"Ultimate Wolverine," #1 Gives us a Mystery Wrapped in Brutality

"Ultimate Wolverine," is the latest of the (thankfully slowly) growing Ultimate line of comics. Marvel's latest venture into a new Ultimate Universe has actually been fantastic, with each issue moving time ahead one month--a feat that is still somehow working--and telling interesting stories around this World that The Maker altered in countless twisted ways. The Ultimate iteration of Wolverine has some hints dropped about who he is/was, but much of the comic centers on the heads of Eurasia (Colususs, Magik, and so forth) using their, "Winter Soldier," as he is dubbed (no relation to Bucky) to enforce their mutant rule in the region they control. 

The mutant weapon we witness was once called Logan, we learn, and part of the opposition to this tyrannical government, but a lot is left unclear. It also appears Wolverine won't be waking up anytime too soon as the first mission has him murdering his old friends (Mystique and Nightcrawler) in a shockingly detailed manner. I cannot compliment artist Alessandro Cappuccio enough, having become a huge fan of the artist during his time on, "Moon Knight," comics. They do an amazing job with, "Ultimate Wolverine." This isn't to ignore how writer Chris Condon is setting up a whole lot of interesting plot beats in this debut issue, I just can't stop admiring how simultaneously gorgeous and grotesque Cappuccio's work is. I'm loving almost every Ultimate Universe book currently ("Ultimate X-Men," is alright but drags horribly), and this latest title is a fantastic new entry into this line.

5 out of 5 Stars.

Could Tariffs Raise the Price of a Comic Even Higher in 2025?

Comic books aren't cheap. Back when I was but an infant they were maybe a dollar and some change. Then the time came they were all two dollars. Before long every comic was three dollars and it stayed that way for a good while. In the 2000's the price crept up to $4 off and on before it seemed to become almost the standard. We sometimes see $5 or even $6 with special variant covers or extra-big issues, but comic fans seem to balk at too high a price without a reason (extra-big issue, ratio variant, or so forth). With Trump returning to office against all odds an discussing tariffs, however, could that impact comic-books and result in comic companies having to take drastic action to stay profitable? The answer is not an optimistic one.

Gina Gagliano over at The Comics Journal has a nice meaty article that digs down into what tariffs could mean for comic-books due to how so many are printed outside of the United States. Price increases, shifting more to e-books, shorter comics, and a focus on black-and-white books, are all possible reactions to how printing a comic could cost multiple times more if tariffs are enacted. Major publishers will be hurt but the indie folks will really feel the sting. As always, the little guy/gal gets hurt the most by policies that a huckster politician advertises as benefiting everyone (even though only a handful of rich folks see any net positive). 2025 could suck for comics, among many other products. Some of you voted for Trump claiming he'd make eggs cheaper. Too bad almost everything else is going to cost five to ten times more and no economists (of good repute) think these tariff proposals are wise. I am not looking forward to Trump 2.0, I'll tell you that much.

Nintendo Has Announced the Switch 2

After various leaks, Nintendo has decided to officially announce the Switch 2. It looks like a bigger, more powerful Switch, basically. This is not a bad thing as the Switch is a fun console! I infamously did not, "Get it," until I tried out a Switch and then was a fan--especially of the relatively compact Switch Lite. The specs we do have indicate this Switch 2 will be a pretty powerful device (even if not at the level of a PS5 or such). It's due for release at some point in 2025 so it'll be available in time for ya'll to ask Santa or Harry the Hannukkah Goblin (a character I created and own the copyright to) for one this year. Between this, how GTA VI is supposed to launch in 2025 (we will see if that'll hit the Switch 2, however), and the ongoing rumors of, "Half-Life 3," actually being in a playable state with an announcement due sooner than later it appears 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for gaming.

Diamond Comic Distributors Has Declared Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Diamond Comic Distributors had been having a bad go of things lately from losing publishers to competitors and warehouse delays, but I didn't realize it was this dreary. Yes, Diamond just declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This is not Chapter 13, which is where you're totally out of business and shut down. This is the kind intended to help an organization reorganize and recover, but it is still clearly bad.

People are worried. The folk Diamond owes money to are concerned, smaller publishers who distribute their comics exclusively via Diamond as opposed to PRH or Lunar are upset and this is going to be incredibly messy before it gets better. Everyone always liked to grumble about Diamond--with good reason--but if they suddenly exit the distribution market (and it isn't just comics as they handle a lot of toys and such too) it leaves a major crater that drastically impacts many publishers, comic stores, and so forth. This is bad, and anyone cheering for the possible downfall of Diamond (as some are doing) is immensely short-sighted. Regardless of Diamond's many faults, it is an important player in the comic business. Hopefully, assets can be sold/acquired in a manner that will help keep everything humming along with little to no disruption. At least, not much more than there already has been at Diamond.

Television Tuesday: "Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action," Paints a Fascinating but Incomplete Picture

I watched the two-part documentary, "Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action," as I've written before about my fascination with the surreal and twisted program that was, "The Jerry Springer Show." The docuseries does a solid job showing how the program went from a boring talk show to the edgy tabloid-style program we all remember. It also focuses a lot on the producers who worked on the show under Springer and the main producer of the show who pushed it to get edgy, Richard Dominick. This documentary does a fantastic job digging into Richard's reasonings and psyche (he is extensively interviewed) and paints him as a programming provocateur. Dominick was a man willing to do whatever it took for good ratings. The fact that a love triangle that aired on the show may have contributed to a murder is extensively covered as well, with those involved in the show sharing mixed feelings about how responsible the program was or wasn't in the tragic events. It's a great documentary series. My only big issue with this two-part documentary, however, is that Springer himself remains a bit of an enigma.

Jerry Springer died in 2023. He can't be interviewed for this documentary. There is old footage of him talking about the show and a mix of recollections from those who worked with him--most fond--but what exactly motivated Springer to, "Go along for the ride," with Dominick is left a bit distressingly unanswered. Springer felt the show was beneath everyone involved, but he kept at it. His quick wit and humor almost gave, "The Jerry Springer Show," an air of respectability it obviously didn't have--but hey, Jerry was laughing with us and making fun of it too! Springer's exact motivations beyond enjoying the attention and ratings seem unclear, so we're left with a bit of a shrug and half-guesses at why the titular personality behind, "The Jerry Springer Show," really let it become, "The Jerry Springer Show," that caused so much public commotion. This is not a slight at, "Fights, Camera, Action," as they can't dig up Springer and interview him now--although such a visual would be wild enough for one of the edgier pay-per-view episodes without a doubt. For a man who spent so much time in the public eye a lot of Springer seemed to remain shockingly private, this documentary doesn't change that, but it does paint a fascinating portrait of Springer's show from its rise to sort-of fall and eventual end.

5 out of 5 Stars.

Neil Gaiman is Facing Multiple New Allegations of Sexual Assualt

There had been some scattered reports about Neil Gaiman that painted him in a questionable light, but nothing seemed to, "Stick," or get a ton of attention. Now, "New York Magazine," has a cover story titled, "There is no Safe Word," that paints a horrific and terrifying picture of Gaiman. It's behind a paywall on their Vulture site, NY Mag's online entity. However, other sites summarize a lot of awful, abusive, and horrendously inappropriate behavior. The magazine interviewed eight women (four had talked about Gaimain before and four had new revelations), and the specifics are disturbing and detailed to a degree I'd rather not go in-depth about on my own site. It's saddening and become a bit of a trend at this point where a famous creator of comics (Gaiman has made a lot of stuff including comics) has allegations surface.

Some comic-makers who faced allegations later recovered their career to a degree while also pointing out their behavior wasn't as bad as initially claimed (Brandon Graham). Some admitted a bit of fault and then wanted to move on as if nothing happened (Warren Ellis). One creator sadly took their own life when questionable actions were made public (Ed Piskor). I'm not going to rank everyone's actions as we all would consider the choices people made differently as minor missteps versus a pattern of bad behavior. That said, the things being claimed about Gaiman sound monstrous if true. I've learned from past events to not jump to any conclusions either way, but regardless of what's true or false, it is all just incredibly saddening to think someone with such great abilities could also even be accused of numerous awful actions. I don't like to think those with immense talent could also possibly be monumental monsters, but here we are, mentally drained at the idea of yet another literary hero engaging in villainous behavior. It's all quite upsetting.

The Inaugural ToyMan of 2025 Was Great Fun!

I missed the last ToyMan show due to a bunch of obligations, but I was able to attend today's event; I had a fantastic time! Certain vendors were unable to be there for an assortment of reasons, some involving that recent snowstorm that we're still feeling an impact from. However, there were still plenty of vendors selling awesome wares. As usual, there was everything from vintage toys, to paper ephemera, Funko, die-cast cars, movies, video-games, Lego, newer toys, Pokemon cards, and more! I kicked off the show by saying hello to John Chaffee of Bigfoot Comics. He was doing well and I picked up a fun helicopter toy from him that Gibson is sure to love (he enjoys stuff with wheels/propellers/etc. Observe:

I proceeded to chat with my friend Tim Metzger about how he was doing and saw Dustin and Tammy--they had a ton of cool retro games! Tatertot Comics and Collectibles had some fun items as well and in the upstairs section I enjoyed chatting with my good friends, authors Jessica Mathews and Lindsay Hornsby--they had all their incredibly fun books and goodies! Jack Thomas of Fortress Comics brought a metric ton of books and I picked up two for a stellar price. Here is a picture:

I had an immense amount of fun at today's ToyMan show! I won't be able to make the next one on March 9th as it happens shortly after a preventative medical procedure one of our kiddos has scheduled. I'll definitely remind everyone as it approaches to attend, however!

Mini-Run Review: "Absolute Superman," #1-#3 is a Stellar Read

The new, "Absolute," DC books have been a wonderful treat, surprising me and many others with how darn good they are. "Absolute Batman," has been getting a ton of attention, and, "Absolute Wonder Woman," is incredibly solid, but I've been quite surprised with how much I've enjoyed the tweaks made to the O.G. hero in, "Absolute Superman." I've discussed before how I sometimes struggle to enjoy Superman stories although I've had my friend Biran recommend some quality tales to me. "Absolute Superman," gives us a Superman who is familiar yet lived a different enough life that it is an injection of fresh ideas, however.

The, "Absolute Superman," actually spent years alive on his home planet and has memories of being a child and teen on Krypton. While there his parents noticed the danger the planet faced and were ignored by an elite upper-class. This has resulted in Superman having a big distrust of authority and a motivation to help those who struggle. It's a, "I'm here for the little guy/gal," style of Superman that carries a bit of an edge. Writer of the comic, Jason Aaron, is a creator I can run incredibly hot and cold on, but he's on fire here. It helps that the artist Rafa Sandoval is firing on all cylinders too, with his illustrations of Krypton in the comic's flashbacks giving us a planet both beautiful and eerily surreal.

"Absolute Batman," gets the hype (and is fantastic for sure), but, "Absolute Superman," has been plugging away at giving us quite an impressive story as well. I'm just hopefuly the latest announced, "Abolute," series with Green Lantern, the Flash, and Martian Manhunter," will be as exciting as this first initial batch of titles we've enjoyed!

5 out of 5 stars (for issues #1-#3).

QuikTrip Is Adding Coffee Bars to Various Locations

Various QuikTrip locations have been adding these cool new coffee bars--including a QT by my house! Featuring assorted hot coffees as well as cold brew and, "Nitro," cold options, they are quite neat to see. This article discusses the exact setup and rotating assortment of flavors. As I am a huge fan of coffee this, clearly, excites me! I really enjoyed the cold brew I got yesterday when I noticed the coffee bar and I plan to try more options on future visits to any QT with this as a selection.

Mattel and Tokyopop Have Teamed Up

Well-known maker of toys, Mattel, and the popular manga publisher known as Tokyopop announced a new partnership today. It will include manga comics featuring Hot Wheels and Barbie. These will be marketed to those 8-12 years old and this honestly makes a lot of sense. Considering how popular manga is with kiddos it seems like a clever way to get them into toys, or, have the kids who already like the toys go and read some manga. Barbie and Hot Wheels both are big money and Tokyopop is a huge part of the manga-in-Western regions market. This is probably a win-win for everyone and as long as the manga is actually good/fun/etc., I could see these new books doing quite well.