I Played, "The Division," Beta And Have Thoughts--So Read Them!

Tried it Out

As my title states, I gave the beta for, "The Division," a go this weekend on the PlayStation 4. My main thought would be that it's alright. Should that be all you wanted to know of my thoughts feel free to resume talking to the rest of the dinner-party you're ignoring to look at your phone, but if you want to know why I felt it was alright, read on...

I was able to acquire a Beta key on eBay for a bit over a dollar and put in a good four or five hours Saturday, so I basically paid a quarter-an-hour and feel satisfied in terms of getting my money's worth. However, the big question becomes if people who spend 60 bucks on the full game are going to feel that way. It is of course hard to judge a beta as it is just a slice of the metaphorical pie that will make-up the main game, but even when you just taste a slice of pie you still get a pretty good idea of the overall flavor, ya know?

Yeah, it ain't this good-looking.

So, how is the taste of, "The Division," pie I bit into and what parts were bitter or sweet? I would start off by saying the game's graphics are pretty good, but of course not as snazzy as it looked when the title was first announced (but seriously, who expects a game from Ubisoft to look as good as its reveal trailer anymore these days after what they have pulled with all their games from, "Assassin's Creed," to, "Watch Dogs?"). The gameplay is a bit like Destiny-meets-Borderlands where you can team-up with other players to fight computer-controlled bad-guys in various little side-missions or main missions. The game goes stat-heavy with RPG elements for all your gear and weapons so it is kind of odd to face enemies in this, "realistic," world who can take 5 hits from your shotgun in order to go down because they are a higher level, but you get used to it.

The thing that I found most off-putting about the normal game-world is that if you aren't teamed-up with other players it is just you and the NPCs. Therefore, things don't get really interesting until you go into the feature of the game that I spent the majority of my time in as soon as I was allowed to enter it, the Dark Zone. The Dark Zone is pretty cool (as others agree) and is a place where you face tougher NPCs and other players who will be wandering around. It is a bit of a free-for-all because you can easily shoot another player and steal their gear. This will temporarily get you marked as, "Rogue," and allow other folk to attack you without consequence, but a lack of rogue status on someone doesn't mean you should ever let your guard down. A character who seems perfectly friendly can shoot you in the back as soon as you turn around, and the Dark Zone gives everything a greater air of danger that the areas of the game outside of it so sorely lack.

Without the Dark Zone this would be a somewhat uninspiring RPG-style shooter, but thanks to the Dark Zone there is enough intrigue to make me think the game could have something interesting going for it. Oh, and as for all the base-development stuff and character perks, most of that was locked-off during the beta so I can't share much in the way of thoughts on that. Still, as far as things go right now I'm cautious about, "The Division," but feel if it can really capitalize on the enjoyment found in the Dark Zone is might turn out alright, as I said at the start.

Confession: I Don't Really Like "Sex Criminals" That Much

I Have A Dirty Secret To Confess....

There is a comic that should be right-up my alley. It is funny, but has serious moments, contains a wacky concept, and discusses sexuality, like, a lot--plus it's an Image book, which means I can feel happy that the creators aren't getting screwed-over by the publisher on IP rights. Yet, having read some of, "Sex Criminals," I find I just don't really like it. There is no good reason for this besides how I maybe am a monster who pisses a mixture of coffee and rage, ruining all the things you like in my desire to be iconoclastic. I don't think I purposely want to be a contrarian asshole though because I love plenty of stuff that that is popular and well-liked by everyone (I love me some, "Saga," as does everyone else). Why then, don't I like, "Sex Criminals?"

I seriously don't know what my problem is. I am generally a fan of Matt Fraction, Chip Zdarsky is a stellar artist (and not a bad writer either), the concept sounds so amazing--people who stop time when they orgasm rob banks and then other madness ensues--and the silly 4th-printing cover for the comic where the creators pose whilst holding the first-printing has to be the most adorable thing ever:

How come I'm not head-over-heels in love with this series? I read the 1st trade and just felt this overwhelming sense of indifference. It has occurred to me that perhaps I should read the 2nd collection but if I don't enjoy that it will only confirm what I suspect--that, "Sex Criminals" just ain't for me. This is a hard thing to admit because when I state that to people who know the weird kind of comics I like their eyes go wide and they say, "What? Isn't that exactly your kind of comic?" which I believe means they think I am a weirdo, but I understand where they are coming from. The answer is that when described aloud, "Sex Criminals," does seem to sound like what I'd love, but after the pen has been put to paper and I've read some issues...yeah, just not feeling it.

I feel better having confessed this, and hope you don't judge me too harshly. After all, I bet you too have a comic that folk tell you is perfect for your tastes, yet upon reading it you found it unimpressive. Even if I can't place what exactly the problem is with, "Sex Criminals," that results in me feeling horribly uninterested in the book, I know that is how I feel, and being honest and open about it has really helped just now. Plus, if I want to read a book that discusses sex a lot I always have the amazingly weird, "Sex," by Joe Casey and Piotr Kowlalsi to turn to.

Rant-Reviews: Six Debut Comics From An Assortment of Publishers

More New Stuff!
There are always new comics--and especially new first issues. There are countless books that never get close to even achieving double-digits, but all books have to start with that first issue--even if a publisher does something coy like call it a, "Zero issue,' or list it with a higher number and have the issues count-down. With this in mind how so often new comics start, I thought it might be fun to review six new comics from six different publishers.

Half-A-Dozen Books
Strayer
The newest comic from recently-launched publisher AfterShock (the folk who have published that, "InSeXts," comic I like a lot), this is best described as an action-comedy set in fantasy world (or is it the world after ours was destroyed? It is kind of left open to interpretation). Written by Justin Jordan (of, "Luther Strode," fame) and illusrtated by Juan Gedeon, "Strayer," at first blush seems like another book about an evil fantasy-government ruling everyone with an iron fist, but that is just the flavor-text which helps set-up a much more personal tale.

Essentially our hero, the man known as Strayer, can help fight horrible monsters, and within this issue does so, impressing a witch. That sounds bland but thanks to the quite humorous way Jordon writes Strayer the book takes on quite a funny tone, with everyone acting so deadpan and concerned about everything whilst Strayer just kind of does-how-he-does. Gedeon's art is a bit plain, but the writing of Jordon helps elevate the so-so apperance into a book that is quite enjoyable. Should you be a fan of Jordan or tired of your traditional fantasy worlds where everyone is so deadly serious about everything, this is worth a read.
4 out of 5 stars.

Faith
Valiant has a difficult task here for a variety of reasons but handles it well. The first challenge is that this is a 1st issue that wants to appeal to new readers who have been drawn-in by Valiant's promotion of the book and its unique aspect of having a plus-size female super-hero as the main character, but the character has been around and been in other event-comics and team books, so making a book that is new-reader friendly but also respects the past is important. Thankfully, Valiant turns in a story that references what has occurred before in the life of Faith, but is still understandable if you've never read a Valiant book or just have read some of them(I am a bit familiar with Valiant, so it was fun seeing Archer from, "Archer and Armstrong," pop-up in the book). By moving the main character to a city that is new to her (Los Angles) Valiant can have a bunch of things be new, but have a good excuse for it.

The other challenge Valiant faced was as I mentioned how this is arguably one of the first comics to have a plus-size female as the main character. There have been plenty of comics with plus-size females playing a role (the pre-Nu52 Amanda Waller) but as the title heroine? That's basically unheard of. Thankfully, we get a good story from the writing of Jody Houser who doesn't even bother to do something so crass as go, "Look, we have a bigger woman as the main character, let's comment about it!" Instead the story just proceeds with introducing us to Faith, showing us her cares and desires, and otherwise making our titular super-hero someone easy to like and care about. This results in a book that is great for those who are brand-new to the character of Faith or the publisher, Valiant, and a comic that is also wonderful if you've been following the company's comics already. A great read.
4 out of 5 stars.

Prophet: Earth War #1
It seems like forever since we last read an issue of Brandon Graham's comic, "Prophet," but the man has been busy with his duties such as putting out the consistently intriguing anthology, "Island," as well as all his other works. Thankfully the saga that he began back in 2012 with his riffing-on old 1990's Image comics but in a whole new, futuristic way, has started its final arc (at least that is how its been advertised). So, I'll admit that this is really more of the next chapter in a story than it is a debut, but it still is the first entry in quite awhile within this saga, so I'm counting it as a fresh comic and if you don't like it you can quit reading my blog (please don't quit reading my blog, I crave your approval). How is this comic after such a long wait though? Still pretty damn good.

While reading this it feels like Graham never took a break, still firing on all cylinders as he takes a hokey bunch of characters from the 90's and morphs them into elaborate sci-fi concepts whilst still acknowledging the past. This issue is a lot of set-up, telling us of the coming war and showing what forces the original Prophet will have as he tries to take on the evil Earth Empire. It's a quiet issue, but you can really feel how it is the mellow moments before an enormous storm, and it gets me excited for the long-overdue and sure-to-be-epic conclusion.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Amazing Forest #1
Another science-fiction type comic like the just reviewed, "Propher: Earth War," but put out by IDW. This book is more of an anthology...but from two writers on every story who get different artists for their tales...so its' like a show-case? Look, I'm not sure of the best way to describe what this, "Is," other than to say that is is generally good. With stories that run the gamut from aliens to werewolves, robots, and strange owls with human faces, each yarn is quite different, but they seem to have a unified theme in that most are pretty depressing. Three of the stories have the main characters yearning for something, but discovering it can never be theirs. The only story with a somewhat happy ending is the werewolf one, which has a bloody twist I honestly did not see coming and is dark, but in a weirdly-joyful way. Writers Erick Freitas and Ulises Farinas provide us with some impressively melancholy and morbid tales, but I found myself wishing for many of the stories to be more fleshed-out. Were we to only get two stories that were longer I would have been perfectly okay with that too, as some of these entries feel a bit rushed in getting to their conclusion. Still, an interesting title, and I'm curious what stories the second issue may hold.
3 out of 5 stars.

Devolution #1
Well, that's a clever hook. Basically the idea of this comic is that humanity got so stupid and full of hubris it dropped a bomb that made people and animals devolve into their most primal forms, and within about a year life as we know it basically ended save for a few key people who were immune. This leads to us following the main character named Raja as she treks across the country in what we learn is the hope to reverse everything. In the meantime however we witness her stumbling upon a camp of humans populated by a lot of people barely putting up with each other in the name of survival (a very cranky Neo-Nazi finds himself working in the camp with a variety of other races, much to his chagrin). It is a great concept, but I feel like the plot itself is lacking. Still, perhaps after doing a bunch of work for Marvel this creator-owned project by Rick Remender just needs some time to find its legs. I mean, the artwork by Jon Wayshack is suitably hideous, with the devolved people and animals looking equally dumb and dangerous, so I tip my hat to the publisher, Dynamite, for finding a writer who works this well with their artist.

A lot of time is spent giving us background-info which is appreciated, but maybe if the comic slowly showed us everything instead of just telling the reader what happened that might be a bit more fun than the massive exposition-dump at the start of the book. The really clever idea and artwork help keep things interesting however, as well as a hint of a grander conspiracy taking place that makes me think this book may be one to watch. For now though, it is just kind of average.
2.5 out of 5 stars.

Man Plus #1
Published by Titan and created by writer/artist Andre Lima Araujo, "Man Plus," has apparently been in the works for some time. The effort shows because this comic is flat-out gorgeous. Between the futuristic building and vehicles, Robots and androids fighting, and just generally looking awesome, this is a feast for the eyes. The story has caught my attention too, with a special law-enforcement agency dealing with a potentially rogue android that has a mysterious group of highly-armed individuals after it in addition to the police who are attempting to understand just what exactly is going on. This first issue really caught my attention and I look forward to seeing what comes next.
5 out of 5 stars.

We're Finished!
That was six new books from six different publishers. Time will tell which ones last and reach a natural conclusion and which are suddenly canceled. I of course which all the books the best.

"Convergence" is a Fascinating Mess

Very Odd. Very, Very Odd

I read the DC event, "Convergence," in a big ol' hardcover thanks to my local library. Perhaps if I read some of the tie-ins things will make a bit more sense, but as far as I can tell, "Convergence," is just one big mess, yet a fascinating one too. Basically an excuse for fans to get to see characters they liked from various eras or alternate worlds, it sounds like something pretty straightforward, so of course DC has to go and muck it up.

This comic-event of course occurred to fill the gap for when DC moved their offices and at first looked like it would be a fun little thing for the fans but then it was decided it had to be some kind of mega-event and got hella bloated. We've got characters from the, "Earth 2," comics that apparently petered out before tying into this, there's the Nu52 folk, individuals from Zero Hour, Flashpoint, the DC stuff that existed after the first crisis up until the Nu52, and for good measure hints of other realities and comics too.

The plot of this comic involves a planet that is a desert full of little bottled cities being forced to fight each other, but that plot kind of goes away and turns into an epic battle against a villain named Telos...who then becomes good and helps everyone fight Brainiac, before everyone gets to go home and the world is wiped out...or something. But wait, it's okay because the planet turns into a new home for the, "Earth 2," folk and everyone is happy! Okay, everyone but the readers who are left scratching their head trying to figure out what the dickens just happened with all these shifting alliances, unmentioned realities suddenly popping-up, and general chaos.

Still, there is something almost Zen about a plot that takes six paragraphs to even summarize on Wikipedia and still makes little-to-no sense. A reader doesn't have to worry about why the things that occur are happening, they just kind of do and that's that. DC needed to kill some time so they threw all their toys in a fictional sandbox (literally, it is a desert world) and tried to come-up with some excuse for everyone to occupy the same page. In terms of actually being an interesting or coherent story, it is well below average, something like...
2 out of 5 stars.

However, when it comes to being passable entertainment that one can at least admire for its tenacity and commitment to being batshit crazy and insiting it makes sense when it doesn't, well, that makes this the kind of comic I feel I can give...
3 out of 5 stars.

So, check out, "Convergence," not if you want something well-crafted or clever, but if you get a kick out of alternate-reality comics and seeing a mish-mash of ideas splattered on the page with little regard for logic. I mean, at least after this DC has settled down and won't be doing anything else dramatic for...wait, what's this about a, "Rebirth?" Oh motherfu...

B.o.B. Thinks the Earth is Flat AKA Just When I Think People Couldn't Be Any More Ignorant...

Seriously, I mean Seriously?

I really am sad people can be so ignorant. I understand why some conspiracy theories appeal to folk, I honestly do. It is easier to think the Government/New World Order/Etc. is behind a mass-shooting and staged the whole thing than to face the terrible fact that sometimes people are pointlessly horrible. Pretending that, "They," hired crisis actors and nobody actually got hurt is less scary than how a deranged individual can randomly go shoot-up a school, government building, etc. That said, some conspiracy theories are so absurd and so foolish, who could believe them? I guess B.o.B. does.

You may know B.o.B. from hits songs he appeared on such as, "Paper Planes," and...yeah, "Paper Planes." Well, B.o.B. is a believer in the idea that the Earth is flat, you know, like people centuries ago thought before we used knowledge to prove the planet is round. Plenty of folk have tried to correct how B.o.B. is horribly wrong, with Neil deGrasse Tyson even chiming in on Twitter, but I doubt B.o.B. will be easily swayed at this point--I mean the man also denies we landed on the Moon and thinks people steal and clone celebrities, because why not?

Hoo boy, where do we start with this one?

I guess this all boils down to how people want to be able to think they know something nobody else does, and that makes them special--that or the desire to think the world has some secret order to it. It is easier to throw away logic and sense for the comfort of a grand delusion.. As Alan Moore put it so well some years ago, "The main thing that I learned about conspiracy theory is that conspiracy theorists actually believe in a conspiracy because that is more comforting. The truth of the world is that it is chaotic. The truth is, that it is not the Jewish banking conspiracy or the grey aliens or the 12 foot reptiloids from another dimension that are in control. The truth is more frightening, nobody is in control. The world is rudderless." I would argue that is more terrifying than any conspiracy theory.

Who knows, maybe B.o.B isn't actually this dumb, and it is all part of some weird viral-marketing stunt for a new album he'll give a name like, "Conspiracy Theories." I would like to hope that's the case, but at this point I honestly am just sad.

"Fallout 4" is Pretty Fun

Finally Had the Chance to Play It!

I've talked about how I hadn't played it yet, and was waiting. However, I broke down, got, "Fallout 4," when there was a good deal on it and have played it more than I probably should have off-and-on over the last few weeks. Yup, I'm obsessed with another game and my wife has long since grown tired of hearing all the never-ending gunfire that occurs when Preston Garvey isn't harassing me to help a settlement.

After a good chunk of time invested I've done some of the earlier main quests, a chunk of assorted side quests, and built some settlements. I still haven't discovered the faction known as, "The Railroad," but have done a decent amount of exploring, leveling-up, and modifying my weapons. Before I discuss all that I like let's address the less-positive things, however.

Negatives

First off, I agree with everyone that Preston's relentless harassment about settlements needing help is a huge pain, even if re-taking, "The Castle," felt good. Next, I'll join the chorus of people who declare that while this is indeed a great game, it isn't necessarily a superb, "Fallout," game. It in fact is more of a big action game with some light RPG elements in the world of, "Fallout." It isn't the series fans fell in love with, but I will say that is actually okay, because even if this continues the march away from the deeper elements of the first game and sequel (with, "Fallout 3," of course being the first that was first-person and really switched gears), it's still a great time. Another thing that can be a pain is how even if combat is better with this entry it still has some concerns that makes gunplay improved over some of the previous entries, but that not great. This can be disconcerting because as I just mentioned, this game has a lot more of a focus on shooting than some previous entries have. Earlier games allowed you to solve many a quest without violence, instead permitting charisma, intelligence,or the like to help you get out of a tight spot. This game? I was able to talk my way out of one fight, but anywhere else I went was just an intriguing-looking place full of people eager to kill me.

You can be someone in this game who shoots their guns a lot, or runs up and smacks people whilst occasionally switching to guns for the enemies too high-up to hit, that's about it. Then of course there are the bugs, the delightful bugs. Some make the game suddenly crash on you (it has happened to me enough I am saving even more obsessively than usual) and others just make everything look extra funny. They are an annoyance, but with any, "Fallout," or, "Skyrim," game from Bethesda bugs are to  be expected and hopefully eventually patched. Still, despite all this there is some fun stuff too! That brings us to...

Positives

The Commonwealth is a fascinating place. I've always enjoyed exploration in any of the, "Fallout," games and this 4th entry in the series continues that. Whether I'm stumbling upon strange little towns hiding dark secrets, abandoned vaults, a ramshackle city built in Fenway park, or simply climbing up a tall tower, "Fallout 4," is a beautifully desolate place full of scenery I adore, however melancholy it is. Plus, one big thing that this 4th game brings in is building-up settlements. Even if it bugs me for Preston to keep demanding I help places, there is a thrill to taking an empty patch of land, building some shacks, food, water, and then hooking up a radio beacon calling-out for citizens to come call this once-barren plot home.

I also enjoy my companions, with the assortment I've met proving to generally be good company, and more useful than annoying--something previous games would sometimes lack. I don't want to spoil the story too much as it has some interesting twists and turns, but I will say it cleverly makes you engage in some tough decisions later on in the game that carry actual consequences and, "Lock-off," other quests from certain factions, as it were. Another element I quite adore is how I can modify my weapons, clothes, and suits of Power Armor. Speaking of that famous getup, in previous games the Power Armor was just that--some extra armor--in this game it is like a walking vehicle you hop in and power with fusion cores you find scattered across the land. You can tweak the features as well as give it a spiffy paint job (if you find magazines with directions to do so) and it comes in handy during the more difficult fights you may face. The huge amount of customization options within the game really help give it more of a personal touch, with everyone able to make their own snazzy settlement, weapon, or suit of Power Armor.

Not Too Shabby

Even though the game isn't as full of depth as past titles in the series, it still is some good fun and has stolen a great deal of hours from me. I continue to be a big fan of the, "Fallout," games and even if this 4th one is more of an action-type game than previous ones, I still adore it. Plus, whenever I want to do my stat-heavy gaming like in the old-school, "Fallout," games, I always have, "Wasteland 2." Now I'm eager to continue exploring, and seeing what future downloadable content might hold!

What Bugs Me the Most About Ted Cruz

It Isn't Just How Awful He Is As a Human Being...

Besides the never-ending hot-air-spewing machine that is Donald Trump (now endorsed by fellow idiot, Sarah Palin!) the Republican party doesn't really have a candidate that they consider reanonable to nominate  besides Ted Cruz. I mean, Ted Cruz still has plenty of people who hate him, but maybe hate him just a little bit less than Trump--although plenty Republicans would rather be rid of both. The thing is one aspect about Cruz really, really bugs me. It isn't his horribly outdated views on marriage equality, his claims he wants to repeal the ACA, or all that. I mean, those do bug me, but all the Republican candidates scream that nonesense. No, what bugs me is the startling hypocripsy on display within the party considering that a man born in Canada is being touted as a possible candidate for President after all the, "Birther," nonesense we put with regarding Obama.

Picture this, a man born in Hawaii to a mother who was a U.S. citizen (born and raised) and a father born in Kenya becomes President. A bunch of crazies claim he was actually not born on U.S. soil and therefore can't be President, despite countless evidence that he was born in the state of surf, sun, and volcanoes. To make this really clear, someone who could prove they were born in the United States, to a parent who was an American had a bunch of people claiming he somehow was the President illegally. This man is of course our current President Barack Obama.

"Oh, so now you all wouldn't have cared even if I were born in another country?"

Now, here's another picture for you. A man is born in Canada to a mother who was a United States citizen (born and raised), and a Father born in Cuba. This man who has never denied actually being born in Canada comes to the United States, works in politics, and then attempts to run for President. Suddenly, all the people who proclaimed the first man--actually born in the U.S.--couldn't be President shut-up for the most part, with only a few going, "Wait, isn't this new guy Canadian?"

Two men, both with American mothers and foreign fathers, one born on U.S. soil and one not. Wouldn't this mean that if the one who was born in Canada can be President than even if the one born in Hawaii was birthed in another country he still would eligible for the Presidency (or they both would be ineligible)? I mean, this is perfectly logical, right?

Well, maybe the fact that this is logical is why suddenly all the Republicans who decried Obama as some kind of, "Evil foreigner," are suddenly perfectly okay with a man who didn't renounce his Canadian dual-citizenship until 2014 becoming President, because Conservatives tend to eschew logic for Creationism and rallies dedicated to taking away a woman's right to choose. I guess depending on if you have a, "D," for Democrat after your name or, "R," for Republican that is a bigger factor in determining if you qualify for the Presidency in the eyes of conservatives as opposed to where you were actually, you know, born.

The hypocrisy of all this is mind-blowing. Besides people he poses a direct political threat to such as Donald Trump speaking-up about the Canadian-birth issue (and Trump of course led the rallying cry against Obama being a citizen, but this time has a leg to stand on), it suddenly seems the Republican party is perfectly okay with someone who was born in another country--but to an American parent--running for the Presidency. It really irritates me that the Republican party can't even be Xenophobic in a coherent way, and that is what bugs me the most about Ted Cruz.

Rant-Reviews: A Grab-Bag of Comics

An Utterly Random Assortment
Hey, you know how sometimes I have my rant-reviews/capsule reviews which follow a theme of sorts? Yeah, I don't have that today, just a smattering of comics to discuss.

The Grab-Bag
Power Rangers #0
This puppy from BOOM! has suddenly become a hot commodity, with both my friends at Comics Heating Up commenting on the new title as well as Bleeding Cool observing it is flipping for a solid chunk of change on the interweb auction sites. As for the comic itself? It's quite good. It manages to both tickle my nostalgia-nerve while not coming off as campy as the show did back in the day (I loved watching the original Power Rangers, and watched some of the later versions but lost interest around the time they were in space, or something). This, "Zero," issue interestingly drops us into a story where Tommy (already the green ranger) is with the Power Ranger team, but it is discussed how he hasn't been a teammate for too long, and it is made clear he is actually under the influence of their foe, Rita.

The intriguing aspect of this is how we aren't forced to read a bunch of issues setting all this up, we are just thrown into this status quo and trusted to figure out what has happened recently through our own careful reading of the comic. It is almost surprising to think a comic about something that gets mocked for being silly trusts its readers to be intelligent and deductive more than a lot of other supposedly, "Respectable," titles out there. There is also a back-up about Bulk and Skull, the comedic relief that have almost always existed in some form throughout the series, and another back-up that drags a little--unlike the initial story and the hi-jinks of Bulk and Skull. Still, this comic manages to be both a throw-back and modern, is fun but doesn't insult the reader, and otherwise is a snazzy read. Should you have ever played, "Power Rangers," on the playground as a young child (I'll admit I did) I would recommend checking this out for sure.
4 out of 5 stars.

Vision #3
My runner-up for weirdest comic of 2015 continues to just get stranger. Between the Visions clearly becoming more and more of a threat to those around them, some weird business with a magic flower that has to be ingested in a super-gross way, and confirmation that the Vision and his fellow robotic-wife have humanoid genitals of some sort, this is still a mighty weird read, and I love it for that. The strange quiet melancholy that finds itself punctuated with bursts of violence and rage results in a title that really is as much horror as it is sci-fi or, "super-hero," related. Superb stuff, and I loathe to think there could be some point it has to tie-in with an event or finds itself cancelled before the violent climax it is clearly building to is achieved. Read this and love it.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Burnt Comix #1
Originally a small-press title written and drawn by Jayro Lantigua, the publisher Creature Entertainment picked this title up and put out a new edition of his strange work. I was interested in this comic because I'd heard that Lantigua's stuff was a bit reminiscent of Johnny Ryan--and I'd argue Ryan's work has a strange charm to it that made hearing a comparison sound appealing. As for the comic itself, it is some solid work but only seems to really strike a nerve in a few spots.

The majority of the comic concerns itself with a dog that is miserable and wants to kill himself, but finds the pound won't do it because he's too, "Self aware," and feels most ways to die are too ordinary. He eventually succeeds but finds floating around in the nothingness of the after-life boring, so when a dark force offers to bring him back, he accepts. He is restorted to life but also needs to devour other beings as a result--but its okay because he eats someone trying to rob his friends. It is silly stuff, and perfectly fine, but the opening and closing of the comic are the only times I felt Lantigua was really injecting some of his own pain and anger into the comic, expressing rage and sadness much in the same way as his fictional dog.

 You see, the comic opens with a young alligator (or is he a crocodile?) showing his father some comics he made and being told they are good, but he'll never make it as a comic artist. The comic then closes with a grown-up gator/croc coming to his father with money made from comics in hopes of impressing his Dad, but being told again he should have done something better with his time. It's harsh, and you really feel like these could have been conversations Lantigua had with his dad. Their pangs of raw emotion give the strips more gravitas than some of the other strips, because while an orgy of dogs can be hilariously disgusting, the gut-punch of a young man being shut-down by his father even after success is a really affecting moment. Overall this is a solid...
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Injection #6
It is funny how with the 5th issue of the last arc things finally started making some sense, so of course Warren Ellis makes this sixth issue and start of a new arc mostly unrelated to the previous issues and puts us right back square at the point of being utterly confused as to what in the dickens is going on. Still, this issue is full of dark humor, action, and gorgeous art by Declan Shalvey, even if I'm feeling befuddled again at least this is an enjoyable comic. As Image (the publisher) doesn't seem to set a strict rule on how long a series can be I wonder just what exactly the future holds for this title, or how many overall issues are planned for this potential future.
3 out of 5 stars.

InSeXts #2
New publisher Aftershock Comics has a variety of interesting releases, but this comic with its surreal insect-women and utterly bizarre mixture of imagery (done amazingly by Ariela Kristantina) that varies between grotesque and arousing is quite a fascinating read. There still is far too much that has not been answered by the title as to how exactly our protagonists have come across their powers, and new questions keep being introduced such as what a strange monster is doing popping-up toward the end of the book. I worry that if writer Marguerite Bennet has too many mysteries arise with not enough answers we will end up in a situation like the television show, "Lost," where we kept getting queries, but no conclusions.

That said, this is a highly enjoyable read going from seductive and sexual one moment with the reader enjoying the sensual drawings of our main characters, to a comic full of body-horror the next as the characters that were just looking appealing change in ways not appealing at all. It is a bit of a fun twist on the concept of the male gaze, as if the comic wants to say, "Here's what you want, naked women going at it, but now we're going to disturb you with those same women turning into hideous insects/inSeXts." In a strange way a comic that at first glance looks like pure cheesecake turns out to be a clever feministic commentary on the sexualization of women, both playing-up male desires and fears. Yes, I quite like this comic.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Squadron Supreme #3
I'm really not reading much Marvel, but this is one of the small number of books from the publisher I'm picking up besides a few other odd titles (like the above-reviewed, "Vision,") and this one has had me purchasing it because the writer of one of my favorite mini-series in 2015 is behind it (James Robinson), and it features the Nighthawk of the Supreme Power Universe that helped herald-in Marvel's, "MAX," brand before the series was basically left to wither and die between re-launches, spin-offs, and tie-ins with other series--still, those early issues were dynamite stuff.

That makes me feel a bit disappointed that after a shocking first issue where the team killed Namor (I would say, "Spoilers," but Marvel actually spoiled it themselves before the comic came out to build interest)  the comic has basically just sort of sat around, with these fascinating characters who are the last living inhabitants of destroyed Universes (all of which have appeared to some degree in previous Marvel titles) just kind of milling about while a threat of some sort that Nighthawk is investigating builds-up. The thing is, this issue we don't learn much about what exactly Nighthawk is looking into because this whole issue is essentially a long fight-scene between the Squadron Supreme and one of the ten-or-so Avenger's teams running about these days--this is the one with old Steve Rogers and Deadpool.

Seriously, Nighthawk and Steve argue for a minute, a fight happens, and the issue ends with the team being saved from capture by Thundra of all people and being whisked away to a land called, "Weirdworld." I looked into it and this Weirdworld is a hold-over from Marvel's, "Secret Wars," comic that actually finally wrapped-up. Why the team has been transported there remains to be seen, but hopefully things will get more interesting, as right now we've had a good first issue, and two dull issues after it.
2 out of 5 stars.

...And We're Done
Well, the grab-bag is all, "Empty," now, so-to-speak, meaning this edition of my rant-reviews has concluded. I hope you enjoyed this random smattering of comics.

Thoughts and Links, Wondrous Links!

Sharing My Reflections

I don't think I've posted some assorted thoughts and links in awhile, so how about I do that?

Musings and Linkings

In honor of this day for Martin Luther King Jr. I thought it would be worth pointing out something others have discussed, namely that as he has become a bit of a cultural icon there has been a, "Softening," of his image and how much he did to push boundaries. The man was advocating breaking unjust laws, knowing he would face prison, violence, etc. Sometimes I think people don't realize how revolutionary what he did was. That is one reason it really irritates me to see Republicans claim he would somehow be a conservative today, whilst he was considered a dangerous radical back in the recent past by the very people who now say how great he was--but oh, those, "Black Lives Matter," peaceful protesters are simply thugs--as writer Kovie Biakolo puts it, "So please, put away your convenient whitewashed version of Martin Luther King Jr...his legacy deserves more than feel-good sayings."

I myself have always loved video game manuals and miss that era of thick ones with maps, stories, and artwork. This article reminds me of that love. Oh, and in case you wondered, in my opinion the, "Arcanum," game manual is the best of any (I found a site with a zip file of it, should you want to see).

Faith Erin Hicks was really cool and fun to chat with when I met her at the 2015 Project Comic-Con. This upcoming book from her, "The Nameless City," looks and sounds like it would be worth a read for sure.

I pretty much liked the movie, "Cloverfield," even if the sheer-annoyance of the camera constantly moving around literally made me a bit nauseated at points--it was one of those, "Found footage," movies before the market got utterly saturated with those. Imagine my and everyone else's surprise then when a trailer ran for what surprisingly is a movie set in the, "Cloverfield," universe but not necessarily a direct sequel, titled "10 Cloverfield Lane." It thankfully ditches the found-footage concept and appears to have a very angry John Goodman, which is always fun. What astonishes me is how in this day and age they were able to keep what the movie is really about such a secret.

Donald Trump is somehow going to force Apple to make their, "Damn computers," in the United States if he is elected President. How in the Hell is this man still doing so well in the polls? Are that many voters really so ignorant, so scared of Muslims, and so easily fooled they could enjoy this blowhard jerk? I swear, if this man were to somehow become President I would weep for this nation.

Marvel will officially be launching, "Civil War II," on Free Comic Book Day this May 7th, 2016. This of course won't be too long after, "Captain America: Civil War," which comes out on May 6th, 2016. It is almost like they purposely wanted these two things to line-up!

I downloaded but have not yet played, "Pocket Mortys." I of course love the television show, "Rick and Morty," and it is interesting to read this article that points out how if Nintendo would release an actual Pokemon game for the iPhone it would probably do gangbusters (they maybe should just give up on the handheld devices at this point, I and many others feel). I mean, back when I played the game--when it was just 150-ish critters--it was good fun, and you can find plenty who feel it still is the bee's knees.

There you go!

Guest Post--Comic Speculation, an Alternate Viewpoint

I am proud to present a a guest post by Anthony from Comics Heating Up. 

Hello, my name is Anthony and I am the devil. I have not so secretly been a huge proponent for comic speculation. For the past four years I have been running a pretty popular site, www.comicsheatingup.net, that gives the whats, hows, and whys of comics that can be picked up for cover price or less and sold for profit. Before that, I was on message boards doing the same thing.

Yes, comic speculation, the comic industry's much hated, often maligned, practice of buying comics for the sole purpose of flipping. Grabbing copies of hot books and selling them for multiples of my buying price to bring home the maximum profit. Hunting down variant covers and listing them from the parking lot of the comic shop on eBay, or sooner. Speculation is the day trading of the comic scene.

First, let me give you my history with comics. I have been a collector and reader for 30 years. I still read and collect comics, mostly horror and indie books, and have a collection that surpasses most local comic shops' back issue bins. My mother got me into comics as a kid when she gave me a "comic collector's starter kit" filled with colorful stories of superheros. I was hooked instantly. I hit every grocery store and convenience store within miles around me every week. I eventually found comic shops and then conventions and discovered small press books which I ended up cherishing. I was a weekly buyer. Even in high school when most of my friends shook the habit of comics (I bought their collections). Even during college when friends were amassing collections (I bought them too.) Even after getting married.

There were several times in my collecting history I would get tired of a series and sell them. I always felt that I was letting someone else enjoy the books I no longer did. Sites like eBay and the now defunct Yahoo Auctions made it easy for me to unload books. This set the hooks of selling for profit in me fairly early.

So, how did I get in to speculation? Early on, and as I previously mentioned, I would buy friends comic collections when they grew tired of them. I would buy in bulk and sell off the duplicates and books of no interest that had value. Yes, Wizard Magazine was my friend. After that and during college, I would drive home and hit our local Another Universe chain store and buy their variants to take back to the comic shops near my school for trade or sale. After college I would hit yard sales and flea markets looking for comics of value to sell. I once flew to Canada and ended up at the Marvel Attraction in Niagara Falls and bought every copy of the Ultimate Spiderman Niagara Falls Variant they had left. The book was selling for $80 at the time. I undercut nearly everyone online as I had so many. Eventually life got in the way, I was working full time and didn't have the energy or time to put into selling. Now for the sob story.

My dad passed away 7 years ago. He had been sick for a very long time and it wasn't unexpected, but that didn't make it easier. A month after that, the program that I was running lost it's funding due to government cut backs on mental health programs and I was out of a job. The sadness of it all was crushing. I was collecting unemployment and there was no money for comics. The books I had been following for years were now way to expensive, and not even remotely important enough to waste money on. Couple that with we had just found out my wife was pregnant with our first child just days before I lost my job, I was crushed. The market for mental health case managers was slim due to the funding cuts, so I did not have many prospective job leads. I was selling off things I owned to bring in more money, mostly DVD's and CD's. As a collector it is hard to sell things you have an emotional connection to, but I had a child on the way and needed the money. I had plans to start selling off large chunks of my comics, something that would have broken my heart. This was a very bleak time but it would led me back to speculation, harder than I had ever done before.

My wife saw this growing worthlessness and said why didn't I take $20 and go buy some comics. I did. Not only did I buy a couple of books I was interested in but found a couple of books I knew were selling for well above cover price from following comic message boards. This was my first score. I sold the books for $80, gave my wife the $20 back for the budget, and had a few bucks for more new comics. From that low point, and from the small sum of $20, I started a business that not only brings in income (and is reported on my taxes), but also pays for all the comics I pick up. The period of unemployment was short, but the ability and drive to flip comics stayed with me.

That is the back story. But what I want to give is the alternate view point on speculation and why it is not as bad as some may say.

First, I have always said I sell comics that other people want to buy comics that I want. It seems silly to buy comics to sell comics, just to buy more comics. The truth is I cash out and take the profits to either "reinvest", and I will get back to the word investment shortly, or to pay myself for the time and effort.

Let's talk about Collecting Vs. Speculating Vs. Investment. The real difference is motivation. A collector buys things they have a connection to and proudly displays them. Art, Movie, Music, Comics, Cars. Investment is purchasing something with intrinsic value with expectation of an increase in value. Stocks, Bonds, Commodities, Precious Metals. And then there is speculation, buying something with the sole purpose of selling later at a profit, pure and simple speculation is gambling. A speculator bets that a book will rise in value. Like the best poker players, skill and other tools help the speculator hedge their bets. Comics fall into all three of these categories.

 People most certainly buy comics because of the emotional connection and display them, or curate them like a library, or just read and re-read. People buy comics because of the value of them, especially Gold and Silver Age books, because of the rarity with hopes they will continue to increase in value. Finally, people buy comics in hopes of a quick flip to make a little extra money. While comics are great for collecting, they do not make a great vehicle for investment. Gold will never be worth zero, but comics could completely go out of fashion and the paper holds no real intrinsic value. After all, something is only worth what people are willing to pay for it.

There are a ton of sites that talk about investing in comics. I have already mentioned that comics do not make for great investments. The books that are good investments are usually out of the range of many buyers. Not to mention, there just are not enough copies to make them accessible.

So I have done my best up until this point to avoid talking about speculation and why it is not bad. I am going to delve into it head first now. There are roughly 3,000 comic shops in the US. Many people I talk to are nowhere near a shop. One of the good things that speculators do is bring comics to market that people who are interested in the books may not have access to. (Sure, that sounds paper thin as a good thing, but it is true.) Sure, this is at a profit, but any retail store that sells goods near you is profiting off the convenience of having the product close to you. You could drive out to the country for milk each week, and probably buy it at the farm cheaper, however, the cost of gas to get there would be overwhelming versus just buying it at the corner store.

Speculators also bring buzz to books people would otherwise not pay any mind to. I have seen a ton of shops start ordering books that they hadn't ordered before, especially in the back part of Previews, just because the buzz of a book has grown. Speculation does drive sales on books, albeit sometimes artificially, getting the books into more shops. Speculation drives sales to local comic shops for both new issues and back issues as well. If all the speculators were to drop out, sales of comics would drop. In addition, back issues that have just sat for years in a bin, would go unsold. Sure, again this sounds thin but it is true.

Let's look at the final fact, most collectors speculate. If you do not read your comics and give them to someone else to read, you will need to do something with your collection. Think about it. What do you plan to do with your collection. Are you going to give them to someone else? If so, great. Do you plan on donating them? If so, please remember to get the receipt so you can take the write off on your taxes, but since that would help you, this would be profiting from them. Or do you plan to sell them off. If you plan to sell them, are you hoping to make a profit off them? Of course you are. This is speculation. It is not investment as there is no intrinsic value to the books.

I sit on thousands of comics, if something was to happen to me, and it will eventually, my wife and kids would have to worry about liquidating my collection. That would be a nightmare. Chances are they would not have a clue what is valuable and what isn't. I am sure there is some unscrupulous shop just chomping at the bit to offer the lowest possible dollar for the many comics in my collection. I do not plan to let that happen. At some point, my precious collection will be sold off.

I have always advocating for fair speculation. This means I ask people to not shelf clear, a practice I do not and will not partake in. I will not buy every copy of a book sitting on the shelf when I know it is desirable to others too. I do not write about books that for the sheer purpose of pumping up the value. While most people in the spec community have been accused of pumping and dumping, it is not something I do. I do a lot of research, and only spotlight books of interest. I always try to be fair to people, something I hold true in my daily life as well as in my comic business. I never try to over grade comics, pass off second prints as first prints, or other unfair practices. These are some of the things that give speculation and the spec community, bad names.

Many thanks to Anthony for a great post! For my article about this subject you can see my thoughts on his site at this link.

Television Tuesday--I Finally Started Checking-Out, "American Horror Story," With the, "Hotel," Season

Normally when you start watching a show in its fifth season that is a recipe for utter confusion, especially if you've missed a couple episodes and just have seen some highlights or heard from friends what happened. I mean, how would you have any clue what's going on? Thankfully, when it is more of an anthology show where every season is mostly separate from the last, it isn't as big of an issue. Plus, if you're a show as odd and overwhelming as, "American Horror Story: Hotel," being thrown-off by all the madness is just part of the fun.

Yes, I finally started checking-out, "American Horror Story," with its, "Hotel," season (there is indeed a pun in my saying, "Checking-out," and, "Hotel." Congrats if you noticed). It is a series that likes to fill itself to the brim with plots, subplots, back-stories and etc. This season alone we've had vampires (well, the show insists they're not vampires, but if they drink blood and are immortal I'm gonna say, "Vampire," okay?), biblical-themed serial killers, old-timey ghosts, Kathy Bates killing the guy who played Blaine on, "Glee," a transgender individual named Liz coming into her own as a person, vampire children, Lady Gaga proving she is actually quite the skilled actress (she just won a Golden Globe for it), and Matt Bomer doing the best dance ever to Hotline Bling besides Drake's own moves (I really hope this embedded video works for all time as it is just glorious):

 Oh, and because this is, "American Horror Story," there has also been a lot of sex, like the kind of sexual imagery that makes you realize FX really is almost like HBO without the extra cost and the word, "Fuck," being uttered aloud.

Apparently this season of, "American Horror Story," does tie-in to previous seasons in some ways, with a, "Murder House," from the 1st season appearing and some witch-related business from season 3 occurring too. That said, this does stand alone quite nicely as I never thought, "I have no idea what is going on," to any greater degree than the show wants viewers to feel--because as I mentioned, a lot is going on at once in this series.

I would say I like, "American Horror Story: Hotel," despite the rampant shift in tone that can occur within a single scene (things can go from funny to gruesome at the drop of a hat) and the fact that there probably is too much going on in terms of the sheer amount of storylines. Yes, "American Horror Story: Hotel," is definitely a series that can be messy--and I don't just mean the blood and other bodily fluids--but it has a strange charm about the way it seems like the show just does whatever it wants, be that going off on random tangents with mostly pointless flashbacks, killing off a character just a few minutes after they are introduced, or otherwise being really bizarre.

I don't know if I've loved this season enough I would actively go out and view the first four, but my interest is definitely piqued to a degree where I think I'll check out season 6 when it occurs in the near future. I'm not going to post an actual review/score of the season because the finale is this Wednesday at 10PM EST and I'm still curious if it will somehow tie everything (or most things) together, or fall apart into a horrendous mess. That, and I haven't even seen all of this season as I mentioned. Still, without any actual stars awarded I can say this is a fun program to watch, and at the end of the day that's quite an important factor.

Powerball-Themed Posts You Can Expect to See on Facebook

The Powerball is at a record 1-point-something billion. That's billion, with a B. The odds are quite high your or I won't win, but unless something forbids it (religion, under 18, or in a state that doesn't do Powerball) we will probably buy a ticket/handful of tickets. That said, Facebook is bound to be full of posts themed around the Powerball that will annoy us all. Here is what you can expect before 

Wednesday:

Ha, how...funny?

1. People making half-joking posts about how they can't wait to win, and boy will everyone be amazed when they do!
We get, we get it, you want to go on a nice vacation. Everyone does.

I know, the odds are bad.

2. People saying how the lottery is stupid due to the odds being incredibly small they or their friends will win.
I don't care if I have better odds of getting hit by an object from outer-space. I still want to try and win the lottery, plus I would prefer that over being crushed by an chunk of space-rock.

As real Facebook post from a business in my area.
I blacked-out identifying info to save them embarrassment.

3. Idiotic posts where someone says if you "share" their message they promise to share their potential winnings with everyone, even though as was just discussed, the odds of some random person hungering for attention winning are incredibly small.
You must really be a fame-whore if you're willing to share all that money you're, "Sure," to win with anyone who clicks, "Like," on your latest attempt for validation.

An old pamphlet of, "Lucky numbers."
As useless as it is racially insensitive.

4. The usual slew of people posting pictures of their sure-fire lucky numbers that when they then lose the next day they'll protest are still lucky, just not for this jackpot.
"I swear man, the next time it hits 1 billion I'm gonna be rolling in the dough!"

Maybe putting a couple million towards his defeat isn't too bad an idea?

5. Annoying political posts where someone says something along the lines of how they would use the jackpot to impeach Obama, fund candidates running against Trump, etc.
It is not particularly funny, and you know full well its nonsense. As soon as you win you're going to either invest it carefully and be responsible, or blow it all on cars, houses, and those idiotic hover-boards that don't actually hover. Politicians will probably be the furthest thing from your mind...at least until they start coming to you asking for donations.

Wait, I need to spell it in all CAPS? Huh?

6. People struggling to figure out if it is, "Powerball," "PowerBall," or, "Power Ball."

I know you're trying, and considering that, "Mega Millions," is two words it makes sense you might be a little confused. I won't actually mock this.

It's gonna be an interesting handful of days!

I Read the Hilariously Bad Loot Crate/Street Fighter Cross-Over Comic

That was Atrocious

I just read a comic that was just terrible. It felt like an equal mixture of vanity project, failed cross-over promotion, and a bunch of in-jokes that nobody will get besides the people who asked for the vanity project. I am of course referring to, "Street Fighter: Hyper Looting," which involves the fictional characters from the, "Street Fighter," games meeting the real-life staff of Loot Crate. Seriously, it came in the November 2015 crate I previously reviewed the general contents of.

Look, I don't mind something that is incredibly silly or absurd. If the plot of the comic wants to be that a villain is trying to smuggle a dangerous weapon through Loot Crate, then fine, that's the story--no matter how stupid-sounding it is. If, however, you're going to have a silly plot, it at least needs to make sense within its own logic. The problem with this comic is that it establishes its own dumb plot but then does little-to-nothing with it. 

The comic reads more as an excuse to have the staff of Loot Crate appear in a comic they commissioned for their own entertainment than it does a piece of actual, you know, entertainment for everyone else. The heroes show-up, ask the Loot Crate people to find this dangerous box, and then the comic proceeds to have the main character call everyone else from the, "Street Fighter," Universe for...reasons...at which point the art style shifts dramatically from scene-to-scene in a way that is incredibly jarring. Then they find the box after the staff digs around whilst everyone fights, someone snatches the box, makes some vague statements about big threats to the world, and leaves. The end. The most notable thing in the comic is one fighter smashes her butt into another fighter's face after he asks her for a kiss. Yes, that actually happens.

If you're going to have something as stupid as this you need to actually make it interesting. This is just a comic that has employees of Loot Crate pop-up, throws in a bunch of Street Fighter characters while saying, "Hey, look at all these people you love playing as!" and then ends after it has shown every character from the games. The dull story and unimpressive artwork have me thinking Loot Crate should just stick to providing variant covers for popular comics as opposed to trying to make original ones.

1 out of 5 stars (at least the butt-attack joke woke me up from the rest of the stupidity).

The Surreal Juxtaposition of Sexuality and Religion on, "Church," by BJ the Chicago Kid (Featuring Chance the Rapper and Buddy)

Amazing Grace

I've recovering from my absurd amount of posts I did at the end of 2015 and feel like kicking this year off with some musings about music. So then, suppose I told you there was a rap song that came out a bit ago which is definitely not gospel rap as it is pretty raunchy, but does an impressive job of introducing religious elements, sexual desire, and somehow makes the fact it is both dirty and religion-minded work? Yeah, that sounds like an oddly fascinating song, and, "Oddly fascinating," is a great way to describe the tune, "Church," by BJ the Chicago Kid, featuring Chance the Rapper and Buddy.

But I Got Church in the Morning

The song opens, "She say she wanna drink do drugs and have sex tonight," which sounds like the first verse of countless rap joints, but then it follows-up with, "But I got church in the morning," and suddenly a whole new fascinating element has been added to this song. BJ the Chicago kid has introduced to us this concept of the seductive woman who is eager to have sex and misbehave, but adds the element of how he, our protagonist, is tempted to get wild, but knows he would be far too messed-up to then go to church in the morning. BJ is basically asking how he can give-in to this ostensibly preferred world of sex, drugs, and alcohol, yet still balance that with the fact he wants to feel like a good person--something he achieves through attending church.

We all of course have lives full of temptations and urges that could interrupt our desire to also be a fulfilled person. It doesn't have to be, "Church in the morning," that keeps us from being irresponsible. It could be that we want to drink and be wild, but have work the next day, or a friend's child we need to babysit, the list goes on. BJ strikes a nerve with this song however, as so much mainstream rap is about sex, drugs, and drinking, and he's discussing how all that looks great, but hey, he has church the next morning--and then adds one more interesting idea with the, "Sinful woman," at the end too (more on that shortly).

Don't Wanna Be Saved

BJ spreads his arm into a cross-like position and proceeds to fall backwards,
appearing in a pose not unlike individuals falling backwards into water to be baptized and, "Saved."

The lyrics vary between BJ talking about how any other day he probably might have, "Took that cake," and using cleverly dirty metaphors, "Walls like Jericho, pussy like here you go," with the walls being the bible story about the how Canaanites had their defensive walls broken down by the Israelite army, and BJ is essentially saying the woman has let down her, "Walls," and is eager to engage in sex. The jam also has Chance the Rapper stating that, "Hopefully we can go to Heaven/I pray/Hopefully we can go to Heaven/cause' I'm staying," making it clear that while BJ may be struggling with what to do, Chance the Rapper is more in the mindset of getting messed-up and having sexual relations.

The music video for the song continues this theme, with its mixture of our song's artists being, "confronted," as it were with a scantily-clad and sexy woman who clearly is eager to have sex, with this followed by imagery of church, people singing, and a preacher sweating whilst exclaiming his sermon. We vary between these images, until at the conclusion of the song we see everyone in church--as well as the thought-to-be-scandalous woman arriving decked-out in a beautiful sun-dress, illustrating that even the stereotypical idea of the woman being the temptress and the man being the wholesome God-fearing individual doesn't always stand, because after all, even if she had some drinks, did drugs, and then had sex, she's here in church now too, so who the Hell are you to judge?

The supposedly, "Sinful," woman arrives to church.

When it comes to the overall message of the song I would say it is one of confusion. BJ is unsure if he wants to give in to his urge to be reckless, do things he thinks will make him too tired or hung-over to attend church the next day. The song leaves it a bit unclear what he decides, however the video shows he did indeed end-up at church, but, so too did the woman he thought was tempting him to misbehave in a way not unlike a metaphor of Eve tempting Adam with the apple (booze, drugs, and sex being the stand-in here). While the song perhaps comes-off as a bit patriarchal in its showing of the woman as being the, "Wrong," one who wants to be bad, the video actually turns all this on its head with her showing up to church, arguably making her stronger than the man in that she can do drink, do drugs, and have sex, but still summon the strength to go to church/work/etc. in the morning.

It's a fascinating song and video, with the mixture of religion, sexuality, and its taking of the regressive idea of the woman as a sinful creature who needs her chastity protected by the wise man and flipping that at the end (at least in the video, it could be argued the song by itself portrays the sung-about woman in a more derogatory way as a solely sexual creature). Yes, this is a rare case where the music-video actually adds to the song and introduces some interesting things to mull over about the meaning of what is sung about and shown. The music and imagery all combine to form an incredibly interesting piece of media that as you can see from my article clearly sparked a lot of thought in me, and may very well in you too.