The First ToyMan Show of 2020 Was a Delight!

Today was the first ToyMan show of 2020 and as one would expect, it was stupendous fun! I kicked it off exploring all the awesome wares for sale on the first floor. I chatted with John of Bigfoot Comics and Collectibles and he told me they would have some shows in the future as well. I requested he keep me informed about them and he said he would! As I looked around I was able to trade a comic of mine for these really cool, "Mars Attacks," mini-comics. I am of course a big fan of mini-comics and ashcans so these really appealed to me. Give them a look:

Then I saw Justin Mosely from  Wayne Kent Comics and was pleased to purchase a Moon Knight comic from him my collection lacked. There was plenty of other awesome vendors as well, I saw some really old Lego sets that were astounding and some die-cast cars that looked quite impressive. I also ran into my chum Spike from Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles before I bought a couple other snazzy comics from some vendors--a neat team-up of Spider-Man and Ghost Rider fighting the (underrated) villain, the Orb, and an issue with Spider-Ham. Check them out:

I went upstairs and saw an assortment of my author friends. I talked with Leigh Savage about some of her latest erotica books being released and saw J.E. Nelson and her daughter, we discussed how busy they'd been lately! I also chatted with Jessica Mathews & Jennifer Stolzer about how things had been going for them and how they had some upcoming books in the work as well. I met Stevie Tisius of Steveidrawsdinos and loved her artwork as well. Before I headed back downstairs I saw Lonnie Johnson of Heroes for Kids too. I then went downstairs and browsed some more, at which point I got this first issue of, "Wolverine," when his ongoing series started. I was very pleased:

This ToyMan show was a lovely way to start the year. With an assortment of great comics, toys, video-games, and collectibles it is always jam-packed with incredible items and talented creators. The next show is on March 8th and I would strongly encourage you to attend if you'll be in the area as it is such a stellar show!

Amazon is Throwing Major Shade at the Honey Plug-in Since Paypal Acquired It

There is a browser plug-in called, "Honey," that helps find discounts and codes for shoppers. It has worked for Amazon before. Honey was recently acquired by Paypal, who is a competitor of sorts to Amazon (Paypal for a long time was owned by eBay and Amazon doesn't accept Paypal). Not long after that happened, Amazon started warning shoppers that Honey was possibly malware and should be uninstalled. Upon reading this I found myself thinking how remarkable it is that Amazon is being petty to this degree.

I mean seriously, Amazon is all hunky-dory with Honey but once a competing company such as Paypal acquires it for...let me check my notes...4 billion dollars(!), Amazon suddenly wants to act like Honey is malware. Oh, and yes, Amazon does have its own competing plug-in now too. Clearly, my opinion is that Amazon is doing all this to undermine Paypal and Honey and it looks like Amazon wants to disparage that. It's not a good look, but Amazon has enough money that I suppose it's of little concern to the company.

A Prelude Graphic Novel For an Ongoing Comic? Interesting...

Image Comics announced a bit ago that with Robert Kirkman done writing, "The Walking Dead," he has a new comic in the works--"Fire Power." Even though he could probably spend the rest of his days counting the cash he's accumulated from TWD I admire him wanting to do more comic-work, even if I suspect any future projects are secretly pitches for media options as comic-books...but I digress. Basically, Kirkman and all-around awesome artist Chris Samnee (who I met at a comic-con before and really is as nice as people say) will be doing, "Fire Power," to tell the story of a man who travels to a mystical city to discover his ability to summon fire through martial arts. I know, it doesn't sound too wildly creative, but one way the comic will be released is pretty clever.

Essentially, Kirkman and Samnee will be releasing a full-length graphic novel that serves as a prelude for the ongoing series. People can read a big chunk that serves as an introduction and then follow the comic monthly afterward. I see the logic in this, as, "The Walking Dead," itself picked-up a lot of readers via people who read the earlier trades and then once caught-up would follow the series monthly. By having a big ol' prelude graphic novel there is already a pre-collected edition of sorts readers can absorb and really dive into the series before it starts releasing single issues.

This all does make me wonder why they don't just release everything in graphic novel installments (as Joe Casey and Pitor Kowlalski have done with their comic, "Sex," after it was monthly for a while...so kind of the reverse of this)? Robert Kirkman is a lot richer than me so I have zero qualifications to judge his business and publishing choices, however, so I guess now we will just see if this idea of a prelude graphic novel before an ongoing series works-out well or falls flat on its face. I mean, at the end of the day if the story is good that will help, if the story is bad, little can be done to save it. At least with Samnee on art that'll look smashing, I imagine.

"Big Punk," is a Hilarious and Wonderfully Drawn Mini-Comic

Janelle Hessig is a drummer, writer, and creator of comics. Known for her punk aesthetic and style she recently teamed with an indie publisher who pretty much always puts out stellar work, Silver Sprocket. They are publishing her latest mini-comic, "Big Punk," and I loved reading the digital copy that was sent out to press with the request we share our thoughts if we like it/hate it/feel any specific way.

"Big Punk," is about an unnamed Punk Lady who moves out of an increasingly gentrified metropolis known as, "Fog City," as she finds herself disillusioned with the gritty culture eroding. Before long she finds herself bored, but as that header-image shows, she meets a sexy Bigfoot and things get wacky.

"Big Punk," is short, humorous, and has some heart as our lady-Punk falls in love with a Bigfoot and tries to balance being a tough punk with having a loving heart for her new hairy beau. Hessig's drawing-style has a bit of a cartoonish look with that rough edge that makes the sharp and biting critiques of modern society expertly land. I greatly enjoyed, "Big Punk," and would recommend buying yourself a copy on Silver Sprocket's website.
5 out of 5 stars.

A PC That Rips-Off the Nintendo Switch Could Actually Be Clever

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) all kinds of interesting and sometimes bizarre pieces of technology are introduced. There are items there that go on to become huge hits and things that just cause everyone to scratch their heads in bewilderment, shown-off as a concept but never actually seeing the light of day. Alienware showed off a conceptual portable PC suitably named the, "Concept UFO," at CES and man, it looks like a PC version of the Nintendo Switch.

Nobody on stage when the Concept UFO was unveiled pointed out how much it looks like a Nintendo Switch, or that the controllers pop-off and can attach to themselves like a Nintendo Switch. For real though, this conceptual PC totally rips-off the Nintendo Switch, and that could actually be clever. Imagine being able to access your game library on Steam, GOG, Epic, or whatever service you use and playing any game that supports a controller moderately well? That would be pretty snazzy, although a graphics-heavy game would probably zap the battery in something like the Concept UFO in an hour or such...making it not exactly that portable unless you have easy access to a charging port while you're out and about.

The Concept UFO is more of a theoretical prototype than anything else. It also really looks like a Nintendo Switch rip-off. That said, maybe the Nintendo Switch has some good ideas that are worth drawing inspiration from, with even me admitting after some initial trepidation I kind of want one these days. I guess we will have to just wait and see if the Concept UFO will ever become the, "For Sale UFO," if my horrible pun makes sense.

People Love that Cameo Website/App

You may know of Cameo. Imagine if for anywhere from $5 to $1,000 you could hire a celebrity to record a, "Shout-out," to you with their cell phone's selfie function. Some people would think it is dumb to pay a D-list celebrity fifty bucks to wish a friend a happy birthday or break-up with a boyfriend, but others would love it. Enough people like the idea that the website/app Cameo has become hugely successful.

It is weirdly fascinating to me as I have never really been a, "Cult of celebrity," person. I don't really obsess over famous folk with a mixture of affection or rage (politicians aside as they really do affect everyday life). Famous people are regular humans who managed to be really good at something (acting, singing, a sport, whatever) and are now known for it. This includes lesser-known celebrities who maybe would like some extra-scratch by saying a simple catchphrase such as, "No soup for you!" or to, "Stay thirsty, my friends."

I don't have anything against individuals wanting to pay celebs to record a video message, it is a lot of like paying a celebrity to sign an autograph for you at a comic-convention (which I don't do, but I have paid creators to make awesome sketches for me). I guess I just don't personally see the appeal when I scroll through everyone...and wait, Kevin Conroy is on there for just $75? That's actually not a bad price to hear the voice of Batman pay you a compliment. Anyways, Cameo is making tons of money, so it clearly has struck folk as something snazzy.

Oh Wow, "New Mutants," is Actually Coming Out?

The movie, "New Mutants," has been in development Hell for two or three years now. A horror-themed X-Men spin-off, it was basically completed, had reshoots planned, they didn't happen (it seems), Fox was announced as being acquired by Disney, more delays happened. It got to the point it was thought, "New Mutants," would never be released or it would just be quietly dumped onto Hulu or Disney+ so the money spent on it did not go to waste. Then there were rumblings a trailer would pop-up online and now here it is above.

We've got an actual release date of April 3rd and while this probably won't work in a weird little stinger to tie-in with the Marvel Cinematic Universe or acknowledge the other X-Men movies much, it is at this point impressive the damned thing is actually going to be in theaters. How good it will be in the end...we shall see.

Are Those, "Star Citizen," Games Ever Coming Out?

You may have heard of the online spacefaring game, "Star Citizen," and the title that began as a part of it but then became a spin-off single-player title, "Squadron 42." The developer, Cloud Imperium Games, did a Kickstarter campaign in 2012 that raised a lot of money and continued to keep privately gaining funds to the point it is now 2020 and the game has raised...let me check my notes...over 260 million dollars? Oh, but as impressive as that is, we are now eight years later and everything is still basically in an early barely-playable, "Alpha," state. Certain things in, "Star Citizen," work but more and more features keep being announced with this all seeming to be more like an impressive tech demo of an engine as opposed to a real game. As for the first-person shooter spin-off, "Squadron 42," that supposedly is finally coming-out in 2020...or is it?

Apparently, these games have some drama in that another company named Crytek has filed a lawsuit with the claim its engine is being used without their permission/them getting a cut. Cloud Imperium Games has said they aren't using any Cryengine technology, and has argued the lawsuit against them has to be dismissed as without the games being released, how can there be a lawsuit? Crytek is saying if, "Squadron 42," is supposedly due to be released this year then the lawsuit is, "Ripe" but the suit keeps getting pushed back because the game is always getting delayed...with Cloud Imperium Games seeming to want to delay stuff out of this year as if, "Squadron 42," will not actually come out in 2020. Keep in mind, "Star Citizen," still seems like it will maybe come out still years later or collapse into a stupendous mess.

We are so many years into the development of, "Star Citizen," with people buying spaceships that supposedly will be useful in the finished game for tens of thousands of real-life dollars. The single-player spin-off is most likely not coming out in 2020. Should these titles ever be released it is impossible for them to live up to the hype and expectations. I just do hope they finally are released someday and are relatively fun. The alternative that this is going to turn into a flaming wreck that pissed away over 260 million dollars of money from hopeful fans, venture capitalists, and so forth just sounds really unpleasant for everybody.

"Brother: A Story of Autism," Is a Great Story and Teaching Tool

I often keep updated on comic and graphic novel releases by reading-through, "Previews," magazine and its list of new releases. One thing that recently caught my eye was a just-released book from the new publisher Zuiker Press. It is a publisher focused on helping newer younger authors tell their stories through this, "Issues based," publishing house. They have nonfiction titles focused on an assortment of subjects, with, "Brother: A Story of Autism," sounding very interesting to me, as I am of course quite familiar with the subject of ASD. Written together by Carlton Hudgen and Bridget Hudgens, it discusses from Bridget's point of view life growing-up as the younger sibling to an older brother with ASD.

The book follows what life was like for Bridget and her family as they saw doctors as Carlton was growing and were informed about his diagnosis along with realizing how ASD did not define him as a person. "Brother: A Story of Autism," is sure to make it clear that ASD is not some terrible thing that afflicts families, it is an aspect of the sibling/child they love and this book makes clear to discuss all the ways Carlton showed he was smart, caring, and a dedicated brother as he grew and continues to be a happy and functional adult despite some stereotypes of ASD being that people diagnosed with it cannot have fulfilling lives.

Siblings fight regardless of ASD!

Bridget and Carlton are sure to talk about in the book how regardless of Carlton having ASD they had regular sibling moments of at times fighting, other times being close and happy. "Brother: A Story of Autism," also goes in-depth on discussing how at times life was hard or happy independent of Carlton's ASD. Their mother and father go through a difficult divorce shortly after the birth of their youngest sibling, their mother meets a nice man who loves her (and who also is supportive of all the kids) and they get married, Bridget goes to college, and so forth. The book is sure to point out that having a family member with ASD is a big part of life, but not the only thing in our lives.

The penciling by Nam Kim works wonderfully in the book, being drawn as realistically and grounded at some points, but then when portraying the imaginations of Bridget or Carlton changing in clever ways to help illustrate how Bridget or Carlton may have felt at a certain time. For example, when Carlton is seeing all the doctors testing him for ASD they are drawn as scary space-aliens as he was quite intimidated, and another moment where Carlton helps shield a snail from the heavy rain is illustrated with the snail giving him a thankful smile. These little artistic flourishes help had an extra enjoyable element to the story and compliment the prose superbly. None other than well-known comic creator Gary Leach actually provides the inks, and Fahriza Kamaputra's colors are stellar as well.

I liked the clever artistic moments

"Brother: A Story of Autism," was created in a way to be easily used in the classroom or given to parents of children who may have recently been diagnosed with ASD. This is because it smartly includes sections covering parent take-aways from the book about Autism and a section for how the book can be used in an educational setting. "Brother: A Story of Autism," is written to be younger-reader friendly as well so anyone from students to adults can enjoy it. Carlton and Bridget are now in their 20's and both are excelling in life. I loved their book, "Brother: A Story of Autism," and thank Zuiker Press for providing me with a copy for the purpose of review when I contacted them about my interest in the book. Whether you know a lot about ASD or simply want to learn more, this is a fantastic read.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Song, "Restroom Occupied," Sounds Horribly Unhygienic and Not Sexy at All

For my first post of the year let's discuss a song about sex that sounds incredibly unhygienic and not especially sexy. "Restroom Occupied," by Yella Breezy and featuring Chris Brown describes an encounter between a man and woman where they engage in, "Making love in the restroom." Apparently, they met in a club the woman went to with her own boyfriend/husband but she wants to randomly cheat and does so in the loo. 

Despite it being a cramped stall the woman is, "Doing all kind of tricks, busting all kinds of splits," and it is, "Sloppy fucking," with it declared that no protection is used (even though they are total strangers) as she wants, "My baby, no test tube." It is hinted that Yella/Chris is only having sex with this woman to show-up the man who tested his, "Gangsta," attitude so Yella/Chris was pleased when she was eager to engage in, "Cheatin'," with him. Hence, now Yella/Chris is in a restroom stall, "Freaking, hunching, pussy popping." For a song about basically nothing but sex, the song is incredibly unsexy and frankly nasty--not in a good way.

Apparently, this is an arousing location?

This is a song about two people in a rancid restroom stall, having sex with each other out of spite, and it is almost tragic to think this is Yella Breezy and Chris Brown's idea of, "Making love." I would say the song describes general sex/fucking with lovemaking being when people have a deep personal connection and express these feelings physically. Making love is a deeply personal and caring thing....this song is just about banging in a dirty restroom. Plus, the language used isn't even sexy or arousing like some songs about sex are. It just sounds like two people awkwardly humping and doing weird positions so that they can avoid touching anything dirty in the stall. The mental image is not so much sexy as me worrying they are going to lose their footing and both fall to the floor of the stall, getting covered in dirt, hair, and urine. Again, not sexy.

Oh, and of course the song has zero focus on the woman's pleasure. There is no description of doing anything to make her feel good. It is all about Yella/Chris liking her doing wild maneuvers so that he can be sure, "I'm gonna finish," and there is not a care in the World about her having fun. Besides a somewhat catchy beat, this song is basically one big failure and should anyone ever try to put this on while you're at their house and they want to create a sexy mood you need to get out of there as fast as you can.