So I wrapped up the final two episodes of WWE Unreal tonight with two episodes that I thought were the best ones of the series.
Episode 4 featured the heel turn of John Cena, including the parts of the story involving Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Episode 5 was Wrestlemania 41.
There were a lot of cool moments in these episodes. I did enjoy listening to the planning behind the Elimination Chamber where what exactly they wanted to do with the Rock/Cody story was determined. With it leading to John Cena’s heel turn, the writer’s room was pretty cool.
I did enjoy hearing CM Punk give the idea for the ending of the men’s Elimination Chamber where Seth stomps Punk and Cena puts him into the STF. It went exactly as Punk had laid out and hearing that was an awesome moment. Especially with all six participants surrounding Triple H in the planning. It showed how professional these men were.
My favorite part of the entire series was seeing how emotional CM Punk was over finally main eventing Wrestlemania. He had tears in his eyes before heading out for the match. Triple H told him that he had always been a main event performer and you could see how much that meant to Punk. The tears after the match were so powerful too. He spoke about how he had accomplished his lifelong dream and it was not just a written promo. This was Phil Brooks (CM Punk’s real name) speaking from his heart.
The show did mention some of the negatives that lead up to Wrestlemania, such as Jey Uso’s troubles where we saw a ZOOM meeting where creative had discussed not putting the title on him because of his malaise. They also addressed the Charlotte Flair-Tiffany Stratton promo that had gotten too real on an episode of Smackdown.
It still felt as if there could have been more that we saw, but, perhaps the dirt sheets that report all these things, do not necessarily get things correct. The relationship between Rock and Triple H is supposed to be very bad, but there was no even slight example of that in this docu-series.
This was an interesting docu-series and I do believe it was well put together. It was certainly produced carefully, but it was fun seeing the backstage parts.
I started the new Dexter series on Prime today. I was not sure whether or not I was going to watch this after watching the up and down quality of Dexter: Original Sin. Add that to the fact that I did not watch the last several years of Dexter and I did not know the back story of what happened and I was not sure if I wanted to donate the time needed.
However, I have heard some positive word of mouth about the series and Dexter: Original Sin did have some upside to it. I have the opening in the schedule as I just finished two Apple + series so I decided to give this new version of Dexter a shot.
I will say that I enjoyed the first two episodes of this as Dexter came out of his coma after being shot in the chest by his son. Dexter followed Harrison, his son, to New York to do what he could to help him.
There is another serial killer in New York using the moniker, Dark Passenger, which ticks Dexter off right away.
If there is one thing that I would say about this series is that it feels like New York is really small. Dexter made his way around the city easily, maybe too easily.
I liked the scene that saw David Zayas reprise his role as Angel Batista from the original show, facing off with Dexter after he had awakened from his coma. Batista suspected that Dexter was the Bay Harbor Butcher, but he had no evidence. Dexter was able to escape from the hospital before Batista returned to see him again.
There are two more episodes currently active on Prime (via Paramount + with Showtime) and released on Fridays.
The new docu-series dropped on Netflix today called WWE Unreal. It was a series that takes the audience behind the scenes to see what happens to create the magic of the WWE.
The show focused on the time period starting around the Netflix debut of RAW through Wrestlemania 41.
WWE has always been great at documentaries and there was some definitely controversy about WWE pulling the curtains back. I did enjoy this, but I am going to say that Unreal was clearly too clean… too produced.
What I mean is that we do not really see any negative things that might happen or that was rumored to happen. They did not mention Seth Rollins’s absolute hatred of CM Punk, which feels like would be a major piece of what happened backstage.
However, I did like the few looks into the writer’s room with how they were putting together ideas for the matches.
The first three episodes featured in on CM Punk, Rhea Ripley, Chelsea Green, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Jey Uso, and Cody Rhodes (in particular with his matches against Kevin Owens).
What we got was fun, but it did feel very homogenized. I like seeing the wrestlers backstage out of character and how they bond with each other. Watching the group of female wrestlers heading out for the Elimination Chamber match praying together was fascinating.
The show did continue to show that this was not just scripted material, but that these men and women truly put their careers on the line every night they go out to perform. They talked about injuries to Rhea Ripley, CM Punk and Charlotte Flair. One of my favorite moments was when Kevin Owens was discussing a spot he had with Cody Rhodes during the ladder match when he gave Cody a fisherman’s buster off the second rope into a ladder. KO was worried because of the way the ladder had been set up and he was afraid Cody’s neck would be injured.
Another great moment was watching the backstage agents dealing with the matches. Chris Park, who used to wrestle under the moniker of Abyss, was in charge of the Netflix RAW debut main event CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins. The match is a great match and will be on a list of the best of the year, but Park was facing pressures because the match was running long. Park, trying to get approval from Bruce Prichard, who was pushing him to get the match to go to the finish. I felt for Chris Park because it felt like he was in trouble despite this being a classic match.
There are two more episodes of this docu-series that have dropped. One of them is focused in on the John Cena heel turn and another one on Wrestlemania 41. Both could have some major news, including an original match lineup for Wrestlemania 41 before things get switched around. This list was released as news from the series so I look forward to finishing up the series.
I binged season five of What We Do in the Shadows today and it was a great season once again. This show is one of the most consistently funny shows on television.
This season had several running storylines that carried through most of the year. These included:
Guillermo’s slow transformation into a vampire after giving money to Derek to turn him. Little did Guillermo know how much of an insult that would be to his master.
A hex that had been cast over Nadja, causing terrible things to happen to her.
The Guide trying to fit in with the rest of the vampires.
Guillermo’s uncertainty over what he wanted to be.
My favorite episode of the season was “Local News”, which was an episode featuring a local news reporter covering the story of a water main break on the street of the vampires’ house. They interviewed Nandor and he believed he accidentally let slip that he had lived in the house for centuries. Believing that he had given away the truth that they were vampires, the group started going crazy. It was really funny and resolved wonderfully. It also crossed over with Guillermo going to see his mom to tell her about his life choice.
Another thing I really loved was the development of the character of Guillermo over the ten episodes. He was learning a lot about himself, to the point where he realized that he was not going to be able to become a vampire. His Van Helsing blood had been fighting off the vampirism all season, keeping him from fully turning.
I loved how, when Nandor finally discovered the truth, it led to another truth. Nandor never turned Guillermo into a vampire over the years because he knew that Guillermo did not have the stomach for the killing involved. Nandor really showed that he knew Guillermo well, but also cared for his familiar/bodyguard.
I also liked how the other vampires showed some concern for Guillermo, way more than they had ever done. I would go as far as to say that they all had accepted him as part of their lives. Laszlo, Nadja, Colin Robinson and even The Guide went out of their way to try and help Guillermo. That was way different than the first season.
Cameo of the season: Patton Oswalt. He became a major component in helping Nandor get past his hurt feelings, allowing him to save his friendship with Guillermo. And he did all this before being thrown to his death.
I am also a fan of how characters from previous episodes/seasons keep showing up. It gives the show a real flavor and world that has a lived in feel to it. The Baron, Derek, The Doll, Topher, Djinn etc.
Although I could see this change a bit, here is my current list of seasons in order of my favorites:
Season 1
Season 4
Season 5
Season 2
Season 3
I could see seasons 4 & 5 flipping places after more time to reflect. Season six has 11 episodes instead of 10 and it is the final season of the show.
I loved this series. I did not expect to feel this way about this series. A sci-fi/action/comedy featuring a robot that goes rogue and becomes a murderer. And yet, I found this to be fully entertaining and I was enthralled with the entire series.
I will say that the final episode left me feeling sad as Sec Unit left the others, departing for a new adventure. I did not expect that to happen. Sec Unit choosing to leave behind the humans who he had done so much to protect and who had rescued him from being melted in acid.
I wonder if the group would have let Sec Unit put on his armor and resume his role as their bodyguard if he would have made a different decision.
Sec Unit got on a transport ship, posing as a servant bot and said that he did not want anyone telling him what he could do, even his favorite humans, meaning Mensah.
Murderbot has apparently been renewed for a second season and showrunner Chris Weitz suggested that the second season would be adapting the next three books. I have not read any of them, but I do hope that the cast that I have enjoyed so much this season would be able to join Alexander Skarsgård for season two. At first I was not much of a fan of David Dastmalchian’s Gurathin, but he did grow on me after he stopped being such an opposition to Sec Unit.
Could we get more The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon next season? That was a real fun little show-within-a-show example and I love seeing Clark Gregg anytime I can.
Murderbot is on Apple TV + and is definitely worth it for any sci-fi fan.
I finished up the first season of Stick on Apple TV + tonight with the finale, entitled “Déjà Vu All Over Again.”
The episode featured the final day of the ReadySafe Invitational golf tourney with Santi right in the race to win. Last episode, we meet Santi’s father for the first time who showed up with all the right words for his son. We would find out that, unfortunately, little had changed.
I am going to say this about the season finale of Stick. It was extremely satisfying and I liked how things worked themselves out. However, the episode was really predictable. It followed my expectations really tightly. Yet, predictable is not always a bad thing. The episode worked narratively and the result was an enjoyable final show.
Owen Wilson is a charming and engaging actor and he does a fantastic job in this show. he had great chemistry with Peter Dager, who played Santi. Their relationship was very real and went through a lot of different stages during the ten episode season. I believed everything that happened and I felt badly for Pryce when Santi asked him to step aside so his father could caddy for him. It was clear that the choice would turn out poorly, but Pryce allowed the kid the chance to find out for himself. Then, Pryce came back and helped Santi reclaim his mindset, giving him a chance to make an unbelievable shot, even in defeat.
I wonder if this is a series that will continue into a second season. I am not sure where the story will go, unless the hints at the end of Pryce getting back into shape and rejoining the tour is where they will go. No matter what, this first season was excellent and definitely worth the watch.
The A & E documentary KISStory Part two is the story of the rock band Kiss, in the second part of their careers.
I still feel as if there are some things missing without Ace Frehley and Peter Criss’s actual involvement in the documentary. Any time Peter or Ace is heard in the doc, it is from archival footage or interviews and the doc started off with a message saying that they chose not to participate and they “do not endorse the views of this program.” That meant that this doc was from the POV of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. I am truly curious how the story might differ.
This part of the doc started off with the band in some internal trouble, though they tried to force their way through it.
HOT TAKE: The Elder is my favorite Kiss album.
However, I may be the only one as the concept album seemed to be mentioned as one of the big mistakes of the group.
Peter Criss left the band, apparently after a concert where he was messing with the timing of the songs. That is one of the main functions of the drummer, and I could understand the feeling of betrayal that would bring up.
Ace Frehley was gone too, not long after Peter, leaving Kiss struggling with new musicians and characters from the band. They no longer had the Catman or the Spaceman in the group.
The doc showed the historic moment on MTV where KISS, for the first time, revealed themselves without the make-up and followed the band as it became another 1980s hair band.
The MTV Unplugged series was the first place where Peter and Ace returned for some songs, giving the idea that there could be a reunion at some point. The reunion tour was huge business and seemed to be a success at the start. However, the same demons that had pulled them apart in the late 70s apparently remained at this time. It was portrayed that Peter was upset over money and the perceived secondary status in the band behind Gene and Paul. I wish I had his official POV to see how accurate that was. Ace appeared to not be one who could handle the fame at the level KISS had reached.
I found myself with so much more respect for guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, who were in the band and were removed when Ace and Peter returned. That felt tough, but they were total professionals. Tommy was even brought back in to help Peter and Ace get back to their levels of performance, and he wound up doing much of the tour manager duties.
It was a tough section involving the drummer who had replaced Peter in Kiss came up. Eric Carr came into the group and wound up dying form cancer. Paul and Gene told the story of Eric begging them to play on the song “God Gave Rock ‘N Roll To You” for the video, a song they recorded for the Bill & Ted Bogus Journey film. Paul’s description of Eric playing on that video was heartbreaking.
Both weeks of this doc ended really quickly, as it felt like something was being cut off.
I enjoyed this as I was always a fan of KISS, especially when I was younger. I was never an obsessed fan and I would be curious to hear what a deep fan thought of this documentary.
With this two-part doc series done, next week we start with a new show for the Sunday Morning Sidewalk. I think the series that will be next is the HBO show, Lovecraft Country.
The last Comic Cavalcade of July is another biggie. There are a bunch of books this week that were A covers from Marvel books from last week that had not been delivered to Comic World. I had picked up most of them with variant covers last week. These included New Avengers #2, Ultimate Black Panther #18, The World To Come #2, Exceptional X-Men #11, Death of the Silver Surfer #2, and Spider-Girl #2.
Books this week:
Mark Spears Monsters #6. “No Such Thing as a Superhero.” Written, illustrated and cover art by Mark Spears. So, technically, this is one of next week’s books. This does not release until July 30, but I got it from Keenspot directly. This is ironic too because when I ordered #4 and 5 from Keenspot, it took FOREVER to receive the package of these books. With number six arriving early, it was such a neat surprise. I got the A, B, and C cover in the package.
Amazing Spider-Man #8. Written by Joe Kelly and penciled by John Romita Jr. with Todd Nauck. Cover art was done by John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna and Marcio Menyz. I also got the retro vision variant version by Dan Panosian. Spidey’s battle continued on with Hellgate as Spidey struggled to try and stop the powerhouse.
Six Shots #1. “It’s Inside All of Us.” Written by Brian Phillipson & Jordan Lichtman with art and cover art by Alex Cormack. I got this via eBay this week. It is from a small time comic company called Bliss on Tap and Todd could not find it in Des Moines at all. It is a fascinating story involving a six gun and a demon. It is only a two part series so this is the first issue and the penultimate one.
X-Men: Age of Revelation #0. Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Humberto Ramos. Cover art by Ryan Stegman & Marte Gracia. Doug Ramsey is the heir of Apocalypse and this is a potential future that sees Doug, aka Revelation, joined the X-Men and seeing how things went badly quickly. This is leading to a huge X-Men crossover event in a few months. I will say, this was an interesting start.
Rocketfellers #7. Written by Peter J. Tomasi and art by Francis Manapul and Siya Oum. Cover art was done by Francis Manapul. I also got the FF homage variant with art by Ramon Bachs. This story was a flashback…to the future??? Yes, this was a story that mostly took place in the Rocketfellers’ past, which would be the future to where they are now.
Runaways #2. “Think of the Children Part Two” Written by Rainbow Rowell and art by Elena Casagrande and Roberta Ingramata. Cover art was done by Stephanie Hans. Chase is back and he brought the drama with him. Honestly, I found this to be an epic issue as the troubles between the Runaways was all over the place. This reminded me of the best of the Runaways.
Godzilla: Kai-Sei #1. Written by Tim Seeley with art and cover art by Nikola Čižmešija. Godzilla has been on fire in 2025, and this is yet another fun series from IDW. Tim Seeley has done some of my favorite books over the last few years and I am looking forward to seeing this progress. It feels like anew twist to a Godzilla story that we haven’t seen before.
Wolverine #11. “Only a Mother.” Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Martin Coccolo. Cover art was done by Martin Coccolo and Bryan Valenza. Wolverine vs. Sabretooth brutally battles over Logan’s mother. The question about how Logan’s mother could be here was answered in a heartbreaking manner.
Look Into My Eyes #1. Written by and art by Rubine. Cover art is done by Rubine Francesco Segala. Suzie has disappeared. Conspiracy-obsessed teen RJ Nguyen wants to find out where she went. I love these weird small town stuff (like Twin Peaks, Stillwater etc.) and this was exciting. It also has several QR codes throughout to expand the storytelling. Creative new book from Mad Cave, who has been excellent lately.
Moon Knight #10. (aka LEGACY #300). “God of Gangsters.” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Devmalya Pramanik. Cover art was by Davide Paratore. Big Moon Knight issue as the comic reminds us how much Moon Knight kicks ass.
Sleep #3. Written, drawn and cover art by Zander Cannon. Sleep has been exceptional so far and this issue shows us the chaos that happened while Jonathan is asleep. The brutality across the town is causing Jonathan to be anxious and scared about what exactly is happening to him. Sleep has been a great book so far and this is one of the more beautifully art designed books around today.
Minor Arcana #9. Written by Jeff Lemire and illustrated by Letizia Cadonici. Cover art was done by Jeff Lemire. Theresa, against her better thoughts, opened the psychic store to the public and a line of people wanted to contact those who have passed.
Geiger #16. Written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Eamon Winkle. Cover art is done by Gary Frank and Brad Anderson. The Glowing Man is in bad shape and there are some major explosions. Still, this felt like a mid-issue preparing for the big trial starting out next issue.
Space Ghost Annual #1. Written by David Pepose with art by Jonathan Lau. Cover art was done by Francesco Mattina. This annual seems like it ends the first group of issues while leading into the next series. Space Ghost has been a solid book for Dynamite and I am a fan of it.
West Coast Avengers #9. Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Danny Kim. Cover art was done by Josemaria Casanovas. I have really enjoyed this team of West Coast Avengers. The group of heroes that they have brought together have been intriguing and mix nicely. The idea of a heroic Ultron is awesome. I have heard this one is ending with #10, but I hope that is not the case. This has been really good.
Star Trek: Red Shirts #1. Written by Christopher Cantwell and art by Megan Levens. Variant cover art by JJ Lendl. I like Star Trek, but I would not call myself a fan. However, this idea of having the lead of this book be part of the “red shirts” which was the canon fodder of the show, those that would die on missions, made me interested in seeing what this would be about.
Feral #15. Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Trish Forstner and Tone Rodriguez. Variant cover art by Trish Forstner and Passalaqua (Bronze Medalist). Feral has been very tense and filled with some of the best horror writing in comics. There are amazing scares in this book even with the main characters being cats.
Blue Palo Verde #2. Written by Ray Fawkes and art and cover art by Rimanti. Kris is back from prison and trying to contact her father, who is on a sick bed. However, the town seems to want her to leave. This has been very compelling so far. Like a couple of the other books this week, the weird little town is one of my favorite sub-genres and this one is playing right into it.
Exquisite Corpses #3. Written by Pornsak Pichetshote with James Tynion IV and art by Valentine De Landro with Michael Walsh. I got three different covers for this book. Cover A was Michael Walsh. Cover B by Valentine De Landro. Cover D is the stealth variant also by Valentine De Landro (Gold Medalist). More excitement from the tournament. This has been one of the best books of the month every month since it had been released.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers #2. Written by David Pepose and art by Eman Casallos. Cover A art was by Chad Hardin while cover B variant was done by Jae Lee & June Chung. We spend some more time with the Planeteers as they are starting to discover their powers. I do like this book quite a bit so I am glad it seems like it is finally on a regular release schedule.
TexArcanum #1. Written by Christopher Monfette and illustrated by Miguel Martos. Who is cowboy arcanist Avery Belle? He has traveled the land in battle with ghosts, demons, spirits and gods. Another new book with a really creative concept. This is a Dark Horse book and it was a fun read.
Hero Hiro #1. Written by Jeff McClelland with art by Michael “Gecko” Adams. Cover art is done by Michael Adams. I had not known anything about this book from Keenspot and, when I saw it on the wall in Bettendorf, I gave it a shot. The main superhero is called The Hero and my first thoughts of that character was that he reminded me of Captain Amazing from Mystery Men. Interesting premise for this book too with a power transfer from The Hero to a kid named Hiro. This felt lighter than some of the other independent books lately and I thought it was a good change of pace.
The Voice Said Kill #1. Written by Si Spurrier and art and cover art by Vanesa Del Rey. Speaking about the darker independents, this is an example of that. Murder and bloody violence in the Louisiana Bayou. This is a crime story with an intriguing protagonist.
Uncanny X-Men #18. “Corn Dogs and Carnage.” Written by Gail Simone with art by Luciano Vecchio. David Marquez & Matthew Wilson did the cover art. New Orleans and friendship… what would be better than having a carnival! This was a fun switch as the city is starting to celebrate the mutants instead of what we are used to.
Ice Cream Man #44. Written by W. Maxwell Prince and art by Martin Morazzo. Cover art by Martin Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran. Okay, so I think, this was an origin story for the Ice Cream Man himself. It was an intriguing story of Craig Alabaster and the troubles he faced at his job.
Storm #10. “Thunder War Begins” Written by Murewa Ayodele and art by Lucas Werneck. Cover art by Mateus Manhanini. The last two pages of this book is what rally stands out. Man Storm is a kick ass right now.
Phoenix #13. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Roi Mercado. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. Cable is here with his step-mother Jean with the truth about the supposed resurrection of Jean’s sister and why it is a terrible thing.
Hornsby & Halo #8. Storytellers for this book are Peter J. Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg. Cover art is done by Peter Snejbjerg & John Kalisz. Zach and Rose join a school play. This was a fun story that was featuring the characters. I liked this as it felt like a break from the book.
The Last Boy #4. Written by Dan Panosian and illustrated by Alessio Avallone with assistance by Alberto Canale. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian. Peter Pan is out to make new allies and lead Captain Hook’s old crew? Whoa? Oh and it looked like Peter may have lost a hand.
The Department of Truth #32. Written by James Tynion IV and art by Letizia Cadonici. Cover art was done by Martin Simmonds. More about the mysterious Hatman. Another original style to tell this story. The Department of Truth has experimented with different ways to tell a story and this one is new again. I love the way this book keeps you on your toes.
Justice League Unlimited #9. Written by Mark Waid and art and cover art by Dan Mora. This is listed as the “We Are Yesterday Epilogue”. I think I am ready for this time travel story to be over. They are able to save Air Wave.
The Great British Bump Off: Kill or Be Quilt #4. Written by John Allison and art by Sarin. This is the final issue of this Dark Horse book. It was a silly book with a mystery that was kind of fun. It had some humor and funny writing, but it turned out to be nothing major.
Other books this week: New History of the DC Universe #2, Blade Forger #5, Fantastic Four Presents Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius #1, Seasons #6, Spider-Verse vs. Venomverse #3, Dark Honor #3, Absolute Martian Manhunter #5, and Mr. Terrific Year One #3.
Quick Hits: Insurgent Iron Man #10 brings that series to an end. Iron Man sounds like he will be back in the Age of Revelation event with a book with Emma Frost. Speaking of Emma, Emma Frost: White Queen #2 is also out this week. A story back in the old days prior to the Dark Phoenix saga. Things are getting messy in Eddie Brock: Carnage #6. Predator versus Spider-Man #4 brought this new Predator mini series to an end from the 20th Century Studios imprint. Vanishing Point #3 continued the sci-fi anthology book. The silver medalist cover winner this week was Vampirella Armageddon #1. Mark Spears did the cover with his characters from Monsters on the cover. Vampirella took her place on Monsters #6 cover C in an exchange. Mark Spears also had a 3rd printing of Mark Spears Monsters #2 this week. How many reprints will there be? How many will I keep buying? With the big movie coming out this week, Fantastic Four Fanfare #3 was released and had some Thing-centric stories. Silverhawks #5 finally returned after several problems from Dynamite and Diamond. Last night, Absolute Wonder Woman won the Eisner Award for Best New Series so Absolute Wonder Woman #10 is out this week. Absolute Wonder Woman also made news at San Diego Comic Con when we learned that this book was going to feature the first meeting of Wonder Woman and Batman in the Absolute universe. Doom’s Division ended its five-issue series with the return of Sunfire. Psylocke #9, Lost Fantasy #3 and Void Rivals #21 wrap up the week. Wooooo what a week.
The 2025 Eisner Awards were presented Friday, July 25 at the San Diego Comic Con. The Eisner Awards are the biggest prize among the comic book industry.
Inductees into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame included: Junji Ito; Kyle Baker; Eddie Campbell; Roz Chast; Dan Clowes; Todd Klein; and John Romita, Jr. The inductees are voted on by fans from a list of 18 nominees given by a panel of experts. Adding to that list was the group chosen by the judges which included: Chosen by judges: Steve Bissette, Lucy Shelton Caswell, Philippe Druillet, Phoebe Gloeckner, Joe Sacco, Bill Schanes, Steve Schanes, Frank Stack and Angelo Torres and, chosen in memorium, Peter Arno, Gus Arriola, Wilhelm Busch, Richard “Grass” Green, Rea Irvin, Jack Kamen, Joe Maneely, Shigeru Mizuki, Bob Oksner, Bob Powell, Ira Schnapp, Phil Seuling.
2025 Eisner Award Results
Best Short Story
“Anything Sinister,” by Ross Murray, in NOW #13 (Fantagraphics)
“Day 1703,” by Chris Ware, in Smoke Signal #43 (Desert Island)
“Pig” by Stacy Gougoulis, in NOW #13 (Fantagraphics)
“Spaces,” by Phil Jimenez, in DC Pride 2024 #1 (DC)
“You Cannot Live on Bread Alone” by Kayla E., in NOW #13 (Fantagraphics)
Best Single Issue/One-Shot
Abortion Pill Zine: A Community Guide to Misoprostol and Mifepristone by Isabella Rotman, Marnie Galloway, and Sage Coffey (Silver Sprocket)
Ice Cream Man #39: “”Decompression in a Wreck, Part One,” by W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo (Image Comics)
PeePee PooPoo #1, by Caroline Cash (Silver Sprocket)
Sunflowers, by Keezy Young (Silver Sprocket)
Unwholesome Love, by Charles Burns (co-published with Partners and Son)
The War on Gaza, by Joe Sacco (Fantagraphics)
Best Continuing Series
The Department of Truth, by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (Image)
Detective Comics: Detective Comics, by Ram V, Tom Taylor, Riccardo Federici, Stefano Raffaele, Javier Fernandez, Christian Duce, March, and Mikel Janín (DC)
Fantastic Four, by Ryan North, Carlos Gomez, Ivan Fiorelli, and others (Marvel)
Santos Sisters, by Greg & Fake, Graham Smith, Dave Landsberger, and Marc Koprinarov (Floating World)
Ultimate Spider-Man, by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto (Marvel)
Wonder Woman, by Tom King and Daniel Sampere (DC)
Best Limited Series
Alan Scott: The Green Lantern, by Tim Sheridan and Cian Tormey (DC)
Animal Pound, by Tom King and Peter Gross (BOOM! Studios)
The Deviant, by James Tynion IV and Joshua Hixson (Image)
Helen of Wyndhorn. by Tom King and Bilquis Evely (Dark Horse)
Rare Flavours, by Ram V and Filipe Andrade (BOOM! Studios)
Zatanna: Bring Down the House, by Mariko Tamaki and Javier Rodriguez (DC)
Best New Series
Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta (DC)
Absolute Wonder Woman, by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman (DC)
Minor Arcana, by Jeff Lemire (BOOM! Studios)
The Pedestrian, by Joey Esposito and Sean Von Gorman (Magma Comix)
The Power Fantasy, by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard (Image)
Uncanny Valley, by Tony Fleecs and Dave Wachter (BOOM! Studios)
Best Publication For Early Readers
Bog Myrtle, by Sid Sharp (Annick Press)
Club Microbe, by Elise Gravel, translated by Montana Kane (Drawn & Quarterly)
Hilda and Twig Hide from the Rain, by Luke Pearson (Flying Eye)
Night Stories, by Liniers (Astra Books)
Poetry Comics, by Grant Snider (Chronicle Books)
Best Publication For Kids
How It All Ends, by Emma Hunsinger (Greenwillow/HarperCollins Early Readers)
Next Stop, by Debbie Fong (Random House Graphic/Random House Children’s Books)
Plain Jane and the Mermaid, by Vera Brosgol (First Second/Macmillan)
Weirdo, by Tony Weaver Jr. and Jes & Cin Wibowo (First Second/Macmillan)
Young Hag and the Witches’ Quest, by Isabel Greenberg (Abrams Fanfare)
Best Publication For Teens
Ash’s Cabin, by Jen Wang (First Second/Macmillan)
Big Jim and the White Boy, by David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson (Ten Speed Graphic)
The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag (Scholastic)
The Gulf, by Adam de Souza (Tundra)
Lunar New Year Love Story, by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham (First Second/Macmillan)
Out of Left Field, by Jonah Newman (Andrews McMeel)
Best Humor Publication
Adulthood is a Gift! by Sarah Andersen (Andrews McMeel)
Forces of Nature, by Edward Steed (Drawn & Quarterly)
Kids Are Still Weird: And More Observations from Parenthood, by Jeffrey Brown (NBM)
A Pillbug Story, by Allison Conway (Black Panel Press)
Processing: 100 Comics That Got Me Through It, by Tara Booth (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Anthology
EC Cruel Universe, edited by Sierra Hahn and Matt Dryer (Oni Press)
Godzilla’s 70th Anniversary, edited by Jake Williams and others (IDW)
Now: The New Comics Anthology #13, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
Peep #1, edited by Sammy Harkham and Steve Weissman (Brain Dead/Kyle Ng)
So Buttons #14: “Life and Death,” by Jonathan Baylis and various artists (So Buttons Comix)
Best Reality-Based Work
Djuna, by Jon Macy (Street Noise Books)
The Heart That Fed: A Father, a Son, and the Long Shadow of War, by Carl Sciacchitano (Gallery 13/S&S)
The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C. S. Lewis & J. R. R. Tolkien, by John Hendrix (Abrams Fanfare)
The Puerto Rican War: A Graphic History, by John Vasquez Mejias (Union Square)
Suffrage Song: The Haunted History of Gender, Race, and Voting Rights in the U.S., by Caitlin Cass (Fantagraphics)
Best Graphic Memoir
Degrees of Separation: A Decade North of 60, by Alison McCreesh (Conundrum)
Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir, by Tessa Hulls (MCD/Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
The Field, by David Lapp (Conundrum)
I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together: A Memoir, by Maurice Vellekoop (Pantheon)
Something, Not Nothing: A Story of Grief and Love, by Sarah Leavitt (Arsenal Pulp Press)
Best Graphic Album – New
Final Cut, by Charles Burns (Pantheon)
Lunar New Year Love Story, by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham (First Second/Macmillan)
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two, by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
Sunday, by Olivier Schrauwen (Fantagraphics)
Victory Parade, by Leela Corman (Pantheon)
Best Graphic Album – Reprint
Breaking the Chain: The Guard Dog Story, by Patrick McDonnell (Abrams ComicArts)
Lackadaisy, vols. 1–2, by Tracy J. Butler (Iron Circus)
The One Hand and The Six Fingers, by Ram V, Dan Watters, Laurence Campbell, and Sumit Kumar (Image)
Rescue Party: A Graphic Anthology of COVID Lockdown, edited by Gabe Fowler (Pantheon)
Seattle Samurai: A Cartoonist’s Perspective of the Japanese American Experience, by Kelly Goto and Sam Goto (Chin Music Press)
UM Volume One, by buttercup (Radiator Comics)
Best Adaptation From Another Medium
Thomas Piketty’s Capital & Ideology: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, by Clare Alot and Benjamin Adam (Abrams ComicArts)
The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben, adapted by Benjamin Flao and Fred Bernard (Greystone)
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, adapted by Manu Larcenet (Abrams)
Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne, adapted by Travis Dandro (Drawn & Quarterly)
The Worst Journey in the World, Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down, by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, adapted by Sarah Airriess (Iron Circus)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material
All Princesses Die Before Dawn, by Quentin Zuttion (Abrams ComicArts)
The Jellyfish, by Boum, translated by Robin Lang and Helge Dascher (Pow Pow Press)
Mothballs, by Sole Otero; translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)
Return to Eden, by Paco Roca; translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)
Sunday, by Olivier Schrauwen (Fantagraphics)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia
Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow, by Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba, translated by Asa Yonola (Kodansha)
Hereditary Triangle, by Fumiya Hayashi, translated by Alethea and Athena Nibley (Yen Press)
Kagurabachi, vol. 1, by Takeru Hokazono, translated by Camellia Nieh (VIZ Media)
Last Quarter, vol. 1, by Ai Yazawa, translated by Max Greenway (VIZ Media)
Search and Destroy vol. 1, by Atsushi Kaneko, based on the work of Osamu Tezuka; translated by Ben Applegate (Fantagraphics)
Tokyo These Days, vols. 1–3, by Taiyo Matsumoto, translated by Michael Arias (VIZ Media)
Best Archival Collection/Project – Strips
All In Line, by Saul Steinberg (New York Review Books)
Frank Johnson, Secret Pioneer of American Comics, vol. 1, edited by Chris Byrne and Keith Mayerson (Fantagraphics)
Stan Mack’s Real-Life Funnies: The Collected Conceits, Delusions, and Hijinks of New Yorkers from 1974 to 1995, by Stan Mack, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
Thorn: The Complete Proto-BONE Strips 1982–1986, and Other Early Drawings, by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books)
Best Archival Collection/Project – Comic Books
The Complete Web of Horror, edited by Dana Marie Andra (Fantagraphics)
David Mazzucchelli’s Batman Year One Artist’s Edition, by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
DC Comics Style Guide (Standards Manual)
The Farewell Song of Marcel LaBrume, by Attilio Micheluzzi, edited by Gary Groth and Conrad Groth (Fantagraphics)
Wally Wood from Witzend: Complete Collection, commentary by J. David Spurlock (Vanguard)
X-Men: The Manga Remastered, vol. 1, edited by Glenn Greenberg and others (VIZ Media)
Tom King, Archie: The Decision (Archie); Animal Pound (BOOM! Studios); Helen of Wyndhorn (Dark Horse); Jenny Sparks, The Penguin, Wonder Woman (DC)
Ram V, Rare Flavours (BOOM! Studios); Dawnrunner (Dark Horse); The One Hand (Image); Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! (Image Skybound)
Kelly Thompson, Absolute Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey (DC); Scarlett (Image Skybound); Venom War: It’s Jeff #1 (Marvel)
James Tynion IV, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd (BOOM! Studios); Blue Book, The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos (Dark Horse); Spectregraph (DSTLRY); The Department of Truth, The Deviant, WORLDTR33 (Image)
Gene Luen Yang, Lunar New Year Love Story (First Second/Macmillan)
Best Writer/Artist
Charles Burns, Kommix (Fantagraphics); Final Cut (Pantheon); Unwholesome Love (co-published with Partners & Son)
Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two (Fantagraphics)
Jon Macy, Djuna (Street Noise Books)
Paco Roca, Return to Eden (Fantagraphics)
Olivier Schrauwen, Sunday (Fantagraphics)
Maria Sweeney, Brittle Joints (Street Noise Books)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Filipe Andrade, Rare Flavours (BOOM! Studios)
Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman (DC)
Bilquis Evely, Helen of Wyndhorn (Dark Horse)
Manu Larcenet, The Road (Abrams ComicArts)
Javier Rodriguez, Zatanna: Bring Down the House (DC)
LeUyen Pham, Lunar New Year Love Story (First Second/Macmillan)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist
Frederic Bremaud and Federico Bertolucci, Donald Duck: Vacation Parade (Fantagraphics)
Leela Corman, Victory Parade (Pantheon)
Benjamin Flao The Hidden Life of Trees (Greystone)
Merwan, Aster of Pan (Magnetic Press)
Eduardo Risso, The Blood Brothers Mother (DSTLRY)
Maria Sweeney, Brittle Joints (Street Noise Books)
Best Cover Artist
Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); Godzilla Skate or Die, TMNT Nightwatcher and others (IDW)
Evan Cagle, Dawnrunner (Dark Horse), New Gods, Detective Comics
Bilquis Evely, Animal Pound (BOOM!); Helen of Wyndhorn (Dark Horse)
Tula Lotay, Helen of Wyndhorn #1, Count Crowley: Mediocre Midnight Monster Hunter #3, Dawnrunner #1, Barnstormers TPB (Dark Horse); Somna and other titles (DSTLRY); The Horizon Experiment (Image)
Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns, Superman, Ape-ril, Batman: The Brave and the Bold) (DC)
Best Coloring
Jordie Bellaire, Absolute Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America, The Nice House by the Sea (DC); The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY); The Exorcism at 1600 Penn (IDW; W0rldtr33 (Image); G.I. Joe, Duke (Image Skybound)
Matheus Lopes, Batman & Robin: Year One (DC); Helen of Wyndhorn (Dark Horse)
Javier Rodriguez, Zatanna: Bring Down the House) (DC)
Dave Stewart, Dawnrunner, Free Comic Book Day Comic 2024 [general], The Serpent in the Garden, Hellboy, Hellboy and the BPRD, Paranoid Gardens, Shaolin Cowboy Cruel to Be Kin Silent but Deadly Edition (Dark Horse); Ultramega, Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! (Image Skybound)
Quentin Zuttion, All Princesses Die Before Dawn (Abrams ComicArts); Beauty Salon (Europe Comics)
Best Lettering
Becca Carey, Absolute Superman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Plastic Man No More! (DC); Radiant Black, Rogue Sun (Image); When the Blood Has Dried, Murder Kingdom (Mad Cave Studios)
Leela Corman, Victory Parade (Pantheon)
Clayton Cowles, Animal Pound (BOOM! Studios); FML, Helen of Wyndhorn (Dark Horse); Absolute Batman, Batman, Batman & Robin: Year One, Birds of Prey, Jenny Sparks, Wonder Woman (DC); Strange Academy, Venom (Marvel)
Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Book Two (Fantagraphics)
Nate Powell, Fall Through (Abrams ComicArts); Lies My Teacher Told Me (New Press)
Other awards:
Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award: Mad Cave Studios for their LA Strong charity comic
Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award: Richard Blake
Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award: Akira Comics in Madrid, Spain
Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing: Don Glut and Sheldon Mayer
Another big week of books. It just feels as if I should not keep saying that since the comics are just on fire right now, artistically.
Plenty of awesome Also-Rans this week: Mark Spears’ Monsters #2 (3rd Printing), Blue Palo Verde #2, Look Into My Eyes #1, Sleep #3, Rocketfellers #7 (not counting the awesome Fantastic Four homage cover), Absolute Wonder Woman #10, Geiger #16, Space Ghost Annual #1, Death of the Silver Surfer #2, Captain Planet and the Planeteers #2 (Variant), Vanishing Point #3, and Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 (variant).
Three variant covers in the medal round this week.
Bronze Medalist
Feral #15
Variant Cover
Cover art by Trish Forstner & Allen Passalaqua
Another great horror movie homage cover (The Conjuring, perhaps?) for this series. The feel of this cover is scary and it gives the tone of the book extremely well.
Silver Medalist
Vampirella: Armageddon #1
Variant Cover
Cover art by Mark Spears
Mark Spears is back in the medal round this week with the great variant cover for the new Vampirella book. I do not usually buy Vampirella, but Spears makes me pick it up. Again, the Monster Squad monsters make an appearance on a Mark Spears cover. It does not have a lot to do with Vampirella, but this is worth it.
Gold Medalist
Exquisite Corpses #3
Stealth Variant Cover
Cover art by Valentine De Landro
Look at this amazing cover for the new series Exquisite Corpses. The covers for this book have been amazing, but this might be the best of the series so far. The creepiness that it exudes with the beautiful red windows behind the eerie creature. Just love it.
I was coming out of the comic shop in Bettendorf this morning when I saw a YouTube notification for John Rocha’s channel. It said “Hulk Hogan is Dead.” I was shocked and immediately started looking though my phone to see what this meant. It was a strange way of putting it so I thought maybe it was that he was metaphorically dead. But I found other articles about the Hulkster’s death from cardiac arrest in a hospital in Florida.
I found myself feeling very strange. I have not felt like this in a long time. When I was young, Hulk Hogan was one of my favorite wrestlers. I would have been a Hulkamaniac for sure. The years in the 1980s helped cement pro wrestling as one of my favorite things to do.
I went to the closed circuit broadcast in Davenport at the Palmer Auditorium for Wrestlemania 3 when Hogan wrestled Andre the Giant. I was so into this match and I was emotionally invested.
However, then I grew up. I started seeing Hogan as not just a character, but a performer who was an asshole. He was racist. He was a politician backstage, keeping others down. Someone who went into the WCW and helped bring that organization down.
I found myself disgusted with Hogan. When he came to RAW on Netflix in LA earlier this year and the crowd booed him out of the building because of his choices that he had made. Some blamed his support of Donald Trump, who he spoke for at the Republican National Convention, for the reaction of the liberal LA crowd, but I think that is too easy of an excuse. I do think the issues from his racist comments to his sex tape to other choices he made is what led to the booing.
Either way, I felt sad and confused about my thoughts of Hulk Hogan.
I have been excited about this movie since the announcement that Marvel was getting the rights back to the Fantastic Four. To say that the previous big screen efforts to put Marvel’s First Family on the big screen were less than successful would be an understatement. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the fourth attempt to get these characters right.
Fourth time is definitely a charm.
I loved this movie. There were so many things that this film does well, but above all, this felt like the Fantastic Four that I knew from the comics. The adventure felt very much like an FF adventure. This was so great.
We jump right in to the story, without the need for an origin story, although the film does give us some background exposition to catch anyone up to speed in a very clever manner at the very beginning of the movie.
The film wasted no time in setting these four up as a family, which is perhaps the singularly most important piece for a Fantastic Four movie. Sue discovered that she was pregnant and announced the glorious event.
However, their excitement was short lived as a being appeared in New York riding a surfboard, heralding the soon arrival of Galactus, the universal force that would be consuming the planet.
The Fantastic Four head into space to confront the gigantic Galactus.
The casting of the characters in this film is pitch perfect. One of the most controversial casting choices was Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards. Pascal, who has been in a ton of movies lately, does an incredible job of becoming Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic. I believe that Pascal loses himself in the role and truly embodied Reed. You could believe that Reed was a super genius, but still had his own issues, among others , guilt and self-frustration over perceived failures.
Vanessa Kirby was great as Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman. She showed what a powerhouse Sue is in both her use of her powers and the presence that she provides. Joseph Quinn played Sue’s brother Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch. This Johnny was less of a playboy as he has been seen before, though that is implied to be there as well, but he is shown as a much more positive force inside the group. Then Ben Grimm, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, feels like the heart of the team. This version of Ben Grimm is less of the brooding monster that we have seen before and more of a character who has accepted what his life was now.
The chemistry between the foursome is vital for the movie and they all work so well together. They felt like a family, from the relationship between Sue and Reed to the brother-like banter between Johnny and Ben.
The visuals of this movie was stunning. It may be the best looking Marvel movie that we have seen in ages. The imagery in space was as good as you see in any prestige project. I have heard others compare the visuals here to Interstellar and that is a fair comparison. To be fair, there were some moments of iffy CGI when dealing with Franklin Richards, the baby, but I am okay with that. No need to stress out a real baby in some of these situations.
Galactus is an absolute marvel (no pun intended). Voiced perfectly by Ralph Ineson, Galactus has come a long way since his days of being a cloud of dust in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. There is no reason that a giant purple man with antennae-like ears on a helmet should look anything but silly in live action, but this Galactus is positively sensational, if not, scary. This character was imposing from the second we see his outline in the darkness.
Another major controversy among those who want to make this a problem was how Julia Garner was hired to play a female Silver Surfer, based on the Shalla-Bal character. Those who complained about this apparently did not know that the comics did have a version of Shalla-Bal as the Silver Surfer. Garner does a remarkable performance as the Surfer and anyone who wants to complain about it is just looking for issues to have. Surfer was powerful and compelling and did have a story reason for the casting of a female actor in the role, narratively speaking.
The story was filled with stakes and tension, and there were some scenes where I legitimately was not sure what was going to happen. I found so much joy in this as this film got these characters so right, truly for the first time on screen.
They did have some of the typical Marvel humor, but, to be honest, it was kept at a reasonable level. Again, in a film that could be very satirical, this was grounded, keeping much of the drama within the four of them. Even with Galactus coming to devour the earth, this felt more like an internal battle for the FF.
There are two post credit scenes. The first one being a major set up for what is next in the MCU.
The retro feel of the world that this team of Fantastic Four is set is part of the awesome vibe this movie gives off. A futuristic 1960’s feel was all over the setting and brought something different to the MCU. The choice to place this in the 828 universe instead of the 616 one was an excellent choice. It also gave the film a chance to really honor FF co-creator Jack Kirby. This movie did feel like a Jack Kirby style of comic from the 1960s.
Matt Shakman did a magnificent job directing this film. He had directed the WandaVision Disney + series which is still considered by many, including me, to be the best Disney + Marvel show of all time. Shakman brought that feeling of family as he did in WandaVision and there were so many clever visual shots in the film. I loved the way the FF used their powers. Especially Reed, whose stretching could look really goofy, but, instead, was very effective.
I loved this movie. The “It’s Clobberin’ Time” line had me in goosebumps and tears. I was so engaged with the Fantastic Four: First Steps that it is my current favorite movie of the year so far. I saw this in IMAX and, man did everything look great. I can’t wait to see it again.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 