Tag Archives: horror

EYG Comic Cavalcade #205

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May 31

Summer is here! Yay!

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 Brooklyn Bridge 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.

Widow’s Bay S1 E6, E7

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Spoilers

“Our History”

“Seasickness”

Widow’s Bay dropped episodes 6 & 7 together on Wednesday this week, probably because of the format of episode six, which took us back in time to see the origins of the curse of the island with Richard Warren and Sarah Westcott.

Richard was a horrific monster back in the day, which led to them to burying him alive, as his wife Sarah took his children off the island. At the time, they did not know that this would mean they would all be doomed. I have a suspicion that some of the bloodline of Richard Warren survived that encounter.

The present day, Wyck and Patricia dug up the coffin of Richard Warren to retrieve the object he wore around his neck. However, they found a surprise in the grave… Richard Warren was still alive.

This was a hoot of a twist. I actually thought of the idea as Wyck was digging up the grave, but I never seriously considered it as an option. Hamish Linklater played the town founder and man who entered into a pact with the demon of the island. He was great, both as the demonic killer from episode 6 and the ancient man surviving in the coffin for hundreds of years.

Evan discovered a lie that Tom had been telling him. He found pictures of his mother, who he thought died in childbirth, alive while Evan was alive too. These moments are very powerful and Kingston Rumi Southwick, who played Tom’s son Evan, does a solid job conveying his heartbreak.

Stephen Root had some powerful scenes too as he recounted a time as a youth where he lost his best friend because of his own poor choices and the island’s curse.

Patricia’s job was to distract the sheriff so Tom and Wyck would get Richard onto the boat to take him past the “Dead Zone” because Richard believed that if he went past that spot, he would turn into dust because of age. Patricia’s scene with Sheriff Bechir Clemmons as she started to tell him about what they were doing was hilarious. Sherriff Clemmons tapped out and said he did not need to know any more. That was one of the funniest parts of this episode.

While it seemed this were good when it came to the curse on the island, I would guess that there is a surviving bloodline of Richard, keeping the conflict on the island.

There are three more episodes in season one of Widow’s Bay. This has been one of my favorite shows of the year as it really combines styles with LOST, Twin Peaks, and Northern Exposure.

Exit 8

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Exit 8 was another film that I could have seen in the theater, but could not make it fit the schedule. So I rented it today on Fandango at Home. The Japanese sci-fi/thriller is one of the best movies that I have seen in 2026.

According to IMDB, “A man trapped in a endless sterile subway passageway sets out to find Exit 8. The rules of his quest are simple: do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8. But even a single oversight will send him back to the beginning. Will he ever reach his goal and escape this infinite corridor?“

This movie engaged me so much, I was literally yelling at my computer screen, wanting the characters to follow my instructions. It was a simple set up with a complex morality tale. I absolutely loved this film and the experience of watching it.

The film was in Japanese, but the dialogue was limited, which made it a breeze to follow along with the subtitles.

Kazunari Ninomiya was our main protagonist whose point of view we start with in the very beginning of the movie. His eyes were literally the camera to the scenes we were watching. However, that does not last long as the POV switched once he was inside the subway corridor.

There was also the “Walking Man,” played by Yamato Kochi and the Boy, played by Naru Asanuma. The young actor does a sensational job with nearly zero dialogue. To be honest, I am not sure I understood the Walking Man’s role in this narrative, but that did not stop me from being invested in the characer.

Based on a video game, Exit 8 had me looking for every little detail and found me frustrated when the characters did not see the same.

The ending of the film had me screaming out loud, first in desperation and then in joyousness. It was beautifully shot and made me extremely happy.

I loved this movie. I did not expect that this was going to be one of the best movies I would see in 2026, but I am so pleased that I took the chance with a Japanese film.

5 stars

They Will Kill You

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Happy Memorial Day. With the day off school, I am using today to catch up on a bunch of films, now on streaming, that I have not yet seen in 2026. The first film up today is a horror/action/comedy movie called They Will Kill You starring Zazie Beetz.

I had seen the trailer for this film in the theaters, but it only lasted like a week or so in the theaters and I did not get to see it. Honestly, I did not think I would miss it much. It did not seem to be my cup of tea. However, after watching the film this morning, I have to say that I was wrong. This was a heck of a good time.

According to IMDB, “A woman takes a job as a housekeeper in a NYC high-rise, unaware of the building’s history of disappearances. She soon realizes the community is shrouded in mystery.”

That synopsis does not do justice to this story, which, admittedly, is rather thin and coincidental. Still, this is not one of those films where you go in expecting a deep and fully developed story. There was just enough background in the film to make the action and brutality to come understandable.

Zazie Beetz is sensational in her violent, bad ass way. After her first scene in her room inside the building, the shocking reveal of what was going on was out of nowhere and I was here for it.

The rest of the cast was fun, featuring some reasonably big names including Patricia Arquette, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, Myha’la, James Remar, and Paterson Joseph.

I found much of the film very funny. Again, this movie does an admirable job of blending tones through the film. It has comedic beats that feel like they work well with the gory horror moments and the action/adventure moments. It is not easy to blend tones and more movies that try to do it fail than succeed. They Will Kill You is one that makes it look easy.

I wish I had seen this on the big screen. I think the violence would have popped all the more. Still, I enjoyed renting this on Fandango at Home and it kicked off today’s binge in a exciting and dramatic manner.

3.8 stars

The Boys S5 E8

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Spoilers

“Blood and Bone”

Extremely satisfying conclusion for this series.

The characters of The Boys were all served very well in this conclusion. They all feel like they have taken this full circle, back to the beginning. As I said, this was so satisfying of an ending. It is hard to make a finale that really hits all the right notes, and I believe this one was special.

Hughie stepped it up big time in this episode as he really came through. Apparently, much of the ending matched up with what happened in the comics (which I have not read). The end of the episode with Hughie and Butcher facing off over the virus, with Butcher wanting to kill all the supes and Hughie killing him. It was wonderful that Hughie got be be a leader again.

I have had a difficult relationship with Butcher over the five seasons

Homelander’s fall in the White House’s Oval Office was fabulous. The battle between Butcher and Homelander was brutal and the use of Kimiko and Ryan in the battle was great. The final death of Homelander with the crowbar was perfect and gross at the same time. The use of Frenchie’s memory for Kimiko was beautiful, reminding her that rage was not what she did best, that herpower came from her heart .

Annie getting to be the one who finally brings down The Deep is a full circle moment, and the way they paid off the sea creatures getting their revenge on “Kevin” is great. There has not been a character in this show more despicable (except for Homelander) than Deep.

I did not expect that Soldier Boy had been killed last week. I thought Homelander only choked him out, but, apparently, he did kill him. Homelander made a comment about dropping him in the Thames, so I guess that was the end of Soldier Boy.

Sister Sage had her powers taken away with the Kimiko blast and she is happy about it. She does not have to lobotomize herself to enough Taco Bell and reality TV. Sage heading off to Harry Potter land in Orlando is a great end for that character.

MM is reunited with Monique and they get remarried. It also seemed as if MM is taking Ryan in too. It was one of the happier ends of the characters.

Of course, Annie pregnant at the end and involved with Hughie’s “start-up business” was cool too. It felt like another pay off for this relationship that had endured for so long through so much tragedy and turmoil. With Annie being pregnant after aborting the child in a previous season, I think that throwback is another strong character beat.

Terror RIP.

The performances of this show were all outstanding. From Karl Urban and Jack Quaid to Antony Starr and Chace Crawford, from  Karen Fukuhara and Tomer Capone to Daveed Diggs and Colby Minifie, from Erin Moriarty and Cameron Crovetti to Laz Alonso and Jensen Ackles, the cast brought it every episode and made these characters pop (sometimes even literally as head were exploding in moments).

The Boys finished off a strong season and a top-notch super hero satire.

Is God Is

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I saw a horror movie this morning that felt like it was not a typical horror movie. After that, I went to see Is God Is, which is a revenge flick that did not feel like a typical revenge flick. It was a good day for creative filmmaking.

The title made no sense to me at all. Is God Is? What was that? Honestly, I almost did not go to the film, because the title had me confused. However, once I noticed which film this actually was (I have seen trailers for this), I was excited to see it.

According to IMDB, “Two sisters embark on an epic quest for revenge; confronting a charged family history that will push them to extraordinary lengths.”

This was a story not just about two sisters, but specifically about twins. Kara Young played Racine and Mallori Johnson played Anaia, twins who had lifelong scars when their father had attempted to murder their mother by setting her on fire. I don’t know if the actor playing their father is known, so I am going to not mention him by name, but this actor created an amazingly horrific individual.

However, there was more than just the pursuit of their father going on and it made me question whether I should be pulling for Racine during this film. I loved the level of shades of grey in the script, which I feel gets overlooked in a lot of revenge movies.

I loved the way the film showed the “twin mind link” by putting what the twins were thinking, as if they had a telepathic connection between them. They just knew what the other was thinking, but it still ended up with a conflict between the sisters in the movie.

There is a great ensemble of black actors in this movie including Vivica A. Fox, Janelle Monáe, Mykelti Williamson, Erika Alexander, Xavier Mills, Josiah Cross, and Justen Ross.

The flashbacks to the horrible events of the past really worked to keep the motivation of the twins going as it seemed to start off as a road film before changing into a brutal revenge flick.

Kara Young and Mallori Johnson are outstanding together. You buy them as twins who are so tight that they know what the other is thinking, and, because of that, the third act hits even harder. I found the ending very satisfying.

4.2 stars

Obsession

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I looked for the classification for this movie on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes, and the new movie called Obsession was listed as a horror movie. Certainly, this is a horror movie, but I thought this would be labeled as Horror/comedy and there was no mention of comedy. I found much of this film funny, and so I am surprised that it was not labeled as a Dark or Black Comedy.

Fact is I have never had a movie that I can recall that made me laugh so much only to make me ridiculously uncomfortable and uneasy.

According to IMDB, “After breaking the mysterious ‘One Wish Willow’ to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.“

Michael Johnston played Bear and Inde Navarrette played Nikki, our two main lead protagonists. Navarrette, in particular, really reached the zenith of performances as she seemingly embraced the absolute insanity of this character. She clearly did not hold back anything on this film. She was so unsettling which was remarkable.

Part of the film’s most unsettling elements is the sound design. Nikki’s screams were so unnerving and the music was done so amazingly that I could feel my suspense and anxiety hyping up throughout the movie. It was absolutely noticeable and purposeful, and it worked extremely well.

I was surprised how funny this movie was and how much I felt bad when I was laughing. The situation is a horrible one and it has so many tragic undertones, yet there are scenes played for laughs that underscore the pain and tragedy. I think this is a very difficult balance to maintain, and I think Obsession does it expertly well.

I do think there are some scenes that could be cut down to make the film a little shorter. However, I would not touch the third act of the film, which was just wonderfully put together.

There are some deep characters here doing things that make you see them in different manners. Our protagonist, Bear, does not seem to be a very good person, or at least, his choices seem to outline him as a selfish person.

I thought this was one of the best horror movies of 2026 so far and I look forward to seeing where the career of Inde Navarrette goes from here as this feels like a breakout performance for her.

4.4 stars

Something Very Bad is Going to Happen E7, E8

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Spoilers

“Something Living, Something Dead, Something Stolen, Something Red”

“I Do”

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.

Daily Countdown: Weird Al Songs #53

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#53

Tacky

Title: “Tacky”

Album: Mandatory Fun

Release: 2014

Written: Pharrell L. Williams/Al Yankovic

Parody: “Happy” by Pharrell Williams

Genre: Pop

Video featured: Aisha Tyler, Margaret Cho, Eric Stonestreet, Jack Black, and Kristen Schaal

Lyrics

It might seem crazy, wearing stripes and plaid
I Instagram every meal I’ve had
All my used liquor bottles are on display
We can go to see a show but I’ll make you pay

Wear my belt with suspenders and sandals with my socks
(Because I’m tacky)
Got some new glitter Uggs and lovely pink sequined Crocs
(Because I’m tacky)
Never let you forget some favor I did for you
(Because I’m tacky)
If you’re okay with that, then, you might just be tacky, too

I meet some chick, ask her this and that
Like ‘Are you pregnant girl, or just really fat?’ (what?)
Well, now I’m dropping names almost constantly
That’s what Kanye West keeps telling me, here’s why

Wear my Ed Hardy shirt with fluorescent orange pants
(Because I’m tacky)
Got my new resume it’s printed in Comic Sans
(Because I’m tacky)
Think it’s fun threatening waiters with a bad Yelp review
(Because I’m tacky)
If you think that’s just fine, then, you’re probably tacky, too

Bring me shame, can’t nothing
Bring me shame, I never know why
Bring me shame, can’t nothing
Bring me shame, I said
Bring me shame, can’t nothing
Bring me shame, it’s pointless to try
Bring me shame, can’t nothing
Bring me shame, I said

43 Bumper Stickers and a YOLO license plate
(Because I’m tacky)
Bring along my coupon book whenever I’m on a date
(Because I’m tacky)
Practice my twerking moves in line at the DMV
(Because I’m tacky)
Took the whole bowl of restaurant mints. Hey, it said they’re free
(Because I’m tacky)
I get drunk at the bank
And take off my shirt, at least
(Because I’m tacky)
I would live-tweet a funeral, take selfies with the deceased
(Because I’m tacky)
If I’m bit by a zombie, I’m probably not telling you
(Because I’m tacky)
If you don’t think that’s bad, guess what, then you’re tacky, too

Source: LyricFind

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S2 E10

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Spoilers

“Where We Belong”

The second season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters concluded on Apple TV + this past Friday with a big titan slugfest between Kong and Titan X and the official switch from Cate to Kentaro of the stupidest Randa sibling.

It can’t be that Cate is the standout character on this show now, can it?

A few episodes ago, I would have celebrated had the show killed Cate off. Now, she feels like the true heart of the show, certainly moving forward into a potential season three.

What a character arc she has had this season.

The face off of Kurt Russel and Wyatt Russell in the opened rift felt as if it were a true goodbye for the flashback characters as they had been used less in the last few episodes this season. This feels like the correct moment to end those flashbacks as the show apparently is taking a new step in any potential season 4.

Keiko was such a bad ass driving her jeep around the gigantic Kaiju fight going on around her, but… girlfriend… where did you learn to park? As soon as she stopped that jeep and hopped out, I knew it was a goner. Why park it there? Geez.

The final shot of the season showed Lee looking out at a volcano and seeing Rodan sitting atop of it as the lava flowed around it. Rodan was last seen in Godzilla: King of the Monsters leaving a ton of questions about this Rodan.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was a hit and miss season for me. There were several moments where I considered dropping this show from my viewing schedule because I was just not enjoying it. I am happy that I maintained through the middle because the ending was much stronger than I expected. It ended strongly enough for me to watch the next season, if it is renewed by Apple TV.

The Plague

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I had heard a lot of positive things about the film, The Plague earlier in the year, but it never came around to the theaters in my area. So when I spotted it on AMC + on Prime, I decided to give this a watch.

The film is a psychological thriller/horror film directed by Charlie Polinger and starring Joel Edgerton and a cast of teenagers.

I think the theme of this movie is that middle school aged boys are horrible, cruel and just disgusting people.

According to IMDB, “A socially awkward tween endures the ruthless hierarchy at a water polo camp, his anxiety spiraling into psychological turmoil over the summer.”

This was not what I expected this film to be about. It was a rough watch, especially since I am a middle school teacher and seeing how cruel these kids were to each other, it is something I can relate to in my own life.

There were some questions I had, but I think those all require spoilers, so I will just have to say that I am not sure what I saw was really what I saw during a chunk of the movie.

The main protagonist of the film was Ben, played by Everett Blunck. The young teen Blunck does a really good job dealing with the pressures of trying to fit in with the crowd, while still feeling empathy for those that were being ostracized. It was a strong performance with plenty of layers for this young boy to play. The main antagonist for Ben was Jake, played by Kayo Martin. I swear that every time I saw Kayo Martin, I pictured Justin Shenkarow from Picket Fences. Kayo Martin could easily be his brother, though Shenkarow is much older now. I really disliked the character of Jake, so Kayo Martin did an excellent job of providing the conflict within this group of children. He felt real.

The film is a slow build and does feel longer than its 1:38 run time. Still, the performances are all great and the tension is top notch. There are things that are happening that I am confused by, which kept me on my toes. Maybe I was looking too deeply into it (the Wikipedia page did not make any references to my concepts), but I was glad it was a film I finally was able to see.

4 stars

Something Very Bad is Going to Happen E2

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Spoilers

“Bride-Shaped Hole”

The Sorry Man is not real.

Yeah, right.

Episode two may not have been as creepy as the premiere, but it was still very disturbing and unsettling as this bizarre family comes together for a wedding. But who knows if the wedding will ever come to pass.

It is four days before the wedding and Rachel discovered that her wedding dress was missing. She was sure it had been brought, but it all felt like some kind of machinations among this family.

As Nicky went to Cleveland to see if he could find the dress, Rachel was involved in a fitting using Victoria’s old dress. This degenerated into a weird and wild event. Rachel wound up wandering through the house, hearing all kinds of strange whispers and discussions between the others about her and the situation. It was very creepy.

Rachel found the dress hung up in the woods over an effigy. Meanwhile, Dr. Cunningham was digging a grave. This, understandably freaked Rachel out and she started running from them. Nicky was returning as she was running away and she wanted to leave immediately, but, also understandably, Nicky wanted to speak with his family.

Turned out this all had to do with a tumor in Victoria’s brain that is killing her. The wedding came up as a surprise and they were going use it as a way to bring all the family together for one last celebration.

Jude, Jules’ son, apparently took the dress and put it on the effigy as a way to confuse the Sorry Man. Jude had discovered blood that Rachel had dripped on the floor the night before when she had her bloody nose, and he was trying to keep the Sorry Man from coming and killing Rachel. His father made Jude repeat that the Sorry Man was not real.

Of course, the silhouette in the woods that showed up at the end of the episode told a different story.

Two episodes in and there are so many weird things going on that I sure hope pay off. I am invested in the story so far and these characters are all so sus that I can not imagine what the real situation is. Good stuff on Netflix.

Something Very Bad is Going to Happen E1

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Spoilers

“Never Get on One Knee”

That was really creepy.

I have had this limited series, Something Very Bad is Going to Happen, on my Netflix queue for several weeks now. I had heard positives about the series that I wanted to watch it, but with the load of other TV and movies, not to mention comics and school, I was not sure when I could squeeze it into. However, I have gotten to a point where The Pitt, Invincible, Paradise, Shrinking were all done and Monarch is on its last episode. I only currently have Daredevil: Born Again and The Boys as active TV shows that I was watching, so I thought this was a good opportunity to start this show.

Man, what a creepy first episode.

It grabs you right away with a somewhat disturbing wedding and the reaction of the bride was unexpected. We then flash back five days prior to the wedding and things get even creepier.

The podcast they listened to in the car was unnerving too as it gave the story of Larry Poole, a man who sold custard and was a serial killer.

As this podcast was telling the story, we were suddenly at a rest stop and the story switched gears. Rachel and Nicky, who were the couple getting married, were driving to Nicky’s family cabin. Stopping at the rest stop, they find a baby inside a car, apparently deserted.

There were some real disturbing images at this rest stop including a dead fox in the women’s restroom. Rachel chose to go back and find a phone to call for help and Nicky would stay with the baby. This felt like a poor choice, but it is what happened.

Rachel found a bar that was mostly deserted, but the woman working there “Benjamin” was creepy and there was another man there who was apparently stalking Rachel. She ran off to her car after stabbing the man in the hand with her keys.

When she returned, the baby was gone and Nicky had been punched by the baby’s father, who thought Nicky was trying to steal the baby. The whole encounter with the parents happened off screen and something about it felt odd. There was a scream that Rachel had heard in the woods before Nicky came back.

They headed to the cabin, which is humongous. Rachel meets part of Nicky’s family when she was looking for ice for his head. Nicky’s sister, Portia, tells Rachel a story about when their brother Jules wound up lost in the woods as a child and supposedly saw the Sorry Man.

According to Jules, the Sorry Man came from Hell and murdered women by slitting them open and turning them inside out, trying to find his lost wife inside them. Rachel also mentioned a scream from the woods, which made me think about that rest stop and how the parents of that deserted baby had taken a stroll in the woods.

Things only got creepier as Rachel woke up with a bloody nose and wandered off to find Nicky’s mother who said that they would not be seeing each other very much. Rachel found a returned wedding invitation on the floor with the words “Don’t marry him” scribbled on the back.

There are so many weird and bizarre things happening that it truly did a great job of making me anxious as I watched it. The music was excellent in that manner too. I was full of suspense and I was feeling scared. Most of the time, scary things do not bother me that much, but I have to say that this really kept me on edge. I am excited to continue this limited series later in the week.

Over Your Dead Body

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Jason Segal and Samara Weaving co-star in this dark comedy about a couple whose relationship has been pushed to the point where both of them plot to murder the other.

Taking cues from films like War of the Roses, Over Your Dead Body takes the violence a step farther and gives us a film that has meta vibes to it as well.

Jason Segal is Dan, who is a less than successful director reduced to doing commercials while longing for the days of helming his one feature length film. Samara Weaving is Lisa, the pretentious actress who is involved with the theater and seemingly critical of her husband’s work.

The car ride to the cabin that they were heading to for the weekend showed well how these two had drifted away from each other and how they held a lot of inner (and outer) antagonism toward the other.

There are some scene of real humor in the film, many of which came in the form of violence and gore. I have to say there is a vomit joke, which you know I hate, but that was the only moment that I was not fond of during the film’s run time.

The film also featured actors Timothy Olyphant, Jake Curran, “Natalie” from Yellowjackets-Juliette Lewis (I tried to place this actress through the whole film, and I never was able to figure out where I knew her from until I got to IMDB), Paul Guilfoyle, Keith Jardine and Danusia Samal.

Jason Segal has been exceptional over the last few years on Apple TV +’s Shrinking, and this gave him a chance to do something different, while still keeping those traits of why we love him as an actor.

While there is nothing new and exciting about the story, the performances are great and the movie does not fail to elicit laughter. There are several tense and awkward scenes that really work in the context of the film and director Jorma Taccone brought the best out of the actors.

This is a very fun film of martial disharmony.

3.75 stars

EYG Comic Cavalcade #198

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April 12

It is EYG Comic Cavalcade time. It was another fun week. I got some deliveries from Midtown Comics this week too, including some Daredevil #1 blind bags and some variants.

Comic of the Week

The Fury of Firestorm #1

Firestorm has always been one of my favorite DC characters. I enjoyed the original appearances of Robbie Raymond and Martin Stein, combined into one being with amazing nuclear powers. It was exciting to hear that Firestorm would be back in his own limited series. Then, the first issue was excellent with a mystery behind what is going on. Good stuff.

Books this week:

Amazing Spider-Man #26. Written by Joe Kelly with pencils by Francesco Manna & Ed McGuinness. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Marte Gracia. I also picked up the Spider-Gwen variant cover by David Nakayama. Death Spiral Part 7 is picking up the pace as the Carnage/Torment team-up gets even more dangerous as they are looking for a spiral for Spider-Man.

Neighborhood Watch #1. Written by Sarah Gailey and illustrated and cover art by Haining (Silver Medalist). The new book from Boom! Studios deals with a couple of neighboring towns: Willow Haven and Open Arms, and its neighborhood watch program. There is a murder that happens too.

Uncanny X-Men #26. “Careful What You Wish For” Written by Gail Simone and art by Luciano Vecchio. Cover art was done by David Marquez and Matthew Wilson. The kids of the Haven House are being grabbed and their histories are suddenly strange. And … the New Mutants? What is going on here?

Uncanny X-Men Annual #1. “The Rise of the Regulators” Written by Gail Simone & Mikki Kendall with art by Francesco Mortarino with Elisabetta D’Amico. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Matthew Wilson. This story was a great bit with the history of Haven House. That history is known as the Regulators and they have a tie to pre-adamantium Wolverine. I love when the history of the area folds in with the mutants.

D’Orc #3. “A Bit Light-Headed” Written, drawn and cover art by Brett Bean. D’Orc faced off with a powerful dwarf with a big hammer. I have truly been enjoying D’Orc. The humor of the book has been great and D’Orc and his crew are deep in action too. Solid book.

The Muppets Noir #2. Written, drawn and cover art by Roger Langridge. Kermit is still unconscious and the rest of the Muppets were trying to decide what to do about the show. Meanwhile, the detective Flip Minnow continued to try and solve the case and find Meringue Crustworth. The noir world introduced us to Staler & Waldorf, the Swedish Chef and Sweetums. Lots of Muppet fun.

Mad About DC #1. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian. Guest editor (for some reason) was Chip Zdarsky. I also picked up the foil issue of the same cover by Dan Panosian. This was one of the books I got from Midtown this week. It was a fun version of Mad Magazine focusing on the characters of DC. Tons of satire and humor.

Baby Garfield #1. “Baby Garfield’s First Word” and “Baby Garfield’s First Hairball” Written by Grace Ellis (1st) and Michael Northrop (2nd). Art for the two stories was done by Asia Simone and Rob Justus respectfully. This was another book I got from Midtown Comics. I was not the biggest fan of Garfield, but I considered picking this up on the shelf. When I did not get it, I got it and I liked it. I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed this book.

Everyone Loves a Jewel Thief #1. Written by Aaron Campbell & Tim Seeley with art and cover art by Aaron Campbell. Ignition Press has been huge lately and has been very successful. We have yet another new book, this one compiling a team of jewel thieves.

Dead by Deadlight #1. Written by Derek Fridolfs with art by Dean Kotz. Cover art was done by Alex Horley. This is a survival online game adapted into the comic form by Titan Comics. There are some horrific imagery in this book and it is a compelling start. The killer is definitely scary and I am curious to see how this book progresses.

Cosplayer Versus Shark #1. “Part One: Up from the Depths” and “Part Two: It’s Always Shark Week!” Written by Pat Jankiewicz and art by Shaun “Spanky” Piela. This was a wild and weird one shot that reminded me of a Carl Hiaasen novel, specifically Chomp. This is a lot of fun.

Pretty Hate Machine #1. Written by Ryan O’Han & Tim Seeley with art by Paolo Armitano. Cover art was done by Todor Hristov. Another new horror series, this one based upon the album from Nine Inch Nails. The new Mad Cave book was very entertaining and the imagery was scary.

Something is Killing the Children #46. “All Her Monsters” Part Six. Written by James Tynion IV and illustrated and cover art by Werther Dell’Edera. It has been quite a few months since we have seen Erica Slaughter. It was great having Something is Killing the Children back on the reading list. It is consistently one of the best books available when it is out.

Estuary: A Ghost Story #1. Written by David “DB” Andy & Tim Daniel and illustrated and cover art by Maan House. What is better than combining nun horror with aquatic horror… plus a ghost story of a shipwrecked Spanish vessel. Another new series from Oni Press.

Iron Man #4. “No Escape” Written by Joshua Williamson and art by Carmen Carnero with Jan Bazaldua. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin. Tony Stark is trying to find the winner of the Tony Stark Award, who has been grabbed by AIM. However, he comes across a different type of AIM… Advanced Iron Man.

Wolverine #18. “Clash of the Champions” Written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Martin Coccolo. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian (Bronze Medalist) . Wolverine faces off against Hercules, controlled by The Adamantine. It is a bloody and brutal war between Logan and Herc. And this will bring Athena to the fray.

Black Cat #9. “String Theory” Written by G. Willow Wilson with art by Gleb Melnikov and Andres Genolet. Cover art was done by Adam Hughes. MJ and Black Cat find themselves in alternate universe, living all new lives. Are their new lives what they really want?

Mortal Thor #9. “Inevitable” Written by Al Ewing with art by Pasqual Ferry. Cover art was done by Alex Ross (Gold Medalist). Sigurd has to deal with a threat from the Radioactive Man. Sigurd is preparing to launch an assault on Roxxon.

Space Ghost #10. Written by David Pepose and art by Jonathan Lau. Cover art was done by Francesco Mattina. Space Ghost faced off with something than no one can defeat…time. Specifically, Tempus the Time-Master.

Web of Venom #1. Written by Jordan Morris and art by Luke Ross & Ramon Rosanas. Cover art was done by Stefano Casselli & Federico Blee. We got another book featuring a symbiote and a new Venom form. This time is is Boomerang, aka Fred Meyers. I’m not sure why we need to have yet another symbiote anti-hero running around. The story was fine, but I am not sure why it is needed.

Twilight Zone #6. “Growth” Written, art and cover art by Nicole Goux. A sad story about a girl with a plant that was alive… an actual baby.. and the hatred that people who are different face. This one turns out tragic, much like many of the Twilight Zone episodes.

Bleeding Hearts #3. Written by Deniz Camp and art and cover art by Stipan Morian. The Vertigo zombie book is back this week and the Zombie boy is showing signs of being more than just another in the hungry horde. What does that mean? Bleeding heart continues to be one of the more intriguing Vertigo books.

Other books this week: Murder Podcast #6, Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny #4, Blood & Thunder #12, Absolute Green Lantern #13, The Nice House by the Sea #9, and Alice: Forever After #3.

Quick Hits: Moonstar #2 was released this week as Danielle Moonstar is on the mission. I picked up two covers from Midtown Comics this past week. Both with the guest appearance of EYG Hall of Famer “Weird Al” Yankovic. The first one was World’s Finest #50 with Al and his accordion hanging out with Batman and Superman. The other was Bizarro: Year None #1 where Al is portrayed as the “Normal Al” Yankovic, with a briefcase. I love Weird Al so I knew I wanted to find these two covers for my collection. Hello Darkness #20 had a collection of fun horror short stories. My favorite of the stories was “The Thread” which was pretty gross in the end. Transformers #31 focused on Megatron taking the next step in his status, in a manner I would not have expected. One of my favorite books this week is one of the oddest team-ups I have ever seen. It is Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theater Presents Romeo & Juliet and Godzilla #1. It is as wild as it sounds. Speaking of wild, the team up between Ash and Archie continues in Archie x The Army of Darkness #3 from Dynamite Comics. This one had a cool cover that nearly made the medal round. Sai: Dimensional Rivals #4 kept going into multiple worlds in search of the seventh stone. The idea of the different art in the different universes makes this book original. And finally, Speed Racer: Tales from the Road #1 which featured the winners of the Mad Cave Studios talent search.