All the news that's unfit to print
I want to wish a Merry Christmas to anyone who celebrates the holiday! Have a relaxing day, and hopefully you're getting an extended weekend without having to work Friday/tomorrow. One of our local doughnut shops was actually open today, so I bought a bunch for the family; I'm gonna go take a nap now because I ate far too many. Have a great day, ya'll!
It's Christmas Eve, and I've got one final gift for all of you, my dear readers of the blog! The awesome people at CovrPrice gave me another three months of a free premium CovrPrice account to give away, and it can be yours if you'd like. Just comment here with your name and email address or send me an email at davidbitterbaum@gmail.com with your name. Around December 26th I will draw the final winner for this last giveaway, and I'll kick off my year-in-review posts then, as I generally do the day after Christmas. In the meantime, have a good Christmas Eve, everyone!
PSA is the biggest name in trading card grading and has been trying to make inroads with comic-book grading. They have some competitors, in regard to cards, with Beckett and CGC being the bigger names that serve as other options. When it comes to comics, Beckett has CBCS for comic grading and it has always been the smaller company compared to CGC. Things are getting interesting, however, with PSA's parent company, "Collectors," wanting to buy Beckett (and Beckett only too happy to oblige).
If Collectors/PSA purchases Beckett, they claim that the Beckett card grading and CBS comic grading will continue to operate independently, but I doubt it that will be the case for long. Mergers are all about cutting extra stuff, and having two card grading companies and two comic grading companies is textbook redundancy. Something/s will probably be eliminated, and competition will continue to shrink, which isn't that great for the consumer. It is an era of mergers, however, with companies acquiring others every other week, lately (look at Netflix with Warner Bros. Discovery). The current Trump administration and the in-power GOP care little about monopolies or oligopolies as long as they get their cut through donations from wealthy backers or straight-up paid through questionable business deals.
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| It'll basically be PSA versus CGC for cards and comics. |
A Democratic Congressman named Pat Ryan has called for the sale of Beckett to be investigated by the FTC, and that's good! I doubt much will come of it, however, in this era of Trump and his cronies doing whatever they want, whenever they want, with little repercussions. As long as somebody at Collectors says something nice to stroke Trump's ego while also stuffing his wallet with a nice and fat check, this deal will probably happen. So it goes.
You know how, usually every chunk of years there is a new Christmas tune that comes along and which absolutely dominates the radio? It's been some time since that has happened, wouldn't you agree? We've had some solid Christmas jams, but they haven't been totally nuclear-hot in terms of being a hit. "Santa Doesn't Know You Like I Do," by Sabrina Carpenter, is great, but more of a cult-hit from 2023. The last big tune that comes to mind might be, "Santa Tell Me," by Ariana Grande from 2014.
Otherwise, you gotta look pretty far back for the huge bangers like, "All I Want For Christmas Is You," by Mariah Carey, back in 1994. I mean, if you're huge on the Jonas Brothers, they did release, "Like It's Christmas," in 2019, and Cher attempted to give us a hot new Christmas tune with, "DJ Play a Christmas Song," when it was 2023, but that pales in comparison to a lot of her discography. So yeah, maybe Grande in 2014 with the last really big song. That is over a decade ago!
I know you can't just magically create a Christmas hit, although there is a slight science to it as discussed in a recent, "Sunday Morning," segment on CBS. That bit even featured a new song crafted by David Pogue with some assistance from others--it honestly is pretty terrible, but points to him for trying. Watch it right above this paragraph. It isn't even a big deal if we don't get any new Christmas jams, as there are so many good ones. Hell, maybe we should focus on making more Hanukkah tunes, those are in especially short supply, and Adam Sandler can only do so much, after all! In the end, I suppose you can't force a hot Christmas (or Hanukkah) track. They just sort of magically appear and find themselves part of the regular holiday rotation. There could very well be something that came out this year to little notice that will slowly gain buzz and become a beloved classic in the next handful of years.
Bowen Yang is quite the funny fellow. He's been on, "Saturday Night Live," for a chunk of years, but made the sudden-seeming announcement a few days ago he was leaving after the last episode before Christmas (which just aired yesterday). Wow, the last one before the mid-season break? Not too many people come to my mind as leaving in the middle of a season (Cecily Strong, Paul Brittain, and others, but I'd have to use Google and imagine there is a small list). That said, Yang has been getting more and more buzz as a talent and probably has some snazzy big opportunities awaiting him.
It did not seem there were hard feelings with SNL, as Yang even got a star turn in a segment metaphorically about him leaving the show--although the theme was how he served eggnog at an airport and his last shift was almost over. The symbolism was clear, though, when he teared up discussing how much he valued his opportunity at the, "Airport," and loved everyone he worked with. I really enjoyed Yang on SNL, whether he was the main focus in a sketch, in more of a supporting role, or doing a zany character for the Weekend Update segment. When he's popped up on other shows or in various flicks, it has always been a hoot as well. I wish him the best and hope he succeeds in all his future ventures!
Archie Comics has been its own publisher for decades and will still exist, but starting in 2026, Oni Press will be publishing a number of Archie floppies as well. As Comics Beat observed, "That’s the short version of yet another comics publishing trend that is becoming increasingly common: legacy publishers licensing out their venerable titles to other publishers who can bring a fresh take." We saw this with EC popping up over at Oni as well, after all. Oni gets some well-known characters, and Archie gets an injection of new life in their properties. Archie still has the rights to publish the, "Classic,"-style material, and Oni does the monthly newer stuff with more modern sensibilities.
There are many plans as, "Oni will also publish their new ARCHIE #1 in September 2026, and the line will continue with brand-new collections spanning all eras of Archie’s history in a variety of formats – including compact digest editions, deluxe hardcovers and omnibi, and comprehensive box sets. In 2027, the Oni/Archie line will expand further with a line of middle grade and YA graphic novels, but set in their own continuity line." That's a lot of Archie-related content to look forward to, and yes, it includes a new, "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," comic as part of the new line and the horror-focused series that have been popular (I just posted yesterday about an, "Afterlife with Archie," comic giveaway). I look forward to learning more about all these new comics as we enter into 2026!
What's this? Another giveaway thanks to my chums over at the website Comics Heating Up/Comics Heating Up Forums? That is correct! They are all incredible folks and courtesy of them I have a copy of, "Afterlife with Archie," #1 to have mailed to a lucky winner! This issue features a fantastic variant cover by Andrew Pepoy and is bound to only grow in popularity since the announcement of an, "Afterlife With Archie," show is in the works!
To win this incredible prize, you only need to comment with your name and email address on this post within the next 48 or so hours. That, or you can email me at davidbitterbaum@gmail.com if you would prefer your email not be public. Thanks yet again to the great folks at Comics Heating Up for this giveaway!
"Alias," was a comic by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos that was superb. The first Marvel Max comic, it showed a side of the Marvel Universe that was adult but not just swearing and sex--although it had that too! The series focused on Jessica Jones and what it was like being a C-list hero who quit the biz to be a private detective. She has super strength, but can get hurt with skin as easy to cut as anyone else's. She can fly, but sucks at landing. So yeah, she quit being a hero some time ago yet finds herself ending up doing hero-stuff often. The series ended with her pregnant by Luke Cage and a follow-up series, "The Pulse," was decent and featured the birth of their kiddo, Danielle. Then she was in, "New Avengers," where she and Cage got married in a fun special, but Jessica Jones definitely fell to the wayside some after that and was more of a supporting character outside of some decent mini-series. But wait, "Alias," is back...although not really?
"Alias: Red Band," is a five-issue series that will be a part of Marvel's new-ish Red Band line, where the comics can be full of violence, and they come in a polybag...but swearing is still a no-go or any nudity. We can have Tombstone skinning people alive as he hunts down the Punisher, but someone saying, "Fuck," somehow is worse, I suppose. That's okay, though, it isn't like the original, "Alias," series was only good due to swearing, I'm sure getting Bendis and Gaydos back will...wait, they aren't even doing the series? For real? I ask because anyone writing Jessica Jones besides Bendis usually falls flat.
Yes, the creative team for, "Alias: Red Band," is Sam Humphries and Geraldo Borges. They are both great, with Humphries especially having written some stellar comics, and Borges is a superb artist as well. That said, it feels weird to have an, "Alias," comic with no Bendis involvement, especially as he is even back doing some new work with Marvel! Still, this could be fun, as the series follows Jones teaming up with Typhoid Mary to investigate some strange murders. I'm bummed we have no involvement from Bendis or Gaydos, but at least David Mack is back providing covers, as he did for the OG series. That's snazzy, and I'm hoping the, "Alias: Red Band," issues are great even with a new team involved. We will see in March 2026.
Hey, remember when I reviewed three awesome indie comics from the publisher 2dcloud back in March? Well, they have some new books out that they offered to let me review, and you know I said, "Of course!" I always enjoy their output and couldn't wait to check out some comics from them. With that in mind, let's dive in...
"Girls Gone Wild," #1 by Katie Lane
Don't let the saucy title make you think this is a straightforward smut comic (although those can be fun too)! Instead, "Girls Gone Wild," and its ethereal pencils and inks give everything a weird otherworldly vibe as we witness various relationships and their dramas. A couple arguing about having sex, a phone call from a parent that raises stress levels, and so forth. Lane's ear for dialogue and surreal framing of the comic results in a fascinating piece I quite enjoyed. My only criticism would be sometimes the art and lettering gets so metaphysical that it can be a bit tricky to read the text--possibly this is intentional, but just something I wanted to point out as my sole minor quibble.
5 out of 5 Stars.
A snazzy anthology of comics, featuring some more work by the above-discussed Katie Lane, as well as other interesting pieces. This comic contains a lot of quite abstract pieces with a cool interplay of text, art, and it is extremely experimental stuff. I enjoyed those entries, but my favorite comic was actually a more, "Straightforward," piece by Clair Gunther. It focuses on a musician who is asked by a grandparent to play music at the church--with them agreeing as long as the relative keeps up their end of an unsaid bargain. As the comic continues to the church and the pastor (who is also the grandparent) begins a hateful sermon why our protagonist wants to walk out of the church and escape the awful rhetoric. It is a bit of a, "Slice of life," we can relate to, of being in uncomfortable situations where we feel suck in spaces that are unwelcoming to us for one reason or another. A great piece in a snazzy comic.
5 out of 5 Stars.
Mirror Mirror #4; edited by Airplane Mode with Entries by Various Creators
Another comic anthology, which in this case also features interviews and reviews of various works. I loved all of these publications, but, "Mirror Mirror," #4 was possibly my favorite thanks to some amazing comics. From the stark front and back cover evoking the imagery of a plane hitting the Twin Towers, to some thoughtful interior comics, it is an edgy, provoking work--and I mean that as the highest praise. "What We Do We Learned From You," by Morgan Vogel starts out as a raunchy tale of people taking some drugs and getting sexual before it swerves quite violently into trippy horror--I dug it!
An essay with various paintings by Inés Estrada about how we understand and view reality--especially with mental health issues--is thoughtful and gorgeous too. A manga entry, "Apocaylpse Blues," is at the back of the book and reads right-to-left as manga should and features some eye-catching art by Junichiro Saito as we follow a weird yarn about a magical bear and woman fighting in a strange city. These are just some of the highlights of, "Mirror Mirror," #4 and I eagerly recommend reading it as well as the other books I just reviewed! I wan to thank 2dcloud for keeping me updated on their superb publications and wish them continued success! Visit their site to get these rad comics!
5 out of 5 Stars.
