That Google Gemini Ad for Having it Write a Fan Letter is Awful

I don't like the idea of having AI write a bunch of stuff as a substitute for human creativity. Use it to check your spelling, grammar, and such. Don't use it to write an entire essay, book, or fan letter to an athlete. After all, if you don't care enough to actually write something yourself why should I want to read it? Don't give me the excuse of, "I have an idea for a story but I'm not a good enough writer to do it," because like anything in life it takes practice. I look at some of my blog posts from back in late 2010/2011 and cringe at myself, but I've been out here plugging away at it slowly getting better at creating content folks enjoy reading. I don't use some AI machine to write my thoughts on the latest Marvel flick for me, I actually write my thoughts. Otherwise, they aren't really mine, they're just a bunch of code pretending to be a human. With this in mind, Google and their Gemini AI really stepped in it with a new ad campaign.

The idea of the advertisement is a Father has a daughter who loves running and looks up to Olympic track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. So they use Google AI to generate a letter to the athlete to make sure it is...somehow better than if his kid really wrote it? It is creepy to think we are going to use a computer to simulate the musings of a child wanting to tell an athlete how they look up to them. The whole thing sounds lazy and takes the idea of writing a deeply personal note to someone you look up to before reducing it to a chatbot prompt. It lacks soul, in other words. Nobody likes the ad and Google itself has admitted it is a big misfire. It's dumb and makes zero sense. We should be using AI to do our busywork so that we can focus on creating literature and art, not the other way around. If we utilize AI to, "Create," our entertainment it is just a bland combination of stuff that came before a machine, "Thought," to smash together and make something ostensibly, "New." Google should've considered this before making such a terrible and in some ways terrifying ad. Other folks and I really hate it the more we think about it. The one good thing about this is how viscerally everyone reacted with disgust. That gives me hope.

Panick Entertainment Sounds Like an Interesting New Publisher

I was a fan of, "Heavy Metal," magazine. A weird comic publication geared towards mature readers, it often had lots of wild sci-fi concepts, crazy violence, imaginative concepts, and (often) uncensored illustrated nudity for those after some cheesecake mixed in with everything else. It didn't officially end so much as it just petered out. However, some of the folks who used to be associated with, "Heavy Metal," as well as other companies are launching a new publisher (more on that in a second) and the magazine itself might relaunch over with Frank Forte of Asylum Press--it is unclear if it will be under that company or something else). The new publisher with a fun blend of talent involved is Panick Entertainment.

As Comicsbeat discusses in a post about Panick, "Panick may be new to the scene, but its team is not. The founders are comprised of comics industry vets with years of experience, including CEO Kris Longo (former Heavy Metal publisher and current Modern Fanatic CEO); head of studio and executive director Adam Schlagman (former VP of film and integrated content at DC); COO Doug Pasko (screenwriter and former The Outpost executive producer); CFO Christopher Chiang (former DC manager of finance); and CCO Mark McCann (writer, editor, and illustrator). Syzygy Publishing co-founder and former IDW president and CCO Chris Ryall will serve as chief advisor for branding, world-building, slate development, and more." That's a pretty solid lineup of folks with Chris Ryall having quit the pedigree having worked with IDW and currently doing cool stuff over at Image with Ashely Wood as well. I am intrigued by this Panick Entertainment as I always love weird sci-fi/horror, and can enjoy the occasional dash of gratuitous nudity in comics as someone who appreciates human form. I'll be following news about Panick Entertainment closely.

Music Mondays: So...the Boy is Whose, Exactly?

"The Boy is Mine," is an absolute banger of a song from 1998. It features Brandy and Monica singing a combative duet where they argue about which of them a man loves more. The song has them debating who he really wants to be with and possibly subtly realizing they are both being played. It was a massive hit. Now we are here in 2024 with the song, "The Boy is Mine," by Ariana Grande being popular. It does not sample the original song, but has her singing, "The boy is mine," in reference to her excitement to do intimate things with him. The whole point of the song is different, but it still is a fun lyrical homage. Then it gets even zanier.

You see, "The Boy is Mine," now has a remix where Ariana Grande is joined by none other than Brandy and Monica. It is more a remix of her song than the original, but it slaps too. It isn't an argumentative tune at all, but instead uses the Grande song's focus on being excited to have some sex. It still is a fun mix of new and throwback because all three women are great vocal talents. It is fascinating how songs and our appreciation of them can morph and shift. You've got remixes, covers, homages, and then strange little ditties such as this--a weird mix of paying tribute and being a new thing. Music is a fascinating thing.

Possibly the Wildest News from CCI/SDCC: Robert Downey Jr. is Back in the MCU...as Doctor Doom?

Last night Marvel had a huge panel in the biggest possible room you can book from Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con--Hall H. They talked about a lot of upcoming movies but the biggest news from that panel and possibly all of CCI/SDCC is that we're not getting a Kang movie with the Avengers anymore--we're getting, "Avengers: Doomsday," in 2026 followed by, "Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. The Russo brothers are returning to direct and Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU...as Doctor Doom. Not Iron Man. I am a bit befuddled.

I honestly would have maybe predicted RDJ would come back to the MCU at some point with a good enough offer and story. I never would have predicted he'd somehow be Victon Von Doom. Is it some kind of multiversal variant? A different kind of reality-warping shenanigans? We don't know and probably will have to wait a bit for the exact details, but Robert's back, and he's gonna be a supervillain. I've seen reactions to this vary from excited optimism that Marvel is going back to talent that previously worked well to a bit of trepidation for the exact same reason--Marvel is going back to playing a bit of a nostalgia card for stuff that's not even two whole decades old yet. 

I guess sometimes we invent a reason to bring old stuff back because it worked the first time. After all, remember in the Star Wars flicks when they did the whole, "Somehow, Palpatine returned," gimmick? I've written extensively about the power of nostalgia/"weaponized nostalgia," and how it can give us great new stories that utilize the power of past tales but can also backfire horribly. I guess we need to let Kevin Feige (the well-known mastermind behind much of the MCU), the Russos, and Marvel cook so we can see just what happens.

Go to the Spector Club Comic Show Tomorrow--I'll Be Selling Stuff There Too!

Tomorrow is Sunday, July 28th, 2024. It also is the day of the latest Spector Club Comic Show! I always love attending it and I especially have fun when I set up my own table. Well, I've got enough stuff that I'll be there selling some cool comics! I've got priced stuff, dollar stuff, and more. The vendor spaces are all sold out, so there will be many great folks selling cool comics. I'm excited to be there from 9AM-2PM and hope if you are in the region you will stop by the VFW at 7300 Lansdowne in Shrewsbury, Missouri! If you're able to make it be sure to say hello to me and then buy something from any of the great vendors--including myself!

Film Friday: "Deadpool & Wolverine," is Pure, Uncut Fun

Samii and I were able to see, "Deadpool & Wolverine," this morning while Clarkson was at school and a friend of ours babysat Gibson. We were excited and hopeful we'd have a good time. Well, the flick delivered as it is such a good time!

I won't spoil a bunch of the movie as it just came out, but I will say tons of guest appearances happen and are more than cameos as certain surprise characters play quite a significant role in the movie and are a joy to witness. If you've seen the previews for, "Deadpool & Wolverine," you're aware the general plot involves Deadpool trying to fix his timeline and turning to a version of Wolverine from within the Multiverse for help. This results in a lot of mayhem, some amazing fights, and a great soundtrack with some tunes that match the action perfectly ("Bye, Bye, Bye," from NSYNC is utilized early on in the film perfectly). I'm so glad Hugh Jackman came back as Wolverine and that Ryan Reynolds makes such a good Deadpool!

The jokes come at us quickly but there are some sincere moments to balance everything out, and, "Deadpool & Wolverine," at times comes across as a bit of love a letter to the Fox-Universe of Marvel movies while also gently mocking them at times too. Certain elements from the, "Loki," series play a role too, but again, it isn't mandatory to know much about that to have fun. Oh, and the fun you all have! Between some incredible action, the aforementioned jokes, and a very clever plot, "Deadpool & Wolverine," is bound to be a hit already thanks to its cache, but it also is going to earn that money and plenty of plaudits for being a stellar movie. Get to your newest movie theater as soon as you can and see, 'Deadpool & Wolverine." It is superb!

5 out of 5 stars.

So, I Was Freaking Out That My Left Ear Couldn't Hear Yesterday (Don't Worry, I'm Fine)

This was me yesterday in regards to my left ear.

Now that I've had time to process this, I'll share a story about yesterday. I woke up Wednesday morning and noticed I could not hear from my left ear, basically at all. My right ear was fine but my left ear was muffled to the point that if you snapped your fingers loudly right next to it I would've barely noticed. This obviously freaked me out but the internet was (mostly) reassuring, telling me I probably had impacted ear wax. The internet also said I could have a tumor on a nerve or other terrifying things, but I figured/hoped it was just the ear wax. I made an appointment for the first opening at a local Urgent Care that I could on the internet and was there the moment they opened. It turned out that it was indeed a bunch of impacted ear wax, so that was good.

After discussing how I make a lot of wax and being told it was good I didn't stick a q-tip in there (I've been taught that's always a bad choice), they did a weird irrigation thing with this special water-mixed-with-chemicals blend they blasted into my ear. The wax came out and I could immediately hear which was nice after how strange it was having no sound coming through for a number of hours to my left. My mother has worked in audiology and when I texted her about what happened she said people don't realize how much wax can stop us from hearing. I now have some firsthand experience proving that enough wax getting impacted will block out a shocking amount of sound! For real though, everyone, keep your ears as clean as possible via safe and responsible methods. You don't wanna experience impacted ear wax as it is scary when you don't know why half your hearing suddenly is gone!

Television Tuesday (On a Wednesday): "Big Brother," is Back with Season 26!

I know my, "Television Tuesday," post is late, but I've got a kiddo who just turned a year old  (Gibson) going through an awful sleep regression and a seven-year-old (Clarkson) who ain't the best sleeper either (and he gets upset when his little bro screeches us all awake at 3 AM because he then struggles to doze back off). In other words, my sleep has been iffy and that makes it hard to get a post up sometimes. I still wanted to be sure to talk about how, "Big Brother," is back before tonight's episode, however, because a lot changes day-to-day in this game!

"Big Brother," is a reality competition show that is in its 26th season this year. A bunch of people are locked up in a house with no contact with the outside world (few exceptions aside). Then they compete in challenges until only 2 remain and contestants who got far enough in the game to be in the, "Jury," vote for a winner to get a nice lump sum of cash. The show is a mix of skill in competitions, social strategy, and a dose of trying to simply not go mad from boredom stuck in this house full of cameras and microphones watching your every move for the broadcast show or live internet feeds. It is a fascinating social experiment as some folks do great in isolation and others really crack/get mean/otherwise struggle. It just started last week and is already pretty intense.

Angela is on the bottom-right.

Every season of, "Big Brother," someone comes in and goes hard, too hard. The first week of this show is one where you should do as little as possible to make any waves and let someone act a fool and have the house make them the common enemy. The funny thing is the person doing that this week is the winner of the week's immunity/Head of Household, Angela. She can't be voted out right now, but she is causing so much drama on the feeds and in the episode that will be aired tonight that it reminds me why I love this silly show: It illustrates how we as humans are messy. There is a dumb, "A.I." theme this season where even though it is the humans in production creating twists we pretend it is a poorly rendered lady robot named Ainsley or such. She floats across monitors in the Big Brother house looking like graphics from a PlayStation 1 game, but it is okay as, "Big Brother," always has silly and cheesy elements mixed with the clever stuff.

I am excited that, "Big Brother," is back and will run for about 93 total days. It is bound to be funny at points, sad at others, and packed with chaos. It isn't as physically grueling as some shows or as mentally draining as others, but it is a delightful little monstrosity of reality television. Plus, my friend Tom Nguyen always helps with the production and art we see on the show and it is always fun to see his stuff pop up, so that's fun as well! The season is not even a full seven days old yet, so watch the first few episodes that have aired and buckle-up for a wild ride this Summer/early Fall!

Stephen Platt is Back With a Moon Knight Cover!

Back in the 1990s, we had the pleasure of Stephen Platt creating some awesome Moon Knight comics with stellar covers. He did other comic work as well, but then basically left the field for other jobs. Platt is back to give us a snazzy variant cover for the latest Moon Knight comic, however, creating the snazzy above piece for, "Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu, "#1. The series of Moon Knight comics being done by Jed Mackady and Alessandro Cappuccio have been stellar these past few years and I feel truly spoiled as a Moon Knight fan to have them keep writing Moon Knight comics over various series and now to get Platt doing a variant cover. Moon Knight comics have had ups and downs, but it has been a good time lately.

Joe Biden Drops out of the 2024 Presidential Race With Kamala Harris the Presumptive Democratic Nominee

For the past few weeks, more and more Democrats seemed concerned about if Joe Biden could win the Presidential election this Fall. After a debate that was awful all around, an increasing number of Biden's own allies wanted him to drop out. It really had the feel of when all the children and grandchildren confronted Grandpa about how he needed to give up the car keys and quit driving the nation. Biden insisted he was still perfectly healthy and able to drive, but was hounded enough that everyone convinced him to say he'd quit, "Driving," this January. 

Now, Kamala Harris is the presumed nominee (although at this point who can predict anything) and while I like her I have to say she hasn't really been present much the last 4 years. I mean, Mike Pence was awful but he was usually around doing stuff, have we seen Kamala much, and can she win? This is the weirdest election in my living memory considering we have a man convicted of 34 felonies who denies he even previously lost the last election running on the Republican ticket and now less than six months out from the election the person who thought might be the Democratic nominee has dropped out. In his place, we've got a Vice President who knows how to debate (look at Harris in the past) but if she can win is a big question mark. It looked likely Biden would lose despite how terrible Trump is, so are things going to be better or worse? That's the million-dollar question and there ain't an answer till this November.

Why Are the Nation's Biggest Comic and Card Shows the Same Weekend?

I was looking at the schedule for various conventions and noticed something that stuck me as odd. The biggest comic convention in North America is generally agreed upon as Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con. The biggest card show around is the National Sports Card Convention--which includes lots of non-sport cards too despite the name so it covers a lot of popular culture. In 2024 CCI runs from July 25th-28th with a preview night on the 24th. The NSCC takes place the 24th-28th...also in July. The comic show is in San Diego and the card show is over in Cleaveland, Ohio. How did this happen?

I understand when smaller shows overlap. It isn't a big deal if two smaller comic/card/whatever shows were happening even a state apart, but the massive, famous shows? Why would that happen? Perhaps there isn't a ton of crossover between card collectors and comic-book fans, but there is enough that you'd want to appeal to as many people as possible for a huge convention. This hasn't even been discussed much, although I found a tweet from nine months ago where someone observed the upcoming scheduling conflict. I just hope there is nobody whom absolutely loves both shows and has to struggle to pick one or juggle a bunch of flights to visit both, somehow. I also wish that in the future the biggest shows make more of an effort not to overlap for the sake of everyone attending or writing about the news that comes out of them.

PSA Plans to Expand into Grading Comic-Books

PSA is extremely well known for its grading of sports cards and non-sport trading cards/game cards too. They are arguably the, "Big dog," of card grading although other companies do it too from Beckett to CGC--although CGC is best known for being the top company in comic-book grading. Well, now CGC has some more competition as PSA plans to get into grading comics in early 2025.

CGC has had a number of professional crises in late 2023/early 2024. It didn't seem to hurt their business too badly as besides CBCS they have little competition when it comes to grading comics (I mean, PGX exists, but nobody uses it). One thing CBCS had over CGC was offering the grading of signatures that were not directly witnessed, but CGC acquired James Spence Authentication and now does that as well. CGC is the reigning champ, but here comes PSA, and one wonders if they could pose a real challenge to CGC's comic-grading supremacy. I see three ways this can shake out:

1. PSA starts grading comics, and takes up a chunk of the market but CGC maintains a, "Majority," of its control. This seems most likely.

2. PSA starts grading comics, it goes horribly and they either quit or keep doing it but having barely any market presence in regards to assign comics grades. This is less likely but possible.

3. PSA makes a huge splash with comic grading and puts CGC on the metaphorical ropes. This is the least likely occurrence but would be the most interesting to witness with CGC having been relatively unbothered by all the fiascos they've been a part of. After all, if you, "Own," the market who care if you have a scandal or two?

Whatever happens during 2025 with comic grading, I am intrigued to see how it all shakes out.

Go to the Heroes for Kids Comic Con in Perryville This Weekend!

We are busy this weekend throwing a birthday party for Gibson (he just turned 1) so I may not be able to get to a fun comic convention, but I would encourage all of you reading to go! It is the Heroes for Kids Comic Con and it is happening in Perryville, Missouri. There will be a bunch of vendors, some cool guests, and it is bound to be a fun time. Should you be able to get out to Perryville tomorrow or Sunday please do go to the show--and then tell me how great it was afterward!

After All That Merging, Warner Brothers Discovery Might Split Split Itself Up

Warner Brothers Discovery was formed when Warner Brothers bought up Discovery--obviously. The company has slashed and burned everything from a mostly complete, "Batgirl," movie to video-games, and so forth in an effort to save money and not run at a loss. A lot of the, "Thanks," for this goes to David Zaslav and the company still finds itself struggling. The latest idea? Split everything back up because why the Hell not?

As Mary Kate Carr over at the AV Club tells it, "WBD is apparently considering splitting itself up, so that the movie studio and streaming service (Max) would be one company and the linear networks (CNN, TBS, TNT, Discovery Channel, etc.) would be another." Warner Brothers Discovery was recently considering acquiring more stuff with Paramount but now the plan is to do the opposite, it appears. I really feel like WBD is at the point where they spin a wheel with random ideas and do whatever it says. Sometimes the wheel declares, "Shelve a movie," and other times it says, "Reboot the DC Universe." Now it says, "Maybe try splitting up stuff?" Between the aforementioned Paramount having woes (they ended up getting bought by Skydance) and Warner Brothers Discovery struggling, things are rough. Perhaps having a handful of merged megacorporations that try to run everything but fail miserably at it isn't a smart idea after all? Who would've thought an economic dystopia would be bad--besides everyone?

Chip Zdarsky Published a Comic Newsletter/Mini-Magazine ONLY About His Comics and It's Hilarious

Chip Zdarsky writes (and sometimes draws) damn good comics ranging from funny to surprisingly serious. I say it is startling they are sincere as in his personal life he seems to be a pretty wacky guy. Everyone describes him as pretty chill, funny, and wacky. The guy once was a reporter in Canada, struck up a friendship with the Facebook page of an Applebees and now has done something both hilarious, clever, and self-aware in its vanity. Chip Zdarsky has put out his own version of a comic-book newsletter/zine/whatever that stores get, but it only is about comics he works on. It is, "Zdarsky Comic News." It is completely free to pick up and stores got this batch at no cost. There will be future issues and they'll be cheap for stores to get, apparently. Zdarsky's internet newsletter (so he's got two forms now, basically) discusses how he did it out of a love of comic shops, print, and self-promotion.

I'm all for this as I literally just posted yesterday about how I miss print publications focused on comic-books with things like, "Wizard," gone and, "The Comics Journal," making one huge issue every year or two. A little weird mini-magazine created by Chip Zdarsky is entertaining and I support him doing it. If more creators, publishers, fans, or whatever start making small comic-focused magazines I will support them too. Pick up your copy of ZCN at a local shop just like how I did, there should be some free.

"American Nature Presents," #1 is a Lovely Blend of Comics and Articles

Floating World Comics is a stellar publisher and I try to read almost anything they release. One new publication is, "American Nature Presents." A nice comic/magazine it only costs $6 but is full of, "All killer, no filler," content. There are some awesome comics by talents such as Joss Pettinger (of, "Tedward," fame) and more. There is a big interview with various folks from the comic-book biz, articles exploring everything from anime to back in the day when we had Winamp skins (ask someone born in the 1900s), and it is just an incredibly fun read--and positively a steal at six bucks. There are reviews, a fun classified section, and just lots of cool stuff.

As someone who loves print magazines and sometimes is sad they aren't nearly as popular as back in the day, having something such as, "American Nature Presents," is wonderful. We just don't really have magazine publications anymore focused on discussing comics besides how once every year or so, "The Comics Journal," does a mega-tome. Something that mixes journalism with some comics is fun and nowadays quite rare. I'd highly recommend buying a copy of, "American Nature Presents," #1, and I hope that a bunch more issues get made!

5 out of 5 stars.

The ToyMan Show Yesterday Was a Hoot!

Yesterday, July 14th, I had the chance to attend the latest ToyMan Show. It was great fun, as always, and so many cool vendors and creators were there. There was the usual assortment of vintage toys, comics, Funko Pops, Lego, Barbie, Hot Wheels, VHS tapes, original art, and more. I started the show by visiting with my friend, Spike of Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles. I then chatted with Joh from the awesome store Bigfoot Comics and Collectibles. Jack Thomas of Fortress Comics was selling great books, as was my chum Tim Metzger. I picked up some cool comics for cheap from my friends Dustin and Tammy too:

I also enjoyed catching up with Bruce Reynolds and Vince of VK Toys on the main show floor while shopping. Tom from Alliance Comics, Toys, & Games was at ToyMan too! Here is a cool picture of the show floor from the morning while things were being set up:

In the upstairs area, I had fun talking with my friend Jack AKA Storyboardlad who had his usual cool art prints for sale. I also saw my buddies who are authors, Jessica Mathews and Lindsay Hornsby. Lindsay had an awesome new coloring book I bought for Clarkson to enjoy of the Princess Pups:

This ToyMan show was incredibly fun just like every ToyMan show is. I always get so excited anytime its the day for ToyMan and now eagerly await August 25th for the next one!

Somebody Tried to Assassinate Trump/What a Mess America is

Today a bullet grazed the ear of former President Trump while he spoke at one of his campaign rallies. A chunk of the internet is already claiming it was somehow staged and another segment of folks are declaring it must be some kind of secret liberal elite plot with high-up Democrats trying to, "Get," Trump. I also saw a meme saying that Hunter Biden is involved somehow because this World is a mess, and we don't live in a true reality so much as everyone has their own pocket reality. What we do know is that in the late afternoon/early evening, someone apparently tried to shoot Donald Trump and a bullet grazed his ear. The shooter is dead as well as a bystander, from early reports. Others are critically injured.

I honestly don't think this was staged because in this day and age how could anyone keep something so big a secret? I also don't think that Joe Biden or other powerful Democrats are somehow using a deep state or something silly. I am pretty sure that before long we will find out someone who was mentally unwell and shouldn't have been able to access a firearm got their hands on a gun and wanted to kill Donald Trump. Whether they were a liberal, some kind of conservative mad at Trump for not being right-wing enough in their mind, or not even political and instead suffering from some kind of delusions unrelated to politics will undoubtedly be revealed. I am almost positive it will be some lone person who was--as we basically define it--crazy.

I don't ever want violence in politics. Whether we agree with or hate a candidate we shouldn't wish them dead. I dislike seeing all the jokes about this from those with left or right political leanings. Everyone seems to have an agenda about what happened today and is writing their own narrative before we know anything about the gunman, even if I'm doing that to some degree assuming it will be some mentally disturbed person. This was a bad day in our Nation and something is wrong in America. What exactly that is I wish I could say, then we could try and fix it. For now though, here we are. One Nation, Under Chaos.

Film Friday: "Captain America: Brave New World," Has a Teaser Trailer

"Captain America: Brave New World," isn't due for release until early February of 2025, but is close enough that the first teaser trailer just dropped. Rumor has it the movie went through extensive reshoots and cost a pretty penny, but things look pretty snazzy based on the trailer alone, I'd say.

I see we've got Harrison Ford as President, "Thunderbolt," Ross, replacing William Hurt due to his passing in real life, Tim Blake Nelson is back after not appearing since, "Incredible Hulk," way back in 2008, and Giancarlo Esposito is a mysterious baddie that people think could be a dude named George Washington Bridge or Moon Knight's foe, Bushman. The main plot seems to be that Ross can't trust anyone outside of Anthony Mackie's Captain America due to a lot of people being after him. There the trailer has a big spy-thriller vibe and I've seen some folk online dig it and others think it looks mediocre. Some people have expressed concerns about an Israeli character as well due to recent World events between Israel and Palestine, but how big a role that character plays remains to be seen. Give the trailer a view here:

Did you notice that cool thing at the end? Yep, we've got a Red Hulk, one assumes played by Harrison Ford because Ross is, of course, the Red Hulk in the comics. "Deadpool and Wolverine," comes out this July and will arguably tee up the rest of the Marvel slate for the foreseeable future, so assuming that is a hit and then this is as snazzy as it may look perhaps Marvel will be back on track after some recent box-office struggles.

Happy First Birthday to Gibson!

Exactly a year ago today--very early in the morning--our baby Gibson was born! It is wild to think that Gibson is now a big one-year-old. He is a sweet and smart little guy who wants to crawl everywhere and eat anything tasty he sees. He loves to try and climb all over his big brother, Clarkson, too. Clarkson is generally patient with Gibby. We love our boys so much and are thankful to have Gibson as a wonderful addition to the family. Happy Birthday to our lovely boy!

BOOM! Studios Bought by Penguin Random House

I've been a fan of BOOM! Studios since the company's early days. One fun fact is there were the first, "Bigger," publishers to be willing to put my blog on their press list years ago for news updates and such. That was a mini-honor for me to feel recognized in that way. Well, it seems the people behind BOOM! Studios have decided to sell, with the company now bought by Penguin Random House. PRH is known for publishing a lot of books and being the main distributor for Marvel Comics. BOOM! will become part of the Random House Worlds portfolio of imprints alongside Del Rey, Inklore, and the RH Worlds licensing program and weirdly enough will still be distributed by Diamond (for now) due to previous deals, I surmise.

This makes me concerned because too often a smaller company is acquired by a larger one only to lose whatever made it special--or eventually closed/taken apart. Think about all the game studios that get bought up and then stripped for parts by larger companies. Consider how Amazon bought Comixology and eventually destroyed it. I have a desire for PRH to do right by BOOM! Studios, but I worry. There will obviously be a chunk of layoffs during this acquisition AKA "Redunacies," but let's hope things stay (mostly) stable.

More Information is Leaking About DC's New, "Absolute," Line of Comics

DC is going to be launching a new Ultimate Universe-style line of comics called, "Absolute." That was rumored a while ago but there is now concrete proof in the form of an, "Absolute Batman," ashcan due to release at the upcoming Comic-Con International AKA San Diego Comic-Con. This new Absolute Universe will run concurrently with the standard DC Universe and they will somehow connect/acknowledge each other via, "DC All-In," which is the term for the new publishing initiative of the standard DC Universe and the Absolute version--two narrative strands that will intertwine in some fashion, I suppose?

The latest Ultimate Universe that Marvel is doing have been a lovely surprise of great stories so if DC wants to experiment a bit without going too far (the New 52 was a lot, after all), I'm all for it. The biggest mystery as of now is how everything will connect. I imagine CCI/SDCC will answer many questions, so I look forward to late July!

The Kickstarter Campaign has Launched for, "Widow Unleashed," #11 and #12

Are you fan of comics full of action, horror elements, and a good dose of eroticism too? Well, then you should back the epic collection of, "Widow," comics that creator Mike Wolfer has been doing lately via Kickstarter. He is the writer and artist with Natalie Jane as the letterer. These new editions are known as, "Widow: Unleashed," collecting material from various iterations of the comic while also tweaking storytelling and art to give everything an extra nice metaphorical sheen. The newest campaign is for issues #11 and #12.

All the original, "Widow," stuff is reproduced and fixed up as well as the more explicit segments from the, "Widow X," version of the comic that were published at one point being incorporated as well--this isn't a simple adult/porny comic or such, with tons of story, awesome art, and more. I've been a fan of Wolfer's work for years and he's a friend of the blog so I always like to promote his Kickstarter campaigns here and back them--that's right, I always put my money where my mouth is with Wolfer's great comics! You can back the new Kickstarter campaign for issues #11 and #12 here with it easy to get the earlier issues as well so don't ever think it is too late to check out this awesome series!

Television Tuesday: People Are Alarmingly Good at Lying on, "The Mole," Season 2

I watched a chunk of the first and second episodes of the debut season of, "The Mole," when people online recommended the show. I didn't really like it. However, when season 2 dropped I wanted to give it a chance. I am digging the program now thanks to the cast/contestants all being quite interesting. One thing is scary though--how good some people are at lying. You see, on the show, "The Mole," everyone is competing to win money and succeed in challenges, except for one player. Someone who is the titular Mole is trying to make sure everyone fails, loses money, and so forth. We as the viewers do not know who the Mole is until the finale (so this isn't like, "The Traitors," where we know who the, "Good," and, "Evil," players are). It makes things fun as we debate with loved ones, friends, or strangers online who the Mole could be. That's only part of it though.

Some challenges require everyone to attempt to lie. Even if you're not the Mole you need to concoct big fibs and say them to other players' faces about whether you have money or exemptions (so you can't get kicked out of the show). I am astounded how good a lot of the players are at lying and it makes me uneasy. Like, if you can that easily lie in a prisoner's dilemma type game when it comes to money versus exemptions or can tell someone to their face you voted for them to stay when the opposite is true in the hopes it messes up their count of how people voted..it must be easy to lie about other stuff too in theory.

Not just the Mole lies...

The Mole is supposed to lie and be damn good at it because they were chosen specifically to be the Mole. When everyone is able to lie through their teeth in certain situations and be alarmingly good at it, however, that just is stressful and causes me to wonder how often we as humans lie without hesitation to others about things we should just be honest about. It is scary, and when, "The Mole," airs the final two episodes of this season on Friday (on Netflix) I'm wondering just how deep it will be revealed the rabbit hole (or Mole hole) goes in regards to lying. I have a terrible, "Poker face," and would fail spectacularly on shows such as, "The Mole," even if I happened to just be a regular player who needs to lie some. It is impressive and eerie how good some of ya'll out there are at lying, however.

Television Tuesday: "Agatha All Along," is Coming This Halloween and Looks Fun

Disney/Marvel has been slowing down the release of movies and Disney+ television shows, but one that has still been in the works is a program focused on Agatha Harkness. It went through a few names before finally settling on/being revealed as, "Agatha All Along." The teaser trailer dropped yesterday with it being promoted as a spooky Halloween season release. Give it a look:

I'm into it if for no other reason than I am always down for more Kathryn Hahn in the Marvel Universe and Aubrey Plaza is making her MCU debut here too ("Legion," was a whole different continuity). The last time we saw Agatha she was the main villain of, "Wandavision," depending on how much of a baddie you feel Wanda herself was in that show (before totally going full-monster in the last Doctor Strange flick). This looks to be exploring the more fantastical and scary side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and if it is even half as enjoyable as the, "Werewolf by Night," special I'd imagine it shall be fun.

Music Mondays: Some Random Songs I've Been Listening To

I don't have an assortment of music news to share today. I just felt like sharing some random songs I found via my searches/recommendations from Spotify/Bandcamp/etc. and have been enjoying listening to as of late. You may like them too, and if you do then you're welcome. If you hate them...I'm sorry? Now, in no particular order...

"Suede" by Anderson .Paak, Knxwledge, and NxWorries

Anderson .Paak has such a smooth voice that he can make anything sound catchy, even if its just some lyrics about how he likes a lady who can cook grits and roll a spliff at the same time.

"Stella Brown," by Jelani Aryeh

The weird lo-fi sound in this song should be annoying but compliments the lyrics of being too shy to talk to a lady quite wonderfully.

"Bad Texter," by Ryan Woods

I relate to being bad at responding to texts and the lush electronic sounds of the song are quite pleasing.

"Frankenstein," by Claire Rosinkranz

There is a nice light and flowy feel to this ditty, so I'm into it.

"Photo ID," by Remi Wolf with Dominic Fike & "Vampire," by Dominic Fike

I am not especially familiar with this Dominic Fike fellow, but I've been really digging a number of songs he does or appears on. I shall explore his work further.

"Wait a Minute!" by WILLOW

The artist also known as Will Smith's daughter continues to make weird and fun pop.

"Good Girl," & "Problematic," by Jesse Gold

Seemingly sweet songs with a slight dark edge are always fun and Jesse Gold makes just that.

"Closer," by Saweetie and H.E.R.

Anytime you feature H.E.R. on a song she is bound to kill it, as she does here.

"North$ide," by Destiny Rogers

A cute song about romance with a catchy hook. Sometimes that is all you need.

"Million Dollar Baby," by Tommy Richman

I know some people who really jam out to this song and others who absolutely hate it. I find it silly and fun.

"Linger," by TALA

Probably the weirdest cover of this song by The Cranberries you will ever hear, it morphs the song into a tragic ballad--but it works!

"Hush--Still Woozy Remix," by The Marias and Still Woozy

The synthesizer on this track mixed with the singing is a real delight.

"Yo Love," by Vince Staples & 21 Savage

Vince Staples is a superb rapper and 21 Savage does a solid job on this track too.

"AMERICAN HORROR STORY," by Earthgang

Proof that conscious rap can be hella catchy too.

"Shut Up my Moms Calling," by Hotel Ugly

A weird little trip-hop-style song, you can just kind of vibe out to it.

"Drugs You Should Try It," by Jordan Bratton

The orchestral score mixed with the ethereal singing results in this being an eerie and impactful tune.

"Intl' Players Anthem (I Choose You)," by UGK & OutKast

Probably the best song with OutKast that isn't actually an OutKast song (it is on a UGK album) and the last huge hit that saw them as a duo. I always love revisiting this tune every few months when I want a dose of Andre 3000 and Big Boi right before they stopped and hopefully will someday reunite.

"Crazy Taxi," Could Return as a Big Online Game

"Crazy Taxi," was a fantastic game. Full of late 90s and early 2000s jams and loaded with actual stores in a strange occurrence of product placement, the game had you picking up passengers and driving as insanely as possible to get them where they needed to go. The sequel, "Crazy Taxi 2," introduced a mechanic where your car could somehow jump. Apparently, there were other games, but they were on random consoles like the PSP or mostly remakes as opposed to big sequels (the 3rd in the series took the original map and added the jump, for instance with just one new area overall). However, a new, "Crazy Taxi," is supposedly coming, and it sounds weird.

The next, "Crazy Taxi," was described by Series producer Kenji Kanno recently as a “Large-scale, open-world, massively multiplayer driving game." So, a game where you compete with other players to get passengers within a massive map and possibly even engage in combat with them like some kind of weird, "Fortnite," mixed with, "World of Warcraft," or such? That sounds totally bizarre, but, "Crazy Taxi," was never about restraint. As Oli Welsh of Polygon observed, "Honestly, I've heard worse ideas." A big online World where you drive our taxi around, forming alliances/corporations/whatever, and getting into combat could be cool. If it keeps the wild attitude of the original franchise and is some form of zany fun I'd give it a shot.

"Gutsville," Might Actually Come Back and Conclude Soon

Before I even had this blog, back in 2007, an interesting comic kicked off by Si Spurrier and Frazier Irving. Titled, "Gutsville," it followed a strange village that followed strict religious doctrines...and was inside the belly of a huge whale-like creature. Only three total issues came out, with the second and third heavily delayed--nothing has been released since 2008. Supposedly, however, Frazier Irving has claimed that, "Gutsville," will be wrapping as soon as this year. Nearly 20 years later we might see the end of, "Gutsville," in the form of some more issues or perhaps a super-sized issue. I quite enjoyed the comic when I read it so, so many years ago with its weird concept being beautifully executed thanks to Spurrier and Irving. I'm pleased that, "Gutsville," might actually conclude, it just is a bit annoying it has taken such a long time.

Funko Friday: This New Moon Knight Funko Pop is Really Impressive

I dabble in Funko Pops but am by no means a huge collector of them. I have a handful and enjoy the ones of the fandoms I follow/like though. Everyone here knows I love Moon Knight so when I was in Target and saw the latest Pop I immediately texted my wife, "I need to buy this!" and she knew I was gonna grab one. Featuring visuals from the recent run written by Jed Mackay with art by Alessandro Cappuccio, this Pop is badass. You can see it posted above and it is really snazzy. I maybe don't buy Funko Pops too often, but when one catches my fancy it'll earn a spot on my shelves!

Happy Fourth of July; Celebrate Our Nation's Potential, I Suppose?

July 4th is a day we celebrate America. It is our Independence Day. I love my country and want it to be the best it can be. Unfortunately, the nation often lets me down. We've got a Supreme Court that wants to give Presidents the power of kings via alarming levels of immunity, a looming election which looks to be a mess if the first Presidential debate is any indication, and so forth. That said, our Country always has potential. There are times my nation makes me proud because of the people within America. That is what a nation, state, city, etc. is, after all, the people--we the people. I won't stop trying to make the United States the best it possibly can be and I know those with differing views will try to make this country reflect their view on what that, "Best," is. 

That is how a democracy should work and putting aside when there are people who to subvert the rules (as Donald Trump clearly did multiple times, but I digress) we have checks and balances that should work to help those who want to improve our nation and stop or slow those who would try to harm it. Today we celebrate our United States of America and its independence--but we never stop trying to make it even better with that independence so many fought so hard to earn and keep.

People Are Being a Bit Hard on That, "Hellboy: The Crooked Man," Trailer

I think when it comes to superhero movies as of late people are spoiled on big, expensive, and over-the-top special effects. Folks expect a 200 million dollar plus film full of Computer Graphics so incredible it makes your eyes water with glee. At least, that is my theory because a lot of people are being kind of mean about the trailer for a new Hellboy flick and it looks fine to me.

"Hellboy: The Crooked Man," adapts a Hellboy story of the same name and is unrelated to the original two movies or the last reboot that everyone now pretends didn't happen. Jack Kesy plays Hellboy with Brian Taylor (best known for the movie, "Crank," and its Insanity) directing. The creator of Hellboy, Mike Mignola is heavily involved too. Hellboy goes to investigate some supernatural evil in 1950s Appalachia and the movie is clearly leaning heavily into more of a horror vibe as opposed to comedy or action. The dialogue in the trailer is a bit trite, "It smells like death," but as far as the effects go, it seems fine to me. Hellboy looks like Hellboy, there are creepy creatures and I don't have any complaints. Yet, many are saying this looks, "Low-budget," or still angry that, "Hellboy 3," never got made. Some have remarked they like the dark tone, but even they think this looks like a, "Fanfilm," as opposed to an official movie. Give the trailer a look and judge for yourself:

It looks fine! From some internet searching it seems the budget is thought to be around 20-25 million dollars and while compared to the latest Marvel or DC flick that would be chump change, this still isn't some microscopic amount as if this were a little indie film made for pennies. Whether, "Hellboy: the Crooked Man," is good or not will remain to be seen, but as far as the budget goes, it seems perfectly alright in regards to visuals.

The Internet Always Needs Something to Be Mad About/Jim Lee Can Charge What He Wants for Commissions

Jim Lee is one of the top talents in the industry and a busy man with all the work he does basically running the comic-book division of DC. I'd be surprised if he even has time to do commissions, but he apparently does! Considering how big a name he is the man could ask whatever he wants, and someone noticed in an online post he asks for $25,000-$35,000 for an original commissioned piece. This resulted in opinions.

Now, I'm not rich so that is far, far too much for me to ever pay someone to draw me something. I do love having artists draw me Moon Knight whether they are random folks or somewhat-known names who don't charge too much with my budget. That said, Jim Lee can charge whatever he wants to draw you something, and throwing a fit about it as the internet seems to have done is silly. I mean, nobody is making you buy a commission from Jim Lee. Art is worth what people will pay for it, and Lee wants to be paid that much for his creations--as is his right! If you've got the money and the desire for Jim Lee to draw for you, pay the man! Otherwise, you don't! It is as simple as that.

They Officially Start Demolishing the Chesterfield Mall on October 15th

I've written about the Chesterfield Mall in our region and how I'm sad it will soon be no more. It was struggling a bit before the COVID-19 pandemic, and ever since then had been mortally wounded and limping along with a small number of stores left as a bit of a last stand. Long-gestating plans to demolish the Mall and build a big mixed-use area of shopping, businesses, and apartments/condos finally were approved and the Mall officially closes on August 31st, 2024. My favorite Vintage Stock location is at the Chesterfield Mall and their last day is July 28th, 2024. A number of shops that were still in the Mall have left or are making plans to relocate. The aforementioned Vintage Stock is just shutting down and that has me really disappointed in corporate for not finding a new spot nearby so that all the employees I adore there could relocate. The day is now in the books for when they begin to tear the Mall down and it will be October 15th.

Once it is mid-October it all starts coming down. After six months we will be left with a crater and construction will begin anew on Downtown Chesterfield or whatever the final name ends up being. I appreciate that whatever comes next could be pretty cool, but I'm still bummed the Chesterfield Mall will only exist before too long as a memory. I and others will miss it.