It has been a good couple of weeks for talking animal movies.
Last week, I was absolutely taken with Sheep Detectives and this week, I was able to watch the Netflix film starring Sally Field and Louis Pullman called Remarkably Bright Creatures. This featured an octopus, voiced by Alfred Molina (who coincidentally played Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 and No Way Home) as the narrator.
According to IMDB, “Through unlikely bonds formed during night shifts at a local aquarium, Tova, an elderly widow, learns of a life-changing discovery that may bring her joy and wonder once again.“
Sally Field really came to work in this movie. Her portrayal as Tova was just so sweet and touching, but more than just that. She had a real emotional arc for her character and a tragic backstory that was impactful as could be. I was really impressed with her work in this movie.
I did not recognize Louis Pullman at first, but about midway through the movie, I thought to myself… “Hey, that’s Sentry… Bob.” He, as well, was fabulous, giving a depth to a performance with a character that could have been one note, but turned out to be extremely developed.
I also loved seeing Kathy Baker back on my screen. Kathy Baker was one of the stars of Picket Fences, a show that I loved, and it was just a nice surprise seeing her in this.
Alfred Molina’s narration was kind of odd, but it did provide some important relevant details as the movie progressed. Plus, there were some emotionally powerful moments with Marcellus, the name of the octopus that Molina was voicing. It took a little bit of time for me to get used to the idea, but by the end of the movie, this was an important role.
I enjoyed this story. Even though it did feel a bit scattered early on, it came together beautifully. I did enjoy the presence of Colm Meaney as Ethan. His character may have felt kind of unnecessary, but the film took time to actually give him a personality.
This was a lovely film with some solid characters and some excellent performances. It is available for streaming on Netflix and it is a worthwhile time.
At the end of the last episode, we got a distress call over the police radio that was hectic and sounded like all hell was breaking loose. It came out of nowhere, but it really put a button on last week’s wild episode.
This week, we learn what was going on.
The episode was a Patricia-centric episode, which flashbacked four days and showed her getting ready for a party. The show does a great job of creating suspense through the struggles of Patricia and her anxieties of the party. It also snuck in a surprise… a special book that seemingly was a self-help book, but instead turned out to be a witches’ spellbook.
The scene where Sheriff Bechir comes into the restaurant to find Patricia, and the audience, for the first time, sees Patricia in the true light… with a crown of antlers and rodents’ hair, mixing punch that included blood from dead animals.
I actually gasped when they revealed this sight, as I just did not expect it to be as shocking as it was. We discovered that the punch sent the party guests to the water, looking to drown themselves. It took Patricia burning the book to break the spell.
This was quite the departure from what this series had been building up with the Mayor and his own problems dealing with acceptance of supernatural truths on the island. We barely saw him at all this episode. And yet it worked completely well. On LOST, they would have episodes focused on different characters, and this was just like that.
Then, the episode ended with Mayor Tom, Patricia and Wyck finding the dead body of Reverend Bryce hanging on the door.
Widow’s Bay has been excellent with the cliffhanger/final scene shock so far. This one keeps me wondering what exactly is next among this wild show.
Parody: “Under the Bridge” and “Give It Away” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Written: Chad Smith / John Frusciante / Anthony Kiedis / Michael Balzary / Alfred Yankovic
Genre: Funk rock
This is another TV show that Al honors in song as this time it is the Flintstones. There are voice clips from the Flintstones on the song.
Lyrics
Sometimes, I feel like I need a vacation Sometimes, I feel like I wanna go to the city of cavemen, the city of Bedrock I’d be a Flintstone, now, I’ll tell you why
Oh Oh Oh!
Well, I’ve got, I’ve got a woman named, Wilma Well, I’ve got, I’ve got a baby named Pebbles Well, I’ve got, I’ve got a doggy named Dino We do a little bowling and we drink a little vino
Well, I’ve got a little buddy, Barney Rubble Got a neighbor by the name of Barney Rubble He’s a midget but, he makes a lot of trouble Doesn’t like to shave, he got caveman stubble
Me and Barney, loyal order water buffalo Lodge brothers, loyal order water buffalo There’s a handshake everybody gotta know How come grand Poo-Bah always gotta run the whole show?
Yabba-dabba-yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-yabba-dabba-dabba do now I get by on all my prehistoric know-how
Betty and Barney got a baby, named, Bamm-Bamm Little Pebbles is his number one fan He’s the strongest toddler in the whole land Tear your arm off, if he’s shaking your hand
Got a car, gonna push it with my feet now Gonna take my family out to eat now Jumbo ribs at the drive-in can’t be beat now Made from brontosaurus, baby, not a moo-cow
Wanna chill with a saber tooth tiger Wear a loincloth, natural fiber Be the first rolling stone subscriber Got a pterodactyl for a windshield wiper
Yabba-dabba-yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-yabba-dabba-dabba do now Don’t know what it means, but I say it anyhow
Wilma, I’m home! Start serving dinner And don’t spare the- Oh, no, no, no! Don’t Dino, don’t! Now take it easy, boy!
Lucky me, workin’ down in the gravel pit Movin’ rocks, on a big dinosaur I sit Mr. Slate gets mad, and he throws a fit Pull the birdie’s tail, everybody knows it’s time to quit
I realize I’m living in the Stone Age No fax, no cellular phone-age Pick my teeth with a dinosaur bone-age Liftin’ heavy boulders every day for my wage
Barney Rubble, laughin’ like a hyena Barney Rubble, what a little wiener! Where’s Wilma? Anybody seen her? Got a baby elephant vacuum cleaner
Yabba-dabba-yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-yabba-dabba-dabba do now
Yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-dabba do now
Yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-dabba do now (E-yabba-dabba-do) Yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-dabba do now
Yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-dabba do now (E-yabba-dabba-do) Yabba-dabba-dabba do now Yabba-dabba-dabba do now
SOLRAD: The Online Literary Magazine for Comics, edited by Daniel Elkin, http://www.solrad.co (Fieldmouse Press)
Best Comics-Related Book
Crumb: A Cartoonist’s Life, by Dan Nadel (Scribner)
Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic)
How Comics Are Made, by Glenn Fleishman (Andrews McMeel)
Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide to Graphic Narrative, by Eleri Harris and Shay Mirk (Abrams ComicArts)
Only What’s Necessary: Charles M. Schultz and the Art of Peanuts, by Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)
Ooops…I Just Catharted!: Fifty Years of Cathartic Comics, by Rupert Kinnard, edited by William O. Tyler (Stacked Deck Press)
Best Publication Design
The Art of Manga, designed by Tessa Lee (Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco/VIZ Media)
The Essential Peanuts, designed by Shawn Dahl with Chip Kidd (Abrams ComicArts)
Fruits Basket: The Complete Box Set (Collector’s Edition #13), designed by Wendy Chan (Yen Press)
Red Light Properties: Unfinished Business, designed by Dan Goldman (Kinjin Storylab)
The Marvel Art of Michael Allred Slipcase Edition, designed by Kurtis Findlay (Clover Press)
Weird Science Vol. 1 XXL, designed by Anna-Tina Kessler (TASCHEN)
Best Webcomic
The Accidental Undergrad by Christian Giroux (Fieldmouse Press)
Keeping Time by Kody Okamoto (keepingtimecomic.com)
The Legend of Parvaterra by Raúl Arnáiz (WEBTOON)
Sable: A Ghost Story, by Ethan M. Aldridge (sablecomic.com)
Superfish, by Peglo (WEBTOON)
Terran Omega: The Ghosts of War, by PJ Holden (pauljholden.com)
Tiger, Tiger by Petra Erika Nordlund (tigertigercomic.com)
Best Digital Comic
DeadAss, by hakei (VIZ Media)
In the Real Dark Night, by Jimmy Gownley (G-Ville Comics)
The Lycan, by Mike Carey, Thomas Jane, David James Kelly, and Diego Yapur (Comixology Originals)
Overwatch 2: Against the Tide, by Brandon Chen and Velinxi (Blizzard Entertainment)
Practical Defense Against Piracy, by Tony Cliff (delilahdirk.com)
The World of Lublu, by Charbak Dipta (The Charbax Store)
Best Writer
Deniz Camp, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC); Assorted Crisis Events (Image); The Ultimates (Marvel)
Scott Snyder, Absolute Batman, Batman/Deadpool (DC); By a Thread: Book 2 (Comixology Originals), You Won’t Feel a Thing (DSTLRY)
Mariko Tamaki, This Place Kills Me (Abrams Fanfare)
Kelly Thompson, Absolute Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey (DC); Jeff the Land Shark (Marvel)
James Tynion IV, Something Is Killing the Children, Wynd: The Power of the Blood (BOOM! Studios); Let This One Be a Devil, Red Book (Dark Horse); The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY); The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image); Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man (Image Skybound)
Stephanie Williams, Street Sharks (IDW); Roots of Madness (Ignition Press); Temporal (Mad Cave)
Best Writer/Artist
Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image)
Jamal Campbell, Zatanna (DC)
Jesse Lonergan, Drome (23rd St. Books)
Chang Sheng, Yan, vols. 1–2 (Titan Manga)
Linnea Sterte, A Garden of Spheres (Peow2)
Kazumi Yamashita, Land, vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Best Penciller/Inker
Elsa Charetier, The City Beneath Her Feet (DSTLRY)
Sean Phillips, Giant Size Criminal #1, The Knives: A Criminal Book (Image)
Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)
Chris Samnee, Batman and Robin: Year One (DC)
Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns (DC)
Eric Zawadzki, Assorted Crisis Events (Image)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist
Teddy Kristiansen, Black Hammer: Spiral City (Dark Horse)
Cathy Malkasian, Shadows of the Sea (Fantagraphics)
Qu, Slices of Life: A Comic Montage (Bulgilhan Press)
Martin Simmonds, The Department of Truth (Image)
Mika Song, Night Chef: An Epic Tale of Friendship with a Side of Deliciousness! (Random House Graphic)
Linnea Sterte, A Garden of Spheres (Peow)
Best Cover Artist
Juni Ba, The Boy Wonder (DC); The Fable of Erkling Woods (Goats Flying Press); TMNT Nightwatcher, TMNT Godzilla (IDW); Monkey Meat Summer Batch (Image)
Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman, Absolute Batman 2025 Annual, Batman #1, Batman/Deadpool (DC)
Francesco Francavilla, Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars: Tales from the Nightlands (Dark Horse); Absolute Batman, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman: Full Moon, Nightwing variants (DC); Green Hornet/Miss Fury (Dynamite); Star Trek: The Last Starship, Twilight Zone (IDW); Dick Tracy (Mad Cave)
Mateus Manhanini, Absolute Superman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Mr. Terrific: Year One variants (DC); Doctor Strange, Ironheart: Bad Chemistry, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Phases of the Moon Knight, Star Wars: The High Republic, Storm, The Ultimates (Marvel)
Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Batman & Robin: Year One #7, The New Gods #8 (DC)
Hayden Sherman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Batman: Dark Patterns #3-12 (DC)
Best Coloring
Jordie Bellaire, Absolute Wonder Woman, The Nice House by the Sea (DC); The Exorcism at 1600 Penn (IDW); Assorted Crisis Events, The Department of Truth, Exquisite Corpses, W0RLDTR33 (Image); GI Joe (Image/Skybound); EC Catacomb of Torment, EC Epitaphs from the Abyss (Oni Press)
Ninakupenda Gaillard, Chickenpox (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)
Jesse Lonergan, Drome (23rd St. Books)
Matheus Lopes, Batman and Robin Year One (DC); The Seasons (Image)
Javier Rodriguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC)
José Villarrubia, This Ink Runs Cold (Alan Spiegel Fine Arts); Ghostbox (Comixology Originals); Dracula Book 2: The Brides, The Witcher: The Bear and the Butterfly (Dark Horse); It Rhymes with Takei (Top Shelf)
Best Lettering
Janice Chiang, Acro and the Cat, All Upon a Time, Beyond the Aural Vault, Republica, Solarblader (Sandstorm); John Carpenter’s Blood of the Taken: Next of Kin, Pause, Tales of Science Fiction (Storm King)
Clayton Cowles, Absolute Batman, Batman, Batman & Robin: Year One, Birds of Prey, Black Canary: Best of the Best, Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman, (DC); Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #1-3 (Marvel)
Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Ill Vacation, Stillman (Comixology Originals); Absolute Martian Manhunter, Challengers of the Unknown, DC K.O., The Flash, Green Arrow, Poison Ivy (DC); Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Starship Godzilla, (IDW); Author Immortal (Image); Our-Soot-Stained Heart (Mad Cave)
Nate Piekos, American Caper #1, Archie Vs. Minor Threats, Black Hammer: Spiral City, The Brood, Minor Threats: The Last Devil Left Alive, Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons, The Umbrella Academy Plan B, Welcome to Twilight (Dark Horse); I Hate Fairyland (Image)
Ben Wickey, More Weight: A Salem Story (Top Shelf)
The Eisner Awards Hall of Fame judges have chosen 16 nominees from whom voters will select 4 to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer. These 4 will be joining the 19 individuals that the judges have already chosen for the Hall of Fame. The 16 nominees are Kate Carew, Colleen Doran, George Evans, Crockett Johnson, Peter Kuper, George McManus, Kevin Nowlan, Mimi Pond, Posy Simmonds, Jeff Smith, Paul Smith, Leonard Starr, Akira Toriyama, Mark Waid, Chris Ware, and S. Clay Wilson.
Extra voices: Tress MacNeille (“How ya doin’ Bernie?”) and Mary Kay Bergman (“For a rabbi!”)
Parody: “Pretty Fly for a White Guy” by the Offspring
Genre: Pop Punk/Comedy
Oy Vey! Lots of Yiddish phrases used in this song, which may not have aged as well as some of Al’s other songs. Still, this is a well done parody and is very funny.
Lyrics
Oy vey, oy vey! (How ya doin’, Bernie?) Oy vey, oy vey! (How ya doin’, Bernie?) Oy vey, oy vey! And all the goyim say I’m pretty fly for a rabbi
Meccha leccha hi, meccha hiney hiney ho
Our temple’s had a fair share of rabbis in the past But most of’em were nudniks and none of’em would last But our new guy’s real kosher, I think he’ll do the trick I tell ya, he’s to die for, he really knows his shtick
So how’s by you? Have you seen this Jew? Reads the Torah, does his own accounting too Working’ like a dog at the synagogue He’s there all day, he’s there all day
Just say “Vay is mir!” and he’ll kick into gear He’ll bring you lots of cheer and maybe bagels with some shmeer Just grab your yarmulka and Hey! Hey! Do that Hebrew thing!
Oy vey, oy vey! (How ya doin’, Bernie?) Oy vey, oy vey! (How ya doin’, Bernie?) Oy vey, oy vey! And all the goyim say I’m pretty fly (for a rabbi)
He shops at discount stores, not just any will suffice He has to find a bargain ’cause he won’t pay retail price He never acts meshugga and he’s hardly a schlemiel But if you want to haggle, oy, he’ll make you such a deal!
People used to scoff, now they say “Mazel tov!” He’s such a macher ’cause he works his tuchis off Yeah, he keeps his cool and teaches shul What’s not to like? What’s not to like?
Oh high holy days, you know he prays and prays And he never eats pastrami on white bread with mayonnaise Put on your yarmulka and Hey! Hey! Do that Hebrew thing!
When he’s doing a Bar Mitzvah, now that you shouldn’t miss He’ll always shlep on down for a wedding or a briss They say he’s got a lot of chutzpah, he’s really quite hip The parents pay the moyl and he gets to keep the tip!
Oy vey, oy vey! (How ya doin’, Bernie?) Oy vey, oy vey! (How ya doin’, Bernie?) Oy vey, oy vey!
Meccha leccha hi, meccha meccha cholly ho
He’s doin’ well, I gotta kvell The yentas love him, even shicksas think he’s swell Show up at his home, he says, “Shalom!” And “Have some cake, you want some cake?”
Yeah he calls the shots, we really love him lots Oy gevalt, I’m so ferklempt that I could plotz! So grab your yarmulka The one you got for Hanukah
Let’s put on our yarmulkas and Hey! Hey! Do that Hebrew thing!
I love the synopsis on Netflix for episode eight. It simply says “Something very bad happens.”
These last two episodes of this Netflix limited series were simply batshit crazy.
Holy cow. This went in a manner that I never thought it would. I mean, I never saw Nicky backing out of the wedding at the altar, basically dooming his entire bloodline.
Nicky never believed in the curse that Rachel was so desperately trying to avoid. She went to the extreme by having Jules cut off Rachel’s pinky toe. She had to put all this stuff into a drink. Part of it was the bone of the bride. She needed the seed of the groom.
Honestly, the creation of this cocktail mixture was making me want to puke. It was so gross.
Rachel does not end up drinking it, as she has convinced herself that Nicky is, in fact, her soulmate.
So when Nicky stops the wedding, the sun goes down and the whole group of their bloodline started bleeding from their eyes and mouth.
The Witness arrived at the wedding too. I had forgotten about him. I also forgot that if Rachel called off the wedding, she would replace him as witness. All this because she accepted a proposal that she did not really want to in the first place.
It is difficult to go over these two episodes because of all the craziness that went down. I thought after episode six that Victoria had died. Seems that I overexaggerated that as she was only suffering a certain attack. Victoria was played by Jennifer Jason Leigh and she was amazing. Ted Levine, from Silence of the Lambs and Captain Leland Stottlemeyer from Monk, was the father of Nicky, which I had not realized until episode six. These two are great actors and really solidified the cast.
I hadn’t considered why Jules did not die when the curse switched to the family, but it was because he was married to his true soulmate in Nell. That makes total sense. It was also why Nicky and his father did not die. Of course, when Victoria died, that said that she did not truly believe that Boris was her soulmate, which would be a tragic thing to live with.
This was a great eight episodes with tons of tension and exciting family shenanigans. The supernatural was used heavily, but it the perfect amount and the ending was so shocking that I never would ghave thought it would have been filmed. A lot of bloody fun.
I always feel bad when the EYG Comic Cavalcade slides to Monday, but there were just too many books for me to get to on a packed full weekend. Even after spending time reading on Wednesday at Comic World, I could not find the time to get them all done until now. I even had to read some tonight before doing this write-up in order to get to this post.
While I was at Comic World, I was sitting reading at their table. By the end of the afternoon, I went to get up and my knee was terrible. I could barely walk, and I thought, am I so old that I can hurt myself… sitting?
Comic of the Week
If Destruction Be Our Lot #1
It came down to this book and Dog Tag #1 this week for Comic of the Week, but I wound up choosing the new Image Comic book, If Destruction Be Our Lot #1.
It is a great premise with the humans being gone and robots being the main characters. The Abraham Lincoln robot makes for an awesome protagonist and the idea that there are surviving humans somewhere works as a conflict. This has promise to be an exceptional series.
Plus, the C cover was the Bronze Medalist this week.
Books this week:
Dog Tag #1. Written by Mark Russell with pencils by PJ Holden. Cover art was done by PJ Holden & JP Jordan. The book that was neck and neck with If Destruction Be Our Lot #1 as Comic of the Week, Dog Tag #1 was an exceptional read. A World War II story about a journalist and his time during the war. Tom Fuller is the main protagonist and I was surprised how much I was engaged with him. This was a strong first issue and I am excited about where this goes from here. Another winner for Mad Cave.
Wade Wilson: Deadpool#2. “Bad Calls” Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Geoff Shaw. Cover art was done by Geoff Shaw & Alex Sinclair. Deadpool spends a bunch of this issue inside the trunk of Hammerhead’s car. He gets out to try and save Blind Al from Hammerhead. Oh, and, by the way, Blind Al is the one who was sending the mysterious future notes to Wade. This new Deadpool book has been cooking with a down and depressed Wade and a lot of mysteries.
She-Spawn #1. “American Dream.” Written by Gail Simone and art and cover art by Ig Guara. I picked this up only as a collector. I had zero interest in this book and it had a destiny for the number one box. Then I noticed that it was written by Gail Simone (GAIL!!!!) and I thought, okay, I should at least read it before I subject it to the number one box, but even with the wonderful Gail Simone at the helm, I was not going to like a Spawn book (yes, I know I like Sam and Twitch, but this is different). So I read it and…. I can’t believe it… I thought it was great. So great that I want to buy #2 when it comes out. AAAARARGGGGHHH! What were the odds? I don’t like Spawn. But I was thoroughly entertained with this book. Dang it.
Excommunicated: The Unholy Body Bag #I. Written by Jeremy Robinson and art by Tiago Palma. Cover art by Tyler Crook. This is very strange. I picked up this black bag because it looked cool and I found out that this was cover G. Then I learned that cover A is coming out next week. What? The variants come out the week before cover A? Does that happen… ever? I liked the book so I will probably grab cover A if available, but it was confusing for awhile.
Absolute Superman #19. “Red Steel in the House of Chaos.” Written by Jason Aaron with art by Rafa Sandoval. Cover art was done by Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola. Superman faces off with Absolute Shazam (or is he absolute Black Adam… or some kind of amalgam of them?) and we meet absolute Steel. Has Absolute Superman met his match? Quick cameo of Absolute Batman too.
Royals #2. Written by Derek Kirk Kim with art and cover art by Jacob Perez. The trouble is brewing for Paul and Castor as their telepathic poker scam is coming out in the open and there is a player angry about being ripped off. I really liked the time we spent with the brothers, particularly Castor this issue. The character beats worked to provide us more details on the two brothers. I am enjoying this new book very much.
All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #20. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Paolo Villanelli. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Federico Blee. I have to say, I was, at first, unhappy with this issue. Gwen becoming a Green Goblin felt so already done that I was not pleased. Then, the story took a twist and won me back with one unexpected turn. I think this is the final issue for this book, which is unfortunate. I feel as if it was just starting to hit its stride.
Ben 10 #1. “Man of Action.” Written by Joe Casey with art by Robert Carey. Variant cover C art was done by Dustin Nguyen (Silver Medalist). Another book that I did not plan on reading or continuing to collect. Ben 10 was never my jam of a cartoon. But, as the collector, I wanted to grab a copy and I picked out a beautiful, simple cover by Dustin Nguyen for my collection. The cover was so nice that I decided to give it a chance. The fact that Dynamite has had some other characters that I never watched or didn’t care about (Captain Planet, Silverhawks, Darkwing Duck, Ursula, etc.) in series that I really enjoyed added to the curiosity with this book. Of course, I read it and I really liked it too. Come on Dynamite… you pick characters that I do not like, you are not then supposed to make a comic that I want to buy.
Marc Spector: Moon Knight #4. “Break and Enter” Part One. Written by Jed MacKay and art by Devmalya Pramanik. Cover art was done by Paulo Siqueira & Rachelle Rosenberg. Moon Knight’s crew at the Midnight Mission went in search of Marc, and wound up disappearing themselves. Marc is back and looking for his friends… inside a building covered by a blackness… that is spreading. What is this new, weird supernatural building and what has it done with Tigra, 8-Ball, Hunter’s Moon and the others.
X-Men #29. “Danger Room, Pt. 4“. Written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Netho Diaz. Cover art was done by Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons, & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. While Quentin is out of control in search of whom shot Glob Herman, something bizarre is going on with the X-Men. Are they zombies? Cyclops has certainly looked better. Wild stuff in the world of the mutants.
Amazing Spider-Man #28. Written by Joe Kelly with guest pencilers Cory Smith with Francesco Manna. Cover art was done by Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega. This was a fun Spider-Man issue as Peter receives a major mission from Doctor Strange, but has to take care of a bunch of tangents on the way to the location. There are several fun cameos and moments for Peter in this issue. It may be a filler issue, but it is how a filler issue should be.
Daredevil #2. Written by Stephanie Phillips with art and cover art by Lee Garbett. Matt Murdock has all kinds of problems surrounding him. He has to take on the Owl to find out what is happening, and, even though he does not get much from him, it adds to his mind. Matt’s class of students gave him grief too as he is trying to be a professor. And HEY! it’s Spider-Man!
Fall of the House of Slaughter #1. Written by Tate Brombal and illustrated by Adriano Turtulici. The Dragon is dying. The other houses are preparing to nominate someone to take his place once he passes on. But who really wants the position? The Dragon has his own idea… Erica Slaughter. But… everyone believes that she is dead.
Cyclops #4. “Seeing Red” Part 4. Written by Alex Paknadel and art by Rogê Antonio. This Cyclops, blind and in the woods story has been fantastic so far. I have really enjoyed seeing Scott being challenged by losing his visor and glasses, and having to be chased by the Reavers. I am excited to see where this is going.
Muppets Noir #3. Written, Drawn & cover art by Roger Langridge. This has been a really fun Dynamite book. I do love the Muppets and seeing Kermit as a noir detective (and not a very good one) with Miss Piggy running around, making him look bad, is awesome. It looks like next issue is the final one for this series, but I want more Muppets! Let’s make it happen, Dynamite (or Disney… whoever!).
Fantastic Four #10. Written by Ryan North with pencils by Humberto Ramos. Cover art was done by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado. The Invincible Woman has arrived in the 616-universe as the Fantastic Four and a bunch of their allies have to bring her down. Oh, and Sue has to save Galactus.
Captain Marvel: Dark Past #2. Written by Paul Jenkins and art and cover art by Lucas Werneck. I like this mystery involving Carol and her past memories. I think this is a great use of history, as Carol has to come to see Rogue about something she did not remember.
Batman #9. “Operation Peregrine.” Written by Matt Fraction and art by Ryan Sook. Cover art was done by Jorge Jimenez & Tomeu Morey. I also picked up the incentive variant cover by David Aja. The Gotham City Police have new orders. The orders are to bring down the Batman family. And in this issue, one of them does fall.
Astonishing Miles Morales: Spider-Man- The Art of Thwip #1. Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Alessandro Miracolo & Ig Guara. Cover art was done by Taurin Clarke. I have missed Miles’s book, but, to be truthful, I did not love this book. There was just too many other stories and characters than just Miles. I am sure it will get better as it moves along, but this was not the best return I hav eread.
Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1. “Light Club.” Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Matteo Lolli, Laura Braga, and Vasco Georgiev. Cover art was done by Edwin Galmon. This was one I read tonight before starting the Comic Cavalcade, and I really liked this one. Guy Gardner is such a fun character and I enjoyed the pairing of Guy and John Stewart. I might even buy a buddy book with the two of them in it.
Other Books This Week: Godzilla #10, Sleepy Hollow: The Witches of the Western Woods #1, Red Sonja: She-Devil With a Sword #1, Star Wars: Rogue One-Cassian Andor #1, The Autumn Kingdom #4, Absolute Green lantern #14, Godzilla Infinity Roar #4, Jubilee: Deadly Reunion #1, Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #4, and the Center Holds #3.
Quick Hits: The first quick hit this week is Speed Racer #8 from Mad Cave. This has been a consistently engaging book. I had no idea that Marvel was putting out a book called Civil War: Unmasked #1. I think they were trying to make Tony Stark’s out-of-character behavior during Civil War make more sense as he takes a trip to Bishop’s future. Not sure it worked like they wanted, but there was a foil cover that I picked up that was the Gold Medalist of the week. Comics! The Magazine #3 dropped this week with a cool interview with Kevin Eastman. Ghost Machine: The Official Guidebook #2 came out this week and it goes right up to the letter Z with Zigzag. It says that there will be a six-issue series, but where do they go after Z? The 20th Century Studios book Alien: King Killer #2 has been extremely interesting. I like them using the Xenomorphs in this way. Joe Benitez’s Lady Mechanika: The Mechanical Menagerie #1 came out this week too. It definitely is a sequel series that I might have to look for to understand what is going on here. A new story with Hank Howard from Bad Idea came out this week with Hank Howard Pizza Detective: A Slice of Life #1. Energon Universe 2026 Special #1 sets up the future of the Energon Universe, including the new series MASK. Then, finally, Estuary: A Ghost Story #2 was the last book I read tonight before this post.
I was always a fan of Charles Nelson Reilly, specifically from the Match Game. I remember niot knowing what the reference of CNR was when I first got Alpocalypse. This was one of my favorite videos released for these songs.
Lyrics
Charles Nelson Reilly was a mighty man The kind of man you’d never disrespect He stood eight feet tall, wore glasses And he had a third nipple on the back of his neck He ate his own weight in coal, and excreted diamonds everyday He could throw you down a flight of stairs But you still would love him anyway Yeah, you know you’d love him anyway, oh
Charles Nelson Reilly won the Tour de France With two flat tires and a missing chain He trained a rattlesnake to do his laundry I’m telling you the man was insane He could rip out your beating heart And show it to you right before you died Everyday he’d make the host of Match Game Give him a piggyback ride Yeah, two hour piggyback ride, giddy up Gene
The ninja warrior, master of disguise He could melt your brain with his laser-beam eyes, oh yeah Oh yeah He had his own line at the DMV He made sweet, sweet love to a manatee Oh yeah Oh yeah, that was something to see, I tell ya
Charles Nelson Reilly sold his toenail clippings As a potent aphrodisiac He ran a four minute mile blindfolded With an engine block strapped to his back He could eat more frozen waffles Then any other man I know Once he fell off the Chrysler building And he barely even stubbed his toe Had a tiny little scratch on his toe Didn’t even hurt
Charles Nelson Reilly figured out cold fusion But he never ever told a soul I’ve seen the man unhinge his jaw And swallow a Volkswagen whole He’d bash your face in with a shovel If you didn’t treat him like a star You could spit at the wind, or tug at Superman’s cape But Lord knows you don’t mess around with CNR
I finished the HBO Max show A Knight of the Seven Kingdom, which ended with Egg telling Duncan that there are actually nine kingdoms and not seven. It was a funny little bit at the end of the series.
This final episode was mostly wrap up after last week’s major Trial of Seven. You could how many people were blaming Ser Duncan for the death of Prince Baelor, which is completely unfair considering the circumstances.
Prince Maekar Targaryen was very resentful toward Duncan, but he did request that Duncan take Egg on as a squire while Duncan’s own training continued. Duncan refused stating that he was done with princes.
However, Duncan changed his mind under the condition that they were free to roam. Maekar rejected this idea as he said Egg was a prince and would not live a life of poverty.
At the very end of the show, Egg approached Duncan telling him that his father had changed his mind and accepted the condition.
I knew immediately that Egg was lying. I did not expect to have that confirmed in a mid credit scene where Maekar was searching for Egg. I feel for Duncan and worry that this is going to lead to another problem for him down the road.
However, with this series concluding, perhaps we will not see either of these characters again. As someone who never watched Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was a lot of fun and an enjoyable story. Episodes were short and easy to digest and I did not feel as if I needed the Game of Thrones to enjoy this show (although I might have missed some Easter eggs I wouldn’t have if I had more knowledge).
Next week, the Sunday Morning Sidewalk continues starting with the four episode documentary on Netflix based on the life of Hulk Hogan, entitled Hulk Hogan: Real American.
I was watching the YouTube show Fatman Beyond with Kevin Smith and Marc Bernardin the other day when Marc talked about a new Apple TV + show that he started called Widow’s Bay. He spoke highly of the show and said how he planned on continuing to watch it. It piqued my curiosity so i watched episode one tonight.
There are four total episodes released at this point, three in the same night. I have to say that this first episode does an amazing job of grabbing your attention and I find myself fully into the show, excited about watching the next episode.
The premise of the show is there is a small time mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) is trying to increase the tourism to the island where they live, but he is having trouble from the locals who are about as superstitious as you will find. Sadly, the superstitions are having the same affect on Tom as he is becoming paranoid and uneasy.
However, clearly there are strange things going on with this island, including some potentially soul-stealing fog.
This show is right up my alley. It feels like a throwback to a combination of LOST, Stephen King and Jaws. I loved the final shot of the first episode with an electric chair way beneath the town in a tunnel. What does that have to do with the bizarre events that have Tom so spooked.
The show has done a great job of building tension and creating an air of paranoia among Tom and the viewers. With the supernatural elements in existence, the town’s truth is the central mystery. It is appealing and compelling.
One of the best characters so far is played by Stephen Root, which is always awesome. This character is being set as on the opposite side of Tom, as he pushes the crazy ideas of the island.
I will be continuing with Widow’s Bay on Apple TV + moving forward. I’m hoping to get to the second episode sometime tomorrow.
These two episodes were remarkably dark and heartbreaking as the community on the island took a turn into one of savagery and chaos.
Jack started out that third episode coming to Ralph’s camp and offering everyone meat. They had killed a pig and invited all to come share it at their camp.
It was a terrible mistake to go.
Simon had told them that it was a trap, and it absolutely turned out to be a mistake to attend.
Simon was the focus of episode three, and that really made me nervous for him. When he wound up being stabbed to death by Jack’s camp when they mistook him for “The Beast,” I remembered that scene from previous variations of the story. It really was a tough thing to watch and seeing Simon’s body drift away into the sea was heartbreaking.
The death of Piggy was even worse. In this version, Piggy is hit on the head with a rock thrown by Roger, but he is not killed immediately. In other versions, including the novel and the movie, this blow to the head lead directly to Piggy’s death. Here, Ralph is able to get Piggy out of the camp and into the jungle. Piggy survived for awhile, but it was clear that his time was nearing an end. The extra time between Piggy and Ralph made this moment even more painful to watch. Seeing Ralph dig a grave for his friend was another tragic moment.
I was not overly clear on the “Beast” in this version, but it did turn out to be a parachuter who had died, entangled with his parachute. The kids’ imagination and own fears made this to be even worse.
I do not love the ending of the show, which feels fairly faithful to other versions I have seen. The arrival of the British naval officer, attracted to the island from the smoke of the fire that was set to flush Ralph out of his hiding place by the Hunters. I want to know more… what happened to the boys? To Jack? To Roger? These are murderers, as Piggy said at the beginning of episode four. We saw the break down of civilized from the boys and I wish to know consequences for their actions. I did not feel for Jack, whose shocked stare was the last imagery we saw of him. He had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing, but he consistently chose the path of cruelty.
Piggy had wanted to give Jack a chance to do the right thing, after a raiding party arrived in episode three and stole his glasses in the middle of the night. He was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but it only led to tragedy.
Once again, young boys are among the worst out there and without a strong hand, they will become savages. That’s the take away here, right?
This was an emotional adaptation of a dark and brutal novel. The performances were really strong, and the adaptation was excellent. The episodes are each about an hour long and can be viewed on Netflix.
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.
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.
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.
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.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 