Written: Hakeem T. Seriki / Anthony Henderson / Oscar Edward Salinas / Juan Carlos Jr. Salinas/Al Yankovic
Style: Rap/Hip Hop
Topic: Nerd culture
Fact: This was Yankovic’s first-ever top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and his first single to be certified platinum.
We are down to two. I loved this song so much. I had never heard the original, and the parody is one of the greatest of all time.
Lyrics
They see me mowin’ My front lawn I know they’re all thinking I’m so white ‘n’ nerdy Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy Can’t you see I’m white ‘n’ nerdy? Look at me, I’m white ‘n’ nerdy!
I wanna roll with The gangsters But so far they all think I’m too white ‘n’ nerdy Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy Really, really white ‘n’ nerdy
First in my class here at M.I.T Got skills, I’m a champion at D&D MC Escher, that’s my favorite MC Keep your 40, I’ll just have an Earl Grey tea My rims never spin to the contrary You’ll find that they’re quite stationary All of my action figures are cherry Stephen Hawking’s in my library
My-MySpace page is all totally pimped out I got people begging for my topic spaces Yo, I know Pi out to a thousand places Ain’t got no grills but I still wear braces I order all of my sandwiches with mayonnaise I’m a whiz at Minesweeper, I can play for days Once you see my sweet moves you’re gonna stay amazed My fingers movin’ so fast I’ll set the place ablaze
There’s no killer app I haven’t run At Pascal well I’m number one Do vector calculus just for fun I ain’t got a gat but I gotta soldering gun Happy Days is my favorite theme song I can sure kick your butt in a game of ping pong I’ll ace any trivia quiz you bring on I’m fluent in JavaScript as well as Klingon
They see me roll on my Segway I know in my heart they think I’m White ‘n’ nerdy Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy Can’t you see I’m white ‘n’ nerdy? Look at me, I’m white ‘n’ nerdy!
I’d like to roll with The gangsters Although it’s apparent I’m too White n’ nerdy Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy How’d I get so white ‘n’ nerdy?
I’ve been browsing, inspectin’ X-Men comics you know I collect ’em The pens in my pocket, I must protect ’em My ergonomic keyboard never leaves me bored Shopping online for deals on some writable media I edit Wikipedia I memorized the Holy Grail really well I can recite it right now and have you “ROTFLOL”
I got a business doing websites When my friends need some code who do they call? I do HTML for them all Even made a homepage for my dog Yo, I got myself a fanny pack They were having a sale down at the GAP Spend my nights with a roll of bubble wrap Pop pop! Hope no one sees me get freaky!
I’m nerdy in the extreme And whiter than sour cream I was in AV club and Glee club And even the chess team! Only question I ever thought was hard Was do I like Kirk or do I like Picard? I spend every weekend at the Renaissance Faire I got my name on my underwear!
They see me strollin’ They laughin’ And rollin’ their eyes ’cause I’m so white ‘n’ nerdy Just because I’m white ‘n’ nerdy Just because I’m white ‘n’ nerdy All because I’m white ‘n’ nerdy Holy cow, I’m white ‘n’ nerdy!
I wanna bowl with The gangsters But oh well it’s obvious I’m White ‘n’ nerdy Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy Look at me, I’m white ‘n’ nerdy!
Written: Douglas B. Rasheed / Stevie Wonder / Larry James Sanders / Artis L. Jr. Ivey/Al Yankovic
Style: Rap/Hip-Hop
Top: Amish life
Lyrics
As I walk through the valley where I harvest my grain I take a look at my wife and realize she’s very plain But that’s just perfect for an Amish like me You know, I shun fancy things like electricity At 4:30 in the morning, I’m milkin’ cows Jebediah feeds the chickens and Jacob plows, fool
And I’ve been milkin’ and plowin’ so long that Even Ezekiel thinks that my mind is gone I’m a man of the land, I’m into discipline Got a Bible in my hand and a beard on my chin But if I finish all of my chores, and you finish thine Then tonight, we’re gonna party like it’s 1699
We been spending most our lives Livin’ in an Amish paradise I churned butter once or twice Livin’ in an Amish paradise It’s hard work and sacrifice Livin’ in an Amish paradise We sell quilts at discount price Livin’ in an Amish paradise
A local boy kicked me in the butt last week I just smiled at him and I turned the other cheek I really don’t care, in fact I wish him well ‘Cause I’ll be laughing my head off when he’s burning in Hell But I ain’t never punched a tourist even if he deserved it An Amish with a ‘tude? You know that’s unheard of
I never wear buttons but I got a cool hat And my homies agree I really look good in black, fool If you come to visit, you’ll be bored to tears We haven’t even paid the phone bill in 300 years But we ain’t really quaint, so please don’t point and stare We’re just technologically impaired
There’s no phone, no lights, no motorcar Not a single luxury Like Robinson Crusoe It’s as primitive as can be
We been spending most our lives Livin’ in an Amish paradise We’re just plain and simple guys Livin’ in an Amish paradise There’s no time for sin and vice Livin’ in an Amish paradise We don’t fight, we all play nice Livin’ in an Amish paradise
Hitchin’ up the buggy, churnin’ lots of butter Raised a barn on Monday, soon I’ll raise another Think you’re really righteous? Think you’re pure in heart? Well, I know I’m a million times as humble as thou art I’m the pious guy the little Amlettes wanna be like On my knees day and night, scorin’ points for the afterlife So don’t be vain and don’t be whiny Or else, my brother, I might have to get medieval on your Heine
We been spending most our lives Livin’ in an Amish paradise We’re all crazy Mennonites Livin’ in an Amish paradise There’s no cops or traffic lights Livin’ in an Amish paradise But you’d probably think it bites Livin’ in an Amish paradise
Included in: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s monthly “#Hamildrops” project
Written by Albert Johnson / Osten Harvey / Christopher Wallace / Roger Troutman / Kejuan Muchita / Lin-Manuel Miranda/Al Yankovic
Songs: “Alexander Hamilton,” “Wait For It,” “The Schuyler Sisters,” “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down),” “Dear Theodosia,” “You’ll Be Back,” “The Room Where It Happens,” “Right Hand Man,” “Guns and Ships,” “Washington on Your Side,” “Helpless,” “Non-Stop,” “History Has Its Eyes on You,” and “My Shot.”
This is Weird Al’s Polka Opus, taking the Broadway sensation Hamilton and turning it into a polka. There was a video of Lin-Manuel Miranda listening to The Hamilton Polka for the first time, and he had tears of joy running down his face. Miranda is a huge fan of Weird Al and you could tell how honored he was with Al using his work as a polka.
Lyrics
How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten Spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor Grow up to be a hero and a scholar?
The ten-dollar Founding Father without a father Got a lot farther by working a lot harder By being a lot smarter By being a self-starter
By fourteen, they placed him in charge of the trading charter Alexander Hamilton My name is Alexander Hamilton And there’s a million things I haven’t done
But just you wait, just you wait Wait for it Wait for it Wait for it Wait for it
I am the one thing in life I can control Wait for it Wait for it Wait for it Wait for it
I am inimitable I am an original And if there’s a reason I’m still alive When so many have died Then I’m willin’ to—
I’m willing to Work, work! Angelica! Work, work!
Eliza! And Peggy—
Look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now! History is happening in Manhattan and we just happen to be In the greatest city In the greatest city in the world! The world turned upside down The world turned upside down The world turned upside down The world turned upside down
Yeah you’ll blow us all away Oceans rise, empires fall We have seen each other through it all And when push comes to shove
I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love! Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da Da da dat dat da da ya da!
No one else was in The room where it happened The room where it happened The room where it happened No one else was in
The room where it happened The room where it happened The room where it happened No one really knows how the game is played
The art of the trade How the sausage gets made We just assume that it happens But no one else is in the room where it happens
We are outgunned (What?) Outmanned (What?) Outnumbered Outplanned
We gotta make an all out stand Ayo, I’m gonna need a right-hand man Hamilton! Sir, he knows what to do in a trench Ingenuitive and fluent in French, I mean—
Hamilton! Sir, you’re gonna have to use him eventually What’s he gonna do on the bench? I mean— Hamilton! No one has more resilience Or matches my practical tactical brilliance—
Hamilton! You wanna fight for your land back? Hamilton! I need my right hand man back! Uh, get ya right hand man back
You know you gotta get ya right hand man back I mean you gotta put some thought Into the letter but the sooner the better To get your right hand man back!
It must be nice, it must be nice To have Washington on your side It must be nice, it must be nice To have Washington on your side Look back at the Bill of Rights (Which I wrote!)
The ink hasn’t dried It must be nice, it must be nice To have Washington on your side— Somebody has to stand up for the South! Somebody has to stand up to his mouth!
If there’s a fire you’re trying to douse You can’t put it out from inside the house I’m in the cabinet, I am complicit in Watching him grabbin’ at power and kiss it If Washington isn’t gon’ listen To disciplined dissidents, this is the difference: This kid is out
In New York you can be a new man How do you write like you’re running out of time? Write day and night like you’re running out of time? Ev’ry day you fight like you’re running out of time Like you’re running out of time
Are you running out of time? Let me tell you what I wish I’d known When I was young and dreamed of glory You have no control Who lives, who dies, who tells your story I know that we can win I know that greatness lies in you But remember from here on in History has its eyes on you (Whoa…)
And I am not throwing away my shot I am not throwing away my shot Hey yo, I’m just like my country I’m young, scrappy and hungry And I’m not throwing away my shot We gonna rise up, time to take a shot (Not throwing away my shot) We gonna rise up, time to take a shot (Not throwing away my shot) We’re gonna rise up, rise up! (It’s time to take a shot!) Rise up, rise up! And I am not throwing away my Not throwing away my shot There’s a million things I haven’t done But just you wait (Just wait) What’s your name, man? Alexander (Hamilton) Alexander (Hamilton) Alexander (Hamilton) Alexander
Topic: encourage listeners to embrace absurdity, let go of common idioms, and be playful.
Title track to Weird Al’s third studio album, Dare to Be Stupid is one of the greatest original songs Weird Al has ever written. The silliness involved is epic and his Devo style pastiche is brilliant.
Lyrics
Put down that chainsaw and listen to me It’s time for us to join in the fight It’s time to let your babies grow up to be cowboys It’s time to let the bedbugs bite
You better put all your eggs in one basket You better count your chickens before they hatch You better sell some wine before it’s time You better find yourself an itch to scratch
You better squeeze all the Charmin you can While Mr. Wipple’s not around Stick your head in the microwave and get yourself a tan
Talk with your mouth full Bite the hand that feeds you Bite off more than you chew What can you do? Dare to be stupid
Take some wooden nickels Look for Mr. Goodbar Get your mojo working now I’ll show you how You can dare to be stupid
You can turn the other cheek You can just give up the ship You can eat a bunch of sushi then forget to leave a tip
Dare to be stupid Come on and dare to be stupid It’s so easy to do Dare to be stupid We’re all waiting for you Let’s go
It’s time to make a mountain out of a molehill So can I have a volunteer? There’s no more time for crying over spilled milk Now it’s time for crying in your beer
Settle down, raise a family, join the PTA Buy some sensible shoes and a Chevrolet And party ’til you’re broke and they drive you away It’s okay, you can dare to be stupid
It’s like spitting on a fish It’s like barking up a tree It’s like I said you gotta buy one if you wanna get one free
Dare to be stupid (Yes) Why don’t you dare to be stupid? It’s so easy to do
Dare to be stupid We’re all waiting for you Dare to be stupid
Burn your candle at both ends Look a gift horse in the mouth Mashed potatoes can be your friends
You can be a coffee achiever You can sit around the house and watch “Leave It To Beaver” The future’s up to you So what you gonna do?
Dare to be stupid, dare to be stupid What did I say? Dare to be stupid
Tell me, what did I say? Dare to be stupid It’s alright Dare to be stupid We can be stupid all night
Dare to be stupid Come on, join the crowd Dare to be stupid Shout it out loud
Dare to be stupid I can’t hear you Dare to be stupid Okay, I can hear you now
Dare to be stupid Let’s go, dare to be stupid Dare to be stupid Dare to be stupid
Dare to be stupid Dare to be stupid Dare to be stupid Dare to be stupid Dare to be stupid
Last week, in episode one of The Boroughs, I commented that I had hoped that Jack survived the attack of whatever that thing was. Sadly, as this week started, we learned that jack did not.
RIP Jack.
Sam, who discovered the creature “feeding” on Jack, became obsession (as one would) with trying to figure out what was going on. A trip to see Edward at the care facility gave Sam a clue… “The key is in the lights and the owls are in the wall.”
So Sam started tearing out the light fixtures in his house.
Jack’s death affected more than just Sam as we learned that Judy had been having an affair with Jack, and his death was causing her serious grief. Judy’s partner Art apparently knew about the affair but never confronted her in fear that she would leave him.
It led Art to a bizarre occurrence with a murder of crows. A huge murder of crows that circled the sky above him and like kamikazed themselves into the ground. Weird scene.
Renee pushed for an investigation when more quartz items turned up missing. Hank came back with a fake report from Albuquerque PD saying that they caught a guy with the missing items.
F- Hank.
Clearly, Hank has some kind of inside knowledge of what is going on in the Boroughs, and he is going out of his way to cover it up. He is easily the biggest piece of crap on this show.
Only Blaine Shaw comes close. Shaw showed up at Jack’s memorial and dropped some lies about how much Jack meant to him. It was sadly obvious how insincere he was being, but Shaw knows more than he is letting on too.
Wally got more bad news about his cancer, which has made its way into Wally’s liver. It left Wally searching for a miracle. Maybe Sam has found it.
The Boroughs has had two exceptional episodes filled with great actors and a captivating supernatural mystery. I know that there will be only one season as Netflix has cancelled season two of the show. I sure how the show did not leave off on a massive cliffhanger at the end of season one, because this is a show that I am fully engrossed in.
New banner this week, getting rid of all those butterflies on the old one. Still very much fun making these, trying to hit upon important books from all of the publishers.
eBay sent me several Amazing Spider-Man books this week as I continue to try to complete my Vol. 2 collection. I have several more in the mail on its way, leaving me with three issues. With those three exceptions, I’ll have issue #195-today of Amazing Spider-Man soon. Too cool.
Comic of the Week
Rom #1 (Skybound)
I may be cheating this week as the Comic of the Week actually came out inside the MASK blind bags from a couple of weeks ago, but I just received my copy from eBay today and I loved it.
I was an old fan of Rom during the Marvel years and I was really excited to hear that Rom was joining the Energon Universe at Skybound. I wasn’t sure if this was just a Rom cover of the MASK#1 or if it were its own book, but when I scanned through the book after opening the packaging, I could tell that this was its own story. I loved that too. Rom has some adjustments from Robert Kirkman which work well and the new character “Carpet” is a fascinating addition. I can’t wait to see the mystery of Rom unfold moving forward in Void Rivals starting in issue #32.
Books This Week:
Land of Never #1. Written by Steve Orlando with art and cover A art by Miguel Mora. Variant cover B art was done by Sebastian Piriz. Jim Hoke’s daughter Wendy has been missing for years. Hoke believed that he saw a hulking figure take Wendy out of the window, but no one would believe him. In fact, Hoke is a suspect in her kidnapping. We’ve got some Peter Pan stuff going on here and I am here for it.
Something is Killing the Children #48. “All Her Monsters” Part Eight. Written by James Tynion IV with art and cover art by Werther Dell’Edera. We continue into the past with young Erica Slaughter trying to understand the hardest part of the House of Slaughter, killing off the witnesses, even if they happen to be children. Is the tragedy stoppable?
Amazing Spider-Man #31. Written by Joe Kelly with art by Patrick Gleason. Cover art was done by Patrick Gleason & Dean White. We get the TALK here. How can it be possible that Aunt May has an actual child with Ben Parker? This story goes back and forth between the story of May and her unknown birth and Spidey battling Vulture and Tombstone. This is one of the biggest, most major retcons to Spider-Man in the last few years. He has an actual cousin. How will this affect Peter Parker?
Uncanny X-Men #30. “Mars Needs Mutants” Written by Gail Simone with art by Rogê Antonio. Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio & Matthew Wilson. More wild mutant action from the pen of Gail Simone. This has been one of the most consistent X-Men books of all and I have a huge respect for Gail.
Nightwing #139. “The Waterfront” Written by Dan Watters with pencils by Denys Cowan. Cover art was done by Jorge Fornes. Nightwing is still struggling to overcome his guilt over the highway incident from a few issues ago. With the new highway going through Bludhaven, a bunch of bodies show up in the water. Nightwing found a way to investigate these deaths which leads him to a church. This was a great issue and Nightwing is struggling with himself.
Of The Earth #2. “Chapter 2: Red Zone.” Written by Andrew Ehrich & Chris Condon with art and cover art by Charlie Adlard (Gold Medalist). The oil company sent a representative to investigate the strange things at the Winters’ Ranch. Chris Condon has become one of my favorite writers in comics today. He knows how to tell a story and build that mysteriousness and tension.
X-Men United #4. “Ancient Orc Oaken Arclight” Written by Eve L. Ewing with art by Tiago Palma. Cover art was done by Stefano Caselli & Federico Blee. I also picked up Cover C with art by Kris Anka (Bronze Medalist). The X-Men are doing a mysterious campaign… much like D & D, only in the X-Men style, they are actually doing it. Deathdream is in the group in the campaign and I do love that character.
Dog Tag #2. Written by Mark Russell with pencils by PJ Holden. Cover art was done by PJ Holden & JP Jordan. We follow Tom into his new assignment… leading a troop of survivors of D-Day into Europe on missions. The mission, go into the town St. Lo to see if the Germans have deserted it. Once they, they have to face their own moral thoughts. Dog Tag has been great the first two issue and another awesome Mad Cave book.
If Destruction Be Our Lot #2. Written by Matthew & Mark Elijah with art by Andy McDonald. Cover art was done by Andy McDonald & Francesco Segala. The Lincoln robot is out in trouble. After seeing a “human” at the end of last issue, the belief is that he is malfunctioning and requires a reboot. Maintenance is a horror show and ABE is on the run. The creativity is off the charts with this Image book.
The Trillion Dollar Kid #1. “Who are the Unbelievables? Part 1 of 4” Written by Geoff Johns & Peter J. Tomasi with art by Stefano Simeone. I grabbed cover B and its art was done by Ivan Reis, Danny Miki & Brad Anderson. The new book from Ghost Machine debuted this week, tying together the other books from this title including Hornsby & Halo and The Rocketfellers. Tommy Townsend is on quest to find thee other “Unbelievable” and it starts in this issue. Crossover alert!
Absolute Green Arrow #2. “The Longbow Killer” Part 2. Written by Pornsak Pichetshote with art by Rafael Albuquerque. Cover art was done by Rafael Albuquerque & Marcelo Maiolo. The wildness of the Absolute Green Arrow is huge. I loved this series, with how dark and mysterious it is. I am clearly not sure what is going on or who is doing this, and I love that.
Absolute Flash #16. “Gorilla City Part 1 of 2” Written by Jeff Lemire and art by Haining. Variant cover B art was done by Taurin Clarke. Wally and Grodd are reunited. Not sure that is a good thing. This Absolute Flash is excellent every issue. It is one of my favorite Absolute books every week. Good characters and fun story.
Absolute Batman #21. “The Straw Man Part 3” Written by Scott Snyder and art by Nick Dragotta. Cover art was done by Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin. We get the Absolute version of Two-Face this issue. Two Face is seen with shadowy figures from Bruce’s friends, who all seem to be villains. Oh, and there is the Joker (I think it was Joker..)
G.I. Joe #23. Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Andrea Milana. Variant cover G (B&W) was done by Tom Reilly. The Baroness and Destro have to team up and we get the secret origin of Risk.
Redcoat #18. Creators are Geoff Johns & Bryan Hitch. Variant Cover B art is done by Leonardo Colapietro. The truth comes out for Simon Pure. He tells his wife his own personal history and it might have cost him his family. Meanwhile, men of George Washington have captured Benedict Arnold. This is a dark moment for Simon and feels like the “Empire Strikes Back” part of the story. Redcoat is an outstanding book.
Wonder Man #4. “The-Four-Oh-Five” Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Laura Braga. Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio. So…umm… Simon Williams and Patsy Walker take their relationship to new heights. Yes, they get naked and have sex… while flying in the air among the clouds. It was not what I expected to see in this book.
Imperial Guardians #4. Written by Dan Abnett with pencils by Eduardo Pansica. Cover art was done by Sean Izaakse & Nolan Woodard. The gimmick of having the members of the team addressing the world via camera, much like a reality show (like Big Brother). This is a great way to inject humor into the story as well as allowing the readers to know info that the rest of the cast does not. It is a clever addition to this comic.
The Punisher #5. “Under his Skin” Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Jose Luis Soares & Sergio Davila. Big battle issue as Frank squares off with Jigsaw. The brutality of their fight is what carries this issue through as much of the art is just panels of the two of them engaging in violence. The new Punisher book has been solid since its return to Marvel.
Drawing Blood #11. Written, drawn and cover art by Kevin Eastman. I loved this issue. Of course, I barely remember Drawing Blood, a 12-issue series, that debuted in April 2024. Issue #10 came out in January of 2026 while this issue came out in June. The length between these issues are really making it tough to maintain any real momentum for the book. It takes most of the first half of the story to refresh what everything that has happened. Only one more issue to go. I wonder what month it is scheduled to be released in?
Excommunicated #2. Written by Jeremy Robinson with art by Tiago Palma. Cover art was done by Flaviano. I also picked up the Unholy Body Bag (polybag) variant cover which was done by Tyler Crook. Former nun Josephine has to team up with the demon Edimmu to avoid an attack. That decision does not make things better for Josephine, as Vatican officials are on the case. Excommunicated, from Vault Comics, has been a welcomed addition to the horror comics that are all across the landscape of comics these days.
War Wolf #6. Written by Steve Orlando and art by Marco Perugini. Cover art was done by David Talaski. This issue gives us the true story of Bruin and how he stopped the original invasion of the Oorts. Apparently, the Bear is nowhere near as much of a hero as he had presented himself as. Can The Bear step up for earth for real this time? Who knows, but War Wolf has been a solid book from Mad Cave.
Kill Switch #2. Written by Sophia Bank & Don Handfield with illustration by Gabriel Ibarra. Cover art was done by Erwin Arroza & Gabriel Ibarra. It sure seems that everybody can figure out that Atlas is not Detective Kate Sloan. That included Agent Perez who apparently the real Kate Sloan. Mind f*cks galore in this Massive Comics series.
Other books this week: Deadly hands of K’un-Lun #5, Star Trek: The Last Starship #8, Justice League: Dream Girls: A DC Pride Event #1, The Beauty #6, Inglorious X-Force #6, Sorcerer Supreme #7, Absolute Green Lantern #15, and Supergirl: Survive #1
Quick Hits: I am a sucker for blind bags. I picked up the Marvel 616 blind bag this week, which included a black and white version of Doomquest #1 and a facsimile of Iron Man #149. There was also a Doom paper mask inside, which was fun to wear and yell “KNEEL BEFORE DOOM!” Not that I actually did that…. um… moving on. Hello Darkness #22 featured a new ongoing story from Ryan North of FF and Flash writing. I also grabbed a variant virgin cover that was the Silver medalist this week. Odin #2 came out this week and is just as wild and confusing as last time. You really have to give it James Tynion IV with forcing people to really check in with his writing. Big anniversary issue came out this week with Mad #600 with a great cover from EYG Hall of Famer Sergio Aragones. More deaths happening in Dead Teenagers #4 from Oni Press. And even more deaths in Smile: For the Camera #4. Tough time to be a model in that book. Two other Spider-Man books, besides Amazing, came out this week with Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1 where he faces off with Hulk and the Punisher for the Cosmic Cube, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day #2 where Spidey has to work alongside the Punisher. Paul Chadwick’s Concrete: Stars Over Sand #1 came out from Dark Horse this week, bringing Concrete back from Chadwick’s original series from the 1980s. We get the next What If book with What If…? The Mighty Thor #1 where Thor got the Venom symbiote in Secret Wars instead of Spidey. I like the fact that these What If books recently have Uatu back watching things. He was missed in the What If books like the Disney ones where the Watcher was not involved. What If is synonymous with the Watcher. Megalith: The Olympus Saga #2 gives us more giant megalith action from Bad Idea. When does a kidnapping become too much of a problem? When it is a kid? End of Life #5 sees h0w that plays out. A new one shot The Phantom vs. The Red Dragons #1 dropped this week and actually has a continuing story into an0ther one shot next month. I guess they were allergic to issue #2. The final issue of Magik & Colossus #5 came out and wrapped up this story for the Rasputin siblings. Then Bloodland #4 from Ignition Press has some head chopping goodness.
Weird Al wrote this song before seeing any official script of the Phantom Menace because he was not allowed to see it. So he pieced it together with rumors and web sites. When he was able to attend a pre-screening, he was shocked to see that the song was mostly accurate, requiring only small rewriting.
Lyrics
A long, long time ago In a galaxy far away Naboo was under an attack And I thought me and Qui-Gon Jinn Could talk the federation in To maybe cutting them a little slack
But their response, it didn’t thrill us They locked the doors and tried to kill us We escaped from that gas Then met Jar-Jar and Boss Nass We took a bongo from the scene And we went to Theed to see the Queen We all wound up on Tatooine That’s where we found this boy
Oh my, my this here Anakin guy Maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry He left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye Sayin’, “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi” Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi
Did you know this junkyard slave Isn’t even old enough to shave But he can use the Force, they say Ahh, do you see him hitting on the queen Though he’s just nine and she’s 14 Yeah, he’s probably gonna marry her someday
Well, I know he built C-3PO And I’ve heard how fast his pod can go And we were broke, it’s true So we made a wager or two He was a pre-pubescent flyin’ ace And the minute Jabba started off that race Well, I knew who would win first place Oh yes, it was our boy
We started singin’ My, my this here Anakin guy Maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye Sayin’, “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi” Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi
Now we finally got to Coruscant The Jedi Council we knew would want To see how good the boy could be So we took him there and we told the tale How his midichlorians were off the scale And he might fulfill that prophecy
Oh, the Council was impressed, of course Could he bring balance, to the Force? They interviewed the kid All training they forbid Because Yoda sensed in him much fear And Qui-Gon said, “Now listen here” Just stick it in your pointy ear I still will teach this boy
He was singin’ My, my this here Anakin guy Maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye Sayin’, “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi” Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi
We caught a ride back to Naboo ‘Cause Queen Amidala wanted to I frankly would’ve liked to stay We all fought in that epic war And it wasn’t long at all before Little Hotshot flew his plane and saved the day
And in the end some Gunguns died Some ships blew up and some pilots fried A lot of folks were croakin’ The battle droids were broken And the Jedi I admire most Met up with Darth Maul and now he’s toast Well, I’m still here, and he’s a ghost I guess I’ll train this boy
And I was singin’ My, my this here Anakin guy Maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye Sayin’, “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi” Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi
We were singin’ My, my this here Anakin guy Maybe Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye Sayin’, “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi”
My maid is cleaning the bathroom, so I can’t take a shower When I do, the water starts getting cold after an hour I couldn’t order off the breakfast menu, cause I slept in till two Then I filled up on bread, didn’t leave any room for tiramisu Oh no, there’s a pixel out in the corner of my laptop screen I don’t have any bills in my wallet small enough for the vending machine Some idiot just called me up on the phone, what!? Don’t they know how to text? OMG! I got
First world, first world problems (First world problems) First world, first world problems (First world problems) First world, first world problems
I bought too many groceries for my refrigerator Forgot my gardener’s name, I’ll have to ask him later Tried to fast forward commercials, can’t, I’m watching live T.V I’m pretty sure the cookies in this airport lounge ain’t gluten free My barista didn’t even bother to make a design in the foam on the top of my vanilla latte
First world, first world problems (First world problems) First world, first world problems (First world problems) First world, first world problems
Can’t remember which car I drove to the mall My Sonicare won’t recharge, now I gotta brush my teeth like a neanderathal The thread count on these cotton sheets has got me itching My house is so big, I can’t get WiFi in the kitchen Uh, I had to buy something I didn’t even need just So I could qualify for free shipping on Amazon
First world, first world problems (First world problems) First world, first world problems (First world problems) First world, first world problems (First world problems)
First world, first world problems (First world problems) First world, first world problems (First world problems) First world, first world problems
Style: Originally intended as a pastiche of The Presidents of the United States
Topic: The excitement of a new Hardware Store opening
Hardware Store is one of Weird Al’s originals that everyone is incredibly impressed by because it features one of the fastest rap sections imaginable. It was something that, when recorded, nearly caused Al to go unconscious. He has never performed this live because of the near impossibility of the riff.
Lyrics
Nothin’ ever (ever) happens in this town Feelin’ low down (down), not a lot to do around here I thought that I would go right out of my mind Until a friend told me the news He said, “Hey, you know that vacant lot Right beside the gas station? Well, somebody bought it And on that spot they’re gonna build a shop Where we can go buy bolts and screws”
Since then I’ve been walking on air (air) I can barely brush my teeth or comb my hair ‘Cause I’m so excited and I really don’t care I’ve been waiting since last June For this day to finally arrive I’m so happy (happy) now just to be alive ‘Cause any minute now I’m gonna be inside Well, I hope they open soon
I can’t wait, no, I can’t wait (oh, when) When are they gonna open up that door? I’m goin’ (yes, I’m) goin’, I’m a-goin’ to the Goin’ to the (hard) ware, I’m goin’, really goin’ to the Goin’ (hard), I’m goin’ to the (hard), oh, yes, I’m goin’ to the Hardware store
In my sleeping bag I camped out overnight Right in front of the store, then as soon as it was light out I pressed my nose right up against the glass You know, I had to be first in line Gonna get me a flashlight and a broom Want a pair of pliers for every single room of my house See those hacksaws? Very, very soon One of them will be all mine
Guys with nametags walking down the aisles Rows of garden hoses that go on for miles and miles Brand new socket wrenches in a plethora of styles All arranged alphabetically And they’re doing a promotional stunt There’s a great big purple sign out front That says every 27th customer Will get a ball peen hammer free
I can’t wait, no, I can’t wait (oh, when) When are they gonna open up that door? I’m goin’ (yes, I’m) goin’, I’m a-goin’ to the Goin’ to the (hard) ware, I’m goin’, really goin’ to the Goin’ (hard), I’m goin’ to the (hard), oh, yes, I’m goin’ to the Hardware store I’m goin’ (yes, I’m) goin’, I’m a-goin’ to the Goin’ to the (hard) ware, I’m goin’, really goin’ to the Goin’ (hard), I’m goin’ to the (hard), oh, yes, I’m goin’ to the Hardware store
They’ve got allen wrenches, gerbil feeders, toilet seats, electric heaters Trash compactors, juice extractor, shower rods, and water meters Walkie-talkies, copper wires safety goggles, radial tires BB pellets, rubber mallets, fans and dehumidifiers Picture hangers, paper cutters, waffle irons, window shutters Paint removers, window louvres, masking tape and plastic gutters Kitchen faucets, folding tables, weather stripping, jumper cables Hooks and tackle, grout and spackle, power foggers, spoons and ladles
Pesticides for fumigation, high-performance lubrication Metal roofing, water proofing, multi-purpose insulation Air compressors, brass connectors, wrecking chisels, smoke detectors Tire guages, hamster cages, thermostats, and bug deflectors Trailer hitch demagnetizers, automatic circumcisers Tennis rackets, angle brackets, Duracells and Energizers Soffit panels, circuit brakers, vacuum cleaners, coffee makers Calculators, generators, matching salt and pepper shakers
I can’t wait, no, I can’t wait (oh, when) When are they gonna open the door? I’m goin’ (yes, I’m) goin’, I’m a-goin’ to the Goin’ to the (hard) ware, I’m goin’, really goin’ to the Goin’ (hard), I’m goin’ to the (hard), oh, yes, I’m goin’ to the Hardware store
I’m goin’ (yes, I’m) goin’, I’m a-goin’ to the Goin’ to the (hard) ware, I’m goin’, really goin’ to the Goin’ (hard), I’m goin’ to the (hard), oh, yes, I’m goin’ to the Hardware store I’m goin’ (yes, I’m) goin’, I’m a-goin’ to the Goin’ to the (hard) ware, I’m goin’, really goin’ to the Goin’ (hard), I’m goin’ to the (hard), oh, yes, I’m goin’ to the Hardware store
Another big week of books. I spent three hours at Comic World on Wednesday with no electricity. We had a couple of days of big storms in the area and the storm in Dubuque that day led to the lights going out. Thankfully, I was still able to get some read thanks to my seat by the window. Natural light worked great. The storm was quite powerful though. The lights came back on just before they intended to close up shop.
I have picked up several Marvel Team-Ups this week. Todd got me a few and I picked some up at eBay. I am still waiting on #53, but once it arrives I will have the volume one of Marvel Team-Up completed. I have been working on it over the last couple of years and now that it is nearly completed, I am excited.
Book of the Week
Wolverine #21
While there are several big time books out this week (MASK #1, Avengers Armageddon #1, D’Orc #5, Absolute Catwoman #1 etc.), I decided to pick a book that had one of my favorite stories, one that was small and enjoyable.
Wolverine #21 features Nightcrawler forcing Logan to go on vacation. While on vacation, they run across Absorbing Man and Titania, also trying to be on vacation. Of course, fisticuffs ensue.
It is such a fun little story, which felt great after such a major arc with Adamantine. Wolvie’s bone claws are not even regrown yet. Small little story among some epic books this week.
Books This Week:
MASK #1& #2. Written by Dan Watters with art by Pye Parr. MASK (Mobile Armored Strike Kommando) joins the Energon Universe in a big way. Not only was there a number one with a cover by Pye Parr, but there was also a blind bag which had some fun covers… and some unbelievable special books. I picked up a gold foil that was not the MASK #1- it was MASK: Origins #1. I also got a foil advance copy of issue #2, which was shocking. There is also a ROM special in the blind bags that I have ordered on eBay. I love MASK in with the Transformers and GI Joe and Void Rivals.
Absolute Catwoman #1. “The Yarn” Written by Scott Snyder & Che Grayson with art and cover art by Bengal. The newest Absolute book came out this week. I also picked up a cool foil cover with Catwoman’s symbol. Once again, the Absolute books have all been great and this new one is every bit a good as the others.
Muppets Noir #4. Written and art by Roger Langridge. Variant cover B art is done by Jae Lee & June Chung. The fun series from Dynamite Comics featuring the Muppets in a noir setting came to a close with this issue. Kermit comes back to consciousness after the case of where Meringue has been. Flip Minnow is on the case, but it got solved despite that. I love the Muppets and this Dynamite series was so much fun.
Bad Thoughts #1. Written by Ande Parks and illustrated and cover art by Dave Wachter. Jack Coates can look inside people’s brains and see the bad things that they have done. This new Ignition Press book is solid, continuing a strong year for the company. This is a very creative book with some real bad things to think about.
Tarzan Beyond #1. “Tarzan and the Deathless Pirate King” Written by Steve Orlando and art by Renato Guedes. Cover art was done by Agustin Alessio. Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic character Tarzan gets a bump to the present day, and seems to have found a way to maintain his age, along with his love Jane. I found this new Tarzan to be very interesting and engaging and I am excited about continuing his adventures.
D’Orc #5. “The Baths of Gore” Written, drawn and cover art by Brett Bean. D’Orc spends this issue naked and trying to stop an evil witch. Little does D’Orc know that he has an unfortunate connection to the witch that might just lead to his downfall. This has maintained the great humor and solid storytelling over the first five issues.
Barbara Gordon: Breakout #2. “Black Out” Written by Mariko Tamaki and art by Amancay Nahuelpan. Variant cover C art was done by Matteo Scalera. Barbara Gordon is having a difficult time in prison. She has gone in to the prison as a part of a plan to deal with Vandal Savage, but she has taken a beating and drugged to the point of hallucinations. Nightwing guest stars.
Black Cat #11. “Crime and Punishment” Written by G. Willow Wilson and art by Andres Genolet. Cover art was done by Adam Hughes. This was another book I considered for the book of the week because of the lower stakes story inside. Black Cat accidentally hits the Punisher’s dog with a car and sets Frank off with an anger and a thirst for vengeance. Something seems to be wrong with Felicia’s bad luck powers too, right when she really needs them.
X-Men #31. “Anomaly” Written by Jed MacKay and penciled by Tony S. Daniel. Cover art was done by Tony S. Daniel, Mark Morales, & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. This issue sees the debut of the X-Men’s Science Team, as led by Beast. It includes Magneto (?), Kid Omega, Xorn, Animalia, and Ben Liu. This is an intriguing concept that I like, although I question a couple of those team members.
Avengers Armageddon #1. Written by Chip Zdarsky and art by Delio Diaz and Frank Alpizar. Cover art was done by Dike Ruan & Moreno Dinisio. The Avengers are assembling to go to Latveria and try and stop Red Hulk from his rampage. Red Hulk is out to destroy countries that do not follow Democracy and is threatening to just do whatever he wants. However, the Unites States government wants the Avengers to stand down and let them handle it. Good luck with that. This was also packaged in a polybag with a Magic card called “Warstorm Surge.” The Marvel Universe is gonna change…
Daredevil #3. Written by Stephanie Phillips with art and cover art by Lee Garbett. Matt Murdock’s hypersenses are going haywire and not working correctly so Spider-Man is here to try and help him train without them. It all seems to be connected to the new villain, The Omen, who had thrown Matt out the window last issue. This new arc for DD is great already and I have loved what Stephanie Phillips has done with the character so far.
Fall of the House of Slaughter #2. Written by Tate Brombal with illustrations by Adriano Turtulici. Cover art was done by Sam Wolfe Connelly. Victor St. George and his emissaries arrive at the House of Slaughter, ready to make a move. Everyone is tense because of the imminent demise of the Old Dragon. There is a lovely cover on this issue and we are awaiting the results of the political thrills.
Jay & Silent Bob: Jays of Future Past #1. Written by Kevin Smith and penciled by Giuseppe Camuncoli. Cover art was done by Marco Checchetto & GURU-eFX. I also picked up a variant cover done by Jim Mahfood. Jay and Silent Bob make their first appearance in the Marvel Universe, interacting with a bunch of Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, X-Men, Deadpool, and the Avengers.
Jessica Jones: Alias Red Band #4. Written by Sam Humphries with art by Geraldo Borges. Cover art was done by David Mack. Things are not going well for Jessica Jones. She has been captured, put on trial for her connection to Typhoid Mary, and has seen her relationship with Luke Cage shaken, if not totally pulled apart. Then, she finds out that the demonic creature that she has been fighting is an agent of Mephisto. Rough times for the First lady of New York, for sure.
Captain Marvel: Dark Past #3. Written by Paul Jenkins with art by Lucas Werneck with Eder Messias. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. Captain Marvel has been captured and, after being called in by Spider-Woman, the Avengers are on her trail. Big boom though at the end of the issue. I have been really liking this new series with Carol at the center.
Mortal Thor #11. “Room At the Top” Written by Al Ewing with art by Jesus Saiz. Cover art was done by Alex Ross. Sigurd faced off with the Minotaur in the offices of Roxxon. The fight led to the CEO taking a flying crash out the window and finding him plummeting to the concrete bellow. He looked pretty dead at the end. But Sigurd has no break because Donald Blake showed up at the end.
Mark Spears Monsters #0. “All That Remains” Prelude: Have You Found the Yellow Sign? Written, illustrated and cover art by Mark Spears. We head down to Clown Town in this remastered edition of the FCB Day issue. I picked up four of the new covers for this book. Mark Spears continues to be a great artist on covers, even if he has not been as dominant in the EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week competition in 2026 as he was in 2025.
Transformers #33. Written by Robert Kirkman and drawn by Jason Howard. I picked up cover F, the Energon Universe 3rd Anniversary variant by Tom Reilly. Optimus is trying to come to grips with the Autobot he is now, after losing the Matrix of Leadership. This is a fascinating struggle for Optimus, something we haven’t seen before.
The Sentry #4. Written by Paul Jenkins with art by Christian Rosado. Cover art was done by Alex Maleev. Bob finds a balance between the Sentry and the Void, and steps up to help save the Marvel Universe once again. He also finds a new replacement for his dog. This series ended with this issue, but I feel as if Sentry is staying around.
Fury of Firestorm #3. “The Fury-Part 3” Written by Jeff Lemire with art by Rafael De Latorre. Cover C variant art by Dustin Nguyen. We get to see the situation through the eyes of Professor Martin Stein and Stein shows himself to be not quite the good guy that we always thought he was. The angry Firestorm is on his way to Pittsburg. That does not sound good for Pittsburg.
Space Ghost #12. Written by David Pepose and art by Jonathan Lau. Variant cover C art was done by Michael Cho. Space Ghost and Tempus the Time Master have a final face down and a major character bits the dust. Can Space Ghost get past the pain of the sacrifice or is this the end of the line for our hero?
Bishop #1. “Time After Time- Part 1” Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Mario Santoro. Cover art was done by Davide Paratore. We get the beginning of some back story for Bishop and his sister Shard. Storm makes a guest appearance in this issue.
Baby Garfield #3. “Baby Garfield’s First Beach Day” by Jordan Morris and Thien Pham. “Baby Garfield’s First Thunderstorm” by Katie Cook and Jay Fosgitt. Cover art was done by Agnes Garbowska. The second story in this issue was my favorite as the first one felt like I had seen it before. Still a fun book
Ben 10 #2. Written by Joe Casey and art by Robert Carey. Cover art was done by Robert Carey and Ren Spiller. Another really enjoyable issue of Ben 10. I was not a fan of the cartoon, but this has been top notch so far. Dynamite seems to have a skill to create great books around some IPs that I don’t care much about.
Altered States: Warlords #1. “Red Sonja, Red Planet.” Written by David Avallone and art by Mariano Benitez Chapo. Cover art was done by Joseph Michael Linsner. Red Sonja gets transported to Mars and trouble ensues. The cover featured a group of characters such as Vampirella and who I assumed was Tarzan. We find out at the end of this issue that the one I did not recognize was John Carter. Such a intriguing mash-up.
Other books this week: Ghost Pepper #12, Blood & Thunder #14, Monsters in Love: A Pride Anthology #1, The Center Holds #4, The Thing on the Doorstep #5, and Lady Mechanika: The Mechanical Menagerie #2
Quick Hits: A new racing book from Image caught my attention this week as M1: Monster Racing League #1 came out. It has an intriguing premise and a fascinating new character named Dev. I saw a funny comparison that this book is like K-Pop Demon Hunters and Fast and the Furious combined. Tigress Island #4 went kind of wild this month with several of our characters biting the big one with bullets to the head. Rough for some. Speed Racer #9 saw Speed getting drugged accidentally, making him become crazed and reckless… more than normal. The final issue of Archie x The Army of Darkness #5 came out this week with Archie finally being able to finish reading from the Necronomicon. New comic from Bad Idea this week was Tankers vs. Ancient Aliens #1 and this thing was wild. Dinosaurs and military men. The Hollywood Reporter said of Tankers… “Absolutely ridiculous in the best way possible.” Speaking of ridiculous, Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theater Presents: Godzilla’s the Odyssey #1 was dropped this week. Wild. Disney’s Ursula #4 continued to be a surprising read for me as I can not believe that it has engaged me as much as it has. Alien King Killer #3 conflict among the people of the story. Brotherly conflict can be some of the best in literature. The zombies are getting ready for their big hunt at the mall. Conan & Dragonero #2 sees Conan and Dragonero fight and then team up. Surprised? Not really. Dead by Deadlight #3 sees quite the slaughter this issue. Some of them I was happy to see go. The two issue mini-series from Bad Idea, Hank Howard-Pizza Detective: A Slice of Life #2 ended this week and they announced another Hank Howard book for later in the year. The Nice House by the Sea #10 feels like the series is going to be closing soon as some major things are revealing.
I have had a pretty good run with the 2026 June Swoon 5. Ten really good, enjoyable movies so far. It is sad that had to come to an end, but I kind of expected it.
I have three movies I am going to today at Cinemark and so I needed a shorter movie. I just did a short yesterday and I wanted to avoid another right now. I found a film on Peacock that was only 1 hour and 20 minutes, that would work for the schedule. Unfortunately, it was Bambi: The Reckoning.
I have seen several of these movies. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, and Screamboat. Of those, I did not hate Screamboat as much as I hated the Winnie the Pooh movies, but it was not good by any stretch.
I gave it my best shot to come into this movie with an open mind, but that was wiped away early on.
According to IMDB, “A car wreck strands a mother and son in the deep woods where a mutated, vengeful deer stalks them. As local hunters and an obsessive grandmother converge, the forest becomes a bloody arena for a grieving creature’s primal rage.”
The writing on this is atrocious. I’m not sure that there is one redeeming character in the film. I was openly rooting for Bambi to kill these miserable excuses for human beings. Funnily enough, Bambi did not directly kill several of them.
The dialogue was basically yelling other characters’ names.
When most of these kills are funnier than scarier, you know you’ve got a problem. My favorite was the guy who got dragged behind a van as they were trying to escape from Bambi. What a completely random death.
There are some unintendedly funny moments and so little made sense. I could not bring myself to give this the “So Bad, It’s Good” ranking because there was just nothing good about it. Maybe if the RiffTrax crew would riff this, there might be something worth the time.
This may not sink to the depths of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey or its sequel, but it was nowhere near Screamboat. That is saying something.
It is summertime and this week’s EYG Comic Cavalcade is coming out on a Thursday night. Whoo-Hoo! I do not think this will be a regular occurrence, but this week it worked out perfectly.
I picked up a bunch of fun foil covers this week as I was at In This Issue early Wednesday morning for New Comic Book Day. This included Junk Punch #1, Batman #10 (Bronze Medalist), The Deadman #1, Iron Man #6, and a Ben 10 blind bag foil variant.
Comic of the Week
Royals #3
I had intended to give this honor to Junk Punch #1 this week, but then I read Royals #3 and it was such a shocking issue. There were multiple twists in this story this week with Castor and Paul that caught me totally off-guard and moved this book right to the top of the list this week… without anyone getting punched in the junk.
Royals has been an entertaining book each week with this being the best issue as of yet.
Books this Week:
Junk Punch #1. Written by Paul Tobin and art by Carlos Javier Olivares & Colleen Coover. Cover art was done by Carlos Javier Olivares & Francesca Vivaldi. At the end of the day yesterday, this was going to be the Comic of the Week, but Royals #3 surpassed it. Junk Punch is literally the story of a woman who has a “chemical affliction” making her “compulsively punch people in the junk.” Another funny book that I am excited to see where it goes. Will the joke run its course? Probably, but it seems great right now.
The Deadman #1. “Chapter One-The Definite Article.” Written by W. Maxwell Prince with art by Martin Morazzo. Cover art was done by Martin Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran (Silver Medalist). This book featured Deadman in a book with the flavor of Ice Cream Man. It makes sense since the creators of Ice Cream Man are the creative team on this mini series. Deadman has always been a favorite DC character of mine, and I love the Ice Cream Man aesthetic so this one is a winner for me.
Only the Savage are Left #1. Written by Zack Kaplan and illustrated and cover art by Stefano Raffaele. A future world where a virus has been released in the world that, when exposed, changes people into monsters. This is basically a zombie apocalypse story but featuring monsters instead of zombies. This issue introduces us and focuses in on Ryder and Oaklynn and their survival in this rugged new world. This has a lot of potential to be an excellent series from Dark Horse as number one is very compelling.
The Ring: The Man Who Beat the Man #1. Written by Gail Simone with art by Elisa Romboli. Cover art was done by Oliver Barrett. I was first attracted to this book because the boxer on the cover looked like Ric Flair. What kept me from skipping it when I realized that he just looked like The Nature Boy was the presence of writer Gail Simone, who has been doing some excellent work recently. I am here for The Ring moving forward.
Cyclops#5. “Seeing Red” Part 5. Written by Alex Paknadel with art by Rogê Antonio. Cover art was done by Federico Vicentini & Marcio Menyz. Cyclops’s survival in the woods, trying to save Mei from Donald Pierce concluded with this issue. I enjoyed this Scott Summers solo arc with his optic blasts taken away because of control issues. Of the individual X-books, this one was right near the top.
Wade Wilson: Deadpool #5. “A Way Forward” Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Geoff Shaw. Cover art was done by Geoff Shaw & Alex Sinclair. Deadpool and Hammerhead fight over the omens of the future that, shockingly, came from Blind Al. The relationship between Wade and Blind Al is developed here more than what we have seen before and it is kind of sweet… at least for Deadpool.
Uncanny X-Men #29. “A Prison and a Pyre.” Written by Gail Simone and art by Luciano Vecchio. Cover art was done by Luciano Vecchio & Matthew Wilson. Things get work out a bit in this issue as we find out what these New Mutants are and the Outliers return to the present. Gail Simone had a big week with three books released. This is one of the best and most consistent every month.
Amazing Spider-Man #30. Written by Joe Kelly with guest art by Pete Woods. Cover art was done by Mark Bagley & Dean White. We get a big reveal with the Peter Parker’s cousin storyline that has been out there recently. He showed up at May’s door and announced that he was Ben Parker’s son… and the son of May too. Is it possible? May faints at the end, saying that he looked just like her Ben. Huh?
Fantastic Four #12. “Si Fueris Romae…” Written by Ryan North and art by Pat Boutin. Cover art was done by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. I also picked up the Marvel Dimensions variant by Alex Ross (Gold Medalist). Reed and Johnny get sent back in time to the Roman Empire and they have to try and find their way back without screwing up history. Can they do it? It is another fun issue of the FF from Ryan North. He has done a sensational job with this comic over the last couple of years.
Iron Man #6. “Iron Man Team-Up” Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Juann Cabal. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin. When you get Tony Stark and Norman Osborn in the same room, there is due to be sparks fly. How does Spider-Man become the adult in the room as he tried to keep to two geniuses from tearing each other apart?
Groo: The Prophecy #2. Written by Sergio Aragones & Mark Evanier with art and cover art by Sergio Aragones. The world seems to be turned upside down as everything Groo does, which normally destroys villages and frightens off villagers, turns out helpful and heroic. Groo is the hero of the village? Idolized. Looked up to. Believed in. Can this be true or are they just bidding their time until Groo unleashes his typical chaos? I like the change in the story happening here so far.
What If: The Uncanny X-Men #1. “What If Cyclops Stayed with Madelyne Pryor?” Written by Gerry Duggan with art by Jan Bazaldua. Cover art was done by Lucas Werneck. This is the first of a new run of What If…? books from Marvel. This one returned to the Watcher as the main narrator, which brought me back to the early days of What If and it was a welcome return. It was also back to the tragic endings that were a staple of the first two volumes of What If…? There are a bunch of #1s coming over the next couple of months with other Marvel Universe stories and I hope the Watcher continues in this role as he was suppsoed to be.
The Twilight Zone #7. “The Taxidermist.” Written by Tony Fleecs and penciled by Andy Price. Cover art was done by Andy Price. I also picked up the B cover by Juni Ba. Another great Twilight Zone story that feels like it fits perfectly in with the series from the 1950s. Tony Fleecs brings another great story to life as it morphs from a nice love story into a horrible chaotic hellscape.
Rook Exodus #10. Creators are Geoff Johns & Jason Fabok. Cover art was done by Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson. I picked up Cover C (the connecting one) done by Kael Ngu. It is great to have Rook Exodus back after a bit of a intermission. We are back with Rook trying to keep Stag from going rogue and killing Bloodhound. I am pleased that this is back, but this is one of those books that makes it hard when it takes such a long break to remember everything that was going on before the break.
Batman #10. “Money and Blood” Written by Matt Fraction with art and cover by Jorge Jimenez. Vandal Savage has been turning the tables on the Batman family recently, both with the police chasing him as a vigilante, but also in the media, running the bat down. This issue, Batman starts to fight back. This was an awesome issue where Batman decided that he had had enough and set the plan into action.
She-Spawn #2. “Road Trip” Written by Gail Simone with art and cover art by Ig Guara. I read last issue and I was surprised how much I liked it. I came into this issue ready to be underwhelmed and decide that She-Spawn was not for me. However, once again, I found this to be an excellent book. Gail Simone had three winners this week and I couldn’t be happier.
Marc Spector: Moon Knight #5. “Reunion” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Devmalya Pramanik. Cover art was done by Paulo Siqueira & Rachelle Rosenberg. Moon Knight entered a strangely powerful house in search of his people (Tigra, 8-Ball, Hunter’s Moon, Soldier and Reese). Unfortunately, Moon Knight is betrayed… by his sword, which turned into a dragon. Wild stuff from Moon Knight these days.
X-Men ’97 Season 2 #1. Written by Steve Foxe with art by Salva Espin. Cover art was done by Todd Nuack & Rachelle Rosenberg. With the X-Men scattered across time, the X-Factor arrived to step it up and take in dangerous mutants. Havok, Strong Guy, Polaris, Wolfsbane and Multiple Man appear and join the remaining mutants. Meanwhile Bishop is ready to go searching for the X-Men.
Doctor Strange #7. Written by Derek Landy with art by Ivan Fiorelli. Cover art was done by Alex Horley. Doctor Strange realized that he would not be able to do what was necessary to defeat Atho-tet so he reaches into himself and releases Lord Strange, even though Angela was not too thrilled.
From Parts Unknown #2. Written by Adriano Ariganello and art and cover art by Daniel Caval. The traveling Lucha Libre wrestlers Bruno and his brother Pietro get into major trouble as they accidentally killed another wrestler at this independent booking. However, the dead wrestler may not be as dead as we think… or he may be a different type of dead. What have Bruno and Pietro gotten themselves into and can they get out of it?
The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace #3. Written by Hannah Rose may with art and cover art by Kelsey Ramsay. Our second Exorcism book wrapped up with this issue as the future King of England Theo is possessed and our crew come together to try and save him. I like how it did not go like the previous series at the White House and that there was a different twist. I also enjoyed the ending team-up which makes me anxious to find out where the next possession in this universe is going to take place.
Other Books this Week: It’s Jeff!-Brand New Week #1, Godzilla: Infinity Roar #5, Godzilla (Kai Sei Era)11, FML #8, Absolute Green Lantern #15, and X-Men of Apocalypse #4.
Quick Hits: One of my favorite moments this week came at Comic World as I was talking about the J. Scott Campbell J.S.C.: Just Spectacular Collection #1. Todd told me that J. Scott Campbell had died of cancer, which confused me completely considering I had just read the interview with JSC in the book. Todd said this was just a collection of his pin-ups he had done before his death and I was sure that I had read that JSC was excited about doing these pictures and he spoke about the order in which he had drawn them. Todd is usually well spoken about this kind of thing so I did not understand. Finally, Todd looked it up and he realized that he was confusing JSC with a different artist. I was relieved that my reading skills were not totally wrecked, and that it was just Todd’s memory that was in question. 🙂 Sam and Twitch Case Files #24 is still a very entertaining read. I am surprised how many Spawn books I read even though I am not a fan of Spawn. This is the week for Comics: The Magazine #4 to come out. There are interviews and articles about Sophie Campbell, Skottie Young and Kyle Starks. We got the next Ghost Machine: The Official Guidebook #3. this features characters from the Unbelievables (including Hornsby & Halo, The Rocketfellers, The Trillion Dollar Kid Etc.) Transformers: The Movie #1 is a new adaptation of the movie that crushed the spirits of all the kids of the 1980s (right up there with Neverending Story). Conan the Barbarian #31 sees Conan in a fight with the Son of the Tooth. It’s brutal. The Lucky Devils #8 takes a turn this issue as devils come to earth in a wild attack (sort of). Estuary: A Ghost Story #3 is extremely spooky and making things tense. Finally Storm #5 looked to be the final issue of this series and I am down with that. I love the character of Storm, but I have not enjoyed the story they are currently telling with her. I hope things get straightened out with Ororo soon.
With the corpse of Richard Warren officially gone, everything in Widow’s Bay is all peaches and flowers, right?
Maybe not.
Tom went to his house to deal with his son, Evan, who had all the pictures of his mom and wanted answers. Tom gave them to him, even though he did not want to do so. The father and son had some moments together when Tom gave Evan Red Sox tickets, signaling that they could leave the island.
We all knew that last week was too good to be true and, when Wyck showed up at Toms door with the message that it was not yet over, Tom’s face revealed how crushed he was, certainly because he was just making plans with his son to go to Boston for the weekend.
While this was going down, Patricia was being chased by the Boogeyman, the serial killer who killed a bunch of high school girls years before, and who tormented Patricia (though no one believed that this happened).
The Boogeyman pursued Patricia across Widow’s Bay in grand Michael Myers fashion. Patricia eventually dowsed him with gasoline and set him on fire. Unfortunately, the gas station attendant put him out with a fire extinguisher, thinking that he was doing the right thing. He learned his error as the Boogeyman grabbed him by the throat and threw him away violently.
Luckily, Patricia was able to shot him twice with a shotgun, but not before the former sheriff Bechir got slashed with a knife by the killer.
It was hilarious as Patricia kept the gun trained on the Boogeyman’s head the whole time, on the ambulance, in the morgue, as he went into the crematorium, and until he was nothing but ashes. That was really funny, but I would have shot him in the head immediately when he was down. Patricia was dedicated in making sure this killer was not coming back.
There are two more episodes in the first season of this awesome series. All eight episodes so far can be streamed on Apple TV +.
I used to like Malcolm in the Middle, though I never would say that I loved it. It was something that I watched when it was originally on ABC. I knew that there was going to be a new series featuring the returning cast on Hulu/Disney + and i was somewhat interested, but I had not gone out of my way to watch it. It came out in April and I saw it on Disney + a few times, but just never got around to watching it.
Finally, tonight I had an open evening and with only four episodes of the show to watch, I decided that I would finally watch it.
Overall, I am glad I did. However, I would not say that I loved it. There were parts that bugged me, and I am not sure I would have continued if it were a longer series. I do think that this was just the right amount of episodes at four.
The show did tell a specific story centered around Lois and Hal’s 40th wedding anniversary. Again, parts of the storyline was great and other parts were cringe. The final episode had a spectacular conclusion that was emotional and heartfelt and made everything else feel better.
I want to say immediately that I really found Leah, the daughter of Malcolm, played by Keeley Karsten, to be remarkably charming and a perfect fit for the role. The show cleverly gave Leah the ability to talk to the screen like Malcolm could do, narrating much of what was going on. It is obviously a trait passed along from father to daughter.
It was very funny, and well in character, that Malcolm had not ever told Hal and Lois that he had had a daughter, and so when they crashed his home because Malcolm had been avoiding the question about attending Lois & Hal’s big party, all of Malcolm’s lies came crashing down.
I am not sure how I felt about the whole Hal story arc of these episodes, but there is no denying that he came out a better person in the end. I was torn about the whole drug trip he went on (reminded me very much of the trip taken by Mayor Tom on Widow’s Bay), but there were some very funny moments within it.
I was sure that the role of Francis had been recast, but, according to IMDB, it was Christopher Masterson playing the role. I was shocked. I thought that the recast was very similar to Francis, but that it was clearly not him. I was in err on that. Turned out the only recast of the kids was Dewey, who was now played by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark instead of Erik Per Sullivan.
Jane Kaczmarek was giving me Candace Bergen feels as she returned to her multiple Emmy nominated role. You’ve got to appreciate how committed Bryan Cranston is to playing Hal, because he is clearly willing to do anything. They really work together as well.
I was very much split on the Malcolm/Lois confrontation in the men’s room. The toilet humor just did not work for me. I have never been a fan of this style of humor. I thought the writing of the scene between the two characters was outstanding though.
Some of the other characters from the show looked rough. I am not sure if that was intended or if the actors had had tough lives. I would hate to speculate on any of them. I am glad that they were here.
The revival of this show was hit and miss for me, but I am glad that I watched it and I might even watch another show, if they did any more.
Another big week of books. I have multiple copies of some of the variant books out this week, particularly Mark Spears Monsters.
Comic of the Week
Exquisite Corpses #13
I found the finale of this 13-issue limited series to be spectacular. It has been one of the best series of the past year + and the finale hits the perfect step. James Tynion IV created such a top notch book and the announcement at the end of an Exquisite Corpses Season Two coming at some point was a thrill. This was one of the books that consistently had some awesome variants available, including this week as I picked up both the A cover and the B cover.
Books This Week:
Marc Spears Monsters #10. “Chapter 10: The Dungeon of the Damned” Written by Marc and Lucas Spears and illustrated and cover art by Marc Spears (Cover E- Bronze Medalist). The book featuring the group of monsters continues to be one of the more fun books each month. The art from Marc Spears is always amazing and each issue has exciting fights between monsters, this one highlighted by Dracula vs. Vlad the Impaler. What else could you want?
Flash #33. “The Speed was Power, and the Speed was Joy-Part III” Written by Ryan North and illustrated by Gavin Guidry. Cover art was by Gavin Guidry (Silver Medalist). Flash has to team up with Captain Cold to prevent a nuclear bomb from going off in Central City. Wally spends a chunk of the issue just looking for the bomb. Ryan North has brought his style of comic storytelling to this book and it has been excellent so far.
The Hab #2. Written by Joshua Dysart and art by David Lapham & Bill Sienkiewicz. Cover art was done by Charlie Adlard (Gold Medalist). The bunker where these survivors have escaped to has a major problem… there is something in the water supply that is causing horrifying hallucinations. Bad Idea has been releasing quality comics over the last year or so and The Hab feels as if it is right in with those other great books.
Escape #7. “Chapter 7: Hope and Delusion” Written by Rick Remender with art and cover art by Daniel Acuna. Escape returned from hiatus this week with a powerful issue as Milton’s plan to sabotage the Titan cannon continued. Milton has to face off with a whole bunch of the Fascists to accomplish his escape. Good to have this book back.
Corpse Knight #2. Written by Michael Chaves and art by Matthew Roberts. Cover art was done by Matthew Roberts and Rico Renzi. Foy and her undead father come across an evil unlike any other. This issue takes the world of fantasy and included more supernatural horror in its story.
Hornsby & Halo #0. Creators were Peter J. Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg. Cover art was done by Peter Snejbjerg & John Kalisz. This was another prelude to the upcoming Unbelievables crossover. We had another book #0 last week with The Rocketfellers and now we get some more on the background of Rose and Zach.
Doomquest #1. Written by Ryan North with art by Francesco Mobili. Cover art was done by Alex Ross. I also picked up the B cover variant with art by Mr. Garcin. Doctor Doom is heading into the past with a special time machine that he invented after hearing Reed Richards speculating about it. Doom faced some issues and wound up on the Titanic. I wonder if he’ll find Rose.
A Quiet Place: Storm Warning #3. Written by Phil Hester and penciled by Ryan Kelly. Cover art was done by Ryan Kelly. The split between the townspeople remained a problem, but things get even worse when the rain stopped falling. This has been a solid book, based on the horror movie franchise.
The Ultimates #24. Written by Deniz Camp and art by Juan Frigeri. Cover art was done by Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon. I also grabbed the B cover by Marcos Martin. This focuses on the battle with Bruce Banner and She-Hulk. I do think this book has suffered recently as the end of the Ultimates universe has been slow going. I wish this would just get done with since the ending is coming. It seemed as if the Maker is finally free, so we can wrap this up. It is kind of sad that if feels like this Ultimate Universe, which was such a huge hit, is going out in a petering manner.
Hyde Street #12. Creators are Geoff Johns & Ivan Reis. Cover art was done by Ivan Reis. This is the second part of the Butcher of Hyde Street, giving us more details on this character and, apparently, killing off Pranky.
Feral #23. “Chapter 23: The Test” Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Trish Forstner. Horror cover homage done by Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner. This wonderful book continues to be exceptional. Once again, we get two stories, with one focusing on the cats from Feral and the dogs from Stray Dogs. Both working around the people who were trying to solve this disease. Feral has been one of the best books every month.
Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Versity #2. Written by Jordan Morris & Joe Kelly and art by Pere Perez with Rafael Perez Granados. Cover art was done by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Lorenzo Ruggiero & Marte Gracia. The Spiders continue their training with Norman Osborn, who introduces a robot that can ape any of Spider-Man’s main villains. Unfortunately, a villain is able to hack into the robots and set them all after the Spiders at once.
Red Roots #2. Written, art and cover art by Lorenzo De Felici. Red Roots has been a slow burn so far, but the horror part of this book has been solid so far. It has some interesting storytelling and I am looking forward to seeing where this will go to.
Wonder Man #3. “The Three Hours of Traffic” Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Farid Karami. Cover art was done by Farid Karami & Rachelle Rosenberg. The Spot makes an appearance in Wonder Man too this week. We get a battle with Spot, Wonder Man and the Grim Reaper. I also love that Hellcat is in this book too.
Is Ted Ok? #4. Written, art and cover art by Dave Chisholm. There is a major reveal in this month’s issue of Is Ted Ok? and it boggled the mind. The last half of this issue was as stressful as any issue up until this point. There are two more issues to go for this story. Can’t wait to see how it plays out.
Did You Hear About Mimi Green? #1. Written by Connor Goldsmith with art and cover art by Josh Cornillon. This new book from Dark Horse featured an influencer whose perfect social media presence is rocked by the reveal of a post she made years ago, putting down a woman because of her weight. It leads to a big time horror story… and one we should all take note of.
Detective Comics #1109. “Flight” Written by Tom Taylor with art by Mikel Janin. Variant cover Gerald Parel. Oliver Queen was pushed out the window by Arabella at the end of last issue, and Batman was there in case Oliver needed him to save him. Spoiler: he didn’t. Arabella seems to be quite the rough little girl.
Infernal Hulk #7. “The Hated and the Feared” Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with art by Adam Gorham and cover art by Nic Klein. The X-Men are taking on the Infernal Hulk because the Infernal Hulk believes he is the king of monsters, and he is putting the X-Men in that category. Or is there a specific member he is after?
X-Men #30. “Danger Room, Pt. 5” Written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Netho Diaz. Cover art was done by Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, & Arthur Hesli. The group known as the Danger Room is celebrating their major successes against the X-Men, but they should know that they should not celebrate until the game is over. And the X-Men are ready to strike back.
Planet of the Apes Versus Fantastic Four #4. Written by Josh Trujillo and art by Andrea Di Vito. Cover art was done by Greg Land & Rachelle Rosenberg. The FF get their powers back and take care of Dr. Doom, who turns out to be a Doombot. They head back to their own time with a lot of questions about the Planet of the Apes.
Justice League Unlimited #19. Written by Mark Waid and art by Dan Mora. Variant Cover D was done by Mario “Fox” Foccillo. The Justice League is taking some criticism for their new amnesty program for super villains. Who knew that Lex Luthor might be the one to straighten things out?
Wiccan and Hulkling: Raid of Ultron #1. Written by Wyatt Kennedy, Zoe Tunnell, Tegan Quin, and Josh Trujillo with art by Stephen Byrne, Rachel Stott, Luciano Vecchio and Bradley Clayton. Cover art was done by Russell Dauterman. What happens when Billy and Teddy throw a family get-together? You risk the chance that Ultron will show up. This was a fun one shot book with Wiccan and Hulkling.
The Peril of the Brutal Dark #4. “Chapter Four: The BrooklynBridge Incident” Written by Chris Condon and art and cover art by Jacob Phillips. Ezra sets up a meeting at the Brooklyn Bridge… but he winds up having to deal with robots. I have been enjoying the noir style of this Vertigo book.
The Life and Death of Lucas Dreamwalker #1. Written by R.L. Stein and illustrated and cover art by Francesco Francavilla. Another one shot book, this one written by the iconic R.L. Stein. This was a strange book as it felt as if I should have known more about Lucas Dreamwalker than I did. Then, I noticed that I had not looked too close at the title when Luke died and it surprised me. I guess I should have paid more attention to the title.
Absolute Wonder Woman #20. “Season of the Witch Part 5 of 5” Written by Kelly Thompson and art by Hayden Sherman. Cover art was done by Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire. Wonder Woman and Zatanna join forces in order to survive, but Diana makes a sacrifice that ends up in a surprising situation for her.
Other Books this Week: Final Boss #6, Superman: Father of Tomorrow #1, The Seasons #10, Honor and Curse: Eternal #3, Fireborn #2, Lost Fantasy #10, Planet Atmos: Exordium #2, and Gotham Academy: First Year #4.
Quick Hits: Quick Hits starts off this week with Sentry #3. It’s a sad story featuring Bob’s dog. In Generation X-23 #4 things are going poorly for Laura. I was able to get The Last Starship #7 from last week. Thanks Todd. The finale of Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre #4 came out and it was a bloody fun time. Pretty Hate Machine #2 has a cool dynamic with our lead character and the monster he sees. Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress #2 continues the story of the albino hero. In Your Skin #2 is another horror comic that tells us about an aging actress. Void Rivals #30 sees the end of the Quintesson War story arc. More weird alien stuff happening in 51 #3 from Mad Cave. Spirit of the Shadow #5 brings the story to a close. Exploit #3 continues the story of the murder of Cole Saxon.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 