The First Issue of "Antarctica," is Fun and Mysterious

I've reviewed a number of comics written by Simon Birks and when he asked if I'd be interested in checking out the debut issue of, "Antarctica," I eagerly said I'd read it. Published by Image's Top Cow imprint and featuring art by Willi Roberts, this is a strange sci-fi adventure that seems to be heading in one direction before swerving into another interesting plot. The comic centers on a young woman named Hannah Curtis whose father disappeared one day but last had been working at a remote research base in Antarctica. Through a lot of hard work and tenacity Hannah ends up being able to get a job there and the comic seems to be hinting we'll follow Hannah as she unwinds a missing-person mystery. However, as the issue concludes it seems she might be getting a lot of answers quite quickly--just from a strange source that might involve time travel, aliens, or alternate universes--we shall see!

I quite enjoyed this first issue of, "Antarctica," with Birks and Robers spending a good deal of time making us care about Hannah as we lead into the main plot and mystery once she gets to Antarctica. Once the wonky sci-fi stuff starts happening Roberts does a lovely job illustrating it and I'm excited to see what exactly is going on in Antarctica based on the cliffhanger at the issue's end! The comic is set to be five issues and the debut of this mini-series hits stores on July 12th, so you don't have to wait long to get a copy at your comic shop--something I'd recommend!

5 out of 5 stars.

Evernote Expects Me to Pay Double Suddenly, I Will Not

Things go up in price, I get it. Between inflation and the general costs of operating a service, a price will sometimes need to be increased. Microsoft/Xbox Game Pass is raising its price a couple bucks a month. People are upset and I also dislike it but I understand and it isn't an absurd change. Then you've got Evernote, which decided to tell me they were going to basically double the price for me to use their app from $70 to $130. A 100% price increase sucks. If we were talking about raising the price by $10 for the year I could maybe understand, but when you go slap with me such an absurd price hike I'm not going to take part in that. Before my Evernote subscription renews at the end of July I plan to find another service (I've been testing some other sites and apps out), import my notes to my new selection, and be done with it. This is not a decision I take lightly as I've been using Evernote for years. Double the price, however? To quote the great Randy Jackson back in the heyday of American Idol, "It's a no from me, dawg." It's a dated reference, but it works.

"Superman: Legacy," Has Casting News, and the Internet Has Opinions

James Gunn and Peter Safran are going to reboot the DC film Universe. This seems sorely needed considering how many DC projects he had minimal or no involvement in struggled lately. Everyone is pointing fingers after, "Flashpoint," cratered in theaters despite looking fun, with Gunn escaping most blame due to it being a mess for years before DC brought him and Safran in to refresh the entire DC line of flicks and shows. One of the first things Gunn has coming down the pipeline is, "Superman: Legacy." Hence, all eyes have been on the project with fans of Gunn as well as his detractors (some folks really preferred Zack Snyder's stuff) eager for any drips of information. Well, two big ol' droplets of news have metaphorically splashed across the internet and said internet has many opinions. Yes, Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane have been cast for the flick.

For, "Superman: Legacy," our titular Super-fella will be David Corenswet and Lois Lane shall be portrayed by Rachel Brosnahan. I will say I enjoyed Brosnahan in, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," which just finished its run on Amazon Prime so I'm sure she'll be great. I have to admit I am unfamiliar with Corenswet but from what I've seen looking at his bibliography of work he seems talented. Apparently some on the internet have been making comments regarding how he looks a little like Henry Cavill and therefore is somehow a downgrade or such. A small chunk of the internet sometimes really seems to have a lot of love for Cavill in the role and is providing minimal backlash that some are overstating, but I was never huge on him or opposed to his work in the role, so I'm happy to give Corenswet's take a chance. The flick isn't even due until 2025 at the earliest so I'm sure much more will be revealed about, "Superman: Legacy," and other DC projects the next handful of months.

Valiant Has Signed a Publishing Deal With Alien Books

I have enjoyed a number of comics from Valiant. The company was huge in the 90's then folded in 2000, but came back in 2007 with some excellent titles. Since then they had success and failure with some great comics but also the, "Bloodshot," movie which flopped, and they've dabbled in NFTs (you all know I'm not a fan of those). Lately, they were also having some financial issues, publishing one comic a month or so. It was announced today, however, that Valiant will work with another publisher, Alien Books, and be putting out a chunk more comics. Alien Books also works with FairSquare so we could see solicitations in the future for comics from within Valiant, Alien Books, and FairSquare. As Bleeding Cool somewhat sarcastically put it, we will now get more than comic a month from Valiant. All snark from some sources aside, I am excited to see some cool stuff be put out by this new partnership and wish all the companies well as they work together.

Two Game Shows I Like Are Going Through Some Changes

UPDATE for 6/27/23: Ryan Seacrest has been announced as the new host for, "Wheel of Fortune," so that settles that!

I enjoy a wide variety of programming and always have fun viewing, "The Price is Right," and, "Wheel of Fortune." Here in the Saint Louis region, you can enjoy, "The Price is Right," at 10 AM, and then, "Wheel of Fortune," comes on at 6:30 PM. There has been some news about both as of late.

The 40th season of, "Wheel of Fortune," is currently running and longtime host, Pat Sajak, declared that the 41st season (which kicks off in September) will be his last. It's been a good long run and even if some of his other entertainment endeavors failed (few recall his talk show), his tenure on, "Wheel of Fortune," has been a successful one. I've seen all kinds of names floated to replace him ranging from Ryan Seacrest to folks such as Whoopi Goldberg and Andy Cohen saying they'd take a stab at it. Perhaps the 42nd season will have multiple people trying out--and hopefully, that will have less controversy than, "Jeopardy," did when they tried such a thing.

Meanwhile, "The Price is Right," had less earth-shattering but still interesting news. After filming for 51 years at one location with Bob Barker and then Drew Carey (who took over back in 2007 if you can believe it has been that long), the show will be moving its studio. Instead of being in Los Angeles, the show will now film in Glendale. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the set was changed multiple times and currently is a lot less full overall, so I'm curious if the new location will have a big audience again or not. We shall see sooner than later and in the meantime, I'll enjoy watching, "The Price is Right," as well as, "Wheel of Fortune," while Sajak is there and afterward (as long as the new host is good).

"Tales of Syzpense," #1 Brings Back the Split Comic in a Lovely Manner

I've been a fan of Ashley Wood's work for years and he's done a number of projects with IDW and now with Image. IDW's former Editor-in-Chief, Chris Ryall, and Wood collaborated a lot previously, and now they've come together with some other talents to bring us the esoterically-titled, "Tales of Syzpense." It brings back a format we haven't really seen lately--the split comic--and I'm glad it does!

As Ryall discusses in the back matter of the comic, split comics used to be a big thing with, "Tales to Astonish," and, "Tales of Suspense," over at Marvel, to give some examples. They would take two characters and half of the comic would focus on one and the other half on another with two different creative teams telling two totally different stories but sharing a cover. Now, we've got T.P. Louise and Ashely Wood bringing us, "Les Mort 13," and Chris Ryall and Nelson Daniel with, "Dreamweaver." Each story is quite different thematically and in art, but are alike in how both entertain wonderfully!

The first chunk of the comic is the aforementioned, "Les Mort 13," and centers on an eerie island and a visitor to it. The whole thing has an ominous vibe and features Wood's gorgeous artwork with his usual go-to's such as robots being involved. It's quirky and creepy so I really liked it.

"Dreamweaver," features a magical man named Cutler Carlton who realizes he's at a point in his career fighting mystical crime that he probably needs to retire and pass the mantle on to someone new. In the back matter of this issue, Ryall discusses how the comic will follow Carlton giving someone else his powers but then wanting them back and how much of a mess that causes, writing the idea was a bit like if Abin Sur had lived, given Hal Jordan the Green Lantern ring, and then decided he wanted it back. It was a solidly charming debut for the story as well and I enjoyed its more traditional comic art by Nelson as a counter to Wood's incredibly abstract-yet-gorgeous work.

I had a ball reading this first issue and look forward to more, "Tales of Syzpense." The split comic as a format was pretty much dead, but now it's back. I'm here to sing its praises if such a form can give us great comics like this one!

5 out of 5 stars.

"Cupid," by FIFTY FIFTY is a Really Catchy Song

I was at Dunkin' Donuts a couple weeks ago and heard a strangely catchy song on their in-store radio staion. I looked it up and found it was titled, "Cupid," by the K-Pop group FIFTY FIFTY. Then I heard it on the radio a bit before I heard it more and more often. My son would watch a Youtube clip and I'd hear it. The funny thing is, I didn't get tired of hearing it. It is an incredibly sugary pop song, but something about it is quite catchy. The ditty has become a Worldwide hit. I've heard the version in English but know the iteration that is entirely in Korean is popular as well. Here's the, "Twin," version I like:

Even though I keep hearing it quite a lot I continue to enjoy the tune. I've listened to a bit of other K-Pop like the group Stray Kids, and there is a lot of catchy stuff out there--I've only scratched the surface, mind you. I will explore other songs by FIFTY FIFTY and hope to enjoy those too!

Steve's Comic Cleaning and Pressing Continues to be Great!

I previously made a post discussing how great a job Steve Ritter of Steve's Comic Cleaning and Pressing does when it comes to getting comics looking the best they can. I had acquired some older Batman-themed comics and wanted to get them graded, but I knew they needed some work. I sent them over to Steve and he worked his magic! My, "Batman," #97 comic came back a solid 4.0, and the, "Detective Comics,"#241 with the first appearance of the rainbow-color Batman costumes got a 5.0 grade. Considering how old these comics are, I was pleased with my 4.0 and ecstatic with the 5.0! I'd highly encourage you to visit Steve's website and utilize his services. I know I'm going to keep returning to him for my pressing and cleaning needs!

"Ultimate Invasion," #1 Sets a Lot of Intrigue in Motion

Jonathan Hickman is a writer who has done a lot of cool comics and written some big stories at Marvel, especially. He took the Ultimate Universe Reed Richards years ago and helped start him on a dark twisted path to becoming The Maker. He did a massive run on, "Avengers," and, "New Avengers," which led to the last, "Secret Wars." He relaunched the X-Men into their current status quo of having the big island of Krakoa (then either left the books a bit early of his own volition or was pushed off, it seems unclear). Now it has been revealed Hickman will be relaunching the Ultimate Universe in some fashion, with, "Ultimate Invasion," kicking things off via a four-issue mini-series. The artist for this is, fittingly, Bryan Hitch, a man who was there quite early in the life of the original Ultimate Universe with, "The Ultimates."

This debut issue lays a ton of groundwork, with The Maker breaking out of a specialized prison in the, "Regular," 616 Marvel Universe and the Illuminati coming together after he takes a ton of their tech. We also witness as the Maker/evil Reed makes an offer to Miles Morales to go back to the Ultimate Universe as they are the only two refugees from there and Miles politely declines. Eventually, the Maker does seem to escape and the 616 heroes worry just how bad his plans might be. If I may spoil the issue's end, something interesting happens that shows we are possibly getting a different Ultimate Universe indeed. It's the present yet events from the past are just about to happen with a unique spider nearly biting teenager Peter Parker...before a somewhat-disguised Maker stops it. 

This seemingly new Ultimate Universe might end up being familiar but also have some big differences. I'm eager to see how Hickman and Hitch tweak the Ultimate Universe formula. After all, the original take was basically, "The Marvel Universe, but more modern, more edgy, and lots of characters are kind of jerks." Then it spun off in all kinds of wild directions with twists way different than the main Marvel Universe and ended up being destroyed along with a variety of other Universes during, "Secret Wars." I'm quite curious what Hickman and Hitch are going to give us as, "Ultimate Invasion," concludes and a possibly new and significantly different Ultimate Universe hits the scene. It'll be fun to find out what happens!

5 out of 5 stars.

Disney/Marvel Really Went and Used AI, "Art," For the, "Secret Invasion," Opening

For the opening to the new, "Secret Invasion," show Disney/Marvel could have paid artists and animators. That, or they could have gotten a skilled editor to take years of past artwork and mash it up in cool ways. A variety of things could have been done, but instead, a company that works with AI called Method, "Created," the opener. The excuse for doing so is that it fits the theme of weird and shifty Skrull stuff as the aliens are all amorphous and eerie. It is pretty weak reasoning and almost feels more like an effort to soften people up for when more shows use more AI heavily. 

As I've discussed, people don't really understand what AI is and how it isn't, in fact, making anything. It just is taking/stealing from the internet and using code to, "Create," so-called new imagery. There has been ample (negative) buzz about this online and while AI can be a useful tool like in de-aging Harrison Ford, it also is being used in ways that even people utilizing it (like the executive producer, Ali Selim of, "Secret Invasion,") admit they fully don't understand. If we don't understand a technology and we're diving headfirst into the deep end with it that generally is a recipe for disaster.