The new episode of The Boys continued the march to the show’s finale with major moments. I have to say, there were some moments that also felt really dumb and out of place.
The bad:
The talking fish that dies with Deep. Too much of a cartoon for this tone.
The bleeding out of his ass in the background was iffy.
Not sure how I felt about the swinging ball sack…
The Great:
Paul Reiser. He is fabulous. His scene with Homelander was sensational.
Sister Sage’s arrogance right up to the point where Soldier Boy gave the V1 to Homelander. Sister Sage trying to help the Boys was a shock.
Homelander got the V1 and injected it in his veins.
The showdown with Hughie and Starlight against Oh Father. Hughie should play poker with his bluffing skills.
The Deep murdering the new Black Noir after Noir confessed that he broke the pipeline killing a bunch of the fish.
The theme of living forever is throughout this episode. Golden Geisha brought it up and we find out that Kimiko and Annie had discussed the problems brought about by immortality.
I think Mother’s Milk is starting to regain his mental capabilities after some real anger issues.
Soldier Boy and Bombsight fight was rough, but, in the end, it was words that stopped the violence and led to Soldier Boy handing the V1 to Homelander. By the way, the dialogue they give Soldier Boy is so funny and Jensen Ackles delivers the words so perfectly.
Two mor episodes to go and a potentially immortal Homelander may have made the virus irrelevant.
It is Wednesday and I had a personal day today. I was able to get both of the shops visited today so I can do the EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week a day earlier. This summer, the Wednesday night post will return. For now, we can enjoy the early post during May.
Fun fact. All three medalists this week are Variant Cover Cs. Cool.
Also Rans: Dog Tag #1, Marc Spector: Moon Knight #4, Daredevil #2, X-Men #29, Amazing Spider-Man #28, Red Sonja: She-Devil With a Sword #1, and Batman #9 (Cover H).
Bronze Medalist
If Destruction Be Our Lot #1
Variant Cover C
Cover art by Martin Morazzo
I saw this 1:10 cover on the shelf behind the counter and I saw the Ice Cream Man front and center and I knew I wanted this book. Lots of fun images on the cover of this new book.
Silver Medalist
Ben 10 #1
Variant Cover C
Cover art by Dustin Nguyen
A beautiful and simple cover of Ben 10 himself. The green background is lovely and the cover feels like a quick sketch. The simplicity of the cover makes it stand out. This was the one I wanted from all of the variants for this issue.
Gold Medalist
Civil War: Unmasked #1
Variant Foil Cover C
Cover art by ACO
A beautiful foil cover of Iron Man’s helmet really popped off the stand when I saw it this morning. This was a book that I didn’t even know was coming out and they dropped this gorgeous foil cover. Excellent.
Appeared: As the theme song for Leslie Nielson’s movie Spy Hard.
Album: Medium Rarities disc on Squeeze Box. Originally released as a B side single with “Gump”
The video of this song parodied the opening themes for James Bond movies.
Lyrics
A man of intrigue He lives for the thrill Always has places to go And people to kill
Danger is the game he plays And he holds every card 'Cause if you wanna win You gotta spy hard
A man of the world So suave and discreet He trips over the women Piled up at his feet
But evil's lurking So he's always on his guard Cause if your gonna spy You better spy hard
He's always there When the chips are beginning to fall He wouldn't care if they kicked him and grabbed him And shot him and stabbed him And nailed both his ears to the wall
Facing death everyday Is a tough job for any man But his hours are flexible And he's got a great dental plan
By the way if you walked in late Allow me to reiterate The name of this movie is Spy Hard
They call it Spy Hard You're watching Spy Hard It's the theme from Spy Hard!!!
The second season of Daredevil: Born Again on Disney + had its finale tonight in a dramatic courtroom showdown that turned into a brutal desperate slugfest inside the courthouse.
Matt Murdock, after getting medically aided by Jessica Jones, had Mayor Wilson Fisk summoned to the court to testify in the trial of Karen Page. Once I discovered that Fisk was going to go through with the appearance, I knew what Murdock was planning.
Murdock got Fisk on the witness stand and was hitting him verbally with all of his crimes, which was being objected to and sustained. But Murdock kept pounding away at it, until he was able to use the video of the first mate’s testimony.
The DA said that the video could not be admitted without someone to collaborate the details, which was exactly what Murdock wanted. You could see what Matt was preparing. In fact, it seemed clear that Fisk was understanding what was about to happen too. He called Matt a fool.
In a moment that would have made Tony Stark proud, Matt Murdock turned to the packed courtroom and said “I…am… Daredevil.”
Secret identities in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are a rare thing, with, I guess, Spider-Man being one of the few remaining.
With Murdock able to testify that Fisk was bringing the arms into the city through the port, the trial began to unravel quickly. Jessica Jones and the Governor strolled in to watch the remainder of the case. I loved the court room stuff. I thought this was easily the strongest part of the finale.
With Fisk in a freefall, the charges against Karen were dropped.
The mob of Daredevil-masked individuals were on their way up to the courthouse. There was a definite Jan. 6 feel to it, making it a bit awkward. Kingpin’s brutal murder of a bunch of these mob members was hard. The giant standoff with Fisk and the mob was not my favorite moment, but the final face to face with Murdock & Fisk was potent and I liked how it was not just another DD/Kingpin fight.
It was amazing how Murdock ended up in jail and Fisk wound up on a beach, but it definitely felt as if Fisk lost and Matt won.
The end of the episode with Luke Cage returning to Jessica and Danielle was awesome. Mike Colter strolling into the Alias Investigation office made me very happy.
There were so many things that were set up for a season three including with Heather Glenn putting the Muse mask on, The Jessica/Luke stuff, Karen survived, Cole made a face turn, White Tiger appeared and was kick ass, Mr. Charles has a new guy-Bullseye, and BB got her job at the paper.
Our second episode focused in on our villain… humanizing him tremendously.
Jack seemed to be the real bully of episode one, one of the jerks on the island. In episode two, we see inside Jack’s doubts and fears, watching him trying to prove his worth. He had placed his worth on killing a boar, but he kept on adding responsibilities. He believed he could handle them all, but keeping the signal fire lit was too much.
Oh, and there was a boat.
Shoot.
Jack struck Piggy, breaking his spectacles. This led to the split of the camp with Jack heading off to lead a second camp, the fun one.
I did find myself rooting for Jack through this episode, until the point where he hit Piggy. To be fair, this version of Piggy is a little annoying. Past Piggy characters that I have seen were more lovable than this version. That does not excuse the way Jack is treating him.
I am fascinated by the “beast” that is, apparently, coming from the water. Even Jack seemed to be concerned with this turn of events. I want to know what it is and why it is doing what it is doing.
I do think this is going a bit too fast. Maybe the pacing will feel better later, but I do think, at this point, we needed more before splitting apart.
Writer: Scott Storch / Ray Charles / Carl Allen Sturken / Curtis James Jackson / Chad Hugo / Pharrell Williams / Brandon Flowers / Brian Burton / Robert Hardy / Kanye West / Jaime Gomez / David Jolicoeur / Trevor Smith / Damon Albarn / Scott Weiland / Saul Hudson / Renald J. Richard / Rivers Cuomo / Ray Anthony / Eric Judy / Michael Fratantuno / Thomas Calloway / Terence Yoshiaki Graves / Vada J. Nobles / Dann Michael Gallucci / Christopher Anthony Martin / Nicholas Mccarthy / Ronnie Vannucci / Mark Stoermer / Paul Robert Thomson / Berryman Guy Rupert / Buckland Jonathan Mark / Alisha Quiona Brooks / Champion William / George Pajon Jr. / David G Kushner / Isaac K Brock / Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. / Terry Rendal / Al Yankovic / Thomas Werner / Matthew William Sorum / Alexander Paul Kaprano Huntley / Alla Pineda / Christopher Jamie Hewlett / Dave Brent Flowers / Duff Rose Mckagen / Evan A. Rodgers
Album: Straight Outta Lynwood
Released: 2006
Style: Polka/Comedy
Songs: “The Chicken Dance,” “Let’s Get it Started,” “Take Me Out,” “Beverly Hills,” “Speed of Sound,” “Float On,” “Feel Good Inc.,” “Don’t Cha,” “Somebody Told Me,” “Slither,” “Candy Shop,” “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” “Pon de Replay,” “Gold Digger,” and “The Nina Bobina Polka.”
Lyrics
Let’s get it started! (Ha!) Let’s get it started! (In here!) Let’s get it started! (Ha!) Let’s get it started! (In here!) Let’s get it started! (Ha!) Let’s get it started! (In here!) And the bass keeps runnin’, runnin’ And runnin’, runnin’ And runnin’, runnin’, And runnin’, runnin’, I say, don’t you know You say, you don’t know I say… Take me out! I say, you don’t show Don’t move, time is slow I say… (gunshot) Take me out! Beverly Hills, that’s where I wanna be! (Gimme! Gimme!) Living in Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, rollin’ like a celebrity (Gimme! Gimme!) Living in Beverly Hills And birds go flying at the speed of sound To show you how it all began Birds came flying from the underground If you could see it, then you’d understand And we’ll all float on, okay And we’ll all float on All right already, we’ll all float on Now don’t you worry, we’ll all float on All right! Feel good! Feel good! Feel good! Don’t cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Don’t cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me? Don’t cha? Don’t cha? Don’t cha wish your girlfriend was raw like me? Don’t cha wish your girlfriend was fun like me? Don’t cha? Don’t cha? Don’t cha, don’t cha, don’t cha? Somebody told me You had a boyfriend Who looked like a girlfriend That I had in February of last year It’s not confidential Well, I got potential A rushin’ and rushin’ around Hey! Hey! Hey! I’ll take you to the candy shop I’ll let you lick a lollipop Go ‘head, girl, don’t you stop Keep goin’ ’til you hit the spot Whoa! (We’ll take you to the candy shop) Yeah! (For one taste o’ what we got) Uh-huh! (We’ll have you spending all you got) Come on! (Keep goin’ ’til you hit the spot) Whoa! When the pimp’s in the crib, ma Drop it like it’s hot Drop it like it’s hot Drop it like it’s hot When the pimp’s gonna get at you Drop it like it’s hot Drop it like it’s hot Come, Mr. DJ, song pon de replay (Come, Mr. DJ, won’t you turn the music up?) All the gal pon the dance floor, wantin’ some more, what (Come, Mr. DJ, won’t you turn the music up?) Hey, mister Please, Mr. DJ Tell me if you hear me Turn the music up! She take my money (She take my money) When I’m in need (When I’m in need) Yes, she’s a triflin’ friend indeed (friend indeed) Well, she’s a gold digger Way over town (way over town) That digs on me Hey! Hey! Now, I ain’t sayin’ she’s a gold digger But she ain’t messin’ with no broke, broke Now, I ain’t sayin’ she’s a gold digger But she ain’t messin’ with no broke, broke Get down, girl, go ‘head, get down (I gotta leave) Get down, girl, go ‘head, get down (I gotta leave) Get down, girl, go ‘head, get down (I gotta leave) Get down, girl, go ‘head! But I ain’t sayin’ she’s a Gold, gold digger Gold, gold digger Gold, gold digger Hey!
The brand new Netflix four episode limited series that proves young boys are the worst people ever dropped on Netflix today with a new variation of The Lord of the Flies.
The Lord of the Flies is a classic tale that has been retold several times over the years in movie format. This time, the BBC redid the story into a limited series.
The group of boys, after surviving a plane crash on an isolated island, form a society of their own in an attempt to bring some order to the chaos. As I mentioned earlier, young boys are the worst anything and their grouping only leads to trouble.
The first episode focuses on Piggy (David McKenna) and his tragically doomed character. We are introduced to Piggy (real name Nicholas) doing his best Jack Shepard in the jungle on LOST imitation. Piggy comes across Ralph (Winston Sawyers). Ralph, who is supposed to be the good one, immediately screwed Piggy over by telling everyone that his name was Piggy, even though he was told that he hated that name.
Of course, Ralph is nowhere near as much of a jerk as Jack (Lox Pratt). The blonde bully is already scheming how to grab more power. Lox Pratt is going from this and into the role of Draco Malfoy on the new Harry Potter series. I wonder if he worries about being typecast as a villain.
There were some more LOST connections as the boys find the pilot in the jungle, dead. They basically shove him off the mountain because they could not carry him. Piggy seemed to be the only one who had any problem with this.
No one was listening to Piggy either when they nearly burned down the whole island with their too large fire (which they started with Piggy’s glasses in one of the more uncomfortable moments). The episode ended with the implication that one of the kids, the one with the birthmark on his face, was lost in the fire.
The first episode of the new Lord of the Flies was solid. I have been a fan of the book and other versions of the story for years and I thought this was well done, well acted, and full of a darkness that you would expect from this IP.
Album: George Fest: A Night to Celebrate the Music of George Harrison
Style: pop/rock/uptempo soul
Performed: George Fest tribute concert on September 28, 2014
The first song on this list that was not written (at least in part) by Weird Al. Weird Al performed this at the George Fest tribute concert at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles. Al was one of several other performers covering tracks from the former Beatle. Al also sang on the version of The Traveling Wilburys’ song, “Handle With Care.” “What is Life” was one of my favorite Georege Harrison songs and seeing the live performance by Weird Al was a great addition to it for me.
It is a straight cover of the song, without any comedic undertones.
Lyrics
What I feel, I can’t say But my love is there for you anytime of day But if it’s not love that you need Then I’ll try my best to make everything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
What I know, I can do If I give my love now to everyone like you But if it’s not love that you need Then I’ll try my best to make ev’rything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love Tell me, who am I without you, by my side Tell me, what is my life without your love Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
What I feel, I can’t say But my love is there for you any time of day But if it’s not love that you need Then I’ll try my best to make everything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love Tell me, who am I without you, by my side Oh tell me, what is my life without your love Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
What is my life without your love Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
[fade:] Oh tell me, what is my life without your love Tell me who am I without you by my side
Happy belated May Day and early May the Fourth Be With You. I am also a fan of Return of the Fifth coming this Tuesday.
This is a big weekend in the world of comic books as Saturday was the annual Free Comic Book Day! We of the comic book collecting world know that the first Saturday in May is Free Comic Book Day when companies send out previews and reprints to comic shops nationwide to try and bring more eyes on their product and more collectors into the hobby. There are reportedly some trademark challenges from Diamond (BOOOOOOOO… HISSSSSSSS!) and some of the free books started calling it “Comics Giveaway Day” which just doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. Still I was excited to participate once again.
I started my trek at In This Issue in Bettendorf, where I grabbed several of the free comic books available. From there, I drove to Dubuque to Comic World to continue the day’s activities. I know that “Free Comic Book Day” is not free for the comic shops as they have to pay a certain amount for the books that they order, so, because of that, I always want to buy some product at the shop as a thank you for hosting Free Comic Book Day. This year was no exception.
At In This Issue, I picked up several back issues of I Hate Fairyland, which I will be talking about later in the Cavalcade. I found several Amazing Spider-Man Volume 2 books that I was missing. My ASM Vol 2 collection is down to missing just a handful of books now. There was also a fun hologram cover of Marvel Two-In-One #1. Then, I picked up nearly the entire Marvel Team-Up Vol. 3 series.
At Comic World, I picked up a couple of Invincible Universe issues off the spinning rack that the store had on display as well as a couple of Fantastic Four back issues that I had been missing. Then, I grabbed a whole run of Jonah Hex books that were in the back issue section. I have always liked the character of Jonah Hex even if I had not bought anything of his prior to this.
Of course, I got several Free Comic Book Day books at both places. These include: Dungeon Crawler Carl #0, Fort Psycho/Mind MGMT, Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King, Locke & Key #1, DC/Sonic the Hedgehog #1, Nickelodeon: Avatar Legends, Energon Universe 2026 Special #1, Garfield, Minotaur: The Cold Open #0, Planet of the Apes/Alien/Predator #1, Keenspot Spotlight 2026, Avengers Armageddon #1, Something is Killing the Children: Road to Slaughter, Amazing Spider-Man #1, The Greatest American Hero #1, Masters of the Universe, The Future is *****, Megaman Showdown Special #1, Power Rangers #0, Aquamanatee #1, Next Level #1, Spidey and his Amazing Friends #1, Journey to the West, LEGO Batman #1, The Nice House on the Lake Book One, and Ultimate Oz Universe.
Comic Book of the Week
Free Comic Book Day: The Greatest American Hero #1
It is fun that this week’s Comic Book of the Week is one of the Free Comic Book Day books. The Amp book introduces us to a returning Ralph Hinkley as an older character, back to see his son. He still has the outfit and he is trying to convince his son that he is not a crazy man. I am very excited about the new series from Amp and I can’t wait until July for the new book to start.
Books this Week:
Planet She-Hulk #6. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art was done by Emilio Laiso & Aaron Kuder. Variant cover C was done by Marco Ferrari. This fun issue brings Jen back to earth and we learn what happened at the end of Sakaar. She-Hulk feels more like She-Hulk in this issue than she has in the entire series. She was breaking the fourth wall on the first page and I found the humor to be a welcomed change from the previous issues. It is sad that this is now ending.
I Hate Fairyland #50. Written by Skottie Young and drawn by Derek Laufman with Skottie Young. Variant cover C art is done by Skottie Young (Bronze medalist). I have never picked up an issue of this before, but Todd pointed it out on the stands to me and I picked it up. It was way more entertaining than I thought it would be. Skottie Young was in the book. It was funny. It made me want to go back and buy more of the books.
Uncanny X-Men #27. “Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?” Written by Gail Simone and art by Luciano Vecchio. Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio & Edgar Delgado. I also picked up variant cover D by Juan Ferreyra (Silver Medalist). Uncanny X-Men has become very strange. I am not quite sure what is going on with them, time wise. Is this an alternate future and why are the kids dressed as New Mutants? What is up with the New Mutants. This is bizarre, but still awesome fun.
Batman/Wonder Woman: Truth #1. Written by Jeph Loeb and art by Jim Cheung. Cover art was done by Jim Cheung and Jay David Ramos. This was a fun team-up one-shot book that put Batman and Wonder Woman together just after Batman broke up with Catwoman. I have not been a fan of when comics place a story in past continuity, but this one just worked really well because they kept it at a small story and dealt more with the character of Batman.
Feral #22. Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Trish Forstner & Tone Rodriguez. Tony Fleecs & Trish Forstner did both the A cover and the B (Weapons horror homage) cover (Gold Medalist). This is a flip book. If you read it one way, you get the story via the cats perspective and if you start from the back, you get the Stray Dogs’ perspective. It is a clever way to tell this story that is a crossover between Feral and Stray Dogs. Even the horror homage cover has one side with the cats and the other side with the dogs. So cool.
Wrestle Heist #5. Written, drawn and cover art by Kyle Starks. The pro wrestling heist book ends with this issue. Where it seemed that Buddy Hanson was five steps ahead of Sterling Steele and his crew, in truth, Steele was prepared for the rotund promoter. Wrestle Heist has a very satisfying conclusion which included a new World Champion! Fightsgiving is here and it has surprises for everyone!
Dust to Dust #8. Written by JG Jones & Phil Bram and art and cover art by JG Jones. I have enjoyed this series tremendously, but it has been delayed quite a while. I don’t know much about the delay, but it sounded like there was something health related involved in it. If that is the case, I hope everyone is fine and that they overcame whatever challenge it may have been. The series, which was originally scheduled as a 10-issue limited series, is now done at eight. It is a beautiful book with some fun action inside. I hope everyone is okay.
The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace #2. Written by Hannah Rose May with art and cover art by Kelsey Ramsay. Cover art was done by This is officially a continuation of the story about the Exorcism at 1600 Avenue from a few years ago as the president of the United States weighed in to the British about when their child was possessed. They said that what was happening to the Prince was similar to what they faced. It looks like we are getting a third issue exorcism once again. This has been a consistently engaging tale of the British Royal Family and their family curse.
The Punisher #3. “The Dead Place” Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Jose Luis Soares. Cover art was done by David Marquez & GURU-eFX. The Punisher is in some real trouble and that last panel of this book is shocking. I am not sure exactly what we saw, but if it was what it looked like, we have some challenging storytelling coming up.
Ripcord #3. Written by Cullen Bunn and illustrated by Aneke. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes. Some brutal kills in the Outback of Australia as Dillion continues her search for her missing sister. There is a biker gang in pursuit of her and there are some kind of weird creatures that they discover underground that make you think of zombies.
White Sky #3. Written by William Harms with art and cover art by JP Mavinga. Violet is in search for her dad through a land with ghosts everywhere. Who could help Violet in her mission? How about a medium named Walter? Our pair is now together and they are following whatever they can to try and find Violet’s father.
Baby Garfield #2. “Baby Garfield’s First Monday” and “Baby Garfield’s First Lasagna.” First story written by Stephanie Cooke with art by Whitney Gardner, and second story written and drawn by Brittney Williams. Cover art was done by Agnes Garbowska with colors by Sil Brys. Why does Garfield hate Mondays, and what does it have to do with the arrival of Odie? How much does Garfield love lasagna? We get a chance to see in this issue of the fun Boom! Studios mini series.
Captain America #10. “Doom’s Shadow” Part 5. Written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Valerio Schiti. Cover art was done by Valerio Schiti and Romulo Fajardo Jr. The struggle for Latveria post Doom is hot as the sides all have their moments. Oh and it sure looks like the Red Hulk is on his way.
Red Roots #1. Written, art and cover art by Lorenzo De Felici. I’m not sure how I would react if I kept finding severed heads in my apartment. I mean… one is too many, right? But what happens when it is multiple severed heads? How would you react? What if there are no explanations for the heads being there? Would you be suspected? Oh, and what about a professional killer from a different world? All kinds of strange things going down in this extremely visual book.
Viking Moon #3. Written by Joe Pruett and art and cover art by Marcelo Frusin. The Vikings return to the shores in search of a place to call home and they have to take up arms against a pack of werewolves. The action in this issue was top notch and this was my favorite issue of this book so far. Admittedly, it has been awhile since I saw the last book, but I did enjoy this issue tremendously.
Doom 2099: Rage of Doom #1. Written by Frank Tieri and art by Von Randal. Cover art was done by Junggeun Yoon. I have not been a fan of 2099 books lately. However, this one shot about Doom was very engaging. It connected the story to the One World Under Doom storyline from the last year and it left the book in a huge cliffhanger.
Sam and Twitch Case Files #23. Written by Thomas Healy with additional script by Todd McFarlane with art by Von Randal. Cover art was done by Von Randal with Steve Canon. Sam and Twitch are trying to pursue the case that they have been working on only to find that they are being blocked at all sides by their captain, Captain Malloque. What about this case must stay hidden? Sam and Twitch are trying to figure it out.
Savage Tales #1. Four stories in this compilation by Dynamite including stories about Red Sonja, Vampirella, Allan Quatermain and Gulliver of Mars. I very much enjoyed the Allan Quatermain (although I am used to spelling it Quartermain) and the Gulliver story. I was not as fond of the Red Sonja and Vampirella story. I did like the look of this book as it felt more prestigious than other times these characters may have appeared.
Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon #3. Written by Chip Zdarsky and art by Luca Maresca. Cover art was done by Leinil Francis Yu & Romulo Fajardo Jr. Teri, the long time mutant hunter, who has been trying to do better recently, ends up dead this issue and Wolverine and Dave Colton, a one-time Captain America, have to face off with Nuke.
Wonder Man #2. “The Two” Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Stefano Raffaele. Flashback artists for the book were Mark Buckingham & Aurie Jimenez. Cover art was done by Philip Tan & Rain Beredo. Simon teams up with his West Coast Avenger teammate Killerwatt to do some taping for a role. Meanwhile, the Spot is causing all kinds of trouble.
A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #2. Written by Phil Hester and pencils by Ryan Kelly. Cover art was done by Ryan Kelly. The people of Pearl Island are in major trouble from the creatures. Of course, they may have as much trouble from each other as they have from the monsters.
From Parts Unknown #1. Written by Adriano Ariganello and art and cover art by Daniel Caval. More wrestling storytelling as we have two Luchador brothers, Bruno and Pietro, traveling the wrestling circuit trying to make a living. They come across a wrestler that they are supposed to put over in the next match, but it turned out that the wrestler is more than what he seemed. I liked this book quite a bit. I like how the wrestling world has been making its way into the comics more lately.
Final Boss: Masked Vigilante #1. Written by Tyler Kirkham with art by Leon Govender. Cover art by Tyler Kirkham. A spin off from the recent hit series, Final Boss, this featured the Masked Vigilante… a combination of Punisher and Black Noir on a motorcycle. Lots of blood and violence. Not much more than that. It was fun for what it was.
Other books this week: Exploit #2, 51 #2, Wiccan: Witches’ Road #5, Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun #3, Harley Quinn x Elvira #6, Rocketeer #1, Honor and Curse: Eternal #2, Zatanna #1, and Justice League: Intergalactic Special #1.
Quick Hits: We are still not so sure about poor Ted in Is Ted Ok? #3. Someone new showed up to cause more issues for Ted. Generation X-23 #3 has Wolverine and Gabby met their match with the X-Numbers? Michael Moorcock’s Elric is back in a new book from Titan, Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress #1. I have always been a fan of Elric the albino. Warbird #0 is the next book from Bad Idea and this is a small preview of the book coming out in a few months. Also from Bad Idea is a one shot called Tony Millionaire’s Oddball’s Odyssey #1. It has a quote from Elvis Costello on the cover, which is a weird thing. I did not know Elvis Costello was into comics. This is more like comic strips though and it compiles several strips of this monkey character. It is a bizarre book for sure. I’m glad Elvis liked it though. Swamp Thing #88 confused me. Apparently, this was a book that was never completed when the original run of Swamp Thing was canceled and this is the story that finally was told. It is all like it would have been in 1989, including advertisements. I’ve never been as into Swamp Thing as I have been with Man-Thing, which I know is probably a hot take. The Ultimates #23 was strange as well. It was told in a different manner than any books I have seen in a long time. I know I am always cheering on the creators who do something original, but this one was a big swing that I just did not get into. And Ursula #3 continues to be entertaining to my surprise. Dynamite does some really solid work with these Disney books.
I went downtown today to see an art exhibit opening at the Maquoketa Art Experience. This would not typically be something that would attract my attention. However, one of the main topics of the exhibit really appealed to my geeky side.
I also knew the artists of the works. James Tenney is the school resource officer for the school district where I work and we have a connection with our love of geek culture. Tenney was a big fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so I wore my TMNT shirt in his honor. The first he said to me today, after thanking me for coming, was “great shirt!” He then proudly showed me his TMNT socks, his Spider-Man tie and his Star Trek tie pin.
Officer Tenney has worked at the Maquoketa school for several years now. My friend Darin directed him towards me when he first started because of the similarity of our fandom. Darin had told me that Tenney was an artist, but I had no idea at what level he was.
Just the other day, we were both outside with a group of kids at the middle school and Officer Tenney called me over. There was a student of mine there with him. He asked me if she had been behaving herself lately, and when I said that she had been much better lately, Tenney pulled out a small box where he kept the small sketch pad and he sketched her a quick drawing of Batman. She was excited over the drawing, the doodle took about a minute or so to finish. I know he has done this for many other students, quickly sketching characters such as Wolverine, Spider-Man or such. He uses it as a great way to build that rapport with kids who are excited about the small treasure he provided them with.
It was that day that Officer Tenney told me about his opening on Sunday at the Maquoketa Art Experience from 2-4 and invited me to come on down and see his art.
What is cool is that he was sharing the exhibit with his youngest daughter, MJ. They told a sweet story about how their art studios at their home were right next to each other. MJ’s work was less superhero-like and more of the dragon/anime work.
Water color was the answer James gave me as his favorite medium to work in, but he had several other examples of other styles including oils, ballpoint pen and computer graphic.
James told me a story at a comic con where he had his work being displayed of an older gentleman who came over to him and, in referencing his work, pointed out the strong jawlines he had on display and then the man told James that his work was like “Jack Kirby’s work.” Even today, you could see how that comment lit James up. There is not much more of a compliment you can give to a comic art fan than to compare him to the “King.”
There was a wide variety of subjects on the walls and tables of the Maquoketa Art Experience. There were pictures of Spider-Man, Venom, Hobgoblin, Loki, Godzilla, Thor (as a baby), Ghost Rider, Transformers, Turtles, Daffy Duck, Gambit, Slimer from Ghostbusters, Joe Fixit, as well as many others.
The exhibit will be up for the months of May and June at the Maquoketa Art Exhibit. It is an impressive display featuring some of the great characters of the 20th/21st Century. Superheroes are the present day mythology and it is awesome that there are people who love them enough to keep the energy going.
You should stop down and see the full collection if you have some time over the next couple of months.
Some images from the show:
One of his favorite pieces, James told me he spent many MCU moviescreating this artwork.
Another pair of tension-filled, anxiety-creating episodes in this Netflix limited series. I have been extremely creeped out by this show, especially episode 4.
Before I go on, I want to look at episode four. We are in a flashback where we see Rachel’s very pregnant mother Alexandra and Jay, her father, recording everything on a video camera in the year 1997, and part of their trip where they were eloping was stopping for ice cream. The drive up ice cream shop had a guy at the window that scared Rachel’s mother badly. If I did not know better, I swear this character was Rick from the comic book, Ice Cream Man.
I wonder how much of an inspiration, if any at all, this character took from Rick. The character’s name was Larry and, technically, he only sold custard. I wonder if the producers changed it to custard to avoid any comparisons between Larry and Rick.
Larry could have been tied to the Larry Poole from the stories on the podcast in episode one. Producers have said that this character was just a red herring, helping to build the suspense of the episode.
The storyline of the Sorry Man has seemingly been wrapped as we discovered that Jules, as a kid, had witnessed Jay and Alexandra on their honeymoon, when she started hemorrhaging from her eyes and nose and died in Jay’s arms. Then, he cut open her stomach to pull baby Rachel out of the womb. Jules saw all this and, in his mind, made the whole thing into a serial killer thing/monster.
Episode 3 had some powerful moments too as Rachel called a “family meeting” and wanted everybody to deal with their trauma over Victoria’s upcoming death. Rachel gets called out for not being a therapist, but everyone seems to go along with what she wanted to do. So much so that Nell expressed surprise with how much Rachel is getting away with from this family. Of course, Nell just simulated drowning Jules in the bathtub before being caught by Rachel, so maybe she is not the best choice for reasonability.
So, after episode four, it seems like the story is heading in this curse way, and there are only two days until the “I dos” as the show keeps letting us know. This is the halfway point of the limited series so I wonder where this goes next.
The second season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters concluded on Apple TV + this past Friday with a big titan slugfest between Kong and Titan X and the official switch from Cate to Kentaro of the stupidest Randa sibling.
It can’t be that Cate is the standout character on this show now, can it?
A few episodes ago, I would have celebrated had the show killed Cate off. Now, she feels like the true heart of the show, certainly moving forward into a potential season three.
What a character arc she has had this season.
The face off of Kurt Russel and Wyatt Russell in the opened rift felt as if it were a true goodbye for the flashback characters as they had been used less in the last few episodes this season. This feels like the correct moment to end those flashbacks as the show apparently is taking a new step in any potential season 4.
Keiko was such a bad ass driving her jeep around the gigantic Kaiju fight going on around her, but… girlfriend… where did you learn to park? As soon as she stopped that jeep and hopped out, I knew it was a goner. Why park it there? Geez.
The final shot of the season showed Lee looking out at a volcano and seeing Rodan sitting atop of it as the lava flowed around it. Rodan was last seen in Godzilla: King of the Monsters leaving a ton of questions about this Rodan.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was a hit and miss season for me. There were several moments where I considered dropping this show from my viewing schedule because I was just not enjoying it. I am happy that I maintained through the middle because the ending was much stronger than I expected. It ended strongly enough for me to watch the next season, if it is renewed by Apple TV.
As I was going through the list of songs on the Top 100, I discovered a mistake in the list. Instead of cutting a song that absolutely deserves its spot on the list, I decided to make this special exception for Weird Al and make it a Top 100 with 101 songs in it. Thus, Polka Power becomes the first ever 1/2 entry on our Daily Countdown lists and the only Daily Countdown Two-a-day.
Title: “Polka Power”
Album: Running With Scissors
Released: 1989
Genre: Polka/Comedy
Songs: “The Twelfth Street Rag,” “Wannabe,” “Flagpole Sitta,” “Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are),” “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” “Walkin’ On the Sun,” “Intergalactic,” “Tubthumping,” “Ray of Light,” “Push,” “Semi-Charmed Life,” “The Dope Show,” “MMMBop,” “Sex and Candy,” “Closing Time,” and “W.A.Y. Moby Polka.”
Lyrics
Yeah, well, I’ll tell ya what I want, what I really really want (So tell us what ya want, what ya really really want) I’ll tell ya what I want, what I really really want (So tell us what ya want, what ya really really want) I want to ha, I want to ha, I want to ha, I want to ha I want to really, really, really, want to zigga zigga, ah! If you want to be my lover, you gotta get with my friends Make it last forever, friendship never ends If you want to be my lover, you have got to give Taking is too easy, but that’s the way it is. Hey!
I’m not sick, but I’m not well. And I’m so hot, ’cause I’m in hell. I’m not sick, but I’m not well. And it’s a sin to live so well.
Ghetto superstar, that is what you are, Coming from afar, reaching for the stars. Run away with me, to another place We can rely on each other, uh huh From one corner to another, uh huh
Everybody (yeah) Rock your body (yeah) Everybody Rock your body right. Backstreet’s back, all right! All right!
So don’t delay, act now, supplies are running out But now, if you’re still alive, six to eight years to arrive And if you follow, there may be a tomorrow But if the offer’s shun, you might as well be walking on the sun Might as well be walking on the sun!
I get knocked down, but I get up again, You’re never gonna keep me down I get knocked down, but I get up again You’re never gonna keep me down I get knocked down, but I get up again You’re never gonna keep me down I get knocked down, but I get up again You’re never gonna keep me down
Quicker than a ray of light Quicker than a ray of light Quicker than a ray of light
I want to push you around, well I will, well I will I want to push you down, well I will, well I will I want to take you for granted I want to take you for granted Yeah, yeah, well I will
I want something else To get me through this semi-charmed kinda life, baby baby I want something else I’m not listening when you say good-bye.
There’s lots of pretty, pretty ones That want to get you high But all the pretty, pretty ones Will leave you low and blow your mind We’re all stars now in the dope show We’re all stars now in the dope show
Mmmbop, do floppa do wop Do be dop ah Do wap, do zap ah, do Yeah-ee yeah Mmmbop, do be ‘zap ah, do wop Do be dop ah Do wop, doom zap ah, do
I smell sex and candy here Who’s that lounging in my chair? Who’s that casting devious stares in my direction? Mama, this surely is a dream Yeah, yeah mama, this surely is a dream Dig it, yeah mama, this surely is
Closing time One last call for alcohol So finish your whiskey or beer Closing time You don’t have to go home But you can’t stay here I know who I want to take me home I know who I want to take me home I know who I want to take me home Take us home.
We started off with a few fleeting moments of a brutal battle, but Duncan takes a lance to his side and a blow to his head, sending him into an unconscious state and us into a flashback to Dunk as a kid.
At first, I did not want to go into the past and leave the Trial of Seven, but it did not take long before I was engaged with the story they were telling in the flashback. We met young Dunk and a girl named Rafe, stealing from a nearly dead knight whose horse had fallen on him. We learn that they are thieves, surviving by their wits. Dunk had been deserted by his mother, either from choice or by death.
I assumed that Rafe was going to meet with some kind of horrible fate since we have not mentioned her before, and, sure enough, she has her throat slashed by a crooked guard who had stolen the silver that they had “earned.” Rafe snuck the knife from the guard’s scabbard and it cost her her life.
This was where we see how Dunk meets Ser Arlan of Pennytree, who saved Dunk from the same fate as Rafe. Dunk is injured in the scrum and follows Arlan. Arlan ends up helping Dunk.
Then, the flashbacks were over as suddenly as they began, and we were right back to the Trial of Seven, where Ser Duncan fought his way through what seemed to be multiple horrific blows to force Aerion to rescind the charges and thus win the Trial of Seven.
When Baelor came into the tent to see Duncan, I knew what was going to happen. I had been spoiled about Baelor’s death last week thanks to a Wikipedia page I was using for research. The head wound was brutal and I have no idea what will happen to Duncan in the finale.
The battle between them was brutal and hard to watch at times but unbelievably choreographed and full of emotion.
There is one more episode of the show and I am sure it will deal with the fallout of the Trial of Seven. I have really enjoyed this series so far. I hope it hits the landing.
Released: As a theme song for his 1997 Saturday morning children’s TV show.
Album: Running With Scissors
Genre: pop/rock
This fell into the top 20 of the previous list, Top 100 TV Show Themes. When I first was creating that list, I almost didn’t think about it as a theme because it was more of a song than theme. Al has used this as an intro to his concerts since.
Lyrics
Oh, this is a story ’bout a guy named Al And he lived in a sewer with his hamster pal But the sanitation workers really didn’t approve So he packed up his accordion and had to move
To a city in Ohio where he lived in a tree And he worked in a nasal decongestant factory And he played on the company bowling team And every single night he had a strange, recurring dream
Where he was wearing leiderhosen in a vat of sour cream But that’s really not important to the story
Well, the very next year he met a dental hygenist With a spatula tattoed on her arm (on her arm) But he didn’t keep in touch, then he lost her number Then he got himself a job on a tater tot farm
And he spent his life savings on a split-level cave 20 miles below the surface of the Earth (of the Earth) And he really makes a mighty fine jelly bean and pickle sandwich For what it’s worth
Then one day Al was in the forest, trying to get a tan When he heard the tortured screaming of a funny little man He was caught in a bear trap and Al set him free And the guy that he rescued was as grateful as can be
And it turns out he’s a big-shot producer on TV So he gave Al a contract and what do you know? Now he’s got his own very Weird Al Show!
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 