I Have Ongoing Concerns About When Physical Media Disappears and We Don't, "Own," Our Digital Media

An assortment of news stories got me thinking of that phrase, "You will own nothing and you will be happy." Lots of things are now subscriptions or services. You don't own your movie, you have a membership with a streaming service that offers it. You don't own a record/tape/CD, you can stream it for a monthly cost. Your game pass renders games unusable if you stop paying...but you can buy a digital copy you do, in fact, own, right? Well, as of March 2026, it seems PlayStation has implemented a method to disable games from working if you don't connect to the internet with a digital game (that you supposedly own) at least once every 30-ish days. This wasn't announced or anything; people just noticed it and are hot pissed. Gamestop is taking advantage of this PR blunder, of course. Not all games have physical copies, however, which raises concern. 

This new PlayStation fiasco also makes me think about comics people read online and how hard it can be to get a physical copy of certain stories if they aren't kept in print--and I don't mean weird, obscure stuff; notable arcs face this too, as Comicsbeat discussed. If we can't find physical versions of media and lack real control of our digital content, do we truly, "Own," anything? There are some cool games coming out this May, and I don't like the idea that Sony can simply say, "Nah, you bought this but ain't gonna play it." If I want to use a subscription service for my games, movies, television, comics, and what have you (and I do for some stuff), then that is fine! The concerns arise when I don't even have a physical ownership option, and my digital item, which I bought, is still treated as a rental. Perhaps some twisted Hell where everything is somehow a subscription service is inevitable, but I hope not. I like the option to at least truly possess my stuff within my own hands

Celebrated Comic Creator Gerry Conway Has Died at 73

Gerry Conway has died at 73. He wrote many issues of, "Amazing Spider-Man," after Stan Lee left the book decades ago. These issues resulted in his co-creation of such character as the Punisher. Conway also was involved in the creation of the hated-killed-brought back and now popular antihero character Jason Todd. Conway penned the story of Gwen Stacy's death, introduced Marvel's take on Dracula, helped create Power Girl as well as Killer Croc...and the list just goes on for all the stuff he did. Conway served at one point as Marvel's Editor-in-Chief, wrote for movies and television, and was outspoken about the rights of comic creators as well as the use of the Punisher logo by far-right groups misappropriating the symbol. Conway wrote one of my favorite lesser-discussed comic stories, "The Last Days of Animal Man," which I continue to be surprised got slept on by so many folks. He is survived by his wife and children and will be missed.

Music Monday: The, "Yukon," Covers, Remixes, and Mashups are Delightful

The song, "Yukon," by Justin Bieber, is solid. It's a weird little minimalist tune. I liked it, and others did too, taking advantage of that minimalism to do all kinds of wild things with it. There is one remix that has taken over the radio more than the original, along with other riffs on the song, adding in other artists. We have covers by artists such as Sekou and Jamie Ave, Tate McRae , and more. Oh, and some wild mash-ups and tweaks, such as mixing it with Usher's hit, "Nice & Slow," or another R&B classic, "Let Me Love You," by Mario. Being a fun song and easy to manipulate with its intentionally bare-bones design has resulted in a lot of cool stuff. Sometimes a song just arrives at the right time and strikes a creative nerve in a lot of folks. I like it when that happens.

"Dirty," Mountain Dew is Subpar

"Dirty Soda," is a new hot thing. It is, essentially, soda with other flavors in it, often creamer. Mountain Dew is getting in on the game with their own, "Dirty," Mountain Dew in regular and zero sugar iterations. It is nondairy but contains a generous helping of vanilla flavoring. I didn't like it.

Mountain Dew in its Diet or Zero forms is okay, but I've always preferred Code Red (and the incredibly hard-to-find Code Red Zero). Still, the mix of flavors ranges from pleasant (Livewire) to subpar (Baja Blast just isn't for me). Dirty Mountain Dew simply tastes like Mountain Dew with a bunch of bland vanilla. That's it, nothing else particularly interesting is contained within the bottles. I wasn't expecting another drink of Code Red-level quality, but at least something enjoyable. Oh well.

2 out of 5 Stars.

I'm Bad at, "Drop Duchy," but it's Still Incredibly Fun

"Drop Duchy," has been on computers, but recently came to all finer consoles. It is a mix of genres and gaming ideas. There are roguelike elements, resource management, military strategy, and it is all wrapped up in a strange game of Tetris. It sounds bizarre, and it is, but I dig it! I'm also very bad at it.

I'm not the best at puzzles or planning out fancy strategies in games. I often will find my little army vastly outnumbered in a round of, "Drop Duchy." That, or I'll make a mistake with resource placement. Hell, sometimes I'll just kind of forget I had a piece reserved for something and totally screw up the whole board, repeatedly. I am an extremely mediocre player of, "Drop Duchy," but it is such an enjoyable game, I know that's okay! I don't feel I have played enough to offer a true, "Review," but I'd highly encourage everyone else to give it a try!

Darrell Sheets Has Passed

I wrote pretty recently about my immense love for, "Storage Wars," as a comfort show of mine. I just enjoy kicking back and chilling with the program. One longtime cast member who retired some time ago would be Darrell Sheets. He had suffered health issues in 2019 and appeared off-and-on until feeling totally done with the show in 2023. Sadly, Sheets has passed and seems to have died due to suicide. He was 67 and is survived by a number of family members. If you or a loved one is struggling with thoughts of self-harm, please know there are many resources, including but not limited to the 988 Lifeline and the Crisis Text Line.

2 Rivers Comic Con is This Weekend!

2 Rivers Comic Con happens this Saturday and Sunday at the Steel Shop Event Center in Saint Charles! I'm not 100% sure if I'll be able to attend, but I would encourage everyone else to go. There will be a number of stellar vendors and some really cool guests, including but not limited to Larry Hama, Kimberly Brooks, Andrea Romano, Rick Burchett, and more! It is bound to be a lot of fun, and if I am able to be there, I'll be sure to provide a write-up!

A New, "Clayface," Mini-Series is Incoming

Update: 

A trailer for the movie just came out today as well and looks scary!

Original Post:

Clayface is a Batman villain I've always found fascinating. The most well-known version is actor Basil Karlo, a man so desperate for fame that he becomes a hideous monster inadvertently. It is quite tragic and some comic stories/shows have done a great job exploring Clayface as a character and what makes him, "Tick." There is a movie focused on the character coming this Fall (I hope it is good), and with that in mind, a profile-boosting mini-series has been announced, "Clayface: Celebrity Dirt." 

According to the announcement, this comic will feature the, "creative team of acclaimed horror writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle, artist Fran Galán, colorist Patricio Delpeche, and letterer Tom Napolitano. The six-issue Clayface comic miniseries follows the classic Batman villain as he escapes Arkham Towers, ready to stage his comeback, only to discover that someone else has stolen his name, his face, and his long-lost stardom." It is set to have a noir-ish vibe and be full of psychological horror and body horror--which makes perfect sense when we're talking about Clayface. I'm definitely interested in checking this out when it arrives in all finer comic shops this July.

Earth Day 2026

It's Earth Day in 2026. I hope we have an Earth in the near future that is habitable based on current environmental regulations being rolled back, the threat of a nuclear war inching ever closer, and so forth. Do your best to care for the planet, even though you engaging in conservation/recycling only makes so much of a difference when huge conglomerates are polluting willy-nilly. It's funny, you know, I used to think, "Captain Planet," was way too over-the-top and on the nose with his villains who laughed maniacally about all the money they were making while damaging the planet. 

Just as we owe George Lucas an apology for his, "Star Wars," prequels about unchecked executive powers and wars over trade routes, I can only humbly say, "Yeah, Captain Planet actually called it." In the meantime, let's still try to combine our powers to do what we can for Earth. We only get one, as far as we know. As I said, here's hoping we at least have an Earth for Earth Day 2027.

The Monkey's Paw Has Curled a Finger: Game Pass Prices Have Dropped, But With One Notable Change for the Worse

Ya'll know about the cursed monkey paw, right? Originally a classic short story simply titled, "The Monkey's Paw," by W.W. Jacobs, it involves a mysterious mummified monkey's hand that grants wishes but at a terrible cost. It has been homaged and riffed on in everything from, "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" to, "The Simpsons," and plenty of other media. Well, if anyone pulled out their monkey's paw today and said, "I want Microsoft's Game Pass to be cheaper, right now!" you've got your wish, with a little evil monkey-magic thrown in. You see, as of today, the Game Pass has gone down in price with the most expensive, "Ultimate," option decreasing from $30 to $23 and all the other selections going down in price as well. Something won't be, "Day One," on Game Pass anymore, and that, "Something," is pretty huge.

As Patricia Hernandez over at Polygon discusses, "According to Microsoft, everything that is currently included in either subscription will remain available after the price change. However, future Call of Duty games — including this year's unannounced Call of Duty entry — will no longer be day one releases on Game Pass. Instead, newer Call of Duty games will be available on Game Pass the following holiday season, or about a year after they first release. Existing Call of Duty titles already on the service will continue to be available for Game Pass subscribers." This might sting for many players as when it comes to the biggest games around, I often think of, "Pokemon," "Minecraft," and, "Call of Duty," being huge (there is GTA, but at this rate VI ain't never coming out). Obviously, the price increase ended up doing more harm than good, with many players (including yours truly) presumably giving up on Xbox/Game Pass with the drastic jump in cost back in October. I suppose a mix of lowering the price but charging people for (sooner) access to a big game is hoped to balance everything out. If you love Game Pass and, "Call of Duty," however, that Monkey Paw just zinged you thoroughly. Now, we shall see how this all shakes out.