How Clarkson and I Reacted to the News of Brian Michael Bendis Leaving Marvel for DC

The above video of Clarkson responding to me telling him the news--Brian Michael Bendis is leaving Marvel for DC--sums up my feelings pretty well too. I wanted a snack and let out an exhausted sigh. Bendis has for over a decade been associated with Marvel ever since he did some indie and Image stuff before the company scooped him up. He's written almost all the most popular characters at the company (Daredevil, The Avengers) and created a few popular individuals himself too (Jessica Jones, Miles Morales). The man's love for Luke Cage helped the lesser-known character become a household name and lot of the Marvel stuff that made it to Netflix is based on his character work with Cage, Jones, and Daredevil (not so much Iron Fist, that was more Ed Brubaker who revitalized that character) and even if his most recent stuff has been weak (anything X-Men related) he created some stellar stuff and still was masterful at writing solo-books although I personally feel outside of his first, "New Avengers," stuff that he struggles horribly to do team-focused books.

Well, after all these years it was announced today that Brian Michael Bendis of all people has signed a big, "Multiyear, Multi-faceted deal," with Marvel's biggest competitor. I at first thought it was a joke when I saw some comments about this on Twitter, but then a number of creators along with Bendis himself were confirming it. The official DC tweet is as such:

I'm no really upset or happy about this. It just is if anything stressful (making me want a relaxing snack) to wonder how this will impact books at both companies as Bendis is a writer who either makes awesome stuff or really underwhelming-to-awful books--it is hard to recall a purely mediocre title by him, they just fit into extremes. All I can do is what my son does at the video's conclusion, let out a big sigh and see how things turn out. Perhaps we will get more of, "Awesome Bendis," and a lot less of, "Terrible Bendis."

Best Weird Comic I've Read in Awhile AKA The First Issue of "No.1 With a Bullet,"

I of course love comics that are more, "Out-there," and weird. Now, if a comic can be weird and good that is just awesome. "No.1 With a Bullet," has grabbed my attention fully with its surreal first issue and heft dose of weirdness. This latest Image book imagines a near-ish future/alternate present that is basically our own world but warped just a little bit more. Technology has continued to expand and the latest hot thing are contacts clled iRis you can wear to record images or see alternate-reality images (like a video-game of sorts, but more twisted). As the back-matter of the comic discusses, this actually is a patent that already exists and is just another example of how we are having our privacy invaded further and further. The synopsis of this comic written by Jacob Semahn and illustrated by Jorge Corona almost sounds a little too straightforward considering how wildly odd the comic is:

Her social media, strong. Her variety show segments, a hit. Nash Huang is at the top of her game. But when the iRis Shutter contact lens hits the market, Nash’s life is personally invaded. The latest leap forward in “technological progress,” these contacts not only play video or augment reality…but also record footage. Fighting to keep her life together after a leaked sex tape goes viral, a clingy super-fan is the last thing on Nash’s mind…but that’s exactly when the bodies pile up and the terror begins. From the bestselling team that brought you GONERS, comes NO. 1 WITH A BULLET!

Seriously, that sounds vaguely interesting but not especially odd. However, Semahn's way of having almost everyone talk in off-putting tech-jargon and popular slang combined with Corona's art giving us exaggerated bodies and environments gives everything a slightly fun-house mirror feel of if we were staring in a reflection of our own lives gone just slightly wrong. The protagonist, Nash, is a young woman who works for a popular nightly television talk-show and loves technology until at the issue's conclusion (as the above promo-text describes) she finds a sex tape leaked. There are other nefarious things at play too as some mysterious suicides make clear.

Nash states how, "Hackers gonna hack," before becoming a victim herself.

The comic shows technology as something that is less of a tool than a constant invasion into our lives. Nash can barely pay attention to the movie, "Jaws," and cuddle with her girlfriend without constantly fiddling around on social media, friends talk about how someone who was well-respected found themselves fired and a social pariah for a slightly off-color joke they sent in an email leaking due to their being hacked. Everyone says how if we don't stuff getting out then don't put it on the web, but these new iRis Shutter contact lenses create a whole new problem of if we will even know whether something is getting recorded and put online.

"No. 1 With a Bullet," is off to stellar start and stands as another example of the kind of quality publications Image continues to release. The company is just releasing hit after hit thanks to having so many great new books and, "No. 1 With a Bullet," makes a glowing addition to that list of stupendous new titles. You can buy yourself a copy at Things From Another World or via MyComicShop and I would recommend you do as this book easily scores...
5 out of 5 stars.

My 2nd Time at the Toyman Show Was Stellar!

I previously posted about my first-ever time at the Toyman show put on by Chris, "Toyman," McQuillen. I was able to attend the next one that occurred today and had just as much fun (if not more fun) than last time! There were just as many quality vendors as before such as STL Comics and numerous toy-merchants, plus of course everything from plush dolls to video-games and Hot Wheels. Also, Funko Pops, so many Funko Pops!

I arrived early and it should be noted that for a small extra fee folk can head in at 8AM instead of 9AM (Early-Bird is what it is called). I would for sure recommend to anyone who is big on getting the prime pick of stuff to take advantage of this as it gets really busy once 9AM rolls around and it is nice to have a quiet hour to check all the stuff for sale and mull-over what you might want. I didn't buy as much this time, but got a few fun odds and ends such as this stellar-looking Pennywise Funko which has him with a balloon and was exclusive to Hot Topic back when the movie, "It," came out:

I also got some assorted comics and enjoyed seeing the guests at the show--Paul T. Taylor (Pinhead in the latest upcoming, "Hellraiser," movie) and Santiago Cirilo who played, "Julio," on the fourth season of, "The Walking Dead," and as I understand it did not have a happy end for his character. The show was awesome as always and assuming I am able to attend I for sure would love to go to the next event on December 10th at the Machinists Hall in Bridgeton. For more information visit the website for the show and I'll see you there!

Christmas Decorations Are Already Everywhere AKA Have We Forgotten Thanksgiving?

The Day After The Trick-or-Treating

Halloween ended when the clock struck Midnight for November 1st and the moment that occurred it felt like Christmas and Hanukkah decorations magically and immediately appeared. I went into a Target on the 1st to find many employees running around with wild abandon tearing-down the pumpkins and witches as quickly as possibly to put up candy-canes and reindeer as if they didn't have a whole month and most of December to get this stuff prepped.

I went to an outlet Mall with my wife yesterday that has a Hot Topic to browse the Funko Pops and already the location had lights everywhere and gigantic wreaths that look like it would have taken three strong men or women to set-up. Seriously, Halloween is but a recent memory and I was picking-up some horror-themed comics on Wednesday the 1st of November to already to see ads with all our beloved superheroes decked-out for Christmas, be it Batman with a Santa beard or Spider-Man crying about how it's all his fault Uncle Ben won't be home for Christmas (I maybe made that second one up). We are all forgetting the biggest victim here too, Thanksgiving.

Oh Yeah, The Turkey Holiday

Look, I know the history behind Thanksgiving is bullshit and leaves out how after the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims survive the winter that the Pilgrims repaid the Native Americans with genocide. That said, the idea of Thanksgiving being a time when we all come together as a family to enjoy each other's company is pleasant and I personally love me some turkey, gravy, and pumpkin pie (not all mixed together though, that'd be gross). It used to be people wouldn't go all-out with the Christmas decor (or depending how early or late in the year it is, Hanukkah stuff) until after we had awoken from our post-meal stupor of Turkey-day. Now however, you can find ornaments and faux-snowmen for sale in late September and by the time 11/1 rolls around its all about the Christmas trees and Hanukkah Menorahs.

I'm not sure if there is any real solution to this as if you complain about winter holiday stuff being put out too early people either say you're a buzzkill or trying to wage a, "War on Christmas," as some kind of Godless Liberal. Look, I don't have beef with Christmas, but if I may take a page from the Conservative handbook and use one of their phrases against them:

via GIPHY
So yes, let's give Halloween the full attention it deserves and not ignore Thanksgiving either. I love Christmas and Hanukkah plenty but I don't need to be seeing Elves on Shelves or a Mensch on the Bench as soon as Labor Day wraps, damn-it.

Let Me Get This Straight--People Still Aren't Reading, "Deathstroke?"

Let Me Get This Straight...

Since getting to the point I barely read any Marvel titles due to, "Legacy," being miserable I now am mostly enjoying Image, DC, and other Indie books. I of course will talk with other folk who read DC titles at various times and always hear about them picking-up the bigger-name books such as, "Batman," the Superman-titles, "Wonder Woman," and of course secondary books will get mentioned too. Far too often people seem to leave out, "Deathstroke," however and how it is arguably the best super-book coming out from DC right now, with many a person I've talked to saying, "Deathstroke? Why would I want to read a comic about him?" So, let me get this straight, there are still people out there not reading, "Deathstroke?"

The Magic/Skill of Christopher Priest

I never cared about the character of Slade Wilson AKA Deathstroke. He was a dully written villain who failed to grab my attention with his mercenary adventures. He was an assassin who was good enough to go-up against super-heroes and was often written as a bit of a Mary Sue/Gary Stu who we were encouraged to consider so badass, when in fact he came-off more like a tool. A dangerous killing machine, but also just lame. Christopher Priest is a writer who has been around decades and with his work on, "Deathstroke," since it re-launched has shown that with his magic/skilled touch even a character like Slade Wilson has potential. The fact Priest was one of my favorite writers of 2016 and, "Deathstroke," was a favorite comic that year tells you a lot, methinks.

Priest has kept Slade as a dangerous and smart killing machine, but he's also taken the time to explore what such a person must actually be like, and how miserable their life must be. Slade started the series as a villain who was great at killing people, but in the process had isolated himself from basically anyone who ever cared him and finds relating to people outside of butchering them to be a great challenge. Slade's way of showing his daughter he cares is by putting a hit out on her and then hanging-out by her side fending off would-be killers just so that she's forced to spend time with him. Priest takes Slade's unfeeling and dangerous persona and doesn't go, "Wow, isn't this cool?" but instead asks us, "Wow, isn't this sad?" I'm not alone in loving this book either, with other critics finding it insightful as well.

Evil No More?

During the series so far Slade had an awakening of sorts when he stole some time-travel powers from the Flash (a younger, Wally West version) and discovered no matter how hard he tried to change the past he still just ruined things. With that revelation, Slade has been trying to be a good guy lately. this has entailed creating a super-team named, "Defiance," and stating he has renounced killing. This upset a group of fellow villains who send for him a number of issues before the extra-sized #25 which just came out and features Slade captured by them and being interrogated on if he's truly, "Gone good." A variety of bad-guys from the DC Universe such as The Riddler (serving as Slade's defense of sorts), Hector Hammond, Black Manta, and Killer Frost (who herself has been a bit heroic lately) torture and question Slade as he claims he's become someone good now. In the process just what, "Evil," is comes-up and a hallucinatory-test is conducted where Slade thinks he's been freed and proceeds to kill all the members of the group...thereby proving to them satisfactorily that he is the same as ever and all this heroism is a passing-phase.

Priest intentionally never makes it clear this issue whether Slade knew it was a test and that he wasn't really killing anyone or if Slade in fact would have reverted to his old form and violently murdered his captors. We as the reader are left to wonder how much Slade has really changed and how much is him just thinking he's different. These 25 issues (plus a few extra taking into account a cross-over) have been amazing and shown me--someone who didn't know much at all about Deathstroke before this series--that with a skilled writer even a character who seems hopelessly lame can become a stellar focal point of a fascinating book.

Read it Already!

Seriously people, you don't have to know much of anything about Deathstroke (I didn't) or even the DC Universe to be able to read and greatly enjoy these books. You just have to love great writing and philosophy with a good dash of action thrown-in too. I know this book isn't super-unpopular or at risk of getting cancelled (at least, I hope not), but I feel like many, many more people should be checking this out and loving it as much as I do. You can buy trades of the book at places like Amazon, Things From Another World, or read it for free via Hoopla if you have a library card--seriously, free! Get on it people, you don't know what you're missing.

Some of the Things Not to Say to a Stay-At-Home Dad

Adventures in Parenting!

He turned 8 (months) on the 28th!

Since August of this year I have been a stay-at-home Dad, or as it is also known, a seahorse (a phrase based on how male seahorses help take care of the young). My wife, Samii, and I decided this was best for our son, Clarkson, as he was of course born prematurely. Due to the adjustments in care he needs as a preemie and his having a more sensitive immune system we mutually agreed after carefully studying our fiances and budgeting it out that someone should stay home with our son. I loved my job but as it did not offer insurance and had a long commute we came to the conclusion my wife would continue to work and I would be at home with our son, caring for him and making some small scratch here-and-there selling things on eBay or via other odd-jobs. It was an adjustment but I have loved being at home assisting Clarkson with eating, putting on a fresh diaper, playing, or reading aloud to him my drafts of my blog posts and getting his opinion on my writing. If a child goes into day-care it is basically a law they will get sick and premature babies don't just get sick, they get really, really sick and sometimes require hospitalization. Having Clarkson at home with me keeps him healthy, allows us to know he has good care (I like to think I'm a quality parent plus other folk have stated that as well) and otherwise just makes sense for our family--although there is really no wrong way to plan your household.

I never thought stay-at-home parents had it easy but I was shocked just how much work it is. Whether caring for the baby, trying to assist with daily things like dishes, or attempting to carve-out a bit of free time to read some comics or write a blog post (I am typing this now while he is having a snooze), you are often busy as a stay-at-home parent. As it is good to go out-and-about, Clarkson and I will often take excursions to visit story-times or parent groups, get groceries, pick-up needed household items, browse antique/thrift shops (for stuff to sell online) or swing by the comic shop to check-out what comics are hot. In the process of doing this I have received a number of comments as a Dad out with his infant son that could be described as, "Off-putting." Some come from a place of kindness and are just misunderstandings or casual ignorance. Other statements have hurt my heart to a surprising degree and really stung. Therefore, in the interest of educating people and sharing, I shall provide some of incidents and statements that have actually occurred so as to hopefully show people some of the things that aren't the best to say to a stay-at-home Dad.

Some Things Not to Say

Just tell me he's cute, no need for weird comments.

"I see it's  Daddy-day, today?"
This statement seems to assume that, "Daddy," doesn't usually care for the child, and that usually, "Mommy," does. It discounts that the other parent could be deceased or a man. It is grating but comes from a place of simply trying to make conversation, I've found.

"Your wife let you guys out alone?"
This came from an older woman shopping at Walgreens who saw me with my son and went on to share how her husband and children never were allowed out alone for long because he did a terrible job. She went on to describe how when her kids were three that her, "Hubby," took them out for the afternoon to run errands and when they got back she asked if they had eaten lunch and he said he hadn't fed them as, "They didn't say they were hungry," which she followed-up with a laugh. I wasn't sure how to respond to her shock that a man could be capable of taking care of a baby so I simply smiled and said that was quite the story. I fought the urge to ask why she had married a dumbass.

"So, you're Mr. Mom?"
I hear this from older folk a lot. I get it, there was that movie with that title, but when you say that you're horrendously genderizing child-care. I mean, does that mean my wife is Mrs. Dad? I am not Mr. Mom, I am his Dad and I care for our son while Mom is at work, then she comes home and we equally share in the responsibilities of his care--you know, like a healthy and functioning couple.

"You must have tons of free time!"
This one usually comes from Dads expressing jealousy as how easy it must be for me to, "Get to stay home and relax and play all day." I've never had a mother who stays home with her kids say this (or any other seahorse dads I have met) as anyone who had stayed home with a baby actually knows it takes up more time than can be imagined. If you work and your partner stays home with the children please be aware they are in fact working hard and you seem kind of dismissive when you act like they are living on easy-street and kicking-back all day.

"Don't you feel like you're wasting away your potential/time?"
It shocks me when I get this from people who have a spouse that stays home. I mean, I don't know, do you think all the people who take a break from the work-force to help care for their kids are wasting their potential? If you do in fact have a spouse who stays home you apparently think she or he is wasting time? I feel like my time is valuable and the amount I use to help care for our son is an investment rewarded every time he smiles, laughs, or lets out a joyful coo as I hold and rock him. If you think being a stay-at-home parent is such a waste of time why do you let your spouse do it?

"Wouldn't you rather have Mommy at home than Daddy?"
A mutual friend of my wife and I was talking at Clarkson when this slipped out. I wanted to get angry, yell, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" and otherwise throw a fit, but that wouldn't have helped anyone. Instead my wife and I simply smiled and commented that Clarkson loves having me at home and my wife loves having her awesome job and getting to come home to Clarkson and Daddy at the end of the day. It was an older woman (you may notice the theme that older folk tend to be more thrown by a stay-at-home Dad) so it was probably her just finding our family setup against what she considers the norm. Still though, why would you say that in front of both of us, considering you are a friend to us each? It felt as if they were insinuating I suck at being a parent because there goes Dumbass David, the man barely competent enough to care for his own son! I of course know that wasn't the idea, but yeah.

It Isn't All Hurtful

He kept spitting-up so he was just chilling in his diaper when we took this.
His smile indicates that was his plan all along.

I've shared some of the off-color comments I've received, but I don't want people to think it is just all bad and hurtful stuff. Another time when I was at Walgreens (yes, I got to a variety of Walgreens often because they usually have lots of exclusive Funko Pops) the cashier was an older man who asked how old my son was. He complimented how cute Clarkson looked and said he missed when his kids were babies and looked forward to when they hopefully give him grandchildren soon to play with. After I checked-out and as I was leaving the store I heard him comment to another customer who had been waiting behind me how it was nice to see a Dad out with his child as he loved spending time with his kids when they were growing up and felt more people should treasure that time.

Those warm thoughts really made my day and illustrated someone who, "Gets it." Namely, that whether you choose to work or stay at home, the key is to love your children and provide them what your family feels is the best care. That could mean both parents working and the baby going to day-care or having a relative care for him/her, it could mean someone stays home, the result could be anything and as long as your son or daughter is fed, diapered, and happy, you're doing what is the optimal choice for your household. At the end of the day it's about what is best for your child after all, right?

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a great Halloween. In the spirit of all the terrible jokes shared on this holiday I have one that I believe I made-up (for all I know I heard it years ago, but I'm taking credit):

Why couldn't the vampire be positive?

All he had in stock was B-negative!

Thanks to anyone who actually laughs at that. Be safe out there!

I Have a Moon Knight Funko Now!

As the above video illustrates, I am very excited (and Clarkson is happy for me as well) that there finally is in existence a Moon Knight Funko Pop. For a good long while I've said there needs to be a Funko of good ol' Marc Spector in his heroic getup, and finally we have at least one Pop of Moon Knight--in his, "Mr. Knight," getup. This Funko was for sale at Stan Lee's L.A. Comic-Con AKA Comikaze and is a shared exclusive with Hot Topic as well, where I was able to purchase it! There is a glow-in-the-dark version that was exclusively for sale at the con and perhaps someday I'll be able to get one. For now, I am so pleased to have my own Moon Knight Funko and shall proudly display it with all my comic-related wares.

DC's New Comic, "The Terrifics," Looks Intriguing and is a Hilarious Jab at Marvel

A team of four adventurers who solve cosmic mysteries together. One is a genius, one is a wisecracking jokester, another has an off-putting form and there is a lady who can make herself invisible to the human eye. It sounds like I'm talking about Marvel's team, "The Fantastic Four," but I'm actually discussing DC's new book, "The Terrifics ," which not only looks like good fun but clearly is a hilarious jab at Marvel too.

It is well-known that Marvel has basically forbidden usage of The Fantastic Four as a team in comics due to Ike Pearlmutter (a man with a lot of power in the company) having a vendetta against Fox--who bought the movie rights long ago and which refuses to play-ball with Marvel's film studio the same way Sony did with Spider-Man. It is almost like DC saw this and went, "Marvel won't publish a comic that is Fantastic Four-esque? Shit, we'll do it!" Hence we now have the immensely talented Jeff Lemire (who worked for Marvel for a bit and is now back at DC) writing and the also stellar artist Ivan Reis (and Joe Prado) illustrating.

The team isn't an exact copy of the Fantastic Four, with Mr. Terrific being a genius (Mr. Fantastic-ish), Plastic Man being a prank-puller who stretches a lot (so the powers of Mr. Fantastic and Johnny Storm's jokes), Metamorpho altering his form as needed (he could be rocky or made of fire if he wanted like The Thing and with Johnny Storm's powers) and Phantom Girl who is essentially the Invisible Woman/Sue Storm if she wants to be. Together this team is lost in the Dark Multiverse and has to use science-knowledge whilst having zany adventures. So yeah, just think of this as, "DC Presents the kinda-sorta Fantastic Four."

Now, if the comic were just DC ripping-on Marvel and being snarky it would get old fast, but when you have a creative team like the one on-deck I feel pretty confident this book won't be DC simply mocking Marvel, it will be DC doing their own version of a, "Fantastic Four," comic and all the enjoyable aspects that can entail. "The Terrifics ," are currently on the cover of the latest edition of, "Previews," magazine (November 2017) and you can easily preorder yourself a copy at Things From Another World or your local comic shop. I'm excited to see what this book brings and will for sure be getting myself the debut issue!

Rant-Reviews: Cheesecake Appreciation

Why Not?
I have previously expressed an appreciation for publishers such as Boundless and other companies who put out cheesecake-styled comics (e.g. comic-books with sexy artwork) with a self-aware wink. We as a society (when we aren't being prudish) of course enjoy sexy illustrations of the human body and comic-books at times can provide that. With this in mind, I thought it might be fun to review some comics that don't hesitate to provide anything from a little pin-up art to ones that can be surprisingly detailed in their drawings of human genitalia. Oh, and note that it is hard to find much Cheesecake of men but it is out there, it just is less common so I don't really touch upon it in these reviews as I couldn't find any lately (whenever a, "Gambit," comic is coming out he seems to shower a lot though).

Sexy Reads
Amerikarate #7
This comic has been one big funny spoof of various 1970's and 1980's movies and all the over-the-top elements found within them. Whether riffing on, "Footloose," "Death Wish," or in this issue, "Robocop," the comic always manages to have immense bloodshed and usually at least one sex scene. Also, there are various covers each issue and there is always one variant (which also seem to be the more popular variants in terms of aftermarket sales) every month featuring adult film actress and known nerd April O'Neil (that Twitter is NOT safe for work) in various cosplay outfits that relate to the issue.

 These books are always good dumb fun, with the film references being subtle and well-incorporated enough that it isn't just an annoying game of, "Let's shout-out various things that make people nostalgic and act like that's funny!" Plus, I mean, this issue draws from the classic, "Robocop," so how can you wrong? "Amerikarate," isn't super cheesecakey outside of some of those April O'Neil variants and some suggestive scenes but it is hilarious so I would encourage anyone with a fondness for humorous titles check it out. Purchase issues on eBay, on MyComicShop, or from Things From Another World.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

VS: Vamps Vs Wolves #2

My good friends at ComicsHeatingUp had a post about this cool self-published book and I eagerly bought it on the interwebs from creator Scott Blair. The story involves a long-running feud between Vampires and Werewolves who had an uneasy truce that has fallen apart--and to add to the complications there are hunters of the supernatural present to disrupt everything too! Blair's pin-up style artwork evokes a strong 1950's sensibility with his curvy women and the cheeky way he covers-up the naughtiest bits of characters to keep things PG-13-ish in terms of flesh shown (plenty of blood and swearing occurs, however). The comic reminds me of those classic cheeky horror-movies you would see at the drive-in full of innuendo and excessive blood-effects, and that my friends is a good thing. I would recommend picking-up the first two issues that have come out so far from Blair's store on eBay and I know I'm looking forward to issue #3!
5 out of 5 stars.

Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose #106

"Tarot," is of course the long-running book from creators Jim Balent and Holly Golightly they put out via their publisher, Broadsword comics. Featuring the adventures of titular witch, Tarot, the books often will jump around in theme and tones, sometimes being more about Wicca and the supernatural, other times joking about super-heroes, and always looking great thanks to Balent's decades of comic-experience making his artwork fantastic (with Golightly's lettering and fantastic color-work being the metaphorical cherry on top).

This issue follows Tarot, her sister Raven, friend-and-lover Boo Cat, and husband Jon as they fight against a Halloween spirit that is turning the residents of the town of Salem where they live into all kinds of monstrous creatures in an effort to spread the Halloween mood. It's a good yarn and works-in some funny jokes about the trials of Trick-or-Treating too that anyone who ever has gone door-to-door in an effort to get candy to relate to (we've all had the religious holy-rollers scold us about this evil holiday and make us wonder why they even leave their lights on if they're just going to be unpleasant).

The cheesecake element comes-in where Tarot and her friends often aren't especially clothed and even when they are various things occur that put them in states of undress. I mean, the comic has a half-naked witch fighting werewolves and works in a message about not making assumptions about people (like why do witches need to be green in many stories, seriously, why?), so what's not to like? Should you want to pick-up this or any other issue of, "Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose," Things From Another World, eBay, and MyComicShop all are stellar resources.
5 out of 5 stars.

Lookers: Ember #2

If some of these books have featured suggestive artwork or tasteful nudity, then "Lookers: Ember," is admittedly just straight-up raunch. As I've talked about in the past however, it is smart and self-aware raunch, so I can't help but like it. While the other comics maybe give us the equivalent of R-rated love-making scenes, "Lookers: Ember," flirts with being outright an outright porn-comic if it did't also have a good deal of plot, action scenes, and admittedly interesting ideas you wouldn't expect in a cheesecake comic. The general plot has meshed another property from the publisher (Boundless), incorporating their hero-esque character, "Ember," and having her seek out the private detectives known as, "Lookers," who work to help women victimized by men online--a topic that continues to be relevant.

It seems her cell-phone was stolen and features a sex-tape of her and a politician. Us readers see a group of Men's Right Activist-types have it and plan to sell it to embarrass Ember and show women they need to, "Respect their place," so yes, we are getting a comic that is a strange marriage of porny-sex and weirdly topical themes of feminism and how men troll women online. There are some drug dealers involved too who have an interest in the tape that may relate more to the politician than super-hero Ember and it is all interesting, well-illustrated, and to top it off features some really graphic sex-scenes just to ensure everyone is getting entertained. "Lookers: Ember," probably won't be winning any awards in the comic's biz but it is a damn well done book. It may be a guilty-pleasure styled read, but its good stuff, and I believe the third issue is released tomorrow! You can get yourself a copy on eBay, or Things From Another World.
5 out of 5 stars.

That Was Fun
Well, these books maybe aren't the most high-brown or fancy, but it sure was fun to read and review them!