studios are getting shut down, or people are being laid off, and if you don't sell an insane amount of copies when your title comes out, it is a big problem. I have enjoyed anything from Supermassive Games I've had a chance to play, from "Until Dawn," to, "The Quarry." I just recently had enough free time to dive into, "Directive 8020," which I've been really digging! Without spoiling too much, the story takes place in the somewhat distant future, with a team aboard a spaceship tasked with inspecting a potentially habitable planet encountering... trouble. This issue is extraterrestrial in nature and the plot so far is a mix of, "Alien," with, "The Thing," as you (the player) try to keep everyone alive via a number of ethical dilemmas, some exploration/sneaking segments, and so forth. I quite like it, and when I saw there was a headline about the developer the other day, I was bummed that the news was, "Yep, more video-game industry layoffs."
It is alarming that video-games seem more popular than ever, yet the industry for making the games is itself a huge mess. At least a bunch of executives with Electronic Arts are happy, however, thanks to selling the company to, "...the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake Partners, and Affinity Partners, a private equity firm owned by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner." 55 billion dollars was spent, and now Trump's son-in-law and Saudi Arabia are in control of one of the biggest game studios around; what could possibly go wrong? I mean, what indeed?
There have been times in history when Marvel published, "Star Wars," comics, but there was never any crossover with the Marvel Universe. Decades ago, they did so before Dark Horse acquired the license for a good long while. Eventually, Disney absorbed Marvel and Lucasfilm, and it made sense to put Star Wars stuff under the Marvel label again, even if the comics remained fully removed from any Marvel superheroics. However, in January 2027 we will see the first ever official crossover between the Star Wars and Marvel Universes, with Kevin Smith writing, "Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles," over a five-issue mini-series. David Marquez will be on art duties.
Apparently, this will be taking place in the main 616 continuity of Marvel (the, "Offiical," canon) and will not be some kind of, "What If?"-themed mini-series. Never mind that, "Star Wars," technically takes place in the distant past and galaxies (far, far) away because a, "Reality shattering," spell is going to bring a bunch of Star Wars characters right into the Marvel heroes' orbit. This sounds a bit fun, but I swear, if this is all an excuse to make the Scarlet Witch some kind of villainous Deus Ex Machina again thanks to her vaguely-unexplainable powers (like, "House of M," and, "Decimation,") I'll be perturbed. Seriously though, this could be a hoot, and I was just saying the other day we need more quirky crossovers. Kevin Smith can be extremely hit-or-miss in his film work as well as his comics, but the dude (generally) knows how to tell a good story, and David Marquez is a stellar artist. Just give a zany scene where Darth Vader and Doctor Doom argue about who is more villainous-yet-tragic with their backstory, and I'll be content. It's going to be an interesting start to 2027 in comic-books, that's for sure.
The other day I was talking with someone about the OG Image series and which ones were still around. The subject came up in regard to, "The Savage Dragon," and, "Spawn." We mentioned how there was also Rob Liefeld with his, "Youngblood," comic which had given us a bunch of mini-series and random reprints. I said, "Well, would we expect less from Liefeld?" and my friend said in a joking manner, "Yes, please, he should do less!" Liefeld is known by many for being a jerk. He loves to take credit for anything he had major or minor involvement in and feuds with anyone who denies his immense genius. It seems every ten years or so a new generation of comic-book readers discovers that Rob Liefeld is an asshole, as illustrated by a story about him being a total egotistical dick on a Whatnot stream the other day.
Liefeld was on the popular platform that focuses on live shows for various collectibles. He was selling the latest relaunch of, "Youngblood," and became positively infuriated when a fan suggested he draw an, "Absolute Batman," cover sometime. Liefeld said he would only do such a thing for an astronomical sum of money because he'd rather do creator-owned work than stuff for Marvel or DC. Liefeld then proceeded to ban the fan from the stream when they informed him, "Just wanted to see your art on it dude," with Liefeld enraged at being called, "Dude." As with many things involving Liefeld, there is a nugget of truth/wisdom amongst all the self-aggrandizement. DC and Marvel often are pretty terrible towards the people who make their comics; that is accurate! However, going off on somebody simply because they're a fan who told you how they'd love your take on another character is...quite a choice. There are creators where I like their work but they are apparently awful in real-life. There are creators whose work I just don't vibe with, but I hear they are genuinely wonderful folks. Then, you get a comic creator who has art many struggle to vibe with and a personality that sounds abhorrent. Well, Liefeld being self-centered and unpleasant for all these years at least shows he's consistent about some things, if not getting many of his promised projects out on time--"Brigade," anyone?
I always enjoy watching, “Saturday Night Live.” I will readily admit it has some episodes—Hell, some seasons— that are weak. It’s always at least somewhat enjoyable to watch, however, and when it has a superb skit, that’s always a treat. The fact it has lasted as many seasons as it has is itself impressive and miraculous, and there is plenty of material from the Summer the show had off to discuss/riff on. Last night I was wondering exactly how much longer we needed to wait for the show to be back, so I checked, and we are not getting season 52’s debut until September 26th, goodness!
At the rate the world (and America, specifically) is going, who knows what else there could be to touch upon within the next month and a half or so. With the show having a strenuous schedule, it makes sense that the staff and cast need a good break, but I always miss SNL during the Summer. As we near the premiere of this newest season I imagine there will be more announcements about the cast, as one individual already declared their upcoming absence (Chloe Fineman left), and new additions always get folks talking with excitement or displeasure (some may recall the fiasco of when Shane Gillis was cast, then fired before appearing on the show...before he then ended up hosting a couple times). Basically, I’m looking forward to September 26th and seeing what the next season holds when it finally arrives.
Simon Hanselmann is a skilled creator of comics. Many of his works involve the witch known as Megg, the talking cat, Mogg, and their roommate (in some continuities), Owl. Oh, and good ol' Werewolf Jones. Sometimes Hanselmann's yarns with these characters are outright hilarious ("Crisis Zone,"), but they can be incredibly dark and depressing too. His works are often quite edgy, however, with this latest release of the single-issue/one-shot, "Being Alive," providing plenty of moments I laughed aloud, cringed, and sometimes did both. This comic primarily involves Owl wanting to break up with his girlfriend, Jenny.
All the mayhem occurs a bit after Owl learns she often likes to dress up as a clown named, "Spritzy Waters." Yes, it is also a sex thing, and she does OnlyFans under that moniker as well. Owl isn't big on clowns, comedy-themed sex, or Jenny/Spritzy's clown friends who seem to despise him. An attempt to end things at the circus (it's her favorite place and the idea was to soften the blow) does not go well, either. As in many stories with Owl, he incurs a lot of hilarious injuries. Oh, and everyone does a lot of drugs at the birthday party for a nine-year-old.
"Being Alive," is absurd, hilarious, and full of awful people being terrible to each other. The closest comparison I've ever been able to draw to these miscreants would maybe be the characters of, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," but with the insanity and surreal aspects cranked up beyond anything you'd ever see on television (at least basic cable, maybe one of the edgier streaming networks). Hanselmann's work remains as impressive and enjoyable as ever; the world of comics is better for his unique brand of dark and quirky creations.
5 out of 5 Stars.
There are too many links and posts of the entire saga for me to put them all here, but I will note that last time I mentioned Diamond Comic Distributors in more than passing, it was to note how they were, "No More." Within a calendar year, they had gone from a struggling-but-sizeable part of the business to comic distribution to bankruptcy and shutting down. As I said, "One long National nightmare is over (out of many that still persist, but oh well). Yes, Diamond Comic Distributors ceased operations/existence on December 31st, 2025, serving as the last day." However, like some kind of horror movie, it seems various lawsuits kept the corpse of Diamond shambling in the manner of a zombie. Unlike a zombie, however, this wasn't powered by sheer will and hunger, just litigation and money. Eight months since Diamond as an actual entity ceased existing, however, the nightmare is over, again. I swear this time.
You see, that big pile of inventory sitting in Diamond's warehouses that was on consignment from publishers (and should have gone back to said publishers) was being illegally sold to pay off debts, and some of those debts were owed to the people who wanted that inventory (it's complicated). Comics Beat declared, "It's over," with a settlement reached for publishers to get their books back. Some loose ends remain in terms of the logistics of folks getting their inventory back, certain people saying, "Wait, where's my money tho?" and so forth. We're mostly done, though, right? That, or maybe one war is over, but a whole messy journey is yet to come? Diamond admitted it had trouble and then was gone within 365 days, but it seems we'll be dealing with the mess it left behind for some time to come. It seems when one, "Nightmare," related to Diamond ends, a whole new bad night's sleep awaits plenty of other folks. At least, anyone besides the lawyers getting paid to dig through this muck of paperwork--they're probably pleased with this seemingly unending gig!
Introversion Software is quite known for its, "Prison Architect," where you attempt to design and run a successful prison (with things often going wrong). They've been hard at work on, "The Last Starship," for some time now, and have another game, "Arise Dark Lord." It looks interesting, with a blend of tower defense, base building, and you controlling the titular Dark Lord and commanding a bunch of undead minions as a big ol' evil tower gets built. Reading about it made me think of the underrated classic, "Overlord," which had you guiding various forms of little goblins in an evil quest (sort of, "Pikmin," if the protagonist were a baddie). This made me want to try it out!
There is a free playable demo/early prototype, and I had some fun with it! The retro-style pixels, how the landscape looks like an old map, and other little touches are fun. I enjoyed moving around, sending my followers after the, "Heroic," elements. Sometimes it can be fun when a game's protagonist is actually an antagonist, and, "Arise Dark Lord," takes full advantage of the nefarious vibe from you being a wicked entity. It is quite early in its development, with a full release happening later in 2027. That said, "Arise My Dark Lord," is definitely a game to keep your eye on as it progresses to being more completed/done.
A comic crossover can be relatively small-scale, such as when two characters in the same Universe have a special comic/mini-series. The Fantastic Four and the X-Men, for example. We also have different Universes within the same publisher, like when Peter Parker and Miles Morales first met (when he was in the original Ultimate Universe). Then, you've got crossovers between publishers, be they having Batman meet Deadpool, Vampirella and Witchblade teaming up, or the cast of Black Hammer chatting with the Justice League. You know what I really like, however? Weird crossovers. Not just quirky, but ones that outright shouldn't make sense yet end up working against all odds.
DC owns Looney Tunes and DC heroes. There was a time when various Looney Tunes characters had crossover comics with assorted DC characters. Many of the comics were forgettable except for Batman facing off against the ice-old assassin...Elmer Fudd. Yes, seriously. It was hardboiled, dripping with a sleazy vibe, and Tom King wrote it so seriously, with Lee Weeks giving us art that went so hard, it was amazing. It took something silly and combined it with something decidedly less, "Cute," and the result was good. Think of when Archie met the Punisher.
True, Frank Castle doesn't kill anyone during his time interacting with Archie, but he's still pretty grim and slightly (just slightly) finds the earnest innocence of Archie and his friends endearing. Archie does a lot of weird crossovers, honestly, and I applaud that. He's fought the Predator, been a bit shocked by the harsh language of Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob, and soon Riverdale is going to combat the Terminator!
A weird crossover is good fun, whether it's Godzilla fighting Marvel, DC, Sonic, or anyone else--a Kaiju up against anybody is zany! I mean, IDW once did that crosser-that-wasn't-exactly-a-crossover with, "Infestation," where some original characters happened to meet everyone from the Ghostbusters to Star Trek's crew, G.I. Joe, and more (although the various brands did not meet). The most recent outrageous crossover I dug was that, "DC K.O. Boss Battle," which had DC's characters running into everyone from Homelander, to Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Mortal Kombat characters, and a talking serial-killer bear from the popular, "Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees," series, to not even name everyone. It was bizarre and glorious.
We need more crazy stuff. Things where when they are first announced people ask, "Wait, is this a joke?" then get excited at just how wild these crossovers get. I appreciate that comics can be serious literature, but sometimes you just want to see Popeye fighting the aliens from, "Mars Attacks," for funsies! My point is, I hope companies keep the wacky intra- and intercompany crossovers coming!
We all know the routine. A superhero movie comes out and struggles so people ask, "Are superhero movies done for? Do people have superhero fatigue?" or, if the lead is female, "Why don't lady heroes sell?" even though flicks with dudes have done worse than some women-led films. Then, however, another superhero hits the silver screen, makes a truckload (Hell, multiple truckloads) of money, and the media declares, "Superheroes are bigger than ever, and any fatigue has been crushed!" Yes, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," debuted Friday and raked in all the dough. $355 million in America and $927 million Worldwide. It helps that there are three other Tom Holland-led movies, it has been a bit since the last one (building anticipation), the reviews were good, and we shouldn't forget that Spider-Man as a character generally gets butts in seats.
The only thing that seems to have fallen flat on its face was the supposed mystery of who actress Sadie Sink was playing being guessed/leaked long ago and becoming one of the worst-kept secrets about a movie for some time. If, somehow, you've avoided learning who she plays, I won't say anything beyond stating she apparently does a great job, along with everyone else involved, from Jon Bernthal as the Punisher to Zendaya's return as MJ, and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk. Oh, and Tom Holland apparently continues to seem designed in a lab to be the perfect Peter Parker version of Spider-Man, so good on him.
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| That ol' Parker Luck actually was profitable this time! |
Sony owns the movie rights to Spidey and characters directly related to him. They play nice with Marvel/Disney but attempted their own stuff, too, for a bit. Now, Sony seems to have realized that making movies about Spidey-adjacent characters almost always falls flat on its face (although I'll defend the first two, "Venom," movies as fun), so they need to either do live-action Spider-Man or the animated Spiderverse films. Any other Marvel heroes will fall squarely with Marvel/Disney, and we'll see just how things go this Winter with, "Avengers: Doomsday." Whether that is a letdown in some fashion or sets off trumpeting of, "Marvel's back and better than ever!" will remain to be seen.
When Image Comics launched back in 1992 (over 30 years ago, damn I'm old), I wonder how many people thought some of those earliest series would, somehow, continue to this day. Certain titles from that first decade occasionally had series off-and-on and grew into a complicated publishing history ("Youngblood," for example). Other lines went over to DC (Wildstorm in 1998). Some books arrived with a splash before being forgotten--"Tribe," anyone? Still, "Spawn," grew to be almost the face of Image at points, persisting with a consistent schedule for years and years. Todd McFarlane and various folks he worked with kept pumping out, "Spawn," comics even when it seemed they were being released more as a favor to McFarlane by Image than actually moving units. Inexplicably, Spawn had its popularity return, and now it is a hit again with spin-offs and ongoing chatter of another movie being possible (the original one was a bit of a mess). That said, this post isn't about, "Spawn," and now that I've got you too in deep to quit this piece, it is time to pull the rug and reveal this post is about the other long-running Image book. Yes, "The Savage Dragon," has also become the talk of the town lately, albeit for reasons, "Spawn," probably wouldn't ever dream of.
Created by Erik Larsen in the 1980's and originally just known as, "Dragon/The Dragon," the debut issue of, "The Savage Dragon," hit shelves in 1992, and ever since then Larsen has been the sole writer and artist. He puts out issues sporadically, and the series seems to feature whatever is on his mind, or he fancies discussing. Dragon was an amnesiac hero who became a police officer. Later on, he's in a dystopian reality. Big powered wars happen. Characters seemed to age in real time; the original Savage Dragon died, and his son took over the series. The book started occasionally getting a bit raunchy. It often riffed on politics. A public domain Mickey Mouse showed up and was a jerk, quite recently. Describing, "Savage Dragon," is best done by saying, "Random and weird stuff happens," and that is meant as a compliment. This is a comic that has kept coming out and has a die-hard fanbase, but is generally ignored by shops who only order it for said fans. Then issue #280 did something creatively raunchy--and baby, sex sells.
Without spending a whole paragraph explaining the lore, I will just say that issue #280 involved Malcom Dragon (the son of the original who now is the focus of the book) arriving home to find his beloved involved in a group-sex session of sorts with other heroes. For some years now, "Savage Dragon," has been racy, yes, but Larsen did something funny with this issue. The, "A," cover also features a different last page than the, "B," cover with a retro trade dress. In, "A," cover copies, the last page is a bit less (how to put this) visceral in the fluids pictured. In issues with the, "B," cover, things are quite visible and messy. It is absurd and crass, yes, and boy did it light a fire under the comic for some reason, with people learning there was a surprise, "Dirtier," iteration of the comic causing mayhem. The A and C covers (the C has the same interior as A) were sought-after, and B has gone nuclear. Issue #281 came out last week with various covers and no interior changes, but it has been desired by fans who hadn't cared about, "Savage Dragon," in years. Meanwhile, with #280, the A cover is an easy 20 bucks, and the B cover is over $100. There is going to be a second printing this week that is specifically the B cover and its interior--which is a bit unique to hear. As I said, sex sells. I suppose gimmicks sell too, so combine them and there ya go!
Certain consoles come along and brag about how powerful they are. "This new PlayStation will render water so realistically you'd swear you're swimming," or, "You can see every blade of grass in this new Xbox game," and so forth. Nintendo's consoles haven't ever (to my memory) been focused on bragging about computing power or such. The idea has been to make fun and interesting games via their wacky ideas. These ideas sometimes work out amazingly (the smash success of the Wii and Switch consoles) or flops a bit (the Wii U struggled).
Still, complaining about a Nintendo console struggling to render games with the best graphics or such just doesn't make much sense. It is like complaining your shortberry shortcake ice cream sundae doesn't have any banana--you could've just got the banana split then! I saw all this as Polygon had an article remarking on how some ports to the Switch 2 of popular games already have it struggling to chug along a bit. I get the idea, but the Switch 2 will, most likely, find a way to keep itself relevant for a bit even as Sony or Xbox hype up their newest uber-powerful machines (which won't even support discs in Sony's case). I think the Switch 2 will continue to do just fine within its processing limits and remain a fun console known for just that: fun. Plus, the fact that we can at least have physical versions of many games if we want is a nice feature in an era where everything is going digital-only, whether we like it or not.
It is the last day of July. We've had quite a month for popular culture-related announcements thanks to Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con being a hot spot to let folks know about your upcoming comics, movies, and so forth. A variety of interesting things were discussed or occurred, however, so let's spotlight some interesting tidbits from as of late!
To begin with, my favorite PSP (an underrated portable console) game series of all time was Lumines. In a bit of a surprise, it has finally been ported to iOS and Android, meaning your smartphone can now experience the joy of this strange music-puzzle-matching experience! "Lumines Remastered," can be bought now!
"Wonder Man," is cancelled and won't have a second season on Disney+. This is despite being a really fun show, getting rave reviews for a Marvel streaming show (a bit rare), and having a second season announced a matter of a few months ago! That said, Yahya Abdul Mateen II and Ben Kingsley were a hoot in the show as Simon Williams/Wonder Man and Trevor Slattery/the former Mandarin actor. Perhaps this is a stealthy way to fold them into a movie, one can hope? At least the star was able to not seem too sad.
A number of fly-by-night companies have those hideous AI-generated books these days where you type in some details about a child, and it spits out a, "Personalized," story you can then purchase in book form. A number of Baby Boomers apparently love these and won't stop buying them for their grandkids.
I wasn't particularly smitten with the first issue of the new comic, "Terminal," by Robert Kirkman, Joe Casey, and Andy Kubert. I thought it looked great, and the story had potential, but I wasn't immediately hooked. I'm in the minority for now, however, as the debut has sold 300,000 or so copies, with a second printing on the way. Kirkman might have another hit on his hands!
Speaking of Skybound/Robert Kirkman, Netflix has paid for the rights to, "The Walking Dead," franchise starting in 2027, sharing the past shows and new stuff with AMC for a cool 500 million dollars. I'd argue that while the comic and show ended with the spin-offs past their peak of popularity, there always are new fans discovering it, kind of like when Netflix scooped up, "Seinfeld," or any other popular franchise. I guess someone crunched the numbers and decided it was a wise investment.
Finally, fantastic writer John Arcudi is teaming up with Mark Buckingham on art and Dave Steward on colors for Titan Comics' "Kull," relaunch. The literary predecessory/blueprint for Conan the Barbarian, it could be interesting to see what this creative team does with the material!
Look, plenty of celebrities get involved in making comic books. Quite often they are incredibly forgetful books, or the celebrity has basically zero involvement besides licensing their name and likeness to be used in the comic. Exceptions to this, "Rule," exist, of course, because Gerard Way (of My Chemical Romance) and his, "Umbrella Academy," comics remain an utter delight (which also received a Netflix adaptation that varied in quality from amazing and imaginative to uninspiring and tepid). Hence, when I saw a headline declaring Shaquille O’Neal was involved in creating a comic, I assumed it would be something about basketball. That, or involve someone who looks like him that also happens to named Shaq before becoming a superhero, or something. Instead, it is a historical fiction piece on, "...the West African pirate known as Black Caesar, who was active in the Caribbean during the early 1700s." That sounds pretty cool, actually.
"Vengeance Unchained: The Legend of Black Caesar," is the full title of this five-issue mini-series. Shaq isn't super involved in the comic as far as I can tell, with writer Stephanie Williams, and artist Ray-Anthony Height (and his team at Studio Skye-Tiger) doing much of the comic creation, but it is still something that says Shaq, "Presents," so I suppose without his involvement this wouldn't get made. This is the first-ever comic Shaq has been involved with, and I'm not sure if he brought the idea of the book to Archie or they asked him about it, but he discussed in a press release about the book, “Growing up, I always loved stories about warriors who refused to quit. Black Caesar starts as a king, loses everything, and takes his freedom back on his own terms. That’s the kind of story I want to help tell. We built something that’s going to entertain you and make you think. I’m ready for the world to see what we created with Archie Comics, an iconic brand I have been a big fan of for many years. Archie has such an incredible legacy of storytelling, and being able to collaborate with a brand that has meant so much to generations of fans made this project even more exciting for me.”
The real Black Caesar doesn't have a ton of documentation, but enough is out there to confirm he did exist. He was (apparently) a war chief who became enslaved before joining in piracy and serving under Blackbeard up until that infamous pirate was killed. Black Caesar was arrested and faced trial, but he was acquitted, and then what happened to him next remains a bit of a mystery. I just think it is cool to see a celebrity known for a variety of other things (basketball, sports commentary, a tiny bit of acting, a short rap career) engaging in a comic about a random-but-quite-interesting subject. I'll check out the first issue this October!
Magnitude 10 Comics is run by my friend, Jeff. It is celebrating having been in existence for two years by running an anniversary giveaway! Yes, via the Magnitude 10 Comics YouTube channel, there will be, "...a special Livestream Event, Sunday August 16th 2026 at 3pm CST." The prize is a McFarlane Toys Joker statue, which would look quite snazzy in your place of residence, I'd bet!
Registering is easy with a variety of options. You can comment on one of the YouTube videos, send an email, or text 573-810-3889 to indicate your interest in the giveaway! If you aren't local to the Saint Louis area, do keep in mind you'll need to provide a mailing address if you win. In the meantime, while we wait for the event next month, go check out the Magnitude 10 Comics YouTube channel and enjoy some great videos!
I've been at this blogging thing for over 15 years now. I've written opinions I later changed my mind about and ones I still stand by. I've admitted when I was wrong and been eager to point out when I was right. One thing I've tried to never do, however, is make annoying clickbait headlines. I started thinking about this when I saw an article today that announced, "‘American Pickers’ fans praying for Mike Wolfe after tragic news: ‘Heart is shattered’." That sounds horrific, doesn't it? Well, his dog died. That is sad, and I'm sure some dog-lovers out there are praying for Mike, but such a headline is just utterly crass considering Wolfe did lose a former co-host and friend (Frank Fritz) in 2024. I didn't link to the article because I refuse ot give them more clicks, but that's a tacky way to essentially trick someone into visiting your site and getting you ad revenue or such.
To give some other examples I refuse to be too specific about or link to, as I don't want to give the sites any exposure, one common trick is to make people worry a show has been cancelled by saying, "The fate of SHOW NAME has been announced," which sounds ominous because saying, "SHOW NAME renewed for another season," is less likely to inspire a panic-click. Oh, and there is the old chestnut where you say how, "This actor from SHOW NAME has sadly passed!" while showing a picture of the main cast...before revealing it was someone who played a bit role in a handful of episodes.
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| A Punisher movie? Oh, wait, misleading junk. |
One site I will actually name, as it needs to be called out as often as possible, would be The Direct. Their headlines often are written in a misleading way, full of absurd theories, or flat-out lies designed to rile readers up. For example, saying something like, "Marvel Studios Unveils Its First-Ever Punisher Movie Poster," before you click the link for it to clarify, "Marvel Studios Unveils Its First-Ever Punisher-Featured Movie Poster," and revealing a Chinese movie poster for, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," which happens to have the Punisher on it. Basically, you get folks shocked/pumped at a headline hinting some kind of Punisher movie is coming only to go, "Ah, no, we totally just meant he's on a poster for the new Spidey flick. Barely. In another country. Ahem." This is pretty much the Standard Operating Procedure for the absolute hacks at The Direct.
I mean, I'm critical of other sites such as Bleeding Cool, who have plenty of folks who hate them, but Bleeding Cool does get legitimate leaks/scoops/and so forth, with its owner, Rich Johnston, embracing the fact that some people find him an abrasive asshole. Bleeding Cool is a site prone to tabloid-style reporting, but they do not make stuff up. If Rich called me and said, "Hey, David, I'll give you a fat check to write some pieces for Bleeding Cool," I'd probably say, "First of all, how did you get my phone number? Oh, that time I emailed you I mentioned it? Fine. Second of all, if that check truly is juicy, you've got a deal." There are not enough zeroes you can put on the end of a contract for me to ever want to go near a site like The Direct (not that they want me, but the point stands). Considering how much misinformation, hearsay, and sheer bullshit that exists on the internet, posting misleading clickbait or outright guesses like, "The Batman 2 Set Photo Confirms Key Nightwing Easter Egg Connection In Sequel," because a photo from the set showed a van mentioning the city of Bludhaven (seriously, that's it), is moronic at best, malicious at worst.
Before clickbait, we had supermarket tabloids with eye-catching headlines. To the credit of my favorite tabloid ever, "The Weekly World News," it was an intentional parody of sensationalistic news, satirizing what the media and the rise of the internet would become before it could even realize how ahead of its time it was (it isn't totally dead thanks to an often funny website that unfortunately uses some AI imagery). TWWN knew it was a joke, though, and (almost) everyone reading it was in on it, knowing Batboy didn't actually help lead the troops to Saddam Hussein's Spider Hole or that P'Lod, an alien ambassador to Earth, did not exist. He also was not having an affair with Hillary Clinton (something she actually acknowledged and laughed about with Jay Leno). Now, however, people do believe all kinds of wild conspiracy theories, with AI deepfakes only making it worse. Now you don't just claim Barack Obama was born in Kenya (for whatever random reason you believe such nonsense); you share some AI slop video of a, "Doctor," confessing he delivered Barack Hussien (you always gotta mention the middle name for dogwhilste-esque reason) Obama in an African hospital. You see how it is a bit of a metaphorical snowball that grows into an avalanche of falsehoods. We've gone from (relatively) harmless claims about Elvis being alive and working in Burger King or some actor being rumored to appear in the next Marvel flick to someone reading that the vaccine for measles is more dangerous than the disease and going, "Yeah, I'll believe that." Clickbait is arguably a hop, skip, and a jump to conspiracy theories, after all. Which shifts us into my next segment of this short piece that grew into a bit of a long diatribe, my thoughts on, "Uncover Up: How to Think Clearly in an Age of Conspiracies."
Written by Lee Kuhnle and Nathan Radke, "Uncover Up," is releasing to all finer bookstores today. I was able to read an advance copy by my own request to the publisher, ECW Press, when I saw it solicited in their upcoming releases some months ago. It is a superb book that goes in-depth not as to what conspiracies are out there, but why conspiracies gain a following and grow in power. From casual reasoning leading us down rabbitholes of falsehoods to how the simple act of changing our minds when confroted with facts contray to what we believe is just so damn hard, I found, "Uncover Up," a superb read, whether it was diving into conspiracies from decades ago with Roswell, the Kennedy assassination, and the Moon Landings or looking into the Satanic panic of the past and more modern-day equivalents (like the Momo Challenge hoax). If you've ever looked at a conspiracy theory and wondered, "How could anyone believe that?" this is the book for you! On the flipside, if you've ever examined a conspiracy theory and said, "Wait, why do I maybe believe in this? What's going on with me?" then again, this is the book for you!
I'm not saying falling for a simple clickbait article is going to turn you into someone who believes that the Earth is flat, but as page 175 points out, "Weirdly, as scientific evidence for a spherical Earth became overwhelming, the origins of the modern Flat Earth movement were starting to take root." The more evidence there is that something is patently false, the more fascinating it is when more and more people start to believe it, with the ideas only getting crazier. Okay, Zack Snyder is coming back to direct the DC Cinematic Universe any day now. Yeah, raw milk cures all kinds of medical ailments. Sure, the Democrats somehow stole the Presidential election in 2020 when Trump was President and his party controlled a ton of the government--yet, then Trump won in 2024 when the Democrats were in a position of power because we've got to, "Trust the plan." Whether we're dealing in questionable headlines that claim an innocent person gunned down by ICE for the, "Crime," of asking proof the agents were actually law enforcement was somehow a domestic terrorist or spending hours trying to prove that Jewish space lasers caused wildfires, it's turtles all the way down. "Uncover Up," is a great way to explore conspiracy theories, why they're so popular, and I rate it 5 out of 5 stars. A book such as this is a great way to try and gain an understanding of why we fall into conspiracies and how to avoid them (while acknowledging that some contain more than a kernel of truth as well). In closing, if any of these conspiracies are true, then why have I not been given my own space laser? Is the fact that I am more culturally Jewish and relatively unobservant a big disqualifier? If I need to keep Kosher in order to get my own space laser, I will strongly consider it. Maybe. Ah, I'm lying; I love bacon too much.
The other day, Trump put a hat on his head that, "Joked," to a bunch of news correspondents that he wanted to run a fourth time for a third term and continue to serve as President, in open defiance of many laws and the bedrock of our nation, the Constitution--the 22nd Amendment is pretty clear. The headlines from many major news sources emphasize the, "Joke," part. Not enough people are pointing out that he isn't joking, and those who are have to essentially scream it and are being dismissed. This is a man who has made it clear he will put aside any laws or facts to push his own agenda and beliefs. He continues to push the obvious lie that he won the 2020 Presidential election.
Anyone who dares to challenge his claims of ending wars, fixing economies, or other flights of fancy is dumb (don't forget the B) for calling him out. Trump's version of reality is one where he always wins, and if he ever loses, it is because the other person cheated somehow. Meanwhile, he keeps trying his hardest to fix these, "Games," in his favor. After repeated efforts to make it harder to vote via various proposed laws/acts/and so forth, Trump is pushing the Supreme Court to let him make mail-in voting harder under the guise of, "Protecting," elections. He wants to consolidate and secure power, not for the Republican Party (that's a mean to an ends for him) but so that the Party can help him defy the rule of law and find some way for him to keep being President/ruler until the day comes when that last Big Mac does him in or JD Vance batters Trump with a freshly-humped couch cushion in the hopes he can get the top position of power he's been angling at for some time. Trump was never joking about his first run for President. He wasn't joking about undoing Roe v Wade, getting rid of USAID, installing himself as the head of the Kennedy Center, or anything else.
Trump keeps saying things, and people go, "Oh, that Donald Trump loves being silly," as if he isn't looking us dead in the eyes (with his own dead eyes) and telling us his actual intentions. The only time Trump seems to like saying the truth is when it is delivered as if it is a joke. When someone at your job comes to your office, shows you a knife and, "Jokes," with a shockingly straight face about stabbing you next week, it really is your own damn fault if you're surprised when seven days later you take a knife to the hand during your budget presentation. Trump is showing us his weapon in the form of a, "Silly," hat and isn't even trying to be subtle in his efforts to bring harm with his fascist rule. If Trump truly does want us to giggle, it is only so we're distracted whilst he delivers the killing blow to democracy and his MAGA cult cheers it on. We've had years to realize that you downplay his danger to society at your own risk, yet it is a lesson much of America refuses to learn. Watch this year's midterms, as it'll serve as the blueprint for what Trump attempts in 2028.
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| Some of the showfloor as setup was occurring. |
I attended the Spector Club Comic Show today and had a superb time. Clarkson decided to wake up early and go with me; he enjoyed being wheeled around in the cart he always likes chilling in whilst we saw many awesome friends and enjoyed looking at a wide variety of comics. The Spector Club always is full of comic vendors with stuff from very old Golden Age comics to the hottest Modern Age books. Whether you like your comics to be almost a century old or more recently published, it is always a superb mix!
I started off the show thanking Spike Forester (of Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles) and Dave Schmidt from All American Collectibles as they always put a ton of work into doing such an awesome event. I caught up with John from Bigfoot Comics and chatted with David from Callisto Comics as well. Bruce Reynolds had brought a fun mix of stuff, as had Geoff and my chums from Tatertot. The friendly Tim Metzger had an immense amount of dollar books that were fun to pick through. I enjoyed browsing Nate's comics, and Jeff from Mangitude 10 Comics brought a smorgasbord of titles. As Clarkson and I looked about, I acquired a fun copy of, "Green Lantern," #25 with the Green Lanterns fighting the Sinestro Corps back in the 2000's as well as a third printing of the first issue of, "Absolute Batman." Give them a look:
Some other terrific folks I had a chance to visit with included Wayne Judge (who didn't have a table this time but always makes delicious stuff), Dan, who was showcasing a cool assortment of comics, Crypt of Heroes were showing off their awesome series, and CoMo Comics had a ton of books available as well. I also was pleased to see the talented Lorenzo Lizana at the show! I've named only some of the vendors who were present, which goes to show just how many stellar comic (and collectible) vendors can be found at the show's new home for 2026, 4690 Lansdowne Avenue (in the American-Czech Educational Center). I am excited for the next event on October 11th and would encourage anyone who is able to attend it to be sure and do so!
Yesterday I was discussing how Marvel's comics are struggling and I don't see much of note with their cinematic slate besides the immense hope that, "Avengers: Doomsday," is a hit. Well, Marvel did hold an event today in the fabled Hall H of Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con and whilst it occurred, Ryan Reynolds appeared in a gray Deadpool suit (like from, "Uncanny X-Force,") and that was fun, but two other announcements really perked my ears up. Ryan Gosling will be the new Ghost Rider in the MCU and David Jonsson is set to be the grown-up son of T'Challa (who was portrayed by the sadly deceased Chadwick Boseman) and become Black Panther.
Gosling is fantastic in a variety of productions, having excelled as an operator of motor vehicles before in the surrealist, "Drive." Jonsson was spectacular as a synthetic human named Andy in, "Alien: Romulus," where he pretty much played multiple roles due to a computer chip drastically altering his character's personality mid-film. Shawn Levy (who directed, "Deadpool and Wolverine,") will be directing the Ghost Rider flick and Ryan Coogler will return as Director yet again for, "Black Panther 3." Both movies are set to arrive in 2028. So yes, fine, Marvel has me feeling a twinge of excitement for their movies again. Still no update on a new, "X-Men," film, though.
DC announced all kinds of things today at Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con, with a lot of it involving their comic-books. The comic line of DC is on fire right now compared to a struggling Marvel, so I was curious what might be coming down the pipeline from the company. We've got a new Static (Shock) series on the way, and Vixen is getting an ongoing solo book as well, with DC challenging, "...the long-standing stigma that 'Black comics don’t sell,'" with two fan-favorites. Plus, Michael Walsh writing and drawing Jonah Hex as a horror-filled Western sounds like it'll be rad. Speaking of horror, James Harren doing a book on Etrigan The Demon, has my attention. One big crowd-pleaser was the announcement of, "Batman of Two Worlds," which will have Matt Fraction's Batman of the standard DC going through a parallel story with the Batman from the Absolute Universe that Scott Snyder will be writing (I have no idea if they'll meet and chat/fight, but we'll see). It'll feature, "Two stories, one crime." It'll come out on Saturday, September 19th, for Batman Day. This all looks quite exciting!
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| We get a new, "Venom," #1 every few years or so. |
As for Marvel and their comic announcements as of today, um, well...let's see here. Eddie Brock is going to be Venom again after other people have been wearing the suit--Mary Jane most recently, because why not? Also, the evil/"Infernal," Hulk is going to have a bunch of one-shot fights with various heroes. Plus, Deadpool and the Punisher are going to have a crossover, as they do every now and again. Uhhhh, plus Mary Jane is getting another ongoing comic with J. Scott Campbell doing a cover for it, as he always seems to enjoy drawing her. Look, I was a huge Marvel fan for years, and some of my favorite stuff came out from them 2000-2015 or so, but this is all pretty uninspiring. I'm sorry; don't shoot the messenger. Let's just hope that, "Avengers: Doomsday," is a hit and injects some form of life into one division of the company because the Marvel Universe of comics is a bit dull. We're getting an, "Indiana Jones," comic in a different continuity than the superheroes and the, "Marvel Midnight," stuff looks a little interesting, but the Main/616 Universe has a handful of writers doing stories I like and little else popping off. Unless you're chomping at the bit for the Punisher to randomly join the Avengers or Iron Man to be in trouble with the law for the umpteenth time, shit's bleak. Again, let's just be cautiously optimistic about, "Avengers: Doomsday," and see how that (in December) and the Spidey movie coming out (in a week or two) go. As it stands, DC is bringing a lot more fire this year to the show while Marvel seems to be mostly hints of a spark and a lot of fumes.
