Happy Halloween 2024!

I want to wish all the folks who are celebrating the holiday a happy Halloween! I always enjoy Halloween as I am a fan of pumpkins/pumpkin spice, adore the Fall season (although it's been weirdly warm), and enjoy spooky as well as not-too-scary fun! If you're going to trick-or-treat or attend a party do please be safe. Also, keep in mind that as it is Thursday you may still have responsibilities the next day whether you're nursing a candy hangover, alcohol hangover, or a mix of the two--so take it relatively easy if needed! Anyways, have a fun day and night, everyone!

The, "DC Versus Marvel Omnibus," is Out Today, Still Somewhat to My Surprise

I continue to be amazed that Marvel and DC via their parent companies have been able to play nice again enough to publish an omnibus of crossovers between the companies over a decade ago. Seriously, the last time the big two interacted was, "JLA/Avengers," and that only got a very small reprint to honor George Perez as he was in late-stage cancer with the proceeds going to a charity. However, "DC Versus Marvel," has an omnibus out as of today, as was rumored for a bit, and found itself solicited against all odds. Could this be a sign new crossovers could happen? Someday will we get an insanely epic movie where DC and Marvel face off (it would make all the money)? This could be a, "First step," to bigger things, is my point. In the meantime while we await possible future crossover comics/films/etc. you can buy a copy of this omnibus today at all finer comic shops or internet retailers.

Television Tuesday: Late-Night Talk Shows Are Losing Viewers

I've always enjoyed late-night talk shows. Some hosts have appealed to me more than others, but between the networks, there is usually one person I love to tune in and see (Stephen Colbert is quite a hoot). That said, the talk shows on late at night seem to be losing relevance and viewers at an alarming rate. The format is stagnating, and it isn't clear what can be done. YouTube was at first seen as a threat, but then shows realized embracing it as a tool was wise (look at James Corben with his carpool karaoke getting insane numbers of views). However, podcasts apparently are creeping up in popularity more and more, cutting into the idea of these shows with their short and edited interviews with notable folks are worth watching when you can listen to a long chat ranging in topics with various podcast hosts. 

The old folks are watching late-night hosts and the young folks are listening to something titled, "Call Her Daddy," in other words. The format needs updating, but what the solution could be remains to be figured out. I don't listen to/watch streams of too many podcasts, but they are getting popular to a wild degree over the years. If network television can figure out a way to utilize those better perhaps something can be done about the hemorrhaging of viewers/listeners/etc. We shall see.

Remember: It's Better to Include than Ignore

I wrote back in February about how, "When it Comes to Disabilities, Our Nation Needs to Remember the Importance of Inclusivity AND Accessibility--Plus Keep them Affordable!" That piece was more about governmental entities needing to take better steps to help those who have a disability feel included in the world via accessibility- things can be absurdly expensive even with insurance, after all. That said, people down to the individual level need to remember it is better to include those who are, "Different," as opposed to simply ignoring/forgetting them. A friend of mine posted the above meme and it really struck me because of how true it is.

Just because a child is in a wheelchair, stimming, or has any kind of disability that doesn't mean you need to, "Not stare," and ignore them. I always prefer children to ask why my son, Clarkson, sometimes claps, makes certain sounds, and uses a talker as opposed to ignoring us. Clarkson communicates differently but he still loves playing with other kiddos via jumping with them on a trampoline, climbing on things at various play-zones, and so forth. I don't want parents to tell their children to not stare at Clarkson, I welcome them having questions and wanting to learn about Clarkson so they know the best way to interact with him and be his friend.

Inclusivity isn't just something our government or community needs to do. We as individuals are responsible for making sure those who are, "Different," can feel included whether they are children or adults, with a visible or, "Invisible," disability. It is okay to acknowledge my child is different. Ignoring how he has Autism won't help anyone. Acknowledging he is different via your guidance as a parent can help foster acceptance. That helps everyone, from my kiddo to yours. Knowledge is power, and we all have the power to understand and embrace our differences.

I Saw Usher in Concert Yesterday!

Usher is currently on tour and stopped in Saint Louis to do two shows. I was able to catch his performance yesterday, the 26th, here in Saint Louis. It was a lot of fun and extremely entertaining! The first half of the show had a lot of dancing, roller skating, and huge screens showcasing interesting imagery about Usher's life due to the theme being that an artificial intelligence of sorts is looking at his past, present and potential future--which makes sense as this is the, "Past, Present, Future," tour. The second half of the show slowed things down and featured more of Usher standing and doing the best special effect he has--singing with his incredible voice.

The crowd was pumped, with the many ladies in the audience getting especially loud the first time Usher ripped his shirt off and poured a bottle of water over himself. The women also enjoyed a segment in the latter half where Usher went down into the crowd and fed the women cherries from a big bowl he got at a nearby bar area. It was humorous but dragged on a bit long compared to how quick and exciting the rest of the show was with the numerous costume changes, dancers, and crazy lights going on and off.

I had a lot of fun at Usher's concert and everyone else in the audience seemed to be having a gas as well. A ton of effort had clearly been put into creating an exciting and engaging show with Usher making sure to sing a bunch of his hits newer and older in addition to some less-known but still quite catchy tunes--the man has an extensive catalog. One fun thing was that at points Usher threw out stunt money and one crew member was kind enough to give me an extra bill when I asked. Take a look:

If you are able to see Usher while he's on tour I would encourage you to do so. I had a great deal of fun and appreciated the mix of showy stuff and chill moments where Usher focused on singing. It was a superb show!

As Halloween Approaches I Present: 3 Game Moments that Actually Scared Me

I don't scare too easily. I've seen a bunch of horror flicks and while the occasional sudden moment can make me jump, it doesn't freak me out and keep me up late at night. The only movie that ever really freaked me out was, randomly enough, "The Sixth Sense." I don't even believe in ghosts, but that movie was equally sad and scary. Anything else though with Freddy, Jason, Michael Meyers, Lepruchans, Candyman, serial killers, or such just entertains me. The same goes with games, although there have been three occasions that come to mind where a video-game legit scared me. The kind of fright where you stay up a little later thinking about how wild it was--that sort of scared.

1. The opening of, "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain."

Toussaint Egan over at Polygon has made the same observation as me, the opening of Hideo Kojima's last MGS game is actually quite terrifying. Whether you know all the story reveals that come later in the game or are going in fresh, it is like a totally different title than the open-world military combat game it morphs into after the first couple hours. The game opens with Snake in the hospital, emaciated and weak from a coma, being stalked by a strange man on fire who seems dedicated to killing you. Players can't tell what is real, a hallucination, or if this is some version of Hell that Snake has ended up in. That fire-man coming at me was a surreal nightmare incarnate.

2. Finding Mia in, "Resident Evil VII: Biohazard."

I never found the, "Resident Evil," games scary. They had attempts at jump-scares with the Nemesis, but nothing that made me feel ill at ease until I dipped my toes into the seventh official game in the series. Perhaps because it switched to a first-person perspective that made everything feel more visceral, especially when you first locate your character's wife. You're playing at Ethan Summers and you find Mia early in the game, but something is really wrong with her. Some kind of infection has made her homicidal and by the time she shoots up a flight of stairs at the player and uses a chainsaw to cut one of our hands off I was quite alarmed. The whole game is pretty spooky, but Mia was what stuck with me.

3. The Floormasters in, "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time."

I don't know why, but as a kid, these things legit scared me. They would appear in certain dungeons by first manifesting as a shadow overhead that made a weird whistling howl as it grew bigger. Then, you'd be grabbed by the strange mysterious form and dragged to an earlier part of the dungeon. With some quick footwork, you could dodge what turned out to be a creepy-looking hand you had to attack. Once you hit the hand, however, it would break into three mini ones that would attempt either to choke you or reform the big hand. As a middle-school student these things just really struck me as spooky.

Film Friday: Those Leftover Redbox Kiosks Post a Big Privacy Risk

Redbox used to be a fantastic way to rent movies. Now, however, it is one big fiasco. You all may recall when Redbox shut down due to its then-owner, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, going bankrupt. Now, those kiosks sit outside stores like big, heavy, useless bricks. That is, except for ones that are supposedly wiped of their sensitive information and sold to whoever wants a machine (people collect random stuff). The problem, however, is that these machines and their data are apparently easily accessed because CSSE did a really crappy job erasing customer information. 

I, for one, don't love the idea that somebody can buy an old Redbox kiosk and get a bunch of credit card numbers among other stuff--especially as a person who used Redbox a decent amount back in the day to rent movies and games. CSSE probably doesn't care much as the company is essentially having a fire sale to try and dig itself out of being nearly a billion dollars in debt. Still, this is sloppy and just serves as a further embarrassment to the company.

The 7UP Shirley Temple is Quite Enjoyable

I enjoy sampling short-term and promotional soda flavors. Big soda brands always seem to be rolling out some temporary new tastes to sample. One mix that actually makes a lot of sense when you hear about it is the new 7UP Shirley Temple. A Shirley Temple as a beverage generally contains some cirtus soda mixed with grenadine and topped with a cherry, so why not give us a premade version? Knowing that it was logical to have this be a drink I figured it would either be tasty or somehow fail epically against all odds. Thankfully, the 7UP Shirley Temple is pretty darn good.

I've been avoiding drinking sugary sodas for the sake of my weight (those calories add up), but I could not find the zero sugar/diet version of the 7UP Shirley Temple anywhere. I visited and called multiple stores until one location in a local grocery chain (Dierbergs) told me they had a single 12-pack left. I had them hold it and snatched up some soda to try. Upon cracking open my 7UP Shirley Temple the first thing I noticed was how the pomegranate flavor really hits you with the 7UP. This tastes like a Shirley Temple that went hard on the grenadine, in other words. That isn't a bad thing, though, just something to note! After you notice the pomegranate making its presence felt with the 7UP there is a nice and crisp cherry aftertaste. It isn't the best version of a Shirley Temple I've ever tried, but I've had versions of the drink that were quite worse due to shoddy bartenders. I also wonder how this would blend with some Vodka if someone wanted to make a 21-and-up version of the drink as you see sometimes. I bet it would work pretty well!

In conclusion, the 7UP Shirley Temple isn't the best promo flavor ever, but it is pretty tasty. If you like the Shirley Temple beverage in general this should meet any expectations you have of a canned soda's take on the classic drink. I'd rate this a lovely 4.5 out of 5 stars.

"Eternal Family," is the Weird Streaming Service I Didn't Know the World Desperately Needed

Look, I've complained about how there are too many streaming services. There are the mainstream ones that serve millions of folks like Netflix, Hulu, Prime, Disney+, Apple TV, HBO MAX/MAX, and more. There are niche ones too like, "Shudder," which focus on horror-based content or Crunchyroll with Anime. It is a lot, but I can appreciate how this variety is capable of resulting in something interesting too. Something strange. Something known as, "Eternal Family."

I was on Facebook and saw a weird ad full of random quirky clips. It said it was, "Eternal Family." It looked like the love child you'd get from the more esoteric shows on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim reproducing with the catalog of the cult movies brought back to life by Vinegar Syndrome. I did some research, and yeah, "Eternal Family is an offbeat streaming platform presenting hidden gems from the past and surreal entertainment." It has a bunch of old bizarre stuff, things the platform created with the talent involved in the service, and it is weird. The thing is, I'll always take weird over boring, so I checked it out.

Eternal Family has an app, a program you can access on Roku televisions, and a website. It offers a free 7-day trial and a subscription for $8 a month (or less if you buy a longer chunk of time). You navigate it like any other streaming service with its various genres of content. That's where it being like other streaming services ends, however.

There are old monster movies from foreign countries, strange television shows from the 90's. 80's comedies, low-budget and surreal horror movies. Short flicks, some anime, and a number of original content options, and it is all so random and entertaining. Back in the older days of the internet/Youtube/whatever you would just kind of stumble upon unique and cool things (there even was a website called, "Stumbleupon," for example). Now, of course, we go online to find something specific as quickly as possible. That is why search engines such as Google are so popular and Amazon with its nearly-infinite selection of items is massively successful. We want to find something fast and get it given to us even faster. That is all well and good, but Eternal Family evokes the feeling of just finding something cool. 

In an interview, the folks behind Eternal Family say, "It’s a bunch of weird stuff that you might not 'get' but makes me and my friends happy to watch." That's a great way to put it, but I'd argue there is enough variety to the stuff on, "Eternal Family," that anyone who tries it out will find something they get. Maybe a vintage silent film. Perhaps a T.V. movie titled, "Wishman," about a bioengineered creature featuring Linda Hamilton before she was in, "Terminator." A training video from the 90s about how to use a speed-bag could appeal too. Maybe entertainer and artist Kerwin Frost singing karaoke? What about a Latvian cartoon series for kids? These are all real options with, "Eternal Family," the strangest streaming service on the web. 

I'm unsure how Facebook knew to have a random ad for this streaming option appear to me (I mean, they probably studied my analytics and knew I'd like it, but yeah). I am happy I checked it out, however. Eternal Family is most definitely not for everyone, but it could be for anyone who wants something wild and different. Check it out, you'll be glad you did.

The, "Blade," Movie is Delayed Once Again

If I may spoil a scene in the latest, "Deadpool and Wolverine," movie, there is a part where Wesley Snipes returns as Blade and remarks at one point that there has only ever been one Blade and only ever will be one Blade. Deadpool then looks at the camera knowingly as a new, "Blade," movie has been in the works with Mahershala Ali set to play the famous vampire-killing Daywalker. The thing is, the movie keeps getting delayed to the point where I worry that Snipes' character could be correct.

This leads me to share how I wasn't surprised but still concerned to hear the movie has slipped out of 2025 and has no set release at the moment. The flick has been through multiple directors, and scripts, and has been in preproduction purgatory for about half a decade, having been announced as in the works way back in the Pre-Covid times of 2019. I hope everything can get straightened out and we end up with a good flick. I just want to be entertained as Ali does cool stunts and stakes some vampires; it sounds easy enough but clearly, there is a lot of work to be done.

"Erenshor," is a Single-Player Game That Simulates Being an MMORPG; That Sounds Strange and Interesting!

I used to dabble in Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, back when I had a lot more time to burn. I'm old enough to have dipped my toe into, "Ultima Online," and never played, "Everquest," but recall how huge it was. Then, of course, it seems like we've all played a significant chunk of, "World of Warcraft," at some point in our lives. Still, those games can be a huge time-sink and other players can be heavily dependent on you to join them for quests/raids if you're in a guild that enjoys those high-intensity dungeons and such. What if you want to play an online game where there is less of a grind and you won't be letting any real people down if you miss a few events? Why not try an MMO...that's actually offline? Enter the intriguing new game, "Erenshor."

"Erenshor," is essentially a single-player MMO. It takes place in a big fantasy land and is full of other players who go questing, trade loots, and level up when you're not around while hanging out with various guilds...except these other players are all NPCs and the game isn't on the internet. Everyone besides you is a, "SimPlayer," with a computer-generated personality, appearance, and the like. It is a game for just you that feels like a big online title but requires a lot less time, dedication, and the like. The graphics look inspired by, "Runescape," and I love the idea of, "An MMORPG...on your time." I can explore a fantasy world that is just like an MMO but has nary the usual stressors of it taking forever to level up, or having to play with a bunch of people to enjoy the best quests/raids/etc.

Looks like an online game, yet it isn't at all!

You can play a demo of, "Erenshor," now on your computer via Steam. The old-school design gives it relatively modest system requirements--although my current setup is so basic it can't run it. Do please give the demo a try and let me know how it is. If I get a slightly more juicy computer in the future I'd definitely give, "Erenshor," a try sometime either via its demo or once development is complete.

Today's Quad Con in Saint Charles was Stellar!

 

Whenever the Quad Con comes to town I get excited. The Saint Charles one is always held at the Steel Shop Event Center and is a hoot. Full of vendors, creators, and other cool folks, you can spend a bunch of time having fun at any Quad Con show--and that is just what I did today! I made new friends and saw old chums, bought a bit of cool stuff, and otherwise found the show to be quite an enjoyable experience. I'll share some highlights below...

I saw some of my good friends that I often run into at other shows. My chums I had the pleasure of chatting with included John Chaffee of Bigfoot Comics, Spike from Lost in Space Toys and Collectibles, Marcus Mosley, Eric and Tricia of STL Comics, Larry of Bug's Comics, the good folks of Comic Book Relief and That Comic Book Guy. I also was excited to see my good friend Jack Thomas of Fortress Comics. He was kind enough to pose for a photo with his impressive wares:

There were even more vendors of comics/toys/Funko Pops/etc. as the show was packed with folk selling cool items. I met the vendors of Magnitude 10 Comics for the first time and they had a cool giveaway they were doing! Besides folk selling wares, a lot of cool folks who made neat items were present too. The cool fellows of Biff! Bam! Boom! Comics were there and always a treat to speak with. Friend of the blog Ria Leso was at Quad Con, promoting her cool works including the upcoming release of issue 2 from, "The Sleepless Ones," comic. Here she is with her cool banner:

I met Matthew Kreke, an author of the young adult book, "Beacon--The Hero of the Heartland," as well as, "The Night Slayers," comic. The show was really big and I was busy checking all the cool booths for sure, and during the show I made the acquaintance of Marisa Carbonell of Mariposa. She had a ton of cool stickers, bookmarks, and so forth featuring her artwork. Here is a picture of her cool booth:

This Quad Con in Saint Charles was immense fun. The show was packed with vendors, creators, some cool cosplay, and everyone was having a great time! I already look forward to the next one in this region on April 13th, 2025. Thank you again to the folks behind Quad Con for having me attend as it was superb!

The Variety Saint Louis Trunk-or-Treat Event Was Great Fun!

I've written about the wonderful organization here in Saint Louis known as Variety on a previous occasion. They help families in a multitude of ways and were kind enough to highlight how their assistance in getting Clarkson his Novachat device was incredibly helpful when it came to his communication skills. Variety held a Trunk-or-Treat event today and it was a lot of fun!

Samii, Clarkson, Gibson, and I all drove to the event and our good friend Emily met us there to do the trunk-or-treating with us! Clarkson loved one spot where they had made slime (as seen above). He kept making faces as he touched it but didn't want to stop! Everyone loved his Halloween-themed shirt as well with bats on it.

Gibson and Samii had fun outfits themed for the event as well, with Samii sporting a Jack-o'-lantern shirt and Gibson dressing as Donald Duck--he got lots of compliments for his adorable outfit. I need to make sure to thank our friends Doug and Rachel who gifted us the getup! Here is a better look at the boys in their clothing before we left--I tried to crop out the cat the best I could who desperately tried to pop into the picture:

Variety's trunk-or-treat event was fantastic! The cars were all decorated wonderfully with an assortment of themes, everyone was incredibly nice, and the weather was about as perfect as one could have hoped for today. We want to thank Variety for all they do and look forward to attending more fun shindigs they have throughout the year!

Flashback Friday: "Hellspawn," Was a Horrifyingly Good Read

D. Emerson Eddy of The Comics Beat reminded me of a great little series the other day with one of their, "Classic Comic Compendium," articles. It was, "Hellspawn." Published by Image, it was an out-of-continuity series that hard Brian Michael Bendis writing and Ashely Wood providing art before Steve Niles took over writing and Ben Templesmith provided illustrations to close the 16 issue run out. It's creepy, ominous, and while I'm a big fan of Niles and Templesmith, I'm a huge fan of Wood's art and when Bendis' writing is on, it is good. This is an example of some quality Bendis storytelling.

I've always said I enjoy, "Spawn," comics the most when Todd McFarlane isn't writing them. This isn't meant as an outright insult to McFarlane either. McFaralne is an incredible artist and has some stellar ideas. I just don't think his writing/scripting is the absolute best. When other people take his ideas and run with them, however, the result is generally awesome. Whether it is how David Michelinie and McFarlane gave us Venom or that the, "Toddfather," and his Spawn helped create some cool stories when other folks wrote the character--such as, "Hellspawn," and other works (Alan Moore of all people kind of was slumming but gave us some interesting yarns). 

When McFarlane is mainly doing the art and contributing ideas as opposed to full-on scripting, the results can be pretty snazzy. Hence, I enjoy the character of Spawn the most somewhat paradoxically when McFarlane isn't writing him. "Hellspawn," with its demonic creatures, scary tone, and great dialogue stands as a prime example of that assertion. "Hellspawn," is going to have a new collected edition coming out in March of 2025. I look forward to it and hope that this new printing helps other folks discover a fantastic piece of work.

The Latest IDW Logo is Just Plain Ugly

IDW as a company has been through good times and rough times. They are shifting the focus of the company to go heavier on creator-owned genre works in the realms of horror, superheroes, and mafia tales. I suppose with this change a new logo was called for, and how bad could it be? It was unveiled at New York Comic-Con and, well, look above and marvel at that ugly thing. IDW Comics and Entertainment, you okay?

AIPT was kind and said it was, "Slick," while Creative Bloq felt it was, "Too clever for its own good," in how it uses the I and the D to make a W. Bleedingcool was as eloquent as ever and called it, "Stupid." The thing is hideous, for sure. You have to really stare to see the idea of a W and for a good minute, I thought the company had changed the name to be ID Comics and Entertainment without the W for some reason. The W isn't there, but it kind of is? It's gruesome, ya'll. Someone who thought they were really good at typography came up with that logo, patted themselves on the back, and took the rest of the day off when they actually should've tossed this in the bin as a first-draft failure. 

If you stare long enough you can kind of see the W.

It almost could work with the W being visible to a better degree without the weird slice in the I and D; why is that even there? I have little to no artistic skill, so if I think your logo is an epic fail that is saying something. I'm sorry to pile on with most folks here...but that thing is just nasty. No, IDW, just no.

A New Printing of, "The Filth," Has Been Released, so Go Buy it!

"The Filth," is a creator-owned comic that was published over 13 issues by DC's Vertigo imprint (when it existed). Written by Grant Morrison with art by Chris Weston and colors provided by Gary Erskine, it is my absolute favorite thing Morrison ever wrote--and they've written a ton of stellar comics. Describing, "The Filth," is incredibly difficult as there is a lot going on within its pages. Basically, it focuses on a secret organization known as the Hand who serve the World by removing or recruiting those who could pose a danger to the stability and safety of society. This results in stories about a massive cruise ship that descends into violent chaos, a hyper-fertile porn star with amnesia, living inks being used to create comic-book-inspired weapons, a Russian chimp that claims to have killed JFK, and more! Now, thanks to DC, you can get a new 2024 edition of, "The Filth!"

I don't use the word, "Masterpiece," a lot, but, "The Filth," is one. I'm pleased that DC has re-released this amazing comic--now under their, "Black Label." This printing also includes some extra content including pieces of artwork that did not appear in the original comic due to it being a bit too risque but which was included in certain other printings as backmatter--so if you like bonus stuff, this publication has it! The only strange thing is multiple sections refer to Morrison with male pronouns and a chunk of years ago they came out as nonbinary--a bit of an editorial oversight. I understand old review quotes would use he/him terms, but the biographic section too? That note aside, go get yourself a copy of this newest printing of, "The Filth," and enmesh yourself in its amazing weirdness.

"Heavy Metal," Magazine to Return in 2025

There was never much of an official announcement, "Heavy Metal," magazine just kind of ended with a whimper. It was a bummer as the magazine had been through so many highs and lows, and petered out in 2023. The publication sometimes had really thoughtful and mature comics. Sometimes it was mostly boobs, butts, guns, and sci-fi-influenced mixtures of the three in an effort to be experimental and erotic. It was always an interesting publication, however, from the early days in the 70s all the way to when Grant Morrison was briefly at the helm later in its term. The thing is, when I wrote about the end of, "Heavy Metal," (linked above) I did say how barring some unforeseen rising from the ashes of failure like a mythical phoenix I thought it was done. I guess the Phoneix is rising because--you guessed it--"Heavy Metal," is due for a return.

Heavy Metal International has CEO Marhsall Lees confirming the magazine shall relaunch in 2025. Frank Forte will be the Editor-in-Chief, Dave Kelly the new Executive Editor, and Chris Thompson the Editorial Manager. Preorders for the extra-big first issue shall be done via Kickstarter (which will also offer limited edition covers and such). I hope this relaunch is successful so that creators who want to make weird and interesting stuff have a platform to do so for the fans that want to buy the aforementioned interesting and weird stuff. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for more information as well--such as when the Kickstarter launches and who will be contributing to this new debut issue!

The Hot Comics Revue 19--Talking Absolutes With Batman

"Absolute Batman," was promoted heavily as a part of DC's new, "Absolute," line. Stores ordered tons of copies. It sold out the first printing at the distributor level but that happens with plenty of comics that sit on store shelves. People on Reddit and in my comic forums scoffed at the idea such a, "Big," book could heat up significantly. AND YET! Comic stores found that even if they went heavy on the first issue, people wanted it, and now the shelves are bare in many places. 

Absolute Batman's cover A.

The comic is getting really good reviews with its fresh take on Batman by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta and that mixed with curiosity from fans and regular folks hearing about it has resulted in a run on the book. Supply has dried up of a book that should have--in theory--been clogging up dollar bins in a year from being supposedly so overprinted. Still, the A cover of, "Absolute Batman," keeps climbing in popularity and price to the point people will pay 20 or 25 bucks for it online. Will this book keep gaining in popularity? Will it fizzle? Could it end up being like a, "Spawn," #1 where even though tons of copies exist it always sells for $20-$30 over the decades? I don't know, but I can say this book is currently quite hot and everybody wants a piece. A second and third printing are already coming and this has interest piqued in the other, "Absolute," books coming down the pipeline too.

Other incoming titles.

I was able to grab a copy of, "Absolute Batman," as the variant covers are still pretty cheap for now. I plan to read it once I have some time to sit back and properly enjoy it. I dug the, "DC All-in Special," so between that and the debut of this new Batman it looks like DC might actually have a hit new line of books on their hands thanks to some great ideas and quality storytelling. Sometimes effort is rewarded, I suppose!

That, "Joker: Folie à Deux," Really Bombed Hard

I didn't see the first, "Joker," movie. It seemed to barely have anything to do with, "Batman," conceptually, and looked like a really negative, sour, and unpleasant movie--even if Joaquin Phoneix is a great actor. The sequel--"Joker: Folie à Deux," looked quite strange but still tonally dark, with the movie becoming a musical, somehow. Then it got awful reviews, had an ending few liked, and technically bombed in theaters as it did come in first at the box office the week it debuted, but didn't make nearly as much as was hoped for. It even has set a record of sorts for the, "'worst second-week box office drop' in comic book movie history," according to the AV Club. It fell off a metaphorical cliff. Everyone is blaming everyone else who was involved with the movie. Is it Phoenix demanding rewrites and new scenes? Is it how Lady Gaga had a lot of scenes cut? Director Todd Philips' refusal to work with the studio and let them offer opinions? 

I think the first, "Joker," movie was a bit of a, "Lightning in a bottle," moment that had people curious enough to check it out. Still, nobody wanted more in the form of, "Joker: Folie à Deux," perhaps. It looked like, "Joker," but with more confusing elements (why a musical?) and narrative shifts to the, "Saga," of this Joker that everybody seems to have hated. The , "Joker, " sequel thankfully is its own, "Elseworlds," kind of tale and not related to the main DC continuity now being built up by James Gunn and Peter Safran. That take on the DC Universe has me more optimistic for a good time than I ever had for these, "Joker," flicks, which just seemed to be saturated with negativity, cynicism, and little else of a point besides saying, "Life sucks, oh well." I don't know who to blame for how badly this sequel went, but this particular take on a DC character is clearly finished and ended as a big ol' awful mess.

The Latest Saint Charles Quad Con is Just Over a Week Away!

I always have a grand time at the Quad Con held in Saint Charles at the Steel Shop Event Center. The next one is a week from tomorrow on October 20th, starting at 10AM (and going until 4PM). It is just $5 to get in with free admission for military and free entry for all after 2:30 PM. The Quad Con always has a metric ton of vendors selling everything from comics, to toys, crafts, trading cards, Funko Pops, vintage video-games, original art, cosplay, and more! I highly encourage anyone in the area to be at the Quad Con on Sunday the 20th, I plan on attending and having a fantastic experience! See you there!

Marvel Doing Zany Character Pairings? Sounds Fun!

The Marvel Universe is a big place. There are well-known characters who did not meet for years of existence or whom still haven't hung out. With this in mind,  J. Michael Straczynski is going to be writing a number of one-shots for Marvel featuring, "...characters who had either never been paired before, or only minimally," for the amusement of us readers! JMS returned to Marvel a bit ago to write, "Captain America," after previously leaving on less-than-stellar terms when Editorial overrode how he wanted to finish his, "Amazing Spider-Man," run. JMS's take so far on, "Captain America," has been a bit quirky, but still fun. Hence, it is interesting to think he'll write about Rocket Racoon and Doctor Doom, Nick Fury going against Fin Fang Foom, Hulk chilling with Doctor Strange, and so forth. 

The only story that made me scratch my head in that it doesn't sound like a strange duo is, "Spider-Man Vs. Doctor Octopus." I mean, they interacted enough that at one point Otto literally took over Peter's body and served as, "The Superior Spider-Man," for a controversial run--perhaps there is a twist to that story? Whatever the case, we get to enjoy some wild matchups this January with JMS scripting and a variety of great artists illustrating.

Silver Sprocket is Doing a Fundraiser--With Rewards!

I am a big fan of the independent comic publisher Silver Sprocket. They put out works that are creative, edgy, experimental, and simply awesome. They are celebrating 15 years of existence by running a fundraiser! They're looking for 200 more people to become members/subscribers which can get you all their awesome releases in digital or print form. They're also selling snazzy prints (I have one pictured above) and signed books that the authors were kind enough to autograph. 

This fundraiser will help them to keep printing superb works and make sure everyone at Silver Sprocket can make a living wage (not easy to do in comic-books, sadly). Here is that link again so that you can buy something cool and help give Silver Sprocket some more cash so that they can look forward to another 15 (and more) years!

"Funko Fusion," is a Disappointment of a Game

I've loved playing Lego-themed videogames over the years. There have been many from, "Star Wars," to, "DC," "Marvel," and ones that mash-up a bunch of properties to an interesting result. When Funko announced their own game, "Funko Fusion," I had hoped it would be fun like the Lego games. I've played a bit of, "Funko Fusion," and am disappointed to share that it is pretty mediocre.

The Lego games are full of charm and fun gameplay. "Funko Fusion," is a mostly uninspired 3rd-person shooter with boring landscapes, annoyingly long boss fights, lame puzzles, and a shocking lack of personality considering how fun and quirky real-life Pops can be. Some surprisingly graphic body-horror imagery aside (as others noticed) there isn't much of interest in this game. It's just drab and dull. This is such a missed opportunity and I'm glad my library (libraries rock!) had it for me to check out instead of having to drop a stack of cash to be underwhelmed. At least we still have the Lego-themed games to enjoy after this missed opportunity.

I've Officially Known Samii 13 Years as of Today!

I met Samii 13 years ago today! We chatted online via OkCupid, went on a date (then many more), and now here we are all these years later. I am thankful every day that Samii went from being my girlfriend, to my wife, to the mother of our wonderful boys. It is wild to think we were strangers when I went and met her in-person for the first time at the Crestwood Mall (which was replaced with a Dierbergs and some housing awhile ago). I'm glad I didn't scare her off with my eccentric demeanor and continue to marvel at how caring a person she is. Clarkson and Gibson have the best mommy and I have the best partner in life. It's been a wild 13 years and I look forward to many more!

"The Comics Courier," is the Print Comics Criticism I've Been Yearning For

I love absorbing all forms of media as well as reading crictism of that media. Whether I agree with a review or article, if it makes me think about a movie/show/comic/whatever in a new way, I appreciate that. We don't have much print comics crictism, lately. Magazines that focused on comic-books all went out of print besides a yearly-ish edition of, "The Comics Journal." Hence, seeing that there is a Kickstarter campaign for, "The Comics Courier, A New Comics Criticism Journal," has my attention.

As much as I love reading about comics online, I enjoy a good magazine regarding subjects I enjoy too. Print isn't dead, with plenty of topics still getting magazines, so a biannual (twice a year) print publication dedicated to comics sounds superb. The creator/main editor is Tiffany Babb, who has almost a decade of experience regarding comics. She has recruited a bunch of great folks who write about comics as well and if I had any issue with this new publication it would just be how I wish they'd included me because I love to write about comics and can usually ramble on long enough to meet double the needed word-count--editors love/hate me a lot! My quibble of being left out of this debut issue aside (seriously, hit me up if you want an article in a future issue, Tiffany) I love the idea of, "The Comics Courier," and have already backed it at the level for a physical copy (you can get just a digital, but I just told ya'll I want it in my dirty mitts)! Go and back it on Kickstarter now if you value comic-book criticism too--which considering how I do a chunk of that, I figure you must be into reading folk's thoughts on comics!

You Were Warned About Those Commercial DNA Kits

I've given my genetic information to companies that have to follow strict privacy rules. I'm talking about HIPPA laws regarding genetic testing for myself and my family members. That said, I've always been leery of 3rd party companies like 23andMe or Ancestry that want my DNA and don't seem beholden to any particular rules about what they do with my information. Seriously, I wrote about it back in 2020. Now, 23andMe is on the brink of bankruptcy and has all that useful genetic data they could sell to survive. I warned ya'll.

Could this information serve great medical purposes? Yes. You could anonymize data and study a bulk of it to see how certain genetic markers can be linked to other ones for health issues. Am I paranoid at the idea that it could be sold to advertising companies or law enforcement? Yes, because a lot of information could be in that genetic code and there is zero responsibility to privacy for 23andMe--once you signed up and spat in a tube for them you signed away your rights.

It sounds like a science-fiction concept, but imagine a company getting your genetic information and putting it in a database. This database finds you have a gene that predisposes you to really liking dark chocolate. The company sells this money to an advertisement agency with a corporation that sells chocolate as a client. One day, they trawl their data and decide to send anyone with the chocolate-loving gene a coupon for a discount on a new line of dark chocolate bars with various fun nut options. That isn't too nefarious, but things could get a lot more twisted and intrusive. 

I could be paranoid, but if I give someone all my genetic code and they don't have any privacy obligation, maybe they don't anonymize data and sell my DNA data if they get into a tight spot. I bet a few decades ago the idea of sending a company your salvia so you could find out if you're 30% Irish or such sounded outlandish, but now here we are. Your genetic code could translate to dollar signs. Be careful who gets your DNA because Lord only knows what will be possible to learn from it in the next couple of years.

Wishing Donald Glover a Speedy Recovery

Donald Glover is a talented actor/singer/comedian and basically an all-around skilled fellow. He had postponed a number of tour dates as his musical alter-ego Childish Gambino due to an unspecified health issue. Now, those dates have been outright canceled with it disclosed that Glover's unnamed health issue will require surgery. Glover is entitled to medical privacy just like any other human being, but I appreciate his feeling comfortable sharing that, "“My path to recovery is something I need to confront seriously. With that said, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the North American tour and the UK and European dates. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase.” Prioritizing one's health is important and I applaud Glover for doing as such. I wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to him in the, "Community," movie which should eventually come out after delays from script rewrites among other stuff.

The, "DC All-In Special," #1 is a Promising and Creative Start of a New Venture

DC is launching their, "All-In," Initiative which involves the standard DC Universe and an alternate one (the Absolute one) somewhat co-existing and (one assumes) eventually overlapping in some fashion. It's a bit like the original or new Ultimate Universe Marvel is doing, in other words. This new, "DC All-In Special," #1 is a one-shot that kicks everything off...and it actually does so in a clever way.

There is a lot of artistic creativity in this special that makes a big commercial endeavor actually feel almost a bit quirky--and I like that. You see, this is a flipbook that tells the same story from vastly different viewpoints and uses that format for all kinds of intriguing ways to tell a surreal story. We see things from the perspective of the heroes on the main DC Earth as they expand the Justice League--and Booster Gold is there as everything goes wrong with  Daniel Sampere providing some solid art. 

We also witness Darkseid getting up to a bunch of evil stuff and enacting a master plan...with Booster Gold yet again there from a slightly different metaphorical angle as everything goes wrong (the man can't catch a break in this comic). I liked seeing an alternate take of the same yarn and the Wes Craig artwork on the, "Evil," side is especially impressive--as others have observed. I give props to writers Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder for their creative use of the comic-book format and using that to give us two stories that end up uniting beautifully as one twisted tale.

The, "DC All-in Special," #1 is much more experimental than I expected for a random one-shot that launches a new line of stories (and a whole new Universe of heroes). This gives me some optimism for the upcoming Absolute titles--I was thinking of at least trying their first issues and definitely plan to do so now--and makes me curious about what will be happening in some of the, "Main," DC books as well like the upcoming, "New Gods," series. Color me pleasantly shocked at how good this was. I tip my hat to DC for getting me excited about all the other things coming down the pipeline for, "All-In."

5 out of 5 Stars.