Oh Boy, THAT One Spider-Man Story is Getting a Sequel/Get Ready for, "Spider-Man: Reign 2," Soon

Back in 2006, there was a four-issue mini-series known as, "Spider-Man: Reign." It was written and illustrated by Kaare Andrews. It had fantastic art as he is a great artist. The story was weird and controversial. It essentially was a Spider-Man version of, "The Dark Knight Returns," featuring Spidey in the future as an old man who quit being a hero but returns one last time to save the day. Also, he'd accidentally killed Mary Jane due to her developing cancer from his radioactive blood (when she cleaned his wounds) and his semen. Seriously, I'm not joking. Peter Paker had radioactive sperm and his act of, "Loving her," as the comic put it resulted in his slowly killing her over the years. It was a strange comic, but as I said, the art was really good.

Marvel seems to be leaning into how, "Spider-Man: Reign," was controversial as they were advertising how, "The most notorious Spider-Man story ever told," was getting a sequel. There have been lots of stories that got people talking/enraged so there was some debate about what yarn was being referenced, but now it has been revealed Kaare Andrews is back for, "Spider-Man: Reign 2." It will probably be quite weird. At least I imagine the art will be lovely. It'll be here in early 2024, it appears. Try to prepare yourself mentally.

Hot Comics Revue 15--Strike Me Down, Deadpool

There is a huge strike happening in Hollywood and that's put basically all the superhero movies on hold. It hasn't prevented one particular movie from getting tons of press, rumors, and so forth. Yes, "Deadpool 3," has the market moving more than any other comic-based movie, I'd argue. Let's look at what comics seem to be especially hot due to Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman teaming up again for the first time (let's ignore, "Wolverine: Origins," maybe) as Deadpool and Wolverine.

First Meeting

First appearances are kind of a given and these characters were already incredibly popular and have had successful flicks. That said, if you can't afford, "Incredible Hulk," #180/#181 or, "New Mutants," #98, you could always seek out the initial time the two heroes met in issue #88 of, "Wolverine." It trends for an easy $80-$100 or so in great condition.

Random Characters and Alternate Universes

It seems that Deadpool might be killing the Fox Universe version of Marvel's characters. This had led to everything from Jennifer Garner's Elektra appearing to the mini-series, "Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe," getting hot as it's the closest thing in concept to what the movie might be. Other folks who haven't even been in a Marvel movie are getting traction too, however. The rumor of Channing Tatum as Gambit never dies and even Cassandra Nova--Professor Xavier's evil twin sister--has been thrown out as an appearance in this movie. Such rumors have made already-pricey comics like, "Daredevil," #168 with Elektra's first appearance costing even more and led issues that were mostly floating around $10 to shoot up as well.

Wolverine's Original Outfit

Yes, this is getting kind of silly. Wolverine first appears in his classic outfit on the last page of, "Incredible Hulk," #180, but, "Marvel Comics Presents," #95 tells the story of how Wolverine acquired the original getup he wore for a bit. This was a dollar bin comic but now I've seen it going for almost 20 smackers after set photos leaked of Hugh Jackman in this comic-accurate getup. Clearly even if, "Deadpool 3," is going to be delayed because of Hollywood being on strike that hasn't slowed down speculation relating to the movie.

"Totally Accurate Battle Simulator," is a Hoot

Thanks to the good ol' Game Pass on my Xbox Series S, I can sample an assortment of games. I'd heard of, "Totally Accurate Battle Simulator," or, "TABS," before and wanted to try it out. Having played it a good chunk, this game is a hoot! You basically enter a level facing enemies and can place your own units to see how a fight plays out. If you want you can control a character too or simply float around the battlefield. 

There are all kinds of wacky characters and the zany physics makes the fights hilarious to watch. If you don't want to play, "TABS," more strategic levels you can always go into the sandbox mode and just fiddle around. Want to see if a bunch of potion throwers can beat two mammoths? Have at it! Curious if a ton of cavemen with clubs can take Zesus and his lightning powers? Nothing is stopping you!

"TABS," is really fun to play. There is a strange satisfaction to finding the right combination of units to conquer a level and it is always hilarious to start random fights in the sandbox. If you have an Xbox or computer with Game Pass I'd 100% recommend trying this game out. Even if you don't have those this is worth every penny if you choose to buy a copy to own as well. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have my scarecrow fight some knights.

5 out of 5 stars.

"Heavy Metal," Magazine Seems to Have Ended

"Heavy Metal," magazine started being published in 1977 and as of 2023 seems to be dead. The long-running publication drew inspiration from a foreign publication, "Métal Hurlant," and contained all kinds of cool and edgy stories geared toward adults. It wasn't outright pornographic like underground comix could at times be, it was instead alternative, strange, and thoughtful...with some nudity thrown in for good measure. Issue 320 was going to be the final entry of volume 1 (it came out in April 2023) but then a relaunch was due to happen with Whatnot's publishing division. That plan fell apart and we've arrived at--as RM Rhodes' put it on Comicsbeat--"The Uncertain Death of Heavy Metal Magazine." It's been a strange road indeed.

"Heavy Metal," as a publication has had a lot of ups and downs. The last era one could consider, "Good," would probably be when Grant Morrison served as Editor-in-Chief for twelve glorious issues between 2016 and 2018. Things were rough at times before that, but after their reign, it all went downhill fast due to poor management and horrible business moves (NFTs, lack of order fulfillment, and more). The reason I and everyone else are pointing out this end isn't for sure would be that, "Heavy Metal," itself has not confirmed it is dead. Without a new publishing partner, it would appear the magazine has concluded, but the company remains silent. Barring some unforeseen rising from the ashes of failure like a mythical phoenix I would say, "Heavy Metal," is done.

What is With People Throwing Stuff at the Performer When Attending Concerts?

A new trend kicked off when someone decided to throw a cell phone at BeBe Rexha. When he later was arrested he literally only offered as a defense that it seemed like it might be funny. As someone who uses his cellphone a lot, I can't get behind the logic of chucking one at someone unless you have some kind of backup, "Throwin' phone," for special occasions. That action seemed to kick off a bunch of madness this Summer, however. Since then all kinds of people have tossed all sorts of objects on stage or directly at singers. Drinks, vape pens, and even the ashes of a family member have gotten tossed (at P!nk). Recently, Cardi B had water splashed upon her and she responded by forcefully throwing her microphone at the, "Fan," who did it. The so-called fan wanted to press battery charges, but that went nowhere as the supposed victim instigated the whole thing. Why are people doing this now though? Well, the two most common answers seem to be:

1. The pandemic fucked us up mentally.

And...

2. Social media has continued to fuck us up mentally.

It's a toxic combination. After all, we were locked up for a chunk of years and don't know how to act in public anymore plus social media puts us in these parasocial relationships with famous people where we feel like they are really our friends and owe us something. Many people spent two-and-a-half years stuck in the house thinking they were connecting with various celebrities they followed/practically stalked on social media. You don't have a friendship with P!nk and she doesn't want some of your Mother's ashes. Drake doesn't want your Vape pen either. Adele has made it clear she won't accept such action when she said as a half-joke, "..throw something at me and I’ll fucking kill you." It probably doesn't help that people who are obsessed with famous individuals maybe desire some fame themselves--settling for the infamy of being, "That idiot who hit BeBe Rexha in the face with a phone," if nothing else.

Yes, in the past fans would throw bras and panties onstage to express admiration/amorous feelings for a celebrity, this isn't a totally brand new trend. That said, when lovers of the Beatles tossed jelly beans at them because they heard it was George Harrison's favorite candy, that was done out of fondness. Practically blinding BeBe Rexha or soaking Cardi B's face in water just is a dick move you're doing to get attention in a crowded stadium. Get your shit together, people.

Today Was Gibson's Official Due Date and Would Have Been Kim's Birthday

Gibson being cute.

Today, August 5th, was Gibson's original due date. However, due to health risks, Samii had to have his birth induced and he joined us on July 12th. August 5th was also the birthday of my Mother-in-law, Kim. She passed suddenly in June of 2020 and I wrote about when she would've turned 58. She would have turned 61 today and been able to celebrate her birthday with a new grandson if she still were with us. I am overjoyed to have Gibson but an occasion like this makes me think about how many people were alive to enjoy Clarkson's birth but were gone by the time Gibson arrived. My Bubbie, my Aunt Martha, Sam's Dad Matt, Kim, and more. It all results in mixed feelings, as I've written about before. 

My parents came to visit during the week and got to meet Gibson. I was so happy they could hold him and show him their love, it just also made me think about the people whom I wish could have also loved Gibson now that he's finally here as our beautiful rainbow baby following the loss of our second pregnancy and the child we could not have, Shalom.

Kim and Clarkson when he was a much smaller little guy.

There are so many mixed feelings, but I know above all I am thankful for the love and support from those we have here with us as well as just as much love and support we would've received from those who couldn't be here any longer. Even if Kim has passed I know she would've been so happy to meet Gibson and it would've been a fun birthday for her. It just sucks that couldn't be the reality today.

Image Comics is Pretty Much Totally Done With Diamond

Back in May of this year, it was announced Image Comics would distribute all their individual comics/floppies via Lunar Distribution. This was a hit for Diamond but their trade paperbacks (a significant source of sales for Image) would still be distributed to bookstores by Diamond while could do wholesale of the comics--a slight saving grace for Diamond as it continued to hemorrhage publishers. Well, that's no longer the case as Simon & Schuster shall now get all of Image's graphic novels to bookstores. Ouch, that's gotta sting for Diamond as they now will only help with Image's distribution outside America (for now).

It is strange to think as recently as 2019 Diamond was the sole distributor of floppy comics and had a significant market presence in regard to distributing graphic novels. Then in 2020 at the height of COVID, we saw DC partner with the newly-formed Lunar. After that it was a bunch of dominos up to the present day as DC later become solely aligned with Lunar, Marvel partnered with Penguin Random House, and other publishers joined exclusively with Lunar & PRH (or partnered with multiple distributors) leaving Diamond taking a lot of hits. For years upon years, comic stores expressed to customers/online/to anyone who'd listen how much they hated dealing with Diamond and wished there were better options. There was trepidation as Lunar and PRH entered the scene, but now the market is quite diversified and it is doing great things for everyone...except Diamond, of course.

Diamond most likely will never totally fold. They still have some exclusive publishers, can distribute other stuff wholesale, and sell a lot of other collectible items to stores (toys, Funko Pops, board games, and the like). However, it wouldn't surprise me to see Diamond have to downsize operations more and more as they see their influence in the market shrink. It's been a rough three years for Diamond.

Wishing Donny Cates a Full Recovery

Donny Cates had seemingly disappeared from a number of comics he was the writer on and there were rumblings and rumors he was going through a lot of personal stuff. Apparently, it was even more drastic than that. Cates was in a major car crash (with scars to show it) when a car he was in the backseat of got struck. It broke ocular bones and left him unable to remember a good six months of his life due to a brain bleed. He's been through rehabilitation and also disclosed that one rumor was true that he was going through a divorce when all this happened. Cates wanted all this to come out as opposed to being, "Bullshit gossip." It has clearly been a long year for Cates and he discussed how he had to re-learn to tie his shoes and feed himself so that is why he fell off a lot of titles and hasn't been putting out much work. 

Clearly, being in an awful car accident and injured is a good reason to take time for yourself. I would hope this stops all the conjecture about just why Donny Cates seemed to be doing less work in comics and I wish him a full and speedy recovery.

The, "Werewolf Jones and Sons Deluxe Summer Fun Annual," is Some Twisted Hilarity

Simon Hanselmann is a fantastic cartoonist whose work I quite enjoy. His latest publication is a collaboration between Hanselmann as well as (in no specific order) HTML Flowers, Nate Garcia, and Josh Pettinger. A nice hardcover book collecting some previously published works as well as new stuff, the focal point is there in the title, "Werewolf Jones and Sons Deluxe Summer Fun Annual," although more seasons are represented too. The book contains a sampling of all the madness WWJ brings to the World because he is one big agent of chaos. Werewolf Jones is the personification of bad decisions. He's constantly engaging in unsafe sex, doing drugs, fighting folks, stealing, and otherwise behaving like an awful human being/werewolf. While other characters Hanselamnn has created are somewhat self-aware of their failings (Megg, Mogg, Owl, etc.) Jones feels he can do no wrong, even when almost anything he does is just plain wrong.

Within this collection, we witness Jones and his sons, Diesel and Jaxon (in one continuity they came out as Transgender and changed their names, but not in this continuity), going to a drug den as the kids sit around and attempt to avoid trouble, trying to trick or treat as things go horribly wrong, and in the one, count it one, instance where Jones does something sort of nice it still is terrible--he stops a teenaged bully from picking on his kids (albeit via hitting said bully with a car and then threatening to carve him with a piece of broken glass). As this is an anthology of sorts we have art by Hanselmann, Pettinger, and HTML Flowers. They all are fantastic creators and Garcia's colors in tales that were originally black-and-white are lovely--the bodily fluids practically jump off the page!

The, "Werewolf Jones and Son Deluxe Summer Fun Annual," is twisted and hilarious. Those who are easily offended should not dare touch this book, but anyone whose sense of humor could best be described as, "Dark," "Kind of off," or, "Utterly disgusting," will love this book. It's over 100 pages of Werewolf Jones doing what he does best--being the worst.

5 out of 5 stars.

Television Tuesday: We've Got a Trailer for, "Loki," Season 2

If we're being completely honest I am quite behind on a number of productions in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a bit burned-out on the MCU. The sheer number of releases and many of them being okay but sometimes a little dull/bland has resulted in me seeing a chunk of stuff but not all of it. That said, I really enjoyed the first season of, "Loki." The trailer dropped yesterday for the second season and it may be the first MCU project I'm hyped for since the "Moon Knight," show (which was decent and weird if not amazing). Tom Hiddleston is a treasure, Owen Wilson is always a delight, Sophia Di Martino is great, and Jonathan Majors is mired in controversy currently but also a skilled actor. We've got an awesome cast and if the story can manage to be as entertaining as the first season we should be in for a treat after some of the MCU feeling a bit like a slog. Check out the trailer below:

Fun, right? With everyone on strike, this may be the last MCU production we get for a bit (although I think, "Echo," maybe was in post-production and it might still release later) so at least it looks like a good time. The second season of, "Loki," starts on Disney+ this October 6th, so it isn't too long a wait.