AI-Generated Junk Has Infested Etsy

When I want to give someone I care about a cool gift I sometimes will check Etsy. It has cool things made by folks far more creative and skilled than me...at least, it used to. The past few years have seen Etsy flooded with AI-generated crap. Things made by an AI that are slapped onto a product as if any effort were made, or false representations of what folks actually get. Artists who used an AI to make a painting, a cartoon, or any other computer-made slop sell that print/mug with a cartoon/whatever and laugh all the way to the bank.

Etsy doesn't seem to care because it is getting its cut. Everyone is looking for a get-rich-quick scheme, and legit crafters/creators are getting screwed. Why would someone pay you to draw a cartoon of their cats and themselves to put on a shirt for $50 if for $20 an AI can, "Draw," a crappier version based on a picture that gets slapped on a flimsy shirt and shipped out? I mean, if someone wants quality, they'll pay the extra 30 bucks, but we all love a deal, and the AI churns out content for cheap--quality be damned! Now, if you disclose you're using AI it is all okay in Etsy's eyes, but lying about it will get you in trouble. A lot of people seem to be fine with AI-created stuff if they're told a computer made that travel poster or whatever...so, I guess you get what you paid for. 

Personally, I feel ChatGPT/Google Gemini/AI has its place to help with simple tasks like examining some raw data, calculating the best time to arrive at the airport based on when you depart, or checking what year a theme park opened--random stuff. Not, "Creating," art! Etsy's embrace of AI seems hypocritical at best and full of malice in the name of making easy money at worst. There is still cool stuff on Etsy, but you have to dig through a lot of trash to find it.

Marvel and Image Reprint, "Marvel Team-Up," #14 Yet Again...More Crossovers on the Way?

Marvel and Image have announced another reprint of when Invincible met the Amazing Spider-Man in, "Marvel Team-Up," #14. It first occurred back in 2004, and as far as I understand, it is in the official canon for Invincible and the 616/main Spider-Man. There was a surprise reprint of the issue when the blind bags for the first issue of, "Battle Beast," #1 dropped a bit ago and kicked off the whole blind bag craze we're currently swimming within (for better or worse). That was another property by Invincible's creator, Robert Kirkman, and a deal of some sort was worked out between him and Marvel. More deals must've been cut as it has now been declared that a new reprint is coming in 2026 with fun new variant covers by names as big as Todd McFarlane, Mark Bagley, Erik Larsen, and so forth. This makes me wonder, could more Marvel/Image crossovers be on the way?

Marvel and Image doing some more crossovers could be feasible. I mean, Marvel and DC started reprinting old stories, and then not too long after, we started getting the fresh crossovers between Batman and Deadpool. With Spidey and Superman on the way in 2026 and even more stories possibly due, that's a fruitful collaboration now. It seemed far-fetched for Marvel and DC to play nice again a few years ago, but here we are with them crossing over, so why not Marvel and Image properties that the creators there want to collaborate with, too? That is a slight wrinkle that Image's creators own their properties (which is a good thing), but I imagine Marvel could work something out. Maybe ask McFarlane if Spawn can hang out with Daredevil and they patrol New York City, or inquire with Larsen if Savage Dragon can get in a fight with the Hulk. There could be nothing else emerging after this reprint, but I'd suspect something is in the works!

"Supergirl," Dropped a Teaser Trailer Today

The teaser trailer for the next big DC project emerged onto the internet today. Coming hot on the heels of, "Superman," and, "Peacemaker," we have Milly Alcock as, "Supergirl." What is interesting is how the trailer has a lot more of a vibe like, "Guardians of the Galaxy," than the recent Superman flick. James Gunn (he and Peter Safran are the main architects of this new DC film Universe) isn't even directing (Craig Gillespie is), but there is a feeling that evokes GOTG with its weird-space-adventures and such. Give the trailer a look below if you haven't seen it yet:

The movie draws a good deal from Tom King's, "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow," and Alcock is a great talent (she was stellar in the recent, "Sirens," limited series on Netflix). I'm all for crazy fights in space, and we even get a glimpse of Jason Momoa's Lobo (that could be pretty wild) so I'm hopeful this is a fun experience. "Supergirl," will be the first DC project with Gunn involved more as a producer than the main guiding hand, so that is a bit important too for setting a tone for what we can expect from DC flicks he's a bit less involved in, without a doubt. Come June of 2026, we can judge the movie for ourselves!

15th Anniversary Giveaway Post 3: A CGC 9.8 Slabbed Comic!

This giveaway comes courtesy of my good friends over at the website Comics Heating Up and the awesome Comics Heating Up Forums. If you like discussing what comics might become, "Hot," or chatting about popular books, this is the site for comic speculation. What am I giving away, you ask? A CGC graded 9.8 copy of, "Star Wars: The High Republic," #1, and it is a harder to find second printing!

To win this superb prize, you just need to comment with your name and email address on this post within the next 48 or so hours, OR you can email me at davidbitterbaum@gmail.com if you would prefer your email not be public. Then, wait and find out if you won, simple as that. Thanks again to the great folks at Comics Heating Up for this giveaway!

"Free Comic Book Day," Will Go Up Against/With, "Comics Giveaway Day," Due to Trademark Disputes

Universal Distribution bought the rights to Free Comic Day from what was left of Diamond after Populum/Sparkle Pop ripped it to shreds. I mean, in the sense of owning the name and the general idea of how it is a day for stores to give away free comics from publishers to folks who stop by the shops. Many places do promotions, giveaways, and sales for FCBD, and now it is back, but wait, there are complications, as with anything that comes from the remains of Diamond!

Universal was going to just have DC and Dynamite (who they are set to distribute) as a part of theire Free Comic Book Day, but an agreement was made with Lunar and the companies they distribute, which also include DC and Dynamite, plus Archie Comics, Image Comics, Mad Cave Studios,  Oni Press, Titan Comics, Udon Entertainment as well as Vault Comics. The thing is, Penguin Random House could not reach an agreement with Universal and is the distributor for Marvel Comics, Boom, IDW, DSTLRY, Ignition, and more. Hence, PRH said, "Screw you guys, we'll do our own comic event!" As a result, we now have, "Comics Giveaway Day."

Both Free Comic Book Day and Comics Giveaway Day will happen on the first Saturday of May. That is when FCBD always occurs, and when the other event will just so happen to take place as well. People who go to a comic shop on May 2nd of 2026 won't be impacted per se, you'll just get your free comics regardless of the branding. Shops might have a slight headache filling out differing forms and such, however. Whatever the case, I look forward to Free Comic Book Day/Comics Giveaway Day/whatever, free stuff!

Now Paramount is After Warner Brothers Discovery, With a Vengeance

Remember on the fifth when I posted about how Netflix had a tentative deal to buy Warner Brothers Discovery for 76-83 billion dollars or so? I noted how Paramount had been angling for WBD and was none too pleased. Well, now they're engaging in a,"Hostile Takeover," attempt by going straight to shareholders with an offer worth around 108 billion dollars. This whole thing is messy, clearly.

It seems Netflix saw this coming, so it is relatively calm about everything, and regardless of who scoops up Warner Bros. Discovery, there is zero plan to bring back the Snyderverse take on DC (so quit asking). How could Netflix or Paramount owning WBD end up impacting DC Comics is something that nobody is sure of in this jumble of corporations jockeying for position. One would hope things stay somewhat orderly and don't turn utterly disastrous (we've already had enough comic-related drama with Diamond's bankruptcy alone this year).

December 2025 Links, News, and Other Goodness

We're into December now, and a variety of interesting things continue to happen. Some of this news doesn't need a whole post, so why do a bit of a round-up? It gives you something to read between all the storms, at least.

Alan Moore is launching his own record label, "Other Shoe." The first featured band with a release will be a group called 72%. As much as I'd like for Moore to craft comics, I know the industry in general did him dirty and he'd rather write novels or do other fun projects such as this, so I'm happy for him.

The, "Postal," series of games has a messy history. I legitimatley enjoyed the surreal open world of, "Postal 2," and found the Boss Fight Books history of the franchise fascinating. A new game was just announced within the brand and then canceled within a few days due to controversy over AI generation being used in the game. I guess even those who enjoy the anti-PC/edgy/"Anti-woke," humor of Postal have their limits. As it is, "Postal: Bullet Paradise," is now DOA.

More gaming news, with it noted that, "Animal Crossing: Wild World," came out 20 years ago and was arguably the game that took the brand from being somewhat popular to a huge name.

The screenwriter behind, "Dude Where's My Car?" wrote an intriguing essay examining his time in Hollywood and how some of the movie holds up well, and other aspects are a bit cringe-inducing today. It is far from a perfect movie, but it definitely is fun.

Comics had a great year in 2025, by many accounts. Getting raw data has proven tricky these days, however. Tangible metrics would be helpful.

"The Beauty," was an interesting comic about a sexually transmitted disease that causes people to become good-looking and otherwise seems harmless, but (obviously) is not. Ryan Murphy has turned it into a show that'll be hitting FX and Hulu this January 21st. Murphy is incredibly hit-or-miss, but I'll check it out.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is insanely unqualified to be our Health and Human Services Secretary, but he continues to do that job and harm our country. His latest move was getting an advisory council he picked much of to vote against giving a perfectly safe Hepatitis B vaccine to newborns.

I greatly enjoy watching, "Plur1bus/Pluribus," and cracked up at a recent celebrity cameo in the most recent episode. If you have AppleTV, it really is worth checking out.

Finally, this article by Katie Rife discusses how the re-release of both, "Kill Bill," flicks as, "Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair," illustrates the best and worst of Quentin Tarantino. It is a movie with some definite highlights and issues, that's for sure.

15th Anniversary Giveaway Post 2: Signed Copy of, "A God Somewhere," by John Arcudi

Update on 12/8/25: 

Some people have expressed to me they do not feel comfortable posting their email publicly, which I totally understand. If anyone wants to email me at davidbitterbaum@gmail.com to enter this giveaway, please feel free to do so! Also, all future giveaways will have the option to comment or email me to ensure this is easy for all my readers! With this in mind, I'll keep this giveaway going a bit longer to allow folks the time needed to email me.

Original Post:

Now for the second giveaway on my blog! Before the giveaway details, a brief story! You see, back in December of 2010, when I had started my blog, it was barely getting any views. I wondered if anybody, anywhere, cared about what I was posting. Then, in early January, I got an email from comic creator John Arcudi! Someone he knew had seen my post where I declared that the graphic novel he scripted, "A God Somewhere," was my favorite original graphic novel of 2010, and told him. He thanked me for my kind words, and that was the first instance where I could go, "Wow, folks really are reading my blog and at least some care what I think!" It was a big motivator to keep going way back then. Since that event, I've even interviewed John for the blog and kept in touch with him over the years.

Considering how John Arcudi is an important part of my blog's history I asked if he'd mind contributing something for my celebratory giveaways. He was kind enough to send me a signed copy of a first printing of, "A God Somewhere," that I'm going to ship to a lucky reader of my blog! As with the first giveaway, you just need to comment with your name and email address on this post within the next 48 or so hours. I will randomly select a winner and then contact you so that I can ship you, "A God Somewhere," at no cost to you (if you're within America or its territories--I will ask International readers to cover some shipping expenses)! Thanks to John Arcudi for this awesome giveaway and even more thanks to him for being an early source of motivation in the history of my blog!

Marvel Sure Loves Doing X-Men Comics Set in Dark and Depressing Timelines

You know what Marvel seems to love? Doing events where we look at a horrible future for the X-Men. Every few years, we have some kind of mini-series/crossover/whatever where we peek into the future for the X-Men, and it is bad. This can be fun, with, "Days of Future Past," or, "Age of Apocalypse," being a good time set in a grim timescape. I mean, even the time-travel shenanigans of, "Messiah Complex," served a purpose. Did we need the current, "Age of Revelation," however? I've skimmed it and found what I read fine, but I lack much more of an opinion. Apparently, it is leading into more, "Depressing future," stories with, "Shadows of Tomorrow," on the way too, where the X-Men continue to be hated! 

We've got that whole, "Sins of Sinister," "Battle of the Atom," and Cable is himself from an awful future, too. X-Men alternative timelines tend to always be awful for mutants. They aren't all hunted per se in the, "Old Man Logan," timeline, but it is a World where the villains wiped out any superheroes and didn't care much about mutants as they quit appearing and were more of a blip in evolution than the next step. If the X-Men visit a future or even an alternate present, it usually is horrific for them, which is maybe why a rare exception to this theme is a storyline I quite dug. Yes, "House of M," although it was set more in an alternate, "Present," and didn't end well for mutants, either.

"House of M," happened when the Scarlet Witch used her immense powers to create a World where the birth/development of mutants accelerated significantly in the past and as a result, by the 2000s, almost 90% of the World's population is made up of mutants, with humans a minority who either get put up with or treated with outright scorn as being outdated. It was a clever event full of tie-ins that flipped the idea of the X-Men and mutants on its head. Then, when it ends, the Scarlet Witch puts reality back, but says, "No More Mutants." As a result, almost all the mutants in the regular reality lose their powers/die/etc. We get a brief view of a reality that is actually kinda happy for mutants, but in the end, makes them even more of a minority/rare demographic. 

Known as, "M Day," it eventually was reversed with more and more mutants reappearing on the scene, but it goes to show how when you even dare to imagine a happy present or future for mutants, the end result can only be further hating on those with an X-gene. I guess if you're in the X-Men or even simply just a mutant, you have got to take things day-by-day and not plan too far ahead for the future, seeing as you have zero clue which of the many futures it might be and how awful things could go.

Netflix to Tentatively Buy Warner Brothers Discovery and Therefore DC Comics as Well

Warner Bros. Discovery has been wanting to sell much of itself for a bit now. Skydance/Paramount had expressed a lot of interest and had been repeatedly rebuffed. Others were rumored to be wanting a piece as well. However, it has been declared that WBD wants to sell to Netflix. Yes, "Overnight, Netflix announced it had entered a, 'definitive agreement,' to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s film and television studios, including Warner Bros., HBO, and HBO Max, for $83 billion," with it also mentioned that if the deal falls through, Netflix will still throw five billion Warner Bros. way for their trouble. Another report says 76 billion is the total amount we're dealing with, so the exact number seems to be in flux, but it is a lot of zeroes. Regardless of the full amount, imagine being such a big company that you're cool with tossing away five billion if a deal doesn't work out. I mean, if my chips don't fall out of the vending machine that I put two dollars in, you know I'm not going to just walk away empty-handed for two single bills, never mind five billion.

For those of you into DC comics and their films, this does mean Netflix would now own that film division as well as being in charge of the comic-books, leading multiple sites to ask what happens to DC's movies and especially the comics if this sale goes through? We, obviously, can't know for sure, but based on how the latest DC projects are performing it would seem James Gunn and Peter Safran might be left to their own devices with DC's films/shows. Others and I would wager the comic-books will remain a comparatively inexpensive afterthought out of everything else in the Warner Brothers Discovery catalog that are treated as a source for ideas, but hopefully left mostly alone. I mean, Netflix is after the film/television content and probably shrugged with vague amusement at how a comic-book company comes along with all that, too. Don't get me wrong, ya'll know I love comics, but I also am aware that they are far from the focus of this 83 billion dollar deal.

One comic-book creator who stands to benefit from this deal immensely could be Mark Millar. He has worked closely with Netflix for years and now could very well find himself in a position of power with DC's flicks, shows, and comics. What that would mean for DC, only time could tell. For now, there is a lot of regulatory paperwork to get done, so who knows when this deal will truly be done or if it will get held up by those who (rightfully) see this as the formation of more monopolies/oligopolies. Again, we'll see what the next chunk of months (possibly years) holds. One thing is for sure, however. Theater owners are pissed based upon how Netflix has treated them in the past. That will only get uglier as this possible sale continues. The new Hollywood is buying out the old Hollywood; how could it be anything but messy?