I've Got Another Article Up, "Cinemaways," For Ya'll to Read

I told/warned everyone I had more stuff coming on the Cinemaways website I contributed my first piece to recently. Well, just yesterday my article was published discussing, "10 Movies so Bad They're Actually Great." I loved writing it because it gave me the opportunity to talk about, "Showgirls," and any day where you get to discuss the beautiful train-wreck that is, "Showgirls," is a day well spent. I will keep you all of course informed of anything else I write for Cinemaways or any other website because it gives me an excuse to promote myself and hopefully find even more people who want to pay me for my ravings.

"Subnautica," Early Impressions

The game, "Subnautica," was in early access on the PC for quite some time, then came to Xbox One as well. I honestly did not realize it had been released for the PlayStation 4 until I saw it the other day as a title available to check-out from my awesome Saint Louis County Library system. As I have a PS4, I borrowed a copy and have been playing it. There are elements I love and ones that I'm just tired of, honestly. You see, "Subnautica," dumps you in a big ocean-planet and then with little guidance encourages you to figure stuff out. This is cool and fosters exploration. It also makes you constantly gather materials and focus on keeping yourself fed--this is less optimal for me.

I love exploring in games and, "Subnautica," is full of stuff to explore. Sadly, to do much exploring you have to slowly, "Grind." Yep, this is one of those games where you start with almost no supplies and have to build-up much of anything to get to the, "Good stuff," of not always being at risk from dying of starvation, dehydration, or lack of oxygen. I love exploration, but having to constantly be upgrading my oxygen tank to be able to do much of any exploring gets old. I know as I advance in the game and start building-up a big base a lot more possibilities open-up, but I honestly would rather be able to just simply explore in a game as opposed to always monitoring vital signs or gathering stuff to make devices so I can actually look around underwater for an extended period of time.

I appreciate the game does have a mode that removes worrying about staying fed or hydrated as well as a version to just build-stuff as well. That said, a main game mode that lets me explore and build without worrying about if I have enough copper ore would be nice. If a game that sounds like it is pure exploration--"The Outer Wilds," ever comes to PS4 that sounds like a dream title for me. For now, however, I guess I'll have to pick at limestone for ores so that I can get to the good stuff in, "Subnautica." That is, if I don't get bored of the grind and quit first.

I Contributed a Piece to, "Cinemaways," and Have More Coming!

I of course love television and movies--good or terrible--and had the pleasure of writing a piece for the website Cinemaways. This first published piece by me is a, "Bite-sized," review of, "The Boys," on Amazon's Prime streaming service. I have other works on the way there too and will of course always let readers of my blog know so you can enjoy watching as I spread my ramblings throughout the internet!

Some Discussion of a Brief Thought I Had While Reading, "House of X," #1

Jonathan Hickman's big return to writing Marvel comics has begun with, "House of X," #1 which will be coming out every two weeks--"Powers of X," will be released in the alternating-weeks until the two intertwined mini-series finish and a bunch of new X-Men books re-launch in October ("Dawn of X,") using Hickman's groundwork as a foundation. Only a single issue has come out so far of Hickman's grand plan, so I am hesitant to offer any sort of review. I will say one brief thought however that occurred to me whilst reading, "Powers of X." It is as such: "This is the biggest re-imagining of the X-Men I've seen since Grant Morrison did his incredible run with, 'New X-Men,' and that makes me excited." Being able to say something, anything, involving the X-men excites me is a big deal.

The last huge X-Men story/run I can I definitively loved would be when Joss Whedon did, "Astonishing X-Men," which itself drew from Morrison's tenure. I liked, "House of M," as its own weird event, but that was more of a big thing that involved all of the Marvel Universe as opposed to being an X-Men-focused event. In other words, it has been awhile since I read an X-Men comic that I loved, and even longer since I was legitimately excited to see what the X-Men have in store for them. Jonathan Hickman is doing his usual weird thing of big ideas, complex graphs, and people with mysterious motives, and I'm down for it. Considering how dull the X-Men have been for years why not let Hickman just draw from a bunch of assorted stories while ignoring the plots or character deaths he chooses to make a new one about the X-men saying, "Screw it, we're making our own country and culture and going to offer humans incredible resources to leave us the Hell alone on an island," at this point when nothing else has been done with the characters of note for some time? The fact I'm excited about an X-Men comic means something to me, namely that Marvel and Hickman must be doing something right.

Side Note: I would feel bad if I did not mention Kireon Gillen was doing some interesting stuff a few years ago with, "Uncanny X-Men," but that petered-out before I could really get pumped for it.

Make Sure to Attend the Latest STL Comics Micro Con Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, July 29th, from 10AM-4PM there will be the latest Micro Con held by none other than STL Comics! They are always stellar events full of fantastic vendors I enjoy seeing such as Cabal Books, Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles, Trade Up Comics, Wayne Kent Comics, and plenty more! It is only $3 to get in, with free parking, and kids 10 and under are always free. Do note it has a new location, the Manhattan Antique Marketplace located at 10431 Saint Charles Rock Road in Saint Ann, Missouri, 63074. It should be a fun time as Eric Meyer (the head of STL Comics) always puts on a great show!

"Knife Crime," by Simon Hanselmann is Twisted and Excellent

I've written previously about my affection for the works of Simon Hanselmann. He has a big book ("Bad Gateway,") due to be released from publisher Fantagraphics this July 30th, and I'm very excited. Before that book's release however, Hanselmann had another one of his self-published mini-comics come out featuring everyone's favorite terrible people/animals--Megg, Mogg, Werewolf Jones, and Booger (Owl is at work for this issue, it mentions). Titled, "Knife Crime," it is longer-form as opposed to a short-strip, showing Megg and Mogg struggling to get motivated to do anything while the television plays what feels like a never-ending ad for that new, "Trulicity," drug.

As the issue proceeds they get drunk and high at a playground, argue, have group-sex, and otherwise basically just try to stave off the miseries of life with the numbing power of intoxicants and fucking. So yeah, as with a lot of Hanselmann's work it is a mixture of both funny and terribly depressing at the same time. Megg and Moog continue to argue about how doomed their relationship is, and a bit earlier in the book (before the playground-drugs and orgy) is my favorite segment of the book where Megg and Booger get into an argument with Werewolf Jones when he learns they have made their own offshoot band from the group's one, "Horse Mania," titled, "Knife Crime," as per the comic's name. It apparently consists of loops and mumbling about Disney Princesses and Ketamine, or, "Soundcloud Rap," as Moog dismissively describes it.

Hanselmann's art continues to be fantastic, imparting a twisted vibe with the weird assortment of animals, animal-human hybrids, witches, and a boogey monster all just hanging-out and trying not to be miserable. A bit cartoony but still grounded in a harsh and sad realism, Hanselmann is one of the best modern talents working today in comics, and you can take that statement to the bank and cash it in for a hit of whatever Werewolf Jones is smoking today. I can't wait for, "Bad Gateway," but this was a great read to get me extra-hyped.
5 out of 5 stars.

Sarah's Cake Shop Was Delicious!

I often enjoy going to the comic shop Dark Side Comics and Games, and in the same plaza it is found within there is a bakery, Sarah's Cake Shop. It is worth visiting as it is delicious! They have another location in Eureka, Missouri which I have not yet been to that also serves full-on food, but the bakery store in Chesterfield is fantastic. Found at 10 Clarkson Wilson Centre, Chesterfield, MO 63017, everyone there is always really nice when you stop-in.

My son especially loves the huge cookies and the red velvet cupcakes, myself. My wife loves the cupcakes too, agreeing they, "Have a lot of bounce," when bitten-into (nothing is worse than a dry cupcake). If you ever are in that plaza I'd for sure recommend getting some comics at Dark Side and some sweet treats at Sarah's!

Note: No one asked me to write this piece and it is not an advertisement, I just wanted to share my glowing thoughts about Sarah's Cake Shop. They are not aware I have a blog or anything. I will let them know I said kind things, of course, but this is purely an editorial piece by me, a man who loves sweets (and tries to not eat too many, but yeah).

Summarizing the Stuff at CCI/SDCC I Found Interesting

Come and Gone

Comic-Con International AKA San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone, leaving in its wake a bunch of exclusive stuff being sold at a big markup (people love those Lego mini-figs) and an assortment of announcements to mull over. A lot clearly happened, and I found some of it interesting. Here, in handy bullet-point form, is some stuff I thought was neat:

• To start with some of the biggest news, Marvel made some of the stuff everyone already knew about (a, "Black Widow," movie) official and utterly surprised everyone with other things such as a new, "Blade," flick (I reported it first). I will admit I'm getting a bit tired of the constant deluge of big-time MCU films (I like the quirkier ones) and soon Disney+ shows, but my interest is piqued for a new, "Blade," and hearing that Jeffrey Wright is going to be doing the voice of The Watcher for an animated, "What-If?" show sounds pretty rad. Also, Natalie Portman is back in the MCU and will assume the role of Thor. That's pretty boss.

• My mentioning of Jeffrey Wright also reminds me that HBO was at the con, showing off more of the upcoming third season of, "Westworld," which is of course a show I love despite its tics, and they also revealed more about that new take on, "Watchmen," which looks weirdly interesting.

• Image has a new series, "Undiscovered Country," on the way that sounds interesting with its discussion of a United States that walls itself off from the World for decades due to a pandemic.

• Jonathan Hickman and friends revealed a whole new X-Men line including his, "Dawn of X," book featuring mutants in space. It is Hickman, so I'm gonna read it.

• Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes are back for a spoof of Jay and Silent Bob having a, "Reboot." Depending on how you feel about Smith's movies your mileage may vary.

• Harley Quinn is going to have her own animated, quite explicit comedy show. Depending on your feelings about Adult Swim Network-esque humor and Harley Quinn, (again) your mileage may vary.

• Tom King will be making another one of his usually-great maxi-series, this time about Adam Strange. His work is either amazing or terrible, but I think this sounds pretty solid.

• The Russo Brothers (the directors of recent, "Avengers," movies) are going to be making adaptations of previously minimally-known but now soon-to-be-popular properties, "Grimjack," and, "Battle of the Planets."

It was clearly a big show, and lots more happened, but that was all the stuff that immediately comes to my mind as having an opinion about. Now the city of San Diego has a whole year to clean-up the mess left behind before doing it all again.

I Reported it Before Anyone Else AKA "Blade," is Getting Rebooted!

Remember a little over a year ago when I said I had some resources at comic-cons who told me various bits of scuttlebutt, some which seemed more plausible than others? One of these anonymous sources insisted to me that Disney/Marvel had plans to reboot, of all things, the character, "Blade," now that the rights had reverted. I thought it sounded a little far-fetched, but then at the most recent Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con during its big panel Marvel revealed that none other than, "Blade," would be a part of their upcoming phase 4 of movies, with the talented Mahershala Ali as the titular hero.

As far as i know I was the first person to ever report this was happening. Perhaps because I am a smaller website nobody at Disney or Marvel took note of my discussion of a, "Blade," reboot being leaked to me way back in February of 2018, but there it is. I am both pleased there will be a new, "Blade," movie and also ecstatic people tell me stuff to then report. If anyone else wants to leak me juicy info I'm always open to reporting it and shan't tell anyone you spilled the beans to me, just to throw that invite out there!

A Tale of Two Jesuses AKA Some Newer Comics Critically Examined Christianity

Comics and Christ

Two comics have come out relatively recently that feature an interpretation of Jesus. One of these comics is satirical and has the literal Jesus, another is more of a crime-thriller and features a person declaring himself, "The Christ," and performing miracles of sorts. They are both pretty good comics with pros and cons and each are published by smaller publishers who don't mind the possible controversy of touching upon religion. The books are, "Second Coming," from Ahoy Comics and, "Crucified," by SCOUT Comics.

Second Coming

"Second Coming," of course has gotten a good chunk more press, having started its life solicited as a part of a revamped (and now axed) Vertigo-line. DC got nervous when some arch-Conservatives whined about a book that dares question modern-dare Christians and how badly some interpret Jesus' gospel, so they gave the creators (Mark Russell, Richard Pace) the right to go to another publisher. Ahoy comics realized they didn't hate money (lots of press generally = sales) so they gladly let the creator-owned book come join the company. The first issue came out, and it is pretty solid. The general idea is that God is annoyed with how peaceful and laid-back Jesus is, wanting his son to instead dole-out some Old Testament-fashioned Justice to the dwellers of Earth. God notices a popular super-hero who is quite rough-and-tough, Sunstar, and asks him to take Jesus under his wing.

It is a wild concept and the book immediately does a good job showing how even if Sunstar is strong and powerful he isn't some hateful dunce (a sweet scene with he and his wife discussing wanting a child gives him a lot of humanity) and Jesus right away finds himself confused by this Earth he's returned to using the symbol of his death, a cross, as a representation of the religion that is supposed to follow his teachings. There is a lot of ground to cover in the first issue, but it does a solid job and nobody comes across as a caricature.

I would not say the book is anti-Christian at all as some people who didn't even read it claimed, it just is unafraid to take Christians to task for actually practicing what they preach. If any character is called-out, it is God himself for his treatment of humanity, growing enraged when it doesn't do exactly as he demands yet giving people free-will. Some of the jokes do fall a bit flat and I'm curious how the overall plot develops as we proceed, but it's a solid start.

Crucified

"Crucified," is published by another indie-company I adore, SCOUT Comics, and is as tonally different from, "Second Coming," as could be possible. Done by writer Sheldon Allen and artist Armin Ozdic, it focuses on Los Angeles where a year previously from the book's timeline a huge race-riot had erupted between the Black and Latino population. Mayhem raged for two weeks and when it looked like the more affluent regions populated by White folk (Hollywood, and such) were at risk then the Mayor did a last-ditch effort. He reached-out to a popular speaker whom had been amassing followers thanks to his preaching and apparent ability to heal others known only as, "The Christ." The Christ marched to City Hall, simply said, "Enough," and then the riots just...stopped. Now a year later everyone is reeling from the implications of all this and trying to figure this The Christ guy out. It is a really good hook, but the book gets a little overstuffed with a ton of subplots.

In terms of story-lines fighting for space, we have The Christ's head of security who seems to be a bit crooked, an assassin hired to kill The Christ by people concerned he will bring too much stability and ruin businesses that thrive on mayhem, a reporter trying to get an interview with The Christ, and some other stuff that results in a very busy book that I feel could've benefited from maybe a double-sized debut issue just to really get stuff fleshed-out. Then again, the fact I was so eager to read more is a good thing as well, because the book is great.

"Crucified," is a bit less about religion as it is more-so about race, politics, and how money can get people to do terrible things. The power of belief clearly plays a role, but with so many plots and subplots happening in the book one character I really would've liked to learn more about, The Christ, is still quite a mystery. I'm curious how all this stories will come together as the book proceeds I am without a doubt eager to see where this goes.

Why Critically Examine Christianity?

One could ask, "Why bother?" of these comics that engage with Christianity and Jesus from a critical standpoint. After all, those who are super-Conservative and refuse to have any of their beliefs questioned won't read one of these comics, and those who are open to critical discussion will find these books are essentially, "Preaching to the choir." That said, there are plenty of people who may be a little religious (within Christianity or another religion) and find it interesting to see the subject of Jesus and his teachings looked at from a modern-day lens.

Whether it is more satirical with, "Second Coming," where Jesus finds himself upset at how humanity now practices his gospel or, "Crucified," with its intricate look at the way we might respond to a potential second-coming and all the socio-cultural complexities that might bring, both books are very well-done in their examination of Christianity, and it helps they are good reads in general too!

50 Years Ago Today We Landed on the Moon for the First Time

50 years ago today, at this moment, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were on the moon in their lander. At 9:17 PM my time (Central) that half-century ago Mr. Armstrong will have stepped out onto the lunar surface. It is an awe-inspiring thought that we as humans were able to point our rockets up off of Earth to reach the Moon instead of pointing them at other countries, if ever-so-briefly. My Grandfather, Raymond Burton, worked for NASA those years ago when we went to the moon and always had stellar stories about it and everything else. I miss him a lot, but all this reminiscing about when we went to the Moon would make him smile.

Mini-Run Review: Floppy Cop #1-#3

I've been reading some of the quality books from Source Point Press off-and-on for some time now, they have put out a number of quality reads with, "Achilles Inc." being one recent release I enjoyed. Another I wanted to spotlight with a mini-run review thanks to it being just plain clever and hilarious is, "Floppy Cop." Written by Dan Dougherty and illustrated by Seth Damoose, it follows an assortment of zany police officers (including one who seems to lack certain bones and just flops around) as they try to solve a series of crimes linked by mysterious crossword puzzles.

It can be really hard to be funny in comparison to being dramatic, sad, or shocking. I struggle to think of too many comic-books that have made me laugh out loud, but "Floppy Cop," succeeded in doing so multiple times. Whether it was the discussion of dirty crossword clues, or one officer attacked by the mysterious crossword criminal having a coma-dream about pretzels in soap-opera situations. Yes, I was cracking-up a lot. I attribute my laughter to Dougherty's expert writing and Damoose's stellar illustrations. Damoose draws everything in a manner that is realistic but makes the odd moments stand-out even more--e.g. Floppy Cop and his surreal body.

These three initial issues of, "Floppy Cop," were a treat to read. With the wonderful art, fun plot, and hilarious jokes I can't wait for more issues to come-out. I eagerly rate these first three issues 5 out of 5 stars.

Let Me Get This Straight: NOW A Bunch of People are Worried About Russia and Their Privacy?

Let me get this straight: A bunch of American citizen had zero cares about the idea Russian tech-experts were manipulating Facebook and other social media in an effort to influence the 2016 Presidential Election, but now suddenly are up-in-arms because pictures of them looking extra-young or extra-old might be in the hands of--you guessed it--Russia? That is the saga with this FaceApp that has been getting press. Apparently if the dumpster-fire candidate you want to win (Donald Trump) gets elected and his being in power doesn't negatively affect you because you're White and Christian, who cares if a foreign power interfered? Once these same carefree individuals suddenly find they could be affected by a foreign power (due to it having a whole bunch of personal pictures they consented could be used for anything because they did not read the terms and conditions of the app) however, well that is a travesty. I know tons of people may have downloaded this app who are concerned about privacy and foreign powers interfering in our politics, so I am by no means being sarcastic at them, my scorn is for all the folk who just loved the idea Russia helped get Trump elected but now are terrified.

I guess if Russia put your favored politician in power you don't care about the immigrants in concentration camps, persecution of LGBTQ individuals, or the destruction of a woman's right to choose. If Russia can take your smiling face and theoretically use it on a billboard, in an AI program, or make a deepfake where it looks like you're having raunchy sex with someone else however, suddenly you care about foreign powers with close ties to companies that do a lot of work in social media and social apps. Funny how that works, isn't it? Now a bunch of people suddenly are mad and care about how outside forces can influence our lives because that silly nude selfie they took to see what they would look like as a naked old dude/lady is in the hands of Russians who can do all kinds of terrible things with it. We started running a metaphorical tab when many people shrugged at foreign powers getting into our Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and other social-media apps. Now just one instance has occurred of the check coming due and folk are scoffing at the bill indignantly. They get none of my sympathy.

Yes, these are real.

Those people who wore shirts in public that said they would, "Rather be a Russian than a Democrat," can shut-up and accept it as the chickens come home to roost. Your President and his party isn't going to do anything about this, with Democrats actually expressing concerns about privacy, but Trump staying interestingly mum about a Russian tech company with possible Russian political ties doing all this shady stuff with their FaceApp. In the end, the thing that gets me is how could someone not be suspicious of a program as blandly named as, "FaceApp," considering all the scam/spam apps with equally weirdly-simple names? This is such a mess, as America seems to be daily ever since Trump assumed power.

Television Tuesday: Love Island is Deliciously Chill

There is a new (to America, at least) reality show that has become a fast favorite of Samii and myself. It is called, "Love Island," and it is deliciously chill. Unlike the current mess that is the, "Big Brother," season or a program a bit like, "Love Island," known as, "Bachelor in Paradise," which also sometimes gets way too emotionally heightened, everyone on, "Love Island," basically is just there to hang-out, make-out, work-out, and have some drinks (within reason, the show does not need a scandal like what BiP had). A huge hit in the UK, "Love Island," is all about couples pairing up--it can a bit heteronormative but bisexual and pansexual folk have been on and everyone is really chill about sexual fluidity and not at all homophobic (such as when two straight dudes chilled in a bubble-bath together last night to no rude jokes from anyone else)--then doing little challenges to win...well, there really is not anything to win. People can vote on their favorite couple in the end and that duo gets to split some cash, but otherwise all the contests or such are just for fun and so people can get to know each other. Everyone just relaxes, kisses sometimes, and it is like being on a vacation for an hour when you tune-in with a bunch of relaxed and moderately horny people chatting around you. Again, it is just wonderfully laid-back.

There is no, "Immunity," challenge to avoid getting voted-off, or special powers. It is just guys and gals choosing to spend time together and because there are always more men than woman or vice-versa, someone ends-up getting kicked-out due to the lack of anyone wanting to mack with them. Some reviewers have said the whole thing is a bit, "Boring, but hard to escape," with even critics admitting this is just weirdly watchable. It is a bit of a slow-burn, but Jezebel sees potential in it. Hell, lots of reviewers find themselves not being sure why they like the show, but wanting to keep tuning in--with it on 5 days a week there is plenty of content to enjoy too. Ratings have been lower-but-steady, with CBS usually being okay with less viewers in the Summer on these shows with lower budgets. I hope CBS gives it time as even the smash-hit UK version which is getting higher ratings than ever took some time to develop a following, "Across the pond," from us. Also, Matt Hoffman makes an awesomely snarky announcer so I am always eager to hear his thoughts on the various scenes of kissing and fondling. In the end, "Love Island, "is just really chill and maybe someone will find love at the end for all we know, or at least lots of heavy-petting and possibly even sex-stuff will occur. Either way, my wife and I are happy to just chill nightly on Love Island as long as CBS is willing to keep the show going--seriously, more people need to tune-in because I want more than a single season!
5 out of 5 stars.

News, Links, and General Nonsense for Mid-July

Sweltering and Storming

It's the middle of July and when it isn't raining here in Saint Louis it is hot as Hell. I suggest we try to take our mind off the downpours alternating with heat via some quality news and links.

Stuff to Absorb Into Your Mind

I was so excited for the new season of, "Big Brother," and then we got a cast full of absolutely awful people who are borderline-racists (or outright racists) bullies, and otherwise terrible. It is bad, everyone, really bad.

Speaking of racists who engage in bullying, Donald Trump is at it again, saying women who are members of minorities should, "Go back where they came from," which he can do because as Anne Branigin of The Root observes, "Because He Means It and Because He Knows He Can Win on It."

I'm always a sucker for alternate-Universe comic stories that imagine changes to popular characters or events ("What If," and, "Elseworlds," are my jam). Therefore, this new, "Dark Multiverse," line of comics from DC that introduces depressing results to assorted notable moments in history sounds fun (in a dreary way, at least).

A comic book about porn about that isn't porn but which features sci-fi astronauts having sex with space-aliens and filming it in order to fund their research? It has Tim Seeley as a co-scripter (I love a lot of his work) and is titled, "Money Shot," too? Okay, I'm all-in on this for sure.

Rob Zombie's films can vary widely in quality, and while I was mostly indifferent to, "House of 1000 Corpses," I found, "The Devil's Rejects," to be excellent in its surreal Quentin Tarantino-meets-Tobe Hooper vibe. How good the final movie of the trilogy, "3 From Hell," will be on that spectrum remains to be seen, but at least any scenes with Sid Haig are bound to be good.

As this article makes it clear, be very wary of men who claim to love, "Logic," or only think with logic. They tend to actually be highly emotional and irrational alt-right idiots who refuse to actually listen to reason.

Rock Paper Shotgun has a piece exploring why so many old games are coming back with sequels or remakes, delving into the power of nostalgia, something I've often talked about here on the blog too.

I'm a fan of Trevor Von Eeden's artwork and enjoy being friends with him on Facebook where he often muses on everything from the process of creating comics, to politics and everything else. This interview he did with The Comics Journal is a good read.

Lastly, Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con is this week, so there will be lots of news, exclusive goodies for sale, and general increased buzz in the realm of popular-culture. If anyone is going there do please have a fun (and safe) time!

Stay Cool/Dry and Motivated

As the rest of July wears on I encourage everyone to try and stay cool as well as dry between the heat-waves and rainstorms. Also, remember that no matter what the World throws at you just remember you've come this far in life already, so you've got the rest of this month, year, and general upcoming future!

July 2019's Toyman Show was Stellar Fun!

Today was another edition of one show I always enjoy attending--Toyman! Being held 8 times this year, it is always a pleasure to attend thanks to how much stellar stuff there is (and how well organized the all the vendors, artists, and so forth are). With a wide range of people selling almost any kind of toy you can think of (new or old) to many comic-vendors, and a lot of cool artists and creators, I always have a wonderful time and find cool stuff I want to take home. I'll talk about some of the rad items I acquired at today's show and stellar people I met now!

One of the first vendors I really enjoyed chatting with were the guys from Alliance Comics, Toys, and Games. They just opened this June in O'Fallon Illinois. I had the pleasure of trading some of my stuff for a fun trio of Silver Age comics. My favorite is that wild cover for, "The Flash," that I've seen before and always wanted to own! Another great vendor was Each Sold Separately who had all sorts of awesome toys and collectibles. Paul Spangenberg of Nightcire Toys & Crafts was really fun to speak with as well, he had an assortment of fun wooden projects and toys that were very neat and very reasonably priced. I also saw my good friend Eric of STL Comics (who has an awesome Micro Con coming up July 28th) and my chum Spike of Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles.

I continued to do some more shopping and while I wasn't looking for a Batmobile, this die-cast toy just looked too appealing to pass-up! After I bought that I spoke with some authors of assorted cool books upstairs. I met Star Huddleston who is the writer and illustrator of the book, "What Am I?" about a real-life unique animal I won't spoil the species of, but which was fascinating to learn about. I next spoke with Dee Livers who paints beautiful watercolor creations and writes as well as illustrates an assortment of great children's books. Lastly, I met author and professional model Leigh Savage who was selling an assortment of spicy and exciting erotica books. The special guest at the show was Jeremy Miller of, "Growing Pains," fame and providing the voice of Linus in classic, "Charlie Brown," cartoons. He was super-nice and a joy to chat with as well. I'm just scratching the surface of the 140+ vendors and creators, but clearly a wide range of great products and talent was present!

Today's Toyman Show was wonderful fun. I am already pumped for the next one this August 4th and know that the founder and showrunner, Chris McQuillen will ensure yet another show is had!

Yet Another Streaming Service? Really?

Hey you, remember when the idea with Cable was that you could pay one flat fee and get a whole lot of content? Remember how eventually it got broken-up into various tiers of content, followed by other, "Premium," channels and then stuff got so fragmented it pissed everyone off? I remember.

Oh, hey you, yeah you again. Remember how when the idea of streaming shows kicked-off it was just one or two streaming services that allowed you to get all the content you want in basically a single place, much like cable was early-on? Yeah? I imagine you notice now how with all these different individual streaming-services that carry different fees and have differing content it kind of feels like the pain of when cable got so fragmented, doesn't it? It is annoying as Hell to think you need to get on one app for their exclusive program and then switch-over to another for reruns of a show you love, and yet another for some other damn show and now you're paying more than you ever did for cable just to get the handful of programs you like. Well, I have news. No, it is not good news, it is just news. We're getting another streaming service!

Say hello to HBO MAX and then after, "Hello," feel free to go, "Hell No." Now you'll be able to enjoy/despair over a bunch of content owned by Warner Brothers being exclusive to yet another streaming-service you have to shell-out dough for. You can now pay to access certain shows from the CW that won't be coming to other streaming services that used to carry the shows, like that upcoming, "Batwoman," program. There will be exclusive content too you'll have to get this service for, and Netflix is going to lose the rights to, "Friends," so if you ever want to be able to (legally) stream that again get ready to buy HBO MAX because could you be anymore tired of this shit? Oh, and there is HBO too, obviously, so who knows how that affects the standalone HBO-streaming service.

Yes, this is truly a brave new world we are entering. We'll be able to enjoy watching, "Orange is the New Black," on Netflix, then switch to Hulu for some of, "The Handmaid's Tale," followed by activating our Disney+ to watch a classic Disney cartoon, then we'll start streaming HBO MAX to catch-up on, "Westworld," before we turn-on Amazon Prime's service for some, "Good Omens," and then our smart-device explodes in our hands from the sheer stress of all these damn services existing with me having not even named all the most notable ones (CBS All Access, YouTube Red, countless more niche services)!

At this point it might actually just be cheaper to have Cable with a DVR and to pirate your favorite streaming shows (I don't endorse this at all, I'm just observing the costs). Hell, it might even make more sense to just buy a DVD collection of a one of those streaming-shows whenever they sometimes come out as paradoxical as it sounds for some folk to be buying DVDs nowadays. I'm sorry if I sound snippy, but I feel like this whole war of streaming services is turning into a huge mess where the biggest victim is the consumer.

Just a Reminder For Everyone Who Has Forgotten: The Punisher is a Villain

It astounds me this needs to be said, but Frank Castle AKA the Punisher is not someone to admire or look-up to. He is a villain who represents someone so traumatized by terrible event (the death of his family in mob cross-fire) he takes it upon himself to wage his own one-man war on crime, justifying his murdering of countless people as him only killing, "Those who deserve it." The Punisher is what happens when a human being no longer has any compassion, heart, or remorse, only rage and the training (thanks to his military experience) to manifest his murderous intentions effectively. The Punisher is symbolic of someone who no longer believes in the rule of law outside of his own narrow definition of who is innocent and who is guilty and needs to be killed. He is an interesting character to read about or see play-off of other people in comics, but he is not a good person. He maybe is not some straight-up bad-guy like the Green Goblin or Sebastian Shaw (two random examples), but he is no hero. Okay?

Why am I going on about this? Two reasons. First off, there is an unfortunate trend of those who serve in the military adopting the Punisher logo (a uniquely-designed skull) as a signal of pride because Frank Castle was in the military as well(generally he is written as having been a Marine). His being in the military is maybe one of the few admirable things about the Punisher, but that was long before he became the terrible monster he has been written as in the comics. Also, his logo is now popping-up among police organizations. The idea of police officers wanting to co-opt the signal is atrocious, with my own region of Saint Louis having become a topic of discussion due to Facebook groups of police officers having it leak that these groups were full of racist imagery, hate speech, and the Punisher's logo. In a misguided attempt to back their fellow officers some Police unions have encouraged their members to post a bunch of Punisher-imagery too, which seems to completely miss the point about how the police should not be protecting their worst officers who bring a bad name to the law, but instead should work to expose the rotten elements so as to have accountability and make people less terrified of cops--but I digress.

You've really missed the point if this is a logo you support.

I applaud the St. Louis Police Commissioner, Colonel John W. Hayden Jr. for this statements against this idea of police unions posting Punisher-imagery, with him releasing a statement that quotes one of the Punisher's own creators--Gerry Conway--as saying if anything the Punisher represents a lack of law and order. Anyone who knows even the slightest bit about the Punisher is aware he is a violent vigilante who interprets right-and-wrong to his own benefit. He is not a good man and the idea of law enforcement officers wanting to emulate him or his views is frankly terrifying. If police unions desire to express their support for fellow officers there are much better ways to do it than using the Punisher's skull as some sort of strange endorsement of the worst opinions people hold of police--that they take the law into their own hands and can't be trusted. There are countless members of the police who are good people and do care about equality and, "Justice for all," so it is just saddening to see a significant chunk make things looks so sketchy, because again, the Punisher is a bad guy (as I keep saying in this point to drill it in). Let's use some common sense, people. Please?

A Piece of News that Brought Me Joy and One That Resulted in a Mildly-Interested Shrug

What's In the News?

Today two announcements were made and one has me pretty excited and the other elicited a shrug. Shall we break them down?

Joy: Jeff Lemire Writing a, "The Question," Mini-Series

I have discussed on the blog before my immense love for certain iterations of, "The Question," especially the one written by Denny O'Neil with art often by Denys Cowans and Bill Seinkewicz. Well, today it was announced none other than the fantastic writer Jeff Lemire will be doing a project for DC's Black Label (it lived while Vertigo sadly died) about good ol' Vic Sage with art actually also being done by Cowans and Seinkewicz! This is fantastic news and a wonderful break from how the Black Label so far seems to be about 90% books involving Batman, Harley Quinn, or the Joker. Oh, and as if to prove that point Lemire is also doing another Black Label book with Andrea Sorrentino about...the Joker. It'll at least look gorgeous with Sorrentino doing art at least.

Zack Snyder is Making an Animated Show About Vikings for Netflix

When Zack Snyder isn't busy refusing to stop talking about his plans for, "Justice League," movies that now are just fever-dreams of fans (I could go the rest of my life without hearing about the so-called demand for a, "Snyder Cut," thank you) or threatening to make a movie out of one of Ayn Rand's books he now apparently has a new project. Tired of being told to, "Put up or shut-up," by everyone it seems Snyder will be making an animated show about Vikings for Netflix in the vein of popular, "Anime," series even though I don't understand how it can call itself anime if only American companies or folk are involved. As this is Zack Snyder we're talking about I'm sure the show will be incredibly grim, gritty, and possibly entertaining in spurts when it is able to get over itself and Snyder's worst impulses (I mean, I actually liked, "Batman VS Superman," after all).

There Was the News

I'm pumped for Lemire's take on, "The Question," and vaguely interested in what Zack Snyder has in store with his interpretation of Viking lore. That was the notable news for me today, at least, and I wanted to share my thoughts!

Tom Scioli Doing a, "Fantastic Four," Comic? Yes Please!

Well, Marvel found a way to make me read a, "Fantastic Four," comic willingly again. Seriously, I don't think I've been excited to read a book specifically focused on the team such Jonathan Hickman's run started back in--lemme check my notes here--2009? God, it has been awhile (of course the book was canceled for a good deal of time too). I don't know why there are so few, "Fantastic Four," runs I like, but that just seems to be the case--I've always liked Doctor Doom though. Anyways, Tom Scioli, whom I have often sung the praises of, is going to be doing one of those, "Grand Design," mini-series where a whole bunch of Marvel history is summed-up. Ed Piskor did it with the X-Men recently and now Scioli is going to give us two big honking issues of his take on the Fantastic Four.

This has me ecstatic as Scioli  of course is amazing in the fact he basically he does everything with his comics. He writes them, illustrates them, colors them, letters them, and I suspect he may very well be down at the printing-press stapling his books too for good measure. I may not have too many, "Fantastic Four," story-lines I am a big fan of, but I know without a doubt I'll enjoy seeing Scioli's take on the team's legacy. Yeah, I'm pretty pumped for this.

Television Tuesday: My One Thought on "The Bachelorette," This Season

"The Bachelorette," has been on and I've barely watched it as I will admit to not being a huge fan of Hannah B. I don't hate her, but I also lack much of any enthusiasm in watching her as the lead on a season of a "Bachelor"/"Bachelorette" program. That said I do have one thought on the season: I am surprised they found someone even more unlikable than Colton so fast in the form of Jed Wyatt.

Yes, I have often discussed how much I did not care for Colton (just look at many of my posts on the show) due to how outright bland and aggressively dull he is. That season of, "The Bachelor," that led to Hannah's current gig featured him basically shrugging-off at the end some women who were very interested in him for Cassie, who started-out the show seeming sweet but by the end was so wishy-washy about whether she liked Colton or not it infuriated everybody watching. That's nothing compared to Jed Wyatt though, a man who apparently told his girlfriend he was doing, "The Bachelorette," simply to get famous, had sex with her the day before he came on the show, and then supposedly fell in love with Hannah and if leaks are to believed, he was her final choice.

Jed Wyatt, keeping things sleazy.

Oh, Jed also apparently cheated on Hannah with a yet another woman in this mix and at this point his rumored engagement to Hannah has been broken-off by her and she's just outright left him. Again, it is all hearsay until the show actually broadcasts its conclusion (everyone on the show has signed NDAs and has to stay mum about the juiciest details for now), but if any of this is true, just damn. With all this happening my one thought continues to be how I'm just amazed it only took a season for someone truly disgusting to get everyone's hate after just how miserable a person Colton was--although to his credit he was never a cheater and liar, just as exciting a watching paint dry. At this point the zany laid-back fun of, "Bachelor in Paradise," can't get here soon enough.

I Flipped Through, "Secret Empire," and Only Like Two Things About It

I previously did a, "Tale From the Dollar Bin," discussing an issue of, "Secret Empire," and how terrible I thought it was. Curiosity had me wondering if reading a collection of the whole event might help change my mind even a little, so I checked a copy out from my awesome local library and proceeded to kind-of read it and kind-of aimlessly flip through the book when I found it too atrocious to pay my full attention. There are only two thing I think I like about, "Secret Empire." Let's discuss.

1. It has an utterly insane scene with Hank Pym/Ultron hosting a Thanksgiving-styled dinner to a bunch of trapped Avengers.
Some years ago there was that weird thing where Hank Pym and Ultron merged into a single person (it was called, "Rage of Ultron," and it is pretty forgettable) which then was mostly promptly forgotten about except for his popping-up now and then. In the 4th issue of, "Secret Empire," he entraps both the Nazified Steve Rogers and a bunch of Avengers fighting against him (a robotic Tony Stark who I think was still in a coma from, "Civil War II," and other folk) in a replica of the Avengers mansion and proceeds to cheerily serve them a Thanksgiving-esque dinner.

He proceeds to go on a variety of angry rants about feeling unappreciated before having sudden mood-swings and being happy again. It is just completely bonkers enough that in this terrible event full of awful decisions it is deliciously absurd and actually kinda works. I mean, we've already got a Nazi Captain America and a hologram Tony Stark who apparently is running off of a program that simulates him being drunk, so why not throw-in Pymtron (as the internet calls him) and just have shit get even more crazy? If, "Secret Empire," is a mess, at least this dinner is a delightful moment of embracing the sheer chaos.

2. Elements of it are drawn-upon in Ta-Nehisi Coates current stellar run on, "Captain America."
When Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote the newest re-launch of, "Captain America," he could have tried to completely ignore the mess that was, "Secret Empire," but instead he leaned-into certain aspects. Coates introduced us to an America that felt confused and betrayed by the idea that someone who looked just like Steve Rogers spouted hate. Coates played-up the fact that a lot of people would wonder if the Captain America who was supposedly back and beat the evil one was a good-guy. With that concept Coates has been doing a stellar job on the book creating a complex mystery full of conspiracy and deceit.

In a world where even the symbol of all that is supposedly good--Captain America--could be used for evil who can the people of America trust? Coates has dived deep into this concept and the way he has taken a God-awful event and seen the potential in it to create a masterful story is as impressive as it is wonderful to read. If we had to go through, "Secret Empire," to get to Coates run on, "Captain America," I guess it was worth it.

"Sobek," by James Stokoe is Amazing--Like all of His Work

James Stokoe is an amazing artist, with an intricate and detailed style that makes simply reading any page he has illustrated a pleasurable process where your eyes absorb pure beauty. I was intrigued when I saw he would have a comic title, "Sobek," within the cool quarterly comic-collection that comes out from, "Shortbox," and was doubly excited when, "Sobek," could be ordered individually as opposed to part of the whole box (handy if you're watching your funds). The comic is both written and illustrated by Stokoe, and is a fantastic read. It is a story about the gigantic Crocodile God, Sobek, and what he gets up to when his worshipers come with news of another God's followers (Set) taking-over a nearby city.

The writing is clever, with Sobek's acolytes speaking to him with great reverence and fear, while meanwhile Sobek is actually a really chill dude. Much of the comic simply follows him making his way to the city where he will confront Set and how the journey involves swimming, snacking, and taking ample naps in the sun. When Sobek finally confronts Set he doesn't even seem angry or annoyed, just tells Set to please leave and then smacks him around until Set takes-off. Meanwhile, everyone around Sobek talks to him with dramatic and appreciative flair, while Sobek just keeps things laid-back.

My main reason for wanting to read the book was of course the artwork (the writing is stellar, but I adore Stokoe's drawing), and it astounds. Sobek is massive and imposing-looking but has a kind and relaxed face that imparts he is a friendly fellow. His journey to confront set shows us an amazing and gorgeous variety of landscapes. The, onnce he and Set do fight it is kinetic and otherwise incredible. Stokoe is a master of the comic-book art-form and, "Sobek," serves as another stupendous example of his exemplary abilities.
5 out of 5 stars.