Happy Eighth Birthday to Clarkson!

Our firstborn child, Clarkson, is eight years old today! This is wild as I can remember back when he was born and was just a little preemie. It is crazy how our little metaphorical nuggets grow up into big chicken strips (I think I'm hungry, hence the food metaphor). Clarkson was born early, as I just mentioned, but after some time in the NICU came home and has been growing ever since! He's a wonderful boy who has come really far considering we received his Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis back in 2019. He has excelled with various therapies and at great schools that have assisted him in gaining important skills and communicating via his talker device. 

Clarkson is an incredibly sweet boy who loves hugs and tickles as well as dancing to catchy tunes. When he isn't asking to watch Kimmi the Clown or old random Charmin Bear ads on YouTube (a random favorite of his) he greatly enjoys coloring with Imagine Ink markers or playing with Spider-Man-related toys. Clarkson has never met a McDonald's french fry or nugget he'd pass on gobbling down and he gets excited for pizza with sausage and bacon toppings he can enjoy peeling off with the cheese and eating too (he isn't big on crust). He also is a great big brother to Gibson, usually keeping his patience when Gibson wants to crawl all over him or insists he puts on a random hat or sunglasses! I continue to be incredibly proud of everything Clarkson has accomplished and anything he continues to work on getting skilled at. He's my big eight-year-old boy but he will always be my little stinky baby (both our children love to fart). Happy eighth birthday, Clarkson!

Advance Review: "Lady Enigma," is Full of Exciting Supernatural Mysteries!

I had the chance to read an advance copy of, "Lady Enigma," from Blue Fox Comics. Written by David Braña and with art by Olga Carmona Peral, it has a great mix of supernatural storytelling with a police procedural vibe as well. Each chapter generally involves a mystery or something otherworldly that is investigated or figured out by Sarah or Brian Perkins. Sarah has paranormal abilities and Brian is a police inspector. They share in past familial trauma and both use their gifts/skills in Victorian-era London and it results in some great pieces within the book.

"Lady Enigma," isn't just little self-contained pieces; the over-arching plotlines slowly reveal themselves throughout the book and it makes for a rewarding read. Another element I appreciated was little nods and easter eggs for literary nerds (which I somewhat am). For example, one villain with a secret and murderous double-life goes by Dr. Jekyll--a nice little joke there. Also, a reference to, "The Picture of Dorian Gray," is quite humorous when it occurs in the book. One doesn't have to know these old stories by any means to enjoy, "Lady Enigma," but it just shows the care put into the story from big to small elements.

Throughout, "Lady Enigma," I especially enjoy the trippy segments when Sarah dreams/hallucinates/etc. as the art gets quite surreal. Olga Carmona Peral's illustrations are lovely during, "Normal," segments as well, of course. I was engaged throughout the whole book by her work and David Braña's superb plotting. This is labeled as being, "Volume One," and I look forward to more potential adventures with Sarah and Brian Perkins as we get quite a fun cliffhanger at the book's end. You can find the landing page for the, "Lady Enigma," Kickstarter campaign here so that you can pledge and secure yourself a copy in the near future--I suggest you do just that!

5 out of 5 Stars.

Now Diamond is Going After Comic-Book Stores as Part of Its Bankruptcy. That Seems Like a Bad Idea

Diamond Comic Distributors was never been especially beloved by comic stores, but for a good deal of time, it was the only way to get monthly comics distributed to your store. That all changed during the COVID-era with the addition of Lunar and Penguin Randon House as an option for comics. As I and others have covered, Diamond kept operating as if they were an unstoppable monopoly and didn't change much in the way of business practices. Hence, Diamond is now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and things are looking grim despite it being vaguely possible they could reorganize and emerge okay (not likely). With Diamond owing a ton of people, it is now trying to get any cash it can from entities that supposedly owe Diamond a check. Hence, comic store owners are now being told to pay previous invoices...invoices they don't have a record of needing to take care of. Yeah, Diamond is shaking down their own customer--comic stores--and that's a bad look.

I understand Diamond Comic Distributors is in a bad place, but if the company wants to exit bankruptcy and return to some semblance of functioning as it if is, "Business as usual," maybe going after the people you depend on for your bread and butter is a bad idea, you know? I imagine things are bad for Diamond, and this is yet another sign it is only going to get worse. At the rate we are going, I sincerely am starting to doubt anything resembling Diamond as we know it will exist in 2026, or even halfway through this year. Right now it is all day by day, so time will tell.

Television Tuesday: The Z-Suite

"The Z-Suite," is a new original scripted comedy from Tubi, of all places. Tubi is one of those, "Freemium," streaming services that has random movies and shows you can watch at zero cost as long as you can put up with some advertisements now and then. They've done some original shows and movies, but this is their first comedy television-style show. All jokes aside about how Tubi originals sometimes appear to have low budgets, "The Z-Suite," does not look cheap. It also has a solid cast! The show focuses on a GenX executive named Monica (Lauren Graham, who is fantastic here) and her assistant Doug (Nico Santos). They end-up fired from an ad agency she's a bigwig at when one campaign hilariously backfires and causes a scandal. The fact that she's awful and can't even apologize to the public makes things worse with her Baby Boomer boss and the GenZ employees who find themselves promoted to Monica's level of power and struggle with this newfound degree of control over a company.

"The Z-Suite," could fall into a pit of stereotypes considering it is about generational conflict, but it manages to avoid doing so thanks to how everyone is a little bit terrible on the show, regardless of their age. The young employees like Kriska (Madison Shamoun), Eliot (Spencer Stevenson), and Clem (Anna Bezahler) might know what is popular and have mastered a lot of new tech, but while they have youthful exuberance they don't always know exactly what's going on and they can be self-centered jerks. Monica is out of touch with a lot of trends and what is hip, but she does have a strong work ethic...despite being a self-centered jerk (you may see a trend). Old or young, we all can think we know everything and refuse to consider other views. "The Z-Suite," walks a tightrope with this idea and manages to pull off a show that has some darkly hilarious moments stemming from misunderstands, miscommunications, and some general silliness too. Plus, at least all the characters can agree that Matt (Evan Marsh) is unsure how he fits into everything as a Millenial--he results in some great moments, however, and I saw a bit more of myself in his awkward quirks than I'd like to admit as a fellow Millenial.

"The Z-Suite," is clever and carefully threads a needle between, "Old people, am I right?" and, "These young folks, you know what I mean?" Nobody comes out looking perfect or without blame because regardless of our age, we all can be terrible or awesome depending on the situation. I applaud, "The Z-Suite," for using humor in pointing this out, and I can't wait to watch the latest episode when the next one drops this Thursday!

5 out of 5 Stars.

DC and Marvel to Officially Have a New Crossover Event

It's been decades since the last time it officially happened, but DC and Marvel are going to have themselves a nice old-fashioned crossover. Very little information has been disclosed but sometime later this year there will be (at least) two big one-shots featuring an intercompany brawl (I assume there will be fighting) of DC and Marvel characters. Titled, "DC/Marvel," and, "Marvel/DC," I was thinking this might happen when a republishing was announced of previous crossovers between the companies in big omnibus editions. Those books were received warmly and now new material is on the way. This is sure to be a big occurrence so I'll discuss it further as more information becomes available.

"Playboy," Magazine is Surprisingly Back With an Annual Edition

I was surprised a couple days ago when I was at Barnes and Noble and saw on the shelves a new issue of, "Playboy." Publication of new issues had stopped five or so years ago and Playboy had become more of a clothing/lifestyle brand with a pay-cable channel than anything else. The magazine of, "Playboy," had been edgy and controversial when it first hit the scene in 1953. Over time, however, it changed into something quite tame compared to other magazines and the internet. With much more spicy adult content available elsewhere it became quite true that most folk still reading, "Playboy," actually were doing so for the shockingly good articles full of insightful journalism, great short fiction, interviews, and the like. Between print being a difficult business and COVID-19 complications, the last print issue of, "Playboy," ended up being the Spring 2020 issue...until now.

Against all odds, "Playboy," is back in 2025 with plans to publish an annual print edition. That is by no means as wild as coming out every month, every other month, or even quarterly, but it is something. I remarked back in 2022 how it was surprising to note that, "Penthouse," was still being published with content a bit edgier than, "Playboy," had (lots of zoomed-in spread-eagle poses) but still a lot tamer than much of the World Wide Web or the few competitors in the field like, "Hustler." Interestingly enough, "Penthouse," suddenly stopped publishing after a Summer 2023 issue. I've seen claims via the Penthouse website when I checked that news about print issues would come about in 2024...but now we're in 2025 with nary an update. When it comes to print erotica you've basically got the artsy option of, "StripLV," the raunchy choice of, "Hustler," and now a yearly, "Playboy," rising from the grave like zombie Jesus (a, "Futurama," joke for ya'll there)--it just took five years instead of three days. Is it any good, however?

The latest, "Playboy," magazine is a return to form! It has--to just name some of the content--an entertaining segment with comedian J.B. Smoove answering relationship questions, a piece examining the rise of the, "Beta Male," a piece about Nashville being a bachelorette party trip hotspot, an article on how technology has made cheating on a partner a lot more complex than the old days (hence, it is better to just be open and honest), interviews with Nikki Glazer and Lori Harvey (they stay clothed), plus pictorials with Gillian Nation (Playmate of the year, she is unclothed) and other women in case you were concerned some nipples and pubic hair wouldn't be on display--this isn't like that brief weird era where, "Playboy," dropped the nudity, after all. 

There are tasteful pictures, solid writing, and it is a nice mix of modern topics with a nostalgic feeling to have a print erotica publication like, "Playboy," attempting newsprint again in 2025. As the cover declares proudly, "We're Back," and even if it is simply an annual thing, that is still an accomplishment in this day and age. I applaud, "Playboy," for putting forth this effort and hope we do indeed get an issue in 2026 and beyond--as long as this does well it will prove there is a place for, "Playboy," to some degree all these years later.

A New Mini-Series, "Mr. Terrific: Year One," Has Been Announced

Mr. Terrific AKA Michael Holt is a really fun character at DC. A genius who uses his tech know-how along with lots of physical training to be a hero, Mr. Terrfic is a bit like if you blended the Marvel character Reed Richards (smarts) with a dash of Batman (tragedy, big corporation, he's a mortal human) and some Spider-Man (he can be pretty witty and snarky). His character first appeared not too long ago (depending on how old you are) in 1997 with issue #54 of, "The Spectre." That is admittedly a number of decades ago now, so it makes sense to revisit and recontextualize Holt's origin. Hence, we are getting, "Mr. Terffic: Year One." This is good news!

Mr. Terrific led a team that was DC's self-aware wink at the Fantastic Four (The Terrifics) and has popped up as an important supporting character in various other DC titles. I'm glad he's getting the spotlight in a new mini-series focused on telling his origin as he's a cool character. I imagine some of the reason for this is that the character of Mr. Terrific is in the upcoming, "Superman," movie too, so it's Director, James Gunn, sees great storytelling potential in Michael Holt too.

Written by Al Letson with art by Valentine De Landro--and additional art in, "Present-day sequences," by Edwin Galmon, so that's a solid team. The first of six issues drops on May 28th, so not too long from now. I look forward to this new telling of Mr. Terrific's origin and am excited to check the series out!

Flashback Friday: "Video Killed the Radio Star," Serves as a Good Metaphor for Much of Popular Culture

I randomly will think of the song, "Video Killed the Radio Star," on occasion. This isn't a, "Music Monday," post because while I think of the song it is quite old and I'm going to talk more about what it represents as a metaphor. It is a great song by The Buggles, however, and there is a fantastic cover of it by The Presidents of the United States of America (the band, not literal Presidents). It was one of the first songs to get a music video, interestingly enough, being the first ever music video aired on MTV. Seriously, at 12:01 AM on August 1st, 1981, it appeared as MTV launched with music television (I will spare you a joke about how MTV dropped music videos long ago, as everyone tells those). The song is arguably about how the rise of television/video has made the traditional radio celebrity obsolete. It is fitting that such a song kicked off MTV and even though the idea of, "Video," is outdated, it still stands as a metaphor.

Video killed the radio star. Internet killed video star. Social Media apps killed the Internet celebrity. It keeps moving along with the new generation latching onto something popular that the older generations decry as rotting their brains. "Stop listening to that radio and do something productive! Stop watching that television/VCR! Get off the internet websites or chatroom! Stay away from Youtube or Facebook! Quit using TikTok! It keeps moving along with many thinking their old way was better and this new technology is wretched and destroying the good old ways. How dare you youth watch T.V. and wreck your eyes! Get off that internet with all the dangerous strangers! You kids with your mini-video TikTok celebrities don't recognize how better it was when we had long YouTube videos that required us to pay attention for more than 10 to 60-second bursts! Video keeps killing the radio star with, 'Video," and, "Radio Star," constantly evolving.

I'll admit even though I try to stay informed on popular culture I don't always, "Get it," anymore. Back when I was a teen we liked to actually play video-games and would only look at an internet video of a game if we needed to figure out how to get past a difficult segment (or maybe re-watch a cool moment/cinema scene). The idea to me of watching someone streaming themselves playing a game for hours upon hours simply does not appeal to me. A guy or gal chatting with everyone as they play a video-game sounds fun for the person playing who gets to talk with everybody tuning in, but I have zero desire to be one of those people who observe them playing--I'd rather play the game, myself! Someone reading my thoughts on this probably is rolling their eyes right now and saying, "Okay, Grandpa, you clearly don't get it," and that is my point! I'm the old fogey in this case. There is hope, however.

Many of the old ways do manage to stay around and evolve. Radio is still here and we all enjoy it. Folks listen to radio shows in the morning and when driving. There are apps to stream radio too, and podcasts are like a modern talk radio on the internet that people adore. We don't gather around the big old radio in our living room, but it still has found a way to be important and present in the modern-day. We don't rent VHS tapes or DVDs as much but we stream movies and shows quite a lot. Even books have found ways to incorporate technology from e-readers to people discussing and promoting books on things like social media (BookTok and such). Video killed many of the radio stars, but it didn't kill them all.

The song goes, "Video killed the radio star," and it serves as a fantastic metaphor for much of popular culture. Many new things come and trample the old ways that either disappear or evolve. This isn't a good thing or a bad thing, it is just the way it simply is. The older folks look back with a yearning as they remember how things once were and the younger people think it outdated (or maybe appreciate it as nostalgic in the manner teens getting into VHS tapes these days or vinyl has made a mini-resurgence in the formats). Video killed the radio star, but it didn't completely wipe them out, in other words. I do wonder if the Buggles realized how potent a concept they had all those decades ago and I thank them for it.

Gwen Stacy is Set to Come Back From the Dead as a Villain

Marvel has very few characters who have died and stayed dead. Two of them relate to Spider-Man, Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy. There are versions of them in other realities that are alive, but in the main Marvel continuity, they've stayed dead from the Spidey's start (Ben) or for decades (Gwen). Other characters who were dead for a long time came back and it worked out, however--look at Bucky/Winter Soldier. With that in mind, Gwen Stacy is coming back from the dead, it seems, as a baddie. She'll be returning in a new, "Gwenpool," mini-series. Who is Gwenpool? Allow me to explain.

Spider-Man and a character named Gwen Poole who was Gwenpool at points (no relation to Gwen Stacy, she's more like Deadpool, it's weird) are going to have to fight against a new Gwenpool who appears to be villainous and is the original Gwen Stacy back from the dead...for reasons? I get the shock value of the O.G. Gwen coming back from the dead even if it is a little less wild with Spider-Gwen having existed for a while (she's an alternate Universe Gwen who pops into the main Marvel Universe a lot). Still, doesn't this kind of take away from the long-lasting impact of Gwen's death? 

I'm not going to judge a story before it releases, but it just cheapens a huge story that has had repercussions for years on Spidey/Peter Parker. This could be a fun yarn, but it just feels like Marvel is grasping at straws with this idea. Again, once the latest, "Gwenpool," mini-series starts it might make a good argument for Gwen coming back, but right now I'm more bewildered than excited at the idea.

I Got My Thin Mint Cookie Fix!

It's that wonderful time of the year when the Girl Scout cookies we ordered arrive. This has allowed me to fulfill my need for Thin Mints. There are few things more wonderful in this World than a frozen Thin Mint followed by a sip of hot coffee. It just is magical. I'm overjoyed to fulfill my addiction to Thin Mints and especially love how they remain non-dairy so I don't even need to take Lactaid pills to enjoy them. I know there has been some supposed controversy lately about certain divisions of the Girl Scouts allowing transgender members, and to that I say this: I don't care if a Girl Scout is cisgender, trans, nonbinary, or anything else. As long as they've got Thin Mints I love and accept them. Hell, even if they don't have Thin Mints in stock they have my support and can give me some of those Coconut Flavored ones to tide me over, but I digress. It is Thin Mint season and I'm overjoyed, so let's all get some Thin Mints and celebrate!

Television Tuesday: "Baylen Out Loud," is a Throwback to the Less Exploitative TLC, I'm Here for It

TLC loves to do reality shows that seem to be delighted to exploit the subjects. Like a surreal modern-day, "Freak Show," we watch as couples on a K-1 Visa decide whether to get married or not in between big arguments/cultural misunderstandings and witness 600-pound people showering and overeating before (hopefully) getting some help. We tune in and watch as ex-Amish struggle to acclimate to modern society, or gawk at Roma people getting in fights during, "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding," as if every Roma wedding has to live up to a stereotype of a brawl breaking out. Hence, it is weirdly a bit of a throwback for The Learning Channel to have a show that seems strangely educational and less exploitive than you'd expect with, "Baylen out Loud."

"Baylen Out Loud," follows a 21-year-old woman named Baylen Dupree. She has an extreme form (her words) of Tourettes Syndrome. There are different variations of the neurological disease that can involve tics, yelling, swearing, and so forth. Baylen has most iterations and suffers from OCD. The show doesn't wallow in her disease, however, instead showcasing how she lives as normal and productive a life as possible with her disease. Unlike some TLC programs, you aren't tuning in to feel sorry for Baylen or leer at her when she's engaging in a bunch of tics at once. She clearly has tics, but continues to work at handling them and uses her Tourettes as a way to educate everyone about the disease and the challenges she faces from it. It's a shockingly positive show in some ways, focused on Baylen's successes as much as her struggles. It also helps that Baylen is very funny, smart, and kind--we root for her. 

Baylen's family is on the show too, and they clearly care about he and love her a lot. Baylen's boyfriend, Colin, also features prominently and unlike some TLC shows that try to inject drama into everything, their relationship appears pretty solid and loving, occasional argument aside (all couples have squabbles, however). "Baylen Out Loud," puts Baylen, the person, first and her Tourettes second. That is something a lot of TLC shows seem to forget to do when they focus on the strange addiction as opposed to the person with an addiction, and so forth. I'd recommend, "Baylen Out Loud," to anyone interested in learning about Tourretes and/or who remembers when the docu-series on TLC used to be less about the shock value and more about being interesting and informative.

5 out of 5 Stars for the Series so Far.

"One World Under Doom," #1 Starts Perfectly Fine

"One World Under Doom," features Doctor Doom emerging from the nation he runs--Latveria--after some months of keeping it locked away in a magical dome he was able to create thanks to becoming Sorcerer Supreme (he took it from Doctor Strange during a vampire invasion event, you know how it goes). He appears one morning and announces he is now the ruler of the World. All leaders of nations pledged loyalty to him and now he's in charge of everything on Earth. The twist is he will let every nation run itself normally as long as there is no war and everyone is able to access healthcare and as much education as they want from Pre-K to Doctorates. Basically, Doctor Doom has taken over Earth but is ruling it in a very chill way as long as you don't challenge him--if you do he might sic a T-Rex monster on you.

Obviously, the World leaders were tricked/replaced/had magic done to them for this to happen. The Avengers know this but stumble over themselves to expose Doom and look reckless and useless compared to the World's new leader. It's all perfectly fine as this sounds like something Doom would do, but what's the twist? Is it that Earth is okay with Doom's dictatorship because it actually seems like it works even if he assumed power through malignant means? That could result in a story about free will versus safety and security, I suppose. That said, Doom is up to something, one assumes, we just don't know what it is. Did he just want to declare himself ruler of Earth and demand everyone get along, be healthy, and get an education?

The thing that makes this at least enjoyable even if nothing about the first issue leaps out at me is that Ryan North writes a great Doctor Doom. He's got that mix of intelligence, ego, and attitude nailed to a T, and artist Ben Harvey gives us some delightful scenes of the Avengers fighting or Doom pontificating across the World's airwaves with his imposing visage. Still, the issue was entertaining enough but unless we're going somewhere creative I don't see what makes it especially necessary for this to be a huge event with multiple tie-ins. Doctor Doom has taken over Earth and the Avengers will beat him...the end? If that's the case this will be a bit of a waste, but should something unpredictable or twisty occur, well then I'm quite interested in seeing where we're going. For now, however, the verdict is out. As I said, it is a perfectly fine debut issue, I just hope this turns into something beyond, "Doom fooled Earth and the Avengers have to prove he's evil!" We'll see.

3.5 out of 5 Stars.

"Saturday Night Live," Has its 50th Anniversary Special (Soon) Tonight

"Saturday Night Live," is 50 years old in 2025. This is impressive and tonight there is going to be a big special commemorating the occasion. I know, it is random the special is on a Sunday, but let's just go with it. I run hot and cold on my actual enjoyment of SNL depending on the seasons, casts, and even episode-to-episode can vary in quality drastically. That said, I always will love SNL and its variety-show style that has managed to stay on the air for a shocking amount of time in an era where most shows struggle to get a handful of seasons. 

The red carpet introduction to the event is on right now and then the 50th anniversary special proper will start at 8PM Eastern. You can love SNL, hate it, or be indifferent to it. Regardless of how you feel, it has accomplished something special. It has launched so many careers and kept the show's head, Lorne Michaels, busy for quite a while (excluding the brief time he wasn't at the helm). Thank you, SNL, for being there for us. Whether you were great, good, or shockingly bad, you've been quite the mainstay these five decades.

Diamond Comics Distributors to Sell off All Assets and Meanwhile Indie Publishers Are Really Struggling

It's become clear that Diamond isn't exiting Chapter 11 bankruptcy in any kind of recognizable form. The company plans to have an auction that kicks off March 24th and closes April 10th that basically breaks everything down into parts that will (probably) be purchased for pennies on the dollar. All aspects from the main comic distribution to the rights to Free Comic Book Day, assorted toy distribution channels, comic protection supplies, and more are getting scrapped & sold. Clearly, Diamond couldn't find anyone to help with their monetary issues, and things quickly escalated. I'm not surprised as almost everyone who associated with Diamond got ready to jump ship if they could once the bankruptcy was announced. 

Anyone who was solely distributed by Diamond has been scrambling, with one example being Black Panel Press launching a GoFundMe to survive, and Blood Moon Comics announcing they're going to shut up shop due to it looking like they aren't getting the money needed from Diamond anytime soon. I imagine some of these smaller indie publishers operate on razor-thin margins (you don't get into comics to get rich, after all), and having Diamond owe them thousands of dollars is a mortal wound they can't recover from. Diamond owes them less than a big publisher or distributor but those companies can weather a temporary financial hit, the little guy/gals quite likely can't. I know almost everybody quite disliked Diamond, but I imagine few expected if it did fold that such a thing would be this abrupt and brutal.

Happy Valentine's Day 2025!

I hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day. Whether they are spending it with romantic partners, friends, or just want some time alone, I hope everybody gets what they are after! As always, this is a great day to spotlight the best song about the holiday ever, "Happy Valentine's Day," from none other than Andre 3000 of OutKast back when he still rapped occasionally:

Have a good one, ya'll.

Hellverine was Popular so Now We're Getting Hell Hulk, Apparently

Not too long ago Marvel did a fun mash-up of Wolverine and Ghost Rider that was called Hellverine. It was a bit of a surprise hit during a mini-crossover event. The idea was popular enough that even though Wolverine gave up the demon that made him Hellverine it went and joined with the body of a recently deceased Daken (one of Wolverine's many offspring) resulting in him coming back as the newest Hellverine. There was a solid mini-series with this that did well enough that, "Hellverine," became a now ongoing comic. This one-off idea was shockingly popular and Marvel always wants to milk any idea they can so now they've announced, "Hell Hulk." Yep.

Hellverine made sense in a story and happened organically. Making more Hell-inspired versions of heroes will probably result in diminishing returns. None of that matters, however, so Marvel is going to take the basic idea of something that worked and now we're getting Hell Hulk. The one thing that gives me hope is that he is being introduced within the pages of, "Hellverine," with the person who crafted the original mash-up, Benjamin Percy," bringing us the Hell Hulk. Perhaps Percy even came up with this idea as opposed to Marvel demanding he make more Hell-styled characters? I mean, that is possible but I doubt it. 

We get to meet Hell Hulk in issue #6 of, "Hellverine, "on sale this May. Even if I'm critical of the reasons behind this character's introduction I can admit the design is pretty cool-looking. Plus, Benjamin Percy will be writing (as I mentioned) with art by Raffaele Ienco so the comic will at least be entertaining and good-looking!

The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off Begins Today

A fun International-themed hockey event is starting today. Hosted by the NHL (so it only features NHL players), it is called the 4 Nations Face-Off. A bit like a special All-Star game (which it has replaced) it will involve four teams representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States playing round-robin style before a final game, with the two top-placing teams going at it in a championship match. This is a great way to see players who normally wouldn't play together on the same team--for example, we can enjoy the STL Blues' Jordan Binnington in the net as the goalie for Canada with Connor McDavid as a fellow player going against Kyle Connor and Auston Matthews on team America. 

Some people are bummed about various nations not being involved (a notable missing entity is Russia which was purposely excluded due to its war on Ukraine), but this isn't a huge auspicious thing like the Stanley Cup, it is a cool showcase of talent, and being done for fun--although I'm sure it will draw a good deal of viewers for the NHL, too. I look forward to the first game coming up soon tonight between Canada and Sweden!

Television Tuesday: "Laid," is a Hilarious Show on Peacock!

I had the chance over some days to stream all eight episodes of, "Laid," on Peacock. It is an incredibly dark comedy starring Stepanie Hsu as a young woman named Ruby. After an odd series of events Ruby starts to realize anyone she's ever had sex with is dying--sometimes gruesomely--and in chronological order. This results in Ruby setting out to warn a chunk of men (and a couple women) about the danger they are all in. Much of, "Laid," involves Ruby and her friend AJ (Zosia Mamet) trying to figure out why this is happening and how to stop it without her becoming celibate because she does enjoy sex and wants to have some more if she finds true love (and even before finding a partner to settle down with). 

Various complications arise throughout the show ranging from sleeping with people she probably shouldn't have (complicated relationships abound) to an effort to get help from the police at first being mocked...and then later putting her under suspicion as the death count rises. There are a lot of plots and subplots, along with certain mysteries that are left a bit infuriatingly unsolved due to some cliffhangers (I pray we get a season 2), but throughout, "Laid," there is a fantastic mix of twisted hilarity (we keep wondering how these exes might die as if we were watching a, "Final Destination," movie) and an intriguing dose of humanity with many of the characters. Michael Angarano is great as one of Ruby's exes who brings his own plot twists, for example. It is impressive, that "Laid," manages to make everyone quite endearing to the degree that some characters we see briefly and grow to like then sting a little when they suddenly die off.

"Laid," is the perfect mixture of dark, twisted, and just a little sweet to counteract how absurd things can get, after all, Ruby seems to literally be killing people with her vagina and has no clue why. It's a deranged premise (apparently there is an Australian version from some years ago, too) but the sharp writing and excellent cast sell it wonderfully. If you have Peacock and like off-kilter comedies, you need to watch, "Laid," and then demand a second season!

5 out of 5 Stars.

Blackberry Dr. Pepper/Dr. Pepper Zero is a Disappointment

I enjoy trying fun and varying flavors of soda. They can either be amazing or awful. Sometimes when they're something in between it is a little harder to express my thoughts. I'm struggling slightly with the new Blackberry Dr. Pepper/Dr. Pepper Zero because it isn't good. It also isn't awful. It is just a bit of a disappointment.

Blackberry Dr. Pepper Zero tastes like Dr. Peppr with a bit too much blackberry flavoring. It almost makes you think of cough syrup mixed with some soda when you take a big enough swig. There is a bit of a a nice taste there when you initially are sipping but that thick aftertaste just kind of ruins the fun. I didn't despise what I tasted, but I have no desire to drink another can of Blackberry Dr. Pepper in regular or zero form. Out of many flavors, this is one that I will probably just forget. It won't stick out in my mind for being fantastic or being atrocious. It just kind of existed and was bland. Oh well.

2 out of 5 Stars.

Super Bowl 59 is Today--Kendrick Lamar Will Be Performing at Halftime!

Today is the 59th Super Bowl. It shall feature the Kansas City Chiefs attempting to win three Super Bowl trophies in a row as they go against the Philidelphia Eagles. As I live in Missouri I am a bit partial to the idea of Kansas City winning as it will make many residents of this state quite happy. I am somewhat indifferent to which team actually wins the trophy, but I am going to be sure to tune in because I am--as we all know--a big fan of Kendrick Lamar. Lamar is headlining the halftime show and I am eager to see what happens. 

I wonder if there will be surprise guests besides those we already know about? Will Lamar rap, "Not Like Us," despite the current legal issues the song faces due to Drake suing over it? To those questions and more I can only think about how we shall see! I am eager to enjoy some grub, watch the game, view some (hopefully) funny advertisements, and witness what Kenny has cooked up for us in terms of mid-game entertainment. I wish everyone else an enjoyable and safe Super Bowl 59 too!

A Thought About, "Jurassic Word: Rebirth," and Some Potential it Shows

The first trailer is out for, "Jurassic World: Rebirth." It is the latest movie in what has grown into a big epic continuity of Jurassic Park/World. This latest movie follows the earlier ones while also offering a bit of a clean slate. The dinosaurs that flooded into the rest of our world have retreated to a small number of islands near the Equator (so much for the cool imagery of dinosaurs around the planet) and have mostly been forgotten. However, if a group of scientists and mercenaries can get the blood of three massive dinosaurs it provides medical data or something, I don't know, it sounds silly. There is one aspect I noticed that has some potential, however. Specifically, a hint of body horror.

The Jurassic Park/World franchise has been flailing about for ideas lately. It showed a little weird promise with, "Fallen Kingdom," when it turned into a strange, "Monster in a Mansion," movie for the second half with a genetically altered raptor, but then, "Dominion," was a bit of a slog. The director of this latest flick is Gareth Edwards, however, and he excels at big monsters (he did some Godzilla work) and has done some horror flicks too, so I wonder if some glimpses in the previews of deformed dinosaurs (two-headed raptors, a weird pseudo-T-Rex) hint that this flick could get a little strange, in a good way. I'm all for, "Jurassic World," getting a bit weird as the whole, "Dinosaurs on an island hunt humans," plot point needs some tweaks to stay fresh. Deformed or monstrous dinosaurs stalking humans at least sounds a bit creepy and bizarre. 

I don't know how heavily, "Jurassic World: Rebirth," will lean into being horror-styled, but even all the way back in the first, "Jurassic Park," some of the best scenes were the scary ones (I adore the intensity of when Laura Dern is trying to turn on the electricity and gets attacked by Raptors). The idea that the seventh(!) movie in this series could try something new is at least a little encouraging.

Rob Liefeld is Feuding With Marvel/Disney

Rob Liefeld is one of the co-creators of Deadpool and has had an up-and-down relationship with Marvel over the decades. He left it to help form Image back in the 90s but then has returned at points to do various series. His art style is extremely divisive with fans and haters. His personality is just as divisive, with some finding him animated and passionate about comics whilst others consider him to be a narcissist prone to being overdramatic. Over the years I have liked him, not liked him, found myself indifferent to him, and everything in between. I'm at a point now where I appreciate what he has contributed to comics but don't really feel an urge to read anything new he puts out as I just generally don't dig any of his new stuff. It seems he won't be creating anything new for Marvel soon as he's made some big public declarations about the company and its owner, Disney.

After feeling disrespected by Disney when, 'Deadpool and Wolverine," was being made and a movie credit request was ignored followed by some red carpet snubs at the premiere, Lifeld has said he's done working with Marvel in any capacity--regarding Deadpool or any other characters. Now, Liefeld can be a jerk and a loudmouth, but he also can be quite right in discussing how Marvel/Disney like to mistreat the creators of their comics that go on to be made into hugely profitable movies. We've heard tales before of Ed Brubaker getting little recognition for his Winter Soldier work or Jim Starlin getting practically no checks in the mail for all of his Thanos/Infinity Gauntlet/etc. work until he publically discussed things. Liefeld might be reading into perceived slights too much or he could be right on the money, but regardless his point of creator mistreatment stands.

This may now be Liefeld's final project with Marvel.

Liefeld isn't perfect in this argument either, of course. Fabian Nicieza co-created the Merc with a Mouth and Liefeld often seems to overstate his own importance versus his collaborator. Still, a person having their own flaws doesn't change the fact they're spitting some harsh facts that seem to not get stated enough. The honest truth is the people who made superhero comics often were not given proper credit, payment, or both. We even have that Superman movie lawsuit going on right now to further illustrate this point! I'd never say Liefeld is without his own faults, but the man does have a point in this situation. He's done with Marvel (for now, at least) and clearly, there are a lot of bad feelings all around.

Irv Gotti Has Died

Irv Gotti has died at the age of 54 due to a stroke. Unless you like to study the minutiae of music you may not know who Gotti is, but you definitely know the music he worked on. In the late 90s and early 2000s, the man created chart-topping hit after hit with the Def Jam imprint, Murder Inc. Created with his brother, the Murder Inc. imprint featured artists such as Ja Rule, Ashanti, Fat Joe, DMX, and more. Gotti crafted hits featuring everyone from Jennifer Lopez, to Mary J. Blige, Lloyd, and more. 

Infamously abrasive and blunt, Gotti was an incredibly controversial figure, accused of money laundering for a drug lord (Murder Inc. offices were even raided by the FBI although he was later acquitted) and he was apparently sued for sexual harassment/assault with an unnamed woman in civil court last year. Gotti was without a doubt a creative genius who knew how to make good music even if he also appeared to also make questionable legal choices. A good deal of hit artists maybe wouldn't have achieved fame without Gotti and the musical landscape would look a lot different today without his work. Def Jam records said in response to his passing how he, "Defined an era," and based on his discography, one would have to agree, flaws and all.

Diamond Hemorrhaging Clients, Massive Taking on Indies, Dark Horse Laying off Staff, IDW's Future Uncertain, and More Comic Industry News

A lot is happening in the comic-book industry. I mean, a lot. Ever since Diamond announced its Chapter 11 bankruptcy it hasn't been able to reorganize so much as lose a ton of clients to PRH or Lunar. If Diamond can't find someone to help take on their debt/purchase them then they could shut down as soon as April 1st. Will there even be much left to buy at this rate, however? Everyone seems to be jumping ship who is able and one interesting note is the publisher known as Massive is joining Lunar and adding a sub-distribution program known as, "Massive Indies." Designed to help smaller publishers who are currently stuck with Diamond (PRH or Lunar can be selective in who they take on, after all) it will allow them to have titles distributed with assistance from Massive as a bit of a workaround. It is an interesting idea for publishers struggling to survive--and it seems even bigger ones are feeling a crunch.

Dark Horse used to be privately owned, was bought by Embracer (a company that focused more on video-games), and had been chugging along. However, they just started implementing sweeping layoffs related to, "market conditions, economic factors," redundancies, and other corporate-speak for positions that basically cost more than Embracder thinks they make/are worth. A decline in sales, the ongoing threat of tariffs (that comes and goes at Trump's whim), and Embracer's own business issues have apparently made it necessary for Dark Horse to cut a lot of staff to survive. At least it looks like Dark Horse will survive, as some publishers have a grimmer possible future.

IDW has pushed back on a recent auditor's report that expressed, "Substantial doubt," about the publisher's future. Apparently, some of this relates to who owes money to whom from back when IDW was with Diamond and how PRH is like Rhianna in her song, "Bitch Better Have My Money," and wants its funds from anybody who can pay them--and Diamond can't, so IDW's gotta put some cash forth. IDW has claimed they are working things out with PRH and all will be fine, but whether that's true or its a case of a ship sinking and the captain trying to keep everyone calm while he/she sneaks off to a private escape craft remains to be seen. Clearly, a lot of is happening in the comic-book biz, much of it worrisome. I sincerely hope that everyone will be able to remain in business and that as few jobs as possible will be lost from bankruptcies, layoffs, etc. Optimism can only carry us so far, however.

"Fantastic Four: First Steps," Has Dropped its First Teaser Trailer

"Fantastic Four: First Steps," is coming this July from Marvel and released a teaser trailer. It looks fun and appears to be set in a retro-futuristic 1960s. I'm not sure how it can take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for that reason (the main MCU is more like the real world we live in...minus the superheroes), but I imagine it is in a different dimension that will end up in the, "Main," Marvel World during the upcoming, "Avengers: Doomsday," or, "Avengers: Secret Wars." Give it a look:

This is a teaser trailer so only so much is being revealed to us, obviously. It seems the team has been in action for a bit and already has a base of operations. Also, we get a peak at what looks to be a big baddie in the form of Galactus (OG costume as opposed to the Fox iteration of, "Fantastic Four," which made him a weird cloud). I'm intrigued for sure and almost anything that has Pedro Pascal in it at least is watchable, so I'm eager for July 2025 when this hits theaters!

CGC is Embroiled in a New Scandal with Pokémon Cards

CGC has had it rough. They had a huge scandal early last year when scam artists took advantage of a lack of oversight to have regular comics graded as being special editions (Mark Jewelers and such) but the company seemed to weather the fiasco okay. This probably was due to how in regards to comics, CGC is still the big dog. When it comes to cards they are relatively less popular, with PSA and other companies getting more love for grading sports cards or non-sport stuff such as Magic, Pokemon, and the like. PSA is actually getting into comic grading too this year, interestingly enough. One wonders if the timing will work well for PSA as CGC now has suffered a huge hit to their credibility with a Pokemon card forgery scandal. 

Cards worth millions of dollars that had been certified as legit by CGC and slabbed were supposedly prototypes of Pokemon cards from 1996. A number of these cards were examined with professional forensic equipment by individuals who then determined a large amount of the cards were, in fact, printed in 2024 and elaborate forgeries. This is extremely bad for CGC and could cause their reputation to take a massive hit. Comic fans will stick with them almost no matter what because they're a huge name in comic-books. When it comes to cards they have a lot of stiff competition--competition who can take advantage of this fiasco. I'm not going to jump to extreme conclusions such as stating this will lead to the downfall of CGC or something equally dramatic, but this is without a doubt going to hurt them, severely.

Today the Infamous Rodent Saw His Shadow

Today was February 2nd, 2025. That means it was Groundhog Day. The somehow eternally young groundhog known as Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. He deemed that for such a reason we will have six more weeks of winter weather, Spring equinox (March 20th) and a warming planet be damned! He is only right about 35% of the time, but I doubt most people trust a magical rodent so much as they find this whole thing to be some whimsical and silly fun. Plus, we got a really good movie with Bill Murray out this event (literally titled, "Groundhog Day," and nothing else) so that's a nice fringe benefit of this pseudo-holiday. 

Phil will most likely be wrong about the weather based on past statistics, but at least he didn't bite anybody like a less-famous groundhog did (multiple cities apparently have them) some years ago. I'd rather somebody call the forecast incorrectly but at least keep their teeth to themselves! That would make for an interesting episode of the, "Today," show, however, if Al Roker decided to just chomp down on some bystanders in the plaza one day. Anyways, Phil saw his shadow, nobody cares. The holiday itself is what's fun, not what the groundhog actually sees.

The Upcoming, "Superman," Movie Has Been Hit with a Rights Lawsuit

There is a big, "Superman," flick on the way. Directed by James Gunn, it is meant to kickstart a new DC film universe that Gunn and Peter Safran are overseeing. This movie has been hit by a lawsuit from the family/heirs of Joe Shuster and have Marc Toberoff representing them. The argument is that certain rights have reverted to the family in some countries/territories and they want to block the flick's release in those locations. This case maybe would fail in court, but as soon as a huge company like Marvel or DC gets even a hint there could be an actual problem they usually settle out of court. Toberoff was the attorney who represented the family of Jack Kirby when they sued Marvel and once it became apparent there was even a 1% chance things could go sideways everyone settled out of court for an undisclosed (but presumably large) amount. 

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman decades ago and depending on who you ask were screwed over and tricked or made a bad deal in good faith upon selling the rights regarding Superman for $130 to the company that became the DC we know today. A lot of time has passed and copyright law is always evolving, so new actions are being taken. Whether this is a case of a family wanting what is fair or greedy children trying to get an easy check can be argued, but I've always been on the side of creators and their families as opposed to megacorporations, myself. The owner of DC (Warner Brothers Discovery) could very well try to get a quick dismissal of this case and if that fails quietly settle out of court to avoid bad press as the date of this new, "Superman," nears.