The Publishing Rights to, "Star Wars," Comics Keep Getting More Confusing

Years ago, when it was a brand-new property, "Star Wars," was published by Marvel. Then Dark Horse got the license and made a ton of, "Star Wars," comics. However, over time Disney bought their own publisher in the form of Marvel and then acquired the rights to, "Star Wars," as well. It only made sense as soon as they could that, "Star Wars," was brought back to Marvel. The weird thing, however, is that Disney has had some random, "Star Wars," books published by IDW (along with other Marvel all-ages books). Now, Disney is also going to do all-ages comics in the, "Star Wars," universe (which IDW was doing, as I mentioned) during the, "High Republic," era of the chronology which will be published by Dark Horse. Dark Horse has some, "Star Wars," comics again, in other words. 

This is very confusing and I would not even begin to act like I understand why different, "Star Wars," books are at various publishers. all I know is it leaves me befuddled but obviously makes, "Star Wars," fans happy as they get even more comics. Whether IDW will still be doing, "Star Wars," comics if they lost the all-ages rights to stories remains unclear. The thought of three different comic publishers making, "Star Wars," comics is wild, however!

The Debut Issue of Robin Bougie's New, "Gutter Hunter," is Amazing

I have previously written about how I was a big fan of the 'zine, "Cinema Sewer." Dedicated to discussing all kinds of weird and fascinating movies, I actually was honored to contribute an article for what turned out to be the final issue, #34. Recently, Robin revealed that since concluding, "Cinema Sewer," he had been working on a new project, "Gutter Hunter." This new 'zine was dedicated to exploring the history of weird indie and underground comix--yes, with an X when we're talking about the underground goodness. I ordered a copy of the first issue quickly after he revealed what he'd made and I'm glad I did as it sold out! Robin shared on Facebook and Twitter how that had never happened before, and within a week he was all out of, "Gutter Hunter." Thankfully, a second printing is on the way for those who want to witness, "Gutter Hunter," because my copy just arrived in the mail yesterday and it is amazing. 

Bougie has always been a fantastic writer and one of the most knowledgeable people I know about movies. We've talked comics before over the interwebs and his breadth of knowledge when it comes to the comic artform astounded me too. I'm not surprised he made a 'zine dedicated to indie and underground comics, but I'm overjoyed he did because this is a stupendous read! Whether talking about the erotic, "2 Hot Girls on a Hot Summer Night," the controversial, "White Whore Funnies," or telling us about the outright strange comics of a cult, "Gutter Hunter," is loaded with the history of comics that generally don't get the same attention as, "Mainstream," works. I loved the first issue and would encourage you to preorder its second printing at this link. Robin's gone from writing about the strangest movies around to the weirdest comics you'll ever find, and I'm most definitely here for it.

5 out of 5 stars.

Lil Nas X Being on, "Maury," Today was Some Hilarious Cross-Promotion

Lil Nas X is a great musician and he loves to just do funny stuff for the sake of fun. He is a bit of a professional troll, but he trolls haters and does silly stuff like appearing on, "Maury," for a fictional segment. His appearance--under his real name of Montero--is a bit of a continuation of his music video where he discovers a footballer boyfriend has a wife. Montero's real ex-boyfriend is in the segment (they are on good terms) with a faux-wife and questions about who the real father is. The segment features the aforementioned paternity test, proposals, lie detector results, and you know that Montero runs off into the backstage area in shock toward the end! As if to further the weird mix or real-and-fake, Lil Nas X bookended the show at the beginning and end with actual people with real drama in the middle of the show. Should you want to see just the Lil Nas X stuff, you can here though:

I admire how basically nobody broke character, besides a few grins at the silliest moments. "Maury," made sure to include the disclaimer that this segment was fictional, and I applaud Maury for being willing to do such a weird bit of cross-promotion with Lil Nas X (I assume Lil Nas X reached out with the idea as this seems like something crazy he would dream up). Plus, this was the first time I'd watched, "Maury," in forever (I was always more of a, "Jerry Springer," fan), so mission accomplished in getting Mr. Povich more viewers and getting Lil Nas X some promo.

I Enjoyed this, "DC Super Heroes: Lex Luthor's Puzzles," Book Even if I Stink at Puzzles

Whether you're a child or an adult with a child you've gotta admit book fairs at school are fun. Should you be a youth buying goodies for yourself or the parent with a kiddo pumped to shop, I love a good book fair. We were able to get some awesome stuff from one recently, including some, "Pete the Cat," titles for Clarkson and I bought a book titled, "DC Super Heroes: Lex Luthor's Puzzles." It came with a free Lego figure and I know I am not the best at puzzles so I figured a publication geared toward children would contain puzzles I might be able to tackle.

Okay, I could easily do half the puzzles and really struggled with the other half, so yah? I was easily able to count-up bats and the color-identification puzzles we not too bad.  I struggled with some of the mazes and pattern stuff though. I eventually got through the puzzles, however. I also enjoyed the comics in the book that featured Lego-versions of the heroes preventing Lex Luthor's evil plans to take over the World.

Some puzzles took me longer than I am proud to admit.

"DC Super Heroes: Lex Luthor's Puzzles," is a fun book full of puzzles, some cute stories, and you get a free Lex Luthor figurine with it too, so that's a nice bonus. If you've got a child or are looking to sharpen up your own mediocre puzzle skills (no judgment) then I'd recommend checking this book out.

5 out of 5 stars.

My Review of the Graphic Novel, "Petrograd," is Posted Over at Forces of Geek

I read the graphic novel, "Petrograd," for my friends over at Forces of Geek and wrote a review that you can now read here. "Petrograd," is best described as being a piece of historical fiction that focuses on the plot to murder the infamous Gregorii Rasputin. What did I think of the book? Read my review and see!

The November 2021 ToyMan Show Was Stupendous!

Today, I attended the latest ToyMan Show. Run by Chris, "ToyMan," McQuillen, I look forward to every single ToyMan show as I always have an absolute blast! Whether you're after comics, toys, Legos, die-cast cars, dolls, or anything else, the odds are good it'll be at ToyMan. I know I found a ton of good stuff! Anyways, I arrived mid-morning and one of the first folks I ran into was Dustin. He had some absolutely gorgeous, "Marvel Preview Presents," with the first, second, third, and fourth appearance of Star-Lord! Give them a gander:

I proceeded inside where I saw my good friends John Chaffe (of Bigfoot Comics and Collectibles) and Tim Metzger. I made sure to say hello to Spike from Lost in Spaces Toys and Collectibles and we discussed a Moon Knight action figure he possibly had one of that might interest me. My friend Tom of Alliance Comics, Toys, & Games was at the show and loaded up with awesome stuff. As I proceeded to wander through the aisles stuffed with goodies I ran into Vince of VK Toys who had some cool comics I purchased. My favorite was this issue of, "Incredible Hulk," which homages, "Where the Wild Things Are." Here it is:

I went upstairs where a ton of my author and creative friends were. I enjoyed catching up with Jessica Mathews about the latest projects she was working on and chatted with Jennifer Stolzer about her latest work. Lindsay Hornsby had more awesome Princess Pups comics for sale and directed me towards the Mega Giganto website for more cool works by herself and her husband. Amy Hale was at the show too and we talked about how we hadn't seen each other for quite a while! We discussed her new thrilling horror book, "Neurosis," I went back downstairs and browsed some more, finding a neat copy of, "Kid 'N Play," #9 at one vendor's booth. Fans of the, "House Party," movies understand why this was cool to find! Here it is:

Before I left in the early afternoon I saw my chum Phil at his awesome Comic Grind bus. It was great to visit with him too! I clearly got some cool comics at this ToyMan show, saw a bunch of awesome creators, chatted with plenty of super folk, and basically had a ton of fun as I always do! The last ToyMan show of the year will be on December 12th at its usual location of 12365 St Charles Rock Rd, in Bridgeton (63044 is the zip code). Mark the date on your calendar and I just might see you there!

"Smokin Out the Window," is Absurdly Catchy

When Bruno Mars and Anderson .Pakk teamed up to create the duo known as, "Silk Sonic." I was intrigued. With an intentionally very 70's style and a sound both vintage and modern, I really liked their first song, "Leave the Door Open." Then they brought us, "Skate," which was pleasant if unremarkable. I worried perhaps they wouldn't have anything else to offer as wildly impressive as their debut jam. I was foolish to be concerned, however, as the newest tune they've given us, "Smokin out the Window," is an utter treat. From Bootsy Collins talking at the start to the last note, it's fantastic.

A song about how the men of Silk Sonic did everything for a woman, but it turned out she was doing them wrong, "Smokin Out the Window," is not a happy tune, but it still makes you smile even as they describe how upset they are because it is absurdly smooth and fun. Yes, it turns out they were being cheated on even after giving the woman love, gifts, and all their time, but no matter how much heartbreak they're feeling this song grooves. Now Mars and .Pakk are just stuck sitting by the window, smoking, singing about, "How could she do this to me?" I may hate smoking, but I love this song. Here is the official music video:

Straight fire, this jam is straight fire. Silk Sonic is rad. Yesterday they actually released the whole debut album (kind of an EP as it's 30 minutes, yet it is nine songs)--"An Evening With Silk Sonic." Check it out on your preferred (legal) streaming service.

Disney+ Confirmed and Announced a Slew of New Stuff

Today is what is known as, "Disney+," day, as it's the anniversary of when the service launched. In honor of this, a lot of new stuff is now available to watch. Also, Disney+ confirmed a lot of rumored projects, announced others, and basically got us fans of the streaming service abuzz. We are indeed getting an Agatha Harkness show, an, "Echo," spin-off from, "Hawkeye," "Secret Invasion," is coming, "Moon Knight," as well as, "She-Hulk," had brief-but-intriguing teasers along with, "Ms. Marvel," as well. Oh, and further info was provided about the Obi-Wan show, there's going to be an X-Men cartoon that continues the 90's continuity, and there is going to be a, "Cars," series, because...why not? 

Also oddly announced was the new, "Predator," prequel movie titled, "Prey," It is set in the past and due to its R-rated content will stream on Hulu (skipping theaters altogether). Plenty more was announced and Polygon has it helpfully sorted in this list so you don't have to check out a ton of different sites to see what's what. It looks like lots of good stuff is coming to Disney+ (and Hulu), so I'm excited! Perhaps this will assuage the fears of Wall Street and boost Disney's stock as their streaming growth has slowed lately. Considering multimedia entertainment now makes up 75% of Disney's revenue, movies/games/shows doing well is key

"The Shiatsung Project," is a Fascinating Examination of Loneliness, Desperation, and a Surveillance State Run Amuck

I reached out to Conundrum Press after I saw the solicitation for, "The Shiatsung Project," a couple months ago. They were kind enough to provide a digital copy for review and said I could post my thoughts in November when the book was due to come out. I've now waited and cannot encourage folks enough to read this book. Written and illustrated by Brigitte Archambault with Aleshia Jensen as the English translator (Archambault is French Canadian and the book was released previously in French), the book follows an unnamed woman who has spent her whole life alone with only a computer system known as Shiatsung to keep her company. It provides education, entertainment, food. It guides the woman through cleaning and maintenance, and it keeps her contained in a house with a pool, a little yard, and nothing else but four tall walls.

The woman wonders what could be outside or near. She swears she has heard yelling over the wall before. Shiatsung watches her closely as it seems to see almost everything. Plans are hatched to try to defy Shiatsung, and much of the book follows this woman trying to figure out just what the point of this life she is living actually is. "The Shiatsung Project," can be read literally as a somewhat sci-fi story as well as metaphorically as being a symbolic example of how in our efforts to rely more and more on technology as our source of all our needs we are isolating ourselves from other humans. However you want to interpret it, I loved the book.

Archambault's art is fantastic. Whether showcasing the eerie quiet of the woman's life in this little house or going over-the-top with images of the woman's strange and complex dreams, the book is gorgeous. I mentioned metaphors and, "The Shiatsung Project," is full of visual ones as well. When the woman describes feeling like a robot she is drawn as one, to give one example. It's perfect for the tone and content of the story.

Eventually, the book offers some answers about what exactly is going on, but that mystery isn't really the point so much as telling a very human tale about someone being denied something that makes us human--our ability to communicate and share our thoughts with others. "The Shiatsung Project," is superb and I'd highly encourage reading it!

5 out of 5 stars.

Interesting, Quentin Tarantino Loves, "The Thing," As Much as Me

You know an amazing movie? "The Thing." Directed by John Carpenter, it is an amazing flick. It involves a space alien that can pose as anyone and how a bunch of researchers trapped with it at a base in Antarctica react to the situation (things don't go well). John Carpenter directed it, and that fellow made good movies (he's basically retired from filmmaking now). Now, while Quentin Tarintino might occasionally say something a little dumb or tone-deaf, he is a smart guy who loves movies. One movie he loves happens to be, "The Thing." He discussed his fondness for the movie on, "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," and it is cool that ol' Quentin and I adore the same amazing piece of cinema so much. Anyways, if you haven't ever watched, "The Thing," I would advise you to do so.