HBO MAX Will Indeed Just be MAX

There were ample rumors that HBO MAX would just become MAX and Discovery+ would be folded into it. Then we learned HBO MAX would get a chunk of Discovery+ but it would be left alone so that folks who just wanted the delightfully trashy reality television on Discovery+ would be all set without paying more for random HBO MAX shows. Now, the official news has been revealed and everyone who heard...seemed to basically shrug. Yes, the service will simply be MAX, for better or worse. It'll have a tier with ads, an ad-free level, and another, "Ultimate," version that works with the fanciest 4K televisions. A bunch of Discovery+ stuff will be on it, but that service will remain and be cheaper than MAX.

What of the content though? Well, if you liked the, "Harry Potter," movies but wished they were even longer seasons of television that were made now that the author has been revealed as extremely problematic and transphobic, you're in luck! The, "Harry Potter," books are going to be remade with a brand-new cast who will be signed to a decade-long (or so) contract and each season will be one of the books. Plus, J.K. Rowling is going to be an executive producer, how fun! There is going to be other stuff too such as more, "Game of Thrones," prequel content. Colin Farell's Penguin is indeed getting his own, "Penguin," show too after being in, "The Batman." Interestingly a, "Rick and Morty," anime is being made after some shorts that came out a bit ago got really popular (no word on who will do the voices). That isn't everything but clearly, there is a decent assortment of stuff that should appeal to various people. Nothing super-wild was unveiled but it doesn't seem like a trainwreck besides the dumb name change.

Television Tuesday: "The Paloni Show! Halloween Special!"

As everyone argues whether Cartoon Network (and by proxy, Adult Swim) is dead/dying or just fine, Hulu has quietly dropped a Halloween special that seems a bit like a way to backdoor pilot a slate of its own animated show ideas. This occurs within a program/one-shot/pilot itself that dropped yesterday, "The Paloni Show! Halloween Special." 

Created by Justin Roiland (one-half of the, "Rick and Morty," founding team and a creator of Hulu's show, "Solar Opposites," too), the framing device of this hour-long program is the Paloni family as they struggled to host a quality Haloween show between having to babysit a nephew with absurdly long legs, avoiding a serial killer, and other dangers. Between the Paloni family's mayhem, there are 13 shorts that vary in their animation style (one is claymation and another is actually live-action). Many of the shorts incorporate the holiday Halloween or riff on horror movie concepts, but nothing is especially, "Scary," so much as sometimes over-the-top silly in a variety of ways including some cartoony violence. 

When it comes to the shorts, I would say 1/3 are fantastic, 1/3 are okay, and 1/3 are...well, they're bad (some shorts are just dull and lack much of any idea or are simply really ugly in their animation). The good stuff really sticks with you though, like a town where the mayor banned anything scary that increases in absurdity as the bit goes on. I also really liked an animated Megahex segment that was made by the comic's creator, Simon Hanslemann. A weird story about a seemingly ineffective apartment complex manager also becomes inadvertently bittersweet as it features one of the last recorded performances of Gilbert Gottfried--who passed earlier this year.

Overall reviews of, "The Paloni Show! Halloween Special!" are mixed. I've seen some positive takes that admire how bizarre and off-kilter the whole thing is. I have also spotted reviews that have the same opinion I do about how the shorts vary immensely in quality, but overall it is a fun program that sets up possible future Hulu shows in a cleverly subtle manner (please, PLEASE give us a full Megahex series). I would say the entire thing is a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars. If you like the kind of weird shows Roiland makes this is mandatory viewing, but if you've found yourself struggling to ever enjoy the kind of stuff on Adult Swim or the like, maybe pass on this. I liked it.

Television Tuesday: "Rick and Morty," is Back for Season 5

"Rick and Morty," is one of those shows I really like but has a certain percentage of its fanbase that is best described as, "Problematic," or, "Toxic." Fans who miss the point of the show that Rick is--at the end of the day--a villain, a monster, and not ever someone to aspire to be like. Some troubling aspects of the fanbase aside, there are plenty of fans of the show who are great people--some I actually met thanks to the show. Hence, with the return of the series as it brings us its fifth season, we gear up for a fun time and hope we can avoid the off-base hot takes or tweets by the less pleasant fans. The first episode was on Sunday and it was great fun.

In Sunday's Episode, "Mort Dinner, Rick Andre," we spent much of the time dealing with Rick's apparent, "Nemesis," a Namor/Aquaman type named, "Mr. Nimbus," who might flood the planet Earth if Rick doesn't make nice with him for the folly of touching his ship down in the ocean during a crash landing during the episode opener (it seems agreements were in place that Rick doesn't mess with the ocean). The same night Morty has Jessica from school over to attempt a date, Mr. Nimbus comes to the house as well for a peace negotiation. He propositions Morty and Summer's parents (Beth and Jerry) for a threesome, threatens Rick a bunch, and drinks a ton of rare wine that Rick puts in a Narnia-style dimension that has time move quickly so it ages well. That little pocket dimension brings us our B-plot as the creatures there get increasingly upset at Morty for his meddling in their World every decade or so. It is the usual wonky and funny kind of episode you expect from, "Rick and Morty," with some self-loathing thrown in by Rick and a bunch of explosively violent action whenever Morty has to mess with the pocket dimension.

"Mort Dinner, Rick Andre," wasn't as thoughtful or depressing as some, "Rick and Morty," episodes happen to be. It was pretty light--which can be nice sometimes too. Mr. Nimbus is a hoot and Jessica continues to be a bit of a blank-slate character (Morty likes a girl, and that's basically all there is to her, she's an object of affection) but maybe shows minor growth after living in the pocket dimension for eons in a frozen state--or as she puts it upon heading home and having a stranger hit on her by the side of the road, "Fuck off, I'm a time-God." It's a whimsical little episode and the meta-gag that it took this many seasons to meet a random, "Nemesis," for Rick beyond himself was cute. If this pleasantly breezy opener is any indication of what upcoming episodes hold they should be pretty snazzy!

4.5 out of 5 stars.

I Feel a Mixture of Joy (For the Show) and Dread (Due to Some of the Fanbase) as, "Rick and Morty," Returns for Season 4

It has been a good year-and-a-half since there has been a new episode of the television show, "Rick and Morty." Tonight it returns to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block at 11:30 PM Eastern, 10:30 PM Central. This new season will be 10 episodes and it is going to start-off with five straight weeks (I think) of the show and then there will be a break before the season finishes-out its second half in early 2020 or so, I imagine, with the show returning after the winter holidays. I am both excited and honestly dreading this a bit because while I personally love the show, it has a fan-base that can be pretty toxic.

Don't get me wrong, I have met some wonderful men and women via my love of, "Rick and Morty," who have as big a fondness for the show as me while also not totally misinterpreting the show as if Rick is someone to look up to as opposed to pity. I know lots of folk who love this show and don't threaten to throw a riot if a loosely-tied-in-to-the-show dipping sauce happens to run-out at McDonald's restaurants. Sadly, however, the internet and everyday life is full of people who are unpleasant and either act like they are the only people who, "Get it," in regards to the show or who otherwise are just big jerks towards everyone else because some fandoms just can sadly develop a nasty-but-loud contingent who try their hardest to poison the entire fandom with their venom (look at the newer, "Star Wars," movies for a good example of this).

I really do love, "Rick and Morty," and am eager to watch it. I just am not that pumped to witness some people insult and otherwise be mean towards others because they think they get to be gatekeepers of the fandom for, "Rick and Morty." The show's creators have outright disowned the haters, so hopefully they'll just shut-up and let the 99% of people who are kind and pleasant enjoy our time sitting down and going on some weird and often-dangerous adventures with Rick, Morty, and the rest of the family. Yes, even the eternal loser, Jerry.

Toxic Fandoms Make Being a Fan Hard

The, "Toxic," versions of Rick and Morty.
They ironically reflect some of the worst members of the fan-base.

I love the television program, "Rick and Morty." I sometimes am nervous to express this in public however as the show has become notorious for a chunk of its fan-base being people who behave abhorrently, and I fear someone thinking I'm one of those fans who believe Rick is someone to be modeled after as opposed to hated and pitied, or who lined-up and screamed at McDonald's restaurants when they ran out of Schezwan sauce (which actually did taste pretty good). I also have enjoyed the, "Star Wars," films, finding the original trilogy to be great fun, not hating, "Episode 3," and being relatively pleased with, "Episode VII." I still haven't seen the spin-off movies or the latest main-flick but I will get around to doing so at some point. There are other people who obsess over, "Star Wars," however, and it has developed a fan-base which can at times be so toxic it has harassed writers, actors, and others to a disgusting degree. I love being a fan of things, but I"ll be damned if toxic fandoms don't make being a fan hard.

The word, "Fan," is basically a shortened and colloquial version of the word, "Fanatic." Basically, fanaticism is bad if looking at a strict definition of the word, as it means you are dangerously obsessed with something, worshiping it to a degree. As with many words and phrases its modern usage just means you really like something, but maybe there is more and more accuracy in the old definition. After all, fanatics of something would love their interpretation so much anything that challenged it they would hate and attack...much like some of the toxic fandoms today despising anything done with/to their beloved intellectual property that they disagree with. Pretty much any somewhat-popular show, movie, book-series, comic, video-game, and so forth will have an element of its fan-base that can be toxic, but the problem arises when there is a good deal of toxicity, and it seems to overpower and overwhelm the much less hateful majority of folk. Still, when a toxic fandom seems to saturate the discussion it really makes being a fan hard. I don't have a solution, if I did I sure as Hell would offer it to any fandoms overloaded with toxicity. I just wanted to vent and advise others to call out toxic people in a fan-community when they see such behavior. Make sure it is known that their horrendous behavior won't be tolerated because if they claim to love something so much all they want to do is hate-on anyone else who likes it too (and maybe likes different aspects, even) then they aren't fans, they're just jerks.

"Rick and Mortry Presents: Sleepy Gary #1," False Memories and Sexual Fluidity Make for a Fun Read

I am of course a big fan of the, "Rick and Morty," television show. I also have at times dabbled in comics published by Oni Press related to the characters. When I heard there would be quarterly-comics spotlighting particular secondary characters I was intrigued to hear about, "Sleepy Gary," for a number of reasons, one being he introduces an interesting element of sexual fluidity to Jerry on the show, and the other being he technically doesn't really exist. You see, we met and saw the end of Sleepy Gary in the season 2 episode, "Total Rickall," where a mind-altering parasite invades the house and has the ability to pose as various people then convince others through false memories it is a longtime friend, relative, or lover. In that episode the Smith household was able to defeat the parasite as it rapidly reproduced itself through more and more false memories, but not before some interesting concepts were introduced.

Viewers of the show know that Jerry is of course Beth's husband--usually (they separated at the start of season 3 but reconciled at its end). He is the Farther of their two children, Summer & Morty, and hates how Beth's father, Rick, lives with them and otherwise belittles him. However, in the episode, "Total Rickall," the alien parasite was able to make the house believe that, "Sleepy Gary," was Beth's husband and the father of the kids, with Jerry simply being a family friend. It also however made Jerry think that at one point he and Gary began a secret relationship. This is interesting, as the show has never really discussed Jerry being at all bisexual, and resulted in some fan discussions of if Jerry was in fact also attracted to men, "tricked," by the alien, or what the case was. Most folk seem to agree the alien parasite preys upon what people most desire, and Jerry desires someone, anyone, to pay him attention and give him affection, with that person's sex being secondary. In other words, Jerry is sexually fluid.

The parasite never, "tricks," anyone else into finding someone attractive they otherwise would not be sexually interested in, so it is therefore quite likely that Jerry is indeed bisexual, pansexual, or simply sexually fluid in general, willing to fall in love with any person who is willing to give him attention, regardless of what kind of genitals they may have. Jerry is just simply is open to love. It's both sweet and ultimately tragic because Jerry is of course a loser who very few people--male or female--would consider worth dating. Hence, in this comic when Rick is attempting to figure out better ways to combat the parasite, he creates a version of a past kind they encountered--Sleepy Gary--and upon its breaking-out it realizes one thing that was a constant for it, loving Jerry (whether truthfully, or simply to assist in propagating itself is left open to interpretation), and it proceeds to find Jerry and convince him of the same.

Much of, "Sleepy Gary #1," is then spent with Rick and Morty working to track down Sleepy Gary once he escapes and proceeds to abduct Jerry, flees to Mars, and creates an elaborate bunch of false memories for he and Jerry as a happy and loving couple of an adopted alien baby on Mars. It is all fake of course, with Jerry angrily exclaiming how he and Gary should be allowed to spend their years in peace before Rick points out its actually been all of, "27 hours," since Gary escaped and kidnapped Jerry to Mars with their paper-thin facade of a happy life. The saddest thing is that this version of the parasite/Gary truly seems like it is trying to create a happy life, no matter how much of sham, with the little bits of false memories that the parasite itself seems to believe--it truly thinks it loves Jerry and may very well not understand it is simply a reproduction of a malevolent parasite that previously used Jerry as an end to its means of taking over the Universe. Sleepy Gary is himself a fictional construct that its own parasite wants so desperately to be real it builds its own false life that is little more than a metaphorical house of cards barely two days-old. It is both as clever as it is sad and hilarious.

Eventually Rick manages to kills the parasite, Jerry realizes just how much was faked again as in the, "Total Rickall," television episode and is quite mad at the parasite for tricking him into thinking they had a special romance--because again, Jerry is a loser desperately seeking love and affirmation. It is a really great comic for how it handles these ideas of sexual fluidity, false memories, and of course is an absolute riot as all the better, "Rick and Morty," shows and comics manage to be. Magdalene Visaggio is a stellar writer (I've read some of her work with Black Mask and enjoyed it) and I appreciate the skill with which she juggled so many concepts and ideas. CJ Cannon makes everything, "Look," like, "Rick and Morty," superbly as well, so a fantastic issue all-around I eagerly rate...
5 out of 5 stars.

"Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons and Dragons" #1 is Suitably Entertaining

I'm a fan of the television show, "Rick and Morty," finding it quite humorous and clever. I get disgusted with the elements of the fan-base that idolize Rick and miss the point that he isn't someone to aspire to be, but a figure to scorn and sometimes pity. That said, I and other folk who like the show but aren't hateful morons always enjoy a good adventure featuring these two zany protagonists. There is a new comic featuring an official (AKA approved) cross-over of Rick and Morty with the Universe/game of, "Dungeons and Dragons," titled reasonably enough, "Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons and Dragons." It is suitably entertaining if not amazing. The basic idea is that Rick teaches Morty how to play, and due to these characters always making things extra-complicated and causing trouble things go off the rails quickly.

I was worried the fact this was a crossover that had to get commercial approval from Wizards of the Coast (they own the rights to D&D) it would as a result dilute the content/jokes, but thankfully that wasn't the case. There are plenty of jokes both affectionate towards and critical of, "Dungeons and Dragons," (Morty's declaration that the first edition, "Sucks," isn't argued with) and even if you aren't super well-versed in the game such as my mostly-ignorant self you'll still get the punch-lines. One thing I enjoyed was how excited Rick got at hearing Morty wanted to play the game (although Morty just wants to learn to possibly hook-up with a girl who runs a group). It just seemed weirdly fitting that Rick would be a big fan of, "Dungeons and Dragons," and love all the details and such that can go into playing it.

One issue I have with reading comic-book adventures of Rick and Morty is that I can't hear the characters talking. I can imagine it in my head, but there is something magical about the weird cadences in Rick and Morty's voices when they speak, alternatively stuttering, burping, yelling, etc. For that reason I only read the first two issues of the main comic when it started coming-out some years ago--and as an aside I sold that #1 issue for what I thought was a stellar price of $30, reasoning the show wouldn't get any bigger than it already was at the time. It of course became a cultural phenomenon and now that comic is worth a lot more cash. I still kick myself about that, but I digress. Even without being able to have Justin Roiland in the room doing the voices I've gotten a bit better at imagining the dialogue, so that's good, and the jokes come fast and furious even if they sometimes fall flat.

The first issue of "Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons and Dragons," has some decent humor, but didn't make me absolutely crack-up. It's a solid joint-venture between Oni Press (who publish, "Rick and Morty," comics) and IDW (who publish, "Dungeons and Dragons," comics) however and sets the groundwork for what I imagine will be other fun issues--I can't wait to hopefully witness Jerry attempting to play and failing miserably at the game, as he is wont to do. Overall I would rate this a good...3 out of 5 stars.

I'll Be Darned, Szechuan Sauce Actually Tastes Good

For those who don't watch, "Rick and Morty," the whole weird memeification of an old McDonald's sauce flavor known as Szechuan Sauce probably seems perplexing. Basically, the season three premiere of the show discussed how the sauce existed for a limited time in 1998 as a, "Mulan," tie-in and made a joke out of how Rick is so out-of-touch with normal human emotions he'd rather focus on something as trivial as an old pop-culture footnote and his desire to eat more of it than develop meaningful relationships. It was a dark little joke, and because half of the, "Rick and Morty," fanbase is full of toxic jerks (the other half are perfectly nice people), a joke completely missed by that demographic of assholes who suddenly had to get that sauce. A throwaway bit became a running gag among the fanbase and anyone with an old packet of Szechuan Sauce could make serious bank selling it on eBay.

Cut to McDonald's wanting to get in on the joke and bringing it back for just one day last year and the resulting mayhem that caused, and thankfully the company re-releasing the sauce again for real now in massive quantities so everyone can get some. As the only McDonald's sauce I really like is the Sweet and Sour option I would surely be unimpressed with this overhyped sauce, right? Well, last weekend my Father was kind enough to buy me a big box of nuggets on his way over to our house (my family was in town visiting) and the McDonald's he stopped at had some of the once sought-after Szechuan Sauce  that they were happy to throw a bunch of packets in with my order--apparently I'm lucky as some locations don't have the stuff. I tried the sauce and...it's actually quite good. Who woulda thunk-it?

"I want that sauce, and fans who miss the point of the joke will too!"

Szechuan Sauce kinds of tastes like Soy Sauce with a bit more vinegar and ginger thrown in, plus lots of thick sugars to give it a nice sticky texture that attaches well to chicken nuggets. It isn't the best sauce I've ever tasted, but it balances out its salty-and-sweet just well enough I found myself quite impressed. This article gives it a solid, "B," grade and I agree with that piece almost completely except where it says Szechuan Sauce is better than the McDonald's Sweet and Sour, that's a step too far! I'm genuinely surprised I liked the sauce as much as I did and I actually feel a little sad it may just be back for a limited time as it tasted quite good.

I guess even if a lot of people ended up missing the point of the joke about Szechuan Sauce on, "Rick and Morty," it worked out for the best as the sauce is actually tasty. I'd encourage anyone who enjoys dipping their nuggets in sauces to give it a try, regardless of their feelings about the television show that helped get it brought back. Now, if only I could convince Baskin Robbins to bring back that ice cream flavor that tied-in with the old, "The Mask," movie I ate decades ago and loved.

The People I Saw--Wizard World Saint Louis 2018

Always Cool People
Anytime I go to Wizard World I see all kinds of neat vendors, artists, and general snazzy folk. I wanted to share about the individuals I especially enjoyed chatting with and shall present them in alphabetical order by either their company name, or last name.

The List

Ryan Callahan
Chef Ryan Callahan was at the show with his award-winning book, "Chef Ryan's How-To-Cook Handbook," that is a combination of a comic, cookbook, and coloring book! It is designed to appeal to kids but has information useful to adult who is only so-so at cooking like myself. Readers can draw themselves into the book, learn all about cooking, and make various recipes. I looked through the book at the show and found it really neat! You can learn more about Chef Ryan and his book here.

Caesar Crawford
I'd actually met Caesar at a previous comic-con a long time ago when he worked for a magazine, but since then he has gone on to become a comic-creator with all kinds of stellar work coming out from his imprint, Revil Comics. He's a great artist and super guy as well. His site is here.

Scott Drummond
Mr. Drummond was at Wizard World promoting the two volumes that have come out so far for his comic series, "Nightsmoke." It sounded look a cool read with its story of a young boy and girl who acquire powers (he can relax his molecules and turn to air, she can focus her molecules and be rock-solid) and have to deal with all the havoc that causes. You can learn more about, "Nighsmoke," here.

Chris Ehnot
I enjoyed chatting with Chris Ehnot about his work creating cover illustrations for everyone from Zenescope to Coffin Comics. As we are both nerds for things like the kind of paper-stock used on business cards or prints we spent a good chunk of time talking about the printing process for the prints he makes of his work and how he keeps them looking glossy without it wearing off. Anyone who walked by us having this conversation probably thought we were either weird, crazy, or boring. I swear after speaking with Chris I'm sure we are just weird and crazy. You can visit his website and see his work here.

Comic-Con Store
I had a great time talking with Joseph of the, "Comic-Con Store," at Wizard World. He had a bunch of awesome collectibles and Funko Pops. You can visit his site here.

End Zone Collectibles
I had a great time chatting with End Zone Collectibles as its founder and I both have lived in (or in his case, currently live in) the state of New York. He had a variety of stellar toys and action figures for sale and you can view many of his wares on their website.

Fearless Readers
Bill Thade of, "Fearless Readers," was at the show with a ton of awesome comics for sale, and a sizable collection of cool indie and underground books. If you ever want to contact bill about his wide-range of titles email him here.

Fine Comic Collectibles
There were a number of people selling products to store your comics, Funko Pops, and so forth at the show, but I was most impressed with Fine Comic Collectibles. The retailer at the booth was a super nice guy named Russel whom I talked with about comics, anime, and all kinds of geeky subjects. I did not feel pressured at all to buy stuff, with him saying how he isn't someone to do a, "Hard-sell," as he feels his prices speak for themselves--and he had some stellar prices. You can visit Fine Comic Collectibles on the internet here.

François le Foutre
Mr. Foutre was at the show in full pirate regalia with his boks that are a part of, "The Seaman Sexology," or as he put it, "Gay pirate romance adventures." The books are very funny, clearly erotic, and I was impressed with how Mr. Foutre's table had a bunch of old-timey pirate stuff and even more impressed with how he managed to make almost everything he said a hilarious and dirty pun. You can learn more about his books here.

Gateway Superfriends
The Gateway Superfriends are a popular Saint Louis cosplay group dedicated to charity work. Whether it is visiting kids in hospitals, assisting with big fundraising events, or anything else. They are a great group of people who really care a lot. You can find their Facebook page here.

Happy Fun Books/Dan Killeen
Dan Killeen of Happy Fun Books was at Wizard World, and I of course always enjoy his books. He was there with his latest publication, "Robert and the Robots," which I eagerly bought and am excited to read to my son, Clarkson. Check-out Happy Fun Books here!

Keith on Da Beat
I chatted with the folk at the booth for local radio station, 104.9, and greatly enjoyed my conversation with Keith, or Keith on Da Beat, if one is referring to his DJ persona. He was great to chat with and can be found on twitter here.

Kingdom Comics
Brian C. I. Bradley of, "Kingdom Comics," was at the show selling copies of his ongoing series, "The Anointed 7," a religion-themed series. It is up to issue #25, which is an impressively high number for an indie book! You can learn more about, "Kingdom Comics," and their books here.

Jai Nitz
I am a big fan of a variety of Mr. Nitz's comics and he was kind enough to sign a number of them for me! He is known for a wide assortment of works, including El Diablo. You can say hello to him on Twitter here.

Online Starlets
I saw a booth with some cosplayers handing out cards, which isn't abnormal for professional cosplayers. I also saw they had prints for sale of them in various outifts, which again is common. The more surprising thing was they were handing out cards for a website that appears to specialize in softcore-ish cosplay-themed pornography. I don't have anything against porn, and it is fascinating to think how geek culture has grown so much in popularity there are now whole websites dedicated not just to women in various states of undress, but getting naked while dressed as assorted super-heroes. Their site is here, and obviously not safe-for-work.

 Shorething Collectables
The folk from Shorething had so, so many Funko Pops at the show. It was amazing to look at the wide variety and they had almost anything I asked about in stock. Visit their website here!

Spike
"Spike," is the name of the man also known as, "That Lost in Space Guy," who sells classic toys and comics. He was fantastic to chat with and had some good books for sale at the show! His website is here.

Kyle Starks
Mr. Starks is behind a number of stellar comics, such as, "Sexcastle," "Rock Candy Mountain," and he is currently writing (and sometimes illustrating), the massively-popular, "Rick and Morty," comic. He was a hoot to talk with at the show and kind enough to let me commission him to draw me a stellar Moon Knight picture, which I'll share in my later post about the cool stuff I got at the show. Kyle Starks' website is located here.

Swamp Dragon Hot Sauce
I was intrigued when I heard about Swamp Dragon as their hot sauce does not use vinegar as a preservative, which can give hot sauce a, "Meh," taste. Instead they use trace amounts of alcohol which gives the sauce a nice smooth flavor. They have four flavors, Tequlia, Rum, Bourbon, and Vodka. I got the four-pack of all the flavors as they all were stellar. You can order some for yourself online here.

Jamie Tyndall
Jamie Tyndall makes awesome-looking comic covers with his neat faux-magazine style. I always enjoy seeing him at shows and chatting. His stuff can be found online here.

Wayne Kent Comics
My good chum Justin of Wayne Kent comics was at Wizard World with a smorgasbord of books. He also had an old, "Captain America," title a friend who I explored the show with Friday wanted so they were able to cut a deal! Wayne Kent comics is on Facebook here.

Wild Bill's Soda
The old-fashioned soda of Wild Bill is always tasty!

So Many Awesome Folk!
I got to either meet or see again a number of cool people. It was fantastic chatting with everyone and my next post will cover the cool stuff I got at the show!

I Greatly Enjoyed the ToyMan Show Yesterday!

I've lived in Saint Louis for a bit over six years now and love going to cons and shows with toys, games, comics, etc. Therefore, it is a bit embarrassing to admit that up until yesterday I had never been to a ToyMan show. Chris, "ToyMan," McQuillen has been doing these shows multiple times a year in the Saint Louis region since the 1990's. The latest one just occurred at the Machinists Hall on Saint Charles Rock Road in Bridgeton and was a stellar time! I arrived bright-and-early as I always like to watch as things are set-up and to chat with vendors plus fans of a show who are passionate enough to be there when the floor opens. At 8AM the, "Early-bird," folk came in and the searching for cool stuff began!

As this is a, "ToyMan," show there of course was a ton of toys ranging from vintage die-cast cars and hot wheels, to Star Wars, Star Trek, classic television programs, old movies, and a ton of Funko Pops. There also was a great deal of classic video-games for sale from vintage Atari up to more recent Xbox and Playstation titles. A healthy helping of vendors were selling comics too, which as a big fan of comic-books was the main draw for me! Everyone was extremely nice and a number of people I talked to said how they like the ToyMan shows because they are very fairly priced in regards to entry fees and have such a wide range of items for sale.

Morning setting-up

While I've mentioned there was an immense amount of cool items atendees could buy, there were creative-type folk as well! In the upstairs, "Artist's Balcony," a number of small-press comic-makers, writers, and craft-creators were present, as well as special celebrity guest Butch Patrick who I previously spoke with at Wizard World and is always very pleasant to chat with. I also met Robert Mays of APG Grading, a newer grading company that will take toys, comics, etc.

I didn't bring too much cash with me, but I did have a number of semi-valuable comics I was hoping to trade with interested parties, and much to my delight I was able to use the combination of my money and somewhat-popular comics to pick up a Mr. PoopyButthole Funko Pop from Rick and Morty, the classic Playstation Game, "Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix," which is a series I've discussed having a soft-spot for, and an assortment of cheap comics in addition to a handful of really cool old, "Epic," magazines from the 1980's which feature Marvel work that wasn't subject to the Comic's Code--e.g. there was more violence, swearing, and nudity, so yah!

A cool Funko I got!

I had a fantastic time at my first-ever ToyMan show and would love to go again to future shows assuming that Chris AKA the ToyMan is okay with me continuing to pester him about what kind of awesome stuff to expect at the next show on November 5th!

Cosplay I Liked--Wizard World Saint Louis 2017 In Review

Fun In Costume

During my time at Wizard World Saint Louis 2017 I saw a lot of cosplay. I estimate about 50% of it was the Suicide-Squad Harley Quinn getup featuring a baseball bat and, "Daddy's Little Monster," jacket. I don't begrudge people for liking that outfit, but it isn't exactly creative (except for the middle-aged man fully decked-out in that clothing, that was fun). I myself don't cosplay but always enjoy seeing it. I am weird about what really grabs my attention as there isn't much of a rhyme or reason outside of, "That looks really cool to me." I have here for you to examine the cosplay that struck me enough I asked to take a photo and put it on the blog.

The Cosplay

Let's start off with someone dressed as my favorite character, Moon Knight! Such a great hero and such a great costume!

Besides Moon Knight there are some more Marvel heroes you are sure to find out patrolling the streets. Heroes such as Daredevil and Luke Cage.

Taking a break from comics, this D.VA getup was great! I saw other people dressed as D.VA when she is out of her mech, but this was the only cosplayer in a mech. As she said when I told her this, "Well, I think the mech is the best part!"

Deathstroke was on-site representing the mercenary life.

I almost got cut by Wolverine!

As someone who loves the, "Rick and Morty," television show I loved this duo. I saw other Ricks at the show, but nobody else had Rick and Morty so mad props there.

These two cosplayers made a stellar Spider-Gwen and Venom--love his fangs!

Last but not least, my good friend Greg from my Comic Book Club went as Doctor Strange!

Great Getups!
There were so many cosplayers decked-out wonderfully in addition to the handful of folk I'm spotlighting here. Whether your costume is elaborate or simple, revealing or conservative, expensive or cheap, the important thing is to have fun, and all these cosplayers were for sure doing so!

Reviews of Two Humorous Oni Press Titles Out Today AKA "Rick and Morty" and "The Auteur" are Fun!

Because Sometimes You Just Want Your "Funnybooks" To Actually Be Funny

Comics are not necessarily comical in the sense of having humor. While the comic-strips in your newspaper (should your paper still have them) can be thought of as telling jokes, comic-books are not "funny". I mean, yes the Archie digests can muster a chuckle or two, but a DC or Marvel titles are more likely to be violently murdering fan-favorite heroes or vaporizing children these days--which is perfectly fine if that is the kind of story you want ,but sometimes a reader might just want to laugh.

The grim and dreary nature of many comics presently makes it all the more interesting and exciting when something that makes you guffaw out loud is released. Therefore, the fact that Oni Press has two humor-focused titles coming out this week--and that both books are pretty enjoyable--is something worth writing about.

The Titles
Rick and Morty #2

I've talked about my immense fondness for the "'Rick and Morty" television show before, and keeping in mind how much I love watching that program it is understandable I had some concerns about the comic. I mean, even the way the characters' talk is unique, with the stops, stutters, and random burps. Thankfully, the comic nails all the details down from writing the dialogue the way it would be said to the weird asterisk-eyes everyone has. The fact this isn't some slap-dash project but something clearly done with care just like the show gives the proceedings a sensation of a lot like watching Rick and Morty have adventures on T.V.

The problem is, while the show can follow its own pacing, going slow at some points and fast at others within each episode, an individual comic issue can suffer from uneven pacing, with this 2nd issue being proof of that. So much happened in the 1st issue of the "Rick and Morty" comic, but then in this 2nd things seem to just slow quite a bit, with some setup of Jerry potentially facing a scary monster soon, and Rick and Morty being stuck in prison, but little else (besides a fun side-story starring Summer). However, the biggest and most important question could arguably be if this comic is in fact funny. Happily, it is.

Rick and Morty is a outlandish T.V. show an full of great gags. I'm happy to report that the comic continues that trend, with plenty of fast one-off jokes, running gags, and the occasional joke that you really have to think about for a second before laughing when you realize the punch-line. Anyone who has seen the show knows half the fun is in watching Rick and Morty play-off one another's personality in hilarious ways, and it is great to see that translate to print just as well as on-screen. Really, it all works, whether it's Jerry being his usual whiny self, or Beth being annoyed. The humor being present in the comic is key, and helps to make-up for the sometimes questionable pacing.

The 2nd issue of "Rick and Morty" may have some uneven pacing, but with the stupendous art and humor it serves as a solid read for anyone who is a big fan of the animated version.
4 out of 5 stars.


The Auteur: Sister Bambi #1

This is a sort-of sequel to the first "The Auteur" mini-series (subtitled "President's Day"), but in some ways it is just a direct continuation of the story (with the inside even saying this is chapter six in the character's saga). Should you not be familiar with some of the characters you might be a little confused, but Rick Spears writes such a good comic, with James Callahan providing stellar art, that you can't get too upset. Even if you're a bit thrown-off by not knowing who this protagonist named Nathan T. Rex is, you'll love this book, and get a pretty good grasp on the kind of fellow he happens to be quite quick. That is to say, Rex is a horrible, horrible human being.

"The Auteur" is gross, excessive, rude, and a delight. One complaint is that I find the last mini reads better as one dose of madness ingested in a single session, and I feel like that will be the case with this new mini-series too, with it only seeming to really get started at the conclusion of the first issue. For now I have to make due with a small serving of insanity, feeling like just as the book kicks into gear I have to wait another month for more.

This issue involves Rex attempting to acquire independent financing for his next film idea due to his previous production having been a massive flop. In his quest to get a movie made he seems to be pitching-to and making deals with Nazi clones--with Rex being more concerned about having his "vision" messed with than the moral qualm of how he is cutting a deal with Nazis. A bunch of heavily-armed Jewish folk attack the Nazi base however, but it seems Rex's idea for a women-in-prison film may still possibly occur after all, making me wonder what silly things we will see in the next issue.

As you can clearly see from my description, this is a wildly absurd book. The art of Callahan helps to impart how crazy everything is, with an appearance that is best described as disgustingly detailed. I use that wording because Callahan provides art that is incredible in how hideous it looks. Be it Rex sweating in the desert, a Nazi meeting a bloody end, or even the quieter moments, all the artwork has an appearance that would be gorgeous if it weren't so ugly.

"The Auteur: Sister Bambi" turns in a first issue that is great, but leaves me wanting a lot more--clearly Spear's intention. Still, I just feel that right as the book is getting started this first issue ends, which makes me a bit annoyed.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Closing Thoughts

Oni started out a smaller publisher that maybe wasn't too known except for some solid titles. Lately they have been growing in size and popularity quite significantly, and by putting out titles that are either original creative joys (The Auteur) or solid tie-ins with other media (Rick and Morty) I imagine Oni will only continue to catch more eyes of comic readers. I myself am just pleased there are some comics that make me laugh instead of sad for those times I want my mood raised instead of demolished into misery.