Bowen Yang's Last Episode as a Cast Member on, "Saturday Night Live," Happened Yesterday

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!

Oni Press to Publish Archie Comics in 2026

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!

15th Anniversary Giveaway Post 4: An, "Afterlife With Archie," #1 First Printing Comic With a Variant Cover

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!

Jessica Jones' Comic, "Alias," is Coming Back! Oh, But Not How I'd Like

"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.

"Bradley the Badger," Looks Like a Wild Upcoming Game

At the latest Game Awards, there were plenty of video-games given awards for being fun and new ones were announced as well. One very quirky-looking title was, "Bradley the Badger." It involves a badger named Bradley who is used to fun and lighthearted platform video-games, only to discover his game universe has become a dark, "Bloodborne,"-esque World. Plus, it isn't even finished and he can access secret developer tools to manipulate the game world...and even enters reality (voiced and physically portrayed by Evan Peters). There are also riffs on, "Cyberpunk 2077," "The Last of Us," and probably even more little parodies, along with the wild full motion video segments!

Designed to be, "Part love letter to games, part satire of them," I am quite intrigued by Bradley. I like a good meta experience, and this game seems to have zero fear about not only breaking the fourth wall but ripping it to metaphorical shreds!

Let's Review Three Superb New Comics From 2dcloud

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.

"Altcomics," #7 edited by and with contributions from Blaise Larmee, Katie Lane, and Others

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.

Diamond Comic Distributors Converts to Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

God, it hasn't even been a year and we've been through way too much regarding Diamond Comic Distributors. Seriously, it was only in January that they declared chapter 11 bankruptcy with the intent to reorganize and come back stronger than ever (I just laughed so hard thinking about this in retrospect coffee nearly shot out my nose). There is basically nothing left of the old Diamond besides a bunch of inventory sitting in warehouses that belongs to the original publishers but Diamond held hostage. Well, with the announcement that Diamond is entering Chapter 7, it is a whole new series of filings to figure out where those go and how to buy them back. We are talking full liquidation, so Diamond is done, not even existing as a zombie company of sorts.

I know when reporting about Diamond it feels a bit like that meme from, "The Simpsons," where the kid yells, "Stop! Stop! He's already dead!" as Homer (in Krusty the Klown makeup when he did that as a gig) beats a Hamburglar analogue. Still, this is an interesting development in the unending saga of Diamond's messy clusterfudge of going out of business. Throw up the, "Spirit Halloween," banner over Diamond, I suppose, there ain't gonna be anything left to salvage before long.

Mixed Feelings: Five

December 15th in my life's history is a day with a mix of feelings associated with it. It is the day my mother was born some years ago, a wonderful day! It is the day where in 2019 we officially lost our pregnancy and the child who would have been our second baby, Shalom, a traumatic day. It's the day when, in 2021, my Bubbie was buried, having passed some days earlier at the age of 96, a sad day, but bittersweet thanks to all the memories we have with Bubbie and her long life. I've done four of these mixed feelings posts before. A mix of poetry, essay, introspection, and me just sharing how this day brings out a lot of mixed feelings.

I've discussed how December 2019-December 2020 was the worst year ever in my life, between multiple losses of loved ones, the rise of COVID-19 (and its impact on us as well as everyone else), and so forth. Then, I needed time to mentally recover and deal with the grief I had ignored. I quit trying to shut the pain/sadness away and let myself feel it, a healthy choice I finally got to with the support of Samii and getting some therapy. Then, the focus became healing and growing. We had our, "Rainbow baby," Gibson, in 2023. I know how that is a term some love, and some don't care for, but I like it. We went through an emotional storm with our loss, and at the end of the storm comes a beautiful and bright beam of joy. He and Clarkson are such joys--and sometimes real stinkers!

I am by no means, "Over," everything we've been through, as you can't be a human being with normal emotions and magically and totally get over loss completely. I am, however, in a better place now than I was a number of years ago. I can both be happy today to celebrate a birthday and consider this a day of remembrance. I can have a mix/balance of feelings, and that is good; it is healthy and (as I said) human. Hence, here we are on December 15th of 2025, and I am okay. I am okay with the celebratory feelings for the good stuff today. I am okay with sometimes not being okay when I think about the loss we've faced, too. Just as the title always says, it is all about mixed feelings. Acknowledging is key, without a doubt. 

 

Way back when I wrote the first of these in 2021, I closed with how, "Love is scary, love is hard, love leaves us feeling empty sometimes when those we love leave at any age or even before we get to fully enjoy their existence. I’m just trying to make it [in] America. I’m just trying to make it as a good parent and husband. I just want to make myself proud, frankly. To close, I don’t know how much I believe in a God but I really hope God believes in me. Somebody’s got to." At this point I still am not sure how much I believe in a higher power (although I hope one's out there). I do know that now, I can at least say I do believe in myself. I believe in myself as a husband, a father to two awesome kiddos, and as a human being. Life has been hard at times, but I've learned and grown from the hardships and joys. That's saying something, at least.

December 2025's ToyMan was a Great Way to Close Out the Year

Today was the last ToyMan Show of the year and the last comic show of 2025 that I'll be attending (unless I'm totally forgetting something on my calendar). It was a stellar way to close out the year! I will emphasize how ToyMan shows are always so full of stuff that if you can't find something, you probably didn't look hard enough. Toys (new and old), die-cast cars, laserdiscs, Funko, paper ephemera, DVDs, CDs, video-games of all eras, sports memorabilia, Pokémon, trading cards, and comics (but of course) are just some of the things I examined today while at ToyMan! Plus, they had special guest Kat Cressida, a well-known voice actress who was excited to meet with fans today! It was as lovely show as always, in other words. I'll break down some of whom I saw and what I got now...

The first level of the showfloor right before it opened to an excited crowd!

I kicked off the show chatting with my friend Spike from Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles. I then had the chance to chat with John Chaffee of Bigfoot Comics and Collectibles about his holiday plans with the family. Tim Metzger was present and had some cool comics to browse--I bought a snazzy one from him about Thrawn (an interesting character in the mythology). Give it a look:

As I proceeded to walk around the show, I saw my chums from Tatertot Comics and Collectibles, as well as the awesome Tri Fox Shoppe (on the upper level). As I continued exploring upstairs I found my good friend Jessica Mathews as well as the incredible folks from Perryville's Heroes for Kids--it was good to catch up with all of them! Back downstairs, I ran into Larry of Bug's Comics and Games and picked up a lovely second printing of the debut issue of, "Absolute Batman," for a superb price. I thank Larry for the rad deal! Here is a pic of it:

This ToyMan show was fantastic, as they always are! I got to browse so much cool stuff, chat with friends, and wish everyone a happy holiday season. I look forward to all the great upcoming ToyMan shows in 2026 and will see everyone at the next one on January 11th!

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.