Someone Did the Funniest Thing With Venom's First Appearance (or Cameo, or Whatever You Call It)

I'm in a bunch of Facebook groups about comic-books and in one, someone made a post about something they did that was absolutely hilarious. Jason Bogdanyi wrote,

"Lots and Lots of controversy around the first venom appearance. So I did something crazy to get a unicorn and original page to me. 

Ripped out a page from ASM 299 (low low grade) and sent it in hoping Todd would read my request to do a remark and well the slab now speaks for itself. 

DEBATE OVER"

As you can see in the picture, Mr. McFarlane was willing to sign his name and write, "First Venom Appearance." I mean, McFarlane has publicly said, "Amazing Spider-Man," #299 is, in his opinion, Venom's first full appearance and not a, "Cameo," or such. That said, in the same way, "Incredible Hulk," #180/#181 has many debates about Wolverine, everyone argues about this series and issue #299/#300 in regards to when Venom appears in full. I've always said an appearance is an appearance and that I don't get the whole, "Cameo versus full," debate. A video by streamer Swagglehaus discusses this new slabbed contribution to the dialogue regarding Venom's, "True," first appearance, and I reached out to Jason to get his permission to talk about this, and he told me one of his goals was to get a reaction and spark conversation. He succeeded!

A Game Studio Head Whined About Reviewers, Missed the Point of REVIEWING Things

The CEO of Larian is named Swen Vincke. He's been involved in the creation of some fantastic games, including, "Baldur's Gate 3." I don't recall any games his studio has made getting especially bad reviews, so it was odd to read an article discussing how he went on a mini-diatribe about reviewers. He had valid points about how personal attacks are bad (obviously), but said some reviewers just are too negative and need their own ranking system like Metacritic. I mean...reviews are subjective, my dude. Sometimes, a lot more people like or dislike something. I've not been into things some people loved, and I've posted reviews because I have a blog (thanks for reading it now, ya'll) where I share my opinion.

Toxicity is bad. Sharing an honest thought about a game/movie/comic/book/whatever is good. Sugarcoating your opinion and saying something is, "Perfectly good," when it is actually, "Hot garbage," is simply disingenuous. Reviews are not to be taken as gospel. They are what someone thinks. It is good to consult multiple reviews about something for that reason. If a reviewer is simply being a troll, they suck, yeah, but many reviewers just want to be sincere. Sometimes, a game is agreed by many to be bad, and it needs to be stated how there is little enjoyment to be wrung from it. I'm not going to be effusive with praise and mislead people regarding how I feel about something. On the other hand, if I adore a creation, the populace will know, guess why? That's the point of a review! In closing, don't purposely set out to be mean if you're reviewing something, but do make it a point to be transparent.

Television Tuesday: "The Beauty," is Ryan Murphy at His Most Delightfully Excessive

"The Beauty," was a comic created by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley. It was at Image for a number of years, and a new iteration is currently at Ignition Press. It follows a virus people want to catch as it is dubbed, "The Beauty," for how it makes people look good...before sometimes they randomly blow up some time later. The latest project from showrunner Ryan Murphy adapts a degree of the comic but is also its own wildly bizarre beast. Murphy has been involved in a ton of shows from, "Nip/Tuck" to, "American Horror Story," "Glee," "American Crime Story," "Pose," and the list goes on. Sometimes Murphy is a bit restrained, and other times his shows are insanely over-the-top. "The Beauty," is Murphy relatively unhinged, but I dig it. This is a show where he makes sure people infected with the virus who have a bad reaction literally blow up into a mess of viscera. He's loaded the show with sex. He has weird moments of dark humor and surreal monologues (one episode features a professional hitman waxing at length about the talent of Christopher Cross and how the fact that he looked like a normal dude doomed his career with the rise of MTV). It's a lot, but I like it.

Evan Peters and Rebecca Hall play FBI agents investigating a number of mysterious deaths that can be traced to a strange new virus--one seemingly made in a lab. As the show goes on, we witness a Phrama CEO (played by Ashton Kutcher to sleazy perfection) who was behind the virus and didn't want it to leak, but when an employee ran off and had sex...well, the fact that you don't always need a shot to be hot and can pass this potentially new cure/disease to others sexually is, "More of a bug than a feature." Hence, a lot of people who shouldn't have The Beauty do, are blowing up, and in the first three episodes, we witness a tug-of-war between those trying to figure out what is going on and those desperate to make sure nobody learns anything until The Beauty is perfected and ready to launch as some kind of treatment you can buy.

As I said, "The Beauty," is Ryan Murphy doing the most. Tons of sex, lots of violence, and the occasional shockingly sharp moment of social commentary. A black man who finds himself infected with The Beauty (played to perfection by Jeremy Pope post-transformation) in one scene discusses how even being made beautiful he still finds himself at a disadvantage in a society that values an ugly white man more than him, with the fact he is good looking, if anything, ampflying stereotypes of his being an attractive man with a, "BBC," and little else to offer in America's culture. The idea that weight loss drugs could be rendered useless by this new drug/virus is touched upon as well, with it clear why The Beauty needs to be kept a secret before it is revealed to the marketplace (not that such a fact excuses all the murdering).

"The Beauty," is set to be 11 episodes total in this first season, and if the first three are any indicator, we are in for one visceral, messy, and sometimes pretty smart and insightful ride. Buckle up, things are going to get fleshy! I rare these first three episodes...5 out of 5 Stars. It airs/unlocks new episodes on Hulu every Tuesday, so I'm eager for the next entry that'll be available today!

Kanye West Announces He's Sorry For All the Hate Speech...and Has a New LP Coming Out Soon

Kanye West put out a letter/bought a full page of ad space in the Wall Street Journal. In it, he goes in-depth about how various brain injuries and bipolar disorder resulted in multiple manic events, paranoia, and his many, many incidents of hate speech. West lays out how he is not an antisemite but loves Jewish people and is sorry for letting the black community down. "I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness," is one excerpt from the writing. He discusses losing all touch with reality for a good period of time, hurting those he loved most, and otherwise being destructive and reckless. And you know what? Good for him if he is truly taking accountability and getting help! 

Mental health is a Hell of a thing, and if he was having paranoid delusions but also too rich and powerful for anyone to say, "This is not okay," it is obvious how things would--and did--get out of hand. That said, the timing of this is a bit suspicious as Ye's latest album, "Bully," happens to be released this Friday. Mr. West basically published a letter saying, "My bad for the multiple years of awful statements and erratic behavior, buy/stream my new LP!" and that is awkward all around.

I used to be a huge fan of Kanye West and loved his earlier work. I defended him on this blog, a lot! I supported him in his long-running feud with Taylor Swift and thought she was the villain! Then, things started to shift, and at some point, I became quite pro-Swift and disgusted with the actions of Ye. He even knows that a single letter attempting to explain his myriad of horrific actions won't fix everything, but it is a start, and if he continues to work on rehabilitating not only his image but healing himself, maybe there is hope for Kanye West. Maybe, but he has a long road ahead of him for sure.

"Wrestle Heist," #1 is a Love Letter to Both Wrestling and High-Stakes Burglary

Wrestling and heist tales are both forms of entertainment full of stories. In wrestling, you have operatic tales of good and evil, the hero and the villain (sometimes one is revealed to be the other via heel-turn or such too), and lots of over-the-top fights. With a heist yarn, you've got someone down on their luck or done wrong who assembles a team and gets back at a nefarious party by stealing cash or something of value--in the name of justice and getting a little cheddar. "Wrestle Heist," marries these two storytelling concepts expertly. 

Both wrestling and heist stories can have lots of drama and be a bit silly, something writer-artist Kyle Starks knows in showing us the downfall of Sterling Steele--a pro wrestler who plans to leave one agency for another and is intentionally badly hurt by his former boss as retribution. The issue concludes with the announcement of the plan for a heist, and the promotion for the second issue outright says how next we'll have the exciting part of the crew getting together--"Wrestle Heist," isn't avoiding any genre tropes as opposed to having a lot of fun with them! The big Thanksgiving wrestling showcase of, "Fightsgiving," is Steele's target, and enough people clearly have been done wrong by Buddy that he'll be able to get some accomplices.

I've talked about the stealing, but what about the wrestling? Well, Kyle Starks is superb at illustrating the kinetic scenes of, "Fighting," whether it is the orchestrated aspects or when Steele is genuinely betrayed and hurt by real violence in the ring, made to look like an accident. Starks has always excelled at showing readers intense action scenes with his art, and "Wrestle Heist," serves as another great showcase for his abilities--other reviewers agree it is a superb read as well. This is a comic by someone who knows how to be critical of the industry of professional wrestling, but clearly adores the artform as well. I loved this first issue and can't wait to see how Steele and his friends pull off their caper!

5 out of 5 Stars.

Snow, Lots of Snow

Here in Saint Louis--as with much of the nation--we are hunkering down and preparing for the snow, lots and lots of snow. A good chunk has already fallen, with even more on the way this evening into tomorrow. Plus, it is absolutely frigid outside, so that calls for caution as well. By the time we wake up on Sunday, there could be a foot of snow on the ground. I hope everyone stays safe and warm this weekend into Monday. Take it easy, ya'll!

All Hail The Return of Fat Pikachu!

"Pokémon," is turning 30 years old, and the trading card game is as well. The original artistic representation of Pikachu on Pokémon cards was that of a chunky boi, a chonker, a chungus, etc. In honor of this fact, there is a new and official fat Pikachu plush...but it's a bit hard to acquire outside of Japan. I just hope it gets a wider release, as I've always been a fan of this extra-cushy iteration of the character. We love you, Pikachu, thick or thin!

Marvel to Revisit Their, "Civil War," Event and Seems Low on Ideas in General

I remember when the Marvel event, "Civil War," was a big deal and selling lots of copies back when it kicked off in 2006. Focused on Superhumans being required to register their identity with the government and how that leads to a rift between Tony Stark (in favor of it) and Captain America (opposed), it was somewhat adapted in a popular Marvel flick years later. When it was coming out years ago, it was a hit. Then it got delayed and took forever to finish, with a ton of fill-in one-shots and mini-series. The event had a lot of stuff that tied in and basically got to the point where there were comics saying, "Hey, what is this D-list hero doing about the Superhman Registration Act?" Well, apparently not all the stories were told because in honor of the 20th anniversary of the series (in real-time, not the floating continuity of the comics) we're getting, "Civil War: Unmasked,"  a five-issue series by Christos Gage, Edgar Salazar, and original Civil War colorist Morry Hollowell. Wait, we didn't even get Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch (the original writer and artist) for this cash-grab?

Yes, "The comic will offer a different story in each issue, respectively revealing more of what Tony Stark/Iron Man, Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Bill Foster/Goliath, Greer Nelson/Tigra, and Steve Rogers/Captain America did during the 2006 event." Oh, and this is somehow going to tie in the X-Men event, "Days of Future Past," for...reasons. I'm all for revisiting a fun event, but back when, "Civl War," happened, it just took forever and (I thought) covered everything there was to discuss. The, "Civil War II," event, some years later, was a hot mess as well, so I guess going back to a successful event (and working in an even older one) is the best idea Marvel has right now?

Sorry if that's coming across as overly sarcastic, but outside of the Ultimate Universe (which is ending), Marvel's comics have been struggling to get much hype/attention/etc. I love the current, "Moon Knight," comics (despite constant relaunches), but that's more of a cult character, and I struggle to think of any Marvel books getting the kind of buzz DC has been receiving--especially with their Absolute books. Even Marvel's movies were an unstoppable box office juggernaut, and now lots of people seem cautious about, "Avengers: Doomsday," no matter how many characters/actors are being promoted as coming back for more. Marvel just seems low on ideas, overall, and is throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. We're giving the Scarlet Witch a turn as Sorcerer Supreme, and Norman Osborn is Spider-Man. The house of ideas indeed.

Advance Review: "The Thing on the Doorstep," #1

"The Thing on the Doorstep," is an upcoming comic series published by Top Cow (an imprint of Image). I had a chance to read an advance copy of the first issue--technically for a second time. You see, when it was independently published on a previous occasion, I reviewed it and loved it, but why not revisit it and share how much fun it was to read again with some tweaks for this new release from Top Cow? Described as drawing from HP Lovecraft and featuring a, "...haunting mystery of friendship, madness, and the horrifying," this comic is written by the talented Simon Birks and is a great first issue!

Illustrated by Willi Roberts with letters by Rob Jones, the entire creative team does a stellar job opening in a, "Present," of sorts, where a shocking act of sudden violence occurs, and then we move back in time to start puzzling together just how things got to the point they did. There are hints of the supernatural in this first issue, with it clear that something dark and twisted is creeping into the minds of various characters. It doesn't appear anyone will emerge unscathed, with the question moreso being who will go utterly mad and who will maintain at least a semblance of sanity? The creepy vibe is superb thanks to Birks, Roberts, and Jones keeping us on our toes and ill-at-ease as the tension increases with every jump forward in time to near where everything starts/ends quite brutally.

"The Thing on the Doorstep,"  #1 releases in comic shops on February 11th, 2026. I encourage everyone to ask their shops to get them a copy and to then read the upcoming issues--as it is with Top Cow instead of being done on a smaller-scale this time, it'll be much easier for folks to buy and enjoy!

5 out of 5 Stars.

Artgerm Doesn't Use AI, it Steals From Artgerm!

Stanley, "Artgerm," Lau has been making comics since before the rise of so-called AI, "Art." That said, his style looks a bit like some of the AI rip-offs, so people have lately been accusing him of using AI...even though that would be impossible time-wise for some of the comics they looked at from years ago and said were AI. It's gotten to the point where Artgerm has posted about his process as he makes art so that people back off.

Look, I hate the supposed, "Artists," who put a prompt into a computer and claim they created a piece as much as everyone else, but even though some people are using AI, not everyone is doing it. A lot of AI artwork is stealing from creators such as Artgerm, and if anything, he is a victim of AI and getting ripped off, not the other way around. Let's support folks such as Mr. Lau and not hurl false accusations at them. After all, plenty of people, "Proudly," proclaim they use AI for their slop; they're the ones who deserve scorn.