I Had a Blast at the St. Louis Comic-Con Today!

The St. Louis Comic-Con runs through the weekend but I won't be able to attend tomorrow/Sunday, so I figured I'd write about all the fun I had today when I attended! I got there early in the morning and was pleased to see a variety of vendors--plenty selling comics, toys, and other cool stuff. I ran into my friend Larry of Bug's Comics and Games shortly after arriving at the show and picked up a cool, "Venom: Lethal Protector," variant cover from him. Check it out:

As I started walking around I visited the booth of Tango Comics. They make a variety of cool sci-fi, super-hero, and pulp-style comics in addition to promoting literacy for everyone younger to older. As I kept exploring I saw Big Dog Ink, a publisher whose work I've reviewed on previous occasions. They had a bunch of books for sale and discussed how they'd had great success with Kickstarter in regards to launching new titles. My chum, Bruce Reynolds was selling comics always is fun to speak with. I also met Edward Sims of Kensai Productions. I told him I remembered how I had bought a comic from him before on Etsy and discussed it on my blog. He was excited to hear this and I purchased the second issue of, "Rising Sun," as I'd read the first one previously. Here is a picture:

I continued exploring the show floor and I bought a tasty snack from Dave of House Family Homestead, some freeze-dried Skittles! We talked about the process of freeze-drying and how comic cons often loved his delicious items! I visited the booth of 1 More Round Entertainment and talked with them about their comic, "Evolusion," and how it was a blend of heroics and sci-fi in a World where things start evolving at an alarming rate and in wild ways. Chris, "ToyMan," McQuillen was at the con and I told him how I was eager for the upcoming ToyMan show on July 10th!  My friend and skilled comic creator Tom Nguyen was at the show as well, showcasing his awesome works. He was a joy to catch up with as I hadn't seen him in quite a while due to the pandemic. Here's a snapshot of him as well as a fun photo of us:

I had a lot of fun shopping the various booths at this year's St. Louis Comic-Con and chatting with the many creators showcasing their works. It was wonderful to have the Saint Louis Comic-Con back after a long (forced) break due to COVID-19 impacting the World what feels like forever ago. The show is still going on tomorrow so if you're in the area and able to attend I'd highly encourage you to do so!

Film Friday--Jurassic World: Dominion

I enjoyed "Jurassic World: Dominion," despite itself. It is overlong and bloated. It adds a whole new subplot about giant locusts to further complicate what should be a straightforward flick about Dinosaurs in the real world. It also focuses less on the clever idea of Dinos trying to coexist with humans that, "Fallen Kingdom," introduced and instead takes us back to a park of sorts--this time a, "Conservation park." We spend the second half of the movie in that conservation park and it would be a bit dull except for the fact it is when the film finally brings all the new leads (Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard) into contact with the returning nostalgia-packed leads (Sam Neil, Laura Dern, and good ol' Jeff Goldblum). 

I honestly enjoyed the first half of the movie a bit more as it had a chunk of the, "Dinosaurs in our World," plot I was expecting. Frankly, the movie is basically a number of big set pieces loosely tied together by a plot with an evil CEO who seems like a cross between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg with a fondness for genetic tampering. Various plot points overlap and diverge but it matters little because we're here for the big and impressive Dinosaurs, damn it. At least the movie does deliver on that.

We get Dinosaurs running along rooftops with humans in a scene that gave me, "Jason Bourne," vibes, but with Dinos, we get the big ol' creatures in the American wilderness being herded like cattle, we witness some huge ones fighting, and it is all a good time. Then the movie slows itself down to tell us more about genetically modified locusts with Dinosaur DNA and I start checking my phone until we get to some more prehistoric action.

The series has continually moved away from being science fiction that seems a bit plausible and goes full-out future-tech in this entry with the aforementioned conservation area being a jungle in the middle of freezing Italian Mountains surrounded by a fancy research base that looks a little bit like the corporate areas of, "Westworld." I don't mind it, but things are far removed from the now quaint-feeling vibe of the first, "Jurassic Park," we got decades ago. If it gets us weird and wild Dinosaurs though (one dives into icy water and swims like a lethal penguin), I'm cool with it.

"Jurassic World: Dominion," wants to feel futuristic but also feels obsessed with the past. A big enough check was written for the OG trio to all return and while Neil, Dern, and especially Goldblum seem to be having fun, it is often one big heaping helping of nostalgia designed to remind us of far more superior entries in the franchise (the first two films, "Jurassic Park III," can burn in Hell). I enjoyed this movie, but it felt like a letdown after how, "Fallen Kingdom," at least tried to do something different and a bit weirder with its horror-movie-styled second half that featured a genetically-modified raptor stalking through a mansion like a supernatural monster. "Dominion," did still entertain me even if it could have trimmed a good 30-45 minutes off its 2-and-a-half-hours of runtime. I give it...

3 out of 5 stars.

My ranking of the franchise now stands as...

1. Jurassic Park--5 stars

2. Jurassic World--I've rated it 5 stars before and stand by that.

3. Jurassic Park: The Lost World--4 stars.

4. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom--3.5 stars.

5. Jurassic World: Dominion--3 stars, as you saw above.

5. Jurassic Park III--1 star.

Tim Sale Has Passed

2022 has been a bad year for losing fantastic comic creators. A day or so ago it was made public Tim Sale had to be admitted to the hospital and now his passing has been announced. This sucks. Sale was a fantastic artist known for works such as, "Batman: The Long Halloween," in addition to the Marvel books with a color theme such as, "Daredevil: Yellow," "Spider-Man: Blue," "Captain America: White," and my personal favorite, "Hulk: Gray." Sale did a variety of other great works as well and I'm bummed he is no longer with us.

I Wasted the Time of a Facebook Scammer in the Hopes it Helped Spare Someone Else Their Swindle

It's a grift that has been around forever but refuses to go away. Someone on Facebook contacts you and claims to work for the company. Then they say you won some mysterious lottery that entitles you to a bunch of money- and it isn't a scam, promise! It boggles my mind that people fall for this scam, but there are desperate and susceptible folks in the World. Hence, when a scammer tried to tell me I had somehow earned 600,000 in, "United State currency," as well as a truck, I decided I would waste their time in the hopes it saved someone else from being preyed upon by them.

It all began when a woman named Marie Linda messaged me. We had some mutual friends who worked in comic-books. I thought she perhaps was a comic creator who wanted to ask me to review something--an event that has occurred multiple times. I'll get folks messaging me through various means about their comic. No, however, she told me she actually worked for Facebook and I had apparently won a lottery. I immediately told her how excited I was and my plans for the money...

If you don't feel like clicking the image, I basically tell Marie how I'll use the money to bail my cousin, Jimbo, out of jail and then pay a girl I know for feet pictures. After Marie insisted I focus and pay attention, I apologized and asked if she wanted to see some memes. I proceeded to send her incredibly weird Veggie Tales pictures with bible quotes about death and Hell as well as a meme about how Snickers look like a veiny penis. I informed her I wanted to make money finding memes online like my friend Phil. I told her his full name was Phil Deez Nuts. Marie then sent the absolutely fakest pictures possible of stacks of money and a truck before I asked if I could have a car instead, at which point she said that was fine and sent pictures of a car that looked like they came from a Google search. Then things got weirder.

To prove how legitimate this lottery was Marie sent me a screenshot of an official FBI document signed by James Comey...who wasn't even working at the FBI when the lottery drawing supposedly happened a few months ago as Trump fired him, anyone who follows the news may recall. I didn't point this out, I just said how I didn't trust the FBI because they tried to shut down my goat farm. Here is the, "Official," letter in question:

Wait, there's more! Apparently, Marie wanted to share with me pictures of winners holding up pieces of paper advertising all the money they won as well as a screenshot of a news story about a winner that totally looked authentic. She seriously sent me this:

I don't know about you, but that really boosts my confidence in this whole thing being an authentic giveaway. I told Marie that I wanted more money and she should take some from other winners and give it to me. I was informed I should not be greedy and I apologized. I told Marie I was exhausted from working at a jar factory where I helped make jars but sometimes farted in them. I asked her not to tell anyone about that though. She responded with a laughing emoji but I was pretty sure her patience was wearing thin with me. At this point, she typed out and sent me a list of a whole bunch of personal information she needed to start the process of getting me paid (information Facebook would already have anyways). I told her I needed to make a sandwich that I would eat nude to feel closer to nature. 

She stopped responding after this as I continued to type random gibberish such as asking if Mark Zuckerberg was actually a robot created by Bill Clinton. I closed our conversation by saying she must have figured out I was messing with her and that she should be ashamed of being a scammer. I blocked and reported her. It was an entertaining way to pass 15 minutes and I really do hope the time that, "Marie Linda," wasted with me helped keep someone else from being fooled. I mean, that or she really did want to give me $600,000 and I made a huge mistake. That official news story did say the lottery was, "Real and Legitimate," after all...

My Review of, "I'm Charlie Walker," is Up on Forces of Geek

My friends over at Forces of Geek have posted my review of the new movie, "I'm Charlie Walker." What did I think of this flick? Go on over to their site and see, why don't ya?

The New Version of PlayStation Plus is Live

Microsoft has its game pass and Sony has launched a new PlayStation Plus with different tiers that are a little confusing but (they hope) will compete with what Microsoft has. Now you can have the bare-bones level (Essential) which is what used to be the only version of PlayStation Plus. You can use that to play online and get a few free games, a higher level (Extra) that gives you a chunk of PS4 and PS5 titles. There also is the Premium tier which brings with it even more and older PlayStation games plus trials of stuff and other bonuses, I imagine. 

I don't play a ton of games so for now I'm good with the most basic option that allows me to join others online when I'm doing, "Fall Guys," for my son to giggle at and otherwise get a free title now and then. That said, if you want a big catalog of titles on the Playstation to stream, you've got some options now.

Bits of News, Links, and Other Junk for June 2022

The Long Days of June!

I think it has been a bit since I did a post where I gathered up interesting bits of news and shared them with you, my dear readers. Let's rectify that now and enjoy some links as we prepare to kick off Summer this upcoming June 21st (or if you're in the Southern Hemisphere, you start Winter).

News and Things to Learn About

Christopher Priest is a fantastic writer who has created a ton of great stuff over the decades. A recent superb run of his was on, "Deathstroke," and he's currently doing a bunch of, "Vampirella," related comics that made me interested in the character for the first time ever. He'll be writing a new, "Black Adam," comic coming out very soon in addition to a surreal-sounding comic titled, "Entropy," published by Heavy Metal. It takes place in the Heavy Metal comic universe of, "Taarna," and features the origin of a new villain, but I'm just excited because I enjoy almost anything Priest creates.

"Jurassic World: Dominion," received lukewarm-to-awful reviews, but it still is a movie with dinosaurs so it is raking in the cash. I'll see it with my brother-in-law sometime soon and as long as it's moderately entertaining I'll be happy.

Ever since Marvel aligned itself with Penguin Random House as the main distributor of its comics there have been concerns over the packaging. Apparently, changes are being made to help keep the comics a bit safer. I mean, less ruined comics would be good.

Cryptocurrency/NFTs are faltering, but influencer/lifestyle guru Gary Vaynerchuk’s NFT should succeed thanks to it involving him, as he tells it. I'd never heard of him, but apparently, he has quite the fanbase that might make any project he does fruitful, even (*shudder*) Crytpo.

In movie news that involves a video-game, the creative team behind, "Cobra Kai," are making a, "Duke Nukem," movie. I could see this actually working if it is really self-aware and meta as Duke Nukem's character is...well, not so much a character as a stereotype of a sexist jerk who says random movie quotes he stole.

In video-game news that draws from a movie, "The Thing," was a fantastic movie with a game that tried to be great but just couldn't achieve it's lofty goals. Patrick Klepek, of Vice, wrote about the game on its 20th anniversary (and the movie is now 40 years old, which is just wild).

Let's Have a Great Summer!

I hope everyone can have a great Summer season (or, again, if they're in the Southern part of the World they have a great Winter)! Now get out there and have some Summer fun!

Two Currently Popular Songs Make Me Want to Dance

Everyone is aware I often complain about today's popular music. Besides some great exceptions, I find a lot of stuff today that gets attention vapid and empty. I'm not always a curmudgeon, however. There are two songs right now that are quite popular and which I find myself really enjoying. The ditties are, "About Damn Time," by Lizzo and, "Late Night Talking," by Harry Styles. Both are talented artists who have put out a number of hits and this pair of tunes are just infinitely catchy. With their floaty melodies, toe-tapping beats, and clever lyrics, I'm hooked on both. I don't really have much of a point to this post other than using it to say, "See? I like some of the popular stuff these days!" Anyways, give the tunes a listen and just try not to dance.

Film Friday: "Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers," is Surprisingly Awesome

 I wrote back in February that the trailer for the, "Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers," movie actually looked really good. It was about a World like the one from, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," where cartoons are real and live with humans. Chip and Dale had a show, it got canceled, and they went on to do different things with their life. However, cartoon characters are going missing, and when a friend seems to be kidnapped Chip and Dale have to reunite so they can work together again. It's an extremely meta and quite hilarious flick. 

The mix of animation, live-action, claymation, CG, and everything else works together surprisingly well, the cameos and references don't feel forced but instead add to the plot, and some of the characters who appear and the jokes had me shocked Disney greenlit this as it really makes fun of a lot of stuff. John Mulaney and Andy Samberg voice Chip and Dale, respectively, but tons of other famous faces appear and voices are heard. It's a stacked cast and I was often chuckling or outright guffawing at the flick. There is plenty of heart in it too, which makes this a comedy where you actually care about the characters. I am pleased to say this is the rare, "Kids' Flick," that grown-ups can enjoy just as much as little ones, if not even more. Why Disney didn't release this in theaters first is beyond me, but you can watch, "Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers," on Disney+ right now. I'd suggest you do so and thank me later.

5 out of 5 stars.

They Really Meme'd the, "Morbius," Movie Back Into Theaters. It Didn't Help

Memes do not mean a movie will be a hit. Sometimes memes help a movie and more people see it, like that, "Birdbox," movie on Netflix. Sometimes memes don't help a flick get more viewers in theaters or at home--just Google the debacle that became, "Snakes on a Plane." This leads me to discuss how, "Moribus," was received lukewarmly at the box office, but has since then become a popular meme. People say things like, "It's Morbin' time," and watch clips of the movie (or somewhat illegally the whole movie) on Twitch together. Everyone is making fun of, "Morbius," and laughing at it, but Sony thought maybe people were laughing with it. Sony put, "Moribus," back into theaters and it didn't do that well in the company's effort to take advantage of the meme-popularity and make it a cult hit or something.

Even the film's star, Jared Leto, has wanted to get in on the joke.

Memes do not a successful movie make. Perhaps, "Birdbox," is a bit of an exception, but people could see that for free in their homes in 2018 (as long as they had Netflix) and didn't have to go to theaters in a pre-pandemic era. I have not seen, "Moribus," but I've heard it is perfectly fine in a mediocre way. I don't know why a generic flick has inspired so many memes, but let's quit assuming memes lead to dollars at the box office.